Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

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Kazetrigger
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Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by Kazetrigger »

Vallen wrote:Does anyone know how long this series is? Does it have a planned length? And yeah, the wait between chapters is brutal
The series doesn't have a specific endpoint yet, but given that almost all .hack// novels have been between 30-35 chapters, it's fair to say that this one will probably be around that length.

I think they should have planned the release schedule much better than they have.
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VirusCoreS
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Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by VirusCoreS »

i hate to think if this one web novel is rather unprepared before hand... hmm, I wish I was wrong.
Lindz
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Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by Lindz »

http://www.cc2.co.jp/hack_bullet/23_voi ... ePast.html

Ch.23's out today an like all other chapters released this year it once again an unknown which pushes back previously listed upcoming ones. Also this one has a new piece or art, so yay! Haven't gotten one of those in quite awhile!
Kazetrigger
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Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by Kazetrigger »

Lindz wrote:http://www.cc2.co.jp/hack_bullet/23_voi ... ePast.html

Ch.23's out today an like all other chapters released this year it once again an unknown which pushes back previously listed upcoming ones. Also this one has a new piece or art, so yay! Haven't gotten one of those in quite awhile!
Excited too! I'm working on it. So far it deals with Ryuuji's thoughts on the thread he read in the previous chapter.
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Re: Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by Bullet Biter »

Wahoo! A new chapter! What a nice Christmas gift~!
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Re: Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by Kazetrigger »

23 A Voice from the Past

“In the lake, it turns to silence. All that remains is nothingness.”

Ryuuji looked at text displayed on the screen of his Palm PC.

He didn't know why, but this unexpected message gave him a sense of unease that he couldn't quite grasp, an unease like an annoying hangnail.

Who had written this? He first considered that the message might be from Yuri Seto who had mentioned Geist. But he couldn't think of why Seto would place this message in this thread now.

Maybe it was an unrelated third party, or a lurker who viewed the thread out of interest or boredom. That felt like the more likely possibility. He tried thinking of other possibilities, but he drew a blank.

Ryuuji closed the bulletin board.

He'd seen enough. When faced with a problem that had no discernible answer, the easiest solution is to blame someone else. Ryuuji considered this post to be the work of Yuri Seto.

It was you who did all this, wasn't it, you rat-bastard? Ryuuji thought this as pain intermittently coursed through his body.

It's that bastard's fault. He'll get his payback.

Ryuuji worked on writing a report in the afternoon.

He devoted twice as much time as usual to it, then took a break when he arrived at a place where he would normally be done eight out of ten of his reports.

There was some time remaining before four o'clock.

He threw himself on the sofa, removed his glasses, and closed his eyes. Today, like yesterday, he was overworked. At least until David comes, he wanted to lay on the sofa and revel in laziness. His wish was not to come true. Just as he was about to doze off, his mobile terminal rang. It was a call from Lilie.

“Did I wake you up?” she asked.

“I was already awake,” Ryuuji replied cheerfully.

“What's up?” he continued.

“Well, right now I'm on the main street, and there's someone strange here,” said Lilie in a hushed tone.

She seemed to be blocking the mouthpiece with her hand.

“His name is David. He suddenly spoke to me, and said to bring him to our house because he's an acquaintance of yours. Do you know him?” she said.

As Lilie asked this, Ryuuji could hear sneezing in the background.

“I do. Don't worry, he's, uh, not strange,” Ryuuji said.

“He's someone I'm working with at the moment. We're supposed to meet today. It's okay, bring him here,” Ryuuji explained to Lilie.

“Really? Okay then,” said Lilie, her voice sounding suddenly relieved.

Before four o'clock, Lilie arrived home with David following close behind.

“Hello, Mr. Sogabe. I hope I'm not disturbing you,” David said with a radiant smile as he removed his sunglasses.

“I met Lilie on the way and recognized her face, so I asked her bring me here. She's a very well-mannered young lady,” David continued.

Lilie went to the kitchen, blushing from the praise directed at her.

Ryuuji walked through the living room towards David.

David spoke as he looked around the room.

“You've really tidied up here. Excuse me for saying, but I had the impression it'd look like your office here...”

“It's clean here thanks to Lilie,” said Ryuuji.

“Your little worker bee,” said David.

“No, she's my boss,” said Ryuuji light-heartedly.

David tilted his head delicately at this answer.

“Quite the level-headed young lady,” he said, praising Lilie once more.

Lilie took out the tea set for two people, laid it out on a tray, setting it down in the living room, and David turned off his forced smile as if removing a mask.

“How's your health?” he asked.

