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Changeability of Strange Dream/Story

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< Ghostly Field Club   Changeability of Strange Dream   Retrospective 53 minutes >

Story

月の兎、月面探査車
――夢か現か、吉夢か、それとも悪夢なのか。
A moon rabbit and a lunar exploration vehicle―
Is it an illusion or reality; a pleasant dream or a nightmare?


童祭 ~ Innocent Treasures

#01 童祭 ~ Innocent Treasures Kid's Festival ~ Innocent Treasures
夢違え、幻の朝靄の世界の記憶を
現し世は、崩れゆく砂の上に
空夢の、古の幽玄の世界の歴史を
白日は、沈みゆく街に
Dream changing, the memory of a world of illusionary morning mist.
This present world, sitting atop a crumbling foundation of sand.
A fabricated dream's history, telling of an ancient profound world.
In bright sunshine, a city sinks.

(夜が明ける。幻の朝靄の中で夜が明ける。
私は幻想の世界で子供達と一緒に遊んでいたわ。
子供達はみんな楽しそうだった。みんな笑っていた)

(Dawn is breaking. Within the illusionary morning mist, dawn is breaking.
I played with the children in the phantasmal world.
The children were all having fun. They were all smiling.)

幻か、砂上の楼閣なのか
夜明け迄、この夢、胡蝶の夢
Is it an illusion, or a tower built on sand?
This dream, till daybreak, is a butterfly dream.

(――こんなに笑っている子供を最後に見たのは一体いつだろう。
聴いた事もない不思議な唄、不思議な踊り。どうやら今日は祭らしい。
私も、いつかはこんな子供達の笑顔がある国に住みたいと思ったわ)

(...When was the last time I had seen children smiling so?
Mysterious songs that I had never listened to; mysterious dances that I had never seen. It seems like there's a festival today.
I wished that I, too, could someday live in a land where children smiled like this.)

夢違え、幻の紅の屋敷の異彩を
現し世は、血の気無い石の上に
空夢の、古の美しき都のお伽を
白日は、穢れゆく街に
Dream changing, the conspicuous color of an illusory scarlet mansion.
This present world, sitting atop a heartless foundation of stone.
A fabricated dream's fairy tale, telling of an ancient beautiful capital.
In bright sunshine, a city is defiled.

華胥の夢

#02 華胥の夢 Dream of Huaxu
"Paradisaical Daydream"

「――そうそう、それでね。昨日はこんな夢を見たのよ」
「――って、また夢の話なのぉ?」
「だって、今日は夢の話をする為に貴方を呼んだのよ」

"...And that's what happened. I had a dream like that yesterday."
"...so you're going on about your dreams again?"
"Naturally. I invited you here because I wanted to talk to you about them."

私の名前はマエリベリー・ハーン。この冥い街でオカルトサークルをやっているわ。普通のオカルトサークルとは違って、私達のサークルはまともな霊能活動を行っていない。所謂不良サークルなんだけど――。それにサークルって言っても、サークルメンバーは二人だけだけどね。

My name is Maribel Hearn. I'm part of an occult club in this gloomy city. Though, unlike a usual occult club, we don't carry out any of the sensible spiritual activities one might expect. It's what you might call a defective club... even before you add that this "club" has only two members.

「ねぇ、他人の夢の話ほど、話されて迷惑な物はないわよ?」

"Hey, is the stuff that happens in your dreams really something you should be pestering other people with?"

そんな事はどうでも良いけど、実は私には凄い能力があるのよ。うちの家系は昔から霊感はある方だったみたいだけど――。

私は、世界中の結界、つまり境目が見えてしまうの。サークルは結界の切れ目を探しては、別の世界に飛び込んでみるのよ。神隠しって奴かしら?

But putting that aside, I have an incredible power. Since ancient times, members of my family lineage have had a sort of spiritual sensitivity...

I can see borders - in other words, boundaries - throughout the world. The objective of our club is to seek out rifts in those boundaries, places where one can dive into another world. One might call it something like "spiriting away"?

