Hi!  Here"s chapter 9~  No pictures in this chapter, but considering it"s a fairly serious chapter, not all that surprising.

Chapter 9

      In my mind, Moeyo Dragons is playing over and over again.
      And not the new version from ’99, but the version that Eiji Bandou sang. I hate the Ce League, I hate it, I really hate it, but I’m still chuckling over the Super Hitos.h.i.+ going boshoot.
      “Uh… ugh, Eiji Bandou is, Makoto Nonomura is…”  (1)
      “Are you having that dream again?”
      Light reaches my optic nerves and even the underside of my eyelids turn white.  Bearing my pain and opening my eyes, I see that right above me are s.h.i.+ning golden hair and lake’s bottom green blinking down at me.  If only he was a girl, I’d deal with his att.i.tude and go out with him.
      “… but anway… uwah!  Why did you put my head on your lap again!?”
      Rolling across the gra.s.s three times, I distance myself from Wolfram’s lap.  My limbs are heavy and my throat is parched and there is an unbearable ache in the back of my head.  Propping myself up with my arms behind me, I look up at the sky and take a deep breath.
      “My head hurts.  I feel like I’m going to vomit.”
      “It’s a lack of sleep.”
      Citing this working cla.s.s condition, Wolfram throws a towel at me.
      “Wipe your face; there’s still some drool on it.  After using that much magic, usually you would rest a long time, but today you haven’t even slept for half that.  Headaches and nausea are a given.”
      “Magic… That’s right, the fire!?  What happened to Biron!?”
      With a slow and cautious gait, Greta brings me water.  Pressing the wooden cup to my mouth, she looks at me with concern.  No one would believe that she tried to kill me a few days ago.
      “Hyscliff brought Luis Biron to the authorities.  The fire at the brothel was also extinguished.  A bunch of sulfur-smelling water was dumped all over it, but you probably don’t remember it anyway.”
      “No… hey, that’s kind of weird.  I do remember.  Even though usually I completely-pon forget it all.”
      Oh no, I picked up that speaking habit.
      It’s only a vague memory like my view was obstructed by silk curtains, but it was like someone shot a short film and I was watching my own back.
      “It was dragons, right?  Right, so if Rokkou Oros.h.i.+ is playing in my head, then maybe I can use tigers.  It’d be awesome if I could just keep on using all 12 of the baseball team mascots…” (2)
      I started having some wishful thinking like, lions and eagles and water buffalo and Neptune are all strong, but I would like to hold back on the seagulls and the swallows and the koi fish.
      But that’s weird.  Usually I’ll hear a woman’s voice and I’ll lose consciousness.
      “A woman’s voice?  Who’s this woman?”
      “That’s my line!  Just lie down.  Try and regain some of your strength.”
      “But, I can’t be the only one resting.  Someone has to help Izura and Nina.”
      “They’re both alive.  The firefighters saved them!”
      Hurriedly supporting me as I stood up, Greta presses Windpipe No. 1 into my hands.  A cane isn’t all that dependable on ground covered by tall gra.s.s.  Checking the time on the digital a.n.a.log on my wrist, I see it’s just past two in the afternoon.  It hasn’t even been an hour since the race.
      Burned down, there’s nothing much left of the still smoking buildings.  There are injured laid out on the gra.s.s in front of me, but they aren’t being treated.  Around ten of the young firefighters are silently continuing their work, but the onlookers were only watching curiously from across the street.  It seems like they’re so busy getting together and chatting, they don’t have any time to help out.
      “Where’s the doctor?  How come there’s no doctor?”
      Of course, there was a group of medics, but there were so many injured, they couldn’t handle them all.  It’s amazing how few girls were packed into that building.  There were about a hundred of them silently hanging their heads or sobbing or praying as they lie on their backs, waiting for their turn even though they didn’t know when it was coming.
      “In a blaze that intense, it’s amazing no one died.”
      Wolfram lent me his shoulder.  I didn’t think it would be so tiring to not sit back down.  I feel like I’m being crushed by the heavy air and like gravity has doubled.
      “… Yuuri?”
      At the minute and hoa.r.s.e call from below, my knees fold under me.
      “That’s Yuuri’s voice, isn’t it?”
      “Izura?  Your face… it’s covered in soot so I didn’t recognize you.”
      Her blonde hair and sun tanned skin are all black.  It’s the color that the girls hate the most, the unlucky and evil color black.  And it’s not just soot.  The eyes looking up at me are cloudy.
