Baka-Tsuki - User contributions [en]

Tsukumodo:Volume 1 Prologue

2014-05-23T02:39:47Z

Grrarr: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_subjunctive Undo revision 355370 by WorldCon (talk)

In our world there are objects called 'Relics'.

Not antiques or objects of classical art, no: they can be tools with special powers created by mighty ancients or magicians, or objects that have absorbed their owners' grudges or natural spiritual powers after long exposure.

For instance: a stone that brings good luck, a doll whose hair grows night after night, a mirror that shows you how you'll look in the future, a sword that brings ruin to anyone who draws it.

Everybody has most likely heard of such things, as they appear in countless fairy tales and rumors.

Most people consider ''Relics'' mere fantasies because they have never come across any. Even if a Relic were right before their eyes, they'd fail to notice it. If a mysterious event were to occur, they'd dismiss it as a coincidence.

Some remain unconcerned, while others are certain that such things do not exist.

Regrettably, Relics are real, and more common than people think.

Whether they bring about good or ill fortune depends on the ones who choose to use them.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Tsukumodo:Volume 1 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
| Return to [[Tsukumodo Antique Shop|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Tsukumodo:Volume 1 Coincidence|Coincidence]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria

2014-05-21T12:05:39Z

Grrarr:

The ''Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria'' series is also available in the following languages:
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria ~ (Spanish)|Español (Spanish)]]
*[[Hakomari (Indonesia)|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria tiếng Việt|Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria (German)|Deutsch (German)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria - Français|Français (French)]]

(Note: Translation progress varies for each version.)
----
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako6_1.jpg|thumb|Volume 6 Cover|250px]]

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria (空ろの箱と零のマリア, The Empty Box and The Zeroth Maria) is a light novel series written by [[:Category:Mikage Eiji|Eiji Mikage]] and illustrated by Tetsuo (formerly known as 415). While Utsuro no Hako, often abbreviated as ''Hakomari,'' is Eiji's fourth publication, it is the first to feature illustrations. One of his earlier works can be found here: the [[Kamisu Reina Series]].

==Story Synopsis==


''Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria,'' or ''The Empty Box and The Zeroth Maria,'' tells the story of Kazuki Hoshino, who is almost madly attached to his everyday life, and his antagonist Aya Otonashi, who suddenly transfers into his class at the end of the school year—for no less than the 13,118th time. Without hesitation, she announces her intent to “break” him. Kazuki's struggle to defend his everyday life begins, and the many secrets it is built on start to come to light.

==Character Introductions==
<div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Kazuki Hoshino
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Kazuki.jpg|left|link=]]
A completely ordinary high school student who loves idle chatter with his friends and Umaibōs, a Japanese snack. One day, he somehow suddenly antagonizes Aya Otonashi — even though he has never met her before. She threatens to “break” him.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Aya Otonashi
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Aya.jpg|left|link=]]
An antisocial beauty  with a resolute personality. She transfers into Kazuki’s class on March 2nd — right before the end of the school year. Immediately upon her arrival, she announces her intent to “break” Kazuki.
</div>
 
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Daiya Oomine
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Daiya.jpg|left|link=]]
A self-centered and arrogant student who dyes his hair silver and wears three piercings in his right ear. He is also the class president and a shrewd friend of Kazuki’s.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Haruaki Usui
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Haruaki.jpg|left|link=]]
A cheerful but frivolous baseball ace. He often hangs out with Kazuki and Daiya.
</div>
 
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Kokone Kirino
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Kokone.jpg|left|link=]]
A bright and beautiful girl who cares a lot for her friends, but can sometimes be meddlesome. She and Daiya have known each other since childhood, and their mutual verbal abuse has become legendary among their classmates ever since.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Kasumi Mogi
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Kasumi.jpg|left|link=]]
The girl who has won Kazuki’s heart. She is docile, silent and expressionless.

</div>
 
</div>

== Translation ==
===[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Registration Page|Registration]]===
Translators are asked to [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on (see the [[Format_guideline#Translators|Guideline]] page for usage rules).

=== Format Standards ===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the agreed points highlighted in the guidelines below '''
* [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Guidelines|Project Guidelines]]
* [[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]

== Updates ==
*19th February 2013 - Volume 6 completed
*26th August 2012 - Volume 5 completed
*31th July 2012 - Volume 5 "Before the Show Begins" completed
*21th July 2012 - Volume 5 Prologue completed
*19th April 2012 - Diamond Days completed
*2nd August 2010 - Volume 4 completed
*25th July 2010 - Volume 4 Chapter 1 completed
*2nd July 2010 - Volume 4 Game Explanation and Prologue completed

Older Updates can be found on the [[Utsuro no Hako:Updates|Utsuro no Hako updates page]]

==''Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria '' by Eiji Mikage==
'''You can find the EPUB and MOBI version of the Volumes in the forums [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=5426 HERE].
===Volume 1 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?oi86ba1xc7gclxh (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari1_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 1st time|1st time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 23rd time|23rd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 1050th time|1,050th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 13118th time|13,118th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 10876th time|10,876th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 8946th time|8,946th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 2601st time|2,601st time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 2602nd time|2,602nd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 4609th time|4,609th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 5232nd time|5,232nd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27753rd time|27,753rd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 Interlude|Interlude]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27753rd time (2)|27,753rd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27754th time|27,754th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 3087th time|3,087th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27754th time (2)|27,754th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 0th time|0th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (2)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (3)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (4)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 0th time (2)|0th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 5000th time|5,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 6000th time|6,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 7000th time|7,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 8000th time|8,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 9000th time|9,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 9999th time|9,999th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 10000th time|10,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (5)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27756th time|27,756th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 1st time (2)|1st time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1_Author's_Notes|Author’s Notes]]

===Volume 2 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?e47bnq3m9gzkyqg (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari2_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 April 29|April 29 (Wednesday) Shōwa Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 April 30|April 30 (Thursday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 1|May 1 (Friday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 2|May 2 (Saturday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 3|May 3 (Sunday) Constitution Memorial Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 4|May 4 (Monday) Greenery Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 5|May 5 (Tuesday) Children's Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 18|May 18 (Monday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]


===Volume 3 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?2ga9sj849tpd51c (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari3_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume3 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Beginning|Beginning]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Round 1|Round 1]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Round 2|Round 2]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Round 3|Round 3]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]

===Volume 4 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?wqua7old6odmu2g (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari4_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume4 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Game Explanation|Game Explanation]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]


===Volume 5 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?ow5jiojti646nws (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari5_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume5 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Before the Show Begins|Before the Show Begins]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Scene 1|Scene 1: Close-Up Goodbye]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Scene 2|Scene 2: 60 Feet and 6 Inches Apart]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Scene 3|Scene 3: Repeat, Reset, Reset]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]

===Volume 6 ([[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/?f19mqpsx8qopcl8 PDF])===
[[Image:Hakomari6_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume6 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Intermission|Intermission]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (1)|Scene 4: Piercing at Fifteen (1/3)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (2)|Scene 4: Piercing at Fifteen (2/3)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (3)|Scene 4: Piercing at Fifteen (3/3)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 After the Curtain Falls|After the Curtain Falls]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]

===Dengeki Smile Bunko===
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Diamond Days|Diamond Days]]

===Miscellaneous===
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Interview|Interview with Eiji Mikage (April, 2013)]]

==Project Staff==

*Supervisor: None
*Project Manager: [[user:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]]

===Translator===
:*[[user:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]]

===Editors===
:*[[user:Kadi|Kadi]]
:*[[user:Grrarr|Grrarr]]

==Todos==

{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|start}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 1|100%|Update text on that one picture... someday... maybe}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 2|35%|WIP
( EEE - Edited up to May 1st ) (Grrarr - [[User_talk:Grrarr#Utsuro_no_Hako_Edit_Tracking.2C_Volume_2|Volume 2 progress, detailed]])}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 3|0|Incorrect tense. (Grrarr - [[User_talk:Grrarr#Utsuro_no_Hako_Edit_Tracking.2C_Volume_3|Volume 3 (non)progress, detailed]])}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 4|10%|}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 5|90%|May require changes re: punctuation}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 6|90%|May require changes re: punctuation}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 1 scans|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 2 scans|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 3 scans|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 4 scans|90%|(90% done)}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 5 scans|90%|editing is done, except for exec decision needed on File:UtsuroNoHako5 6.jpg }}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 6 scans|30%|editing + typesetting}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Define punctuation & style rules|100%| [[Utsuro no Hako:Guidelines|Project Guidelines]]}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|TL notes for Volume 2 need to be FIXED}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|TL notes for Volume 4 should eventually be switched over into /reference form (like V1)|100%|Done}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Apply punctuation & style rules}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 7}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Optimize for Android app|0|Minor/low-priority task: the B/W-pictures may need some tweaks because they don't use the ''thumb'' class, hence are big.}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate and (finish) editing [http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000/627/627419/ Mikage interview]|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Keep volume 1 PDF up to date|100%|Up-to-date}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Keep volume 2 PDF up to date|0%|Outdated}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Keep volume 3 PDF up to date|80%|Pictures outdated & minor changes}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Keep volume 4 PDF up to date|80%|Pictures outdated & minor changes}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Keep volume 5 PDF up to date|90%|Pictures outdated & minor changes}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Keep volume 6 PDF up to date|90%|Pictures outdated & minor changes}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|end}}

==Purchasing the books==
* [http://honto.jp/netstore/search_10%E7%A9%BA%E3%82%8D%E3%81%AE%E7%AE%B1%E3%81%A8%E9%9B%B6%E3%81%AE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2.html honto.jp] ([http://www.google.ch/#q=how+to+buy+from+honto.jp how to buy from honto.jp])
* [http://www.amazon.co.jp/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_4?field-keywords=%E7%A9%BA%E3%82%8D%E3%81%AE%E7%AE%B1%E3%81%A8%E9%9B%B6%E3%81%AE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2 Amazon.co.jp]
* [http://www.yesasia.com/global/search/utsuro-no-hako/0-0-0-bpt.48_q.Utsuro+no+Hako-en/list.html YesAsia] (no shipping fees after ~$40)

== Links ==
* [http://hakomari.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page Wikia]
* [http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%A9%BA%E3%82%8D%E3%81%AE%E7%AE%B1%E3%81%A8%E9%9B%B6%E3%81%AE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2 Wikipedia]
* [http://myanimelist.net/manga.php?id=55215 MyAnimeList]

== Series Overview ==

* Volume 1 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア1 (January 07, 2009, ISBN 978-4-04-867461-4)
* Volume 2 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア2 (September 10, 2009, ISBN 978-4-04-868012-7)
* Volume 3 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア3 (January 10, 2010, ISBN 978-4-04-424115-5)
* Volume 4 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア4 (June 10, 2010, ISBN 978-4-04-868595-5)
* Volume 5 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア5 (July 10, 2012, ISBN 978-4-04-886733-7)
* Volume 6 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア6 (January 10, 2013, ISBN 978-4-04-891251-8)

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Genre - Psychological]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Mikage Eiji]]

User talk:Grrarr

2014-02-24T01:12:51Z

Grrarr: /* Utsuro no Hako Punctuation & Style Rules */

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 1==
<pre>
98 Novel Illustrations. (needs EEE or someone else w/correct images + ability to edit)
ok File:UtsuroNoHako_003.jpg: ...let sleeping dogs lie (Aya text: (this technically should be updated...but the absolute limits have been hit. Maybe after V7 has been TL'd, and every single other volume has been completely edited and polished to perfection...)
XX Prologue
100 1st time
100 23rd time
100 1,050th time
XX 13,118th time
XX(pend one tiny EEE confirm) 10,876th time
100 8,946th time
XX 2,601st time
XX 2,602nd time
100 4,609th time
100 5,232nd time
XX 27,753rd time
XX Interlude
XX 27,753rd time
XX 27,754th time
XX 3,087th time
XX 27,754th time
XX 0th time
XX 27,755th time
XX 27,755th time
XX 27,755th time
100 27,755th time
9X 0th time
100 5,000th time
100 6,000th time
100 7,000th time
100 8,000th time
100 9,000th time
XX 9,999th time
XX 10,000th time
XX 27,755th time
XX(a bit stiff in a few places) 27,756th time
XX 1st time
XX Epilogue
XX Author’s Notes
</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 2==
<pre>ok Novel illustrations
okish Prologue
ok April 29 (Wednesday) Shōwa Day
1X April 30 (Thursday)
1X May 1 (Friday)
1X May 2 (Saturday)
1X May 3 (Sunday) Constitution Memorial Day
1X May 4 (Monday) Greenery Day
00 May 5 (Tuesday) Children's Day
20 May 18 (Monday)
00 Author's Notes
</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 3==
V3
<pre>
ok Novel illustrations
okish Prologue
02 Beginning
02 Round 1
00 Round 2
00 Round 3
00 Epilogue
00 Author's Notes

</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Punctuation & Style Rules==
VERY preliminary:
'''Open Issues'''
*Issue-new: level->score for box descriptions - V2+
*Issue 01: Volume 1 frequently uses --- in place of —; in a few instances, I've seen -- and ----, so any naive Ctrl-F / Find-Replace regex / etc should first check for -- and ---- before ---.
*Issue 02: Umaibô=>Umaibō & Umaibo=>Umaibō & Umaibous=>Umaibōs... Completed for:
::Project Landing Page
::Illustrations for V1, V3, V4
::V1
::V2
::V3
::V4
::V5
::V6
:NEEDS TO BE FIXED for text within V1 illustration file: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=File:UtsuroNoHako_003.jpg
:: Taken note of. Btw. not that I want to change it, but just pointing out the problem that we now have two types of romanization. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 02:22, 13 April 2013 (CDT)
*Issue 03: capital letter after "..."? After colons? (Trivial, but would help to generalize)
*Issue 04: em-dash, en-dash? Spaces in between?
'''Closed Issues''' (until V7 comes out, at least):
*Issue 01: Kazuki's sister's name: Ruu-chan=>Luu-chan & Ruka=>Luka. Completed for V1-V6
*Issue 02: Spaces between sentences: Parts of volume 2 (and others) have two spaces between sentences instead of a single space - I'm pretty tempted to do a straight Ctrl-F and hope for the best (or else a regex for two, but not three spaces -> a single space)
** Fwiw, two spaces are stripped to one in MediaWiki, so it's not that urgent an issue. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 02:22, 13 April 2013 (CDT) (/facepalm ...well, good to know earlier rather than later - thanks for the heads-up [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 08:37, 13 April 2013 (CDT))

==HakoMari items to discuss w/EEE over IRC==

== HakoMari synopsis: random notes to self ==

http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=3161&p=69753&hilit=drum#p69753
http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Utsuro_no_Hako_to_Zero_no_Maria&diff=99099&oldid=95425

Keep "I'll break you"
==Generic footnotes==
<nowiki><ref>If you’re reading this light novel, chances are that you don’t need this note. On the other hand, you may find the diversity of commentary on the subject interesting, especially as you scroll further down. See http://ask.metafilter.com/161835/First-names-in-Japanese-honorifics</ref></nowiki>
"The awkwardness in Japanese Anime/Manga is because it indicates a dramatic shift in personal intimacy/comfort. It's equivalent to getting a long warm hug from someone you just met. Generally used as a literary device to get two characters close to each other without tons and tons of expository time."

== Notes to self re: trivial edit tracking, Utsuro no Hako Illustrations & Illustration summary pages ==

Complete: Utsuro no Hako V1
:illustration summary
:individual illustrations

Utsuro no Hako V2
:Complete/trivial: illustration summary
:Todo:
*April 7th- Announcement (1.Needs to be sync'd, in part, w/ending phrase of V1. 2.Need to grab EEE/downtime re: the current desription of Maria as a "firm beauty" ....)
*April 23rd - Classroom
*May 1st - Confession

V3

V4

V5:
:illustration summary
:individual illustrations - Untranslated

==tsukumodo==
yo) about the changing of the order of editing Tsukumodo chapters, as you so kindly proposed - both you and ss were going at the last chapter of vol. 1 pretty hard. if you're not finished with it yet, can i humbly request you to do that chapter first? i thought about it and things seemed to coincide a bit: you're doing it anyway with ss and i just felt like i needed to tl the best chapter in the volume next after the first chapter (i need some motivation to keep going as tsukumodo isn't all that fun really). and by the time i finish said last chapter you will have probably edited the whole volume , so after that the order isn't a problem. sorry i didn't think of this sooner... PS. god, i love "future in the past" (tense)--[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] 03:45, 29 July 2012 (CDT)

hey! no worries, totally not a prob. (Just a heads up - I'll probably crap out at some point and get busy w/other stuff this week, so don't be so sure that I'll have gotten thru the volume by the time you TL it... :P) [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] 10:43, 29 July 2012 (CDT)

oh, hey. thanks for the update. but really, no need apologize. plus, i've been lazy myself (i have still have half of 'coincedence' to go) + i tl'd a chapter Boku wa tomodachi ga sukunai and have things to be busy with other than tsukumodo, mainly proofreading + my new job is pretty much hell in terms of work shifts. so all in all, i have no problem waiting. --[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] ([[User talk:Idiffer|talk]]) 22:51, 14 August 2012 (CDT)

Cool - well, not so much the work shifts being hell part...but glad I haven't been holding you up/you've been otherwise occupied. About to send you a PM [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 00:02, 15 August 2012 (CDT)

'''Reminder to self: do "coincidence" then "present" ''' Also, at some pt, make sure the prologues and other word-for-word copies of "what is a relic" in the various chapters are all consistent... [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 16:13, 24 August 2012 (CDT)

==HakoMari==

Thanks for all the help w/HakoMari. Fyi:
# EEE and I both encourage you to edit aggressively...very aggressively :)
# Inline comments are usually a lot easier to handle than discussion page comments, unless there's some broad meta-issue at stake
# V1, V5, and V6 are basically edited. V2 is still very much in progress. V3 and V4...need a lot of work.
# The dominant tense should be present, not past. (That being said, there are lots of exceptions, such as narrative flashbacks, etc etc.) This is basically complete for V1, V5, and V6, partially complete for V2, and again, almost completely unimplemented for V3 and V4.
# Welcome, and ... um ... happy editing?
[[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr|talk]]) 00:58, 16 July 2013 (CDT)

== Yo. ==

Wanted to direct your attention to an argument I'm putting forth here: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Talk:Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1_Prologue

Speaking of style, I see you're getting away from the "formal/academic/calcified writing style" - I think that's a really nice thing to do. It's one of my primary hobbies to look at different interesting writing styles, for example from Orwell and Russell (considerably different choice of vocabulary, tendency for longer, more complex sentences; "styled like a dusty BBC radio broadcast") to a translation of The Brothers Karamazov (short, clipped sentences delivered in a very matter-of-fact tone) to a recent nonfiction book on psychology for the masses (informal; American spoken vernacular), and so forth. Having to write for academia is pretty suffocating, so I hope you have fun with that 'getting away.'

== APOLOGY ==

Well, I just checked the edit logs and realised I've done silly mistakes and you had to clear it in my stead. I just wanted to apologise for that; I'll make sure I double-check before submitting my edits to make sure it doesn't have mistakes like that in the future.

--BitterSugar

User talk:BitterSugar

2014-02-24T00:50:55Z

Grrarr:

I actually have no idea of the purpose of this page :v

It's mainly for other users to get in touch with you, leave you a message.--[[User:Kadi|Kadi]] ([[User talk:Kadi|talk]]) 13:02, 21 February 2014 (CST)

Hey! Welcome, and thanks for editing HakoMari. The sole translator of HakoMari is generally fairly liberal wrt editing policies (relative to other projects hosted on B-T). as long as you're not messing things up. This is particularly true if you're working on the less-edited volumes, like 3 and 4 (vs. the basically fully edited ones, like 1 and 6). We'll let you know if you're going too far, but you don't need to worry about annotating small changes that make tenses consistent, for instance. [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr|talk]]) 15:18, 21 February 2014 (CST)

No need for apologies - my bandwidth for editing is not nearly broad enough - you're on net improving far more than hurting :), and that tense change is one painful huge task. Please continue to go at it with vigor. [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr|talk]]) 18:50, 23 February 2014 (CST)

User talk:Grrarr

2014-02-21T22:09:59Z

Grrarr: /* Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 3 */

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 1==
<pre>
98 Novel Illustrations. (needs EEE or someone else w/correct images + ability to edit)
ok File:UtsuroNoHako_003.jpg: ...let sleeping dogs lie (Aya text: (this technically should be updated...but the absolute limits have been hit. Maybe after V7 has been TL'd, and every single other volume has been completely edited and polished to perfection...)
XX Prologue
100 1st time
100 23rd time
100 1,050th time
XX 13,118th time
XX(pend one tiny EEE confirm) 10,876th time
100 8,946th time
XX 2,601st time
XX 2,602nd time
100 4,609th time
100 5,232nd time
XX 27,753rd time
XX Interlude
XX 27,753rd time
XX 27,754th time
XX 3,087th time
XX 27,754th time
XX 0th time
XX 27,755th time
XX 27,755th time
XX 27,755th time
100 27,755th time
9X 0th time
100 5,000th time
100 6,000th time
100 7,000th time
100 8,000th time
100 9,000th time
XX 9,999th time
XX 10,000th time
XX 27,755th time
XX(a bit stiff in a few places) 27,756th time
XX 1st time
XX Epilogue
XX Author’s Notes
</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 2==
<pre>ok Novel illustrations
okish Prologue
ok April 29 (Wednesday) Shōwa Day
1X April 30 (Thursday)
1X May 1 (Friday)
1X May 2 (Saturday)
1X May 3 (Sunday) Constitution Memorial Day
1X May 4 (Monday) Greenery Day
00 May 5 (Tuesday) Children's Day
20 May 18 (Monday)
00 Author's Notes
</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 3==
V3
<pre>
ok Novel illustrations
okish Prologue
02 Beginning
02 Round 1
00 Round 2
00 Round 3
00 Epilogue
00 Author's Notes

</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Punctuation & Style Rules==
VERY preliminary:
'''Open Issues'''
*Issue 01: Volume 1 frequently uses --- in place of —; in a few instances, I've seen -- and ----, so any naive Ctrl-F / Find-Replace regex / etc should first check for -- and ---- before ---.
*Issue 02: Umaibô=>Umaibō & Umaibo=>Umaibō & Umaibous=>Umaibōs... Completed for:
::Project Landing Page
::Illustrations for V1, V3, V4
::V1
::V2
::V3
::V4
::V5
::V6
:NEEDS TO BE FIXED for text within V1 illustration file: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=File:UtsuroNoHako_003.jpg
:: Taken note of. Btw. not that I want to change it, but just pointing out the problem that we now have two types of romanization. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 02:22, 13 April 2013 (CDT)
*Issue 03: capital letter after "..."? After colons? (Trivial, but would help to generalize)
*Issue 04: em-dash, en-dash? Spaces in between?
'''Closed Issues''' (until V7 comes out, at least):
*Issue 01: Kazuki's sister's name: Ruu-chan=>Luu-chan & Ruka=>Luka. Completed for V1-V6
*Issue 02: Spaces between sentences: Parts of volume 2 (and others) have two spaces between sentences instead of a single space - I'm pretty tempted to do a straight Ctrl-F and hope for the best (or else a regex for two, but not three spaces -> a single space)
** Fwiw, two spaces are stripped to one in MediaWiki, so it's not that urgent an issue. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 02:22, 13 April 2013 (CDT) (/facepalm ...well, good to know earlier rather than later - thanks for the heads-up [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 08:37, 13 April 2013 (CDT))

==HakoMari items to discuss w/EEE over IRC==

== HakoMari synopsis: random notes to self ==

http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=3161&p=69753&hilit=drum#p69753
http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Utsuro_no_Hako_to_Zero_no_Maria&diff=99099&oldid=95425

Keep "I'll break you"
==Generic footnotes==
<nowiki><ref>If you’re reading this light novel, chances are that you don’t need this note. On the other hand, you may find the diversity of commentary on the subject interesting, especially as you scroll further down. See http://ask.metafilter.com/161835/First-names-in-Japanese-honorifics</ref></nowiki>
"The awkwardness in Japanese Anime/Manga is because it indicates a dramatic shift in personal intimacy/comfort. It's equivalent to getting a long warm hug from someone you just met. Generally used as a literary device to get two characters close to each other without tons and tons of expository time."

== Notes to self re: trivial edit tracking, Utsuro no Hako Illustrations & Illustration summary pages ==

Complete: Utsuro no Hako V1
:illustration summary
:individual illustrations

Utsuro no Hako V2
:Complete/trivial: illustration summary
:Todo:
*April 7th- Announcement (1.Needs to be sync'd, in part, w/ending phrase of V1. 2.Need to grab EEE/downtime re: the current desription of Maria as a "firm beauty" ....)
*April 23rd - Classroom
*May 1st - Confession

V3

V4

V5:
:illustration summary
:individual illustrations - Untranslated

==tsukumodo==
yo) about the changing of the order of editing Tsukumodo chapters, as you so kindly proposed - both you and ss were going at the last chapter of vol. 1 pretty hard. if you're not finished with it yet, can i humbly request you to do that chapter first? i thought about it and things seemed to coincide a bit: you're doing it anyway with ss and i just felt like i needed to tl the best chapter in the volume next after the first chapter (i need some motivation to keep going as tsukumodo isn't all that fun really). and by the time i finish said last chapter you will have probably edited the whole volume , so after that the order isn't a problem. sorry i didn't think of this sooner... PS. god, i love "future in the past" (tense)--[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] 03:45, 29 July 2012 (CDT)

hey! no worries, totally not a prob. (Just a heads up - I'll probably crap out at some point and get busy w/other stuff this week, so don't be so sure that I'll have gotten thru the volume by the time you TL it... :P) [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] 10:43, 29 July 2012 (CDT)

oh, hey. thanks for the update. but really, no need apologize. plus, i've been lazy myself (i have still have half of 'coincedence' to go) + i tl'd a chapter Boku wa tomodachi ga sukunai and have things to be busy with other than tsukumodo, mainly proofreading + my new job is pretty much hell in terms of work shifts. so all in all, i have no problem waiting. --[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] ([[User talk:Idiffer|talk]]) 22:51, 14 August 2012 (CDT)

Cool - well, not so much the work shifts being hell part...but glad I haven't been holding you up/you've been otherwise occupied. About to send you a PM [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 00:02, 15 August 2012 (CDT)

'''Reminder to self: do "coincidence" then "present" ''' Also, at some pt, make sure the prologues and other word-for-word copies of "what is a relic" in the various chapters are all consistent... [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 16:13, 24 August 2012 (CDT)

==HakoMari==

Thanks for all the help w/HakoMari. Fyi:
# EEE and I both encourage you to edit aggressively...very aggressively :)
# Inline comments are usually a lot easier to handle than discussion page comments, unless there's some broad meta-issue at stake
# V1, V5, and V6 are basically edited. V2 is still very much in progress. V3 and V4...need a lot of work.
# The dominant tense should be present, not past. (That being said, there are lots of exceptions, such as narrative flashbacks, etc etc.) This is basically complete for V1, V5, and V6, partially complete for V2, and again, almost completely unimplemented for V3 and V4.
# Welcome, and ... um ... happy editing?
[[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr|talk]]) 00:58, 16 July 2013 (CDT)

== Yo. ==

Wanted to direct your attention to an argument I'm putting forth here: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Talk:Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1_Prologue

Speaking of style, I see you're getting away from the "formal/academic/calcified writing style" - I think that's a really nice thing to do. It's one of my primary hobbies to look at different interesting writing styles, for example from Orwell and Russell (considerably different choice of vocabulary, tendency for longer, more complex sentences; "styled like a dusty BBC radio broadcast") to a translation of The Brothers Karamazov (short, clipped sentences delivered in a very matter-of-fact tone) to a recent nonfiction book on psychology for the masses (informal; American spoken vernacular), and so forth. Having to write for academia is pretty suffocating, so I hope you have fun with that 'getting away.'

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria

2014-02-21T21:34:18Z

Grrarr: /* Todos */

The ''Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria'' series is also available in the following languages:
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria ~ (Spanish)|Español (Spanish)]]
*[[Hakomari (Indonesia)|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria tiếng Việt|Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria (German)|Deutsch (German)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria - Français|Français (French)]]

(Note: Translation progress varies for each version.)
----
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako6_1.jpg|thumb|Volume 6 Cover|250px]]

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria (空ろの箱と零のマリア, The Empty Box and The Zeroth Maria) is a light novel series written by Eiji Mikage and illustrated by Tetsuo (formerly known as 415). While Utsuro no Hako, often abbreviated as ''Hakomari,'' is Eiji's fourth publication, it is the first to feature illustrations. A teaser for one of his earlier works can be [[Kamisu Reina Series|viewed here]].

==Story Synopsis==


''Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria,'' or ''The Empty Box and The Zeroth Maria,'' tells the story of Kazuki Hoshino, who is almost madly attached to his everyday life, and his antagonist Aya Otonashi, who suddenly transfers into his class at the end of the school year—for no less than the 13,118th time. Without hesitation, she announces her intent to “break” him. Kazuki's struggle to defend his everyday life begins, and the many secrets it is built on start to come to light.

==Character Introductions==
<div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Kazuki Hoshino
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Kazuki.jpg|left|link=]]
A completely ordinary high school student who loves idle chatter with his friends and Umaibōs, a Japanese snack. One day, he somehow suddenly antagonizes Aya Otonashi — even though he has never met her before. She threatens to “break” him.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Aya Otonashi
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Aya.jpg|left|link=]]
An antisocial beauty  with a resolute personality. She transfers into Kazuki’s class on March 2nd — right before the end of the school year. Immediately upon her arrival, she announces her intent to “break” Kazuki.
</div>
 
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Daiya Oomine
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Daiya.jpg|left|link=]]
A self-centered and arrogant student who dyes his hair silver and wears three piercings in his right ear. He is also the class president and a shrewd friend of Kazuki’s.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Haruaki Usui
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Haruaki.jpg|left|link=]]
A cheerful but frivolous baseball ace. He often hangs out with Kazuki and Daiya.
</div>
 
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Kokone Kirino
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Kokone.jpg|left|link=]]
A bright and beautiful girl who cares a lot for her friends, but can sometimes be meddlesome. She and Daiya have known each other since childhood, and their mutual verbal abuse has become legendary among their classmates ever since.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Kasumi Mogi
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Kasumi.jpg|left|link=]]
The girl who has won Kazuki’s heart. She is docile, silent and expressionless.

</div>
 
</div>

== Translation ==
===[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Registration Page|Registration]]===
Translators are asked to [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on (see the [[Format_guideline#Translators|Guideline]] page for usage rules).

