Dear English Readers of the 21st Century,
This book is a translated edition of Boku no Imouto wa Kanji ga Yomeru, which itself is a translation from the original 23rd century Japanese novel KANJI YOMU IMOUTO, by Gin Imose. In the story, kanji characters are a prominent feature, and although the main character is unable to read them, the original translator assumed that the reader can read kanji. In a number of places, therefore, I have left the original kanji or Japanese and provided parenthetical translations for the benefit of English readers. Also, in order to maintain some of the authenticity of the original 23rd century work, I have incorporated a number of features of 23rd century English grammar such as honorifics (san, kun) and forms of address like Sensei and Onii-chan. In order to distinguish between sections and words which were left in the original 23rd century Japanese, I have used all capital letters, and have done my best to approximate the orthodox literary style within the confines of 21st century English.
The English Translator
Dear People of the 21st Century,
This book is a retitled and translated edition of LILSIS READ KANJI (by Gin Imose), which was published in the 23rd century. This translation is not literal, and it has been adjusted in order to be more easily readable by 21st century readers. It is important I explain about my use of kanji in the translation.
This is a first-person story, narrated by a main character who cannot read kanji, and yet I have used kanji in this translation. All of these kanji are my own interpretive translation of the original kanji-less text. In the original work, kanji are only used in a very few select places.
And with that, I would like to give my warmest thanks to the original author, Mr. Gin Imose, as well as the many other people involved. Without your cooperation and hard work, this edition would not have been possible.
The Translator
Chapter 1 - Sensei’s Literature
My little sister can read kanji. And that’s really quite amazing.
I was riding on a train to TOKYO. FUJISAN was visible from the window, but only for a brief moment before it disappeared from my sight. There was hardly any time to enjoy the scenery given the incredible speeds of current-day trains.
I turned from the window and looked forward. Facing me in the opposite box seat was a girl with long hair.
It was my sister, Kuroha.
Kuroha was fully absorbed in reading a book. I wondered what she might be reading, so I decided to check the cover.
Collection of Web Novels Volume 11 ☆→the hottie ’n’ me IN LUV←☆ Original Text Version.
...yikes.
I wasn’t able to read the kanji on the cover, but thanks to the phonetic readings written above them, I understood what type of book it was. It was an original text version of an old modern literature novel which was written using a lot of kanji. She was always reading that sort of difficult ancient literature.
“What?” Kuroha noticed me staring and raised her head. With those piercing eyes of hers, she saw right through me.
“I was just thinking how amazing you are, being able to read such a difficult book and all that...”
“Web novels are actually some of the easier works to read from that era.”
“Well, no normal person could read them, that’s for sure.”
As I spoke, I took a second look at Kuroha. My eyes first stopped at her long, combed black hair. It looked soft, and it gleamed. Her face was perfectly defined, with balanced eyes, eyebrows, and nose placed precisely on her face. Even as her older brother, I had to admit her beauty was flawless.
From the neck down her slim, well proportioned body was clad in a classic style: a white blouse and a necktie, combined with a plaid skirt. It was one of those outfits made to look like an old fashioned high school uniform. Her legs were fully covered in black pantyhose, but that wasn’t for the sake of fashion; she wore them for another reason. Nothing very important, however.
She was sixteen, one year younger than me. She was often mistaken for being older because she looked and acted quite mature. This tended to upset her, and if you told her “Beautiful people look younger as they get older,” she would give you a nasty look for some reason.
Kuroha’s gaze returned to her book.
“You sure can read all those kanji.” I couldn’t help but be impressed.
The current-day Japanese we used didn’t have any kanji characters. Kanji had been used in modern literature, i.e. literature from the latter half of the 19th century until the latter half of the 21st century. Shortly after that period they fell into disuse.
“Everybody used to be able to read them in the past, you know.”
“That’s what I’ve heard, but still, it’s not like reading kanji is a skill you can use in normal daily life.”
“I feel it’s important to carry on the literary traditions,” said Kuroha, her face expressionless. “It really would be better if you could read at least a few kanji, Onii-chan. Wouldn’t they be useful if you wanted to write a period drama that felt authentic? Those little details are important.”
“Well, I don’t have any intention of writing anything like that right now.”
I wrote, of course. That was what she was referring to.
My dream was to eventually become a professional novelist. I had taken a stab at memorizing some kanji before, but I had barely even scratched the surface. She was right: if I could read and write kanji, that would definitely give me an advantage in writing stories set in the past. Back then, people had actually used kanji in their daily lives, so that would be crucial for a work’s authenticity.
At any rate, Kuroha was once again immersed in her book. What should I do? Maybe I should ponder good ideas for a novel.
Without much thought, my gaze wandered toward the screen mounted on the wall in the front of the train, where news headlines were scrolling past.
“MAHOU SHOUJO” STATUE ☆ EXCAVATED!
The scroll went on to explain that a full body statue of a magical girl created 200 years ago had been discovered in TOKYO. It would be kept at the Agency for Cultural Affairs after it had been carefully examined. It seemed the pink costume she was wearing identified her as the main character of a series called Magical Girl Super Sadie.
