Chapter 13
Duck Hunting
With this chapter, we begin volume 3. More of Miya’s backstory with Akiko is revealed. And there a ducks. A lot of ducks.
This translation is intended to be read along with the ebook or paper volumes, so it isn’t a scanlation, just a translation.
5: {Ancient people told of two birds, male and female, with only one wing each. Without sharing their wings, the male and female cannot fly./ The name of this bird is “hiyoku.”1
sfx: click
Saeki: How are you, Rokuouin-no-Miya-sama?
8: Saeki: I’m Saeki of the Imperial Capital Daily News!/ Please allow me to accompany you today for an article. I’d be delighted…
Miya: Please stop the photography and that loud voice./ You’ll scare the birds.
Saeki: Oh, please excuse us!/ Idiot, stop the camera!
Small text: Eh?
Servant: You Highness,/ it’s time for you to leave…
Miya: Because today, I’m going duck hunting.
9: {At the height of autumn, migratory birds come flying./ That is duck hunting season./ Ducks gather near the water in the Imperial Garden./ Every year foreign ambassadors and their wives are invited to come “duck hunting.”/ At the Emperor’s command, a pleasant lunch is given to the hunters on this late autumn day./ To receive the invited guests,/ members of the Miya family join the hunt.
Man: Ladies and gentlemen, I will explain the methods of the hunt…
Small text: Umm…
10: Miya: The Hunting Bureau is skilled in hunting, / but not versed in foreign languages. Allow me to explain.
sfx: whoosh/ hahahaha
Miya: First, all of us must become birds.
Woman: Birds?
Miya: Right. All of you ducks came from far up north./ Flying high above, this is what you see./ There is an island in a pond surrounded by a thicket./ From it, there are a series of man-made canals.
11: Miya: “Ahh, this is just the right place to rest our wings,”/ you say. All of you now want to descend onto the pond./ You don’t know that these are hunting grounds./ However, this pond still has some earlier visitors./ These decoy ducks were tamed by the Hunting Bureau.
sfx: quack/ tap tap tap
Miya: They are trained to enter the canal at the sound of a board being struck, in order to create a false sense of security./ Unaware of the deception, you ducks are lured into the canal and towards the bait.
Small text: Bait?/ Follow me for the bait.
Miya: There in the canal, the ducks are blind to the the people on the banks./ The trained ducks are unconcerned./ All of you are now trapped!/ You try to fly away, but your wings are slow to open in confines of the canal.
sfx: quack
12: Miya: Alas, you are now in their nets.
sfx: whoosh/ ahahaha
Miya: Well, that is the procedure.
Small text: Be quiet for the ducks
Miya: When Her Majesty was still the Imperial Princess, she taught me the basics of duck hunting.
Woman 1: Wow, from Her Majesty!
Woman 2: You really are close, aren’t you?/ When the Russian prince was injured earlier,/ I read in the paper that you protected Her Majesty.
Woman 1: If you became the prince consort, it would make Her Majesty happy too.2
13: Miya: In this country, a prince consort is not permitted./ Nor can a female emperor marry after her abdication./ Because that beautiful and wise person will have to remain alone, I also wish to remain alone… / However, times are changing, and I hope that soon this custom can be abolished.
sfx: kyuun
Woman 1: Miya-sama…
Woman 2: Miya-sama, I am also your ally!
Woman 1: Miya-sama should be able to marry the one he loves.
sfx: kyaa kyaa/ chatter chatter
14: Photographer: He’s popular among the foreign ladies too.
Small text: Amazing
Saeki: “The emperor’s former fiance continues to remember her.”/ Women just eat it up./ Well,/ with his appearance and position/ he can enjoy himself.
{Enjoy myself?/ No/ I have searched for}
15: {the hiyoku bird.}
Man: Prince Takehiko,/ Prince Takehiko./ Have you finished changing you clothes?/
Your Highness…
sfx: rattle/ rustle rustle/ clatter/ patter patter
Man: Your Highness, your clothes…
16: ?: Still?
Small text: bu/ He’s healthy, getting up so early./ bu bu
Miya: I don’t want to go/ duck hunting…
Man: That’s not possible, Your Highness./ It is so the younger members of the Miya
family can become friendly with His Majesty.
{It was during the Meidi emperor’s reign./ I was eighteen.}
sfx: sigh
17: {the first time I was ordered to go duck hunting.}
Boy: This will be fun, Rokumiya!
Miya: Really?/ The birds are drawn into the canal and caught in nets./ It’s called hunting, but it would only be fun for little girls.
sfx: tap tap tap
Man: Young nobles, the ducks are entering the canal. Please take a peek at them through here.
