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nebulancer
Summary – In order to film a live-action drama of a famous mystery novel, Yoru and You drop by Nara, just as they did the previous month. Their goal is the Dorogawa Hot Springs. That place was a location filled with memories, which the young Yoru had visited multiple times in the past.
The dark night isn’t scary at all. Because that’s when we can see the stars.
1. Drama – “Nara, Once More”
[It’s nighttime. The bugs are chirping, and young Yoru is walking through the forest.]
Yoru: ...Mom...? ...Dad...?
...Where are you... where... Where is this...?
......I’m tired...!
Where is everyone...? *sobbing* I don’t know!
Huh...?
[The trees rustle, and a crow flies out.]
Yoru: HWAH!?
......Huh...?
Whoa...! The stars... are so pretty...
[The trees rustle again.]
Yoru: Aah!?
Mysterious man: Whoa, there. What do we have here... Are you alone, boy?
Yoru: *scared* ...Who are you...?
Mysterious man: I’m...
[A bell chimes...]
You: Yo~ru.
...Awake yet?
Yoru: ..Huh? ...Uh...?
You: Pff... Ahahaha! Totally still half-asleep, aren’tcha?
We’re right in the middle of heading to Nara for work. And right now, we’re in the bullet train that we’re using to get there.
Here I was, thinking you were reading the script, but...
Yoru: Ngh... I... fell asleep...?
You: Sure did. C’mon, get ready to get off. Our destination’s Nara, but because of the transfer, we’ll be getting off in Kyoto. We’ll be there in about five minutes.
Yoru: Wheh—Ah!? You’re right! Uwargh—Uwahhah!
-
Yoru: *groans* Ugh... Man, that got me flustered... [sweatdrop...]
You: *snickering* Fuhehehe... Hehehe... All on your lonesome, eh?
Yoru: I’d have been more grateful if you’d woken me up a little earlier...
You: Uh, man, I seriously thought you had your nose buried in the book! Didn’t even notice you were asleep until almost the last second.
What, didn’t get enough sleep?
Yoru: I don’t think so, at least...
You: Are you sure about that? You’re the type of guy to stay up pretty late, y’know.
Yoru: After all, I’m someone who likes the night, because of my namesake.
You: *chuckles* Yeah, yeah.
Yoru: ...But really. I appreciate how time accumulates quietly in the middle of the night. It’s a nice time to read books, listen to music, watch movies, and even space out...
You: It’s like using the early morning for another activity, but in your case, it’s during the nighttime. ...Okay, but that’s just basically you being a night owl.
Yoru: Well, you got that right... Er, but I really did sleep early last night, since we had to get up early this morning.
You: Yeah, you can say that again. Getting on the bullet train at 6 A.M. and going to Nara, once more... We dropped by literally last month, so my mom was like, “What!? You’re coming back again!?” and whatever...
C’mon, at least try acting like you’d be glad to welcome us again.
Yoru: Ahaha. I can imagine that happening~
I wonder if we’ll be able to drop by?
You: Who knows. I heard that the whole week we’re there, our time’s gonna be packed full with filming on-site, though.
Since filming in a different prefecture should be best finished within a week, our schedule’s set up to be incredibly crammed—er, uh, jam-packed, apparently.
Yoru: ...Urgh... Sounds like tough work.
But... makes you happy, doesn’t it? It’s a job in our hometown, Nara.
You: What’s the saying again? Wouldn’t it be called “Returning to one’s hometown in glory,” or whatever?
[T/N: 故郷に錦を飾る – Kokyou ni nishiki wo kazaru.]
Yoru: I think that’s fitting. It’s the live-action two-hour drama adaptation of the famous mystery novel series, “The Legend of Myouken Yoshitaka.”
I’m glad that the live-action version is going to be made into a series, thanks to its growing popularity.
You: And you’re the one who’s got the most to benefit from this, as the main protagonist. Isn’t that right, Myouken-sensei?
Yoru: Yeah. A dull, plain university lecturer who’s well-versed in various myths and legends in their respective areas of Japan. At first glance, he doesn’t stand out enough to make an impression, being incredibly introverted...
Halfway through, he’s forcefully dragged into the thick of things by a female news reporter, an alumnus of the school he teaches at. He’s then made to act like a detective... or at least, something vaguely resembling one.
...Mm. Doesn’t stand out, a dull university lecturer... Yeah. Going off of those character traits, that’s a perfect role for me.
You: *laughs* Don’t say that about yourself. Meanwhile, I’ve been roped into becoming a mock-assistant to said lecturer, a detective whose only skill is running around fruitlessly with only motivation on his side...?
