Takako (Before) - Princess Taka, Blasting Off!
I'm Takako[1]. You can also call me Princess Taka.
Some people call me a "gifted" kid, like, in English. I wish they'd describe that in Japanese like normal instead.
What I want now is... well, an older brother[8]. Wouldn't it be nice to have a brother who'll dote on me endlessly and be the lovely knight to this princess? ALSO. It has to be someone absolutely unpopular with the ladies, so that I could cheer him up.
So precious. Even from just imagining it, I can tell it's the best thing ever!
The problem is...
I can see myself getting a younger sister or brother easily enough, but my chances of getting an older brother are.... none.
This is a grave situation. ...Wait, "grave" means it's bad, right? I've been asking my school's teachers so many questions lately that they seem unhappy to see me these days.
Kuni-sensei[2] over at the high school, on the other hand... She has even taught me things I never asked about. Truly the kagami -- the ideal role model -- of teachers. ...Huh, that "kagami" kanji isn't the same one as the "kagami" for "mirror," is it? I'll ask Kuni-sensei about that later.
Ahh, I want a big brother. I want him to spoil me and feed me lots of candies -- and I don't even like candies! Then I can brag to my friends[9] about how doting he is! Yeah! That sounds awesome!
But it can't be someone like Saru[3] or Nanachi[4]. They're clearly used to taking care of younger people. I wanna, like, have fun teasing a newbie big brother! I mean, I'm a newbie little sister myself. I don't wanna be called a fake sister, you know.
Well then. Skipping school to sit and ponder on the shrine's stairs was worth it. Now I'm starting to want a brother more and more. The sky is blue and I can see the sea right there in the distance -- imagine how much better this would be if I had a brother running up this long, long stairway after me, and forgiving me for running on ahead as he struggles to catch his breath! So precious. So very precious.
"That's it!" I think as I hop up. This big wave of popularity is here to be ridden -- no way around it, Takako! I'll be Ashihara Nakatsu's best little sister ever! Ahahaha... BWAHAHAHA!!
Oh no. A little lady like me shouldn't laugh like that. Well, no one's listening to me, so it should be fine, right? Oh, speaking of listening, what about the gods? This is a shrine, after all -- though I don't even know which gods are enshrined here. I'll have to find that out later... but Kuni-sensei isn't good with mythologies. Who should I ask, then? Maybe I can read about it in some books?
And so, feeling pretty energized, I descend the stairs, hopping down three steps at a time[10]. I've come up with a reason to avoid going to school today, too.
That is: I was out searching for an older brother.
Wow, it's so perfect that I scare myself!
Speaking of school, why do we still have classes during summer, anyway? Princess Taka demands answers! I wish people would stop blaming everything wrong with this world on the Kegai. No more buses running in this town? Kegai's fault. Fewer trains stopping here? Kegai's fault. Those adults should at least put more effort into their excuses.
To get anywhere in Ashihara Nakatsu, you have to go down the hill and through Main Street[7] -- well, actually, it's a shopping district called Ginza Street now. In any case, the place is pretty distinct because it used to be a river valley. Why was it even renamed to Ginza, anyway? The original name was perfectly fine. This is what happens when people don't study history. Just look at me -- I know all this because we do have history classes at school.
Hmm? Something doesn't add up...
Adults are older than me, so they must have studied the things they're teaching me at school, right? So why the name Ginza? I guess I can't expect all adults to know what they're doing[11].
Hmm. So I'd like to go ahead and pick myself a brother, but... When I walk past Ginza Street, sometimes I'd run into meddlesome adults who tell me to go to school. I know they're worried about this little princess, so I don't outright dislike them, but hey, meddlesome is meddlesome!
And I mean, I want my summer vacation time back! How can I be expected to study at school when it's this hot out!? At least install some air conditioners in the classrooms! The town hall has them, so budget constraints won't cut it as an excuse!
