Tsurune Book 3 Chapter 3 - The Song of Naru (Part 2)

Let me share my personal theory: In this universe, the sport of kyudo possesses the supernatural ability to alter one's brain chemistry. Those who have a deeper affinity with the bow are more transformed by this ability. Kyudo, it seems, can make one become more spiritually attuned and connect seemingly completely unrelated concepts, but also warp one's thought processes to the point of non-kyudo practitioners finding them incomprehensible.

Anyways I still had no idea what's going on. And yes, that last line in the chapter is real

Glossary here

Full list of translations here

Translation Notes

The word used here is 文字絵 (mojie) which means a picture formed by letters

In Japanese, superstring theory (超弦理論) contains the character for "bowstring"

A yotsugake is a kyudo glove that covers four fingers

Dousha is "a form of Japanese archery with the purpose of shooting arrows from one end to the other of the outer area on the west side of Sanjyusangen-do temple"

Toshiya is another name for dousha

A kosode is a short-sleeved kimono. It contains the character for sleeve

Apparently this is a quote from Kuroko no Basuke?

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The sun was flashing, spreading rainbow-colored wings of light.

It was the middle of May. The prefectural high school kyudo tournament preliminaries were being held.

The competition event was “close range.” The first day’s “individual competition” consisted of shooting four arrows in two stages in zasha, and the top ten with the highest number of hits would be selected for the next round.

The “team competition” on the second day consisted of one coach and five to seven archers, and one male and one female team per school could participate. The competition format was teams of five, four shots in zasha, and a time limit of eight minutes. Forty-one schools participated in the boys’ competition, and the eight teams with the highest scores in the first and second rounds would advance to the prefectural tournament. Looking at the past results, winning was between thirty and thirty-five hits, and the lowest halfway point was twenty.

Kazemai High School had a total of six girls: the three second-years Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo, and three first-years. The boys had a total of seven, with the five second-years Kaito, Ryouhei, Seiya, Nanao, and Minato, and the two first-years Himuro and Kanbayashi. A total of thirteen people entered the individual and team competitions.

Kazemai was the winning school last year, so they attracted a lot of attention. Their school’s name was printed on the back of their green jerseys along with the illustration of an arrow.

When a student from another school said, “Oh, it’s Kazamai,” Nanao folded his hands behind his head.

“This is read as Kazemai. I get it, I sometimes say it wrong too.”

Kaito was appalled. “Don’t get the name of your own school wrong.”

“Japanese kanji is hard because there are so many different readings. Nippon, Nihon, Hinomoto, and Yamato are all examples of the ever-changing name of our country, after all.”

“Oh, it’s Asahina and Eddie from YumiDou,” they heard someone say.

They looked and saw the Haneina High School members passing by, with the flashy duo leading them. “Haneine?” someone muttered when they saw the characters printed on the back of their orange jerseys.

“Those guys are called ‘Haneina High School’… Oi, Asahina and Eddie! Merha!”

When Nanao waved at them, Asahina and Eddie also waved back. In addition, there were other unique members following them, such as a man with narrow eyes, a boy with a notebook and pen, and a boy with fresh flowers in his bag.

Asahina saluted them. “Hey, Nanapri and everyone from Kazemai. It’s been a while. How are you guys?”

Eddie continued, “Prince Nanao, it has been long seen we’ve last contacted each other. The frog art (1) I received from you the other way has seen a lot of uses, that it has.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I saw your last stream. You hit the center of the target in the dark!”

“Thank you. My body learned how to do it using something interesting. If it’s my dojo, I rarely miss a shot.”

“That’s amazing. I’d like to learn that technique too,” Seiya said.

“During kai, the second joint of your bow hand’s index finger should be in line with the position of the tree branch outside the kyudojo.”

“That isn’t something you learned with your body, it’s something you saw with your eyes…”

“Haha, well, it’s alright, isn’t it? I’ll be able to do it with my mind’s eye sooner or later.”

Suddenly, Asahina stared at Minato.

“Hmm? Is there something on my face?”

“I don’t know why, but I feel like rubbing your forehead, Narumiya.”

Seiya quickly hid Minato’s forehead. “You need our advisor’s permission.”

“Seriously? Just how strict are things at Kazemai? If only we can use a jutsu to clone him and borrow one of them. Oh, speak of the devil, Doppelgangers No. 1 and 2 have arrived.”

Asahina’s gaze was directed at a group of people dressed in purple jerseys.

It was the Kirisaki High School kyudo club. The twin brothers Senichi and Manji stopped walking at almost exactly the same moment. Their bangs were arranged symmetrically to each other. Senichi, whose bangs were parted to the left, spoke.

“Doppelgangers are already old news. We’re the Twin Fighters now.”

Hearing this, Kaito’s jaw dropped.

