rubestie

Season: Winter

Writer: Suika

Characters: Kaoru, Anzu

<The day of the meeting>

kaoru

Kaoru: Sigh…

(Ever since Rei-kun said that thing, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this meeting.)

(I thought about sending Anzu-chan a message about it, but I didn’t want to sabotage our plans to watch movies together.)

(As I told him from the beginning, I still think Rei-kun is just overthinking things~)

Woah, Anzu-chan!?

So you were here already? Don’t tell me I made you wait?

You haven’t been waiting that long? That’s good then…!

Nope, nothing’s the matter~!

(...Let’s calm down. I don’t want to act uncool in front of Anzu-chan.)

(Look, Anzu-chan is acting just as usual. As far as I can tell, there really wasn’t any deeper meaning behind today’s meeting.)

(Me and Anzu-chan are going to have a work meeting to prepare for my feature live. That’s all there is to it.)

N, did you finish preparing already?

If I remember correctly, Anzu-chan had a meeting scheduled this morning, right? I had the entire morning off, so if you had let me known, I would’ve helped you prepare at least.

This is all part of your duties as a producer, you say?

I see. Thank you for everything as usual ♪︎

Huh. I’ve been to this room several times before, but closing the blinds like this really changes the atmosphere.

Looks like the projector is ready. …Ah, are these the movies you’ve picked out?

A refreshing summer romance, a love escape story, and this is an action-packed love story.

All of these look really interesting ♪︎ It’s making it hard to decide which one to watch first.

Anzu-chan, which one would you like to start with?

…Wait, what? Anzu-chan?

Ah, you’re back. Where did you disappear to?

Is that popcorn in your hand? So you went to get this prepared by the clerk.

It’s true that popcorn is a must for movies.

…And this is a blanket? You prepared this for me?

Thank you… I appreciate the feelings behind all this, but it’s okay if you take it more easy you know?

You want to know if there’s anything else I need? Uhm… I can’t think of anything right now.

(Anzu-chan went out of her way to prepare all of this for me.)

(I can’t help but feel like she’s being strangely attentive though… I might be overthinking things though.)

…Eh, sorry. I was lost in my thoughts just now.

Seat…? Aah, you want me to sit over here, right?

Wait, what!? Anzu-chan, are you going to sit there!?

No, it’s not a problem at all! I don’t mind, but…

(That’s like directly next to me, right? Even if this is for work, why does she want to sit this close and watch a movie?)

(...There really is something weird about Anzu-chan today.)

(It’s definitely not just me overthinking things, it feels like she’s putting way too much effort into this day.)

(Why? I can’t imagine any reason for her to do all this.)

(...Could it be, was Rei-kun right when he said Anzu-chan must have some other motive behind this meeting?)

(For example, maybe there’s something she’s worried about?)

(If that’s the case, I need to figure out what she’s worried about…)

(I’m sorry. I can’t understand what’s going through Anzu-chan’s head at all.)

(Since I can’t read her mind, there’s nothing else to do but to ask her outright… If I tried to watch the movie with all of these feelings inside of me, there’s no way I’d be able to focus at all.)

…I’m sorry, Anzu-chan. I’m not a good enough person, so I didn’t notice you were feeling this way…

So, could you please spell it out for me? I’ll do my best to respond to your feelings.

“What are you talking about?”, you say?

No, it’s just that I felt like Anzu-chan was too excited today for this to just be a regular meeting…

You didn’t even tell me the name of the movie. And we’re sitting weirdly close together, and I couldn’t calm down at all.

Which is what got me thinking that there might be some different purpose behind this situation outside of just a work meeting.

…You want to take pictures for the pamphlet?

I heard we would be making a pamphlet to go with the feature live.

You were trying to create a comfortable atmosphere for me to relax in so we could take some off-shots?

So that’s what the blanket and popcorn were for… Then why did Anzu-chan sit so close to me?

√AtoZ was so well-received, so you wanted to take the pictures from a perspective as if we were watching movies together…

So then the reason why you didn’t tell me the name of the movie was…

You just forgot about it… I see~

“I’m sorry if I confused you”? Don’t be. This is all my fault for overthinking things.

Off-shots, huh~. I knew we were supposed to take pictures, but I had completely forgotten about it until now.

(Sigh… Rei-kun made me weirdly self-conscious.)

Now I feel somehow relieved, though. Anzu-chan was just being herself after all.

So you’ll be taking some pictures while we’re watching the movie. Yup, that’s okay. Go off.

