Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red/Chen

Page 44-45

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Article

Illustrated by Genji Asai.

第百十九季　神無月の二	Season 119, Kannazuki issue #2 (est. 2004/11/12 ~ 2004/12/12)
猫の棲む里	The Village of Cats
命令を聞かない猫が集まる猫の楽園	The paradise for cats where they run free
人里離れた山奥に猫だけが棲む小さな里があると言う。そこでの猫は誰の世話になるのでもなく、猫だけが統制のとれた社会を作り、自立した生活をしていると言う。実在するのか判らないうわさ話であったが、この度はそれではないかと思われる里を発見した。	It is said that deep in the mountains, far from the Human Village, there is a small village populated only by cats. They have created a self-sustained society that they control themselves, not obliged to anyone. Until now, its existence has been an unverified rumor, so I decided to go find this village for myself.
その里は少し噂とは異なる部分も有ったが、人間が捨てた廃村に猫が住み着き、確かに猫だらけの里となっていた。ただ、とても統制の取れた社会とはかけ離れ、猫たちがそれぞれ自分勝手な行動を取っていた。猫同士の喧嘩も絶えず、私のような余所者が現れても何をするでもなく、餌が有れば我先にと集まる、そんな混沌とした里だった。	It did not quite fit the rumors, but there was indeed a group of cats living in a settlement abandoned by humans. However, it was hardly a well-regulated society. Each cat did whatever it wanted. It was a chaotic place where the cats constantly fought among themselves and hardly seemed to notice when a stranger such as myself appeared, and there were fierce contests for even the smallest scraps of food.
そんな猫を纏めて統制を取っている振りをしていたのは、橙さん（式神）。彼女は何故猫を集めたのか、またどうやって集めたのかを本人に聞いてみた。	The individual in charge of trying to create some order in this chaos was Chen (shikigami). I asked her why and how she had brought all the cats here.
「うーん。駄目だって、そっちに行っちゃあ。ん？猫たちを集めた理由？ えへへー、それは私の命令を聞くしもべが欲しいからよ。この中から一番聞き分けが良くて、一番強い猫を私のしもべにしようと思ってね。集めるのは簡単よ。餌とほんの少しのマタタビがあれば、自ずと猫の方から寄って来るわ。この辺は、人間が捨てた家が有るから雨風はしのげるし、餌はとりあえず私が捕まえてくるから猫たちには楽園の様なところね」	"No, no, don't go that way. Hm? You want to know why I brought all these cats here? Hehehe, I wanted a servant who would listen to my orders, so I figured I'd pick out the strongest and most obedient one of the bunch. Getting them here was easy. With some food and a little bit of catnip, they were more than happy to follow me. They can take shelter from the weather in the old, abandoned houses, and I'll catch food for them, so it's like a cat paradise."
と言っている間も、猫達は縦横無尽に暴れ回っていた。これはマタタビが効き過ぎている様に見えたが、彼女が言うにはこうでもしないと命令しても全く動こうとしないのでこの位で良いらしい。	As she was speaking, the cats were causing trouble every which way. It seemed to be because the catnip was too strong, but according to Chen, if they couldn't run around like this they wouldn't obey her orders.
確かに多くの妖怪はしもべとして動物を使う。かく言う私も鴉を連れて居る位である。ただ、化け猫が猫を使う話は聞いたことがない。それは、猫が自分勝手で気高い性格を持っているからであろう。猫の方も使われるなら化け猫よりもっと高級な妖怪の方が良いと思っているのかもしれない。	Certainly, a great number of youkai use animals as their servants. Even I keep a crow. However, I've never heard of a bakeneko keeping other cats. That is probably because cats are very independent and proud creatures. Perhaps this is because it would take a stronger youkai than a bakeneko to successfully keep other cats as servants.
（射命丸文）	(Aya Shameimaru)

Other articles

紙面から	From page:
４　　猫除けペットボトルは迷信か？ １６　結界近くで銅鐸が大量に発掘 ２４　赤提灯に新機軸　下戸のためにおはぎを出す屋台が登場	4 — Is the Use of Bottles to Repel Cats Superstition? 16 — Great Number of Bronze Bells Excavated Near the Barrier 24 — Breakthrough in Fast Food: A Red Bean Rice Ball Shop for the Temperate

Interview

Illustrated by Touya.

