#Kamiya dojo monogatari

[kenkaodoll]

Kamiya Dojo Monogatari Tale 78 (JUMP SQ 24/07)

About Kamiya Dojo Monogatari:

Tales of Kamiya dojo is written by Kaoru Kurosaki and published along with the “Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido” arc in JUMPSQ. The tale involves the Rurouni Kenshin character in daily life that takes time between Kenshin and Kaoru marriage until the epilogue chapter in the original manga before the Hokkaido Arc. Until this month (June 2024) there are a total 78 chapters in Tales of Kamiya dojo. This is an unofficial translation. 

Previous Story: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/750191530648748032/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-77-jump-sq-2406

 

Kenshin leapt from the railing and first he swung down one bouncer on the bridge with the wet tablecloth on his hand.

“Uwaa!” 

Clang. The tablecloth hit the bouncer in the face. Kenshin landed on the bridge, kicking another bouncer who held a sword. 

The man whose face was pasted with a cloth was covering his face with his hands and groaned, "My eyes...! The other man who had been kicked was screaming "Aaaah" as his kicked sword fell under the bridge.

In no time at all, the two men on the bridge were out of combat.

“I owe you!” Mikio said to Kenshin and ran off across the bridge to somewhere else. It’s typical of him, a person who did not hesitate to run away.

“...”

Kenshin looked straight at Suwa. He was in the middle of washing dishes, so he had no reverse sword. How far could the opponent go against him with his bare hands and Kenji on his back?

“Tch. He is just a baby sister, what are you doing? Hey guys!"

Suwa backed up and looked at the three men who were waiting for him.

 The men step forward to protect Suwa and hold their swords ready.

Kenshin was standing on a narrow bridge over a waterway which was used for daily life. With the two men who were unable to fight and Kenshin himself, it was already cramped.

The three new men couldn’t attack Kenshin at once.

“Ah.. this…” Kenshin spoke to Kenji on his back.

“Yahiko once asked me about a way to fight multiple enemies by yourself.”

“Da—?”

“This situation is similar to the strategy we talked about then.”

That strategy to make the opponent come to himself one-on-one had come by chance on this narrow bridge.

Without a sword and with Kenji on his back, Kenshin had no choice but to play it safe and deal with the situation one-on-one.

“What’s wrong, hey babysitter? You talk to a baby. If you want to beg for your life, come to me."

Suwa wondered if it was a coincidence that Kenshin, who didn't have a sword, had knocked them both off the bridge at once. He completely underestimated Kenshin, who was carrying a child on his back.

“It’s an important old story between father and son, that it is.”

Kenshin took a fighting stance.

“Shut up, you’re a mess!”

 One of the men flashed a white blade at Kenshin, with all his might.

・

Meanwhile, a little while before that.

“I'm really sorry to bother you on such a big day… Oh, why on the first day of the cafe's opening,” Shino was talking to Megumi in a tone that sounded like she was asking for advice.

“What's wrong?”

“My stomach's just getting contractions…” Shino smiled helplessly and rubbed her stomach.

“Since when?”

“A little while ago. I was planning on asking a midwife near the tenement house to help me, but... ouch…”

“Then let's go back to the tenement house and get ready for the birth.”

“What if the baby is born now?”

Megumi encouraged the anxious Shino, “It'll be fine. The baby won't be born so soon. Anyway, where's the manager? By the way, I can't find him anywhere. Where is he?”

The only person who can take Shino home is her husband, Mikio. Megumi looked around and asked where Mikio was.

“Um, you see... he was called by a customer earlier and left. He hasn't come back since…” Tsubame said with a troubled look on her face.

“He's not here when he’s needed!” Megumi was irritated but still gave instructions,“So, where's Ken-san?”

“I just checked the washing area outside, but he wasn't there,” Yahiko reported immediately.

“We need a man! Oh dear! It can't be helped. I can't let Shino-san walk back to the tenement house, so I need to carry her on a two-wheeled-cart.”

“If Shino-san gives birth, it's a major event for the Nagaoka family... so... um, I'll do my best,” Tsubame offered.

“With your weak arms, it would be quicker for Shino-san to walk,” Megumi flatly refused.

“Ah... okay,” Tsubame retreated sheepishly.

“There's not enough strength here…” Megumi glanced at Kaoru.

"I'll do it! Got it. I'll borrow a handcart from a neighbor."

Kaoru rushed out of the store.

“I'll help too.”

“Me too!” Yahiko and Misao shouted.

“You guys stay here,” Megumi gave instructions to them .

“Since we won't have any adults here, don't let any new customers in from now on.”

“I got it!” Misao replied cheerfully.

“Then, once the customers who are currently in the store leave, we'll close up the store, a little earlier than planned.”

“We can run the store on our own.”

Yahiko pouted. He didn't want to close down the store early, which it's been going well.

“We deal with money and food, so when something goes wrong, we can't just say, 'The kids took care of it.'”

“We're not children.”

“If this was a shop that had been established for years, we'd leave it to you. Even though we're adults, we still don't know what to do…”

“Well, I guess there's nothing we can do,” Yahiko reluctantly agreed to Megumi's words.

“But... We'd have to turn away customers who want to come in... It’s regrettable…” Tsubame responded.

Misao made a suggestion, “If we close the shop, we'll have some leftover baked goods prepared for today, so why not give them out as an apology?”

“That's a good idea! If the cakes are delicious, maybe they'll come back again,” Tsubame smiled.

“It'll also be good advertising,” Yahiko nodded.

“Let's do that. The manager is not here to help us make decisions, but we can't ask permission from someone who's slacking off, so it can't be helped,”Megumi also agreed with the idea of ​​handing out baked goods.

And so, the group split up into a storekeeping team and a childbirth team.

・

“I've borrowed the two-wheeled cart!” Kaoru, who had rushed out earlier, jumped in.

“Leave the rest to us.”

Kaoru and Megumi put Shino on the platform of the two-wheeled cart.

“I'm so sorry... I wish my husband had been here.” Shino seemed to be in pain, so she obediently let herself be put on the two-wheeled cart.

“If you say that, this is a crucial time and none of our staff are here... Anyway, let's do our best!” Kaoru put in a lot of strength and pushed the cart. This thing was hard to start moving at beginning, she needed to put all her strength.

“Leave the cafe to us!”

“Please be careful!”

“Take care!”

Yahiko, Misao, and Tsubame sent them off until the cart was out of sight, then changed the "Open" sign hanging at the cafe’s entrance to "Getting Ready."

Not long after that,

“Oh, are you closed already?” A middle-aged male customer came in and asked regretfully.

“Yes. I'm sorry, sir. Please take this as an apology,” Tsubame handed him a baked cake.

“It's the first day of business, why are you closing so early?”

“Ojisan, today is an auspicious day for the opening of the café, but we have something even better to celebrate!” Misao blabbered on about the manager's wife giving birth.

“Oh, that's great! Then I think I'll share the sweets with my eldest son's wife, maybe she’ll get some luck.”

"That would be great."

Thanks to Misao's customer service skills, what she learned from Aoiya, even the customers who couldn't get in the store received sweets and left with smiles on their faces.

And then…

Something noisy started going on inside the store.

“Where is it? Where…?”

Mikio came in through the back door and was making a big fuss inside the store.

“Damn, what the hell is that guy doing here just now!”

 Yahiko returned to the store, leaving Misao and Tsubame to give out the sweets.

“Hey you! Where's the sakabato?” Mikio’s face was pale and he was searching for the sakabato.

“What? There's no way someone like you would touch Kenshin's precious sword. You should keep talking in your sleep!”

“Shut up, I really need it! Ah, there it is!” Mikio found the sword on his own, grabbed it, and  left through the entrance of the store.

“Oi, wait! Hey!” Yahiko tried to stop Mikio, but unfortunately...

“Excuse me, can I have the bill please?” 

A customer who was still in the store called him. Yahiko couldn't ignore him, so he served the customer.

“Mikio-sama?” Tsubame, who was handing out sweets at the entrance, noticed Mikio but she didn't quite understand what happened to him.

“Hey you! There’s something important!” Misao tried to tell him about Shino, but Mikio ran past as fast as he could, as if that wasn't the time for him.

“Hey! Listen to what I’m saying!” Misao called out, but Mikio only showed his back as he ran away and her voice didn't reach him.

・

“This is getting messy”

One of the men flashed his white blade at Kenshin with all his might.

The blade almost hit Kenji if Kenshin didn’t dodge it in time, so he jumped back and landed behind the bridge.

All he had left as a weapon was the tablecloth in his hand. He put some distance between himself and his enemy, buying himself some time to think about what to do. At that moment...

"Here you go! Now there's no debt!” Mikio's voice rang out as the Sakabato came flying.

Kenshin caught it with his hand.

“Kyaa kyaa!” Kenji cried out happily.

“Hey! But what's the point of handing a sword to some babysitter?” Suwa still underestimated Kenshin.

But...

Kenshin quickly pulls out his sword.

“!”

Blood drained from Suwa's face.

“That's a reverse-blade sword... A cross scar on his cheek... That babysitter, I can’t believe this…”

Notes:

*sakabato: reverse-blade-sword

.…..to be continued in chapter 79……  https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/757126529274806272/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-79-jump-sq-2408?source=share

TLnote(1): translating Japanese is so hard because the sentence structure is very different compared with English. Also the style of writing is different, plus there’s a lot of figurative, poetic language and things that don't make sense if it’s directly translated into english. So forgive me if this is very weird to read, and please tell me if you want to give corrections. 

TLnote(2) I will provide the original Japanese text for correction if any of you who read have better knowledge of the Japanese language. Just dm and I’ll send the file.

TLnote(3) Dtninja had translated some earlier chapters on his website. You can go and check on there

Read the rest of the story here: https://at.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/kamiya-dojo-monogatari/5dqxxnmq29m0

[kenkao-love]

Rurouni Kenshin - Kamiya Dojo Monogatari

the 12th year of Meiji, in the New Year. Two people, Kenshin Himura and Kaoru Kamiya, had a small wedding. The Tokonoma of the Kamiya residence hall was decorated with auspicious decorations, and Kenshin wore the Montsuki Hakama of father-in-law, that taken out from the inside of the closet, and Kaoru also wore the wedding costume of her late mother. Kaoru still fondly remembered the evening when she first met Kenshin...

1. 12th year of Meiji = 1879

-> The first time Kenshin and Kaoru met was in the spring of 1878, and the end of Jinchu arc was in the autumn.

2. New Year = 新春

-> 新(new) + 春(spring). But, 新春 means New Year, and it’s January.

3. Tokonoma = 床の間

-> An elevated alcove in a traditional Japanese room.

4. Montsuki Hakama = 紋付袴

-> A traditional Japanese men's wedding costume.

These are wedding costumes that Kenshin and Kaoru wore.

[sirenalpha]

/////“Yesterday’s enemy is today’s friend. I think it was fate that we saved him from being attacked by thugs.”

“That’s a little…”

Kenshin was about to say, “Isn’t that a little too optimistic?” but swallowed his words.

Kaoru probably did not forgive Gohei for that incident from the bottom of her heart. Even so, she was willing to take care of someone she had saved out of kindness. It is not optimism, but rather the depth of the generosity that is inherent in Kaoru.

And Kenshin is healed and saved by that kind of thing in Kaoru.

“But I am worried about you with your pregnancy, that I should be. Then I will accompany you, that I will.” /////

It was from Kaoru Kurosaki’s light novel Kamiya Dojo Monogatari that was translated by @kenkaodoll

I guess there’s reason that Kenshin was probably fallen for in as early in Tokyo arc. He is healed and saved by her.

ok I didn't even know this light novel existed

[kenkaodoll]

Kamiya Dojo Monogatari Tale 76 (JUMP SQ 24/05)

About Kamiya Dojo Monogatari:

Tales of Kamiya dojo is written by Kaoru Kurosaki and published along with the “Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido” arc in JUMPSQ. The tale involves the Rurouni Kenshin character in daily life that takes time between Kenshin and Kaoru marriage until the epilogue chapter in the original manga before the Hokkaido Arc. Until this month (April 2024) there are a total 76 chapters in Tales of Kamiya dojo. This is an unofficial translation. 

Previous Story: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/745210446270889984/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-75-jump-sq-2404 

The night passed.

Finally the day had arrived. It was the first day of the opening of the Rabbit Cafe. Kaoru, Megumi, Misao, and Tsubame, all dressed as waitresses in bluish-gray, wide-brimmed dresses and frilly white aprons, they had finished their preparations before the opening and were all gathered around, looking somewhat restless and uneasy.

“I'm kind of nervous about opening a rabbit café for the first time,” Kaoru told Misao.

”Shall I teach you a method to relieve the tension that has been passed down through the Oniwabanshu?”

“It sounds like it might work. Please let me know.”

“Write the character for "person", *hito (人) in the palm of your hand…”

Before Misao could finish, Megumi immediately interrupted.

“Everyone does it, not just the Oniwabanshu.”

“Eh! Really?” Misao was surprised.

“You write the hito (人) character in your palm three times then put it in your mouth and act like you swallow it, right?”

“Bingo! So this wasn’t a special method handed down to the Oniwabanshu,” Misao was disappointed at Megumi’s words.

“Yes, I know that too,” Kaoru followed up.

“Damn, Jiiya has played me for a sucker!”

“I know that old men would do such pranks. He didn’t tell you immediately, but eventually you will find out that everyone knew about it, even if they weren't the Oniwabanshu. Then when you realized it for the first time, you were already tricked by him.” The lie was like a time bomb.

“I've been tricked!” Misao was very frustrated.

He is a funny old man, isn't he?” Tsubame said, and Yahiko, who had been listening from the back room, came out and shrugged his shoulders.

“Yes, he can be too funny sometimes.”

Since today was the first day, Yahiko and Mikio's wife, Shino, were waiting behind the room, just in case they needed help.

Yahiko and Shino were not dressed in Western-style clothing because they were waiting in a place where customers couldn’t see them. They were dressed normally.

The plan was that while everyone was working in the cafe, if a customer came in and wanted to buy rabbit, whoever was available would take care of it. However, if there were too many customers who wanted to buy rabbits, the situation would be very hectic. The cafe had a fixed number of seats, so there was a limit to how busy it could get.

However, since it was completely unknown what would happen, it was decided that Yahiko and Shino would wait and see to respond in case of an emergency.

However they had their own reasons. Yahiko wanted to see the usual face of his friends, and Shino wanted to see Mikio in his high spirit.  

“Today, the members of the Rabbit Club, which Usagawa-san represents, will be here, so we will definitely be busy,” Mikio spoke at the morning briefing before the store opened.

“The first impression you make on the first day is very important! I look forward to working with you today.”

“Eh! What he just said? I didn't know he could say such an auspicious thing,” Yahiko was so surprised that he unintentionally whispered to Tsubame.

“Well, um…” Tsubame lost a word.

“He’s going to be a parent now, he'd better be able to say something like that, or else we'll be in trouble,” Shino patted her big belly and spoke to Yahiko in a whisper.

“Ah... Mikio-sama's…”Tsubame bowed his head.

She had wanted to greet Shino ever since she arrived at the store, but she had somehow missed it.

“You must be Tsubame-chan. I heard about you from him,” Shino looked at Tsubame and smiled.

“Eh?” Tsubame was very curious about what was said, but she didn’t have the courage to ask her about it. 

“Hey, there!” Mikio looked at Yahiko, Tsubame, and Shino and shouted.

“The manager is giving you a very important briefing, so you should not chit-chat casually.”

“Hey, hey!”

“I.. I'm sorry, sir.”

“My bad.”

Yahiko, Tsubame, and Shino each apologize to Mikio.

“All right, everybody, take your positions! We're about to open!”

 Mikio cheerfully urged everyone to get ready, like he was commanding a battle.

The waitresses line up in front of the entrance door, while their helpers, Yahiko and Shino, wait in the back room.

Mikio glanced out the window and saw a few customers waiting for the store to open. Are they members of the Rabbit Club, or are they just a fan of new things?

“All right, everyone. I'm going to open this door. Once we open this door, there's no going back.”

“Yosh!”

 Kaoru, Megumi, Misao, and Tsubame all pumped their fists in the air and shouted with all their might. From the room behind Yahiko and Shino’s voice also could be heard.

・

And then the store opens!

“Welcome!”

Mikio opened the door, and Kaoru, Megumi, Misao, and Tsubame greeted the customers in cheerful voices.

The first guest to come in was....

It was Kenshin.

He entered with a smiling face, carrying Kenji on his back.

Mikio opened the door and saw an unexpected person, letting out a strange voice.

“Ooooh! Oh, you!”

For a moment, he almost ran away. He had reflexively turned away, remembering once he stared at him with scary eyes. But this time Mikio was not just a thug. He was the manager of the Rabbit Café.

“…”

Mikio took one deep breath to prepare himself.

”Why did you come here?” He sounded intimidating.

This was a completely wrong response for a manager, but it was better than running away.

“Mikio-sama,” Tsubame helped him out in a whisper.

“This is the time when you say 'irasshaimase' (welcome).”

Mikio gasped hearing her voice

“Irasshaimase!”

 He greeted Kenshin with a stiff smile.

“Today, I came to see my wife in her finest clothes,” Kenshin told Mikio.

“Oh no, Kenshin,” Kaoru broke into a smile.

“Does it look good?” She picks up the hem of her waitress dress and spins around.

“For me, my favorite is your regular training clothes, but the Western clothes suit you as well, that you do.”

Kenji who’s carried by Kenshin, was also cackling happily.

“What are you guys doing? Cut the crap and get to work.”