=== Format Standards ===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the agreed points highlighted in the guidelines below '''
* [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Guidelines|Project Guidelines]]
* [[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]

== Updates ==
*19th February 2013 - Volume 6 completed
*26th August 2012 - Volume 5 completed
*31th July 2012 - Volume 5 "Before the Show Begins" completed
*21th July 2012 - Volume 5 Prologue completed
*19th April 2012 - Diamond Days completed
*2nd August 2010 - Volume 4 completed
*25th July 2010 - Volume 4 Chapter 1 completed
*2nd July 2010 - Volume 4 Game Explanation and Prologue completed

Older Updates can be found on the [[Utsuro no Hako:Updates|Utsuro no Hako updates page]]

==''Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria '' by Eiji Mikage==
'''You can find the EPUB and MOBI version of the Volumes in the forums [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=5426 HERE].
===Volume 1 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?oi86ba1xc7gclxh (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari1_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 1st time|1st time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 23rd time|23rd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 1050th time|1,050th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 13118th time|13,118th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 10876th time|10,876th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 8946th time|8,946th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 2601st time|2,601st time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 2602nd time|2,602nd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 4609th time|4,609th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 5232nd time|5,232nd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27753rd time|27,753rd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 Interlude|Interlude]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27753rd time (2)|27,753rd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27754th time|27,754th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 3087th time|3,087th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27754th time (2)|27,754th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 0th time|0th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (2)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (3)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (4)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 0th time (2)|0th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 5000th time|5,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 6000th time|6,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 7000th time|7,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 8000th time|8,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 9000th time|9,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 9999th time|9,999th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 10000th time|10,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (5)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27756th time|27,756th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 1st time (2)|1st time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1_Author's_Notes|Author’s Notes]]

===Volume 2 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?e47bnq3m9gzkyqg (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari2_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 April 29|April 29 (Wednesday) Shōwa Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 April 30|April 30 (Thursday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 1|May 1 (Friday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 2|May 2 (Saturday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 3|May 3 (Sunday) Constitution Memorial Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 4|May 4 (Monday) Greenery Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 5|May 5 (Tuesday) Children's Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 18|May 18 (Monday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]


===Volume 3 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?2ga9sj849tpd51c (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari3_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume3 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Beginning|Beginning]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Round 1|Round 1]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Round 2|Round 2]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Round 3|Round 3]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]

===Volume 4 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?wqua7old6odmu2g (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari4_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume4 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Game Explanation|Game Explanation]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]


===Volume 5 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?ow5jiojti646nws (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari5_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume5 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Before the Show Begins|Before the Show Begins]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Scene 1|Scene 1: Close-Up Goodbye]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Scene 2|Scene 2: 60 Feet and 6 Inches Apart]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Scene 3|Scene 3: Repeat, Reset, Reset]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]

===Volume 6 ([[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/?f19mqpsx8qopcl8 PDF])===
[[Image:Hakomari6_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume6 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Intermission|Intermission]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (1)|Scene 4: Piercing at Fifteen (1/3)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (2)|Scene 4: Piercing at Fifteen (2/3)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (3)|Scene 4: Piercing at Fifteen (3/3)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 After the Curtain Falls|After the Curtain Falls]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]

===Dengeki Smile Bunko===
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Diamond Days|Diamond Days]]

===Miscellaneous===
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Interview|Interview with Eiji Mikage (April, 2013)]]

==Project Staff==

*Project Administrator: None
*Project Supervisor: [[user:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]]

===Translator===
:*[[user:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]]

===Editors===
:*[[user:Kadi|Kadi]]
:*[[user:Grrarr|Grrarr]]

==Todos==

{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|start}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 1|100%|Update text on that one picture... someday... maybe}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 2|35%|WIP
( EEE - Edited up to May 1st ) (Grrarr - [[User_talk:Grrarr#Utsuro_no_Hako_Edit_Tracking.2C_Volume_2|Volume 2 progress, detailed]])}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 3|0|Incorrect tense. (Grrarr - [[User_talk:Grrarr#Utsuro_no_Hako_Edit_Tracking.2C_Volume_3|Volume 3 (non)progress, detailed]])}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 4|10%|}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 5|90%|May require changes re: punctuation}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 6|90%|May require changes re: punctuation}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 1 scans|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 2 scans|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 3 scans|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 4 scans|90%|(90% done)}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 5 scans|90%|editing is done, except for exec decision needed on File:UtsuroNoHako5 6.jpg }}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 6 scans|30%|editing + typesetting}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Define punctuation & style rules|100%| [[Utsuro no Hako:Guidelines|Project Guidelines]]}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|TL notes for Volume 2 need to be FIXED}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|TL notes for Volume 4 should eventually be switched over into /reference form (like V1)|100%|Done}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Apply punctuation & style rules}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 7}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Optimize for Android app|0|Minor/low-priority task: the B/W-pictures may need some tweaks because they don't use the ''thumb'' class, hence are big.}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate and (finish) editing [http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000/627/627419/ Mikage interview]|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Keep volume 1 PDF up to date|100%|Up-to-date}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Keep volume 2 PDF up to date|0%|Outdated}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Keep volume 3 PDF up to date|80%|Pictures outdated & minor changes}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Keep volume 4 PDF up to date|80%|Pictures outdated & minor changes}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Keep volume 5 PDF up to date|90%|Pictures outdated & minor changes}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Keep volume 6 PDF up to date|90%|Pictures outdated & minor changes}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|end}}

==Purchasing the books==
* [http://honto.jp/netstore/search_10%E7%A9%BA%E3%82%8D%E3%81%AE%E7%AE%B1%E3%81%A8%E9%9B%B6%E3%81%AE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2.html honto.jp] ([http://www.google.ch/#q=how+to+buy+from+honto.jp how to buy from honto.jp])
* [http://www.amazon.co.jp/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_4?field-keywords=%E7%A9%BA%E3%82%8D%E3%81%AE%E7%AE%B1%E3%81%A8%E9%9B%B6%E3%81%AE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2 Amazon.co.jp]
* [http://www.yesasia.com/global/search/utsuro-no-hako/0-0-0-bpt.48_q.Utsuro+no+Hako-en/list.html YesAsia] (no shipping fees after ~$40)

== Links ==
* [http://hakomari.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page Wikia]
* [http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%A9%BA%E3%82%8D%E3%81%AE%E7%AE%B1%E3%81%A8%E9%9B%B6%E3%81%AE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2 Wikipedia]
* [http://myanimelist.net/manga.php?id=55215 MyAnimeList]

== Series Overview ==

* Volume 1 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア1 (January 07, 2009, ISBN 978-4-04-867461-4)
* Volume 2 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア2 (September 10, 2009, ISBN 978-4-04-868012-7)
* Volume 3 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア3 (January 10, 2010, ISBN 978-4-04-424115-5)
* Volume 4 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア4 (June 10, 2010, ISBN 978-4-04-868595-5)
* Volume 5 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア5 (July 10, 2012, ISBN 978-4-04-886733-7)
* Volume 6 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア6 (January 10, 2013, ISBN 978-4-04-891251-8)

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Genre - Psychological]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Mikage Eiji]]

User talk:Grrarr

2014-02-21T21:31:24Z

Grrarr: /* Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 3 */

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 1==
<pre>
98 Novel Illustrations. (needs EEE or someone else w/correct images + ability to edit)
ok File:UtsuroNoHako_003.jpg: ...let sleeping dogs lie (Aya text: (this technically should be updated...but the absolute limits have been hit. Maybe after V7 has been TL'd, and every single other volume has been completely edited and polished to perfection...)
XX Prologue
100 1st time
100 23rd time
100 1,050th time
XX 13,118th time
XX(pend one tiny EEE confirm) 10,876th time
100 8,946th time
XX 2,601st time
XX 2,602nd time
100 4,609th time
100 5,232nd time
XX 27,753rd time
XX Interlude
XX 27,753rd time
XX 27,754th time
XX 3,087th time
XX 27,754th time
XX 0th time
XX 27,755th time
XX 27,755th time
XX 27,755th time
100 27,755th time
9X 0th time
100 5,000th time
100 6,000th time
100 7,000th time
100 8,000th time
100 9,000th time
XX 9,999th time
XX 10,000th time
XX 27,755th time
XX(a bit stiff in a few places) 27,756th time
XX 1st time
XX Epilogue
XX Author’s Notes
</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 2==
<pre>ok Novel illustrations
okish Prologue
ok April 29 (Wednesday) Shōwa Day
1X April 30 (Thursday)
1X May 1 (Friday)
1X May 2 (Saturday)
1X May 3 (Sunday) Constitution Memorial Day
1X May 4 (Monday) Greenery Day
00 May 5 (Tuesday) Children's Day
20 May 18 (Monday)
00 Author's Notes
</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 3==
V3
<pre>
ok Novel illustrations
05 Prologue
02 Beginning
02 Round 1
00 Round 2
00 Round 3
00 Epilogue
00 Author's Notes

</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Punctuation & Style Rules==
VERY preliminary:
'''Open Issues'''
*Issue 01: Volume 1 frequently uses --- in place of —; in a few instances, I've seen -- and ----, so any naive Ctrl-F / Find-Replace regex / etc should first check for -- and ---- before ---.
*Issue 02: Umaibô=>Umaibō & Umaibo=>Umaibō & Umaibous=>Umaibōs... Completed for:
::Project Landing Page
::Illustrations for V1, V3, V4
::V1
::V2
::V3
::V4
::V5
::V6
:NEEDS TO BE FIXED for text within V1 illustration file: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=File:UtsuroNoHako_003.jpg
:: Taken note of. Btw. not that I want to change it, but just pointing out the problem that we now have two types of romanization. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 02:22, 13 April 2013 (CDT)
*Issue 03: capital letter after "..."? After colons? (Trivial, but would help to generalize)
*Issue 04: em-dash, en-dash? Spaces in between?
'''Closed Issues''' (until V7 comes out, at least):
*Issue 01: Kazuki's sister's name: Ruu-chan=>Luu-chan & Ruka=>Luka. Completed for V1-V6
*Issue 02: Spaces between sentences: Parts of volume 2 (and others) have two spaces between sentences instead of a single space - I'm pretty tempted to do a straight Ctrl-F and hope for the best (or else a regex for two, but not three spaces -> a single space)
** Fwiw, two spaces are stripped to one in MediaWiki, so it's not that urgent an issue. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 02:22, 13 April 2013 (CDT) (/facepalm ...well, good to know earlier rather than later - thanks for the heads-up [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 08:37, 13 April 2013 (CDT))

==HakoMari items to discuss w/EEE over IRC==

== HakoMari synopsis: random notes to self ==

http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=3161&p=69753&hilit=drum#p69753
http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Utsuro_no_Hako_to_Zero_no_Maria&diff=99099&oldid=95425

Keep "I'll break you"
==Generic footnotes==
<nowiki><ref>If you’re reading this light novel, chances are that you don’t need this note. On the other hand, you may find the diversity of commentary on the subject interesting, especially as you scroll further down. See http://ask.metafilter.com/161835/First-names-in-Japanese-honorifics</ref></nowiki>
"The awkwardness in Japanese Anime/Manga is because it indicates a dramatic shift in personal intimacy/comfort. It's equivalent to getting a long warm hug from someone you just met. Generally used as a literary device to get two characters close to each other without tons and tons of expository time."

== Notes to self re: trivial edit tracking, Utsuro no Hako Illustrations & Illustration summary pages ==

Complete: Utsuro no Hako V1
:illustration summary
:individual illustrations

Utsuro no Hako V2
:Complete/trivial: illustration summary
:Todo:
*April 7th- Announcement (1.Needs to be sync'd, in part, w/ending phrase of V1. 2.Need to grab EEE/downtime re: the current desription of Maria as a "firm beauty" ....)
*April 23rd - Classroom
*May 1st - Confession

V3

V4

V5:
:illustration summary
:individual illustrations - Untranslated

==tsukumodo==
yo) about the changing of the order of editing Tsukumodo chapters, as you so kindly proposed - both you and ss were going at the last chapter of vol. 1 pretty hard. if you're not finished with it yet, can i humbly request you to do that chapter first? i thought about it and things seemed to coincide a bit: you're doing it anyway with ss and i just felt like i needed to tl the best chapter in the volume next after the first chapter (i need some motivation to keep going as tsukumodo isn't all that fun really). and by the time i finish said last chapter you will have probably edited the whole volume , so after that the order isn't a problem. sorry i didn't think of this sooner... PS. god, i love "future in the past" (tense)--[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] 03:45, 29 July 2012 (CDT)

hey! no worries, totally not a prob. (Just a heads up - I'll probably crap out at some point and get busy w/other stuff this week, so don't be so sure that I'll have gotten thru the volume by the time you TL it... :P) [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] 10:43, 29 July 2012 (CDT)

oh, hey. thanks for the update. but really, no need apologize. plus, i've been lazy myself (i have still have half of 'coincedence' to go) + i tl'd a chapter Boku wa tomodachi ga sukunai and have things to be busy with other than tsukumodo, mainly proofreading + my new job is pretty much hell in terms of work shifts. so all in all, i have no problem waiting. --[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] ([[User talk:Idiffer|talk]]) 22:51, 14 August 2012 (CDT)

Cool - well, not so much the work shifts being hell part...but glad I haven't been holding you up/you've been otherwise occupied. About to send you a PM [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 00:02, 15 August 2012 (CDT)

'''Reminder to self: do "coincidence" then "present" ''' Also, at some pt, make sure the prologues and other word-for-word copies of "what is a relic" in the various chapters are all consistent... [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 16:13, 24 August 2012 (CDT)

==HakoMari==

Thanks for all the help w/HakoMari. Fyi:
# EEE and I both encourage you to edit aggressively...very aggressively :)
# Inline comments are usually a lot easier to handle than discussion page comments, unless there's some broad meta-issue at stake
# V1, V5, and V6 are basically edited. V2 is still very much in progress. V3 and V4...need a lot of work.
# The dominant tense should be present, not past. (That being said, there are lots of exceptions, such as narrative flashbacks, etc etc.) This is basically complete for V1, V5, and V6, partially complete for V2, and again, almost completely unimplemented for V3 and V4.
# Welcome, and ... um ... happy editing?
[[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr|talk]]) 00:58, 16 July 2013 (CDT)

== Yo. ==

Wanted to direct your attention to an argument I'm putting forth here: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Talk:Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1_Prologue

Speaking of style, I see you're getting away from the "formal/academic/calcified writing style" - I think that's a really nice thing to do. It's one of my primary hobbies to look at different interesting writing styles, for example from Orwell and Russell (considerably different choice of vocabulary, tendency for longer, more complex sentences; "styled like a dusty BBC radio broadcast") to a translation of The Brothers Karamazov (short, clipped sentences delivered in a very matter-of-fact tone) to a recent nonfiction book on psychology for the masses (informal; American spoken vernacular), and so forth. Having to write for academia is pretty suffocating, so I hope you have fun with that 'getting away.'

User talk:BitterSugar

2014-02-21T21:18:03Z

Grrarr:

Talk:Utsuro no Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (1)

2013-10-29T12:54:35Z

Grrarr:

It says junior high here. As I understand it, that's years 7-9. We previously said 'middle school' so I think for the sake of consistency we should choose one name, 'junior high'. [[User:MatrixM|MatrixM]] ([[User talk:MatrixM|talk]]) 02:41, 17 July 2013 (CDT)
:: Good catch. Though some new issues are raised... (balance between localization and EEE intent). per wikipedia: "In education systems where children receive three levels of schooling, a middle school is a school which educates them after they have finished their first school and before they commence the last. Middle schools generally cover between the fourth or fifth year of schooling up to the eighth or ninth year, although this may vary. The education delivered by middle schools is usually considered a part of secondary education, but in some education systems may be primary education or a mix of the two.

In some areas, junior high school fulfills the same function as a middle school."

So if EEE TL'd this instance as junior high school _specifically_ because it referred to a more precise/older demo...I'd leave it. Otherwise, change is probably right.

Fwiw, middle school may have a literal definition as whatever comes between segments one and three of pre-college in a given country (and thus could be, depending on country, 4/5-8/9 - and 7-9 for japan), it also has a localized (US EN) connotation of being "younger" than junior high.

Mild support for this interp in text: this passage is very far along/they're actually dating. Many earlier instances were clearly demonstrative of much greater youthfulness. OK - waaay too much random detail on my part at 5AM

Also see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Japan#Junior_high_school
[[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr|talk]]) 04:03, 17 July 2013 (CDT)
: Also, a hi-fi system is some type of speaker? [[User:MatrixM|MatrixM]] ([[User talk:MatrixM|talk]]) 02:46, 17 July 2013 (CDT)
:: speaker + rest of audio system, usually. [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr|talk]]) 04:03, 17 July 2013 (CDT)
:: I'd recommend that we replace it with something more universal (no one says hi-fi in Australia, it seems to be a new British word) but I can't think fo anything that wouldn't interrupt the flow >.> [[User:MatrixM|MatrixM]] ([[User talk:MatrixM|talk]]) 05:56, 29 October 2013 (CDT)
::: Good pt - "sound system" seems more universal, even if possibly more broad (and has 2 impt +: hi USian recognition factor, and rel easy to figure out from context even if one isn't familiar with the idiom).[[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr|talk]]) 07:54, 29 October 2013 (CDT)

Utsuro no Hako:Guidelines

2013-09-18T22:27:55Z

Grrarr: /* Punctuation & Style Rules */

== Formatting Rules ==

Update:

We have changed the primary narration tense to present tense. For a more detailed (though still incomplete) explanation, see the baka-tsuki forum thread, post #164 (page 11).

Currently, the following rules apply:

# Narration and thoughts are written in present tense.
# …Except for obvious exceptions such as flashbacks and the like. Let common sense be your guide.
# There is no longer any need to distinguish ''Direct thoughts'' from regular narration. If you don't know what ''Direct thoughts'' are, don't worry about it.



== Punctuation & Style Rules ==
* Em-dashes (—) without spaces should be used for separating thoughts and marking unfinished thoughts.
* Instances for which no rules have been defined are to be dealt with appropriately by using normal quotes, italics or no special treatment at all.
* Box names are capitalized, but are no longer to be placed in quotes.
* Special words are handled as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
! Original
! Literally
! Actually
! Volume(s)
|-
| ”願い” / ”箱” / ”所有者”
| 'wish' / 'box' / 'owner'
| wish / box / owner -- only the first occurrence in every chapter is to be italicized, except when required for distinguishing between generic and non-generic usage.
| All
|-
| ”O”
| 'O'
| O
| All
|-
| 『Name』
| 'Name'
| "Name" / ''Name'' / Name (depending on situation)
| All
|-
| 【僕自身】
| [myself]
| 'myself'
| V2
|-
| 【王】
| [King], [assassinated]
| King, assassinated
| V3&V4
|-
|
|}

== General Terms ==

{|border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse; text-align:center;"
! Japanese
! Rōmaji
! English
! Comment
|-
| “箱“
| "Hako"
| 'Box'
| -
|-
| 拒絶する教室
| Kyozetsu suru Kyoushitsu
| Rejecting Classroom
| Name of the first volume's Box
|-
| 泥の中の一週間
| Doro no Naka no Isshuukan
| Sevennight in Mud
| Name of the second volume's Box
|-
| 怠惰なる遊戯
| Taida naru Yuugi
| Game of Idleness
| Name of the third volume's Box
|-
| 出来損ないの幸福
| Dekisokonai no Koufuku
| Flawed Bliss
| Maria's Box
|-
| 王降ろしの国
| Ouoroshi no Kuni
| Kingdom Royale
| Game found in the third and fourth volumes. Alternative: King of the Land, Land of the King's Overthrow
|-
| 罪と罰と罪の影
| Tsumi to Batsu to Tsumi no Kage
| Shadow of Sin and Punishment
| Box that first appears in the fifth volume
|-
| 願い潰しの銀幕
| Negaitsubushi no Ginmaku
| Wish-Crushing Cinema
| Box that first appears in the fifth volume
|-
|}

===Types of 'Boxes'===
'Boxes' can either be ''internal'' or ''external''. Volumes 1-5 are to be updated accordingly.

===Kingdom Royale Classes===
{|border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse; text-align:center;"
! Japanese
! English
! Comment
|-
| 王
| <code>King</code>
| -
|-
| 王子
| <code>Prince</code>
| -
|-
| 影武者
| <code>Double</code>
| Alternatives: Look-alike, Decoy
|-
| 魔法使い
| <code>Sorcerer</code>
| -
|-
| 騎士
| <code>Knight</code>
| -
|-
| 革命家
| <code>Revolutionary</code>
| -
|}

== Character Names ==

音無彩矢 = Aya Otonashi

音無麻理亜 = Maria Otonashi

星野一輝 = Kazuki Hoshino

桐野心音 = Kokone Kirino

大嶺醍哉 = Daiya Oomine

臼井陽明 = Haruaki Usui

茂木霞 = Kasumi Mogi

浅海莉子 = Riko Asami

宮崎龍 = Ryuu Miyazaki

柳悠里 = Yuuri Yanagi

新藤色葉 = Iroha Shindou

神内昂大 = Koudai Kamiuchi

O = O (not "Zero")

Kamisu Reina Series

2013-09-13T07:19:07Z

Grrarr:

[[Image:Kamisu_Reina_1.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 01 cover.]]

The '''Kamisu Reina Series''' is a light novel series by Eiji Mikage. The series consists of two volumes titled "Kamisu Reina wa Koko ni Iru" (Kamisu Reina Is Here) and "Kamisu Reina wa Koko ni Chiru" (Kamisu Reina Disperses Here).

Please note that there is no comedy in this story, so it might not be your cup of tea if you are a fan of lighter stories.

==Story Synopsis==
She is ''my'' best friend – we hardly see each other, but she always tags along when I go home.

She is ''my'' hateful nemesis – she slaughtered my family and she's going to pay for it.

She is ''my'' fellow partner – together, we save the world from humanoid energies.

She is ''my''...

What do she and her ''absurdly'' beautiful smile mean to ''you''?

==Updates==
*August 26th, 2013 - Chapter 2 finished
*April 7, 2013 - Teaser page created

==The ''Kamisu Reina'' series by Eiji Mikage==

===Volume 1: Kamisu Reina Is Here===
*[[Kamisu Reina:Volume 1 Fumi Saito|Chapter 1: Fumi Saito]]
*[[Kamisu Reina:Volume 1 Atsushi Kogure|Chapter 2: Atsushi Kogure]]
*[[Kamisu Reina:Volume 1 Shizuka Wakui|Chapter 3: Shizuka Wakui]]
*[[Kamisu Reina:Volume 1 Kazuaki Toyoshina|Chapter 4: Kazuaki Toyoshina]]
*[[Kamisu Reina:Volume 1 Afterword|Afterword]]

== Project Staff ==
=== Translator ===
* [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]]
== Publishing History ==
* ''Kamisu Reina wa Koko ni Iru'' ISBN 4-8402-3238-5, December 2005
* ''Kamisu Reina wa Koko ni Chiru'' ISBN 4-8402-3267-9, January 2006

[[Category:Teasers]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]

Utsuro no Hako:Guidelines

2013-09-09T22:09:53Z

Grrarr:

== Formatting Rules ==

Update:

We have changed the primary narration tense to present tense. For a more detailed (though still incomplete) explanation, see the baka-tsuki forum thread, post #164 (page 11).

Currently, the following rules apply:

# Narration and thoughts are written in present tense.
# …Except for obvious exceptions such as flashbacks and the like. Let common sense be your guide.
# There is no longer any need to distinguish ''Direct thoughts'' from regular narration. If you don't know what ''Direct thoughts'' are, don't worry about it.



== Punctuation & Style Rules (WIP) ==
* Em-dashes (—) without spaces should be used for separating thoughts and marking unfinished thoughts.
* Instances for which no rules have been defined are to be dealt with appropriately by using normal quotes, italics or no special treatment at all.
* Box names are capitalized, but are no longer to be placed in quotes.
* Special words are handled as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
! Original
! Literally
! Actually
! Volume(s)
|-
| ”願い” / ”箱” / ”所有者” / ”O”
| 'wish' / 'box' / 'owner' / 'O'
| wish / Box / Owner / O
| All
|-
| 『Name』
| 'Name'
| "Name" / ''Name'' / Name (depending on situation)
| All
|-
| 【僕自身】
| [myself]
| "myself" / 'myself' (depending on bracket state)
| V2
|-
| 【王】
| [King]
| <code>King</code> (all game terms: monospace font)
| V3&V4
|-
|
|}

== General Terms ==

{|border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse; text-align:center;"
! Japanese
! Rōmaji
! English
! Comment
|-
| “箱“
| "Hako"
| 'Box'
| -
|-
| 拒絶する教室
| Kyozetsu suru Kyoushitsu
| Rejecting Classroom
| Name of the first volume's Box
|-
| 泥の中の一週間
| Doro no Naka no Isshuukan
| Sevennight in Mud
| Name of the second volume's Box
|-
| 怠惰なる遊戯
| Taida naru Yuugi
| Game of Idleness
| Name of the third volume's Box
|-
| 出来損ないの幸福
| Dekisokonai no Koufuku
| Flawed Bliss
| Maria's Box
|-
| 王降ろしの国
| Ouoroshi no Kuni
| Kingdom Royale
| Game found in the third and fourth volumes. Alternative: King of the Land, Land of the King's Overthrow
|-
| 罪と罰と罪の影
| Tsumi to Batsu to Tsumi no Kage
| Shadow of Sin and Punishment
| Box that first appears in the fifth volume
|-
| 願い潰しの銀幕
| Negaitsubushi no Ginmaku
| Wish-Crushing Cinema
| Box that first appears in the fifth volume
|-
|}

===Types of 'Boxes'===
'Boxes' can either be ''internal'' or ''external''. Volumes 1-5 are to be updated accordingly.

===Kingdom Royale Classes===
{|border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse; text-align:center;"
! Japanese
! English
! Comment
|-
| 王
| <code>King</code>
| -
|-
| 王子
| <code>Prince</code>
| -
|-
| 影武者
| <code>Double</code>
| Alternatives: Look-alike, Decoy
|-
| 魔法使い
| <code>Sorcerer</code>
| -
|-
| 騎士
| <code>Knight</code>
| -
|-
| 革命家
| <code>Revolutionary</code>
| -
|}

== Character Names ==

音無彩矢 = Aya Otonashi

音無麻理亜 = Maria Otonashi

星野一輝 = Kazuki Hoshino

桐野心音 = Kokone Kirino

大嶺醍哉 = Daiya Oomine

臼井陽明 = Haruaki Usui

茂木霞 = Kasumi Mogi

浅海莉子 = Riko Asami

宮崎龍 = Ryuu Miyazaki

柳悠里 = Yuuri Yanagi

新藤色葉 = Iroha Shindou

神内昂大 = Koudai Kamiuchi

O = O (not "Zero")

Utsuro no Hako:Guidelines

2013-09-09T22:03:21Z

Grrarr: even though the readers will never see this, kinda felt like the usage/guidelines page might as well have...better usage? :P

== Formatting Rules ==

Update:

We have changed the primary narration tense to present tense. For a more detailed (though still incomplete) explanation, see the baka-tsuki forum thread, post #164 (page 11).

Currently, the following rules apply:

# Narration and thoughts are written in present tense.
# …Except for obvious exceptions such as flashbacks and the like. Let your common sense be your guide.
# There is no longer any need to distinguish ''Direct thoughts'' from regular narration. If you don't know what ''Direct thoughts'' are, don't worry about it.



== Punctuation & Style Rules (WIP) ==
* Em-dashes (—) without spaces should be used for separating thoughts and marking unfinished thoughts.
* Instances for which no rules have been defined are to be dealt with appropriately by using normal quotes, italics or no special treatment at all.
* Box names are capitalized, but are no longer to be placed in quotes.
* Special words are handled as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
! Original
! Literally
! Actually
! Volume(s)
|-
| ”願い” / ”箱” / ”所有者” / ”O”
| 'wish' / 'box' / 'owner' / 'O'
| wish / Box / Owner / O
| All
|-
| 『Name』
| 'Name'
| "Name" / ''Name'' / Name (depending on situation)
| All
|-
| 【僕自身】
| [myself]
| "myself" / 'myself' (depending on bracket state)
| V2
|-
| 【王】
| [King]
| <code>King</code> (all game terms: monospace font)
| V3&V4
|-
|
|}

== General Terms ==

{|border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse; text-align:center;"
! Japanese
! Rōmaji
! English
! Comment
|-
| “箱“
| "Hako"
| 'Box'
| -
|-
| 拒絶する教室
| Kyozetsu suru Kyoushitsu
| Rejecting Classroom
| Name of the first volume's Box
|-
| 泥の中の一週間
| Doro no Naka no Isshuukan
| Sevennight in Mud
| Name of the second volume's Box
|-
| 怠惰なる遊戯
| Taida naru Yuugi
| Game of Idleness
| Name of the third volume's Box
|-
| 出来損ないの幸福
| Dekisokonai no Koufuku
| Flawed Bliss
| Maria's Box
|-
| 王降ろしの国
| Ouoroshi no Kuni
| Kingdom Royale
| Game found in the third and fourth volumes. Alternative: King of the Land, Land of the King's Overthrow
|-
| 罪と罰と罪の影
| Tsumi to Batsu to Tsumi no Kage
| Shadow of Sin and Punishment
| Box that first appears in the fifth volume
|-
| 願い潰しの銀幕
| Negaitsubushi no Ginmaku
| Wish-Crushing Cinema
| Box that first appears in the fifth volume
|-
|}

===Types of 'Boxes'===
'Boxes' can either be ''internal'' or ''external''. Volumes 1-5 are to be updated accordingly.

===Kingdom Royale Classes===
{|border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse; text-align:center;"
! Japanese
! English
! Comment
|-
| 王
| <code>King</code>
| -
|-
| 王子
| <code>Prince</code>
| -
|-
| 影武者
| <code>Double</code>
| Alternatives: Look-alike, Decoy
|-
| 魔法使い
| <code>Sorcerer</code>
| -
|-
| 騎士
| <code>Knight</code>
| -
|-
| 革命家
| <code>Revolutionary</code>
| -
|}

== Character Names ==

音無彩矢 = Aya Otonashi

音無麻理亜 = Maria Otonashi

星野一輝 = Kazuki Hoshino

桐野心音 = Kokone Kirino

大嶺醍哉 = Daiya Oomine

臼井陽明 = Haruaki Usui

茂木霞 = Kasumi Mogi

浅海莉子 = Riko Asami

宮崎龍 = Ryuu Miyazaki

柳悠里 = Yuuri Yanagi

新藤色葉 = Iroha Shindou

神内昂大 = Koudai Kamiuchi

O = O (not "Zero")

File:UtsuroNoHako6 6.jpg

2013-07-18T20:36:44Z

Grrarr: oh confusion

"Because I remembered that I gave you up."

'''Kasumi Mogi''' 
A girl who tries to stay positive, even after being crippled in an accident. She was once the object of Kazuki's unrequited love—and as odd as it may sound, vice versa—but things have since changed.

Kamisu Reina:Volume 1 Fumi Saito

2013-07-18T19:55:41Z

Grrarr:

==1==

I don't have any friends.

Not because I hate talking to others, or because I'm mistrustful, or because I'm too lazy to cultivate contacts. It's not like I deliberately want to avoid making friends; put plain and simple, I'm just unable to make any.

My mom always tells me that it's no big deal, since I'm smart and my grades are good, but from my perspective ''that's'' no big deal. She doesn't know how cumbersome school is for people who can't make friends.

Just like right now: Even though it's break time and everyone's engaged in chats, I'm sitting here alone as if I were in another dimension. It gets even worse during the lunch break, when I wordlessly munch away on my lunch while all my classmates put their desks together and eat together—I always feel like a castaway on desert island surrounded by the vast ocean.

From time to time I wonder if all the other people are just aliens wearing human disguises who are deceiving me, the last living earthling.

Ridiculous. Ridiculous, indeed, but that proves how alone I feel when I'm at school.

Because I have nothing to do between classes, I started reading books in my free time even though I don't really like doing so. Thanks to that, I've become even harder to approach and widened the gap between me and my classmates even further. It's a vicious cycle: I'm mistaken for someone who likes being alone, even though that's downright wrong. I'd love to chitchat, too! I want to chat about who's the coolest guy in our class or who my favorite member in whatever boyband is too! But I'm ignored. I'm only reluctantly approached by others when absolutely necessart.

Why am I unable to make friends? What makes me different from everyone else? Since I have nothing to do anyway, I often mull over this question.

It must be because I'm ugly. I have a lot of pimples, my eyes are small, and my nose is flat, just like my breasts. But do I really look that terrible? I don't think so. It's wrong to blame my looks, at any rate.

It's my communication skills. Right, I'm not good at talking to others. But why is that? Because I'm always cautious? Because I get nervous when I'm talked to? No, that's not all there is to it. That's just another vicious cycle that started because I don't often talk to others.

The root cause must be that... I'm scared of getting hurt. I'm scared of being thought of as an oddball. I'm scared of spoiling the mood by making an inappropriate remark. I'm scared of others' opinions of me.

Before I know it, I'm gazing at Mizuhara-san's group in the second row by the window. Mizuhara-san is sort of the leader of this class, and as such has lots of friends. They seem to be having a lot of fun. They're really enviable.

But even among the members of such a close group, I'm sure that people could name others in the same group who they don't like. Nobody is perfect. Everybody has characteristics that might cause resentment. I, for one, have lots of them.

Therefore, it must be impossible to make friends for me.

But that's okay.

I may have no normal friends, but I do have a best friend.

I have one irreplaceable best friend—

—Reina Kamisu.

"You're too kind, Fumi, that's your problem."

That's what Reina said to me on our way home when I told her about my take on why I can't make any friends.

The smile she flashed while saying that was so stunning that I couldn't help admiring her for a few moments. Her long hair is the purest raven-black and so smooth that it's unthinkable to find any split ends, while her body is curvy like a model's, unlike my immature development.

Reina is truly beautiful. Absurdly beautiful.

"I'm kind...? I don't think so. I just don't want to be hurt."

"But isn't that what makes you kind?"

"Why so?"

"I mean, it's not like everyone else ''wants'' to be hurt, right? They don't want to be hurt, either."

"But they get along with each other."

"Yeah. Then what distinguishes you from them? Let me tell you: You're sensitive to the wounds of others. You are scared of being hurt, Fumi, but you're also scared of hurting someone."

Well, of course I don't want to hurt others randomly.

"That's why you are very kind to everyone."

"Reina..."

I'm really grateful for her words.

But I know that in truth I'm just a coward. Reina has merely put a sugar-sweet coating around the word ''coward'' before handing it to me.

But that thoughtfulness of hers makes me happy.

Aah, Reina sure is peerless. Even though she's only in the third year of middle school like me, she's so different.

"You're so lucky, Reina..."

"Mm? Why?"

"I mean... you're pretty and you're smart... I can't help thinking that God treats us unjustly."

Yeah, God is unjust. If he wasn't, Reina and I wouldn't be living in the same world. I suppose God doesn't get around to balancing out everything that he's created, and passes us around even more carelessly than workers do with products on a conveyor belt.

Everyone knows that. But I'm not mature enough yet to accept that I'm "inferior".

"That's not true! You're cute, Fumi," she responds with a kind smile, reading my mind.

"...I'm not. That sounds a bit like sarcasm if it's you, you know...?"

"Ah, that's totally mean! But Fumi... while some people like you prefer me, there are also some people who would prefer you!"

"No."

"But there are! At least there's one, right here," Reina says as she points at herself and smiles.

"But—"

"If," she interrupts me, "If for argument's sake, there were more people who prefer me over you, why should you care? Numbers don't mean anything. Or do you want to be in the spotlight like an idol?"

"That's not it."

"Then there's nothing to worry about, is there? There's at least one person right here who thinks you are irreplaceable. Or are you not satisfied with that?"

"Mmm! I couldn't wish for more!"

"...I see."

Reina puts on her kind smile again, which makes me kind of ashamed of my behavior.

Aah... I'm still such a child. Silly me. Really. I bet Reina thinks that I'm jealous of her beauty, which is actually true. I'm so filthy. Now she's lost faith in me. I'm sure.

"...Fumi, you're blaming yourself, aren't you?"

"Eh?"

"My... you really ''are'' too kind. Do you think I'd taken offense?"

"But——"

"No buts. You're being a little rude, you know?"

"Eh?"

"Fumi, you are a dear friend of mine. Someone important to me. By acting this way, it almost seems as if you didn't believe me?"

"Ah..."

"Fumi. I'm your best friend, right?"

"Of course!"

I can say this for certain.

"You're an irreplaceable friend, Reina!"

A dear friend who could never be replaced.

If Reina wasn't here, I—

I would long since have—

==2==
Another bad day starts.

The fact that I'm usually alone in the morning only makes it worse; Reina often has to go early to school because of her morning practice in the track and field club. I did once consider leaving the house at the same time as she does, but waiting in the classroom until classes begin is pretty painful as well, and most of all, I don't want to bother her, so I decided against it.

I walk alone to school and head to the shoe lockers to change into my indoor shoes.

"..."

What is this...?

''Morning!'' I hear someone say behind me (of course not to me) and hurriedly close my locker. After waiting for that student to leave, I open it again.

"Oh, eh..."

There is a letter on my indoor shoes.

I reach out, but at a loss what to do, my hand stays there until another student approaches. On the spur of the moment, I cram the letter into my bag.

Oh my, oh my... i-is this a...?

I get uncomfortable. I don't know why that is, but there are too many people here. I feel like all the people around me are watching me. Whenever a glance crosses my eyes (and I know it just crosses them and doesn't actually perceive me) I feel it piercing through me.

Nobody would care about me, I know that, but I can't help feeling that everybody keeps watching my every step.

Unable to bear the gazes any longer, I escape to the restroom, and hurry into a toilet stall, and take the letter out.

Stuffing it into my bag has left the letter slightly crumpled — sorry to the person who put it into my locker.

I unfold the letter.

"Dear Fumi Saito

I am writing this letter to you because there is something that I have been wanting to tell you.

Please wait in your classroom after school."

That's all there is.

"Ah...hah..." I gasp for air, finally noticing that I haven't breathed while reading.

What is this about? What... what is this about?

As short as it is, I can still see that, objectively, it's probably a love letter. However, it's addressed at me. A love letter addressed at me? Really? Is that possible?

"Of course it's possible!" Reina says right off the bat.

We're on break and have come to the landing of the stairs that lead to the roof. Because the roof is inaccessible, the stairs here are virtually never used by anyone, which is why we often use them when we want to discuss something in secret (although it's mostly me who has something to discuss).

"How can you be so sure?! I mean, we're talking about me here...!"

"As I told you the other day, Fumi: you are a charming girl."

I open my mouth to deny what she said, but then I reconsider, thinking back at how we went round in circles last time.

"So, how about it, Fumi?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"What's your response to that love letter?"

"Ah—"

I had completely forgotten about that because I was fixated on the fact that I'd received one. Right, I still have to respond to it.

"R-Reina, I, I don't know what to do!"

"To start with, how do you feel about that boy?"

"That boy...?"

I unfold the love letter and check again.

"Well, Fumi? How do you feel about him? Do you know each other pretty well? Or not at all, maybe?"

"—None."

"Hm?"

"There's no name."

"Let me... let me take a look."

I give Reina the letter. She inspects the piece of paper from all sides, and eventually heaves a sigh.

"You're right. There's no name."

"...You've received love letters before, right, Reina?"

"Yes, I have."

"Were there any without a name?"

"...Hm... maybe there was one, but I think it was a case where the sender was obvious. I always knew who the letter was from."

"I see..."

I reread the letter. ''"Please wait in your classroom after school"'' — a sincere request to me.

"...What are you going to do?" Reina inquires.

"Don't you know pretty well what I'm going to do, Reina?"

"...Right. Well, it's you after all!" she smiles gloomily.

"Don't... don't wait for me today after you're done with your club activities."

"Why not...?"

"..." I remain silent, unable to give her a proper answer. I don't really know why I asked her that, either. Normally, I would want have her with me at such times.

Reina gives me a bright smile, "...Hey, Fumi. You've been wanting to go to the aquarium, haven't you?"

"...Yeah. I love dolphins."

"Let's go there one of these days, then!"

Why would she propose that now?

"...Mm! It's a promise!"

I knew why, and that made me happy.

Classes have ended.

I always stay at school even without receiving such a letter, because I wait for Reina's club activities to end.