      “I’m relieved, Izura, that you’re alright.”
      “Hey, did you see Nina?  We were together part of the way, but I can’t see anymore.”
      “Your eyes… no, I haven’t seen Nina.  But I’m sure she’s alright.  There aren’t any dead… there aren’t any casualties.”
      “I’m glad.  Yuuri, if you find Nina can you heal her like yesterday?  Her cold hasn’t healed completely and if she gets a fever again I’d feel really bad for her.”
      Her arms and legs are covered in blisters and bruises.  Her eyelashes and eyebrows are burned and her voice is strange as if her throat is injured as well.
      “Hey, before that, your…”
      My hands are pinned behind my back.  The ground I was gazing at becomes the sky.  I’m suddenly as dizzy as if I did a 1000 knocks on a midsummer sports ground. (3)
      “Your Majesty!”
      “I’m fine, I’m fine.  I’m just dehydrated.  If I had a sports drink or something…”
      I hear a voice from over my shoulder.
      “Wolfram, I thought I told you to let him rest somewhere out of the way.”
      “Don’t yell at me.  He’s the one getting up and walking around.”
      There’s a burnt smell coming from Conrad’s clothes binding my arms behind me.
      “I said it before right?  I mastered how to use Heal.  It might just be for peace of mind, but I can heal some of the light injuries…”
      “No.”
      Are you kidding?
      I fail at trying to turn around and my head starts to hurt again.
      “You’re not going to say the same thing as with Hube, are you!?  Besides, Izura saved me and I don’t think of her as an enemy.”
      “Please think about how exhausted you are!”
      “I’m fine!  I said I was fine!”
      Even I knew they were just words.  Trying to concentrate is foolish.  I probably can’t even think properly.  Like I’m recovering from the flu, I’m weak and aching and in pain.
      But even so, with this terrible scene in front of me, there’s no way I’d be able to just go to sleep.  If there was nothing I could do I might hug my knees and watch, but I have power now.  Even if it’s just by a little bit, I’ve got enough power to ease the pain of others.
      “Let go of me and let me do what I want!  I just want to do what I need to do!”
      “And then if you collapse who is going to heal you!?  No matter how powerful the magic you have, you need to know your limits.  If you excessively use that power without knowing them, the worst case scenario is that you’ll lose your life!  You can’t abuse your body and soul again after using power you’re not used to.”
      “But…”
      In a voice she just barely got out, Izura calls my name.  She tells me that she’s not in that much pain and that I should rest.
      “… Even if you’re behind me, I know what face you’re making, Conrad.  I know that you’re really worried about me and I know that I’m about to fall apart.  But, these children are…”
      Greta is walking around looking at everyone’s face, searching for Nina.  She’s doing what she can to ease at least one of Izura’s worries.
      “… these children were suddenly brought here to a country where they don’t know right from left.  And it wasn’t of their own will, it was something they had to do for their families.  They don’t know when they’ll be able to go back or when they’ll see their parents and siblings again.  They don’t know if it was worth it or if there were other choices or even if what they’re doing is the best thing they can be doing right now.  They don’t know what’s waiting for them or how much longer they can go on.  And they can’t even let anyone know that that uncertainty or depression is there!  They have to be energetic and upbeat and amiable and laugh!  And do you know why!?  It’s for everyone’s benefit!”
      I’ve never cried before besides when I was frustrated.
      “You know why they have to endure so much for their friends and families?  It’s because they love them.  It’s because they’re important…”
      Right behind my ear, Lord Weller asked something of me.  It wasn’t a question, but a distressed utterance.
      “Are you hurting?”
      So slowly that even I got impatient with myself, I shake my head.
      “… I’m not… hurting.  That’s not it.  What hurts is that the result of what I did decided these girls’ fate.  It’s all because of the stupid stuff I did in Svelera without even thinking about anything.”
      Am I losing control of my body, or am I leaning against him?
      “So… I want to… do something.  It doesn’t have to be atonement.  I don’t care if it’s unwanted or I’m yelled at.”
      Because, that’s the ‘Yuuri s.h.i.+buya’ I want to be.
      “… Let go of me.”
      “If I let go of you, you wouldn’t be able to stand.”
      It’s just like he said.
      On the edges of my blurred vision, a vivid red jumped into view.  Worrying that another fire started, I use all my strength to lift my head.  It wasn’t fire.