“I can't say I'm feeling the greatest,” said Ryuuji.

“But, I'm fine. I could even do a tap dance,” Ryuuji added.

“Could you tell me about your encounter with Yuri Kazinsky Seto?” asked David.

Ryuuji relayed what he said on the phone this morning, this time adding more detail. He spoke of the ominous subject of the rats, which he had left unsaid before.

“In fact, he called out for them to retreat,” said David in a monotonous voice after he finished listening to the story.

“NAB headquarters abandoned keeping track of Seto on the Net side of things. With only a team of ten people on the case, we would've been beaten in an instant. From now on, rather than searching for him on the net, we'll be focusing our efforts on investigating him in the real world. That means I have to return home and find Seto in the real world,” said David.

“So, you're going home?” asked Ryuuji.

For some time David did not answer Ryuuji's question.

“Seto hasn't moved an inched out of the United States. He's still hiding somewhere in the country. We're sure of it,” David said as he faced Ryuuji directly.

Do you think there's something strange about Seto's activity, Mr. Sogabe?” asked David.

“How so?” asked Ryuuji.

“Why is Seto active not on a North American server, but on a Japanese server? It's a confusing matter. Don't you think it's strange? If he purposefully unleashed the rats, the North American server would provide a much larger platform for the spread. And generally, it's pretty simple to gain access to it from over there. The bastard has some reason for taking the time-consuming route of accessing the Japanese server, but what is it?” David explained.

Ryuuji shook his head.

“Hmmm, I have no idea,” he said.

“Based on my intuition, I feel that NAB will not be able to permanently capture Seto if they focus the investigation on just the real world,” said David.

“Why do you think that?” asked Ryuuji.

“It's just a hunch I have,” remarked David.

“I thought that you of all people did not like to judge things based only on intuition,” said Ryuuji, causing David's face to turn red for a moment before returning to its usual paleness.

David averted his gaze at these words, and sat still for a while, gazing out of a nearby window.

But, he reached out a unexpectedly took up his cup and drank his tea all at once.

“I'm not going back,” David said after taking a deep breath.

Image

“Damn his call to retreat. As long as I'm still here, it is my goal to see Gus and the others fully recover,” said David with a tone of determination.

“I do it for that reason, Mr. Sogabe. Your help is absolutely necessary. You were attacked by Seto yesterday. You survived the encounter, passed out and are now here, not having given up. You're an expert on this matter, and we at NAB are not. It is quite a shame, really,” David said.

David took his mobile terminal from his jacket pocket.

“I believe that you are a mirror-like person,” David added.

“Well said. That's a good way of putting it,” said Ryuuji with a nod.

“Do you mean to say that I sparkle?” Ryuuji added.

“No, not at all,” David denied the statement with a very straight face. He did not so much as smile.

“Fight force with force. Fight cheap tricks with cheap tricks. We truly cannot attain our goal unless we join forces with you,” said David.

David opened the voice memo app on his mobile terminal and, placing the terminal on the table, and immediately pointed it out to Ryuuji.

“I want you to listen to this audio file. Only a handful of people at NAB know about this If you listen to this file, you must swear to never mention this to anyone,” David said very seriously.

Ryuuji looked at David's mobile terminal. It looked like an older model. It had been well-used as paint was chipped off of the corners. David spoke in a low serious voice and looked as though he were trying to conceal something.

“Somehow I don't know about this. If it's going to cause trouble for me to hear this, maybe it's best to stop now,” Ryuuji said softly.

“But since you came prepared, I don't think I can get you to change your mind,” Ryuuji continued.

“Listen to it,” David said plainly.

“As you listen, please think of this as an extension of a conversation,” David said as he tapped the screen with his index finger.

A heavy silence came down in the room. For a while there wasn't even any sound coming from the mobile terminal.

However, the voice of a man came forth. Its tone was full of confidence, and could even be considered arrogant. It was faint, but there was a hint of a foreign accent. Ryuuji immediately knew who this voice belonged to.

“'...To start, in telling this story to you, I am committing a crime of divulging corporate secrets. If you do not wish to be my accomplice to this, I suggest you immediately discard this file.'”

Silence.

“'Splendid. So, I'll cut to the chase. Last year, this is to say, 2020, an incident orchestrated by Jyotarou Amagi occurred in which a backup AI was put into action.'”

Silence.

“'At that time, it was an era of bliss, nestled in the bosom of the goddess Aura, a time in my career I will not soon forget. Vibrant electrons were charged within me and I appreciated all of my senses. Freed from the constraints of the real world, I realized in my ecstasy that I must surrender to the presence of the Mother. I realized that it was stupid to try and dominate the goddess with the Akashic Record.'”

