[Novel] NO. 6 Beyond - Ch 2 (b)

This is a continuation of PART A.
Please hover over the underlined words to see notes.

The eastern sky was still inky black when Nezumi awoke. He got up abruptly, and looked around. He heard quiet sobbing. The voice had woken him up.

The campfire was still burning. The flames undulated.

"Gran... what's wrong?"

The old woman had curled up into a ball with her face in her hands, sobbing. Nezumi had never seen her shed tears before. He inched to her side and placed a hand on her knee.

"What's wrong? Are you hungry? Does it hurt somewhere?"

The woman did not answer him. Her silent sobbing did not stop.

"Come on, tell me what's wrong. Does it hurt? Are you upset?" Nezumi shook the woman's knee. She was the only person in this wide world whom he could trust and lean on.

[Novel] NO. 6 Beyond - Ch 2 (a)

NO. 6 BEYOND
A Song From the Past

Nezumi lifted his face. His brow furrowed slightly.

"What? What did you just say, Shion?"

"I said I wanted to see."

Shion sipped the hot water in his cup. The bit of sugar mixed into it made it taste slightly sweet. Sugar was considered a luxury item in the West Block. Shion himself had not had flavoured water in a long time.

"I said I wanted to watch you perform onstage."

"Why?"

"Why, well... no particular reason. I just want to see."

Nezumi drew his chin back, and closed the book he was reading with a rather rough snap.

"That's not an answer. If you're looking for something to kill your time with, consider other options."

"I don't have enough free time to kill. I have my dog-washing job at least twice a week, and I've promised to read picture books to Kalan and the rest of the kids. I've also started working at Rikiga-san's part-time. I'm actually about to go out now."

"Working part-time? At that old man's place? I hope it's not something as terribly respectable as taking photos of naked women."

"No, I just run errands and do miscellaneous work. Stuff like sorting receipts and cleaning the office. Rikiga-san actually runs a pretty wide variety of businesses. I never knew."

"Well, I bet my mice would sprout wings and fly before that old man starts running any decent trade. Hah! You'd better be careful, Shion. Who knows when some woman might come attacking you with a knife like she did to Rikiga."

[Novel] NO. 6 Beyond - Ch 1 (b)

This is a continuation of PART A.

What is this? Is someone living here?

He twitched his nose again. Like before, he did not smell anything. Inukashi took down the small silver box from the shelf. He opened the lid.

He found himself letting out a whistle.

Oh, I see. This is quite a treasure. I've found myself some booty.

The box turned out to be an emergency kit, with bandages, pincers, gauze, and a number of medicines stored neatly inside. There was even a scalpel. It looked like something that had been used in No. 6. Inukashi had no clue about how this ended up here. He had no intentions of finding out, either. He didn't care about its journey or story. What mattered was that he was holding it in his own hands. That was all.

[Novel] NO. 6 Beyond - Prologue + Ch 1 (a)

I have not forgotten about them.
The chronicle of their lives is perhaps
the only one worth telling.

* * *

Could we fully believe in people again?

* * *
Let me tell you a story. A story that I know. Story? No―it is reality, humans will probably say. They will say it is reality engraved in human history.

But for me, the deeds of humans are all but stories. At times a comedy, at times a tragedy; sometimes predictable, sometimes wearisome―nothing but fabrications.

Yes, humans are always but foolish actors.

They act out a farce, dancing at the mercy of their greed, love, and emotions. They are foolish, ignorant, and avaricious.... They destroy with their own hands what they have created. They aspire to rule over others and become the one and only king of the world.

Why is that, I wonder?

Why are humans the only ones unable to live by the laws of nature, leaving everything as is? They are such strange creatures.

In the story I am about to tell you now, the main character is also a human―no. The main character is actually a city. A city-state. People called it No. 6. Have you ever heard the name before? It is the most beautiful, yet most fearsome, existence created by human hands. Worthy of a star role in a farce, don't you think?

News update

Hello everyone, I have bad news. No. 6 Beyond has not arrived yet. I don't know if this is honto messing up my order (again), or simply backlog due to the Christmas season. My apologies for the wait, and thank you if you are still waiting! I assure you I will tackle the book as soon as it arrives. :) I really hope I can get something to you before Christmas!

