Tegami Bachi 26

International Translators / Scanlators: You're welcome to use this, but I'd appreciate it if you include a credit for Niphredil.

Line break: New speech bubble / text box within the same panel
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-01-
Sis: They are the same as that which sits in your eye!!

Sis: They are
Sis: Former Spirit Insects, fallen into ruin!!

Text top left: The origins of the Heart Bullet... The secret behind Spirit Amber!

Text bottom left: Asada Hiroyuki
Text bottom centre: Chapter 26: The Raven-Black Marauder

-02-
Vertical text: Niche's sister speaks of ancient times. An age when Spirit Insects, a species now fallen into decline, once flourished...

Sis: In times long past

-03-
Sis: The spiritual energy of the land fused together
Sis: And Spirit Insects, like the one you have within your eye, were born in the form of small insects. They were chosen creatures.

Sis: However, when their lives came to an end...
Sis: And all of their Heart had slipped away
Sis: The Spirit Insects transformed into completely different creatures.

-04-05-
Sis: They became pitiful husks
Sis: Whose only goal is to seek out the Heart they lost...

Sis: The creatures now called
Sis: Gaichuu

-06-
Lag: ......
Lag: Gai...
Lag: ...chuu...

Lag: No... that can't be...
Lag: What I've got in my eye...
Lag: And the enemy of Letter Bees is...

Lag: But... does that mean...
Lag: My Spirit Insect will turn into a Gaichuu one day?
Lag: And the Spirit Insects that Bees have, as well?!

Sis: If they became Spirit Amber before their Heart slipped away...
Sis: Then that energy is shut up and contained within the amber.

-07-
Sis: If that's the case, it's probably safe to say that it won't turn into a Gaichuu.

Lag: Oh thank goodness~...

Lag: This Spirit Amber eye
Lag: Is something my mother gave to me.

Lag: She did it cure me of an illness I had when I was born...
Lag: And because of that
Lag: I received this power and was able to live on...

Lag: This precious eye that my mother gave me... that's always been with me...
Lag: If the spirit which saved my life lost its Heart and became a Gaichuu
Lag: I would be sad...

-08-
Sis: Hm...

Sis: Even now, that Spirit Insect is helping you and living alongside you
Sis: You had a good mother...

Lag: Big sis...

Sis: However...
Sis: If all the Gaichuu who hadn't turned into amber, sleeping here in this land, were to wake up...
Sis: The world would without a doubt be plunged into great chaos...

-09-
Lag: A-Are there really that many Spirit Insects sleeping down here?!
Sis: Maka calls this land the Spirit Garden.
Lag: G... Garden?!

Sis: When they begin turning into Gaichuu
Sis: They undergo many transformations before becoming adults.
Sis: Maka freezes them when they are still in larva form and stops that from happening.

Lag: That's it...!
Lag: So that frozen one...

Lag: Did Gauche...
Lag: Um... did a man dressed all in black come into this cave?!
Sis: Yes
Lag: W-What did he do?

-10-
Sis: He shot bullets like yours in the cave pathway.
Lag: Heart Bullets...!
Lag: And... And then what?!
Sis: Hmm, if I remember correctly...

Sis: He woke up one of the larvae and took it away with him.
Sis: His scent disappeared towards the southwest...

Lag: You-!! You didn't try to stop him?! Doing something something like that?!
Text: Wahhh... whyyy
Sis: Just one of them hardly counts for anything!

Sis: Because there are thousands of Spirit Insects sleeping within this earth.
Lag: Thousands...

-11-
Lag: ......
Lag: Niche's sister...

Lag text: If I look closely, she's covered in scars...
Lag: I guess Maka and Big Sis...
Lag: Have always been here, protecting the world...

Sis: We're not that generous
Sis: We're simply protecting ourselves.

Lag: But thanks to that, we humans are also being saved!!
Lag: So it's the same thing!!
Lag: As expected of Maka and Big Sis!!
Lag: Thank you very much!!

Sis: ......
Lag: So she makes that face too...
Lag: So... um...

-12-
Lag: I was wondering...

Lag: When will you bring Niche back...?

-13-
Maka: ......

Niche: Muu...

Sis: A short amount of time is necessary for Lake Tirna to heal physical wounds.
Sis: We'll look after her until then.
Lag: Ah...
Sis: Don't worry. We'll send her back to you as soon as she has been healed.

Sis: Someday, my sister might experience a strong tremour of emotion and grow like me.
Sis: Until then, above all else I'd like her to gather together her Heart
Sis: And stay by your side.

-14-
Lag: Big sis...
Lag: ......

Sis: Because "Goodbye makes you sad"
Sis: Is something I too know well...

Sis: You said your job is to deliver "Letters"?...
Lag: Y... Yes...

Sis: What are "Letters"?

Lag: "Letters" are... people's Hearts...!

Sis: Heart...
Sis: And what happens when the Letters are received?

Lag: Y... You feel happy... and your own Heart is moved...

-15-
Sis: Then the Letter brought to us was
Sis: My sister!

Sis: You did well delivering her to us.
Sis: Lag

Lag: P... Please take care of Niche...!
Lag: And take care of yourself too!!

Lag: For all these centuries...

-16-
Lag: Thank you for all your hard work!!!
Lag: Goodbye!!

