Cultural notes: If you speak Japanese, you may know that the months are boringly named "month one", "month two", and so on, but the months have traditional names as well. The traditional name for December is Shiwasu. It is written 師走, which uses the characters "priest"/"master" and "run", the meaning of which is often said to be that December is so busy, that even the priests are running about in a hurry. You can read more here.
There is a punny bit, where Maya uses another character for master 士, which also has a reading of shi, but has the meaning more of a person qualified to do a job. For instance, the word for "lawyer", bengoshi, uses the character: 弁護士. In this case, I have written it in uppercase: SHI.
The official name: Shiwasu = 師走
Maya's version: SHIwasu = 士走
I do wonder how she was able to communicate this with just the spoken word. Maybe the pitch accents are different.
In the letters corner, a reference is made to an Akiman illustration in the previous issue. This wasn't included in the book. The only thing I can find matching the description is this image. I don't know if it's the one, but it's tagged Akiman, and features "the two of them", but I really don't know.
Episode 16 — December 2005 Issue
Takumi Snippet
Takumi Shuu (??)
Ace Attorney's director and scriptwriter. It's rumoured his fuel is alcohol.
Status: ...Well, this year is almost over, too. How can I put it? Recently, I have an image of just rushing about all year. I wonder if it's the year's fault?
Letters Corner
• I bought the limited edition! ...But I don't have a DS. I want to see Akane-chan [Ema]. Please make a compilation on the "Ace Attorney Tokyo Game Show Special Court" DVD supplement! (Fumi, Hyougo Prefecture)
• I was disappointed to see that there wasn't an illustration by Suekane-san in last month's issue. They're always fun, but... the Akiman-san [Akira Yasuda, former Capcom artist] illustration in its place was delightful! (Ayaka, Tokyo Metropolis)
• I fell in love with "Akimandou's" illustration! I loved the combination of the two of them so much, that I was rolling about in agony, it was just so perfect. (Kiriseishou, Shizuoka Prefecture)
Shiwasu — At the Wright & Co. Law Offices
December is also called "Shiwasu", because the month is so busy that even the masters were thought to have run around in a hurry. Phoenix's first thought when he hears "master" is, of course, "that person"...
Maya: *huff huff* I'm back! *huff huff*
Phoenix: Welcome ba— Huh? What's wrong? You're out of breath.
Maya: Just a minute. I've just been running all the way back here. Nick, you seem busy, too.
Phoenix: I've been having a massive clean-up since the year is already almost over.
Maya: Well, even so, it's freezing outside. But then, it would be, being Shiwasu and all.
Oh... yes... it is...
Huh, what is it? You've suddenly got this faraway look in your eyes.
Phoenix: Shiwasu... it reminds me. I have some precious memories of this time. You could say deeply moving ones.
Maya: Oh! I bet it's something romantic!
Phoenix: It's a tale from my days as a rookie.
Maya: Waaa! I wanna hear! I wanna hear!
Phoenix: "Shiwasu", huh... For me, whenever I hear the word "master", I think of Mia.
Maya: Yes, yes of course.
Phoenix: Mia was always good at calming me down. You never saw her running around all flustered, did you?
Maya: Yeah, even I've never seen her running in a panic.
Then... there was just one time that I saw her run with all her might.
Hehhhhhhh.
Phoenix: That's right. It was around this time of year. While I was working at this office, in fact. I was studying for my final exam to qualify as a lawyer.
Maya: So you were being a freeloader, Nick.
Phoenix: But it was getting closer and closer to the day of the exam. Then on the day, when I got to the exam hall, I realised I'd left my admission slip at home.
Maya: Ah, so it's been your way to get into scrapes for ages, then.
Phoenix: "This is a disaster!" I thought, when I heard a voice. "Phoenix," it said.
Maya: Ah! It must have been...
Phoenix: It was Mia, of course. She was holding my admission slip.
Maya: I see.
Phoenix: She was out of breath, so she couldn't speak for a bit. But she was really happy.
Maya: Ahh. Yes, I see.
Phoenix: There was only half an hour until the exam started. She was surely very worried about me.
Maya: . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
And? That's your deeply moving story?
Phoenix: Eh?
Maya: I mean, it's totally expected. It was Shiwasu, wasn't it?
Phoenix: N-No, no! Mia was running for my sake.
Ah. Could it be that you don't actually know the meaning of Shiwasu, Nick?
Phoenix: What else is it?
Maya: Let's see. It's not called "Shiwasu" because of lawyers running around. If that was the case, it would be called SHIwasu.
Phoenix: But I know that. Shi means "master", doesn't it. Like a teacher.
Maya: What are you talking about, Nick?! The "shi" from "Shiwasu" means "spirit medium".
. . . It does?
Maya: "The spirit mediums run". That's why it's called Shiwasu.
Phoenix: No, no, no! That's just your local rule in Kurain Village!
Maya: Ehhh? Why would a teacher be running? Let's listen to your theory, then.
Phoenix: It means that at the end of the year, the teachers are so busy that they are running.
Maya: Haaa! Well, that's the end of that: teachers are more likely to be busy at the start of the school year!
Phoenix: Well then why are spirit mediums going to be running in December?
Maya: Well, because it's cold, isn't it?
Phoenix: . . . Because it's cold?
Maya: Come on, even you know this. Didn't you get cold in Kurain?
Phoenix: Well... probably.
Maya: When it gets cold in December, and we have a lot of outdoor tasks to complete, we always run around. It's part of our training.
Phoenix: Ahh...
Maya: Even Sis, when she was a medium, she did that training in Shiwasu. We used to run around together in circles for ages when I was a little kid.
Phoenix: Oh... Ah! Yes. On that day, Mia had been running...
Maya: It was her old habit coming out, from when she was a medium.
Phoenix: Ohhhh...
Maya: And why do you think she originally had to run around?
Phoenix: Eh?
Maya: You said there was still half an hour until your exam started, didn't you?
Phoenix: . . . . . . . . . .
Maya: . . . . . . . . . .
Phoenix: . . . . . . . . . .
Maya: So you see.
Phoenix: Eh?
Maya: Surely, Sis at that time wasn't a practising medium. She was your master, running for your sake.
Phoenix: A - Ahh.
Maya: I'm a little jealous now. It was actually quite mean of you to tell me that story.
Well, I'll just continue with the massive clean-up, shall I?
Yeah!
Phoenix: At any rate, it's Shiwasu, okay. I'm really busy, too.
Maya: When lawyers are busy, it's "SHIwasu", okay. Let me just make that perfectly clear.
Phoenix: Yes, yes.