dreamyproject | Farewell! A festival of quarrels and memories!

あぁ…。祭り囃子が、聞こえてくるね

Eichi: Ah… I can hear the sounds of the festival music.

【喧嘩祭】の序盤戦は、おおいに盛りあがっているようだ。君のプランどおりにね、(player)ちゃん。

It seems that the early stage of the 【Quarrel Fesitval】 is going successfully. It's just as you planned, (player)-chan.

なかなか、たいした手腕だよ。すっかり、夢ノ咲学院の「プロデューサー」が板についてきたじゃないか
You really are quite skillful. Could it be that you’ve become accustomed to your position as Yumenosaki’s “producer”?

出会ったころとは、見ちがえるようだよ
It's like you’re completely different from when I first saw you.

ふふ。褒めているというのに、どうして恐縮してしまうんだい。かわいいなぁ…ふぅん、敬人にたっぷり駄目出しされたんだ？

Fufu. Why are you acting so humble when I’m praising you? How cute… Hmm, Keito criticized* your every move?

酷いやつだよねぇ、むかしから優しくないんだよ。でもね、敬人の幼なじみとしてフォローしておこうかな

He's a harsh guy, isn't he? He’s always been unkind. But, well, let me cover for him as his childhood friend.

敬人は決して、できない人間に無理強いはしないよ

Keito will never compel someone to do what they cannot do.

君ならできると見込んだからこそ、厳しくあれこれと口をだすんだ。素直じゃないというか、面倒くさいやつだよねぇ…

He’s pestering you so precisely because he believes you are capable of fulfilling the job. He`s not very honest, or perhaps you could say that he`s rather troublesome...?

こんなこと、僕が言っていたなんて内緒だよ？
Keep it a secret that I said such a thing, all right?

怒られてしまうからね。敬人のお小言には、もう懲り懲りだよ

It's because he’ll get mad at me. I’m tired of listening to his lectures.

あぁ…。そこにある、酸素吸入器を取ってくれないかな

Ah... Could you take that oxygen inhalator over there?

ライブ中はよく歌っていると酸欠とかになるからね。常備されているんだ。いや、君が準備したのかな？

It’s always readily available because I often get oxygen deficient when singing during lives. No, perhaps you were the one who prepared it?

手回しがいいね、優秀優秀♪ 　あぁ、すまないけど早くそれを渡してほしいな。正味な話、こうして喋っているだけで死ぬほど苦しいんだ

How well prepared, excellent, excellent ♪ Ah, sorry, but could you hurry and hand that to me? To tell you honestly, I’m so pained that I feel like I’m dying just speaking like this.

すう、はあ。うん、落ちついた。細胞の隅々まで活性化したよ、君が口移しで酸素をくれたらもっと元気になれたのだけど…

Suu, haa. Phew, I’ve calmed down. My cells feel revitalized from end to end, though I probably would have become more energized if you had provided mouth-to-mouth resuscitation…♪

冗談だよ。呼気はおおむね二酸化炭素だからね、口移しなどされたら逆に苦しくなってしまう

It’s a joke. Human breath is primarily composed of carbon dioxide, so mouth-to-mouth would simply make the pain worse

さすがに動悸もするだろうしね、健康によくないよ

It would also likely increase my heart palpitations; it wouldn’t be good for my health.

うん。(player)ちゃんをからかっていたら、だいぶ気が紛れた。そろそろお神輿が到着してしまうね、僕も身体をあっためておかないと♪

Phew. Teasing (player)-chan has helped distract me. The mikoshi should arrive any moment now, so I should warm up my body as well.♪

どうしたんだい、言いたいことがあるなら「はっきり」言いなさい

Is something wrong? If there’s something you’d like to say, say it “clearly.”

僕はもう暴君じゃない、民草の意見を聞き入れるくらいの度量はあるつもりだよ？

I am no longer a tyrant; I think I have the magnanimity to at least listen to the opinions of the people, don`t I?

【喧嘩祭】に出場しちゃ駄目、みたいな要望なら却下するよ

Though, if it a request such as “don’t participate in the Quarrel Festival,” I’ll refuse.