――禁止されてるんだけどね。

ただ最近私は、色んな世界の夢を見るようになってきて――。

...However, that sort of thing is forbidden.

But recently, I've started to see all sorts of other worlds in my dreams...

「お願い、貴方に夢の事を話してカウンセリングして貰わないと、どれが現の私なのか判らなくなってしまいそうなのよ」

"Please, if I don't talk to you about the things in these dreams and get your advice, I'm not sure I'll be able to tell which me is real."

上海紅茶館 ~ Chinese Tea

#03 上海紅茶館 ~ Chinese Tea Shanghai Scarlet Teahouse ~ Chinese Tea

深い緑の向こうにあった物、それは真っ赤なお屋敷だったわ。
お屋敷の周りは、深い緑色と、白く輝く湖――。
なんて素敵な景観なのかしら?
こんなに赤いのに、何故か自然にとけ込んでいるわね。
この思い切った色彩は、どこか子供っぽい感じがして――私は大好きよ。

Beyond the walls of green was a great mansion in deep red.
Around the mansion were a deep green forest and a sparkling white lake...
Such a lovely view, isn't it?
For something so red, it manages to blend with its surroundings perfectly.
The bold color does look childish in a way, but... I love it.

ちょっと寄っていってみようかしら?
突然訪れても失礼じゃないかしら?
それに目の前のお屋敷は私を受け入れてくれるかしら?
って、何、夢の中で怖じ気付いているのよ。私ったら。

Could I perhaps take a look inside, just for a minute or two?
But wouldn't it be rude to just show up unannounced?
Moreover, would a mansion like this even allow me in?
Wait, losing my nerve in a dream, of all things? Gracious me.

――あら、お手伝いさんが出てきたわ。
あの人に訊いてみようかしら?
こんな素敵なお屋敷のご主人様に、挨拶がしたいって。

...Oh my, a maid came out.
Perhaps I should ask her?
I'd like to greet the owner of such a lovely mansion.

ヴォヤージュ1969

#04 ヴォヤージュ1969 Voyage 1969
"1969, from Cape Canaveral"

どこまで行っても同じ風景だったわ。
陽も落ちてしまって、足下もよく見えない――

The scenery was the same no matter how far I walked.
The sun had already set, and I couldn't even see the ground beneath my own feet...

夜の竹林ってこんなに迷う物だったのね。
時折遠くで聞こえる不思議な泣き声。獣なのか、それとも――。
どうしましょう? 困ったわ。
このまま竹林で彷徨い続けて飢え死にしちゃうのかしら?
それとも、妖怪に喰べられちゃうのかしら? まだやり残した事色々あったんだけどなぁ。

At night, a bamboo forest is terribly easy to lose one's way in.
From time to time, I heard strange cries in the distance. Were they coming from animals, or maybe...
What to do now? This was hopeless.
Was I going to walk in circles in this bamboo grove until I starved to death?
Or perhaps would I be eaten by a youkai? Ah, but there were so many things I had left to do...

私は、当てもなく彷徨っていたわ。
お腹がすいたら筍でも食べれば良いかなーなんて軽く思っていたし。
――そもそも夢の中だけどね。
でもね私、その時気が付いたの。天然の筍って、どういう物なのか知らなかったのよ。
合成の物しか見た事ないもの。筍は味しか知らなかったの――

I wandered around aimlessly.
A voice in the back of my mind said that I probably wouldn't starve, because I could survive by eating bamboo shoots.
...But in the first place, this was a dream, wasn't it?
But then I realized that I had no idea what sort of thing natural bamboo shoots even were.
I'd only seen synthetic ones. All I knew about them was the taste...

途方に暮れて空を見上げたわ。
満天の星空だった。
初めて貴方の眼が羨ましく思えたわ。
貴方だったら、ここがどこだかすぐに判ったでしょうね。迷わなかったでしょうね。

At a loss for anything else, I looked up at the sky.
The whole of it was filled with stars.
For the first time, I envied your eyes.
If it were you, you'd know exactly where you were in no time; you'd never get lost, would you?