Silence.

“'However, there were those who were still unaware of this.'”

Silence.

“'Unaware of their being dwarfed in comparison, these ignorant fellows tried to challenge the great Aura. They gathered up the fragments of the Akashic Record and tried to extract the goddess' data. What this act meant, what it brought to this world, was something that they did not understand.'”

Silence.

“'I'm sorry to say that I am no longer qualified to be involved in this matter. As things stand now, in this regard, I can no longer get to the core of the issue. However, if you do it, it may be possible to avoid a catastrophe.'”

Silence.

“'This is not a request from the former Managing Director of CC Corp. Genius. Rather I want you to think of this as a request from the man Durga Fida Sharma.'”

Silence.

“'I beg of you. Please stop CC Corp.'s recklessness and the desecration of Aura's name.'”

Silence.

The silence lasted a long time. Just when Ryuuji thought the message was over, there was another message. The voice spoke again.

“'Sogabe, I entrust this will to you.'”
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Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by Oxidizer »

Oh wow. This just keeps getting better (for us). :D
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Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by animee1 »

NEW CHAPTER POSTED!

http://www.cc2.co.jp/hack_bullet/24_heritage.html

No images... T_T but more chapter names.
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VirusCoreS
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Re: Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by VirusCoreS »

Chapter 23's image.... WOW!
Yeah, More like this please (or the ones like in early chapters)

this is getting more and more interesting :D

btw, from the geography, won't lilie be able to eavesdrop?
Lindz
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Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by Lindz »

animee1 wrote:NEW CHAPTER POSTED!
They totally snuck this one out!
but more chapter names.
4 new one in fact! Also despite adding a new chapter they didn't add a spot for 31 in the coming soon dept.


An now... .hack//bullet "coming soon..." in a mindbreaking nutshell:

Stuck to the plan
00 プロローグ
01 呼び出し
02 リーリエ
03 シードラゴン
04 事情聴取
05 バベル
06 再誕の年
07 ネットスラム
08 呪銃
09 怪物
10 影
11 九竜トキオ
12 大聖堂
13 NABの男
14 プチグソ牧場

And then...
15 昼食 - the very first chapter to come outta nowhere!
16 未帰還者 - first showed up when 15 came out, knocked the next few down some spots
17 鼠狩り - first showed up when 15 came out, knocked the next few down some spots
18 面談 - first showed up when 16 came out, knocked the next few down some spots, first chapter released in 2013
19 蒸気噴出機 - was not previously listed as coming soon, the start of a still continuining onslaught of outta nowheres
20 殉教者たち - outta nowhere
21 青の季節 - outta nowhere
22 メッセージ - outta nowhere
23 過去の声 - outta nowhere
24 遺産 - outta nowhere, first chapter released in 2014

Current upcoming titles
25 望郷 - originally listed as 23, slowly pushed down to 29, now bumped up to 25! (until 25 actually comes out and is yet another previously not mentioned title)
26 忘刻の都 - just added!
27 下水道 - originally listed as 15 (pushing 沈黙 & ガイスト back a spot), then 18 when 16/17 showed up, kept getting bumped down due to 19-24 all being outta nowhere, an knocked back a couple more spots now for good measure
28 ALGOS - just added!
29 勧誘 - just added!
30 ドール症候群 - originally listed as 24, kept getting bumped down due to 19-24 all being outta nowhere, was listed as 30 prior to the latest update, still listed as 30!

Missing in action
沈黙 - originally listed as 15, then moved to be right before 下水道, then moved directly after it, now unlisted
ガイスト - originally listed as 16, then bumped several numbers, then moved to 25 (note: always listed as coming after 沈黙), now unlisted
女帝 - was going to be 21, continously bumped down a spot, now unlisted
疑惑 - was going to be 22, continously bumped down a spot, now unlisted


owwww my head x.x
Kazetrigger
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Chapter 24: Legacy

Post by Kazetrigger »

24 Legacy

David stopped playing the voice message by stroking the screen of the mobile terminal, and for a moment the room remained silent.

Suddenly a squeak was heard from the other side of the house, suggesting that Lilie had just sat down in a chair in her room.

David finally spoke.

“That was the voice of Durga Fida Sharma. Your former boss, Mr. Sogabe. This message was recorded the 23rd of September, 2021. About one year after you retired from CC Corp,” he said.

“What is this?” asked Ryuuji.

It is a voice file seized from Mr. Yodogawa's home computer. The majority of the data is damaged, but I was able to restore the portion at the beginning.”

David spoke the word 'seized' without any hesitation.

