| [ INFORMATION ] |
| [ ] CHARACTER | |
|
|
| Prapor | Lisa |
|
|
| Karula | Erika |
| |
| Lida | |
| |
| Elena |
Summary
While exploring the streets, Karula was thrilled to stumble upon a retro anime shop. The store's owner, Ishtar, in a full magical girl cosplay, welcomes the group with open arms. However, the absolute gulf in pricing between local domestic goods from the JDR and premium imports from Earth leaves Karula completely floored. Meanwhile, Erika, who was trying to buy a secondhand cartridge, faced discrimination and disdain simply because she’s a Nox local...
[On the street of the Cultural and Educational District in the JDR.]
Elena Well, it's about time for me to report back to the Security Bureau. What time is your meeting scheduled with the EGO Research Institute?
Prapor One hour from now.
Elena Once we finish our business at hand, let's meet up in front of the management committee building as planned.
Prapor Very well. By that time, Valena should be finished with recruiting and will come to join us.
Elena This neighborhood is the most bustling and beautiful area in Unity City. You can stroll around... or at least find a shop with heating to sit in for a while.
Lisa How can we let guests who are unfamiliar with the place navigate on their own? Why not let tour guide Lisa, who knows Unity City like the back of her hand to show them the way~
Elena Not necessary.
Lisa Then at least leave someone to protect...
Elena No need. Let's go, Sergeant Lisa.
Lisa Sigh...
Karula Whew, they're finally gone. Although they are both very nice...
Lida Sister Karula seems to have finally relaxed.
Karula After all, they’re from the Security Bureau, which means they’re the police of the JDR!
Karula If they find out my true purpose for coming to the JDR, they might lock me up as a suspect.
Lida So, your true purpose is...
Karula Ha (takes a deep breath)...
Karula I came to Nox to admire cute animal-eared lolis!
Lida Oh? Oh! Oh!?
Karula On Earth, animal-eared lolis can only appear in anime and games.
Karula But almost every local on Nox has animal ears!
Karula Isn't this sight of blooming flowers just like a maid cafe with animal ears?!
Lida Then... umm... Sister Karula must be very happy right now?
Karula Absolutely not! I only thought about there being animal-eared lolis.
Karula I didn't expect that most people walking on the street would be uncles and aunties and even old ladies with animal ears!
Lida After all, a race can’t consist of just lolis.
Lida Perhaps our place is more suitable for Karula's vacation.
Lida After years of war, the old people are all gone, and there are only young people on the streets.
Karula After living through such a tragic childhood, the way she talks about it so calmly…
Karula Perhaps this little girl is even more terrifying than that "Prapor"...
Karula Wait, could that be? It can't be wrong... I feel it... I truly feel it ...
Karula The aura gushing out from here, yes... absolutely yes! This is,
Karula The vibe of anime and manga culture!
Lida What a cute shop! It's completely different from the solemn buildings around it!
Karula Let's go inside and take a look!
Lida Brother, I want to go see it too!
Karula Oh, oh my! Isn't this the "Nova 2" game console that was just released last month? Even the specialty shops in Akihabara are out of stock, yet they actually have it in stock here!
Karula Th-this, isn't this the Mobile Suit eraser sold in convenience stores back in the '79! I haven’t seen one on the market for nearly 20 years...
Karula A Lightspeed Boy vinyl figure... I wanted one so badly when I was a child, but I was afraid of being laughed at if I displayed it...
Karula Th-this is... a cel painting from the "Tales of the Distant Past"?! Th-this is the work that opened my mind about animal ears!
Lida I don't recognize any of them, but the goods are all so beautiful, and sister Karula likes them so much, it seems this really is a nice shop.
Karula Of course! Come take a look!
Karula A commemorative disc of "Magical Girl Lurika" in modern Ruvillian language, complete with bonus merchandise!
Karula There are so many masterpieces in this small shop, and there are quite a few niche ones...
Karula This level already surpasses most of the shops on Earth that only know how to follow trends and scam money from people!
Karula I never imagined there would be such a treasure trove of a store on Nox... Just who is even running it…?
