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DRT1.3.8: Threeway Battle, section 8
Find previous chapters at the Navigation Index.
Danganronpa Togami Volume 1: Multiple Counts of Attempted World Domination
Chapter 3: Threeway Battle
8
A "decoration truck". Or "dekotora" for short.[1] With an overabundance of decorative lights, a gleaming body kit, and downright gaudy coating on the shipping container, these trucks are nevertheless considered art nowadays, as part of Japan's unique culture.
It was a bizarre vehicle, controlled by some young truckers, visible even on the nearby highway and in the parking lot.
But if this dekotora was here—not in Tochigi or Chiba Prefecture, but here, in the Czech Republic—with Hope's Peak students inside, then this was a game-changer.
As the dekotora parked near the Church of Bones, I noticed the words "Luxury and Opulence" and "The Princess Business" on the front, and a gigantic painting of Princess Sonia on the side of the shipping container. The illustration was accompanied by some more words, and I'm pretty sure my IQ dropped several points just by reading them:
Raised with the tenderest of care,
I was Princess before I knew it.
My noble schooling may've brought me to tears,
But I shall show you the flower of hope blooming.
Let's go
Beyond the full stop...
~ Sonia Nevermind
"There may have been some confusion, but I believe we have made it in time." The metallic door to the driver's seat opened, and Princess Sonia stepped out.
She was met with a shower of cheers. The crowd that had just a moment ago been consumed with aggression towards us was now going wild over the arrival of the Super High School Level Princess. I guess it's a constant of human history that the best person both to caution the masses and to whip them into a frenzy is a beautiful young woman.
"Citizens of the Czech Republic, I offer my most sincere apologies regarding the recent scandal involving Hope's Peak Academy." Princess Sonia bowed her head at a graceful angle. "I understand what would make all of you want to toss Byakuya Togami-san in the nearest trash can and be done with him. But can you find it in your hearts to allow me to handle this issue? Can you allow me to rectify hope's misstep?"
What enviable influence.[2] She hadn't actually said much of consequence, but the crowd lapped up the atmosphere that implied she had, calming completely.
"Sonia-saaan! Sonia-san, please waaaait!" Souda-san clambered over the gate that the dekotora had broken.
Using Borges' parabolic microphone function, I focused in on their conversation.
"Fret not, Souda-san, and raise your head."
"Hey... Hahh, hahhhhh that's not it, Sonia-san. I'm not feelin' down, I'm just tired. I kinda, ran top speed all the way here."
"Would it not have been better to ride on the dekotora? You were the one who went to all the trouble of making this in the first place, after all."
"I get motion sickness real bad. Did you forget?"
"You do have to go a bit out of your way to see those scenes."
"Please don't call them scenes!"
"Then how did you make it here all the way from Japan, Souda-san?"
"Did you forget that too? A certain someone said 'If you're afraid of flying then you can just sleep through it,' then shot me up with who knows what was in that needle! I mean, it did knock me out for the whole flight, but..."
"Almost like King Kong, isn't it? Please sleep peacefully, just like the box office flop version."[3]
"Yeeeaaahhhh, that hurts more than I think you realize, Sonia-san."
"Is the information we received about Togami-san entering the Church of Bones reliable?"
"He was caught on tape by the security cameras. Though it looks like those two are still with him right now."
"How is the Imposter doing?"
"You heard the speech earlier, didn't you? He's already having the time of his life playing Byakuya Togami. Though he's kinda tweaking the character some to make him more of a 'good guy' than the original."
"Togami-san is a cookie-cutter example of the 'easily misunderstood type', after all. Like Xellos or Howard, although perhaps easier to understand than that."[4]
"Uh, I have no idea what you're talking about..."
"Boy howdy, if you ain't got Sonia all choked up here."[5]
"Um, aaanyway, the Imposter guy's in peak condition. Now if we can just get our hands on the real Byakuya Togami while we're here, we'll be set, so cheer up, Sonia-san!"
"That is true. I suppose having you assassinated as a national threat simply because you do not share my interests would not be for the best."
"Any nation running that wild is just plain scary!"
"Fret not."
"This is worth fretting about!"
"Now then, it's time for us to do our job. And then, we shall place the world in checkmate!" Princess Sonia burst out with a total non sequitur signature line, facing us where we were perched by the steeples and pointing dramatically.
There were more words than I could count that were bothering me in all that, but they would have to wait until later.
Princess Sonia. Souda-san. Hope's Peak students were officially coming to attack us. I had to think of a way to get out of this situation. I had to think of a way to at least just survive. Just like back then.
Scanning the perimeter, it looked like the area was under the control of Princess Sonia's charisma. The crowd stood still, with a general atmosphere of "Let's just leave the rest up to Hope's Peak" spreading over them.
"I'm ready whenever you are, Sonia-san! I won't get sick if I'm just operating the thing!" Souda-san hopped into the driver's seat, and then the shipping container in the back half of the truck opened up, revealing a cherry picker crane. As the crowd watched in awe, Princess Sonia stepped onto the platform, and with a motorized whirr, the crane extended up towards the steeples where we were.
