Tsuzuru Minagi - Horseman of the Mansion of Horrors [BACKSTAGE TRANSLATION]

[mimosacafe]

"Every Halloween has me doing a ton of preparations for my brothers… But if it means I'll get to see the smiles on their faces, I'll do whatever I can."

"Making a Picture Book with the Amabi Duo" - Part 1”

▋Tsuzuru: Hrmm…
▋Banri: Huh. If ain't Tsuzuru.
▋Tsuzuru: Oh, hey, Banri. I don't often bump into you in a place like this.
▋Banri: There's this fashion show comin' up at our uni'. I've sorta become one of their helping hands.
▋They're going with Halloween as their theme, so I'm checkin' out any fashion mag's I could use for reference.
▋'Nyway, I take it you're lookin' for somethin', too?
▋Tsuzuru: Yeah, I am… My little brothers are gonna be joining this Halloween event for a kids' party.
▋Banri: Hoh. Guess that's typical for a kids' party.
▋Tsuzuru: They'd join every year, all dressed up as well; but they've always been using the same costumes, so they've been begging me to make them something actually new this time.
▋Except, I'm coming up blank with what to make…
▋That's why I'm just browsing around the bookstore, hoping to find some reference or anything.
▋Banri: I get the gist. Guess you could def' make the clothes on your own, and there's usually a new trend you can try and follow every year…
▋Though I bet it's a lot tougher when you have to make Halloween outfits for kids, since they'd maybe prefer to have it look like somethin', right?
▋Tsuzuru: Like pumpkins, or dracula's… Even just wearing a white sheet over themselves.
▋Banri: Those are some common picks, yeah. Though it might be good to not get too carried away with 'em either.
▋… That reminds me; there was this picture book café—
▋Tsuzuru: A picture book café?
▋Banri: There's this café that Tsumugi-san and I went to before. There's no set sched' for it, but they've got this hands-on experience where you get to make your own picture book. ^[1]
▋Honestly, I went there just for the coffee, but making a picture book turned out to be pretty fun, too.
▋Why not make your own original ghost-slash-monster-character^[2] and make a costume out of that?
▋Tsuzuru: I see where you're getting at…
▋Hang on— I know it sounds obvious— but wouldn't that mean I have to be drawing the pictures of the picture book myself?
▋Even if I managed to come up with something, trying to actually draw it is gonna be a whole other story…
▋Banri: Well, since I pitched the idea, I can help ya out with that?
▋Tsuzuru: But don't you already have your hands full helping out with your university stuff?
▋Banri: Nah, it'll be a while before that event. I'm just a helper anyway.
▋'Sides, I think I'll get to learn somethin', too; like trying to interpret someone's imagination and see how I could connect those thoughts and manifest them, y'know?
▋Tsuzuru: Haha. I suppose, huh, Mister Aspiring-Assistant-Director.
▋Having your skilled hands help me out will certainly be encouraging.
▋Banri: That settles it, then.

——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——

[ENTRANCE BELL RINGS]
▋Tsuzuru: Wow… I really didn't expect a place like this to be a thing.
▋Banri: Even I just originally found out 'bout this place on Inste after hearin' 'bout their good coffee.
▋Tsuzuru: It sure is busy in here, though…
▋Banri: They're all here probs 'cause of the book-making experience that's scheduled for today.
▋Clerk: Welcome. Table for two?
▋Tsuzuru: Ah, yes please. We were also thinking of joining the picture book-making experience, too…
▋Clerk: Thank you very much for your interest. Please let me guide you to your seats.

——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——
▋Clerk: This book-making experience comes with complimentary cookies and coffee.
▋All of the art supplies over here are yours to freely use to create your picture book, so please go ahead.
▋Banri: Right. Let's grab some materials and get started, shall we?

