Kyouken 5.1 (main story)

[wombat1138]

The usual drill: this is a Rurouni Kenshin doujinshi from the Yamaguchirow circle. There are two sequels which continue the story; I don't have either one of them yet. There's also a brief mini-sequel within this volume, but I probably won't attempt to tackle that until the main story is finished: Kenshin's amnesia was induced by food-poisoning from hinky mushrooms; the Kamiya Kitchen Of Pain strikes again.

Meanwhile, it looks like Kyouken 8(?) should be showing up on eBay any time now... jpqueen has a listing for Kyouken 7, but the cover and publication date match up with kuroi-hoshi's Kyouken 4; on the other hand, maybe "Kyouken Urushi" does count as #7 after all? Yamaguchirow's front page lists the new Kyouken as "・「兇剣　捌（8）」剣心×薫", which certainly suggests that it's #8.

Added another book to my reference shelf, the previously-mentioned Expressive Japanese by Senko K. Maynard (Honolulu HI: University of Hawai'i Press, 2005). It's nifty.

Standard (in)accuracy disclaimer: I have no idea what I'm doing, except for juggling a lot of reference books and web lookups. Please do not convert these into English-language scanslations or I will be cross, and there's a good chance they'd be wrong anyway.

Format key--

Frame/balloon order is from right to left and from top to bottom. The kana for "tsu" is sometimes used to indicate a glottal stop, as in a sudden gasp or an abrupt break in speech; in those cases, I'll transcribe it as "*" instead.

Narrative descriptions
= raw romaji: [kanji], hiragana, KATAKANA, words-linked-inna-phrase, (handwritten marginalia), ~sound fx~
(Every so often, I splat down a comparison from wot-club's IY translations, which indicate kanji with CAPS instead of [brackets].)
- expanded transcription: grammatical contractions unpacked from the raw transcription if necessary (e.g., "inna" <- "in a") or other analysis
= raw gloss: [word function]*, literal-translation
*functional abbreviations: [T]opic, emphatic [S]ubject, [O]bject, unidentified [P]article, [C]opula, [Q]uestion, [H]onorific; [aX] (animate existence), [iX] (inanimate existence), ["] (quotation), [rQ] (rhetorical question), [mM] (emotional emphasis), [fM] (factual emphasis)
[snarky notes]
-- "occasional coherent(ish) translations"

Pagination: #N#
Framebreaks: +++ (sometimes I leave these out if nothing much happens in each frame)
Balloonbreaks: | (if I compress several short balloons into the same line of text; otherwise, I just start a new line for each balloon. Usually. On the other hand, sometimes I use these to break up individual lines in a single longish balloon.)

No visible page numbers as printed, so I'm assigning the beginning of the story as page 1.

#1#

Kenshin's hair is in his Battousai-style high topknot. He's referring to himself with "ore" instead of "sessha" and using the normal polite "-masu" form of verbs rather than "de gozaru".

There are some unusually long speech balloons in these first few pages; I'll break several of them up into multiple lines where some of the original linebreaks already fall.

= dakara [ore]-wo [kaihou]-shite-kureta [koto] ni-wa [kansha] shite'masu
- "kaihou suru": care for, look after; "kaihou shite kureru": look after me, care for me
- "ni wa": "in order to" or "for", preceding an indication of state/degree/quality
- "shite'masu" <- "shite imasu"? <- "shite iru" (is/am/are doing)
= because me[O] looked-after-me stuff in-order-to appreciation is-doing
-- "I'm very grateful that you've been looking after me..."

= demo anata-no [i]warete-iru-[koto]-wa [me]-de [tashi]kamete-minai to [shin]jirarenai
- "iwarete" <- "iwareru" <- passive of "[i]u" (speak, say)
- "tashikamete" <- "[tashi]kameru" (verify, confirm)
- "-te minai" <- neg. of "-te miru"? (try to (verb), try (verb)ing)
- "shinjirarenai" <- neg. of "shinjirareru" <- passive of "[shin]jiru" (trust/believe)
[The entire phrase "me de tashikamete minai" seems to be based around the idea of visual confirmation, based on the excerpt here about the basic structure of Japanese storytelling; "Itoya no musume wa me de korosu" (糸屋の娘は目で殺す) = "The Itoya daughters kill with their eyes", via the semi-literal stage "As for the girl(s) of Itoya, from-eye(s) murder".]
= but your being-said[noun][T] from-eye(s) not-try-confirm and not-trusted/believed
[Loosely mucking around with the general roots without much sense of formal structure :b ]
-- "...but the things you're saying are unbelievable, and my own eyes can't confirm them."

= kono mama o-[sewa]-ni natte-iru [wake]-ni mo ikatai-no de-koko-wo [de]masu
- "demasu" <- polite form of "[de]ru" (exit, depart)
- "osewa ni natte iru" <- present progressive of "osewa ni naru" <- plain form of the stock phrase "osewa ni narimasu/narimashita" (thank you for everything)
= this unchanged-state thanking-you-for-everything in-reason also want-to-go[noun] from-here[O] depart
-- "Thank you very much for your assistance, but I would like to leave this place now."

#2#

Kaoru and Megumi stare at him, flabbergasted into silence for one panel before they recover somewhat.

Kaoru:
= --'tte [i]tte [ki]kanai n'desu--*!
= [mM] saying not-hear/ask/listen [fM][C]
[With the same pair of kanji as above, "sashimi taberu itte kikanaide" means "stop asking me to eat sashimi", but in that case "itte" is acting as a quotation marker for the preceding phrase, and "kiku" is in a negative command form instead of the plain negative. Hmmm. Still guessing.]
-- "See? He isn't listening to us!"

Megumi:
= kono [hito]... [Ken]-san yo ne? (sono YATAA na nan desu?)
[Best guess for "yataa" so far is an alternate version of "yatta", strictly the simple past tense of "yaru" (brusque verb for "do") but sometimes used as an exclamation in the more general sense of "We did it! Yay! What a relief!" etc.]
[Normally "na" is either a sentence-final particle or the second half of a noun-like adjective; I'm not entirely sure what it's doing here.]
-- "Is this person... really Ken-san? (How did this happen?)"

Kenshin:
= (Ken-san?)

= anata-wa [ore]-no koto [shi]tte'ru n'desu ka?
- "shitte'ru": presumably a version of "shite'ru" <- "shite iru" <- "[shi]ru" (know)
= you[T] my stuff is-knowing [fM][C] [Q]
-- "Who are you? Do you know me?"

+++

~gaan~
["gan": horrible revelation]

Kaoru (with huge, tragic eyes):
= [atashi]-no [koto] [zenzen] [waka]nnai n'desu 'tteba!!
- "wakannai" <- compressed version of "wakaranai" <- neg. of "[waka]ru" (know, recognize)
= my stuff completely not-recognize [fM][C] [mM]
-- "He doesn't recognize me at all! Waahh!"

["shiru" seems to have a more objective, factual sense of learning about something that was previously unknown, while "wakaru" may be more subjective in suggesting empathy for or heartfelt understanding of something whose superficial nature/identity was already familiar. Maybe.]

+++

Megumi (pitilessly shaking Kaoru):
= chotto! [atashi]-wa! anata-ga [tsuku]tta <[doku]> KINOKO [ryouri]-de
- "tsukatta" <- past of "[tsuku]ru" (create)
["doku" (poison) is set off in squared corner brackets.]
= small-amount! me[T]! you[S] created poison mushroom from-cooking
-- "Wait a moment, what about me? *You're* the one who fed him poison mushrooms!"