そう思った直後だったのよ、すぐ後ろで不気味な笑い声がしたのは!

As soon as I thought that, I heard an uncanny laugh from right behind me!

科学世紀の少年少女

#05 科学世紀の少年少女 Boys and Girls of the Age of Science
"21st Century Boy and Girl"

「これが、紅いお屋敷で頂いたクッキーと、竹林で拾ってきた天然の筍よ」
「うん? 夢の話じゃなかったの? メリー」
さっきから私の夢の話を聴いて貰っているのは、宇佐見蓮子。二人しかいないサークルメンバーのもう一人よ。サークル活動の殆どは彼女の行動力から生み出されるわ。蓮子は、空を見るといま立っている場所と時間が判るんだってさ。気持ち悪い。

"Here are the cookies I got at the scarlet mansion, and the natural bamboo shoots from the bamboo forest."
"Huh? I thought you were talking about a dream, Merry?"
The girl listening to me talk about my dreams is Renko Usami: the other member of our little club of two, and the one who comes up with most of our activities. Renko can tell where she is and what time of day it is just by looking at the sky. Creepy.

ちなみに蓮子は私の事をメリーと呼ぶの。この国の人には私の名前は発音しにくいらしいわ。もう私の本名も忘れてるんじゃないかしら?

Also, Renko calls me Merry. People in this country seem to have trouble pronouncing my name, to the point where I wonder if anyone even remembers it anymore.

「夢の話よ。さっきからそういってるじゃないの」
「――夢の話なのに、何でその夢の中の物が現実に出てくるの?」
「だから、貴方に相談してるのよ」

"I am talking about my dreams. I told you that from the start, didn't I?"
"...But if those were dreams, then how do you have those things here in reality?"
"That's precisely why I wanted to consult you."

私には、何が現で何が夢なのか判らなくなってきたの。いつも見る夢は大抵妖怪に追われたりして終わるわ。悪夢と言えば悪夢なんだけど――。
でも夢の中の物をいつの間にか持ってたりして、もしかしたら今こうやって話している事が夢なのかもしれない――。

It's becoming hard for me to tell what's a dream and what's reality. The dreams usually end when I'm being chased by a youkai. They're nightmares worthy of being called nightmares, but...
If I keep bringing things along from my dreams without realizing it, then maybe even the conversation I'm having now is just a dream...

「教えてあげるよメリー。それはすでに筍じゃないわ。そこまで成長したらもう堅くて食べられやしない」
でも、悪夢を吉夢に変えられるとしたら、今の現実より――。
「天然の筍はね、美味しい時は土の下に隠れて身を守っているのよ」

"Alright, here's my first piece of advice for you, Merry. These aren't bamboo shoots anymore. By the time they get to this size they're too tough to eat."
But if I could change them from nightmares to good dreams, I might prefer them to my present reality...
"Natural bamboo shoots hide underground, to protect themselves while they're soft and tasty."

永夜の報い ~ Imperishable Night

#06 永夜の報い ~ Imperishable Night Retribution for the Eternal Night ~ Imperishable Night

私は本気で走ったわ。夢の中なのにね。
何だか判らないけど、さっきの笑い声が明らかに人間じゃない気配だったんだもん。
本能が『逃げろ!』って言っていたわ。

I ran for dear life, even though I was in a dream.
I didn't know why it was, but the laughter that I heard sounded like something that clearly wasn't human.
My instincts were telling me "Run for it!"

でも、竹林は微妙に傾斜が付いていて、私の平衡感覚を狂わせるの。

まっすぐ走っているつもりだったけど、本当はどうだったのかしら?

But the bamboo forest was sloped at a slight angle, which made me lose my sense of balance.

I tried to run in a straight line, but what really happened, I wonder?

結構走っている気がするけど、何だか見たことのある景色しか出てこない。
この竹林が無限に続いてるのか、それとも私がぐるぐると回っているのか
――どっちでも同じ事ね。

Although it felt like I'd run quite a lot, there was nothing to see but the same scenery as before.
Did this forest continue on for eternity, or was I running around in circles?
...But I suppose either would have the same result.

