L.E.M. C.16: Smile variety

Nostalgic Samurai Sword

Friend got back his energy.

Thank you for protecting Nanaki yesterday, thanks to that Nanaki is healthy. What? Protecting a lady is the duty of a gentleman? As expected of Nanaki’s Friend, you are a manly god. But sometimes Nanaki thinks despite being strict on humans you are more human than humans. Owow, stop, don’t hit Nanaki.

He got angry because Nanaki wasn’t respectful enough. Good manners even between friends.

“We have arrived.”

Hearing the voice of the coachman uncle, Nanaki quickly descended the carriage and opened the door. Devotedly escort my master. The first day Nanaki escorted master as a maid is nostalgic. By now, people sending contemptuous gazes at Nanaki and master has decreased a lot. Of course it is not zero. But it has definitely decreased, so this is progress.

My master is definitely advancing down the path to glory. That conduct and expression already has no trace of back when he was weak, there is only a figure of the strong. Walking dignifiedly with your chest high is unexpectedly difficult. It’s because for some reason people fear shame. It is because of that that you must be able to be proud about yourself.

Have the resolve to accept everything, in order to affirm the world.

“Yo Zean. I’ve been waiting.”
“……morning, Vilmott. A new attendant?”

Of course Nanaki will accept you too, Vilmott Arkahn.

“Ah, that’s right. You know what I want to say right?”

He is plotting his comeback, to not have his heart break and rot away in this situation is worthy of praise. No matter who the opponent, what should be recognised must be recognised. Nanaki has a more favourable view of Vilmott Arkahn than those classmates that approach without apologising for their past rudeness.

Ignoring his personality, it seems he has the pride of an aristocrat. It seems to be of a different vector though.

“————to think there was someone other than me to have inherited eastern blood…….”

Vilmott Arkahn’s new servant let out that mutter as she looked at Nanaki. Same black hair as Nanaki. Similar skin colour. Her brown eyes are looking at Nanaki. Nice to meet you, I’m Nanaki.

“Vilmott-sama. This person’s attendant appears to be a maid.”
“So what?”
“Do you mean to say, fight an unarmed opponent?”

Even as she spoke with Vilmott Arkahn, her eyes looked only at Nanaki. Her strength is not average, but it falls short of Nanaki. With that said, Nanaki has no intention of being conceited. Nanaki shall be your opponent if you point that strange weapon this way.

But if possible Nanaki wants to get along. Friendly Nanakismile.

“Don’t be fooled by her appearance! This maid is a monster!”

Unfortunate, Nanaki is used to being treated as monster. Friendly Monstersmile.

“I’m not interested in fighting someone of the same race, but if you tell me to fight then I shall fight. But is it okay?”
“Ah!?”
“If I just fight like that, you will taste defeat again. If you want to triumph, you must know your opponent.”

What a refreshing person. Pride can be felt in her movements. Nanaki thinks this person really has a personality befitting her skill. For Nanaki, that can be said to be likeable. But it cannot yet be said that Nanaki likes her.

“And with that, I am Akiha Shinohara. Let us get along.”

Nanaki likes this person.

“My name is Nana Nana. I will be in your care.”

Nanaki immediately took the proud hand that was extended. Ah, Shiel-sama. Thank you for having granted Nanaki an opportunity to create a fake name. As expected Nanaki thinks you really are a wonderful person. Your heart is.

“Ngu……nn.”

Again, why are you laughing, my master.

intermission

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intermission

While the masters are in the middle of lessons, there is nothing for the servants to do. Thus it can be said that it is natural to use this chance to deepen our friendship. Akiha-san seemed to have the same thoughts and we ended up talking on the roof of the school building. No matter where master is or what happens, Nanaki is able to come running. The skill of a master maid.

“……are you curious? About this weapon, the katana?”

Katana. A familiar name. An ancient weapon recorded in a very old book back in the capital. A thin blade with almost no durability. Yet if an expert handles it there is nothing it cannot cut and it will not break either. It should have had another name.

“It’s the legendary samurai sword.”
“Well, yes. This is not the real thing but something made to fit the present era though.”