“Then let's have some tea,” Kenshin replied to Mikio's request with a serious expression.

“Please come to our seat over here,” Kaoru led Kenshin to a table.

“Tsk… our first guest is her family. How long has he been waiting in line with his child?” Mikio grumbled and invited the next guest in.

“Irasshaimase!”

The second guest was a member of the Rabbit Club.

The third and fourth guests were also members of the rabbit club.

��“Usagawa-san told me I could see cute rabbits while sipping a cup of delicious tea.”

 The men in the group look fondly at the rabbits.

 “Can I take a good look at that rabbit over there with the nice fur?”

“Please let me see that little rabbit with the brown ears.”

“I'd like to see that little rabbit over there!”

“I want to give the rabbits some *komatsuna. Eh, it’s sold separately? How much?”

The members of the rabbit club seemed very satisfied with this breakthrough opportunity to interact with the rabbits.

Then it got out of hand, not only for Kaoru and the waitresses, but also for Yahiko and Shino, who were also really busy helping out.

“It can't be helped…” Mikio looked at the rabbits and growled at Kenshin, who was slowly sipping his tea.

“You know, it's so crowded, can you think about it a little.”

Hearing that, Tsubame hurriedly apologized.

“I am terribly sorry!”

She then chided Mikio.

“Mikio-sama, you shouldn't talk to customers like that.”

“You’re so annoying. I don't like to treat him like a customer.”

“But you said it's important to make a good impression on the first day.”

Kenshin smiled at Tsubame.

“I don't mind. The rabbit café was so interesting that the manager had a hard time. I'll go home soon.”

“No, I didn't ask you to leave the store. It's the other way around.”

“What do you mean by ‘the other way around’?”

“I need your help. Your wife and her students are helping. As a house head you should help out too,” Mikio threw the apron at Kenshin.

“Oro~?”

・

Although the first day had only just begun, this rabbit café seemed to have a promising future.

They served tea and sweets, sold live rabbits, and had a lot of customers! Sales are also going well!

It was a wide difference from last year, when Mikio was selling rabbits by himself.

Will there really be customers for such an unprecedented new-age business as a rabbit café, or will anyone buy rabbits there? Mikio was a bit skeptical about Usagawa's plan for this rabbit café. But even if this did not work out, it was Usagawa’s money, not Mikio. His pocket would remain unschated. On the contrary, he would be paid as a hired manager, so it could only be a good thing whether it sold well or not. He thought it would be convenient no matter which way it went.

When he actually saw customers coming in and being pleased with the product, he was glad I could sell it. A sense of fulfillment that he had never felt before welled up from the bottom of his heart.

・

Mikio was in a good mood.

The door of the store opened.

“Irasshaima-…”

“Hey”

Suwa appeared at the store.

 “I've come to pick up... The clay.”

Suwa's smile brought down Mikio’s mood.

Notes:

*Hito(人): Kanji character for man/ person

*Jiiya: grandpa

*Irasshaimase: welcome

*komatsuna: Japanese mustard spinach, a leafy vegetable.

.…..to be continued in chapter 77……  https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/750191530648748032/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-77-jump-sq-2406

TLnote(1): translating Japanese is so hard because the sentence structure is very different compared with English. Also the style of writing is different, plus there’s a lot of figurative, poetic language and things that don't make sense if it’s directly translated into english. So forgive me if this is very weird to read, and please tell me if you want to give corrections. 

TLnote(2) I will provide the original Japanese text for correction if any of you who read have better knowledge of the Japanese language. Just dm and I’ll send the file.

TLnote(3) Dtninja had translated some earlier chapters on his website. You can go and check on there

Read the rest of the story here:

https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/686193523858538496/rurouni-kenshin-tales-of-kamiya-dojo

[kenkaodoll]

Kamiya Dojo Monogatari Tale 79 (JUMP SQ 24/08)

About Kamiya Dojo Monogatari:

Tales of Kamiya dojo is written by Kaoru Kurosaki and published along with the “Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido” arc in JUMPSQ. The tale involves the Rurouni Kenshin character in daily life that takes time between Kenshin and Kaoru marriage until the epilogue chapter in the original manga before the Hokkaido Arc. Until this month (July 2024) there are a total 79 chapters in Tales of Kamiya dojo. This is an unofficial translation. 

Previous Story: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/754631321416089600/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-78-jump-sq-2407?source=share

“That's a reverse-blade sword... a cross scar on the head... that babysitter, it couldn't be..."

Seeing the color drain from Suwa's face, Kenshin prepared himself, wondering if this man also knew who "Battousai'' was.

“You're the Kamiya dojo‘s free-loader, aren't you?”

“Oro?”

Kenshin had assumed for sure that he would be called "Hitokiri Battousai" and nearly trip over.

“Well, that is it.”

“Awuah!”

Kenji, who was on his back, hitting on Kenshin's head like he’s attacking the enemy.

“Around here, you've got a reputation for being extremely strong, but I'm a skilled one too! Huh...eeeeh?!”

Before Suwa could say anything, Kenshin had smashed the three bodyguards with his reverse-blade sword in an instant. Suddenly he was in front of Suwa and glaring at him.

“Now, where are the skilled ones?”

“Aaahhh.” 

Overwhelmed by Kenshin's glare and spirit, Suwa was lost of words, even though usually he’s a man who is good at talking.

“If you don't want to suffer, get out of here.”

He flashes the blade of his reverse-blade sword.

“Daa!

Kenji also yelled an angry "Daa!" at Suwa.

“Hyaa!”

Suwa was so overwhelmed by Kenshin's strength, he was standing there, limping, and had to give up.

“Gu…Guys…” Staggering, Suwa moved towards the defeated bodyguards and called them.

“Guys, are you okay? Now, our strategy is to retreat to avoid an unexpected turn of events.”

“Su... Suwa-san…” The bodyguards also staggered to their feet.

“Who would have thought we'd be fighting the Kamiya Dojo’s free-loader?”

“I've never heard anything about that.”

They had completely lost the will to fight.

As he watched the gang stagger away, Kenshin indulged in deep emotion.

It was a surprise to Kenshin to be called "Kamiya Dojo’s freeloader" rather than "Hitokiri Battousai" by his enemies.

Mikio and his current enemies were probably about the same age as Sanosuke. They were still children when Kenshin was active as Hitokiri Battousai. Even Sanosuke, who was active with the Sekihoutai at the end of the Edo period, didn't know who Battousai was without doing some careful research.

To these young people, Kenshin was "an incredibly skilled guest of Kamiya Dojo." It was a sweet yet sad fact that made him feel how time was changing.

・

“Kenshin!”

Kenshin was lost in his own thoughts and watching the gang run away, when Yahiko came running towards him, out of breath and he heaved his shoulder.

“Mikio, he took your sword...wait, what?”

“I did get the sakabatou.”

Kenshin held up the sheathed reverse-blade sword to Yahiko.

“Oh, so he took it to give to Kenshin? I thought for sure he was taking it to a pawn shop to sell.”

“It's a reverse-blade sword, so it's not worth a penny.”

“Well, that's true. So where's Mikio?”

Yahiko looked around restlessly, but he was nowhere to be found.

“After he handed me the sakabatou, he ran off in that direction..."

Kenshin pointed in a direction different from the cafe and the direction Suwa had fled.

“Well, I guess I'll have to look for him. I need to tell him that his wife has gone into labor and has returned to the tenement house.”

“Oro? Before there were no signs about it?”

“Kaoru and Megumi took her to the tenement, so I don't think there's anything to worry about.”

“I'd like to let him know as soon as possible... Let’s..."

Just as he was about to say that they would search together….

“Hueee…Hueee…,” Kenji began to whine.

“This crying is because of his diaper, that I think.”

“I'll look for Mikio, so you can change his diaper.”

“Sorry I can't help you.”

“That's okay.”

Yahiko runs off to look for Mikio.

Kenshin is about to leave the place, but suddenly stops.

“I feel like I've forgotten something important... Kenji, do you know what it was?”

“Whew, whew.”

Kenji didn't answer Kenshin's question, and continued to whine.

“Hmm... I guess even Kenji doesn't know. Well, then...”

He muttered and looked around.

“!”

Kenshin noticed a muddy tablecloth caught on the bridge.

“Oro…”

He hastily picked up the table cloth, it became more dirty than before he washed it.

“Kenji... How do we pay for this damage? No… if I wash it off with the soap, maybe I can return it to its original, clean state…”

Kenshin hurried back to the cafe to get soap and to change Kenji's diapers.

Kenshin couldn't help but feel that he was in a much more desperate situation than he had been before when he was facing so many enemies.

・

Thus, the first day of the Rabbit Cafe came to a climax.

Shino gave birth to a girl the next morning.

Mikio was found by Yahiko in time for the birth and was brought to the tenement house, so he made it in time for the birth.

Somehow Kenshin managed to wash the muddy tablecloth with soap and it became clean.

・

A month has passed.

The Rabbit Cafe was started because they needed to do something about the rabbits that had been brought into Kamiya Dojo, so Kaoru and the others were meant to help out at first. However, thanks to Usagawa's efforts, he found the waitresses to work exclusively at the cafe, and it was decided to replace Kaoru and the others.

Mikio would continue in his role as manager. The waitresses and backstage staff would hand over their duties, and this day was their last shift.

“It's over already. It went by so quickly…” Kaoru seemed reluctant to leave.

“The rabbit was so cute!” Misao felt that she did her best.

“Well, when you take care of them you start to get attached to them,” Megumi also didn’t seem to completely disagree.

“If Mikio-sama says he doesn't have enough staff, then I'll help out…”

“Geez, we can't keep this master-servant relationship going forever! This is the Meiji era,” Yahiko cut out Tsubame, who seemed to want to work for free.

“The cafe will still open, so you can come any time. Well, I prefer it if you come as a customer and spend money.” MIkio said. Although Western clothes didn't suit him, Mikio had gradually become more comfortable. And little by little, he would become accustomed to the Meiji era.

“Since it's our last day, why don't we have fun after this?”

Everyone nods at Kaoru's suggestion.

“You guys really get along well,” Mikio sounded annoyed.

“Umm, Mikio-sama, let's come along today too… Tsubame invited him.

“Huh? Me too?”

“That's obvious. We're comrades who started up the Rabbit Cafe,” Misao slapped Mikio on the back.

“Ouch, hey it hurts!” Mikio looked happy even though he grunted.

“So, where are we going? Akabeko?”

“You’ll have to wait and see where we go. You’ll go with our group after all,” Megumi said with a smile, she looked like she’s plotting something.

“Well, just shut up and follow us.”

“Geez, I guess there's no other way,” Mikio reluctantly agreed to Yahiko's words.

・

Mikio walked along following the group for a while, but gradually he could no longer keep quiet.

“Hey, you'd better put an end to your scheme,” Mikio said when they arrived at neither Akabeko nor *izakaya, but the tenement house where Mikio lives.

“What on earth are you guys planning to do at my house? I can't fit this many people in there anyway.”

“Well..well…”

Kaoru smiled and she opened the door of the house.

There was Shino holding a baby, Kenshin preparing something, and Kenji was on Kenshin’s back.

“Daah—!” Kenji greeted everyone cheerfully.

“I've brought some beef hotpot from Akabeko. It's a small space here, so let's go out to the *well and eat there, that we are.”

Kenshin headed to the well with food and drinks for everyone.

“Why are you here?” Mikio complained as he chased Kenshin.

“These are the people who helped out on the first day.”

“Well, I suppose so.”

Everyone gathered at the well, and Kenshin handed out sake to those who could drink, and barley tea to those who couldn't.

“The manager should lead the toast,” Kaoru urged.

“Oh, okay. Well then…” Mikio raised his glass and spoke briefly, “You guys have worked hard, cheers!”

Then he drank the sake poured into his glass in one gulp.

“Eh, that's all?” Misao chimed in.

“Shut up, what else are you supposed to say? Tsubame, you said something!” Mikio asked Tsubame to do something impossible.

“Um, well... that's…” Tsubame turned bright red and everyone thought she wouldn't be able to say anything, but she spoke firmly, despite her weak voice, “Mikio-sama, Shino-sama, congratulations on the birth of your child.”

“!”

Mikio, who never expected to be congratulated, was taken by surprise. An indescribable emotion welled up inside him. Not knowing what to do with it, he picked up the bottle of sake in front of him and gulped it down.

“Drinking like that is bad for your health,” Megumi warned him, but Mikio didn't care and drank the whole bottle.

“I... I'm... not the kind of man that you guys should celebrate with…” Mikio was crying a little.

Then, he wiped away his tears and turned back to face Tsubame.

“I'm sorry for everything,” Mikio said, bowing to Tsubame.

“..Mikio....sama?” Tsubame was so overwhelmed that this time she couldn't say anything.

“You see, Daddy is trying to become a real man,” Shino said to the baby she was holding.

“Shut up!” After roaring at the sky, Mikio fell asleep.

The bad deeds he had done. The bad deeds he had avoided. Swallowing all of those things with his alcohol, Mikio slowly became accustomed to the new era.

Notes: *Kamiya Dojo’s free-loader: What he said to Kenshin is Kamiya Dojo no Shokkaku, Shokaku(食客) literally means house guest, but it can be used as slang for free-loader or parasite. (I interpret it as free-loader to convey the slang, but I open for any suggestion) *sakabato: reverse-blade-sword *izakaya: sake bar *well: Since the Edo period, in the tenement house, usually there’s a public well where people gather to wash and take water for drinking and cooking.

.…..to be continued in chapter 80…… 

TLnote(1): translating Japanese is so hard because the sentence structure is very different compared with English. Also the style of writing is different, plus there’s a lot of figurative, poetic language and things that don't make sense if it’s directly translated into english. So forgive me if this is very weird to read, and please tell me if you want to give corrections. 

TLnote(2) I will provide the original Japanese text for correction if any of you who read have better knowledge of the Japanese language. Just dm and I’ll send the file.

TLnote(3) Dtninja had translated some earlier chapters on his website. You can go and check on there

Read the rest of the story here: https://at.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/kamiya-dojo-monogatari/5dqxxnmq29m0

[kenkaodoll]

Kamiya Dojo Monogatari Tale 70 (JUMP SQ 23/11)

About Kamiya Dojo Monogatari:

Tales of Kamiya dojo is written by Kaoru Kurosaki and published along with the “Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido” arc in JUMPSQ. The tale involves the Rurouni Kenshin character in daily life that takes time between Kenshin and Kaoru marriage until the epilogue chapter in the original manga before the Hokkaido Arc. Until this month (October 2023) there are a total 70 chapters in Tales of Kamiya dojo. This is an unofficial translation. 

Previous Story: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/728811546452656128/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-69-jump-sq-2310 

At the police station's chief's house, Chief Uramura forgot his duties and nudged the rabbits all over the place.

There was not enough room to shelter the rabbits, so he finally had to let the rabbits into his room.

“Touching this soft fur… I’m happy…” he murmured. 

The chief was enjoying the soft touch from the rabbit fur, but he had no idea what he should do with the rabbits. He could keep one or two rabbits at his house, but not this many.

“Aha!"

At that moment, suddenly he got an idea.

Perhaps it was the relaxing effect of stroking the fluffy fur that brought on the inspiration.

“Yes, the Rabbit Club!”

He thought that there were many members in the Rabbit Club who really love rabbits.

It was just a guess, since the chief did not know all the members of the Rabbit Club, but he was sure about it.

There were many Rabbit Clubs here in Tokyo, and the chief had an idea of one who was a dedicated rabbit master. His name was Usagawa.

The head of the rabbit club was not his main job, of course, and rabbit was just his hobby. His day job was a businessman who owned a coal mine in Kyushu. 

He came to Tokyo from a merchant family in Osaka that had been in business since the Edo period. He was a successful businessman who not only ran a coal mine, but also bought a ranch in the northern Kanto region．

The chief was well acquainted with Usagawa, as most people in the business have a wide circle of acquaintances.

He wondered if Usagawa could find someone who would buy a large quantity of rabbits.

If there were 30 members in the Usagawa Rabbit Club, if each member took in two rabbits, he could let 60 rabbits go. If he could get another Rabbit Club outside his club to buy, then he might find a place for more rabbits.

It would be worth asking. However, the other party was quite a tycoon. He couldn't let a lowly policeman go to him to ask for a favor. He would have to go directly to the chief of police.

The chief began to prepare for his departure.

.

Meanwhile, Kenshin and Kaoru were looking for a wind chime as a souvenir, and they were selecting one with a nice sound from among those hanging for sale.

“How about this one?” Kaoru asked

“This one has a nice tone too, I think.”

They seemed to be enjoying each other's company as they rang the wind chimes in each other's ears.

“Then I'll go with the one Kenshin chose.”

“No, I think Kaoru-dono's choice is also quite good.”

“I can't decide on just one.”

“Since both tones are good, how about we decide on the color of the glass?”

“Well, I think the light blue one is good. What about you, Kenshin?”

“I also think that color is cool and refreshing.”

Mikio, while looking sideways at the two of them, thought to himself, “I can't do this”. He watched as Kenshin and Kaoru bought wind chimes, wondering in himself what in the world he was being shown.

“Well, shall we go home now?”

“I can't wait for Kenji to hear the sound of this wind chime.”

Mikio was relieved to see Kenshin and Kaoru’s back and they finally showed signs of leaving. He could finally walk through the streets of heaven without being scared to death.

.

Kenshin and Kaoru brought wind chimes as souvenirs, turning from the main road to the side street.

“There he is, someone who's really shady,” Kaoru whispered in a small voice.

“I think he was the son of the Nagaoka family, whom Tsubame-chan's family served, wasn't he? It's the Meiji era, and he's still trying to make it look like he's the master.”