Today, however, I had Reina go home herself. I'm alone—alone at waiting for the sender of that letter.

As I gaze at an open book, I ponder over who I want the letter to be from. Kado-kun, the boy who is popular in class because he's good at basketball? Mm, I would be happy. The delinquent of our class, Ashizawa-kun? He's a bit scary, but I think I would appreciate it. How about Kogure-kun, although he's a bit strange? I would probably be a bit wary of him, but still happy. And Dojima-kun, who everyone avoids because he's dirty? I wouldn't want to go out with him, but I would be happy.

It's always a nice thing to be thought of favorably.

But how would I respond when it comes to dating someone?

Right now... I have no such plans, because I don't exactly know what would be expected of me. I'm a bit scared, and I don't know how I should treat the other party.

I guess a proper couple has to kiss? But how does that feel? When do you feel like kissing? How should I react when he wants me to kiss? Would he be hurt when I refused to? I can't refuse then... I don't want to be disliked, after all.

Right. Refusal is no option.

Mm, so it doesn't matter who gave me that letter—I have to obey and ''wait in my classroom after school''.

It has become dark outside. The school is going to be closed soon.

Maybe, no one will come. Maybe, it was a joke. If it was—I would feel a bit calmer.

I stow away the book I have hardly read and just gazed at, and prepare myself for taking my leave, when suddenly, the Mizuhara group enters the classroom. They all belong to the tennis club, so I first thought they came to leave their rackets here.

However, their eyes reveal to me that there's more to it.

Mizuhara-san looks at me. "Heh, so you waited."

"Er..."

The girls around her start to giggle as they watch me getting nervous.

"Did we get your hopes up?" Mizuhara-san asks with a grin.

"Eh, um..."

What should I answer...? What answer do they expect from me?

"Probably... I did get hopes..." I answer honestly.

Suddenly, one of them laughs out loud, unable to hold it in any longer, spurring on the giggling.

"Oh come on, that's stupid! No guy would be interested in a sourpuss like you!"

"Kaho! Don't be so mean to her~!"

"But look...!"

"Well, she ''is'' pretty gullible, but that makes it clear how serious her case is, right?"

"Yeah, she's obviously not used to this kind of stuff."

Without giving me a chance to interrupt, Takatsuki-san and Omi-san keep discussing how dumb and strange I am.

I don't know what to do.

Hopes. Right, I had faint hopes that someone might like me. How stupid of me. That's absurd. Completely impossible.

Right now, there is a clear barrier between the rest of the world and me. Transparent, yet tough like tempered glass. Even though they can see me, no one attempts to read what feelings I hold behind my face. Even though they can hear me, no one attempts to understand the meaning of my words.

It's almost like my eyes perceive something entirely different from everyone else. Whenever I reach out my hands, I can only grasp air.

Alone. I'm alone.

Someone likes me? As if. No one is interested in me in the least, except maybe as someone to tease. As a topic to laugh at.

"...uh..."

Ah... I didn't want to cry... but there goes a tear. This will spoil the party. I'm sorry, but I cried, I'm really sorry.

As I expected, they start making uneasy faces.

Desperately trying not to show them my tears, I cover my eyes.

"Aah... we made her cry. Sorry, Saito-san," Mizuhara-san says gently. "But you know? We didn't mean to hurt you. How should I put it... you always avoid talking to people, no?"

No, I simply ''can't'' talk to people!

"I think that's not a good thing, so I thought that doing this, kind of like a shock treatment, might help you. I didn't mean any harm."

I wonder how much truth there is to that? Maybe that was part of the reason, but how is a fake love letter supposed to get me to speak normally? Was there no other way? Isn't that just a pretext to tease me?

"No offense! Really! ...Will you forgive me?"

However, there is something desperate in her voice that makes me nod as I still keep my eyes covered.

"Aah, thanks a lot... I'm really sorry. Okay, see you."

Once I had forgiven them, they quickly left.

...But Mizuhara-san isn't mean. She may have completely missed the mark, but she did care about me. She does take heed of me.

Yeah, she's not mean. She's not.. mean.

"What a mean bunch!"

My inner dialog is being denied. Surprised by that sudden voice, I look up.

"Ah... Kimura-kun..."

Oh no, he saw my tear-stained face. I must look horrible right now...

"Sorry! I allowed myself to overhear your little conversation," he says with an uneasy expression.

"Mmm! I-It's fine..." These words escape my lips because I want to reassure him.

"...They teased you with a fake love letter, right? That's cruel. She... Mizuhara's always like that. You could say that her hobby is to toy with the feelings of others!" Kimura-kun rants, seeming genuinely angry at her.

Is he angry for my sake? For real? If so, why?

Okay, what am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to calm him down?

"It's okay, Kimura-kun... I knew it was just a trick."

"You knew it was a trick?" he asks while raising an eyebrow.

"I knew that... it would end like this."

"...But why didn't you ignore the letter, then?"

"———"

I couldn't give him an answer. I have no idea how to put it into words.

"Well, whatever... anyway, if something like this happens again, be sure to let me know!"

"Eh?!"

"W-What? You don't trust me, or what?"

I shake my head furiously. It's only natural that I would get startled — after all, he doesn't profit in any way from helping me.

"You're quite the strange girl... okay, gotta go!" he says as he puts a hand on my head with a smile, after which he left. Unable to make sense of that, I just watched him baffledly.

While walking home alone, I start reflecting on the reason why I couldn't ignore the letter.

I expected the letter to be fake — because there was no name, because the paper used was not typical for boys, and most of all, because I noticed that the writer had deliberately tried to fake her handwriting.

However, what if, as unlikely as it is, the love letter had been real? In that case, ignoring it would have hurt that person. I would have betrayed that person and his sincere request ''to have me wait''. I couldn't do that. Absolutely not.

Besides, I couldn't have ignored it either way: the person who wanted to make a joke at my expense wished for me to take on the role of a fool. Had I ignored that request, I would have betrayed their expectations. I would have spoiled their fun. I would have fallen into their disfavor.

That's why I was unable to ignore the letter.

Did I make the right choice? No, I'm sure I didn't. If I were right—

—It wouldn't hurt so much.

Reina.

It hurts, Reina!

I don't want to be '''here''', it hurts!

For the first time in a long time, I have to face that thought again. That thought I always held before meeting Reina.

Right, if Reina wasn't here, I—

I would long have—died.

I have thought about dying countless times.

I'm sure there is no such thing like happy times.

Adult people lie when they speak of their supposedly happy youth. If they don't, then nostalgia must have warped their memories, because they couldn't endure the absence of hope in reality otherwise. Thinking that back in the day, everything used to be better, in order to put up with the present.

This leads to my hypothesis:

Life is and will always be hopeless. We live our pitch-dark lives as we cling to shiny shards that appear every now and then, and then we think back at those shards with a nostalgic smile on our faces. Like fools.

However, I don't have a past to take refuge. I don't have a past to romanticize in my mind when I lose hope in reality. I have no other choice but to accept that life is filled with despair from bottom to top.

Therefore, the only place I can escape to is death.

''Don't think of suicide'', people say. But is that statement backed by actual thought? You shall not kill. Of course. You shall not steal. Of course. You shall not commit suicide. Of course. The answer is so obvious that there is no place for doubt. Those statements must be perfectly true. Dazzlingly true.

You have to walk an endless muddy path that has no significance whatsoever, and you are naturally not allowed to break out. What a hopeless system.

What do you want me to do? What the hell am I supposed to do?

Someone save me! Give me hope! No, I won't be so greedy. Please someone, just notice that I'm walking this path and say a few gentle words to me...

"Fumi."

Surprised by the voice that calls out to me at the perfect moment, I raise my head.

"Reina..."

Only after speaking these words do I notice that I have been crying.

"You told me to go home, but you didn't tell me not to come meet you, right?" she smiles gently at me.

"...I can't."

Even though she understands what I mean, she gently embraces me.

"...It was painful, wasn't it?"

I can't... I just can't anymore!

I'll depend on you, Reina! I'll lean against you! I'll entrust my life to you!

"It's okay," she whispers to me. "I won't betray you."

"—!"

I clearly understand now why I had Reina go home earlier.

It's because I knew that she would comfort me. Because I knew that I would depend on her.

What is the consequence of that?

I have long lost my balance to be '''here''', and needed something to take refuge in.

Needless to say, Reina Kamisu has taken on the role of my refuge, of my shelter.

But now, because of her embrace, I have completely become dependent on her. Maybe that has already been the case for a long time, but either way, I can no longer exist without Reina.

In order to prevent that, I have sent her home.

"...Reina...I..."

"It's okay. Don't worry. I'll... take on your burden."

Her words pierce through me.

I feel how my entire body starts to melt into Reina's body. Slowly but surely, I fade into her.

Such bliss.

I realize that this is what it means to be accepted by someone.

"Uh...gh...," I moan as my tears push up. They fall onto Reina, producing small ripples. I always thought my tears would only fall to the ground, but I was wrong — they have reached Reina's heart.

I am part of Reina, and—

—Reina is everything of me.

==3==

I am changing. The liquid "Reina" is continuously being poured into the container "I", while the liquid "I" is overflowing from that container.

The container is still me, but its contents are Reina; Reina has become my essence.

I still hardly speak anything in the classroom (although Kimura-kun, whose desk is behind mine, talks to me from time to time), but I don't feel depressed anymore.

I am not alone.

That belief gives me strength. That thought I have been holding has gone somewhere far away.

I don't care about anything, as long as Reina is with me.

That's what I thought. That's what I believed.

But not in my wildest dreams did I expect that things could still get worse.

"I can't find my wallet!" Mizuhara-san screams agitatedly.

Everyone present at the homeroom after classes, our class teacher Kosugi-sensei included, focuses on her as she desperately searches for her wallet. The member of her group are watching her worriedly. For a few moments, the classroom lapses into silence, until someone checks if their own wallet is still there, and the others follow suit. I don't bring my wallet to school, but I reach into my pocket nonetheless in order not to be the odd one out.

By the time everyone has confirmed that their money is safe, Mizuhara-san is sitting still in her seat, visibly troubled. Kosugi-sensei walks toward her.

"Have you found it?"

"No..."

"Are you sure that it was there?"

"Absolutely."

"Understood," the teacher says with a frown and goes back to the teacher's desk. "All right, as you surely heard, Mizuhara has lost her wallet. Of course, this may be some sort of misunderstanding on her end, but—" he starts and explains in a ridiculously roundabout way that there is a chance that a member of this class might have stolen her wallet.

The likelihood of pickpocketing is high, considering what the missing item is. Not far in the past, there has been a fuss over a stolen mp3-player.

Mizuhara-san, convinced that it was a theft, is visibly angered, and so are the members of her group, influenced by her.

"Does anyone have a clue where her wallet might be?" the teacher asks.

The students just exchange glances. The teacher isn't expecting any answers, either — the culprit or those who know who did it wouldn't speak up right now.

Or so I thought. But I was wrong.

Kimura-kun reluctantly raises his hand.

"Kimura, do you know something?"

"No, not exactly... but there's something that bothers me."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think that it's common to take the wallet when stealing money. Normally, you would just pull out the contents, right? In fact, that's how the theft in class 5 happened."

"...Perhaps."

"Besides, it would make more sense to steal the money of all members of this class instead of only Mizuhara-san's. Yet, she's the only victim."

"What are you getting at?"

"What I want to say is that it's either a misunderstanding or a vicious joke toward Mizuhara-san."

"It's absolutely not a misunderstanding!" Mizuhara-san disagrees loudly. "Someone has played a trick on me!"

"A trick, hm? How much was in your wallet, if I may ask?"

"...1000 yen and change, but so what?" she answers grumpily.

"So it can't be because of the money, then. It looks like the goal of the culprit was teasing Mizuhara-san; and wouldn't that narrow down the list of suspects to a manageable number?" Kimura-kun says, causing everyone to exchange glances again.

That means that the culprit has a grudge against her, or at least doesn't think favorably of her?

Arriving at this thought—

—I notice that eyes are starting to focus on me.

"Huh...?"

A few students who aren't looking at me notice that a few of their classmates are focusing on me, and thus follow suit. On seeing that, yet another person gazes at me. All eyes are pinned on me.

Why? Why would they look at me?

This makes it seem like... like—

Our teacher, too, notices that I'm the center of attention, and looks at me, only to move his gaze on to Mizuhara-san. I follow his glance.

For some reason, she makes a face of realization.

"Saito," the teacher says to me in a stern voice, causing me to wince.

Just because he called my name? ...Yes, but I but I'm not so dumb as to not understand the situation. To me, this is just like a — death sentence.

"Do you know something?"

"Eh? Ah...er..."

I don't know anything! I'm innocent! But... I fail to say so properly.

"What's wrong? I have asked you a question, Saito."

But he's suspecting me.

"Uh..."

Everyone is looking at me, suspecting me — that's more than enough to make me lose my tongue, but they do not see that.

They understand it like so: I'm panicking because I've been busted, because I'm the culprit.

I'm perfectly aware of that, and I know that I must absolutely answer his question with confidence, but yet I find myself unable to do so.

"I... I..."

If someone was here who understand my personality — if Reina was here — she could explain it to them, but she's not here.

She's not here.

I don't have any supporters here.

"I don't... I don't know any—"

"Kosugi-sensei," Mizuhara-san says, cutting my desperate words short. I look at her in wonder.

There is no anger in her face anymore.

"What is it, Mizuhara?"

"I did something to Saito-san that may have made her grudge me. I... I played a trick on her. Thinking about it now... that was mean of me," she says with tears in her eyes. "But I... I did it because I thought I could help her to open herself!"

Surprised at what she said, I gaze at her. The sorrowful expression on her face isn't faked. Mizuhara-san is honest.

However, it's unclear to me whether she really tried to open my heart with that fake love letter, or just persuaded herself of that noble goal because of the situation she has found herself in.

Whatever the answer is, there is one thing that has become a fact.

Her words have settled my position.

"..."

All eyes fixed on me.

Eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes.

Like light projected through a loop, their reproachful glances pierce through me.

There is no suspicion in them anymore.

It's been decided.

It's been decided that I am the culprit.

"N-No, I'm haven—"

"It was YOU!" Takatsuki-san cuts me short. "You were pissed off, but you couldn't defend yourself because you were too scared! That's why you resorted to such a dirty trick — to vent your frustration!"

"Don't say that, Kaho. I'm... I'm also at fault..."

''Also.''

The words Mizuhara-san sobbed subliminally yet clearly implied that I'm the culprit and that she's the victim.

As a result, her words added fuel to the fire. With a fire-red head, Takatsuki-san walks toward me. Fearing to be hit, I cover my head and cower.

However, she did not come to hit me. Her goal was my bag. She picks it up, opens it, turns it upside town and pours its contents onto my desk.

And for some reason, there is an unfamiliar wallet among the things that fall on my desk. However, someone has mangled it with a cutter.

"...Saito, you are to come to the staff room afterwards."

The moment the teacher says so, uncontrollable sobbing resounds through the classroom.

Needless to say, it was Mizuhara-san.

I look around.

Eyes. Eyes. Eyes. Eyes. Eyes.

Like an ice pick, their reproachful glances pierce through me.

Reina isn't '''here'''.

In other words—no one is '''here'''.

I don't have any supporters '''here'''.

The next day, my desk has disappeared.

Up until now, I have merely been air for everyone, but from now on, they won't even grant me to be air anymore.

I'm not even allowed to exist.

A missing desk in a classroom is like a missing piece in a puzzle; but in this case it's my desk that is missing. I must be the only one who feels that a piece is missing — for everyone else, the puzzle is completed.

I go to the veranda and move the desk and the chair back to their original place. Original place? Really? No, perhaps the original place where my seat is supposed to be is not in the classroom, but at the veranda.

But while that may be true... I don't want to notice.

White, everything turns white.

Everything besides Reina and me turns white.

Like a novel lacking spaces, I'm unable to make sense of the white world '''here'''. They disappear. Everything besides me flees out of reach.

Or perhaps—

I'm the one who is lacking color.

The lunch break ends without my talking to anyone.

I really haven't spoken a word, since I couldn't meet Reina, either. Not one word has been spoken for me or toward me.

People have stopped speaking to me. No, that's no news, but at least previously, there was no ill will in that.

I wasn't even allowed of the absolute minimum of conversation. Even Kimura-kun wasn't able to overcome the magnetic field around me that has emerged in class.

"..."

I was aware of it.

I was aware of it, but this makes it clear.

No one cares if I just disappeared.

The world wouldn't disappear when I disappeared. The blue sky would completely ignore me and not even let it rain. No one cares whatever happens to me. I'm absolutely separated from the rest of the world.

Again, a familiar thought assaults me.

—I... I can't endure it anymore, Reina!

Why? What have I done? I didn't want to be disliked. That's all... I just shut myself into my little box because I was afraid of getting hurt, yet why do they pierce it with spears?

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!

Save me Reina, save me Reina, save me rena, savemerena.

"They're all so mean."

"—Huh?"

Reina stands before my eyes.

"'Huh'? What is it, Fumi?"

"Ah, mmm... nothing."

Classes have ended; I have caught Reina when she was about to go to her club and consulted her at our usual spot on the stairs to the roof.

Yes, that sounds perfectly natural.

Why is it then that something felt fatally off? There's no reason.

"Why would they think that you're the culprit without conclusive proof? There's no way you would that."

"...Well, they don't know my personality. Besides, Mizuhara-san's wallet was in my bag, so it's natural that they would think that I did it."

"Yes, but Fumi... why was that wallet in your bag, anyway?"

"Because—"

I don't really want to think about it...

"...The first reason that comes to mind would be because someone is trying to set you up."

"...Yeah, most likely." Unless I have a split personality. "...Someone who hates me?"

"I... I don't think so. You're not one to make a lot of enemies... I think that someone simply thought that it would be easy to lay the blame on you."

Perhaps.

But anyway, someone hated me enough to be fine with putting the blame on me.

"That's just heartless! We have to find and teach that culprit a lesson!"

"No... no need to!"

"Why? Aren't you suffering under the current situation?"

"I am. I am, but..."

"But?"

"The problem isn't new. It's merely surfaced now..."

"That's not... I mean, you weren't particularly unpopular..."

"You think so? I'm pretty sure it was a matter of time. For example, if Mizuhara-san's position and mine had been reversed, I most likely would have ended up with the short end of the stick."

"No, you're—"

Reina is at a loss for words. When it comes to deciding who is at fault, it doesn't matter what was done, but who did it. Between a teacher and a student, the student will be the bad one; between a honor student and a delinquent, the delinquent will be the bad one; between a beautiful person and an ugly person, the ugly person will be the bad one.

And of course, between Mizuhara-san and me, I will be the bad one.

In other words, the result has been decided all along.

Smart as Reina is, she realizes that.

"...That's not true!"

Reina doesn't believe her own words, and looking at her face, she is blaming herself for faltering.

...But there's nothing to blame herself for, since it's a fact.

"Reina."

"Hm?"

"You're still on my side, right?"

"Of course I am!"

Good.

I have a supporter. I have a irreplaceable friend. I have Reina.

So I may still be here.

"Ah—" Reina suddenly says, so I follow her gaze.

"Um..."

Kimura-kun is standing there, seemingly feeling a bit out-of-place.

"...Kimura-kun? What's the matter?"

"Ah, yes... can you spare a minute?" he asks reluctantly.

"Y-Yeah... what is it?"

"To come straight to the point, Ashi-chan told me to call you out, because I happened to know that you're here sometimes."

"Ashi-chan?"

"I'm talking about Ashizawa-kun! Toshiki Ashizawa."

The bad-mannered Ashizawa-kun...? What would he want from me?

Whatever it is, it can't be good for me. Kimura-kun's expression makes this obvious.

"Err... is he... angry?"

"..."

He just gazes closely at me, and eventually averts his eyes.

"...He is?"

"Saito-san. It might be better if you didn't go," he mutters with eyes cast away.

...It looks like it's more serious than I thought. But if I don't go, Ashizawa-kun's aversion toward me will only grow.

I—don't want that. I don't want to be avoided even more because of a misunderstanding.

"...I'm going."

"Okay..." he says as if he was going to get a beating from Ashizawa-kun.

"Fumi," Reina addresses me in a worried tone.

"I'll be fine," I smile and wave her goodbye.

Brought to our classroom (Kimura-kun immediately left for his club), Ashizawa-kun drives me into a corner, and without any time for confusion, I am surrounded by his buddies, Takatsuki-san and the other members of the group, while a few of my other classmates are watching from a safe distance. Mizuhara-san is here as well, but watching from afar with an uneasy expression.

"Okay. Do you know what this is?" Ashizawa-kun says in an oppressive voice as he holds something against my face. It's hard to see from such a short distance, but I can recognize that it's Mizuhara-san's wallet.

"—"

I try to answer, but the words stick in my throat. Everyone is watching me closely and with blatant enmity; I feel that I'm not allowed to speak. I'm scared.

His right arm, which is right beside my head, might lose it any moment. He definitely wants to. He is angry. And the perfect target to vent his anger on is right before his eyes.

I'm scared! Why are they looking at me like that? I can't say anything! I'm not allowed to speak!

"Hey! I asked you what the fuck this is!" he yells. His right arm is twitching.

"It's a... wallet..."

"Whose wallet?"

"Mizuhara-san's..."

"Right. It's Yuu's wallet."

Yuu? Come to think of it, that's Mizuhara-san's first name.

"It's the wallet I gave her for her birthday. It's the wallet you cut up with a goddamn cutter!" he says, some of his saliva flying on my face.

Anger has made him lose more than half of his reasoning. Had I been a guy, he would have beaten me up already long ago.

"You knew that Yuu's dating Toshiki, didn't you?" Takatsuki-san says with a scary face. "And you also knew that this wallet was a present from him, right?"

I don't. I had no idea that they were a couple. Such rumors don't reach me at all.

"That's why you stole the wallet when you were pissed off, no? You can't hide it!"

No, I didn't do anything!

But I can't say that. Even if I did and explained myself, they wouldn't believe me.

"Do you get that? This isn't something you can make up for with fucking money!"

His right hand moves. I reflexively close my eyes. However, he could somehow control himself and hit the wall behind me.

I mind goes blank like white paint. I'm trembling all over.

What am I supposed to do? I'm scared! Please, don't hurt me. I haven't done anything!

"Save me..."

I mutter at last, cornered and intimidated.

"Save me..."

At first, the others seem to think that I am begging toward them, but they quickly realize that's not the case and are taken aback.

"Save me..."

I seek help. Of course, there is only one person I would seek help from.

"Save me... Reina."

I didn't want to get Reina involved, so I tried to solve the matter without her coming with me.

But I failed.

I imagine how her long her sways as Reina appears and swiftly frees me from their claws. I have a feeling that this picture will become reality. And then she will smile at me with her absurdly beautiful face, "Everything is all right, Fumi."

—However, Reina didn't come.

That sweet illusion took me from the ground to the clouds, to the pinnacle. But at the end of the day, I keep crawling on the ground in reality. I am thrown off the pinnacle again.

"Uh...uh..."

Unable to hold it in, I start to cry.

Thrown off course by my tears, the signs for violence disappear, even though Ashizawa-kun is still visibly angered.

"What?! Do you think we'll forgive you if you cry?!" Takatsuki-san shouts as she draws near to me. "Besides, there's no one who would want to 'save' someone like ''you''!"

"But there is..."

"Who? Your mom? A teacher? They would only help you because it's their duty!"

"There is!"

"And who would that be?! Good lord, you are—"

"Reina! Reina Kamisu is there for me!" I scream. In a voice that might well have been the strongest in my entire life.

Takatsuki-san—no, everyone present—widen their eyes in response to my powerful shout. I'm surprised by myself, too, but I don't regret it.

Because that's the one thing that I will not allow anyone to disagree with me.

I do have an irreplaceable friend.

I do have Reina Kamisu.

I won't let anyone say otherwise.

Taking advantage of their confusion, I escape. I escape from ''them''. I no longer need anything. Nothing.

All I need is Reina.

As long as Reina is with me, I'm perfectly fine.

==4==
As promised, Reina and I went to the aquarium.

There are more visitors than expected for a workday, most of which are families with children and young couples around twenty years old. Probably because they are not as restricted in time.

And of course, we are the only middle schoolers around.

"Reina, are you sure you don't need to go to school?"

"It's fine, but what about you, Fumi?"

"I don't mind at all."

I'm not welcome at school, anyway. My parents won't notice that I'm skipping, either, unless they get a call from school. In fact, ditching school today has made me wonder why I haven't done this sooner.

I look through the glass into the water tank.

Pretty fishes. That's all that comes to mind. They belong to the species ''Chaetodon auripes'', but I'm going to forget that in a few seconds. Therefore, I only feel that they're pretty.

But that's fun.

"Oh, look, Fumi! Lots of jellyfish!"

"Cool."

"I love jellyfish."

"You do? Why?"

"Hm? Well... I wonder why? Maybe because... they don't look a lot like living beings?"

They don't look like living beings — now that she mentions it, she has a point. Inside an aquarium, they still feel a bit like living beings, but when they are held in a water tank at home, they're more like decoration. Decoration that shines and pulsates. When jellyfish are put into a tank in a house, their role changes from a ''living being'' to ''decoration''.

"Besides, jellyfish kind of stand out. All other fishes here are just ''fishes'', but jellyfish fell like entirely different beings. Ah, I'm not making sense, am I?"

"No, I know what you mean. You want to say that jellyfish are simply jellyfish, right?"

"Ah, yes, sort of. Jellyfish are simply jellyfish."

Jellyfish are simply jellyfish.

Looking at Reina, who is gazing into the water tank, I think:

''Reina's also like that.''

Reina Kamisu is simply Reina Kamisu.

Absurdly beautiful, completely different from everyone else, and my only supporter.

Reina notices my glance.

"...What's wrong, Fumi?" she asks.

"Mm, nothing."

She tilts her head.

"Reina... the dolphin show is starting!"

"Hm? Oh, you're right. Okay, let's hurry up."

Slightly swift-footed, walk to the stadium where the dolphin show takes place.

On the way there, we come past a tank in which a large number of fishes are herding together and keep rotating restlessly.

Don't they get tired? I don't only mean physically, but also mentally. Rotating all the time won't get them any farther, after all; they could just as well stay still from the start. If they don't want to get anywhere, is it their goal to continue doing this until they can't move anymore? Don't they feel that such a life is futile?

But the fishes keep rotating, not caring about my thoughts.

The seats at the stadium are being occupied from the back to the front.

"Let's go to the front row, Reina."

"Eh? We'll get wet!"

"I know, but I want to watch the dolphins from as close as possible."

With a wry but gentle smile, she follows me to the first row and takes a seat.

"By the way, Fumi, I told you why I like jellyfish, but what's your reason for liking dolphins?"

"Hm... because they're adorable."

"That's all?"

"No, apart from that..."

Before I can continue, the woman in charge of the show begins the narration, starting with a brief explanation on the ecology of dolphins (where their nose is, that they hear sounds through their bones, etc.).

And then the show begins.

As several dolphins leap into the air to greet us, I am already enchanted.

They are pretty big when you actually see them — their jumps are spectacular and cause the children in the audience to shout in joy. They look so majestic yet adorable.

As they land again, water spills toward us. I instinctively shrink back. While it doesn't reach my clothes, my shoes get slightly wet.

Awesome! That's just awesome! Dolphins are great!

During the show, they jumped through rings, returned balls the woman had thrown to them, and swam around in circles... in a nutshell, it was awesome and I was absorbed.

"Dolphins sure are intelligent..." Reina suddenly says.

"Totally!" I respond immediately.

"Hahaha, you really love them, don't you? Is their smartness also a reason why—"

"Yeah!"

The show reaches the climax, which features a trick where three dolphins have to simultaneously jump over a stick that is set up at an extremely high position.

"And you know, dolphins send out ultrasonic waves and determine the position of objects through the reflected waves!"

"Just like bats."

"Hmm... I don't want to think of them in the same category, but yeah."

The dolphins ready themselves no the signal by the woman.

Are they able to jump so high? Well, they wouldn't be doing this if they couldn't, but I'm afraid that one of them might not make it.

I hold my breath.

The dolphins stand side by side (can you say that in this case?) and — jump.

"Whoa!"

It was a feast for the eyes.

With a grand splash, the three dolphins land in the water, raising a few large waves.

"Incredible..." I say in blank astonishment.

Looking at the wavy pool, I arrive at the thought that dolphins might be the cause for the never-ceasing waves of the sea.

"Hey, Fumi? Dolphins can communicate through sounds, right?"

"Yeah. Although it's unknown how sophisticated their conversations are. I for one believe that their communication skills are just as high as ours."

"I see... that would be nice."

"Mm! Actually, another reason why I love dolphins is because they can communicate with one another!"

"Oh, nice."

The show ends and the visitors start to leave while the dolphins are bidding them farewell by swimming around and doing individual performances.

"You know, when I learned that dolphins can communicate through sounds, I was jealous of them," I murmur while watching their performance.

"...jealous?" Reina asks puzzledly, tilting her head to the side.

"..."

I waver if I should explain it to her. If I continue, I will spoil the joyful mood.

"I think that communication through words is too complicated for me."

But I don't want to have secrets from Reina.

"Fumi..."

"I'm sure that even I would have been able to get friends if we had other ways of communicating..."

"You have me, Fumi!"

"...Mm."

These words of hers are enough for me.

"But you know, lately I've come to think that..."

"Hm?"

"I think that I might have become 'like that'."

"...'like that'?"

Unable to answer her, I look at the dolphins again, which are busy showing their performances. One of them is waving us goodbye with its fin.

I wave back.

And that's what I mean.

I am waving my hand because I freely interpret the dolphin's waving his fin as "goodbye." Our actions aren't in line at all.

Right, as deplorable as it is, I can't talk with dolphins.

But that isn't limited to dolphins.

My language has become different from everyone else's, and that's why I can't get through to anyone. My words don't reach anyone.

Except for Reina.

My way of communication has become different. And that's why I'm getting disconnected and disappearing.

We leave the aquarium, which is in the center of an aquatic park. I walk up to a bench and sit down. Reina sits down next to me.

"Reina? Would you..."

Reina looks at me when I suddenly start to talk.

"Would you be okay if we were the only humans on earth?"

I look around. There's no one nearby apart from Reina, which isn't that surprising for a workday afternoon. We're alone. I wouldn't be in the least concerned if the world closed up right now and we were left behind just by the two of us.

"Hm... it would be pretty troublesome because we'd have no electricity..."

"And if you think about it without such concerns?"

Reina gazes closely at my face, and answers with a smile:

"In that case, that wouldn't sound too bad."

"Really?"

"Really!"

I look at her. Aah, she isn't saying it just because. I'm happy, I really am.

After all, she's different from me! Unlike me, she is loved by a lot of people. Despite that, she would be with me.

"But you know, Reina, your mom would...be—"

—Reina's mom?

At once I get suspicious and stop.

A lot of people?

Well, there must be a lot. She's beautiful and nice, unlike me. But—

—But who is that, in specific?

"Fumi...?"

"Hey, Reina..."

"What's wrong?"

"...I've never been at your home, have I?"

"Are you sure?"

"Where do you live again? Nearby? You must be. After all, you go home together with me."

"What's wrong, Fumi? That's obvious, no?"

"Why is it then that — even though we are close friends — I haven't been at your place?"

"..." Reina remains silent.

Eh? Hold on! What's that supposed to mean?

We're best friends, no matter how you look at it, so why do I have no idea who her friends and her family is, and where she lives?

"By the way, Reina—"

"Don't say it!" she cuts my question short.

"Reina...?"

"Don't go farther than that..." she says sorrowfully and averts her eyes.

There are circumstances...? I don't know what it is, but Reina has a reason not to tell me about her.

Everyone has things that he doesn't want or can't say.

But,

But—

"—That's mean!"

"...Huh?"

"Aren't we best friends? We shouldn't keep any secrets from one another! Or was I the only one who felt that way? Hm?"

"No!"

"But then!"

"It's no good, Fumi!"

"Why? I don't understand, Reina!" I shout and as I do, I notice that a tear is flowing down my cheek, which leaves Reina speechless.

Cold air pulsates between us. That... hasn't happened before. This is the first time that we're surrounded by such cold air.

My feelings had reached Reina. She knows that I wouldn't ever hate or make fun of her.

There is no reason to have secrets.

There should be none.

Yet—

"I can't say it," she says distinctly.

"Why would you..."

Rejection.

No, that's not it. That can't be it. Reina would never want to hurt me. It's something... it must be something that she can't say despite that.

Of course I can understand that.

But—

"Don't doubt me."

I can't help but feel that she is rejecting me.

"Uh..."

Therefore, a drop falls from my eyes.

And once I realize that it's a ''tear'', they start to overflow like a waterfall. Aah, I'm crying way too often lately! Man, I don't want to show anyone my tears. I don't want to bother anyone. But they won't stop.

I press my head against my knees as I burst out crying.

"—Fumi."

Reina's voice.

Reina's gentle voice.

"I'm sorry."

All I could perceive was my own crying voice, which is why I didn't notice what was happening.

I kept crying like an idiot, and when I raised my head—

—Reina wasn't there.

"Reina...?"

I looked and ran around searching for her.

But she was nowhere to be found.

Reina isn't anywhere anymore.

I was standing there in the wide, empty aquatic park, left behind alone in the world.

==5==

People have erasers in their hearts.

While their efficiency differs from person to person — some of them are even incapable of erasing at all — anyone can use their eraser.

Rub, rub. Okay, away with you. You're an eyesore. Please go away. Rub, rub.

Two weeks have passed since the incident of Mizuhara-san's wallet. One week since I went to the aquarium with Reina.

Even after such a time span, no one is talking to me. Like on the previous days, I'm just sitting in my seat, which isn't supposed to be here, and gazing out of the window.

I have faded a lot.

Yet, they keep erasing me. Rub, rub.

Day by day, I am being erased. Bit by bit, I am fading. Rub, rub. Most of my existence has turned into eraser crumbs and gets wiped off my desk.

It's not going to get better. They have already become so used to rubbing me out that no one is having any doubts about it, let alone feelings of guilt. I'll keep being erased mechanically. If there is any human emotion involved, then it's slight irritation because their erasers get worn with use.

And Reina is still missing in this white and fading world.

Why? I'm not going to hold out like this! Reina... why did you leave me, Reina?

Why won't you appear before me? Even if you have secrets, that should be no obstacle for us!

Or do you hate me now?

Whatever it is, I want to see you!

I want to see you, I want to see you, I want to see you!

But no matter how much I beg, Reina doesn't appear.

And somewhere I know that she never will.

There is no meaning anymore.

In this classroom there is only irrelevant noise, irrelevant pictures, irrelevant classmates, and my irrelevant self.

There is no meaning anymore.

There is no meaning... in being '''here'''.

"—Goodbye," I whisper as I stand up.

The teacher is saying something. Ah, I was in the middle of having a 'lesson'?

Oh, he's angry. But I don't get what it's all about — after all, he isn't saying it for me, is he?

Oh, he's not angry anymore. But I wonder why he is looking at me like that? It's the first time someone does that, so I don't know what it means. But it looks a bit like he is scared.

I leave the classroom.

Far away behind me, the class is making a fuss, but it's irrelevant to me. Irrelevant. Completely irrelevant.

I'm sitting alone on the landing in the middle of the stairway to the roof. It's the second time since I've come here that the school building is getting noisy. What time is it? The first noise was probably the lunch break, so it must be the end of school today?

Reina. Will I ever see her again?

