November 24, 2015

Kasane [Chapters 61-62]

While walking through the snow towards the burnt ruins of her house, Nogiku thinks that Saki has already attained the admission ticket that will enable her to go towards a big stage equal that of Fuchi Sugeyo. “It is said that it is Fuchi Sugeyo (Izana)’s last role--” She looks down the stairs towards the basement where her mother was locked up before.


She calls out, “Mama, I should be able to succeed very soon.” She touches her left shoulder where there was a burnt scar. Looking determined, she thinks that the wind pushes her [body’s] back. “The wind’s origin is the burnt scar on my arm. And it caused some changes to my surroundings.”

Flashback: After her house burnt, Nogiku returned to the house where she lived with Yuuto. While she is removing her shoes, Yuuto opened the light and asked how come she is so dirty. She told him not to mind her. “I’ll immediately change my clothes so I won’t dirty your house.” Yuuto noticed the burnt scar on her arm.

Grabbing her arm to look at it, he stammered, what..is that.. He asked if she washed it with water. Nogiku said that she hasn’t. He urged her to quickly put water on it and use running water! Puzzled Nogiku asked what is it and didn’t she tell him not to mind her. While he led her into the kitchen, Nogiku said that it is a burn [injury] and it is nothing..
Yuuto shouted how it can be considered nothing!! Looking tense, Yuuto touched his scar at the left side of his face. He said, ah, no.. Recalling Kingo asking what to do if her face got burned, Nogiku sadly muttered that in the end, he is also.. Looking away, Nogiku told Yuuto if he doesn’t want any injury on the women he would have sex with. 

Yuuto told her that no, it is because, for him, the pain of this scar.. “It isn’t that kind of thing as you imagined!!” Nogiku is puzzled by what he is saying. Later on, Yuuto told her that it already became a blister so don’t touch it but first, he had lightly bandaged it with some gauze. “Actually, it should be seen by a doctor.. but you definitely won’t agree to it, right?”  Nogiku said yes.

As Yuuto is about to leave, Nogiku asks if the scar on his face is also a burn injury. He gloomily told her that it has nothing to do with her and didn’t they already agree not to ask unnecessary things regarding the other? Nogiku said that is right. She thinks that he isn’t worried about the face or body having a scar but rather, worried about the pain from a burn..? “No..it should be impossible, right..”
That night, while having sex with Nogiku, Yuuto saw the bandage from Nogiku’s arm slightly unraveled. He stopped that Nogiku called out his name. He told her to sleep first and he still has unfinished work to do. Narration: “From that day on, Amagasaki-san didn’t touch me again. –the change isn’t only at night...

...*Yuuto is going out to throw a trash bag. He looked at her then quickly looked away and went out.* When we happen to look at each other, he won’t look at me and as much as possible, he would avoid any situation wherein he’ll have to look at me.” Nogiku thought that he started acting strange ever since he saw that burn, but why..

Afterwards, while they are sleeping together, Yuuto called out to her and asked her to please move out. “If it is possible, please move out..tomorrow morning.” After becoming tense, Nogiku sat up and asked if in the end, just because of a flaw, she already became a ruined defective product.
Still lying down, Yuuto said that he only doesn’t want her to stay there, that’s all. “Of course, I won’t tell anyone that you had lived here. I will also be very troubled if other people knew.” Nogiku frowned but said, okay. Soon, at night, Nogiku is sitting by herself at a café facing the window with her bag/luggage.

She muttered, “So, the so-called ‘beauty’ is just a toy and I really wanted to make my sister (Kasane) also know this..” Tears start to fall down. Nogiku thought that obviously, she only returned to her past life, that’s all. “Obviously, I only felt frightful all over towards Amagasaki-san and that house. But how come I feel so frustrated.. *walking at the park* It is simply like using and throwing away a toy...

...Like an object that is bought then discarded, and, to be displayed again on the cabinet to be sold away. It is no different from the time when father violated me.. I’m still trapped by that house that has already been burned down. *cried and looked up to the street light* The moment when my soul can be released is only the moment when Kasane is shattered, that’s all..