But since we’re going to watch the movie together, I’d like it if Anzu-chan was able to enjoy herself as well ♪︎

Huh… That’s an interesting camera angle.

I wonder if they’re deliberately omitting the actor’s face from view to leave room for the viewer’s imagination…?

Anzu-chan thought the same thing? That’s a relief ♪︎

Ah, the lighting effects in this scene are nice. We might be able to emulate those onstage.

“This is educational”, you say? No way, I’m just saying out loud whatever goes through my head.

Rather than that, look at that, Anzu-chan! It looks like the escape scene is gonna start now ♪︎

That was a fun movie~. Those last scenes were so exciting I completely forgot to think about the technicalities.

I really liked the image of the town during night. It might be interesting to try and to a live using that kind of atmosphere… What did you think, Anzu-chan?

You felt it was really interesting and that you learned a lot?

Fufu. That’s good then. I also had fun watching the movie with Anzu-chan ♪︎

You were able to take some photos too, right? It would make me happy if you were able to take some photos you feel satisfied with.

…Anzu-chan, do you have time after this?

There are still a couple movies left out of the ones you prepared for today, so it would be sad to end things after just one movie.

If it’s okay with Anzu-chan, why don’t we stay and watch some more?

“I was planning to”, huh? Well then, which movie do you want to watch next?

…Anzu-chan, did you just get a message from someone?

You invited Tomoya-kun and Hidaka-kun over here as helpers to prepare for my feature live?

And they just contacted you to let you know they’ll be here soon…

No, nothing’s wrong.

(Honestly speaking, I wish we could have spent a little longer just the two of us…)

(However, I was able to see Anzu-chan’s happy expression… I guess that’s enough for today ♪︎)

Season: Winter

Writer: Suika

Characters: Kaoru, Anzu, Rei

Kaoru: ~♪︎

(Anzu-chan finally came to ask me about my feature live ♪︎)

(It seemed like everyone except me were getting to do their feature lives one by one, so I was getting nervous that she hadn't reached out to me yet…)

(But once I got that message from her, it felt like all my worries had been blown away…♪︎)

(I made sure to watch through a bunch of the previous feature lives in preparation for today, and each one sure was unique~)

(It must be because everyone's making use of their strong points~. It's finally my turn to hold a solo live, I want to make it something special.)

…Ah, thanks for coming, Anzu-chan.

No, I only just arrived myself. C'mere, sit down, sit down ♪︎

I look like I'm pretty happy, you say?

Well of course I am. I've really been looking forward to today, you know?

Y, you feel the same way, Anzu-chan? “I'll work hard to make it a good live”?

Ahaha, I'll leave it to you then~

Hm? You want to jump straight into discussing my feature live?

Okay. I've done a bunch of research myself, but… First I want to hear your thoughts, Anzu-chan ♪︎

I see. Your idea was super easy to understand, Anzu-chan.

I'll leave a gap in my schedule open so we can take the photos for the pamphlet.

…Then, now it's my turn. Let's talk about what I want my feature live to look like.

Having said that, it's not like I have anything specific in mind for what I want the stage to be like.

But since it's my own solo live, I want it to be something special so everyone who comes to see me will feel happy.

I guess I want it to feel like a special live unlike anything I've ever been part of before, something that can only be possible because it is Hakaze Kaoru's feature live.

This solo live is important to me, I think my fans would like it if we included some surprises.

However, I've been contemplating how exactly to create this special feeling… I managed to come up with a couple ideas, but.

…Hm? You're curious about this memo pad? I've been noting down some of my ideas for the feature live, you see~

Y, you want me to show you my notes!?

No, it's not a problem at all! It's just, I've been noting down whatever I could think of, so there's no coherence at all and it might be difficult to read…

You don't mind? …Well then, okay. Here ya go.

(What an oversight. If I had known Anzu-chan would want to look at my notes, I would have used much prettier handwriting…)

(I wonder if she's even able to understand what I've written?)

Eh, what? Is something wrong?

You're curious about the page that says "doing a skit"?

Well, you know how I've been starring in a bunch of dramas this year, right?

I thought it might be interesting to make use of that experience and put on some skits in between the songs during the live.

But if I'm going to include skits like that, I thought it would be better if I managed to create a story narrative for the whole live to follow…

My acting skills aren't anything to write home about yet though, so I got worried about whether that would be taking on more than I could manage.

I wrote it down as soon as I thought of it, but later on I started wondering if it was even doable in the first place…

Eh? You like that idea, Anzu-chan?