For some reason, I feel that I won't. I've been feeling that ever since she disappeared from me in that aquatic park. But so what? What about it? That doesn't change anything — I still need her, so much, so desperately.

Reina is all of me. Nothing remains if you take her from me. I'm empty. A wobbly lump that has no bones.

"Aah..."

What should I do? How can I meet Reina? I don't know! What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do?

Suddenly, I hear someone walking up the stairs.

I ready myself. It might be him — he might have come like I wanted.

"...Saito-san."

Kimura-kun appears before me.

"Kimura-kun... so you came to talk with me..."

"Yeah... I have no reasons to refuse if you call me out..."

Right. I have placed a letter into his shoe locker to call him here. Like Mizuhara-san did.

"I also brought this here with me. It was a pain to get past the eyes of the teachers," he explains as he holds out the keys to the roof.

"Mm. Thank you," I say and accept the keys from his visibly trembling hands. Perhaps, he has realized why I called him out here.

"..." he remains silent.

"Are you not going to ask...?"

"Ask what...?" he says clumsily.

"Why I had you bring me the keys to the roof."

After a few moments, he reluctantly asks, "Why?"

To tell the truth, I'm not sure how to answer him, either. Because maybe — no, for sure — my answer is going to hurt him.

But that's okay, isn't it? Kimura-kun is just as irrelevant as my other classmates, after all.

I reply: "To take revenge."

His face freezes instantly.

Oh, so I was right. Finally, I could confirm my suspicions.

"R-Revenge...?" he stutters miserably in bewilderment, and gets even more nervous because of it.

"You cut up Mizuhara-san's wallet and put it into my bag, didn't you?"

"W-Why would you say that...?" he counters, still not admitting to it, even though he knows that he can't talk himself out.

"It's okay! I don't plan to question you about it."

As a matter of fact, I really don't feel like questioning and blaming him. As I once told Reina, I was about to get into this situation anyway — Kimura-kun merely happened to be the one who pressed the switch.

My words seem to have calmed him down a bit.

"B-But... how did you find out?"

Do you really want to know? Isn't that going to be tough on you?

"...Should I answer that?"

Finally noticing the meaning of my answer, he looks down and says, "...No need to."

"Okay."

With these words, I slide the key into the lock.

There are several reasons why I suspected Kimura-kun.

My first doubts were raised when he started to converse with me after I had received the fake love letter. I was aware that Kimura-kun had no feelings for me, so I wondered why he would suddenly become so gentle.

Another clue was the general reaction when Mizuhara-san's wallet got lost. Everyone considered me the culprit right away. In other words, something led them to believe that I had a grudge against her. As far as I know, the only discord between Mizuhara-san and me is that love letter, which means that someone must have broadcast the story. But only her group and I, as well as Kimura-kun knew about it. Of course, I haven't told anyone, and Mizuhara-san and her friends didn't look like they would want to tell everyone about it, either.

But most of all, it was no one else but Kimura-kun who proposed that the culprit must have had a grudge against her. He called their attention to me in a blatant manner.

I don't know why he did that. Maybe he had a grudge against me that I don't know of, or he might have had strong feelings about Mizuhara-san and Ashizawa-kun.

But I don't really care.

His story is irrelevant to me.

I turn the key, and the door opens with a click. I tentatively turn the doorknob — yeah, seems fine.

"...What do you plan on doing on the roof, Saito-san?"

"..." I silently turn around to him.

"Saito-san...?"

I answer his question with a question.

"Hey, Kimura-kun—"

"—Do you happen to know ''Reina Kamisu''?"

Maybe I really thought that Reina would be waiting for me on the other side of the door.

This is a place that no one is allowed to enter, despite being so near. It's a place that we all know exists, yet only few have actually been there. And that's why I felt that I would find her here.

But of course, there is no sign of Reina.

I walk to the center of the roof and spin around.

Students going home, power poles established in regular intervals, the shopping district, our dirty river, another school, a house, another house — irrelevant scenery. But one thing within this irrelevant scenery — the glaring red sun hiding partly behind a building at the horizon — feels relevant to me.

The sun is about to hide on the other side, having completed its work for today, but floating there at the boundary, it feels like it's calling me.

I return to the door to lock it.

Now I'm completely alone.

I lean against the fence, and while watching the sun slowly hide its countenance, I think once more about Reina Kamisu.

Reina vanished. Yes, she vanished.

A beautiful and popular student suddenly stopped coming to school and went missing. This should have obviously been a serious incident for this Shikura middle school. It should have.

However, no one talks about it.

Of course, there is no one who would tell ''me'', but even I can perk up my ears for rumors. It's strange. Reina Kamisu does not come up anywhere at all. No one talks about such a extraordinary girl. Is that even possible?

I screwed up my courage and sneaked a peek into her class. First, I couldn't believe my eyes, then I couldn't believe my ears, and finally, I couldn't believe myself.

Her seat didn't exist. Her shoe locker didn't exist. Her name didn't exist. Nothing related to her existed.

Reina is nowhere.

And when I saw Kimura-kun's face when I asked him about Reina, I was convinced.

—Reina Kamisu vanished.

It's not simple death. She erased everything of her existence, everything related to it, and vanished. Without leaving anyone anything of herself, and completely revoking the fact that a person named Reina Kamisu has ever existed, she disappeared.

With the exception of me, her best friend.

But even I only have a few empty memories left — much like a drop of soda on the edge of an empty can. I don't remember where we met, how we became friends, or where we went apart from the aquarium. Nothing.

Those memories will soon wither as well, erasing her existence once and for all.

Reina is disappearing.

Reina, who was everything of me, is disappearing.

So—there is no reason for me to be '''here''' anymore.

I climb on the fence. It's 15cm wide, so I can stand without a problem.

I consider taking off my shoes, but I decide against it; I'm not trying to commit suicide or anything.

I'm merely going to see Reina.

Of course, I can't be sure if can meet her like that. It's just the absurd thought that if she isn't here, she must be "there." It's about as absurd as thinking that a bird can fly past the sky into the space.

But I can't think of anything else.

There is no other way, and if that's the only way, why should I not try it? There's nothing that stops me. Let me repeat that: I have no reason to be '''here''', so there is nothing that stops me.

I suddenly recall what I said to Kimura-kun.

—To take revenge.

Yeah, a petty revenge. By bringing me the keys, you got yourself involved in what is going to happen now, didn't you?

I wonder if he'll be having some pangs of remorse, even though he might not care about me?

I look down, and shrink back a little, scared of the imminent pain that I almost forgot about. That's going to hurt. Ten times... hundred times more than a syringe. But I mustn't flinch.

What is important to me? Meeting Reina. Being together with Reina.

That's all that counts. That's all...

Yes, with vigor!

Because I feel like I can get farther that way.

I take a vigorous leap.

Suddenly, the world spins and changes completely. Unable to properly grasp this unexpected world, I almost pass out.

I can only tell that it's not the place where I wanted to go. I have found myself in a tragic play.

Aah... did I fail? Did I make the wrong decision after all...?

But—

Just as I am about to give up, I realize that I've won the wager.

"Reina..."

Reina is right before my eyes.

"Reina, I missed you..."

She gives me her gentle and absurdly beautiful smile.

"Reina... tell me: where are you?"

"I am—" she answers.

"I am '''here'''. Kamisu Reina is — '''here'''."

Ah, right.

Why didn't I notice such a simple thing?

<noinclude>
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| Return to [[Kamisu Reina Series|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Kamisu Reina:Volume 1 Atsushi Kogure|Chapter 2]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria

2013-07-18T08:58:49Z

Grrarr: at one point you hadn't finished tl

The ''Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria'' series is also available in the following languages:
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria ~Versión Española~|Español (Spanish)]]
*[[Hakomari (Indonesia)|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria tiếng Việt|Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria wersja polska|Polski (Polish)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria (German)|Deutsch (German)]]

(Note: Translation progress varies for each version.)
----
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako6_1.jpg|thumb|Volume 6 Cover|250px]]

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria (空ろの箱と零のマリア, The Empty Box and The Zeroth Maria) is a light novel series written by Eiji Mikage and illustrated by Tetsuo (formerly known as 415). While Utsuro no Hako, often abbreviated as ''Hakomari,'' is Eiji's fourth publication, it is the first to feature illustrations. A teaser for one of his earlier works can be [[Kamisu Reina Series|viewed here]].

==Story Synopsis==


''Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria,'' or ''The Empty Box and The Zeroth Maria,'' tells the story of Kazuki Hoshino, who is almost madly attached to his everyday life, and his antagonist Aya Otonashi, who suddenly transfers into his class at the end of the school year—for no less than the 13,118th time. Without hesitation, she announces her intent to “break” him. Kazuki's struggle to defend his everyday life begins, and the many secrets it is built on start to come to light.

==Character Introductions==
<div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Kazuki Hoshino
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Kazuki.jpg|left|link=]]
A completely ordinary high school student who loves idle chatter with his friends and Umaibōs, a Japanese snack. One day, he somehow suddenly antagonizes Aya Otonashi — even though he has never met her before. She threatens to “break” him.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Aya Otonashi
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Aya.jpg|left|link=]]
An antisocial beauty  with a resolute personality. She transfers into Kazuki’s class on March 2nd — right before the end of the school year. Immediately upon her arrival, she announces her intent to “break” Kazuki.
</div>
 
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Daiya Oomine
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Daiya.jpg|left|link=]]
A self-centered and arrogant student who dyes his hair silver and wears three piercings in his right ear. He is also the class president and a shrewd friend of Kazuki’s.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Haruaki Usui
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Haruaki.jpg|left|link=]]
A cheerful but frivolous baseball ace. He often hangs out with Kazuki and Daiya.
</div>
 
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Kokone Kirino
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Kokone.jpg|left|link=]]
A bright and beautiful girl who cares a lot for her friends, but can sometimes be meddlesome. She and Daiya have known each other since childhood, and their mutual verbal abuse has become legendary among their classmates ever since.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Kasumi Mogi
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Kasumi.jpg|left|link=]]
The girl who has won Kazuki’s heart. She is docile, silent and expressionless.

</div>
 
</div>

== Translation ==
===[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Registration Page|Registration]]===
Translators are asked to [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on (see the [[Format_guideline#Translators|Guideline]] page for usage rules).

=== Format Standards ===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the agreed points highlighted in the guidelines below '''
* [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Guidelines|Project Guidelines]]
* [[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]

== Updates ==
*19th February 2013 - Volume 6 completed
*26th August 2012 - Volume 5 completed
*31th July 2012 - Volume 5 "Before the Show Begins" completed
*21th July 2012 - Volume 5 Prologue completed
*19th April 2012 - Diamond Days completed
*2nd August 2010 - Volume 4 completed
*25th July 2010 - Volume 4 Chapter 1 completed
*2nd July 2010 - Volume 4 Game Explanation and Prologue completed

Older Updates can be found on the [[Utsuro no Hako:Updates|Utsuro no Hako updates page]]

==''Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria '' by Eiji Mikage==
'''You can find the EPUB and MOBI version of the Volumes in the forums [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=5426 HERE].
===Volume 1 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?48j668zzivx56n8 (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari1_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 1st time|1st time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 23rd time|23rd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 1050th time|1,050th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 13118th time|13,118th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 10876th time|10,876th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 8946th time|8,946th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 2601st time|2,601st time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 2602nd time|2,602nd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 4609th time|4,609th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 5232nd time|5,232nd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27753rd time|27,753rd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 Interlude|Interlude]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27753rd time (2)|27,753rd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27754th time|27,754th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 3087th time|3,087th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27754th time (2)|27,754th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 0th time|0th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (2)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (3)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (4)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 0th time (2)|0th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 5000th time|5,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 6000th time|6,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 7000th time|7,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 8000th time|8,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 9000th time|9,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 9999th time|9,999th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 10000th time|10,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (5)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27756th time|27,756th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 1st time (2)|1st time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1_Author's_Notes|Author’s Notes]]

===Volume 2 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?e47bnq3m9gzkyqg (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari2_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 April 29|April 29 (Wednesday) Shōwa Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 April 30|April 30 (Thursday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 1|May 1 (Friday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 2|May 2 (Saturday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 3|May 3 (Sunday) Constitution Memorial Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 4|May 4 (Monday) Greenery Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 5|May 5 (Tuesday) Children's Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 18|May 18 (Monday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]


===Volume 3 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?2ga9sj849tpd51c (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari3_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume3 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Beginning|Beginning]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Round 1|Round 1]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Round 2|Round 2]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Round 3|Round 3]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]

===Volume 4 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?wqua7old6odmu2g (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari4_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume4 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Game Explanation|Game Explanation]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]


===Volume 5 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?ow5jiojti646nws (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari5_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume5 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Before the Show Begins|Before the Show Begins]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Scene 1|Scene 1: Close-Up Goodbye]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Scene 2|Scene 2: 60 Feet and 6 Inches Apart]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Scene 3|Scene 3: Repeat, Reset, Reset]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]

===Volume 6 ([[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/?f19mqpsx8qopcl8 PDF])===
[[Image:Hakomari6_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume6 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Intermission|Intermission]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (1)|Scene 4: Piercing at Fifteen (1/3)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (2)|Scene 4: Piercing at Fifteen (2/3)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (3)|Scene 4: Piercing at Fifteen (3/3)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 After the Curtain Falls|After the Curtain Falls]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]

===Dengeki Smile Bunko===
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Diamond Days|Diamond Days]]

===Miscellaneous===
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Interview|Interview with Eiji Mikage (April, 2013)]]

==Project Staff==

*Project Administrator: None
*Project Supervisor: [[user:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]]

===Translator===
:*[[user:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]]

===Editors===
:*[[user:Kadi|Kadi]]
:*[[user:Grrarr|Grrarr]]

==Todos==

{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|start}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 1|92%|May require changes re: punctuation. Editing for language and phrasing done pending a few EEE confirms - see: [[User_talk:Grrarr#Utsuro_no_Hako_Edit_Tracking.2C_Volume_1|Volume 1 progress, detailed]]}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 2|35%|WIP
( EEE - Edited up to May 1st ) (Grrarr - [[User_talk:Grrarr#Utsuro_no_Hako_Edit_Tracking.2C_Volume_2|Volume 2 progress, detailed]])}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 3|0|Incorrect tense}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 4|10%|}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 5|90%|May require changes re: punctuation}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 6|90%|May require changes re: punctuation}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 1 scans|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 2 scans|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 3 scans|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 4 scans|90%|(90% done)}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 5 scans|90%|editing is done, except for exec decision needed on File:UtsuroNoHako5 6.jpg }}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 6 scans|30%|editing + typesetting}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Define punctuation & style rules|5%| ([[User_talk:Grrarr#Utsuro_no_Hako_Punctuation_.26_Style_Rules|Incredibly preliminary...]]) and needs to be merged with [[Utsuro no Hako:Guidelines|Project Guidelines]]}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|TL notes for Volume 2 need to be FIXED}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|TL notes for Volume 4 should eventually be switched over into /reference form (like V1)|100%|Done}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Apply punctuation & style rules}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 7}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Optimize for Android app|0|Minor/low-priority task: the B/W-pictures may need some tweaks because they don't use the ''thumb'' class, hence are big.}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate and (finish) editing [http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000/627/627419/ Mikage interview]|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Keep volume 1 PDF up to date|0%|Outdated}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Keep volume 2 PDF up to date|0%|Outdated}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Keep volume 3 PDF up to date|80%|Pictures outdated & minor changes}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Keep volume 4 PDF up to date|80%|Pictures outdated & minor changes}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Keep volume 5 PDF up to date|90%|Pictures outdated & minor changes}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Keep volume 6 PDF up to date|90%|Pictures outdated & minor changes}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|end}}

==Purchasing the books==
* [http://honto.jp/netstore/search_10%E7%A9%BA%E3%82%8D%E3%81%AE%E7%AE%B1%E3%81%A8%E9%9B%B6%E3%81%AE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2.html honto.jp] ([http://www.google.ch/#q=how+to+buy+from+honto.jp how to buy from honto.jp])
* [http://www.amazon.co.jp/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_4?field-keywords=%E7%A9%BA%E3%82%8D%E3%81%AE%E7%AE%B1%E3%81%A8%E9%9B%B6%E3%81%AE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2 Amazon.co.jp]
* [http://www.yesasia.com/global/search/utsuro-no-hako/0-0-0-bpt.48_q.Utsuro+no+Hako-en/list.html YesAsia] (no shipping fees after ~$40)

== Series Overview ==

* Volume 1 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア1 (January 07, 2009, ISBN 978-4-04-867461-4)
* Volume 2 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア2 (September 10, 2009, ISBN 978-4-04-868012-7)
* Volume 3 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア3 (January 10, 2010, ISBN 978-4-04-424115-5)
* Volume 4 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア4 (June 10, 2010, ISBN 978-4-04-868595-5)
* Volume 5 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア5 (July 10, 2012, ISBN 978-4-04-886733-7)
* Volume 6 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア6 (January 10, 2013, ISBN 978-4-04-891251-8)

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]

File:UtsuroNoHako5 6.jpg

2013-07-18T08:54:41Z

Grrarr: no change to pic needed :P

The 'Shadow of Sin and Punishment'

Activates as soon as targets step on the shadow of the user of the 'box'—Daiya—and brings the targets under his control by forcing them to relive the remorse deeply rooted in their psyches.

File:UtsuroNoHako5 2.jpg

2013-07-18T08:52:32Z

Grrarr:

The' Wish-Crushing Cinema'.

A 'box' with a single purpose: crushing Daiya's 'Shadow of Sin and Punishment' by attacking his mind via ''movie screenings''.

Once captured by the cinema, it is absolutely impossible to escape.

File:UtsuroNoHako6 6.jpg

2013-07-18T08:47:51Z

Grrarr:

"Because I remembered that I gave you up."

'''Kasumi Mogi''' 
A girl who tries to stay positive, despite being crippled in an accident. She was once the target of Kazuki's unrequited love—and vice versa—but things have since changed.

File:UtsuroNoHako6 5.jpg

2013-07-18T08:44:28Z

Grrarr:

My eyes regain their focus and fix upon a single point.

"It feels like it's been a long time."

Kazuki Hoshino is standing there.

I stand up as I fight off the listlessness of the 'Cinema'.

"Yes, I also feel that way," Kazu replies with a bland smile.

He is holding a plain plastic case. I can't help but wonder about the condition of his powerful, right hand.

"Kazu, what happened to your hand?"

His right hand is bandaged. Blood is still seeping into the bandage.

"...It's a symbol."

Kazu takes a step forward.

We are facing each other.

Ah—

There's no doubt about it.

The battle we started in the 'Game of Idleness' will end here.

File:UtsuroNoHako6 4.jpg

2013-07-18T08:43:07Z

Grrarr:

"What?"

"Just kidding, Oomine-san! Please don't get angry. Things aren't as they seem—I'm helping you out like I promised."

"You claim that leaking my plans helps me?"

"Yes!"

"So you're saying that what you did was a trick to lure Kazu into the 'Wish-Crushing Cinema'?"

"Yes. Don't you agree that that is the ultimate threat? Otonashi-san. Kazuki-san will come, right?"

"...Yeah, without a doubt."

"See, I did help you, Oomine-san!"

'''Maria Otonashi''' 
A girl who thinks of herself as a 'box' and devotes her life to fulfilling others' 'wishes'. She decided to abandon her former name and take on the name of "Aya" in order to dispose of her attachment toward Kazuki.

'''Yuuri Yanagi''' 
A shy and well-behaved girl who’s as cute as a kitten... but despite her looks, she's just as cunning as Iroha.

File:UtsuroNoHako6 3.jpg

2013-07-18T08:40:07Z

Grrarr:

The 'Shadow of Sin and Punishment'

Activates when targets step on the shadow of the user of the 'box'—Daiya—and brings the targets under his control by forcing them to relive the remorse deeply rooted in their psyches.

The 'Wish-Crushing Cinema'.

A 'box' with a single purpose: crushing Daiya's 'Shadow of Sin and Punishment' by attacking his mind via movie screenings.

Once captured by the cinema, it is absolutely impossible to escape.

'''Daiya Oomine''' 
A silver-haired student with several piercings; his tongue is as sharp as his wits. He's willing to deceive and kill in order to achieve his goals. He opposes Kazuki with his 'box', the 'Shadow of Sin and Punishment'.

'''Kazuki Hoshino''' 
A completely ordinary student who is abnormally fond of his everyday life; he has become an object of observation for 'O'. He opposes Daiya with the 'Wish-Crushing Cinema'.

File:UtsuroNoHako6 2.jpg

2013-07-18T05:28:19Z

Grrarr:

* Bulleted list item
"I love Daiya."

'''Kokone Kirino''' 
One of Kazuki's classmates: bright, sociable and a little meddlespme. She’s been friends since kindergarten with Daiya Oomine, who has obtained a 'box'.

Talk:Utsuro no Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (1)

2013-07-17T09:03:22Z

Grrarr:

User talk:Grrarr

2013-07-16T05:59:01Z

Grrarr:

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 1==
<pre>
98 Novel Illustrations. (needs EEE or someone else w/correct images + ability to edit)
ok File:UtsuroNoHako_003.jpg: ...let sleeping dogs lie (Aya text: (this technically should be updated...but the absolute limits have been hit. Maybe after V7 has been TL'd, and every single other volume has been completely edited and polished to perfection...)
XX Prologue
100 1st time
100 23rd time
100 1,050th time
XX 13,118th time
XX(pend one tiny EEE confirm) 10,876th time
100 8,946th time
XX 2,601st time
XX 2,602nd time
100 4,609th time
100 5,232nd time
XX 27,753rd time
XX Interlude
XX 27,753rd time
XX 27,754th time
XX 3,087th time
XX 27,754th time
XX 0th time
XX 27,755th time
XX 27,755th time
XX 27,755th time
100 27,755th time
9X 0th time
100 5,000th time
100 6,000th time
100 7,000th time
100 8,000th time
100 9,000th time
XX 9,999th time
XX 10,000th time
XX 27,755th time
XX(a bit stiff in a few places) 27,756th time
XX 1st time
XX Epilogue
XX Author’s Notes
</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 2==
<pre>ok Novel illustrations
okish Prologue
ok April 29 (Wednesday) Shōwa Day
1X April 30 (Thursday)
1X May 1 (Friday)
1X May 2 (Saturday)
1X May 3 (Sunday) Constitution Memorial Day
1X May 4 (Monday) Greenery Day
00 May 5 (Tuesday) Children's Day
20 May 18 (Monday)
00 Author's Notes
</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 3==
V3
<pre>
ok Novel illustrations

</pre>
==Utsuro no Hako Punctuation & Style Rules==
VERY preliminary:
'''Open Issues'''
*Issue 01: Volume 1 frequently uses --- in place of —; in a few instances, I've seen -- and ----, so any naive Ctrl-F / Find-Replace regex / etc should first check for -- and ---- before ---.
*Issue 02: Umaibô=>Umaibō & Umaibo=>Umaibō & Umaibous=>Umaibōs... Completed for:
::Project Landing Page
::Illustrations for V1, V3, V4
::V1
::V2
::V3
::V4
::V5
::V6
:NEEDS TO BE FIXED for text within V1 illustration file: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=File:UtsuroNoHako_003.jpg
:: Taken note of. Btw. not that I want to change it, but just pointing out the problem that we now have two types of romanization. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 02:22, 13 April 2013 (CDT)
*Issue 03: capital letter after "..."? After colons? (Trivial, but would help to generalize)
*Issue 04: em-dash, en-dash? Spaces in between?
'''Closed Issues''' (until V7 comes out, at least):
*Issue 01: Kazuki's sister's name: Ruu-chan=>Luu-chan & Ruka=>Luka. Completed for V1-V6
*Issue 02: Spaces between sentences: Parts of volume 2 (and others) have two spaces between sentences instead of a single space - I'm pretty tempted to do a straight Ctrl-F and hope for the best (or else a regex for two, but not three spaces -> a single space)
** Fwiw, two spaces are stripped to one in MediaWiki, so it's not that urgent an issue. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 02:22, 13 April 2013 (CDT) (/facepalm ...well, good to know earlier rather than later - thanks for the heads-up [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 08:37, 13 April 2013 (CDT))

==HakoMari items to discuss w/EEE over IRC==

== HakoMari synopsis: random notes to self ==

http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=3161&p=69753&hilit=drum#p69753
http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Utsuro_no_Hako_to_Zero_no_Maria&diff=99099&oldid=95425

Keep "I'll break you"
==Generic footnotes==
<nowiki><ref>If you’re reading this light novel, chances are that you don’t need this note. On the other hand, you may find the diversity of commentary on the subject interesting, especially as you scroll further down. See http://ask.metafilter.com/161835/First-names-in-Japanese-honorifics</ref></nowiki>
"The awkwardness in Japanese Anime/Manga is because it indicates a dramatic shift in personal intimacy/comfort. It's equivalent to getting a long warm hug from someone you just met. Generally used as a literary device to get two characters close to each other without tons and tons of expository time."

== Notes to self re: trivial edit tracking, Utsuro no Hako Illustrations & Illustration summary pages ==

Complete: Utsuro no Hako V1
:illustration summary
:individual illustrations

Utsuro no Hako V2
:Complete/trivial: illustration summary
:Todo:
*April 7th- Announcement (1.Needs to be sync'd, in part, w/ending phrase of V1. 2.Need to grab EEE/downtime re: the current desription of Maria as a "firm beauty" ....)
*April 23rd - Classroom
*May 1st - Confession

V3

V4

V5:
:illustration summary
:individual illustrations - Untranslated

==tsukumodo==
yo) about the changing of the order of editing Tsukumodo chapters, as you so kindly proposed - both you and ss were going at the last chapter of vol. 1 pretty hard. if you're not finished with it yet, can i humbly request you to do that chapter first? i thought about it and things seemed to coincide a bit: you're doing it anyway with ss and i just felt like i needed to tl the best chapter in the volume next after the first chapter (i need some motivation to keep going as tsukumodo isn't all that fun really). and by the time i finish said last chapter you will have probably edited the whole volume , so after that the order isn't a problem. sorry i didn't think of this sooner... PS. god, i love "future in the past" (tense)--[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] 03:45, 29 July 2012 (CDT)

hey! no worries, totally not a prob. (Just a heads up - I'll probably crap out at some point and get busy w/other stuff this week, so don't be so sure that I'll have gotten thru the volume by the time you TL it... :P) [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] 10:43, 29 July 2012 (CDT)

oh, hey. thanks for the update. but really, no need apologize. plus, i've been lazy myself (i have still have half of 'coincedence' to go) + i tl'd a chapter Boku wa tomodachi ga sukunai and have things to be busy with other than tsukumodo, mainly proofreading + my new job is pretty much hell in terms of work shifts. so all in all, i have no problem waiting. --[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] ([[User talk:Idiffer|talk]]) 22:51, 14 August 2012 (CDT)

Cool - well, not so much the work shifts being hell part...but glad I haven't been holding you up/you've been otherwise occupied. About to send you a PM [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 00:02, 15 August 2012 (CDT)

'''Reminder to self: do "coincidence" then "present" ''' Also, at some pt, make sure the prologues and other word-for-word copies of "what is a relic" in the various chapters are all consistent... [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 16:13, 24 August 2012 (CDT)

==HakoMari==

Thanks for all the help w/HakoMari. Fyi:
# EEE and I both encourage you to edit aggressively...very aggressively :)
# Inline comments are usually a lot easier to handle than discussion page comments, unless there's some broad meta-issue at stake
# V1, V5, and V6 are basically edited. V2 is still very much in progress. V3 and V4...need a lot of work.
# The dominant tense should be present, not past. (That being said, there are lots of exceptions, such as narrative flashbacks, etc etc.) This is basically complete for V1, V5, and V6, partially complete for V2, and again, almost completely unimplemented for V3 and V4.
# Welcome, and ... um ... happy editing?
[[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr|talk]]) 00:58, 16 July 2013 (CDT)

== Yo. ==

Wanted to direct your attention to an argument I'm putting forth here: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Talk:Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1_Prologue

Speaking of style, I see you're getting away from the "formal/academic/calcified writing style" - I think that's a really nice thing to do. It's one of my primary hobbies to look at different interesting writing styles, for example from Orwell and Russell (considerably different choice of vocabulary, tendency for longer, more complex sentences; "styled like a dusty BBC radio broadcast") to a translation of The Brothers Karamazov (short, clipped sentences delivered in a very matter-of-fact tone) to a recent nonfiction book on psychology for the masses (informal; American spoken vernacular), and so forth. Having to write for academia is pretty suffocating, so I hope you have fun with that 'getting away.'

User talk:MatrixM

2013-07-16T05:58:24Z

Grrarr: Created page with "==HakoMari== Thanks for all the help w/HakoMari. Fyi: # EEE and I both encourage you to edit aggressively...very aggressively :) # Inline comments are usually a lot easier to..."

==HakoMari==

Thanks for all the help w/HakoMari. Fyi:
# EEE and I both encourage you to edit aggressively...very aggressively :)
# Inline comments are usually a lot easier to handle than discussion page comments, unless there's some broad meta-issue at stake
# V1, V5, and V6 are basically edited. V2 is still very much in progress. V3 and V4...need a lot of work.
# The dominant tense should be present, not past. (That being said, there are lots of exceptions, such as narrative flashbacks, etc etc.) This is basically complete for V1, V5, and V6, partially complete for V2, and again, almost completely unimplemented for V3 and V4.
# Welcome, and ... um ... happy editing?
[[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr|talk]]) 00:58, 16 July 2013 (CDT)

User talk:Grrarr

2013-07-11T08:57:21Z

Grrarr: /* Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 2 */

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 1==
<pre>
98 Novel Illustrations. (needs EEE or someone else w/correct images + ability to edit)
ok File:UtsuroNoHako_003.jpg: ...let sleeping dogs lie (Aya text: (this technically should be updated...but the absolute limits have been hit. Maybe after V7 has been TL'd, and every single other volume has been completely edited and polished to perfection...)
XX Prologue
100 1st time
100 23rd time
100 1,050th time
XX 13,118th time
XX(pend one tiny EEE confirm) 10,876th time
100 8,946th time
XX 2,601st time
XX 2,602nd time
100 4,609th time
100 5,232nd time
XX 27,753rd time
XX Interlude
XX 27,753rd time
XX 27,754th time
XX 3,087th time
XX 27,754th time
XX 0th time
XX 27,755th time
XX 27,755th time
XX 27,755th time
100 27,755th time
9X 0th time
100 5,000th time
100 6,000th time
100 7,000th time
100 8,000th time
100 9,000th time
XX 9,999th time
XX 10,000th time
XX 27,755th time
XX(a bit stiff in a few places) 27,756th time
XX 1st time
XX Epilogue
XX Author’s Notes
</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 2==
<pre>ok Novel illustrations
okish Prologue
ok April 29 (Wednesday) Shōwa Day
1X April 30 (Thursday)
1X May 1 (Friday)
1X May 2 (Saturday)
1X May 3 (Sunday) Constitution Memorial Day
1X May 4 (Monday) Greenery Day
00 May 5 (Tuesday) Children's Day
20 May 18 (Monday)
00 Author's Notes
</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 3==
V3
<pre>
ok Novel illustrations

</pre>
==Utsuro no Hako Punctuation & Style Rules==
VERY preliminary:
'''Open Issues'''
*Issue 01: Volume 1 frequently uses --- in place of —; in a few instances, I've seen -- and ----, so any naive Ctrl-F / Find-Replace regex / etc should first check for -- and ---- before ---.
*Issue 02: Umaibô=>Umaibō & Umaibo=>Umaibō & Umaibous=>Umaibōs... Completed for:
::Project Landing Page
::Illustrations for V1, V3, V4
::V1
::V2
::V3
::V4
::V5
::V6
:NEEDS TO BE FIXED for text within V1 illustration file: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=File:UtsuroNoHako_003.jpg
:: Taken note of. Btw. not that I want to change it, but just pointing out the problem that we now have two types of romanization. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 02:22, 13 April 2013 (CDT)
*Issue 03: capital letter after "..."? After colons? (Trivial, but would help to generalize)
*Issue 04: em-dash, en-dash? Spaces in between?
'''Closed Issues''' (until V7 comes out, at least):
*Issue 01: Kazuki's sister's name: Ruu-chan=>Luu-chan & Ruka=>Luka. Completed for V1-V6
*Issue 02: Spaces between sentences: Parts of volume 2 (and others) have two spaces between sentences instead of a single space - I'm pretty tempted to do a straight Ctrl-F and hope for the best (or else a regex for two, but not three spaces -> a single space)
** Fwiw, two spaces are stripped to one in MediaWiki, so it's not that urgent an issue. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 02:22, 13 April 2013 (CDT) (/facepalm ...well, good to know earlier rather than later - thanks for the heads-up [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 08:37, 13 April 2013 (CDT))

==HakoMari items to discuss w/EEE over IRC==

== HakoMari synopsis: random notes to self ==

http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=3161&p=69753&hilit=drum#p69753
http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Utsuro_no_Hako_to_Zero_no_Maria&diff=99099&oldid=95425

Keep "I'll break you"
==Generic footnotes==
<nowiki><ref>If you’re reading this light novel, chances are that you don’t need this note. On the other hand, you may find the diversity of commentary on the subject interesting, especially as you scroll further down. See http://ask.metafilter.com/161835/First-names-in-Japanese-honorifics</ref></nowiki>
"The awkwardness in Japanese Anime/Manga is because it indicates a dramatic shift in personal intimacy/comfort. It's equivalent to getting a long warm hug from someone you just met. Generally used as a literary device to get two characters close to each other without tons and tons of expository time."

== Notes to self re: trivial edit tracking, Utsuro no Hako Illustrations & Illustration summary pages ==

Complete: Utsuro no Hako V1
:illustration summary
:individual illustrations

Utsuro no Hako V2
:Complete/trivial: illustration summary
:Todo:
*April 7th- Announcement (1.Needs to be sync'd, in part, w/ending phrase of V1. 2.Need to grab EEE/downtime re: the current desription of Maria as a "firm beauty" ....)
*April 23rd - Classroom
*May 1st - Confession

V3

V4

V5:
:illustration summary
:individual illustrations - Untranslated

==tsukumodo==
yo) about the changing of the order of editing Tsukumodo chapters, as you so kindly proposed - both you and ss were going at the last chapter of vol. 1 pretty hard. if you're not finished with it yet, can i humbly request you to do that chapter first? i thought about it and things seemed to coincide a bit: you're doing it anyway with ss and i just felt like i needed to tl the best chapter in the volume next after the first chapter (i need some motivation to keep going as tsukumodo isn't all that fun really). and by the time i finish said last chapter you will have probably edited the whole volume , so after that the order isn't a problem. sorry i didn't think of this sooner... PS. god, i love "future in the past" (tense)--[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] 03:45, 29 July 2012 (CDT)

hey! no worries, totally not a prob. (Just a heads up - I'll probably crap out at some point and get busy w/other stuff this week, so don't be so sure that I'll have gotten thru the volume by the time you TL it... :P) [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] 10:43, 29 July 2012 (CDT)

oh, hey. thanks for the update. but really, no need apologize. plus, i've been lazy myself (i have still have half of 'coincedence' to go) + i tl'd a chapter Boku wa tomodachi ga sukunai and have things to be busy with other than tsukumodo, mainly proofreading + my new job is pretty much hell in terms of work shifts. so all in all, i have no problem waiting. --[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] ([[User talk:Idiffer|talk]]) 22:51, 14 August 2012 (CDT)

Cool - well, not so much the work shifts being hell part...but glad I haven't been holding you up/you've been otherwise occupied. About to send you a PM [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 00:02, 15 August 2012 (CDT)

'''Reminder to self: do "coincidence" then "present" ''' Also, at some pt, make sure the prologues and other word-for-word copies of "what is a relic" in the various chapters are all consistent... [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 16:13, 24 August 2012 (CDT)

== Yo. ==

Wanted to direct your attention to an argument I'm putting forth here: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Talk:Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1_Prologue

Speaking of style, I see you're getting away from the "formal/academic/calcified writing style" - I think that's a really nice thing to do. It's one of my primary hobbies to look at different interesting writing styles, for example from Orwell and Russell (considerably different choice of vocabulary, tendency for longer, more complex sentences; "styled like a dusty BBC radio broadcast") to a translation of The Brothers Karamazov (short, clipped sentences delivered in a very matter-of-fact tone) to a recent nonfiction book on psychology for the masses (informal; American spoken vernacular), and so forth. Having to write for academia is pretty suffocating, so I hope you have fun with that 'getting away.'

