Hello again all. I go by That-Which-Isn't and what follows is my attempt at translating the fourth book of Asakihara Shinobu's こちら秘封探偵事務所 or "This is the Hifuu Detective Agency." The original series is available, with illustrations, a theme song and links to associated youtube videos on the author's website at longnovel dot com /touhou.
This book comprises the Imperishable Night arc, which is quite a bit longer than any of the previous arcs, both in terms of the number of chapters and the length of each. This story also caries a few more warnings than most, with discussions of self-harm, suicide, murder, extreme violence, death, various bodily functions, and injury and illness. Most of this is handled in a very PG, surface level way, but chapter 4 in particular contains a graphic depiction of self-injury. Reader discretion is advised if this is a sensitive topic for you.
This story also has a few more difficult to translate passages than any of the previous books, including a few with complex technical jargon and a few plot points or jokes that depend on the specific way the original Japanese was written, which I've done my best to try to render in English. The intro story at the beginning of each chapter, a version of the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter was also written in flowery, old-fashioned language that completely stumped me. I ended up replacing those sections with what I believe are the corresponding passages from a old professional translation of that fairy tale. It may not be a perfect match, but as far as I can tell it should line up. In all cases I've made my best effort, but I'm not a professional.
With those warnings in place, I will now step back and let the narrator guide you through the rest of the story. I thank you for reading, and hope that you enjoy the story to come.