“I can’t believe there are guys with terrible naming senses in a different way from Seiya… Are you sure you guys aren’t going against the times?”

“Huh!?” The twins exclaimed in unison. Kabashima and Yushima tried to calm them down, but Senichi picked up the corners of his mouth and bared his teeth, and Manji pulled his eyelid down and stuck out his tongue. Without paying any attention to what was going on around him, Ryouhei ran up to a certain person.

“Shuu-kun!”

“Hey, Ryouhei. Did you grow taller again?”

“Yep. I’m not losing to you yet!”

“Fufu. I guess I have to give up.”

“It’s a shame that Motomura-senpai and Sase-senpai aren’t here anymore. It’s so sad that everyone has to go their separate ways after graduating from high school, even though we had so much fun together. I wish I could shoot with everyone more.”

Shuu’s pale eyelashes wavered. Senichi and Manji reacted.

“Yamanouchi, stop calling him that.”

“Huh? But Shuu-kun is Shuu-kun, isn’t he?”

Someone was watching the jumble of green, orange, and purple as they chattered.

Kuon was lamenting outside the circle.

It’s him! The man I saw in my dreams.

…No, wait. Who is Fujiwara-senpai looking at?

Following his line of sight, Kuon found Minato there. Shuu had a gentle smile on his face.

I can’t believe this. Those who stand at the top should not smile so frivolously. I don’t care about the dog anymore. This guy must be harmful to Fujiwara-senpai.

The antique doll smiled coldly.

After the opening ceremony, the individual competition started. The order was random in individual competitions.

The girls went first. Hanazawa, Shiragiku, Seo, and six other girls put on their yugake and headed for the waiting room with their bows, arrows, and tsurumaki with spare strings. Tommy-sensei went with them.

Cheering squads from each school took their places in the stands. It was filled with people holding paper cranes with prayers written on them and others recording in notebooks.

The Kazemai girls started appearing from the third group. Hanazawa’s matooto was cheered by the audience, and Shiragiku and Seo, who were in separate groups, followed. They performed a light and lovely dance, and as a result, Hanazawa had two hits, Shiragiku had three hits, and Seo landed all four of her arrows.

Next was the boys’ division.

Haneina’s Asahina, Eddie, Matsuda, Kanuma, and Igarashi. The five unique and showy individuals captured people’s attentions even when they were alone. Two in particular, Asahina and Eddie, had hair colors that couldn’t be misperceived even from a distance, and their shooting was even more beautiful than in their videos. Their arrows were like flashes as lightning, and they hit with all four arrows.

Kanbayashi, a Kazemai first-year, watched them from the waiting room and thought, I can’t shoot disgracefully. I have to do my best not to bring shame to Kazemai.

The first individual match. Kanbayashi was at the second target in the second group. The archer before him drew his bow. He released his arrow and hit the target at three o’clock. It was a good start.

Meanwhile, tension had stiffened Kanbayashi’s shoulders.

Huh? Why can’t I focus?

As he panicked in his mind, he raised his bow and moved to daisan. He slowly pushed his bow open—

Right when Kanbayashi realized it, the arrow was no longer in his hand and was sticking out of the arrow path. The arrow had jumped out of his hand while he was still drawing his bow. He had no idea what happened.

Crap, crap, crap.

No way, is this target panic…?

No, no, no, I’ve been nervous plenty of times, but I’ve never let go this early. No, there’s no time to think about this. I have to nock the next arrow—. His hands were shaking, and his bow grip was becoming slick with sweat.

It’s fine, it’s fine, it’ll be okay next time.

The more he chanted that in his mind, the rougher his breathing became.

For his second shot, Kanbayashi’s arrow was once again released before reaching kai. The venue became noisy as people started murmuring to each other, and the sound of someone saying “Ah” remained in his ears. The archer behind him released a sharp-flying arrow. Shouts of “Yes!” reverberated.

Kanbayashi’s third shot came around. He could feel his hands shaking. He didn’t know how to interpret this first-time sensation. What did Narumiya-senpai say? To overcome target panic, focus on breathing and exhale slowly. Exhale, exha…, oh no, I can’t do it—.

Again, before he even drew his bow back, the arrow was released in an instant. The sound of the aluminum arrow sweeping across the ground resounded, and it pierced the target after bouncing.

Is this what it means to not hear a tsurune?

It was almost terrifying for an archer.

After shooting all four arrows, Kanbayashi didn’t make any matooto, while Kaito, Seiya, and Minato landed all their arrows, and the others ended the first round with three hits.

Once he left the kyudojo, Kanbayashi buried his face in his hands. His heart was still pounding. “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Nanao called out, but Kanbayashi’s face was so stiff that all he could manage was a forced smile.

This is so embarrassing. I became a complete mess in front of my senpais and my family who came to support me.

I’ve been practicing and practicing, but when the actual competition comes, I end up like this. What am I doing—.