*holding her burned arm* If only I can succeed in doing this, then I won’t even have a single thread of reluctance about leaving this life. Even if, I also made myself an object to be thrown away.” Then, someone called out to her, she is surprised for it is Yuuto. She turned to him and glared. He told her that the first time he saw her, she also glared at him like that.
 “..because you’re too beautiful that actually, it is hard to look away. ‘I want to make this woman become my toy’. I want to observe the process as I make you into a doll wherein I’ll play with every night, always until you are thoroughly ruined.” Nogiku asked if right now, there is not much value in doing that, right?

Yuuto said yes. “..the burn, in the end, it will become a scar.” Nogiku replied that for her, it doesn’t matter if it left a scar.. Yuuto confided to her that his burn indicated a mark of ‘never being treated as a person’. “During junior high, the people in my class treated me like a toy. At that time, the whole class bullied me and basically, I cannot resist...

...*there is a scene of some guys holding him down and a girl standing at the side* This scar is from slowly roasting it with a cigarette lighter. *Nogiku looks tense* -Even if right now, the students are always poke fun and ridicule me, *scene of high school girls pointing and gossiping about him* [<- he is a teacher]

...so I thought that even if it is me, it is okay to play, violate and destroy someone who scorns me ..I always thought that way. How come you have a burn injury? From that time on, the you who have the same burned injury as me, I have no way of treating you like a doll again..” This surprises Nogiku.  
Nogiku asked what he is talking about. Yuuto said that because of that burn, in his eyes, she isn’t a ‘doll’ and she had becoming a living ‘person’. “Starting from that time on, the look on your eyes, the skin’s warmth and sensation, everything had become alive. It only made me feel totally uncomfortable. Even if I wanted to ignore it, all of these reasons is actually quite too close already..so..”

Narration: “Obviously, it is I who drove you away--” Flashback 2: Click. Yuuto opened the door and lay down on the floor. Afterwards, he went to his room imagining that Nogiku is sitting at the side but she isn’t there anymore. Narration: “Just when you are no longer around--

...*Yuugo became tense and went out of the house* I don’t know why this limitless emptiness made me quite uneasy. I had dashed out from the house and came here.” End flashback 2. Nogiku told him that for her, it is also something very hard to comprehend.
Yuuto said that perhaps, from the time before she had a burn, he already unconsciously won’t regard her as a doll again.. “It is only that I myself didn’t know it, that’s all. ..can you come back? *Nogiku looked surprised.* Regarding your strange investigation, I’ll also help you with it just like before. So..”

fter a pause, Nogiku said that she really doesn’t understand what he is saying.. Yuuto told her that it also doesn’t matter if she doesn’t understand. “Right now, I myself am also very confused. Simply, I’m not able to let [you] go, that’s all.” Thinking for a while, Nogiku told him that even if he told her about the cause of his scar, she has not yet told him about the cause of her burn [injury].

“Since you said that you’ll regard me as a living person then I wish that you’ll be able to know what kind of person I am before you’ll decide on that once again..” End flashback. As Nogiku looks down at the basement stairs, Yuuto asks if this is where her mother was imprisoned. Nogiku says yes.

Looking around, she tells him that for 18 years, she shut in this place where she gradually grew up. “Treated as my father’s toy and anxiously passed the days.. I had killed that father and escaped out from here.”
Yuuto asks if she is also the one who burned this place. Nogiku says that’s right, and unexpectedly, he dared to put a person like this into his house. Nogiku looks up the sky and thinks, “..mama, I’ll probably won’t be coming back here again.” Yuuto looks tense and quiet. Then, he tells her that it is almost time. Nogiku looks at him and says yes..let’s go.

She thinks, “Thus, also today, I’ll give Saki that ‘face’--” In the theater, Yoshio tells the cast that even if everyone should mutually know a lot of people here but still, he’ll first introduce himself. Holding a script of Macbeth, Yoshio introduces himself as the director and asks them to please read the script once as quickly as possible. 

asane recalls Kingo telling her while he’s driving the car that even if Yoshio is very harsh but there’s no need to fear him. Yoshio shouts, “‘Malcolm’, your demeanor as prince is still a bit not enough. ‘Witches’, did the three of you properly looked at the scripts’ annotation!? ‘Banquo’! Feel the tendency of the entire sequence!” Banquo’s actor exclaims, yes..yes!
Saki reads her lines, ‘The witches met me on the day of my victory in battle..’ [<- I’ll be using the modern text for Macbeth since I’ll have a hard time with the original text ^^;] Kasane recalls Kingo telling her that she only has to be the same as before. “Guess the script and the director’s intent. It is fine to use your beauty and acting skill to make this role raise up to a higher level. Even if he’ll lecture you a few words, but..” 