“I wonder if he is related to the Rabbit Incident,” Kenshin added.

"Let's find out."

Kaoru immediately looked at the main street from the side street’s shadow. Mikio had not gone far.

“The woman with him looks like has a baby in her belly. I wonder if she is his wife.”

“If so, they won't be able to run away, so I'll follow them slowly.”

“Let's do that,” Kaoru tried to follow Mikio out onto the main street again.

“No, it would be too conspicuous if two people do it. I'll go alone here.”

“I want to follow him too. I want to try myself at being like a spy. I've always admired Misao because she looks so cool when she acts cool as a spy.”

Kaoru's eyes sparkled, but Kenshin looked reluctant.

“No, but...”

“Eh, no?”

If something happens and that glass wind chime breaks, you won't be able to show it to Kenji, right?"

Kenshin said while looking at the wind chime in Kaoru's hand, then she finally understood.

“I got it. Don't do anything dangerous, Kenshin.”

“Of course, don’t worry."

With that agreement, Kaoru went to the dojo. Kenshin continued to follow Mikio.

.

Mikio and the woman were walking home.

“Hey, you.”

A well-dressed man approached Mikio. He was accompanied by his apprentice, he looked like an important person.

“Well, well, well, Usagawa-san. Long time no see,” Mikio bluntly humbled himself in front of the man.

“I've been in the mines in Kyushu for a while now, so it's been a while since I've been in Tokyo. Is it your wife?” Usagawa looked at the woman beside Mikio.

“This is my wife, Shino.”

“Thank you for your help. My husband is indebted to you,” the couple bowed in unison.

“Oh, congratulations!” Usagawa turned to Shino and smiled broadly.

“You need to get some nutrition. Yeah, eat some dojou*(loach fish),” he said, and made a quick movement to bring the sake cup up to his lips.

“Oshino-san nourishes her body with dojou, and we nourish our souls with sake.”

“I'll be your guest!”

"You don't mind if I join you, do you?"

Mikio and Shino smiled.

“Of course. We must cherish our rabbit’s business.”

Mikio explained, “Master Usagawa is the head of the Rabbit Club, Usagawa-san bought a lot of rabbits too. He's been a big help to me.”

“Thank you very much,” Shino bowed politely.

The first person who approached Mikio about selling rabbits was Suwa, but it was Usagawa who actually bought the rabbits from Mikio.

“I took up the rabbits as a hobby for good luck because my name is “Usa” like usagi "rabbit," and ever since then, I've had nothing but good things happen to me.”

Mikio, Shino, Usagawa, and his apprentice entered the restaurant.

Kenshin, who was following them, pondered what to do, but decided to wait outside.

.

Once inside the restaurant and seated, the four of them sat around a fish stew while Usagawa and Mikio drank sake together.

“So, how's business these days?” Usagawa asked.

“The business hasn't been going very well lately. The Year of the Rabbit had ended,” Mikio shook his head.

“You come from a samurai family, don’t you?”

“Yes, from the venerable Nagaoka family, though I am not the heir to the Nagaoka family. It's not easy for a samurai family to survive in the Meiji era.”

“I guess so. The rabbits bring a lot of good fortune.”

“The rabbit has a lot of blessings. On the other hand, what kind of blessings did Master Usagawa get?”

“Me? Yes,there are many things. The kanji character for rabbit (兔) is similar to the character for escape from disaster (免れる), so it is said to bring good luck in avoiding calamities. Our mine hasn't had any collapses or injuries yet. Moreover, since rabbits jump, it is also said to bring good fortune that business will be booming. With the spread of steam engines, the demand for coal is soaring. Business is booming.”

“That's a good thing, isn't it? I wish I could have had the blessing of Usagi-sama, but I can't.”

Mikio's words were met with a laugh from Usagawa. 

“What are you talking about? Rabbits are fertile, and they are also blessed with the gift of fertility. I'm sure Oshino-san will have a safe delivery!” He laughed broadly.

“I'm glad to hear that blessing,” Shino also smiled.

At that time childbirth was life-threatening. It would be better to ask God or a rabbit for a blessing, if there is one.

“Well, I guess it is a blessing to have an easy childbirth. Even if a baby is born, if our business doesn't improve, we won't be able to raise our child,” Mikio spat out.

“This man has no job right now.”

Usagawa raised his eyebrows in surprise at Shino's words.

“Are you not selling rabbits anymore??”

“No, what a shame”

“But we got to know each other because you sold rabbits to me. If you're looking for a place to work, how about my coal mine? They are a rough bunch, but if you work hard, you will earn as much as you work.”

Hearing Usagawa's words, the apprentice tugged at his master's sleeve.

“Master. The mines are in Kyushu. Isn't it too much to ask a man to go to Kyushu with his heavily pregnant wife?”

It was a fair question.

“Oh, I see what you mean.”

“I don't mean to be presumptuous, but I don't really recommend it.”

Usagawa pondered over what his apprentice said.

“So, where else can you work besides the coal mines? Hmmm…”

“No, no, no, I'll just be grateful for your kindness,” Mikio refused.

.

On the other hand, Chief Uramura visited the Usagawa residence and sluggishly returned home without any results due to the absence of the Master of the house.

.…..to be continued in chapter 71…… https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/737501523407405056/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-71-jump-sq-2312

Notes: Dojou: or loach fish was believed to be a source of nutrients during that time.

TLnote(1): translating Japanese is so hard because the sentence structure is very different compared with English. Also the style of writing is different, plus there’s a lot of figurative, poetic language and things that don't make sense if it’s directly translated into english. So forgive me if this is very weird to read, and please tell me if you want to give corrections. 

TLnote(2) I will provide the original Japanese text for correction if any of you who read have better knowledge of the Japanese language. Just dm and I’ll send the file.

TLnote(3) Dtninja had translated some earlier chapters on his website. You can go and check on there

Read the rest of the story here: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/686193523858538496/rurouni-kenshin-tales-of-kamiya-dojo?source=share

[kenkaodoll]

Kamiya Dojo Monogatari Tale 74 (JUMP SQ 24/03)

About Kamiya Dojo Monogatari:

Tales of Kamiya dojo is written by Kaoru Kurosaki and published along with the “Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido” arc in JUMPSQ. The tale involves the Rurouni Kenshin character in daily life that takes time between Kenshin and Kaoru marriage until the epilogue chapter in the original manga before the Hokkaido Arc. Until this month (February 2024) there are a total 74 chapters in Tales of Kamiya dojo. This is an unofficial translation. 

Previous Story: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/739415334563577856/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-73-jump-sq-2402

“Small failure led to great success. Isn't that what life is all about?” Suwa told Mikio.

“I see…”

Mikio agreed with Suwa, but he could not wholeheartedly agree with the idea of stealing into Usagawa's house.

“But,” he said, “Usagawa-san is very nice to me. He trusted me enough to hire me as the manager of the Rabbit Café. I can't betray someone like that.”

“You said you trusted me.”

Suwa sighed, he couldn’t understand Mikio.

“Usagawa-san is just using you to do his own business, isn't he? If he really trusted you, he wouldn't be using the Nagaoka family's son to do his bidding. In the Edo period, it would be unthinkable for a merchant to put a samurai family member to work. If they really trusted him, they would have given him money. But you...”

Suwa stared at Mikio's appearance from top to bottom with a sarcastic glare.

“You’re dressed in Western clothes that don't suit you at all. As a member of a samurai family, aren't you ashamed of yourself?”

“Ugh…” Mikio snarled. Suwa’s words hit right where it hurts. He also realized that western clothes won’t suit him.

Neither Shino, his wife, nor Kaoru and the temporary waitress at the café, had ever criticized Mikio's Western-style attire. Tsubame even praised him, but it was because their families had a master-servant relationship before. So he didn’t take her word seriously.

“Oh, it doesn't suit me after all…”

“Yeah,” Suwa nodded.

“…”

Mikio decided that from now on, when leaving the café, he would change into his own kimono so he could go outside without any hassle.

“Now, we’re not talking about whether the western clothes suit you or not,” Mikio’s feeling had them drifted from the main topic and Suwa brought them back.

”Usagawa-san had already been poisoned by the new era. As a merchant he doesn't have any sense of propriety. How can he put a samurai member to work like that? He is a lowborn who doesn’t respect the family's lineage and traditions.”

”I… see?”

Although Mikio agreed, he was not convinced by Suwa's assertion that Usagawa is a lowborn.

“But Mr. Usagawa is a good person…”

However, he also did not have the words to reverse Suwa's argument.

“It's not good to trust people blindly. Do you know the word ‘charisma’?”

“Karisuma? No, not at all…”

“‘Charisma’ is a German word used to describe a person who has the natural ability to attract and impress people. Usagawa-san is definitely a charismatic person. After all, how can you, the son of the Nagaoka family, so easily be coaxed into doing something such a lowly thing as labor?”

“No, that's... I just told him that Shino got pregnant and I needed the money, so Usagawa-san was very understanding. It's not like I was coaxed into it or anything…”

“Then you said you wanted to become the manager of the rabbit cafe? No, right?”

“Ah... Yes. That’s right. I didn't say that I wanted to be a manager by myself.”

“I know right! I don't think it's something you really want to do. Take care of the rabbits that you finally let go of, and then come back to see them again.”

“Indeed!” Mikio hit his knee. “I was so relieved I got free from rabbits, and now I have to deal with their shit again. I guess I got sucked into the whole thing.”

“Be careful of someone with charisma. They have a natural talent for attracting people, so you can't help but do what they say. Don't just take the words from a charismatic person like Usagawa-san. It would be very easy to listen to what they said and it seems like a good idea to leave the judgment to someone who seems to be amazing, like jumping onto a big boat. However, if you don't think for yourself and trust people too much, that's a very bad thing.”

“What happens if you don’t think for yourself?”

“For example, if the Rabbit Cafe continues to run into a large deficit, you will be held responsible for it.”

"No, that's..."

“Then, on the other hand, when the Rabbit Cafe becomes profitable, wouldn’t most of the profits go to Usagawa?”

“No, that's…”

 A large bead of sweat dripped from his forehead. Because Mikio had no idea what was going on about those contracts.

“You think Usagawa-san will treat you well, don’t you?'”

“No… It’s because Usagawa-san believe the blessing from the rabbit, so he probably won't do anything that...''

“I was talking about ‘charisma’ earlier. There are many ways to attract people. For example, in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei's charisma is based on his high status, Kongming's charisma is based on his military genius, and Guan Yu's charisma is based on his…”

“No, I don't know anything about the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.”

“Really? It’s an interesting story. So, back to the topic, Usagawa-san believes in rabbits, and his charisma is based on the supernatural thing, that he would not do anything bad for the rabbits.”

“?”

In the end, their conversation was too difficult for Mikio to think about.

“Can you believe in rabbits like Usagawa-san does?"

“No, not a bit!” Mikio immediately replied, “Rabbits are just depressing nowadays.”

“Even Usagawa-san doesn't know when he might start to think rabbits are depressing.”

“Indeed!”

To be honest, he didn't understand all the talk about the Three Kingdoms and charisma because it was so difficult, but he understood this one right away.

“So you mustn't put too much faith in Usagawa-san.”

“I see. I understand.”

Suwa manipulated Mikio's heart by mixing difficult stories with easy-to-understand ones, and he also skillfully used simple questions that could be answered immediately.

“So here it is.”

Suwa placed the clay back in front of him again.

“No… but…”

“Don’t you think you will need it when Usagawa-san betrays you?”

“…”

“In order to succeed in life, you must have a long-term target.”

“Long-term… target?”

“You could say it's about planning. A baby is going to be born to you. As parents, you and Shino-san will prepare underwear and diaper clothes even before the baby is born, right?”

“Before preparing underwear and diapers, I called the mid-wife first, and I even thought of names.”

“That's great. That's what I call planning. The baby hasn't been born yet, so you don't know if it's a boy or a girl. So you think of names for both sexes.”

“I guess so. Gods in heaven are right on this one. I'm looking forward to it.”

“When you don't know which way things will turn out, you prepare for whichever way things will go. This is also called planning.

“Oh.”

“You have a plan. That's a good thing.”

“Heh, I see.”

Mikio was a little embarrassed by Suwa's praise, but was honestly pleased.

“Prevention is better than cure. Because you never know how Usagawa-san will treat you. There is nothing better than making a clay mold of the storehouse key.”

“Indeed, you're right,” 

Mikio accepted the clay with a smiling face.

“I know you are smart, Suwa-san.”

“No, no, you're smart enough to understand what I'm saying.”

“Really?”

Mikio was in a good mood after receiving more praise from Suwa.

“I hope the baby that's born will inherit some of your cleverness.”

“Yes, I hope so! After all, he is descended from the Nagaoka family. I hope he is a smart kid.”

“But cleverness alone is not enough. There are many people in the world who think too much and fail to act. In that respect, you are also outstanding in your ability to take action. I value action more than cleverness.”

“Heh heh heh.”

Mikio was elated.

Holding the package of clay under his arm, he headed home.

.

The next day.

The Rabbit Cafe was still in preparation. Mikio waited for the waitresses to say something clever. Tsubame is the first one who arrived.

“Hey, Tsubame! Do you know what charisma is?” Mikio asked, even though he just knew about that word yesterday.

“Kari? Is it hunting?… Suma…? Is it from The Tale of Genji?”

Of course there was no such passage in The Tale of Genji.

“That’s wrong…Charisma is…” when Mikio tried to explain, he realized that he couldn’t remember what Suwa said. Yesterday, he said “I see”, “Indeed”, and he thought he was convinced, but he didn’t understand. 

“Er…What is it?” He mumbled as he tried to remember. He regretted he did not tell his wife, Shino, last night after he returned when his memory was still clear.

“The Romance of Three Kingdoms! You know? Liu Bei is charismatic.”

“I’m sorry… I don’t know much about The Romance of Three Kingdom,” Tsubame apologized.

“Well, I guess I can’t help it then. Let’s not talk about this.” 

Mikio felt relieved inside, but he bluffed that it was because of Tsubame's ignorance that they couldn’t continue the conversation.

The next one who came to the store was Kaoru.

Mikio decided to say something clever to Kaoru as well, he remember his conversation with Suwa last night.

“It's not good to trust people too much, you know.”

“Is that so? I don't think so,” Kaoru straightly objected.

“You have to think for yourself.”

“That's true, that may be important.”

Inside, Mikio was pleased that he could replied Kaoru’s objection as well.

Then, he suddenly came back to himself. He really thought to himself, should he bring home the clay?

Notes: Romance of Three Kingdom: is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history. Liu Bei: was a Chinese warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who later became the founding emperor of Shu Han. Kong Ming : Zhuge Liang, also commonly known by his courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman, strategist, and engineer who lived through the end of the Eastern Han dynasty and the early Three Kingdoms period of China. Guan Yu, courtesy name Yunchang, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Kari: 狩りmeans hunting (that’s why Tsubame asked if it’s about hunting) The Tale of Genji: also known as Genji Monogatari is a classic work of Japanese literature written in the early 11th century by the noblewoman, poet, and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu. The work recounts the life of Hikaru Genji, or "Shining Genji", who is the son of an ancient Japanese emperor (known to readers as Emperor Kiritsubo) and a low-ranking concubine called Kiritsubo Consort. 

.…..to be continued in chapter 75……  https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/745210446270889984/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-75-jump-sq-2404?source=share

TLnote(1): translating Japanese is so hard because the sentence structure is very different compared with English. Also the style of writing is different, plus there’s a lot of figurative, poetic language and things that don't make sense if it’s directly translated into english. So forgive me if this is very weird to read, and please tell me if you want to give corrections. 

TLnote(2) I will provide the original Japanese text for correction if any of you who read have better knowledge of the Japanese language. Just dm and I’ll send the file.

TLnote(3) Dtninja had translated some earlier chapters on his website. You can go and check on there

Read the rest of the story here: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/686193523858538496/rurouni-kenshin-tales-of-kamiya-dojo?source=share

[kenkaodoll]

Kamiya Dojo Monogatari Tale 69 (JUMP SQ 23/10)

About Kamiya Dojo Monogatari: Tales of Kamiya dojo is written by Kaoru Kurosaki and published along with the “Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido” arc in JUMPSQ. The tale involves the Rurouni Kenshin character in daily life that takes time between Kenshin and Kaoru marriage until the epilogue chapter in the original manga before the Hokkaido Arc. Until this month (September 2023) there are a total 69 chapters in Tales of Kamiya dojo. This is an unofficial translation. 

Previous Story: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/726821717591408640/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-68-jump-sq-2309

“Oh damn, it looks like they’re looking for us,” Mikio whispered to the woman and looked for a place to escape, being very careful not to be suspicious.

“Goldfish…! Goldfish…!”

At the right moment, a goldfish merchant arrived.

He carried goldfish in two buckets slung over his shoulder and sold them on foot. It was the early-summer style. 

“Hey, please show me!” Mikio looked into the bucket.

In this way, they would naturally look down and not show their faces to Kenshin without acting suspicious.

“Hey you, wait a minute. I had enough to keep a pet.”

“It’s not. I'm just trying to do something until they pass by,” he whispered and sneaked around.

“Oh, goldfish! Hey, Kenshin, would you like to take a look?” Kaoru asked Kenshin.

“We need to ask around for information now.”

“Then let’s go talk to the goldfish seller!”

“Oro…”

Kenshin and Kaoru walked straight towards Mikio, although he was not even an expert, Mikio could know their arrival while he was staring at a goldfish. 