Strange Magical Girl(Ishtar) Kira-Kira Power! The Magical Envoy of Love and Light, Lurika, has arrived,
Karula Ohhh!!! It's a living, breathing Magical Girl Lurika!! Such a high level of completion!
Lida So cute-
Strange Magical Girl(Ishtar) It seems we have some customers of the culture in our shop today ☆-
Strange Magical Girl(Ishtar) Then, I shall issue a challenge to everyone! ☆-- If you can answer my question correctly, you can enjoy a 12% discount at our store!
Strange Magical Girl(Ishtar) Of course, this question shouldn’t be too hard for anyone... "What is Liruka's real name?"
Karula That’s easy! It's called... uh... I usually just call her Liruka directly, so I can't remember her real name.
Lida Uh, oh... I’ve never seen this anime before.
Prapor Her name is Hino Tsurudo.
Lida Big brother actually knew!
Prapor When I was Lida's age, the TV station would broadcast this show every day at 6:30.
Lida So this work is from more than ten years ago.
Strange Magical Girl(Ishtar) Of course the latest game consoles are the best, but "Magical Girl Liruka" is the game that inspired three generations of anime fans.
Strange Magical Girl(Ishtar) Let me introduce myself: I am Istar, the owner of this audio-video shop.
Istar If you have any otaku goods you wanna buy in the JDR, feel free to contact me!
Lida Wow! A kid even smaller than me is already running a shop!
Istar I'm afraid you have to call me "big sis"! After all, I’m already 19 years old.
Lida Oh! Big-sis shopkeeper!
Karula Hehehe-hehehe-hehehe-it's a legal loli! Then I want to buy these 20 manga volumes and these two vinyl figures!
Istar Manga is 1 Unity ruble and 50 cents per volume, vinyl figures are 5 Unity Rubles each, totalling 40 in Unity Rubles! Then, applying 12% discount...
Karula Converting it into our Vespuccian pounds, it's less than one pound! What difference is there between this and giving it away for free? I might as well just empty out the whole shop!
Istar Heehee, what a generous customer, that's just what I've been wishing for!
Karula So, how much does this "Nova 2" game console cost?
Istar 2999 pounds, fixed price.
Karula Th-this is 10 times the official price! Even the most darken soul scalpers on Earth wouldn't sell it for this much!
Istar It’s not like I’m making dirty money, the latest and trendiest goods from Earth are all transported to Nox via spaceships just like you guys, so logistics costs are just that high.
Karula What you say makes so much sense, I actually cannot refute it. I thought I would be able to play a game console on Planet Nox that couldn't be snagged on Earth...
Lida Don’t be sad, sister Karula! You can't afford the game console, but you can buy manga and figures all you want!
Karula True! But... why are these manga volumes so cheap? Are they published in the JDR ?
Istar Mhm! It’s the skilled members of the “Translation Group” who translate the text into Ruvillian, and then organize the printing by themselves.
Istar The vinyl figures are also the culmination of the craftsmanship of artisans who love anime and manga…
Karula Huh?! Then aren't those just bootleg work?!
Istar Well, that’s true, but it’s something we can’t do anything about.
Istar The cost of purchasing official copyright licenses seems insignificant to booksellers on Earth, but publishers in the JDR simply cannot afford it at all...
Prapor Because the JDR needs to bear high transportation costs to import many things from Earth, while Earth does not need any products from the JDR.
Prapor The severe trade deficit causes the JDR’ Unity Rubles to continuously depreciate.
Istar Exactly so. The official exchange rate of the United Territories’ Unity ruble to the Vespuccian Pound is 270 to 1, so it's impossible to buy Pounds at that rate.
Istar The exchange rate on the black market fluctuates between 10,000 to 1 and 20,000 to 1. The worse the economy is, the more valuable the Vespuccian Pound becomes.
Istar We are all people who love Earth culture. The advanced and developed Earth looks as beautiful as a heavenly palace to us, so of course, we would also want to go and take a look.
Istar But the boat tickets to and from Earth are priced in Earth currency, and no matter how hard we Nox people work to earn money, it’s impossible for us to afford it.
Karula So that’s why Elena said that the worse the economy of the JDR is, the more pleasant my holiday will be.
