Chikage Utsuki/His Welcoming Territory

A Boy's Dream

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2Part 3

Izumi	Thank you for today!
Staff	You did a great job~. It was nice meeting you again.
Izumi	(Now let’s go do some shopping and head home. I have to restock my spice repertoire soon.)
	(Because this month…)
Foreigner Man	Excuse me?
Izumi	Eh?
Foreigner Man	⁠——.
Izumi	(A-are you talking to me…!?)
Foreigner Man	⁠——?
Izumi	(This is hopeless……. I can’t make out a single word at all.)
	(Sorry, I’ll apologize and have you ask someone else.)
	Umm……
Chikage	Can I help you?
Izumi	Eh…… Chikage-san!?
Foreigner Man	——, ——!
Chikage	——.
Izumi	(He’s still as fluent as ever……..)
Foreigner Man	Thank you!
Chikage	No problem. Have a good one.
Izumi	Thank you so much!
	You really saved my butt back there…!
Chikage	You’re welcome.
Izumi	But, Chikage-san I’m surprised you showed up while you’re on your business trip.
	You aren’t heading straight to home today, are you?
Chikage	Well, yeah. But I’m already here.
	I’m gonna take a cab home. Director-san, do you want a ride?
Izumi	Ah, I was planning on buying some spices…
	I was thinking of making curry for Chikage-san tonight.
Chikage	I’m looking forward to it.
	But I already got the perfect spices for curry with me.
Izumi	Wow, so many spices!
Chikage	Found it in the market and bought some.
Izumi	Thank you!
	…… Ah!
Chikage	Something the matter?
Izumi	I forgot an important matter alright.
	…… Chikage-san, welcome home.
Chikage	…… Thanks. We’re not at the dorm yet though.
Izumi	Fufuu, and I’ll say it again when we get there.
Chikage	Here, souvenirs.
Citron	Oh! There are lots of sweets I have never seen before!
Sakuya	There’s also some herbal tea and wine!
Chikage	Muku gets vintage picture books and children’s books. I found a big second-hand bookstore over there.
Muku	Wow, so cute……! Thank you for everything!
Izumi	Is this book yours, Chikage-san?
Chikage	That’s right.
	There were so many rare things, I think I bought a little too much.
Tsuzuru	It’s an old foreign book.
Masumi	…… Looks like a magic book.
Izumi	They’re all difficult books that I don’t know the language of……
Itaru	Mm, I’m guessing this book is new?
Tsuzuru	“The End of the Universe” …… Fiction novel?
Chikage	It’s a sci-fi novel. I bought it on a whim and it was more interesting than I expected it to be, so I finished reading it on the plane.
Izumi	Um…… I was wondering, could you lend me that book?
Chikage	Sure, but it’s not a curry book, alright?
Izumi	Yeah, I can tell from the book’s title alone!
	A foreigner talked to me today, but I was so miserable, so I thought I’d read it to learn a bit of English……
	Is my English even good enough for this……?
Chikage	Well no, it’s not that hard.
	If you use a dictionary and a translator, you can understand it.
	It’s a good way to learn English.
Izumi	All right!
Chikage	Yup, knock yourself out.
Izumi	Thank you!
	(“The End of the Universe” …… I wonder what kind of story it is, maybe a story about space travel?)
	(Come to think of it, Chikage-san, you said your childhood dream was to be an astronaut.)
	(I wonder what’s the reason for it? I’ll ask him next time.)
	(Though if I ask him, he’s probably gonna evade the question and I don’t think he’ll tell me that easily……)