Kanbayashi gripped the arrows that he retrieved.

“Please remove me from the lineup for tomorrow’s team competition! I can’t do it! I definitely have target panic! I don’t want to be a burden on everyone!”

This time it wasn’t Kanbayashi, but Minato and the second-years who were blinking rapidly.

It was Kaito who responded. “Oi, oi. We’re still only halfway through the individual competition. Why don’t you just hit the remaining four?”

Nanao and Ryouhei also chimed in.

“That’s right. It’s a little too early to give up. Let’s focus on the individual competition in front of us first.”

“Yeah, what he said. There was also a time when I panicked because my string snapped, but I managed.”

However, Kanbayashi didn’t change his opinion.

“It’s impossible! I’ve always had the potential to get target panic! My mental weakness is the only thing I’m confident about! You have to have had it to understand how awful it is!”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Minato. Nothing but the words of someone who experienced target panic could reach Kanbayashi’s heart now.

Minato stepped forward.

“Although it’s called target panic, it’s still a relatively early and sudden system. It’s not severe yet. We can get back on track.”

“You saw me, didn’t you!? My terrible shooting! I was so careful about target panic, but why, why…”

“Let’s do the dantian breathing exercises together. You’re too worked up right now, but you’ll calm down in a few minutes.”

“I can’t do such wishful thinking!”

Minato took Kanbayashi’s hand.

“Kanbayashi, listen to me. My mom once told me about something she read in a book. In ancient times, the Japanese named very fast vehicles ‘tsubame.” The second-fastest were ‘kodama,’ and the ones after that were ‘hikari.’ What do you think is a vehicle that’s faster than light?”

“…Was there anything faster than light?”

“The Shinkansen ‘Nozomi.’ It’s the Japanese word for ‘hope.’ The slogans were, ‘Nozomi of Ambitious Japan! is always there for you’ and ‘Nozomi is the fastest way to meet the person you want to see.’”

Tommy-sensei, who had been watching their exchange, smiled broadly.

“I’ve ridden on the ‘Hinotori’ before. E=mc2. It reminds one of Einstein, the monument of theoretical physics. When things move, they get heavier.”

“Tommy-sensei, you’re knowledgeable about physics too?” Kanbayashi said.

“No, not at all. I’m just a geography teacher. I only know the two theories: relativity, which deals with gravity, and quantum mechanics, which explains the behavior of matter in the microscopic world.”

“The only one of the seventeen subatomic particles that hadn’t been confirmed, the Higgs boson particle, was discovered in this century. It was called the God particle, and is responsible for giving mass to everything. And I guess there’s also the ‘superstring theory,’” Seiya supplemented. (2)

“Super-string?”

“The superstring theory. It’s a theory that claims that the origin of all things is ultra-small ‘strings’. The theory is that particles are actually the vibrations of these strings. It’s still at the stage of hypothesis.”

“The universe is made up of the sound of strings. I guess it would be too poetic to say that tsurune is the true nature of matter. Sound is the vibrating waves of air. Since it’s said that everything from people and plants to minerals are made up of waves, to say that ‘Nozomi’ is faster than light might not necessarily be wrong,” Masa-san said.

“Wow, tsurune is incredible.”

Tommy-sensei smiled with satisfaction at Kanbayashi, who was blinking rapidly.

“When I hear the word ‘ambitious,’ I think of Dr. Clark’s words. ‘Boys, be ambitious. Like this old man.’ I can almost hear the doctor laughing as he says, ‘I’m an eternal young man.’ Now, there’s still a long, long way to go. Let’s go to the next stage together.”

“I don’t really understand, but I’m going to let the team competition wait and focus on what’s in front of me right now.”

Kanbayashi changed his mindset and practiced dantian breathing as Minato put his hand on his lower abdomen.

As for the results of the individual competition, Kazemai’s Minato, Seiya, and Kaito, Kirisaki’s Shuu, Kabashima, and Kuon, Haneina’s Asahina and Eddie, and Seo from the girls’ division would be advancing to prefecturals.

The second day was the team competition.

The first round. The Haneina team, who were famous as Yotubers, drew a lot of attention for their shooting.

The oomae was Eddie Fox.

His long, blond hair was tied high up on his head, and a headband was tied around his forehead. He looked like an actor in a period drama. Once he gripped his bow, his jokester persona disappeared as his eyes sharpened, his breathing became shallower, and his face became dreadfully serious. A burst of sound resounded from the target area as he took advantage of a momentary gap and got in close to his opponent.

The second target was Matsuda Kotetsu.

He had poor vision, and the world he saw was composed of multicolored balls of light. His hearing was above average, and he had an excellent sense of perception. Whenever he stood before the target, he always stood behind someone else because it was easier to perceive the distance when someone was standing in front of him. Kyudo was a sport that could be played by people of all ages, and physical differences were no handicap. With the use of remote video conferencing, it was even possible to have a match with people on the other side of the world at the same time.

