Chapter 1 Part1 (1/2)

I’ve discovered another interesting japanese novel published online on so I contacted the author, and he was kind enough to giveThe novel is titled ”Cube City” (立方体都市) and written by Ikkai Inubousaki (犬吠埼一介)

The novel is broken up into a few chapters, and this post covers the first half of the first chapter You can see the original japanese text

I’d like to give a big thanks to Yeti for doing a translation check of this entire half-chapter in the early stages and helping improve the overall accuracy of the end result (By the way, he has his where he reviews japanese novels and even has a few translation excerpts)

It so happens that Ikkai Inubousaki, the author, has several of his novels published on Amazon japan You can see this particular novel listed on Ae on this post was taken from the cover listed there

I’ve put the synopsis for this series at the bottom of this post since there is a little of the initial story revealed I’ve also put a short list of translation notes after the synopsis

If you liked this chapter, please leave a comment here (or vote for it on my survey ) to help me decide what to translate more of As usual, there is much to translate and little time (:

Chapter 1: “Cube City” (Part 1)

Everyone worked throughout the night This was only natural, since in this place-a city without a sun-there was nothing but night In Idea City, theheld off until the very last day: the day the world ended They all worked the sun, eking out a living as part of the endless cycle of birth and death, bound together by love But just as this thought caround beneath me lurched

No sooner had I begun to wonder as going on than I knew the answer It was the ile-mindedly searched for her But a crowd of men promptly stor in the light I found cover at once Fire rained down, the fire of death

The Erasers existed for only one reason: to eliminate ideas Intolerable! They adamantly opposed the formation of ideas The letters, helplessly pursued and destroyed, had no chance against the concept of the eraser Still, I won't give up I refuse to give up! I infused my entire body with these letters and tried to bear the Erasers' merciless attack

They finally left the roouys did a poor job You forgot to erase so I'm still alive I quickly crawled out fros and headed to Fickliana's place I wouldn't stand for that precious girl getting erased Sweat oozed in ht away

There she was, singing She appeared to be waiting forerased She was always like that As I charged into the roo fun at o With these feords, she fell in behind me

A taxi waited outside The driver wordlessly motioned us inside and then pulled out into the street The buildings receded as we cruised through the sparse traffic of Idea City Onlysound of a building exploding so as if it too feared the sound I began to rise up out ofwas probably no more

At thatmy body had moved instinctively in an attempt to protect the letters back there, which had been built up over ed, I turned to look back, only to discover the letters of her right hand tightly gripping the letters ofpulled Don't leave e, screa out in a desperate appeal

I could feel her palht sky They're burning, the precious letters are burning I had to do so Sweat trickled down lanced at the taxi driver But when she squeezed hter, as if to say, ”How dare you look away!” the strength of her grip et out and help the letters The car took off again

Idea City, a world of churning emotions, constructed in the mind of a fiction author whose books wouldn't sell Its inhabitants worked around the clock, day after day, just so that he could make a book that sold, even only a few copies Any word could dwell in this city of letters, as long as it could accept being sis of words make up the world, and each of these connections formed an idea

Words had gradually developed Idea City since the author was young You know, I actually heard there was nothing there in the beginning The history books talked about how the city would tremble tremendously each time the author bumped into a wall Intolerable! The Erasers refused to allow the existence of ideas that had desperately accu them until they were no more

I'm not sure when I was born One day, I just woke up here My naio, andbecause the author is such an idiot That guy really asks for the impossible Do you have a probleether are vacant Heartless and hilarious-but only in the sense of everyday jokes

I accepted the nairl sitting in the car with uess it's sort of ironic since the author doesn't have one hiirlfriend because he lacks one She only accepted that name because it's what I call her She pays no attention to the nicknaiven by others

Fickliana is pretty powerful, you know Maybe she came into existence because the author was lonely Or maybe there was soio, could ever understand that sort of thing Don't ask so much of me, OK? She possesses the ability to tolerate and accept All I can do is punch, so I've never beaten or even tied her in a single game of rock-paper-scissors

Fickliana, the taxi driver, roup of letters sped with abandon through the city wherewaited patiently until the end of the story Music froood old days played in the car Fickliana had taken these songs fro out I really liked her and her music Their beauty totally captivated me

The car left the city, heading for the hthouse For so the Erasers here, no matter what happened What was so special about this place? The eye of the lighthouse spun around and around Why? For what purpose? I couldn't fathoht wanted from me

I got out of the car and walked down a path hugging a cliff where a pleasant sea breeze blew Fickliana hu in the taxi, still audible from a distance away Her hair was beautiful, strands of letters swaying in the wind, so wonderful that I was struck speechless I loved her My whole being was suffused with those letters

The shi+ning light of the lighthouse The ht ocean The coast Rumor had it that this would be the first place to be bathed in light when things ended I had htly so nobody else would find it I did this because I believed I would visit this place one day I knew that I, Suregio, would one day greet theeyes of the Erasers

The taxi driver put a cigarette to his lips and gazed out at the night sky, pitch black as if completely empty But when the letters in the word s Whenever we move around in the author's head, this driver always coh-end model, too

I had a strong feeling that the Erasers had already completely wiped out the ideas deemed worthless after much consideration by the author, and at this veryprepared, as if nothing had happened Those assholes didn't care about all the suffering I've been through But I guess the author, too, had his reasons A new opportunity has been created for me thanks to him

Fickliana and I were the only ones who survived froed to escape to a place where the Erasers can't follow It's fine with me-we're the real heroes of this story anyway! Fickliana and I, together, are the authors now I'm sure of it