They might find him like this. Mikio sweated and gazed at the goldfish, trying not to make eye contact with Kenshin, who would be coming.

“Hey, look, look. Look at this cute little goldfish,” Kaoru pointed at a round goldfish without a dorsal fin, and her voice was a little flirtatious. Fortunately, Kaoru and Kenshin were looking at a different goldfish from the one Mikio was staring at out of the two buckets.

“Oh, this must be a *Ranchū,” Kenshin said.

“What are you talking about? This is a goldfish called *Marukko.”

“Well, I remember the proprietress of the inn where I used to stay told me that a goldfish similar to this one was called a Ranchū,” Kenshin shook his head.

“Aah.. this young lady must be born in Edo (Tokyo) and this mister must be born in another part of the country,” the goldfish merchant guessed right, just like a great detective.

“Eh, how did you know?” Kaoru asked in surprise.

“Marukko is what Ranchū is called in Edo,” the merchant explained.

“Sometimes there are things that are called differently in different regions, I didn't realize that the goldfish have such different name too, that it is”

“It’s really interesting, right? The miso tasted different in the west and east regions, and the language is different. Isn’t it wonderful that with the development of transportation in the Meiji era, we can experience these differences so close to home in Tokyo?”

“Is that what we do, right?”

“Yes, it’s very wonderful. I hope that in the future, we will be able to feel more familiar with more things from far away.”

Kaoru looked at the goldfish. Her eyes were sparkling with the light reflected in the water of the bucket. Kenshin felt like she was really looking into the future. 

“So, what do you want to do? Do you want to take the round fish home with you?”

The goldfish vendor poked at a hanging glass container he brought.

It was a goldfish ball, put the goldfish in this small glass container and take it home.

“This goldfish ball is not only used for bringing the fish to your home, they are also beautiful when hung on the eaves of the house after you return home.”

“They are really beautiful, aren't they? The goldfish balls shine in the sunlight. But it is also nice to keep them in a bowl and look at them from above.”

“Ah, young lady! You know what I mean,” the goldfish seller smiled.

My late grandfather was an ink painter. He was a person who loved elegant style. He used to draw goldfish paintings when he was alive.”

“Oh, that's really cool, isn't it?”

Mikio, who had been listening intently to the conversation, thought, "Now!".

Then he pulled on his woman’s sleeve and sneaked away from the goldfish merchant bucket. She was interested in the goldfish, but not today.

Kenshin and Kaoru was still looking at the goldfish,

“Hmmm… But I wonder if it would be a good idea to bring home a goldfish right after the rabbit fiasco,” Kaoru seriously considered taking a goldfish.

“The rabbit fiasco? Young lady, could it be related to Akabeko? The rabbit incident was very serious, wasn't it?” The merchant responded.

“Oh, you mean related? Well… yes we are,” Kaoru answered curtly.

“Did you see or hear anything about someone bringing rabbits into Akabeko?” Kenshin started to inquire about their original purpose.

“No,” the merchant answered. “I carry my goldfish bucket on my shoulder only when I see a lot of people walking by. The rabbit was brought to Akabeko in the morning, right? I wasn't around at that time.”

“You don't know anything?”

“Only that there were a lot of rabbits in the store.”

“Is that so?”

“Hmm. Too bad.”

The merchant didn’t know anything, then Kenshin asked Kaoru,

“How about the goldfish then, should we keep it?”

They had to decide whether to keep a goldfish or not.

“Hmmm… I like goldfish, but Kenji puts everything in his mouth right away.” Kaoru was a little dismayed, remembering Kenji almost putting rabbit poop in his mouth.

“Wouldn't it be better to wait until Kenji is older and more sensible?”

“Sure, I agree with you. I'm sorry, mister goldfish seller, that we have bothered you for so long.”

“No, no, no, it's fine. It's better than having a deserted shop. When customers stop by like this, it makes it easier for other customers to stop by.”

Then a customer called out to the goldfish merchant right after his words as proof of it.

“Mister, I want two goldfish, a red one and a black one.”

“My pleasure!”

With their cheerful voices behind, they left the goldfish merchant.

・

Mikio endured the tension, he was breaking out in cold sweat, and slowly back off from the goldfish merchant, couldn’t help being unnatural. 

He needed to make a gap while Kenshin and Kaoru were talking to the goldfish merchant, but he could not run or rush. He must act like an ordinary passerby.

Slowly and gently.

Slowly.... But then....

“I'm sorry! I'd like to ask you a few questions.”

He was too good at pretending to be a passerby, and Kaoru called out to him.

Mikio cringed and his head spun fast, trying to figure out how he could get away with it.

“Let me see…”

He looked around and saw a man with something like a rental library. He carried a wooden rack with a shoulder strap and put a stack of books inside. He was just about to pass by Mikio. 

This is it! he thought.

Mikio pretended to stumble over a hair to his right and slammed himself into the book-lender man!

“Oops!"

The rental library was hit and flipped over, scattering books all over the street.

“Ah! Stop it! What are you doing?”

“Oh, I stumbled. My bad.”

“Oh, no. I was careless too.”

The book lender bowed his head, even though he had done nothing wrong.

“Mister, I’m really sorry”

The woman picked up the books scattered on the street, apologizing for Mikio's carelessness.

“Oh, my God!”

“Oro!”

Both Kenshin and Kaoru helped her pick up the fallen books which were for loan.

“Oh, this is Jules Verne's "Around the World in Eighty Days!” Kaoru shouted happily.

“Miss, you have a good eye. It's a science fiction novel that's currently popular in the world. Would you like to borrow it?" The book-lender spoke to Kaoru as he picked up the book.

“Ah, it was so popular that by the time I really wanted to read the book, all the rental books didn’t have it because it was out on loan. I ended up buying it at a bookstore in Nihonbashi.

“I see… You like to read.”

“Yes, I love to read.”

“How about Samuel Smiles' "The History of Western Country" (English title : Self Help)*?” It is a book that describes the success stories of great people who have succeeded in the Western countries. Fantasy novels are good, but success stories of real people are interesting and informative.”

Success story. I hear it's interesting!"

Kenshin looked at the book.

“Ah, that's the famous book, "Heaven Help Those Who Help Themselves," isn't it?”

“Yes, it is! Yes! Since its translation came out about ten years ago, it has been very popular.”

Kenshin, Kaoru, and the book-lender are excitedly talking about the "Self Help" book.

Mikio glanced at them while hiding his face behind Takizawa Bakin's "Chinsetsu Yumiharizuki," and gently put the book back in the wooden rack, then quietly, but not unnaturally, left that place and then hid in the shadow of the dango stall.

And.

“Hey, Kenshin. Do you want to eat Dango?” Kaoru asked.

Mikio was stumped again, cold sweat pouring down his face, then he left the dango stall before Kenshin and Kaoru could get close enough to him. He thought he would escape while the two were eating dango.

“But I feel bad eating dango when Kenji and the others are waiting for us at home. Let's do it again next time when we all come together,” Kaoru said in a cheerful voice and it turned out that they did not stop by the dango stall shop where Mikio had just left.

What the hell, damn it.

Mikio cursed in his mind and tried to hide behind the wind chime shop.

“Hey, look, Kenshin! A wind chime! I think I'll buy it as a souvenir and take it home. If I hang it high, Kenji won't mess with it, it's beautiful, and it has a nice tone.”

Mikio became increasingly irritated.

This stupid couple! How long will you keep following me around?

He wanted to yell at them, but he held himself which was unusual for Mikio.

・

Meanwhile at the police station, Chief Uramura was so enchanted by the fluffy rabbit that he forgot his duties and patted the rabbit all over the place.

Notes:

Ranchū : A type of goldfish with round head

Marukko : How Ranchū was called in Edo (Tokyo area), literal meaning: round child. 

Book-lender: a man who goes around and lends books to people in town, he brings the books on a wooden rack on his shoulder. (If you wonder how he is look, Hannya in episode 10 of anime remake is disguised as a book-lender)

Jules Verne : French author, his work ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’ was first translated into Japanese in 1878. Kaoru asked Kenshin to buy the book referring to chapter 32.

Samuel Smiles was a British author and government reformer. His work ‘Self Help’ was introduded as ‘Heaven Help Those Who Help Themselves’ in 1859, （天は自ら助くる者を助く), then it was translated as ‘The History of Western Country’ (西国立志編) in year 1867 by Nakamura Masao, who studied in UK. In 1871 it was first published in Japan.

Takizawa Bakin a.k.a. Kyokutei Bakin, was a Japanese novelist of the Edo period. Born Takizawa Okikuni, he wrote under the pen name Kyokutei Bakin. Later in life he took the pen name Toku. Modern scholarship generally refers to him as Kyokutei Bakin, or just as Bakin.

Ps: Kurosaki-sensei wants to give us the view of the lively street at Asakusa, in the remake anime at the episode 2 shows us a good deal how the town and the merchant looks like in the street. 

.…..to be continued in chapter 70……  https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/731981457127604224/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-70-jump-sq-2311

TLnote(1): translating Japanese is so hard because the sentence structure is very different compared with English. Also the style of writing is different, plus there’s a lot of figurative, poetic language and things that don't make sense if it’s directly translated into english. So forgive me if this is very weird to read, and please tell me if you want to give corrections. 

TLnote(2) I will provide the original Japanese text for correction if any of you who read have better knowledge of the Japanese language. Just dm and I’ll send the file.

TLnote(3) Dtninja had translated some earlier chapters on his website. You can go and check on there

Read the rest of the story here: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/686193523858538496/rurouni-kenshin-tales-of-kamiya-dojo?source=share

[kenkaodoll]

Kamiya Dojo Monogatari Tale 77 (JUMP SQ 24/06)

About Kamiya Dojo Monogatari:

Tales of Kamiya dojo is written by Kaoru Kurosaki and published along with the “Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido” arc in JUMPSQ. The tale involves the Rurouni Kenshin character in daily life that takes time between Kenshin and Kaoru marriage until the epilogue chapter in the original manga before the Hokkaido Arc. Until this month (May 2024) there are a total 77 chapters in Tales of Kamiya dojo. This is an unofficial translation. 

Previous Story: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/747021286034849792/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-76-jump-sq-2405

“Hey! Your wife and her student are helping. As a husband you should help too!” Mikio threw an apron to Kenshin.

“Oro!” Kenshin accepted the apron thrown to him with a confused expression.

“I’m really sorry…”, Tsubame apologized deeply from her heart, she looked really sorry.

“If you help us, you don’t need to pay for the tea and sweets you had earlier,” Mikio oppressively said to Kenshin and went to help the customer who wanted the rabbit.

“What am I supposed to do?” Kenshin pondered, first he tied the apron that Mikio had thrown to him. Kenji was still secured on his back, so he could put on the apron with ease. 

“Oh my, Kenshin is going to help too?” Kaoru called out

“I was told that if I help, I don’t need to pay for the food.” 

“I'm glad to hear that!”

“Ah!” Kenji, who was on Kenshin's back, also raised his voice.

“Kenji also looks excited. But even if he's a good boy now, I don't want him to get upset.” After pondering a bit, Kaoru left the building and led Kenshin to the waterway at the back of the building.

“Here you can wash the tea cups and the plates that our guests have used.”

A washing area was built beside the waterway. This was a place for the people who lived in the neighborhood to share.

“Wash the dishes, that I should?”

“Please use this,” Kaoru handed something round to Kenshin.

“The western teacups are white, right? So if you don't wash them one by one, the tea stains will stand out. And also, Western pastries are made with dairy products, so I hear that it is hard to remove the sticky stains if you don't wash them carefully.”

“Is it like that?”

“When we started preparing the Rabbit Cafe, Usagawa-san told us about it, and I was surprised.”

At that time, it was not common to have a convenient indoor water supply system where one could just turn on the faucet and water would come out. Nor was it customary to wash dishes with detergent and a sponge. After finishing a meal, one would fill the bowl with hot water, rinse it, and then dried it before putting it away in the box.

“Imported goods are handled differently from Japanese goods, I see.”

“Please take care of it then.”

“I got it.”

“Da—” 

Smiling at Kenshin's approval and Kenji's good response, Kaoru flipped up the hem of her dress and walked back into the Western-style house.

In turn, Shino came with the dishes to wash.

“Oh, Kaoru-san's husband.”

“I was asked to help, that I am”

“Au—”

Kenshin and Kenji slightly bowed to Shino.

“I'm sorry if my husband was rude.”

“No, no, everyone is busy, we should help each other, as we are”

“I'd appreciate it if you said so,” Shino smiled bitterly. “He’s going to be a father soon, so I need him to be firm, but it's hit-or-miss,” She grumbled and handed Kenshin a tub of dishes.

“Well, please take care of this.”

The cafe was busy, so Shino quickly went back inside.

“It's quite a lot, isn't it?”

“Aua—!”

Kenshin earnestly washed the teacups while exchanging some not-so-conversational words with Kenji on his back.

Because it was probably an expensive imported teacup, He could not let it get damaged or broken. Even if it takes a little time, he was careful and finished washing the teacups thoroughly.

“Here, there’s more!” Shino came again with a bucket full of used tea cups.

“Oro? I already washed that many dishes, there‘s more?”

 “Many guests ahead, prosperous business,” Shino smiled at Kenshin.

“It must be very tiring to have to wash the dishes every time, that is it.”

“It can't be helped. The white skin of the teacups is easily stained, you know. Like a woman's skin, it should be spotless, shouldn't it?

“I see, is that how it is?”

“If it's too hard, I'll help you.”

“No, no, I can let a pregnant woman work at the edge of the waterway. It will make your body cold,” Kenshin gently refused Shino's offer.

“Well, please take care of this. One of the customers spilled tea on the tablecloth, so please wash that too.”

“Yes, I got it.”

Shino handed him the bucket, Kenshin took it with both hands, and then Shino quickly went back inside.

“It looks a lot more than before, that it is.”

“Na—”

From Kenshin’s back, Kenji suddenly grabbed the tablecloth that was placed on the top of the bucket. Both of Kenshin's hands were holding the bucket, and before he could even think about it, plop! Kenji dropped the cloth into the waterway.

“Oroo!”

“The tablecloth quickly flowed down in the waterway. Seeing this, Kenji laughed out loud and was very pleased with himself. But for Kenshin, it’s no laughing matter. He didn’t know a lot, but that tablecloth must be an expensive imported one. It would have been a disaster if he had lost it in the water!

Kenshin placed the bucket on the ground and approached the tablecloth which was running alongside the waterway.

The current was surprisingly fast.

And with Kenji on his back, he was afraid to enter the waterway.

Would he be able to catch up?

Kenshin looked at the terrain ahead of where the tablecloth was flowing.

There was a bridge over it.

If he could pick up the tablecloth using the bridge pier as a foothold, he would be able to retrieve it without entering the water with Kenji.

The question was whether Kenshin would be able to reach the bridge before the tablecloth drifted onto the piers.

“…”

Kenshin ran faster and faster.

The tablecloth drifted close to the pier...

Now!

Kenshin leapt and jumped onto the pier. With one hand on the pier to support himself, he reached into the water with the other hand to scoop up the table cloth that had drifted down.

He successfully picked it up!

Kenshin took a sigh and was relieved. He still remained attached to the piers with one hand, then he heard several people coming at the bridge.

“I wonder if anyone from the rabbit cafe will see us this far away. Then again, let's get down to business. Nagaoka-kun, give me the clay!”

Mikio and Suwa came over. And perhaps a few of Suwa's terrible fellows.

“Um… That's…” Mikio stuttered.

Mikio didn't want Suwa to think he’s a useless guy because he couldn't get a key mold on the clay. However, He didn't want to betray Usagawa, who had given him a position as manager in the Rabbit Cafe when he was unemployed, and Usagawa was also concerned about his unborn child.

“You went to the Usagawa residence yesterday, didn't you? You're the brilliant Nagaoka-kun, aren't you? Of course you were able to get the mold. There's no way you would fail at something like this, right?”

“…”

Before, if Suwa praised Mikio for his accomplishment, he would have been elated. This time, Suwa's praise did not bring him the elation that came with pride. Instead, he felt like he bit the dust.

“Put it here…” Suwa smiled and stretched out his hand.

“....” 

Mikio hesitated with a depressed look on his face.

“What's wrong with you? Give it to me!” Suwa moved his hand toward Mikio.

“…”

Mikio sighed and took out the clay, then slowly held it over Suwa’s palm.

“Don't be such a pompous ass,” Suwa smiled at him.

“...”

Mikio crushed the clay with all his strength just before he passed it to Suwa.

 “!”

Suddenly, Suwa's smile turned into a look of anger.

“What are you doing?” His tone was polite, but it was filled with a lot of anger.

“I can't do it… Even Suwa-san has asked me many times…” Mikio was pressured by Suwa's anger, but resisted.

“We don’t have any choice now. Then, we must make a surprise attack on Usagawa’s residence. A damn job! It’s your fault.”

“Can’t you stop the raid?” Mikio persisted. 

“Huh? What are you talking about now? It's a total waste of time. Since we're going to do the damn job anyway, let's just seal Nagaoka-kun's mouth right here and now, shall we?” Suwa signaled with his eyes to the fellows he had brought with him.

Two on the bridge. Three bouncers were on the road in front of the bridge, flanking Mikio and Suwa. Each was wearing a sword, and when they looked at Mikio with glaring eyes, clink, they started to loosen their sword slightly in the scabbard.

Kenshin, who had been listening to this scene under the bridge, jumped to the bridge railing.

“It's a very busy road, even in the middle of the day, and it's quite noisy, that is it.”

”!”

The sudden intrusion startled everyone.

