Requested by: Tempera
Watch the official video here!

I say this all the time, but Teniwoha’s works demand knowledge of Japanese mystery tropes and wordplay to be interpreted. There’s a tension between what’s written and what isn’t written – each line could use at least one translation note.

This particular track places its focus on the Raven. We’ve heard him mentioned before, but we don’t really know who he is. Perhaps this track will make things clearer…?

Also, the title is unusual. うしろめた is just a little bit off 後ろめたい (ushirometai), which actually means ‘Guilty’. Getting rid of
い turns it into a verb, which is fine, except うしろめる isn’t actually a verb…

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ナゾトキせずとも読者は死せず
某某氷菓子
薄口醤油をかけまして　生卵ととく　そのこころは？
なにも意味などございません

nazotoki sezu to mo dokusha wa shi sezu
soregashi nanigashi koorigashi
usukuchi shouyu o kakemashite namatamago to toku sono kokoro wa?
nani mo imi nado gozaimasen

The reader does not die, though they do not solve the riddle.
Somebody, so-and-so, and sherbet…
I call it soy sauce and explain it as raw egg. As for the reason…? (1)
Well, there’s no meaning to it at all!

いざヨナ抜き　ラッパ呑み呑み
鯖のビッチ　魅せろ凶器の五段活用
「ヤツを逃がすな。変装だ！」

iza yona nuki rappa nomi nomi
saba no bicchi misero kyouki no godan katsuyou
“yatsu o nigasu na. hensou da!”

Now, engulf them with a pentatonic scale from the trumpet!
You mackerel b****. I’ll charm you with deadly verb conjugations. (2)
“I won’t let him get away. Time to disguise!”

ネヴアモア
蝶のようにマイウェイ　蜂のようにさすらい
ナンマンダブステップで涅槃　うしろめたフィクション
ネヴアモア
皆様知らざあ云って聞かせましょう
「二度とはございません。」

nevamoa
chou no you ni maiuei hachi no you ni sasurai
nanmandabusuteppu de nehan ushirometa fikushon
nevamoa
minasama shirazaa itte kikasemashou
“nido to wa gozaimasen.”

Nevermore.
I go my way, like a butterfly. I roam like a bee.
I find salvation through my faith in dubstep. Guilty fiction. (3)
Nevermore.
Nobody knows? Well, let me tell you… (4)
“This won’t happen twice.”

Honey Hot Head とんでもないね　これぞ外連味
ツァラトゥストラはとく片栗粉
take it easy　テキトーで言いぜ　遠い未来のトロイメライ
現実要らずの優れもの

Honey Hot Head tondemonai ne kore zo keren mi
tsaratusutora wa toku katakuriko
take it easy tekitoo de ii ze tooi mirai no toroimerai
genjitsu irazu no sugure mono

Honey hot head. It’s outrageous! It’s just a bluff.
I’ll explain Zarathustra as starch.
Take it easy. You gotta say it casually. Dream about the distant future.
The superior ones don’t need reality.

いざニロ抜き　やっぱノリノリ
鯖の煮付け　腹が減っては戦は出禁

iza niro nuki yappa nori nori
saba no nitsuke hara ga hette wa ikusa wa dekin

Now, a minor pentatonic scale! That’s lively, too.
Mackerel and veggies in soy sauce. You can’t fight on an empty stomach!

「ヤツの真の目的は、探偵育成なのだ」
「な、な、なんだってー！？」

“yatsu no shin no mokuteki wa, tantei ikusei na no da”
“na, na, nanda tte!?”

“His true motive is… to train detectives.”
“Wh-wh-whaaat?!”

ネヴアモア
「チッチッチ」甘いぜ　Who’s in Rise in And rumble
Kick you なんて素敵なキッチュ　抱きしめたフィクション
ネヴアモア
週末にゃあの娘とグランギニョる御予定
述べるNovel　机上の暴論？

nevamoa
“chicchicchi” amai ze Who’s in Rise in And rumble
Kick you nante suteki na kicchu dakishimeta fikushon
nevamoa
shuumatsu nya ano ko to guranginyoru go-yotei
noberu Novel kijou no bouron?