18: sfx: quack
Miya: This hunt is so boring./ My days are all the same.
{As the Miya family’s heir, I have been merely prepared to continue down the path.}
sfx: waahh
19: sfx: flap/ fwoosh
Small text: I caught it!!
{The net…/ shit!!}
sfx: whoosh
Small text: Splendid.
Boy: Look, Rokumiya! I caught it
20: Box: Too surprised by the first bird.
sfx: quack/ cough/ irritated
Man: Your Highness,/ next time we’ll make sure the duck is right in front of you…
Miya: Don’t do that!
?: Two birds!
sfx: cheer
Man 1: You’ve caught two birds in the same net…
sfx: flap flap
Man 2: Splendid, Akiko-sama!
21: Akiko: Even though you said this was only for little girls,/ isn’t your net empty?
sfx: irritated
Man: Your Highness! That’s the Imperial Princess.
Miya: Huh? Imperial Princess…/ Whoa!!!
sfx: quack
Akiko: Is this your first time hunting ducks?/ I’ll teach you.
22: sfx: gasp
Woman 3: Miya-sama,/ What is this shed for?/ Please tell me.
Miya: It’s a place to watch the ducks gather on the pond./ A giant peephole./ It’s a bit cramped with two people…
Woman 3: But a small space is romantic./ For exchanging lovers talk, a cramped space is perfect./ Would you use it that way too?
23: Miya: Well…/ Possibly.
Akiko: To catch ducks you have to know about them./ Do you know the difference between the males and females?
Miya: The females have the beautiful colored feathers.
Akiko: Wrong! The bright ones are male./ It’s the same with peacocks and pheasants.
sfx: irritated
Small text: Oh, is that right?
{Acting so proud around me–/ If she wasn’t a princess, I would ignore her.}
24: Akiko: Every year, the ducks come all the way from the north to hibernate for the winter./ During the winter, the feathers of the males change to the beautiful blue-green color. They search for female mates in this pond.
Small text: Female/ Male
Akiko: So, when spring comes, two birds return north together to lay their eggs.
Miya: She makes me angry…
sfx: glance
{But, she isn’t bad-looking.}
Akiko: How could the Miya family prince not know these things…
sfx: annoyed
25: {You too! You don’t know the ways of the world, Princess!}
Miya: Imperial Princess, you know a lot about ducks.
sfx: inch backwards
Miya: But do you know about how human men and women pair off?/ Shall I teach you?
26: sfx: shove
Akiko: Excuse me,/ “Kurohashi”3 has just entered the canal!
Miya: “Kurohashi”?
Akiko: He’s the biggest blue neck4 in the pond.
Akiko: Since he has a big black mark on the front of his beak, the palace hunting masters call him “Kurohashi.” / He’s wise and cautious,/ and very hard to catch./ Hurry!
27: Akiko: The secret to duck hunting not being surprised. Only look at what’s in front of you./ Let’s catch him, Miya!
sfx: thump/ smile/ thump thump thump
Miya: Yes./ What it this?/ This hammering inside me./ Just having a girl beside me shouldn’t do this.
28: {No, until now, nothing’s ever made me feel this way.}
sfx: flap/ whoosh/ flap
Miya: I’m not surprised. I’m only looking ahead!
29: Miya: I caught Kurohashi in my net!
Man: Splendid, Your Highness!
30: Akiko: It’s your catch, Miya. Take it out of the net.
Miya: Take it out of the net?
Small text: Why would I do that?
Man 1: Here, Your Highness.
Man 2: It can’t fly if you tie it’s wings together.
Miya: Like… like this?
Small text: It looks painful…
Box: Wings tied behind
Miya: Let me dry my hands.
sfx: simmer/ flap
Akiko: Ah!
31: Miya: Huh?
sfx: flap
Small text: They were tied too loosely…
sfx: shock
Small text: We can give His Highness a different duck./ Hurry!/ Ahhh
{The feeling when it flew up high,}
Miya: You don’t need to do that!
{So different from my own surroundings,/ which always pull me to the earth.}
sfx: hahahaha
32: Small text: Imperial Princess…
sfx: hahahah/ hahahaha
Akiko: Even Kurohashi wants to survive, Miya!/ Look,/ He’s already flown so high./ So pretty.
33: {It’s wondrous.}
Miya: …Yes
{With this girl beside me, my heart lightened/ for the first time./ With her/ I could spread my wings and fly away./ My hiyoku–
34: sfx: rustle rustle
Saeki: Huh? Miya-sama,/ Aren’t you hunting?/ Everyone has already caught their ducks and gone to eat lunch.
sfx: rustle
Small text: Why are these two here?
