From kizen: I’ve been really busy lately so instead of making an announcement post that most of you don’t read anyway, I’ll just quote what tetri said when he decided to drop his project.
“I am currently standing on a fork road in my career, and I would like to go to the better road. This would need me to completely be void of any other things that I have to concentrate on, meaning that I will have less and even lesser time for translating as things go long. You can move my novels to up and coming new translators who love the novels that I’ve been translating for the past months. I am not sure when I will be coming back.”
He was supposed to make an announcement post but I guess he’s too busy nowadays. Anyway, please welcome our new translator who will take over this project.
TL: Hello everyone, I am the umbra, the new translator that has picked up the novel. I was a lurker in the community all this while and this is the first project that I have undertaken, I will try and push out one chapter a week, every tuesday. Hope to have a lot fun in the future. Well then, without any further ado….
Want to make Saotome-san take a break
「No more, let’s return home…..」
「Mio-san, this is your home, you know. Hey! Please split apart the natto」
「That’s a lie, this pwace is office….. 。Abacus, give my abacus back to me」
「Do leading companies give out abaci…?」
Why in the world did it end up [becoming] like this.
In front of Mio-san who is continuously stirring the natto with hollow eyes, I have no choice but to look up to the heavens for guidance.
It was a night after an afternoon drizzle.
「Tada, ima~…..?」
「Okaerinasai」
「T, tadaima!」
「Hai, Okaerinasai. I am working today as well, you know.」
「That’s great…. I ran back wondering if you would not be here.」
Mio-san who was peeping through the door, stepped in with a sigh of relief after seeing me. It has already been three weeks since we started having this exchange.
I thought she will start to grow tired of this banter, but surprisingly she has taken a liking to it.
「Yes, yes, since this is my job. Ah! You are sweating a lot. Why don’t you take a shower first?」
「Will do sooo….」
Mio-san came up the porch, replying sluggishly.
Remove the shoes too.
「Erm, Mio-san」
「Muee?」
Turning back to look at me, Mio-san lost her balance and slipped over.
「Careful!」
Flustered, I rushed in and caught her. Though Mio-san has a small build, she is quite heavy.
「Strooong. Young man!」
「This isn’t the time to be saying such things now! What’s the matter?」
I try to support Mio-san who keeps swaying back and forth. Just when I was thinking if she hit the floor hard, her head tilted forward in a strange manner.
「Aree, can’t stand up?」
「Don’t tell me…」
I put my hands on Mio-san’s forehead.
Scorching.
「Isn’t the temperature too high!! Why would you run when you are already like this.」
Her body temperature has already surpassed 38ºC. But when her body is in such a condition, instead of getting worried, Mio-san is cackling foolishly.
「Nothing of that sort. I am doing fine, fine I say.」1
Seems like she is trying to do an “All Good” pose. Nevertheless, without any improvement in her condition, she looks like an octopus that is flailing around.
「Were you the type that gets a ‘high’ when you have a fever, becoming insensitive to the fatigue and pain?」
It is likely that she got wet in the afternoon drizzle and went straight back to office, sitting under the air conditioner.
Even though the day we met, she was completely fine after getting drenched by rain. In the end, catching a cold/flu is a matter of chance. When it is your turn, you will end up getting it one way or the other.
Luckily, she seems fine for now, but once the ‘high’ recedes both the pain and the fatigue will start catching up.
「About tomorrow’s work…. What the hell am I saying right now? Anyways let’s hit bed after making her change clothes.」
I rebuke myself for getting influenced by my previous company’s conduct and first held Mio-san up, helping her remove her shoes. Becoming surprised by the peaky design of women’s shoes, I somehow manage to put the grey high heels in the porch and lift Mio-san up.
「Princess~」
「That’s right. It’s the princess carry. You will start fumbling if you keep talking, so shhhh. Shhh」
「Shhh」
Her mental state is regressing, going back to that of a child, just like during the incident with the G. At that time at least, it was possible to assert her sanity through her actions and behavior.
「So today turned out to be this sort of a situation, huh. This is your typical troublesome situation」
The danger is only until that. It is merely a cold/flu; however, it is still a cold/flu. You can’t be careless when the fever is this high.
I enter the bedroom and carefully rest her on the bed. The simple wooden bed squeaked a little as it bore her weight.
「I won’t go so far as to say something like “Since I have seen it once, it’s all the same no matter how many times it happens”, but this is an emergency. I will make sure to listen to your complaints afterwards so, excuse me.」
I remove her jacket and skirt, then cover her body, which is just housing a blouse and underwear up, with a blanket. Without a doubt, her skirt is damp and letting out a musty smell.