User talk:Grrarr

2013-07-11T08:49:08Z

Grrarr: /* Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 2 */

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 1==
<pre>
98 Novel Illustrations. (needs EEE or someone else w/correct images + ability to edit)
ok File:UtsuroNoHako_003.jpg: ...let sleeping dogs lie (Aya text: (this technically should be updated...but the absolute limits have been hit. Maybe after V7 has been TL'd, and every single other volume has been completely edited and polished to perfection...)
XX Prologue
100 1st time
100 23rd time
100 1,050th time
XX 13,118th time
XX(pend one tiny EEE confirm) 10,876th time
100 8,946th time
XX 2,601st time
XX 2,602nd time
100 4,609th time
100 5,232nd time
XX 27,753rd time
XX Interlude
XX 27,753rd time
XX 27,754th time
XX 3,087th time
XX 27,754th time
XX 0th time
XX 27,755th time
XX 27,755th time
XX 27,755th time
100 27,755th time
9X 0th time
100 5,000th time
100 6,000th time
100 7,000th time
100 8,000th time
100 9,000th time
XX 9,999th time
XX 10,000th time
XX 27,755th time
XX(a bit stiff in a few places) 27,756th time
XX 1st time
XX Epilogue
XX Author’s Notes
</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 2==
<pre>ok Novel illustrations
okish Prologue
ok April 29 (Wednesday) Shōwa Day
1X April 30 (Thursday)
1X May 1 (Friday)
1X May 2 (Saturday)
1X May 3 (Sunday) Constitution Memorial Day
1X May 4 (Monday) Greenery Day
00 May 5 (Tuesday) Children's Day
00 May 18 (Monday)
00 Author's Notes
</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 3==
V3
<pre>
ok Novel illustrations

</pre>
==Utsuro no Hako Punctuation & Style Rules==
VERY preliminary:
'''Open Issues'''
*Issue 01: Volume 1 frequently uses --- in place of —; in a few instances, I've seen -- and ----, so any naive Ctrl-F / Find-Replace regex / etc should first check for -- and ---- before ---.
*Issue 02: Umaibô=>Umaibō & Umaibo=>Umaibō & Umaibous=>Umaibōs... Completed for:
::Project Landing Page
::Illustrations for V1, V3, V4
::V1
::V2
::V3
::V4
::V5
::V6
:NEEDS TO BE FIXED for text within V1 illustration file: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=File:UtsuroNoHako_003.jpg
:: Taken note of. Btw. not that I want to change it, but just pointing out the problem that we now have two types of romanization. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 02:22, 13 April 2013 (CDT)
*Issue 03: capital letter after "..."? After colons? (Trivial, but would help to generalize)
*Issue 04: em-dash, en-dash? Spaces in between?
'''Closed Issues''' (until V7 comes out, at least):
*Issue 01: Kazuki's sister's name: Ruu-chan=>Luu-chan & Ruka=>Luka. Completed for V1-V6
*Issue 02: Spaces between sentences: Parts of volume 2 (and others) have two spaces between sentences instead of a single space - I'm pretty tempted to do a straight Ctrl-F and hope for the best (or else a regex for two, but not three spaces -> a single space)
** Fwiw, two spaces are stripped to one in MediaWiki, so it's not that urgent an issue. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 02:22, 13 April 2013 (CDT) (/facepalm ...well, good to know earlier rather than later - thanks for the heads-up [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 08:37, 13 April 2013 (CDT))

==HakoMari items to discuss w/EEE over IRC==

== HakoMari synopsis: random notes to self ==

http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=3161&p=69753&hilit=drum#p69753
http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Utsuro_no_Hako_to_Zero_no_Maria&diff=99099&oldid=95425

Keep "I'll break you"
==Generic footnotes==
<nowiki><ref>If you’re reading this light novel, chances are that you don’t need this note. On the other hand, you may find the diversity of commentary on the subject interesting, especially as you scroll further down. See http://ask.metafilter.com/161835/First-names-in-Japanese-honorifics</ref></nowiki>
"The awkwardness in Japanese Anime/Manga is because it indicates a dramatic shift in personal intimacy/comfort. It's equivalent to getting a long warm hug from someone you just met. Generally used as a literary device to get two characters close to each other without tons and tons of expository time."

== Notes to self re: trivial edit tracking, Utsuro no Hako Illustrations & Illustration summary pages ==

Complete: Utsuro no Hako V1
:illustration summary
:individual illustrations

Utsuro no Hako V2
:Complete/trivial: illustration summary
:Todo:
*April 7th- Announcement (1.Needs to be sync'd, in part, w/ending phrase of V1. 2.Need to grab EEE/downtime re: the current desription of Maria as a "firm beauty" ....)
*April 23rd - Classroom
*May 1st - Confession

V3

V4

V5:
:illustration summary
:individual illustrations - Untranslated

==tsukumodo==
yo) about the changing of the order of editing Tsukumodo chapters, as you so kindly proposed - both you and ss were going at the last chapter of vol. 1 pretty hard. if you're not finished with it yet, can i humbly request you to do that chapter first? i thought about it and things seemed to coincide a bit: you're doing it anyway with ss and i just felt like i needed to tl the best chapter in the volume next after the first chapter (i need some motivation to keep going as tsukumodo isn't all that fun really). and by the time i finish said last chapter you will have probably edited the whole volume , so after that the order isn't a problem. sorry i didn't think of this sooner... PS. god, i love "future in the past" (tense)--[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] 03:45, 29 July 2012 (CDT)

hey! no worries, totally not a prob. (Just a heads up - I'll probably crap out at some point and get busy w/other stuff this week, so don't be so sure that I'll have gotten thru the volume by the time you TL it... :P) [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] 10:43, 29 July 2012 (CDT)

oh, hey. thanks for the update. but really, no need apologize. plus, i've been lazy myself (i have still have half of 'coincedence' to go) + i tl'd a chapter Boku wa tomodachi ga sukunai and have things to be busy with other than tsukumodo, mainly proofreading + my new job is pretty much hell in terms of work shifts. so all in all, i have no problem waiting. --[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] ([[User talk:Idiffer|talk]]) 22:51, 14 August 2012 (CDT)

Cool - well, not so much the work shifts being hell part...but glad I haven't been holding you up/you've been otherwise occupied. About to send you a PM [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 00:02, 15 August 2012 (CDT)

'''Reminder to self: do "coincidence" then "present" ''' Also, at some pt, make sure the prologues and other word-for-word copies of "what is a relic" in the various chapters are all consistent... [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 16:13, 24 August 2012 (CDT)

== Yo. ==

Wanted to direct your attention to an argument I'm putting forth here: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Talk:Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1_Prologue

Speaking of style, I see you're getting away from the "formal/academic/calcified writing style" - I think that's a really nice thing to do. It's one of my primary hobbies to look at different interesting writing styles, for example from Orwell and Russell (considerably different choice of vocabulary, tendency for longer, more complex sentences; "styled like a dusty BBC radio broadcast") to a translation of The Brothers Karamazov (short, clipped sentences delivered in a very matter-of-fact tone) to a recent nonfiction book on psychology for the masses (informal; American spoken vernacular), and so forth. Having to write for academia is pretty suffocating, so I hope you have fun with that 'getting away.'

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria

2013-07-11T07:32:43Z

Grrarr: /* Todos */

The ''Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria'' series is also available in the following languages:
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria ~Versión Española~|Español (Spanish)]]
*[[Hakomari (Indonesia)|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria tiếng Việt|Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria wersja polska|Polski (Polish)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria (German)|Deutsch (German)]]

(Note: Translation progress varies for each version.)
----
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako6_1.jpg|thumb|Volume 6 Cover|250px]]

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria (空ろの箱と零のマリア, The Empty Box and The Zeroth Maria) is a light novel series written by Eiji Mikage and illustrated by Tetsuo (formerly known as 415). While Utsuro no Hako, often abbreviated as ''Hakomari,'' is Eiji's fourth publication, it is the first to feature illustrations. A teaser for one of his earlier works can be [[Kamisu Reina Series|viewed here]].

==Story Synopsis==


''Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria,'' or ''The Empty Box and The Zeroth Maria,'' tells the story of Kazuki Hoshino, who is almost madly attached to his everyday life, and his antagonist Aya Otonashi, who suddenly transfers into his class at the end of the school year—for no less than the 13,118th time. Without hesitation, she announces her intent to “break” him. Kazuki's struggle to defend his everyday life begins, and the many secrets it is built on start to come to light.

==Character Introductions==
<div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Kazuki Hoshino
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Kazuki.jpg|left|link=]]
A completely ordinary high school student who loves idle chatter with his friends and Umaibōs, a Japanese snack. One day, he somehow suddenly antagonizes Aya Otonashi — even though he has never met her before. She threatens to “break” him.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Aya Otonashi
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Aya.jpg|left|link=]]
An antisocial beauty  with a resolute personality. She transfers into Kazuki’s class on March 2nd — right before the end of the school year. Immediately upon her arrival, she announces her intent to “break” Kazuki.
</div>
 
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Daiya Oomine
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Daiya.jpg|left|link=]]
A self-centered and arrogant student who dyes his hair silver and wears three piercings in his right ear. He is also the class president and a shrewd friend of Kazuki’s.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Haruaki Usui
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Haruaki.jpg|left|link=]]
A cheerful but frivolous baseball ace. He often hangs out with Kazuki and Daiya.
</div>
 
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Kokone Kirino
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Kokone.jpg|left|link=]]
A bright and beautiful girl who cares a lot for her friends, but can sometimes be meddlesome. She and Daiya have known each other since childhood, and their mutual verbal abuse has become legendary among their classmates ever since.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Kasumi Mogi
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Kasumi.jpg|left|link=]]
The girl who has won Kazuki’s heart. She is docile, silent and expressionless.

</div>
 
</div>

== Translation ==
===[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Registration Page|Registration]]===
Translators are asked to [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on (see the [[Format_guideline#Translators|Guideline]] page for usage rules).

=== Format Standards ===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the agreed points highlighted in the guidelines below '''
* [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Guidelines|Project Guidelines]]
* [[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]

== Updates ==
*19th February 2013 - Volume 6 completed
*26th August 2012 - Volume 5 completed
*31th July 2012 - Volume 5 "Before the Show Begins" completed
*21th July 2012 - Volume 5 Prologue completed
*19th April 2012 - Diamond Days completed
*2nd August 2010 - Volume 4 completed
*25th July 2010 - Volume 4 Chapter 1 completed
*2nd July 2010 - Volume 4 Game Explanation and Prologue completed

Older Updates can be found on the [[Utsuro no Hako:Updates|Utsuro no Hako updates page]]

==''Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria '' by Eiji Mikage==
'''You can find the EPUB and MOBI version of the Volumes in the forums [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=5426 HERE].
===Volume 1 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?48j668zzivx56n8 (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari1_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 1st time|1st time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 23rd time|23rd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 1050th time|1,050th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 13118th time|13,118th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 10876th time|10,876th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 8946th time|8,946th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 2601st time|2,601st time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 2602nd time|2,602nd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 4609th time|4,609th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 5232nd time|5,232nd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27753rd time|27,753rd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 Interlude|Interlude]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27753rd time (2)|27,753rd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27754th time|27,754th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 3087th time|3,087th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27754th time (2)|27,754th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 0th time|0th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (2)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (3)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (4)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 0th time (2)|0th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 5000th time|5,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 6000th time|6,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 7000th time|7,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 8000th time|8,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 9000th time|9,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 9999th time|9,999th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 10000th time|10,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (5)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27756th time|27,756th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 1st time (2)|1st time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1_Author's_Notes|Author’s Notes]]

===Volume 2 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?e47bnq3m9gzkyqg (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari2_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 April 29|April 29 (Wednesday) Shōwa Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 April 30|April 30 (Thursday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 1|May 1 (Friday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 2|May 2 (Saturday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 3|May 3 (Sunday) Constitution Memorial Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 4|May 4 (Monday) Greenery Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 5|May 5 (Tuesday) Children's Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 18|May 18 (Monday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]


===Volume 3 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?2ga9sj849tpd51c (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari3_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume3 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Beginning|Beginning]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Round 1|Round 1]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Round 2|Round 2]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Round 3|Round 3]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]

===Volume 4 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?wqua7old6odmu2g (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari4_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume4 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Game Explanation|Game Explanation]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]


===Volume 5 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?ow5jiojti646nws (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari5_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume5 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Before the Show Begins|Before the Show Begins]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Scene 1|Scene 1: Close-Up Goodbye]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Scene 2|Scene 2: 60 Feet and 6 Inches Apart]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Scene 3|Scene 3: Repeat, Reset, Reset]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]

===Volume 6 ([[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/?f19mqpsx8qopcl8 PDF])===
[[Image:Hakomari6_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume6 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Intermission|Intermission]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (1)|Scene 4: Piercing at Fifteen (1/3)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (2)|Scene 4: Piercing at Fifteen (2/3)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (3)|Scene 4: Piercing at Fifteen (3/3)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 After the Curtain Falls|After the Curtain Falls]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]

===Dengeki Smile Bunko===
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Diamond Days|Diamond Days]]

===Miscellaneous===
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Interview|Interview with Eiji Mikage (April, 2013)]]

==Project Staff==

*Project Administrator: None
*Project Supervisor: [[user:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]]

===Translator===
:*[[user:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]]

===Editors===
:*[[user:Kadi|Kadi]]
:*[[user:Grrarr|Grrarr]]

==Todos==

{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|start}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 1|92%|May require changes re: punctuation. Editing for language and phrasing done pending a few EEE confirms - see: [[User_talk:Grrarr#Utsuro_no_Hako_Edit_Tracking.2C_Volume_1|Volume 1 progress, detailed]]}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 2|35%|WIP
( EEE - Edited up to May 1st ) (Grrarr - [[User_talk:Grrarr#Utsuro_no_Hako_Edit_Tracking.2C_Volume_2|Volume 2 progress, detailed]])}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 3|0|Incorrect tense}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 4|10%|}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 5|90%|May require changes re: punctuation}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 6|90%|May require changes re: punctuation}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 1 scans|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 2 scans|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 3 scans|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 4 scans|70%|Translating / editing (90% done except for image 6) / typesetting}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 5 scans|50%|editing is done, except for exec decision needed on File:UtsuroNoHako5 6.jpg / typesetting}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 6 scans|0|Waiting for cleaned scans}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Define punctuation & style rules|5%| ([[User_talk:Grrarr#Utsuro_no_Hako_Punctuation_.26_Style_Rules|Incredibly preliminary...]]) and needs to be merged with [[Utsuro no Hako:Guidelines|Project Guidelines]]}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|TL notes for Volume 2 need to be FIXED}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|TL notes for Volume 4 should eventually be switched over into /reference form (like V1)|100%|Done}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Apply punctuation & style rules}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 7}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Optimize for Android app|0|Minor/low-priority task: the B/W-pictures may need some tweaks because they don't use the ''thumb'' class, hence are big.}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate and (finish) editing [http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000/627/627419/ Mikage interview]|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|end}}

==Purchasing the books==
* [http://honto.jp/netstore/search_10%E7%A9%BA%E3%82%8D%E3%81%AE%E7%AE%B1%E3%81%A8%E9%9B%B6%E3%81%AE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2.html honto.jp] ([http://www.google.ch/#q=how+to+buy+from+honto.jp how to buy from honto.jp])
* [http://www.amazon.co.jp/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_4?field-keywords=%E7%A9%BA%E3%82%8D%E3%81%AE%E7%AE%B1%E3%81%A8%E9%9B%B6%E3%81%AE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2 Amazon.co.jp]
* [http://www.yesasia.com/global/search/utsuro-no-hako/0-0-0-bpt.48_q.Utsuro+no+Hako-en/list.html YesAsia] (no shipping fees after ~$40)

== Series Overview ==

* Volume 1 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア1 (January 07, 2009, ISBN 978-4-04-867461-4)
* Volume 2 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア2 (September 10, 2009, ISBN 978-4-04-868012-7)
* Volume 3 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア3 (January 10, 2010, ISBN 978-4-04-424115-5)
* Volume 4 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア4 (June 10, 2010, ISBN 978-4-04-868595-5)
* Volume 5 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア5 (July 10, 2012, ISBN 978-4-04-886733-7)
* Volume 6 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア6 (January 10, 2013, ISBN 978-4-04-891251-8)

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]

Talk:Utsuro no Hako:Volume1 Prologue

2013-07-11T07:30:16Z

Grrarr: /* Open dialogue? */

Grarr, mind if I push my opinion a bit?
:No worries at all; I don't bite/tend to _not_ thrive on drama :D I _can_ be a bit stubborn at times :P Also, HUGE caveat - I can't speak for EEE (though I occasionally can summarize his repeated comments/quote him off IRC logs :D)
I feel that in a novel, especially a surrealistic one like Hakomari, maintaining the stylistic individuality of the writing is much more important than following orthodox usage customs. "Break any rule sooner than say anything outright barbarous," after all.
:For sure - in particular, character dialogues are probably the most obvious example where style dominates grammar, orthodox usage, etc.
:A couple of caveats wrt just where I fall on the _targeted_ (vs. where-the-final-product-ended-up) anality scale. You may get the sense that I'm more anal than I actually want to be, based on the "evidence."
#e.g., when I reworked the prologues, I was just starting to work w/EEE and Kadi on V5 on EEE's private wiki for the first time, so the prologues are probably among the stiffest of all the sections that I worked on (relative to the desired/contextually appropriate level of stiffness for a given section, of course). (Separately, I was treating 'O', like Daiya in V1, as ~= pretentious pricks for their default style...)
#Another more specific example: the "his (or her)" edits re: 'O' in the V1-4 prologues were iirc my blindly re-implementing what EEE/Kadi had decided to do for the prologue of V5, in order to keep things consistent across volumes.
#Separately, the sausage-making can sometimes get pretty ugly. EEE's first drafts for V5 were being pushed out in fairly raw form at times, and I/we could barely keep up with his massive TL'g power/speed. I ended up first-sweeping to fix grammar and blatant incongruities (often creating some long-ass, multi-clausal sentences to avoid losing any translated tidbits), planning to iterate later on for style and flow. This...didn't always happen. In fact, the first-sweeps didn't always catch everything, as your edits to V5 already demonstrate :P
A translation is a new work - and I feel that EEE imparted to many parts of Hakomari a very likable style, which I feel should be preserved.
:Agreed, though there are a bunch of facts and circumstances issues that should probably be made more transparent (they largely haven't been, since I roughly thought that ~0 ppl would care - tho you actually do seem to, which is nice :) ) I suppose there's a question of translator's intent (as an analogue to authorial intent...)
# Many parts of the oldest TL's for Hakomari are mutually acknowledged to be, well, barbarous/a hot mess by EEE and Kadi, who were responsible for them at the time - much of V2 is probably the best example (as cited by EEE himself yesterday-recently)
# While parts of some of the TL's have enjoyable and deliberate style, EEE freely admits that much of the 2010 stuff was cranked out in a manner that he found problematic then, and definitely wants revised now. As to how that revision will proceed, I'd encourage you to participate (and while I can't speak for EEE/Kadi, your edits on V5 thus far seem fine w/one or two exceptions)
# Where we're more likely to run into (some) disagreement further below...
For example, the change {I think I asked him something trifling then, something like ‘Why are you giving this to me?’} -> {I think I asked him (or her) something trivial at that point, along the lines of ‘Why are you giving this to me?’}.
(Actually, rereading that, it should be edited to {I think I asked him something trifling then - something along the lines of ‘Why are you giving this to me?’})

It's very, very difficult to explain, but I feel there's an odd charm in the choice of words and phrasing in the original - in this case, it would be the usage of {trifling}, as well as the structure of {something --- then, something like}. Using {something trivial at that point}, while more consistent with current vernacular and rules, removes the bit of 'flavor' the original phrasing imparted to the story. A similar argument applies to many of your other edits - especially the more liberal ones. The original lack of conjunctions is another example of this charm.
:So using this as a micro-example:
# I largely buy your argument wrt reverting to some kind of "trifling" variant (though this is a subjective pref on both our parts wrt "charm"), and would rank (your revised edition) > (my stiff-upper-lip version) > (the oldest/unrevised, bit-too-messy version)
# _If_ we're talking about the same things, the lack of conjunctions (in a decent number of cases) was EEE being lazy / probably wanting to change the style today.
I realize this is also a case of the version first read imprinting itself on my perception of Hakomari as a whole, like the King James Bible on our perception of the Bible - but I'd like to defend that first style, regardless. I do think lots of your grammar edits improved the readability though.
# No worries; subject to EEE's opinions as dominant, of course.
Your view?
[[User:LB Kasen|LB_Kasen]] ([[User talk:LB Kasen|talk]]) 03:00, 27 August 2012 (CDT)
:I think some of the main issues are disentangling
::places where I edit too formally (for whatever reason - laziness, time constraints, bad editing) / your style prefs are generally better
::places where the old version was _really_ bad from a clarity/grammar/barely english standpoint, and my replacement was much-needed but dropped the ball on style points
::places where you have an imprinted fondness for a certain style, but EEE definitely didn't intentionally create said style/actively wants it to be changed in a lot of cases
:Separately, EEE's desire to have earlier volumes "edited" to some degree of clarity/proper usage+flow, and amount of bandwidth available for that purpose...

I'm leaving out another theoretical bugaboo - accurately capturing Mikage's style. It's quite possible that EEE today may be much more capable of doing so, and may want to do so - but that may create a version of hakomari that you find actively displeasing vs the one of your "impression-forming" days...

BTW, a general observation - the degree to which EEE actively prefers liberal editing (with his veto always being final, of course) from ppl he's worked with/trusts seems very different from the regular B-T TL level of preference. This is not particularly obvious since 99% of v5 TL+editing happened on his own wiki.

If you're planning on getting really active w/HakoMari editing, I can _ask_ to see how he'd feel about giving you access so you can get a better sense of how things evolved. (No promisese, of course - esp since v5 has already been released to B-T, he may not see much point to airing out the sausage factory as it were...) [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr|talk]]) 04:32, 27 August 2012 (CDT)

:Sorry for butting in here, but I'd like to state my two cents. Also, I haven't read grrarr's comments yet because he posted while I was writing. :P

:I agree that Mikage's writing style has a lot of special characteristics, but I think those that matter are mostly preserved. E.g. the choice of words is due in a large part to my poor grasp of spoken and written English, and I've actually been craving for someone to get rid of that forced, "I-Can't-Into-English" phrasing. Also, I believe it's a trait of Japanese in general (especially light novels) that it differs greatly from the common English style (speaking of conjunctions), but I don't consider that a reason to copy the original sentence construction 1:1. There ''are'' some aspects that should be kept, though, like those "revelations" or "cryptic lines" between empty lines. Long story short: I'm happy if it sounds more or less natural, and not like it was written by a Japanese in Engrish. Everybody has to decide for himself where to draw the line between literal and liberal translations, and personally, I agree with most of grrarr's edits. :D [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 04:37, 27 August 2012 (CDT)


== Open dialogue? ==

Just wanted to confirm that in this line:

The face of the person who calmly asked me that question, was continuously morphing into new and different faces. Ironic, don’t you think?”

There was meant to be a " before Ironic...? [[User:MatrixM|MatrixM]] ([[User talk:MatrixM|talk]]) 10:09, 9 July 2013 (CDT)
:Agh, good catch - I think i shifted a chunk of test by mistake during the last edit batch (see old ver: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1_Prologue&oldid=239033 ). Fixing now. [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr|talk]]) 02:24, 11 July 2013 (CDT)
::Oh the pain of not closing a comment tag... - if you're curious, compare (not using the diff function) the viewable text from the version you commented on vs. the current one - where all I did was close a comment tag... [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr|talk]]) 02:30, 11 July 2013 (CDT)

Talk:Utsuro no Hako:Volume1 Prologue

2013-07-11T07:24:39Z

Grrarr: /* Open dialogue? */

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria

2013-07-11T06:58:15Z

Grrarr: /* Todos */

The ''Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria'' series is also available in the following languages:
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria ~Versión Española~|Español (Spanish)]]
*[[Hakomari (Indonesia)|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria tiếng Việt|Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria wersja polska|Polski (Polish)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria (German)|Deutsch (German)]]

(Note: Translation progress varies for each version.)
----
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako6_1.jpg|thumb|Volume 6 Cover|250px]]

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria (空ろの箱と零のマリア, The Empty Box and The Zeroth Maria) is a light novel series written by Eiji Mikage and illustrated by Tetsuo (formerly known as 415). While Utsuro no Hako, often abbreviated as ''Hakomari,'' is Eiji's fourth publication, it is the first to feature illustrations. A teaser for one of his earlier works can be [[Kamisu Reina Series|viewed here]].

==Story Synopsis==


''Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria,'' or ''The Empty Box and The Zeroth Maria,'' tells the story of Kazuki Hoshino, who is almost madly attached to his everyday life, and his antagonist Aya Otonashi, who suddenly transfers into his class at the end of the school year—for no less than the 13,118th time. Without hesitation, she announces her intent to “break” him. Kazuki's struggle to defend his everyday life begins, and the many secrets it is built on start to come to light.

==Character Introductions==
<div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Kazuki Hoshino
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Kazuki.jpg|left|link=]]
A completely ordinary high school student who loves idle chatter with his friends and Umaibōs, a Japanese snack. One day, he somehow suddenly antagonizes Aya Otonashi — even though he has never met her before. She threatens to “break” him.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Aya Otonashi
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Aya.jpg|left|link=]]
An antisocial beauty  with a resolute personality. She transfers into Kazuki’s class on March 2nd — right before the end of the school year. Immediately upon her arrival, she announces her intent to “break” Kazuki.
</div>
 
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Daiya Oomine
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Daiya.jpg|left|link=]]
A self-centered and arrogant student who dyes his hair silver and wears three piercings in his right ear. He is also the class president and a shrewd friend of Kazuki’s.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Haruaki Usui
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Haruaki.jpg|left|link=]]
A cheerful but frivolous baseball ace. He often hangs out with Kazuki and Daiya.
</div>
 
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Kokone Kirino
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Kokone.jpg|left|link=]]
A bright and beautiful girl who cares a lot for her friends, but can sometimes be meddlesome. She and Daiya have known each other since childhood, and their mutual verbal abuse has become legendary among their classmates ever since.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Kasumi Mogi
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Kasumi.jpg|left|link=]]
The girl who has won Kazuki’s heart. She is docile, silent and expressionless.

</div>
 
</div>

== Translation ==
===[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Registration Page|Registration]]===
Translators are asked to [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on (see the [[Format_guideline#Translators|Guideline]] page for usage rules).

=== Format Standards ===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the agreed points highlighted in the guidelines below '''
* [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Guidelines|Project Guidelines]]
* [[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]

== Updates ==
*19th February 2013 - Volume 6 completed
*26th August 2012 - Volume 5 completed
*31th July 2012 - Volume 5 "Before the Show Begins" completed
*21th July 2012 - Volume 5 Prologue completed
*19th April 2012 - Diamond Days completed
*2nd August 2010 - Volume 4 completed
*25th July 2010 - Volume 4 Chapter 1 completed
*2nd July 2010 - Volume 4 Game Explanation and Prologue completed

Older Updates can be found on the [[Utsuro no Hako:Updates|Utsuro no Hako updates page]]

==''Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria '' by Eiji Mikage==
'''You can find the EPUB and MOBI version of the Volumes in the forums [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=5426 HERE].
===Volume 1 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?48j668zzivx56n8 (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari1_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 1st time|1st time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 23rd time|23rd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 1050th time|1,050th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 13118th time|13,118th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 10876th time|10,876th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 8946th time|8,946th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 2601st time|2,601st time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 2602nd time|2,602nd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 4609th time|4,609th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 5232nd time|5,232nd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27753rd time|27,753rd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 Interlude|Interlude]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27753rd time (2)|27,753rd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27754th time|27,754th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 3087th time|3,087th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27754th time (2)|27,754th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 0th time|0th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (2)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (3)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (4)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 0th time (2)|0th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 5000th time|5,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 6000th time|6,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 7000th time|7,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 8000th time|8,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 9000th time|9,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 9999th time|9,999th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 10000th time|10,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (5)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27756th time|27,756th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 1st time (2)|1st time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1_Author's_Notes|Author’s Notes]]

===Volume 2 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?e47bnq3m9gzkyqg (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari2_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 April 29|April 29 (Wednesday) Shōwa Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 April 30|April 30 (Thursday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 1|May 1 (Friday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 2|May 2 (Saturday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 3|May 3 (Sunday) Constitution Memorial Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 4|May 4 (Monday) Greenery Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 5|May 5 (Tuesday) Children's Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 18|May 18 (Monday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]


===Volume 3 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?2ga9sj849tpd51c (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari3_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume3 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Beginning|Beginning]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Round 1|Round 1]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Round 2|Round 2]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Round 3|Round 3]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]

===Volume 4 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?wqua7old6odmu2g (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari4_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume4 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Game Explanation|Game Explanation]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]


===Volume 5 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?ow5jiojti646nws (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari5_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume5 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Before the Show Begins|Before the Show Begins]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Scene 1|Scene 1: Close-Up Goodbye]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Scene 2|Scene 2: 60 Feet and 6 Inches Apart]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Scene 3|Scene 3: Repeat, Reset, Reset]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]

===Volume 6 ([[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/?f19mqpsx8qopcl8 PDF])===
[[Image:Hakomari6_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume6 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Intermission|Intermission]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (1)|Scene 4: Piercing at Fifteen (1/3)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (2)|Scene 4: Piercing at Fifteen (2/3)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (3)|Scene 4: Piercing at Fifteen (3/3)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 After the Curtain Falls|After the Curtain Falls]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]

===Dengeki Smile Bunko===
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Diamond Days|Diamond Days]]

===Miscellaneous===
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Interview|Interview with Eiji Mikage (April, 2013)]]

==Project Staff==

*Project Administrator: None
*Project Supervisor: [[user:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]]

===Translator===
:*[[user:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]]

===Editors===
:*[[user:Kadi|Kadi]]
:*[[user:Grrarr|Grrarr]]

==Todos==

{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|start}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 1|92%|May require changes re: punctuation. Editing for language and phrasing done pending a few EEE confirms - see: [[User_talk:Grrarr#Utsuro_no_Hako_Edit_Tracking.2C_Volume_1|Volume 1 progress, detailed]]}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 2|35%|WIP
( EEE - Edited up to May 1st ) (Grrarr - [[User_talk:Grrarr#Utsuro_no_Hako_Edit_Tracking.2C_Volume_2|Volume 2 progress, detailed]])}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 3|0|Incorrect tense}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 4|10%|}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 5|90%|May require changes re: punctuation}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 6|90%|May require changes re: punctuation}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 1 scans|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 2 scans|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 3 scans|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 4 scans|70%|Translating / editing (90% done except for image 6) / typesetting}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 5 scans|50%|editing / typesetting}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 6 scans|0|Waiting for cleaned scans}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Define punctuation & style rules|5%| ([[User_talk:Grrarr#Utsuro_no_Hako_Punctuation_.26_Style_Rules|Incredibly preliminary...]]) and needs to be merged with [[Utsuro no Hako:Guidelines|Project Guidelines]]}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|TL notes for Volume 2 need to be FIXED}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|TL notes for Volume 4 should eventually be switched over into /reference form (like V1)|100%|Done}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Apply punctuation & style rules}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 7}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Optimize for Android app|0|Minor/low-priority task: the B/W-pictures may need some tweaks because they don't use the ''thumb'' class, hence are big.}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate and (finish) editing [http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000/627/627419/ Mikage interview]|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|end}}

==Purchasing the books==
* [http://honto.jp/netstore/search_10%E7%A9%BA%E3%82%8D%E3%81%AE%E7%AE%B1%E3%81%A8%E9%9B%B6%E3%81%AE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2.html honto.jp] ([http://www.google.ch/#q=how+to+buy+from+honto.jp how to buy from honto.jp])
* [http://www.amazon.co.jp/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_4?field-keywords=%E7%A9%BA%E3%82%8D%E3%81%AE%E7%AE%B1%E3%81%A8%E9%9B%B6%E3%81%AE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2 Amazon.co.jp]
* [http://www.yesasia.com/global/search/utsuro-no-hako/0-0-0-bpt.48_q.Utsuro+no+Hako-en/list.html YesAsia] (no shipping fees after ~$40)

== Series Overview ==

* Volume 1 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア1 (January 07, 2009, ISBN 978-4-04-867461-4)
* Volume 2 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア2 (September 10, 2009, ISBN 978-4-04-868012-7)
* Volume 3 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア3 (January 10, 2010, ISBN 978-4-04-424115-5)
* Volume 4 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア4 (June 10, 2010, ISBN 978-4-04-868595-5)
* Volume 5 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア5 (July 10, 2012, ISBN 978-4-04-886733-7)
* Volume 6 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア6 (January 10, 2013, ISBN 978-4-04-891251-8)

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]

Kamisu Reina:Volume 1 Fumi Saito

2013-07-11T06:56:07Z

Grrarr:

==1==

I don't have any friends.

Not because I hate talking to others, or because I'm mistrustful, or because I'm too lazy to cultivate contacts. It's not like I deliberately want to avoid making friends; put plain and simple, I'm just unable to make any.

My mom always tells me that it's no big deal, since I'm smart and my grades are good, but from my perspective ''that's'' no big deal. She doesn't know how cumbersome school is for people who can't make friends.

Just like right now: Even though it's break time and everyone's engaged in chats, I'm sitting here alone as if I were in another dimension. It gets even worse during the lunch break, when I wordlessly munch away on my lunch while all my classmates put their desks together and eat together—I always feel like a castaway on desert island surrounded by the vast ocean.

From time to time I wonder if all the other people are just aliens wearing human disguises who are deceiving me, the last living earthling.

Ridiculous. Ridiculous, indeed, but that proves how alone I feel when I'm at school.

Because I have nothing to do between classes, I started reading books in my free time even though I don't really like doing so. Thanks to that, I've become even harder to approach and widened the gap between me and my classmates even further. It's a vicious cycle: I'm mistaken for someone who likes being alone, even though that's downright wrong. I'd love to chitchat, too! I want to chat about who's the coolest guy in our class or who my favorite member in whatever boyband is too! But I'm ignored. I'm only reluctantly approached by others when absolutely necessart.

Why am I unable to make friends? What makes me different from everyone else? Since I have nothing to do anyway, I often mull over this question.

It must be because I'm ugly. I have a lot of pimples, my eyes are small, and my nose is flat, just like my breasts. But do I really look that terrible? I don't think so. It's wrong to blame my looks, at any rate.

