Some bonus reading for Thanksgiving this year. I’ve been wanting to write this for quite awhile now, and I needed a tiny break from Narcissu side 2nd today.

Taken from the novel Shakugan no Shana 12 (灼眼のシャナXII), this is the last 3 pages of the epilogue (247-250). Here. the flashback stories of the human Johan and tomogara Pheles, from since before Johan’s birth, to Pheles taking him as a child, to them traveling around the world as she raised him, finally come to an end in this scene.

Here, we see the creation of the hougu(treasure) Reiji Maigo, as well as the pair who would be called 「約束の二人」(engage link), “the promised two.”

With the coming of Pheles in the second season of Shakugan no Shana, I wonder if this scene will appear in the show at some point.

Essentially, it is a beautiful proposal. Even those not particularly familiar with the series should be able to appreciate that, even ignoring the occasional terms that pop up

There are probably a few typos in the Japanese as I was transcribing things, though I don’t think they’re fatal errors. As always, comments, corrections, etc. are welcome.

Update: Looks like the scene in question has come to pass in the anime, in Shakugan no Shana the Second, episode 14. Though they compressed it a fair ways, and since they had to link into the flow of the ongoing story, they put a much darker tone to the whole scene. In the books, these scenes were more or less disjoint snippets inserted into the main story flow.

---

少年は座ったままの恋人に手を差し出した。
The young man held his hand out to his seated lover.

「僕は、ずっと不思議に思ってた。両界における狭間の物体「宝具」は、人間の望み、徒が望むとき生まれるという…だけど、僕らは宝具を一つも作れなかった。僕らほど心と望みを重ね合わせている人間と「徒」はいないというのに」
“I had always thought it was mysterious. How the things said to be born between both worlds, the hougu, are born when the wishes of humans, are wished by tomogara… and yet, we are not able to make a single hougu. Even though there isn’t any human and tomogara who share desires as us.

少年は、手を引いて恋人を立たせた。
The young man pulled his hand and his lover up.

「それはなぜなのか、僕はずっと考え続けていた」
“Why that was so, I had always thought of.”

少年は、恋人の肩に手を添えた。
The young man placed his hand on his lover’s shoulder.

「でもね、答えは簡単だったんだ。気付いてみれば、全く簡単なこと。。。僕らの願いは、唯一つきり。他の願いは全部オマケだったんから」
“But you see, the answer was simple. when you notice it, it’s a very simple thing… Our wish, is but one. Other wishes, all of them, come along for free.”

少年は、恋人が己の意図に気付き、驚く様を見つめた。
The young man watched his lover seemed surprised that her inner feelings were noticed.

「僕の望みは、君の願いは、「ずっと一緒にいたい」。。。それだけだったんだよ」
“My wish, your desire, is “to be together forever”… simply that.”

少年あ抗議する恋人に、語りかけた。
The young man spoke to his protesting lover.

「君の、望みでもあるんだ、フィレス」
“It is also your wish, Pheles”

少年は、なおも抵抗する恋人を、抱きしめた。
The young man embraced his still-resisting lover.

「じゃあ、君は、僕がいなくなっても、大丈夫？」
“Then, you are fine, without me?”

少年は、固まった恋人に優しく告げた。
The young man gently told his stiffened lover.

「君は僕を愛してる。僕も、君を愛してる。僕らは、一緒にいたい、離れたくない、絶対にだ。その望みを、一緒に持っている。それを、僕は確信してる。」
“You love me. And I also love you. We want to be together, don’t want to be apart, absolutely. That wish, we both hold. That, I’m sure of.”

少年は、抱きしめた恋人の肩の上で、呟いた。
The young man whispered above his lover’s shoulder.

「だから今まで、必死に研究してきた。僕らの望みをかなえる宝具は、まさにソレなのだから。そして、そうなって、今のように君に迷惑ばかりかける、ひ弱い人間でありたくもない」
“That’s why, I desperately researched. Because the hougu that would grant our wish, was exactly that. And then, also, I don’t want to be a weak human that only brings you trouble like now.”

