Our Love At The Core Of It by emo TL by boke ### TL notes indicated by hash tags like this: ### ### Page numbers indicated by —XX for example, page one is: —01 ### Panel numbers indicated by -X for example, panel one is: -1 ### sfx- means the following is a sound effect. ### hw- means the following is handwritten text. ### Unless otherwise noted, panel and text balloon flow is from upper right to lower left. ### This TL indexes on file number in case the page numbers don’t match. ### Sometimes my comments are snark or color, so feel free to ignore those. —00 -1 Our Love At The Core Of It —02 -1 Rio, You’re gonna be late. Again. -2 Did you sleep in again? -3 Yeah, I did. Ehehe. Rio, you’re a third year already. It’s about time to stop being late. —03 -1 Rio -2 Did you oversleep again? Can you return the notes I lent you? You want to know the reason why? ###box -3 Because within a dream It’s possible to be forgiven. —06 -1 Rio, could it be you’re not feeling well? -2 I heard that when you’re physically exhausted, the amount of sleep you need increases. -4 But you know better than anyone, right Rie? —07 -1 That the only subject I’m better at than you is PE. -2 Yeah, I know, but… -3 But you’re always feeling bad, Rio. And you’re always late. —08 -1 And you’re always borrowing my notes. Th-that’s just how I am, ok? -2 You hate it? -3 Hm? -4 Rie, if you don’t like it, I’ll change. —09 -1 Rie… -2 You’re family, so… -3 It’s not like it bothers me, ok? sfx- Vrrr -4 Hello? Mom? —10 -1 Yeah, I’m with Rie today too. -2 Don’t be too late, ok? You need come home. ###emphasize “home”. Either like original or bold and italicize. -3 …Got it. -4 From mom? Yeah, I’ve got to go home soon. —11 -1 She got mad at me when I was late last time. -2 Mom’s always been a bit hysterical. -3 When Rio and I were kids, mom and dad divorced. —12 -1 I went with mom. Rie with to live with dad. -2 People might say it’s a bit weird, but… -3 back when we all lived together all I remember of mom and dad Is seeing them fighting all the time. —13 -1 Rather than being shocked at their divorce it was a relief to not have to see them fight anymore. That was the biggest thing I felt about it. -2 But more than anything, -3 I couldn’t live with Rie anymore. —14 -1 That’s what hurt most. It was like, -2 a precious stuffie getting thrown away. -3 Like when you grow too fast, and some clothes you really got attached to no longer fit. -4 Like when important friends move away. —15 -1 Kids can imagine all sorts of painful things. -2 But it went way deeper than that. It felt like something was being cut out, deep within. -3 When I told mom, Rio and Rie are still family, okay? That’s how she comforted me. —16 -1 Still family. Family. -2 If you’re normal, -3 That’s the right answer. —17 -1 See you later! -3 So I guess it’s true… that mom doesn’t like it when I spend time with you. -4 If I’m late, then there’s a change I’ll meet dad. I think she hates that. -5 But no matter what mom says… —18 -1 I don’t want to be separated from you, Rie. Because we’re family. ###emphasize “family”. Either like original or bold and italicize. -3 Those words just have to be true. —20 -1 I wonder just when it was that I became away of the existence of feelings I didn’t understand. -2 So, last night’s drama? Yeah! Those two totally… held hands together! -3 I didn’t think they were going to do it! They’re going out now, right? —21 -1 I was shaking the whole time I was watching. If they’re holding hands, that definitely means they are going out, right? -2 Wha? I don’t know about definitely… ###italicize “definitely” but that’s something you do with someone your into, yeah? I wanna do that! We’re still in junior high, so I’m not sure… -3 Um, so I read this in a book… —22 -1 That the reason we want to hold hands and hug is that, You want to feel the warmth of the other person. -2 And that desire to feel the warmth… Is actually “love”. -3 So romantic, right? Hahaha But I’ve never felt that way yet! —23 -1 …and that’s what they said. -2 Oh, really? —24 -2 Hey, Rie… -3 We’re always holding hands, right? And we hug all the time too. -4 So does that mean We want to feel each other’s warmth? —25 -1 Does it mean… that we love each other? -2 If so, does that mean we’re into each other? Does it mean we love each other in that way? -3 But we’re sisters. —26 -1 If it’s true… -2 Then what kind of relationship do we have? -3 What would we call this? —27 -1 Rio… -2 Do you love me? —28 -2 Back then, I already