[During the Kyoto Arc, Hiko mentions a childhood incident when Kenshin ate bad mushrooms-- I wonder if he's supposed to be having a flashback to that time, since he doesn't seem concerned that the girls might recognize his "Battousai" undercover identity and isn't wearing its cold, dead expression.]

= [shokuchuudoku]-ni natte [kounetsu]-wo [de]shita [Ken]-san-wo ni
= in-food-poisoning becoming intense-heat[O] emerged [name][H][O] in
[flipping the original subject/object]
-- "Ken-san developed a high fever from food poisoning"

= waza-waza [Aizu]-kara [to]nde-kita 'tte no-ni
- "wazawaza": extreme effort/extent of a verb in the following clause
- "tonde" <- -te form of "[to]bu" (fly/jump): flying/jumping
["no ni" can express dissatisfaction when linking contrary statements; it can also introduce the evaluation or execution of the preceding clause...?]
= extreme-effort from-Aizu came-flying(?) [mM] although
-- "so I came here from Aizu as fast as I could, but"

= kore 'tte do-- yu-- koto yo *!
= this [mM] how say stuff [X]
["Dou iu koto nano" = "what's the cause?"]
-- "*this* is the reason for it?!"

[Or to reshuffle all three lines, maybe something like "I rushed here from Aizu as fast as I could, because you told me that Ken-san developed a high fever from food poisoning-- but *this* is the reason for it?!" If Megumi was in Aizu, then this story probably takes place after the end of the manga-- that would explain why Yahiko isn't around, if he's already moved out to Sano's former room in the longhouse.]

= (daitai ne anata [Ken]-san [koro]su [ki]?)
- "daitai": approximately, mostly, originally
[wot-club translates "KOROsu KI nan ja" as "He doesn't intend to kill him?"]
= mainly [rQ] you [name][H] plan-to-kill
-- "(Were you really trying to kill Ken-san?)"

Kaoru:
= datte... [kesa] [kyuu]-ni [netsu]-ga [sa]gatte...
- "datte": usually informal for "demo" (but/however), but sometimes explanatorily "the reason is..."
- "kyuu ni" <- adverb from nounlike adjective "kyuu na"
- "sagatte" <- "[sa]garu" (decline/lower (intransitive))
= because(?)... this-morning urgently heat[S] declining
-- "But... this morning, his fever went down so quickly..."

= [jikaku]-metara kono-[choushi]-de [atashi]-mo [nani]-ga nandaka--
- "jikaku": realization, awareness;
- "jikakumetara" <- possible-consequence conditional of "jikakumeru" (see earlier entry; "externally cause to realize"?: "possibly make obvious/evident"?
- "nani ga nandaka": stock phrase to indicate confusion/incomprehension?
= might-demonstrate from-this-condition also-me what's-what--
[Argh. Semi-guessing.]
-- "He should've recovered his senses, and I don't understand what's happening either--"

~hi--n (whimper?)

Megumi:
= somo-somo do--shite [Ken]-san dake [shokuchuudoku]-ni naru no*?!
- "somosomo": at all, in the first place (main purpose)
= main-reason why/how [name][H] only in-food-poisoning become [P]
-- "So exactly why was Ken-san the only one who got sick?"

Kaoru:
= sore-wa... [urayama]-de [to]tte [tsuku]tta KINOKO [shiru]-ga [shippei] shichatte... demo
- "urayama": hill behind house/seashore
- "shichatte" <- "shite shimatte" <- "shite shimau", probably as "regret" instead of "completion"
= that[T]... from-back-hill gathering created MUSHROOM soup[S] mistake regrettably-doing... but
-- "That's because... unfortunately, the soup happened to be made from mushrooms gathered from the hill back there, but..."

= [sekkaku] [Kaoru-dono]-ga [tsuku]tte-kureta kara 'tte...
= fruitless-effort [name][H][S] created-for-me because ["]
-- "he said, 'Kaoru-dono, you went to so much trouble making this for me...'"

Megumi:
= ...[Ken]-san dake [ta]beta-no ne
= [name][H] only ate[noun] [rQ]
-- "...Only Ken-san ate it, right?"

Kaoru(?):
= ([shikkari] norokete-kureru ja-nai no...*)
["norokete"? shows up in a few Google results; could be from "noroi" (sluggish) or "norou" (curse (transitive))?]
[Acc. to this page, "the verb 'norokeru' [is] used to criticize or tease a person for praising someone in his or her own group." Animelab writes out the word as "惚気る" where the second kanji is more familiar as the stand-alone "ki" (spirit) and the first one has the interesting conceptual cluster "fall in love with", "grow senile", etc.-- sorta "become infatuated with" in the literal sense of "become fatuous".]
= strongly fatuously-praising-me not[C] [P]
-- "(Definitely not a compliment to me)"

#3#

~uru~ (or ~toru~? neither of them pops up on the sound-effect lists, though "toru" can be a verb for "take hold" or "capture"-- Kaoru clutching her face?)

Megumi: (this line is above Kaoru's head, but it's Megumi yelling orders at Kenshin)
= tomokaku... [atashi]-wa [isha] yo!!
= anyway... I[S] doctor [mM]
[Interpolating slightly.]
-- "Anyway... I'm a doctor, so listen!!"

= [Ken]-san ni-wa made [seiyou]-ga [hitsuyou] desu kara
= [name][H] in-order-to until recuperation[S] necessity is[C] from
[see next line]

= [toubun] [gaishutsu]-wa [kinshi]! URO-URO shinai!!
= for-a-while going-out[T] prohibition! wander-aimlessly not-do!!
[combined with previous line and remixed]
-- "Ken-san, you need to stay here for a while and rest quietly! Absolutely no wandering around outside!!"

Kenshin:
= e... demo...
-- "Well, okay... but..."

+++

Megumi:
= ato... ikutsu-ka [shitsumon] shimasu... mazu [Ken]-san... anata-no [nenrei]-wa?
= after(?)... several questions do... first-of-all [name][H]... your age[T]?
-- "I'll ask a few more questions... first of all, Ken-san... how old are you?"

+++

Kenshin:
= [sai]? | [juushi]-ni narimasu kedo
[Not sure if that's really the right pronunciation for the number 14 in this context.]
-- "My age? | I'm fourteen, why?"

+++

Kaoru splats onto the floor in a dead faint.
~bata | PUSHU--N~ (~WHAM | crumple~?)

Megumi: (thought balloon)
= [bai]-mo SA BA yomi-yagatte...
- "yomi" <- "yomu" (read? recite?)?
- "yagatte" <- "yagate" (soon, eventually)?
[The verbal suffix "-garu" makes a claim about a third person's internal state.]
[wot-club has the IY line "nandei HITO no KAO Jirojiro MI yagatte" (Why are you fucking staring at person's face for), probably the stem of "miru" followed by "yaru" plus the "-garu" suffix? By analogy, "yomi yagatte" would be a very rude way to say "reading" or "reciting".]
= twice/double-more gap time(?) reading/reciting(?)
[Argh. By context, this is clearly something like "He's off by half" or "You need to double that", but I can't wrestle all the pieces into place.]

Kenshin: (puzzled at Kaoru passing out)
= sore-ga dou ka shimashita ka?
-- "Why did she do *that*?"

#4#

Either Kenshin's gone farther inside the house, or Megumi and Kaoru have slipped off to the veranda for a private chat, or both.

