May 7, 2016

Kasane [Chapter 72 - Demise]


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

5 comments:

  1. Whoa...the chapter was truly amazing. Thank you for good work :3
    I 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

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    1. Yup, isn't it so? ^^

      Thanks for reading ^-^

      Ya..there are a lot of possibilities ^^

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  2. 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;)

    Oh, 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!

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    1. Thanks, Pomelote ^-^

      Indeed.. Such a 'what if'..but 'unfortunately'..

      Is that so ^^

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  3. 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.

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