「プロデューサー」としては、体調不良のアイドルに無理をされても困るんだろうけど

As a “producer” you might be troubled to put an idol with poor health upon the stage, but...

これは、僕にとって絶対に譲れない大一番だ。無事に終えられたら死んでもいい、だから邪魔しないでほしいな

For me, this is a crucial match that I cannot surrender. If I can fulfill this properly, I don’t even mind dying. So please don’t get in my way.

良い子だから… そんな顔をしないでほしいよ、大丈夫だから

You’re a good girl... Don’t make such a face, It’ll be all right.

安心して見守っていてほしいな、これでも僕は男だよ。意地がある、根性もね

Please relax, and watch over me. Despite how things are, I am a man — I have pride, and willpower as well.

さんざん挑発して、ようやく敬人がその気になってくれたんだ

Keito has finally responded to my repeated taunts.

こんな機会は、二度とない。その大事なときに、こうして「ぐったり」している自分が情けないけど

I’m never going to come across an opportunity like this again. Though I do feel pathetic for being “exhausted” at such an important time like this.

むかぁし…。まだ何もわからない、幼い子供だったころ。僕はたいそう我が侭な、ちいさな暴君だったよ

Long ago... When I was a young child who didn't understand anything yet. I was a small, extremely selfish tyrant.

あのころから、僕はすこしでも成長できただろうか？

I wonder if I have been able to grow since then?

僕は芸能界に、ううん全世界に多大な影響力をもつ天祥院の御曹司だ

I am the heir to the Tenshouin family, which possesses great influence in the entertainment business — no, in the world.

周りにはいつも、唯々諾々と従うだけの奴隷のような連中ばかりが犇めいていたよ

There were always just people crowding around me, like slaves that only obeyed me all too willingly.

英智さま、素晴らしい。英智さま、流石です。そんな太鼓持ち、提灯担ぎに取り囲まれて育ったんだ

“Fantastic, Eichi-sama. As expected of Eichi-sama.” I was raised with people flattering and praising everything I did.*

当然、幼かった僕は…。自分が王さまか、神さまであるかのように勘違いしてしまったよ

Of course, because I was young…I wrongly assumed that I was a king, or even a god.

生来、病弱でね…。ずっと死が身近だった、余命幾ばくもないと医者から言われつづけているよ

I’ve been frail since birth… Death was always near to me. The doctors have always been saying that my days are numbered.

今でもね、正直あと何年生きられるかわからない

Even now, I honestly don’t know how many years I can live for.

それで世を儚んで、拗ねてね、当たり散らしていた。罪のない使用人に難癖つけて、無理やり辞めさせたりね

So I lost faith in the world, I sulked, and took out my misery on others. I found fault with servants who did nothing wrong and forced them to quit their jobs.

お金も、湯水のように使っていたよ。欲しいものは、すべて手に入れてきた

I wasted money like water. I obtained everything that I wanted.

けれど虚しかったし、死の恐怖はちっとも軽減されなかったよ

But I still felt hollow, and my fear of death was not relieved in the slightest.

★

Translation Notes!

The next few chapters have a lot of footnotes, as Eichi is very poetic and makes many important parallels. Thank you Penki for helping with all the references!

The title of this chapter (and the next two) is a reference You can find the story of Kantan here. The easiest way to understand the use of the phrase “Kantan no yume” might be to think of, “Life, what is it but a dream?” from Alice’s poem at the end of Through the Looking Glass. Glory in the human world is fleeting; it lasts but a moment and quickly disappears.

When Eichi describes Keito as criticizing, he uses the phrase 駄目出し(damedashi) which means to negatively judge someone in hopes that they will improve. Keito is good at this sort of thing.

Highlighting the difference between JP and ENG, Eichi uses a gender neutral pronoun for "good girl" but "good child" sounds strange in English. So now you know!

“太鼓持ち” and ”提灯担ぎ” are the phrases he uses to describe these sycophants. “Taiko-mochi” are those who beat the drums; “Chouchin-katsugi” are those who hold up the lights. Both are festival related phrases, which is likely why Eichi specifically uses them here.

<< Dawn of the Decisive Battle - Part 5 | Kantan no Yume - Part 1 | Kantan no Yume - Part 2 >>