knew it. The omnipresent answer to that question. And also… —29 -1 Later, Rio… -2 And I also knew… Why I couldn’t say “no”. —31 -1 Rio-chan, are you and Rie-chan are going to the same university? -2 Come to think of it, haven’t the two of you always been in the same schools since elementary? Yeah. -3 So that’s why we’re going to the same university. —32 -1 But Rie-chan’s an honor student, right? Won’t she be going to a prestigious college? I’m not trying to harsh on you or anything, Rio-chan. -2 You’re always borrowing her notes, and… I’m managed to come this far doing it! I’ll be fine this time too! -3 I mean, I haven’t been late at all recently! -4 Even if I’ve never been interested in studying or anything… If it means I can stay with Rie, I’ll do anything. —33 -1 I’m trying hard in my own way… -2 But, anyway you think about it… It’s kinda unusual… -3 Um, look… -4 I know you’re twins and all… But do you have to be together like that all the time? —34 -1 I know. That’s… -2 Because our parents divorced. And we can’t live together. But Rie’s family, so… It’s not like I don’t get that, but… -3 More than sisters, it’s more like you’re… —35 -1 Mmm, I’m not sure how to explain it, but… -4 But anyway, it’s sure is unusual. —36 -1 I know. But its true. -2 We’re family. —37 -1 Rio… Do you really want to go to the same college as me? -2 I-I’m not sure if I can get in… but even if we’re not in the same major, at least the same university! -3 No, that’s not what I mean. -4 Don’t you have any dreams of your own, Rio? Your own goals and stuff? —38 -1 Why would I? -2 Rio, you’ve always followed in my footsteps when it comes to school. -3 You don’t need to go to the same college. If you go to college in this town, you’ll have lots of friends here… —39 -1 When I think back on it, When it comes to Rie, back when we were kids I felt a slight sense of loss. But there no reason for me to feel that now. -2 But… -3 Friends? I can make as many new friends as I want. Both now and in the future. -40 -1 But you are… You and me… back then, now and in the future, we’ll always be… -2 family, okay? -3 You always say the same thing, Rio. —41 -1 Rio… -2 Is that really all there is to it? —43 -1 Do you love me? -2 That day… just why did I say that? And why didn’t Rio say anything in response? I… —44 -1 You knew? -2 How could I not? -3 You and I, ever since that time… have always been in our own little world. —46 -1 Back when I was a kid, and we all still lived together, my memories of “family” -3 You bitch! Were just of mom and dad fighting with each other. —47 -1 Fuck off and die! -2 Whose fault do you think this is?! It’s your fucking fault! -3 I don’t need any of this crap! -4 It’ll be okay, Rio… —48 -1 You’re throwing everything away! The money! These kids! -3 Hah! That’s what I wanted to say! I’m done with all this! I don’t need anything! Yeah, none of it! If I think about it now… —49 -1 All the crap our parents were spouting? I don’t think they meant 100% of it. -3 They were just trying to tell each other how much they hated each other in that marriage. I don’t think there’s many parents that would seriously say they don’t need their kids. But… —50 -1 All the crap you showed us kids… How were we to know? What was true and what was just bullshit… -2 And no matter how much time has passed, -3 We still can’t figure it out. —51 -1 The more time passed… The more the “parents” in our own little wold… -2 became the thing we couldn’t trust the most. And so… —52 -1 “Understanding” and “forgiveness” all went out of reach. -2 And in that world of isolation and uncertainty, There was only one thing that could bring comfort. -3 Just one person. —53 -1 As family. -2 As a comrade in arms. -3 Never having to worry about being abandoned. -4 Even as time goes on… —54 -1 Blindly devoted in our love for each other. Being able to be loved. -3 The only person in the whole world… —55 -1 And that’s exactly why, -2 As sisters. As family. -3 Or even, -4 As someone I love… —56 -1 There’s one portion of our relationship where there’s endless amounts of words to describe it. But it would never be enough to explain everything. We need more definitive vocabulary than that. —58 -1 Rie-chan, are you going home with Rio-chan today too? -2 Yeah, sorry. -3 I know the two of you are close, but it really is kinda strange… -4 Rie-chan, you were holding hands with Rio-chan the other day, right? I get that you’re sisters, and you twins are totally joined at the hips twins, but… —59 -1 You know, for me, Rio’s really my only family. -2 My parents are divorced… and my mom lives somewhere else. -3 Don’t you have your dad? —60 -1 My dad… -2 is my dad, so… —61 -1 And that’s what I said. -2 I see. —62 -2 Rio, so about us… Ah, right! Look, I fixed it. -4 Oh, your fountain pen! That’s right, you said it was leaking ink, Rio. Yeah. We both got these as presents when we started junior high. —63 -1 Mine’s never given me any problems, But how many times is this now for you? It’s because I use this way more than ball points! -2 And I can use it again after I fix it. We’ll it is a fountain pen. ###bold and italicize “is” -3 But it won’t actually last ten thousand years. ###fountain pen is literally “ten thousand year pen” in Japanese. -4 If you’re not rough with it, maybe your own lifetime. Nah, they say it’ll last longer than our lifespan. —64 -3 What’s up? -4 I just thought it was weird. I mean, even though they are identical fountain pens… —65 -1 You let me borrow yours sometimes, right Rie? -2 But the way it writes is a bit… -3 It’s the same pen, but the nib has worn in differently. -4 I can always tell which is which right away. —66 -1 Even though they look the same, They each have their individual quirks. -2 Just like us, huh? -3 It true for each and every fountain pen. —67 -1 Even if time should pass well beyond “ten thousand years”… little changes will definitely occur somehow. -2 And what what’s more… -3 Even setting that aside… -4 There’s this… —68 -1 The core underneath the nib. It’s always delicate. Always exquisite. -2 It’s something that has to be hard, -3 In order to deal with all that time. —70 -1 To deal with all that time… —72 -1 When we finally got past -2 Our darkest hour -3 What prevented us from collapsing was… —73 -3 Was our need to hate someone intensely. —4 Like our parents. Pretty strange, huh? —74 -1 So maybe it’s not so strange that we’ve have come to love -2 this much as well…? -4 Since we have come to hate our parents this much… —75 -2 Maybe that’s why We are able to love so much as well. —76 -1 Rie… -2 Rie… What do you call this kind of thing? —77 -2 Our core. —78 -1 Core —79 -2 So it turned out that Rie-chan and Rio-chan went to the same college. -3 Really? Don’t tell me they’re in the same major? -4 Maybe that’s how strong their family ties are. Or maybe, it’s… —80 -1 Well, what I think is… Ah, they’re here! Rie-chan! Rio-chan! Over here! -2 It’s been a while! —81 -1 Not since our high school graduation, huh? Wow, this takes me back! -2 Your shirts are cute. Going for the twinsies look? Ahaha -3 I can believe you two went to the same college. —82 -1 I told you back in high school, right? That I’d definitely achieve my goal. -2 And recently Rio’s been studying other things. Seem’s like she’s now got some things she’s interested in. Whaa? Really? -3 Rio-chan, you’ve really grown! You’re a big girl now! Come to thing of it, a while ago… Ahaha —83 -1 Um, hey… -2 Since you’re always together don’t you get on each other’s nerves? Hey! That can’t be true, right? -4 I mean, you two are family! C’mon, even family fights… —84 -1 Well, yeah… Even though we’re family, since we’re together all the time, we do get annoyed. -2 But it’s because we’re family… -3 Because we’re each other’s “core”. —85 -3 Hey… Those two… —86 -1 Even back in high school… There’s been this weird air about the two of them. -2 I always though that they were kinda weird as sisters. But now, I think I know the reason why. —87 -1 What I was feeling back then, wasn’t “weirdness”. -2 It was… -3 Intimacy. —88 -1 Those two… -2 I don’t think anyone else can understand them. -3 There’s just something about them… ###bold and italicize “something” —89 -2 Rio… those two… Don’t you think they’ve noticed? -3 Honestly, I don’t care. —90 -1 Whatever they’ve noticed is only a tiny part of it. -2 And anyway, it’s… -3 “It’s something that we won’t be forgiven for”? -4 And additionally, they’re outsiders that I couldn’t care about. —81 -1 I just want to protect our world forever. That’s my dream. -2 But more importantly, Rie… Do you want to live together? -3 It’s not particularly like we need to, right? And actually… —92 -1 Doing it here… totally turns me on. Ahaha -2 I don’t think that there’s a single person who has noticed… -3 Just how horny you are, Rie. —93 -1 Fufufu But hey, Rio… About my desire… -2 Someday… I want you to know just how deep it goes. -4 That’s my dream. —95 -2 Mom…?! —96 -1 Can the way we love Ever be forgiven?