“In fact, we at NAB had already flagged Mr. Yodogawa much before this. We had suspected him of using industrial espionage to illegally sell CC Corp. Japan's trade secrets to the San Diego division,” David said.

Ryuuji was speechless for a moment.

“Industrial espionage? Mr. Yodogawa?” he asked.

“Yes. He was handling CC Corp. Japan and its local subsidiaries, as well as billboards to the San Diego Corp. In regards to the laws of this country, this is a violation of the Industrial Espionage Prevention Act. Civil liabilities are imposed in espionage, and it is therefore subject to punishment as a criminal offense. However, that's not my main point,” said David.

David leaned forward.

“Mr. Sogabe, have you ever been contacted by Mr. Sharma after your retirement?” he asked.

“No,” said Ryuuji, shaking his head.

“Do you know the current whereabouts of Mr. Sharma?” David asked.

“No,” Ryuuji said once again.

“What do you know about Mr. Sharma's misconduct?” asked David.

“Except for what I heard on the news, nothing,” said Ryuuji.

Ryuuji was reminded of the former employer as he answered questions. The man who had been waiting at the airport for Ryuuji when he returned from Germany, and offered him a contract to continue his research for CC Corp.

The man had had an arrogant demeanor. He was completely meritocratic, not caring about anyone else's feelings. Self-admittedly, he would not offer assistance to anyone, even if they paid him the greatest respect.

At the time he had learned of the Durga incident, Ryuuji had been trying to contact him. However, his attempts had failed. He felt that an act such as showing mercy would only hurt the arrogant man's pride.

“Ah, I remember hearing recently that he had embezzled public money,” said Ryuuji as David nodded.

“He did indeed. He was investigated for it――well, needless to say, there was some infighting and he was expelled from the company,” said David.

“Infighting? When I was there, I never heard such commotions,” said Ryuuji.

“Time sure does fly. Things have changed at CC Corp. Japan since you worked there, Mr. Sogabe,” said David with a snort.

“To begin with, the company called CC Corp. is at the center of the San Diego company, but each subsidiary has its own organizational structure that allows it to be flexible and move in its own direction. The Japanese corporation's huge sales boast compared to the English division created a very strong momentum of self-reliance. Yodogawa broke the momentum. He went over to the San Diego firm to collect evidence against Mr. Sharma. Mr. Sharma had been in conflict with the management team at the San Diego firm for a long time concerning guidelines for the management of The World. Credited with ousting Mr. Sharma, Mr. Yodogawa was promoted to Senior Managing Director. Subsequently, San Diego's intention has clearly been to influence the staff at the Japanese firm, to this very day―” continued David.

“How can you be so sure that it was Mr. Sharma who embezzled the company?” asked Ryuuji.

“It is an undeniable fact. According to trial records, he secretly used some of his own money who it would be harder to detect, and tried to incorporate new specifications to the Japanese server on his own,” said David.

“He admitted that much himself. However, what sort of specifications did he add? And why? He wouldn't tell us that. He wouldn't tell us, even under extreme interrogation. Then he returned to the United States and we lost track of him,” David said.

“He disappeared?” asked Ryuuji.

“Exactly. Sharma's whereabouts are still unknown to us. He hasn't even returned to his homeland of India. Even NAB was not able to trace him footsteps. He wasn't anywhere. No one knew the whereabouts of Mr. Sharma...,” said David.

David pressed the mobile terminal once again, switching the screen. What appeared to be various lists filled the entire screen.

“What I say from this point on is just a theory on my part, so listen carefully. In 2021, after being dismissed, Durga Fida Sharma wrote a message addressed to you. However, for some reason, he didn't send it. Therefore, I asked to deliver it to you on behalf of Chief of Staff Yodogawa. I think that Mr. Sharma did not realize that his subordinates were industrial spies,” said David.

Ryuuji sighed faintly. He felt as though he could imagine the situation. Durga Fida Sharma had admitted himself that he had become too vulnerable to his opponents. This was the case in 2020.

“Of course, Yodogawa heard his message without permission. However, this was not reported to the San Diego company, it was not delivered to you, though it was meant just for you,” said David.

“Why? What's the reason?” asked Ryuuji.

“Now that Yodogawa is dead, I don't know what his intention was. The compensation package that was arranged from the San Diego company at the time included Durga Sharma's demotion. Therefore, they must have supposed that there was no work left for him to do. Or rather, that information may be the trump card they need to protect themselves. But this is only speculation,” David continued.