Dashing through the mountains here and there doesn’t sound very Nara-ish, honestly. Like, no Nara vibes at all.
Yoru: What kind of role would have “Nara-ish” vibes? Acting like a deer, or what?
You: Whaddya mean, acting like a deer... ...Ahh~! I just remembered! It’s fitting that you brought it up, since remember? A really long time ago, on our radio, you did something like, “A phrase from a deer,” right?
Yoru: “Deer crackers... are sooo tasty~... Whinny…”
You: Pfft... Ahaha... Pfhahaha! Just remembering it made me laugh!
And after that, Shun also had to say the same line? All of us were clutching our stomachs, laughing like crazy! Hahahah!
*cracking up* And in the first place! The “whinny~!” is the sound a horse makes, man! Pfft... haha...
Yoru: *stiffly* Since you’re oh, so excited about it, I’ll announce on set that you also want to act as a deer while also playing the leading detective. Specially for you, understood?
...💢
You: ......I will do my absolute best to portray the detective with all my ability, sir. ✨
Yoru: ...Hehe. Okay, we’ve gotten to Kyoto, but from now on, we’ll be... Umm...
You: Our destination’s the place called Shimoichiguchi Station, innit?
That’s where one of the staff workers is gonna come pick us up.
Yoru: Hm, yes, that looks like it’s the case.
Um, er... Ah. Over there. By limited express, it’ll take a predicted duration of about... an hour and a half, apparently.
You: Uwooorgh... *groans* We’re gonna have to keep on riding the train, huh?
Yoru: By the way, after leaving Shimoichiguchi Station, it’ll take us another hour in a bus to get to our final destination.
You: For real!? The place is crazy-deep in the mountains, holy...
Yoru: When it comes to locations that contain thriving ancient legends, I suppose that’s the natural outcome, huh?
Ah! But the nearby hot springs district has a Showa-styled retro feel to it, so it’s famous with women. The Dorogawa Hot Springs.
[T/N: “Dorogawa” is written with the letters 洞川 – doro/gawa, but the first one is pronounced the same as “mud”, hence You’s reaction. Gawa/kawa means river.]
You: A muddy river...?
Yoru: Hehe, no, that’s not it. The letter “dou” from “doukutsu,” cave, and the flowing river with “kawa”. So the cave river hot springs.
Maybe it’s because there’s a limestone cavern nearby?
It’s said that the descendants of ogres opened the place up. They were familiars of En no Gyoja, the founder of Shugendou, the path of mountain ascetic shamanism. It’s a hot spring district surrounded by mountains.
You: Huuuh, really. Pretty historical, eh?
It’s also from Nara, but I’d never passed by.
Yoru: I’ve visited the Dorogawa Hot Springs before.
You: Oh, really?
Yoru: An uncle... no, aunt? One of my relatives lived there. I dropped by a number of times with my family when I was young.
The maple leaves, surrounding the river, were so pretty... I often walked around the mountains...
*chuckles* ... I loved it.
I hope that scenery remains the same as it was before.
You: How ‘bout we drop by and check it out? After the following one hour on the train and one hour on the car... Haah... haha...
Yoru: Haha! Hang in there! *thumps You on the back*
You: Aren’t ya the one who’s supposed to be hanging in there? Drank your motion sickness meds yet?
Yoru: Whugh!? Now that you mention it...!
You: *chuckling* Unlike the bullet train, mountain buses shake a good deal, you know~?
How was it like when you were a kid?
Yoru: I do think I’m gonna end up groggy by the end of this...
2. Drama – “On that Night with Luminous Starlight”
Myouken: “*panting* ...Haah... Hah... Um... It’s around here...”
Detective: “Professor, are you... really sure... that this is the right place~?”
Myouken: “Ugh... It’s here... at least, it’s supposed to be.”
Detective: “Hold it...! You’re making me walk around this deep into the mountains, so please don’t gimme such an unreliable response.”
Myouken: “Th-then, I guess it’s here!”
Detective: “What do you mean, ‘then’...?”
Myouken: “Myths and legends most often have at least a slight amount of historical fact. The legend of the ogre cave, relayed in this village, must surely also be...!”
Detective: “A cave that ogres live in, huh...? I really can’t believe that such a thing truly exists, s...... Wha—Whoaaaaa!?”
Myouken: “Detective, sir!? Are you all right!?”
Detective: “Wh... Ah... Wh—wh...”
Myouken: “Detective!! Did you get injured!? Detective!?”
[Myouken chases after the detective and reaches him.]
Detective: “...It’s here.”
Myouken: “Huh?”
Detective: “The cave... i-i-it actually exists! Look!”
Myouken: “Whoa! You’re right...!”