It's my communication skills. Right, I'm not good at talking to others. But why is that? Because I'm always cautious? Because I get nervous when I'm talked to? No, that's not all there is to it. That's just another vicious cycle that started because I don't often talk to others.

The root cause must be that... I'm scared of getting hurt. I'm scared of being thought of as an oddball. I'm scared of spoiling the mood by making an inappropriate remark. I'm scared of others' opinions of me.

Before I know it, I'm gazing at Mizuhara-san's group in the second row by the window. Mizuhara-san is sort of the leader of this class, and as such has lots of friends. They seem to be having a lot of fun. They're really enviable.

But even among the members of such a close group, I'm sure that people could name others in the same group who they don't like. Nobody is perfect. Everybody has characteristics that might cause resentment. I, for one, have lots of them.

Therefore, it must be impossible to make friends for me.

But that's okay.

I may have no normal friends, but I do have a best friend.

I have one irreplaceable best friend—

—Reina Kamisu.

"You're too kind, Fumi, that's your problem."

That's what Reina said to me on our way home when I told her about my take on why I can't make any friends.

The smile she flashed while saying that was so stunning that I couldn't help admiring her for a few moments. Her long hair is the purest raven-black and so smooth that it's unthinkable to find any split ends, while her body is curvy like a model's, unlike my immature development.

Reina is truly beautiful. Absurdly beautiful.

"I'm kind...? I don't think so. I just don't want to be hurt."

"But isn't that what makes you kind?"

"Why so?"

"I mean, it's not like everyone else ''wants'' to be hurt, right? They don't want to be hurt, either."

"But they get along with each other."

"Yeah. Then what distinguishes you from them? Let me tell you: You're sensitive to the wounds of others. You are scared of being hurt, Fumi, but you're also scared of hurting someone."

Well, of course I don't want to hurt others randomly.

"That's why you are very kind to everyone."

"Reina..."

I'm really grateful for her words.

But I know that in truth I'm just a coward. Reina has merely put a sugar-sweet coating around the word ''coward'' before handing it to me.

But that thoughtfulness of hers makes me happy.

Aah, Reina sure is peerless. Even though she's only in the third year of middle school like me, she's so different.

"You're so lucky, Reina..."

"Mm? Why?"

"I mean... you're pretty and you're smart... I can't help thinking that God treats us unjustly."

Yeah, God is unjust. If he wasn't, Reina and I wouldn't be living in the same world. I suppose God doesn't get around to balancing out everything that he's created, and passes us around even more carelessly than workers do with products on a conveyor belt.

Everyone knows that. But I'm not mature enough yet to accept that I'm "inferior".

"That's not true! You're cute, Fumi," she responds with a kind smile, reading my mind.

"...I'm not. That sounds a bit like sarcasm if it's you, you know...?"

"Ah, that's totally mean! But Fumi... while some people like you prefer me, there are also some people who would prefer you!"

"No."

"But there are! At least there's one, right here," Reina says as she points at herself and smiles.

"But—"

"If," she interrupts me, "If for argument's sake, there were more people who prefer me over you, why should you care? Numbers don't mean anything. Or do you want to be in the spotlight like an idol?"

"That's not it."

"Then there's nothing to worry about, is there? There's at least one person right here who thinks you are irreplaceable. Or are you not satisfied with that?"

"Mmm! I couldn't wish for more!"

"...I see."

Reina puts on her kind smile again, which makes me kind of ashamed of my behavior.

Aah... I'm still such a child. Silly me. Really. I bet Reina thinks that I'm jealous of her beauty, which is actually true. I'm so filthy. Now she's lost faith in me. I'm sure.

"...Fumi, you're blaming yourself, aren't you?"

"Eh?"

"My... you really ''are'' too kind. Do you think I'd taken offense?"

"But——"

"No buts. You're being a little rude, you know?"

"Eh?"

"Fumi, you are a dear friend of mine. Someone important to me. By acting this way, it almost seems as if you didn't believe me?"

"Ah..."

"Fumi. I'm your best friend, right?"

"Of course!"

I can say this for certain.

"You're an irreplaceable friend, Reina!"

A dear friend who could never be replaced.

If Reina wasn't here, I—

I would long since have—

==2==
Another bad day starts.

The fact that I'm usually alone in the morning only makes it worse; Reina often has to go early to school because of her morning practice in the track and field club. I did once consider leaving the house at the same time as she does, but waiting in the classroom until classes begin is pretty painful as well, and most of all, I don't want to bother her, so I decided against it.

I walk alone to school and head to the shoe lockers to change into my indoor shoes.

"..."

What is this...?

''Morning!'' I hear someone say behind me (of course not to me) and hurriedly close my locker. After waiting for that student to leave, I open it again.

"Oh, eh..."

There is a letter on my indoor shoes.

I reach out, but at a loss what to do, my hand stays there until another student approaches. On the spur of the moment, I cram the letter into my bag.

Oh my, oh my... i-is this a...?

I get uncomfortable. I don't know why that is, but there are too many people here. I feel like all the people around me are watching me. Whenever a glance crosses my eyes (and I know it just crosses them and doesn't actually perceive me) I feel it piercing through me.

Nobody would care about me, I know that, but I can't help feeling that everybody keeps watching my every step.

Unable to bear the gazes any longer, I escape to the restroom, and hurry into a toilet stall, and take the letter out.

Stuffing it into my bag has left the letter slightly crumpled — sorry to the person who put it into my locker.

I unfold the letter.

"Dear Fumi Saito

I am writing this letter to you because there is something that I have been wanting to tell you.

Please wait in your classroom after school."

That's all there is.

"Ah...hah..." I gasp for air, finally noticing that I haven't breathed while reading.

What is this about? What... what is this about?

As short as it is, I can still see that, objectively, it's probably a love letter. However, it's addressed at me. A love letter addressed at me? Really? Is that possible?

"Of course it's possible!" Reina says right off the bat.

We're on break and have come to the landing of the stairs that lead to the roof. Because the roof is inaccessible, the stairs here are virtually never used by anyone, which is why we often use them when we want to discuss something in secret (although it's mostly me who has something to discuss).

"How can you be so sure?! I mean, we're talking about me here...!"

"As I told you the other day, Fumi: you are a charming girl."

I open my mouth to deny what she said, but then I reconsider, thinking back at how we went round in circles last time.

"So, how about it, Fumi?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"What's your response to that love letter?"

"Ah—"

I had completely forgotten about that because I was fixated on the fact that I'd received one. Right, I still have to respond to it.

"R-Reina, I, I don't know what to do!"

"To start with, how do you feel about that boy?"

"That boy...?"

I unfold the love letter and check again.

"Well, Fumi? How do you feel about him? Do you know each other pretty well? Or not at all, maybe?"

"—None."

"Hm?"

"There's no name."

"Let me... let me take a look."

I give Reina the letter. She inspects the piece of paper from all sides, and eventually heaves a sigh.

"You're right. There's no name."

"...You've received love letters before, right, Reina?"

"Yes, I have."

"Were there any without a name?"

"...Hm... maybe there was one, but I think it was a case where the sender was obvious. I always knew who the letter was from."

"I see..."

I reread the letter. ''"Please wait in your classroom after school"'' — a sincere request to me.

"...What are you going to do?" Reina inquires.

"Don't you know pretty well what I'm going to do, Reina?"

"...Right. Well, it's you after all!" she smiles gloomily.

"Don't... don't wait for me today after you're done with your club activities."

"Why not...?"

"..." I remain silent, unable to give her a proper answer. I don't really know why I asked her that, either. Normally, I would want have her with me at such times.

Reina gives me a bright smile, "...Hey, Fumi. You've been wanting to go to the aquarium, haven't you?"

"...Yeah. I love dolphins."

"Let's go there one of these days, then!"

Why would she propose that now?

"...Mm! It's a promise!"

I knew why, and that made me happy.

Classes have ended.

I always stay at school even without receiving such a letter, because I wait for Reina's club activities to end.

Today, however, I had Reina go home herself. I'm alone—alone at waiting for the sender of that letter.

As I gaze at an open book, I ponder over who I want the letter to be from. Kado-kun, the boy who is popular in class because he's good at basketball? Mm, I would be happy. The delinquent of our class, Ashizawa-kun? He's a bit scary, but I think I would appreciate it. How about Kogure-kun, although he's a bit strange? I would probably be a bit wary of him, but still happy. And Dojima-kun, who everyone avoids because he's dirty? I wouldn't want to go out with him, but I would be happy.

It's always a nice thing to be thought of favorably.

But how would I respond when it comes to dating someone?

Right now... I have no such plans, because I don't exactly know what would be expected of me. I'm a bit scared, and I don't know how I should treat the other party.

I guess a proper couple has to kiss? But how does that feel? When do you feel like kissing? How should I react when he wants me to kiss? Would he be hurt when I refused to? I can't refuse then... I don't want to be disliked, after all.

Right. Refusal is no option.

Mm, so it doesn't matter who gave me that letter—I have to obey and ''wait in my classroom after school''.

It has become dark outside. The school is going to be closed soon.

Maybe, no one will come. Maybe, it was a joke. If it was—I would feel a bit calmer.

I stow away the book I have hardly read and just gazed at, and prepare myself for taking my leave, when suddenly, the Mizuhara group enters the classroom. They all belong to the tennis club, so I first thought they came to leave their rackets here.

However, their eyes reveal to me that there's more to it.

Mizuhara-san looks at me. "Heh, so you waited."

"Er..."

The girls around her start to giggle as they watch me getting nervous.

"Did we get your hopes up?" Mizuhara-san asks with a grin.

"Eh, um..."

What should I answer...? What answer do they expect from me?

"Probably... I did get hopes..." I answer honestly.

Suddenly, one of them laughs out loud, unable to hold it in any longer, spurring on the giggling.

"Oh come on, that's stupid! No guy would be interested in a sourpuss like you!"

"Kaho! Don't be so mean to her~!"

"But look...!"

"Well, she ''is'' pretty gullible, but that makes it clear how serious her case is, right?"

"Yeah, she's obviously not used to this kind of stuff."

Without giving me a chance to interrupt, Takatsuki-san and Omi-san keep discussing how dumb and strange I am.

I don't know what to do.

Hopes. Right, I had faint hopes that someone might like me. How stupid of me. That's absurd. Completely impossible.

Right now, there is a clear barrier between the rest of the world and me. Transparent, yet tough like tempered glass. Even though they can see me, no one attempts to read what feelings I hold behind my face. Even though they can hear me, no one attempts to understand the meaning of my words.

It's almost like my eyes perceive something entirely different from everyone else. Whenever I reach out my hands, I can only grasp air.

Alone. I'm alone.

Someone likes me? As if. No one is interested in me in the least, except maybe as someone to tease. As a topic to laugh at.

"...uh..."

Ah... I didn't want to cry... but there goes a tear. This will spoil the party. I'm sorry, but I cried, I'm really sorry.

As I expected, they start making uneasy faces.

Desperately trying not to show them my tears, I cover my eyes.

"Aah... we made her cry. Sorry, Saito-san," Mizuhara-san says gently. "But you know? We didn't mean to hurt you. How should I put it... you always avoid talking to people, no?"

No, I simply ''can't'' talk to people!

"I think that's not a good thing, so I thought that doing this, kind of like a shock treatment, might help you. I didn't mean any harm."

I wonder how much truth there is to that? Maybe that was part of the reason, but how is a fake love letter supposed to get me to speak normally? Was there no other way? Isn't that just a pretext to tease me?

"No offense! Really! ...Will you forgive me?"

However, there is something desperate in her voice that makes me nod as I still keep my eyes covered.

"Aah, thanks a lot... I'm really sorry. Okay, see you."

Once I had forgiven them, they quickly left.

...But Mizuhara-san isn't mean. She may have completely missed the mark, but she did care about me. She does take heed of me.

Yeah, she's not mean. She's not.. mean.

"What a mean bunch!"

My inner dialog is being denied. Surprised by that sudden voice, I look up.

"Ah... Kimura-kun..."

Oh no, he saw my tear-stained face. I must look horrible right now...

"Sorry! I allowed myself to overhear your little conversation," he says with an uneasy expression.

"Mmm! I-It's fine..." These words escape my lips because I want to reassure him.

"...They teased you with a fake love letter, right? That's cruel. She... Mizuhara's always like that. You could say that her hobby is to toy with the feelings of others!" Kimura-kun rants, seeming genuinely angry at her.

Is he angry for my sake? For real? If so, why?

Okay, what am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to calm him down?

"It's okay, Kimura-kun... I knew it was just a trick."

"You knew it was a trick?" he asks while raising an eyebrow.

"I knew that... it would end like this."

"...But why didn't you ignore the letter, then?"

"———"

I couldn't give him an answer. I have no idea how to put it into words.

"Well, whatever... anyway, if something like this happens again, be sure to let me know!"

"Eh?!"

"W-What? You don't trust me, or what?"

I shake my head furiously. It's only natural that I would get startled — after all, he doesn't profit in any way from helping me.

"You're quite the strange girl... okay, gotta go!" he says as he puts a hand on my head with a smile, after which he left. Unable to make sense of that, I just watched him baffledly.

While walking home alone, I start reflecting on the reason why I couldn't ignore the letter.

I expected the letter to be fake — because there was no name, because the paper used was not typical for boys, and most of all, because I noticed that the writer had deliberately tried to fake her handwriting.

However, what if, as unlikely as it is, the love letter had been real? In that case, ignoring it would have hurt that person. I would have betrayed that person and his sincere request ''to have me wait''. I couldn't do that. Absolutely not.

Besides, I couldn't have ignored it either way: the person who wanted to make a joke at my expense wished for me to take on the role of a fool. Had I ignored that request, I would have betreayed their expectations. I would have spoiled their fun. I would have fallen into their disfavor.

That's why I was unable to ignore the letter.

Did I make the right choice? No, I'm sure I didn't. If I were right—

—It wouldn't hurt so much.

Reina.

It hurts, Reina!

I don't want to be '''here''', it hurts!

For the first time in a long time, I have to face that thought again. That thought I always held before meeting Reina.

Right, if Reina wasn't here, I—

I would long have—died.

I have thought about dying countless times.

I'm sure there is no such thing like happy times.

Adult people lie when they speak of their supposedly happy youth. If they don't, then nostalgia must have warped their memories, because they couldn't endure the absence of hope in reality otherwise. Thinking that back in the day, everything used to be better, in order to put up with the present.

This leads to my hypothesis:

Life is and will always be hopeless. We live our pitch-dark lives as we cling to shiny shards that appear every now and then, and then we think back at those shards with a nostalgic smile on our faces. Like fools.

However, I don't have a past to take refuge. I don't have a past to romanticize in my mind when I lose hope in reality. I have no other choice but to accept that life is filled with despair from bottom to top.

Therefore, the only place I can escape to is death.

''Don't think of suicide'', people say. But is that statement backed by actual thought? You shall not kill. Of course. You shall not steal. Of course. You shall not commit suicide. Of course. The answer is so obvious that there is no place for doubt. Those statements must be perfectly true. Dazzlingly true.

You have to walk an endless muddy path that has no significance whatsoever, and you are naturally not allowed to break out. What a hopeless system.

What do you want me to do? What the hell am I supposed to do?

Someone save me! Give me hope! No, I won't be so greedy. Please someone, just notice that I'm walking this path and say a few gentle words to me...

"Fumi."

Surprised by the voice that calls out to me at the perfect moment, I raise my head.

"Reina..."

Only after speaking these words do I notice that I have been crying.

"You told me to go home, but you didn't tell me not to come meet you, right?" she smiles gently at me.

"...I can't."

Even though she understands what I mean, she gently embraces me.

"...It was painful, wasn't it?"

I can't... I just can't anymore!

I'll depend on you, Reina! I'll lean against you! I'll entrust my life to you!

"It's okay," she whispers to me. "I won't betray you."

"—!"

I clearly understand now why I had Reina go home earlier.

It's because I knew that she would comfort me. Because I knew that I would depend on her.

What is the consequence of that?

I have long lost my balance to be '''here''', and needed something to take refuge in.

Needless to say, Reina Kamisu has taken on the role of my refuge, of my shelter.

But now, because of her embrace, I have completely become dependent on her. Maybe that has already been the case for a long time, but either way, I can no longer exist without Reina.

In order to prevent that, I have sent her home.

"...Reina...I..."

"It's okay. Don't worry. I'll... take on your burden."

Her words pierce through me.

I feel how my entire body starts to melt into Reina's body. Slowly but surely, I fade into her.

Such bliss.

I realize that this is what it means to be accepted by someone.

"Uh...gh...," I moan as my tears push up. They fall onto Reina, producing small ripples. I always thought my tears would only fall to the ground, but I was wrong — they have reached Reina's heart.

I am part of Reina, and—

—Reina is everything of me.

==3==

I am changing. The liquid "Reina" is continuously being poured into the container "I", while the liquid "I" is overflowing from that container.

The container is still me, but its contents are Reina; Reina has become my essence.

I still hardly speak anything in the classroom (although Kimura-kun, whose desk is behind mine, talks to me from time to time), but I don't feel depressed anymore.

I am not alone.

That belief gives me strength. That thought I have been holding has gone somewhere far away.

I don't care about anything, as long as Reina is with me.

That's what I thought. That's what I believed.

But not in my wildest dreams did I expect that things could still get worse.

"I can't find my wallet!" Mizuhara-san screams agitatedly.

Everyone present at the homeroom after classes, our class teacher Kosugi-sensei included, focuses on her as she desperately searches for her wallet. The member of her group are watching her worriedly. For a few moments, the classroom lapses into silence, until someone checks if their own wallet is still there, and the others follow suit. I don't bring my wallet to school, but I reach into my pocket nonetheless in order not to be the odd one out.

By the time everyone has confirmed that their money is safe, Mizuhara-san is sitting still in her seat, visibly troubled. Kosugi-sensei walks toward her.

"Have you found it?"

"No..."

"Are you sure that it was there?"

"Absolutely."

"Understood," the teacher says with a frown and goes back to the teacher's desk. "All right, as you surely heard, Mizuhara has lost her wallet. Of course, this may be some sort of misunderstanding on her end, but—" he starts and explains in a ridiculously roundabout way that there is a chance that a member of this class might have stolen her wallet.

The likelihood of pickpocketing is high, considering what the missing item is. Not far in the past, there has been a fuss over a stolen mp3-player.

Mizuhara-san, convinced that it was a theft, is visibly angered, and so are the members of her group, influenced by her.

"Does anyone have a clue where her wallet might be?" the teacher asks.

The students just exchange glances. The teacher isn't expecting any answers, either — the culprit or those who know who did it wouldn't speak up right now.

Or so I thought. But I was wrong.

Kimura-kun relucantly raises his hand.

"Kimura, do you know something?"

"No, not exactly... but there's something that bothers me."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think that it's common to take the wallet when stealing money. Normally, you would just pull out the contents, right? In fact, that's how the theft in class 5 happened."

"...Perhaps."

"Besides, it would make more sense to steal the money of all members of this class instead of only Mizuhara-san's. Yet, she's the only victim."

"What are you getting at?"

"What I want to say is that it's either a misunderstanding or a vicious joke toward Mizuahara-san."

"It's absolutely not a misunderstanding!" Mizuhara-san disagrees loudly. "Someone has played a trick on me!"

"A trick, hm? How much was in your wallet, if I may ask?"

"...1000 yen and change, but so what?" she answers grumpily.

"So it can't be because of the money, then. It looks like the goal of the culprit was teasing Mizuhara-san; and wouldn't that narrow down the list of suspects to a manageable number?" Kimura-kun says, causing everyone to exchange glances again.

That means that the culprit has a grudge against her, or at least doesn't think favorably of her?

Arriving at this thought—

—I notice that eyes are starting to focus on me.

"Huh...?"

A few students who aren't looking at me notice that a few of their classmates are focusing on me, and thus follow suit. On seeing that, yet another person gazes at me. All eyes are pinned on me.

Why? Why would they look at me?

This makes it seem like... like—

Our teacher, too, notices that I'm the center of attention, and looks at me, only to move his gaze on to Mizuahara-san. I follow his glance.

For some reason, she makes a face of realization.

"Saito," the teacher says to me in a stern voice, causing me to wince.

Just because he called my name? ...Yes, but I but I'm not so dumb as to not understand the situation. To me, this is just like a — death sentence.

"Do you know something?"

"Eh? Ah...er..."

I don't know anything! I'm innocent! But... I fail to say so properly.

"What's wrong? I have asked you a question, Saito."

But he's suspecting me.

"Uh..."

Everyone is looking at me, suspecting me — that's more than enough to make me lose my tongue, but they do not see that.

They understand it like so: I'm panicking because I've been busted, because I'm the culprit.

I'm perfectly aware of that, and I know that I must absolutely answer his question with confidence, but yet I find myself unable to do so.

"I... I..."

If someone was here who understand my personality — if Reina was here — she could explain it to them, but she's not here.

She's not here.

I don't have any supporters here.

"I don't... I don't know any—"

"Kosugi-sensei," Mizuhara-san says, cutting my desperate words short. I look at her in wonder.

There is no anger in her face anymore.

"What is it, Mizuhara?"

"I did something to Saito-san that may have made her grudge me. I... I played a trick on her. Thinking about it now... that was mean of me," she says with tears in her eyes. "But I... I did it because I thought I could help her to open herself!"

Surprised at what she said, I gaze at her. The sorrowful expression on her face isn't faked. Mizuhara-san is honest.

However, it's unclear to me whether she really tried to open my heart with that fake love letter, or just persuaded herself of that noble goal because of the situation she has found herself in.

Whatever the answer is, there is one thing that has become a fact.

Her words have settled my position.

"..."

All eyes fixed on me.

Eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes.

Like light projected through a loop, their reproachful glances pierce through me.

There is no suspicion in them anymore.

It's been decided.

It's been decided that I am the culprit.

"N-No, I'm haven—"

"It was YOU!" Takatsuki-san cuts me short. "You were pissed off, but you couldn't defend yourself because you were too scared! That's why you resorted to such a dirty trick — to vent your frustration!"

"Don't say that, Kaho. I'm... I'm also at fault..."

''Also.''

The words Mizuhara-san sobbed subliminally yet clearly implied that I'm the culprit and that she's the victim.

As a result, her words added fuel to the fire. With a fire-red head, Takatsuki-san walks toward me. Fearing to be hit, I cover my head and cower.

However, she did not come to hit me. Her goal was my bag. She picks it up, opens it, turns it upside town and pours its contents onto my desk.

And for some reason, there is an unfamiliar wallet among the things that fall on my desk. However, someone has mangled it with a cutter.

"...Saito, you are to come to the staff room afterwards."

The moment the teacher says so, uncontrollable sobbing resounds through the classroom.

Needless to say, it was Mizuhara-san.

I look around.

Eyes. Eyes. Eyes. Eyes. Eyes.

Like an ice pick, their reproachful glances pierce through me.

Reina isn't '''here'''.

In other words—no one is '''here'''.

I don't have any supporters '''here'''.

The next day, my desk has disappeared.

Up until now, I have merely been air for everyone, but from now on, they won't even grant me to be air anymore.

I'm not even allowed to exist.

A missing desk in a classroom is like a missing piece in a puzzle; but in this case it's my desk that is missing. I must be the only one who feels that a piece is missing — for everyone else, the puzzle is completed.

I go to the veranda and move the desk and the chair back to their original place. Original place? Really? No, perhaps the original place where my seat is supposed to be is not in the classroom, but at the veranda.

But while that may be true... I don't want to notice.

White, everything turns white.

Everything besides Reina and me turns white.

Like a novel lacking spaces, I'm unable to make sense of the white world '''here'''. They disappear. Everything besides me flees out of reach.

Or perhaps—

I'm the one who is lacking color.

The lunch break ends without my talking to anyone.

I really haven't spoken a word, since I couldn't meet Reina, either. Not one word has been spoken for me or toward me.

People have stopped speaking to me. No, that's no news, but at least previously, there was no ill will in that.

I wasn't even allowed of the absolute minimum of conversation. Even Kimura-kun wasn't able to overcome the magnetic field around me that has emerged in class.

"..."

I was aware of it.

I was aware of it, but this makes it clear.

No one cares if I just disappeared.

The world wouldn't disappear when I disappeared. The blue sky would completely ignore me and not even let it rain. No one cares whatever happens to me. I'm absolutely separated from the rest of the world.

Again, a familiar thought assaults me.

—I... I can't endure it anymore, Reina!

Why? What have I done? I didn't want to be disliked. That's all... I just shut myself into my little box because I was afraid of getting hurt, yet why do they pierce it with spears?

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!

Save me Reina, save me Reina, save me rena, savemerena.

"They're all so mean."

"—Huh?"

Reina stands before my eyes.

"'Huh'? What is it, Fumi?"

"Ah, mmm... nothing."

Classes have ended; I have caught Reina when she was about to go to her club and consulted her at our usual spot on the stairs to the roof.

Yes, that sounds perfectly natural.

Why is it then that something felt fatally off? There's no reason.

"Why would they think that you're the culprit without conclusive proof? There's no way you would that."

"...Well, they don't know my personality. Besides, Mizuhara-san's wallet was in my bag, so it's natural that they would think that I did it."

"Yes, but Fumi... why was that wallet in your bag, anyway?"

"Because—"

I don't really want to think about it...

"...The first reason that comes to mind would be because someone is trying to set you up."

"...Yeah, most likely." Unless I have a split personality. "...Someone who hates me?"

"I... I don't think so. You're not one to make a lot of enemies... I think that someone simply thought that it would be easy to lay the blame on you."

Perhaps.

But anyway, someone hated me enough to be fine with putting the blame on me.

"That's just heartless! We have to find and teach that culprit a lesson!"

"No... no need to!"

"Why? Aren't you suffering under the current situation?"

"I am. I am, but..."

"But?"

"The problem isn't new. It's merely surfaced now..."

"That's not... I mean, you weren't particularly unpopular..."

"You think so? I'm pretty sure it was a matter of time. For example, if Mizuhara's and my position had been reversed, it would have still been me who came out on the short end, most likely."

"No, you're—"

Reina is at a loss for words. When it comes to deciding who is at fault, it doesn't matter what was done, but who did it. Between a teacher and a student, the student will be the bad one; between a honor student and a delinquent, the delinquent will be the bad one; between a beautiful person and an ugly person, the ugly person will be the bad one.

And of course, between Mizuhara-san and me, I will be the bad one.

In other words, the result has been decided all along.

Smart as Reina is, she realizes that.

"...That's not true!"

Reina doesn't believe her own words, and looking at her face, she is blaming herself for faltering.

...But there's nothing to blame herself for, since it's a fact.

"Reina."

"Hm?"

"You're still on my side, right?"

"Of course I am!"

Good.

I have a supporter. I have a irreplaceable friend. I have Reina.

So I may still be here.

"Ah—" Reina suddenly says, so I follow her gaze.

"Um..."

Kimura-kun is standing there, seemingly feeling a bit out-of-place.

"...Kimura-kun? What's the matter?"

"Ah, yes... can you spare a minute?" he asks reluctantly.

"Y-Yeah... what is it?"

"To come straight to the point, Ashi-chan told me to call you out, because I happened to know that you're here sometimes."

"Ashi-chan?"

"I'm talking about Ashizawa-kun! Toshiki Ashizawa."

The bad-mannered Ashizawa-kun...? What would he want from me?

Whatever it is, it can't be good for me. Kimura-kun's expression makes this obvious.

"Err... is he... angry?"

"..."

He just gazes closely at me, and eventually averts his eyes.

"...He is?"

"Saito-san. It might be better if you didn't go," he mutters with eyes cast away.

...It looks like it's more serious than I thought. But if I don't go, Ashizawa-kun's aversion toward me will only grow.

I—don't want that. I don't want to be avoided even more because of a misunderstanding.

"...I'm going."

"Okay..." he says as if he was going to get a beating from Ashizawa-kun.

"Fumi," Reina addresses me in a worried tone.

"I'll be fine," I smile and wave her goodbye.

Brought to our classroom (Kimura-kun immediately left for his club), Ashizawa-kun drives me into a corner, and without any time for confusion, I am surrounded by his buddies, Takatsuki-san and the other members of the group, while a few of my other classmates are watching from a safe distance. Mizuhara-san is here as well, but watching from afar with an uneasy expression.

"Okay. Do you know what this is?" Ashizawa-kun says in an oppressive voice as he holds something against my face. It's hard to see from such a short distance, but I can recognize that it's Mizuhara-san's wallet.

"—"

I try to answer, but the words stick in my throat. Everyone is watching me closely and with blatant enmity; I feel that I'm not allowed to speak. I'm scared.

His right arm, which is right beside my head, might lose it any moment. He definitely wants to. He is angry. And the perfect target to vent his anger on is right before his eyes.

I'm scared! Why are they looking at me like that? I can't say anything! I'm not allowed to speak!

"Hey! I asked you what the fuck this is!" he yells. His right arm is twitching.

"It's a... wallet..."

"Whose wallet?"

"Mizuhara-san's..."

"Right. It's Yuu's wallet."

Yuu? Come to think of it, that's Mizuhara-san's first name.

"It's the wallet I gave her for her birthday. It's the wallet you cut up with a goddamn cutter!" he says, some of his saliva flying on my face.

Anger has made him lose more than half of his reasoning. Had I been a guy, he would have beaten me up already long ago.

"You knew that Yuu's dating Toshiki, didn't you?" Takatsuki-san says with a scary face. "And you also knew that this wallet was a present from him, right?"

I don't. I had no idea that they were a couple. Such rumors don't reach me at all.

"That's why you stole the wallet when you were pissed off, no? You can't hide it!"

No, I didn't do anything!

But I can't say that. Even if I did and explained myself, they wouldn't believe me.

"Do you get that? This isn't something you can make up for with fucking money!"

His right hand moves. I reflexively close my eyes. However, he could somehow control himself and hit the wall behind me.

I mind goes blank like white paint. I'm trembling all over.

What am I supposed to do? I'm scared! Please, don't hurt me. I haven't done anything!

"Save me..."

I mutter at last, cornered and intimidated.

"Save me..."

At first, the others seem to think that I am begging toward them, but they quickly realize that's not the case and are taken aback.

"Save me..."

I seek help. Of course, there is only one person I would seek help from.

"Save me... Reina."

I didn't want to get Reina involved, so I tried to solve the matter without her coming with me.

But I failed.

I imagine how her long her sways as Reina appears and swiftly frees me from their claws. I have a feeling that this picture will become reality. And then she will smile at me with her absurdly beautiful face, "Everything is all right, Fumi."

—However, Reina didn't come.

That sweet illusion took me from the ground to the clouds, to the pinnacle. But at the end of the day, I keep crawling on the ground in reality. I am thrown off the pinnacle again.

"Uh...uh..."

Unable to hold it in, I start to cry.

Thrown off course by my tears, the signs for violence disappear, even though Ashizawa-kun is still visibly angered.

"What?! Do you think we'll forgive you if you cry?!" Takatsuki-san shouts as she draws near to me. "Besides, there's no one who would want to 'save' someone like ''you''!"

"But there is..."

"Who? Your mom? A teacher? They would only help you because it's their duty!"

"There is!"

"And who would that be?! Good lord, you are—"

"Reina! Reina Kamisu is there for me!" I scream. In a voice that might well have been the strongest in my entire life.

Takatsuki-san—no, everyone present—widen their eyes in response to my powerful shout. I'm surprised by myself, too, but I don't regret it.

Because that's the one thing that I will not allow anyone to disagree with me.

I do have an irreplaceable friend.

I do have Reina Kamisu.

I won't let anyone say otherwise.

Taking advantage of their confusion, I escape. I escape from ''them''. I no longer need anything. Nothing.

All I need is Reina.

As long as Reina is with me, I'm perfectly fine.

==4==
As promised, Reina and I went to the aquarium.

There are more visitors than expected for a workday, most of which are families with children and young couples around twenty years old. Probably because they are not as restricted in time.

And of course, we are the only middle schoolers around.

"Reina, are you sure you don't need to go to school?"

"It's fine, but what about you, Fumi?"

"I don't mind at all."

I'm not welcome at school, anyway. My parents won't notice that I'm skipping, either, unless they get a call from school. In fact, ditching school today has made me wonder why I haven't done this sooner.

I look through the glass into the water tank.

Pretty fishes. That's all that comes to mind. They belong to the species ''Chaetodon auripes'', but I'm going to forget that in a few seconds. Therefore, I only feel that they're pretty.

But that's fun.

"Oh, look, Fumi! Lots of jellyfish!"

"Cool."

"I love jellyfish."

"You do? Why?"

"Hm? Well... I wonder why? Maybe because... they don't look a lot like living beings?"

They don't look like living beings — now that she mentions it, she has a point. Inside an aquarium, they still feel a bit like living beings, but when they are held in a water tank at home, they're more like decoration. Decoration that shines and pulsates. When jellyfish are put into a tank in a house, their role changes from a ''living being'' to ''decoration''.

"Besides, jellyfish kind of stand out. All other fishes here are just ''fishes'', but jellyfish fell like entirely different beings. Ah, I'm not making sense, am I?"

"No, I know what you mean. You want to say that jellyfish are simply jellyfish, right?"

"Ah, yes, sort of. Jellyfish are simply jellyfish."

Jellyfish are simply jellyfish.

Looking at Reina, who is gazing into the water tank, I think:

''Reina's also like that.''

Reina Kamisu is simply Reina Kamisu.

Absurdly beautiful, completely different from everyone else, and my only supporter.

Reina notices my glance.

"...What's wrong, Fumi?" she asks.

"Mm, nothing."

She tilts her head.

"Reina... the dolphin show is starting!"

"Hm? Oh, you're right. Okay, let's hurry up."

Slightly swift-footed, walk to the stadium where the dolphin show takes place.

On the way there, we come past a tank in which a large number of fishes are herding together and keep rotating restlessly.

Don't they get tired? I don't only mean physically, but also mentally. Rotating all the time won't get them any farther, after all; they could just as well stay still from the start. If they don't want to get anywhere, is it their goal to continue doing this until they can't move anymore? Don't they feel that such a life is futile?

But the fishes keep rotating, not caring about my thoughts.

The seats at the stadium are being occupied from the back to the front.

"Let's go to the front row, Reina."

"Eh? We'll get wet!"

"I know, but I want to watch the dolphins from as close as possible."

With a wry but gentle smile, she follows me to the first row and takes a seat.

"By the way, Fumi, I told you why I like jellyfish, but what's your reason for liking dolphins?"

"Hm... because they're adorable."

"That's all?"

"No, apart from that..."

Before I can continue, the woman in charge of the show begins the narration, starting with a brief explanation on the ecology of dolphins (where their nose is, that they hear sounds through their bones, etc.).

And then the show begins.

As several dolphins leap into the air to greet us, I am already enchanted.

They are pretty big when you actually see them — their jumps are spectacular and cause the children in the audience to shout in joy. They look so majestic yet adorable.

As they land again, water spills toward us. I instinctively shrink back. While it doesn't reach my clothes, my shoes get slightly wet.

Awesome! That's just awesome! Dolphins are great!

During the show, they jumped through rings, returned balls the woman had thrown to them, and swam around in circles... in a nutshell, it was awesome and I was absorbed.

"Dolphins sure are intelligent..." Reina suddenly says.

"Totally!" I respond immediately.

"Hahaha, you really love them, don't you? Is their smartness also a reason why—"

"Yeah!"

The show reaches the climax, which features a trick where three dolphins have to simultaneously jump over a stick that is set up at an extremely high position.