You thought my acting was really good in “Love and Beast”, so you don't think there's anything to worry about?

…I see. If Anzu-chan says so, I guess I'd better muster up some courage and go for it.

Okay. Then my feature live will be a fusion of theatrical skits and live performances to create that special feeling I wanted.

Now that that's decided, we need to get a more concrete image for what the live should look like.

I guess the best place to start might really be to find something to use as material for inspiration?

“I'll look for material on my end as well”, you say?

Ahaha, that's a huge help. Thank you as always, Anzu-chan.

Kaoru: Funfufu~n ♪︎

kaoru+rei

Rei: What’s that, Kaoru-kun? You must be in quite the great mood to start humming like that.

Kaoru: Eh!? Was I humming?

Wow~, I didn’t notice at all. That was completely unintentional.

Rei: I think it’s nice, though. I highly prefer it to you feeling down.

Are you that excited for today’s recording? I guess that’s to be expected since all of us in UNDEAD are going to be appearing on this music program together.

Kaoru: Well, that’s part of it. Koga-kun was really hyped for this recording too, after all.

Rei: It’s part of it, which means… There’s something else you’re looking forward to as well?

Kaoru: That’s right. You see, I made plans to go watch movies with Anzu-chan tomorrow~♪︎

Having said that, we’ll just be looking through video materials that might come in handy for preparing my feature live.

Rei: Now that you mention it, you did get all giddy the other day about finally being contacted for your feature live.

Kaoru: Now, now, Rei-kun. Saying I was giddy is a bit of an exaggeration, no?

Rei: Nope, I think that wording is apt. It’s not something to be embarrassed about.

For the special outfits as well, I remember you getting increasingly nervous because your turn came so late.

Kaoru: You only think it’s funny because you didn’t have to go through it. I was pretty seriously worried about that.

Rei: Kukuku, I am well aware.

If I recall correctly, Kaoru-kun’s feature live is supposed to feature small skits between the songs, right?

It sounds as if it will offer something rather different from other live shows, so I am looking forward to it as well.

Kaoru: Thanks. …But I still haven’t quite decided what kind of live I want to create~

Which is why we decided to have a meeting tomorrow to look through some materials for inspiration.

Rei: Hm. If you feel worried, I will lend you my strength too.

Would you like for me to participate in tomorrow’s meeting with you?

Kaoru: Eh!?

(It’s true that Rei-kun is really knowledgeable, and he could provide valuable opinions to help us make the live a success.)

(But this is finally my chance to spend some alone time with Anzu-chan…)

Rei: Kaoru-kun. I was just joking, please don’t get so seriously agonized about it.

Kaoru: Ah, I see!

Rei: However, to think you’ll be watching movies alone with the Young lady… That makes me a little curious.

Kaoru-kun. Have you asked her the title of the movie you will be watching tomorrow?

Kaoru: …No, now that you mention it I haven’t.

Anzu-chan messaged me to say she had found some materials that matched the vibe we discussed during our last meeting. She didn’t mention any names.

Rei: Hm… I wonder why the Young lady would make plans to watch a movie with you, but neglect to inform you of the title?

Wouldn’t the meeting be more efficient if you both watched the movie before meeting up?

Kaoru: I guess that’s true…

She might just want to talk through any ideas we get while watching the movie?

I bet she just forgot to tell me the title, I don’t think there’s any deeper meaning behind it.

Rei: Hm. I do think there’s a good chance you’re right about that.

However, I was just considering the possibility of there being some other meaning behind Kaoru-kun and the Young lady watching a movie together.

kaoru+rei

Kaoru: (Anzu-chan might have an ulterior motive behind watching a movie with me…?)

Rei: Whatever it is, this is the Young lady we’re talking about. I’m certain she has been thinking a lot about Kaoru-kun.

I will be cheering you on from behind the scenes ♪︎

Kaoru: Uh, yeah… Thank you.

…

Season: Autumn

Writer: Nishioka (feat. Akira)

Characters: Ritsu, Arashi, Yuzuru, Mika, Hajime, Tori, Anzu

Ritsu: Anzu, good morning~

N? What’s wrong? You look so surprised… It’s rare for me to not look sleepy this early in the morning, you say?

Well, I did take some precautions. I can’t afford to participate in this match absentmindedly.

N~? It makes me happy when you praise me, but I dunno how to feel about being praised like a child like that.

Ah, we’re about to start filming so I better go get ready? I got it.

--That reminds me. Let me apologize to you ahead of time, Anzu. Sorry~. Well then, I’ll go gather my team.

