Wow! I can’t hardly believe it! We’ve finally come to the end of this manga. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure I was going to make it. This story was very challenging for me, so part of me dreaded working on it. But once I got started, the story was so exciting, I couldn’t stay away from it. I lost a lot of sleep this summer because I had to know what happened on the next page. Even at four in the morning, when my eyes would barely stay open, I kept thinking, “I can look up just one more kanji before I go to bed. And, then, maybe just one more…” ^__^

I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

While this is the end of the manga proper, it’s not the end of the Mouse story. A year after completing the manga, Mizushiro-sensei wrote a follow up story called, “Melancholy Butterfly.” This takes place six months after the end of the manga. I won’t say too much about it. I don’t want to give anything away. (Plus, I’ve only translated 20 pages so far.) But you will see Kyouichi and Imagase again in the not too distant future.

Also, a huge thank you to my editor, Txilar, for completing this! Originally, I’d planned to give her November and December off so she could focus on some exciting, new, real life events. But, well… to make a long story short, she generously agreed to do this chapter, even though this is such a busy time for her. I’m extremely grateful for her flexibility and positive attitude, and, of course, her wonderful editing. Please be sure to thank her if you choose to leave a comment.

With the holidays coming up, and editors “on vacation” and such, I’m not sure what our release schedule will look like over the next few months. But, next year, we’ll definitely be back… with a couple shoujo projects, in addition to more BL. I thank you all for your patience.

See you soon!

For those of you in a hurry, the download of Chapter One can be found here. Please visit us again soon for the next installment in which Shouichirou has another disastrous marriage interview, Yosaburou gets that new jacket, and we will all learn more about kabuki theater. ^__^

A note about notes: In the beginning, I was hoping to find a way to translate this without pages and pages of endnotes. Obviously, that didn’t work out. (If you’ve read it, you can stop laughing now. ^__^) They can be found in a text file at the end. I hope you will take the time to read them. I’m sorry for any inaccuracies.

Due to the somewhat rushed nature of this release, a few notes didn’t get included in the file:

Geisha: I thought most people would know what this is already, but, after talking to people at work, I realized that there are a lot of misconceptions out there (in part, due to a certain book and movie, I suspect.) In short, geisha are female entertainers, specializing in traditional music and dance. They are considered artists, definitely not prostitutes. Here’s a link to the wikipedia article which has a lot of information and pictures, if you’re interested.

Ryoutei: Ghost Moon Tower is described as “ryoutei” which the dictionary calls a “traditional Japanese style restaurant.” Geisha work at “ochaya” (teahouses) or “ryoutei” (fancy restaurants.) These places are separate from “okiya” (geisha houses) where the geisha train and live. However, Ghost Moon Tower doesn’t seem to fit any of these definitions perfectly. It also appears to be a brothel, providing not only entertainment by geisha, but oiran (high class prostitutes) as well.

The character “Yosaburou” is sometimes called “Yosakou.” My best guess is, that’s a somewhat derogatory nickname.

A huge thank you to my editor, Txilar! You’re the best!