October 08, 2023

Bowing to Destiny: A Tokyo Love Story

12 minutes

Fluent Fiction - Japanese: Bowing to Destiny: A Tokyo Love Story
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.org/bowing-to-destiny-a-tokyo-love-story

Story Transcript:

Ja: 星明かりがキラキラと輝く晴れた夜、春樹は東京のビル群を見上げながら暗い路地を歩いていた。彼は自分を囲む未来都市の雰囲気に夢中になって、人影が立っていると思って誤って自動販売機にお辞儀をした。その時、彼の頭が上がった瞬間、隣に立っていたのは由美だった。
En: On a clear night with sparkling starlight, Haruki walked through a dark alley while looking up at the buildings of Tokyo. He was captivated by the futuristic atmosphere surrounding him and mistakenly bowed to a vending machine, thinking it was a person. At that moment, as he lifted his head, he realized that Yumi was standing next to him.

Ja: 由美はその場面を見て笑いをこらえ、「それは自動販売機だよ、春樹」とからかった。彼女の笑顔に春樹は顔を赤く染め、混乱しながら「あっ、そうだったのか」と答えた。
En: Yumi stifled her laughter at the scene and teasingly said, "That's a vending machine, Haruki." Blushing at her smile, Haruki replied in his confusion, "Oh, right."

Ja: 春樹は由美と一緒に夜の都市を散歩しながら、自身の失敗を笑い話にして話した。彼らは多くの自動販売機が並んでいる通りから一本路地を曲がり、再び無人の暗い道へ入った。
En: While walking through the city at night with Yumi, Haruki turned his own mistake into an amusing story. They turned onto a side alley from a street lined with many vending machines and once again found themselves on a deserted dark path.

Ja: だが、古い電灯の下で再び春樹は同じミスを犯した。しかし、由美は笑う代わりに真剣な表情を浮かべ、「春樹、それは本当に自動販売機なの？」と彼に尋ねた。
En: But, under an old streetlamp, Haruki made the same mistake again. However, instead of laughing, Yumi wore a serious expression and asked him, "Haruki, is that really a vending machine?"

Ja: 由美の疑問に対する春樹の答えは一言だった。「あれは、確かに自動販売機だった。でも、僕がお辞儀した自動販売機は…」春樹の声が途切れ、由美はその続きを待った。
En: Haruki's answer to Yumi's question was just one word. "That one was definitely a vending machine. But, the vending machine I bowed to..." Haruki's voice trailed off, and Yumi waited for him to continue.

Ja: 「その自動販売機は、きっと一度は人間だったんだ」と春樹は囁いた。由美は黙って春樹の手を握り、息を吸い込んだ。
En: "That vending machine must have been a human once," Haruki whispered. Yumi silently held his hand and took a deep breath.

Ja: 「それなら、自動販売機にお辞儀するのも悪くないわね」と由美は微笑み、二人は自動販売機の前で同時にお辞儀をした。
En: "In that case, it's not a bad thing to bow to a vending machine," Yumi smiled and both of them bowed simultaneously in front of the vending machine.

Ja: その夜、東京の路地で二人は自動販売機に敬意を示し続けた。春樹の間違いが、彼と由美をより深く結びつける奇跡となったのである。
En: That night, in the alleys of Tokyo, the two of them continued to show respect to the vending machines. Haruki's mistake became a miracle that brought him and Yumi closer together.

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