With only about a month to go until Mary Skelter 2 comes out in Japan, I've been reading some short stories that Compile Heart has published for Mary Skelter 2 in Dengeki Playstation and on their official site. The purpose of them seems mainly to introduce the two new characters (and co-protagonists) of Mary Skelter 2: Tsuu and Little Mermaid, and to show how they interact with the rest of the cast. I thought they were interesting and cute, so I'll be translating them when I have the time and the will.
The stories and images here belong to Compile Heart, and you can view the original on their website here: www.compileheart.com/mary-skelter/tuu/special/ss/
The first entry spends half the text simply re-telling the fairy tale story of The Little Mermaid, so if you already know it, there's not much to lose by skipping down to the middle where it switches over to Mary Skelter itself. So without further ado, here's Part 1:
The stories and images here belong to Compile Heart, and you can view the original on their website here: www.compileheart.com/mary-skelter/tuu/special/ss/
The first entry spends half the text simply re-telling the fairy tale story of The Little Mermaid, so if you already know it, there's not much to lose by skipping down to the middle where it switches over to Mary Skelter itself. So without further ado, here's Part 1:
A long, long time ago, at the bottom of the sea, there was a castle where merfolk lived.
Living in the castle was the king of the merfolk, along with six mermaid princesses.
When a princess turns 15, she is allowed to leave the sea and visit the human world.
The youngest mermaid princess swelled with anticipation to see the human world for herself after hearing her older sisters talk about it so much.
An older mer had this to teach to her:
"Listen well, Mermaid. When humans die their souls go to live with God, but in exchange for that, they live very short lives. Us merfolk turn into foam when we die, but we can live for up to 300 years." and that's why it's better to be merfolk than a human, the older mer said to the Little Mermaid. Even so, Mermaid wanted to go and see the human world.
Eventually the Little Mermaid became 15, and finally was able to travel above the sea.
The first thing she saw when she reached the human world was a large ship.
Living in the castle was the king of the merfolk, along with six mermaid princesses.
When a princess turns 15, she is allowed to leave the sea and visit the human world.
The youngest mermaid princess swelled with anticipation to see the human world for herself after hearing her older sisters talk about it so much.
An older mer had this to teach to her:
"Listen well, Mermaid. When humans die their souls go to live with God, but in exchange for that, they live very short lives. Us merfolk turn into foam when we die, but we can live for up to 300 years." and that's why it's better to be merfolk than a human, the older mer said to the Little Mermaid. Even so, Mermaid wanted to go and see the human world.
Eventually the Little Mermaid became 15, and finally was able to travel above the sea.
The first thing she saw when she reached the human world was a large ship.
"My, what a splendid vessel that is. Ah, who is that person?"
A Prince was sailing on the vessel. It was his 16th birthday, and a luxurious celebration was being held in his honor onboard the ship.
"What a lovely person..."
The Little Mermaid fell in love with the handsome Prince at first sight.
Suddenly, a storm hit the sea, and the ship that the Prince was riding on capsized.
"Oh no!"
The Little Mermaid panicked and rushed to save the Prince who had been thrown into the sea, holding on to his body as she swam him to the beach.
"Prince, please come to your senses!"
The Little Mermaid cried out to him desperately as his eyes remained closed.
At this time, a human girl appeared and came close.
The Little Mermaid was surprised and hid herself beneath the ocean's surface.
The human girl noticed the unconscious Prince and called out to him, just as he finally awoke.
The Prince said to the human girl,
"You saved me, didn't you? Thank you so much."
The Prince misunderstood the situation and thought that the human girl, not the Little Mermaid, was the one who had saved him.
The Little Mermaid was disappointed and returned to the castle under the ocean.
However, she couldn't forget the Prince.
"That's right, if I become a human, I'll be able to meet the Prince again."
Thinking that, the Little Mermaid went to see a Sea Witch with mysterious powers, and told her that she wanted to become human.
The witch responded,
"Alright, I can change your mer tail into human legs. But, walking using those legs will hurt as if you had stepped on a knife with each step. In addition, if you're unable to marry the Prince, you'll turn to sea foam without even being able to turn back into a mermaid. Do you still want to do it?"
"I understand. Even so, I want to meet the Prince once again."
"I see, I see. Then, in exchange for granting your wish, I'll take away your voice. Your singing voice is the most beautiful among all the merfolk, after all."
And so the Little Mermaid traded her voice in exchange for becoming human.
At the edge of the beach, her tail slowly transformed into a pair of human legs. But just like the witch said, her legs hurt so much that she couldn't walk on them.
Then, the Prince arrived.
"What's wrong, are you unable to walk? Then, come with me to the castle."
The Prince took the Little Mermaid back to the castle, and spoiled and pampered her as if she was his little sister.
The Little Mermaid was happy being next to the Prince for a short while, but a certain day, the Prince was set to marry the human girl from before.
No, the one who saved you that day was me, not that human girl!
Is what the Little Mermaid wanted to say, but she had no voice.
