Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Ranyori of Long Ago
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Writing a novel means doing some groundwork on its genre.
So if I'm going to write one with a Beastkin protagonist, I'll need to research Beastkin, right?
That's part of why Ranyori jumped at the chance when I said she could be the model for the protagonist.
Of course, I'll only borrow the motif and depict her differently in various ways.
This is absolutely essential. Mess it up, and I could really end up burning bridges...
Anyway, with Ranyori offering to help, I tried to ask about her past.
But it failed!
And now it's my turn to defend myself.
"Why? Why do you want to know that?"
"Hold on a second. Give me a chance to explain myself."
"You know Ranyori's past wasn't good...!"
"I do know that... But we've gotten really close lately, so I thought maybe..."
"You want to poke at Ranyori's wounds again?"
"I thought that after all the time we've spent together, her wounds might have healed a bit..."
"What if Ranyori felt deeply disappointed by that careless remark from Aren just now?"
"I'd plan to give her the best week ever to wipe away that disappointment."
"Hmmm..."
"Did I pass?"
"You sure talk a good game!"
Ranyori let out a big sigh, "Ahh!" Fortunately, she seemed over it.
"Yeeeah... I could tell you, actually. Ranyori doesn't have any old wounds anymore!"
"That's a real relief."
"If Aren had just asked thoughtlessly, I might've been a little upset! But that doesn't seem to be the case..."
"Of course not."
"So, what exactly do you want to hear? You don't remember anything from when we first met?"
"I remember it vividly. What I want to know is the discrimination you faced for being a Beastkin... and your feelings back then?"
"My feelings...! So that's what you wanted to know...!"
Yes. That's the real point, honestly. But it felt a bit heavy to say it outright.
"While the chance was here, I figured I'd ask about that too... you know."
"Way more embarrassing than I thought..."
"No take-backs."
"I never said anything about take-backs!"
"I'll listen quietly."
Ranyori took just a moment to steel herself.
Even if it wasn't a big deal originally, putting it on stage like this makes it feel burdensome.
"Okaay! I can do this now!"
She shouted in a confident voice.
I considered clapping but decided to stay quiet.
"Um... so, to start... Once upon a time, there was Ranyori."
It was a rainy day.
That's when Ranyori was born. I don't remember it, but I heard it was raining.
Ranyori didn't have a mom or dad.
"Hold on."
Why?
"That's a really intense opening."
It's true—she didn't have parents from the very start.
"Uhmm..."
Everyone knows Ranyori grew up in an orphanage, right?
"Even so, soften the wording a bit."
Hmm!
Poor little kitten Ranyori had no mother or father, you see.
"That's not the issue..."
This is my best!
"Just do it the original way. I won't interrupt; I'll just listen."
Hmm hmm!
I don't know why they were gone. Maybe they couldn't afford to raise me. Or maybe it was just too much hassle.
I was found in front of the orphanage. Not even a formal note asking them to take good care of the baby.
And... well... life was just really tough.
Should I skip this part?
"If you skip, how far does it go?"
Skip straight to meeting Aren!
"So that whole time was nothing but hardships...?"
Yeah!
"Ranyori, oh Ranyori..."
So! Skip or not?
"Well... um... could you tell me just a little?"
Wow! She actually wants to hear this? Trash!
"If it's hard to talk about, you don't have to."
That's not it!
First off! They didn't feed us at the orphanage!
So I secretly stole fruit from outside... but got caught and got in big trouble.
I had no choice but to dig through trash cans. People were so full they threw away perfectly good food.
"That must've been tough."
Huh? I felt good every time I found something tasty?
"..."
I thought it was normal since the other Beastkin kids weren't getting fed either!
"I see."
Isn't that basically treasure hunting when you think about it?!
"Well, kinda not..."
Tch...
Anyway, next!
Remember how I said I stole food earlier?
"Yeah."
So I got a bad reputation.
Lots of people already disliked Beastkin anyway.
And since I was doing bad things on top of that, even people who didn't care before started looking at me negatively.
"Oof..."
That's usually why Beastkin get hated, right?
"Ah, really?"
Yeah. Bad social perceptions make life hard.
Life's hard, so they commit survival crimes.
That worsens perceptions—a vicious cycle!
"Yeah, I see those stories on the bulletin board a lot."
Really?
"Yeah. But they usually say it's not just survival crimes."
Eeeh...
"Still, the Beastkin who stay quiet come out to explain the situation somehow?"
Ooh!
"Most get suppressed right away, crime's a crime regardless."
Aaah...
Anyway...! At least in this neighborhood, that's what's happening!
"Other Beastkin besides you?"
Yeah, I heard it from the other Beastkin kids at the orphanage, so it's for sure!
And back to the story...
Ranyori was really hated.
Every time I went out, I'd get doused with cold water... or hit with trash...