蓮子みたいな『客観的に見て明確な真実が存在する』という考え方はいかにも前時代的だわ。

To think in such a way that "from an objective point of view, there exists a definite truth" like Renko does really is old-fashioned.

真実は主観の中にある。
見たことのある景色しか出てこないならば――ここはそういう所なのよ。

The truth exists within subjectivity.
If I can only see the same sights over and over again... then that's the kind of place this is.

だから、私は走っているの。
だって、夢というのは現の反意語なんかじゃない。
最近の常識では同意語なのよ。
夢の中だろうと、得体の知れない物からは逃げなきゃいけないの。それが真実だから。

And that's why I'm running.
Because dreams are nothing like the antonym of reality.
By today's common knowledge, the two are synonyms.
Even in dreams, one must flee from things of unknown nature. That is the truth.

そんな私の専攻は相対性精神学。
蓮子は超統一物理学だったわよね。最近はひも (・・) の研究、順調かしら?

My major is relativistic psychology.
Renko's is super-unified physics. I wonder if her recent study of strings is going well?

夜が降りてくる ~ Evening Star

#07 夜が降りてくる ~ Evening Star Night Falls ~ Evening Star

でも――不思議ね。
貴方みたいな前時代的な人は、夢と現を正反対な物として考える人が多いけど、もっともっと果てしなく昔の人は、夢と現を区別していなかったと言うわ。

But... it's strange.
Even though there are an awful lot of old-fashioned people like you who consider dreams and reality to be direct opposites, I heard that people much, much longer ago didn't draw a distinction between dreams and reality.

そして今は、夢と現は区別はするけど同じ物。

現の現実と夢の現実、現の私と夢の私、それぞれが存在するわ。

And now, we draw a distinction between dream and reality, but they are the same.

The truth of reality and the truth of dreams, the me of reality and the me of dreams, they each exist.

夜の胡蝶が自分か、昼間の人間が自分か――。

今の常識では、両方自分なのよ。

A butterfly of night or a human of the day...

According to current common knowledge, both are me.

随分と逃げてきた気がしたけど、全く疲れは無かったわ。

まるで空を飛んでいる様に移動していたから? 私は胡蝶になっていたのかしら?

I felt that I ran away a considerable distance, but I didn't feel fatigued at all.

Was it because I moved as if I was flying in the sky? Did I become a butterfly, I wonder?

でも、そんな夜のとびっくら (・・・・・) もついにゴールのテープが見えて――。

But I could see the finish line for this kind of midnight marathon...

――私は走るのをやめた。
だって、少し先の方の竹林が、紅く光っていたんだもん。
その光は禍々しい色で、現実的な光では無かったわ。
そう貴方に判りやすく言えば――。
ルビジウムの炎色反応の色が一番近いかしら?

...I stopped running.
Because a little further through the bamboo forest ahead of me, there was a scarlet red shining light.
It had an ominous glow, as if it was not real.
To compare it to something you'd understand...
Its color might have been closest to that of the flame test of rubidium, perhaps?

とてもじゃないけど、光る竹、なんていう代物じゃなかったわ。

私は後ろを気にしながら、そうっと光っている方を覗き見たの。

It was certainly nothing like a glowing bamboo stalk.

Remaining cautious of what may have been behind me, I stealthily peeked in the direction of the light.

人形裁判 ~ 人の形弄びし少女

#08 人形裁判 ~ 人の形弄びし少女 Doll Judgement ~ The Girl who Played with People's Shapes
"Doll Master"

ああ、私はなんていう物を見てしまったのかしら!
今では絶滅してしまった山犬だって河童だって、3DCGで見られる時代なのに――。
それでも目の前にいるあんな大きな生き物は見た事がない。

But, oh, what I saw with my own eyes!
Nowadays, it is the era when you can see things like extinct Japanese wolves or kappa in 3D CG...
Even so, I had never seen such a creature as the one in front of me.