"At this moment, I understand the feelings of the Asama-Sansou incident's wrecking ball, and of Sachiko Kobayashi, both at the same time!"[6]
So she meant she was going to ride up here herself? A simple, but therefore effective method of capture. We didn't have any weapons to drive her back with, so we could only stand and watch Princess Sonia approach, like children waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. The laser rangefinder function that came with Borges displayed exactly how far away she was as she drew nearer.
20 meters. 14 meters. 8 meters...
"That's enough of that, you pack of morons."
Now that I thought about it, I hadn't seen Byakuya-sama in a while. On one of the three steeples... I now spotted him. Sitting on the edge of the tower, golden hair fluttering, legs calmly crossed. In front of the crowd. In the presence of the enemy. Fair and square. Smiling like a demonic overlord.
Translator's Notes
[1] dekotora - Pictures might help you visualize it. Obviously, the shortening "dekotora" doesn't come from the English directly, but from the Japanese katakana transliteration dekoreeshon torakku.
[2] enviable influence - In case you were wondering, yes, the phrase used is the same as the skill Sonia gives you in DR2 (and that Togami gives you in DR1).
[3] King Kong - I believe falling asleep for an overseas journey is being tied to the plot of King Kong vs. Godzilla here, but then Sonia gratuitously takes the opportunity to compare Souda himself to one of the other, less commercially successful King Kong films on a meta-level. RIP Souda.
[4] Xellos or Howard - Xellos (from Slayers) and Howard (from Uninhabited Planet Survive!) are two other characters voiced by Akira Ishida, Togami's Japanese voice actor. I will leave the drawing of any parallels between either of them and Togami up to you.
[5] Boy howdy ... - this line as a whole is in the Osaka dialect with Sonia referring to herself in the third person, for some reason. If it's a reference to something, I couldn't find it readily on Google.
[6] Asama-Sansou/Sachiko Kobayashi - well these are two very different references. The Asama-Sansou incident was a Japanese hostage situation in the '70s in which the police used a wrecking ball to break into the building. Meanwhile, Sachiko Kobayashi is a famous enka singer. She's also kind of a meme in Japan, nicknamed the "Last Boss", for her performances that have her raised on platforms in gigantic elaborate dresses. It's hard to describe in text, so you can look at this article with pictures, or check out a performance video yourself. Incidentally, she is also the singer of the Monokuma Ondo which was featured in the DR anime. That video has Monokuma rise up in the background in a similar winged costume as a parody. (I may or may not have lost a couple hours of translation from watching a lot of these videos.)
Stay tuned for the next update next Sunday (PST)!
Feel free to comment, keeping these rules in mind!
Danganronpa Togami Volume 1: Multiple Counts of Attempted World Domination
Chapter 3: Threeway Battle
8
A "decoration truck". Or "dekotora" for short.[1] With an overabundance of decorative lights, a gleaming body kit, and downright gaudy coating on the shipping container, these trucks are nevertheless considered art nowadays, as part of Japan's unique culture.
It was a bizarre vehicle, controlled by some young truckers, visible even on the nearby highway and in the parking lot.
But if this dekotora was here—not in Tochigi or Chiba Prefecture, but here, in the Czech Republic—with Hope's Peak students inside, then this was a game-changer.
As the dekotora parked near the Church of Bones, I noticed the words "Luxury and Opulence" and "The Princess Business" on the front, and a gigantic painting of Princess Sonia on the side of the shipping container. The illustration was accompanied by some more words, and I'm pretty sure my IQ dropped several points just by reading them:
Raised with the tenderest of care,
I was Princess before I knew it.
My noble schooling may've brought me to tears,
But I shall show you the flower of hope blooming.
Let's go
Beyond the full stop...
~ Sonia Nevermind
"There may have been some confusion, but I believe we have made it in time." The metallic door to the driver's seat opened, and Princess Sonia stepped out.
She was met with a shower of cheers. The crowd that had just a moment ago been consumed with aggression towards us was now going wild over the arrival of the Super High School Level Princess. I guess it's a constant of human history that the best person both to caution the masses and to whip them into a frenzy is a beautiful young woman.
"Citizens of the Czech Republic, I offer my most sincere apologies regarding the recent scandal involving Hope's Peak Academy." Princess Sonia bowed her head at a graceful angle. "I understand what would make all of you want to toss Byakuya Togami-san in the nearest trash can and be done with him. But can you find it in your hearts to allow me to handle this issue? Can you allow me to rectify hope's misstep?"
What enviable influence.[2] She hadn't actually said much of consequence, but the crowd lapped up the atmosphere that implied she had, calming completely.
"Sonia-saaan! Sonia-san, please waaaait!" Souda-san clambered over the gate that the dekotora had broken.
Using Borges' parabolic microphone function, I focused in on their conversation.
"Fret not, Souda-san, and raise your head."
"Hey... Hahh, hahhhhh that's not it, Sonia-san. I'm not feelin' down, I'm just tired. I kinda, ran top speed all the way here."
"Would it not have been better to ride on the dekotora? You were the one who went to all the trouble of making this in the first place, after all."
"I get motion sickness real bad. Did you forget?"
