Rockstar★Amy 

A kabukimono girl from the north. She plays a Khsier guitar.
She usually adopts a dokuganryu style and a cynical attitude, and is labeled a delinquent by those around her.
But deep down, she’s a maiden. Her yearning for the freedom expressed through rock grew so strong she began making her own music.

Having grown up in an old-fashioned land, her words and actions sometimes feel slightly out of step with the times, yet her sound possesses a freshness untouched by trends.
Dressed in a punkish, modified uniform and boots, and accompanied by her bandmates (stuffed animals), she aims to conquer the sacred ground of Harajuku, battling stubborn people who don’t understand renowned eccentrics or refined tastes.

Well, what can I say. It can’t be helped.
So I’ve decided to head to the city on my own terms.

Talking forever with those stubborn blockheads won’t get us anywhere. The world won’t move forward like this.
If you say our tradition is to endure and live quietly in this cold, overgrown countryside, fine.
I’ll abandon that tradition.
I’ll burn it along with the firewood in the bath stove.
Though honestly, it’s so dull it probably wouldn’t even catch fire.

Well, whatever! Time to go!
Did I forget anything?
My guitar, housing my soul. Its neck is sparkling. Perfect.
The costume I ordered from Asakusa. It’s spot on.
Bro, I’ve got your blessing, for sure! Thanks!

So, anyone else wanna tag along?

Hurry up, or I’ll leave you behind.
Ready? Roll call!

Kuabear! *drum sounds*
Nekocat! *piano sounds*
Usarabit! *guitar sounds*

…Can’t you guys come up with better names?
I mean, you are my beloved band members and all.
Ah, well, names don’t really matter.
What’s important to us is our sound. And our souls.

No matter what, I’ve got a strong, passionate spirit that won’t be defeated by a blizzard, and I’ve faithfully inherited the traditions of this land.
I’m not ashamed. Even if it’s tradition, I’m proud of it.
I’ll protect that pride, but I just want to try new ways.
Yeah. To test myself, to prove myself.
We’re going.

Now that everyone is here, we’ll set off once the snow stops.

Huh? What’s up, bro? Worried about me that much?
Well, I’ve already taken on your share of resolve, so you’d feel uneasy staying behind, wouldn’t you?
Well, what can you do? I guess you can come with me.
For now, just stick to my head or something.

Truth is, I don’t really know what the capital’s like… It’s only my third time going.
Plus, I’ve never been south of Ueno.
See? Mail order’s gotten crazy convenient lately.
You can shop without even leaving home.
Brother, have you ever seen Harajuku?

We should go to the capital before getting old and lose motivation.
It’ll be a hassle for you once the rice planting starts, bro.
Oh, that reminds me, I wonder if there are places to eat over there… I’ll pack a bento.

Wait a minute! I just want to ride the train… Why am I getting kicked off?

Huh? “If you want to put that huge Khsier and stuffed animal on the seat, you need to pay the express for three”?
How stingy.
I don’t have any money either, but…
Fine, fine, I’ll get off. I won’t take the train.

Fine, I’ll walk all the way to the capital!
Ten miles a day! Thirty miles in three days! I’ll make it!

Come on, walk! Already exhausted?
Bear, you’re a drummer but you’ve got zero stamina!
Hey Cat, don’t take detours!
And Rabbit’s just sleeping by the roadside! How careless!

It’s turning into dusk… guess we’ll finish tomorrow.
Bro, should we find lodging around here tonight?
If not, we’ll have to sleep outside… but it’s still cold, I don’t wanna.

We walk relentlessly when the sun rises, and we sleep when it gets dark.
As we headed south, shuriken started flying at us.
You bastards! You’re the infamous Komyo Army, aren’t you!

I smacked the suddenly appearing Komyo ninjas with my Khsier guitar. This thing’s sturdy, so it won’t break from a little beating.
Hit ’em, hit ’em. They flew away. Good.
But I’ll need to return my guitar later.

The ninjas scurried off somewhere, and we kept walking, but we were getting hungry.
We’d already polished off the bento we brought along. As usual, we had no money, so we had to get food ourselves.
Heading towards the coastline, me and bro went fishing. We caught a ton.
This must be because of the bait Cat prepared.
Bear flips fish after fish with a slap, turning them into tempura and sushi. I’m just amazed by his skill.
Freshly-caught fish is the best, bro. Don’t hold back, eat up.

Rabbit was asleep again. You don’t want to eat?

D-Don’t get the wrong idea! And stop staring so much!
I’m not showing off my belly or anything!