At this rate, the Little Mermaid would turn to foam for failing to marry the Prince.
That night, the Little Mermaid's older sisters brought a knife to her, and said,
"Use this to stab the prince in his chest and kill him. Then, paint your legs using his blood. If you do that, you'll be able to turn back into a mermaid."
"If I kill the Prince, I won't have to turn into sea foam..."
The Little Mermaid brought the knife to the Prince's room.
And then, standing over the Prince as he slept, she brought the knife up to his chest.
"...farewell, my Prince."
But, The Little Mermaid couldn't bring herself to kill the Prince..
She tossed the knife aside, kissed the Prince, and jumped back into the Sea.
And finally The Little Mermaid turned into foam, and disappeared.
But, in the ears of The Little Mermaid who should have turned into foam, she heard a mysterious voice.
"Little Mermaid. You didn't kill the Prince. So, if you become a spirit who watches over and protects lovers, I'll grant you a soul that can return to the Prince."
Really?
Someday, I can see my Prince once more?
Jail --
That was the name of the sprout from one of the nightmarish seeds that suddenly rained down on the world.
After falling from the sky, it took root in the earth and rotted the ground, warped the buildings, and absorbed and changed life forms.
And then sunken far beneath the surface, having even the light of the sun stolen from them, humans came to live in fear of the strange creatures birthed by Jail, the 'Marchen'.
In that Jail, there was an organization formed to resist the monsters - the Dawn Liberation Front. They formed a special squad -- the 'Blood Style Girls Squad', and with bloodied hands worked to climb their way out of Jail.
Like this, they were able to reclaim the sun.
Or at least, that is how it was supposed to be.
That was the name of the sprout from one of the nightmarish seeds that suddenly rained down on the world.
After falling from the sky, it took root in the earth and rotted the ground, warped the buildings, and absorbed and changed life forms.
And then sunken far beneath the surface, having even the light of the sun stolen from them, humans came to live in fear of the strange creatures birthed by Jail, the 'Marchen'.
In that Jail, there was an organization formed to resist the monsters - the Dawn Liberation Front. They formed a special squad -- the 'Blood Style Girls Squad', and with bloodied hands worked to climb their way out of Jail.
Like this, they were able to reclaim the sun.
Or at least, that is how it was supposed to be.
I somehow already knew that this place was an 'Aquarium'.
When I came to, I was living by myself in this place. All around me were strange creatures, but they looked completely different from me and they couldn't understand my words. I was scared and made sure not to get too close to them.
At some point I had learned to speak. But, there was nobody for me to speak with.
I was always alone, always lonely.
My treasure was a broken microphone that I picked up in this Aquarium.
I would always sing into that mic.
I loved to sing. Singing was the only thing that dulled my loneliness. The creatures around me seemed to be interested in it even though they couldn't understand my words, and lately one of them even began to take an interest in coming to hear me sing.
Maybe, if I became better at singing, I could get along with the others too.
That what I thought, and one day I gathered up my courage and approached a group of the creatures.
And then, I began singing with all my heart.
...but.
My song was must have been very displeasing to them.
"Giiiiiiii!"
When the strange creatures heard my song, they suddenly turned and attacked me.
"What...why!?"
I panicked and ran. But, I tripped on my legs and fell.
With that, the strange creatures jumped up and attacked me, beat and cut me with their claws.
"Ouch! Stop!"
I screamed out in panic, but of course they didn't stop. My clothes tore and I could tell my blood was pouring out. The pain became more and more unbearable.
I was scared. Scared. Scared.
But at the same time, separate from the pain, a black 'something' was welling up inside me.
Why? Why do I have to suffer like this? Did you hate my song that much?
All I wanted was to be friends! Why? Why? Why? Why?
Why?
For a moment, the world went lopsided and my vision blurred.
And then, something from within that blackness inside me felt like it was about to explode --
"Hey!"
When I came to, I was living by myself in this place. All around me were strange creatures, but they looked completely different from me and they couldn't understand my words. I was scared and made sure not to get too close to them.
At some point I had learned to speak. But, there was nobody for me to speak with.
I was always alone, always lonely.
My treasure was a broken microphone that I picked up in this Aquarium.
I would always sing into that mic.
I loved to sing. Singing was the only thing that dulled my loneliness. The creatures around me seemed to be interested in it even though they couldn't understand my words, and lately one of them even began to take an interest in coming to hear me sing.
Maybe, if I became better at singing, I could get along with the others too.
That what I thought, and one day I gathered up my courage and approached a group of the creatures.
And then, I began singing with all my heart.
...but.
My song was must have been very displeasing to them.
"Giiiiiiii!"
When the strange creatures heard my song, they suddenly turned and attacked me.
"What...why!?"
I panicked and ran. But, I tripped on my legs and fell.
With that, the strange creatures jumped up and attacked me, beat and cut me with their claws.
"Ouch! Stop!"
I screamed out in panic, but of course they didn't stop. My clothes tore and I could tell my blood was pouring out. The pain became more and more unbearable.