Mikio knew Kenshin, but for the others, it was a babysitter with a wet tablecloth who suddenly appeared from under the bridge.

“What is it with you? Even a babysitter can’t be allowed to live after he knows about us. Everyone, come here! meet me!

 As Suwa gave the order, a large group of men appeared from the shadows of buildings everywhere. All of them had their swords ready and were filled with a murderous intent.

Suwa had originally planned to kill Mikio and had stationed a large number of people around this bridge to execute him.

Kenshin leapt from the bridge railing and swung a wet tablecloth from his hand at one of the bouncers on the bridge.

Notes:

…..to be continued in chapter 78….. https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/754631321416089600/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-78-jump-sq-2407?source=share

TLnote(1): translating Japanese is so hard because the sentence structure is very different compared with English. Also the style of writing is different, plus there’s a lot of figurative, poetic language and things that don't make sense if it’s directly translated into english. So forgive me if this is very weird to read, and please tell me if you want to give corrections. 

TLnote(2) I will provide the original Japanese text for correction if any of you who read have better knowledge of the Japanese language. Just dm and I’ll send the file.

TLnote(3) Dtninja had translated some earlier chapters on his website. You can go and check on there

Read the rest of the story here: https://at.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/kamiya-dojo-monogatari/5dqxxnmq29m0

[kenkaodoll]

Kamiya Dojo Monogatari Tale 65 (JUMP SQ 23/06)

About Kamiya Dojo Monogatari:

Tales of Kamiya dojo is written by Kaoru Kurosaki and published along with the “Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido” arc in JUMPSQ. The tale involves the Rurouni Kenshin character in daily life that takes time between Kenshin and Kaoru marriage until the epilogue chapter in the original manga before the Hokkaido Arc. Until this month (May 2023) there are a total 65 chapters in Tales of Kamiya dojo. This is an unofficial translation. 

Previous Story: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/711955324274458624/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-64-jump-sq-2304

“Ah, you're looking much better, miss.”

Yosaku said to Tsubame with a big smile.

“…. Aa, yes..."

Tsubame was in a panic, not knowing what to say. Suddenly, Yosaku appeared and said, "I will watch you dance," and he watched her practicing dance, which she was not very good at. At first, she was so flustered that she stumbled and made mistakes. Somehow, the moves she could do when practicing alone became impossible with Yosaku's eyes on her.

Yosaku said a few minutes ago, “Not only dancing, but other arts improve ten times more when you show them to others than when you practice it alone.”

He was absolutely right.

Perhaps Yosaku gave her a bit of courage.

“Ah,thank… thank you.”

Tsubame thanked him .

“'Will you dance at the village hanami too, miss?”

Yosaku asked her as if he was looking at his grandchildren.

“Yes, I will… I'm not sure I'm going to be able to dance in front of people. I don’t want to cause trouble for everyone at Akabeko..."

“That’s no problem. I think you’re doing all right, thanks to the practice.”

“Is that so?”

Yosaku's assurances made Tsubame feel relieved.

“Well, what’s your name, miss?”

“Ah… I’m called Tsubame.”

“I see, what a pretty name. I’m Yosaku.”

“Ah.. yes, Yosaku-san.”

Because she’s not a good talker, she couldn't carry on the conversation after that. Tsubame was flustered.

Then…

"All right, I've made up my mind!"

Yosaku stood up quickly. He stomped on his cigarette butts and walked back into Akabeko.

・

Inside Akabeko, Juyuemon's henchmen were having a good time with the waitresses who performed the dance.

“Hey, boy!”

Yosaku called out to Yahiko loud enough to be heard in the bustling restaurant.

“What is it?”

Yahiko came to Yosaku.

“I'll take one of those hand fans you gave to Juyuemon's henchmen."

“Yeah, sure.”

“And I need something to write with. Give me a brush and ink.”

“A brush and ink? What's it for?”

“Oh, well. Just give it to me.”

Yosaku grinned.

“Yahiko was dubious, but prepared a hand fan, brush and ink for him.”

Juyuemon's henchmen also began to pay attention to Yosaku, who opposed them, when they heard that he had made some kind of move.

“What's the matter? What are you doing, Yosaku?”

One of Juyuemon's henchmen spoke to Yosaku.

“Well, let’s see.”

Yosaku sits upright in front of the hand fan and applies a generous amount of ink to a thick brush.

Before anyone knew it, the music and dancing had stopped, and everyone was watching Yosaku's act with bated breath.

“Ha!”

A flash of spirit.

With a masterful handling of the brush, Yosaku wrote a kanji character on the uchiwa fan with his skillful hand.

The character that appeared was expertly handwritten calligraphy, but in an easy-to-understand block style.

Tsubame

It had one letter written on it.

"Mm, well done, well done."

Yosaku must have put his heart and soul into this one character. When he finished writing, he nodded his head in satisfaction and raised his hand fan high in the air. Indeed, the character for "Tsubame" was well done.

What is this?"

Yahiko was curious why he wrote Tsubame's name on it.

“I've decided to cheer her on.”

Yosaku held up the hand fan with Tsubame written on it and smiled with satisfaction.

“Cheering? Tsubame?"

Yahiko muttered back.

He was at a loss as to what to think of this unexpected turn of events.

“Ah, that's a good idea!”

Shigeemon's henchmen were quicker to grasp the situation than Yahiko.

“I want to write too”

“We just need to write the name of the girl we are cheering for, right?”

“You there, miss, tell me your name.”

Everyone got ready to write the name on their hand fan.

Yahiko was looking at their excited faces and watching the lively scene with some dismay.

“What is it? Huh?”

Yahiko slowly understood the meaning of Yosaku's act. The fact that Juyuemon's henchmen had been excited from the very beginning, it was safe to assume that Juyuemon had agreed with his idea, and now Yosaku would be supporting Tsubame...

“Which means it's okay to dance at the hanami party.”

Yahiko murmured.

In other words, Yosaku, who initially wanted to cut down the sakura trees had changed his mind and won't cut down the sakura trees. It means they could have a Hanami party.

“I see, we did it... we did it, right?"

He still didn’t know if the operation was a success or not. In fact, if the number of drunken assaults and other nuisances at cherry blossom viewing parties does not decrease, it cannot be said that the problem has been solved. However, there is no doubt that this is a step forward, He thought.

・

The sakura were in full bloom, and it’s the time for the peak of the hanami.

“Please come and join us, I'll take you out on a boat!”

On the same day that Akabeko's waitress danced at the hanami party, Miyako came to Kamiya Dojo to pick up Kenshin, Kaoru, Kenji, and Megumi by boat.

Yahiko and Misao guarded the hanami seating.

Tsubame waited nervously for her turn to dance, while Tae did her best to run the beef hot pot stall.

The villagers and Juyuemon's henchmen gathered under the full bloom sakura tree.

Kenshin and Kaoru walked along the rows of sakura trees, guided by Miyako.

“As one would expect from the sakura viewing spot, the place is crowded with people, that is it.”

“It's really beautiful. Look at this, Kenji.”

Kaoru lifted Kenji up as if he was high in the air so that he could see the sakura blossoms.

“Usually the villagers and Juyuemon's henchmen are fighting over the best spot for the hanami, but this time the henchmen are giving the place under the sakura blossom to the villagers.”

Miyako explained with satisfaction.

“It looks like they have a plan.”

Megumi asked and Miyako pointed toward the shrine.

“The henchmen are glued to that side.”

In front of the shrine's kagura hall (sacred dance stage), a group of henchmen were gathered, they were holding hand fans with the names of their favorite waitresses.

Yahiko and Misao arrived, they were patrolling as guards.

“The strategy seems to be going well so far, that it is,” Kenshin said.

“So far, so good.”

Misao nodded at Kenshin's words.

“But we can't let our guard down until the end.”

As Yahiko spoke, there’s a sound of Taiko*.

“The Akabeko waitresses will perform the song and dance.”

The henchmen were excited, they had been waiting for it.

The villagers, who were looking forward to seeing the sakura blossoms, were also paying attention.

The waitresses were on stage. In the center of the stage was Tsubame, showing the results of her practice.

Among the audience in front of the stage, Yosaku was holding up a fan with the word "Tsubame" written on it.

No one was drunk, and no one was in trouble.

The sakura blossoms in full bloom were stunningly beautiful.

“Hey, Kenshin.”

Yahiko muttered his thoughts to Kenshin.

“This time, Sanosuke went on a trip, and there was no one left to ‘glare’ at them, and that's what caused our problem.”

“Come to think of it, that's what started it, wasn't it?”

“Even if there is no one who glaring menacingly, I hope that next year's sakura season, and the seasons after that, we will still be able to sing and dance our way to peace and happiness.”

“I hope so, that I am.”

Kenshin smiled.

Kaoru took Kenji's hand and moved his hand along with the waitress’s dance on stage. Megumi watched the scene with amusement.

Misao was standing guard atop a sakura tree. She was enjoying the blooming sakura blossoms under her guise.

Everyone was at peace.

・

Juyuemon's henchmen were enjoying themselves, waving hand fans and dancing together with the waitresses as they danced.

A pleasant moment passed.

“Yo, Miyako. And the boy."

Yosaku called out to Yahiko and Miyako, who were patrolling for guard.

“I'm not a boy. I'm Yahiko Myojin.”

“I see.”

Yosaku nodded.

“I'm glad this year's sakura season went off without a problem. Thank you for a good Hanami party, Miyako and Yahiko.”

Yahiko and Miyako were taken aback as Yosaku thanked them. What did a man who had even asked for the cherry blossoms to be cut down mean when he said thank you for the Hanami party?

They blinked their eyes.

~“If there is no sakura in the world

In spring people feel tranquil state of mind”~

Yosaku recited a poem.

“What's that?”

Yosaku explained to Yahiko.

“It's a poem by Ariwara no Narihira*. In spring, the heart is not at peace because it rejoices to see sakura blossoms blooming and it regrets when the petals are scattered. It means something like if there were no sakura, it would be peaceful.

“Yosaku-san surprisingly is a man with taste.”

Miyako chided.

“I said I wished there were no sakura blossoms, but it doesn’t mean that I hate them.”

A spring breeze blew past.

Next year, and the year after that, the sakura blossoms will bloom again.

The Hanami party was a great success.

There was no trouble, Akabeko was able to promote itself, the food stalls sold well, and everyone had a great time.

But Yahiko was the only one, he was bothered by the fact that there were other young people besides Yosaku who were enthusiastic with Tsubame’s performance and waving their hand fans.

Notes:

*)Hanami : Literally flower viewing, when people gathering to see cherry blossom 

*)Mikagura: Mikagura is a form of Japanese ceremonial music and dance which originated in rituals first conducted more than 1,000 years ago by Shinto shrine priests for the Imperial Court of Japan.

*)Taiko* (Japanese drum)

*)Ariwara no Narihira: He was a Japanese courtier and waka poet of the early Heian period.

.…..to be continued in chapter 66…… 

TLnote(1): translating Japanese is so hard because the sentence structure is very different compared with English. Also the style of writing is different, plus there’s a lot of figurative, poetic language and things that don't make sense if it’s directly translated into english. So forgive me if this is very weird to read, and please tell me if you want to give corrections. 

TLnote(2) I will provide the original Japanese text for correction if any of you who read have better knowledge of the Japanese language. Just dm and I’ll send the file.

TLnote(3) Dtninja had translated some earlier chapters on his website. You can go and check on there

Read the rest of the story here: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/686193523858538496/rurouni-kenshin-tales-of-kamiya-dojo?source=share

[kenkaodoll]

Kamiya Dojo Monogatari Tale 73 (JUMP SQ 24/02)

About Kamiya Dojo Monogatari:

Tales of Kamiya dojo is written by Kaoru Kurosaki and published along with the “Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido” arc in JUMPSQ. The tale involves the Rurouni Kenshin character in daily life that takes time between Kenshin and Kaoru marriage until the epilogue chapter in the original manga before the Hokkaido Arc. Until this month (January 2024) there are a total 73 chapters in Tales of Kamiya dojo. This is an unofficial translation. 

Previous Story: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/737502854846218240/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-72-jump-sq-2401

“Nagaoka Mikio, and the women, and the Rabbit Cafe…. Well, as expected in this new era. It’s a business I would never have thought of,” Kenshin commented.

“Daa!”

On Kenshin's lap, Kenji also gave his response in their conversation even though he did not understand.

In the Kamiya Dojo living room, Kenshin and Yahiko heard what happened from Kaoru, Megumi, Misao and Tsubame.

“There’s no way he can do a proper business like a western style cafe. I don’t think he can even raise rabbits,” Yahiko doubted. He didn’t believe Mikio at all.

“Well, Usagawa-san said he became friends with Mikio because of the rabbits. So, surprisingly, I think he can be trusted to take care of the rabbits.”

“Really?” Yahiko was skeptical.

“Mikio-sama originally comes from a high ranking samurai family. It's not strange that he knows about expensive hobbies like the rabbits. Even though I also thought it was unexpected of him,” Tsubame did her best to express her opinion.

“The problem isn't how to take care of the rabbits, it's about the café business,” Misao leaned forward. She already heard from Kaoru and Tsubame what kind of person Mikio was on the way back from Usagawa residence.

“He was the guy who said he was going to break into Akabeko and rob it, and he was saying he would do bad things wasn’t he? What if he's going to use the café's money or embezzle it or something?”

“He's not going to do anything like that, right? Yes, Mikio-sama hasn't always been a man who cares about money,” Tsubame softly affirmed Misao's concern.

“He tried to commit a break-in a long time ago. Now Usagawa-san trusts him, and he'd put him in charge of the café. I think it'll be fine,” Kaoru said briskly.

“Kaoru’s trust is unreliable”

“Right.”

Yahiko and Megumi nodded at each other.

“But, well, we'll just have to coax him into taking care of the rabbits and not let him touch the money too much so that mistakes don't happen,” Megumi said simply.

“It's not good not to trust the people you're going to be working with, even if it's only for a little while.”

“'Well, that's for sure. What Kaoru-san said may be true for a good-natured person, she does have a point,” Misao sided with Kaoru.

“Money is a problem between Usagawa-san and Nagaoka Mikio, and we don't need to worry too much about it, do we? Our goal is to make a place for the rabbits to go.”

“Well, that's true. But...That guy, Nagaoka Mikio!” Yahiko was still not convinced.

“I... I... I want to believe…” Tsubame said, stumped. “Mikio-sama is reformed.”

“Is that so?”

Yahiko's tone of voice was completely unconvinced of Mikio's reformation.

“I think Yahiko-kun's fight on that day was not in vain.”

The battle Yahiko fought under Kenshin and Sanosuke watchful eyes. Tsubame would like to think that it was what led Mikio to reform.

“…”

Yahiko was skeptical about working with Mikio at the café, but when he learned of Tsubame's thoughts, he swallowed his words.

Yahiko stood up.

“Where are you going?” Kaoru asked.

“Toilet.”

He opened the shoji, when he was leaving the living room he said,

“I don't know if the battle was in vain or not, but for the sake of the rabbits, I guess we'll have to work together in the café.”

“Yes!” Tsubame nodded toward Yahiko's back.

A few days later.

It was decided that the café would be held in a Western-style house with a lovely garden. It was still in the planning stages, but on sunny days, the plan was to release a rabbit in a corner of the garden so that people could enjoy coffee or tea while admiring its adorable form. On rainy days, the guests could enjoy imported teas and butter-filled pastries at the tables in the lovely interior.

Kaoru and the other women from Kamiya Dojo who brought in the rabbits would be serving in Western clothing.

The rabbit café was still under preparation.

The interior of the café had been decided, and the place where the rabbits would be kept and displayed had been decided, but the curtains, tablecloths, and other details were not yet in place. There was much work to be done. First, Usagawa decided to gather the Café's staff and trained them in customer service.

Kaoru, Megumi, Misao, and Tsubame wore colorful western-style clothing and greeted the guests with bright smiles, saying, ‘welcome‘.

“Oh, everyone looks so nice, especially you, the one with bob hair.”

“I am Sanjo Tsubame.”

“I thought Tsubame-kun might not be suited for this, but my fears were unfounded. You seem to be accustomed to wearing Western clothes. It's wonderful.”

“Tsubame is the signature girl of Akabeko!” Misao told Usagawa.

“Oh, that's reassuring. I don't have a single complaint about the ladies.” His whole face smiled.

Then Mikio Nagaoka?

“Hey, come in!”

Mikio, too, was dressed in Western clothes. He was wearing a black tailcoat.

“Nagaoka-kun, that's not good at all,” Usagawa gave Mikio a direct criticism.

“Can you say,’welcome’ slowly and calmly?”

“…come!”

“Don’t left it out”

“Huh… Welcome!”

“Smile”

“Wel…come,” Mikio lifted the edge of his mouth so awkwardly that it almost made a giggle sound.

“If you say it many times, you will get used to it. Repeat a hundred times first.” He was praising the women before, but his criticism for Mikio was harsh.

“Usagawa-san, please give me a break. I come from a samurai family. I am not capable of serving customers. For generations, I have never bowed or smiled at strangers.”

“If you are like that, you will not survive in the new era. Your children will live in the new era, the Meiji era. If you are a parent, you have to be born anew from the era of the samurai clan. You have to show your children how to be a gentleman of the Meiji era.”

“Ugh... That is…”

Mikio could not give an objection to Usagawa.

The ladies were watching the scene.

“Eh, Mikio-sama has a child?” Tsubame was surprised and let out her voice.

Mikio unintentionally let out a sharp reply.

“Shut up! It hasn't been born yet. It's still in my wife’s belly,” He said angrily.

“I'm so happy for you. Congratulations!”