Megumi:
= [shin]jiranai... | [hanashi]-ni [ki] ita [koto]-wa atta kedo...
- "shinjiranai" <- "shinjirarenai" <- neg. of "shinjirareru" <- potential or passive of "[shin]jiru" (trust, believe): "can't believe" or "not believed"?
= can't-believe... | in-conversation spirit/mind was[aX] stuff[T] was[iX]

= are-wa [kioku] [soushitsu]... 'tte yu-- ka [kioku] [koutai]-no [shoujou] ne....
-- "'tte yuu ka": stock synonym-seeking filler phrase, ~"or should I say...?"
= that[T] memory loss... [mM/"?] say [Q] loss retreat's symptom [rQ]

[Remixed interpolation/guesswork.]
-- "His speech was lucid... | but this partial amnesia is very strange. | His mind is still affected even though the fever is gone."

Kaoru:
= [nani] desu sore?
-- "What do you mean?"

Megumi:
= [mi]te-no [tou]ri yo {Ken]-san-no [atama]-no [naka]-wa
= seeing[noun] passage/conformity [mM] [name][H]'s head's inside[T]
-- "His mindset is self-consistent. Inside Ken-san's head,"

= [juushi]-[sai]-ni [modo]tchatte'ru-no
- "modotchatte'ru" <- "modote shimatte iru" <- present progressive + completion/regret of "[modo]ru" or "[modo]su" (both mean "return"; the first is intransitive and the second is intransitive): "is finally/unfortunately returning"
= in-fourteen-years-old is-finally-returning[noun]
-- "he's completely gone back to the age of fourteen."

= (metta-ni [na]i [koto] dakedo [dounin] [shi] ja yoku aru [hanashi]-de ne...)
[Not really sure about "shi"-- standard definition is along the lines of "records" or "documentation" or "magazine"...?]
= rarely isn't[aX] thing however same-person document from well is[iX] from-conversation [rQ]

[Similar kanji clusters to tentatively-transcribed "dounin shi" (同人誌): 同人雑誌 (doujinzashi): "magazine/journal of a society" (doujin/dounin: "fellow/comrade/compatriot" in this case); 求人誌 (kyuujinshi): "job advertisement".]
[...doh, I should've realized; 同人誌 isn't just a homonymous pun, it really is the standard kanji rendition of "doujinshi"-- not just in the popular modern sense of "fanzine", but also a looser one that could possibly include the sense of "medical journals". In the four-kanji cluster for "doujinzashi", the third character seems to have a general sense of "miscellany" or "hodgepodge"; perhaps without it, a "doujinshi" is considered to be more focussed by comparison?]
- "ja yoku aru" <- "de wa yoku aru", semi-literally "it well exists from" (w/ animate-existence "aru") but idiomatic for "this is common" or "it often happens that"

Corrected transliteration:
= (metta-ni [na]i [koto] dakedo [doujinshi] ja-yoku-aru [hanashi]-de ne...)

Corrected(?) gloss:
= rarely isn't[iX] thing however medical-journals commonly from-conversation [rQ]

-- "(Although amnesia isn't rare; medical journals often discuss it...)"

Kaoru:
= ha?
-- "Huh?"

+++

Megumi:
= [yohodo] [kounetsu]-ga [de]ta-no ka...
= considerably extreme-heat[S] departed [Q]
-- "His fever was very high, but is it really gone?"
[i.e., he might still have a relapse? I'm doing a *lot* more guesswork here than usual, so the results may be even farther off than usual :b :b]

= sono DAME--JI-ga [nou]-ni... to shika [kanga]erarenai wa-yo
- "kangaerarenai" <- neg. of "kangaerareru" <- passive or potential of "kangaeru" (ponder): "can't ponder" or "is unthinkable"?
[Kagome at wot-club: "teyu- ka, sou to shika KANGAerarenai" (I can't think of anything other than that)]
[Apparently "wa yo" is a characteristically feminine marker for an exclamation.]
= that damage[S] in-brain... otherwise-unthinkable [X]
-- "My only explanation is brain damage."

Kaoru:
= sore-de... [moto]-ni [modo]ru n'desu ka? kono mama-da to [Kenshin]-ga [de]te-itchau...
- "itchau" <- "ite shimau"
= from-that... in-origin return [fM]is[C] [Q]? this stasis and [name][S] is-finally/unfortunately-departing
[Swapping/remixing both sentences]
-- "Kenshin's amnesia isn't permanent, is it? Will his memory come back?"

+++

Megumi:
= [shoujou]-no [kata]-wa tomokaku...
= symptom's method[T] expectedly
-- "In regard to this symptom, I would expect so..."

= [Ken]-san-wo [hi]ki-[to]meru-no-wa anata-no [giryou]-ni ka katte'ru n'ja-nai kashira...
- "hiki" <- "[hi]ku" (pull); "hikitomeru": "stop pulling"??
[Animelab has three slightly different listings for the characters in "hikitomeru"; all of them are glossed as "detain/check/restrain".]
["katte" could be from either "kau" (keep as a pet) or "katsu" (win), or is this a completely different structure?]
["kashira" is usually translated as "I wonder if..."]
= [name][H][T] restraining[noun][T] your within-ability [Q] is-winning(?) [fM]not[C] perhaps...
[chunks: "Is it in your ability to restrain Ken-san? Perhaps it isn't the same as winning" (or "...the same as keeping as a pet"??)]
[Very loose translation.]
-- "Will you be able to keep Ken-san from leaving the dojo? I wonder if he'll behave tamely..."

= [saiwa]i [taichou] ni-wa [mondai] [na]i-[you] dashi-na...
- "nai you": ~"seems to be", "apparently"
[wot-club usually translates "dashi na" along the lines of "Come out" or "Give me that"; it's probably based on the stem of "[da]su" (expel, emit) plus the particle "na" (lots of confusing functions).]
= happiness health-condition for problem apparently push-out!
[chunks: "Apparently push out health and happiness for the sake of this problem"]
-- "It looks like you'll have to force him to stay here to recover..."

[Watch out for torn-out clumps of frustrated wombat fur. Ow.]


+++

= [angai] [ippatsu] yareba [moto]-ni [modo]ru ka mo yo
- "yareba" <- if-then conditional of "yaru" (brusque verb for "do")
= unexpectedly one-shot might-do in-origin return-itself [Q] also [X]
-- "Also, perhaps his memory will come back if you suddenly hit him on the head."

Kaoru:
= [Megumi]-san!! majime-ni [kanga]ete yo--*!
- "majime ni" <- adverb form of "majime na" (serious)
= [name][H]!! seriously considering [X]
-- "Megumi-san!! Are you serious--?!"

+++

Megumi:
= sokka... [Kaoru]-chan-no [koto]-wa [wasu]rete-iru n'da shi [atashi]-ni mo CHANSU-ga aru no yo ne [oso]tchaou kashira...
- "sokka" <- "sou ka": "is that right?"
- "osotchaou" <- "osotte shimaou" <- intentional form of "osotte shimau" <- completion/regret of "[oso]u (attack): "plan to finally attack"?
= right...? your stuff[T] is-forgetting [fM]is[C] and for/in-me also chance[S] is[iX] plan-to-attack perhaps
-- "Of course! He really doesn't remember anything about you, or me either; perhaps there's a chance of success from an ambush like that..."

Kaoru:
= ...