The third target was the naka, Kanuma Nobuhiko.

He was a haiku poet who loved writing haikus. He was staring absentmindedly into space during the middle of a competition.

A staff member approached him and asked him in a whisper, “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

“The eye of the snake/the white water surface holds/the golden-scaled fish. I tried to write a poem about carps living in a pond, but I guess it’s too mediocre. On a summer’s day/the koi frolic and a cat/sleeps beneath a tree. How’s that?” (3)

“This isn’t a haiku contest, it’s a kyudo tournament! Concentrate on your shooting!”

“Okaaay.”

Kanuma nocked his arrow. The spectators who had witnessed the scene were taken aback by his lack of nervousness and extraordinary strength of his heart.

The fourth target was the ochimae, Igarashi Shion.

He was the Gardening Prince who loved flowers. Even when he was sitting in his chair in the waiting room, he kept fresh flowers with him and left them with his tsurumaki. Even his bow was decorated with flowers he drew himself, and there were even people who wanted him to sell it to them. His shooting was as sweet-smelling as a flower and created the illusion of a fairy flying.

The fifth person was the ochi, Asahina You.

His red hair symbolized the rising sun. He parted his bow and followed the correct tsurumichi path. What was beautiful was good, and what was good was true. If you sought beauty and aesthetic, you would naturally follow the right path without being aware of it. Far from concepts such as “seeking the truth” and “ascetic training,” and the irrepressible joy that radiated from him captivated those who watched him. He liked to have fun, and believed in fundamentally ignoring what wasn’t fun or changing it to be fun.

The Haneina High School kyudo club was both noble and greedy. They lived not by the values of others, but their own axes. The five of them were comrades and friends who had met each other on their travels. Of course, there were occasional clashes of opinion, but they knew when to quit, so there were no lingering resentments. Making videos was a great way to learn about life and society, as what one said and did was constantly exposed to the public eye. It wasn’t easy to communicate something to others. True expressive people seemed to be free and unfettered at first glance, but they kept their feet on the ground and devoted themselves to their work.

The five of them carved out the Eight Stages of Shooting.

Ashibumi, douzukuri, yugamae, uchiokoshi, hikiwake, kai, hanare, zanshin.

When five circles, a “yoko kaichuu,” were lined up next to each other on the scoreboard, there was an eruption of applause.

Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo, who were watching from the stands, let out sighs.

“It feels really fun.”

“Their shooting was brilliant.”

“They’re formidable opponents. It seems that the boys’ division won’t be so smooth-sailing.”

The members of the Haneina High School kyudo club achieved the high results of four, four, four, three, and four hits each.

Second round, first kyudojo. The champions, Kirisaki High School, were taking their turn.

The oomae was Kabashima. He was particular about his face and form. In the name of Kirisaki High School, he shot so that no one could complain. When gripping the bow, the tenmonsuji should be firmly sticking to the todake, and the skin between one’s thumb and index finger should be rolled up from below. It was no exaggeration to say that kyudo began with the Eight Stages of Shooting and ended with the Eight Stages of Shooting. Originally, it was the Seven Stages, but with the addition of “zanshin,” it became eight. Why did they make it eight? He felt something profound in it. He earnestly, single-mindedly, carved out the Eight Stages and created a matooto. He was intoxicated by the sweet tone.

Senichi was at the second target, and Manji was at the third. Although their time-difference attack was sealed up, the confidence of the Twin Fighters was evident. We stand on the front line, the firing line. Come on, follow us. They looked completely relaxed, as if victory had been decided before the fight had even begun.

The ochimae was Kuon Takumi. Unusually for a high school student, he used a yotsugake. (3) There were slight differences in gripping the string depending on whether you were wearing mitsugake and yotsugake. Originally used in dousha, (4) and it was said that yotsugake was more suitable for people who drew many arrows like the toshiya (5)in Sanjusangen-do or for people with tough bows, but since Kuon believed that yotsugake were more superiorly ranked than mitsugake, he chose to use it. The arrow that was released almost hit the center. A rapturous air exuded from his whole body.

When the ochi, Shuu, started to lift his bow, the entire venue resonated with silence.

Even the sound of his clothes rustling was daunting. He possessed a divinity, as if he had reached a higher level than what everyone called the “Young Lord.” He himself became a bow and emitted a tsurune that soared through the heavens. Shuu’s sound instantly erased the uncanny colors created by Kuon and purified the place.

A true sound.

A good sound.

A beautiful sound.

By the time the people whose hearts were pierced came back to their senses, Shuu had already left.

The results were announced over the loudspeaker.

