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nebulancer🐼🌷Interlude
“Tsukino Tale Taikyoku Denki – Kanka Soran –“
Side Story “A Single Flower”🌷🐼
He heard a voice.
At first, he thought it belonged to a beast, but it actually came from a child.
Why could he hear a child this deep in the mountains?
The question plagued him, though it stirred up his curiosity. He headed for the direction the voice came from.
While stepping on the leaves which crunched under his feet, he headed deeper and deeper onto the trackless path.
It was a dense, dark forest. Because there wasn’t much space in between the trees, it was difficult for the sunlight to make its way through, even if the sun were out.
And during the nighttime, it was even darker.
A heavy darkness that seemed to have its own weight.
Vines and thickets caught on my feet.
Lurking within it all were the presences of various beasts and demons paying attention.
No matter how he saw it, this location wasn’t meant for Jinzoku, let alone children, to wander around in during the nighttime.
That being said, it didn’t have anything to do with a Gokuzoku like Rikka.
“......Hm.”
He lightly exhaled and kicked himself off the ground.
He landed atop a branch in a high place, and he gazed at his surroundings while skillfully balancing himself.
“That location... was a river, wasn’t it?”
This area was like Rikka’s backyard, so he had a perfect grasp of the topography.
Leaping from branch to branch with a weightless airiness, he neared the area from which the voice came.
“Ooh.”
The path of water, which nurtured many lives as it watered the mountain, watered the forest, usually flowed by calmly, quietly. Tonight, however, it was akin to an earth dragon.
It was likely due to the heavy out-of-season rain shower last night.
As the brown water roared with churning splashes, its complex vortex swallowed up the trees, grasses, and flowers growing on the river bank. The surging waves’ speed swept everything downstream.
Amid it all was a single child. He was narrowly caught onto a boulder that was partially above the water.
＊＊＊
“......My little sister... She’s been running a terrible fever for a whole week now. The doctor said that tonight’s the turning point......”
He didn’t have an obligation to save the child, but Rikka dangled the aforementioned child on his claw tips to answer his question of why a child was in a place like this.
At first, the child was speechless seeing Rikka... the shadow that descended in front of his eyes.
He was surprised to see a human-like shadow leap seemingly from nowhere onto the boulder, which was half submerged in the water.
He must have thought that he’d come to save him.
For a moment, his eyes sparkled with relief. When not a moment later, he realized that a Gokuzoku, the most superior and strongest species among demons had arrived, his eyes clouded over in despair.
Rikka watched that sequence with great interest.
His face, his expression changes so spontaneously.
As his legs were being swept away by the muddy water, he encountered a monster from his worst nightmares while desperately clinging onto a boulder.
What would he do next?
Rikka expected him to bawl and cry, but his prediction was way off the mark.
The child looked at Rikka with resolute eyes and said to him,
“Could you deliver this flower to my sister?”
And that was it.
Now that he looked closer, he could see something pulpy vaguely resembling weeds in the child’s hand, gripping it tight.
The child was likely swept downstream, yet he didn’t let go of what he’d been holding. However, Rikka tilted his head.
“There’s no flower on that, though?”
“......Ack.”
Don’t just “ack” at that.
Wanting to hear specifics, Rikka plucked the boy up and leapt to the riverbank.
And they continued their conversation from the segment above.
“There’s a flower that can act like a fever medicine if you grind it down and drink it.”
“Wow.”
“I came into the forest to find it. I was looking for it a lot... and I finally thought I found it, when...”
“You fell into the river.”
“Yes.”
While hanging off Rikka’s claws and swaying back and forth, the child managed to somehow maintain a proper conversation.
Rikka didn’t know what was the “normal” extent of growth that human children had, but he had a feeling that this child was more kept-together than the majority.
He wasn’t unnecessarily afraid of a Gokuzoku (though he might have settled his resolve or had simply become desperate), and he relayed the whole story of how he ended up clinging onto the boulder with a calm manner of speaking.
“If you kept getting swept away, you would’ve died before your little sister did.”
“......You’re... right...”
Perhaps he remembered the fear of being swallowed up by the muddy stream, or perhaps it was from the cold, but the child’s body shivered.
Rikka laughed, finding it amusing.
“You’re fortunate that I picked you up.”
“...You picked me up? And not to eat me?”
“Goodness, no. It’s not necessary for us Gokuzoku to eat.”
“Huh! That’s incredible! You don’t need to eat?”
That’s the part that caught his attention?
It seems this child was particularly curious.
Rikka thought, “He’s pretty similar to me.”
It made him feel a little happy.
“What about sleeping?”
“We don’t need that. Though we can sleep if we want to.”