✦——✦——✦——✦——✦——✦——✦——✦——✦——✦——✦——✦——✦——✦

"Making a Picture Book with the Amabi Duo" - Part 2”

▋Tsuzuru: Okay, so… A monster, right? A monster, huh… It's for Halloween, so…
▋Banri: Knowin' you, you'd usually think of the story first before the characters and setting that'd go along with it, right?
▋Say, I don't know, somethin' like—
▋There once lived a half-monster, half-human being.
▋The creature loves humans, so when it wants to hide the monster parts of itself, it'd wear gloves and a scarf.
▋And maybe… It gets prejudiced by the pure monsters 'cause it's a halfling? Somethin' along those lines?
▋Tsuzuru: Yeah… Yeah, wait, it's suddenly all coming together in my head now!
▋I could take that half-monster character and then make a story out of what I just came up with too.
▋Banri: Cool. Then I'll leave my story contributions at that. You can take it from here, right, Tsuzuru-sensei?
▋Just go 'head and share what you got for the story and characters, and I'll just draw while I listen to 'em.
▋Tsuzuru: Got it.

——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——

Pure-blooded monsters despised the fact that they had to hide their monstrous parts in order to be liked by the humans.
Meanwhile, there was one careless monster that failed to hide its features from the humans. Its nature became obvious to them that it was a halfling, and the humans laughed at it.

It was always alone, for it had no monster nor human to call a friend.

Then, one day, a crisis befell that affected both the human world and the monsters’ world.

Because it loved both sides so much, the half-human-half-monster stood up against the adversary in order to save both worlds.

The pure-blooded monsters, surprised by the halfling’s courage, ceased their prejudices against it.
And the humans, that once laughed at the once careless creature, repented for their actions after being touched by the halfling’s kindness.

And that was the story of how the halfling—who was finally recognized by both the pure-blooded monsters and the humans— learned that it could live its life just by being true to itself.

——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——
▋Banri: …Alright. It’s done.
▋Tsuzuru: You really helped me out big-time, Banri. With your drawings, I bet I’d be able to D.I.Y. the costumes with just some body paint and whatever stuff I have back home.
▋Banri: Good to know.
▋Although…
▋Tsuzuru: Hm?
▋Banri: The content of the book’s all wrapped up, but it ain’t a real book without a proper cover, doncha think?
▋Tsuzuru: Oh. I suppose…
▋Well, lining up the monster drawings like these would’ve been good enough for me. But I doubt I can come up with any good designs for a book cover…
▋Banri: … If it’s designing stuff, I think we know just the guy.
▋Tsuzuru: Someone right for the job would be——
——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——

▋Kazunari: WOW! You seriously made a totes adorbs monster fitting for a kids' book, Settsuar! Way to go!
▋And a story about the complicated relationship between humans and monsters— WHILE leaving it with a happy ending— is really giving Tsuzuroon, y’know!
▋Tsuzuru: I’d say it’s thanks to Banri pitching in the setting idea that I was able to come up with something in the first place.
▋Kazunari: So you want me to make a book cover for this, yeah? I’ll come up with some drafts for y’all and you can just choose from those!
▋Let’s meet up here tomorrow then?
▋Tsuzuru: You got it! Thanks so much!
▋Banri: Countin’ on ya.
——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——　——
▋Kazunari: Goooood morn’ to you both! Gonna get right to it— here’s all the drafts I made yesterday. LMK which ones catch your eye!
▋Tsuzuru: Woah, you got this many sketches done?!
▋Banri: You even made some flyer designs? As expected of ya.
▋Kazunari: Rereading the picture book just tickled my brain so much☆
▋Just go ahead and pick what fancies you the most from the pile!
▋Tsuzuru: Then I think I’ll go with… this one.
▋Banri: Oh, same brain. I was just ‘bout to pick that one, too.
▋Kazunari: Gotchie! We’ll do that then♪
▋Tsuzuru: I’m still surprised we could make an actual picture book just like that…
▋Thanks again for doing all this for my brothers, you two.
▋Kazunari: This whole thing is your brainchild in the first place, Tsuzuroon. Right?
▋Banri: Exactly. I was just helpin’ ya out.
▋If you need any kind of help again later, just say the word.
▋Kazunari: Yep! I’m always ready to give a hand!


▋Tsuzuru: I mean, Banri aside, it’s been a while since Miyoshi-san’s help actually felt reassuring to me.
▋Kazunari: “A while”?!? What do you mean by that!!
▋Banri: Probs means this is an exception to your usual “helping hand”? Haha.


ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

[1] Tsumugi SSR - Embracing the Weight of Human Knowledge
[2] お化け (obake) is referred to a range of supernatural beings that can shapeshift; I'm translating the term interchangeably to what fits in this story's context.