I was scared. Scared. Scared.
But at the same time, separate from the pain, a black 'something' was welling up inside me.
Why? Why do I have to suffer like this? Did you hate my song that much?
All I wanted was to be friends! Why? Why? Why? Why?
Why?
For a moment, the world went lopsided and my vision blurred.
And then, something from within that blackness inside me felt like it was about to explode --
"Hey!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
The monsters stopped moving, and turned in the direction of the voice.
I also turned my gaze in that direction.
Standing there was a small child.
Not a strange creature. Someone who looked like me. A human. A child about my same age.
"Y-y-you all, get away from her! It's not good to bully people!"
Young but surprisingly gallant sounding, that voice rebuked the strange creatures. The creatures ran away in surprise.
"Are...you okay?"
The person faced my direction. Short black hair, with a vivid, eye-catching patch of red and white.
Is this a boy? Looking closer I could see that their legs were slightly trembling.
They were afraid too, but still came to save me. But, who was this? When there had been no other humans besides me in this Aquarium?
...no, but wait, before that, there's something I should say. This person rescued me, after all.
"Uhm,"
"U, uhm!"
But, when I was about to say 'thank you', their voice raised and interrupted mine.
"Ye, yes?"
Unthinkingly, I forgot about the thank you and responded to them.
What on earth will this person say, I wonder? A greeting? A self-introduction? A warning that more strange creatures might attack?
-- I thought about the possibilities, but what that person suddenly and loudly said cut against all my expectations.
"Please, take me to be your wife!"
The monsters stopped moving, and turned in the direction of the voice.
I also turned my gaze in that direction.
Standing there was a small child.
Not a strange creature. Someone who looked like me. A human. A child about my same age.
"Y-y-you all, get away from her! It's not good to bully people!"
Young but surprisingly gallant sounding, that voice rebuked the strange creatures. The creatures ran away in surprise.
"Are...you okay?"
The person faced my direction. Short black hair, with a vivid, eye-catching patch of red and white.
Is this a boy? Looking closer I could see that their legs were slightly trembling.
They were afraid too, but still came to save me. But, who was this? When there had been no other humans besides me in this Aquarium?
...no, but wait, before that, there's something I should say. This person rescued me, after all.
"Uhm,"
"U, uhm!"
But, when I was about to say 'thank you', their voice raised and interrupted mine.
"Ye, yes?"
Unthinkingly, I forgot about the thank you and responded to them.
What on earth will this person say, I wonder? A greeting? A self-introduction? A warning that more strange creatures might attack?
-- I thought about the possibilities, but what that person suddenly and loudly said cut against all my expectations.
"Please, take me to be your wife!"
I didn't understand.
Wife? Wife as in, that kind of wife? Take this person to be my wife? Even though I'm a girl? Wait, this person isn't a boy? They're a girl? In the first place, we just met and she's already talking about marriage?
...There were many strange things about it. There were so many things I should have asked before I gave an answer.
But.
Marriage. That word buried and burned itself into my head.
And before I realized it I had responded.
"...en okay"
"Huh?"
"Not my wife, but if you'll become my Prince...then okay."
That girl's eyes blinked roundly.
But, without asking anything more, she smiled and nodded at me.
"Alright. You got it, my Princess."
-- Like that.
It was a sudden thing, but we married each other.
Wife? Wife as in, that kind of wife? Take this person to be my wife? Even though I'm a girl? Wait, this person isn't a boy? They're a girl? In the first place, we just met and she's already talking about marriage?
...There were many strange things about it. There were so many things I should have asked before I gave an answer.
But.
Marriage. That word buried and burned itself into my head.
And before I realized it I had responded.
"...en okay"
"Huh?"
"Not my wife, but if you'll become my Prince...then okay."
That girl's eyes blinked roundly.
But, without asking anything more, she smiled and nodded at me.
"Alright. You got it, my Princess."
-- Like that.
It was a sudden thing, but we married each other.
The story told from here onward is a story of a certain princess and prince.
The story of a princess who should have disappeared and turned to foam, and of a prince who was robbed of their future, in this prison tower.
It's not a dream and it's not an illusion.
This was something that really existed in that place, a Le Miracle de Théophile.
The story of a princess who should have disappeared and turned to foam, and of a prince who was robbed of their future, in this prison tower.
It's not a dream and it's not an illusion.
This was something that really existed in that place, a Le Miracle de Théophile.
(End of Part 1! Back to the blogger's voice from here on)
That's all for part 1! I hope you enjoyed it. You probably noticed that Part 1 was told from Little Mermaid's perspective - next up in Part 2, we see from Tsuu's perspective and have the introduction of Little Red Riding Hood, and the Dawn Liberation Front.
That's all for part 1! I hope you enjoyed it. You probably noticed that Part 1 was told from Little Mermaid's perspective - next up in Part 2, we see from Tsuu's perspective and have the introduction of Little Red Riding Hood, and the Dawn Liberation Front.
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