Megumi:
= [joudan] yo...
-- "It's a joke, okay?"

#5#

Megumi:
= tonikaku [atashi]-mo [iro][?] [shira]bete-miru kara...
[Can't identify the mystery character yet. I suspect it's one of the katakana but haven't yet found it on the charts-- it resembles both KU and MA without being either, since the elbow-bend has crossbars at both ends-- but I'm pretty sure it's not a kanji.]
[Aha-- it's the "ditto" character I vaguely remember reading about somewhere, so appended to "iro" it forms "iroiro".]
= anyway me-too variously try-to-investigate from...
-- "Anyway, I'll keep researching some cures..."

= ...[jinen]-ni [moto]-ni [modo]ru ka-mo-shirenai shi...
["jinen" may have the alternate pronunciation "shinen".]
= in-nature in-source return maybe and
-- "...and maybe he'll recover his memory by himself..."


Kaoru:
= sou da to ii n'da kedo...
= that is[C] good [fM]is[C] however...
[wot-club translates Kagome's line "sou da to ii n-dakedo" as "I hope that's true"]
-- "I really hope so..."

+++

Megumi seems to've left the house, I suppose to go stay at an inn. Kaoru and Kenshin are having a meal together; Kenshin sips his (hopefully non-mushroom) soup: ~zu~

Kaoru:
= ...ano... [bimi]-shiku-nakattara [muri]-shite [ta]betakute ii no yo...
- "bimi": beautiful flavor, delicious taste, etc.
[Is "shikunakattara" one word? This page has a rather detailed example:

shinitaku nakattara, kaereba ii ja nai ka?
want to die if not, if you return good isn't it?
"If you don't want to die, why don't you go back?"

I'll explain that last sentence a bit. shinitai is the "want to" form of shinu, "to die". shinitaku nai is simply the -ku nai form. If you recall from our previous study of adjectives, adding -ku nai reverses the meaning.

shinitai = "(I) want to die"
shinitaku nai = "(I) don't want to die"

Therefore, "shiku nakattara" <- possible-consequence form of "shiku nai" <- negative of "shiku", but what's "shiku"?]
[Only one Google hit for the adjective "bimishii", and its translation is into Vietnamese. Still, might as well grasp as straws.]
["bimishiku nakattara" <- possible-consequence form of "bimishikunai" <- neg. of "bimishii" (delicious): "if it isn't delicious"?]
["muri suru": lit. "useless-do", fig. "overexert"]
= ...that... if-not-tasty overexerting not-eating good [P] [X]
-- "Um... if it tastes so bad that you're forcing yourself, it's really okay not to eat it..."


Kenshin:
= ie [ku]eru dake demo [arigata]i desu
[The root kanji in "[ta]beru" and "[ku]eru" are identical; I don't know what the difference in nuances might be between them.]
- "arigatai desu": the regular-copula equivalent of the more familiar expression "arigatou gozaimasu", whose verb is the politely-suffixed form of Kenshin's usual "gozaru"; technically, "gozaru" should shift the forms of whatever adjectives are attached to it, but Watsuki (and Yamaguchi) tend to ignore that part of the grammar.
= no eat only/until but grateful is[C]
-- "That's okay, I'll keep eating, but thank you."


Kaoru (heart pounding):
~DOKI DOKI~ (ka-thump ka-thump)
= ha? ("Huh?")

+++

Kenshin:
~mori mori~ (chomp gulp)
["morimori" seems to be the sound of vigorous energy and/or intense hunger?]
= [shugyou] [naka]-mo ROKU na mono [ta]betemasen-deshita kara [heiki] desu
- "shugyou": ascetic training that involved fasting, meditation, and exercise marathons; in OVA 1.3, when Kenshin and Tomoe pass a group of men in hats, those are kaihougyou on a similar sort of mission.
- "ROKU": possibly just the number six, "roku". OTOH, wot-club has a few examples of "roku na" as an adjective that seems to mean "worthy", "sufficient", "satisfactory" etc.; several of those are specifically "roku na koto" as a parallel to "roku na mono" here.
- "tabetemasen deshita" <- past of "tabetemasen" <- neg. of "tabetemasu" <- polite form of "[ta]beru" (eat): "didn't eat"
= strict-training also-middle worthy-stuff didn't-eat from composure is[C]
-- "When I was still training, I didn't eat good food, so this is fine."

Kaoru (fuming or exasperated or something; thinking to herself):
= KENKA [u]ten'no ka [juushi-sai] [Kenshin]
- "uten'no" <- "ute iru no" <- present progressive gerund of "[u]ru" (sell): "the state of currently selling"
= fight ongoing-sale [Q] age-fourteen [name]
[Is "kenka uru" related to the phrase about Sano which Viz translated as "fight merchant"? Might pull out a tankoubon to check. Then again, might not.]
[This page says of the introduction format "ore wo [name] da": 'By the way, please do not introduce yourself in this manner in real-life. 俺 and だ should never be used when speaking to strangers unless you are looking for a fight... also known as 喧嘩を売る (kenka wo uru), literally "to sell a fight". Payment in pain no doubt.']
-- "This fourteen-year-old Kenshin-- is he trying to pick a fight?"

#6#

Him:
= ano... | made... yoku [to]ranai n'desu ga...
["toranai" <- some form of "[to]ku" (undo, solve)??? Alternate readings for that kanji include the compound "解纜 (かいらん): (kairan) weighing anchor/unmooring/sailing off", but that leaves the "-ai n" parts hanging in mid-air at the end of the line-- and besides, the kana don't segment the right way for that; it would either have to be "kaira nai n" or "kairana in". Yamaguchi might've mistakenly based the verb on "[to]ru" instead, which would make "toranai" the simple negative, but that seems weird.]
[...aha, it looks like there are a *lot* of alternate readings for that kanji; the most likely-looking one is an unusual but attested usage in "[waka]ru" (understand, comprehend) -> "[waka]ranai".]

Corrected transcription:
= ano... | made... yoku [waka]ranai n'desu ga...
= that.. | until... well not-understand [fM]is[C] [S]...
-- "Um... | there's still something I don't understand very well..."

= [ore]-wa doushite koko-ni [sewa]-ni natte-ite anata to-wa donna-[aidagara] nan desu ka?
["to wa" seems to function in a similar way here to the quotation markers "to iu", "'tte", etc.]
= me[T] how/why in-here in-help/care still-becoming you ["] what-kind-of-relationship? what is[C] [Q]
-- "Why are you taking care of me here? What sort of relationship do we have, exactly?"

+++

Her:
= e*... | donna... [aidagara]... 'tte [atashi]-wa... sono...
-- "Er... | ...what relationship, you ask? It's... I'm..."

+++

Him:
= [Megumi]-san to-iu [kata]-no o-hanashi kara [kanga]eru to [ore]-wa kono-[doujou]-no *[houkounin]* mitai-desu kedo...
["houkounin" (servant) is written in a very large bolded font.]
= [name][H] ["] way's [H]conversation from pondering and me[T] this-dojo's servant seem-to-be however...
-- "Based on Megumi-san's conversation, it sounds like I work for this dojo as a *servant*..."