Lida And sister Lisa said that Mariana could cover the wages of over a hundred thousand people without even blinking…
Prapor
Prapor And the Primorsky Republic, which can’t even afford to maintain a navy, yet could actually send us on an expedition to an alien planet
Prapor The worse the economy of the JDR is, the more buying power Earth currency has here.
Karula So... was it already like this when you lived here before?
Prapor The space race era was completely different.
Prapor Back then, no one cared about the exchange rates between Unity Rubles, Vespuccian Pounds, or Energy Yuan. No one cared about the staggering costs of interstellar transport either.
Prapor "Pave the way to the cosmos", "Everything for the progress of our Nox brothers", "Science will change the face of the green planet"...
Prapor Everything was donated: the most advanced tech and equipment, the finest minds and hands... even the copyright for "Magical Girl Lurika."
Istar Therefore, our "Translation Group" works so hard to make sure everyone in the JDR can enjoy the magic of ACG culture. In a way, we’re carrying on the spirit of the space race!
Karula See, I knew it! There’s no way someone who loves anime could be a bad person.
[……]
Anxious Citizen I’ve been waiting forever! Do you actually want to buy this or not?
Erika What’s with all the rush! 950 rubles is a lot of money for me, of course I’m going to hesitate…
Anxious Citizen Well, that’s actually what I need to tell you: I’m adding another 20 to the price, it’s 970 now.
Erika Why’d you suddenly raise the price again?! I’ve already begged every single colleague I know just to borrow enough cash!
Anxious Citizen Let me explain: this specific edition of the "Pocket Monsters" cartridge is out of print, they don’t make them anymore, which makes it a collector’s item. It’s basically a priceless trove.
Erika No matter how you spin it, it’s just a game cartridge! And it’s a fossil, not even cool anymore…
Anxious Citizen "Pocket Monsters" is a fossil?! Wow, you Nox people really have dreadful taste…
Erika How dare you say my taste is dreadful! You’re the one who’s a total dinosaur, completely out of touch with the times!
Anxious Resident I have absolutely nothing to say to a bunch of uncivilized barbarians playing dress-up! I should’ve gone back to Earth ages ago!
Erika Fine, go ahead! See if anyone cares! You’re already resorting to selling off your "priceless trove" for pennies anyway. You probably can't even afford to feed yourself if you stay here, can you?
Anxious Resident Why, you…
Istar Hey, please, both of you calm down! You both chose to meet in my shop because you trust me, so I really don't want my customers fighting here…
Anxious Resident / Erika Hmph!
Istar If you really can’t agree on a price, why not just part ways amicably? There’s no need to insult each other’s taste or judgment…
Erika Fine! Bottom line is, this guy suddenly jacked up the price, and I can’t afford it anymore! Hey, Istar, keep an eye out for any other sellers for me, okay?
Anxious Resident Sigh. She seemed to want it so badly, so I thought... Whatever, forget it.
Istar I’m so sorry about that. It’s a shame our new guests had to see such an unpleasant scene.
Warrant Officer Has the relationship between Earth people and the locals on Nox really gotten that bad?
Karula Even though that guy selling the cartridge is from Earth like me... his attitude was seriously ugly.
Istar Most of us came to the JDR because we yearned for life in an advanced city, and we really are grateful to Earth people for bringing tech and culture here.
Istar But we’re also working and studying hard to contribute to building and maintaining this place!
Istar Still, a lot of Earth people act like we owe them a lifetime favor, and the management committee refuses to give the good jobs to people like us…
Istar To the Earth people here, we outsiders are just like what the JDR is to Earth,we have to work several times harder just to barely keep our heads above water...
Karula To think she has to call herself an "outsider" on her own home planet... This kid really has it rough.
Prapor Well, it’s about time for me to head to the research institute. Lida, do you want to stay here and hang out with sister Karula and big-sis Istar for a bit?
Lida Hooray!
Karula Sure! Once you’re done with your business, I’ll bring Lida over to the management committee building to meet you.
Istar So, what do you want to do, Lida? Read some manga, watch anime or movies? Or do you want to try the arcade games?
Lida Oh! There’s an arcade machine! I want to play this one!
Istar Heheh, you shouldn't choose so carelessly, little sis. Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?
Lida Huh? What do you mean?