"And you know, dolphins send out ultrasonic waves and determine the position of objects through the reflected waves!"

"Just like bats."

"Hmm... I don't want to think of them in the same category, but yeah."

The dolphins ready themselves no the signal by the woman.

Are they able to jump so high? Well, they wouldn't be doing this if they couldn't, but I'm afraid that one of them might not make it.

I hold my breath.

The dolphins stand side by side (can you say that in this case?) and — jump.

"Whoa!"

It was a feast for the eyes.

With a grand splash, the three dolphins land in the water, raising a few large waves.

"Incredible..." I say in blank astonishment.

Looking at the wavy pool, I arrive at the thought that dolphins might be the cause for the never-ceasing waves of the sea.

"Hey, Fumi? Dolphins can communicate through sounds, right?"

"Yeah. Although it's unknown how sophisticated their conversations are. I for one believe that their communication skills are just as high as ours."

"I see... that would be nice."

"Mm! Actually, another reason why I love dolphins is because they can communicate with one another!"

"Oh, nice."

The show ends and the visitors start to leave while the dolphins are bidding them farewell by swimming around and doing individual performances.

"You know, when I learned that dolphins can communicate through sounds, I was jealous of them," I murmur while watching their performance.

"...jealous?" Reina asks puzzledly, tilting her head to the side.

"..."

I waver if I should explain it to her. If I continue, I will spoil the joyful mood.

"I think that communication through words is too complicated for me."

But I don't want to have secrets from Reina.

"Fumi..."

"I'm sure that even I would have been able to get friends if we had other ways of communicating..."

"You have me, Fumi!"

"...Mm."

These words of hers are enough for me.

"But you know, lately I've come to think that..."

"Hm?"

"I think that I might have become 'like that'."

"...'like that'?"

Unable to answer her, I look at the dolphins again, which are busy showing their performances. One of them is waving us goodbye with its fin.

I wave back.

And that's what I mean.

I am waving my hand because I freely interpret the dolphin's waving his fin as "goodbye." Our actions aren't in line at all.

Right, as deplorable as it is, I can't talk with dolphins.

But that isn't limited to dolphins.

My language has become different from everyone else's, and that's why I can't get through to anyone. My words don't reach anyone.

Except for Reina.

My way of communication has become different. And that's why I'm getting disconnected and disappearing.

We leave the aquarium, which is in the center of an aquatic park. I walk up to a bench and sit down. Reina sits down next to me.

"Reina? Would you..."

Reina looks at me when I suddenly start to talk.

"Would you be okay if we were the only humans on earth?"

I look around. There's no one nearby apart from Reina, which isn't that surprising for a workday afternoon. We're alone. I wouldn't be in the least concerned if the world closed up right now and we were left behind just by the two of us.

"Hm... it would be pretty troublesome because we'd have no electricity..."

"And if you think about it without such concerns?"

Reina gazes closely at my face, and answers with a smile:

"In that case, that wouldn't sound too bad."

"Really?"

"Really!"

I look at her. Aah, she isn't saying it just because. I'm happy, I really am.

After all, she's different from me! Unlike me, she is loved by a lot of people. Despite that, she would be with me.

"But you know, Reina, your mom would...be—"

—Reina's mom?

At once I get suspicious and stop.

A lot of people?

Well, there must be a lot. She's beautiful and nice, unlike me. But—

—But who is that, in specific?

"Fumi...?"

"Hey, Reina..."

"What's wrong?"

"...I've never been at your home, have I?"

"Are you sure?"

"Where do you live again? Nearby? You must be. After all, you go home together with me."

"What's wrong, Fumi? That's obvious, no?"

"Why is it then that — even though we are close friends — I haven't been at your place?"

"..." Reina remains silent.

Eh? Hold on! What's that supposed to mean?

We're best friends, no matter how you look at it, so why do I have no idea who her friends and her family is, and where she lives?

"By the way, Reina—"

"Don't say it!" she cuts my question short.

"Reina...?"

"Don't go farther than that..." she says sorrowfully and averts her eyes.

There are circumstances...? I don't know what it is, but Reina has a reason not to tell me about her.

Everyone has things that he doesn't want or can't say.

But,

But—

"—That's mean!"

"...Huh?"

"Aren't we best friends? We shouldn't keep any secrets from one another! Or was I the only one who felt that way? Hm?"

"No!"

"But then!"

"It's no good, Fumi!"

"Why? I don't understand, Reina!" I shout and as I do, I notice that a tear is flowing down my cheek, which leaves Reina speechless.

Cold air pulsates between us. That... hasn't happened before. This is the first time that we're surrounded by such cold air.

My feelings had reached Reina. She knows that I wouldn't ever hate or make fun of her.

There is no reason to have secrets.

There should be none.

Yet—

"I can't say it," she says distinctly.

"Why would you..."

Rejection.

No, that's not it. That can't be it. Reina would never want to hurt me. It's something... it must be something that she can't say despite that.

Of course I can understand that.

But—

"Don't doubt me."

I can't help but feel that she is rejecting me.

"Uh..."

Therefore, a drop falls from my eyes.

And once I realize that it's a ''tear'', they start to overflow like a waterfall. Aah, I'm crying way too often lately! Man, I don't want to show anyone my tears. I don't want to bother anyone. But they won't stop.

I press my head against my knees as I burst out crying.

"—Fumi."

Reina's voice.

Reina's gentle voice.

"I'm sorry."

All I could perceive was my own crying voice, which is why I didn't notice what was happening.

I kept crying like an idiot, and when I raised my head—

—Reina wasn't there.

"Reina...?"

I looked and ran around searching for her.

But she was nowhere to be found.

Reina isn't anywhere anymore.

I was standing there in the wide, empty aquatic park, left behind alone in the world.

==5==

People have erasers in their hearts.

While their efficiency differs from person to person — some of them are even incapable of erasing at all — anyone can use their eraser.

Rub, rub. Okay, away with you. You're an eyesore. Please go away. Rub, rub.

Two weeks have passed since the incident of Mizuhara-san's wallet. One week since I went to the aquarium with Reina.

Even after such a time span, no one is talking to me. Like on the previous days, I'm just sitting in my seat, which isn't supposed to be here, and gazing out of the window.

I have faded a lot.

Yet, they keep erasing me. Rub, rub.

Day by day, I am being erased. Bit by bit, I am fading. Rub, rub. Most of my existence has turned into eraser crumbs and gets wiped off my desk.

It's not going to get better. They have already become so used to rubbing me out that no one is having any doubts about it, let alone feelings of guilt. I'll keep being erased mechanically. If there is any human emotion involved, then it's slight irritation because their erasers get worn with use.

And Reina is still missing in this white and fading world.

Why? I'm not going to hold out like this! Reina... why did you leave me, Reina?

Why won't you appear before me? Even if you have secrets, that should be no obstacle for us!

Or do you hate me now?

Whatever it is, I want to see you!

I want to see you, I want to see you, I want to see you!

But no matter how much I beg, Reina doesn't appear.

And somewhere I know that she never will.

There is no meaning anymore.

In this classroom there is only irrelevant noise, irrelevant pictures, irrelevant classmates, and my irrelevant self.

There is no meaning anymore.

There is no meaning... in being '''here'''.

"—Goodbye," I whisper as I stand up.

The teacher is saying something. Ah, I was in the middle of having a 'lesson'?

Oh, he's angry. But I don't get what it's all about — after all, he isn't saying it for me, is he?

Oh, he's not angry anymore. But I wonder why he is looking at me like that? It's the first time someone does that, so I don't know what it means. But it looks a bit like he is scared.

I leave the classroom.

Far away behind me, the class is making a fuss, but it's irrelevant to me. Irrelevant. Completely irrelevant.

I'm sitting alone on the landing in the middle of the stairway to the roof. It's the second time since I've come here that the school building is getting noisy. What time is it? The first noise was probably the lunch break, so it must be the end of school today?

Reina. Will I ever see her again?

For some reason, I feel that I won't. I've been feeling that ever since she disappeared from me in that aquatic park. But so what? What about it? That doesn't change anything — I still need her, so much, so desperately.

Reina is all of me. Nothing remains if you take her from me. I'm empty. A wobbly lump that has no bones.

"Aah..."

What should I do? How can I meet Reina? I don't know! What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do?

Suddenly, I hear someone walking up the stairs.

I ready myself. It might be him — he might have come like I wanted.

"...Saito-san."

Kimura-kun appears before me.

"Kimura-kun... so you came to talk with me..."

"Yeah... I have no reasons to refuse if you call me out..."

Right. I have placed a letter into his shoe locker to call him here. Like Mizuhara-san did.

"I also brought this here with me. It was a pain to get past the eyes of the teachers," he explains as he holds out the keys to the roof.

"Mm. Thank you," I say and accept the keys from his visibly trembling hands. Perhaps, he has realized why I called him out here.

"..." he remains silent.

"Are you not going to ask...?"

"Ask what...?" he says clumsily.

"Why I had you bring me the keys to the roof."

After a few moments, he reluctantly asks, "Why?"

To tell the truth, I'm not sure how to answer him, either. Because maybe — no, for sure — my answer is going to hurt him.

But that's okay, isn't it? Kimura-kun is just as irrelevant as my other classmates, after all.

I reply: "To take revenge."

His face freezes instantly.

Oh, so I was right. Finally, I could confirm my suspicions.

"R-Revenge...?" he stutters miserably in bewilderment, and gets even more nervous because of it.

"You cut up Mizuhara-san's wallet and put it into my bag, didn't you?"

"W-Why would you say that...?" he counters, still not admitting to it, even though he knows that he can't talk himself out.

"It's okay! I don't plan to question you about it."

As a matter of fact, I really don't feel like questioning and blaming him. As I once told Reina, I was about to get into this situation anyway — Kimura-kun merely happened to be the one who pressed the switch.

My words seem to have calmed him down a bit.

"B-But... how did you find out?"

Do you really want to know? Isn't that going to be tough on you?

"...Should I answer that?"

Finally noticing the meaning of my answer, he looks down and says, "...No need to."

"Okay."

With these words, I slide the key into the lock.

There are several reasons why I suspected Kimura-kun.

My first doubts were raised when he started to converse with me after I had received the fake love letter. I was aware that Kimura-kun had no feelings for me, so I wondered why he would suddenly become so gentle.

Another clue was the general reaction when Mizuhara-san's wallet got lost. Everyone considered me the culprit right away. In other words, something led them to believe that I had a grudge against her. As far as I know, the only discord between Mizuhara-san and me is that love letter, which means that someone must have broadcast the story. But only her group and I, as well as Kimura-kun knew about it. Of course, I haven't told anyone, and Mizuhara-san and her friends didn't look like they would want to tell everyone about it, either.

But most of all, it was no one else but Kimura-kun who proposed that the culprit must have had a grudge against her. He called their attention to me in a blatant manner.

I don't know why he did that. Maybe he had a grudge against me that I don't know of, or he might have had strong feelings about Mizuhara-san and Ashizawa-kun.

But I don't really care.

His story is irrelevant to me.

I turn the key, and the door opens with a click. I tentatively turn the doorknob — yeah, seems fine.

"...What do you plan on doing on the roof, Saito-san?"

"..." I silently turn around to him.

"Saito-san...?"

I answer his question with a question.

"Hey, Kimura-kun—"

"—Do you happen to know ''Reina Kamisu''?"

Maybe I really thought that Reina would be waiting for me on the other side of the door.

This is a place that no one is allowed to enter, despite being so near. It's a place that we all know exists, yet only few have actually been there. And that's why I felt that I would find her here.

But of course, there is no sign of Reina.

I walk to the center of the roof and spin around.

Students going home, power poles established in regular intervals, the shopping district, our dirty river, another school, a house, another house — irrelevant scenery. But one thing within this irrelevant scenery — the glaring red sun hiding partly behind a building at the horizon — feels relevant to me.

The sun is about to hide on the other side, having completed its work for today, but floating there at the boundary, it feels like it's calling me.

I return to the door to lock it.

Now I'm completely alone.

I lean against the fence, and while watching the sun slowly hide its countenance, I think once more about Reina Kamisu.

Reina vanished. Yes, she vanished.

A beautiful and popular student suddenly stopped coming to school and went missing. This should have obviously been a serious incident for this Shikura middle school. It should have.

However, no one talks about it.

Of course, there is no one who would tell ''me'', but even I can perk up my ears for rumors. It's strange. Reina Kamisu does not come up anywhere at all. No one talks about such a extraordinary girl. Is that even possible?

I screwed up my courage and sneaked a peek into her class. First, I couldn't believe my eyes, then I couldn't believe my ears, and finally, I couldn't believe myself.

Her seat didn't exist. Her shoe locker didn't exist. Her name didn't exist. Nothing related to her existed.

Reina is nowhere.

And when I saw Kimura-kun's face when I asked him about Reina, I was convinced.

—Reina Kamisu vanished.

It's not simple death. She erased everything of her existence, everything related to it, and vanished. Without leaving anyone anything of herself, and completely revoking the fact that a person named Reina Kamisu has ever existed, she disappeared.

With the exception of me, her best friend.

But even I only have a few empty memories left — much like a drop of soda on the edge of an empty can. I don't remember where we met, how we became friends, or where we went apart from the aquarium. Nothing.

Those memories will soon wither as well, erasing her existence once and for all.

Reina is disappearing.

Reina, who was everything of me, is disappearing.

So—there is no reason for me to be '''here''' anymore.

I climb on the fence. It's 15cm wide, so I can stand without a problem.

I consider taking off my shoes, but I decide against it; I'm not trying to commit suicide or anything.

I'm merely going to see Reina.

Of course, I can't be sure if can meet her like that. It's just the absurd thought that if she isn't here, she must be "there." It's about as absurd as thinking that a bird can fly past the sky into the space.

But I can't think of anything else.

There is no other way, and if that's the only way, why should I not try it? There's nothing that stops me. Let me repeat that: I have no reason to be '''here''', so there is nothing that stops me.

I suddenly recall what I said to Kimura-kun.

—To take revenge.

Yeah, a petty revenge. By bringing me the keys, you got yourself involved in what is going to happen now, didn't you?

I wonder if he'll be having some pangs of remorse, even though he might not care about me?

I look down, and shrink back a little, scared of the imminent pain that I almost forgot about. That's going to hurt. Ten times... hundred times more than a syringe. But I mustn't flinch.

What is important to me? Meeting Reina. Being together with Reina.

That's all that counts. That's all...

Yes, with vigor!

Because I feel like I can get farther that way.

I take a vigorous leap.

Suddenly, the world spins and changes completely. Unable to properly grasp this unexpected world, I almost pass out.

I can only tell that it's not the place where I wanted to go. I have found myself in a tragic play.

Aah... did I fail? Did I make the wrong decision after all...?

But—

Just as I am about to give up, I realize that I've won the wager.

"Reina..."

Reina is right before my eyes.

"Reina, I missed you..."

She gives me her gentle and absurdly beautiful smile.

"Reina... tell me: where are you?"

"I am—" she answers.

"I am '''here'''. Kamisu Reina is — '''here'''."

Ah, right.

Why didn't I notice such a simple thing?

<noinclude>
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|-
| Return to [[Kamisu Reina Series|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Kamisu Reina:Volume 1 Atsushi Kogure|Chapter 2]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

User talk:Grrarr

2013-07-11T06:43:16Z

Grrarr: /* Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 2 */

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 1==
<pre>
98 Novel Illustrations. (needs EEE or someone else w/correct images + ability to edit)
ok File:UtsuroNoHako_003.jpg: ...let sleeping dogs lie (Aya text: (this technically should be updated...but the absolute limits have been hit. Maybe after V7 has been TL'd, and every single other volume has been completely edited and polished to perfection...)
XX Prologue
100 1st time
100 23rd time
100 1,050th time
XX 13,118th time
XX(pend one tiny EEE confirm) 10,876th time
100 8,946th time
XX 2,601st time
XX 2,602nd time
100 4,609th time
100 5,232nd time
XX 27,753rd time
XX Interlude
XX 27,753rd time
XX 27,754th time
XX 3,087th time
XX 27,754th time
XX 0th time
XX 27,755th time
XX 27,755th time
XX 27,755th time
100 27,755th time
9X 0th time
100 5,000th time
100 6,000th time
100 7,000th time
100 8,000th time
100 9,000th time
XX 9,999th time
XX 10,000th time
XX 27,755th time
XX(a bit stiff in a few places) 27,756th time
XX 1st time
XX Epilogue
XX Author’s Notes
</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 2==
<pre>ok Novel illustrations
okish Prologue
ok April 29 (Wednesday) Shōwa Day
1X April 30 (Thursday)
1X May 1 (Friday)
1X May 2 (Saturday)
1X May 3 (Sunday) Constitution Memorial Day
40 May 4 (Monday) Greenery Day
00 May 5 (Tuesday) Children's Day
00 May 18 (Monday)
00 Author's Notes
</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 3==
V3
<pre>
ok Novel illustrations

</pre>
==Utsuro no Hako Punctuation & Style Rules==
VERY preliminary:
'''Open Issues'''
*Issue 01: Volume 1 frequently uses --- in place of —; in a few instances, I've seen -- and ----, so any naive Ctrl-F / Find-Replace regex / etc should first check for -- and ---- before ---.
*Issue 02: Umaibô=>Umaibō & Umaibo=>Umaibō & Umaibous=>Umaibōs... Completed for:
::Project Landing Page
::Illustrations for V1, V3, V4
::V1
::V2
::V3
::V4
::V5
::V6
:NEEDS TO BE FIXED for text within V1 illustration file: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=File:UtsuroNoHako_003.jpg
:: Taken note of. Btw. not that I want to change it, but just pointing out the problem that we now have two types of romanization. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 02:22, 13 April 2013 (CDT)
*Issue 03: capital letter after "..."? After colons? (Trivial, but would help to generalize)
*Issue 04: em-dash, en-dash? Spaces in between?
'''Closed Issues''' (until V7 comes out, at least):
*Issue 01: Kazuki's sister's name: Ruu-chan=>Luu-chan & Ruka=>Luka. Completed for V1-V6
*Issue 02: Spaces between sentences: Parts of volume 2 (and others) have two spaces between sentences instead of a single space - I'm pretty tempted to do a straight Ctrl-F and hope for the best (or else a regex for two, but not three spaces -> a single space)
** Fwiw, two spaces are stripped to one in MediaWiki, so it's not that urgent an issue. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 02:22, 13 April 2013 (CDT) (/facepalm ...well, good to know earlier rather than later - thanks for the heads-up [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 08:37, 13 April 2013 (CDT))

==HakoMari items to discuss w/EEE over IRC==

== HakoMari synopsis: random notes to self ==

http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=3161&p=69753&hilit=drum#p69753
http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Utsuro_no_Hako_to_Zero_no_Maria&diff=99099&oldid=95425

Keep "I'll break you"
==Generic footnotes==
<nowiki><ref>If you’re reading this light novel, chances are that you don’t need this note. On the other hand, you may find the diversity of commentary on the subject interesting, especially as you scroll further down. See http://ask.metafilter.com/161835/First-names-in-Japanese-honorifics</ref></nowiki>
"The awkwardness in Japanese Anime/Manga is because it indicates a dramatic shift in personal intimacy/comfort. It's equivalent to getting a long warm hug from someone you just met. Generally used as a literary device to get two characters close to each other without tons and tons of expository time."

== Notes to self re: trivial edit tracking, Utsuro no Hako Illustrations & Illustration summary pages ==

Complete: Utsuro no Hako V1
:illustration summary
:individual illustrations

Utsuro no Hako V2
:Complete/trivial: illustration summary
:Todo:
*April 7th- Announcement (1.Needs to be sync'd, in part, w/ending phrase of V1. 2.Need to grab EEE/downtime re: the current desription of Maria as a "firm beauty" ....)
*April 23rd - Classroom
*May 1st - Confession

V3

V4

V5:
:illustration summary
:individual illustrations - Untranslated

==tsukumodo==
yo) about the changing of the order of editing Tsukumodo chapters, as you so kindly proposed - both you and ss were going at the last chapter of vol. 1 pretty hard. if you're not finished with it yet, can i humbly request you to do that chapter first? i thought about it and things seemed to coincide a bit: you're doing it anyway with ss and i just felt like i needed to tl the best chapter in the volume next after the first chapter (i need some motivation to keep going as tsukumodo isn't all that fun really). and by the time i finish said last chapter you will have probably edited the whole volume , so after that the order isn't a problem. sorry i didn't think of this sooner... PS. god, i love "future in the past" (tense)--[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] 03:45, 29 July 2012 (CDT)

hey! no worries, totally not a prob. (Just a heads up - I'll probably crap out at some point and get busy w/other stuff this week, so don't be so sure that I'll have gotten thru the volume by the time you TL it... :P) [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] 10:43, 29 July 2012 (CDT)

oh, hey. thanks for the update. but really, no need apologize. plus, i've been lazy myself (i have still have half of 'coincedence' to go) + i tl'd a chapter Boku wa tomodachi ga sukunai and have things to be busy with other than tsukumodo, mainly proofreading + my new job is pretty much hell in terms of work shifts. so all in all, i have no problem waiting. --[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] ([[User talk:Idiffer|talk]]) 22:51, 14 August 2012 (CDT)

Cool - well, not so much the work shifts being hell part...but glad I haven't been holding you up/you've been otherwise occupied. About to send you a PM [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 00:02, 15 August 2012 (CDT)

'''Reminder to self: do "coincidence" then "present" ''' Also, at some pt, make sure the prologues and other word-for-word copies of "what is a relic" in the various chapters are all consistent... [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 16:13, 24 August 2012 (CDT)

== Yo. ==

Wanted to direct your attention to an argument I'm putting forth here: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Talk:Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1_Prologue

Speaking of style, I see you're getting away from the "formal/academic/calcified writing style" - I think that's a really nice thing to do. It's one of my primary hobbies to look at different interesting writing styles, for example from Orwell and Russell (considerably different choice of vocabulary, tendency for longer, more complex sentences; "styled like a dusty BBC radio broadcast") to a translation of The Brothers Karamazov (short, clipped sentences delivered in a very matter-of-fact tone) to a recent nonfiction book on psychology for the masses (informal; American spoken vernacular), and so forth. Having to write for academia is pretty suffocating, so I hope you have fun with that 'getting away.'

File:UtsuroNoHako5 4.jpg

2013-06-17T01:49:01Z

Grrarr:

My name is 'A' and I am the guide to this cinema.

This place has but one purpose: crushing your 'box'.

The slate of movies—

'Close-Up Goodbye'

'60 Feet and 6 Inches Apart'

'Repeat, Reset, Reset'

'Piercing at Fifteen'

—is intended to make you abandon your 'wish'.

You seem doubtful, Mr. Oomine, but I can assure you that such doubts are misplaced.

——'A'

''''A'''' 
An artificial personality that belongs to the 'Wish-Crushing Cinema', the 'box' intended to destroy Daiya's 'box'. She acts as a guide as the movies are being screened.

File:UtsuroNoHako5 2.jpg

2013-06-16T21:07:37Z

Grrarr:

'The Wish-Crushing Cinema'.

A 'box' with a single purpose: crushing Daiya's 'Shadow of Sin and Punishment' by attacking his mind via ''movie screenings''.

Once captured by the cinema, it is absolutely impossible to escape.

File:UtsuroNoHako5 4.jpg

2013-06-16T20:55:33Z

Grrarr:

My name is 'A' and I am the guide to this cinema.

This place has but one purpose: crushing your 'box'.

The slate of movies—

'Close-Up Goodbye'

'60 Feet and 6 Inches Apart'

'Repeat, Reset, Reset'

'Piercing at Fifteen'

—is intended to make you abandon your 'wish'.

You seem doubtful, Mr. Oomine, but I can assure you that you're wrong.

——'A'

''''A'''' 
An artificial personality that belongs to the 'Wish-Crushing Cinema', the 'box' intended to destroy Daiya's 'box'. She acts as a guide as the movies are being screened.

File:UtsuroNoHako5 5.jpg

2013-06-16T20:36:01Z

Grrarr:

Daiya might be trying to destroy the world with his 'box'.

And if he uses a 'box', he will definitely get Maria involved.

—I won't let that happen. No matter what.

I have to stop Daiya. Therefore—

Even if I have to obtain and use a 'box', I don't care anymore.

Let the clash of 'box' versus 'box' begin.

A clash of my 'wish' to crush the 'boxes' versus Daiya's 'wish'.

I don't know what Daiya's 'wish' is. But it's definitely something he will fight for with no holds barred.

But whatever it is—

I have come to a resolution.

I will fight against Daiya.

——Kazuki Hoshino

'''Kazuki Hoshino''' 
A completely ordinary student who is abnormally fond of his everyday life; he has become an object of observation for 'O'. He opposes Daiya with the 'Wish-Crushing Cinema'.

'''Maria Otonashi''' 
A resolute beauty who pursues 'O', the distributor of the 'boxes'. She is sharp-witted and adept in the art of self-defense, but her extreme idealism prevents her from hurting others. She is the one person who Kazuki wants to protect at any cost.

File:UtsuroNoHako5 4.jpg

2013-06-16T20:16:29Z

Grrarr:

File:UtsuroNoHako5 3.jpg

2013-06-16T20:08:26Z

Grrarr:

Swallowing a sin is like swallowing the dirtiest parts of a person's soul and embracing them, but Shindou might be able to swallow such a sin without any trouble.

Perhaps only weak people feel that pain, and Shindou is so strong that she might be unaffected.

If that's the case, I've lost. I'll have to give up on getting her on my side.

Nonetheless, my plan will still proceed.

I will defeat my greatest enemy.

That specialist in crushing 'wishes' will appear before me without fail.

—Kazuki Hoshino.

I will fight against you.

——Daiya Oomine

'''Daiya Oomine''' 
A silver-haired student with several piercings; his tongue is as sharp as his wits. He's willing to deceive and kill in order to achieve his goals. He opposes Kazuki with his 'box', the 'Shadow of Sin and Punishment'.

'''Iroha Shindou''' 
A brilliant girl who is the ace of the athletics club and student council president. During the 'Game of Idleness', she made full use of her outstanding skills.

File:UtsuroNoHako5 2.jpg

2013-06-16T20:03:35Z

Grrarr:

'The Wish-Crushing Cinema.'

A 'box' with a single purpose: crushing Daiya's 'Shadow of Sin and Punishment' by attacking his mind via ''movie screenings''.

Once captured by the cinema, it is absolutely impossible to escape.<!-Agreed-grrarr-->

File:UtsuroNoHako5 6.jpg

2013-06-16T19:57:35Z

Grrarr:

'The Shadow of Sin and Punishment'

Activates as soon as targets step on the shadow of the user of the 'box'—Daiya—and brings the targets under his control by forcing them to relive the remorse deeply rooted in their psyches.

File:UtsuroNoHako5 2.jpg

2013-06-16T19:53:22Z

Grrarr:

Utsuro no Hako:Interview

2013-06-16T19:48:07Z

Grrarr:

[[Image:frank_no_boukun.jpg|thumb|F-Rank no Boukun]]

Welcome to the 74th issue of "Spot the DENGEKI BUNKO" — where we conduct interviews with various authors under the Dengeki Bunko label. This time, we are interviewing Mikage Eiji, the author of ''F-Rank no Boukun 1 - Ochita Tensai no Gaisen'' (The F-Ranked Tyrant - Return of a Fallen Genius).

His new series takes place at the renowned private school "Nanahoshi" — also known as the school of the survival of the fittest — where we witness an epic clash of wits as the protagonist works his way toward supreme power. The Nanahoshi school is famous for its incredibly skilled students and its nationally acclaimed achievements in various extracurricular activities. At the very core of this system, however, is a strict ranking system that is used to manage the students and reduces them to collections of numerical ratings of their abilities, from their intelligence to their looks.

This school has an absolute ruler — a girl called Erika Kagurasaka, leader of the "Urban Lion" faction and holder of the title of "Pride." With the perilous ambition of defeating her and ascending to the throne as a tyrant, Kana Fujishiro starts his quest from the lowest possible rank...

We interviewed Mikage-sensei and had him tell us more about his new series and his quirks while writing. If you like, you can read a few pages [http://dengekibunko.dengeki.com/newreleases/978-4-04-891530-4/ on the details page of his new series].

Dengeki: What motivated you to write this novel?

Mikage: While writing about a character called Daiya Oomine for my other series, Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria, I felt like writing a novel with a smart and overall "cool" protagonist. After I had made a list of several story settings that would allow me to do that, my editor and I went through them and selected the best ones.

Dengeki: Where do you think your new series really shines?

Mikage: The twist and turns in the story that keep betraying the reader's expectations, and the battle of wits in which the protagonist tricks and corners his enemies. Ah, how could I forget: Erika's tea-drenched socks.

Dengeki: What was your greatest challenge during the writing process?

Mikage: I always have trouble judging whether readers may be getting put off because I've taken things too far.

Dengeki: How long did it take you to write this novel?

Mikage: About half a year because I've also been writing Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria at the same time.

Dengeki: Please tell us something about the writing process with respect to the protagonist and the heroine.

Mikage: When I actually got down to work, the personalities of the protagonist and the heroine, Nanami, just weren't compatible, forcing me to rewrite their passages over and over. The matter has finally been settled: Nanami is on the losing end of all of their interactions.

Dengeki: Where do you put in some extra effort when writing a novel?

Mikage: The placement of text. I try to make the text easier to read by making important passages stand out.

Dengeki: What do you do when you want to concentrate or come up with fresh ideas?

Mikage: I take a stroll whenever I lose focus.

Dengeki: Was there a piece of work or a person that particularly influenced you when you were in high school?

Mikage: When it comes to writing, I think the movie "Memento" has influenced me a lot.

Dengeki: Which author / piece of work are you currently paying attention to?

Mikage: I'm looking forward to the Dangan Ronpa anime.

Dengeki: What're you addicted to right now?

Mikage: I really love the band "the mirraz."

Dengeki: Is there a game that you are playing intensively at the moment?

Mikage: I plan on getting addicted to Fate/Extra CCC (it's on my backlog).

Dengeki: Finally, do you have a message for your readers?

Mikage: People who love De*th N*te or Ka*ji might also enjoy this series! Enjoy reading about Kanna's "tyrannical" personality!

Talk:Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria

2013-05-30T21:56:05Z

Grrarr:

==The Synopsis==
It feels like an advertisement, like the sort that would appear on a chain bookstore's window, which I feel is improper. [[User:LB Kasen|LB_Kasen]] ([[User talk:LB Kasen|talk]]) 02:01, 27 August 2012 (CDT)
:Agreed. Feel free to write one. Sadly, I suck at this kind of thing, but I remember seeing a decent one in one of those fake Anime previews [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 02:04, 27 August 2012 (CDT)
::On a related note: there's a bunch of stuff on the front page that's sort of accreted over time - for instance, the description of Haruaki as a baseball fan is technically correct, but is also a bit off. (He's clearly a member of the baseball club/team, etc etc.) My guess is that circa 2010/V1, it was a quick description for a seemingly second-string character...That being said, there's a slippery slope wrt character descriptions and spoilers for V1+...one that I'm a bit too burnt out to negotiate at the moment. But others should feel free to tackle such issues :D [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr|talk]]) 02:28, 27 August 2012 (CDT)

==Other Comments==

Comment: Just wanted to say, this novel is awesome. It keeps me wanting more. Keep up with the good work, and thanks for translating this and sharing it so that more people can read this awesome novel.

don't understand....

how much more is there in the story?
:I've done about a thirth. Or to be more specific: ''115/331 pages''. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] 00:28, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Question: What general tensing are you trying to use? First couple of chapters seem to be mostly past tense, then they switch to present. I was trying to edit them all to be the same, but ended up not being sure. >_<

~ Macavity

To me, since it talks about time loops, it seems like the main character is experiencing it first-hand in the present(since he doesn't remember much from his "past" loops) But I'm not 100% sure if thats the narration view -SwiftStrike
:I tried to use present tense in the first few loops, but then switched to past tense. In the book everything is in present tense and written in the perspective of Kazuki. But I thought it "might" sound more natural if I used past tense for actions and present tense only for his actual toughts. In the end I have no idea which one is better. Any opinions? ;) [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] 05:32, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Bleh, it might be better to switch everything to just present tense then. I'm going to play around with changing the tensing for the first few parts of chapter 10876 to past. Take a look at it when I'm done. It might take some heavy editing, so we can revert it if it doesn't work for you, 3E. ~Macavity

Thanks for the example. I thought it was easier to read than the old all-present version. My only fear is that some direct thoughts of Kazuki might start to sound strange by putting them into past tense. e.g.
There's no way I'd know if you ask me suddenly like this.
→ There was no way I'd know if you asked me suddenly like that.
Past tense, but directly pointed at Kokone. Might as well just be because English's not my mother tongue.
The easiest would be to adopt the tenses of the book. But that would make it harder to read, I guess. And for, say, [http://hmtbs.wordpress.com/category/light-novels/ Ore no Imouto] it worked with the thoughts=present/actions=past mix.
So for now I'll vote for the past/present mix. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] 00:12, 29 January 2010 (UTC)

Gah, whoever edited that is a real pro. That's ridiculously readable. (Well, ignoring a lot of stuff on here is about on the same level). Alright, if that's what you want to go for. I'll probably revert the past tense edit and work from the present tense version. It'll be easier.

Pointing the direct thoughts in past tense is pretty difficult anyway. Gah, English. Why must you abuse your speakers so? ~Macavity

==Comments==
Thanks for translating this series and I'm looking forward for what's yet to come. I'll probably do some editing in the future, but as I'm pretty lax about it this may not come to pass (I've noticed a couple here and there throughout my marathon of what was translated... Kind of why I don't ever officially call myself an editor, as I'm lazy and lax). I would of posted this in its forum thread, but I couldn't find it, if it even exists. ~EnigmaticRepose
:Thanks for the cheers, I'm glad you like it. A real forum thread will/might come soon if everything goed right, but for now there's one in the Teaser forum. Feel free to do or not to do some editing as the whim takes you - every bit helps. ;) [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] 05:27, 5 February 2010 (UTC)

::To be precise at the moment a thread is [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=3161 here] - feel free to post. Maybe the link should be re-added to the project page? --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 06:56, 5 February 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for translating. This is turning out to be an interesting series.

Its so good. I like the style too. Its nice to read something different. (I guess that sums it all up)

is this novel still on pending? it's really good too... i have read it 4 times already XD

: Holy shit, you've read it more than me. :D But glad you guys like it. And yeah, still pending. I've written a message to onizuka but I guess he has not much time for B-T at the moment. 公認より早く、完成させてやろうじゃないか!　[[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] 17:45, 24 February 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for the update! this novel really impressed me, it's unique and good!
==So Surreal==
This series that is... But still, it kicks ass, because it's the kind of surreal that I still understand. Thanks for translating it Eush!

I love volume 2 soooo much! Thx for translating this great novel!!!

I totally fell for this novel. It's a really great fiction. I can't wait to read more!

==Problem==
The link for the light novel is only visible if you goto Sword Art Online first

Huh? I can't find a problem... I can think of nothing which would even relate the two projects... what does "link is only visible if..." even mean? --[[User:Saganatsu|Saganatsu]] 02:49, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Im using a mac, and the link to this light novel isnt on the list unless i go to Sword Art Online first. Its completely missing between Toradora and Zero no Tsukaima if I don't go to SAO first

:This is because of the MediaWiki cache. You don't get the problem if you're logged in. Try adding "&action=purge" to the URL to clear the cache. Example: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Main_Page → http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Main_Page&action=purge [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] 04:27, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Thanks, its working now even without that

Oh yea, I was wondering how many volume this novel have out there? Tried to searched in google but can't find much.

