Antique Legend - Dreams on a Garbage Heap 5

[bakemonoremy]

Collab with Soup

Location: Antique Market Venue

- A short while later -



Mika: So, that’s when Oshi-san—

Kohaku: (Aw man~... How’d it come ta this? Things took a weird turn somewhere.)

(I reckoned it’d be bad manners ta shake ‘im off an’ make my getaway, so I let Kagehira-han wear me down an’ get me ta walk around the Antique Market with ‘im fer a bit under the premise that neither of us has got anythin’ to do until our performance later anyway.)

(He said that there ain’t no reason fer us to split up… I can’t very well say no to Kagehira-han when he wants ta spend time with me fer such innocent reasons.)

(The stellar comeback that there ain’t no real reason fer us to spend time together either didn’t cross my mind at the time.)

(Oh well. Usually it’d be unthinkable fer one of our targets ta survive an’ fer us to be able to spend time together with ‘em, anyway…)

(But since this has never happened before, I’ve got no clue how to act in an unfamiliar situation like this.)

(Although I did do some research since that incident the other day, an’ it became clear ta me that Kagehira-han truly doesn’t seem t’have done anything bad…)

(But that don’t mean that he’s entirely cleared from suspicion just yet.)

(Some fraudulent, questionable money transfers did take place — with vice prez Saegusa-han at the center of ‘em…)

(As long as Valkyrie’s involvement with those transfers exists, we’ll be wise ta keep this connection intact.)

(That said, I’m basically just Madara-han’s helper, merely here to balance the numbers — which means there ain’t no need fer me to think all that deeply about the whole affair.)

(I’ve effectively been rather roped into alla this against my will this time.)

(Feels like gettin’ roped into stuff is all I’ve been doin’ lately, though… This won’t do, I ain’t got a speck of autonomy.)

(Still, I can’t help it after havin’ been born into a family like mine. I was raised to believe that this is the “right answer”, that it’s my duty ta work in service of those above me an’ follow their orders.)

Mika: ? Kohaku-kun — what’s with that gloomy face? Ya alright?

Ah, yer probably bored cause I just keep goin’ on and on about Oshi-san, aren’t ya...? 

People say that a lot. Though, I don’t have anythin’ else t’talk about...

Kohaku: ...Nah, you’re not to blame, Kagehira-han. ‘Sides, I reckon you’re probably just a victim who’s unfortunately been wrapped up in this whole affair, anyhow.

Mika: Ahaha, “Nushi-han”? Did ya mean “Anta”*? We both have the same kinda Kansai dialect, but it’s different; where’re ya from, Kohaku-kun?

Kohaku: Whaddaya mean where I’m from? I’m from around here. It’s just that my family’s origin apparently lies over in Heian-kyo** or somethin’, so outta tradition I was made ta use this manner of speakin’.

I find it quite the overly nostalgic — or rather ridiculous — tradition, though. But it ain’t worth stubbornly rejectin’.

Mika: Heian-kyo, huh? Haha, wow yer family’s real old.

Kohaku: I can’t say fer sure if it’s true or not, though. They probably just convinced themselves that it is, an’ then built their whole identity around it. That’s generally how traditions work.

It’s like when ya trace yer ancestry back all the way, we’re all originally descended from God, so we’ve gotta be mighty eminent, or something…

It’s just some lie someone made up way back when to make themself look prestigious, but generations later it’s turned into a widely accepted truth.

Whatever the lie may be, if no one catches on to it bein’ one, it’ll become the truth. It’s better to be a liar, ‘cause honesty doesn’t pay —

Mika: ~......♪

Kohaku: What’s so funny, birdbrain? The way you’re lookin’ at me with that stupid grin on yer face is givin’ me the creeps.

Mika: Ngah, m’sorry? I’m just happy yer talkin’ so much, y’know? 

It may be just cause we sorta speak the same, but yer real easy t’talk to... Even if I can’t understand half of whatcha say.

Kohaku: Ko ko ko ♪ If ya understood half of it, you’re doin’ better than most people. Humans usually understand not even a tenth of what anyone is sayin’ at any given point, y’know?

Mika: Yeah, everyone says things that’re so hard t’understand...

I might’ve just gone and dropped my brains somewhere, but I always feel like I’m spendin’ every day knowin’ nothing. 

I thought that things Oshi-san said were right, so he became a guide fer me—

But recently I’ve been real useless cause I’ve had to use my own empty head to guide me, and ’cause of that I’ve felt real anxious, and like I’ve had no one t’look to. 

But still, I can’t just keep relyin’ on Oshi-san...

Kohaku: (? What do we got here? Oh, could this be a chance ta get information straight from Kagehira-han’s mouth?)

(This guy seems like he’ll carelessly spill everythin’ if I just prod him the right way…)

(T’tell the truth, investigation ain’t my forte. It’s like the younger of my sisters said, the most crucial part of an interrogation is gettin’ the guy to speak.)

(The most dreadful scenario is when the person you’re interrogatin’ doesn’t open their mouth at all. Much better ta hear a bunch of lies, since you’ll still be able ta pick some information outta that, is what she said.)

(It’s annoying how overprotective my sisters are, but ta make up fer that, they’ll hear me out on any topic, no matter how foolish it may be.)

(Alright then —  I’ll put on the best friend act with this guy, create a warm and friendly atmosphere, an’ get his tongue ta loosen up a lil’.)

(If this guy’s got skeletons in his closet, this is how I’ll drag them outta there in one fell swoop. An’ even if he doesn’t, then I’m at least blessed by the idol gods ta get to spend a fun time with ‘im. Ko ko ko ♪)


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* As Mika says, Kohaku makes use of the second person pronoun “nushi-han” while Mika uses the infinitely more common “anta”.

** Heian-kyo is a former name of the current Kyoto, back when it was the political capital where the emperor resided, and is also the namesake for the Heian-period (794-1185) in Japan. Its status as capital was lost in 1868, and the city was renamed to Kyoto back in the 11th century, so Kohaku hints at a staggeringly long family history with roots in the Heian-period.