Himegami no Miko v1c3

Himegami no Miko (姫神の巫女) Part I, Chapter 3 is here!
h.e.l.lo HnM fans! I would like to first thank those few people who left comments on the previous chapter: serene01, lethe, lilly_938 and Kai. Your words are very encouraging for me! If there is anyone who would like to critique my translation, please feel free to do so! Otherwise, I’d appreciate it if more people let me know what they thought and contributed something. I know you’re out there, I can see the number of views via site stats! >:)

I am not sure at what pace I will release subsequent chapters. Sometimes it may take more time depending on the length of the specific chapter or what I feel like. Hey, take a look at my anime song translations, too. After all, this is what this blog was originally for before the one at Vox closed along with the entire site. I feel like I don’t get enough attention for them…. *sigh* Anyway, feel free to recommend this to other HnM/KnM fans but remember to credit me if you share! :)

Disclaimer: Himegami no Miko belongs to Uetake Sumio-san, while ill.u.s.trations belong to Kaishaku, and can be accessed here. I’m only doing this for fun and to share my comprehension of it with those who don’t understand it in the original j.a.panese. No money involved, though I’m not rich, because I don’t have the desire to make any this way.

Twenty minutes later, the two found themselves at the movie theater they had intended to go to.
The film was about the agony of a forbidden romance between two lovers.
It was produced by a not too popular filmmaker, so it was only shown in smaller theaters.
Himeko probably decided to buy the tickets simply because she liked romance.
On that subject: the first time she went out with Himeko, they had also seen a movie about a blighted love.
That’s right, that time———
Chikane mulled over her thoughts.
That had been her first “date” with Himeko———
In all honesty, it was boring. So unbearably boring.
The hero and heroine were tied to one another and then were split apart. What was that?
The confections that they ate afterwards in the lobby———Himeko called them sweets———what about them?
What about taking in the nightly sights of the city from a Ferris wheel, too?
Certainly, they were all some of Chikane’s first personal experiences.
But that is just what they were.
To Chikane, they were not very different from looking at a wall, getting a mouthful of sand or standing by a precipice.
Himeko said that this was how high school girls enjoy themselves but Chikane had no sort of motivation to take part in such activities and thought nothing of it other than useless behavior.
On the way home, she could not believe that Himeko smiled so cheerfully.
For that reason, as they strolled through a shopping district at night, Chikane took the chance to ask Himeko a question.
“Hey, is it alright if I ask you something?”
“What?”
“What is so fun about doing these kinds of things?”
Himeko tilted her head to the side and looked at her in astonishment.
She never thought she would ever be asked that but it sounded like she had said it.
“It’s just fun.”
Himeko started to speak at length.
On that island, there were no places I could go to and play like this. Besides that, I have the mark on me, so I couldn’t play with the children from other families.
That’s why I’ve always wanted to do it.
Things like arranging to meet when getting ready to go out, taking a detour to fool around after school, sleeping over and talking about many different things,
I’ve always, always yearned for this.
Before I go to bed,
I would remember the nice things that occurred that day,
And fantasized about the good things I’d encounter on the next.
I would be cheerful, feel my heart pounding, get excited, that’s why…
“Ah, that was fun! I’m looking forward to tomorrow.
If I can think that way, then it’s good no matter what.”
Himeko said as she smiled.
Chikane looked vaguely bothered.
Is that the reason?
Is that why she wanted her to become her “most important person?”
How silly.
Chikane had accepted Himeko’s proposal.
She had set her sight on the battle for the “Ceremony to Appease the Spirit of the Dead.”
Reaching that decision, it is true that she believed the level of benefit from doing it would be very low.
However, the actual reason Chikane had acquiesced was that while she felt there was no way the other girl’s strength reached her own, there was something different inside of this childish girl that she did not have.
For Chikane, her strength was the sharpness of her honed sword’s blade.
Violently exchanging blows, scattering a slew of sparks and, finally, tearing apart.
So far, it had been Chikane’s power to be able to sense the opponents with whom she had come into contact.
But Himeko’s was different.
Hers was gentle, soft and had no shape or color. While it swelled and changed shape, it would coil and not break free. To give an outrageous example, it was like unbelievably heavy cotton or some sort of thing like it.
Chikane felt a bit of a developing interest in the source of that power.
It was quite far from what one would call training. What exactly is hiding inside that white, soft, squishy body?
For that reason, she took it upon herself to go along with Himeko’s request in order to find out.
If not, it would be like losing what her purpose had been for the past fifteen years she had spent enveloped in blood, flames and pain.
But a.s.suming Himeko’s true nature rested within her words, Chikane could not bring herself to freely go along with it.
Himeko still spoke to the silent Chikane.
“…Chikane-chan, you didn’t have fun?”
“Yes. Not one bit.”
Chikane harshly declared.
She also could not bring herself to go as far as explicitly lying in order to win her favor.
Generally addressing her too familiarly with ‘chan’ also aggravated her.
To make matters worse, she was slow and spastic in a way that was unbecoming of a “divine girl.” Even today she had already tripped twice over nothing.
Himeko sadly lowered her eyes.
“…I’m sorry…
If I had researched it before, maybe I could’ve done better… I’m really sorry.”
Whimpering like a scolded puppy, Himeko murmured her apology repeatedly.
Ah, again.
How many times has she said sorry?
She unconsciously felt like clicking her tongue at least once.
“But I’ll try harder next time.”
Saying that, Himeko smiled.
However, there was no sign of even a faint ripple in Chikane’s chilled heart.
I just think it’s pointless…trying to sweet-talk me like that.
I don’t care what the “true nature of her strength” is. It doesn’t matter when I end this charade.
That’s right, I can even do it right now.
Chikane sought high and low for the appropriate killing ground.
How about that deserted alleyway? If she could just secretly draw in the beer case right by that billboard…
That’s probably also a good idea.
Chikane focused her determination and intent to kill into her footsteps. She did so quite naturally like the way the wind blows and water flows.
At that moment, Himeko linked arms with her.
“Chikane-chan, over there!”
What lay beyond her pointed finger was a small arcade center.
At the front, there was a photo booth.
“Let’s do this as the last thing for tonight. Ok?”
After saying that, Himeko continually dragged Chikane with a force that left no room for objection.
With a countenance that dripped poison, Chikane followed her.

