Memorizing English Vocabulary with MEKAKUSHIDAN (High School Version)

Memorizing English Vocabulary with MEKAKUSHIDAN (High School Version) (「カゲロウデイズ」で高校英単語が面白いほど覚えられる本 "Kagerō Deizu" de kōkō eitango ga omoshiroihodo oboerareru hon) is the second Kagerou Project-themed educational book published by KADOKAWA.

Much like its predecessor, the book consists of several phrases in English meant to illustrate specific vocabulary terms for Japanese students. The phrases mention Kagerou Project characters and situations, and the book is decorated with images from official Kagerou Project media, such as the MVs illustrated by Sidu and Wannyanpoo.

Across the book, there are novel-like segments featuring a story of Ene making Shintaro study English vocabulary, alongside the Mekakushi Dan's reactions to that.

English Translation
Prologue: A Certain Summer’s Day’s Events
 * -|Prologue=

Only the rattling and clacking sounds from the keyboard resonate around the room.

Occasionally cicada cries from outside can be heard leaking through the windows that are cracked open. There is nothing to be said except that it’s hot and humid on this day, the kind of day that is best for a shut-in.

Ahh, what a peaceful day. Such an ordinary everyday life, and I’m unbearably happy….

When I clear my throat the corners of my mouth unexpectedly rise, as I pick up the dark soda that drips with condensation from the temperature change in the room. The moment I pour it down my throat… Suddenly, “yaa.” The act of terrorism began.

“Master! It seems like today there’s a firework show at 6:00 PM! Can we see it from your dirty room?”

As that familiar voice began, every open browser (of course including the DAW I was composing on) was forcefully closed, replaced by countless pop-ups. “Special summer date spot,” “Top 3 fireworks displays recommended for men,” “Hole-in-the-wall place! Superb view fireworks spot, word-of-mouth and comment board,” “Summary of summer situations to seduce women,” etc. ….

Ahh, my everyday life was now always like this suddenly.

A passionate reply I was writing that easily exceeded 20 lines, the song I was creating that was in the middle of the programming phase….

Ene’s eyes blinked in unison, ignoring the shock that caused my eyes to open so wide that the whites were fully visible. She single-mindedly chattered on, her teeth never appearing to touch, as she ignored me.

“I feel like I haven’t seen fireworks in quite a while! But isn’t summer for fireworks nonetheless!? Don’t you agree, Master?”

“Master, did you know this? Because fireworks use metal’s reaction to flame, it seems the color is different depending on the chemicals the gunpowder is made of!”

“When Master goes to a fireworks display with a woman, do you say disgusting things like, ‘together our flame reaction will scatter red sparks….’? Ahhh oops! Master doesn’t have a woman to go with him in the first place. Sorry!”

“Hah…. There is no beautiful teen girl who would go to a fireworks show with you. Master, what a pity…. No. Master is too pathetic!”

“Hey, why did you phrase it like that…? Did you say ‘pity’ just now!?”

Despite choosing to completely ignore her, she always persists. And each time I can’t just sit by without comment she reacts in the same familiar way, delivering her hateful comebacks with extreme speed. Seeing me fall for her bait, Ene has a triumphant look on her face.

“That’s right, but you’re having a fit and reading too much into this ‘pity’ thing. You’ve been a little too self-conscious lately, right?”

“Hey, aren’t you calling me pitiful? When you say it like that it’s so excessively intentional and malicious that I can clearly see what you’re trying to say!! I thought it was abnormally quiet today, but you were just busy, completely absorbed in researching this firework thing!”

“Oh that Master of mine, maybe you kinda missed me~? ‘Eneeee…. I’m lonely…. Heyyyy.’ If you begged me like that I’d have come around to hate on you sooner. No, I’d have rushed to my Master without a second thought!!”

“Now you think I’d ask you to harass me!? I know you’re aware of what’s going on! For the time being I can’t see the fireworks. Stop harassing me right now.”

“Master’s a hell of a listener! Stingy! Nitwit! Shut-in. If we’re this close, shouldn’t you at least watch to make sure the fireworks’ gunpowder doesn’t hit your house and start a fire?”