山犬より大きいのに、鼠の様な黒い生き物。眼だけが赤く光っている。
――いや、兎だったかな? 目が赤かったし。
でも、その眼の付き方がおかしいの。

こう――正面に二つ付いているのよ。そう貴方の眼の様にね。
人間は大抵みんなそうだけど。

Bigger than a Japanese wolf, it was a mouse-like black thing. Only its eyes were shining red.
...No, was it a rabbit? Its eyes were red, after all.

But the position of the eyes looked odd for a rabbit.
It had two eyes right in the front of its head, just like your own.
Although I guess most humans' eyes are like that.

顔の大きさは人間のそれと同じくらいだったわ。
というか人間の顔だったかしら? そう言えば人間の顔だったわね。顔だったのよ。きっと。
人間の顔を持った大きな鼠、貴方、そんな獣知らない?

The size of its face was same as that of a human.
Or maybe it was a human face? Come to think of it, it was a human face. It was a face. Definitely.
Have you heard of a beast like a large mouse with a human face?

――その時、大鼠は聞き覚えのある不気味な声を発したわ。
やっぱり私を追っかけていたのはこの大鼠だったのね。
でも、今は私の方を見ていない。紅い光の方を向いている。

...At that moment, the big mouse let out a familiar, eerie voice.
Just as I thought, the big mouse was the thing that was chasing me.
But it was not looking at me anymore. Instead, it had turned to face the scarlet light.

そう――周りを紅く染めていたのはその大鼠の眼じゃ無かったのよ!
なんと、不気味な大鼠は紅い光に怯えていたわ。
私はその紅く光っている方に顔を向け――。

Indeed, it wasn't the big mouse's eyes that were bathing the area in scarlet!
To my amazement, the eerie big mouse was frightened by that scarlet light.
I turned my face towards the shining scarlet...

夢と現の境界

#09 夢と現の境界 Border Between Dreams and Reality
"Wake Up Mysterious Girl"

「でね、これがその大鼠と女の子が去った後に落ちていた紙切れよ」
「ねぇ、本当に夢の話なの~?」

"And, this is the scrap of paper that I found on the ground after the big mouse and the girl left."
"Hey, are you actually talking about a dream?"

大鼠と対峙していた紅い光の正体は、なんと女の子だったわ。その女の子が紅く光っていたの。何で紅く光っていたかと言うと、それは一目瞭然で、女の子はね――全身が火に包まれていたの。

The origin of the scarlet light that confronted the big mouse was somehow a girl. That girl was shining with a scarlet light. As for the reason why she was shining scarlet, it is very simply that the girl's body was entirely engulfed in flames.

いや、それは正確な表現じゃあないわね。全身から火を出していた、という方が的確かなぁ。女の子の体から深い紅色の炎が斜め上に広がって、まるで羽を開いた鳥の様に――。

No, that description is not entirely correct. It's more accurate to say that she was emitting flames from her body. The deep scarlet flames spread out diagonally upward, like a bird spreading its wings...

それはね。人の顔の付いた大鼠など比べものにならないほど、禍々しかったわ。大鼠は、その女の子が手を挙げただけで恐れをなしてか逃げていったの。

Yes, that was how it was. She was ominous— incomparably more so than the big mouse with the human face. The big mouse was terrified and fled as soon as the girl raised her hands.

「だぁからぁ、夢と現なんて同じ物なのよ。いっつもいっつも言ってるじゃない。
私にしてみれば、貴方と会っている今が夢の現実かもしれないし ――」
「まぁまぁ、夢の世界の話でも聴いてあげるから落ち着いて、メリー。
結局、その女の子は何者だったの? その後どうなったの?」
「知らない。その後は、大鼠が逃げていって――女の子も去っていったわ。
私はね、ずっと大鼠にも女の子見つからないように隠れていたの。
大鼠を追っ払って貰ったのにどうして隠れてたの、だって? まぁ――」

"I keep telling youuu... Dreams and reality are the same thing. I've told you time and time again, haven't I?
To me, talking to you now could be a dream, or it could be reality..."
"Hey, listen, Merry, I'll hear you out about the dream world, so just calm down a bit.
In the end, who was that girl? What happened afterwards?"
"I don't know. After that, the big mouse ran away... and the girl left, too.
I stayed hidden the whole time so the large mouse and the girl wouldn't see me.
Why did I still hide even after she chased the mouse away for me? It's because..."