Kumon	Teacher! Please tutor us today too!
Tsumugi	Yes, let’s do our best.
Izumi	Huh? What does this one mean……
Chikage	Aah, that one’s a saying.
Izumi	Hmmm……
Kumon	Huh? Director’s also studying!?
Itaru	She said she was gonna study English.
Azami	Heh. But for what all of a sudden?
Muku	She’s reading a foreign book she borrowed from Chikage-san.
	I want to read the book I got as a souvenir as soon as possible…….
Yuki	Then, let’s get this over with already.
Kumon	Good luck, director!
Izumi	Thank you. Good luck to Kumon and everyone else!
	(Hmm…… I managed to finish reading the prologue of the story…)
	Huh? When did everyone leave?
Chikage	It looks like you’ve been concentrating a lot. You’re doing great.
Izumi	…… It’s a little embarrassing to be praised like that.
	I got tired since I used my head to study for the first time in a long time.
	But I feel like I’m starting to get a sense of the story.
Chikage	That’s good.
Izumi	…… Um, can I ask you one question?
Chikage	What is it?
Izumi	Chikage-san, you once told me that your childhood dream was to be an astronaut.
	I’m curious about the reason for it.
	Why did you wanna be an astronaut?
Chikage	I don’t know. It’s been too long ago for me to remember why.
Izumi	……
Chikage	Haha, looks like someone’s not convinced.
	…… If you think I’m lying, ask me again.
Izumi	Eh?
Chikage	But in English.
Izumi	Eeh……
	(I knew Chikage wouldn’t tell me without a price……)
Chikage	By the time you finish reading this book, you should be able to speak English that well at least, right?
CHOICE 1: Then I’ll do my best! [+] Izumi I’ll do my best, then! Chikage But it’s unusual for director-san to be motivated by such a thing. Izumi I’ve been a little curious ever since I heard you talk about it before. Chikage What, I’m not good enough to be an astronaut? Izumi That’s not the case, but… I was just a little surprised. Chikage There was a time when I was innocent and longed for the universe.
CHOICE 2: I don’t think I can finish reading this…… [+] Izumi I don’t think I can finish reading this thing…… Chikage Just keep reading it little by little, and you’ll get it done one day. I don’t know if it’ll be tens of thousands of light years away though. Izumi ……. It’s a journey towards the end of the universe. Chikage It’s the more difficult journeys that give you a sense of accomplishment, right? Izumi I hope I can get there safely……
Izumi	Anyway, I’ll try my best to get to a level where I can ask questions in English!
Chikage	…… Well, it’s junior highschool level English.
Izumi	Did you say something?
Chikage	Nope, good luck.
Izumi	(…… Ok. I was able to finish reading my target page today!)
	(Just when I thought I was getting used to reading while translating, the story comes to an end……)
	(It really is as interesting of a novel as Chikage-san said. You’ll find yourself immersed in the world of the story.)
	(…… The protagonist is a researcher who was so enamoured with space that he dreamed of living and dying in it.)
	(His wish comes true and he sets off to space, but the rocket breaks up in mid-air. He prepares for death, but finds himself drifting alone in space.)
	(The main character searches for the end of the universe while being guided by a mysterious force……)
	…… Just a little over 20 pages to go.
	(Hmmm… I’m interested in the rest of the story.)
	Just a little more…
	(…… Hm? This line is…)

Izumi	Ah, Chikage-san, good morning.
Chikage	Morning. You’re looking a little groggy.
Izumi	I stayed up late reading the book and finished it……
Chikage	Heh, that was faster than I expected.
Izumi	Fufuu, it was more interesting than I expected it to be.
Chikage	That’s good to hear then.
Izumi	Are you headed off somewhere, Chikage-san?
Chikage	I’ve read through all the books I’ve bought, so I thought I’d go to a second-hand bookstore.
Izumi	Sounds good. I think I’ll tag along too.
Chikage	Let’s go together, then.
Izumi	Okay!
Izumi	There’s so many to choose from, it’s hard to decide which one to pick up.
Chikage	In that case, it’s best to just trust your instincts.
Izumi	Still, even if you tell me that…
	(I’ll just wing it and pick one for now.)
	……
	(——Alright, this one!)
	Huh, could this book be……
Chikage	What’s up?
Izumi	This book is……
Chikage	Aah… it’s a sequel to my last book.
Izumi	But that novel was about the main character who becomes an astronaut and finds the end of the universe… wasn’t it?
	It should have ended with a scene where the main character returns to Earth and discovers the “End” that could not be found in space through the power of science……
Chikage	Can I see that for a sec?
Izumi	Sure.
Chikage	“What I’ve learned from writing the last book is that the ‘end of the universe’ is a ‘new universe’.”
	“No matter how far science goes, there are things it cannot catch up to. That’s why humans are forever searching and seeking for something.”
	…… Is why.
Izumi	……. It’s complicated.
Chikage	I guess so.
	Sequels often fail to surpass their predecessors, but I’ll go buy it anyway.
	You wanna read it first? It’s director-san who found it.
Izumi	No, I don’t. I don’t know how long it’ll take me to finish. You read it first, Chikage-san.
Chikage	Really now?
Izumi	…… Speaking of which, Chikage-san, you haven’t forgotten that promise, have you?
Chikage	…… Of course I haven’t.
Izumi	“Why did you want to be an astronaut?” —— What made you want to be an astronaut in the first place?
	I don’t think it’s wrong. It’s a line from the book.
Chikage	Heh, you did a good job on finding it.
Izumi	So, you will answer me, right?
Chikage	…… Sure thing. I’ll only say it once, so listen carefully.
Chikage	You see, it was so close to me.
Izumi	!?
	E-English!?
Chikage	If someone asks you a question in English, you have to asnwer back in English, correct?
Izumi	I didn’t hear it! O-one more time!
Chikage	Nope. I already told you I’d only say it once.
Izumi	That’s so unfair……!

Adriemori