So I stayed hidden and quiet all the time.
You can't expect good things if you catch people's eyes, right?
I'd hop across rooftops too... and nearly fell and got hurt once.
"You didn't get hurt, did you?"
Nope! Cat Beastkin don't get hurt by stuff like that!
"How did it feel back then?"
Just embarrassing. It was because of my mistakes.
"...It's a bit much to blame it all on yourself."
Ey~ But after I spent a whole day bowing and apologizing, it got better than before.
"How much better?"
I got a gift recently!
"Ooh...!"
Raw fish!
"Sashimi?"
No, just raw fish! Super fishy and not cleaned!
"? Was that really a gift?"
They called it a gift when they gave it!
"Words say gift, but it's just dumping trash."
What could Ranyori do if they threw fish in her face?
At least it was called a gift—that's fortunate, right?
"Ranyori..."
What else happened... I can't remember well.
"Think we can wrap it up soon."
Oh? That's enough now?
"Yeah, I have a rough idea of the direction."
Fast!
Okay, let's wrap it up then!
Ranyori had some friends she didn't get along with at the orphanage too.
Human friends.
Kids are pure evil, right?!
So I got bullied!
Actually, more than bullied—they ganged up on me!
"...Is this what I think it is?"
Yeah! You know exactly what it is, Aren!
It was when Ranyori was being dragged into a dark alley and tormented, just like always.
Suddenly, a boy appeared. To save Ranyori.
The boy said,
'Get your filthy hands off her, you trash.'
"I didn't say it quite that harshly."
The kids bullying Ranyori were all flustered.
The kids said, who are you?
'Me? Her friend.'
"..."
You definitely said this part, right? You remember too, Aren?
"Quiet."
Then he said to Ranyori! Why are you crying there? Come here quick!
"Why do you remember every little thing?"
Right after, the fight between the kids and Aren!
Ranyori was so scared she closed her eyes and covered her ears.
When things quieted down and Ranyori opened her eyes,
All she saw was one boy. The others must've run away.
Aren wiped Ranyori's tears and took her hand.
'I'm Aren. You?'
'R-Ranyori...'
'Ranyori. Nice name.'
'Th-thanks for saving me.'
'This isn't even hard.'
Normally, I should've run away right then!
"Why?"
You might get bullied too because of me!
But I couldn't! I was so worn out, I wanted to cling to anyone.
"Good thinking."
Did Ranyori do well?
"Yeah, you couldn't hold out alone."
...Really?
"Yeah. And thanks to that, I made a good friend."
Ehehehe...
'Why'd you save me...?'
'Just did.'
'You might get bullied by the other kids because of Ranyori...'
'Let 'em try. If they can.'
'Eeeh...'
'...You live around here?'
'Huh? Y-yeah...!'
'Great. Meet here an hour early tomorrow.'
'Yeah...?'
You said that to help me, right? In case the others came after me again!
"Well... yeah."
Hehe~ Aren’s so kind~
"...Story over?"
No? I'll tell you my feelings from back then last! You asked for it, Aren!
"No need."
What did little Ranyori think when she saw Aren back then~?
"Not listening."
Aw! He's embarrassed!
Good. I’ve got the basic flow. The story’s structure.
The life of a Beastkin forced to endure discrimination.
No need to depict it too realistically.
What, unfair discrimination by humans against Beastkin? Denouncing that society?
Authors trying to teach readers through their writing have never gotten good reactions since forever.
Anyway, I write novels for fun.
So I need to write well first, then let that intent seep in naturally.
...Or I could write misfortune porn.
But even for Beastkin, portraying such a miserable life... I doubt it'd resonate with people or Beastkin.
No, setting that aside—I just don't want to write that.
Honestly, that's textual trash. No matter how well-written, the content sucks.
On the flip side, no need to exaggerate or fabricate a happy life.
That'd be a total lie. People wouldn't like that either.
If that's the case, better to write a human girl novel. Wrong material choice.
The novel I'll write has a sense of disconnect.
A protagonist who seems bright on the surface.
A world hostile to her in opposition.
Pretty proven method. Cute character, despairing world.
Common in modern works.
Some might remember the despairing world contrasting the bright protagonist.
Others might be impressed by the protagonist holding onto hope in despair.
Key is not to overdo the descriptions.
Exaggerate the protagonist's personality a bit—that's fine.
But the world needs delicate portrayal.
Not so disgustingly harsh it repels readers.
Not so weakly that it feels trivial.
"That's the hardest part, right?"
Yeah, but gotta try. Write a lot, delete a lot.
No deadline. Plenty of time.
"So the protagonist's personality..."
Positive. But pure positivity might bore, so a bit quirky too.
"...Sounds exactly like Ranyori."
I picked up the pen. Ideas flooded my mind.
Let's write them all down. Until I'm satisfied.