“Looks like they found that magical girl statue that’s been in the news. They say it’s worth 50 billion yen!”
“I see,” Kuroha replied, not even looking up from her book. She didn’t seem to have any interest in it, despite it being a cultural artifact worth 50 billion yen.
The news headlines continued:
USUBI→NOMINATE FOR HOMYURA
...What?!
At first, I thought my eyes were deceiving me.
The Homyura prize is the most prestigious literary award in Japan. There’s no way they could have nominated a book like Usubi for that!
“Hey, what’s the matter, Onii-chan?” said Kuroha, looking at me in puzzlement.
“Huh? Oh...” I realized that I had stood up without thinking. I came to my senses and sat back down.
“It said Usubi was nominated for the Homyura Prize.”
“I’ve read that one. It’s made quite a stir recently.”
“A book like that isn’t worthy of the Homyura Prize!”
Usubi was a daring, unconventional work which had really turned heads. What was so different about it? The writing style. Usubi didn’t use ☆ or ! or @ symbols. Considering current-day Japanese, that was a considerably daring choice.
The story also challenged convention. It told the quiet story of a middle-aged main character all the way to old age. There were no sudden twists or ups-and-downs, just stories of that person’s eve
ryday life. The theme was “growing old.” There were no beautiful women or beautiful girls or beautiful little girls... and no panty flashes, either!
For a current-day work, this is clearly taking literature in a bad direction!
“Personally I think that Odaira-sensei’s LILSIS ☆ STAR deserves to win.”
“Ah, that. That would definitely be an archetypical example of the Orthodox style.”
Exactly. The Homyura Prize should go to traditional, orthodox literature.
But... Kuroha didn’t look pleased, so I pressed on.
“What, you’re saying you don’t think LILSIS ☆ STAR is good?”
“I wouldn’t say it’s bad, but doesn’t it just repeat the usual pattern? It’s the same as all of Odaira-sensei’s other books, you know, with the main character gaining a non-blood-related little sister.”
...I had stood up again. But this time I had stood up with a purpose.
“That is exactly what makes it an Odaira-sensei book. How dare you insult the Orthodox style!”
Kuroha shrugged her shoulders ever so slightly. It was times like these I was disgusted with her perfect little face.
“Doesn’t LILSIS ☆ STAR have a number of innovative new plot ideas? Like the little sister’s old-fashioned code of honor... In that scene where she’s in big trouble in the game of strip rock-paper-scissors, she thinks outside the box and takes off all her clothes ahead of time! She wins with the element of surprise!”
“Why would she just get naked like that? Besides, the whole strip rock-paper-scissors thing came out of nowhere. There was no reason behind it.”
Ah... how pitiful.
“Kuroha, you are very intelligent. But you have zero sense for literature. It’s a primary tenet of the orthodox literary style that there be a scene with meaningless nudity, yes? The strip rock-paper-scissors was there to provide a nude situation.”
“I could have read that book left, right, or upside down and it still would have seemed completely inconsistent to me.”
“You are focusing too much on picky details. It was crucial that they play strip rock-paper-scissors and get naked. That’s what makes it true literature!”
“I will never be able to understand the type of people who enjoy such logic.”
“H-How dare you say that!” Throwing up my hands at Kuroha’s blasphemy, I plunked back down into my seat. “Honestly! You don’t have nearly enough respect for Odaira-sensei. Why did you even come with me today?”
The two of us were on this train to TOKYO for a very important reason: we were going to meet the great author Gai Odaira.
Born in 2132, he was a currently 70-year-old veteran author whose debut work had been published 50 years ago. Every book he put out was a record breaking hit. He was not only the top author in Japan, but he also had tons of passionate fans overseas. It was said that he was the most widely read author in the world.
I was, of course, just a normal high school student. I had no right to be able to meet a man like that, but a relative of mine who worked at a publishing company had arranged it for me.
Odaira-sensei was the current-day author I respected the most. And I had the opportunity to meet him at his home in TOKYO. It was supposed to just be me going to TOKYO, but my little sister Kuroha had tagged along.
It’s not like she’s a fan of his or anything, so why? Maybe she just wants to meet a famous person.
“I would have preferred to go alone.”
“I didn’t have any other plans.”
“No plans... Don’t you have any friends? Maybe I should go to your classroom and yell out, ‘Please everyone, be nicer to my dear little sister!’”
“Don’t even think about it. If you do that, both you and I are dead.”
“Dead?”
“I’ll be dead to society, and you’ll be clinically dead.”
“Why would I be clinically dead?”
“Because I will have killed you, that’s why.”
Whoa, chill out there.
“I have some friends, okay? Don’t do anything rash.”
“Then why aren’t you hanging out with them?”
“Call it a personal prerogative.”
“Preroga...what?”
“A little sister’s perquisite.”
“Please don’t use fancy words to trick your big brother.”
“I thought I was dumbing it down for you.”
She thinks that’s dumbing it down?! I have even less idea what she’s talking about!