Istar I happen to be the reigning champion of the JDR’ Street Fighter ‘98 tournament! Draw your weapon, girl!
While exploring the streets, Karula was thrilled to stumble upon a retro anime shop. The store's owner, Ishtar, in a full magical girl cosplay, welcomes the group with open arms. However, the absolute gulf in pricing between local domestic goods from the JDR and premium imports from Earth leaves Karula completely floored. Meanwhile, Erika, who was trying to buy a secondhand cartridge, faced discrimination and disdain simply because she’s a Nox local...
[On the street of the Cultural and Educational District in the JDR.]
Elena Well, it's about time for me to report back to the Security Bureau. What time is your meeting scheduled with the EGO Research Institute?
Prapor One hour from now.
Elena Once we finish our business at hand, let's meet up in front of the management committee building as planned.
Prapor Very well. By that time, Valena should be finished with recruiting and will come to join us.
Elena This neighborhood is the most bustling and beautiful area in Unity City. You can stroll around... or at least find a shop with heating to sit in for a while.
Lisa How can we let guests who are unfamiliar with the place navigate on their own? Why not let tour guide Lisa, who knows Unity City like the back of her hand to show them the way~
Elena Not necessary.
Lisa Then at least leave someone to protect...
Elena No need. Let's go, Sergeant Lisa.
Lisa Sigh...
Karula Whew, they're finally gone. Although they are both very nice...
Lida Sister Karula seems to have finally relaxed.
Karula After all, they’re from the Security Bureau, which means they’re the police of the JDR!
Karula If they find out my true purpose for coming to the JDR, they might lock me up as a suspect.
Lida So, your true purpose is...
Karula Ha (takes a deep breath)...
Karula I came to Nox to admire cute animal-eared lolis!
Lida Oh? Oh! Oh!?
Karula On Earth, animal-eared lolis can only appear in anime and games.
Karula But almost every local on Nox has animal ears!
Karula Isn't this sight of blooming flowers just like a maid cafe with animal ears?!
Lida Then... umm... Sister Karula must be very happy right now?
Karula Absolutely not! I only thought about there being animal-eared lolis.
Karula I didn't expect that most people walking on the street would be uncles and aunties and even old ladies with animal ears!
Lida After all, a race can’t consist of just lolis.
Lida Perhaps our place is more suitable for Karula's vacation.
Lida After years of war, the old people are all gone, and there are only young people on the streets.
Karula After living through such a tragic childhood, the way she talks about it so calmly…
Karula Perhaps this little girl is even more terrifying than that "Prapor"...
Karula Wait, could that be? It can't be wrong... I feel it... I truly feel it ...
Karula The aura gushing out from here, yes... absolutely yes! This is,
Karula The vibe of anime and manga culture!
Lida What a cute shop! It's completely different from the solemn buildings around it!
Karula Let's go inside and take a look!
Lida Brother, I want to go see it too!
Karula Oh, oh my! Isn't this the "Nova 2" game console that was just released last month? Even the specialty shops in Akihabara are out of stock, yet they actually have it in stock here!
Karula Th-this, isn't this the Mobile Suit eraser sold in convenience stores back in the '79! I haven’t seen one on the market for nearly 20 years...
Karula A Lightspeed Boy vinyl figure... I wanted one so badly when I was a child, but I was afraid of being laughed at if I displayed it...
Karula Th-this is... a cel painting from the "Tales of the Distant Past"?! Th-this is the work that opened my mind about animal ears!
Lida I don't recognize any of them, but the goods are all so beautiful, and sister Karula likes them so much, it seems this really is a nice shop.
Karula Of course! Come take a look!
Karula A commemorative disc of "Magical Girl Lurika" in modern Ruvillian language, complete with bonus merchandise!
Karula There are so many masterpieces in this small shop, and there are quite a few niche ones...
Karula This level already surpasses most of the shops on Earth that only know how to follow trends and scam money from people!
Karula I never imagined there would be such a treasure trove of a store on Nox... Just who is even running it…?
Strange Magical Girl(Ishtar) Kira-Kira Power! The Magical Envoy of Love and Light, Lurika, has arrived,
Karula Ohhh!!! It's a living, breathing Magical Girl Lurika!! Such a high level of completion!
