T/N: This part made me want to flip one or several tables >_> this came so out of the blue…

Anyway about the t.i.tle:

1) 絶賛紅葉中

絶賛 – zessan – high praise, great admiration. 紅葉 – momiji – autum leaves, fall colors. 中 – chuu – in between, or thorough.Had to point it out because she uses it in the text, then replaces a term in a joke-attempt xD . If you have better suggestions for this expression, after reading the chapter, please point it out~ I went with this: thoroughly of a sensational autumn leaves’ hue… so wordy.

2)Rendezvous: A meeting at a prearranged time and place, originating from French. I used rendezvous because that’s what’s written in the raw:  ランデヴー (randevuu), although this isn’t a rendezvous per se. The j.a.panese actually like that word a lot, huh… actually I forgot to point out in the last chapter that when she says: j.a.pANESE dogeza! (kowtow), she says j.a.pANESE in katakana (in the English p.r.o.nunciation). xD it was so funny… uh-huh. Yeah. … erm, chapter’s here:

Chapter 27 – part 1

My cheek is thoroughly of a sensational autumn leaves’ hue. Rendezvous with the pink colored her.

I was brought back by the Captain.

For the first time I got to ride a Fire Drake. Honestly, I was scared. I like to fly, but it turned out that I dislike flying while riding on something. I was laughed at because of clinging to the Captain’s waist for dear life.

Youu! Why do you have such a thin waist though you’re a man! Won’t it be fine if you wear a dress and get wooed by a man who doesn’t know anything!!  (T/N: xD maybe I translated it a bit off, but that’s the main point, lol 隊長さんなんかドレス着て何も知らない男に求婚されてしまえばいいんだ！！)

…That’s disgusting, as expected.

However a more serious event happened.

It was decided that I’d go to the Dorms for the time being because I couldn’t gather the courage to go back to the room, but as soon as we arrived, I received a slap from a lovely girl.

The one in front of me was the Vice-Captain’s daughter; facing me with her expression totally red from anger. I had thought of transforming my skin, but then I thought my hard scales would be too painful for a girl’s hand, so I received one strike from her palm just like that. Thus one of my cheeks is thoroughly of a sensational autumn leaves’ hue. It’s the first time that I’m slapped by a girl. I also received a mental shock at being hit, so I became overcome with surprise.

The Vice-Captain also happened to be there, but as he never expected that the daughter he dotes on would have done such a thing, he was as befuddled as I was.

She shouts hysterically.

“I can’t stand you! You are the one they say stole Sir Lance from me, the p, people-eating Dragon!?”

I stole Lance from her?

Although I have too many memories in me about being a flesh-eating dragon, I don’t have any about having s.n.a.t.c.hed Lance from her. In the first place I’m not even dating him –by chance, this is.

“Perhaps, do you like… Sir Lance?”

“Sh-shut up!!”

Her red face became even redder, and it appeared she intended to slap me again so I retreated three steps.

It seems it was bull’s-eye from her reaction. Although her facial expression is that of anger, her eyes are those of a maiden in love.

“There’s nothing going on in between Sir Lance and me.”

“That’s a lie! Because, didn’t you receive a hair ornament from him!”

“… Oh, please rest a.s.sured, since that did not have any special meaning. Besides even Chiffon and Madeleine received one.”

I do not know where she got to know this from, but one ought not to make light of this place’s information network. And starting from next time I’ll be careful when receiving things from men. A woman’s jealousy is scary. I’ve received the thoroughly sensational personal experience just now. (T/N: similar to the t.i.tle, only, she replaced ‘autumn leaves’ with ‘personal experience.’ 體験)

“I won’t believe that! Why you… monster, …that’s right!! Monster!! …You are nothing but a monster that eats people!! You are certainly planning to eat everyone once we become careless, aren’t you!?”

Woow, I become quite depressed when faced to that fastball. Previously I was also called a monster several times, but being called that by a lovely girl gives me a different level of depression. But to have those phrases said to me face to face, might be much better than hearing them being told sneakily behind my back. Because I have a way to deal with it.

Yeah. If everyone has things they wish to tell me it will be good if you come tell that to me without speaking secretly. If you do so a solution may come forth. …But would someone who would like to talk to such a Dragon in that manner exist? (T/N: very wild guess. Also, proof that my grammar is twisted :D ・・・なんてドラゴンと話そうなんてもの好きはそういないか。)

“The thing is that you are a disgusting Dragon!! A brutally frightening,  –”

“Maribel!!”

It seems her name is Miss Maribel. What a sweetly cute name.  …hey me, it’s not the time to be escaping reality.

Apparently there was no chance to jump in and interrupt her threatening att.i.tude, but the Vice-Captain was finally able to do so. Sliding his bulky large build in between us, he is looking down on Maribel.