その女の子の眼をまともに見てしまったわ。大鼠にも勝るとも劣らない紅い眼――。
「――あれは人間じゃあ、ないから」

I gazed into the girl's eyes, a red far more scarlet than the big mouse's...
"...You could not call that human."

幻想機械 ~ Phantom Factory

#10 幻想機械 ~ Phantom Factory Fantasy Machine ~ Phantom Factory

結局、メリーは夢の世界の話をするだけして、一人で満足して帰って行った。
私はメリーから手渡された幾つかの品を見つつ、頭の中を整理していた。メリーは夢と現は同じ物だと言っていたが、そんな筈がない。例え昨今の相対性精神学の常識がそうだと言っても、それはあくまでも精神の中での話であって、夢の中の物体が現実に現れてしまっては困る。質量保存の法則が成り立たない。エントロピーはどうなるのだろう。
私は確信していた。メリーは気が付かないうちに、実際に結界の向こうに飛んでいる。それを夢だと思いこんでいる。今、結界の向こうに非常に近い位置に居るのだろう。まさかメリーが見える能力から操る能力に――なんて事は無いと思うけど。最近、真面目にサークル活動し過ぎたかな。
このままでは、夢の中で妖怪に喰われてしまうかも知れない。もしくは神隠しに遭うかも知れない。メリーの想いが色んな世界に揺らいでいる。別の世界に居るときに、本人が夢ではないと気が付いてしまえば、もうこっちの世界には戻れなくなるかもしれない。こっちの世界を夢だと思いこんでしまうかもしれない。本人は気が付いていないけど、非常に危うい状態にある。

In the end, Merry talked about nothing but the world in her dreams before leaving by herself, satisfied.
I considered what she said while I was looking over the small number of objects that she left me. Merry kept saying that dreams and reality are the same thing, but that can't be so. Even utilizing the common sense of modern relativistic psychology, the field only deals in matters of the mind, and if objects from a dream were to show up in the real world, it would still be just as troubling as always. It invalidates the law of conservation of mass. What would that do to entropy?
I have a firm belief. Merry crossed a boundary without realizing it, and believed that she was dreaming. She may be in a place unusually close to a boundary right now. Did Merry's ability go from being able to see boundaries to being able to manipulate them? No, there's no way that's possible. Maybe we've been doing too many proper club activities lately.
If I let things continue like they are, she might be eaten by a youkai in a dream. Or she might even be spirited away. Her mind is wavering between many different worlds. When she is in another world, if she realizes that she's not in a dream, she might possibly not be able to return from it. She might come to think that this world is the dream. Even though she herself does not realize it, she's in grave danger.

私のカウンセリングとして考えられる手段は二つ。

これらの品を捨てて、完全に夢、幻だった思いこませる方法。
:そうすれば二度と現実には夢の世界にいけなくなるだろう。夢と現は別物なのだ。

:もう一つの方法は――。

夢ではなく、実際に別の世界にいる事を強く意識させて、夢から眼を覚まさせる方法。
:そうすれば、夢の世界で訳も判らないうちに死んだりしない。
:ただ――この世界に帰れなくなる可能性もある。

:メリーにはどっちが良い? 私にとってはどちらが一般解?
:――そんなの決まってるじゃない。
If she's asking for my help, then I have two options:

:The first method would be to throw the stuff away and convince her that it was all a dream — an illusion.
:By doing this, there will never be a reality within her dreams again. Dream and reality are different things.

And the other method is...

:Strongly convince her that she was not dreaming, that she actually was in another world, and awaken her from the dream.
:That way, she wouldn’t die in that dream world because she didn't understand the situation.
:But… if I did that, there is the possibility that she would not be able to return to this world.

: Which is the best for Merry? Which is the general solution for me?
:...Isn't it obvious?

