This page will have translations of passages from Yukito Ayatsuji's novel "Another."

The novel is a whopping 679 pages and I am not a professional translator, so I'll translate random passages (possibly entire chapters) little by little. Perhaps in the end it will eventually be the entire book. Also, there might be grammatical errors or lines I skipped. Comments are welcome, especially for scenes you would like to read.

……Do you know about Misaki? '''Misaki of Class Three, Third Year. '''And the story about it.

Misaki….. Is that a person’s name?

Yeah. The characters used to write the name is not known. It might be a last name, and it may not be a girl. Misaki Something-something, or Something-something Misaki, there was a student with that name, 26 years ago.

Twenty-six years ago…… that was a long time ago. During the Showa period.

1972. The 47th year of Showa. The year Okinawa was returned, I think.

Okinawa was returned? From where?

Are you an idiot? Since the end of the war, America occupied it that whole time.

Oh, that’s why there’s still a base there.

……Someone in Class 3-3 died, didn’t they?

Yeah, there was a big fuss about it.

They say in Building C, she slipped on the stairs, and landed unluckily…

No, that’s not what they say.

No? How’s it wrong?

They say when she fell from the stairs, the tip of the umbrella she dropped pierced her throat.

Ackk.

Though there’s rumors that it wasn’t her throat, but her eye that was pierced.

''Ackk. Really?''

Either way, it was such a tragic situation that there’s a gag order on the witnesses or something.

The person that died was the female class representative, right?

Seems like it.

But I heard that on the same day, her Mom died in a car accident.

Yeah, I heard that too.

Hey hey, do you think it’s because of THAT “curse” they talk about?

“That”… you mean you’ve heard of it?

''I just heard a little but about it. I don’t know the details, but… They call it the “Cursed Class 3-3.”''

Right?

But you know, they say it’s bad to just talk about it like this.

''But it’s a pretty famous little kept story. '''Twenty-six years ago in that class a popular student named Misaki died….. they say.'

''Y….. yeah.''

Does that mean this year is like “that year?”

Maybe it is.

''Come on. Next year if I get Class 3-3, what will I do?''

Nothing you can worry about now.

But…….

Are you going to transfer to another school while you’re a second year?

Hmmm.

Well, 'it doesn’t seem to happen every year. It seems like it “didn’t happen” last year.'

'What about the year before? It was a “year it happened.”'

The curse is unpredictable.

Once it starts, every month something bad happens to the class, right?

Yeah.

Someone dies, right?

''Yeah. Every month, more than one person related to the class……''

Not only students?

'They say family is in danger too. Especially parents and siblings. But they say distant relatives are safe.'

''Wow. You sure know a lot.''

''Maejima-san who’s in Class 3, he’s an upperclassman in the kendo club, told me secretly about this a little while ago. He doesn’t seem to really believe it, so that’s why he told even an “outsider” like me.''

He may not believe it, but in reality, people are dead……

''It’s just a coincidence. Just unfortunate accidents. Curses are nonsense, they say.''

You really think so?

''I don’t really know. But, you know, it’s best not to get involved with that class.''

Hmm, you really think so?

''Just in case, it’d be bad if you got mixed up into this, right? But, just talking to you right now about this might be really bad, you know. What would you do? If…''

''No way. Stop it.''

''Yeah, you’re right. Let’s stop this……''

'It seems this was “a year it didn’t happen,” right? Aren’t you relieved?'

On the first day ceremony, the number of desks was exactly thirty……

There wasn’t an extra person.

It really made me relieved.

''Last year was also “a year it didn’t happen,” right? Is it possible for it “not to happen” two years in a row?''

It could happen.

''Yeah, yeah. It’s effect might be weakening bit by bit.''

''But…… is it for real? Once “it” starts, every month someone related to the class dies. My feelings of disbelief are stronger.''

But they even have the “Informational Send-off Meeting,” so it probably means that there’s some truth, right?

''And two years ago, it’s pretty true that some third year students died, right? By accident, by suicide. And a number of the students’ family members…..''

That’s true, but……

Isn’t it scary that family members can be affected too?

' The ones in danger are parents and siblings. '

''Two parental generations? Then, my grandpa and grandma too?''

That’s what they say.

Uncles, aunts, and “cousins.” Those that are distant will be OK.

And if they don’t live in this town, they’ll be alright, what about that?

Oh, I heard that too.

''I heard that as well. So, if the time comes, they say get out of town……''

But.

If I told my parents, I don’t think they would ever believe me.

But, you know, since this was a year “it didn’t happen,” that means there’s nothing to worry about.

I’m really glad about that.

If there was an extra person, someone would have had to become the “non-existent one,” right?

That’s another horrible story.

When that happens, they say that even the faculty cooperates……

Seems so complicated.