(Fufu. She’s totally panicking now. That makes us even. She’s making a worried face now that she doesn’t know what to expect~)

(Well, it’s true that I have to apologize to her.)

--I’ve let everyone know about our plan, so now all that’s left is for the cameras to start rolling. Is everyone ready?

Arashi: Yup. I have to show everyone that the me of today is way different from the me of yesterday.

Yuzuru: Me too. I can’t keep showing only pathetic sides of myself.

Ritsu: --Alright~. Well then, let’s go. We’re getting revenge.

<Match starts.>

Mika: Naru-chan, wait up~

Arashi: As if hearing that would make me wait. Me and Mika-chan are enemies right now.

(This is exactly as Ritsu-chan predicted… They’re going with the same one-on-one strategy as they did during the practice match. And Mika-chan is tagging me again.)

(Of course, now that I know Mika-chan will be coming for me, there’s no way I’ll make the same mistake as last time.)

(For now, I have to make sure I separate Mika-chan from the others…!)

Mika: Ngah!? There’s no way? Naru-chan, did ya just get even faster!?

This won’t do. At this rate, I’ll lose sight of her. I need ta get faster as well…!

Arashi: Haa…haaa…!

(Mika-chan, you’re amazing! He’s actually keeping up with me so as not to let me get away!)

(As expected, it’s really tough to keep running at this speed… Hopefully I’ll be able to find the area I’m looking for soon.)

(--Ah. That place seems like it’ll do. I’m running out of stamina too, so it’s time for a gamble.)

Mika: Haa, haaa…. Ah. Naru-chan went in behind that pillar! I need ta chase after her!

…Wait, what!? Naru-chan ain’t here!?

Wh, where did she go!? I’m sure I saw her come in here…

Arashi: Mika-chan, I’m over here!

Mika: Eh!? Behind me!?

! Aah~! My ornament~!

Arashi: Haa….Hah. I’m glad. Everything went according to plan…

Mika: Naru-chan. How’d’ya get behind me? Did ya master teleportation?

Arashi: Fufu. As soon as I got behind the pillar, I hid myself in Mika-chan’s blind spot.

Mika: My blind spot? Since when did I have somethin’ like that?

Arashi: Above you, that is. There’s a metal decoration over there, right? I jumped up and grabbed ahold of that before kicking to get on top of it. After that, all I had to do was wait for Mika-chan to pass me by.

Mika: Woah~... So that’s how ya did it… I’m amazed ya were able ta reach such a high place.

Arashi: I probably wouldn’t have reached it under normal circumstances, but I had a top-speed running start, you see ♪

<Meanwhile…>

Hajime + Tori: --Hiiiiiiii!

Yuzuru: Ha!

Hajime: Ah! Tori-kun, look out!

Tori: Uwawa!?

Yuzuru: Oh my. Shino-sama managed to change Bocchama’s trajectory in a split second, allowing him to dodge my attack. How proficient of you.

Hajime: T, Tori-kun! Let’s escape this way!

Tori: Haa, ha…! Y, yeah!

Yuzuru: (Hm. I’m almost using my full power here, and yet… They keep dodging my attacks within a hair’s breadth.)

However, you still have a ways to go. You won’t be able to defeat me at this level.

Hajime: Haa…Ha. To, Tori-kun, are you okay…!?

Tori: Uuuu. I'm all outta breath…!

Hajime: Me, me too…! Fushimi-senpai isn’t out of breath in the slightest, how amazing…!

Tori: This isn’t the time to be admiring your enemy!

Uwaaaaa!? Yuzuru caught up to meeeeee! I’m scared, I’m scared!

Hajime: Hiiiiiiiiin!

Yuzuru: My, my. When you desperately try to escape me with those scared-to-death expressions, it makes me feel as if I’m torturing baby rabbits. It makes my conscience hurt, you know?

Tori: That’s definitely a lie~! You look like you’re having the time of your life, you demon~!

Wa, waa!? This is dangerous! He’s catching up!

Yuzuru: Now, Bocchama. Pick a god and pray.

Tori: Uwawawawa!? I can’t go on~...

--Now, Hajime!

Hajime: Yes! Fushimi-senpai, I’m so sorry!

Yuzuru: (! Shino-sama just jumped at me from my blind spot--)

Tori: Fufu. It’s obvious to me what Yuzuru is thinking ♪ Just how long do you think we’ve been together?

Yuzuru: It is as you say, Bocchama. This ends now.

