VOCALOID Summarizing the "Love Trial" light novel

[uncreepy]

Introduction
I finally bought my first Vocaloid-related light novel-- "Love Trial"! However, it hasn't been translated into English, so I thought it would be fun to post summaries about each chapter as I read the novel in Japanese so that other people can enjoy learning the context behind the song of the same name.

Note: I was interested in learning the story of the song, because Miku is pretty young to be a judge and I wonder how/why she is doing it, I'm curious to learn about her boyfriend, and I thought the Japanese legal jargon would be a challenge.




About the "Love Trial" song
To start, let's recap by explaining about the Ren'ai Saiban (恋愛裁判 Love Trial) song itself.
The song is by the producer 40mP and illustrated by Tama.
The authors of the light novel are 西本 紘奈 (I do not know the correct reading of their name, unfortunately) and 40mP.

This is the original video (the pictures from the PV actually show up in the beginning of the light novel):


This is the version from Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X:


The lyrics can be found on Vocaloid Wiki.

Rambling about buying the Kindle book from Amazon Japan
Anyway, I bought the Love Trial novel from Amazon Japan for about $5 as a Kindle Book, so that I could read it on Kindle for PC and have access to highlighters, the ability to add notes, a built in Japanese-English dictionary, and flashcards. Very convenient! You can switch Amazon Japan's language to be English and even send yourself a free sample of the light novel (which convinced me to buy it).

The novel is very easy/quick to read and seems to be written for a younger audience, so I recommend it for Japanese learners wanting to relax while learning. There aren't very many sentences per page and each sentence is simple, but impactful and entertaining. Here is an example page from the free Kindle sample:


Summary of the Prologue
The book starts out with colored illustrations from the PV with Miku declaring Shuuji Shimada (島田　柊二) as guilty and it quotes some lyrics from the song. Miku Hatsune's name is spelled as 葉常　美空, where "Miku" = "beautiful sky", rather than her official 初音ミク or even using 未来 ("future") like some other novels do.

After the illustrations, the prologue starts out with a glimpse of the drama to come. In a voice so cold that even she herself feels frightened by it in order to not give away her true feelings, Miku announces that Shuuji is guilty. Shuuji is surprised and confused by the accusation, but she won't let him get a word in to explain. Miku clarifies that he is guilty of an unfaithful act and doesn't want to listen or be next to him. She thrusts a law book in his face (called "Roppou Zensho", but I don't know much about it) and quotes a specific article related to an unhappy spouse being able to file a claim of infidelity in order to get a divorce. (I don't think these two are married, but I don't know for sure. Miku talks like an over-the-top rule follower, so she might be exaggerating.) Shuuji tries to stop her, but she turns her back on him, about to cry, and thinks that their fateful meeting in April must have been a mistake.

To be continued...

 

[uncreepy]

I really am enjoying this light novel so far. They did a good job on Miku's personality quirks.

"Chapter 1, Part 1: April 9th - Decision" Summary
Miku becomes a student of Kagurazaka High School. The chapter starts out with her looking in the mirror before school, worrying about how it will go. She wasn't able to make friends before and worries she won't be able to change in order to get some.

Miku recalls wanting to go to Kagurazaka High and trying very hard to pass the entrance exam. Sure, the school is famous for being beautiful and along the river, being in Tokyo and having a nearby cafe and general store, and being established long ago with a red brick road that's famous for having movie scenes filmed there... But the reason Miku wanted to attend the school is because of her cousin, Kaito.

Kaito's name is Kaito Katsuragi (桂木 海音, with Kaito being "ocean sound"). He attended Kagurazaka High and is now a lawyer. His parents took care of Miku many times, because both of her parents worked. Kaito encouraged Miku to keep trying hard and come to her when he needs it, and even gave her the Roppou Zensho (the "Six Codes" law book that she carries around as a good luck charm, even though it's 10 cm thick (almost 4 inches)). Kaito is Miku's first love (even though they're cousins...).

Note: The Six Codes are 1) The Constitution, 2) Civil Law, 3) Commercial Law, 4) Civil Proceedings Act, 5) Penal code, 6) Criminal Procedure Code.