Director: Good! Cut!
[A clapper goes off.]
Director: We’re done filming for today! Tomorrow, we’ll resume filming in the early morning tomorrow, but do take care of it!
Staff member: Thank you for your hard work, You-kun, Yoru-kun.
Yoru: Thank you for your hard work as well. Thanks for the consideration.
You: Good work to you too~ Whew~! Now that was some good work we did! I didn’t expect we’d start filming right off the bat, and not even stop by our lodgings! Haha!
Staff member: *wry laugh* Yes, that’d be the normal response...
Ootaki-san, who’s playing the culprit, suddenly ended up having to return in the middle of tomorrow, so we rearranged the schedule in a rush.
Thank you so much for the correspondence.
Yoru: Er, it’s fine. The staff members also did their best with the arrangement, so we should thank you for that as well.
I’m glad we managed to somehow film through the parts that we had planned today.
Staff member: Yes, truly. Boys, you were an incredible help as you all made so few retakes and mistakes. Those scenes got done one after another.
You: Yeah, but I was the one who tripped three times and ended up having to retake those times~
When the dead leaves collapse all loosely like that, bracing myself doesn’t work, so it’s a real toughie.
Yoru: Ahaha! Your role has you run around a ton, after all. I’m glad you didn’t get injured.
You: All thanks to my body’s experience from getting all those workouts in.
Yoru: Yeah, yeah.
Staff member: We’ll take you to the bed-and-breakfast using the same bus as the one you came on. The hair and makeup artists are already lodged there, so please take off your makeup there.
You, Yoru: Understood!
-
Yoru: *sighs* ...Phew...
You: Yoru~ After the assistant director gets on, we’re gonna take off.
Yoru: Got it...
You: Wassup? Lookin’ at the stars?
Yoru: Yeah... They look so beautiful. Look. Even the Milky Way...
You: Ooh... For real. Sure is worlds different from Tokyo.
Yoru: ......It makes me remember... Even as a kid, I looked up at the stars on a nearby mountain, just like this. They were beautiful.
You: Oh, really?
Yoru: I was all alone... At first, I was so terrified, but once I noticed how dazzling the stars were, I wasn’t afraid any more...
You: ......Wait, huh? Alone in the mountains? At night? Dude, did you......?
Yoru: *wry laugh* Yeah. I’d gotten lost. If memory serves me correctly, we’d been invited to go to a hot spring from where we could see the stars.
At the beginning, I was walking while holding hands with my dad and mom, with my parents on both sides. I found the maple leaves, which reflected the lights off of them, to be so beautiful.
I don’t know if it was a fox or a raccoon. But I felt like there was some kind of animal there, and I let go of their hands. I ran deep into the mountains right then and there.
You: ...And that’s when you ended up getting lost. Dude, if anything had gone wrong, you would’ve been stranded in the mountains.
Bet your parents were crazy stressed out about that.
Yoru: Yeah, I remember when I got back down from the mountains, they hugged me tight, got upset at me, and I ended up crying.
You: Well, yeah, obviously. Honestly, it’s a real miracle you got back down the mountains in the pitch-black night. Like, a little kid? All on his lonesome?
Yoru: About that... I got a mysterious man to help guide me back.
You: Hey! Stranger danger! Don’t follow people you don’t know!
Yoru: *laughs* I know, right? But strangely enough, that man didn’t seem scary at all... I saw his eyes, and I thought, “Aah. This person’s okay to be with.”
You: His eyes?
Yoru: Yeah. I thought... I saw the sparkling stars inside his eyes.
I’m pretty sure I only saw it that way because the starlight, or maybe the light he was holding, was reflected into his eyes...
......Wait? But I don’t think he was holding any lights or anything...?
...That’s not possible though, right? We were that deep inside of those dark mountains, so...
You: ...Yoru?
Yoru: Eh? Aah! Sorry! A-and then... umm, uh.
*chuckles* I’ve gotten completely used to the nights in Tokyo, but doesn’t this make you think about how Tokyo nights are really bright?
Even though nights are actually supposed to be this dark...
You: Dude. For a coward, the darkness at nighttime doesn’t faze you a bit. That part of you hasn’t changed since we were kids.
That because of your name, too?
Yoru: Heh, who knows? That might also be the case, but the dark night isn’t scary at all. Because that’s when we can see the stars.
...Ah. Just for the record, I don’t think I’m that much of a coward, got it?
I suppose I’m at regular person levels, if anything.
It’s just that the members of Procella are coincidentally full of guys with bizarrely strong preparedness regarding these sorts of things.