= ([kuru]shinde-iru ITA-wo [tasu]keru tsumori-ga konna-[tokoro]-de [?] taku so--ji [ka]i-[da]shi sore kara...)
[Another mystery character. Feh. My best guess so far is "ibara" (bramble, thorn), but I'm not sure if that really makes sense in this context... this site suggests an informal use to mean "my wife"-- in the sense of "nagging pain" or "cane for support"?]
- "kurushinde iru" <- pres. prog. of "[kuru]shimu" (suffer/worry): "is suffering" or "is in pain"
["ita": board/plate? floor? might be clipped off from "itai" (painful) instead, considering "kurushinde".]
["tokoro de" is sometimes used to change the direction of a conversation.]
- "taku": make/build; also has the more specialized meaning of "warming the bathwater" (by building the fire underneath it)
= is-suffering floor(?)[O] help[verb] intention[S] from-this-kind-of-place wife(?) build cleaning[noun] going-out-to-buy after-that
[Wild guess: "kurushinde iru ita wo" literally works out to something like "is worrying the floor", but might also mean "is worrisome from the start"?]
-- "(The intention of helping bothers me to begin with, since it's the wife's place to heat bathwater, do the cleaning, go out shopping, and so on...)"

Her: ~ban~ (dramatic fanfare/flourish; an exclamation like "What the--?!" might do the job.)
= chi* [chiga]u wa yo--*!
-- "No way! You are *so* wrong!" (etc.)

+++

= [atashi]-to-anata-wa [koinaka]-de
= you-and-I[T] love-relationship
[see next line]

= [ima] [dousei] [jidai] [ma]s[saichuu] nanda-kara*!!
= now cohabitation era peak/midst from-what-kind
["nanda kara": sometimes more loosely "after all"]
[Remixing with the other balloon and borrowing "chigau" from the previous panel]
-- "The way we live together is completely different, because of the love we share with each other!!"

#7#

Him:
= ha... [koi]... [naka]... | -- 'tte [i]warete-mo..
- "iwarete" <- "iwareru" <- passive of "[i]u" (speak/say): "being said/spoken"
-- "Huh?! Did you say-- | the love... we share...?"

+++

Her:
= so* so-- yo! | ko... [koibito] [doushi] nande kara...
[I think that while "koibito" already means "lover(s)", "koibito doushi" carries more of a sense of "equal partners", since "doushi" is along the lines of "comrade, fellow, peer" etc.]
-- "Th-- that's right! | As lovers, we're complete equals to one another..."

She blushes furiously, deeply embarrassed at having to state things so plainly. Kenshin still looks baffled, but also sorry for hurting her feelings.

#8#

Later, Kaoru has changed into her sleeping robe and is combing out her hair. She sighs softly: ~ha~

= [o]chi-[ko]nde-mo [kaiketsu] shinai shi
- "ochikonde" <- ochi-komu <- causative/catalytic compound based on "[o]chiru" (fall, crumble): "making something fall apart or disintegrate"
= also-making-disintegrate solution not-make/do and
-- "Things are just getting worse-- it's not restoring his memory, and..."

= [wasu]rechatta n'da mono [shikata]-[nai] wa yo ne...
- "wasurechatta" <- wasurete shimatta <- past of "wasurete shimau" <- regret/finality of "[wasu]reru (forget): "unfortunately/completely forgot"
- "shikata nai" ~"shikata ga nai": "there's no way to do that", "it can't be helped" etc.
- "wa yo ne": this cluster of particles seems to indicate an emphatic rhetorical question, kinda.
= completely-forgot [fM] stuff can't-do-that [mM][rQ]
-- "...he still doesn't remember anything at all about us. Oh well, there's nothing I can do, is there?"

+++

Her inner thoughts here, I think; they're white-on-black narrative boxes rather than speech balloons or handwritten muttering.

= [nan] to ka [atashi]-no [i]u-[koto]-wo [shin]jite-morau shika-nai-wa...
[This rather long discussion thread about different versions of Inuyasha (Viz translation, manga/anime, etc.) says "'Nan to ka'" is a fairly ambiguous form of assent, kinda like a 'somehow'."
= somehow my speech/words[O] believes-in-me nothing-else-is[iX][T]
[Mooshing things around.]
-- "Somehow, he isn't convinced by the things I say, at least not by themselves..."

= [koinaka] nandatte [shoumei]-suru ni-wa dou sureba...
[I don't think "nandatte" is a single word by itself, but I'm not sure whether it should be broken up into "nan datte" or "nanda 'tte".]
- "sureba": likely probable outcome form of "suru"
= love-relationship what[mM] make-proof in-order-to how probably-do
-- "How else can I prove to him that we're lovers?"

+++

She blushes again at the logical conclusion.

~kyun~ (usually sort of a "grabby" noise; the sound of the crushing grip of logic?)

+++

Kenshin's futon is set up in a different room; she goes to his closed door to talk to him through it.

= ano... [Kenshin]... | ette mo ii kashira?
["ette" feels like it should be "e 'tte" instead, but I can't really come up with anything solid for either version; the second line works out to something like "I wonder if you're okay in there?" but that isn't quite right for the context.]
-- "Um... Kenshin... | is it okay if I come in?"

Him:
= a | hai douzou
[Unenthusiastic acquiescence, rather than a real welcome.]
-- "Sure, go ahead."

#9#

She slides the door open (~SUSU*~) and walks in.

Her:
= gomenne... mou [ne]te'ta?
-- "Sorry... were you already going to sleep?"

And then shuts it again behind her: ~TAN~

+++

Him:
= ie mada... ano... [nan] desu ka?
-- "No, not yet... so... what is it?"

Her:
= [issho]-ni [ne]te ii?
-- "Is it okay if we sleep together?"
[In the literal sense, "going to sleep side by side" rather than a direct proposition]

He's surprised by the question, but it takes a moment for it to sink in:
= haa...
[shocked noise]
-- "Huh?"

+++

= haa!? | [ima] [nan]te?
-- "HUH?! | What, right now?!"

Her:
= dakara [issho]-no [futon]-ni [ne]-you 'tte...
[This particular "-you" seems to function in a similar way to "-kata", to mark the general way that something (the verb stem) is done. At the other end of the sentence, I'm not quite sure how "dakara" blends in with the rest of this sentence.]
= that's-why together on-futon way-of-sleeping [mM]
-- "That's why I'm here with you, to sleep together on your futon like that..."

+++

= mo shika shitara [nan] ka [omo]i[da]su ka-mo-shirenai shi...
- "shitara": involuntary-consequence conditional form of "suru" -> "might do"
- "ka mo shirenai": "it might be that..." attached to the preceding precedent
= also nothing-else might-do what [Q] remember maybe and
-- "Besides, maybe it's the only way for you to remember? And besides..."

= [Kenshin]-no [chika]ku-ni [i]tai no--
- "chikaku ni" <- "[chika]i" (near, soon): "nearby" or "quickly"?
= your nearby want-to-be[aX] [P]
-- "I want to be close to you."

#10#

= yappari [mi]zu-[shi]razu-no [onna] dakara IYA-na no? | [atashi]-no [koto] [kira]i?
["-zu" is a somewhat archaic negative suffix, similar to "-nai"; the phrase "mizu shirazu" marks a complete stranger that you've never seen before and don't know anything about.]
= as-expected complete-stranger woman because icky [P]? | my stuff distasteful?
-- "I suppose you don't want to, because I'm a completely unknown woman to you? | Do you dislike me?"


Him:
= iya... [kira]i to-ka... so-- yu-- n'ja nakute...
-- "Not really... it's not that I dislike you, exactly..."


Her:
= jaa [issho]-ni [i]te mo ii?
-- "So being together is okay?"

