FIGARO'S SURPRISE
Mar. 4th, 2023 02:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
posseoirCHAPTER ONE
Figaro. Take a look, sage. Did you notice the grass around here has different colors? It's used to make candy.
Akira. Huh, grass for candy…. Dr. Dolce's forest has more wondrous treasure than I imagined.
Strolling around the forest with Figaro, I take a second look around.
Apparently, there are lots of unusual and exquisite plants here.
Akira. ( Feels as if I’ve wandered into a candy maze with no escape… )
Figaro. I’ve considered giving some of it to Rutile and Mitile. You won’t find this kind of thing down South.
Akira. That’s a good idea! It is colorful and pretty, something I think they’d both enjoy.
Figaro. Then this one is a candidate. Any other suggestions?
Akira. Hmm, something that would please them both…
At Figaro's prompting, my gaze strayed to a forest brimming with curiosities. Trees with dangling candies, a fountain spouting out in seven different colors, stones made of jelly... and Nero staring into the sky.
Akira. Hm, Nero? What are you up to?
Nero. Aa, Figaro and the Sage. Not that ‘m up to anything, just thought I saw some rare fruits.
In the direction Nero indicated, I looked up and saw a tall tree growing a number of hard-shelled fruit.
Figaro. You're right. That’s Bombastine*. First I've seen it on a tree in a long time... it’s delicious when dried. Once, when I happened to acquire some, I gave it to Rutile and his friends; they couldn’t stop eating it.
Akira. Is that so? Well, let's take those as a souvenir…
Nero. Aa…!
Figaro. Woopsie. Sage, stop.
Akira. Eh?
As I take a step forward, Figaro's hand stops me.
Nero. My bad, sage. Should have told you first: that thing has some nasty qualities.
Akira. Nasty qualities?
Figaro. Maybe this is better seen than explained. <Possideo.>
Accompanying the incantation, the area surrounding the three of us glowed white; creating the sensation of being enveloped by something unseen. It's the feeling of being protected by a barrier.
Nero. Sage, I suggest you take one more step back this way.
Akira. Y-Yes… ( What a start… )
Once Figaro confirmed we were far enough back, he cast his spell again. At this, a twig that had fallen nearby suddenly floated into the air. It continued to float higher and higher…and then it snagged one of the shells.
Akira. Oh! ( It exploded….!? )
CHAPTER TWO
With an explosion that rings through the air, the shell bursts open.
Akira. That- the branch barely touched…
Nero. Yep. Y’see, the thing has a tendency of exploding’ with even the slightest nudge. That's why it's so hard to remove.
Akira. ( Okay, so suppose I walked up to the tree and shook it… )
At the very least, an unexpected explosion would have caused my heart to leap out of my chest.
Moreover, I might have been injured as a result.
Nero. Freaks most out when they see it the first time. You doing okay?
Akira. Am I…okay? I wonder….
Out of the sky something shimmering and glowing blue falls.
The beauty of it made my eyes widen involuntarily. It was then:
Akira. Woah!
The sound of explosions came again.
Although we had not touched anything, the Bombastine’s were exploding one after the other.
Akira. T-This is…
Figaro. Sage, Nero, are you all right? Sorry to startle you.
Having returned to us, Figaro calmly stood beside me and looked up at the repeatedly exploding tree.
Akira. Myself and Nero are fine, thanks to your wards! Though, exactly what's going on here?
Figaro. Seems that the first piece of fruit that exploded hit another. The process is repeating itself.
Nero. This happens when there’s a high concentration. ‘Specially when the fruits are in a cluster.
Akira. I see… Then, as long as we wait until the last one explodes, everything will be fine?
Figaro. That's fine, too. But since we're here, Dr. Figaro would like to show you something interesting. I'm going to break the warding and we'll fly to a place where we won't be caught in the explosion. You ride on my broom, sage.
Akira. I… Alright!
Nero. Dunno what you're up to, but ...... roger.
The two cast their spells, and broomsticks materialized within the warding.
Figaro. Hold on to me, sage. All right, here we go. Three, two, one….!
We took off as soon as the warding dissolved.
They stopped their brooms once we reached a place where the debris would no longer hit us.
Akira. You can hear the explosions even up here. Now what are you going to do?
Figaro. Well, you'll see, both of you. <Possideo.>
CHAPTER THREE
The moment Figaro uttered his spell, the land glowed pure white, for only an instant. The explosion that had shaken my eardrums so strongly disappeared and silence fell over the area.
Akira. Did the explosions stop....?
Figaro. Sage, have a look at the tree you just saw.
Akira. The tree… huh?
We no longer hear the sound of explosions, and yet, the Bombastine continued bursting around the tree. But when the popped pieces flew to a certain point, they bounced back, as if hitting an invisible wall.
Nero. I see. You sealed the whole area with a barrier.
Surrounded by Figaro's wards, pieces of Bombastine sparkle and dance with a blue glow. It was like a big snow globe. I was drawn in by its beauty, and felt a warmth deep inside my chest from the nostalgia of a world long gone.
Akira. Earlier, what fell from the sky was a piece of…
Figaro. It emits light when it explodes. So when they come together, particles of light appear to dance around like that. Well? Beautiful, isn't it?
Akira. Yes, it’s so pretty…!
Nero. Being caught in the middle is a real pain in the ass, but it's not so bad when you look at it this way.
Figaro. The fun doesn't stop here. I think it's time for it to settle, so let's head down.
On the ground, a large number of sparkling blue berries were scattered around. With a light flick of Figaro's finger, a few pieces floated in the air and trembled as if brushing off their own dirt.
Figaro. Here you go, sage. Try this.
Akira. Thank you so much.
( The explosion earlier was amazing, but they are delicious…? It was said Rutile and his friends enjoyed them… )
I accepted the offered piece, and with a pounding heart, brought it to my mouth.
Akira. …Mm! It’s sweet! Kind of reminds me of chocolate…
Figaro. Glad you approve. This is what's in the Bombastine. I wanted you to experience it firsthand.
Nero. A single one is precious, and yet…. With that many, you could make parfaits, cakes, and so on.
Figaro. Oh, now that's something to look forward to.
Nero. Hold on, I didn't say I'd make it... Although, yeah, if there's enough to go around, maybe I'll give it a try.
Figaro. Ahaha, I appreciate that. Bet Rutile and the others will be happy to hear it.
Akira. I'm looking forward to it too!
Figaro. Well then, for the sake of everyone, let's pick up a bunch and head home.
** I got many results for the name of this bombtastic delicacy: bomstine, bombstine, bombsteine, bombastine and went with the one I felt was the funnest to say out loud . I am also not 100% certain if it’s a fruit or a nut due the kanji being used; however, seeing as they were frightened of the debris flying around, figured it was a safe assumption to be a fruit protected by a hard-shell.
~ TRANSLATION MASTERLIST ~