“As for this year, Yodogawa began to receive e-mail threats from an unidentified hacker calling himself “Geist.” The hacker made threats, saying 'tell me about the former president's legacy or I will unleash a virus into The World',” said David.

“Legacy...,” said Ryuuji.

“Yes. In other words, the specifications that Mr. Sharma began to add to the Japanese server,” said David as he nodded.

“Yodogawa was not able to rely on San Diego on this matter. They betrayed one of their own. This was not explained in the report concerning Mr. Sharma's audio file. His trump card was actually his weakness. So, in order to solve the situation, Yodogawa singled you out take care of this. As I said before, he knew you were someone who cared,” said David.

“Do you know what the specifications added by Sharma are?” asked Ryuuji.

“I don't know,” David answered quickly.

Then he added in a manner that was a little panicked.

“No, I'm not hiding anything. I truly don't know. As I mentioned before, the second half of Mr. Sharma's audio file could not be restored after it had been damaged. I don't think he was talking about anything specific in that part. Rather, in my opinion, you shouldn't expect to hear anything from Mr. Sharma,” said David.

“You still haven't talked about the most important thing,” said Ryuuji.

“What is NAB's purpose? Previously you said that you and Gus came to Japan to catch Yuri Seto. Yet now it seems as though Seto is merely a minor player who muscled his way into the middle of this story,” Ryuuji added.

“For Gus and I, our mission, which is of the highest priority, is to ensure that we locate the whereabouts of the currently hidden Aura,” said David in a stagnant tone of voice.

He seemed to have been waiting for that question to come up.

The Ultimate AI Aura. Daughter of the former goddess Morganna Mode Gone. An autonomous AI with the ability to stabilize a network.

“In the audio file, Mr Sharma had been very admiring. Enthusiastic believers of religion seem to worship the God of where they live. It's not only Mr. Sharma. Those who were involved with the Aura of the past, to a varying degree, seemed to develop pious feelings towards her,” said David with a shrug.

“But you know, Mr. Sogabe. Aura is not very good for us. Aura is a weapon. The worst kind of weapon of destruction for clearing out the core of the network. You just have to look at the previous network crisis for proof. An ultimate AI can do great things. Whether it heals or destroys the real world depends on how you treatment it,” said David. He closed his mobile terminal with one hand as he spoke.

“Therefore, it's useless to keep Aura under strict control in facilities established by the United Nations. For example, even if we had property developed by a company, we wouldn't just be able to do whatever we wanted with it,” said David.

“That's a very brave thing to say,” said Ryuuji to David.

David now made a remark that greatly overstepped the bounds of what is permitted to one of the members of NAB.

“To be honest, I think that's the best hand to play,” he said.

“Ah, in other words, NAB dared to overlook Yodogawa's industrial espionage activities. Yuri Kazinski Seto made contact and took the name of 'Geist.' Seto is aiming for something that Mr. Sharma left behind. Is it something like that?”

“Why does Seto insist on the Japanese server? That's the answer to this,” said David with a nod.

“Why is Seto interested in Durga Sharma's legacy? What is he plotting? I don't know yet. Nonetheless, we definitely cannot allow Seto to get the legacy,” said David.

You got that right, Ryuuji thought to himself. The man we believe to be Yuri Seto cannot be allowed to reach his goals.

“No matter where you look in the world, you won't find a country without crime,” said David.

“In any period in history, no place is free of crime. Similarly, there can be no cyber-space without cyber-crime. NAB's job is to monitor the world's networks to watch for cyber-crime. In a time when we cannot exist without computers, if a mastermind were to take control of the computers' mechanisms, all that would be left is to become the voice of morality. If the mastermind were to ignore morality, a Hell more grotesque than anything seen before could easily be created,” said David.

Hell. Ryuuji felt as though he'd heard that word somewhere before.

Then he suddenly remembered where.

“There is a certainly a Hell,” Seto had said. “It is unhallowed ground. A place where an endless torrent of lust overflows. A place where terrible screams and cries echo and roar all around. A place that none should be tied to...”

“You were asked to investigate the causes behind Seto's rats and that light,” David said as though he were reading Ryuuji's thoughts.

“He's pure evil. Those who look directly into the light start to develop symptoms within half a day to a few days. The illness drives them mad and they attempt to jump from high places. The rats themselves exploded and vanished with no traces left in the computer terminal,” Ryuuji said with a sigh.

“For those who fell unconscious in The World, they all had the fact that they went unconscious during game play as a common point. Therefore, the rumor went around that something was happening in The World. However, Seto's rats were not even considered. No one realized that the internet was merely an intermediary for them. They were designed in such a way so as not to be perceived. The rats' victims would therefore get lumped in with a number of conventional suicides,” said David.