You: *flatly* Yeah, ‘cuz our unit’s a place where the crazy-impact phrases “Demon Lord” and “Demon World” are right there in our daily vocabulary.
Maybe that’s why we ended up gathering guys who’re weirdly tenacious against that type of stuff. ...Or maybe it’s the other way around? It’s because we got guys like us, that things ended up this way...?
Is that really it? *despondently* Hahahaha... ...Haah. [Droop.]
Yoru: Ah... Hahahaha...... [sweatdrop...]
Pretty difficult to tell, isn’t it?
You: Still, I’ve no doubt that our squad’s full of amusing guys.
Yoru: Yeah. We’ve been together for so many years already. Even so, every day is full of brand-new discoveries or surprises.
You: *mimicking Doraemon in a fanfare* Careless Door~!
...Doing something like shoutin’ that out loud and connecting someone’s door to another dimension falls straight into the territory of, “Hell no. Definitely not,” though.
Having a guy warp the second he walks outta his door is way more than some normal prank at this point.
Tch. That white freak.
[T/N: You mimics Doraemon and the Anywhere Door, which sends people to travel to the place the knob-turner thinks about.]
Yoru: I-I’d really hope that he limits the range of the pranks like that to just You and Kai, thanks...
You: What, you’re okay with me bein’ a victim!?
Staff member: ...Ah. There they are.
Yoru-kun, You-kun! The bus is heading out!
You, Yoru: All right~ / All right!
-
Yoru: ...nh...
You: ...Yoru. How ‘bout you sleep if you’re tired? Looks like it’ll take around thirty minutes, anyway.
Yoru: ...Sure... I’ll do that...
...hh...
-
Mysterious man: Come now. Open your eyes. It’s all right, boy.
I won’t drop you. There’s no reason for you to indiscriminately fear the gloom of the nighttime.
Yoru: You won’t drop me...?
Mysterious man: I won’t drop you, I definitely won’t.
[The man pats him.]
Yoru: ...The dark... isn’t scary?
Mysterious man: It’s not scary. Let’s think of it this way. Scary times are exactly when you should calm down and strain to look. If you do that, you’ll realize that true darkness doesn’t actually exist.
Yoru: True darkness...?
Mysterious man: It’s when things are so dark that you can’t see anything. ...You can see them, can’t you?
Even though it’s dark all around, there is, indeed, something there.
Yoru: Eh—... Ah...... You’re right.
I can see. Ah... I can see......
I can see more and more now. The stars are... so pretty.
The moon’s so big. Ah! It’s the maple leaves...
Mysterious man: Hahaha! That’s the spirit.
...Make sure you don’t forget that, even after you’ve become an adult.
Yoru: ?
Mysterious man: You’ll know in due time.
Yoru: Ah...
Mysterious man: Hm? What’s the matter?
Yoru: Uncle, your eyes... There are stars in there too!
Mysterious man: Stars? In my eyes?
Why, that sounds fantastic! *laughs*
Hahaha! Maybe it’s the result of the training I did for my discipline?
Yoru: Training...?
Mysterious man: Just talking to myself.
Aah, see. We’ve gone down a fair deal. The city’s close by.
Can you see that light over there?
Yoru: Light... ...Ah! I see it now! Mmhmm! I can!
Mysterious man: And the voices? Come, listen closely.
Yoru: ...Ahh! I can hear Mom and Dad calling for me!
Mysterious man: Ever since you up and disappeared on them, they must’ve been mighty worried and started searching for you, boy.
Don’t put them through such anguish, you hear?
Yoru: All right... I’m sorry.
Mysterious man: Very well, then! Looks like this is as far as I can take you.
I might meet you again someday, boy. If our destinies allow for it, that is!
Yoru: Desti... ny...?
Mysterious man: Haha! Too hard for you to understand right now? It means, “See you again!”
[Yoru gets down.]
Yoru: Sure! See you again!
Dad~! Mom~! Hehe...! Hehehe! Hah, hah...
-
Yoru: Ngh... hah... Are we there yet?
You: Yeah. Looks like we’re about there. I was about to wake you up.
Yoru: I guess I fell asleep again.
*yawns* Hwah~...
You: I was asleep just now, too. Like, obviously that long-distance ride in the morning and running around the mountains for filming would take a lot outta me.
Yoru: *chuckles* For sure.
You: Heard the bed-and-breakfast lodge’s tiny, but it’s real tasteful.
Yoru: Eh? Which one, which one~? Ahh! You’re right!
I wonder if this would also be called Showa-styled retro? I feel like the orange lights are nostalgic for some reason! They’re so relaxing.
You: Yeah, definitely.
...Aah. We’ve finally gotten to the lodge, but now I suddenly feel hungry...!