Whew. Getting excited made the heat even worse. On a completely unrelated note, it's too bad that houses aren't allowed to be built by the beach. Must be hard for the elderly, having to walk up and down the hills to get anywhere[12].
Then again, there's the story the elderly used to tell me... A long time ago, this person named Wadatsumi[5] kidnapped a lot of people, and since then, the people decided to live at Oyamatsumi's[6] place instead. What's that supposed to mean?
Aha. Another thing to ask Kuni-sensei about. I've read up on the town's history recently, but I don't remember anyone named Wadatsumi popping up. Maybe they were erased from history. Whoa, that sounds kinda cool!
Hmm, do I want my brother to be cool?
Actually, no, I don't. The worse my brother is, the better... for me[13]! I don't want someone confident or strong or anything like that. He's got to be relatively unpopular, too.
I mean, he'd be totally helpless without me around -- and that sounds exciting. Very exciting!
When I told my friends about that, though, they all said I was weird. That annoyed me so much that I haven't talked to any of them recently. Like, for three days now?
Anyway, yeah, I want a brother. Where can I find one? Wouldn't it be nice to find someone who I could just run up to say, "I'm your sister," and he'd just play along?
Well, my search has just begun!
Princess Taka, blasting off[14]!
===
Chapter 9 Character Profiles
↩[1] Takako (Takako Wakakuni)
Self-proclaimed "everyone's little sister." A prodigy with an IQ of over 180.
Unfortunately, in this time period, Japan does not have a system for educating gifted individuals like her. As a result, she is considered an outcast by her peers at school and is unable to make the most of her potential capabilities.
The country's policy at this time is to improve the average grades rather than the grades of a few prodigies.
First-person pronoun used: Watashi
↩[2] Kuni (Kunie Enan)
Japanese language teacher.
Known as a "problem teacher" behind the scenes.
Despite her motivation, she lacks effective teaching skills. Unfortunately, those like her aren't uncommon in this era.
↩[3] Saru (Kunihiko Sawada)
Member of the baseball club. Quite good at looking after others.
When he was in elementary school, he was called "Saru" or "Saruta" because of his tree-climbing skills. Sometimes he is still called by those nicknames.
He is not keen on studying because he wants to find a job to ease the burdens of his widowed mother.
↩[4] Nanachi (Nanachi Suhisa)
Descended from a wealthy long-standing family of farmers, so he was raised well, and in turn, he takes good care of the community. He's also what people nowadays would call a passionate "otaku."
The modern definition of the word "otaku" has not yet been established at this time, so it will not be used to describe him in this novel's main text.
In the game, however, the word "otaku" will be used for the sake of conciseness. Apologies in advance.
↩[5] Wadatsumi
The dragon god of the sea. Also refers to the sea itself.
In this chapter, Wadatsumi's "kidnapping" refers to a devastating tsunami that occurred early in the Edo period.
↩[6] Oyamatsumi
The god of mountains. Also refers to the mountains themselves.
===
Chapter 9 Footnotes
↩[7] Main Street
Another name for this town's Ginza Street. A surprisingly lively place.
Due to the year this story takes place in, there aren't any convenience stores here.
At this time, people would express concerns about deteriorating public safety whenever "late-night business hours" were mentioned.
↩[8] "What I want now is... well, an older brother"
It's somewhat common for a single child to want a younger sibling, but it's rare to want a bigger brother specifically.
Goes to show how free-form Takako's imagination is. Or maybe she's just self-indulgent.
↩[9] "Then I can brag to my friends"
What a show-off.
↩[10] "Hopping down three steps at a time"
Don't do this. It's dangerous.
↩[11] "Can't expect all adults to know what they're doing"
Takako doesn't lump all adults together. Another indication that she is wise beyond her years.
↩[12] "Having to walk up and down the hills to get anywhere"
The protagonist will also have a hard time because of this.
↩[13] "The worse my brother is, the better"
Takako wants to be the one taking care of her hypothetical brother.
↩[14] "Blasting off!"
A popular phrase at the time.
Takako doesn't know where it's from.
===
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