Kasane [Chapter 57]

It is a rainy day when Kingo is driving his car. He recalls Kasane telling him that there is someone she wanted him to meet. He thinks that if it is a face that can be made use of. “Then, this time around, definitely, a brand new actress has arrived into this generation. Born from a raging inferno, just like that person--”


There is a scene of Izana on top of Kingo as he lay down a grassy ground. To his surprise, she kisses her. Narration: “I was 11 years old when I met that person. It is at a quiet small mountain village called, ‘Shitsuban’ [guesswork from 失磐; literally means lost rock]. There is a married man had laid a hand on a woman who isn’t his wife.

Afterwards, that woman gave birth to me. Mother couldn’t accept me that she sent me to my father who was living in Shitsuban and left. Whether it is my father, stepmother, brothers, I wasn’t welcomed by anyone. In this bare vast landscape, at a cramped land, I had met a girl, Izana, who also had her fill of insults.” 

Kingo opened the door of a small shack to see a young girl sitting at the corner. “Because of the old feudal custom, she should have been killed as soon as she was born. An old woman known as ‘Hirasaka Chigusa’ [guesswork from 平坂千草] had hidden her away where she grew up secretly. In addition..”

Izana glared at Kingo and asked what is he looking at. Kingo backed away and apologized. As he left [and he seems to be with someone else], Kingo thought that face..is simply a monster but.. Kingo glanced back and thought that she is the same with him.

“No one had any expectations on us when we were born. Only to be looked down by others that enabled us to live on. At that time, this kind of despair had been overturned. After attaining the power of the lipstick, she was reborn to become noble and elegant. She had burned everything until nothing is left in order to personally open up her own destiny!! *Izana kissed Kingo at the grassy ground*...

 –afterwards, she only left me with that passionate and soft seal. From then on, she disappeared. *Kingo looked at the burnt ruins* From that time on, I started to quickly pass the days while whole-heartedly looking for that person.” Young Kingo thought that in the end, she won’t return to her homeland.

At the library, he wondered where Izana went and where could she have gone. “Among the sea of people, I would constantly search for you. At night, I would repeatedly dream of that kiss. The meaning and hope of surviving on is only her. Only that kiss can moisten my throat, my heart. Extremely craving. Extreme thirst. And finally, I was able to find her--

...I did an unforgivable thing to that person” In a forest area, Kingo’s clothes are dirtied. He looks at dirtied Izana who is on the ground. She is muttering something. While near a man on the ground, Izana turned around and called out Kingo’s name. While she is crying, Kingo apologized to her. She stood up and he unconsciously sat on the ground [out of fear?]. He muttered, “Because I.. it..it is because of you that..”

Izana bit her lips and grabbed his collar. She asked, “Do you want my forgiveness?” Kingo muttered, “..yes..” And she let him go. Narration: “From that day on, I’ve totally became her slave. –Finally, with the identity of ‘Sugeyo Fuchi’, she had gradually ascended up to the world of stage play.” Kingo knocked on the door and said that he’ll be intruding.

He opened the dressing room’s door where beautiful Izana waits for him. She asked what it is. Kingo said about that Kaidou appears to have no suspicious motive towards her, and there is also no two-timing.. “About that..in short, he probably want to propose to you.” After a pause, Izana smiled and said is that so. She stood up and told him that his investigation is not bad at all.

Holding his face, Izana said that this is his usual reward. And, she kissed him. She told him that she didn’t kill him before isn’t because Hirasaka Chigusa had already treasured him. “Even if I do not want to look at your face or even breathe the same air with you. For me, you are Shitsuban itself, Kingo.”

Kingo tensely said that even if..it is like that, he wanted to be of help to her.. She told him that he only wanted the reward, that’s all. Kingo exclaimed that it isn’t so! She cut him off by saying that if he doesn’t have any other business, quickly get out. After going out, teary-eyed Kingo thought what is ‘wrong’ [about that] but even if there is nothing wrong..he is really unreasonable..

Narration: “Even if it is like this, looking at this world that won’t allow you to exist yet in a twist of fate, compared to anyone, you possessed a beautiful dazzling figure. It is really an incomparable delight.”

While watching Izana perform from the backstage, Kingo thought that it is because he wanted to be forgiven by her. “It isn’t this kind of relationship. For her-- From her view, I want to become an essential person. For this.. I don’t care no matter what gets hurt!” Narration: “But there is a day when the world’s everything came crashing down.” 

Kingo looked surprised at Izana who is back to her original appearance. With a scarf to cover her face, Izana asked him if he can listen to her wish. “I beg of you..” Kingo thought that an order without a least bit of force means pained ‘dearest wish’-- “Finally, when I had become an essential existence, she had become a comparatively puny existence.”

She told him that this is the last request. He asked if he can make it happen, will she forgive him. She said yes.. “If you are able to make it happen, then I’ll forget all of the resentment and grudge towards you. *teary-eyed* So..please take my daughter from the depths of hell into the white limelight..!” End flashback. 

Kingo gets out from his parked car. Waiting for him, Kasane says that the sky had cleared up. He says yes. He thinks that he is still not forgiven by Izana. While he follows Kasane up the stairs, she tells him that the other person is very sensitive so don’t be startled by her. While opening the door, Kasane says that she thinks that Kingo will definitely be startled by her. Kingo is puzzled. 

Kasane says that she’ll introduce him, this is ‘Nogiku’. And, sitting by the balcony, Nogiku looks towards them. Kingo is startled and tense upon seeing Nogiku. [for the image of the one whom he passionately loved in the past is there..]

Comment: And that seems to be some very deep unrequited love on Kingo’s part. I’m not sure what was that unforgiveable thing is but I guess Kingo must have accidentally killed someone important to Izana. Nevertheless, Izana was and is Kingo’s reason for existence. I do wonder how loyal will he be with Kasane since it is Nogiku who has the looks of his beloved.

Before, I thought that Kaidou was the one who offered his wife to be Izana’s ‘face’ but it seems that they were using the real Sugeyo way before. I’m thinking that later on, Kaidou knew about the secret and became some sort of willing accomplice to the farce. So, perhaps, he never loved the real Sugeyo in the first place and only had sex with her to have a beautiful daughter?

In a way, Kaidou took his obsession for Izana/actress Sugeyo into an extreme level. I’m curious how Kingo will react with the two and how much of the secrets will he reveal to them. And also, how committed he is to make Izana’s last wish to come true so that he can be forgiven by her. Scans by RAD汉化组

Word of the day:

The tongue is a sword or a magic wand; it can cut and kill, or love and heal. ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21).’ ~ Mottos for Success by M.S. Fontaine