[Originally posted January 17, 2023]
Happy (slightly belated) new year! Let’s start it off with the first installment of my translation of Fictional Opera (架空のオペラ).
First, a little background on this book and the author. Shikiko Yamaai (山藍紫姫子) is a published BL and sci-fi/fantasy author. She was a member of the circle Violet Mercury (バイオレットマーキュリー), which I believe also served as her pen name. Aside from Fictional Opera, Violet Mercury published a variety of other Gundam doujinshi in the 80s as well, including the Triangle series and Char Aznable’s Casebook.
The version of Fictional Opera I own is actually the revised edition, pictured on the right, compared to the original version on the left. I’m not sure what the difference is other than the fact the revised edition might be longer, and contains an extra section at the end. The original publication date listed in the back of my copy is December of 1988, though I believe the revised edition came out some time in the mid 90s.
There’s also a bonus excerpt from an essay by another author, Azusa Noa, in the afterward, but we’ll be tackling that at the end.
Content Warnings for Part 1
This work features mature content and should not be viewed by anyone under the age of 18.
If you are under 18, please click here to return to the homepage
For writing:
Sexual assault
Rape
Strong language/profanity
For images:
None
This is a very intense book, and doesn’t hold back in regards to describing content that is, to put it bluntly, violent, explicit and at times difficult to read. Please proceed with this in mind.
Fictional Opera
Universal Century 0080
In the Battle of A Baoa Qu, the Earth Federation Forces were destroyed. The Zeon army was paralyzed, and the war was effectively over. Having lost all of the Zabi family, Zeon restored the republic under prime minister Darcia Bakharov and signed a peace treaty with the Earth Federation government. At that time, more than half of the Federation’s soldiers acquired Zeon citizenship, and Colonel Char Aznable stood to rebuild the Zeon Army.
Four years later.
Universal Century 0084
In the center of Vasquez, where the capital of Zeon was located, Char Aznable, who had just been appointed as Major General, had a mansion built. His residence, perhaps even larger than the residence of the head of state of this country, was the largest of its kind in the limited area of the huge space colony Space Side 3.
All of this was originally the property of the Deikun family, and should have been given to Casval Rem Deikun, Char Aznable. It is already a well-known fact that Char Aznable is the orphaned child of the beloved late Zeon Zum Deikun, and with his skill and intelligence, he is favored to be the next prime minister, even though he is only 24 years old. However, whenever such talk came up, Char himself either laughed it off or made no attempt to address it.
Thanks largely to Char’s efforts, when the Zeon army was at last rebuilt and he was finally able to settle down, there was much talk of marriage, but he remained silent about it. Many people around him rumored that Char had someone he cared deeply about. In a way, he was also stubborn, contrary to his current status and position.
Even in his vast mansion, Char lived with only a few trusted servants. He did not like to open the gate with the Deikun family emblem except for social gatherings, evening parties and dinners that he was obliged to host because of his position.
Char Aznable’s mansion was old-fashioned, opulent and expansive, and much of his private life was painted in a secret color.
If one had to guess its secret color, it would be deep purple.
A purple glow that sinks into the abyss.
Only Char knows.
The color of sin that only Char Aznable must bear.
A color that speaks of a person who has become a distant memory.
Lady, as he was called, spent most of the day in bed.
The uncontrolled climate of the Earth continued to take its toll on his body, but he knew now that he could not go anywhere but here. And he knew that no matter where he went, there was no hope for an improvement to the situation.
The attic in which he lived, with the cheapest possible rent, was filled with the smell of dust and mold. The low, sloping roof created a heavy, oppressive feeling, but Lady could only be at ease in this small room. It was something he had learned over time from painful experiences in his past.
As for a job, if his physical condition was good, he worked as a day laborer at a nearby warehouse hauling luggage, but most of the time, he provided his body to the men Tony would bring. This was his life earning his daily bread.
Before this, Lady had been in the local field hospital for longer than he could remember. He had been ill for so long that now his body was more slender and frail than any other young man his age. Partly because of this, even the lowest level of jobs, like hauling luggage, available to those of uncertain background like him, were hard to come by. However, perhaps out of pride, he disliked the self-depraved lifestyle of selling his body. On the other hand, he knew perfectly well that he could not live without doing so, but he wanted to make the proper amount of money for his efforts.
Tony Willie was Lady’s first such man. In a narrow room in the field hospital, on a bed separated only by a curtain, he succumbed to Tony’s violence again and again.
Tony, who occasionally visited the hospital under the guise of charity, had his eye on Lady from the start. The doctors, nurses, and patients in the same room turned a blind eye. In particular, some of the nurses were even cooperative after receiving some money or a thoughtful gift. Lady was tied to the bed with medical restraints, and Tony was free to do as he pleased. It was those same nurses who took care of the injured Lady.