Tsubame, who was always so scared when she was yelled at, was completely unperturbed. She congratulated Mikio.

“Eh?” Mikio couldn't help but he sounded down.

“I see, so you accepted an honest job from Usagawa-san. Congratulations, when are you due?” Kaoru also smiled and congratulated him.

“I… I don't know. Probably soon.”

Both Megumi and Misao congratulated him and said, “Congratulations!”

“What are you doing? You guys?” Mikio was suspicious, he was not sure what to say. 

Then, Tsubame calmly helped him, “When you’re not sure what to say, just say thank you.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks,” Mikio can't help but smile.

“Yes, that's it! That's the look, that's the tone of voice. If you say 'welcome' like that, it's perfect.

Usagawa loudly emphasized to Mikio, “Come on, say it!”

“Wel-come!”

Mikio could not make a smile like he did before, and his smile and voice became awkward again.

“Oh, I guess you have to repeat it a hundred times!” Usagawa put his hand on his hand.

Then at night.

Mikio's hellish day was over. When he went to the usual *izakaya, Suwa was already there, sipping sake.

The bar had just opened and Suwa was the only customer.

“Suwa-san…” Mikio sat down on the cushion in front of Suwa.

“You look very tired. Did you get along with Usagawa?” Suwa places a sake cup in front of Mikio and pours him a cup of sake.

“Everything went smoothly! But, he told me to wear Western clothes and to live in the new era, and it's not easy to live like before anymore.” Mikio picked the sake cup to his mouth and drank the sake.

“Ummmー,” He let out an exaggerated breath.

“I'm back to life, Suwa-san. Give me some *shishamo, chief.”

The owner replied shortly, “Aiyo,” and went back to the kitchen .

Suwa asks Mikio in a carefully hushed voice.

“How's it going, can we slip into Usagawa's mansion?”

“Slip... In? Er… Well, I've been in and out of Usagawa's mansion a lot lately because I have a lot of things to do, like preparing for the opening of the café and training.”

“Oh, that's good, that's good,” Suwa chuckled.

“Then, I need you to do something for me.”

“Of course I'm not going to refuse if Suwa-san asks me to do something. What is it? Shall I put you in touch with Usagawa-san to help you finance your business?” Mikio smiled.

“No, it's not like that.” Suwa pulled out a lump wrapped in waxed paper from his pocket.

“What is it?” 

He put the lump in front of Mikio.

“It's clay.”

“Huh? Clay?” Mikio didn’t really understand and repeated back.

“You're not really smart, are you? I'm asking you to get the key to Usagawa-san's warehouse with this.”

“Eh?”

“You said you tried to break into Akabeko's warehouse before and failed. This time, we're going to try that again! Failure is a common occurrence when you are young. You shouldn't give up after just one failure. This time, we're going to succeed at Usagawa's warehouse, which has even more money than Akabeko.”

“Eh…”

“We will make the most of our small failures to achieve big successes. Isn't that what life is all about?”

Notes: Izakaya : A type of informal Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks and snacks. Shishamo : small fish (literally willow leaf fish).In Japanese cuisine, this fish is grilled or fried whole and served with its roe intact. 

.…..to be continued in chapter 74……https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/743294478639661056/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-74-jump-sq-2403

TLnote(1): translating Japanese is so hard because the sentence structure is very different compared with English. Also the style of writing is different, plus there’s a lot of figurative, poetic language and things that don't make sense if it’s directly translated into english. So forgive me if this is very weird to read, and please tell me if you want to give corrections. 

TLnote(2) I will provide the original Japanese text for correction if any of you who read have better knowledge of the Japanese language. Just dm and I’ll send the file.

TLnote(3) Dtninja had translated some earlier chapters on his website. You can go and check on there

Read the rest of the story here: https://at.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/kamiya-dojo-monogatari/5dqxxnmq29m0

[kenkaodoll]

Kamiya Dojo Monogatari Tale 67 (JUMP SQ 23/08)

About Kamiya Dojo Monogatari:

Tales of Kamiya dojo is written by Kaoru Kurosaki and published along with the “Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido” arc in JUMPSQ. The tale involves the Rurouni Kenshin character in daily life that takes time between Kenshin and Kaoru marriage until the epilogue chapter in the original manga before the Hokkaido Arc. Until this month (July 2023) there are a total 67 chapters in Tales of Kamiya dojo. This is an unofficial translation. 

Previous Story: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/720207739778891776/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-66-jump-sq-2307 

The Kamiya Dojo. Now the sacred dojo was overflowing with soft, fluffy rabbits. At first, Kaoru lost her composure, not knowing what to do with this rabbit-covered situation, but as she stroked the rabbit's fluffy fur, she gradually regained her composure.

“I'm starting to feel like I can go along with them. Don't you think so too, Kenshin?”

“We can't leave them in the dojo all the time, so let's build a rabbit hutch in the backyard.”

Kenshin and Kaoru were somewhat taken by the soothing feeling of the rabbit and they felt that they could keep it.

“Then may I come sometimes and pet them?"

Even Tsubame, who was rarely assertive, unusually expressed her own opinion. The power of fluffiness was truly amazing.

“How cute—“

“They are cute.”

“So cute!”

Kaoru, Kenshin, and Tsubame stroke the rabbits with a smile on their face. Only the word ‘cute’ came out from their mouth. 

“Hey you all! Don’t forget about our problem.”

“Ah, Yahiko. You don’t think rabbits are cute?”

“No, I don’t talk about how cute they are. What we need to talk about is what we're going to do about them, okay?”

“Oh, that's right. Then, I will make a plan for the construction of the rabbit hutch.”

Kenshin stood up.

“Are you sure you want to keep them?” Yahiko asked.

“I mean, they are so fluffy.”

“What are we going to feed them?”

“They'll probably eat grass around here. They're rabbits, after all.”

Kaoru was eager to keep it, but Yahiko was against it.

“Even if you build a rabbit hutch, how are you going to clean it? They will just drop their poop all over the place and never clean up after themselves. Besides, they will probably have a lot of babies. Soon there won't be enough room on the dojo grounds.”

“Oh, really?”

Kaoru’s eyes got bigger.

“Come to think of it, I've heard that rabbits are having a lot of children.”

Tsubame said.

“Cute is not enough to keep a living creature, you know.”

“I see, that is true. But we can't keep them in the dojo forever, so we have to give them at least a temporary home.”

“Even if we can't keep this many rabbits at home, what should we do then?”

“I'm sorry, but Tae-san said we can't take them into Akabeko…”

Yahiko argued rightly, Kenshin pondered, Kaoru was troubled, and Tsubame had no choice but to apologize.

It's a roundabout way. In the end, no good ideas came to mind, and the four of them were at a loss.

Then,

“Wow, why are there so many rabbits here? They're so cute!”

“Kyaw!”

Misao and Kenji's voice.

Misao and Megumi had just returned and were surprised to see the state of the dojo. They had taken Kenji out for a walk to make time for Kaoru to practice. Although training every day is a battle against oneself, she could do it with the help from her friends. 

“They were thrown into Akabeko?”

Megumi was disturbed when she heard Yahiko’s explanation.

“What do you think life is worth? I'm going to call the police first. I'm off.”

But Kaoru stopped Megumi as she was leaving the dojo.

"Is this matter really that big to deal with the police? Why don't you just keep them at home?"

“I don't think so. I heard that there is a tax on rabbits in Tokyo. I think it's a daily tax, so you should be charged on a daily basis for just one day of keeping rabbits.”

“Eh! Tax?”

“Do you still want to keep them? These many rabbits.”

“...”

Kaoru shook her head.

“I can't believe if I'm going to have to pay taxes…”

“Unreasonable,right?”

“Why are you taxing such an adorable thing?"

Misao was furious.

“The Meiji government can’t be forgiven!”

“This is a big subject, Misao-dono. However, this is the first time I've heard of a tax being placed on such a thing,” Kenshin replied.

“I heard it when I was at Kanryu's place. He said the rabbit market was great before the tax was imposed on them and he said he made a lot of money from it. Just before the tax was imposed, he got some information and decided to stay out of it, so he won a lot of money and started to be an arms dealer with the money he made.”

“Kanryu... He's a man who's only smart with money, isn't he?” Kenshin commented.

“Why didn't he use his brain for something else? I remember it well because at that time I had just come out of Aizu, and I thought Tokyo was a dreadful place to tax rabbits.”

“I see..”

“Well, I don't care about Kanryu.”

Megumi cut off the topic. 

“This is harassment against Akabeko, so we can't handle it on our own. I think the first thing we should do is go to the police station and ask for advice. Let's ask the police to take back this large number of rabbits,” Megumi added.

“Ah...my fluffy bunnies…”

“What a pity…”

Kaoru and Tsubame looked regretful. However, they could not turn their backs. The rabbits were fluffy, but if they didn't want to give them up, they would have to pay taxes on them.”

“Besides, we have to find the culprit, don't we? So this is the police's task.”

Kaoru was taken aback by Megumi's words.

“The culprit?”

“Because someone is harassing Akabeko, right? We have to catch them."

“I see, that's one way to think about it.”

Kaoru nodded as if she had gained a new idea about it.

“You... Maybe the fluffy bunny rabbit has made you stupid? Or were you always stupid from the start?”

“I'm not stupid, you're being rude.”

Kaoru was annoyed, apparently she was a bit more stupid in front of the rabbit.

・

For the time being, they loaded as many rabbits as they could onto the big two-wheeled cart, and the group headed for the police station.

They approached a police officer standing guard with a six-foot pole in front of the police station.

“Excuse me, we bring this...”

Kaoru stammered and pointed to the bamboo basket filled with rabbits on the platform of the cart. It was difficult to explain.

“Something like.., property lost?”

Megumi, who couldn't bear to look at it, changed the explanation.

“A lot of rabbits were thrown into Akabeko.We think this incident is a case of harassment”

Hearing the word "incident," the police officer on duty straightened his posture.

“Is  Akabeko the beef hot pot restaurant?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Is it the one that was shot and wrecked by a cannon bomb two years ago?”

“You talk like a jerk, don't you? But, yes. That's the Akabeko that was destroyed by the cannon attack before.”

When Megumi confirmed twice, the policeman straightened his back even more than he had straightened earlier.

Then, he saw Kenshin came pulling the big two-wheeled cart.

“Oh, from Kamiya Dojo…”

“Yes, I'm glad you know about our dojo!”

“So, Akabeko... I'll immediately report to my superior.”

The policeman’s color face changed and he strode quickly into the station.

“I hope Akabeko didn't make a bad impression on the customers. 

Kaoru looked a little worried as she saw the policeman's back to her.

“That incident was so big. That's why we changed the uniforms to western style and made the waitresses dance, to try to erase the bad impression,” Yahiko said.

“It can’t be helped,” Tsubame added.

“But some customers patronize us because they think it's a good omen that we're going to win the jackpot.”

“It's a saying, isn't it?”

Misao was impressed.

“Daa.”

Kenji also chimed in.

While they were talking, the policeman from earlier came back.

“Please come to the chief's office, everyone.”

Because it was Kenshin who came and brought up Akabeko's harassment incident. It took the chief’s attention and it seemed that the chief had decided that this was his case.

“Where should I put these rabbits?”

Kenshin asked the policeman.

“Ah, the officer will take care of them for now!”

The policeman took the handle of the big two-wheeled cart from Kenshin.

“Please take good care of them.”

“Yes, sir!”

The policeman saluted quickly and let go of the handle of the big two-wheeled cart. The cart lost its balance and spring upward. The cages on top of it almost spilled over the ground. Just before it hits the ground…

“Oops!”

Quickly, Kenshin catched the handle and the cart returned to balance.

“When you let go of something like this, you should do it slowly, that you should.”

“Yes, sir! Excuse me!”

The policeman this time held the handle of the cart properly and carried the rabbits to the back of the police station.

・

Then when they all went into the chief's office.

"Hello, Himura-san and everyone here.”

Chief Uramura greeted Kenshin and the others.

Everyone greeted Chief Uramura and immediately got down to business.

“I heard there was a mass dumping of rabbits in Akabeko.”

“That's right.”

Kaoru answered on behalf of the others.

“I heard that if you keep rabbits, you have to pay taxes on them. That's why we can't keep them at home.”

Kaoru was dejected, but Chief Uramura replied with a smile.

“Oh, that law was repealed last year in June.”

“What?”

Everyone was surprised in one voice.

It probably didn't help that the information from Kanryu over three years ago was out of date.

“There used to be a crackdown on the rabbit market because the price was swelling, and then some people went bankrupt or made huge profits from fraud. However the trend has died down, so we eliminated it last year.”

Everyone was stunned by Chief Uramura's explanation.

Notes: The explanation about the rabbits tax can be read in the previous chapter

.…..to be continued in chapter 68……  https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/726821717591408640/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-68-jump-sq-2309

TLnote(1): translating Japanese is so hard because the sentence structure is very different compared with English. Also the style of writing is different, plus there’s a lot of figurative, poetic language and things that don't make sense if it’s directly translated into english. So forgive me if this is very weird to read, and please tell me if you want to give corrections. 

TLnote(2) I will provide the original Japanese text for correction if any of you who read have better knowledge of the Japanese language. Just dm and I’ll send the file.

TLnote(3) Dtninja had translated some earlier chapters on his website. You can go and check on there

Read the rest of the story here: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/686193523858538496/rurouni-kenshin-tales-of-kamiya-dojo?source=share

[kenkaodoll]

Kamiya Dojo Monogatari Tale 75 (JUMP SQ 24/04)

About Kamiya Dojo Monogatari:

Tales of Kamiya dojo is written by Kaoru Kurosaki and published along with the “Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido” arc in JUMPSQ. The tale involves the Rurouni Kenshin character in daily life that takes time between Kenshin and Kaoru marriage until the epilogue chapter in the original manga before the Hokkaido Arc. Until this month (March 2024) there are a total 75 chapters in Tales of Kamiya dojo. This is an unofficial translation. 

Previous Story: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/743294478639661056/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-74-jump-sq-2403

“It’s not good to trust people too much, you know.”

“Is that so? I don't think so.”

Kaoru directly objected to Mikio's doctrine. Mikio did not expect an objection from her, looked as if he didn't understand.

“You have to think with your head,” he told her plausibly.

“That’s true. That may be important.”

“Right?”

Mikio was thrilled inside to be able to answer Kaoru's objection so well.

Then he suddenly came to himself, did I really think with my head? Should I bring home the clay mold? A slight feeling of uneasiness, discomfort, disquiet, he didn’t know what it was, crossed his mind.

“Good morning!”

Misao entered the store cheerfully, but her voice did not reach Mikio's ears.

.

The preparation for the opening of the Rabbit Cafe passed in the blink of an eye, and they were ready for the first day of business.

The day before the opening, Usagawa, the owner of the store, would come to make a final check to see that everything is ready.

And what about Mikio's clay? It had not yet been molded into a key, and was still in clean state.

Suwa had asked him several times since then, “What happened to the key mold?” But each time, Mikio would dodge the question, saying, “I haven't been called by Usagawa-san yet.”

Each time, Suwa praised Mikio and it motivated him to take action. For a moment, Mikio wanted to do iy, but as he talked with Kaoru and Tsubame about preparing for the rabbit café, his motivation was replaced by an indescribable reluctant feeling.

Mikio kept stalling his trip to the Usagawa residence to take the key mold.

“Finally, it’s tomorrow, Mikio-sama."

Tsubame spoke to Mikio.

Kaoru, Megumi, Misao, Tsubame, and Mikio were waiting at the café for Usagawa to come for final confirmation.

“Oh, yeah.”

Mikio had been thinking about the clay and was in a high state of anxiety, became impatient for a moment.

“I am very happy,” Tsubame’s eyes looked a little bit wet.

In Mikio's mind, Tsubame was praising Mikio with all her might, saying things like, "The head family must be very happy to see you become such a splendid man," or something like "You are indeed Mikio-sama, opening a cutting-edge café in Western-style attire that fits the new era." But the actual Tsubame was not a good talker, so he does not say such things. 

Mikio was in a good mood because he felt as if he had been praised, even though she did not say it.

Thinking about the clay would make him feel down, and thinking about the opening of the café would lift his spirits. Mikio was extremely unstable. On top of that, his wife, Shino, was in the last month of pregnancy, and a baby could be born at any time. Many things can happen at once.

…

When he was thinking about it, the store’s door opened.

“Welcome!”

The waitresses who dressed in western-style, Kaoru, Megumi, Misao, and Tsubame shouted in unison and bowed.

“Mmm-hmm. Well, that's a good start!” Usagawa, accompanied by his apprentice, came in with a big smile on his face. 

“That's all!” Mikio smiled and welcomed Usagawa, “We're all set for the first day of business, leave it to me.”

“I'm glad I asked you guys to do this. I'm glad I asked you guys to do it,” Usagawa said with satisfaction.

“We'll have a cup of tea while watching the rabbits, won't we?”

“It's a sunny day today, so how about sitting on the terrace?” Kaoru suggested.

"Oh, the terrace."

“This way. You can have tea while watching the cute rabbits running free in the garden,” Misao guided Usagawa and his apprentice to take a seat on the terrace.

The garden was covered with the white clover, and the rabbits were free roaming on it. On cold or rainy days, the rabbits were kept indoors, but during the warmer days, they could be admired under the sun.

“I love the terrace!” Usagawa was satisfied.

“Here is the menu,” Megumi held out a thick sheet of paper.

The menu includes tea, sweets, and their prices written in a stylish font.

“The menu… And?” Usagawa read it aloud.

The rest of the menu was written in Japanese, although the word "MENU" was written at the top.