“What about friends?”
“Don’t need them. We don’t cluster together in groups.”
“Aren’t I heavy?”
“Not at all. You’re lighter than a boulder.”
“A boulder.”
“Yep, a boulder.”
While continuously maintaining the “One question, one answer” conversation, the Gokuzoku and the boy dangling off his claws made their way into the forest.
Walking.
Walking.
Gokuzoku are foreign to the concept of getting exhausted. He continued answering the child’s questions as he walked, without running out of breath.
It somehow felt as if the replies’ breaths maintained a consistent rhythm with him, which felt amusing.
Halfway through, he asked some questions back.
“How old are you?”
“I’ve just turned 10.”
“You’re pretty put together.”
“Thank you very much. My father is a civil official. He made me study a lot, so that might be why.”
“A civil official?”
“Umm, he manages the economy... The wallet of the city.”
They continued that conversation as they walked, and before they knew it, the trees that had been hanging over their head thinned out.
Peeking at them from in between the branches was a round moon.
Yes, tonight was a full moon.
As if last night’s rainstorm had never happened, the cloudless night sky spread above their heads.
The child suddenly asked,
“......Where are we going?”
He must have wanted to ask that first.
The child’s eyes were different from the time they were doing their Q&A, this time with a slightly mature, resolved look to him. Rikka laughed and flicked his claws.
“This place. See, we’re here now.”
“Wha...? ......!”
The child who tumbled and rolled onto the ground made a befuddled face before gasping.
They had cleared the dense forest. A field full of the grasses that the child had been gripping previously were shone upon by the moonlight.
The light pink flowers swayed, making a soft rustling noise in the gentle night breeze.
“......This flower......”
“I know my way around this area. This is what you wanted, right?”
“......”
“?”
“......Hic!”
“Huh!? And now you cry!?”
From the child’s eyes spilled huge globes of tears.
He hiccupped.
His breaths became uneven, and his face contorted with sobs.
Why was he crying? Rikka did something that should’ve made him happy.
But the child’s small hand tightly clutched Rikka’s clothes.
As Rikka looked at the fingers, which had turned white from gripping too hard, his next words came out naturally.
“I hope your sister recovers.”
“......Ye...s...!”
The child’s height grew significantly. He gained wrinkles on his face. And then this time, it seemed as if he’d become smaller instead. He quietly exhaled a deep breath. When he closed his eyes, he looked up at the sky and said,
“......Thank you for the beautiful flowers. ...My friend.”
The humans around him didn’t know to whom those words were directed, and they tilted their heads.
However, Rikka, who was for some reason or another, watching over him from a hill, knew those were words meant for him.
That was enough.
“I just hate Jinzoku.”
To think it would be a flower that could only clutch the briefest of moments,
Was just so... just so...
Lovely.
# SQSTaikyoku
# Taikyoku Denki🐼
From the Gokuzoku King
Shun: Today is break day! I meant to chat a lot, but something unexpected made me quite busy? So it might be in the middle of the night or tomorrow???
However, no matter the era or dimension, all of it is a story of my beloved, lovable children. Let’s talk later~🐼
# SQSTaikyoku
🐼Break Day Tradition (?) Development Notes – Round 2🐼
Shun: Good day to you. The deeper the night is, the more energy I have ☆ That’s the Gokuzoku King bringing you late-night presents of development notes tonight.
Remember these when you watch the stage ♪
Taikyoku De~nki!🐼
# The royal brothers’ short story will come at a later date!
# SQSTaikyoku
🐼Development Notes🐼
Eichi’s father is a civil official who works in the capital. Due to getting wrapped up in a certain incident, it seems he’s currently jailed. Eichi-san becomes a traveling merchant to help support his family’s finances! In truth, he’s suffering quite a bit.
Dai’s also a struggling student. He was scraping together school tuition while sending money back to his mother in the country, but halfway through, he became a freeloader at Tsubasa’s place.
Gokuzoku believe that might makes right, and their instincts win against all. The younger Issei and Ichiru fundamentally feel a definite gap between themselves and Shiki and Rikka, so they don’t go against them. However, a certain scene features Issei objecting to Shiki’s words just once. It actually took him lots of courage to go up against his instincts. Issei, you really did your best!
Gokuzoku instinctively follow after things they feel that they’d like. For Issei, it’s that he has an interest in “Jinzoku society and its construction” while Ichiru has an interest in “Jinzoku emotions and feelings.” They’re similar but somewhat different. However, it can be surmised that the reason why both of them favor Jinzoku is because they are rare twins found among Gokuzoku. They’ve lived their whole lives interacting with each other and not alone, which is why their subconscious thought processes and behaviors are more Jinzoku-aligned.