“What kind of accident would that be!? It isn’t gunpowder that falls down, it’s just sparks!! We’ll be fine, so just get my data back quickly. Did you even keep a backup anyway? Come on, really, I’m sick of being harassed by you and your impulsive whims! If you think it’s too terribly quiet you can study English vocabulary.”

“You’re such a rude virgin to get so fed up with me! You’re an extreme Masochist, Master, don’t you have pride in the level of my harassment it takes to make you happy-cry?”

“It’s not fun! It’s definitely not fun! You should be able to generally understand the junior high school level since you’ve been swept off to school before!? It’s such a penance, a penance!!”

“Wha-wha-what the hell is that…!? It was a crystal of love and tears withdrawn from Ene-chan’s special database….! If you treat me coldly like that, I’ll be sharp!”

Ene puffed out her cheeks as she said this. But her plan was to begin to travel into the smartphone that was placed beside the computer mouse.

“Ohh, try being sharp with me! I’m being smoked by you! I’m being smoked for the whole day’s worth of effort! I don’t have anything to lose anymore! I don’t know what is stored and where because yesterday the folder names I put my whole soul into organizing were all changed!”

“Is Master’s life lived completely on this screen!? What a flimsy life…. If that’s so, then why not use this PC anymore? You don’t use it, right?”

“No, sorry, that’s a lie. I use it. Because I use it…. aaaAAAAA!??!?!!”

At that moment, the PC screen went pitch black, a cold box sitting in the center saying, “Please input the password.” All I feel is déjà vu. This is obviously the work of Ene.

“Stop it! Pretty please just stop doing this….!”

“Buh!! Ahaha! Ma-Master, ‘pretty please,’ you say….!! Bufufu!!”

“This isn’t a laughing matter! Quickly return the screen back to its original state!! Ohh this is the worst…. I want to die….”

From the shock of being taken hostage, I involuntarily relaxed all of the muscles in my body. For a while I had been leaning my body forward in my chair.

“Well well, Master. Doesn’t the good, super pretty virgin girl, Ene-chan have a backup? I’ll put it back perfectly normal later.”

“Truthfully!? That’s really true!? Ahh, what a relief…. You also have a human heart…. Thank you Gods and Buddhas!”

I felt my tight throat become lighter, while my mood did as well. But as soon as she saw me not restraining my delight, Ene made a facial expression like she was holding back an ill comment.

“Wait a little, Master. Wouldn’t it be too good if I returned it all for free? This morning I wasn’t able to get you to be worried about me at all. Reeeaaaallllllly. I was about to die in that spare time. So won’t you have to pay for it exactly!?”

“Ohh…. I’ll do anything…. I’ll do anything!”

Ene raised a finger on the screen to wipe the tears that had accumulated in the corners of her eyes.

“Then Master, start by connecting the earphones to this smartphone please.”

“….Huh? Ohh, oh.”

While being overwhelmed with her sudden demands, I grabbed the smartphone and put on the white earphones.

“Like this?”

“Yes!”

Yayy! However, I was starting to feel anxiety from the tension as Ene raised an arm in reply.

“Now Master, you will study all of the English vocabulary high school students learn! I even made it more difficult than before! Because you’re a masochistic Master, it’s a present that will delight you! Oh, of course, please memorize it all by 6:00 PM when the fireworks start!! Even if my Master isn’t finished, I’ll ask him to just point the smartphone at the window for me!!”

So that’s what Ene says, and it’s not like I’m familiar with what appears on the screen, the spellings and meanings of English words…. When I scrolled to the end, the number of words to learn was…. -what?- 1200….

“As you progress in studying I’ll give you password hints! Come on now, let’s keep up the good work! A man doesn’t go back on his word, right Master?”

Ene said this with a dazzling smile on her face as she played the clip of me sounding so close to death, “Ohh…. I’ll do anything…. I’ll do anything!” “Ahhh~…. it’s soo hot….”
 * -|Side Story 1=

Even trying to fan yourself with your hands doesn’t make enough wind to help.