Hajime: Eh!? I was completely in his blind spot before attacking, and yet…! He twisted his body to dodge my attack..:!

Tori: Ah. And he swiped your ornament!

Hajime: Aah!? You’re right… All of a sudden, my ornament is gone.

Yuzuru: Fufu. You pretended to be scared as you ran away, before gathering my attention to Bocchama. Meanwhile, Shino-sama would hide away and attack me from a blind spot… That was your strategy, was it not?

Tori: Uu…

Yuzuru: The fact that Bocchama can tell what I am thinking means that I can also tell what Bocchama is thinking.

Just how long do you think we’ve been together?

--However. The fact that you were able to drive me this far is worthy of praise. You are both very strong. This was a hard fought battle…♪

-

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Season: Autumn

Writer: Nishioka (feat. Akira)

Characters: Tori, Yuzuru, Hajime, Ritsu, Mao, Mika, Arashi, Anzu, Young inn owner and old inn owner

Tori: Hah, hah. We finally arrived. We've been walking for so long that my legs feel like jelly~. Ugh. My legs are so stiff… I can’t take another step.

Yuzuru: Fufu. You did do well to make it this far. Allow me to carry your luggage the rest of the way to the room.

Tori: Eh, is that okay? Thank you, Yuzuru.

Yuzuru: Would you like me to carry your luggage while I’m at it, Anzu-san?

Oh? I don’t mind. Please don’t hold back on my part. I will be carrying Bocchama’s luggage over there anyhow.

Ritsu: N? Is something wrong, Ha~kun? You’re zoning out.

Hajime: Ah, no. I was just admiring this courtyard.

I like the garden terrace in Yumenosaki as well, but this kind of Japanese-style garden has an entirely different flavor from that type of Western-style garden. It’s somehow refreshing.

I bet it would be fun to hold a tea party in this gorgeous courtyard ♪

Ritsu: I agree. We haven’t been able to hold our regular activitiesin FLAVOR lately, either…

It would probably be impossible for us to hold a tea party in the middle of this courtyard, but…

Once we’ve gotten settled in our rooms and things have calmed down, why don’t we go to the veranda and have a cup of tea together while admiring the view? Ha~kun?

Hajime: Uwaa, how lovely ♪ I would love that, Ritsu-senpai. I actually brought some tea leaves as well.

mika+hajime

Mika: Nn? I can see two men wearin’ Japanese clothing over there comin’ towards us… Could it be the people workin’ at this inn?

Mao: N~? Aah, that seems to be the case. We should say hi.

(One is a smiling middle-aged guy, and the other is an older man… So these people must be the young and old master who're the main characters of this argument.)

Hello, good morning. We will be in your care starting today. Uuhm, we are-

Young master: You must be the idols who were sent here from ES. We have received your messages.

Everyone, allow me to welcome you here. I am in charge of this inn, and my name is Kiriyama Masato. And this is my father, Kiriyama Tadao.

Mao: Oh, thank you. Nice to meet you.

Old master: …Indeed.

Mao: (Woah, how intense. The old master seems like he’s kinda strict.)

(Actually. Why would this kind of person even agree to participate in a project like this? He doesn’t seem like the type to watch variety shows at all. And even the inn feels like it takes itself very seriously somehow.)

(I feel kinda nervous all of a sudden… Did they really understand the point of this program when they consented…?)

Young master: ? Oh? Is something the matter?

Mao: Eh, ah, no, uhm~… It might be impolite for us to ask this of you, but. Are you really okay with making your decision in this manner?

Did they really explain the purpose of this project to you properly…?

Young master: Ah, so that’s what you were thinking about.

We were told that the idols gathered here now would “compete over the fate of the inn, and the winner will get the right to decide”. Is that not it?

Arashi: It seems like you’ve been properly informed then. But I can’t help but wonder what made you agree to this plan? We would all like to know…

Young master: It is as I've told the TV station staff.

Me and my father couldn’t agree on what direction to take this inn. No matter how many times we discussed it, we could never come to a conclusion.

At this rate, we will never be able to see eye to eye.

As embarrassing as it is, I doubt we would ever be able to decide anything unless we went with something like this. I expected this was the push we needed to be able to accept whatever outcome.

Mao: Huh…

Young master: Which means that we are asking this of you in full understanding of what it entails, please do not worry.

Rather, I would like to extend our apologies for any inconvenience we might have caused you because of our situation. And thank you very much for your cooperation.

Mao: Ah… No, the pleasure is all on our side, thank you very much!

