Narration: “No matter if
I made these hands become stained scarlet, or even if it is built on piles of
corpses, I also absolutely won’t have even the slightest remorse as long as I
can stand in that highest and most distant place.”
Walking through the
hallway with a lot of things scattered around, Nogiku thinks, “Finally, before
waiting for the final performance, the last ‘switch’.. That will beat Saki
(Kasane) into the hell’s abyss. The last gateway.”
Opening the door to the
storage room, Kasane says that this is quite troublesome for how come the light
unexpectedly won’t turn on today. Nogiku says that’s right.. She suggests that
they move quickly and then get out. Kasane agrees.
Using her cellphone’s
light on the floor, Nogiku says that she’ll use this to light up her way.
Kasane thanks her. She comments that it is simply like the stage’s interval [/when
everything is dark].
Narration: “Earlier on,
I already took down the florescent light. It is to make the other party not be
able to see each other’s face during the last ‘switch’--” Kasane says that they
use that florescent tape on the floor to know where they’ll stand. Nogiku asks
if it is this one..
Narration: “Usually, we
switch in the storage room and use the first kiss to temporarily change our
faces back. Then, it will be okay once we kissed once again... After making the
faces switch again, it can be continuously maintained for 12 hours...
...But right now, what’s
smeared on Saki’s lips is the fake lipstick that I substituted in secret for
the real one. I deliberately made her come into this darkness in order for her
not to notice that basically the first kiss of changing the faces back didn’t
have any effect...
...*After the kiss,
holding her face, Nogiku goes out of the room* Afterwards, what’s next is just
to wait for the play to start..” Nogiku calls out to Saki and says that she can
come out for there is no one here.
Looking serious, Kasane
quietly comes out of the room. Nogiku says then, she’ll go ahead.. Nogiku is
surprised when Kasane suddenly grabs her hand and leans on her shoulder. Nogiku
asks what’s up with her..
Kasane says that she’s
afraid..and this is the first time she’s so nervous. Noticing Kasane’s
trembling hands, Nogiku says that today’s performance is truly very important
for her.
Kasane says yes. “About
that, Nogiku, starting from the ‘The Glass Menagerie’, I always search out for
you among the audience during the curtain call. *tear falls down* As long as I
think of ‘Nogiku is watching me’.. I’ll feel very much at ease. *holds Nogiku’s
hand tightly* So, for today, please always watch me until the end, okay..”
After a pause, Nogiku
says, “But of course, we have agreed to walk forward together.” Narration: “That
moment, I suddenly imaged a different scenario. If the way we were born or the
way we met isn’t like this, can we be like ordinary sisters...
...*imagines young
Kasane holding hands with young Nogiku in a field of flowers* Mutually
supporting each other as we live on together-- *With a tear, Kasane smiles and
thanks Nogiku* Thinking of that kind of impossible thing is also useless,
right--”
At the waiting area,
holding a couple of drinks, Kingo asks Nogiku what’s up for her complexion
looks awful. “Are you alright?” Nogiku says, ya..yes. She drinks the hot drink
that Kingo brought. She tells him that ever since that thing with Youji, he
started to become concerned about her.
Sitting beside her,
Kingo says is that so. “It is possible..that I’ve sympathize with you after you
mentioned those things about your father. A man who would torment and violate
his own child deserves to be killed. Ah, that kind of bastards is more than
one. *Nogiku looks tense* Ugh, forget it. The play will start soon so let’s
go.”
Soon, Nogiku is watching
the play with Kingo. Narration: “Kasane’s trust. Habuta’s sympathy. But for me,
these things are quite convenient. I only have to cooperate and I can
accomplish the trap. [/Because I’m a collaborator who can give them
convenience, these things merely enabled me to deceive them, that’s all. <-
different translator]
In the play, Lady
Macbeth leans to her husband and says, “Even if I had already breastfed a baby,
I clearly know how cute a suckling child is. *touches Macbeth’s sword* But-
I’ll take away its soft small lips from my breast, and smash its brains out.”
Narration: “Such a
fiendish demon-- I simply couldn’t believe that just now, this person would
still hold me and coldly tremble.. *image of proud Lady Macbeth with a fresh
flower* But, following the progress of the story, her ferociousness that is
supporting the husband, *image of Lady Macbeth looking ill while holding a
withered flower*...
...is also like the
pulled tooth of a beast [/decayed tooth] because of mental disorder, and then,
totally disappearing--” Lady Macbeth shouts, “Out..this damned spot..! *cries
and rubs her hands* Quickly come out! Out! *crying, drooling and writhes on the
floor as the audience look very tense* Ah ah! Ah AH! AH AH!”