Miya: I didn’t use my net./ Come with me.
sfx: bow
Miya: How is everything?
Man: Yes, Miya-sama, it’s already in place.
35: Small text: This is this net.
Man: Ah, since noon, the son of Hunting Master Kuga/ has been allowed to hunt with his friend.
Misono: Are you good at hunting, Kuga-san?
Kuga: Yeah!
sfx: hehe
Kuga: I invited Toutsuji, but that guy said “I couldn’t destroy life.”
Small text: But please bring me duck meat. ❤
36: Kuga: Well, Misono,/ the secret to duck hunting is–
Misono: "Don't be surprised. Only look at what's in front of you"!/ Her Majesty taught me that for the first time I went hunting.
Small text: Oh
Misono: It's…
sfx: flap flap/ Wow
37: Man: It's Kurohashi!/ Misono has caught Kurohashi!
Misono: This is Kurohatsu?
Kuga: He's the king of the ducks./ Awesome, Misono!
sfx: quack
Misono: This is…
{Why?/ Why did you choose/ this worthless boy?}
sfx: quack
38: {A boy without position or power./ You are a noble woman./ I was not–}
39: sfx: quack/ flap flap
Kuga: Oh!/ He escaped…
40: sfx: flap/ Ah!/ fwoosh
Misono: Huh?
sfx: grab
Man 1: You've caught him!!
sfx: flap flap flap/ thump
Man 2: The hawk has brought him down!
41: Miya: When this duck escapes from the net, it returns to the pond to warn its fellow ducks.
sfx: oops/ flap flap
Miya: If that happens, other birds will no longer approach the canal./ Therefore,/ it's essential to use a hawk to take it down.
Misono: Rokuouin-no-Miya…
42: sfx: kaw kaw/ flap flap
Miya: That racket just now will have scared away the ducks./ Go to another canal to continue hunting.
Misono: Y-Yes.
Small text: Huh?/ Where did Saeki-san go…
sfx: crowded
Small text: Hey!
Miya: Misono./ You've forgotten/ your catch.
Misono: No, since it was your falcon that brought it down,/ it is your catch.
43: sfx: hehe
Miya: This is the second time I have caught Kurohashi./ The first time, Her Majesty was still the Imperial Princess./ We caught him together, but he escaped through my carelessness.
Misono: …Yes/ Her Majesty told me.
Miya: Right. She remembers it too?/ It's a pleasant memory.
Misono: Her Majesty also asked me
{Tell me if you see him there, Misono./Will Kurohashi make it here again this year?}
44: Misono: If Kurohashi was doing well,/ so…
{Did he/ let it escape on purpose?}
45: Miya: …I/ met Her Majesty for the first time here./ I was still a student, and Her Majesty was still a playful princess./ I was strangly fascinated by her./ I thought that if we had wings, she could also fly with me like the hiyoku bird.
46: Miya: Do you think that as well?
sfx: blush
Misono: That is beyond…/ I only…/ Her Majesty is a bird in a cage. If I could become
the cage…
Miya: Cage!
sfx: flinch
Miya: Indeed,/ a cage!/ Well done! I was worried because you might not understand
the limits of your own position.
47: Miya: Right. You can be a cage./ It is fine for you to be beside a noble bird./
But…/ a bird can only have another bird as its mate.
48: Saeki: Hmm,/ I've seen that boy somewhere.
sfx: shoo shoo
Small text: A tame duck.
49: {The pair of birds fly into the sky as one./ The Hiyoku bird.}
Ladies: Your Majesty,/ Rokuouin-no-Miya sent them as a gift from his hunting…
Small text: What a large blue neck
Akiko: Kurohashi…
sfx: reach
Akiko: Were you finally caught?
{This was}
50: {symbolic of the deep bond between a man and a woman/ from a beautiful legend
of birds.}
Saeki: I remembered!!
Small text: Huh?
Saeki: That guy was a chamberlain attendant!
Small text: Please let go of me!
Saeki: Back then, he refused to talk to me for an article.
Small text: Is that so?
Saeki: I think he looks too old to be an attendant.
Small text: Indeed
Man: Saeki-san?
51: Saeki: Hmm…/ about Rokuouin-no-Miya,/ the emperor,/ and that boy./ I smell and interesting story!/ Perhaps it could become an article!
sfx: flap flap flap
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1. Hiyoku-no-tori can also mean a happily married couple.↩
2. Footnote: Prince Consort = The husband of a female emperor.↩
3. Kuro = black; hashi = end.↩
4. Footnote: Blue neck = The male mallard↩
Futago Translations 