Young master: Well then, everyone. There’s no point in standing around and talking in this place, so please allow me to show you all to your rooms.

mao+arashi

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Season: Autumn

Writer: Nishioka (feat. Akira)

Characters: Tori, Yuzuru, Hajime, Arashi, Mika, Ritsu, Mao, Anzu

Tori: You're kidding…?

Is there really an inn located at the top of this steep mountain!?

Yuzuru: Indeed, it seems like there is. Apparently this location used to be one of its selling points.

This place provides a relaxing time away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Many guests would praise it and say coming here feels like taking a trip into a different world.

Tori: Ah, that sounds like something that would’ve been trendy a while ago. But recently, convenient and fast travel has become more popular.

Nowadays you often see ads about travelling overseas in just a few hours.

Hajime: You have to take time off from work in order to go somewhere on vacation, after all. I can definitely see why people would prefer shorter travelling times.

Arashi: I wonder if those changes in trends are part of the reason behind this inn’s decline in popularity.

Tori: Even then, the sheer inconvenience of travelling to this place is just strange. Of course people would stop coming here. Anzu, you think so too, right?

Mika: N~. Well, this place really is a ways off, but there’s supposedly a bus ya could take from the station.

Tori: Th…there’s a bus!?

Mika: Yup, sure is. I looked at the inn’s website before comin’ here, and there were loads of different services listed there.

Tori: Then why do we have to walk up this huge mountain on our own feet!? What’s the meaning of this, Anzu!?

Yuzuru: Hm, I see. To summarize Anzu-san’s explanation, this is what the program staff decided?

It seems they want us to completely understand what the current situation is like at this inn.

They must’ve thought that this experience would make us more excited for our competition.

Uuuhm… Is this them being considerate?

Tori: There’s no way this is their way of showing consideration! Those staff members~! They’re definitely just making fun of us!

I hate this~! The only ones who would like it this high up in the mountains are tengu~! I can’t take another step! I’ve contracted a fatal case of don’t-want-to-mountain-climb disease!

Ritsu: How pathetic.

Tori: N?

Ritsu: To think a small hill like this would be enough to make you give up. How childish.

Mao: Oi~. How can you say such arrogant things when you’re the one riding comfortably on top of my suitcase. Or rather, get off~! This hike is harsh enough without having to carry you all the way.

Ritsu: Comfortably? Ma~kun sure is underestimating the art of suitcase riding. It’s hard work to maintain balance while on top of this thing, you know?

This feat is only possible thanks to my extraordinary core strength. You should be praising me for it, if I do say so myself.

Mao: Instead of working hard on top of my suitcase, I wish you’d apply that energy to walking instead~

Tori: How convenient of you to tell me I’m being childish when you’re the one hitchhiking on someone else’s suitcase!

Arashi: Now, now. Standing around arguing won’t get us any closer to the inn. With this pace, we’ll arrive even later than scheduled.

Don’t you want to get to the inn as quickly as possible so we can soak in the hot spring? ♪

Hajime: Ah! The hot spring! This inn apparently has free-flowing hot spring water~. I’m really looking forward to it.

Tori: A hot spring… W, well, I guess I’m also kind of looking forward to that.

Mao: Then, let’s set those hot springs as a reward for ourselves and keep working hard a little longer.

hajime

Hajime: Ah. Tori-kun, Anzu-san, look over there. That’s a wild flying squirrel! Waa…. The way it’s eating that acorn is so cute…♪

Tori: Where? Lemme see.

! Incredible~! It’s real! I’ve only ever seen them in zoos or in picture books, to think I’d be able to see a real one!

Hey, Yuzuru! Quick, get your camera! Take a picture of that flying squirrel. I want to show it off to papa, mama, and my little sister.

Yuzuru: Of course, Bocchama. I’ll make sure to get it from different angles just in case.

Arashi: Mika-chan, what have you been looking at since earlier?

Mika: Look. There’re so many different colors out in nature like this.

Even though these colors normally wouldn’t go well together, these surroundings makes everythin’ mesh really beautifully.

Ya’d never think the color of this leaf would go well with somethin’ blue, right? But then, if ya hold it up against the sky… Look, it somehow works out.

Arashi: Now that you mention it, it sure does. Even though I would never want to match those colors when I’m coordinating my outfits.

Mika: Right? But when we’re out in nature, it somehow comes together real nice. It’s so strange.

It might be interesting ta try and use these kinds of natural colors for makin’ art with sometime.