I heard a rumor that a new limited edition Benny Salmon-chan strap would be released this summer. But it seems that it immediately sold out within 15 minutes of release, and I completely missed out…. This is the greatest mistake of my life.

As I’m wandering around with all this free time on my hands, I hear a familiar voice coming from the direction of the park.

“Ahhhhhhhhh, this is just unreasonable, unreasonable, unreasonable…. It’s so hot! Why am I even doing this…. ‘fair’ ‘kouseina’, ‘fair’ ‘kouseina’ ….” “Keep fighting, Master!”

There’s no doubt about it. That’s gotta be my brother and Ene-chan.

“Big bro, what are you doing….? You seem awfully suspicious….”

“Oh geez…. You –what are you doing out in broad daylight like this….?”

Ignoring my sweaty brother’s question, I look at the smartphone in his hand. There, as usual, is Ene-chan and…. Huh, English vocabulary….?

“Hi little sis! Master is in the middle of reviewing high school English vocabulary words~!”

“Ugh…. If I studied with Momo I’d never get to use my PC again in my entire life! Hurry up and give me the next word!!”

I watched as my brother yelled in a frantic manner, spit flying from his mouth.

Oh, I see. Ene-chan is messing with him again.

“Big bro, I don’t know what’s going on, but you’re okay, right?”

“I’m definitely not okay!! And well…. You should stop wandering aimlessly and go home.”

That said, my brother turned around to change direction, continuing to mutter as he left the park.

“….It’s another peaceful day today.”

I wonder if Ene-chan would help teach me too. “Hey…. what’s that?”
 * -|Side Story 2=

When I followed Kido’s gaze, I saw a familiar red jacket walking down the sidewalk with a smartphone in one hand. His eyes are opened wide, his brow is covered in sweat, and he’s muttering something like it’s an incantation he’s chanting. He’s an unmistakably suspicious looking person. If we weren’t the ones to find him, it would have been strange if he didn’t get reported.

“Hey, Shintaro-kun! What are you doing?”

Speaking lightly, his pale face and tired body turns to me. “Ahh…. Kano….”

I’m just about to die looking at him.

When I peered into the screen, there was a familiar figure inside and a line of some nostalgic language I had a strong reaction against, although there had been a point in time when I was familiar with it.

“Eh, English?”

In an unexpected spectacle, a wild voice spontaneously calls out.

“Master! You’ve made it through one third of your quota at most, so please don’t look away, uh…., Cat Eyes-san and Leader-san! Hello.”

“Ene-chan, yahoo! What are you two doing?”

“Oh, you were listening to us!! As a matter of fact, Master is working on his rehabilitation into society program, while I’m in the middle of killing some time!!”

The girl inside the screen brags proudly.

“Ehh, oh really….”

He’s been turned into her plaything again, Shintaro-kun….

After seeing off those two, the reversed master and slave, we sped up a bit as we headed back to the hideout. It’s been unbearably hot these days. I want to hit the air conditioning quickly.

“It’s startling that the wave of globalization is closing in on a place like this….”

Kido pretended to be calm, but she said so with a voice that was more than a little shaky. “Is that Coveralls-san there!?”
 * -|Side Story 3=

“Hey! Since you made me connect the earphones, don’t just switch to speaker mode on a whim….!!”

The break for my part time job was about to end as I used a towel to mop up my endlessly streaming sweat. A friend wearing a familiar red jacket stood there, sweating a lot himself.

“Oh, if it isn’t Shintaro-san! Is Ene-chan with you too today?”

Looking at the smartphone held in his hand, Shintaro-san turned the screen to me with an “ahh.”

In the middle of the screen a familiar blue-haired girl whirled around, happily spinning. Shintaro handed me one of the earphones and I put it up to my ear, hearing English words flowing with a satisfying tempo alongside Ene-chan’s voice.

Studying English even in such hot weather is admirable.

“Shintaro-san, are you studying abroad?”

If you throw someone a question meekly like this, the person will answer in a relaxed way.

“I’m not….”

“Eh? Then, why are you studying English?”

“That’s what I want to know the most….”