Nevermore.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk” How naive. Who’s in rise in and rumble?
Kicking you would be such splendid kitsch. I held fiction close to me.
Nevermore.
This weekend, I have plans for Grand Guignol with that young lady.
I note that novel. Is there an irrational academic argument?

さあさあかわいい探偵さん　お代は解いてのお孵りだ

saa saa kawaii tantei san odai wa yoite no okaeri da

Now, now, my adorable detective! Your fee will hatch from your solution.

いつか素敵な大人になれますか？
「二度とない」
先生はまともな人になれますか？
「二度とない」
怪盗っていったいなんですか？
「二度とない」
鴉は罰を受けて黒くされたんですか？
「二度とない」「二度とない」「二度とない」

itsuka suteki na otona ni naremasuka?
“nido to nai”
sensei wa matomo na hito ni naremasuka?
“nido to nai”
kaitou tte ittai nan desuka?
“nido to nai”
karasu wa batsu o ukete kuroku sareta ndesuka?
“nido to nai” “nido to nai” “nido to nai”

Can I someday grow into a wonderful adult?
“It won’t happen twice.”
Can you become an honest man, Professor?
“It won’t happen twice.”
What on earth is that thief, anyway?
“It won’t happen twice.”
Did the Raven receive their punishment and become blackened?
“It won’t happen twice.” “It won’t happen twice.” “It won’t happen twice.”

ネヴアモア
蝶のようにマイウェイ　蜂のようにさすらい
ナンマンダブステップで涅槃　うしろめたフィクション
ネヴアモア
皆様知らざあ云って聞かせましょう
我こそ大鴉ってなもんさ
ずっとずっとあいこでしょ。

nevamoa
chou no you ni maiuei hachi no you ni sasurai
nanmandabusuteppu de nehan ushirometa fikushon
nevamoa
minasama shirazaa itte kikasemashou
ware koso oogarasu tte na mon sa
zutto zutto aiko desho.

Nevermore.
I go my way, like a butterfly. I roam like a bee.
I find salvation through my faith in dubstep. Guilty fiction.
Nevermore.
Nobody knows? Well, let me tell you…
“I myself am the grand raven” or, something like that.
It’ll always, always be even between us.

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(1) This pattern (○○とかけて△△と解く。その心は□□) is a type of wordplay called なぞかけ (Nazokake).
(2) 鯖のビッチ (saba no bicchi) appears to be a corruption of サノバビッチ (sano ba bicchi – son of a b****).
(3) ナンマンダブステップ is a corruption of なんまんだぶ (nanmandabu), a Buddhist expression of faith.
(4) This phrase was made popular in kabuki, and now appears often in anime and manga.

Requested by: Tempera
Watch the official video here!

I translated another track from this series previously. This track takes the references to the next level – it makes it tough to translate, because so much more meaning can be gained from what you hear, rather than from what you read. Realistically, every line could use a translation note!

I was lucky enough to find a blog post in Japanese that outlines a lot of the references. I’ve placed the list at the bottom of the translation – see if you can hear them all!

Like usual, there’s a bit of an introduction in the video description:
“Professor! For the first time in a while, we’ve got a big incident!”
It was a Japanese summer: the schoolgirl detective’s summer.

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悪漢ベヰカーストリヰト雷雨　七つ道具は質屋へ
悪路井戸落とされ探偵がまた一人姿を消したといふ
綾なす辻のAlice側　横溝掃除は江戸川か
神田最弱探偵さん　こんなんどう？　居ると思う？

akkan beikaa sutoriito raiu nantsu dougu wa shichiya he
akuro ido otosare tantei ga mata hitori sugata o keshita to iu
ayanasu tsuji no Alice gawa yokomizo souji wa edokawa ka
kanda saijaku tantei-san konnan dou? iru to omou?

Scoundrel! Storm clouds gathered on Baker Street. The tools of the trade were headed for the pawnshop.
They say a detective was dropped into the evil alley’s well—like that, another was bumped off.
Near the brightly decorated street, Arisugawa, is Yokomizu cleaning Edokawa?
So, weakest detective in Kanda, what do you think? Do they exist?