幽玄の槭樹 ~ Eternal Dream

#11 幽玄の槭樹 ~ Eternal Dream Mystic Maple ~ Eternal Dream

「もう、いつも蓮子は呼び出しておいて時間に遅れるんだから」
「メリー、たったの3分15秒の遅刻じゃない。惜しいわね」
「惜しいって何? というか、今日は何の用かしら?」
「勿論サークル活動よ。せっかくサークルメンバー全員揃ったんだから」
「二人しか居ないけどね――ってまた何か『入り口』らしき所を見つけたの?」

"Honestly, you're always late, Renko, even though you're the one who always invites me."
"Merry, I was just 3 minutes and 15 seconds late. Almost, right?"
"What do you mean, 'almost'? Or should I say, what did you want today?"
"Club activites, of course. Since all the members are here, we can't miss this opportunity."
"There are only the two of us, though... so, did you find some sort of entrance again?"

結論は一つしかなかった。メリーが言っていた夢の世界。
美しき自然とほんのちょっぴりのミステリアス。

There is but only one conclusion. The dream world that Merry spoke of.
Its beautiful nature and its hint of the mysterious.

人里離れた山奥の神社、
楽しそうにはしゃぐ子供達、
深い緑、白く輝く湖、
紅いお屋敷、木漏れ日の下でのティータイム、
迷わせるほどの広さの竹林、天然の筍、
人を狂わす満月、
人の顔を持った人ではない生き物、
そして禍々しい火の鳥――。
――メリーだけが見ているなんてずるい!

A shrine in the deep mountains far from human habitation.
Children frolicking and making merry.
A deep green forest, and a sparkling white lake.
A scarlet mansion, with tea time under the sunshine filtering through the trees.
A huge bamboo forest that makes you lose your way, and natural bamboo shoots.
The full moon that drives people mad.
Inhuman creatures wearing human faces.
And the ominous phoenix...
...It's not fair if Merry is the only one who gets to see them!

「勿論、別の世界の入り口だったら見つけられるわよ。
ほらこんなに手掛かりだってあるんだからね」
「手掛かりって――これは私の夢の世界の品じゃないの、蓮子」
「だから、メリーの夢の世界を探しにいくのよ。
ねぇ、何でこの国の子供達が楽しくなさそうに見えるのか――
メリーに判るかしら?」

"Of course I've found a way to get to another world.
See here? I have all these clues."
"Clues...? These are the things I got in my dream world, Renko."
"That's right, that's the world we're looking for today.
You know, doesn't it seem like the children of this country never seem happy?
Do you know why that is, Merry?"

「?」

"?"

「貴方みたいな考えの学者の所為で、
夢と現を同じ物として見るようになったからよ。
夢をただの脳が見せる虚像として、現実の一生理現象に組み込んだからよ。
主観の外に信じられる客観がある。絶対的な真実がある。
主観が真実だって? 貴方の言っている事は矛盾している。その学説は間違っている。
その証拠に貴方は主観を認めないで夢にしちゃっているじゃない。
夢と現実は違う。だから夢を現実に変えようと努力出来る。
だから――子供達は笑う事が出来たの。
さぁ、眼を覚ますのよ。夢は現実に変わるもの。
夢の世界を現実に変えるのよ!」

"They learned to think that dream and reality are the same thing,
because of the scientists who think as you do.
As mere virtual images seen within the mind, they have incorporated them into reality as a physiological phenomenon.
Outside of subjectivity, there is a believable objectivity. There is absolute truth.
You say subjectivity is the truth? Your words contradict themselves. That theory is mistaken.
As evidence, you dreamed without recognizing your experiences as subjective, didn't you?
Dreams and reality are different. That's why it's possible to make dreams into reality with hard work.
And that's why kids used to be able to smile.
Open your eyes! Dreams are things to be made into reality.
Let's make the world of dreams into reality!"