「As expected, she got caught in the rain」
「Ne nee, Matsutomo-san? It’s not yet time to get off work, you know.」
「According to today’s fortune-telling, if Mio-san goes to sleep early today, then something good will happen」2
「So-Something goood?」
「Tomorrow’s dessert will be fruiche!」
「Fruiiche! Me like!」
「That’s right, it’s fruiche. So, let’s go to sleep for now.」
「Let’s sleeep!」
Of course, it’s just something that I said in the heat of the moment. Since a sick person has very little self-awareness, there is no way other than telling something or the other.
I mean, I don’t even know her birthday and zodiac sign.
Let’s just buy a fruiche for now.
「Should I drop the plan of making it myself? Hmm… should I go with Cotton..?」
Looking through my phone, I decided to drop the plan of making it. It’s not perfect, but there are more pressing things at hand.
Droplets of sweat shines brightly on Mio-san’s nape, who is blankly staring at the ceiling.
「There’s too much sweat. It will become troublesome if it is not wiped off.」
Even after bringing a wet hand towel from the kitchen, I find myself hesitating.
「As if this is the point to be saying such things.」
「Nnn?」
「Hai Mio-san, raise your hands(banzaii)」
「Banzaii」
After unbuttoning and taking off her blouse, below that…. Camisole? Yes if you lift up the camisole, you can see a black laced underwear completely different from the other time.
「….I see」
「What do you seee?」
「Mio-san has worked very hard today as well」
「Is that soo…?」
「Yup, That’s right」
High-heels in place of the usual low-heeled court shoes that she wears. Moreover carefully chosen underwear that even a sloppy person like me was able to take notice of.
How to put it, I can’t think of Mio-san having a boyfriend, lover or someone like that. Therefore, this can’t be dressing up for a date.
That being the case.
「You seem to have had an important work today. Work that was important enough for you to disregard drying your wet clothes.」
Even the first time we met, she was the person who said that her company would collapse without the materials inside. I tend to forget it occasionally but Mio-san is a person of such character.
「That being said, if you push yourself to hard then you will become exhausted and catch a cold/flu. It is characteristic of you to miss the final sprint up and have a poor end game.」
「It is not like that….. I will do it prowperly….」
「Yes, yes. Now, I will wipe it off one more time, so please raise you hands (banzaii)」
「Muu」
I wipe down her body which has become flushed a slight pink due to the fever.
In the process, I come to realize the fragility and thinness of her delicate body.
How many women are out there competing with experienced and capable people, fighting against the society’s system where it is very hard to find one’s bearings.
Saotome-san here is such a person.
It would be strange if she didn’t catch a cold. At least that’s what I think.
「Unexpectedly, perverted thoughts don’t creep in when you muse about such things.」
— It’s a lie.
「Mio-san’s favorite sweater is the one with the vertical stripes right?」
「Haha, nothing at all.」
I will tell it once again, it’s a lie.
Right now, I am biting my tongue with all my might. I am biting it with my front teeth, and to be precise, I am using the canine teeth and not the incisors.
It is a bit too hard so I have to do at least that.
Frankly, it is impossible.
「Hahaha, calm down, calm down.」
「Aah, Huu」
「Was it cold? I can’t really tell you to stop letting out such a voice, but still..」
「I mean.」
「Alright, Mio-san it’s that. Let’s do that」
「Thaat?」
The only thing that can erase the erotic allure that Mio-san holds.
「Abababababa」
「Abababababa?」
「Abababababaa」
「Abababababaa!」
An onee-san with flushed cheeks in her black underwear is chirping out ‘Abababababa’.
「Yeah… nope, not good. If this keeps up, I might awaken to a weird sexual preference. Let’s hurry and finish it up.」
Deep breaths. Yes, deep breaths.
When humans take deep breaths they are able to calm down. Inhale—.
「It’s not working, somehow Mio-san’s womanly scent keeps interfering. The smell of cardboard has completely disappeared.」
Dammit. Who’s the guy that cleaned this place up?
That was me.
「Our Father who art in Heaven
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,
on Earth as it is in Heaven.」
I am glad that I went to parochial school during my childhood.
I am sorry for doubting the existence of God before. I will properly repent, so please save me now.
Right around the third time reciting the Lord’s Prayer, I finished wiping the sweat off Mio-san’s body completely.3
Thanks for the chapter 😀
Glad to see a new translator for this work. Hope you have fun translating this. Thank you for the chapter!
Thanks for new chapter 🙂
Hope that previous tl can have a good life and good progress. Well wishes 🙂
Hello Umbra, thanks for taking over this project.!
— Thanks for the chapter~ ^^
Hello umbra and thanks for the chapter.
Everyone has to make a choice at some point in their life, thanks for all your translations till now tetriminoss and good luck.
Thanks for picking up this translation
The Lord has blessed you this time so~
Dine in~!