+++

He catches himself staring at her cleavage, and quickly turns his head away: ~pa~

She realizes that her robe was hanging slightly open, and pulls it closed again: ~sasa*~ (rustle)
= a ("Oops")

Him:
= [ichiou] | [ore]-mo [otoko] nan desu KEDO
= tentatively | me-too male what is[C] however
- "otoko": less formal than the usual phrase for "man", "otoko no hito" (male-type person)
-- "I guess so | though I am a guy, after all."

+++

Her (thought balloons):
= sonna-no... | [atashi]-ga [ichiban] yoku [shi]tte'ru wa yo...
[Speculatively reshuffling from the semi-literal "That's something *I* know the most about"]
-- "I already know that... better than he does..."

#11#

Both of them are now tucked into the futon, thinking the same thing. Kenshin is curled away from her, with his eyes closed and a sweatdrop; Kaoru has the covers pulled nearly up to her eyes but is speculatively peeking in his direction.
= [kotowa]ri kirenakatta...
- "kirenakatta" <- past of "kirenai" <- neg. of "kireru" <- potential of "[ki]ru" (cut): "couldn't cut"
- "kotowari": refusal, apology, or reason?
[Can't find any specific idioms that link "kotowari" with "kireru".]
-- "Couldn't completely refuse"?

+++

She cuddles up to him from behind...
~mozo mozo~ (can't find a specific meaning for this, but some sort of cuddling is going on)

...startling him into open-eyed indignation:
~biku*~ (shock!)

+++

Her:
= [Kenshin]... [atashi]-no dou [omo]tte'ru?
-- "Kenshin... what are you thinking about me?" (or "... how do you think about me right now?" etc.)

Him:
= da... dakara yoku [bun] kara nai desu yo... [ore]-wa... anata-no [koto]... yoku [shi]ranai shi...
- "yoku" <- adverb from irreg. verblike adjective "ii/yoi" (good)
["nai desu yo": emphatic negative]
= that's-why well portion from [mM?]isn't[C] [X]... I[T]... your stuff... well don't-know and
-- "I'm barely thinking about you at all... because I don't know you very well, and so..."
[Not sure that the first part is right; it sounds awfully rude. An overhaul of the entire sentence into "I don't know what to think, because I barely know you" might be better.]

+++

Her:
= [shi]ratai?
-- "Do you want to know (more about me)?"

Him:
= e*
[Lukewarm agreement again.]
-- "Um, okay..."

+++

She cuddles up even closer with her arms around him, making his heart go pitter-pat: ~DOKI DOKI DOKI~

Her:
= [atashi]-no [koto]... | [atashi]-wa anata-no [koto]-ga [su]ki... | sore dake...
= my stuff... | I[T] your stuff[S] like... | that's all...
[Major remix.]
-- "The only thing... | that you need to know about me... | is that I love you..."

#11#

Racing heartbeats for everyone: ~DOKI DOKI~ (all over the place)

Her:
= ne... [Kenshin]... kotchi [mu]ite
-- "Hey... Kenshin... turn toward me."

Him:
= i... [kirai] desu... nanka [ha]zukashii shi...
-- "Um... I don't want to... it's embarrassing, and..."

+++

She slides her robe off her shoulders: ~SURU~
= ja... ii wa sotchi [mu]ite temo...
[The main part of the sentence is something like "it's okay to keep facing in that other direction".]
-- "Okay then... you can stay that way..."

+++

And peels his robe back too, sliding her arm up around his bare torso while kissing his neck:
~chu... | N...~ (kissy + moanlet)

He's startled again: ~biku~ (shock)
= na*... | [nani]-wo...
-- "Wha-- | What are you doing?"

Her:
= [kira]i?
-- "Do you dislike it?"

#12#

Him:
= a*... ano...
[Confused noises.]
-- "Um... I..."

~munyu~
[This sound is usually a breast-grope, but here I'm not sure whether it represents her bare breasts pressing up against his back, or her starting to feel up his chest (not seen until next panel).]

Her:
= koko wa? | IYA?
-- "What about here? | No?"

+++

= [kimo]chi [kira]i?
-- "Does this feel so terrible?"

I think the sound-effect here (two glottal stops?) is just him gasping softly as she plays with his nipples.

+++

He makes a more definite moan ("n*") while shivering with involuntary pleasure (~zoku zoku--*~)

+++

She presses up even closer (~mozo*~) and reaches farther down, making him go glassy-eyed.
= ja... koko wa? | a*
-- "What about here? | Ah."

+++

The ~chuu~ sound might be her kissing his neck off-panel, but it seems to be emanating from her hand groping his manly characteristic, to quote G. Gordon Liddy's eyesporking appraisal.

= [kan]jite'ta no? | konna-ni shite...
-- "How did that feel? | When I do this here..."

Him: ~bikun~
= a...

#13#

Her:
= koko... [Kenshin]-no [ichiban] [kan]jiru [tokoro] de wa...
-- "This place... is where you'll have the most feelings..."

= (HORA dondon [kata]ku-natte kite...)
- "dondon": continuous action
-- "(Hey, look how hard you're getting when I do this...)"

~nyu | SHU SHU~ (lubrication and rubbing)

Him:
= haan...

+++

~bikun~
= a*... [Kaoru]-san... sonna [koto]... yamete [kuda]sai... [ore]...
-- "Ah... Kaoru-san... please stop... doing these things... I..."

+++

She slides further down for a taste-test:
~pechu | monya monyu~ (slurp, squeeze squeeze)
= [koibito] [doushi] nan dakara [ha]zukashi-garu [koto] nai no yo...
- "hazukashigaru": supposes someone is embarrassed
-- "Because we're equal partners, you don't need to feel embarrassed..."

Him:
= ...*n...

+++

Her: ~n | paku~
["paku" is the sound of a mouth suddenly opening or closing, as if gobbling food; Oop-Ack says this is what the video game "Pacman" got its name from.]
= HONTO-ni [kirai] nara [to]mechau KEDO...
-- "BUT, if you REALLY hate this, I'll stop..."

Him:
= a | a...

#14#

She demonstrates her secret sword-swallowing talents: ~pechu~ (ker-slurp)
= n* | n*

+++

While she continues smooching onto him down there:
~chupu | nn* | chupu | chu~

He is overcome with a mixture of heavy breathing and shocklets:
~haa | a | biku | biku* | haa~

= a | [Kaoru]-san...

+++

She raises her head to smile at him:
= n? | [gaman] dekinai?
- "gaman": patience, self-restraint
- "dekinai" <- neg. of the potentiality verb "dekiru"
[I think she's asking him either "Can't you restrain yourself?" (~"Are you getting carried away?") or "Don't you have enough patience?" (~"Do you want me to do more?"), but I don't know which one.]

+++

He blushes rather angrily: ~kaa~

She thinks to herself:
= sokka... kore 'tte... [Kenshin]... [haji]mete...
-- "That's right... for Kenshin, this feels like the first time..."

And apologizes to him:
= [atashi]... [anata]-ni [han] 'tte [ho]shikute...
- "han": decision, judgement
- "hoshikute" <- continuative form of "[ho]shii" (wished-for, desired)
[Lots of interpolation.]
-- "I... it's your decision whether you still want me to do this..."

#15#

Now it's her turn to be overcome by blushing confusion: ~kaa~
= gomen... | [atashi]... [Kenshin]-no [kimo]chi-no [kanga]enaide [atashi]-no [koto] bakkari...
- "kangaenaide" <- neg. command/gerund of [kanga]eru (think, consider)
- "bakkari": only this, nothing more than
-- "I'm sorry... | I... I was being selfish, and not thinking about your feelings..."