ナンマンダブ　ステップ踏み　脳髄是密室なりや
グーとチーで合った人　愚と智で分かれましょう
謎解きはこれから

nan man dabu suteppu fumi nouzui kore misshitsu nari ya
guu to chii de atta hito gu to chi de wakaremashou
nazotoki wa kore kara

Lord have mercy. I tread on the steps, and my brain is a locked room.
Rock, scissors, who matches? We’ll use it to group them into wise and foolish people.
The riddle’s solution is coming up:

「犯人はあなたですね」

“hannin wa anata desu ne”

“You’re the culprit!”

列車トリック　発火トリック　難事件
推理作家の先生さん　『阿破破』
うーだらぱーだらうーだらぱーだら云わないで
ああもう頭がこんがらがってきたけれど

ressha torikku hakka torikku nan jiken
suiri sakka no sensei-san “ahaha”
uudara paadara uudara paadara iwanaide
aa mou atama ga kongaragatte kita keredo

Train tricks, fire tricks, and accidents.
The professor is a mystery writer. “Ahaha!”
Don’t talk nonsense to me!
Enough already! My head’s already all tangled up in this…

どっとはらい　どっと混む　熱茶々々々　巴里巴里（パリパリ）
海鷂魚（えい）　鰤　場で椀子蕎麦「謎はおやつに入りません」
どっとはらい　どっと混む　熱茶々々々　丼舎利貪舎利（どんしゃりどんしゃり）
エブリバディアリバイないないない

dotto harai dotto komu accha cha cha cha pari pari
ei buri ba de wanko soba “nazo wa oyatsu ni hairimasen”
dotto harai dotto komu neccha cha cha cha donshari donshari
eburibadi aribai nai nai nai

That’s that. Dot com. Accha cha cha cha! Paris, Paris.
Stingrays, yellowtails, wanko soba served at that place: “Riddles shouldn’t be eaten as snacks.”
That’s that. Dot com. Accha cha cha cha! Donshari, donshari.
Everybody has no alibi, no alibi!

花紋

kamon

Come on… (1)

etcラヰヘンバッハ鴉啼き　番台さん突いて御清聴
織り笑むと旧校舎の窓あの怪盗達が待つといふ
高木（こうぼく）に二人　海野原　坂口暗号無視したろう？
ＡＢＣだか恵比寿だか　「檸檬どう？」ちゃんとして

etc raihenbahha karasu naki bandai-san tsuite go-seichou
ori emu to kyuu-kousha no mado ano kaitou-tachi ga matsu to iu
kouboku ni futari unno hara sakaguchu angou mushi shitarou?
ABC da ka ebisu da ka “remon dou?” chanto shite

etc Reichenbach. The raven cries. The attendant was stabbed, pay kind attention.
They say the phantom thieves await at the window of the former school building with smiles all stitched up.
Two people are in a tall tree. The sea field. Did they ignore Sakaguchi’s code?
Is it ABC or Ebisu? “How are the lemons?” Be serious!

甲が乙を隠す　そんじゃ降参鑑識さんお疲れさん
四捨五入やってみな　死者五人どこいった
謎解きはまだまだ

kou ga otsu o kakusu son ja kousan kanshiki-san otsukaresan
shisha gonyuu yatte mina shisha gonin doko itta
nazotoki wa mada mada

The plaintiff hides the defendant. Like that, surrender. Thanks, forensics!
Let’s try rounding up – where did the five dead people go?
The solution is still distant…

「そして誰がいなくなった？」

“soshite dare ga inaku natta?”

“And then who died” (2)

およしになって　おやめになって　怪事件
おさげ揺らす探偵さん　『探偵さん』
ノックスべゐべ　ガストンべゐべ　行かないで
and more　作者（先生）のヰヂワルは毎度

oyoshi ni natte oyame ni natte kai jiken
osage yurasu tantei-san “tantei-san”
nokkusu beibe gasuton beibe ikanaide
and more sensei no ijiwaru wa maido

They stop and give up when faced with this strange incident.
The detective, with braids swaying… “Detective!”
Knox baby, Gaston baby, don’t go…
and more… the professor’s (author’s) teasing comes every time.

