dreamyproject | Farewell! A festival of quarrels and memories!

僕は日に日に、心まで病みついて…。部屋に引きこもって、ワーグナーなんかを聞きつづける寂しい生活を送るようになった

Eichi: Day by day, even my “heart” grew sicker and sicker…* I locked myself in my room and lived a sad life endlessly listening to Wagner.

シェイクスピアの戯曲のように、そのまま何の救いもなく泥水にでも頭を突っこんで死ぬはずだったんだ

Like a character in a Shakespearean play, without being saved, I was supposed to fall head first into the mud, and die.

あったかいものを、大事なものを何ひとつ得られずにね

Without knowing a single thing that`s warm or important.

でもね、敬人と出会えたんだ。僕の一族は代々、短命でね…

But, you know, I met Keito. My family members have always been short-lived…

曽祖父が亡くなったころ、葬式をあげにきた僧侶にひっついてきたのが敬人だった

When my great-grandfather passed away, Keito came along with the priest who had come to perform the funeral ceremony.

むかしから懇意でもあったらしくてね、敬人の家と僕の家は。誰かが亡くなるたびに、葬式のたびに敬人はやってきた

It seems that Keito`s family and mine have had connections since long ago. Every time somebody passed away, every time there was a funeral, Keito came along.

幼い、愛らしい死神のようだったよ

He was like a young, adorable angel of death.

幼いころの敬人のイメージには、死の気配がまとわりついている

My image of the young Keito is always surrounded by the atmosphere of death.

線香のにおいと、お経を読む声と木魚の音と、啜り泣く人々と、暗闇と…

The smell of incense, the voices of those preaching sermons and the sound of wooden gongs, the people sobbing, the darkness...

敬人は、葬式のたびに親に手伝わされていたらしくてね。彼もまた、僕とはちがう意味で死を身近に感じて育ったんだ

Apparently Keito was made to help his parents out whenever there was a funeral. He, too, was raised close to death, in a different way that I was.

だからこそ。共感してくれたし、敬人は僕を特別あつかいしなかった

That`s exactly why Keito sympathized with me, and did not treat me like I was special.

仲良くなってね、ちょっと不謹慎だけど…。僕の葬式をどんなふうにするとか、よく喋って盛りあがったよ

We became close, and, it’s a bit imprudent, but… We often got excited talking about things such as what my funeral would be like.

ピラミッドを建てよう、とかね♪

Ideas like, "let’s build a pyramid" ♪

やがて葬式とは関係なく、敬人はふつうに遊びにきてくれるようになった

Eventually Keito came by to play regardless of whether or not there was a funeral.

家も近所だったしね、僕も退屈を持て余してよく彼を呼びだしていたよ

Our houses were close, so I often called Keito over when I was overly bored.

同い年だったしね、子供どうしということで…。敬人は、しょっちゅう僕の相手をさせられていたんだ

Since we were the same age, and since we were both children... Keito was frequently made to keep me company.

社交場で、あるいは忙しい僕の両親が不在の間とかね

At social gatherings, or when my busy parents were not around.

正直、家のものには僕は厄介者だと思われていたからね。その世話を押し付けられたかたちになる

Truth be told, people around the house saw me as a burden.* They essentially forced the job of looking after me onto him.

僕も、敬人だけは近くにいることをゆるしていた

I, too, allowed only Keito to stay close to me.

あのころの敬人は今よりずっと頑なで、小難しいことばかり喋る偉そうなクソガキでね・・・・・・

Back then, Keito was even more stubborn than he is now. He was a self-important brat who only spoke of complicated things...

僕が甘えたり、我が侭を言うたびに、鬼のように叱ってきたよ

Every time I acted spoiled or said something selfish, he would lecture me like a demon.

まったく、容赦がなかった。怖かったよ、今でも夢に見るぐらいだ

He really showed no mercy. It was frightening; even now, I see it in my dreams.

子供だったから、なんだろうけどね。だから、天祥院がどれほど強大だかわからなかった

It was probably because we were children, though. That was why he didn’t understand how powerful the Tenshouin family was.

ゆえいにこそ遠慮もなく、屈託もなく、僕たちは友達になれたんだ

That was why we were able to become friends without reservation or concern.

いつもは説教ばかりのくせに、僕が体調を崩して臥せっているというの間にか枕元に立っていたりしたよ

Even though he always lectured me, whenever my health deteriorated and I was lying in bed, he would be there, standing by my bedside, before I knew it.

それで本を読んだり、空想の話を聞かせてくれたんだ

And then he would read me books, or tell me made up stories.

『わくわく』したなぁ、とっても・・・・・・。これはご存知だったかな、敬人はむかし漫画家になりたかったんだよ

I was always "thrilled" to hear them...I wonder if you already knew this? Keito once wanted to become a mangaka.

よく絵も描いてくれたよ、そのすべてが僕の宝物だ

He often drew me pictures, too. They are all my treasures.

けれど。ささやかで、幸せだった日々は終わりを告げた。僕たちは成長し、世間を、現実を知ったのさ

But. Those humble, happy days came to an end. We grew up, and learned about the world, about reality.

僕は親の言いなりになって、夢ノ先学院に入学した

I followed my parent’s bidding and entered Yumenosaki Academy.

いずれ芸能界を牛耳る、天祥院の跡継ぎ息子としてね

As the heir to the Tenshouin family who would one day dominate the entertainment industry.

僕も病床にいることがおおかったし、テレビとかで見てさ・・・・・・。アイドルには、憧れていたんだけど

Many times, I was on my sickbed, watching TV and such...so I did look up to idols.

意外だったのは、敬人がついてきたことだよ。入学式で顔を合わせて、魂消たよ

But what surprised me was that Keito tagged along. I was dumbfounded when we met one another at the opening ceremony.

漫画家になりたかったはずだけどねぇ、敬人は

Even though Keito was supposed to have wanted to become a mangaka…

漫画もアイドルもひとを楽しませるのは同じだ、とか敬人らしくなく理屈が通ってないことを言ったりしてたけど

“Manga and idols are both the same in that they entertain people,” Keito said something uncharacteristically illogical like that, but...

たぶん、僕を心配してくれたんだろうね。実際・・・・・・病弱で、世間知らずの僕を敬人はよく導き支えてくれたよ。これまで、ずうっとね

He was probably worried about me. In truth...Keito had often guided and supported the sickly me, ignorant of the world. Even up to now, all this time.

敬人のおかげで、僕は夢ノ先学院に偉そうに君臨する『皇帝』になれたんだ

Thanks to Keito, I became the『emperor』that arrogantly rules Yumenosaki Academy.

そんなこと、べつに望んでなかったのにね。いつも、僕のしてほしくないことばかりするんだ

Even though I didn't wish for such a thing. He always does things that I don’t want.

あの意固地で、優しくない、しかめっ面の幼なじみは

That obstinate, unkind, always-scowling childhood friend of mine.

★

Translation Notes!

心 (kokoro) can be intrepreted as heart, but also as the mind. A good reading for this sentence is that his spirit/soul grew sick.

As many of you know, the Japanese word for a death god is 死神 (shinigami). This is what Eichi is refering to when he calls Keito an angel of death.

Interestingly enough, 厄介者 (yakkaimono) can be parasite, but burden works well enough here. The more you know!

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