:There are three at the present time. And the fourth should be released soon (he mentioned spring, if I remember correctly) [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] 19:11, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

==Chronological Order?==
How would it be to read the volume 1 in chronological order? --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 00:37, 4 April 2010 (UTC)

confusing, with some spoilers... probably not a good idea: it would be like going through a series of manga, and watching all the flashbacks when they occur chronologically: everything would either be a spoiler or nonsensical. I would not recommend it, but, admittedly, I have not tried. --[[User:Saganatsu|Saganatsu]] 00:41, 4 April 2010 (UTC)

==What about a manga???==
i hope they make a manga on it, the few images are not enough^_^
(ps anime is even better;P)

== Raw scans! ==

If anyone wants to contribute, raw scans are *Link removed*. Too bad I can't read Japanese :( [[Special:Contributions/99.22.52.253|99.22.52.253]] 00:16, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

:Sorry, but as far as I know, links to RAWs are forbidden on the wiki, just as on the forums.--[[User:Kadi|Kadi]] 18:36, 1 June 2010 (UTC)
* really? the [[Baka-Tsuki:Copyrights|copyrights]] page didn't say anything about not allowing links... [[Special:Contributions/24.6.131.120|24.6.131.120]] 05:08, 6 June 2010 (UTC)

(Happiness/Gratitude! The current point is maria03_232.png , volume 3 pagenumber 230. The colour pictures at the start of the volumes have also been pleasant to look at.) --Multipartite/131.111.229.54, 10:28, 1 June 2010 (GMT +1)

:Well, there's nothing to help with anymore, though. :D [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] 10:06, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

== Requesting permission for a French translation of Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria. ==

Well I've already readen the first 2 volumes of Maria and my god I was blown away.This novel is so awesome, I was so inspired that I decided to translate it in french for a bunch of my friends who can't read english (and they are a anime,games,manga fans and such.So can you guys please let me translate it?(By the way I already started today and done about 6 pages already,sorry couldn't hold myself back).Thanks for reading.
:Feel free to use my translation, a français translation would be great! If you want to put it onto Baka-Tsuki, the steps you need to take (afaik):
:# Create [[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria (French)]], copy the translated text from [[Utsuro_no_Hako_to_Zero_no_Maria|here]] into it and add "<nowiki>{{Warning:ATP}}</nowiki>" somewhere to the text.
:# Add one chapter, or well, as much as you have.
:# Ask an administrator for permission to host it on B-T, [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/memberlist.php?mode=group you can find those here].
:I suggest you compare how it has been done with [[Toradora!]].
:Whew, this reminds me that I will have to learn French again in a few months... :D [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] 22:06, 18 June 2010 (UTC)

And dont forget to create a thread in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=29 Alternate Language section] in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/ forum] --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 00:35, 19 June 2010 (UTC)

== Slovak translation ==

I´m doing slovak translation of Utsuro no Hako from english. I hope you don´t mind. I think I´ll upload it after I translated more than half on first volume. I´ve translated about 20% of all the text, I´m doing shorter chapters first so I have translated 1/2 of all chapters. I think I know how to do the registration page and I´ll contact some administrator or someone later.

== Question ==

I´d like to know what meaning has second sentense in chapter 9999th time in vol 1.
'''"How to make oneself absolutely not wanting to meet a certain person?"'''
Isn´t it supposed to be something like: "How to make oneself completly avoid meeting a certain person?"
Does it mean something like: that person does not want to meet a certain person by any means?
Is that what is Mogi asking Haruaki there?
I kinda have a little problem with that sentense.
:I think you got the sentence right. Mogi asks Haruaki how she can make herself avoid a certain person. Or how she can get the "feelings" of wanting to avoid that person, so she can subconsciously reject that person. Good luck with the translation, btw! :D [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] 11:13, 20 June 2010 (UTC)

== Considering starting a portuguese version ==

I'll start translating in a few days if there isn't a problem whit it (plus where i'm going this week i have no pc).
Also if anyone needs help in french, spanish or italian version i'm willing to help out, as soon as i get back.
--[[User:AADragon|AADragon]] 16:36, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

== Hey is there a volume 5? ==

I just ended of read this magnific novel and i have only one question..... WHERE IS THE VOLUME 5!!!!

wow this novel is awesome and its in CONTINUED so there is a volume 5 no?
:Ya, pleased to read that you enjoyed it. There is no date for volume 5 yet, but hopefully it will come out later this year. There is no information about it, though. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] 17:03, 22 July 2011 (UCT)

It's been a while, no its been a heck of a long time!! Any news about volume 5 yet? [[Special:Contributions/218.102.79.4|218.102.79.4]] 09:23, 2 April 2012 (CDT)

Nothing has been announced yet. Eusth posted in the forum today and said that it was not among the July releasesr. So if it ever gets released, it won't be before August or September.--[[User:Kadi|Kadi]] 11:04, 2 April 2012 (CDT)
:*Sad* (._.)--[[User:Hypernova|Hypernova]] 22:47, 2 April 2012 (CDT)

Hi! I have a good new for you guys. THE VOLUME 5 WILL COME OUT ON JULY, 10TH !!!!!!!
For more info, google > "空ろの箱と零のマリア5 2012..2012"
^o^

Seriously??! If this is true I'm sooooo freaking happy!!! We're counting on you EusthEnoptEron and Kadi!! I can't wait for more Maria!! XD

Vol 5 is out... FINALLY~!! <3<3<3
: (^_^) BTW, I noticed the change in illustration. Is the illustrator different or does he just change his style?--[[User:Hypernova|Hypernova]] 21:44, 22 July 2012 (CDT)

I believe its the same illustrator. The main way to tell is the expression in the pictures (mouth & eyebrows), the eyes, and the crease under the eyebrow. EG:
v1: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/3/37/UtsuroNoHako_vol1.jpg
http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/d/d4/UtsuroNoHako_003.jpg
v2: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=File:UtsuroNoHako2_1.jpg
v3: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=File:UtsuroNoHako3_4.jpg
v4: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=File:UtsuroNoHako4_5.jpg
If you look closely in v4, you can tell the art changed subtly but more or less the same.
Now, v5: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/c/c6/UtsuroNoHako5_1.jpg
http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/7/7b/UtsuroNoHako5_5.jpg
Expression, eyes, and crease are extremely similar. Its still Tetsuo , the drawings look more sharp now and for some odd reason Tetsuo really focused on making the charas look more mature. I was fine with Maria in v1 ^^

i waited so long for this. Thank you very much for your hard work :)

OMG the end of vol 5 is really cool, and it seems the story is almost near the end, maybe 2 or 3 more volumes. I hope you will translate them once they are all out! Thanks a LOT EusthEnoptEron for translating this great novel, I mean A LOT!!

== PDFs? ==

Is anyone currently in the progress of making PDF's for the completed volumes?
: Originally, I only wanted to upload PDFs once the volumes are fully edited, but since that's not going to happen, I guess we could add some. For now, if you're interested in PDFs, you'll find some on BakaBT, indowebster, [http://sinisterspark.weebly.com/1/category/5light%20novelc704abb736/1.html here] and [http://arczyx.blogspot.ch/2012/01/utsuro-no-hako-to-zero-no-maria-light.html here]. Pick one. :D [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] 08:47, 6 June 2012 (CDT)
:: Slight update - PDF's of varying degrees of accuracy are already a done deal afaik, but that being said, fully edited volumes are likely going to happen. At a bare minimum, V1 will get there... [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr|talk]]) 02:31, 27 August 2012 (CDT)

== epubs ==
I made some epubs today, [http://www.mediafire.com/?0h12i5uim0a5a here].
I couldn't test them on my ereader since mine just got rma'd, but it should work.

== Synopsis ==
I want to change the synopsis. For now, I'm planning on using an anonymous one I've found on the Interwebs as a basis to work on. Everyone is welcome to participate / propose a synopsis. Once everyone's satisfied (and I hope that "everyone" doesn't only consists of me :P), I'll update the main page. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 12:21, 25 October 2012 (CDT)
:To be honest my memory of what happened in v1 became cloudy now, but I don't think "Kazuki Hoshino has unwittingly created the Rejecting Classroom" is accurate, isn't it? Also, mentioning "Rejecting Classroom" may itself considering a spoiler?--[[User:Hypernova|Hypernova]] ([[User talk:Hypernova|talk]]) 15:55, 27 October 2012 (CDT)
::You're right, but it's okay because he's accused of doing it for about the first half of the first volume. Of course, I wouldn't mind if someone proposed a better synopsis, though. :P I also spotted a nice one on TVTropes. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 16:18, 27 October 2012 (CDT)
:::How about something like "Accused of creating (the 「Rejecting Classroom」,) an endless recurrence of time by using a wish-granting 'box', Kazuki Hoshino is confronted by Aya Otonashi..."? What is in the parenthesis could be left out.--[[User:Hypernova|Hypernova]] ([[User talk:Hypernova|talk]]) 20:45, 27 October 2012 (CDT)

== Synopsis Drafts ==
By using a wish-granting 'box', Kazuki Hoshino has unwittingly created the Rejecting Classroom, an endless recurrence of time. His antagonist, Aya Otonashi, is determined to end the loop and obtain his box, no matter what the cost. [the number of repetitions and lengths she has to go to.]

Waiting warmly for Volume 6. [[User:LB Kasen|LB_Kasen]] ([[User talk:LB Kasen|talk]]) 16:39, 9 February 2013 (CST)

== Volume 6 ==
rant: Am I the only one here who wished Daiya to kick the bucket? In the end... I felt he practically gave the finger to everyone. Or is it just me?
--[[User:Superduperelectromagnetictops|Superduperelectro]] ([[User talk:Superduperelectromagnetictops|talk]]) 18:30, 19 February 2013 (CST)

Irrelevant, but since it says Volume 6, Is his name Daiya or Daiyan? I noticed these two being used for one person. Is Daiyan intended or was it just a spelling mistake? I'll change all Daiyan to Daiya for now. --[[User:Stratos|Stratos]] ([[User talk:Stratos|talk]]) 01:24, 20 February 2013 (CST)
Edit: Nevermind, I looked at Volume 5 and there are also a bunch of "Daiyan" being used, however not for V4-V1. For now I'll take it as a nickname for him but if it is incorrect, reply to this. --[[User:Stratos|Stratos]] ([[User talk:Stratos|talk]]) 01:28, 20 February 2013 (CST)
:It's the way Haruaki has always been calling Daiya. -EEE
::Thanks for clarifying,did I miss that being mentioned somewhere in the volumes? Wow I cannot believe I missed that.--[[User:Stratos|Stratos]] ([[User talk:Stratos|talk]]) 07:15, 20 February 2013 (CST)

Wow, just notice that vol 6 was already completed! Thanks EusthEnoptEron! I can't wait for the next volme,and thanks for Tsukumodo too XD

== Commendation for linking direct links to support the original author ==

I am impressed that someone had taken the time to track down hobby sites where one could purchase a copy of the original book in Japanese. Thanks contributor. Now I have three websites I must bookmark to work on my Japanese.

==Question about punctuation==
What is with «»? Are these suppose to be some form of quotation marks? I have tried googling them, but Google brings up nothing.
*Short answer: there are a number of obsolete punctuation forms that EEE now deeply regrets using for the earlier volumes, but has yet to systematically clean out/replace. [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr|talk]]) 16:44, 30 May 2013 (CDT)
: More exactly, they're called "guillemets" or "duck-foot quotes". Basically, I used them whenever the Japanese text used one of their fancy quotation marks (there are lots of them), so they're meant to highlight key terms. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 16:52, 30 May 2013 (CDT)
::But just to confirm, you still want to get rid of them / transition over to a consistent quotation/emphasis method across all volumes at some (indeterminate future) point, right? [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr|talk]]) 16:56, 30 May 2013 (CDT)

Talk:Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria

2013-05-30T21:44:18Z

Grrarr:

User talk:Grrarr

2013-05-08T07:33:14Z

Grrarr: /* Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 2 */

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 1==
<pre>
98 Novel Illustrations. (needs EEE or someone else w/correct images + ability to edit)
ok File:UtsuroNoHako_003.jpg: ...let sleeping dogs lie (Aya text: (this technically should be updated...but the absolute limits have been hit. Maybe after V7 has been TL'd, and every single other volume has been completely edited and polished to perfection...)
XX Prologue
100 1st time
100 23rd time
100 1,050th time
XX 13,118th time
XX(pend one tiny EEE confirm) 10,876th time
100 8,946th time
XX 2,601st time
XX 2,602nd time
100 4,609th time
100 5,232nd time
XX 27,753rd time
XX Interlude
XX 27,753rd time
XX 27,754th time
XX 3,087th time
XX 27,754th time
XX 0th time
XX 27,755th time
XX 27,755th time
XX 27,755th time
100 27,755th time
9X 0th time
100 5,000th time
100 6,000th time
100 7,000th time
100 8,000th time
100 9,000th time
XX 9,999th time
XX 10,000th time
XX 27,755th time
XX(a bit stiff in a few places) 27,756th time
XX 1st time
XX Epilogue
XX Author’s Notes
</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 2==
<pre>ok Novel illustrations
okish Prologue
ok April 29 (Wednesday) Shōwa Day
1X April 30 (Thursday)
1X May 1 (Friday)
1X May 2 (Saturday)
1X May 3 (Sunday) Constitution Memorial Day
00 May 4 (Monday) Greenery Day
00 May 5 (Tuesday) Children's Day
00 May 18 (Monday)
00 Author's Notes
</pre>

==Utsuro no Hako Edit Tracking, Volume 3==
V3
<pre>
ok Novel illustrations

</pre>
==Utsuro no Hako Punctuation & Style Rules==
VERY preliminary:
'''Open Issues'''
*Issue 01: Volume 1 frequently uses --- in place of —; in a few instances, I've seen -- and ----, so any naive Ctrl-F / Find-Replace regex / etc should first check for -- and ---- before ---.
*Issue 02: Umaibô=>Umaibō & Umaibo=>Umaibō & Umaibous=>Umaibōs... Completed for:
::Project Landing Page
::Illustrations for V1, V3, V4
::V1
::V2
::V3
::V4
::V5
::V6
:NEEDS TO BE FIXED for text within V1 illustration file: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=File:UtsuroNoHako_003.jpg
:: Taken note of. Btw. not that I want to change it, but just pointing out the problem that we now have two types of romanization. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 02:22, 13 April 2013 (CDT)
*Issue 03: capital letter after "..."? After colons? (Trivial, but would help to generalize)
*Issue 04: em-dash, en-dash? Spaces in between?
'''Closed Issues''' (until V7 comes out, at least):
*Issue 01: Kazuki's sister's name: Ruu-chan=>Luu-chan & Ruka=>Luka. Completed for V1-V6
*Issue 02: Spaces between sentences: Parts of volume 2 (and others) have two spaces between sentences instead of a single space - I'm pretty tempted to do a straight Ctrl-F and hope for the best (or else a regex for two, but not three spaces -> a single space)
** Fwiw, two spaces are stripped to one in MediaWiki, so it's not that urgent an issue. [[User:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]] ([[User talk:EusthEnoptEron|talk]]) 02:22, 13 April 2013 (CDT) (/facepalm ...well, good to know earlier rather than later - thanks for the heads-up [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 08:37, 13 April 2013 (CDT))

==HakoMari items to discuss w/EEE over IRC==

== HakoMari synopsis: random notes to self ==

http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=3161&p=69753&hilit=drum#p69753
http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Utsuro_no_Hako_to_Zero_no_Maria&diff=99099&oldid=95425

Keep "I'll break you"
==Generic footnotes==
<nowiki><ref>If you’re reading this light novel, chances are that you don’t need this note. On the other hand, you may find the diversity of commentary on the subject interesting, especially as you scroll further down. See http://ask.metafilter.com/161835/First-names-in-Japanese-honorifics</ref></nowiki>
"The awkwardness in Japanese Anime/Manga is because it indicates a dramatic shift in personal intimacy/comfort. It's equivalent to getting a long warm hug from someone you just met. Generally used as a literary device to get two characters close to each other without tons and tons of expository time."

== Notes to self re: trivial edit tracking, Utsuro no Hako Illustrations & Illustration summary pages ==

Complete: Utsuro no Hako V1
:illustration summary
:individual illustrations

Utsuro no Hako V2
:Complete/trivial: illustration summary
:Todo:
*April 7th- Announcement (1.Needs to be sync'd, in part, w/ending phrase of V1. 2.Need to grab EEE/downtime re: the current desription of Maria as a "firm beauty" ....)
*April 23rd - Classroom
*May 1st - Confession

V3

V4

V5:
:illustration summary
:individual illustrations - Untranslated

==tsukumodo==
yo) about the changing of the order of editing Tsukumodo chapters, as you so kindly proposed - both you and ss were going at the last chapter of vol. 1 pretty hard. if you're not finished with it yet, can i humbly request you to do that chapter first? i thought about it and things seemed to coincide a bit: you're doing it anyway with ss and i just felt like i needed to tl the best chapter in the volume next after the first chapter (i need some motivation to keep going as tsukumodo isn't all that fun really). and by the time i finish said last chapter you will have probably edited the whole volume , so after that the order isn't a problem. sorry i didn't think of this sooner... PS. god, i love "future in the past" (tense)--[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] 03:45, 29 July 2012 (CDT)

hey! no worries, totally not a prob. (Just a heads up - I'll probably crap out at some point and get busy w/other stuff this week, so don't be so sure that I'll have gotten thru the volume by the time you TL it... :P) [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] 10:43, 29 July 2012 (CDT)

oh, hey. thanks for the update. but really, no need apologize. plus, i've been lazy myself (i have still have half of 'coincedence' to go) + i tl'd a chapter Boku wa tomodachi ga sukunai and have things to be busy with other than tsukumodo, mainly proofreading + my new job is pretty much hell in terms of work shifts. so all in all, i have no problem waiting. --[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] ([[User talk:Idiffer|talk]]) 22:51, 14 August 2012 (CDT)

Cool - well, not so much the work shifts being hell part...but glad I haven't been holding you up/you've been otherwise occupied. About to send you a PM [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 00:02, 15 August 2012 (CDT)

'''Reminder to self: do "coincidence" then "present" ''' Also, at some pt, make sure the prologues and other word-for-word copies of "what is a relic" in the various chapters are all consistent... [[User:Grrarr|Grrarr]] ([[User talk:Grrarr#top|talk]]) 16:13, 24 August 2012 (CDT)

== Yo. ==

Wanted to direct your attention to an argument I'm putting forth here: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Talk:Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1_Prologue

Speaking of style, I see you're getting away from the "formal/academic/calcified writing style" - I think that's a really nice thing to do. It's one of my primary hobbies to look at different interesting writing styles, for example from Orwell and Russell (considerably different choice of vocabulary, tendency for longer, more complex sentences; "styled like a dusty BBC radio broadcast") to a translation of The Brothers Karamazov (short, clipped sentences delivered in a very matter-of-fact tone) to a recent nonfiction book on psychology for the masses (informal; American spoken vernacular), and so forth. Having to write for academia is pretty suffocating, so I hope you have fun with that 'getting away.'

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria

2013-05-08T05:21:49Z

Grrarr: /* Todos */

The ''Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria'' series is also available in the following languages:
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria ~Versión Española~|Español (Spanish)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria Bahasa Indonesia|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria tiếng Việt|Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria wersja polska|Polski (Polish)]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria (German)|Deutsch (German)]]

(Note: Translation progress varies for each version.)
----
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako6_1.jpg|thumb|Volume 6 Cover|250px]]

Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria (空ろの箱と零のマリア, The Empty Box and The Zeroth Maria) is a light novel series written by Eiji Mikage and illustrated by Tetsuo (formerly known as 415). While Utsuro no Hako, often abbreviated as ''Hakomari,'' is Eiji's fourth publication, it is the first to feature illustrations. A teaser for one of his earlier works can be [[Kamisu Reina Series|viewed here]].

==Story Synopsis==


''Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria,'' or ''The Empty Box and The Zeroth Maria,'' tells the story of Kazuki Hoshino, who is almost madly attached to his everyday life, and his antagonist Aya Otonashi, who suddenly transfers into his class at the end of the school year—for no less than the 13,118th time. Without hesitation, she announces her intent to “break” him. Kazuki's struggle to defend his everyday life begins, and the many secrets it is built on start to come to light.

==Character Introductions==
<div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Kazuki Hoshino
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Kazuki.jpg|left|link=]]
A completely ordinary high school student who loves idle chatter with his friends and Umaibōs, a Japanese snack. One day, he somehow suddenly antagonizes Aya Otonashi — even though he has never met her before. She threatens to “break” him.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Aya Otonashi
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Aya.jpg|left|link=]]
An antisocial beauty  with a resolute personality. She transfers into Kazuki’s class on March 2nd — right before the end of the school year. Immediately upon her arrival, she announces her intent to “break” Kazuki.
</div>
 
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Daiya Oomine
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Daiya.jpg|left|link=]]
A self-centered and arrogant student who dyes his hair silver and wears three piercings in his right ear. He is also the class president and a shrewd friend of Kazuki’s.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Haruaki Usui
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Haruaki.jpg|left|link=]]
A cheerful but frivolous baseball ace. He often hangs out with Kazuki and Daiya.
</div>
 
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Kokone Kirino
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Kokone.jpg|left|link=]]
A bright and beautiful girl who cares a lot for her friends, but can sometimes be meddlesome. She and Daiya have known each other since childhood, and their mutual verbal abuse has become legendary among their classmates ever since.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
Kasumi Mogi
[[Image:UtsuroNoHako_Kasumi.jpg|left|link=]]
The girl who has won Kazuki’s heart. She is docile, silent and expressionless.

</div>
 
</div>

== Translation ==
===[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Registration Page|Registration]]===
Translators are asked to [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on (see the [[Format_guideline#Translators|Guideline]] page for usage rules).

=== Format Standards ===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the agreed points highlighted in the guidelines below '''
* [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Guidelines|Project Guidelines]]
* [[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]

== Updates ==
*19th February 2013 - Volume 6 completed
*26th August 2012 - Volume 5 completed
*31th July 2012 - Volume 5 "Before the Show Begins" completed
*21th July 2012 - Volume 5 Prologue completed
*19th April 2012 - Diamond Days completed
*2nd August 2010 - Volume 4 completed
*25th July 2010 - Volume 4 Chapter 1 completed
*2nd July 2010 - Volume 4 Game Explanation and Prologue completed

Older Updates can be found on the [[Utsuro no Hako:Updates|Utsuro no Hako updates page]]

==''Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria '' by Eiji Mikage==
'''You can find the EPUB and MOBI version of the Volumes in the forums [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=5426 HERE].
===Volume 1 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?48j668zzivx56n8 (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari1_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 1st time|1st time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 23rd time|23rd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 1050th time|1,050th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 13118th time|13,118th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 10876th time|10,876th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 8946th time|8,946th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 2601st time|2,601st time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 2602nd time|2,602nd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 4609th time|4,609th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 5232nd time|5,232nd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27753rd time|27,753rd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 Interlude|Interlude]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27753rd time (2)|27,753rd time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27754th time|27,754th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 3087th time|3,087th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27754th time (2)|27,754th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 0th time|0th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (2)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (3)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (4)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 0th time (2)|0th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 5000th time|5,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 6000th time|6,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 7000th time|7,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 8000th time|8,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 9000th time|9,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 9999th time|9,999th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 10000th time|10,000th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27755th time (5)|27,755th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 27756th time|27,756th time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 1st time (2)|1st time]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume1_Author's_Notes|Author’s Notes]]

===Volume 2 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?e47bnq3m9gzkyqg (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari2_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 April 29|April 29 (Wednesday) Shōwa Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 April 30|April 30 (Thursday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 1|May 1 (Friday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 2|May 2 (Saturday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 3|May 3 (Sunday) Constitution Memorial Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 4|May 4 (Monday) Greenery Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 5|May 5 (Tuesday) Children's Day]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 May 18|May 18 (Monday)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume2 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]


===Volume 3 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?2ga9sj849tpd51c (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari3_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume3 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Beginning|Beginning]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Round 1|Round 1]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Round 2|Round 2]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Round 3|Round 3]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume3 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]

===Volume 4 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?wqua7old6odmu2g (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari4_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume4 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Game Explanation|Game Explanation]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume4 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]


===Volume 5 [[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5|(Full Text)]] [http://www.mediafire.com/?ow5jiojti646nws (PDF)]===
[[Image:Hakomari5_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume5 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Before the Show Begins|Before the Show Begins]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Scene 1|Scene 1: Close-Up Goodbye]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Scene 2|Scene 2: 60 Feet and 6 Inches Apart]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Scene 3|Scene 3: Repeat, Reset, Reset]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume5 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]

===Volume 6 ([[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/?f19mqpsx8qopcl8 PDF])===
[[Image:Hakomari6_item.jpg|right|150px|link=]]
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Volume6 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Intermission|Intermission]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (1)|Scene 4: Piercing at Fifteen (1/3)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (2)|Scene 4: Piercing at Fifteen (2/3)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Scene 4 (3)|Scene 4: Piercing at Fifteen (3/3)]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 After the Curtain Falls|After the Curtain Falls]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Volume 6 Author's Notes|Author's Notes]]

===Dengeki Smile Bunko===
*[[Utsuro_no_Hako:Diamond Days|Diamond Days]]

===Miscellaneous===
*[[Utsuro no Hako:Interview|Interview with Eiji Mikage (April, 2013)]]

==Project Staff==

*Project Administrator: None
*Project Supervisor: [[user:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]]

===Translator===
:*[[user:EusthEnoptEron|EusthEnoptEron]]

===Editors===
:*[[user:Kadi|Kadi]]
:*[[user:Grrarr|Grrarr]]

==Todos==

{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|start}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 1|92%|May require changes re: punctuation. Editing for language and phrasing done pending a few EEE confirms - see: [[User_talk:Grrarr#Utsuro_no_Hako_Edit_Tracking.2C_Volume_1|Volume 1 progress, detailed]]}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 2|20%|WIP
( EEE - Edited up to May 1st ) (Grrarr - [[User_talk:Grrarr#Utsuro_no_Hako_Edit_Tracking.2C_Volume_2|Volume 2 progress, detailed]])}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 3|0|Incorrect tense}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 4|10%|}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 5|90%|May require changes re: punctuation}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Edit volume 6|90%|May require changes re: punctuation}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 1 scans|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 2 scans|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 3 scans|100%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 4 scans|10%|Translating / editing (90% done except for image 6) / typesetting}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 5 scans|0|Waiting for cleaned scans}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 6 scans|0|Waiting for cleaned scans}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Define punctuation & style rules|5%| ([[User_talk:Grrarr#Utsuro_no_Hako_Punctuation_.26_Style_Rules|Incredibly preliminary...]]) and needs to be merged with [[Utsuro no Hako:Guidelines|Project Guidelines]]}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|TL notes for Volume 2 need to be FIXED}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|TL notes for Volume 4 should eventually be switched over into /reference form (like V1)|99%|Done-EEE: do you want to add an EN TL to the TL note in the Author's Notes chapter?}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Apply punctuation & style rules}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate volume 7}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Optimize for Android app|0|Minor/low-priority task: the B/W-pictures may need some tweaks because they don't use the ''thumb'' class, hence are big.}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|item|Translate and (finish) editing [http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000/627/627419/ Mikage interview]|95%}}
{{:Utsuro no Hako:Tasklist|end}}

==Purchasing the books==
* [http://honto.jp/netstore/search_10%E7%A9%BA%E3%82%8D%E3%81%AE%E7%AE%B1%E3%81%A8%E9%9B%B6%E3%81%AE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2.html honto.jp] ([http://www.google.ch/#q=how+to+buy+from+honto.jp how to buy from honto.jp])
* [http://www.amazon.co.jp/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_4?field-keywords=%E7%A9%BA%E3%82%8D%E3%81%AE%E7%AE%B1%E3%81%A8%E9%9B%B6%E3%81%AE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2 Amazon.co.jp]
* [http://www.yesasia.com/global/search/utsuro-no-hako/0-0-0-bpt.48_q.Utsuro+no+Hako-en/list.html YesAsia] (no shipping fees after ~$40)

== Series Overview ==

* Volume 1 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア1 (January 07, 2009, ISBN 978-4-04-867461-4)
* Volume 2 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア2 (September 10, 2009, ISBN 978-4-04-868012-7)
* Volume 3 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア3 (January 10, 2010, ISBN 978-4-04-424115-5)
* Volume 4 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア4 (June 10, 2010, ISBN 978-4-04-868595-5)
* Volume 5 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア5 (July 10, 2012, ISBN 978-4-04-886733-7)
* Volume 6 - 空ろの箱と零のマリア6 (January 10, 2013, ISBN 978-4-04-891251-8)

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]

Utsuro no Hako:Interview

2013-05-08T05:18:23Z

Grrarr:

[[Image:frank_no_boukun.jpg|thumb|F-Rank no Boukun]]

Welcome to the 74th issue of "Spot the DENGEKI BUNKO" — where we conduct interviews with various authors under the Dengeki Bunko label. This time, we are interviewing Mikage Eiji, the author of ''F-Rank no Boukun 1 - Ochita Tensai no Gaisen'' (The F-Ranked Tyrant - Return of a Fallen Genius).

His new series takes place at the renowned private school "Nanahoshi" — also known as the school of the survival of the fittest — where we witness an epic clash of wits as the protagonist works his way toward supreme power. The Nanahoshi school is famous for its incredibly skilled students and its nationally acclaimed achievements in various extracurricular activities. At the very core of this system, however, is a strict ranking system that is used to manage the students and reduces them to collections of numerical ratings of their abilities, from their intelligence to their looks.

This school has an absolute ruler — a girl called Erika Kagurasaka, leader of the "Urban Lion" faction and holder of the title of "Pride." With the perilous ambition of defeating her and ascending to the throne as a tyrant, Kana Fujishiro starts his quest from the lowest possible rank...

We interviewed Mikage-sensei and had him tell us more about his new series and his quirks while writing. If you like, you can read a few pages [http://dengekibunko.dengeki.com/newreleases/978-4-04-891530-4/ on the details page of his new series].

Dengeki: What motivated you to write this novel?

Mikage: While writing about a character called Daiya Oomine for my other series, Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria, I felt like writing a novel with a smart and overall "cool" protagonist. After I had made a list of several story settings that would allow me to do that, my editor and I went through them and selected the best ones.

Dengeki: Where do you think your new series really shines?

Mikage: The twist and turns in the story that keep betraying the reader's expectations, and the battle of wits in which the protagonist tricks and corners his enemies. Ah, how could I forget: Erika's tea-drenched socks.

Dengeki: What was your greatest challenge during the writing process?

Mikage: I always have trouble judging whether readers may be getting put off because I've taken things too far.

Dengeki: How long did it take you to write this novel?

Mikage: About half a year because I've also been writing Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria at the same time.

Dengeki: Please tell us something about the writing process as it involves the protagonist and the heroine.

Mikage: When I actually got down to work, the personalities of the protagonist and the heroine, Nanami, just weren't compatible, forcing me to rewrite their passages over and over. The matter has finally been settled: Nanami is on the losing end of all of their interactions.

Dengeki: Where do you put in some extra effort when writing a novel?

Mikage: The placement of text. I try to make the text easier to read by making important passages stand out.

Dengeki: What do you do when you want to concentrate or come up with fresh ideas?

Mikage: I take a stroll whenever I lose focus.

Dengeki: Was there a piece of work or a person that particularly influenced you when you were in high school?

Mikage: When it comes to writing, I think the movie "Memento" has influenced me a lot.

Dengeki: Which author / piece of work are you currently paying attention to?

Mikage: I'm looking forward to the Dangan Ronpa anime.

Dengeki: What're you addicted to right now?

Mikage: I really love the band "the mirraz."

Dengeki: Is there a game that you are playing intensively at the moment?

Mikage: I plan on getting addicted to Fate/Extra CCC (it's on my backlog).

Dengeki: Finally, do you have a message for your readers?

Mikage: People who love De*th N*te or Ka*ji might also enjoy this series! Enjoy reading about Kanna's "tyrannical" personality!

Utsuro no Hako:Interview

2013-05-08T05:17:40Z

Grrarr:

[[Image:frank_no_boukun.jpg|thumb|F-Rank no Boukun]]

Welcome to the 74th issue of "Spot the DENGEKI BUNKO" — where we conduct interviews with various authors under the Dengeki Bunko label. This time, we are interviewing Mikage Eiji, the author of ''F-Rank no Boukun 1 - Ochita Tensai no Gaisen'' (The F-Ranked Tyrant - Return of a Fallen Genius).

His new series takes place at the renowned private school "Nanahoshi" — also known as the school of the survival of the fittest — where we witness an epic clash of wits as the protagonist works his way toward supreme power. The Nanahoshi school is famous for its incredibly skilled students and its nationally acclaimed achievements in various extracurricular activities. At the very core of this system, however, is a strict ranking system that is used to manage the students and reduces them to collections of numerical ratings of their abilities, from their intelligence to their looks.

This school has an absolute ruler — a girl called Erika Kagurasaka, leader of the "Urban Lion" faction and holder of the title of "Pride." With the perilous ambition of defeating her and ascending to the throne as a tyrant, Kana Fujishiro starts his quest from the lowest possible rank...

We interviewed Mikage-sensei and had him tell us more about his new series and his quirks while writing. If you like, you can read a few pages [http://dengekibunko.dengeki.com/newreleases/978-4-04-891530-4/ on the details page of his new series].

Dengeki: What motivated you to write this novel?

Mikage: While writing about a character called Daiya Oomine for my other series, Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria, I felt like writing a novel with a smart and overall "cool" protagonist. After I had made a list of several story settings that would allow me to do that, my editor and I went through them and selected the best ones.

Dengeki: Where do you think your new series really shines?

Mikage: The twist and turns in the story that keep betraying the reader's expectations, and the battle of wits in which the protagonist tricks and corners his enemies. Ah, how could I forget: Erika's tea-drenched socks.

Dengeki: What was your greatest challenge during the writing process?

Mikage: I always have trouble judging whether readers may be getting put off because I've taken things too far.

Dengeki: How long did it take you to write this novel?

Mikage: About half a year because I've also been writing Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria at the same time.

Dengeki: Please tell us something about the writing process as it involves the protagonist and the heroine.

Mikage: When I actually got down to work, the personalities of the protagonist and the heroine, Nanami, just weren't compatible, forcing me to rewrite their passages over and over. The matter has finally been settled: Nanami is on the losing end of all of their interactions.

Dengeki: Where do you put in some extra effort when writing a novel?

Mikage: The placement of text. I try to make the text easier to read by making important passages stand out.

Dengeki: What do you do when you want to concentrate or come up with fresh ideas?

Mikage: I take a stroll whenever I lose focus.

Dengeki: Was there a piece of work or a person that particularly influenced you when you were in high school?

Mikage: When it comes to writing, I think the movie "Memento" has influenced me a lot.

Dengeki: Which author / piece of work are you currently paying attention to?

Mikage: I'm looking forward to the Dangan Ronpa anime.

Dengeki: What're you addicted to right now?

Mikage: I really love the band "the mirraz.">

Dengeki: Is there a game that you are playing intensively at the moment?

Mikage: I plan on getting addicted to Fate/Extra CCC (it's on my backlog).

Dengeki: Finally, do you have a message for your readers?

Mikage: People who love De*th N*te or Ka*ji might also enjoy this series! Enjoy reading about Kanna's "tyrannical" personality!