“The results will be announced now. First shooting range, Team 17, four, four, three, four, four, nineteen hits total. Second shooting range, Team 18, four, two, two, four, 12 hits total. That is all.”

Kirisaki won, and Kazemai went after them.

The oomae, Kaito, drew his bow tightly. He relaxed his hands and stretched his upper arms.

More force, more force. He stretched and stretched—then released. The arrow was sucked into the target while spinning clockwise.

The second target, Ryouhei, didn’t only grow in height. He had the dignity of an archer, and he shot with majesty. He was someone who had love for everyone. He would continue to have affection for himself and others for the rest of his life. The target accurately reflected the archer, and the round target, without deceit or calculation, was waiting to be pierced.

The naka, Seiya, was also clearly different from who he was a year ago. He took off his obstinate armor and stretched his limbs freely. He hated himself. He hated irrationality, fate, all of it. When he became entwined with hatred and fell into a swamp, there was someone who reached out to him. That person said that they didn’t care what kind of person he was.

The ochimae, Kanbayashi, began to carry out his shot. He concentrated on the lower abdomen that Minato had put his hand on before.

The dantian is “here.”

Now, gather the light here.

He threw away all speech and listened only to the sound of his breathing. When the wind calmed down, his arrow flew at high speed.

The ochi was Minato. He summoned the wind that should have stopped. The wind that rushed around the earth was the land’s breath. Once you were able to feel that, you became a wind user. He manipulated the wind at will and connected it to a new era.

The tsurune took everything away.

For the results of the first round, Kazemai had fifteen hits out of twenty.

After the first and second rounds were completed, Kirisaki had thirty-six hits, Haneina had thirty-five, and Kazemai had thirty-three.

All three schools made it through the preliminaries.

After the tournament, the Kazemai second-years and Masa-san waited for a car to pick them up. Tommy-sensei and the first-years went home first. Waves of people came and went to the other shore.

Minato, Seiya, and Ryouhei sat on the edge of a flower bed. Ryouhei immediately started to eat his sweets. Seiya, finding the verse from “Greensleeves” stuck in his head, couldn’t help but hum it.

He met eyes with Masa-san, who was next to them.

“Is that an English folk song? You know a lot of old songs, Seiya.”

“If you know it, then you must be ancient as well, Masa-san. Minato’s mom used to hum it. Oh, it can’t be helped if you don’t know it.”

A bell was rung. Fighters burned with quiet fighting spirit.

Seeing the two jab at each other, Nanao quickly took out his phone. He entered the search words, and the English lyrics and translation were displayed.

Kaito peered at them.

“What’s this? Isn’t this just a guy who got dumped and kept whining about it? Isn’t it too obsessive to say at the end, ‘Goodbye, please come here again and love me?’”

“Kacchan, you don’t understand heartbreak at all.”

“Hah? I don’t need to.”

“Yep, that’s what I thought.”

Ryouhei said that he would eat all the sweets.

“What kind of woman is Greensleeves? He’s calling her name over and over, right?”

Seiya was the one who answered. “I did some research, but the prevailing theory seems to be that it’s a metaphor and not a real name. There are various theories that Greensleeves is a prostitute, a dead person, or a ghost. Also, some people think that Greensleeves isn’t a song about lost love, but more like a hymn.”

For a moment, sound disappeared.

Even though it should have been extremely noisy with all the people around, the area was so silent that it made their ears hurt. Even the birds were quiet.

Masa-san murmured a few words.

“Green kosode—. (6) I think it’s talking about the upper arm.”

“What do you mean?” Minato asked.

“There’s a custom in the West to wear green when one turns into a spirit. When you think of Santa Claus, you think of red clothes, but that was because he was dressed in a company’s image color in advertisements, and in England, he was originally dressed in green. According to one theory, Santa Claus is Saint Nicholas, that is, a clergyman. He is a person who seems to have existed, and his name and deeds are passed on to his disciples.”

“What does that have to do with ‘upper arms’?”

“I think ‘Greensleeves’ refers to the arms themselves. It’s ‘green sleeves.’ When you touch the arm of a person, a miracle will occur. That makes them a vessel of the divine.”

Masa-san typed into his phone.

Alas, my love, you do me wrong.

Greensleeves was all my joy.

Greensleeves was my delight.

Oh, my chest feels like it’s about to burst. You who bestow love, how cruel you are.

You let enjoy your love, and say you’ll forsake me. Is this a test of God?

Greensleeves, you are joy itself.

Greensleeves, you are days of happiness.

I was happy just being by your side.

Seiya spoke.

“That sound like words dedicated to God. A somewhat critical song of lamentation and resignation.”

“Greensleeves may have been a person who had a healing hand that could cure illnesses and injuries, or maybe she was a saint. There are even those who say that it is the name of God. It’s distinct from the secular world and doesn’t appear openly. Even if you’re attracted by, yearn for, adore, sacrifice yourself, and give up all your wealth and power for the singing voice that you overhear from the church, you cannot touch ‘it.’”