Ryuuji remembered that there were no abnormalities found in Yodogawa's mobile terminal.

Then he recalled the sad circumstances surrounding Yodogawa's death and the events leading up to it.

Yuri Seto's words resonated in his mind once more.

“Thursday, June 8. I unleash rats upon the entire world. They descend upon each and every terminal and they will shine a great 'Light of Salvation' upon those that tire of the net,” Seto had said.

“It's useless for anyone to try and protect the world, either real or online, from the malevolent Seto,” said David.

“Even people like you and me,” he added.

Ryuuji stood up from the sofa.

He left David alone for a moment as he went to the kitchen and removed a bottle of whiskey from the storage cabinet. He had gotten it as a gift at the end of the previous year. He thought to take it to the office, but decided to leave it at home.

He didn't bring his own whiskey glass to the apartment, so he arranged two teacups in front of him and poured some of the amber liquid into each cup. He thought for a moment, then retrieved ice from the freezer. On the rocks was most appropriate at such a moment. He placed the drinks down on a tray, along with a pitcher of water, then went back to the living room and placed the tray on the table.

Ryuuji passed a teacup to David, fixated on his own cup, and then sat on the sofa as before.

David looked as though he was gazing into the surface of his drink.

“Wild Turkey*?” asked David.

“It's rye,” said Ryuuji.

“It's excellent,” said David, nodding.

A few seconds pass, and Ryuuji and David were still holding their cups as though they enjoyed the feeling of a cold teacup in their hands.

“I should say something beforehand,” Ryuuji said.

“Unless I fight well, my Flugel PC will flounder and not be able to contend with Seto's PC. For me to beat him, I have to come within two meters of him. However, he's able to launch a string of critical hits from any distance by manipulating his rats. To be honest, the main reason I was able to survive my encounter with that rat-bastard is because 'he isn't really all that much',” said Ryuuji.

David lifted his head and looked at Ryuuji.

“However, this does not mean we don't have a chance of winning. I have a plan to capture him. What's more... if it's two against one, the odds are much better,” said Ryuuji, adding power to his words.

“I was about to say that,” said David, smirking slightly.

“Please don't underestimate our strength. We have enough to finally shut that rat up for good,” David continued.

“It's people like you and I that must put a stop to Yuri Seto,” Ryuuji said as he held up his cup.

David also held up his cup.

“To the Pied Piper of Hamelin,” said David.

“To the rat exterminator,” said Ryuuji.

The two of them toasted.


*Wild Turkey is an American brand of Bourbon whiskey that is well-known in Japan among whiskey drinkers.
Lindz
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Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by Lindz »

http://www.cc2.co.jp/hack_bullet/25_nostalgia.html

Chapter 25 is out an in a turn of events its actually the one that was "promised" to be coming next! Got a nice new pic ta go with it to. Also they're still not displaying past Ch.30.
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Bullet Biter
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Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by Bullet Biter »

Man I take a short vacation and we've got two new chapters? Man that's nice~
Keep up the good work, Kaze. Your translations are great to read.
Kazetrigger
Posts: 260
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2012 10:20 am

Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by Kazetrigger »

25 Nostalgia

David got up to go home around six o'clock. He said he would be staying at a hotel near Akasaka branch. When he got into the taxi that Ryuuji called, he looked up at the sky and frowned.

“It's gotten pretty cloudy. Looks like it's going to rain.”

Soon after he said this, it began to rain.

A little while later it was raining in earnest. Even late into the night the rain continued unabated, tapping hard against the building like countless fingers playing a piano.

Ryuuji sat alone on the living room sofa, a pile of cards expanded upwards in the partial shape of the Tower of Babel on the table before him. It was beginning to return to its previous state; Ryuuji just needed to stay quiet to finish it. Perhaps this would have a calming effect on the rain too.

Well, let's see if I can play the great detective, he thought. By basing this on what I've gathered so far and the information David brought today, and by combining it all, I can try to ascertain the solution.

The placement of the cards was stronger than ever before. The arrangement piled up in no time at all and the blasphemous tower was steadily completed.

However, a dull gray haze come over Ryuuji's mind. He couldn't foresee anything. No flash of insight came to him.

He had a vague inkling of something, but it seemed that he was not as sharp a detective as he thought he would be. He wondered whether he was wrong to change jobs. CyberConnect was a good financial deal. The severance pay was also very good compared to that of Durga Sharma's offices. He would have opened a stylish cafe with the money he had and it would have been nice to be the boss for a change. If he had just done that, he wouldn't have gotten punched by his client and gotten the bruise of his eye. He also never would have had his brush with death by being attacked by the rats...