“F, Father …?”

With a rather frightening threatening att.i.tude that won’t lose to Maribel’s, the Vice-Captain, with an expression capable of making an ogre flee barefoot*, says in a menacing and low voice. (T/N: long note at the end.)

“There’re things that you should say and things you should not.”

“But…!!”

“Without knowing anything, forcing your own feelings on others is wrong. Try getting to know Miss Vito beforehand if there is something you want to say to her. And Dragons are indispensable existences for this country. I won’t forgive you for insulting her even if it’s you.”

Talking on and on in one breath, made Miss Maribel become completely quiet. Some tears floated in her large eyes as her small body trembled.

“···I’m sorry.”

Her figure became depressed with a ‘dun,’ and looked so pitiable, I felt bad since I got the feeling that it was my fault that he got angry at her. Forcefully squeezing myself in between them in a hurry, I got a little scared because the Vice-Captain glared at me with a flash in his eyes*. No, I was pretty scared. But this was my fault. She is not wrong.  (t/n: guessing girami is short for giragira – to glitter strongly)

“Vice-Captain, she is not wrong. It’s wrong that I’m a Dragon that eats people.”

“I’m sorry but, Miss Vito, this is our problem. Will you hold yourself from interjecting?”

“No, she would never be so frightened if I wasn’t here. This is my responsibility.”

Yelling at me in anger was for a misunderstanding as well, and she would have not been scolded by her father either.

I turned around towards Miss Maribel and bowed my head.

“I’m sorry, Miss Maribel. Because I will leave this place eventually, won’t you put up with me until then?”

Miss Maribel bit her tightened lips, and with tears floating in her eyes she sent me a glare, faced me with her back and left the room. Watching her form from behind, the Vice-Captain heaves a small sigh.

“…I’m truly sorry.”

“I don’t mind it, really.”

I really care about her real motives. It was of course because she learned that for humans, I’m a monster. When I’m being called ‘monster, monster’ like this my feelings become numb, and I start thinking ‘isn’t it fine even if I’m a monster?’ And it’s sad, but it’s obvious that there are people like Miss Maribel. Rather than that I believe that is the correct reaction to have as a human being. Although the Earth Dragon is said to be this country’s Holy Beast, the last time it was confirmed it existed was more or less a hundred years ago. In truth there would be a lot of people who would doubt that such a being exist and would help this country. In its own way that’s convenient for me, but it gives me somewhat mixed feelings.

Maybe because I was letting out my depressed mood, the Vice-Captain apologized again.

“Please do not apologize. Because, it’s all my bad.”

“…Actually Maribel’s true feelings are that she doesn’t hate Dragons.”

No way. She seemed to dislike Dragons from her att.i.tude toward me.

“In the past, her relations.h.i.+p with Reina was so good that they would play together. But one day they suddenly stopped playing together. Rather, she stopped approaching dragons themselves at some point. … I think it was then that I learned she didn’t play with Dragons anymore. Because despite the appearances, she is very sensitive to her surroundings.” (t/n: Reina = VC’s Fire Drake, if my frail memory doesn’t fail me. Also, this all was a pain in the asteroid.・・・

“Is that so…?”

How unexpected. But since her father the Vice-Captain says it, there’s probably no doubt.

Did it mean Miss Maribel might have been misunderstood. She doesn’t often show a good face to Ariade or Madeleine, and I also couldn’t think of my first impression of her as a good one. But if the reason was because her heart is delicate and easily hurt, and she is deliberately taking a domineering att.i.tude in order to protect herself, it is almost not paying off.

The Vice-Captain said, ‘I’ll return after talking to her,’ and left the room after her.

Translator’s Lair:

The author has spoiled us too much with fluffy things ;n; so this was unexpected. thankfully the table-flipping-inducing mood is over. next up: edo period law announcement notes, b.u.mps into the wall and some other scaly things.

To run away barefoot: 裸足で逃げだす: it’s an expression I didn’t understand.

From weblio: (http://www.weblio.jp/content/裸足で逃げる)

その道の専門家でさえ、とてもかなわないと見て、あわててはだしで逃げ出す。非常にすぐれていることのたとえ。i think it means: ‘even the experts in a field will run away barefoot and in a panic when they see things are too out of reach. To be surpa.s.sed by a large margin.’

In short… to surpa.s.s an expert in a field and make them flee in a panic? Well, that was implied…I mean, If his face was scary enough to scare an oni away… you can read in between that his face was uglier than the oni’s. Maybe the ‘barefoot’ may come from ‘they didn’t take the time to put on their shoes and just run away as is,’ but that’s just my guess. まあ、もういいか. The meaning is clear any way even if I don’t include the barefoot part… yay for researching useless stuff!! :D