Afterwords

初めてかもしれない、ZUNです。神主だけで構成されたバンドやってます。勿論嘘です。博麗神社で細々と神主やってます。 It may be the first time meeting you. I'm ZUN. I perform in a band comprised solely of kannushi. Of course that's a lie. I'm a kannushi, handling all of the fine details at the Hakurei Shrine.
今回ひょんな事からこの様な音楽CDを出す事となりました。って既に3枚目ですね。
いやはや、色々と気持ちの悪いCDです。さあ指をクロスさせてえんがちょを。
The release of this kind CD was rather unexpected. Wait, is this already my third one?
This CD is all sorts of creepy. C'mon, cross your fingers at it and just disregard it entirely.
さてさて今回も、幅広く色んな過去作品から選曲してみました。でも基本的にSTGの曲が多いので、疲れるくらいに激しいです。単体で聴くもんじゃないねって曲ばっか――。
聴くもんじゃないですよ? だから別のストーリー(意味)を与えてあるわけですし。
ゲーム中はゲームのストーリーを与えられていますからね。世の中はバランスですよ。
But seriously, the songs I chose are those composed for my many previous releases. But most of the tracks are basically made for shooting games, so they're so intense, it can get tiring.
They're all songs that you would never listen to by themselves, yeah?
You wouldn't, right? That's why I gave them another story (meaning), because the games have their own story. Balance is everything.
一曲目の『童祭』は先日行われたトークイベントでの、私の入場テーマだったんですよね。色んなキャラのテーマを書いてきましたが、自分がテーマだともの凄くやりにくいですね。こっぱずかしくて。
実はこの曲は歌詞付きだったりします。って曲のコメントが歌詞になっていますが。
交互に夢と現を行き来する歌、果たして何が真実なのやら。
The first track "Children's Festival" was my own entry theme for a panel some time ago. I've composed plenty of theme songs for many kinds of characters, but it was incredibly hard to write one for me, and a little embarrassing.
Actually, the song even has lyrics. Oh, the comment for the track turns into the lyrics.
In this song that comes and goes between dreams and reality, which is the truth?
で、秘封倶楽部の二人はどこに行ってしまうのか不安でなりませんが――。
そうそう文中のメリーと蓮子の二人は、秘封倶楽部という謎のサークルを結成して、あれやこれ等、オカルトな活動を行っています。詳しい事は一切語られていないのですが、科学が進化すると天然の筍が食べられなくなるのでしょうか? 可哀想に。
I'm not so worried about where the "Sealing Club" is headed, but...
Yes, Merry and Renko, who was featured in the text and is part of the mysterious "Sealing Club" that participates in all sorts of occult activities. While I didn't go into great detail, has scientific progress prevented them from eating wild bamboo shoots? What a pity.
でも、鴇の味噌汁は飲めるのかもしれない。合成で。 But maybe they can have miso soup with crested ibis. Synthetically, that is.
そう考えるとなんて未来は夢で溢れているんだろう。 Thoughts like that make me believe the future will be full of dreams.
外は何かと物騒で満足に遊べない、家の中ではネットの向こうの他人の感情を想像しないといけない(これは大人でも難しい)し、間違ったことを正してくれる大人も居ない。たまに叱るとすぐにキレる。今のネットでは子供には厳し過ぎてとてもまともな人と付き合う能力を育めないのかも知れない。 It's too dangerous for children to have fun outside, so they have to stay inside trying to guess the emotions of other people on the internet (Even if you're an adult, it's difficult to do) and there are no adults correcting their mistakes. So on the rare chance they do get scolded, they get mad. The internet at the moment may be too strict for children to learn how to have a proper social life.
ですが、子供達の心がどんどんと狭くなる一方のこの国でも、もしかしたら街に子供達の笑顔が溢れる日も来るのかもしれないですね。合成で。 Still, even in this country whose children's hearts become smaller and smaller, perhaps the day will come when the streets will be filled with the smiles of children. Synthetically, that is.
上海アリス幻樂団 ZUN (筍好き) Team Shanghai Alice: ZUN (Bamboo shoot lover)

Notes

< Ghostly Field Club   Changeability of Strange Dream   Retrospective 53 minutes >