fmp odbd ch02a, Light Novel, Full Metal Panic, 1. The End of Day by Day
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Full Metal Panic!
The End of Day by Day
Chapter Two, Part A
March 7, 2004
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Translator’s Notes and Corrections:
1. monomolecular cutter = unimolecular cutter
2. Urz = Urzu
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Reasons:
I started translating these several months ago. In Japanese,
everything is spelled phonetically, so when a foreign word such as
someone’s name shows up in Japanese, I have to guess as to what the
correct spelling would be, which, as you can guess, is not easy. But
I’ve decided that when possible, I want to go by the official spellings
of words as they appear in the official versions of the series, and in
the DVDs of Full Metal Panic, they use "Urzu" instead of "Urz" for the
soldiers’ military codenames. Technically, there is no difference, but
I would like to be as consistent as possible. Anyway, enjoy the next
part!
*****
Page 101
2 : Scene II (Under the Water's Surface)...101
October 16th, 0853 Hours (Japan Standard Time)
Choufu-shi, Tokyo, Japan
Jindai High School
On the fourth day of the mid-term exams, the first subject was
World History.
It was 23 minutes into the test. The sound of test pages turning
and pens writing filled the room. Since it was so quiet, the noise of
a car passing on the main street in front of the school sounded loud.
Kaname's eyes ran over the top of her test paper.
The Roman Empire's prosperity. Five intelligent rulers.
Augustus. Cicero. Sicily's rebellion. This or that. There were many
words that she knew but didn't understand, and that she'd probably
forget completely after the test was over. Really, regular testing was
just a pointless and unproductive ritual.
She glanced up towards the window.
Sousuke's seat was empty.
He hadn't been heard from since the day before yesterday when she
had called him before exams. She had thought he might show up today,
but he continued to be absent. In the end, he had missed everything
since the first day.
(Really...)
A sigh escaped somehow. Since it had been quiet in school thanks
to Sousuke's absence, she should have been able to relax. So why did
she feel uneasy? Why did she feel as if something were missing?
No, I can't. I'm in the middle of a test right now. I have to
concentrate.
She fixed her attention back onto the problems.
The collapse of the Chinese Empire. The invasion of the Huns.
The Yellow Turban Rebellions. Sou Sou. The fight of Akakabe. This
and that. Since she had read the story about "The Annals of the Three
Kingdoms" in a comic before, she knew this one well. She just couldn't
remember the kanji (*1) for it. Now how do you write the character for
"kou" in "koumei"...?
(I wonder where he's gone off to...)
She suddenly thought as she was filling in an answer.
(I wonder what kind of job it is... if he's met up with any
danger... if he's okay... or if he's meeting up with that girl...
speaking of which, he was acting strange when I called him the other
day...)
She returned back to herself with a start.
No, I can't do this right now. I did it again. I'm neglecting
my test and unconsciously thinking about him.
(Ahh, damn...)
It's his fault. He's been absent without any excuses, and now
he's skipping tests. So I'm worried. I mean, I am the class
representative, and we're not exactly strangers. Those are the only
reasons, but even so, it still tugs at me. Why is it bothering me so
much? If he's not here, then should be able concentrate on the tests,
but...!
Just then, the classroom door flew open.
"I'm...sorry I'm late," said none other than Sousuke Sagara as
soon as he entered, his shoulders heaving.
It seemed that he had come in a quite a hurry because there was
sweat pouring down his taciturn face. And for some reason he wasn't
wearing his school uniform, but some dark green camouflaged clothes
instead. One could see the design was different from the field clothes
that he occasionally wore. The ones he wore now had the words "U.S.
MARINES" embroidered on the chest.
"Sagara... You've come back to take the test? And what's with
your clothes?" said the test supervisor with the frown.
"I'm very sorry. I didn't have any time to change, so..."
"Never mind, it's okay. Just hurry up and take your seat."
"Yes, sir."
Sousuke hurried over to his seat. On the way, his classmate
Shinji Kazama whispered to him.
(Sagara, why are you wearing those clothes...?)
(A situation came up.)
He replied shortly, sitting down. He received the test from the
teacher, and taking out his pencil box, he quickly turned over his
paper and began.
Kaname looked at him absent-mindedly from across the room.
Relieved, she felt as if a pressure had been lifted from her chest.
For a moment, their eyes met. In lieu of a 'good morning', Sousuke
lifted his pen a little. Kaname hastily withdrew her gaze and
concentrated back on her test.
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