-17-
Maka: L...
Maka: ...igh...
Maka: ...t...

Sis: That was...
Sis: The "Light"...?
Sis: I don't believe it...

Sis: Whether Lag is human... or something which has taken human form...
Sis: We'll have to wait until he matures a little more before we can find out.
Sis: That's something look forward to.

Sis: ......
Sis: "Letters"
Sis: Are "Hearts"...

-18-
Sis: So he is someone who delivers...
Sis: "Heart"...

-19-
Zaji: The Letters...
Zaji: Have been stolen?!

-20-
Zaji: Ch... this town too?
Zaji: What's going on?!

Zaji: We've stopped at six towns along the northeastern route
Zaji: And we could only collect from half of them...
Zaji: I don't like it one bit!! Eh, Vashuka!

Zaji: My bag was so empty that we got all the way north ahead of schedule.
Zaji: That's Peppermint Patty Mountain over there.

-21-
Zaji: So then in that direction is the glacial zone...
Zaji: Blue Notes Blues...

Zaji: I wonder if Lag'll come back by this route too?...
Zaji: Well Vashuka, it can't be helped!
Zaji: Let's push on a bit further and wait for Lag at the town of Pius.

Zaji: Niche is with him, so he should be fine...
Zaji: But I'm still a little worried...

Zaji: Connor should have reached a town 50 kilometres west of here for a delivery too
Zaji: So before we head back, let's get together and share our informati—

-22-
Zaji: ......
Zaji: Vashuka!!

Vashuka: Growr!!

Zaji: Over there, are you...

-23-
Zaji: I don't know who you are...
Zaji: But right now I'm in a bad mood!
Zaji: If you've got something to say to me, get your ass out here in 10 seconds!!!

Zaji: 1, 2, 3, four-five-nine TEN!! TIME'S UP!!
Zaji: AOTOGE!!!!
[Blue Thorn]

-24-
[whyyyyy you do this Noir ;-;]

-25-
Noir: My name is Noir...

Noir: I'll be relieving you
Noir: Of your letters...

Zaji: The hell you ar—

-26-
Vashuka: GROWRR!!

Noir: Cry out...
Noir: Gymnopedie

-27-
Zaji: St...op....

Zaji: I... won't... give you...
Zaji: The... Letters...
Zaji: Damn Gau..che... Sue...de...

-28-
Zaji: Heh...
Zaji: Noir?... Don't make... me laugh...

Zaji: Lag said... that he'd... get back...
Zaji: ...your Heart...

Zaji: Just you wait...!

-29-
Zaji: Gah!...

Zaji: ...ngh...
Zaji: W...
Zaji: ...wait...

Zaji: You...
Zaji: You Reverse bastards... what are you trying to do!!

Zaji: ...!!

Zaji: ......
Zaji: This is...

-30-
Zaji: His...
Zaji: "Heart"... that he shot... into me...
Zaji: ......
Zaji: Ch...

Zaji: How...
Zaji: Annoying...
Zaji: ...

-31-
[.......]

-32-
Noir: Do you want... some "Heart"...
Noir: Kid...?

-33-
[......]

-34-
[......]

-35-
Roda: Noir...!

Noir: I'm fine...
Noir: Let's go, Roda...

Roda: Okay...

-36-
Zaji: !!!!

-37-
Zaji: HEY!! THAT'S—
Lag: OWWW

Zaji: That stiiings...
Zaji: ....huh?

Zaji: ......
Zaji: Lag?

Zaji: ......
Zaji: What is this place...?

-38-
Lag: It's Pius Town...

Lag: When I stopped here on my way back
Lag: I heard that a Bee had collapsed and been brought into town...
Lag: Vashuka's out front too, but she doesn't seem well...
Lag: What happened to you, Zaji...?

Zaji: ......
Zaji: My Letters were stolen
Zaji: By Noir...

Lag: ?! Gauche...
Lag: You met Gauche?!
Zaji: Let's go, Lag!!
Lag: What do you mean?! Zaji!

Zaji: There's no doubt about it that Reverse are the ones stealing the Letters.
Zaji: Ugh, I should've known!

-39-
Zaji: They might have heard me talking to Vashuka
Zaji: So if you're safe
Zaji: Then the one being targeted is probably...

SFX: ding dong

Connor: I heard about them at the town hall – "Abbey Cookies"!
Connor: They're extremely simple, but with superb flavor!
Connor: Uwahh... they sound delicious~
Connor: "Veritably Abbey"... This is the place!

-40-
Connor: Hello, excuse me!!
Connor: I'd like to buy some cookies~!!

Girl: Good day to you... we have butter, cinnamon, and coffee cookies...
Connor: I'll take three bags of each!!
Girl: Three bags of each... that will be 1800 rin please.

Connor: Here you go! Please keep the change!!
Girl: Are you... a Bee?
Connor: Yes! I came for collection! If you have any Letters, I'll take them with me!

-41-
Girl: I don't have any at the moment...
Girl: Here you go.

Girl: Thank you, Mr. Bee...
Girl: These are cookies I baked...

Connor: ......
Text: Danger draws near Connor!! ...or are these the beginnings of love?!

Zaji: What?! Niche isn't with you?!
Zaji: Then you don't need to come with me!!
Lag: Why?! I'm coming too!!

Text: Tegami Bachi... to be continued.