“I see. In that case, I can at least acknowledge the manly spirit of ‘I’ll stop you even if I have to cling to you,’” Kaito said. (7)

“Kacchan, this isn’t a rugby play. And ‘manly spirit,’ really? You completely ruined the mood,” Nanao said.

 Seiya lowered his eyes and took off his glasses.

“Being abandoned by God might be an indication that humans are irredeemable.”

Shiragiku’s expression clouded over, and she gripped Seo and Hanazawa’s hands.

“How awful…it was such a wonderful melody.”

As everyone fell silent, Minato pondered.

Has God abandoned humans?

Is this really true? Didn’t I forget something important?

“You’re wrong! Such a sad and gentle melody could never be a criticism and lament to God. This is a joyful song for a coming-of-age ceremony!” he started shouting.

Before he knew it, everyone was staring at him blankly. The three girls shrank back while still holding hands.

Masa-san tried to follow Minato’s thought process.

“Coming-of-age ceremony? What’s with this all of a sudden? Where did your thoughts fly to, Minato?”

“I remembered my mother’s words. She said that at coming-of-age ceremonies, it’s a ‘song of naru.’”

“…What do you mean? Did your mother have a shrine maiden disposition?

“No, she was a normal mom.”

“Don’t put too much stock in what Narumiya calls ‘normal.’ By the way, who’s Naru? Is that a new character? Now I’m even more confused.”

Kaito scratched his head.

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Anna was stroking the velvet muzzle now, apologizing tenderly for her sugarless state… modulating, as the mare grew more affectionate, into her own language. That damnable language, thought Rupert, that turns everything into poetry—and catching one word, he said: “Dousha? That means ‘soul’ doesn’t it?”

“Yes. But it is also what you call people you love. We say ‘my soul’ like you say ‘my darling’ or ‘my dearest.’” She looked up to give him one of her sudden, life-enhancing grins. “We are very interested in souls in Russia.”

—A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson

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Das Chinesische Frühstück - Eine Kulinarische Entdeckungsreise

China ist ein Land mit einer reichen und vielfältigen Küche. Von den würzigen Aromen von Sichuan bis hin zu den zarten und raffinierten Gerichten von Guangdong gibt es viele kulinarische Schätze zu entdecken. Eines der am wenigsten bekannten, aber dennoch faszinierenden Aspekte der chinesischen Küche ist das Frühstück. Das chinesische Frühstück unterscheidet sich stark von dem, was wir im Westen gewohnt sind. Während wir uns oft mit Toast, Müsli oder Eiern und Speck begnügen, gibt es in China eine Fülle von leckeren Speisen, die den Tag auf eine köstliche Art und Weise beginnen lassen. Die Bandbreite reicht von herzhaft bis süß, von kalt bis warm und von leicht bis schwer. Fangen wir mit den herzhaften Speisen an. Eines der bekanntesten und beliebtesten chinesischen Frühstücksgerichte ist der Congee. Congee ist eine Art Reisbrei, der in einer Suppe gekocht und mit verschiedenen Zutaten wie Fleisch, Eiern, Gemüse und Gewürzen serviert wird. Congee ist eine sehr nahrhafte und beruhigende Mahlzeit, die oft bei Krankheit oder schwachen Verdauungsproblemen empfohlen wird. Neben Congee gibt es auch viele andere herzhafte Gerichte, die zum chinesischen Frühstück serviert werden. Dazu gehören verschiedene Arten von Dumplings, Baozi (gedämpfte Brötchen gefüllt mit Fleisch oder Gemüse), Jianbing (eine Art chinesischer Pfannkuchen mit Ei, Gemüse und Soße) und Doujiang (Sojamilch). In case you loved this informative article and you want to receive more details about Meine Chinesische Küche kindly visit our internet site. Diese Gerichte sind oft erschwinglich und schnell zubereitet und eignen sich perfekt für einen schnellen Morgenimbiss auf dem Weg zur Arbeit oder Schule. Aber auch Süßspeisen gehören zum chinesischen Frühstück dazu. Eine der bekanntesten ist der You Tiao, ein frittierter Teig, der oft zusammen mit Congee serviert wird. You Tiao ist knusprig und würzig und passt perfekt zu dem milden Geschmack des Congee. Eine weitere beliebte Süßspeise ist der Dousha Bing, ein Pfannkuchen, der mit einer süßen roten Bohnenpaste gefüllt ist. Diese Kombination aus süß und salzig ist ein wahrer Genuss. Neben diesen bekannten Gerichten gibt es auch viele regionale Spezialitäten, die je nach Gegend und Jahreszeit variieren können. In Shanghai gibt es zum Beispiel Shengjianbao, frittierte Brötchen gefüllt mit Schweinefleisch und Suppe. In Guangzhou, der Hauptstadt der Provinz Guangdong, gibt es Jook-sing Nga-tong, eine Art Reiskuchen, der in einem speziellen Tonkessel gekocht wird und einen einzigartigen Geschmack hat. Das chinesische Frühstück ist nicht nur köstlich, sondern auch sehr vielseitig. Es gibt so viele verschiedene Gerichte zu entdecken und auszuprobieren. Wenn Sie das nächste Mal in China sind, sollten Sie sich auf eine kulinarische Entdeckungsreise begeben und das Frühstück auf eine völlig neue Art und Weise erleben.