I wonder who was chosen as the “non-existent one?”

' The countermeasure people decide on the “”, right? ''' They should have chosen during spring break……. ''

……That’s right.

Misaki-san was probably chosen, I guess.

Oh, you think so too?

After all her last name is Misaki, and her house is in Gosencho.

''I know. It’s kinda creepy, like a doll museum.''

Misaki-san sure is strange.

It seems like she doesn’t have many friends.

When you talk to her, she seems kinda cold, or cool…

''And she always has an eyepatch on, right? Her left eye is a fake they say, a blue eye.''

Ohhh, is that right?

I hate her type.

Me too.

I kinda do, too……

*

Did you hear about the transfer student?

Yeah, I heard he’s coming next week.

''It’s already the second half of April, right. Seems kinda like a half-assed time.''

''So true….. So it seems that it’s become a problem.''

Problem?

They say maybe this is bad?

So?

You know, because of that.

So… you can’t mean.

'Because a transfer student is coming, the number of students in class increases from next week, so that means that there’s one missing desk, right? ' So that’s why……

So that means this year was really “a year it happens?”

There’s rumors that that may be the case……

''Waitaminute. It will increase because a transfer student comes, right? It doesn’t mean that there was an extra person from the beginning of April.''

That’s true, but it’s possible that this is a different pattern than normal.

''Hmm. But why are they sticking a transfer student into class three?''

''It’s probably just the school’s convenience. ''

But, you know……

*

They say that Kazami-kun and Sakurai-san went to the hospital yesterday.

To visit Sakakibara-kun?

''Yeah. To visit him in the hospital and to investigate.''

How did it go?

It seems because of family circumstances he suddenly had to come here, but they said it’s his first time living in Yomiyama.

Then……

They said that he has never lived here for a long period of time.

Then……

So, in any case, they said it’s probably not him.

Does that mean that he’s not the “Dead?”

''That’s what it means. Just in case, Kazami-kun said he even shook his hand.''

Shook hands…… Does that mean something?

There’s a story that you can tell the “Dead” by shaking their hand the first time you meet them, and their hand is surprisingly cold.

Is that really true?

They said that Sakakibara-kun’s hand wasn’t cold.

''Hmm. Then…… what’s going to happen?''

It’s someone that’s not him.

Yeah…… I knew it.

Together, we looked at the photos that Mochizuki gave us of that day after he left.

There were two photos. One was taken by Mochizuki. The other was taken by Teshigawara. At the bottom right hand corner was the numerical digits of the date they were taken.

Both photos had five people in them.

With the “Sakitani Memorial Hall” sign post in the middle, lined up on the first photo starting on the right was me and Mei, Kazami and Teshigawara, and Ms. Mikami……. Reiko-san. On the second photo, Teshigawara was replaced by Mochizuki, and as Teshigawara had instructed him to stand close to his “Admired Ms. Mikami”…….

“Reiko-san is photographed, isn’t she?”

I asked Mei for confirmation while staring at the two photos.

“It looks like Mochizuki couldn’t see her, didn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Mei said nodding, and I asked her, “What “color” is she?

“What “color” does Reiko-san look like to you.

In response, Mei took off her left eyepatch, and looked again at the photos. Then silently she answered, “I see “the color of death.’”

“……I see.”

I slowly stood up out of bed, and opened the hospital window slightly. Outside it was bright with good weather, but the wind that blew in for some reason felt unexpectantly cool.

“Will we also eventually start to forget?”

I looked back and asked Mei.

“Of course about what happened that night at the lodge, but (will we forget about the time) from April to that night, everything that concerns Reiko Mikami. Like Mochizuki….”

…… That I returned her to “death” with my own hands, even that.

“Even if I recorded and left the truth I remember right now behind like Matsunaga-san did fifteen years ago, or if I wrote and left something behind, the most important part would disappear like on that tape…”

“Maybe.”

Putting her eyepatch on again, Mei silently gave a small nod. Then she asked me.

“Do you really not want to forget? Do you want to always remember?”

“……I’m not sure.”

It would be better to forget. Somehow I felt that. Even now, it remained in my chest. A different pain from my lung trouble, but if it would completely disappear…… Probably. But.

Slowly, I looked again towards the window. I still held the two photographs in my hand. While dropping my gaze towards those photos…… I imagined to myself.

Who knew if it might be days later, months later, or even years later. Someday, even from my memories, all the information of “The Other” of this year would disappear.

When that time came.

What would I see in the blank space borne from this photo? What would I feel?

The wind blew in again and scattered my hair. All I could think was that it felt cool.

The last midsummer single blow of wind.* Suddenly this phrase flowed into my heart, and with it, the summer of my fifteenth year was about to end.

The End.