Staff member: Haha! You-kun, you’re hungry? In that case, I’d like to recommend to you the nearby French restaurant.
They skillfully use edible wild plants, freshwater fish, and locally sourced ingredients. On top of that, the owner Gotou-san, a woman, is a nice old lady who’s terrific at providing great hospitality.
Even her stories are interesting by themselves!
You: Oh, wow? A French restaurant this deep in the mountains?
Staff member: Looks like there are people who go out of their way to visit because it’s this deep in the mountains. The place was called Bistro... Gotou, I believe?
It’s what people call a hidden restaurant, I suppose?
Yoru: As someone who loves cooking, this is information that’s right up my alley!
Though... it could also just be because I’m simply hungry.
Staff member: Oh, for sure. If you move around that much, you’d naturally end up hungry.
You: Ohh, dang. Just imagining it made me feel even hungrier~!
Yoru: Hey, wanna visit right now?
You: Sounds good!
Staff member: Unfortunately, though, I think they’ve already closed up shop for the day.
Yoru: Ehhh!?
You: EHHHHH!?
My expectations were heightened like crazy and got knocked down... Oh, come on, why’d you do that?
Staff member: Ahaha! Sorry, sorry. We’re scheduled to end filming early tomorrow, so maybe give it a visit then?
Plus, this bed-and-breakfast’s meals don’t look as stylish as the French place, but it’s genuinely delicious! I think you’d best keep your expectations high for this one.
You: Gotcha~...
Yoru: Sure thing!
[They move.]
Yoru: ...Phew...
You: *sighs* It’s gotten totally pitch-black outside.
Yoru: The darker it gets, the better we can see the stars, so it’s nicely balanced!
Maeda: Exactly.
Even though it’s dark all around, there is, indeed, something there.
Yoru: Huh?
Maeda: Well, hello there. And welcome. I’m the owner of this bed-and-breakfast, Maeda.
Yoru: Ah—Thank you for your hospitality! We’ll be in your care.
I’m Nagatsuki Yoru of Procellarum. And this is...
You: Also from Procella, I’m Haduki You. I look forward to being in your care!
Maeda: Haha! Thanks for the kind greetings.
*chuckles* ...It seems our destinies allowed for it.
Yoru: What?
You: Hmm?
Maeda: Ahh! Er, nothing. Just talking to myself.
Well, then. Let’s get these hungry boys inside, shall we?
I have a whole smorgasbord of meals I pride myself on having made, using my plentiful skills!
You: For real!? Aw yeah, nice~!
Yoru: Ah!? You—
[You runs off, and Yoru runs after him.]
Staff member: ...From Maeda-san’s perspective, I’m treated as a boy even though I’m well over thirty, huh...?
Maeda: Compared to the likes of me, just about anyone is a snot-nosed boy.
Staff member: Ehh...!? Exactly how old are you, Maeda-san...?
-
You: Hey, Yoru. Since we’re here already, how ‘bout we make some time to go to the Dorogawa Hot Springs? It’s close by, right?
Yoru: Apparently, it’s around fifteen minutes by car.
You: All righty, then! I’m gonna go meet with the ladies who’ve come out here for a girls’ only trip, invited over by the Showa-styled retro vibes! ✨
Yoru: Ugh, cringe.
You: Don’t call me cringe.
Yoru: Low-life.
You: Don’t call me a low-life!
I have a proper interest in the hot springs themselves, y’know~ What was it again? A hot spring district opened up by the descendants of ogres?
Yoru: More aptly, it’s the location that was opened up by the descendants of Goki, an ogre who followed En no Gyoja.
“Goki” is written with the letters “later ogre,” thus “Goki”.
You: “Later ogre” written for “Goki”... Then wasn’t there a “previous ogre”?
Yoru: Aha, yeah! Wow! Now that’s a temple son for you.
Apparently, there is. Written with the letters “previous ogre,” there’s “Zenki”. The two of them are husband and wife, and it seems they... treat those who visit for training... with hospitality...
......
[T/N: Goki is written as 後鬼. Zenki is written as 前鬼. Gotou is likely written as 後藤, while Maeda is written as 前田. The first kanji of their names are the same.]
You: Hm?
Yoru: “Go”tou... and “Mae”da...
[A bell chimes in the distance...]
Yoru: *chuckles* Nah, no way.
You: Wassup, Yoru?
Yoru: Aah! Erm, nothing. Nothing at all.
Heh! Okay, then. Let’s eat up nicely and do good work tomorrow too, You!
You: Y-yeah...! Sure... Man, you’re suddenly pumped about this.
*chuckles* What’s the matter?