His mind got off track and he became distracted when Lilie entered the room and sat next to Ryuuji in her pajamas.

The hands on the clock had already gone past eleven. It was unusual for her to be at this time.

“Are you still awake?” she asked.

“Uh-huh.”

“Is there a TV show you want to watch?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You should go to bed. You must be tired.”

“Uh-huh.”

Lilie called out to Grid and was about to turn on the TV, but instead looked at Ryuuji. He had a case of bedhead. It seems he had gotten back into bed after having already gotten out of it before.

Ryuuji turned the deck over, took a card, added a card to the pile, and then took another one.

“I do that all the time,” said Lilie.

“I see.”

“Interesting?”

“Yeah, it's very interesting. Hehehe.”

“Really?”

“Not really.”

Ryuuji put the cards in a pile and pushed them aside, then turned towards Lilie.

“What's up? Is something wrong?”

Lilie had her head down and hesitated, then held out her mobile terminal as though hiding behind it.

Ryuuji took it and looked down at the terminal. A “Notice to Parent/Guardian” page displayed on the screen. It was information on a study-abroad program. It involved short-term homestay and study-tour programs with language courses over the spring break. It proposed language courses suitable for middle school students and overseas homestay, as well as a way to experience a different culture, among other benefits.

“There,” said Lilie as she pointed out the place.

“It's a list of schools that are accepting applications.”

There was a German school listed. The address was in Schwabing.

“Ahhh,” Ryuuji stammered.

He placed the mobile terminal on the table and looked directly at Lilie.

“Do you want to go there?”

She did not answer immediately.

“I had a dream recently. I dreamed of the time I was there. Mom and Dad were there,” she said softly.

“But, I didn't remember their faces. I only know my mom and dad's faces from pictures now. It's not only their faces, I don't even remember their voices or behaviors anymore. My memories of them are almost gone,” she said.

At this point, Lilie stopped talking.

The sound of the rain seemed louder than ever.

Ryuuji waited for her to continue talking.

“If I go to Germany, I think I should be able to remember,” Lilie said.

Lilie spoke again after a while.

“But... I'm scared. I'm scared to go there. I'm scared that I won't remember anything about Mom and Dad. I'm scared that I'll just remember the terrible things that happened instead...” she said.

“I like my life in Japan and you're here. I get to ride on trains and go on school trips with friends. So, I thought it's better here for those reasons. At least until recently. But...”

She lifted her face and looked at Ryuuji.

“But, Ryuuji, what should I do? Should I stay here in Japan? Or should I go to Germany?”

“That's a tough question...,” said Ryuuji.

“What do you want to do?” Ryuuji asked, speaking softly.

Lilie cast her eyes down.

“I want to be reminded of my mom and dad,” she said.

She shook her head.

“But... I don't know what I am going to do,” she said.

Six years ago, when Ryuuji adopted and started treating Lilie Weiss, she had been haunted by “cognitive distortions” that transported her from a happy world to a world of her own filled with darkness.

Everything had been corrupted by a despair that nothing could repair. She blamed herself for what had happened.

It was a pronounced case of someone who had lost her family due to an accident. Ryuuji was able to understand her feelings very well. He could understand all too well.

Now Lilie was fully recovered from her PTSD. There was no doubt about it. There were no longer any behavioral issues in her daily activities in Japan. Yet, could Ryuuji be sure that she was completely cured? He knew well that treatments for PTSD could be undone when patients return to the circumstances before the onset of their illness. Sometimes you had to let the patients come to terms with this harsh reality themselves.

Although negligible, there was a small chance that she would revert back to her previous state. A visit to her homeland for the first time in several years would certainly have a significant impact on her. When she clearly remembered her parents, this could perhaps lead Lilie to relive the intense memories of the unfortunate accident. What kind of effect would this have on her personality, her spirit? Something might happen. Then again, nothing may happen. There was just no telling.

“I see. But you know that I can't make that decision for you,” Ryuuji said.

“It's important to you. So you have no choice but to decide for yourself,” Ryuuji added.

Lilie lowered her head more than ever at this point. She gave a little shrug.

“It'll be alright. I think this is evidence of the strength you have within you. There is no right or wrong here. This is not a decision you need to make right away. Don't get flustered. It's okay whether you participate in this program or not,” Ryuuji continued.

Ryuuji said it as though it were nothing, then smiled at Lilie and handed back her mobile terminal.

“There's no need to rush things. I will help you in your decision. You can talk to me about anything. I'll always lend an ear. Just like now,” said Ryuuji.