Kasane snaps out of it when Yoshio calls out, “‘Lady Macbeth’, even if this is a dignified role but there is also no problem making her a bit gentle. Like this, the lines afterwards will become more effective.” Saki smiles and says that she understands! Flashback: Kingo told Kasane that she’ll also gain a lot from listening to him [/Yoshio].

“In the end, you’ll simply have to pay attention to is ‘Uno Nobuhiko’— What does he think of ‘Tanzawa Nina’s disappearance. Is he going steady with someone else? It is totally distracting so do not go thinking about it. Saki and Uno are strangers who met for the first time.” Sitting beside Saki, Nobuhiko reads his lines with the others.
Nobuhiko reads, ‘My dearest love, Duncan is coming here tonight..’ Saki reads, ‘And when is he leaving?’ Kasane thinks that she knows that earlier on. [<- what Kingo told her] Saki continues to read, ‘In order to deceive them, you must appear the way they expect you to look. *crazed look* You should look like an innocent flower, but be like the snake that hides underneath the flower.”

Yoshio notices something about Saki. Nobuhiko reads, ‘We will speak about this further.’ Soon, the practice is over. Nobuhiko tells Saki, good work [/otsukaresama] Saki thanks him and they walk their separate ways. Narration: “A brand new stage is about to start above here [<- they are on the stage] Lots and lots of people’s thoughts are intertwined.”

After a pause, Nobuhiko turns around and temporarily imagines Saki looking like Nina when she played Salome [with him in the play]. This startles and confuses Nobuhiko. He quietly watches Saki leave.

There is a scene of masked Nogiku with Kasane’s face. Yuuto teaching in class. [<- I think] And, a woman’s hand on smiling Kingo’s right shoulder. Narration: “Bursting forth together. Mutually and gradually tainting [/influencing] –and, I will dye them to the color red [/vermilion].”
Comment: If Kasane has an ally in Kingo, Nogiku has Yuuto. Aside from no longer going to treat her as a toy, I don’t think he’ll try to do it again or at least, do more than the usual or else, he might end up like her father. I don’t know how much Nogiku told him. Does it include about Kasane and the lipstick?

It seems that this is Nogiku’s life goal and that is to destroy Kasane’s life which seems to be as her revenge for her and her mother’s awful and tragic life. After that, she doesn’t care what happens to her though it seems that she is willing to throw her life away for it.

The common theory is to make Kasane become her ugly self during the play. That would be quite a blow to her especially since Nobuhiko is there. Will that totally make Kasane a broken person? Still, Kasane has Kingo who might prevent that from happening. There is also her mother who is ‘hanging around’.

I’m not even sure what is the purpose of making Kasane achieve what she wasn’t able to achieve on stage. Is it for her to possess Kasane later on? Is her mother even actually there as a ghost or something? She does seem like a ‘guardian angel’ but will do everything to make Kasane’s acting career progress.

Anyway, the set-up is interesting. I wonder if one of the girls will end up like ‘Lady Macbeth’. Honestly, I'm thankful that this is the play that they're doing since I know this one unlike some of the others that Kasane is in before ^^;; Scans by RAD汉化组

Quote of the day:
The future belongs to those who prepare for it today. ~ Malcolm X

2 comments:

  1. I don't think I ever even noticed that Amagasaki had a burn scar until I read this chapter. Whoops! And yep, Nogiku told him everything about the lipstick; yesterday's chapter (64) had an early scene confirming this. Spoilers, though, so I won't say any more!

    "The common theory is to make Kasane become her ugly self during the play. "
    Hmmm, I wonder how... Through the time limit? Or is there a kiss in MacBeth?

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    1. Is that so, pomelote. Thanks for not spoiling more than that ^^ Well, since he knows, things will be very interesting, and what would be his role in it.

      Time limit is unlikely since she would have just kissed her and Kasane would be careful not to go over it. Regarding a kiss in Macbeth, I googled it a bit and it seems that it depends on the director but in the original play, it seems that there is none.

      The theory I read in Chinese forum is, Nogiku would commit suicide but she didn't know that the face doesn't changes back immediately when the other one dies. That won't be quite 'intense' so I don't think it will happen.

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