Lida So cute-
Strange Magical Girl(Ishtar) It seems we have some customers of the culture in our shop today ☆-
Strange Magical Girl(Ishtar) Then, I shall issue a challenge to everyone! ☆-- If you can answer my question correctly, you can enjoy a 12% discount at our store!
Strange Magical Girl(Ishtar) Of course, this question shouldn’t be too hard for anyone... "What is Liruka's real name?"
Karula That’s easy! It's called... uh... I usually just call her Liruka directly, so I can't remember her real name.
Lida Uh, oh... I’ve never seen this anime before.
Prapor Her name is Hino Tsurudo.
Lida Big brother actually knew!
Prapor When I was Lida's age, the TV station would broadcast this show every day at 6:30.
Lida So this work is from more than ten years ago.
Strange Magical Girl(Ishtar) Of course the latest game consoles are the best, but "Magical Girl Liruka" is the game that inspired three generations of anime fans.
Strange Magical Girl(Ishtar) Let me introduce myself: I am Istar, the owner of this audio-video shop.
Istar If you have any otaku goods you wanna buy in the JDR, feel free to contact me!
Lida Wow! A kid even smaller than me is already running a shop!
Istar I'm afraid you have to call me "big sis"! After all, I’m already 19 years old.
Lida Oh! Big-sis shopkeeper!
Karula Hehehe-hehehe-hehehe-it's a legal loli! Then I want to buy these 20 manga volumes and these two vinyl figures!
Istar Manga is 1 Unity ruble and 50 cents per volume, vinyl figures are 5 Unity Rubles each, totalling 40 in Unity Rubles! Then, applying 12% discount...
Karula Converting it into our Vespuccian pounds, it's less than one pound! What difference is there between this and giving it away for free? I might as well just empty out the whole shop!
Istar Heehee, what a generous customer, that's just what I've been wishing for!
Karula So, how much does this "Nova 2" game console cost?
Istar 2999 pounds, fixed price.
Karula Th-this is 10 times the official price! Even the most darken soul scalpers on Earth wouldn't sell it for this much!
Istar It’s not like I’m making dirty money, the latest and trendiest goods from Earth are all transported to Nox via spaceships just like you guys, so logistics costs are just that high.
Karula What you say makes so much sense, I actually cannot refute it. I thought I would be able to play a game console on Planet Nox that couldn't be snagged on Earth...
Lida Don’t be sad, sister Karula! You can't afford the game console, but you can buy manga and figures all you want!
Karula True! But... why are these manga volumes so cheap? Are they published in the JDR ?
Istar Mhm! It’s the skilled members of the “Translation Group” who translate the text into Ruvillian, and then organize the printing by themselves.
Istar The vinyl figures are also the culmination of the craftsmanship of artisans who love anime and manga…
Karula Huh?! Then aren't those just bootleg work?!
Istar Well, that’s true, but it’s something we can’t do anything about.
Istar The cost of purchasing official copyright licenses seems insignificant to booksellers on Earth, but publishers in the JDR simply cannot afford it at all...
Prapor Because the JDR needs to bear high transportation costs to import many things from Earth, while Earth does not need any products from the JDR.
Prapor The severe trade deficit causes the JDR’ Unity Rubles to continuously depreciate.
Istar Exactly so. The official exchange rate of the United Territories’ Unity ruble to the Vespuccian Pound is 270 to 1, so it's impossible to buy Pounds at that rate.
Istar The exchange rate on the black market fluctuates between 10,000 to 1 and 20,000 to 1. The worse the economy is, the more valuable the Vespuccian Pound becomes.
Istar We are all people who love Earth culture. The advanced and developed Earth looks as beautiful as a heavenly palace to us, so of course, we would also want to go and take a look.
Istar But the boat tickets to and from Earth are priced in Earth currency, and no matter how hard we Nox people work to earn money, it’s impossible for us to afford it.
Karula So that’s why Elena said that the worse the economy of the JDR is, the more pleasant my holiday will be.
Lida And sister Lisa said that Mariana could cover the wages of over a hundred thousand people without even blinking…
Prapor
Prapor And the Primorsky Republic, which can’t even afford to maintain a navy, yet could actually send us on an expedition to an alien planet
Prapor The worse the economy of the JDR is, the more buying power Earth currency has here.
