The day 3 prompt for AruAni week is "Ghost," so I thought I'd toss out a sneak peek of another story I'm translating. Here's the original if you can read Japanese: ss-conclusion…com/archives/30982432…html.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for how I chose to translate the Japanese.

Annie: "Who's there? Show yourself."

Armin: "Boo." *floating*

Annie: "…."

Annie: "What now?"

Armin: "I am very angry with you~!" *whoosh~boom*

~.~.~

Annie: "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm sorry for the way I smashed you."

Armin: "Yeah, you crushed me like a bug."

Annie: "I was planning to let you go, but then you murmured, 'Annie?'"

Armin: "Mmm, that certainly was my gravest mistake."

Annie: "Without a doubt."

Armin: "But you're also to blame. The reaction I got out of you was almost disgraceful."

Annie: "I suppose that would be my greatest blunder."

~.~.~

Annie: "Mmm, it seems your appearance hasn't changed at all."

Armin: "Yeah. I can't get off my 3DMG much less my cape."

Annie: "No, I didn't mean that. I expected more blood…."

Armin: "Oh, that? Certainly, when I died, my body was really mushy and my bones if you could call them that were cracked and splintered."

Annie: "Stop that. I'd been doing a good job of forgetting."

Armin: "Too bad, so sad."

~.~.~

Annie: "So you must really despise me."

Armin: "Mmm, I wonder. I don't really know myself."

Annie: "? Aren't you here before me because you resent me enough to haunt me?"

Armin: "Yeah, I probably really resent you. Enough to become a ghost and haunt you."

Annie: "They're your own feelings, aren't they? Explain."

Armin: "…So let's take the case where the person you like is standing before you. Because of that, your heart starts beating faster, you feel nervous, and your senses heighten."

Armin: "People call that sensation feelings, but in reality, it's just a result of the brain secreting chemicals that your body uses to increase your heart rate and cause your body to stiffen."

Armin: "In other words, feelings are no more than your body reacting to these chemicals. But my body is far off in the middle of the Wall Maria starting to rot."

Armin: "Which is why I don't know for sure. Though I can guess what my feelings likely are, I can't actually feel."

Annie: "…But earlier, you said, 'I am very angry with you~!'"

Armin: "Oh, that's just because I had to say it. It's like a rule." (I wanted to try saying it once.)

~.~.~

Annie: "But why are you the only one who's come to haunt me? I mean…I killed a lot of people…."

Armin: "Probably because I'm the only one who knew your true identity. If you don't know whom to blame, you can't haunt them."

Annie: "I see. Well then, since we're at a good stopping point…."

Annie: "Would you mind not floating above me? It makes it hard to sleep." *in bed*

Armin: "Sorry, no can do." *floating*