nhp | Scout! Coloured Flower Cards, Chapter 8

Writer: Akira

Season: Summer

Characters: Souma Kanzaki, Keito Hasumi, Kurou Kiryuu

Location: Martial Arts Hall

T/L Notes:

The 'one-point willow card' is the lightning card (wikipedia link)
Kurou's 'walk with pride out in the open' line is my liberal translation of the conveyed meaning. His literal line is 'walk under the Sun with your chest puffed out' where the reading for Sun can refer to the literal star in space, the Sun God, an omnipotent God or in generalised terms, 'society' or 'the world'

Superficial Dreaming - Epilogue 2

Keito: When that Japanese style Idol left the scene, they came by the stage where Kiryuu and I were singing and threw the one-point willow card at us

Because the music was playing at full blast, we weren’t able to hear any sharp parting remarks or anything

I’m sure with you being seemingly knowledgeable about Hanafuda, you would know, Kanzaki—but the one-point willow card* is depicted with a bizarre image

Fundamentally, within the elegant and beautiful designs of Hanafuda, that card is a peculiar and ominous one

Opinions will vary, but ‘the stage will be blown up by a great disaster’...... is along the lines of what I’m thinking

The act of throwing that at us was most likely a curse, telling us that it’d be good if our stage were to blow up in the same way as well

And that’s how the story goes for why there was only one card missing from this Hanafuda pack. When work on striking the stage was happening, I thought for sure that it was thrown out together with the trash……

But to think that you’d be able to find it……

I’ve ended up recalling a horrible thing. Right now, we’re living our lives by improving and with hardly any discontent, but……

As expected, the sins committed in the past do not disappear

There’s really nothing left but to carry it and keep walking

It was a relatively shocking incident for the me at that time after all…… I thought that you’d also be sad If you were to learn of it, Kanzaki, so I couldn’t tell you

So much so that I even made a counterfeit to try and deceive you with it

How cowardly, even for me. But I only wanted to present you with something pure as much as possible

Your promising future has no need for heavy burdens and dark objects

It was foolish of me to be thinking like that. It’s not as if I could keep covering it up either……

You’re a good kid who’s pure and reckless, and who genuinely believes the words of others, but you’re not stupid

Souma: …………

Keito: …… What’s wrong? You’re making a difficult face, Kanzaki. If I wasn’t able to convey what I was getting at, then I’ll revise the content and explain it you again as many times as you want

Souma: No, that is unnecessary. It is just—there are inconsistencies with Hasumi-dono’s words

The one missing willow card worth one point…… Where do you think we found it?

Keito: Hmm. That does bother me. Since I certainly did think that the card had already been thrown out and turned into ash after being burned at the garbage disposal

To think that it still existed in this world, that alone is surprising

Kurou: Hm~...... So this is that one-point willow card, huh

Hearing you mention it, Hasumi, I’m starting to remember it too—I get the feeling that ever since then, I’ve become out of sorts in a number of ways

I thought that I’d be able to walk with pride out in the open*, ya know. But not everything was gonna work out for the best, huh

Hm~...... The one-point willow card is a little dirty, ain’t it? It’s not just worn out over time—it’s got like dirt stuck to it. Don’t tell me that it was buried in the ground?

Souma: Yes. To be precise, it was buried in the ground inside an urn-like object. Since we were only interested in the card, for that purpose, we put the urn itself back and buried it again

The dirt must have stuck onto it when we were digging and burying things in that manner. If I do not explain it, then this level of dirtiness cannot be understood. But, well, it does not pose a hindrance to the game

Keito: Hmm? You’re saying that it was underground? In an urn? Why in the world was the missing card there……?

Kurou: Ah…… Isn’t it that—those time capsule things. Kanzaki, was there anything else inside that urn?

Souma: Hmm. I did not have a proper look, but plenty of gold coins coming out…… that did not happen. Instead, it was mostly letters

The urn itself was sealed very firmly, so we had a hard time just opening it up

I see…… Now that you say it, so that is what a “taimu kapuseru” is

It is a recreation where one writes letters and such to one’s future self and buries it in the ground, then digs it back up again many years later to open it and have a look inside

If that is so, then we have done a terrible thing by completely digging it up. Everyone looks forward to that moment someday of breaking the seal to the things they have buried

However, at the same time, I have reached an understanding. This card was wrapped up in a note, and in it was written a short message

The contents were something that I do not believe was in any way like that of a curse or grudge directed at Hasumi-dono. That is why I said there were inconsistencies just before

Keito: …… What was written down?

Souma: Hmm. To sum up, “Are you still living happily together as a married couple even now?”

Keito: Married couple…… Did that person get married? And so you’re saying that’s possibly the reason why they quit school?

Souma: Yes. At the same time, their feelings more or less after having also seen Hasumi-dono’s stage. They were jealous of how wonderfully radiant you shined and that they themselves would not be able to showcase that level of performance

So, well, it is true that they did throw the card because they held something against you, Hasumi-dono, but—

Is that not due to having given up on their dreams after feeling heartbroken from seeing someone superior walking the same path as themselves?

If we were to say that it is Hasumi-dono’s fault, then I guess that would be true. But whether or not it is a sin is something I am not sure about……

Along with the meaning behind the last line written in that note

“This card is me. Remember that well,” is what was written…… What could it possibly mean? Are they likening themselves with their crushed dreams to the one-point willow card with the pitiful design?

Keito: …… Who knows. The person in question isn’t here and we don’t know their contact details either, so there’s no way to try and confirm it

Souma: Hmm. The willow cards are phantom cards, so if you so wished it, they could shift their appearance into another

However, after changing, the card will be known as a common card

Perhaps, what they mean by “This card is me” is that they were likening themselves to the one-point willow card, which is the weakest card that even after changing, it is still denounced as being common

Keito: Hmmm~ but to “Remember that well” is…… I don’t understand what they’re trying to say, it’s all too unintelligible. It’s certainly like that of Hanafuda, but the truth is shrouded in darkness

We can only interpret it in our own way and move forward while shouldering the pain, the scars, the curses and everything in between

You cannot turn back the hands of time, and I refuse to put my problems into a time capsule and then place the responsibility onto my future self

At the very least, I’ll try to remember not to forget about it ever again…… the one-point willow card, that is

No—I ought to remember the dreams that we completely snatched away and that never came true

< Previous | Superficial Dreaming - Epilogue 2 (end)