Karula So... was it already like this when you lived here before?
Prapor The space race era was completely different.
Prapor Back then, no one cared about the exchange rates between Unity Rubles, Vespuccian Pounds, or Energy Yuan. No one cared about the staggering costs of interstellar transport either.
Prapor "Pave the way to the cosmos", "Everything for the progress of our Nox brothers", "Science will change the face of the green planet"...
Prapor Everything was donated: the most advanced tech and equipment, the finest minds and hands... even the copyright for "Magical Girl Lurika."
Istar Therefore, our "Translation Group" works so hard to make sure everyone in the JDR can enjoy the magic of ACG culture. In a way, we’re carrying on the spirit of the space race!
Karula See, I knew it! There’s no way someone who loves anime could be a bad person.
[……]
Anxious Citizen I’ve been waiting forever! Do you actually want to buy this or not?
Erika What’s with all the rush! 950 rubles is a lot of money for me, of course I’m going to hesitate…
Anxious Citizen Well, that’s actually what I need to tell you: I’m adding another 20 to the price, it’s 970 now.
Erika Why’d you suddenly raise the price again?! I’ve already begged every single colleague I know just to borrow enough cash!
Anxious Citizen Let me explain: this specific edition of the "Pocket Monsters" cartridge is out of print, they don’t make them anymore, which makes it a collector’s item. It’s basically a priceless trove.
Erika No matter how you spin it, it’s just a game cartridge! And it’s a fossil, not even cool anymore…
Anxious Citizen "Pocket Monsters" is a fossil?! Wow, you Nox people really have dreadful taste…
Erika How dare you say my taste is dreadful! You’re the one who’s a total dinosaur, completely out of touch with the times!
Anxious Resident I have absolutely nothing to say to a bunch of uncivilized barbarians playing dress-up! I should’ve gone back to Earth ages ago!
Erika Fine, go ahead! See if anyone cares! You’re already resorting to selling off your "priceless trove" for pennies anyway. You probably can't even afford to feed yourself if you stay here, can you?
Anxious Resident Why, you…
Istar Hey, please, both of you calm down! You both chose to meet in my shop because you trust me, so I really don't want my customers fighting here…
Anxious Resident / Erika Hmph!
Istar If you really can’t agree on a price, why not just part ways amicably? There’s no need to insult each other’s taste or judgment…
Erika Fine! Bottom line is, this guy suddenly jacked up the price, and I can’t afford it anymore! Hey, Istar, keep an eye out for any other sellers for me, okay?
Anxious Resident Sigh. She seemed to want it so badly, so I thought... Whatever, forget it.
Istar I’m so sorry about that. It’s a shame our new guests had to see such an unpleasant scene.
Warrant Officer Has the relationship between Earth people and the locals on Nox really gotten that bad?
Karula Even though that guy selling the cartridge is from Earth like me... his attitude was seriously ugly.
Istar Most of us came to the JDR because we yearned for life in an advanced city, and we really are grateful to Earth people for bringing tech and culture here.
Istar But we’re also working and studying hard to contribute to building and maintaining this place!
Istar Still, a lot of Earth people act like we owe them a lifetime favor, and the management committee refuses to give the good jobs to people like us…
Istar To the Earth people here, we outsiders are just like what the JDR is to Earth,we have to work several times harder just to barely keep our heads above water...
Karula To think she has to call herself an "outsider" on her own home planet... This kid really has it rough.
Prapor Well, it’s about time for me to head to the research institute. Lida, do you want to stay here and hang out with sister Karula and big-sis Istar for a bit?
Lida Hooray!
Karula Sure! Once you’re done with your business, I’ll bring Lida over to the management committee building to meet you.
Istar So, what do you want to do, Lida? Read some manga, watch anime or movies? Or do you want to try the arcade games?
Lida Oh! There’s an arcade machine! I want to play this one!
Istar Heheh, you shouldn't choose so carelessly, little sis. Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?
Lida Huh? What do you mean?
Istar I happen to be the reigning champion of the JDR’ Street Fighter ‘98 tournament! Draw your weapon, girl!