Miku remembers how her trend of being unable to make friends started. A boy wanted to copy her homework, but she refused, so he insulted her by calling her ugly and stuck-up. Around that time she was already making a distance between her and other people, and thus, isn't sure how to convey her emotions. She is afraid of sticking out. So much so, that even though she thinks she's plain-looking, she's afraid to make her twin tails tied up higher. And now she's become afraid to say no to people-- even people who want her to take weird surveys-- so she thinks she's weak-willed.

Kaito had asked her if she would be unable to tell people "no", even if they broke the rules. She relies on those words now and reads her law book like a mantra.

Her "decision" (from this chapter's title), is to become able to make friends as her new high school life starts.

To be continued...

 

[uncreepy]

I realized I messed up before, it turns out that 40mP co-wrote this book. I realized it after researching more and saw that 40mP has written some other Miku-related books alone. (The style this book is written in and the vocab used is more of 40mP's style; I previewed some other stuff by them.)

The chapters are getting longer and are broken apart into segments that look like this:

So, I am probably going to break apart my summaries when I see this segment marker so it's easier for me to keep up with it. (I read a lot farther than this, but I haven't had time to go back and summarize it all.)

Chapter 1, Part 2: April 21st - Encounter (Part 1)
Miku still doesn't have any friends, unlike the students around her. She goes to and from school alone and doesn't talk to anyone in class. Her only friend is the Roppou Zensho (Six Codes) book she carries like a good luck charm.

Before class, a girl named Moe Momoi (桃井萌) suddenly asks Miku about the book she's always reading, saying it must be very interesting if she reads it instead of joining a club. Moe has a short bob-style haircut, is cheerful and cute, and fashionable. Moe mixes her uniform with her normal clothes perfectly, which other students also do, except for Miku, who doesn't know how. Miku tells her it's the Roppou Zensho, but worries that it isn't normal for a high schooler to be reading it. Only thinking of her cousin (Kaito) makes her calm down. But Miku isn't sure how to explain herself if asked why she's reading it. ("Because she wants to go to law school?" "Because her cousin gave it to her?") She wants to make kind friends like Moe, but doesn't know how to begin explaining her feelings. However, before she can say anything, the bell rings and class starts.

To be continued...

 

[mobius017]

Yay! Thanks for continuing this; I'd wondered off and on what had happened with it.

 

[uncreepy]

Yay! Thanks for continuing this; I'd wondered off and on what had happened with it.

Thanks for keeping up with my summaries! Sorry, I knew some people might be curious about how the book was coming along (I personally like this book a ton), I was reading it on my breaks at work, but was too tired out to summarize by the time I got home. But now I think I can get back to regularly updating this thread cause work slowed down.

 

[mobius017]

Thanks for keeping up with my summaries! Sorry, I knew some people might be curious about how the book was coming along (I personally like this book a ton), I was reading it on my breaks at work, but was too tired out to summarize by the time I got home. But now I think I can get back to regularly updating this thread cause work slowed down.

Ha ha, no worries. It's not like you're obligated or anything. I can get pretty wiped by the end of work, too :). Though from what you've summarized, I like the story, too (Miku's character is interesting.... She's out of my experience enough that I have to reach a bit to understand her.), so I'm glad to be able to follow along.

 

[kiragnia]

Hello! I'm sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you've finished reading the novel...? The story is interesting and I really wanted to know what did the original song meant by "You're guilty too" at the end of it. I figured the novel would hold the answer and was ecstatic to find this thread.

 

[uncreepy]

Sorry for leaving this thread to collect dust. I actually have read much further than where my last summary left off, but I have not actually finished reading the book. Truth be told, I got busy and just ended up putting it in the back of my mind.

In a bit of coincidence, I was putting away old files on my computer today and actually came across the next part I wrote on a Word doc. I will post it here and try to read more of the book/post summaries again. I've got time on my hands while waiting for the next semester of school and I'm curious how the story ends, too.

Chapter 1, Part 2: April 21st - Encounter (Part 2)
Miku wonders how to make friends. She is in the library (which is very fancy and big) after school studying law instead of being out in the nice, sunny weather. She feels horrible that she missed her chance to continue her conversation with Moe and that her classmates are living their ideal high school lives while she's alone. She just goes home after school because she isn't in a club, which is lonesome.