"You do have to go a bit out of your way to see those scenes."
"Please don't call them scenes!"
"Then how did you make it here all the way from Japan, Souda-san?"
"Did you forget that too? A certain someone said 'If you're afraid of flying then you can just sleep through it,' then shot me up with who knows what was in that needle! I mean, it did knock me out for the whole flight, but..."
"Almost like King Kong, isn't it? Please sleep peacefully, just like the box office flop version."[3]
"Yeeeaaahhhh, that hurts more than I think you realize, Sonia-san."
"Is the information we received about Togami-san entering the Church of Bones reliable?"
"He was caught on tape by the security cameras. Though it looks like those two are still with him right now."
"How is the Imposter doing?"
"You heard the speech earlier, didn't you? He's already having the time of his life playing Byakuya Togami. Though he's kinda tweaking the character some to make him more of a 'good guy' than the original."
"Togami-san is a cookie-cutter example of the 'easily misunderstood type', after all. Like Xellos or Howard, although perhaps easier to understand than that."[4]
"Uh, I have no idea what you're talking about..."
"Boy howdy, if you ain't got Sonia all choked up here."[5]
"Um, aaanyway, the Imposter guy's in peak condition. Now if we can just get our hands on the real Byakuya Togami while we're here, we'll be set, so cheer up, Sonia-san!"
"That is true. I suppose having you assassinated as a national threat simply because you do not share my interests would not be for the best."
"Any nation running that wild is just plain scary!"
"Fret not."
"This is worth fretting about!"
"Now then, it's time for us to do our job. And then, we shall place the world in checkmate!" Princess Sonia burst out with a total non sequitur signature line, facing us where we were perched by the steeples and pointing dramatically.
There were more words than I could count that were bothering me in all that, but they would have to wait until later.
Princess Sonia. Souda-san. Hope's Peak students were officially coming to attack us. I had to think of a way to get out of this situation. I had to think of a way to at least just survive. Just like back then.
Scanning the perimeter, it looked like the area was under the control of Princess Sonia's charisma. The crowd stood still, with a general atmosphere of "Let's just leave the rest up to Hope's Peak" spreading over them.
"I'm ready whenever you are, Sonia-san! I won't get sick if I'm just operating the thing!" Souda-san hopped into the driver's seat, and then the shipping container in the back half of the truck opened up, revealing a cherry picker crane. As the crowd watched in awe, Princess Sonia stepped onto the platform, and with a motorized whirr, the crane extended up towards the steeples where we were.
"At this moment, I understand the feelings of the Asama-Sansou incident's wrecking ball, and of Sachiko Kobayashi, both at the same time!"[6]
So she meant she was going to ride up here herself? A simple, but therefore effective method of capture. We didn't have any weapons to drive her back with, so we could only stand and watch Princess Sonia approach, like children waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. The laser rangefinder function that came with Borges displayed exactly how far away she was as she drew nearer.
20 meters. 14 meters. 8 meters...
"That's enough of that, you pack of morons."
Now that I thought about it, I hadn't seen Byakuya-sama in a while. On one of the three steeples... I now spotted him. Sitting on the edge of the tower, golden hair fluttering, legs calmly crossed. In front of the crowd. In the presence of the enemy. Fair and square. Smiling like a demonic overlord.
Translator's Notes
[1] dekotora - Pictures might help you visualize it. Obviously, the shortening "dekotora" doesn't come from the English directly, but from the Japanese katakana transliteration dekoreeshon torakku.
[2] enviable influence - In case you were wondering, yes, the phrase used is the same as the skill Sonia gives you in DR2 (and that Togami gives you in DR1).
[3] King Kong - I believe falling asleep for an overseas journey is being tied to the plot of King Kong vs. Godzilla here, but then Sonia gratuitously takes the opportunity to compare Souda himself to one of the other, less commercially successful King Kong films on a meta-level. RIP Souda.
[4] Xellos or Howard - Xellos (from Slayers) and Howard (from Uninhabited Planet Survive!) are two other characters voiced by Akira Ishida, Togami's Japanese voice actor. I will leave the drawing of any parallels between either of them and Togami up to you.
[5] Boy howdy ... - this line as a whole is in the Osaka dialect with Sonia referring to herself in the third person, for some reason. If it's a reference to something, I couldn't find it readily on Google.
[6] Asama-Sansou/Sachiko Kobayashi - well these are two very different references. The Asama-Sansou incident was a Japanese hostage situation in the '70s in which the police used a wrecking ball to break into the building. Meanwhile, Sachiko Kobayashi is a famous enka singer. She's also kind of a meme in Japan, nicknamed the "Last Boss", for her performances that have her raised on platforms in gigantic elaborate dresses. It's hard to describe in text, so you can look at this article with pictures, or check out a performance video yourself. Incidentally, she is also the singer of the Monokuma Ondo which was featured in the DR anime. That video has Monokuma rise up in the background in a similar winged costume as a parody. (I may or may not have lost a couple hours of translation from watching a lot of these videos.)
Stay tuned for the next update next Sunday (PST)!
Feel free to comment, keeping these rules in mind!