Volume 4 Chapter 2 Part2 (1/2)

Translator Corner

Minasan oideyasu. This is Yukkuri demasu!

Another chapter.

The chapter is short, but so packed full

with reference.

Also… I completely don’t have any idea where

the Zenpoko-kun’s Song came from.

DISCLAIMER: There is no

guarantee that my translation is 100% correct. Please correct me if I was

wrong.

Author:

Dozeumaru(どぜう丸)

Translator:

Yukkuri Oniisan

Editor:

So-Chintzy

Enlightenment Arc

Chapter 2: Let’s Create an Educational Program B

This might sound sudden, but in a

certain city in the Saitama Prefecture where I lived in previously, there was

another yuru-chara or local mascot character[1]

other than 『Musas.h.i.+ Boy-kun』. Its name was 『Zenpoko-kun』. It was a mascot character that was designed based off

a zenpoukouenfun or keyhole-shaped tumulus.[2]

This 『Zenpoko-kun』 appearance was simply that of a keyhole-shaped tumulus with hands and feet

sticking out. Even though it’s a mascot character (yuru-chara), the design was

too laid-back.[3] Well,

that’s just like what my hometown will do, after all, they already created 『Musas.h.i.+

Boy-kun』 when my hometown

didn’t have any connections with Benkei and only because it used to be called as

Musas.h.i.+ Province in the past. However, there was a reason behind this laid-back

design.

Within the city, there was a keyhole-shaped

tumulus, but it had long been called the 『Twin Mounds』 by the locals. It was originally considered not as a keyhole-shaped tumulus,

but two small tumuli that wer built side by side. For this reason, when the

idea of “let’s create a mascot character to promote these Twin Mounds”, the

mascot character design was originally a boy and a girl duo wearing clothing

from the Kofun period[4].

However, when this design was completed,

there was a land survey conducted that confirmed that the Twin Mounds

was in fact a single keyhole-shaped tumulus.

The manufacture of the mascot

character had already been decided. The budget had also already been pa.s.sed. However,

the Twin Mounds was not two tumuli, but a single keyhole shaped tumulus. Fortunately,

only the design of the twin mascot had been finished, and it hadn’t yet reached

the phase where it was manufactured or the costume itself or merchandise had been

ordered. That’s why they immediately redesigned the mascot character as a

keyhole-shaped tumulus. Because of this public office way of thinking, it

resulted in the sudden birth of 『Zenpoko-kun』. However, although the problem of the budget and ordering

of materials was cleared, this improvised lackadaisical solution was so unattractive

that it was not that popular among the citizens.

◇　◇　◇

That 『Zenpoko-kun』 was

right now being projected onto the Royal Voice Broadcast in the Friedonia

Kingdom. It was 4 o’clock in the afternoon on Month 1 Day 10, when the New Year’s

Fever had died down. The audience, that gathered due to the King performing yet

another broadcast, was taken aback at the sudden appearance of this mysterious

lifeform (?).

Unaffected by the audience’s confusion,

the Zenpoko-kun inside the projection spoke out loudly.

『h.e.l.lo

everybody~ My name is Zenpoko-kun poko. After this 「Together

with Oneesan」[5] will begin poko~』

After Zenpoko-kun finished saying

this, a laidback melody began to play.

【『Zenpoko-kun’s

Song』 Lyrics: Souma Kazuya Composition: Juna Dohma】

Zen, zen, zenpokorin♪

Zenpo-kokun♪

He came from an ancient country,

an energetic round and square child♪

In study and play, full energy go♪

Look, Ju~na Oneesan♪

Zen, zen, zenpokorin♪

Ze-n-po-ko-ku~n♪

◇　◇　◇

「………」(Liscia)

Standing in a place that wouldn’t

be picked up by the broadcast equipment, Liscia who was looking at the scene

together with me, was gaping her mouth wide open and had an astonished

expression on her face.

「……You

have something to say?」(Souma)

「I

don’t know where to start…… But first, what’s that?」(Liscia)

「Zenpoko-kun.」(Souma)

「Yes,

I already knew that. Since you named it yourself.」(Liscia)

「It’s

a practical effect of using my 『Living Poltergeist』. I

asked Pamyu Carol to provide the voice.」(Souma)

「Voice……

You can’t be serious. Pamyu is inside that thing!?」(Liscia)

Yeah, that was the truth. Since

there was no recording equipment, we couldn’t perform a dubbing, so there was

no other option beside making the voice come from Zenpoko-kun itself. Its

movements were due to my skill manipulation as Pamyu wasn’t that heavy, but its

insides seemed to be humid so she threw complaints at me.

「I

previously thought “What is that thing that Aisha had brought with her”, but to

think that the inside was a new doll costume……」(Liscia)

「Musas.h.i.+

Boy-kun’s appearance had become famous among the adventurers, so I couldn’t let

it appear in the Royal Broadcast.」(Souma)

「Then,

why…… Or rather, what kind of program is this in the first place?」(Liscia)

「What

kind? It’s an educational program.」(Souma)

「Educational

program?」(Liscia)

「Yes,

look. The real part will begin.」(Souma)

◇　◇　◇

After the laidback song was over,

what projected next was a scene of a stage. On the stage, there were 『props』 of trees, gra.s.s, and stumps arranged to represent a clearing

inside a forest, where Zenpoko-kun was writing something on the ground with the

chalk in its hand.

『U~mm……

1 +  1 is 2, 2 + 2 is 4…… U~mm, arithmetic

is so hard….』(Zenpoko-kun)

Zenpoko-kun said while looking troubled.

Then, a blue-haired onee-san, who looked rather boyish with a hat, s.h.i.+rt and short

pants, happened to pa.s.s by. The blue-haired onee-san noticed Zenpoko-kun and

then made a wide smile as she began to talk with it.

『What’s

wrong Zenpoko-kun? Why do you look so troubled?』(Juna Onee-san)

Zenpoko-kun raised its face and

then walked stodgily towards the onee-san.

『h.e.l.lo,