When he was eventually discharged from the hospital, Tony was the first to pick him up and brought him to this attic. Having lost all his memories, with nowhere to go, and no money, Lady had no choice but to be taken in by Tony.
Now, Tony makes his living by letting Lady take customers. However, despite the condition of Lady’s body, and the fact that he had other male prostitutes aside from him, Tony had somewhat of a sweet spot for the sickly man.
And one more thing – Lady had a severe laceration on the right side of his face, which was hidden by his long bangs. In contrast to the breathtaking beauty of the left side, the laceration on the right cheek was so grotesque it startled those who saw it, so only a few customers were willing to buy his services. However, the customers who got a taste of him invariably became regulars. Tony treated Lady special because he was able to get extra money out of customers who insisted they had to be with him.
Tony didn’t know who Lady was. On the morning of Lady’s awakening, of his own volition, he sealed his past away inside his mind, refusing to speak about it in silence. Therefore, no one, not even Tony, knew Lady’s true identity. He was diagnosed as having probably lost his memory in the war. No one had tried to help him recover, and that was that.
While unaware of the other man’s past, Tony sometimes found himself feeling overwhelmed and embarrassed by Lady in some way, even though he was treating him as he pleased. There were times when he felt as if Lady was a noble person, someone who must be revered. The reason he forcefully raped him, and the reason he had such desire even though he was horrified by the ugly scar on the side of his face, was because he was dazzled by Lady’s noble atmosphere.
Like violating something sacred, he experiences the extreme pleasure of a lowlife having his way with royalty.
Even now, three years later, he is still captivated by that pleasure. In the same way, other such men had become Lady’s customers.
“Go to Sam’s shop, the Colonel is waiting for you as usual.”
Shaken from his sleep, Lady was told to take a customer by Tony Willie, who was standing at his bedside.
Recognizing the other party as the sadist and obstinate Colonel Milva, Lady’s beautiful face clouded for a moment. Tony noticed this and raised his voice.
“I told him you weren’t feeling well last time, but he won’t accept the same excuse twice.”
Colonel Milva Sarifam had been dispatched by the Federation for the reconstruction and public safety of this region. Tony Willie wanted to do whatever he could to keep him in a good mood at all costs, since he was turning a blind eye to his operation.
“That guy’s way into you. If you refuse this time, you and I will be forced to close up shop.”
Tony helped Lady, who looked resigned and listless, get up from the bed, entangling his fingertips in his soft purple hair.
“Hey, Lady. Have I even once asked something unreasonable of you? Haven’t I always put your body first? The other whores would be up in arms if they heard about this, but I’m keeping quiet for your sake, so you can do me a solid, right? Isn’t that alright? After this is over, I won’t let you take any more customers for a while, and you can do whatever you want. That’s right, I can take you to the bay for a breather. The shrimp there is delicious. Do you know how to eat shrimp? I’ve always wanted you to feed it to me.”
Today too, Tony whispers sweet nothings in his ear as he sends him off. Not listening to Tony’s words, Lady looked over at the yellow sand that had blown in and accumulated in the corner of the room.
“Hey, you know what, let that perverted bastard have a little bit of fun. It’s fiiine, I’ll make the phone call when the time is right. Otherwise that bastard will never leave your ass alone.”
Lady knew he’d regret it if he was thrown away now.
“Dammit, it hurts to let that pervert fuck you.”
“It’s alright…”
Lady finally turned his gaze back to Tony and said in a quiet voice,
“It’s alright. I’ll get it done…”
“Yes, yes Lady. That’s good. Make him have sweet dreams about you.”
Tony let out in a high-pitched, good-humored voice, handing Lady cash as soon as he agreed to go.
“You want to grab a bite before we go? There’s sandwiches and ham downstairs.”
The ham of unknown origin and coarse bread wasn’t to Lady’s liking. …But of course, he knew that he could not afford to be luxurious.
“I see, Colonel Milva will give you something to eat over there, right? I’ll tell him to let you eat whatever you want. It’s fiiine, you just have to endure it for a while, right Lady…”
Tony, still in good spirits, undid the front buttons of Lady’s worn-out nightgown one by one as he got off the bed, and continued to whisper sweet words of flattery.
Tony didn’t care that Lady wasn’t listening.
Of Tony’s prostitutes, many of the men believed him when he gave them a kind word or a good promise before sending them off, even if it was a lie or never fulfilled. Believing in him, they worked hard to entertain their customers. So it had become Tony’s habit to do the same with Lady. He knew that Lady was different from all the other pathetic, stupid male prostitutes, but Tony was fulfilling his role as a pimp.
That said, it wasn’t as if Lady couldn’t escape from him at all.
He should have been able to do it. But he knew that there was no other place for him anymore.
End of Part 1
T/N: This book has no set chapters, so I’m including breaks roughly every 10 pages or so.