She remembers that Kaito used to be in what I think translates to a mock trial club and thinks she should try to join like he had.

All of a sudden, a smiling male student comes up to Miku.

To be continued...

(Spoiler alert, I read further than where this summary leaves off, but the male student is the dude from the song. Miku does not like him and is suspicious because of his band-related activities. LOL)

 

[mobius017]

Miku does not like him and is suspicious because of his band-related activities.

I know I personally always shared this sentiment. Those shady, supposed "musician" people, congregating in their secretive huddles multiple days a week in the lowest bowels of the school. You know those bulky cases didn't really hold instruments. But what their true, sinister purpose was, I was never able to uncover....

 

[kiragnia]

Thank you very much for the continuation! So he was in a band! Maybe in-universe, he wrote the songs after his experience with Miku? Haha
Whoa I didn't know mock trial club is a thing.
Speaking of, Kaito related to trial reminds me of that one other song haha

 

[uncreepy]

Chapter 1, Part 2: April 21st - Encounter (Part 3)
The boy is a 2nd or 3rd year and wearing stylish clothes (not his uniform). He has fascinating eyes, wavy hair with a red streak in it, and seems like he came out of a fashion magazine. Miku thinks that he seems unserious. She compares him to her cousin, Kaito, who would be called an "ikemen (hot guy) lawyer" on TV, she thinks this boy and Kaito are different types. She's never dealt with a guy like this and is suspicious as to what he wants.

Miku comes to the conclusion that he's trying to extort money from her. She also realizes she has no clue how to talk to any guys other than Kaito and her teachers. (Kind of sad how Miku's "love life" is like beetles in a box where she just likes Kaito, who is the only guy who's ever been nice to her, and later likes this new guy.)

I forgot to say it before, but he just said "Hey" to her initially, he says it again because she is taking too long to answer him. When she asks what he wants, he gets embarrassed/fidgets around, which confuses Miku. He gives her 2 tickets and asks her if she would like to go to his band's live.

Miku gets mad and thinks that he is trying to get her to buy expensive tickets. She comes to the conclusion he is trying to sell excess tickets by loitering around the school and taking advantage of her by thinking she is weak-willed.

She glares at him with sparks in her eyes before exclaiming that he is guilty of extortion! Miku further explains that high-pressure sales breaks penal code #223 and he could go to jail for up to 3 years. All the boy can do is stammer confusedly. She is surprised that this is the first time in her life she has confidently and smoothly refused someone.



To be continued...

There is only 2 pages left in this chapter, but I am suffering from secondhand embarrassment (even though I read this part before) and am going to summarize the next part later. XD;;;

 

[Rolo]

Thanks for your translations so far!! Really looking forward to how this turns out, the novel sounds like a nice read and pretty funny.

 

[kiragnia]

Miku is too cute ahahah
Hopefully it doesn't deter him from getting close to her.
Thank you for the update!

 

[uncreepy]

Really short update for today ending the chapter.

Chapter 1, Part 2: April 21st - Encounter (Part 4)
Pleased at her confidence, Miku puts her books in her bag and politely excuses herself (because he's an upperclassman) before hurrying away from the library. The boy watches her in disbelief before smiling to himself. He mutters out loud that this is the first time he's ever been refused! (Oh, I see, they are opposites. Miku's never refused anyone, and he's never been refused.)

 

[Lightmonx]

Hello, I was wondering if you will continue summarizing this novel? Sorry for bothering you I'm sure you are busy in real life

 

[uncreepy]

Hello, I was wondering if you will continue summarizing this novel? Sorry for bothering you I'm sure you are busy in real life

Sorry for replying late, been busy with school (semester is ending).

I have to finish summarizing this story, but I am honestly not sure when I will get proper time to, so I can't give a time estimate.
(Now that I think of it, I had also started to summarize the Zola Project manga, but never got to finish. Maybe it would be easier/faster to make a video summarizing the plot instead of writing it in a forum post? There are some other Vocaloid-related resources I have to finish, too. I will work on that stuff after the school semester is done, but I'm not sure what order I will finish each. Sorry for being vague. )