My Little Sister Can Read Kanji: Volume 2

by Takashi Kajii

  “It is a lie, right?” asked Kuroha, tentatively.

  “O-Of course-noda! I mean come on, a pair of pantyhose is the Prime Minister-noda? That’s not how pantyhose are supposed to be used-noda!”

  “Are we talking about other uses for stockings? I recommend using old stockings as drain filters in your kitchen sink!” suggested a helpful Yuzu-san.

  “Yuzu-san, I also float them in the bath sometimes,” I told her. “I call it a ‘Hose Petal Bath.’”

  “Oh, my...”

  Kuroha said with trepidation, “Onii-chan, don’t tell me the reason my hosiery goes missing sometimes is...”

  “Yeah, I borrow them.”

  She hit me with her dictionary without even a moment’s consideration. It hurt.

  It’s fine that you’re still walking around with a dictionary even after we returned to the 23rd century, but I’m not going to be impressed if that’s the way you use it!

  “Anyway, my goal wasn’t to travel through time in the first place-noda,” said the professor. “I was trying to travel to a different dimension-noda. I don’t care about the future-noda.”

  It seemed like the professor had decided not to create any more marshmallows. She had realized that nothing good would come of it after everything that had happened.

  “Nothing is as boring as knowing the future-noda. The future isn’t something to find out about, it’s something to carve open with your own hands-noda!” she added, puffing out her chest with pride.

  I guess that’s her policy. Pretty cool!

  As I was being impressed, she turned around and muttered to herself.

  “...W-well it’s better not to say anything-noda...”

  She subtly opened up her little bag and grabbed a single sheet of paper. “I’ll take this with me to my grave-noda.”

  When I gave her a suspicious look, the professor looked back at me and quite obviously tried to change the subject, “Oh yes! If it weren’t for Ani MAJI Mania, Japan wouldn’t be the country it is today-noda!” Her voice was way too loud and off pitch, like she was clearly doing it on purpose. “In other words, Kuro-chan and Yuzu-cchi gave birth to this world-noda!”

  “Now you’re just exaggerating. Things just happened this way,” said Kuroha.

  “That’s right. And if I’m going to give birth, I want it to be with a person I love,” added Yuzu-san.

  Both of them shook their head no at the professor. She smiled back at them and turned her attention back to me.

  “Imose-kun, it’s your turn to give birth to something-noda. In this world, even someone like you who can’t read kanji can spread your wings and fly-noda!”

  “Spread my wings and fly?” I said. “That would be pretty awesome.”

  “And I’m not gonna lose to you-noda. Literature and invention might be different subjects, but the fundamental urge to create something new is the same-noda. I’ve never felt more inspired than I am now-noda! I’m gonna do my best, and one day, travel to the world of 2D-noda!” declared the professor, laughing all the way.

  I chewed over what she had just said. Create something, huh? I wonder if I’ll give birth to something amazing someday?

  As I was pondering, a strong gust of wind blew and the piece of paper that the professor had been holding blew away. I saw what was written on it for just a brief moment, but it seemed like it was just covered in symbols... I couldn’t make it out clearly.

  With a “Wah!”, the professor chased after the page like a little kid. Kuroha was looking straight at her back the whole time. Or rather, at the piece of paper. She was squinting her eyes quite hard. As I looked at her face from the side, she turned toward me.

  “Hey, Onii-chan... Remember that time I said something really embarrassing? It was ‘Stories will transcend time’ or something like that.”

  “Oh yeah, that does ring a bell,” I said.

  “When I think about it I start to go red, but I really do believe what I said,” continued Kuroha.

  “You’re probably right,” I agreed. “Old books are translated so we can read them today, after all.”

  “That’s also true, yes,” said Kuroha, who was starting to smile. “But I think that stories will even reach into the future. So...” She looked me straight in the eye. “Do your best, Onii-chan.”

  Strange... I feel like I’ve heard that line before...

  As I looked back at her, she averted her eyes, looking ever so slightly bashful, and began to chat with Yuzu-san.

  I just happened to look at the piece of paper that was blown away.

  What is this strange burning I feel in my chest? I was overcome with an odd sensation. I couldn’t explain why I felt the way I did, but I thought to myself, One day, I’m gonna give birth to something myself.

  Back then, the fact that we’d changed the future still hadn’t really sunk in. I thought that my life hadn’t actually changed much at all, but I was wrong.

  The slight difference we had created in the world had even changed my own circumstances.

  In the year 2202, in summer, I received a letter from a person who should not have existed.

  It was from my little sister. My blood-related little sister.

  Afterword

  How has everyone been? Kajii here.

  Thanks so much for reading all of my drivel. When it comes to afterwords — actually, any nonfiction prose writing — I feel like I’m really terrible at it (and if you turn it around and tell me then that at least I’m really good at fiction, I’ll probably roll my eyes at you), so it’s quite a struggle for me to write this afterword, but thankfully I have something to talk about this time!

  You see, this series, My Little Sister Can Read Kanji, is getting a manga adaptation! Wow! Awesome! Go me!

  It’s being serialized in Hobby Japan’s webcomic magazine, Comic Dangan (http://comicdangan.com).

  The manga is being made by Hako Hitsuji-sensei, and it’s planned to start sometime before the year is over. Please enjoy it together with the original novels. I’m going to look forward to reading it as a normal reader myself.

  Changing the subject, in the last pages of this book, there should have been a page that made you go, “What the heck?” Don’t worry, there wasn’t any mistake, and it has real meaning behind it. I apologize if there are some people who are confused by it.

  Now, on to the thank yous!

  To H-san and the illustrator Halki Minamura-sensei, as well as to all the staff that were involved, and my family and friends, you have my deepest thanks. This work wouldn’t exist if it hadn’t been for all your hard work and support. And of course I can’t forget to give my greatest appreciation for you, the readers.

  In the next volume, I’m going to explore characters and backstory that I haven’t touched on yet in volumes 1 and 2. I’ll keep praying that I’ll get to meet you all again! Bye for now!

  October 2011 — Takashi Kajii

  In the version of the Man’yoshu used in this volume it was written that it came from the “7th-8th century,” but the poem which I selected to use was actually from the 5th century. The date given was just when the Man’yoshu, a collection of poetry, was compiled.

  The version of the text of the Man’yoshu and the readings were taken from this book: Man’yoshu (Part 1) by Sen’ichi Hisamatsu, Kodansha Gakujutsu Bunko.

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  Copyright

  My Little Sister Can Read Kanji: Volume 2

  by Takashi Kajii

  Translated by Samuel Pinansky

  Edited by Emily Sorensen

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

>   Copyright © 2011 Takashi Kajii

  Illustrations Copyright © 2011 Halki Minamura

  Cover illustration by Halki Minamura

  All rights reserved.

  Original Japanese edition published in 2011 by Hobby Japan

  This English edition is published by arrangement with Hobby Japan, Tokyo

  English translation © 2017 J-Novel Club LLC

  All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.

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  Ebook edition 1.0: March 2017