少年は、恋人の肩が震えているのが知った。
The young man knew that his lover’s shoulders were shaking.

「でもね、だからだよ、僕の愛する人。僕は、君という人に相応しい男で在ろうとしてきた。ただの願望だけじゃない。君を支えて一緒に歩ける力を持つ、そんあ男なろう。そう決めて励んできたんだ」
“But, you see, that’s why, my beloved. I tried to become a man that was suitable for you. Not just simply wishing, I decided to strive to become the man that holds the power to walk together with you.”

少年は、恋人を離した。
The young man stepped away from his lover.

「こう見えても、僕の自分の器に自信があるんだよ？僕は、自分が持っている”存在の力”を、常に感じて、計ってきた。。。僕の器は、大きい。誰のおかげかな。考える頭をくれた父さん？君を惹き付ける笑顔をくれた母さん？いや。。。全てを与えてくれた、君なんだ」
“Even looking like this, I have faith in the size of my vessel, you know? The power of existence that I hold, always feeling it, measuring… my vessel is, large. Who do I thank for that? The father who gave me this thoughtful mind? The mother that gave me the smile that draws you? No… the one that gave me everything, was you.’

少年は、恋人と手を繋いだ。
The young man linked hands with his lover.

「行こう。僕ら二人の、本当の願いを叶えよう。一緒にいよう。君と共に、僕は永遠となる。永遠となって、君を支え、君と歩く。君が望みさえすれば、それが叶う」
“Let’s go. Let us grant our true wish. Let us be together. With you, I will become eternity. Becoming eternity, supporting you, I will walk with you. If you but wish it, then it will be granted”

少年は、恋人と眼下を見下ろした。
The young man turned his eyes downward with his lover.

「なぜ今日、僕がこの時計塔に登ろう、って言ったか、分かる？」
“Do you know why I asked to climb this clock tower today?”

少年は、恋人と見つめ合った。
The young man matched gazes with his lover.

「これこそ、僕の目指す有り様、僕らが作る宝具に相応しい材料だったからだ」
“It is because this, is exactly what I aim at, the perfect material for to for us to make our hougu.“

少年は、恋人に引かれて歩き出した。
The young man walked of, pulling his lover along.

「時計は、必ずここに回帰する。日が巡り、星が巡り、月が巡るように。そしてまた新しい、今が始まることを知る」
“Clocks, always return here. As the sun revolves, the starts revolve, the moon revolves. And then all anew, a new ‘now’ is known.”

少年は、恋人と、空へと参った。
The young man rose into the sky with his lover.

「フィレス、僕らの宝具を作ろう」
“Pheles, let us make our hougu.“

少年は、恋人と、空の中で踊った。
The young man danced in the sky with his lover.

「フィレス、時の継ぎ目を迷わせて、僕と永久に、君と共に、ここに在ろう」
“Pheles, let us confuse the seams of time, and forever with me, together with you, let’s be here.”

少年は、恋人と踊る度に、足元の時計塔がばらけるのを眺めた。
The young man, while dancing with his lover, watched the clock tower at their feet break apart.

「フィレス、時に悪戯をしよう。巡った時を、零時で迷子にしてやろう。」
“Pheles, let us play a trick on time. Let us make spinning time lost at midnight (reiji)”

少年は、恋人と踊る内に、周囲を時計の部品で取り囲まれているのを知った。
The young man, while dancing with his lover, knew that they were being surrounded by the parts of the clock.

「フィレス、さあ、望んで。僕と永久にありたいと」
“Pheles, now wish. To be with me forever.”

少年は己の体に時計塔の部品が飛び込み、存在の変質してゆくのを感じた。
The young man felt his own body fly into the parts of the clock tower, felt his existence changing.

「そうして僕は、君と永久に在るためのーー”ミステス”となる」
“And then, in order to be with you… will become a mystes”

少年は、誓う。
The young man swore.

「—さあ、僕の時を、止まれ。美しき、君と在るために—」
“— Come, stop my time. That I may be with the beautiful you —”