This scar on my belly is from surgery. It’s nothing weird.
It’s appendicitis. They used to call it cecum back in the day. Right, bro?
Belly illnesses are scary. If you let them get bad, you end up full of holes.

The doctor who stitched me up was incredibly skilled. I even thought about learning sewing from him.
But you say the stitches are still clearly visible?
It’s fashion, y’know, fashion!
Besides, this belly scar and appendicitis are in totally different spots.
The appendix is on the right side of the belly, right?

Speaking of which, my band members are torn, and quite a bit of stuffing is poking out…
I’ll use the doctor’s special needle technique and fix them up soon.
Gotta make them pretty again, wouldn’t be right to leave them like that.

We all splashed through the Tone and Arakawa rivers, and finally, we landed in the capital!!

After visiting the Ueno museums bro wanted to see, and earning quite a bit from street performances along the way, I bought studs at Ameyoko to upgrade my gear.
Now, it’s finally time to storm the sacred ground of Harajuku.
By the way, how do we even get from Okachimachi to Harajuku… How do you ride the metro?

The capital is bustling, just like you’d expect from a big city.
What kind of place is Harajuku?
I’ve gathered info from magazines and rumors, so I think I know it well.

If you go in based on appearance, you won’t be laughed at as long as it looks great.
It’s a place where everything coexists: Goth, Punk, Slash, you name it.
Freedom and aspiration exist in Harajuku! Or so it should!
Though the rumored presence of the Komyo Army is a bit concerning…
But I’ll do my best and win. And then I’ll change the world.

As we raced down Kagurazaka, which we’d mistakenly climbed, a noisy crowd of guys in armor and samurai costumes approached us from the other side.
You bastards! The Komyo Army again?!

The Komyo brigands surrounded me.
They’ve even called in an Iai master. These guys are serious.
“Master! Please!” they’re saying.
They’re actually trying to kill me for real.
I thought crossroad killing was illegal here.

We’re outnumbered, and I don’t want to drag bro or the band members into this, so I challenge the Iai master to a duel.
Somehow, he accepts.

Stay back, everyone. It’s okay, bro.
This arm of mine bears the resolve you entrusted to me,
properly slung right here like this!

Now then. The outcome will be decided in an instant. Watch closely.

The Iai master facing me leapt.
Whoosh. Kicking off a nearby tree. Then, sword drawn.
I looked up. Backlit, the sun was blinding, and I couldn’t make out the direction of his strike at all.

But it didn’t matter.
His target was unmistakably me.
Even without seeing, I just safely met the attack where I stood.
I drew my sword too.
I really didn’t want to use this, but there was nothing I could do otherwise.
The guitar neck of my Khsier Guitar is a hidden blade.

With my traditional strike, I sliced clean through the opponent.
The Komyo Army scooped up the half-body of their Iai master and hurriedly fled. I won.

Ah… But.
Once again, I have cut a worthless object.
Blades rust, and I don’t want to use swords too often.
I’d rather settle things with my guitar.

We had finally arrived in Harajuku.
The rampage begins here. My heart swelled with anticipation.

But Harajuku was incredibly quiet.
It was lacking in color, and there weren’t any crepe shops at all.
There was no gothic, no punk, no lollipop, no hip-hop, and no talent stores.

Huh? This isn’t the Harajuku I know.
This Harajuku feels like a fake.
There were “Under Construction” signs and walls everywhere.
Honestly, there were way too many walls, and they were super annoying.
Since no one was looking, I tried smashing through one of the nearby ones.

…And then, beyond the broken wall, there was the future.
But it seemed like it wasn’t finished yet… Looks like I came too early.

Well, I’ll continue tomorrow. Is that okay, bro?

There are several words related to the Japanese Edo era. And samurai stuff.

Khsier (or kiseru): Japanese smoking pipe. Amy’s guitar is shaped like that.

Kabuki: Japanese classical drama.

Dokuganryu: literally “one-eyed dragon”, it was a nickname for Date Masamune, a regional ruler of Japan’s Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period.

Kabukimono: Edo-period eccentric who attracted public attention with their eye-catching clothes, peculiar hairstyle, and weird behavior​.

Komyo Army: they are fictional, and only featured in this story (not in other Chunithm stories). Interestingly, “koumyou” (光明) can mean “bright future”, the translated title of the related song.

Seppuku: form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment.

Iai: Japanese martial art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks.

Crossroad killing: “tsujigiri” in Japanese. It’s the practice of samurai to test their new katana by attacking a random passerby.

Kirisute Gomen: right of samurai to kill commoners for perceived affronts.

“Once again, I have cut a worthless object.”: that’s the catchphrase of Goemon from Lupin III.