+++

= [atashi]... | gomennasai...
-- "I... | I'm really sorry..."

She starts to cry: ~PORO PORO~ (teardrops rolling down her face)
= hi (whimpering/trembling sound, I think)

+++

He looks upset at having hurt her feelings, and touches her cheek.
= anata-ga... | [ayama]ru [koto]-wa nai...
- "ayamaru": apologize
-- "Don't... | you really don't have to apologize..."

+++

= [Kaoru]-san ya [Megumi]-san ga [i]tte'ta [koto]... mada [shin]jirarenai kedo...
- "shinjirarenai" <- neg. of "shinjirareru" <- potential/passive of "shinjiru" (believe): "can't believe" or "isn't believed"
= you-and-Megumi[S] were-being[aX] stuff... not-yet can't-believe although...
-- "Though I still can't believe... everything that you and Megumi-san were saying..."

= [tabun]... [uso] ja-nai n'da to-[o]mou...
= maybe... untruth isn't[C] [fM] ["]
[Cancelling out the double negative.]
-- "Maybe... maybe it's true after all..."

= dakara... | [Kaoru]-san-no [koto]...
[see next line]

#16#

= motto | [shi]ritai...
[Remixed.]
-- "So that's why I... Kaoru-san, I really do want to know more about you." (or "...I really do want to know you better"?)

He kisses her: ~chu*~

Her:
= [daisu]ki...
-- "I love you so much..."

#17#

= [atashi]-wa... [Kenshin]-ga [su]ki...
-- "I... I really do love you..."

More kissing: ~chu | chu~

He gives her another moan: "N"

+++

She splats him back down onto the futon again. Kissing, moaning, assorted panting:
= N... | nn*

~chu... | ha...~

+++

= a... | *n* N...

~haa... haa | chu...

+++

She reaches back and grips him again: ~kyu~

Him: a*

+++

Her: ~nuru~ (slather)
= koushite-- [hito]tsu-ni naru no yo...
- "hitotsu ni naru": become one, unite, merge together, etc.
-- "Let's join together-- this way..."

Him: N...

#18#

She sits up: ~zunyu | zoku zoku | nururu~
[Not sure about "zunyu", though by context it's probably a settling-down-on or self-impaling sort of noise; "zoku" = trembling; "nururu" = squishety.)

= haa | aa--*

+++

Him: ~zokun~
= ...ha...a...

+++

Her: ~kishu | hikun~
["kishu" = sound of "completely filled"? "hikun" = shaking]
= ne... wakaru? [Kenshin]... [atashi]-no [naka]-ni [i]ru no...
- "wakaru": understand, perceive, or comprehend; I'm tempted to stretch it to "remember" here, but I don't think the context really supports that.
-- "So... Kenshin? Do you know, now that you're inside me..."

+++

= i* mo... [futari]-de koushite [i]ru-no... | [kimo]chi ii?
-- "...it's better for us to be together this way... | does it feel good?"

~zupu* zupu*~ (tight fit/suction)

Him: ~zuzu~ (pump pump)
= a... i... i...
-- "Ah.. yes..."

#19#

She tumbles forward, glomping his face against her breasts while pumping continues at the other end: ~gyu | zuzu~
= a* | HAA | aa | [atashi]... mou [kan]jite...
-- (misc. moaning) | "I feel like... I'm about to..."

+++

He slurps her nipple: ~chuZU | N...~

She produces the ritual protest, despite semi-orgasmic jolts: ~biku*~
= haan... | sono wa... | dame yo [Kenshin]... [kan]jiru-no... a*
[Slight remix.]
-- (moan) "Kenshin... | don't do that... it feels so... ah--"

+++

He adds his hands to her breasts to supplement his tongue:
~chi* | chu | ju* chu*~ (smooching and squishing)
= a... a... N...

Her: a--*

+++

~buru~ (her head whipping back and forth?)
= motto... | shite...
-- "More... | do more..."

+++

He switches positions with her, taking a quick deep breath: ~haa~

#20#

And then does his best pile-driver imitation: ~ZU* ZU*~
= a*

She echoes him with another big hiragana moan: a*

+++

~NU* NUPU NUPU*~ (squish, squirt, squelch, etc.)

She moans some more. Rather a lot, really. Well, I guess some of the moans might be his instead of hers, but the only way to tell would be giving him the two or three printed speech balloons while she gets to keep the hiragana scribbled all over the place.
= haa | haa | a* a* | i* | haa | aun

Extreme closeup moment-- the inset panels show him completely withdrawing between strokes, probably to express how overwhelming this is for him. There's also my occasional speculation that Kenshin may have deliberately practiced coitus interruptus as a method of birth control, but I can't see a fourteen-year-old boy having either the presence of mind or the social consideration to do so, even beyond the question of how he would've found out. (Not quite the sort of lesson I can imagine Hiko pounding into him, except in a weird yaoi context where Kenshin would've been an unusually hapless seme while Hiko is the sort of demanding uke who yells, "Spray it onto me, bitch!" at the supreme moment.) What I'm more worried about here, actually, is the possibility that he might experience failure mode on re-entry and break his equipment: "A popping or cracking sound and significant pain are commonly associated with the event."

~PUCHU | ZUPU~ (filled up thisclose)

#21#

He's still pumping away: ~ZU* ZU*~

The logical order for the sounds on this page doesn't quite match up with the way the panels are laid out, but hopefully they'll still make sense in this reformat.

= a... | mou... | [da]shite...
-- "Ah... | it's almost... | coming out..."

~DO* DO*~ (hard impact, possibly a few vanguard leaks of spooge)

= ippai dashite...
-- "It's all coming out..."

~DOPU* DOPU* (splurch splat)

Her:
= a* | aa--

What I can't figure out about scenes like this is, does orgasm render Kenshin transparent, or does this actually represent his point of view while ejaculating onto (but not into?) her? (See above wrt coitus interruptus.)

#22#

While they're still collapsed around each other, panting (~ha-- | ha--~), she checks for therapeutic effects:
= nee... | [nan]ka... [omo]i[da]shita?
- "omoidashita" <- past of "[omo]i[da]su" ("remember", lit'ly "releasing thoughts" from the stem of "[omo]u" (think)): "remembered"
-- "So... | did you remember anything?"

+++

Him?:
= n... | nanka sore doko ja-nai 'tte [kan]ji-de... sono...
= (noise) | somehow that where? isn't[C] ["/mM?] from-feeling... this...
[Argh. Guesswork.]
-- "Mm... | somehow, those sensations feel like they're from a different place... they..."

Her:
= sokka?
-- "Really?"

+++

Him:
= [omo]i[da]su yori [ore]-no [koto] moraemasen ka?
- "moraemasen" <- neg. of "moraemasu" <- formal of "moraeru" <- potentional of "morau" (receive, benefit from a favor)
= remember than/from my stuff can't-receive [Q]
[In this case, "ka" may mark a speculative rhetorical question rather than a real one.]
-- "I don't think I can remember any more than that for you."