In the meantime, if you haven't checked it out already, September Scans has excellent summaries of No. 6 Beyond. (Thank you for linking me!)

I'm trying my best not to spoil it for myself at the moment, but I hear Beyond is equally as vexing and leaves more questions than the final volume, which has me quailing, hahaha.

Finished... or not?

I feel about as awkward as an actor who exeunts to applause only to pop back in again and say... "uh, thanks guys, but I'm actually going to be around for a little longer."

Most of you have probably already heard that Asano has dropped a bomb by announcing her release of a side story volume No. 6 beyond coming out next week.

Will I be translating it? Yes! I just placed my order today:


However, honto says it will ship in December, so it may take a bit of time until I get it. When the book arrives, I will post an update concerning the translation schedule, etc. Meanwhile, September Scanlations has told me they will be releasing summaries, so check it out for your No. 6 fix.

Thanks for all the comments that have been flowing in since the last chapter. I feel a sense of relief that I don't have to leave this fandom behind quite yet. :)

323,194 words, 18 months, 1 last post

And so we've reached the end of No. 6. I've never been for these kinds of posts, so unfortunately I have nothing profound to say.

Over this year and a half, I've met people from all corners of the globe without ever leaving my desk. Never has my Twitter timeline been full of this many languages that I didn't understand. Scrolling down the links on my sidebar, I'm simply astonished: so many cultures and languages and people, all sharing the same common fandom of No. 6.

I've received many kind emails and comments, and I'm frustrated that I never have anything equally good to say. But let me say that No. 6 and this blog was always a haven, a place of creative freedom where I could let my pen (keyboard?) run wild. Through exams, papers, graduation, looking for a job, and all the goals I could never see an end to, there was always that one, short, manageable one at the end of the week. Here was something I knew I could do for once -- something I knew people appreciated. That just kept me going update after update, and this has ended up to be perhaps the biggest project I've ever translated in my life.

I want to thank everyone who has read this far: people who have faithfully come back chapter after chapter to point out those pesky S-V disagreements, typos, and wonky formatting; people who commented with extensive character and world analyses that even I totally missed out on; people who have recommended my blog out on the interwebz in forums and on Tumblr, and posted links on TVTropes and MangaUpdates (yes, I do see all of it!).

New readers, I hope you enjoy your stay.

Currently I am not taking new projects, but if I do in the future, I hope to see everyone again. If Asano ever releases that sidestory volume, I will probably be translating it, too.

Words are not enough to describe what an experience this has been. Thank you so much, everyone!

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 9 Epilogue

This follows Volume 9 Chapter 4.
Please click the image to jump to the text, or hover above it.


EPILOGUE

"Nezumi, this book―"
"It's Shakespeare. Macbeth. Ever heard of it?"
"Are all these books classics?"
- No. 6 Volume 1

It was a letter from Inukashi. He hadn't received one in a while.

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 9 Ch 4 (c)

This is a continuation of PART B.

"What are we supposed to do?" A voice questioned weakly from the crowd. It was a female voice. "Tell us what we're supposed to do."

"Keep waiting," Shion answered. "Wait just a little bit longer, and everything will come to an end. No one has to die anymore."

Wait, he says.

So we just wait here.

For half an hour or so.

Like a breeze blowing ripples across the surface of a lake, a silent wave spread throughout the crowd. Everyone gradually began to sit down on the spot. People in the square also squatted on the ground, hugging their knees.

[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 9 Ch 4 (b)

This is continued from PART A.

According to Nezumi, the Forest People are those who have made the forest their home. Since ancient times, they've lived in harmony with the wind, the earth, lakes and rivers, and the sky.

To borrow Rou's words, the forest is a place both of their birth and upbringing. They nurtured, respected, and continued to protect the forest. They lived peacefully within the bounds of nature without desiring prosperity or development. Even those who lived in the Town of Roses had no idea about their existence.

Elyurias' power wasn't what allowed the abundant forest to survive on this land. It was because the Forest People protected it. Through the long, perpetual flow of time, they continued to protect the forest.

Nezumi is a descendant of those Forest People.