Narration: “This
unprecedented acting [/compared to the previous days’ display], it directly
make the audience personally feel the hallucination of blood that Lady Macbeth
sees.. This is artistic talent..! *tense* it’s really too remarkable.. and
cruel. This lie can be twisted into reality..
...*glares with tears as
two figures stand behind her [probably Nina and her mother]* A cruel power that
steal other people’s lives in order to exist..!!” With candles all around,
Macbeth in his armor says, “Tomorrow. There is still tomorrow and after that,
there is tomorrow...
...Day after day, time
slowly passes. Always until it reaches.. the morning that is destined to be the
last second of time. Put out. Put out. *walks through the barren trees with a
sword* Light that merely exists for a moment! [/brief candle!]”
Narration: “Lady Macbeth
and Macbeth are led to ruin. *Macbeth faces Macduff and ‘sees’ Lady Macbeth* Just
like them, you also. *clapping while in standing ovation with the audience as the
cast are in curtain call* Very good, finally about to welcome the end of your
life as ‘Saki’, the final curtain call..!”
Saki happily looks at
the audience. Nogiku looks at her watch and thinks that there is only a few
seconds left before the lipstick’s effect will wear off.. “Come. In the
audience’s gaze, finally.. *Saki bows* 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. *Saki looks up again*
Finally, everything will end--”
Nogiku is surprised to
see smiling Saki still looking beautifully radiant. Nogiku becomes tense and
puzzled. Her watch keeps on ticking. She thinks, “The scheduled time has
already passed a minute.. a minute and a half..! How come the face didn’t
change back!?..
...No, before, there was
also a time when there is a little bit of mistake.. Two minutes.. Could it be..
No, that is impossible.. Because, I have indeed threw away the lipstick!!
[/exchanged the lipstick] *very tense* It’s alright.. It will definitely
quickly..”
Saki looks toward Nogiku
and gives her a creepy crazed smile. This shocks Nogiku that she mutters,
..wha.. She suddenly loses her footing so she quickly steadies herself. She wonders
why she suddenly feels so sleepy.. “My legs start to wea..ken.. *notices
frowning Kingo glaring at her* Could..it be..” She falls over and Kingo quickly
catches her.
Kingo whispers, “Don’t
you think it’s very amazing? In this final performance, that person is able to
remarkably finish the acting even if her heart is definitely cut into pieces
because of Nogiku’s betrayal.” While smiling with a tear in eye at the others, Kasane scratches her hand until it bleeds.
Comment: That is such an amazing climax to an arc even if I know that Nogiku’s
plan would fail. The drawings are really good especially the scene of Lady
Macbeth going crazy and that ‘I know what you did/tried to pull’ look of Kasane’s.
I almost find myself
thinking that it would be amazing to actually watch that kind of actress on
live theater. Even if Nogiku saw the play a few times already, she is still
captivated by it. Yet hated the price paid for it to happen.
So, in this and the last
chapter, Nogiku is indeed being alluded to as ‘Lady Macbeth’ who plotted
something but ultimately, will fall into ruin. Because she has been exposed, I
can almost imagine that Nogiku will indeed suffer the same fate as her mother’s.
And, I’m sure that Kasane is really hurt and furious over this that she would
even scratch her hand until it bled. Scans by RAD汉化组
Quote of the day:
The worst pain in the world goes beyond the physical. Even
further beyond any other emotional pain one can feel. It is the betrayal of a
friend. ~ Heather Brewer, Ninth Grade Slays
Whoa...the chapter was truly amazing. Thank you for good work :3
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the author will do with Nogiku.To keep the story interesting after the failure maybe she could bring a new character into the story. Maybe a talented actress like Kasane(but ofc with a different back story ) who could become a serious rival or even a love rival..
Or maybe Nogiku will escape? Who knows :D
Yup, isn't it so? ^^
DeleteThanks for reading ^-^
Ya..there are a lot of possibilities ^^
Nice work! The art in this chapter is really outstanding, and that little scene Nogiku imagines of the two of them as children is so heartbreaking. They even made flower necklaces. (;д;)
ReplyDeleteOh, and interestingly, this will be the opening chapter in Volume 9, too, which hopefully means that the colour illustrations will be preserved in colour for the first time since the first volume!
Thanks, Pomelote ^-^
DeleteIndeed.. Such a 'what if'..but 'unfortunately'..
Is that so ^^
I'm sooo happy you cover this! I need to re-read it all as have forgotten the story but thank you for when I catch up again! Also, another great quote :) I always look forward to the quotes also.
ReplyDelete