      “What is the meaning of this!?”
      It’s a flaming woman.
      A woman with flaming red hair tied high up on her head, with strong and confident steps, is weaving through all of the injured and coming this way.  She’s holding three suitcases in one hand and has two wooden boxes on her back.  With that height and her dainty arms and legs, she must be ridiculously strong.
      “Anissina?  Why are you here?”
      “Before that, Lord Weller, judging from the black hair and eyes of this slovenly mess you’re supporting, it seems this is our beloved and respected king.  Ah yes, it seems so.”
      She grabs my chin as I stand baffled and roughly lifts it up to meet my gaze.
      “It has been a while, Your Majesty, not since the day of the coronation.  Although as the lowest member of the ten n.o.ble families, I never really cared much about ever meeting Your Majesty.  Although now that we have met, I am glad to see Your Majesty the Demon King is in good spir… well I suppose not.  Why are you so worn out?”
      I’ve met dozens of n.o.bles, but someone this unreserved is bizarre.  I can’t say I’m getting any cold feelings from her overly brisk way of talking, but I’m not seeing any ill will or depravity in her intelligent light blue eyes either.  What’s lying there is curiosity and the love of the pursuit.  It’s a strong feeling of believing in herself.
      “… It was just a little bit of self-loathing.”
      “Self-loathing!  A worthless emotion, but Gwendal sometimes uses that expression.  It is an escape route that men use all the time!”
      I want this person’s user manual.  Conrad hesitatingly interrupts.
      “Anissina, now’s not the time to-“
      “More importantly, just what exactly is this scene!?  Did the foolish men finally work up a conspiracy and begin attacking the n.o.ble and wise women!?  If so, Anissina von Karbelnikoff, despite my poor ability, will have to take up the post at the women’s military camp!”
      She’s not even trying to listen to what people are saying.
      “I decided to go on a journey and was on a s.h.i.+p from Karbelnikoff to Munschtettner – it was on a magic-powered quaternary s.h.i.+p, my best work – when an out of season, strong wind caught the sails and I ended up being carried to this uncharitable land.  Oh that wind was irritating.  To think that I would be made a fool of by a random wind after studying all the weather maps and sea routes!”
      “Like I said, Anissina, now’s not-”
      “However!  It must be fate that things happened this way.  Because I have already been brought here, I will do something worthwhile and instill some awe and reverence of the demons.  Now, I suppose I will start with treating the wounded.”
      Eh!?
      “You’re going to heal them, Miss Anissina!?”
      “Ah, Your Majesty, I had heard from Lady Celi that you have powerful magic.  Then why are you just standing around?  Is this not a perfect opportunity to test your abilities?  You can just fly through healing a hundred people.  Now let us start with you, right in front of us.”
      The Red Devil sits down and takes Izura’s hand, whose head she had placed on her lap.
      “Where does it hurt?”
      “I don’t really hurt anywhere, but… I… I can’t see.  Will my eyes never get better?  I wonder if I’m never going to run again.”
      “Well, I do not know.  Let us focus on the blisters on your arms and legs as they are at most risk of getting infected.  If it is because of the trauma of fire and smoke, vision will usually return, but even if it does not, it is not such a horrible thing.”
      Greta is jumping around in the distance.  I wonder if she found Nina.
      “… A friend of mine was not blessed with vision at birth, however just by a light touch of her fingertips, she could read anything.  You should become like that too.  That is if your vision does not return, however.”
      “I can’t read at all.”
      “Then you should learn starting now.  Not being able to read and write is inconvenient, is it not?”
      “I can’t.”
      I’m slowly lowered to the ground and I lay a hand on Izura’s hair as she hides her face in Anissina’s lap.  Anissina doesn’t wait for or expect a response as she holds the girl’s wrist.
      “… Even if I go back home, they’ll tell me that women don’t need to read.”
      “That is true.  Even in the country I was raised in we were told something similar.  Men should act like men and women should act like women.  However the amusing part is that they do not tell us what sort of woman we should act like.  The result is that everyone does whatever and the question of which way is ‘right’ hasn’t been answered in over 2000 years.”
      And the result of those teachings is Anissina and Cecilie.
      Greta comes running out of breath with her cheeks reddened from the cold wind.
      “I found Nina.  But she’s completely exhausted.”
      The woman who was part of The Great Demon Kingdom’s Three Great Witches gently rubbed Izura’s fingers.