Made. If Nanaki remembers correctly, according to that book the creation of a samurai sword is extremely difficult and the methods have been lost. If those methods are not lost, then Akiha-san might be an important existence in history. She might revive lost arts in the present.

“Does Nana-san know about the race known as the Japanese?”
“No.”
“As expected. It’s about yourself. That black hair and looks are from the east.”
and the chinese and the korean and the thais etcetc
Jappenise. In truth, since Nanaki spent Nanaki’s childhood in mother nature, Nanaki is not familiar with history. Due to Envy’s efforts, Nanaki is gained enough knowledge to roughly answer most things if asked, but Nanaki doesn’t know about ‘jappenise’. In any case it’s something from more than a thousand years ago, Nanaki had been thinking of learning more only if Nanaki had the chance.

(T/N: In Nanaki’s thoughts it’s in katakana (ニッポンジン) instead of kanji (日本人) like when Akiha pronounces it. Basically, Nanaki’s pronunciation is off.)

She had said it was a race. It is true Nanaki has not seen anyone else with this black hair other than Mother. Could it be that the jappenise are rare? Nanaki is a rarity? As expected of Nanaki, a special human.

“The ancestral homeland of us Japanese seemed to have sunk in the god world war.”
“Sunk……? A continent?”
“Since you were born on a continent, I understand that you would think that. But our ancestral homeland seems to have been an island country. I have heard it was small but still quite a strong country.”

So that would mean that during the god world war, Nanaki’s ancestors moved from that island country to the continent, something like that? In that violent age when gods were warring, an island or two would have sunk.

“It seems the asian people that abandoned their home country and fled to the continent couldn’t fit in. They received terrible discrimination and their numbers were fell. Well by now with the numbers reduced too much, the discrimination has naturally disappeared.”

Nanaki really is a rarity.
Rare nanaki
“In order not to forget the pride of the Japanese, my family has passed down that spirit through the generations. The country of the rising sun, it seemed to have been a very wonderful country.”

Envy might be a jappenise too.

“This is the first time I’ve met someone of the same race outside of my family. It makes me very happy.”
“I have unexpectedly learnt about my own roots. Thank you very much, Akiha-san.”
“Our masters are, or more like my master is one-sidedly, fighting. Even if we have to have a duel one day, I would like to continue this good relationship even after that is over.”
“Likewise.”

Maybe this could be called a friend. This is amazing, Mother. Nanaki has made a new friend. Please be surprised, she’s a jappenise. She seems to be the same race as Mother and Nanaki. The ancestral homeland seems to be gone, so Nanaki is thinking of hearing about more of it from Akiha-san.

“Ah”

There is a bad bug above Akiha-san’s head. It is a type of aggressive insect that stings people. This is not good, Nanaki must protect Nanaki’s friend. What? ‘I am your first friend’? Of course Friend. No matter  what happens in the future, the relationship between Nanaki and you will not change.

Now then, harmful insect extermination————as Nanaki thought that, the bug was cut in two.

It hasn’t quite reached godspeed. She is not a transcended one so that is obvious. But that speed can be said to have reached a certain limit for humans. An instant sword draw with the objective f cutting. That brilliant series of movements contains an ability that is not inferior to that of imperial knights.

“It’s a technique called ‘iai'”
“Is it okay to show your hand before the duel?”
“You are not an opponent that would work on anyway.”

(T/N: iai , have to admit is impressive…………..editting and now I realise I could’ve translated it as sword-draw, nvm leaving it)

That is pretty smile. Nanaki also has confidence in her smile. Glorious Nanakismile. Reach the world, Nanaki’s smile.

“A cute smile.”
“Thank you very much.”

Let’s keep it secret that Nanaki was aiming for a pretty smile.

The end

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Hecate’s rant: one thing that triggers me about Japanese stories are when they have some part about Japanese being ‘superior’ or something. Like “I’m Japanese so I have to be kind and care for others”. No, even the Chinese, Americans, Europeans can do the same thing. If it is a trait special to Japanese people then fine, but when they take basic stuff like that and make it sound like only Japanese people have that trait and foreigners are barbarians which don’t it kind of triggers me.

Edited (30/12/2017): oh god….I remember when I messed up with jappenis….

Reformat(11/8/2018): past me is always hilarious

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