Arashi: I’ll be coming to visit your next art exhibition as well. Looking at Mika-chan’s art always makes me feel happy, after all.

Mika: Really? Hearin’ Naru-chan say that sure makes me feel confident. Thank ya…♪

Mao: Haa….Fuuu…. This is getting exhausting~

Ritsu: Ma~kun you weakling~

Mao: You do understand the biggest reason why I’m so tired is because I dragged you up half the mountain, right.

Ritsu: I’m walking properly on my own now, though. Don’t get so stuck in the past. What’s most important is to keep looking forward.

Mao: Guuu…! That sounds so nice, but I don’t wanna hear it from Ritsu~

Honestly though, we’ve been walking for a long while, how far is this inn? I can’t help but understand why there are few customers coming when it’s this much of a walk.

Ritsu: That’s true. We should be getting close enough to see it any time now-

Aah, as soon as I said it, our destination finally entered our line of sight.

mao+ritsu

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Season: Autumn

Writer: Nishioka (feat. Akira)

Characters: Mao, Ritsu, Mika, Arashi, Tori, Hajime, Yuzuru, Anzu

Mao: -Huh.

In other words, “Chanbara Night” is a variety show where the participants are divided into two teams that compete against each other.

mao+ritsu

Ritsu: Those kinds of competitive variety shows have been popping up all over lately, haven't they? They're definitely really trendy nowadays.

At this point, there are so many shows with that setting that they've started melting together in my head and I can't tell them apart.

Arashi: Well, it’s all about supply and demand, so it makes sense that they all tend to stay within the most popular genre.

This is my first time hearing about “Chanbara Night” as well.

Despite that, I’m surprised Mika-chan knew about it. Have you watched it before?

Mika: Yea~h. I’ve watched it before, but I can’t exactly say it’s surprisin’ that Naru-chan and ya others haven’t heart ‘bout it before.

“Chanbara Night” is a popular show produced back in my hometown, ya see. So it’s super famous around that area, but I don’t think it’s very well-known outside of there.

Each episode has its own theme for the teams who compete. The people who’re watchin’ pick which team they want ta cheer on, which gets ya weirdly invested and creates a sense of unity with that team.

Among the episodes I’ve seen, the most excitin’ one was about a showdown between those mushroom-shaped chocolates and the bamboo shoot-shaped chocolates.*

There was also a really excitin’ episode where the teams fought about whether fries or nuggets are the best side dish ta have with hamburgers.

Mao: Ah. So that’s how the team system works. I’ll admit it sounds kinda fun, like a festival. And both teams’ opinions are easy to understand or relate to… I feel like it would be difficult to pick a side.

Tori: Oh, O~h! I’m picking the bamboo shoot ones! I’d definitely side with the bamboo shoot ones. I love that chocolate and cookie combo~

Hajime: Eh. The bamboo shoot ones definitely taste good, but I have to give it to the mushroom ones. Those crackers are so crunchy and delicious ♪

Tori: Eeh~! I thought Hajime would be on my side! You traitor…!

What about you, Yuzuru? Of course, you’re on the bamboo shoot-faction with me, right?

Yuzuru: Uuuhm. I have to admit all this talk about mushrooms and bamboo is a tad confusing… Are these types of sweets you’re referring to?

And the fact that Bocchama knows about something which I do not… Well then, Bocchama. I’ll take it you have been eating sweets in secrecy again?

Tori: Ggh!? I, I have not!?

Come on, I was obviously just speaking in hypotheticals. My, my, Yuzuru~. Ahahaha………

Hajime: I understand how this “Chanbara Night” show works now. Then what kind of theme will we be competing about for this episode?

Ritsu: N~? Anzu is making a complicated expression, isn’t she?

…Hmm. So this episode’s theme will be different from any previous ones. And? What theme is that, exactly?

hajime

Hajime: Eeh!? We will be competing over the survival of an old inn!?

Ritsu: Ah, so that’s what it was. The number of customers coming to the inn has been decreasing, so the owners are falling into financial trouble.

So, the old owner and his successor and son, the young owner, are quarreling about whether they should close down the inn, or renovate it to be more modern.

And the winner of the showdown gets to decide the inn’s fate… huh.

Hajime: Doesn’t that mean that the fate of the inn is in our hands…?

Mao: Isn’t this theme way too heavy? Or more like, the burden put on us is way too heavy.

Yuzuru: I’m surprised that the two parties agreed to compete in this fashion in the first place… Could it be that the outcome has already been decided on, and this competition is simply a farce?