Aya	あれから随分と引っ掻き傷が増えましたね。大丈夫ですか？	It looks like you've been scratched up quite a bit since then. Are you okay?
Chen	なかなか言うこと聞いてくれないんだもん。無理に命令しようとすればすぐにこれだし。どうして懐かないのかなぁ	It's because they just won't listen to me. As soon as I tell them to do something they don't want to do, this happens. Why won't they listen to me?
Aya	その辺は、貴方の方が良く判ってるのではないのでしょうか？　化猫なんですから	You should understand that fairly well, shouldn't you? After all, you're a cat yourself.
Chen	うーん？　マタタビが足りないのかなぁ	What do you mean? Maybe I don't have enough catnip...
Aya	マタタビよりも威厳が足りなそうです。圧倒的に	What you're really missing is authority. You're sorely lacking in that.
Chen	餌が足りないのかなぁ	Maybe I don't have enough food...
Aya	餌より智慧が足りないのでは？　貴方は猫なんですから、しもべに出来そうなのは鼠くらいだと思うのですが	You need more wisdom, instead. Since you're a cat, the best you can hope for in a servant is probably a mouse.
Chen	鼠がしもべだなんて恰好が付かないよう	Having a mouse servant wouldn't be cool at all.
Aya	猫を自在に操るのなら、まずマタタビに頼るのは間違っていると思いますよ。貴方がマタタビを使われたとして、その妖怪の命令を聞きますか？	If you want to effortlessly control cats, I think relying on catnip is a mistake. If some youkai gave you catnip, would you listen to their orders?
Chen	聞く訳がないじゃん、ねー	No way!
Aya	貴方も式神なのでしょう。なら、何故使い主の命令を聞いているのか、自分で考えるのです	You're a shikigami too, right? Perhaps you should think about why you listen to your master.
Chen	うーん。藍様は強いから……って私も強くなきゃしもべは駄目？	Hmmm... It's because Miss Ran is so strong, and... oh, so you mean I have to get stronger, or they won't listen?
Aya	もしくは、もっと扱いやすいしもべを考えるのです。鼠とか	Perhaps you should consider finding a servant that is easier to control. Like a mouse.
Chen	鼠の他に、鳥なんかも餌なんだけど	Or maybe something else edible, like a bird.
Aya	鳥は駄目	No, don't use birds.
Chen	雀でも使おうかなぁ	Maybe I could try a sparrow...
Aya	あ、猫を諦めても、此処の猫をこのまま放ってはいけませんよ？　きっと大変なことになりますから	Oh, but even if you do that, you can't just abandon all the cats here. Something terrible would happen to them.
Chen	猫を使うのは諦めないよ。此処まで手なずけたんだしー	I'm not giving up on cats. I've already tamed them this well.
Aya	とてもじゃないけど……懐いてるようには見えないわねぇ	That's not saying that much... It doesn't look like they're that fond of you.
Chen	懐いてるわよ～。餌を持ってくれば我先に飛びかかってくるし、今や餌がなくても飛びかかってくるの。引っ掻き傷の大半はそれね	Of course they are! They come running to see me when I put out food, and even if I'm not putting out food. That's where most of the scratches come from.
Aya	そのうち、貴方も餌として見られそうですね。食べられますよ	Maybe they just see you as food now, too. They'll eat you.
Chen	あ、指なら食べられそうになった	Well, my fingers are pretty chewed up.
Aya	そんな飼い方じゃあ懐くはずがありません	You can't really win over animals by raising them like that.
Chen	そういえば、あんたのその鴉はどうやって手なずけたの？　良く懐いてるみたいだけど	Say, how did you tame that crow? It looks like it really likes you.
Aya	私くらいになると、初めて会った鴉でも手を挙げるだけで付いてきます。その位の圧倒的な力の差が無いと、とてもじゃないけどしもべなんて作れません。それにこの鴉は私のしもべじゃなくて道具です	When you're as strong as I am, all you have to do is hold out your hand to it when you first meet one. You can't really expect to have servants without that sort of absolute difference in power. Besides, this crow is more like my tool than my servant.
Chen	私だって、ここらの普通の猫よりは圧倒的に強いはず	But even I'm way stronger than these regular cats.
Aya	圧倒的に強い物は、引っ掻かれたりする筈がありませんよ	I don't think you'd be so scratched up if that were true.
Chen	マタタビが足りないからかなぁ	I think that's because I don't have enough catnip...
Aya	貴方の使い主は、貴方より圧倒的に強いのでしょう？	Look, your master is much, much stronger than you, right?
Chen	うん	Yeah.
Aya	貴方の使い主は、マタタビで貴方を操ったりしないでしょう？	Your master doesn't have to use catnip on you to control you, right?
Chen	たまにする	She does it sometimes.
Aya	……何にしても、その位の力の差が必要なのです。命令するには	...In any case, you have to have that sort of difference in power to order someone around.

Profile

橙　（チェン）	Chen
山に棲む化け猫に憑いた式神で、妖術を扱う。橙を使う八雲藍もまた式神である。	She is a shikigami who possesses a bakeneko living in the mountain, and can use black arts. Ran Yakumo, who controls Chen, is a shikigami, too.
出演作：『東方妖々夢』『東方永夜抄』	Appearances: Perfect Cherry Blossom, Imperishable Night

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