Description: * Sans trace et sans bords: tissu doux pour la peau, confortable, léger, respirant et nu. * Coussinet de poitrine amovible: coussinet de poitrine amovible intégré, facile à nettoyer et sain. * Bandoulière en dentelle: la bandoulière est en dentelle douce, sexy et charmante, élastique, mais pas d'épaule, confortable près de la peau. * Rassembler naturellement la poitrine: soutenir la poitrine, prévenir l'affaissement et façonner une belle forme de poitrine. Spécifications: Nom Du tissu: Nylon Composition principale du tissu: Nylon Le contenu des principaux composants du tissu est de 92% Style: type de coussin (convient pour 40-60kg) Fonctions: façonner, rassembler, soutenir et façonner Population Applicable: Femelle Style: simple et naturel Sans couture: non Caractéristiques de conception: bord en dentelle Type de tasse: 1 / 4 tasse Type de tasse de moule: haut fin et fond épais Type de bandoulière: double bandoulière fixe Type de sein: pas de sein Saison appropriée: été, hiver, printemps, automne Couleur: bleu, noir, Dousha, kaki Taille: taille unique Emballage Inclus: 1 * soutien-gorge Notes: Veuillez noter Environ la taille: Les produits sont mesurés à la main, et il peut y avoir une erreur de 1-3cm. Un centimètre (cm) = 0.394 pouces (po). Si vous avez des problèmes avec la taille, vous pouvez contacter notre équipe de service client et nous serons à votre service! À différence de couleur: En raison de la différence de couleur de l'écran et de la compréhension personnelle différente de la couleur, l'objet réel peut différer de la photo.

D'après la photographie de Viviane Joakim "Dousha Balit",2003

Trying real hard to participate in @tienchaweek2020, even though it’s been a while since I’ve drawn the farmhusbands! Managed to get around to making something for Day 4- Family

Sometimes a family is an ex-bandit, his magic talking cat, a three-eyed assassin, his ageless psychic little brother, and their beautiful children, one of whom is an alien 💖

Here’s the color edited one I posted on Twitter yesterday as well as the unedited shading layer. I’d like to do it in full color at some point but I wanted to get it in on time!

半分。 #どら焼き #ドラ焼き #Dorayaki #餡 #Sweetbeanpaste #Dousha (東京都) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2JPQz-DjCB/?igshid=i8ddzp81sbed

Outfit Design commission for @doodlegraveyard of her OC Dousha, thank you liv for commissioning me, it was such a delight to design an outfit for her!!!!!!!!!!!!

Commission Info

@noblehcart sent: ❝ why tf is mothman so jacked. like who u tryin to impress, huh, buddy? is it me? it’s me. i’m impressed. carry me away, mothman, and cradle me with your beefy arms against your rock hard 12-pack ❞ (drunk af liese @ RH) sentence starters || accepting (forgive the link goes to dick it was pre-blog-hop)

He's struggling not to laugh at her, but she's so damn cute when she's drunk and rambling. He's about to start teasing her, but as she declares to be carried away, she starts to fall back into him and he's quick to catch her. "Whoaa, easy." He laughs through the voice modulator, leaning down to snake an arm under her knees and scoop her into his arms bridal style. "You know I never knew you were so hot for mothman, dousha. I'm learning all kinds of things about you tonight that I fully plan to ask you about when you've sobered up." He teases, heading toward her stairs and up them to her apartment, smiling at the faint sounds of 'so this is love' humming from her throat. Normally he'd have to figure out an explanation how he knew she lived up here, how he knew how to get here, how he knew how to surpass her lock. But he was banking on her being too drunk to really press him tonight and give him until tomorrow to come up with a reasonable explanation. Or no explanation. Red Hood didn't owe her one, right? "Careful," he warns, turning sideways to walk her through the door and into the apartment. "Bed or couch, take your pick, McDrunkSkunk."

((And Rosa x Hugh (and his reasonably priced vegetables) ))

If They Had A Kid

Name: Dousha Daikon (A word for a black bean paste, befitting of the color themed naming of the Valentine family and the food theme naming of the Daikon family.)