= tsumari-- [ima]-no [ore]-ni shite-mireba [mirai]-no-[koto]-ni naru n'desu yo ne...
- "tsumari": introduces a paraphrase or summary; ~"in other words" or "that is"
- "mireba": likely hypothetical consequence conditional of "miru" (see); "shite mireba" -> might try to do?= in-summary-- now's in/for-me might-try-to-do in-future's stuff become [fM]is[C] [X]{rQ]
[I really don't understand what's going on in this sentence.]
-- "Basically, future events might change the way I am now..."
[Based on his subjective age; to tweak the verb tenses, maybe "...later events might have changed me from the way I feel now, at age fourteen" would make more sense.

= [ore]-ga [juuyo-sai]-no [aida] [nani]-wo shite-kita no ka...
- "shite kita" <- past of "shite kuru" (come to do/make; become)
= I[S] ten-more-years' interval what[O] became [P] {Q]...
-- "But what happened to me in the past ten years?"

#23#

Her:
= a... | ([Kenshin]-no [kako]... ) | anata-wa...
- "kako": the past, bygone events, etc.
--- "Ah... | (Kenshin's past history...) | you..."

+++

= ([shinjidai]-no tame [hito]-wo | soshite [jibun]-no [ai]-suru [hito] made mo...)
["tame": usually followed by a particle; "tame ni" = "in order to" or "because"; "tame no" = "because of", "for the benefit of"?]
- "ai suru": technically, this is a two-word compound, lit'ly "make love" -> "love", "care for" etc.; however, there seems to be a common shift to treat it as the single word "aisuru".
= new-era's motive(?) person[O] | and-then/also self's love[verb] person until more
-- "(The person changed by this new era | became the identity of the person I love...)"
[Or to tweak things around a bit, "The revolution is what turned Kenshin into the man I love"?]

= anata-wa...
-- "You're..."

= ([atashi]-no [kuchi] kara nante [i]enai... | [Kenshin]-no [i]kita [omo]i [kako]...)
- "ienai" <- neg. of "ieru" <- potential of "[i]u": "can't say"
- "ikita" <- past of "[i]kiru" (live, exist)
= my mouth from how can't-say | Kenshin's lived thinking past
[Not sure how "omoi" fits in.]
-- "(I can't be the one to tell him... | my thoughts about how he once lived...)"

= ([Kenshin]-ga ano [toki] yatto no [omo]i-de [kata] 'tta... | [awa]shii [kioku]...)
- "awashii": the same stem is seen in "[awa]re" (pity/grief), "[awa]re na" (pitiful), and "[awa]remu" (pity[verb]); this might be an alternate adjective formed along verblike lines instead of nounlike ones?
= [name][S] that time finally [P] from-thinking way [?] | pitiful(?)? memory
[The whole phrase "yatto no omoi de" seems to mean "the ultimate thought"; "kata 'tta" is glossed in a paper as "talked"-- presumably "'tta" is clipped from "itta", from "[i]u"? so "the way in which someone was speaking"?]
-- "(When Kenshin finally told us his deepest thoughts... | his memories were so sad...)"

#24#

Him:
= anata-ga | tsurai [omo]i-wo suru you-na [koto] nara [hana]sanakute ii desu yo...
- "hanasanakute" <- neg. gerund of "[hana]su" (speak, converse)
= you[S] | bitter thought[O] make similar-to stuff if-true not-speaking good is[C] [X]
-- "If such things... | create bitter thoughts, then that's okay, you don't have to tell me..."

Her:
= ([mukashi] kara... | anata-wa [koi]shii [hito]...)
= former-times from | you[T] beloved person
-- "(From so long ago... | you're still the person I love...)"
[I want to remix these two lines into something like "Even your long-ago self is still the person I love", but I can't get the concepts to flow smoothly.]

~gaba~ (glomp)

= sonna n'ja nai wa yo | [Kenshin]-no [mukashi]-no [koto]-wa yoku [shi]ranai-no
-- "That's not it at all-- | it's just as well that you don't remember your past."

Him: (mildly indignant)
= nanda... sou desu ka...
-- "Really? Why is that?..."

#25#

She just smiles at him until he gives into her charm and glomps her in return: ~kyu*~ (hug) "--n"


Her heartbeat speeds up again: ~DOKI DOKI~

= mou [hitomawa]shitai-no? | (mou?)
- "hitomawashitai" <- desid. of "hito-mawasu"; the suffix "-mawasu" means "rotate" or "turn around"?
-- "Do you want to do it again, already? | (already?)"

Him: (crossly embarrassed again)
= be* [betsu]ni so-- yu-- tsumori ja--
- "tsumori": intention
-- "N-- no, I didn't say that-- I wasn't planning--"

#26#

Too late, he's doomed to more crotchly gropage: ~MUNYA~

Her:
= [atashi]-wa | shite [ho]shii na...
-- "Well, I want to..."

Him:
= a... | cho*
[Probably broken off from "chotto"]
-- "Uh... | wait--"

+++

Her:
= [karada]-no [kata]-wa [shoujiki] no-ni ne... | (HORA HORA)
= body's way[T] honesty although [rQ]
-- "But your body wants to, doesn't it?" | (See, look!)"

Him:
= (cho... matte...)
-- "(Hey! Just wait a moment!)"

= sorya sonna [koto] saretara [dare] datte... aa*
- "sorya" <- "sore wa"
- "saretara" <- involuntary conditional of "sareru"? <- passive of "saru"? ("saru" = leave, go away from, disappear): "if-left-behind"?
- "dare": "someone" or "no one", dep. on context
= that[T] that-kind-of stuff if-departed-from someone being[C]...
-- "That's-- no one can keep doing things like this... aah--"
[What, no endurance? Very atypical for an actual fourteen-year-old.]

~ja--n | GOSO GOSO~
[The first sound effect might be liquid starting to flow again. From someone. Drip-drop. The second one is stealthy rummaging around as Kaoru continues to ransack his treasury.]

Narrative captions:
= kou shite [atama]-no [naka] dake [juushi-sai]-ni natte-shimatta [Kenshin] to [ichiya]-wo [su]goshite-shimatta-no desu...
- "sugoshite" <- "sugosu" (let pass, overdo)
= this-way doing head's inside only in-age-fourteen finally/unfortunately-becoming [name] and one-night[T] finally/unfortunately-passed/overdid[noun] is[C]...
-- "So in this unfortunate way, Kenshin returned to age fourteen inside his head and spent the night..."

= [suko]shi-no [fuan]-wo [(i)da]ki-nagara...
[The last kanji is a verb stem for either "[ida]ku" (retain) or "[da]ku" (embrace); the "-nagara" suffix joins one verb clause to (usually?) a subsequent one.]
= small-amount's anxiety[O] while-holding...
-- "while feeling slightly nervous..."

Last handwritten caption:
= ([gekan]-e [tsuzu]ku)
[The main entry I can find that involves the first pair of kanji is the tetraglyph "[jouchuugekan]" (trilogy) where the first three kanji mean "top middle bottom" and the "kan" part just means "book/scroll/volume"; possibly just the "gekan" part has also come to mean "trilogy" by itself, or at least "series".]
-- "(The story continues)"

Oof done. I've actually already transcribed the three-page mini-sequel at the end of this doujinshi, but I'll save that for putting into a separate post. I have to admit that I wasn't initially all that impressed with this main story, but the bit toward the end, when Kaoru decided to leave him in ignorant bliss of his past... that was very sweet. Meanwhile, I've managed to download a copy of Kyouken 5.2, but haven't yet tried printing it to see if the pages retain enough resolution for reading kanji-- if not, it's back to eBay or some other (virtual) House o' Doujinshi.