Then in addition to tea and snacks, the price of rabbit food, such as *komatsuna and carrots, was also written. There was an arrangement that allowed customers to feed the rabbits. If they found a rabbit they like, they could take it home with them for a fee.

“Now, tea and baked sweets for both of us, and shall I have a bunch of *komatsuna for the rabbits?” Usagawa placed his order, Megumi bowed and headed for the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Tsubame prepared the order and brought it to Usagawa and his apprentice.

Tsubame served with exquisite timing, not rushing, but not making them wait too long.

“Umm… It's wonderful,” Usagawa sipped the tea which was brewed carefully. 

“This rabbit café has turned out to be even better than I had envisioned in my mind. Thank you for preparing it so well,” Usagawa said deeply.

“No, not so much,”Mikio was embarrassed when he heard Usagawa's praise.

“Nagaoka, you have played a central role in bringing us this far. The service, the décor, the rabbits, the tea, the sweets. Everything is wonderful!” Usagawa stood up and gave him applause.

“Usagawa-san…”

Mikio was very touched by Usagawa praising him even though just for the preparation, the show hadn’t started yet.

“But the real show starts tomorrow,” Megumi doused his excitement with her fair argument.

“!” Mikio's face looked as if he had really been doused with cold water.

“We've done all this preparation, it'll be fine tomorrow, I’m sure it will run smoothly,” Tsubame backed him up.

“Yes, yes. Let's be happy that things have gone so well, instead of thinking about what might go wrong," Usagawa said smiling.

“I see… that’s how you think. It’s a bit like congratulations, but well, that’s okay isn’t it?” Megumi admitted.

“Megumi-san, as a doctor, you always think of every possible eventuality, that’s why you're so calm, aren't you?” Kaoru asked

“Are you a doctor?” Mikio was surprised to hear it.

“Yes, I am. So what?”

“Well, it's just... It's rare to see a female doctor.”

Megumi was amused by Mikio's honest reaction.

“I think it's been a long time since I've been told that a female doctor is rare.”

“Megumi-san is already a rare presence in Kamiya Dojo, you know.”

Everyone chuckled at Misao's words, agreeing with each other. Usagawa looked at everyone in such a friendly mood.

“We've completed the final checks. As Megumi said, tomorrow is the big day. Please wrap up today at a moderate point and prepare for tomorrow,” said

“Yes, sir,” The ladies responded cheerfully.

“And then, Nagaoka-kun.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Will you drop by my mansion on your way home?”

Mikio's heart skipped a beat at Usagawa's invitation.

“Heh... Heh. To your house?”

He thought about the clay that he received from Suwa the other day.

“Congratulations in advance.... Yes?” Usagawa smiled and returned with his apprentice.

.

After Usagawa left, they spent the day practicing to service customers and cleaning the rabbit hutch for tomorrow's opening. Finally the preparation was finished. 

“You guys, starting tomorrow please be successful!”   

Mikio was being uncharacteristically auspicious, but then he said, “I’m going to Usagawa-san for pre-celebaration!” He was sure he would have a good drink. Mikio grinned with anticipation.

“Don't we have that kind of pre-celebration?” Misao asked naively.

“Oh, I'll get something for you guys.”

Mikio went to Usagawa's house in a good mood.

.

Mikio arrived in front of Usagawa's mansion after the sun had set.

Should I do it now?

Mikio hesitated.

He had been stalling to mold clay for a long time. If he missed this opportunity when Usagawa invited him, he did not know when he would be able to enter the Usagawa residence again.

I have no choice but to do it.

He prepared himself and entered the mansion.

The apprentice guided him to the Japanese-style room where a boxed set of dishes and sake were prepared.

“The master still has some work to do, so if you don't mind, please go ahead and begin.”

“Oh, thank you very much! Well, then, enjoy!” Mikio said and began to drink from the cups. The apprentice bowed politely and went away.

Now… I must do it.

Mikio left his room and began to search the house.

However, since he had been sluggishly stalling the opportunity to do it, he had a general idea of where the key to the warehouse was located.

It was in the altar at the back of the mansion.

“Bingo.”

Mikio grinned when he found the key successfully. After making a mold with the clay Suwa had prepared, Mikio put the key back where it had originally been and he put his hand in front of the altar as if he was praying.

“Thank you”

Then, he returned to the room where he was before with a nonchalant look. Relieved that everything had gone as smoothly as it had, he downed a glass of sake.

“Yum!”

Mikio knew that the unpleasant feeling he had felt before, which he couldn't describe, was just his imagination. Because the sake was so good.

Then Usagawa finally arrived.

“Well, come on, it's the pre-celebration!” Usagawa was holding something in his hand.

“What is this…?”

Mikio looked at it and saw that it was a soft clothes for baby diaper. It was an expensive-looking clothes that would be useful in the coming cold season.

“The celebration is not for the cafe, it’s for Shino’s….”

“I thought she would be in full term soon.”

Mikio couldn't taste the sake at once.

Notes:

*komatsuna: Japanese mustard spinach, a leafy vegetable.

.…..to be continued in chapter 76……https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/747021286034849792/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-76-jump-sq-2406?source=share 

TLnote(1): translating Japanese is so hard because the sentence structure is very different compared with English. Also the style of writing is different, plus there’s a lot of figurative, poetic language and things that don't make sense if it’s directly translated into english. So forgive me if this is very weird to read, and please tell me if you want to give corrections. 

TLnote(2) I will provide the original Japanese text for correction if any of you who read have better knowledge of the Japanese language. Just dm and I’ll send the file.

TLnote(3) Dtninja had translated some earlier chapters on his website. You can go and check on there

Read the rest of the story here: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/686193523858538496/rurouni-kenshin-tales-of-kamiya-dojo?source=share

[kenkaodoll]

Kamiya Dojo Monogatari Tale 72 (JUMP SQ 24/01)

About Kamiya Dojo Monogatari:

Tales of Kamiya dojo is written by Kaoru Kurosaki and published along with the “Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido” arc in JUMPSQ. The tale involves the Rurouni Kenshin character in daily life that takes time between Kenshin and Kaoru marriage until the epilogue chapter in the original manga before the Hokkaido Arc. Until this month (December 2023) there are a total 72 chapters in Tales of Kamiya dojo. This is an unofficial translation. 

Previous Story: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/737501523407405056/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-71-jump-sq-23

Late at night.

When Kenshin came back home from tailing Mikio, first Kaoru told him everything.

“There's someone who might be able to do something about the rabbits!"

She was so excited and she told him about Usagawa-san, the head of the rabbit club, whom she had heard about from Chief Uramura.

“Is it Usagawa-san, that it is?"

Kenshin looked thoughtful.

“Tomorrow, we are going to visit him with chief Uramura and ask him if he can take the rabbits. Do you want to go too, Kenshin?”

“Um… I…”

Nagaoka Mikio was told by a man named Suwa at a tavern that he should visit the Usagawa residence every day to sell his face.

If he ran into Mikio, who seemed to be afraid of Kenshin, the negotiations that were going well might not go well.

“I will babysit Kenji tomorrow.”

Kenshin decided not to join them to visit Usagawa residence.

“Oh, I see. Too bad. I really enjoyed walking around Asakusa with Kenshin this afternoon.”

“I enjoyed it too, that I did. Let’s go out again when we have time.”

“Right!”

So from Kamiya Dojo there was Kaoru, Megumi, Misao, Yahiko, and Tsubame who would go to the Usagawa residence.

.

The next day, the group arrived at the Usagawa residence, guided by Chief Uramura.

“I wonder if it’s okay for us to be here in such large numbers.”

As soon as they arrived at the gate of the Usagawa residence, Kaoru, perhaps nervous, began to worry.

“It's too late to worry about that now that you're here,” Yahiko butted in.

“Well, I'm sure they'll be happy to have my special ohagi as a souvenir,” Megumi held a wrapped box in her hand.

“I tasted them and they were delicious.”

“Yes, It was excellent!”

Megumi was smiling after receiving praise from Tsubame and Misao.

“Oh, that's a nice souvenir you brought.”

“Chief Uramura smiled as he knocked on the door of the Usagawa residence.”

“Good afternoon. This is Uramura, I already made a promise yesterday.”

The Usakawa family's apprentice emerged from the small doorway by the gate. The Usakawa residence was a grand house, solidly built in the Japanese style.

“Welcome. We have been waiting for you. There are other customers here today, so please wait in the waiting room.”

He led the group into the waiting room in a nonchalant manner. In those days, when there were few ways to gather information, visitors to famous or important persons often had to wait in such a waiting room. In fact, it was in these waiting rooms that connections were made and businesses blossomed. The waiting room was a tatami room with a carpet and a table and chairs. The interior was designed to make both Japanese and Westerners feel at home.

When Kaoru and the others entered the waiting room, they saw a familiar face.It was Nagaoka Mikio.

As soon as they entered the waiting room, he looked at Kaoru's face and made a surprised face but then he looked at Yahiko and became disgusted. When he saw that Tsubame was also in the waiting room, he became overbearingly aggressive. How could he change his expression so often?

“What’s your business with Usagawa-san? He is an important businessman who is expanding his business all over Japan. He is not someone who can meet lightly with a waitress from a beef hot pot restaurant.”

“That's...Umm…” Tsubame lost words to reply.

“Don't you know about the rabbit incident the other day?” Yahiko stepped in.

“Ra… ra… ra... rabbit? Wh…wha...wha…what are you talking about?” Mikio became plainly suspicious.

“Yesterday, there was an incident in which large numbers of rabbits were thrown into Akabeko. So we looked for a place to put the rabbits, and we heard about Usagawa-san who is the head of the Rabbit club,” he bluntly explained. “You really don’t know?” Yahiko suspicions arose.

“Hey everyone, sorry to keep you waiting.”

The waiting room’s door opened and Usagawa entered.

“Well, which one of my guests wants to talk first?” Usagawa looked at Mikio and Chief Uramura. 

“Eeeh… Umm…”

Mikio hesitated to say. He wanted to say that he came first, but he came to Usagawa because he was only doing what Suwa told him to, actually he had nothing to say to Usagawa. 

“After you.”

Unusually for Mikio, he gave the chance to Chief Uramura.

“Is it alright?”

“Well, I have a lot of spare time.”

Mikio forgot to act tough and tell the truth.

“Please be my guest,” Usagawa asked Chief Uramura.

Chief Uramura told him what had happened so far.

While listening to Chief Uramura’s story, Usagawa pondered and murmured to himself, “Oh, rabbit in a beef hotpot restaurant,” he seemed interested.

“That's why I need your help, Usagawa-san,” Chief Uramura concluded his story.

“It’s not much, but please take this,” Megumi handed the wrapped box with Ohagi inside to Usagawa. 

Kaoru,Yahiko, Misao, and Tsubame bowed their heads and said, “Please take care of it.”

“Well… Well… No need to bow so deeply, I can help you. After all, rabbits are an important matter,” Usagawa said smilingly.

“This is just an idea that came to me while listening to the chief,” Usagawa began.

“Have you ever heard of something called café?”

“Yes, I have. Well…” Kaoru answered with a blank stare. “It's a Western-style store that serves something like coffee, black tea… I've heard that there is a Western-style café in a foreign settlement area.”

“Yes, yes, that café,” Usagawa said happily.

“What if there is a café where you could enjoy a cup of Western tea while admiring an adorable rabbit from the West? Wouldn't it be wonderful? You can hold as many rabbits as you like. If you find one you like, you can take it home with you for a fee.”

“Um.... I don't really understand what you're talking about all of a sudden,” Misao folded her arms and confessed something that was a bit beyond her imagination.

“It's just something that came to me out of the blue,” he said. “A rabbit in a beef hot pot restaurant is just a nuisance, but I thought a nice Western-style café would look good.”

“Hmmm, so you want to start a new business related to rabbits,” Yahiko seemed to understand.

“Yes, yes, that's what I mean. So, you see, Nagaoka-kun,” Mikio was suddenly called by Usagawa.

“Eh, me?” Mikio was taken aback because he was supposed to be talking to Chief Uramura right now.

“Yesterday, you said you need a job because of your wife. Well, let's get right to it and help me with my rabbit café.”

“What?”

Chief Uramura. Those rabbits are now in the custody of the police department, right?

“Yes, as you say. But we can't keep them at the police station forever.”

“Don't worry! I'll send the manager of the Rabbit Cafe, Nagaoka, to pick up all the rabbits.”

“Rabbit cafe? Manager? Me?” Mikio shouted in a silly voice.

“I have a nice property in the Tsukiji Foreign Settlement that would be a good place to have a café. Well, you and I are both lucky. It's the rabbit's guidance after all.”

“No, uh, I'm…”

“I'm so glad finally the rabbits find a place to go,” Megumi tried to forcefully wrap things up.

“Rabbit cafe is such an unusual job, it’s innovative and wonderful!” Misao also encouraged him.

“And being the manager is amazing. You must be very trusted by Usagawa-san,” Kaoru praised Mikio from the bottom of her heart.

Hearing Kaoru's words, the honest Tsubame's face lit up.

“Mikio-sama, Tae-san said that being a manager is like being a lord of a castle in a country. It is a wonderful role that lives up to the name of the Nagaoka family. Me too, I am glad Mikio-sama is on the right path,” she became unusually talkative.

“Oh… A manager, you know. Of course, it's a job I deserve,” Mikio was so excited that he agreed to be the manager of the rabbit café, which was neither in the sea nor in the mountains.

“Hey, isn't he a little too easy? What if we’re going to get scammed someday…” Yahiko whispered softly to Chief Uramura.

“Yahiko, we're on the verge of a deal, so shhhh!” Chief Uramura put his index finger on his mouth to stop Yahiko from saying unnecessary things.

“Once it’s decided, we can talk fast and move to the next topic,” Usagawa was indeed a businessman. He didn’t waste his time.  

“Go ahead and take the rabbit from the police station. You know how to keep rabbits, don’t you?”

“Uh, yes!” Mikio nooded.

“My apprentice will show you where the café is. Nagaoka-kun, you will take care of the rabbit there from today.”

The rabbit Mikio had thrown was going around in circles and came back to Mikio.

“And, yes. The café needs a waitress. We'll be looking for more people as time goes on, but for the time being, would you guys be willing to be the temporary waitress for the Rabbit Café?

“Eh?”

Kaoru, Megumi, Misao, and Tsubame were surprised at his request.

“You want to save that poor rabbit, don't you?”

It was hard to refuse when Usagawa said that.

“I get it. We all have other jobs, but we can manage to take turns, right?” Kaoru was the first to make a decision.

“I'm free, so I'll do it,” Misao agreed.

“We've gone too far to turn back, so let’s do it,” Megumi accepted.

“I'm used to working as a waitress, too…” Tsubame also agreed to participate, and the Rabbit Café was moving steadily toward realization.

.…..to be continued in chapter 73……https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/739415334563577856/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-73-jump-sq-2402 

TLnote(1): translating Japanese is so hard because the sentence structure is very different compared with English. Also the style of writing is different, plus there’s a lot of figurative, poetic language and things that don't make sense if it’s directly translated into english. So forgive me if this is very weird to read, and please tell me if you want to give corrections. 

TLnote(2) I will provide the original Japanese text for correction if any of you who read have better knowledge of the Japanese language. Just dm and I’ll send the file.

TLnote(3) Dtninja had translated some earlier chapters on his website. You can go and check on there

Read the rest of the story here: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/686193523858538496/rurouni-kenshin-tales-of-kamiya-dojo?source=share

[kenkaodoll]

Kamiya Dojo Monogatari Tale 71 (JUMP SQ 23/12)

About Kamiya Dojo Monogatari:

Tales of Kamiya dojo is written by Kaoru Kurosaki and published along with the “Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido” arc in JUMPSQ. The tale involves the Rurouni Kenshin character in daily life that takes time between Kenshin and Kaoru marriage until the epilogue chapter in the original manga before the Hokkaido Arc. Until this month (December 2023) there are a total 72 chapters in Tales of Kamiya dojo. This is an unofficial translation. 

Previous Story: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/731981457127604224/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-70-jump-sq-2311

“Thank you very much for your kindness! I'll be there if you need anything.”

“Thank you very much.”

Mikio and Shino bow politely to Usagawa in front of the restaurant after finishing their food.

“You’re welcome. I’ll let you know as soon as I find a job for you. Where do you live?”

Usagawa was always kind to Mikio because he helped him with the rabbit business before.

“Yeah, I’m known as Nagaoka Mikio from ‘Kasabari tenement house’, anyone who doesn’t know me must be dumb.” 

“Oh, you must be very popular.”

Usagawa had a good impression of him.

In fact, Mikio Nagaoka was known as the rogue who was the drunkard of the main family. Knowing this, Shino couldn't help but say.

“I can't believe he's popular, Mister Usagawa. It's embarrassing. My husband is not like that.”

“You’re being humble. What an elegant wife!” Usagawa praised them again, he still had a good impression about the couple. 

“Well, I have a number of sworn younger brothers,” Mikio said. He said that while thinking of the people he had met when he tried to break into Akabeko. He was just using the word "sworn brother" in a slightly exaggerated way to suit his own convenience.

Actually they were people who were gathered under his family influence, and he seduced them by the sweet words of easy money, even if they did bad things. There was no real master-servant relationship, not even a fellowship.

As a result of this, the members of his companies that time had become completely estranged after the disgraceful battle that Mikio lost to a mere ten-year-old child.

That's the reality. But in Mikio's mind, they had always been his underling.

“Ho-ho, that's encouraging,” Usagawa smiled.

“Master, we have to go home soon,” his apprentice reminded. 