どっとはらい　どっと混む　熱茶々々々　巴里巴里（パリパリ）
海鷂魚（えい）　鰤　場で椀子蕎麦「たまには自分で考えたまえ」
どっとはらい　どっと混む　熱茶々々々　丼舎利貪舎利（どんしゃりどんしゃり）
エブリバディアリバイないないない

dotto harai dotto komu accha cha cha cha pari pari
ei buri ba de wanko soba “tama ni wa jibun de kangae tamae”
dotto harai dotto komu neccha cha cha cha donshari donshari
eburibadi aribai nai nai nai

That’s that. Dot com. Accha cha cha cha! Paris, Paris.
Stingrays, yellowtails, wanko soba served at that place: “Try thinking for yourself sometimes!”
That’s that. Dot com. Accha cha cha cha! Donshari, donshari.
Everybody has no alibi, no alibi!

怪盗連盟の罠にはまり、次々と姿を消していく名探偵達
そして探偵の居ぬ間に人々の心は密室となった

kaitou renmei no wana ni hamari, tsugi tsugi to sugata o keshite iku meitantei-tachi
soshite tantei no inu ma ni hito bito no kokoro wa misshitsu to natta

Plunged into the phantom thief alliance’s trap, the great detectives disappeared one by one.
And, while the detectives were away, people’s hearts became locked rooms.

「でも、それならどうしてあたしだけが無事だったんでしょうか？」
「その答えはひとつしか考えられない」
「と、云うと……？」
「あまりに無能すぎるが故に、きみは探偵として勘定にも入れられていなかったのだ！」
「いーやー！」

“demo, sore nara doushite atashi dake ga buji datta ndeshou ka?”
“sono kotae wa hitotsu shika kangaerarenai”
“to, iu to…?”
“amari ni munou sugiru ga yue ni, kimi wa tantei toshite kanjou ni mo hairerarete inakatta no da!”
“iiyaa!”

“In that case, why am I the only one who’s safe?”
“I can only think of one answer.”
“And what’s that…?”
“You’re so incompetent you haven’t even been counted as a detective!”
“Nooooo!”

およしになって　おやめになって　怪事件
おさげ揺らす探偵さん　『探偵さん！』
ノックスべゐべ　ガストンべゐべ　行かないで
and more　作者（先生）のヰヂワルヰケズ
列車トリック　発火トリック　難事件
推理作家の先生
うーだらぱーだらうーだらぱーだら云わないで
ああもう頭がこんがらがってきたけれど
こわいいかわいや　トリック暴いて通りゃんせ

oyoshi ni natte oyame ni natte kai jiken
osage yurasu tantei-san “tantei-san”
nokkusu beibe gasuton beibe ikanaide
and more sensei no ijiwaru ikezu
ressha torikku hakka torikku nan jiken
suiri sakka no sensei-san
uudara paadara uudara paadara iwanaide
aa mou atama ga kongaragatte kita keredo
kowaii kawai ya torikku abaite tooryan se

They stop and give up when faced with this strange incident.
The detective, with braids swaying… “Detective!”
Knox baby, Gaston baby, don’t go…
and more… the professor’s teasing is so wicked.
The professor is a mystery writer.
Don’t talk nonsense to me!
Enough already! My head’s already all tangled up in this…
Scary or cute? When I divulge the tricks, you may enter.

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(1) 花紋 (kamon) literally means ‘flower pattern’, but has likely been used to represent the English phrase ‘come on’.
(2) The Japanese phrase そして誰がいなくなった？ is a play on the title of Agatha Christie’s novel ‘And Then There Were None’ (そして誰もいなくなった)

Author references:

Ayatsuji Yukito
Arisugawa Arisu
Yokomizo Seishi
Edokawa Ranpo
Conan Doyle
Van Dine
Tsutsui Yasutaka
Matsumoto Seichou
Takagi Akimitsu
Unno Juuza
Sakaguchi Ango
Kurihara Mushitaro
Raymond Chandler
Yamamoto Koushi
Otsuichi
Ronald Knox
Gaston Leroux