      “Ah, you have very delicate fingers.  Do you want to learn how to knit?  Well now, you will be fine with your own natural healing and human medical treatment.  Have your vision healed by that person there.”
      “Anissina, His Majesty is very tired…”
      “That sort of overprotection makes weak men.  Just use your magic until you collapse.”
      Except for her, there aren’t any women who would be able to pull off that broadly grinning laugh.
      “Or should I carry him home?”
      Anissina von Karbelnikoff straightened up and moved to the next patient.  Perhaps thinking she could help, Greta trots after her.
      I shamefully sit there and watch the back of her gallant figure.  A slightly problematic hormone started to secrete in my disorderly brain.
      “… She’s kinda… really great… Miss Anissina.”
      Never mind Conrad, Wolfram, who would usually be hysterically raving at me, pats me on my shoulder with a pitying look.  It was a silent warning: don’t be fooled.  It’s too late now.
      “Mr. Mitsuemon!”
      Mr. s.h.i.+ny holds a hand up towards me, the afternoon light s.h.i.+ning off of his dazzlingly bright bald head.  He’s a little short, but when it comes to his energetic words and conduct, he’s much more suitable a leader than I am.  He’s playing a very active part as the son-in-law of his wife’s family, but I think it might have been better if he inherited the throne in Cavalcade.  If he did, then our diplomacy problems with Cavalcade would be resolved.
      “How are you feeling?  Oh but I was impressed, Mr. Mitsuemon.  Compared to your technique last time, the slightly mischievous part completely disappeared and it was all the more splendid.  I wonder if it’s because you’ve born a splendid daughter and you’ve become aware of yourself as a parent.”
      I didn’t really give birth to her.
      “But, about your daughter…”
      “Greta?  What about her?”
      He strokes his moustache and sits down next to me for my own benefit as I wouldn’t have been able to stand.  He crosses his legs on top of the gra.s.s without worrying about getting gra.s.s stains.
      “According to my subordinates, it seems that the names of your daughter’s birth parents are engraved on her shoulders.  Forgive me if this offends you, but the supervisor of the bathhouse is required to report those with tattoos.”
      So he wouldn’t be able to work there if he was distracted by those dangerous swimsuits.  I desperately try and force my brain, which is on the edge of becoming just a sea of cotton, to remember.
      “Oh right, her mother’s name was on her right shoulder.  Greta’s mother’s name is Izura…”
      I tell the now blinking girl next to me that I’m not talking about her.
      “Izura… as I thought.”
      For a moment, Hyscliff’s face becomes serious.  His light brown eyebrows come together and a short hum comes out from his lips under his moustache.
      “Mr. Mitsuemon, I a.s.sume you are already aware of this, but perhaps your daughter is a survivor of the imperial family of the abandoned country Zoras.h.i.+a.”
      “Abandoned country… eh!?”
      A survivor of the imperial family!?  In other words, that imperial family left Greta behind and then got wiped out?  So she was a princess?  She tried to a.s.sa.s.sinate me even though she’s a princess!?
      In place of me who was tired and whose mind was in shock, Conrad continued the conversation.  It’s times like this where having a trustworthy subordinate comes in handy.  Because, he’s perfect for everything except for making jokes.
      “I see, so having the names of your parents engraved on your shoulders is a custom of the imperial family of Zoras.h.i.+a.  Which means that Greta’s mother married into the family as the third wife and was Izura, the youngest princess of Svelera.”
      “… The princess was an openhearted person so she was very popular in the country.  So, everyone wanted to name their children ‘Izura’ if they had a daughter.”
      Underneath my palm, her bony back shakes slightly.  It must be because she’s thinking about her family and home.
      “Then wait, how come Greta was in Svelera?  Did she become the adopted daughter of her uncle and his wife?  Then she wouldn’t have to say she was my hidden child… ah, I’m going to have to get acknowledgement from her former parents!”
      “That is not necessary.”
      Hyscliff looks around for the flashy red hair and then lowers his gaze to the child running around after her.
      “Izura’s daughter Greta was sent to Svelera as a hostage.  It was in the middle of the civil war and they were being attacked and the Empire of Zoras.h.i.+a was on the verge of being destroyed so in order to avoid getting attacked by Svelera, she was sent there as a hostage… However, a half a year later, the populace gained control of the government.  Perhaps Princess Izura did it in preparation for what she knew was to come.  Perhaps she sent her beloved daughter to her home country in the hopes that she would survive.”