Gender: Male

General Appearance: Dousha has a spiky mass of unruly black hair, even more spiky than his father’s. Though he’s still quite young, only 10 years old, he’s taken 

Personality: Dousha is still pretty young, so he’s a little naive and all, but he’s still generally a very kind boy who would go out of his way to help people. A little shy, but becomes much more boisterous when you get to know him- something he gets from his mom.

Special Talents: No idea what it is about farming, but it’s given the kid a ridiculous level of super strength that rivals his father’s, even at such a young age. He also has great senses, having watched his parents battle from such a young age, lower level Pokemon fights look like the Pokemon are moving through molasses. 

Who they like better: Rosa, he’s a total momma’s boy who clings to her legs all the time.

Who they take after more: Hugh, easily, given that he has the same happy-go-lucky attitude and helps his great grandfather in his farm just like Hugh used to.

Personal Headcanon: Dousha isn’t the smartest, so he’s always wishing for things that are kinda impossible, like teaching himself the TM Fly, or trying to get his Pansear to learn a Water Type move. Yet somehow he always figures out a way to make it work.

Face Claim: Son Goten from Dragon Ball Z.

(Bonus) Pokemon Specialty: Dousha’s a Fire Type specialist like his dad through and through. His first partner was a Pansear that he defeated in multiple duels in the Forest Verde, and who he still trains with regularly. He also owns a Torchic that Rosa got from her friend from Hoenn, Haruka. His Pokemon are named after food, calling his Pansear ‘Roast’ and his Torchic ‘Wings’. 

Hey guys gonna get serious here for a sec and ask for some help for horren/dousha/ddo/ck. Hic’s in the process of trying to leave her, quite frankly, incredibly emotionally abusive and toxic S/O, and while she’s got most everything figured out, she does need emergency funds.

She doesn’t want said S/O to see though, which is why I’m making this post And also making sure Hic’s username doesn’t crop up in the search.

Her paypal is here!

She’s trying to leave as soon as possible, the soonest being september! Every little bit helps, thank you!

Sergei took out his handkerchief. He had dried the eyes of countless weeping women, but none more tenderly than those of this girl. “Poor coucoushka,” he said, settling her head against his shoulder. “Now, tell me everything, please. Of course if he has harmed you I shall kill him, whoever he is,” he added matter-of-factly. “But otherwise, perhaps something can be done.” He gave a last dab at her face. “Blow your nose, dousha,” he commanded, “and begin.”

So she told him everything, always plabming herself for not seeing in time what was happening, and as he held her and stroked her hair, he caught from her voice the immensity of her love, her inexhaustible tenderness and the total lack of hope that came from the sense of another person’s honor. And it seemed to him that she had grown up and surpassed him, this girl who had always been to him a younger sister, such was her committal and her certainty.

It was thus that Rupert, looking for Anna in the garden, found them. Leaning against each other as if they were one substance, the man bending over her, holding her close, while she turned to him in total trust—and her hair, loosened by the dance streamed across them both.

—A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson

went WAY back in my drafts to find these, all these drawings are over a year old at this point but – TIENCHA KIDS

Dousha looks just like Yamcha, absolute spitting image. even though she’s the only regular human in the group (pan, bra, her sister) she loves martial arts and is very enthusiastic about fighting and adventuring like her dads used to do. Spunky kid, gets into all sorts of trouble but always sweet and always means well

Danta is a saiyan they adopted. i think there was an au involved at some point, and some surviving saiyan refugees. it doesnt matter at this point, maybe they got her from u6 (’then why does she have a tail?’ because i say so!!) anyway its irrelevant: monkey baby. She’s quiet and people mistake this for being deep and mysterious but actually she’s a little weirdo okay. she loves the chickens on the farm (they are her friends) and she tails around after her sister but despite her saiyan strength she’s more interested in tromping through the woods picking flowers than fighting,

ごちそうさまでした！ #寿司 #すし #鮨 #Sushi #餡 #Sweetbeanpaste #Dousha (Shibuya, Tokyo) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1EUA2ZDB-A/?igshid=1jdcs84xy1ynk

The Serious Eats Information To Buying Asian Noodles

All of those elements are put in a small metal pot, giving off tempting scents. The dish appears so delicate by mixing varied colours collectively that it is fairly onerous to consider that is just a bowl of instant noodle. With the massive social and economic modifications within a number of many years, people’s dietary habits and concepts have modified massively. Instant noodle, as a sort of fast meals, is even more influenced by the method of modernization. In order to make this research extra credible, I selected to conduct fieldwork methods, including participant observation and interview, in a grocery store and an immediate noodle canteen. While Western cultures have a tendency to appreciate matching dishware, Japanese cooks have a tendency to make use of dishes with a variety of colorful patterns, shapes and colors. The specific choice of dishes is essential and seasonal. Fine restaurants will typically use antique ceramics and lacquerware. 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