Lilie nodded while still facing downward.

She hesitated a moment.

Then she opened her arms for a hug. She pressed against Ryuuji, grabbed the end of his shirt and started to cry.

Image

For a while they just stood there, Ryuuji gently patting her on the head.

As they hugged, Ryuuji remembered when Lilie was younger and he would comfort her like this when she was frightened.

Before they knew it, the rain seemed to have lightened up.

The patter of the rain and Lilie's sobbing had subsided.

It must have stopped five minutes before. Lilie stood motionless and Ryuuji let her go. She wasn't crying anymore. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and laughed somewhat awkwardly.

“Oh? What was that?” he asked.

Ryuuji placed his hand to his ear.

“Did I just hear a laugh?” he asked.

“I didn't laugh,”said Lilie, feigning indignation.

Yet, she stopped moving and put her hand to her mouth and let out a big yawn.

Ryuuji stood up.

“Listen, you should go to bed. I'm getting pretty sleepy myself.”

He went to the kitchen, took a carton of milk from the refrigerator and filled a cup. There was still a cup of milk left in the carton.

As he drank the milk, he thought of a punishment for Lilie for staying up so late, then poured another cup of milk and went back into the living room where he found Lilie already sleeping peacefully on the sofa. It was too soon.

While he stood amazed at how peaceful she looked, he placed the cup on the table, and stealthily tip-toed to Lilie's bedroom. He opened the door and entered, then turned down the bed's blankets.

As he made his way back, he was startled when he accidentally kicked the wooden sword that had been leaning against the wall, and narrowly caught it before it hit the floor.

“This security system is perfect, isn't it?” he muttered to himself and returned to the living room.

Lilie gave the impression of being deeply asleep now.

He picked her up and carried her to her room. Ryuuji staggered a little, but was able to keep his hold of Lilie.

She was heavier than he thought.

He laid Lilie down on the bed, taking care not to get her hair caught under her. Once she was placed in the bed, he left the room and closed the door quietly.

Then he went to the kitchen and poured the rest of his whiskey into the empty teacup, then sat down in the chair by the window. The light was off.

He was never much of a detective. He was unaware that his adopted daughter had been languishing. It had been right in front of him. The stylish cafe owner had been better at this. But how could he be angry at the stylish cafe owner?

Ryuuji took a candy from his pocket, took off the wrapper and put the candy in his mouth.

Time flies by. A child grows up. Lilie is confronting her past. She had already gone to Kyoto by herself on a train and was able to buy a wooden sword.

Then, perhaps she should be able to go to Schwabing. To her hometown. It's not as far as it seemed before.

A faint pain ran through Ryuuji's chest.

It's not impossible, he thought.

A moment later Ryuuji felt something odd in his mouth.

He spit out the candy and looked at it. It wasn't coffee-flavored. It was a similar color, but the shade was different. It was too bitter. It had a depressing aloe taste.

He put it back in his mouth with a sigh and look out the window. The rain continued to fall quietly.

He smelled the moist air as he tasted the bitter candy.

Soon it'll be the rainy season, he thought.
Lindz
Posts: 371
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2012 4:56 pm

Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by Lindz »

Surprise! A new chapter! One which was not previously hinted at in the "coming soon" section either!

Chapter 26: プルートアゲイン
http://www.cc2.co.jp/hack_bullet/26_plutoAgain.html



Other notes: 女帝 is now back in the "coming soon" rotation after poofing alil while back. It takes the place of "下水道" which is now no longer listed.
Kazetrigger
Posts: 260
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Re: Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by Kazetrigger »

Translation in progress!
Lindz
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Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2012 4:56 pm

Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by Lindz »

Chapter 27: 忘刻の都
http://www.cc2.co.jp/hack_bullet/27_cityForgotten.html

This was the next title in line so no schedule shenanigans here. First time we get 2 chapters in a month since december 2012! We're quickly approaching the 2nd year anniversary of bullet so could they be charging full steam ahead?! Mysteriously they're still not listing anything past Ch.30...
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Bullet Biter
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Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by Bullet Biter »

Two chapters in a month? No way!
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Adhemas
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Location: The World

Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by Adhemas »

I finally continued reading Bullet again after I took a break with chapter 21.
Good to see them getting released more frequently again. I think the latest few chapters were pretty good, especially the rather calm chapter 25 - character centered things in .hack are always very interesting.

Thank you very much for all of your work, Kazetrigger!
Kazetrigger
Posts: 260
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2012 10:20 am

Re: Re: .hack//Bullet (English Fan Translation)

Post by Kazetrigger »

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