The two of them stepped into a booth.
“Let me see…we’re supposed to look here.”
Himeko pointed to camera’s location.
It was small even though she had pointed right at it.
“Which frame should we pick? Roses?
Bunnies? Or…”
Chikane cut off Himeko’s speech and pointed at the rose frame.
“For some reason, my heart’s beating fast.”
While Himeko spoke to Chikane with flushed cheeks, Chikane did not respond.
She only wished for it to end quickly.
Just then———
Himeko pulled Chikane into a strong embrace,
And then kissed her on the cheek.
“!!”
The light of the flash s.h.i.+ned on both girls.
Chikane said…
“…What?”
Chikane stared at Himeko, utterly perplexed.
“What?”
“Eh, wh-what?”
“What was that just now?”
Chikane’s fingertips touched her cheek.

Noticing Chikane’s appearance, Himeko shook both of her hands in denial.
“It’s the first time for me, too…people keep close together like that to make sure that they fit within the frame.
It’s normal for the girls in cla.s.s to mess around and hug and kiss each another. That’s why I thought it was all right.”
While she said that, a scarlet flush rose to Himeko’s cheeks.
“…Normal?”
This was normal? Chikane could not understand that at all.
“S-sorry. I-it’s gross, isn’t it?”
Himeko’s apology reached Chikane’s ears but did not descend into her heart.
Chikane was solely focused on the realization of “something that burst open” deep in her heart.
When Himeko’s kiss busted this open, “something” was born inside Chikane.
It was a tiny, tiny dust-like fragment.
If you turned your eyes away even for a little bit, it would be easy to lose sight of.
It had no shape, color or temperature, floated hazily, lightly and indistinctly———it was like a speck of cloud.
Nevertheless, that thing was certainly there.
Chikane had never felt this even once in her life———apart from comfort and discomfort———and it was a strange sensation.
It was being engraved slowly into the bleakly s.h.i.+ning moon called Chikane.
That “something” burned like glowing embers in Chikane’s heart and ached like an itchy wound that had started to heal.
Chikane did not remember what happened afterwards very well.
What they talked about, what they arranged and what time they parted.
She did not remember anything
Except for what happened that night———
Chikane attached the pictures from the sheet of photo booth pictures Himeko had given to her as a present and gazed at them until she fell asleep.
At first she thought that it must have been a figment of her imagination. That it was something indistinct and it would soon disappear completely.
However, dawn broke.
And the next day, and the day after that,
That “something” did not disappear from within Chikane.