Usagawa nodded and headed home.

Mikio and Shino watched Usagawa and the apprentice leave.

“The food was good,” Mikio said

“Hey, I can go to Kyushu if you want. Even though I'm heavily pregnant, I'm sure I can make it there if I take my time and rest. The coal mines are doing well, aren't they? I think you should have accepted Usagawa's offer,” Shino said with a resolve.

“I'm going to give it a shot here in Tokyo! I’m going to gain reliable men under me and keep us in good condition. Just leave it to Nagaoka Mikio! 

Mikio was in a good mood, perhaps a little drunk.

“But you know, I have a baby on the way,” Shino's voice dropped a little and she spoke in a somber tone.

Shino usually accompanied Mikio's grandiose words and listened to his exuberant dreams with a smile, but she was soon to become a mother. Thinking about her child growing up in her belly, she couldn't help but see the reality of the situation. 

Her dark voice seemed to bring Mikio back to reality.

"What is it? I can see that you have a baby in your belly. I told you to leave it to me. I was in a good mood after having a nice meal, but now it's getting cold because you said unnecessary things.

"But... But..."

Shino still wanted to say something.

“The Nagaoka family can't help you anymore, can they?”

“Shut up.”

“We spent a lot of money buying rabbits, but that money was just compensation from the Nagaoka family, wasn't it?"

Shino's words were weighty.

In the Edo period, as the second son of the Nagaoka family he would have been able to live a comfortable life and do as he likes. However, in the Meiji era, the Nagaoka family quietly began to sink.

The Nagaoka family could no longer clean up the mess of their second son, who had no regular job and was constantly misbehaving, then the family handed a large sum of money to Mikio, in exchange he would not cause any more trouble for the family name.

He used the money to buy rabbits, but the rabbits didn't sell well. He was so angry that he dumped the rabbits in the Akabeko for revenge. That's how it happened.

"All right, all right! It's late, you go back home first."

He didn't want to talk about money any more. Nor did he want to be confronted with the reality that he had melted down the Nagaoka family or wasted his money for the rabbits. Mikio only thought to escape.

“What about you?”

“I’m going to Suwa-san now. He’ll probably be at his usual place.”

“Suwa-san? Please be careful.”

Whether she was telling Mikio to be careful on the road at night, or to be careful with Suwa, only Shino would know.

“Ok, I’ll go now.”

They started walking in different directions.

.

“Well…”

Kenshin had been watching them from an alley near the shop. After he learned that Mikio lived in ‘Kasabari tenement house’, he decided there’s no need to follow Shino back and followed Mikio quietly.

Miko was going to see a person who talks big about hitting one charge in Tokyo even with no money. It sounded shaddy. 

After following Mikio for a while, he entered a tavern with a red lantern with the name ‘Sake-dokoro Maruya’ written on it. This must be the place he mentioned earlier where Suwa always hangs out.

This time, Kenshin did not wait in front of the restaurant, but waited a little while after Mikio entered. Since his face was well-known and the scar on his cheek was a little conspicuous, he waited until Mikio was drunk enough to be distracted.

.

When he entered Maruya, he found Mikio in a completely good mood and some people mingling.

“Suwa-san, Usagawa-san is rich, but he doesn't have any pretensions,” Mikio said.

A man with foxy eyes and shaggy hair is tangling with a drunk Mikio. Apparently, this man was Suwa.

“But he's a little bit strange, he's into superstitious things and lucky charms too much. I don't really know anything about superstition or good luck,” Mikio said and smacked Suwa’s arm with a wobbly smile, like it’s something funny.

“Nagaoka-kun, did you get that close to Usagawa-san?”

“Oh, yeah. He's been treating me well because of the rabbit I sold.”

“I see.”

Suwa's fox eyes glittered.

“Then we can go into Usagawa-san's house, right?”

“Oh, of course. I just met him on the street today, and he bought me a pot of fish stew. It's no big deal for me to go over to his house.”

“All right.”

“Oh, you have an interesting idea?”

Mikio leaned forward.

“You are going to visit Mr. Usagawa's house every day from now on.”

“I see. I might be able to get a little bit of a good offer from a wealthy merchant like Usagawa-san.”

“How optimistic you are. Good things don't just fall off the shelves like peony cakes. You don't get a good offer. You have to make it yourself.”

“I don’t really know about that, but that sounds like a good thing to say! As expected from Suwa-san. Well… I’m Usagawa-san’s close friend, it’s a piece of cake to visit him everyday. Leave it to me!” Mikio puffed out his chest.

Kenshin sipped a bit of the hot sake that had been brought to him as he watched the scene from a seat some distance away.

.

Meanwhile, Chief Uramura was working on hanging wind chimes from the eaves of the Kamiya Dojo. He visited the Dojo after failing to meet Usagawa in his residence.

The Dojo, which had been stained with rabbit feces and pee not long before, had been thoroughly wiped clean by Yahiko and Tsubame.

“I'm sorry, Kenshin is not here right now and Yahiko was the only man on duty,” Kaoru apologized.

“Kenji is also a man, isn't he?”Misao said.

“DA-“

In Megumi's arms, Kenji reacted as if to say, ‘Yes, count me in!’.

“No, no, it's fine,” The chief smiled his usual calm smile.

“Kenji-kun, look, it's a wind chime. It makes a beautiful sound.”

The wind chime chimed a calming sound.

“So, you came here because of the rabbits?”

“Yes, it's about the rabbits. After all, with that many rabbits, it's hard to find anyone to take them in.”

“I guess that's true. Maybe we could have two or three rabbits in the dojo?” Yahiko made a suggestion.

“Our officers counted one hundred and eight rabbits.”

“Oh, that many!” Misao was startled out loud.

“If we assume that each of you takes in two rabbits, that means we have to find fifty-four people to take them in,” Megumi said.

“When we had a lot of students, we could easily give the rabbits to them.”

“Kaoru, when exactly are you talking about?”

“That’s when I was still a child!”

“What, you're talking about the Edo period?”

“Well, well, everyone…” Chief Uramura spoke back.

“I know someone,” he said. “There is a person who is the head of a rabbit club. I was going to ask him today if he could introduce me to someone who could take in a rabbit, but he was not at home. He will be home tomorrow afternoon for sure, so why don't we all go and ask him? I thought instead of an old man like me, the young ladies would be warmly accepted asking for help.”

“I see, I'm sure the head of the Rabbit Club can help us,” Kaoru's eyes lit up.

“We're all going to barge in and make him do our bidding, aren't we? Misao rolled up her sleeves.

“You're making a scene!” Yahiko chided her.

“I… I want to go too,” Tsubame expressed her willingness to participate.

“Then, let's make some ohagi as a souvenir,” Megumi suggested.

“Oh, that sounds good. I'll make some too.”

“You don't have to!”

“Woo!”

Kaoru was about to make ohagi when everyone except the chief and Tsubame tried to stop her.

.…..to be continued in chapter 72…… https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/737502854846218240/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-72-jump-sq-2401

TLnote(1): translating Japanese is so hard because the sentence structure is very different compared with English. Also the style of writing is different, plus there’s a lot of figurative, poetic language and things that don't make sense if it’s directly translated into english. So forgive me if this is very weird to read, and please tell me if you want to give corrections. 

TLnote(2) I will provide the original Japanese text for correction if any of you who read have better knowledge of the Japanese language. Just dm and I’ll send the file.

TLnote(3) Dtninja had translated some earlier chapters on his website. You can go and check on there

Read the rest of the story here: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/686193523858538496/rurouni-kenshin-tales-of-kamiya-dojo?source=share

[kenkaodoll]

Kamiya Dojo Monogatari Tale 64 (JUMP SQ 23/04)

About Kamiya Dojo Monogatari:

Tales of Kamiya dojo is written by Kaoru Kurosaki and published along with the “Rurouni Kenshin Hokkaido” arc in JUMPSQ. The tale involves the Rurouni Kenshin character in daily life that takes time between Kenshin and Kaoru marriage until the epilogue chapter in the original manga before the Hokkaido Arc. Until this month (March 2023) there are a total 64 chapters in Tales of Kamiya dojo. This is an unofficial translation. 

Previous Story: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/711951115757961216/kamiya-dojo-monogatari-tale-63-jump-sq-2303 

・

Yosaku wished to cut down the trees. He was the spokesperson of the villagers that were trying to cut down the sakura trees that cause some problems every year.

On the other hand Juyuemon wanted to make the Hanami party more lively where he could bring a large number of his henchmen. He wanted to get the best seat and impress his henchmen, but they’re getting drunk and causing trouble for the villagers.

When Yahiko talked to Juyuemon about his plan for the Hanami, his face looked bitter.

“You're going to show dance from Akabeko waitresses?? No, my henchmen will not be entertained by such a dance by a girl. We're not going to be satisfied with soft stuff.”

But Juyuemon would really like to enjoy the open stall store at the village while drinking sake.

Yosaku, on the other hand…

“I can't make a judgment until I see what the dance is like.”

He was a cautious man.

Yahiko had been expecting Yosaku to reject their idea in the same manner as Juyuemon, so he was relieved when Yosaku said that he had to take a look at it.

“Then come and watch the practice at Akabeko and you'll see what it's like.”

Then Miyako responded too.

“If you need a boat, please ask me!”

Miyako clapped her hand and begged.

Yosaku agreed, saying, "I can't help it."

“Juyuemon-san too!”

Miyako asked Juyuemon as well.

“I don't need to see it. I'm against it.”

“I'll take care of that.”

Miyako’s plea didn’t seem to work, but Misao came to help.

“Why don't you just go to Akabeko and eat beef hot pot there?”

“Beef hot pot.... Well, I haven't had it for a while.”

“Akabeko's beef hot pot is excellent.”

Yahiko's words seemed to affect Juyuemon.

“I'll see you tomorrow, then. I'll gather my henchmen and go to Akabeko to eat, so you can show me your dance. Since we are going all the way down the river to the Asakusa area, I might as well treat them to a plate of beef hot pot.”

He was a very generous boss.

“Yosaku-san? Will you come tomorrow?” Miyako asked.

“Actually, I don't like the idea of being in the same room with Juyuemon and his gang...”

Yosaku nodded, though his face was difficult to read.

・

Then, the next day.

Juyuemon took his henchman to Akabeko.

Yosaku came alone, with Miyako’s boat.

Beforehand Yahiko told Tae that they wanted her to show the waitresses dancing.

“Please wait for the beef hot pot!”

“Hot sake!”

First, Juyuemon, his henchman, and Yosaku enjoyed their beef hot pot and drank sake.

“We would like to have a beef hot pot stall at the Hanami party.”

Tae said to the villagers with a smiling face.

“Well, it is true that it is good to have not only Hanami bento but also something hot and tasty like this.”

Juyuemon seemed to like Akabeko's beef hot pot very much.

“So, what’s about this dancing thing?”

Yosaku asked Yahiko with a serious look on his face.

“It's about time, you’ll find out.” 

Yahiko said and handed Yosaku two hand fans.

“What is this?”

To answer Yosaku's question, Yahiko held a fan in each hand.

“You have to wave it like this,”

Yahiko shook the hand fan energetically with a shuffling sound.

“Swing it like you’re trying to create wind, you can't swing fast enough.”

“…?”

Yosaku was puzzled. 

“Well, well, I'll explain in a little more detail later!”

Yahiko grinned and handed two hand fans each to Juyuemon and his henchmen.

As Yahiko just handed the hand fans to them, Ichiwaka-san came out with her Shamisen.

“Good evening… I’m called Ichiwaka. Everyone, thank you for coming today!”

The place was filled with excitement. As one would expect from the popular Fukagawa geisha, Ichiwaka-neesan. Even some of the audience said, "She's not a girl, she's a geisha."

“Well, well. Today I am the hostess of the event.”

Ichiwaka smiled sweetly.

A part of Akabeko's tatami room was set up as a stage and Ichiwaka sat at the end of the stage with her shamisen.

“Then, here… they are...”

The shamisen was strummed, and the pretty waitresses entered the room. They held a hand fan in their hand, just like the guests.

“Everyone, please wave your hand fan just like the people on stage.”

When Ichiwaka nodded, Juyuemon's henchmen looked at Juyuemon timidly.

“Mm-hmm. Do as she says.”

Juyuemon nodded and his henchmen waved their hand fans as the waitresses did.

Yosaku and Juyuemon folded their arms and observed the situation without smiling.

“Okay then, it's time for the real thing. Please wave along with the dance.”

Then the waitresses started their dance in earnest and the henchmen waved their hand fans to join them.

“Swing this way, then this way... I made a mistake!”

“I can do it!”

“Look at that. Isn't that good?”

“That little girl on the right is so cute.”

“I saw her eyes.”

The henchmen were getting more and more excited.

“...”

 Juyuemon watches him with his arms folded.

 “...”

Yosaku got up from his seat,his expression was unreadable whether he was pleased or not.

Yahiko looked at Juyuemon and Yosaku and grew impatient.

Juyuemon did not even smile.

Yosaku got up from his seat.

They had prepared this especially for Yosaku who said he had to see what it’s like, so it hurt to see him leave his seat. Yahiko thought that he might be on their  side.  .  .  It seemed that neither Juyuemon nor Yosaku liked the dance.

However, the henchmen were very excited.

“Then, starting with the person at the end of the table, please raise your hand fan and lower it in a big wave.”

Ichiwaka-neesan asked them to make what we called "waves" in this present time.

“Yes, Neesan!!”

The henchmen did the wave as instructed.

“Oooh!”

“What a sense of accomplishment!”

“This is so fun!”

They enthusiastically continue to wave their hand fan, rolled by the palms of Fukagawa Geisha.

Yosaku and Juyuemon didn't seem to like it, and Yahiko broke into a cold sweat wondering what to do.

At this rate either they would do like Juyuemon wanted and they would have a bloody Hanami party or Yosaku’s idea to cut down the cherry trees and they couldn’t see the cherry blossom again.

“What should I do?”

Yahiko pondered. But no good idea seemed to come to mind.

・

At that time, Tsubame was not among the waitresses in Akabeko's dance.

Ichiwaka had quickly prepared a dance for Tsubame as the main character, so she was practicing it by herself around the back door of Akabeko.

“Hah, how did this happen?”

Tsubame was confused.

But there was no use in rolling her eyeballs around forever. It was her own fault for not saying, "No, I don't want to". If that was the case, she had no choice but to do what she must do.

“I'll do my best.”

She muttered to herself, then someone called.

“Oh missy, aren't you going to dance over there?”

It was Yosaku who approached her.

“Hiyaa... Oh, uh, uh... That.......”

Suddenly, Tsubame was startled and let out a strange voice from the back of her throat.

“Did I scare you? I'm sorry about that. Did you stay here for practice?”

“Oh, yes. I'm still an amateur, so I need a lot of practice.”

“I see. I see. You're good at it.”

Yosaku looked at Tsubame as if he was looking at his grandchildren. Tsubame was puzzled, not knowing what to do.

“Ah.. Uh, that..”

She couldn't practice if somebody were staring at her. She had no choice but to move to a different place.

“Missy, let me see you practice your dance.”

Yosaku said something unexpected.

“Eh… eh..?”

“Not only dancing, but any other art form, when you show it to others, it improves ten times more than when you practice alone.”

“Is that so?”

“That's right. It has been so since the time of Ama-no-Iwato, when Ama-no-Uzemi-no-Mikoto danced before Amaterasu Omikami.”

Tsubame was so surprised by what she had just heard that she couldn't help but gulp.

“So, why don't you try dancing?”

Yosaku urged her to dance, to which Tsubame unintentionally replied, "Yes". She could not say "No" at all.

“Hmm.”

Yosaku took a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it.

・

Meanwhile…

“Hey! Hold a minute”

Yahiko received a call from Tae.

“You know, I haven't received any orders since a while ago…”

Tae’s face looked troubled.

“Because of the stage set in a corner of the tatami room, there are fewer customers than usual, so the alcohol consumption is also quite low. This is bad for business”

”I'm sorry, Tae. I wanted to see if the drunken people would go away if I had them hold the fan in both hands and ask everyone to wave it.”

“Let's not have that kind of experimentation again.”

“I am sorry.”

Yahiko apologized to Tae who was complaining.

“But it seems no one is getting drunk, so the experiment is a success,”

Tae smiled at him, but Yahiko was not happy. He had yet to convince Juyuemon and Yosaku.

Notes:

*)Hanami : Literally flower viewing, when people gathering to see cherry blossom 

*)Hanami Bento : Bento/ lunchbox which is eaten during Hanami 

*)Shamisen : Three stringed traditional instrument 

*)Fukagawa Geisha : Geisha from fukagawa area, read Ichiwaka story from Tale 37

*)Neesan : Older sister, usually used for called senior Geisha

*)Tatami room : Japanese room with traditional tatami flooring

*)Ama-no-Iwato, Ama-no-Uzemi-no-Mikoto, Amaterasu Omikami : Deities from Shinto belief.

.…..to be continued in chapter 65…… 

TLnote(1): translating Japanese is so hard because the sentence structure is very different compared with English. Also the style of writing is different, plus there’s a lot of figurative, poetic language and things that don't make sense if it’s directly translated into english. So forgive me if this is very weird to read, and please tell me if you want to give corrections. 

TLnote(2) I will provide the original Japanese text for correction if any of you who read have better knowledge of the Japanese language. Just dm and I’ll send the file.

TLnote(3) Dtninja had translated some earlier chapters on his website. You can go and check on there

Read the rest of the story here: https://www.tumblr.com/kenkaodoll/686193523858538496/rurouni-kenshin-tales-of-kamiya-dojo?source=share