We refer to the brothers backstage as the “royal brothers.” Koukin-san, Rei-san, and Shu-san. The third brother’s name is “Eikei-san”. Unfortunately, he does not make an appearance in this work, but he is a reticent, militaristic man who early on decided to support Koukin-san.
And also, he’s the ancestor of Makoto, who appears in Ivesta Taikyoku Denki.
A key item that appears in this work is a certain jade. It is something related to the olden times’ Gokuzoku by the name of Doutaku, who appears in “Tsukista.” as well as the original work’s voice drama “Taikyoku Denki.” If you’re interested in knowing what kind of item it is, please do check that as well! 🐼 (Blatant advertisement)
🐼Development Notes🐼
This has been the development notes! Two more days left! Please enjoy it until the end 🐼
Kai: Looks like history’s been made again. ...Don’t cry, Shun.
Shun: ...Sheesh, Kai.
Shun: Gokuzoku won’t cry.
# SQSTaikyoku # SQS
🐼Interlude
“Tsukino Tale Taikyoku Denki – Kanka Soran –“
Side Story “Morning – Dawn is Distant–”🐼
⚠There are significant spoilers included in this.
We recommend reading this after watching the stage.⚠
This is a story of a common man.
==
If only I could have been more of a fool.
If only I could have been more repulsive.
＊＊＊
I had three younger brothers.
All of us, myself included, were Imperial Princes who had the right to become the emperor of history’s greatest kingdom...... The right to participate in the battle for succession.
I was the oldest. Immediately younger than me was Rei, my half-brother from another mother.
The Third Imperial Prince was born from the same mother as me, while Shu was the youngest.
Due to their positions, they could easily fall into depravity as much as they wanted. However, they could distinguish right from wrong much more keenly than their peers. They were truly well put-together younger brothers.
Maybe our father’s teaching methods favored them.
I had no choice but to nod at those words I heard from my surroundings.
First, the second son, Rei.
Rei was a child of the empress, who came from the higher class nobility. He was exceptionally outstanding ever since his youth.
I thought that he had another universe inside his brain more than once or twice.
Even if we requested the same teacher to teach us, even if we read the same book, the knowledge we gained and the understanding stored in him was leagues above me. I had no choice but to laugh at the stark contrast.
Rei constantly sought out an inexhaustible supply of wisdom. He studied one thing and learned ten. Nourishing that knowledge himself, he would turn it to a hundred. That was the type of lifestyle he enjoyed.
He loved wisdom, was loved by wisdom. That being said, that was not all he fully concentrated on.
He never forgot his courtesy towards his superiors, and he always remained serene as he listened to what others had to say.
Members of the empress’ faction used any excuse to extol him as the “Emperor’s Vessel,” but he would never exaggerate that aspect of him. I knew that better than anyone else.
A cut above the rest. Brilliant as could be. A capable, wise person – That was Rei.
——Next was Shu.
Shu was a son of a consort who also originated from the high class of nobility. On top of that, he was a child beloved by the world.
He was born clad in immense Yang energy.
I wasn’t particularly aware of the existence of “qi” (energy), but on the day Shu was born, I was partially forced to rethink my entire thought process.
A halo of light appeared around the sun, golden rain showered down, and the crops that year were especially well harvested.
I was made to realize that existences beloved by the world are on a completely different level.
Through numerous miracles, the youngest Imperial Prince was lauded as the jewel of not only the country, but also the entirety of all Jinzoku.
Everyone unconditionally felt sympathy and affection for Shu.
Shu didn’t doubt it in the slightest. He accepted that love with all he had to offer, and he generously returned even more of that love to his surroundings.
It looked to me that the palace of the youngest Imperial Prince was always bathed in light.
It was so bright that it made my own shadows look ever darker.
Just being born is enough to be loved. That was his very existence.
A righteous saint – That was Shu.
＊
“Elder brother, would you like to listen to the teacher together?”
“Big brother. Let’s go see the flowers together.”
“Elder brother, look at this. Shu drew a portrait of me.”
“Big brother. Could you listen to me play the zither?”
“Elder brother, your complexion is somewhat... ...Please do take a good rest.”
“Big brother, please cheer up.”
Aah. If only I could have been more of a fool.
Aah. If only I could have been more repulsive.
The harder I worked, the more I realized my own imperfections.
The more I tried to make myself loved, the more I emptily spun my wheels, being a subject of fear instead.
Even though half our blood came from the same person, even though I was born first, why did the results turn out so different?
Why do people look at us so differently?
Why was I......
“......Rei.”
“......Shu.”