      “That… I wonder if Greta knows.”
      “Most likely.”
      Hyscliff raised his face and broke the following long silence.  He had a tone of voice that signified he personally believed this to be the best course of action.
      “So how about it, will you leave that young lady to me?”
      “What do you mean, so suddenly?”
      “It might be fine for her to stay innocent at the moment, but she can’t erase the fact that she was born with the blood of the imperial family and the destiny that entails.  One day she may want to revive her lost country or even serve as a living witness to history.  It will make an enormous difference if she is taught the ways of a human imperial court.  Luckily my daughter Beatrice is also receiving such an education for half of the year in Cavalcade.  If Mr. Mitsuemon would agree to it, I would love to have your daughter learn in my home country-”
      “As a hostage?  Are you telling me to hand over Greta as a hostage again?”
      Hyscliff from Miss.h.i.+nai abruptly stops talking and a look of indignation crosses his face.  However, he immediately suppresses his emotions and continues in the same tone of voice.
      “It won’t be as a hostage.  I am proposing a student exchange from The Great Demon Kingdom to Cavalcade.  Of course, as a parent I would like nothing more than for her to become Beatrice’s good friend as a cla.s.smate, but overlooking that, what she would gain would not be trivial.  I am aware of the rudeness of this a.s.sumption, however… I believe that it is difficult for one to learn everything about the world from simply the teachings of the demons…”
      Wolfram looks like he’s about to explode, but because Conrad was between them, he couldn’t get a hold of him.
      “Of course, it is also hard to raise a personality with impartial judgment with only the education we humans provide.  That is why I would like your daughter to learn in both countries and become mediator between them.”
      His opinion was 80% right.  Even if I just brought her back to The Great Demon Kingdom, there wouldn’t be anyone to teach her about human history or the etiquette of the imperial court.  If I left it up to Günter and the other tutors and raised a human girl with the doctrines of demon supremacy, it wouldn’t be outright oppression, but I’d still feel guilty.
      Even if I ask for the right advice, Wolfram just gets angry and Conrad says shortly in his usual manner that I should decide.
      “Were you talking about me?”
      The face of the girl who came running back at top speed looked healthier than anyone else’s here.  She was purer than anyone and full of life and endless possibilities.
      “Greetings young lady, I was just talking with your father-”
      “Greta, will you go with Mr. Hyscliff?”
      “Eh?”
      She is unable to understand the sudden proposal and her eyes widen as if she was suddenly attacked.
      “Will you go to the country Mr. Hyscliff was raised in and study with his daughter?”
      “… Why?”
      “Beatrice is seven this year and is learning about world history and culture and art in a school in Cavalcade.  She’s learning about international relations and how to be a queen so for half of the year, she leaves her parents and goes to study in the country her father was born in.  If you want, you can go there-”
      “No!”
      Before I even started talking, I had decided that if she didn’t want to then I would immediately turn down the offer.
      Greta is clenching her tiny fist and with shaking lips, makes an objection.
      “Yuuri, you said that I’m already your child, that Greta is already your child!  Then why are you giving me away to another country saying it’s for the best!?  Are you giving me the same reasons that my mother did and doing the same thing too!?”
      “No I’m not, Greta.”
      “But it’s the same!  You’re giving me to another country!  It means you don’t want me anymore.”
      “I said it’s not the same!”
      “It is the same.”
      Wondering when she learned how to speak so un-cutely, I stop in surprise.  But the one who spoke was Wolfram as he kicked at the ground in exasperation. (4)
      “How thick can the two of you be?  Seriously, like parent, like child.”
      “Wolf, this isn’t about you-”
      “The reason her mother sent her to Svelera and the reason you’re leaving her in the care of this ‘baldy’ is the same.”
      Ah, he said something he shouldn’t have said.  But let’s ignore that for the moment.
      This ex-prince and third son who has a super beautiful mother and two manly older brothers does everything with pride and he had faith in the love that he was showered with.
      “I’m doing this with your benefit in mind.”
      And anyway, in what world is there a mother who would do something that wouldn’t benefit her child?  Your knowledge in that area is really lacking.  Moreover, no matter how hard this boring and uncool brat tried she’d never be able to do anything for her country.  Because you’re a wimp who can’t even comprehend that, I can’t even let you go on a trip without me.  Hey Yuuri, and you, brat, are you listening?