“Look, look, Master, let’s return home soon! Aren’t your hit points and magic points almost in the red zone? If you end up hospitalized we won’t be able to see the fireworks, so please stop!”

“If I have to shut myself in at home alone with just you and study English words, I’ll lose my mind.”

“Don’t worry, he’s okay! Master is just a suspicious person at the core!! Well Coveralls-san, see you again later!”

“Later? Ah, hmm, I’m not sure about that, but Shintaro-san, fight on!”

Right as I yell out that cheer, while I’m stretching my back and walking around, the alarm signaling the end of the break from my job sounds. I have to hurry back to my post.

Now then, another breath, don’t I want to do my best? 4, 5, 1, 0, 4, 7, 1.
 * -|Epilogue=

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, TAP! There’s a light sound as I pound those numbers in a mere second and stab the enter key to stop. The annoying box sitting on the desktop that said “Please input the password” disappears.

My fingers moved without me even thinking, as naturally as breathing, because that number was so incredibly familiar to me.

“I won’t say anything anymore…. I have nothing to say, except that it’s hard to imagine there are any demons in this world as terrible as you….”

“What changed with you all of the sudden, Master? This is a good thing, isn’t it? Now you can safely get back to being all romantic with your PC!”

With no shame at all, Ene feigns a face that says “I’m puzzled.” The nerve she has is really…. Ugh, no. This transcends the realm of mere irritation, there’s nothing refreshing in my life anymore.

“So anyways, Master, you’ve done your best until now!”

After taking my PC (and the internet) that are as valuable to me as my life hostage, all of my precious hours had to be used up in exchange for that password. And after memorizing those English words, she only gave me hints using grandiose methods like Caesar ciphers. And after all of that the password that she set was “4510471 (I don’t work ),” which is the password I always use. When most people are bad, I don’t fuss. But she has an unmistakable talent for harassment.

“Well Master, so you’re breathless then? I used my brain, which I don’t usually use, at full power, so I had this crazy fever of psycho-developmental growth and…. Ahh! I don’t care if something happens to my precious Master…. But for myself, I’m starting to get a little worried!”

“Hey, hey. Why don’t you wrap your worry up in some tissue paper and stop casually dissing me?”

“It’s ridiculous to think I’m dissing you! Are you just stupid!?”

“It’s worse than just dissing me!”

Argh, oh no…. Talking to her I feel sweat gushing from every pore on my body….!

“Oh, that’s it! You perfectly memorized that much in just a few hours, but I’m a little taken aback. What’s really going on? Are you feeling a little jealous?”

She’s been tormenting me for several days in a row…. No, she just played with me for her own entertainment…. But I see Ene muttering terrible things like, “ahh, finally time to unleash….!” right as the feeling of relief begins to emerge in me meekly. “Ahh, that’s so dangerous…. Next time I think I’ll try something even more outrageous when I play with him….” The thought of this made me raise my head, and a reflex made a shiver go down my spine.

“No way, not that!”

Ene forced out a fake cough as she paused.

“If we don’t hurry up, the fireworks are going to start without us!”

“….Fireworks? Ahh, now that you mention it, I did say that we’d go.”

I feel like I haven’t seen something like fireworks in ages. Last year I earnestly thought, “I finally have friends in real life, let’s watch the explosions!” But as a result of an unexpectedly strong storm, we got news that the large-scale fireworks display had been cancelled. The bitter memory of Momo witnessing my distressed expression arises in me.

“Let’s go join everyone in the Mekakushi Dan quickly! I contacted them all while Master was busy moaning and groaning over English words!”

“Ahh, I get it, I get it. Wait just a little, I’ll get ready to go….”

Well, If I’m forced to admit it, I feel nothing but a strange sense of accomplishment.

There are plenty of excuses I could use like the crowd is too sickening for me to stand again, or that we could go see the fireworks some other day. But I guess it’s somewhat healthier than continuing to endure her usual harassment. With a constructive sense of accomplishment I abandon my duty as a shut-in and head for the fireworks show, as an immorally uplifting feeling wells up inside of me. Ene simply doesn’t notice as my cheeks are unconsciously raising into a smile…. Thinking about it, I put on my usual red jacket.