Yay! I’m finally at least 10 pages into 夜カフェ! Considering the story starts from page 5, that’s still not saying very much, lol.
Anyway, I remembered that Koohi Cafe has the vocab list up on their site, so it’s a little easier to refer to vocab meaning while I’m reading. I’ve found that typing the words out in Japanese and then going back to put the English meaning afterwards (since I have to switch keyboards to do it) every paragraph to be faster. But it’s also a little tricky because Koohi has a few mistakes here and there, and sometimes they leave out certain words, particularly if they’re written in katakana like ヘマ. But it’s overall helpful, so I’m not going to complain especially not for a free service!
1月30日~31日 ~ Days 30~31 / Back to Home
夜カフェ page 6 on 30日 and pages 7-12 on 31日
I’m still not too far into the book, but we get some insight on Hanabi’s motives for choosing a private middle school vs. a local public one. At her elementary school, she was bullied by a popular girl named Yayako. She insulted Hanabi in 5th grade for her mistakes and lateness during Sports Day, and since then, Yayako’s followers have been talking about her behind her back. Hanabi used to be a very cheerful girl, but in order to stand out, she started hiding and staying quiet and out of the way so as not to attract attention.
In a way to regain her former self, she wanted to go to a private school after hearing about Yayako wanting to go to the local public school. But since she failed her entrance exam for the private school, she has no choice but to attend the same school as Yayako.
Now that spring vacation is over, it’s time for her to head out to her first day of school. When she reaches the bulletin to find herself in class 3, she hopes that at the very least, Yayako would be in a different class. But as fate would have it (and for the sake of moving the plot), she’s in the same class as Yayako! This time though, none of her followers seem to be in the same class. What will happen next?
Vocab for Reference - New words are bolded
かなり・considerably; fairly; quite; rather; pretty
慰める・なぐさめる・to comfort; to console
却って・かえって・on the contrary; rather
半紙・はんし・Japanese calligraphy paper
書き始め・かきぞめ・first (calligraphy) of the year
必勝・ひっしょう・certain victory
直ぐさま・すぐさま・immediately; promptly
剥がす・はがす・to tear off
くしゃくしゃ・crumpled; rumpled; wrinkled; creased
丸める・まるめる・to make round; to roll up
捨てる・すてる・to throw away
仰向け・あおむけ・facing upward
零れる・こぼれる・to spill; to fall out of; to overflow
枕・まくら・pillow
抱き抱える・だきかかえる・to hold; to carry; to embrace (in one’s arms)
埋める・うずめる・to cover; to bury (e.g. one’s face in hands); to submerge
断つ・たつ・to abstain (from); to give up
区立・くりつ・established by the ward
浮かぶ・うかぶ・to come to mind; to have inspiration
取り巻き・とりまき・followers
明白・あからさま・plain; frank; candid; open; direct; straightforward
無視・むし・disregarding; ignoring
切っ掛け・きっかけ・chance; start; cue; excuse; motive; impetus; occasion
競技・きょうぎ・game; match; contest
へま・blunder; bungle; gaffe
音痴・おんち・having no sense of (e.g. direction); being hopeless when it comes to (e.g. computers); -illiterate
大げさ・おおげさ・grandiose; exaggerated
表情・ひょうじょう・facial expression
実際・じっさい・actuality; practicality; reality
鈍い・にぶい・slow; sluggish; inert; lethargic
最大・さいだい・biggest; greatest
ヒソヒソ話・ひそひそばなし・whispered conversation; whispering
体操着・たいそうぎ・gym uniform
一斉に・いっせいに・all at once; in unison
優・ゆう・gentle; affectionate
何時しか・いつしか・before one knows; unnoticed;
unawares
行動・こうどう・action; mobilization
ちょくちょく・often; frequently; now and then; occasionally
成るべく・なるべく・as much as possible; wherever practicable
ひっそり・modestly; quietly; inconspicuously
一生懸命・いっしょうけんめい・with all one’s might; to the best of one’s abilities
地元・じもと・home area; home town; local
ピンと・tensely; immediately; intuitively; tightly; erectly
漸く・ようやく・finally; at last
潜める・ひそめる・to hide
地味・じみ・plain; simple; subdued
差し込む・さしこむ・to flow in; to shine in
塾・じゅく・cram school
ウキウキ・cheerful; buoyant; lighthearted
成績・せいせき・grades
ぐんぐん・steadily
合格圏内・ごうかくけんない・within range of passing the exam
いよいよ・at last; finally
程度・ていど・about; approximately
潜る・くぐる・to pass under
校舎・こうしゃ・school building
掲示板・けいじばん・bulletin board
新入生・しんにゅうせい・new student
張り出す・はりだす・to put up (a notice); to post
紺色・こんいろ・navy blue; deep blue
群れ・むれ・group; cluster
抜ける・ぬける・to escape
萎む・しぼむ・to fade away; to shrivel; to wilt
背後・はいご・background; behind the scenes
聞き覚え・ききおぼえ・learning by ear; memory of having heard something
降りかかる・ふりかかる・to happen; to befall
振り向く・ふりむく・to turn one’s face; to turn around; to look over one’s shoulder
ニャニャ・smirking; grinning