      We weren’t listening.  Greta was crying and I was enduring it.
      “… That’s right.  I thought that that would be best for you.”
      d.a.m.n it, if I make a kid cry, it makes it look like I’m doing something bad!  And if my daughter cries, it makes me want to cry too!
      “I thought that rather than you living amongst only demons, you should spend half your time experiencing a human society and the other half you can live in our country and then you can try out both, I mean, you can have an unbiased look at both.  But if you don’t want to, that’s alright.  You can just come back to the capital with me.”
      “… Am I going to be baldy’s child?”
      Whoa, and there’s that unspeakable word again.
      “… Am I going to be shaved bald too?”
      Everyone present waves their hands in denial and goes ‘no, no’ like the punch line to a joke.
      “That’s stupid, Greta.  You’re my hidden child, right!?  I’m not gonna let you become a child of Mr. s.h.i.+ny!”
      “Re-really..?”
      “Even if we’re far apart, you’re still my child and even if it’s not together, a family is still a family, right?”
      “Yeah.”
      “Even if you go somewhere no one’s been before, you can proudly say that ‘I am the daughter of Yuuri s.h.i.+buya of The Great Demon Kingdom’ in a loud voice.  If you want to come back, you can just come back whenever you want.  If you want to see me, you can come see me whenever you want.  Until you reach the age when you graduate from childhood, you can even think about me and cry a little.”
      “Okay.”
      A small, flexible and warm body jumps on me who was unable to stand.  I tried to pet her instant noodle hair, but I don’t have the spare strength to lift my arms anymore and all I could do was feel the hot tears of the girl who had buried her face in my shoulder.
      Without paying attention to our mini-drama, Anissina and the firefighters continue their work.
      Bent at the waist, an old man with a twisted headband comes pulling a food cart from across the street.  As I’m about to fall asleep with a child wrapped around my neck, the man sees me and calls out.
      “Hey brother!  You look hungry, nei!”
      “… The last thing I ate with my mother was fresh hinomokou, too.”
      “Ah, that was Zoras.h.i.+a palace food.”
      Several tired workers head towards the food cart.  Even the onlookers who have gotten a chill simultaneously start digging around in their pockets for small change to get some hot food.
      The old man waves away the onlookers and starts handing food only to the firefighters.
      “What are you doing?  You"re a shopkeeper who’s got no sense for making a profit.”
      “Or maybe we should say he’s a chivalrous man.”
      Conrad stands lightly and went over to get some noodles or challenge the man.  Greta and I ate last night, but there was a girl who ran away without eating a single bite.
      “Izura.”
      “What?”
      She brushes away the endless tears from the smoke and her gaze definitely finds mine.
      “Can you see?”
      “… Vaguely.  Just enough to make out shapes.”
      “I’m glad.  Hey, are you and Nina going to go back to your country?”
      “Yeah, but you know…”
      She wipes her hands off on her lap and lightly slaps her own face.  At first glance, the action seems to be to like she’s trying to liven herself up and saying, ‘cheer up.’
      “But, if there’s better work here, I’d like to stay and work some more.  I mean, there’s nothing in Svelera and my parents and siblings need money.  And…”
      Even if it’s not together, a family is still a family, right?


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(1)    Holy c.r.a.p these paragraphs.  They were just so full of completely related, footnote-able stuff I’m making this a multi-part footnote.   And they were also short enough so you wouldn’t go WTF!? for too long ^-^  However if you ever encounter something that makes you go WTF and I have, for some reason, not footnoted it, your safest bet is to think baseball!  XD

(2)    Rokkou Oros.h.i.+ is the theme song for the Hans.h.i.+n Tigers.  So much baseball!  My mind can’t take it XD
(3)    Baseball again!  1000 knocks is baseball training.  Someone hits a ball out and they have to quickly catch it and get it back to home base.  This is called ‘one knock.’  So they do it a bunch of times and it becomes 1000 knocks.  In this case, 1000 is actually a way of saying ‘endless’ and they don’t actually count or anything, though.  I feel like this series is forcing me to know more about baseball than I want to o.O
(4)    I realize there’s nothing ‘un-cute’ about ‘it is the same’ in English, but in j.a.panese, it was said in a very boyish way (which is how Wolfram speaks all the time).  The boyishness doesn’t translate at all, though.  Sorry? o.o