Being exceptional, being righteous, being gentle, being loved...
Being loved...
I wanted to love them.
# SQS
# SQSTaikyoku
# Taikyoku Denki
Shun: The one who admired, understood, and supported his human self from the shadows more than anyone else was Eikei-kun. They cannot live alone. They change drastically based on their circumstances. The lives of Jinzoku, who cannot help but change, come in conflict with the long-lived strength and immutability of the Gokuzoku. They interact and tie bonds together! Do enjoy it!
Taikyoku De~nki! 🐼
# Taikyoku Denki
# SQSTaikyoku
Shun: Why, good day to you.
The first Gokuzoku and the origin of Yin, Shun-san who’s also called the Gokuzoku King, at your service~♪ Are you having fun with the world of Taikyoku Denki?
There’s still some time for the archive to be up, so if you’re interested, come and play 🐼
I’ll chat about some little notes in the meanwhile~♪
Shun: It might be best for you to watch the noon Flower-Bird version first and then watch the Wind-Moon version.
By the way, these two don’t have differing stories.
They’re stories which reach the same conclusion. However, Wind-Moon is the one that more concretely depicts what happens a little bit later.
O, my beloved children.
If you’ve finally reached a point where you can believe in your promise, I hope you can smile as you walk side-by-side without parting ever again.
# I received flowers, too
# The flowers are SolidS and the ribbons are QUELL
# SQSTaikyoku
# SQS
# By the way, others tend to get upset at me, saying I’m quite unskilled at raising children
Shun: But I raised him to be strong in so many ways! His martial arts, his sorcery, his skill in the fine arts, his military tactics, his political science knowledge... He became so powerful in this and that and everything~!
Rikka: My King, he undoubtedly turned out strong.
Shun: But it’s just that he’s naturally born with facial muscles that don’t work and shoddy speaking skills!
Rikka: My King, that is undoubtedly the truth.
Shiki: Piss off.
# Shun-san raised Shiki-san
# SQSTaikyoku
🐼SQS Taikyoku Closing Festival - Development Notes🐼
A Night of Loss
# SQSTaikyoku # A Behind-the-Scenes Shot
In En.
When Tsubasa and Shu are together, they’re informed by a messenger of the emperor’s death and the unknown fate of Rei.
Servant: The emperor has passed!
Shu: ! ......I see.
Servant: Additionally, in the same night, the first Imperial Prince Koukin-sama has attacked the royal palace of the second Imperial Prince Rei-sama!
Shu: !? ......A... Attacked...?
Tsubasa: A-and!? The second Imperial Prince... What happened to Rei!?
Servant: ......We don’t know what happened to him...
Shu: ......
Tsubasa: Tsk...!
Tsubasa clutches Shu’s shoulders and brings their foreheads together.
(He consoles Shu.)
In En. (Shu’s room)
The presence of conflict grows ever stronger. Shu looks up at the moon, wracking his brain over dealing with the responsibility he bears, the death of his father, and the unknown fate of Rei.
Shu: ......
Shiki: Don’t get too close to the window.
Shu: ...Hh. ...Shiki. (Pretending things are fine) Sorry. I’ll be careful next time.
Shiki: ......
Shiki lightly pushes Shu’s shoulder and makes him sit on the bed. Though confused, Shu lays down.
Shiki: Go to sleep.
Shu: ...Huh?
Shiki covers Shu’s eyes with his hand.
Shu silently sheds tears from underneath Shiki’s hand. (Due to his position, he can’t cry in front of Jinzoku)
Shu: ......Excuse me. ......Just for... (now...) (He can’t put it to words)
Shiki: ......Go to sleep.
Shiki murmurs.
Shiki: —The generations are moving.
In En. (Tsubasa’s room)
After Tsubasa and Dai have finished discussing what they’ll do to save En from the encroaching danger.
Tsubasa: ......Hey, Dai-chan?
Dai: What is it?
Tsubasa: Y’know your mom in the country? I think it’s totally acceptable if you wanna go back there. You’re your mom’s prized kid—no, the entire village, even—
Dai: (Interrupts him) Idiot.
Tsubasa: !? Why are you calling me an idiot...! I’m—!
Dai: I’ll stay with you till the end. ......We’re friends, aren’t we? (He gently pats Tsubasa’s head)
Tsubasa: ~~~~Ngh! ......Yeah. We’re friends. ......Friends, huh! (crying while laughing)
A daily life several years after the story proper.
⚠Includes slight spoilers for the story, so we highly recommend reading after watching the main story!⚠
En, several days later.
Shu: We’re back.
Eichi: We’ve just gotten back! Whew~! We really went to the edge of the continent~!