Kuroha muttered disappointedly to herself, then continued. “I was worried you might do something to insult Odaira-sensei. So I’m here to look after you.”
Look after me?! ...Ah, I see now. Kuroha did tend to look out for me.
“I see. So you still think of me as a child. Thank you.” I grabbed both of Kuroha’s book-filled hands with gratitude in my heart.
“H-Hey, stop that!” Kuroha pulled her hands back in surprise.
“But I would be happier as your brother if you would appreciate Odaira-sensei’s books a little more.”
“Odaira’s books are all romantic comedies with gimai (non-blood-related little sisters), right? That’s kind of...” Kuroha started to curl her long black hair in her fingers. It was a habit of hers when she got embarrassed.
Yeah... I didn’t know what she was thinking exactly, but I decided to say exactly what was on my mind. “Gimai sure are great.”
“Y-Yeah...” she said, looking downwards for some reason.
“2D ones, anyway.”
Kuroha looked up and gave me the evil-eye. “Come on! I can’t believe you can say that about gimai, given your situation!”
My situation, huh? But that was precisely why I could empathize so well.
I didn’t answer, and Kuroha started looking a little apologetic.
“I’m sorry... That was inconsiderate.”
“Don’t worry about it. Anyway, we’re almost there.”
The overhead speakers announced that we would be arriving shortly at SHINAGAWA Station. In only a brief time, I’ll get to meet Odaira-sensei! I was so overcome with joy that I became light-headed.
After getting off the train at SHINAGAWA, we transferred to a different train to head toward Odaira-sensei’s house. The last stop on our way was called NERIMA Station.
After leaving NERIMA Station, we headed to the rotary and were met with an absolutely huge government billboard. It was filled with an illustration of the current 2D prime minister, the adorable Nyamo-chan. Her big eyes are so cute!
Nyamo-chan was the seventh 2D prime minister. Her concept was that she was “The People’s Jitsumai” (blood-related little sister), and she was backed with overwhelming support from the jitsumai wing of the party. Even I loved her, despite being part of the gimai (non-blood-related little sister) wing. Below the billboard, an electronic sign displayed a message from Nyamo-chan: “JAPAN, BE HAPPY!”
Now then, Sensei’s house should be near the station... I looked around the area. As I did, a large, chalk-white house came into view on one of the city corners.
There it is! That’s his house! I gulped in anticipation. My nerves had finally gotten to me. I must be careful not to be impolite.
Feeling flustered, I buttoned up my collar. I was suddenly worried about what I was wearing. I tended to wear old school style clothing, just like Kuroha, but I had different tastes. I was wearing a black jacket and pants, in a style that was called “STUDENT UNIFORM.” I had heard that in the Showa era, young men who wished to become authors would wear the STUDENT UNIFORM style with pride.
“Kuroha, do you think what I’m wearing is rude to Odaira-sensei? I’m wondering if I come off as too cool and intelligent...”
“...I wouldn’t worry about that. No matter what you wear, you wouldn’t come across as cool or intelligent. Quite the contrary, in fact.”
“Oh, good,” I said, relieved.
As we approached Sensei’s house, I began to see that the surrounding white wall had illus
trations on it. They were pictures of girls.
One, two... All 20 looked like they were in elementary school. I knew every single one of them. Little sisters, one and all.
Since Odaira-sensei’s debut work, all of his books had featured young little sisters, without exception. Those twenty girls were the heroines of his twenty most famous works.
“How many can you recognize, Kuroha?”
“You mean, tell apart from each other? I can tell LILSIS ☆ STAR’s main character, Rin, but...”
“I win. I know all of them.” I was an Odaira True Believer. Of course I could recognize the illustrations of all his heroines.
“They all look the same to me.”
She has so much to learn...
It was true that they were all elementary school students with twin-tailed hairstyles and a cute ribbon, with the same perfectly proportioned prepubescent body. Superficially they did resemble one another. But I wanted her to look more closely. Each one had their own unique trait. A mole near their mouth, or hair that was 1 cm longer than the others, or the color of the ribbon... To me they were all completely different.
“It’s not just their looks. They all have the same personality, as well.”
That’s not even close to the truth! If I had to list the similarities, it would have been limited to: tending to beg for things, easily getting lonely, being easily embarrassed, putting up a strong front, easily getting jealous, being clumsy, still having bed-wetting issues, saying mysterious things sometimes, and being madly in love with her older brother.
That’s hardly similar at all!
After all, it wasn’t like he just wrote characters that were exactly his own ideal of a little sister. Each time, they had their own character.
“I wonder if I can’t tell the books apart because all the heroines are similar?”
Why, you...! One of these days, that mouth of yours will be your downfall!
Even if you put aside the question of the heroine, the main characters in each work were all totally different from each other. The little sisters were always ten years old, but the main characters were always the same age as Odaira-sensei when he wrote the book, getting steadily older. So in his latest work, LILSIS ☆ STAR, the main character was 70 years old.
My Little Sister Can Read Kanji: Volume 1 Page 1