Ichiru: We’re back, guuuys~~~!
Issei: We’ve returned. We sent various souvenirs here from the cities we visited, so I believe they’ll be coming in soon.
Dai: Welcome back. It’s about time for Rikka to get back... Aah, he’s here.
Rikka: Yoohoo~! Are you guys all doing well? Ah—Whoa, whoa. Haoyu, be a good boy for me, please~?
Ichiru: Ah! That one’s Haoyu? Then that one’s...
Dai: Honghua. He takes after Rikka, so he’s a one rampage-prone wild child... (said with quite a bit of exhaustion)
Rikka: It’s good that he’s energetic!
Issei: Your “energy” is more the type to lead into destruction of the pulverizing kind.
Dai: How was your journey this time?
Shu: This journey was yet another enjoyable one, full of sights to see. Every single place was packed with lively energy. I feel like I’m finally starting to see the new kingdom taking shape.
Dai: Gotcha.
Rikka: The Founding Emperor must be working hard~
Issei: Shu, let’s bring some souvenirs or snacks to him. I’m sure he’ll be happy.
Shu: I hope that’s the case.
Ichiru: I really don’t get why you’re questioning that of all things. He’s a freak for his brother, so of course he’d be happy. He’d polish some random acorn and decorate his place with it as long as you gave it to him.
Issei: Ichiru, that’s what makes an older brother who he is.
Ichiru: Bruh.
Eichi: Um—Um, technically, you’re referring to the emperor, you know? Let’s consider being polite to him at least?
~Short Notes Collection regarding the focus characters~
=Shiki=
The introductory scene is based off of the poem by the Tang poet Wáng Wéi, “Bamboo Grove Pavilion”.
獨坐幽篁里
彈琴復長嘯
深林人不知
明月來相照
I sit alone in the deep bamboo grove, playing my zither and calling out my song.
Surely no one knows that I am deep within this forest.
Only the moonlight shines into the depths of the grove, illuminating me.
A story about the King (Shun) who came to celebrate his thousand-year birthday.
Kinran Kai was also there, though he distanced himself from them in order to not be a bother in their reunion. Though Gokuzoku don’t know the concept of “birthday,” Kai went, “Birthdays! Well, you gotta celebrate those! C’mon, let’s party!” and set it up for them.
=Tsubasa=
The red cloth is something which signifies his official position (the son of En’s king), and it is formal wear during official settings.
There isn’t a scene where he plays the zither during the story proper, but he can play it skillfully. The mother of his distant relative Shu also came from the En royal line, and it seems their whole family enjoys fine arts.
The kingdom of Shin has an absolute monarch by the name of the emperor, while there various kings underneath him in power ruling their individual lands. (It’s like the relationship betwen American presidents and the individual states’ governors) “En” is a particularly prosperous region even among other regions, and the King of En is a position that brings them all together. Tsubasa is the King’s eldest son.
=Shu=
His light blue haori coat is his official formal wear as the second Imperial Prince, but he doesn’t wear it aside from formal settings. He wears a slightly lighter-colored haori in his daily life.
Being exceptionally considerate due to his position, he was living a life of a shut-in mainly staying in the reading room, but Eichi invited him outside with Ichiru and Issei in tow, leading him out.
He can’t drink, even in the Taikyoku world. There’s a scene in the introduction where he drinks, but back then, he had worked up his nerve. In the end, he displays his spirit to challenge himself, going, “I’ll give it a bit of a try!” However, when it all ended, he had fainted. It caused Tsubasa and Dai to get majorly flustered, and they got very upset at him.
=Eichi=
He travels throughout the country as a traveling merchant. He obtains various regions’ local specialties and sells them at the next place he visits. The range of products he dabbles in is vast. He’s bright, attentive, and communicative, so he’s especially good among the elderly and children.
In battle, he can only just about manage self-defense. He’s bad at fighting, but he’s doing his best!
While he was heading to En, he was attacked by brigands. Issei and Ichiru saved him. They only helped because the conflict caught their attention, or that they wanted to fight, and they didn’t think anything more. However, the bread bun (peach-shaped) that they received from him as thanks, caught Ichiru hook, line, and sinker. They ended up accompanying him. It was a specialty of Kuroneko Tei 🍑
Tsubasa: This has been the Taikyoku De~nki side notes!🐼
You’ll get to see our idol sides totally well too! The archives are currently up for streaming!! Check ‘em from beginning to end!!!
# By the way, Shiki’s wearing a button-up, but it’s apparently reminiscent of the time he was a TSUKIPRO employee
# Fumi-chan’s tastes show in how only his necktie makes him look fashionable
# SQSTaikyoku