Hm. So the showdown is not rigged, the owners simply wish for a serious showdown to determine the inn’s fate.

Arashi: It sounds as if the show production heard about the owners fighting and decided to exploit the situation…

Aah, it’s true that projects are sometimes started because of things like this. I’ve heard people talking about it down at the TV station.

But normally the inn wouldn’t sign off on a project like this, no? Especially when the project seems so bad-spirited.

Mika: Huh~... So the other staff members thought the same at first, Anzu? But when they went ta ask the inn owners, they somehow gave their consent… I guess stranger things’ve happened.

Tori: I mean, it’s kinda strange that they’re moving ahead with this show when absolutely everyone involved thinks it sounds like a weird project.

Ritsu: In the end, the project was approved, and the request was sent to us.

…Honestly speaking, I don’t really feel like doing it. It feels like we’re invading a domestic dispute. I would prefer if we didn’t have to get involved in something like this, you know?

Hajime: Then, are you going to decline?

Ritsu: Well~, I’m not really in a position to pick and choose which jobs I accept right now. Even if it’s a local show, my popularity would plummet if I started refusing to appear on popular shows.

So even though I don’t feel particularly enthusiastic about this, I’ll pretend like I am and complete the job.

Mao: Yup, you’re right. It feels like a heavy burden, but the affected parties have all given their consent. We should just focus on getting the job done.

By the way, if we’re going to be competing in teams, then that means all of us here will be divided into two teams right? How are we gonna be divided?

Ritsu: Of course, me and Ma~kun are in the same team. I wouldn’t accept anything else.

…Hey, Anzu. Did you just avert your eyes? Don’t go around thinking you can fool me.

You know. You’re gonna have to explain yourself sooner or later anyways, so it might be safer for you if you tell us now.

Arashi: Now, Ritsu-chan. Stop trying to intimidate Anzu-chan.

Judging from how Anzu-chan is acting, the teams have been decided already, right? Would you tell us, please?

Hajime: …Uhm. So it’s me, Isara-senpai, Tori-kun and Kagehira-senpai on one team.

Yuzuru: Which means Sakuma-sama, Narukami-sama and myself will be on the other team.

Ritsu: Okay, I object. I super object. I just went on strike. There’s no way I’ll accept this. Why would you divide us like that?

Tori: Me too. I’m happy to be on the same team as Hajime, but why can’t I be with Yuzuru? How did you decide on these teams? It’s almost as if you made sure that the people who get along well are on different teams.

Eh? That’s exactly the point!?

Mao: -Ah, I see. Since the theme for the episode is centered around a parent-child showdown, they wanted to create teams where the opposing idols would be in a similar situation.

Ritsu: I don't care if the reasoning is sound or if it will get fans excited.

Mao: Hey now. Weren’t you just saying how you would pretend like you’re enthusiastic so you can complete the job?

Ritsu: That’s a completely different matter than this.

mao+ritsu

TL-notes:
* - Mika is referring to a popular type of chocolate/sweets sold in Japan named Takenoko no Sato and Kinoko no Yama. People are often very opinionated in preferring one over the other. Also the bamboo ones are apparently extremely sweet so. Makes sense that Tori would go with that one.

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Season: Autumn

Writer: Nishioka (feat. Akira)

Characters: Arashi, Mika, Hajime, Tori, Yuzuru, Ritsu, Mao, Anzu

Arashi: Good morning ♪

Mika: Good mornin’

Hajime: Ah. Narukami-senpai, Kagehira-senpai, good morning.

-Wow, that’s a lot of bags you’ve got there~?

Arashi: Yup. We’d been talking about wanting to go shopping recently, you see. So me and Mika-chan went on a shopping spree before coming here today.

Mika: Thanks to ya I was able ta buy some nice winter clothing. Thanks fer the advice, Naru-chan.

Tori: And now we’re just waiting for Ritsu-senpai, Isara-senpai and Anzu to arrive?

There’s still a while left until the agreed-upon meeting time, so it’s not like they’re late yet. But I feel like I’ve been waiting for a while now~

I’m starting to get sleepy. Maybe I should’ve stopped by the dorm before coming here.

Hajime: Tori-kun and Fushimi-senpai arrived even before I did, after all. And you came straight from a job, didn't you?

Yuzuru: I thought we would have to go straight from the job here, but it appears I overestimated how much time we would need...

Aah, feel free to come sit over here, Narukami-sama, Kagehira-sama. There is open space here for your bags.

Arashi: Oh my, thank you. Well then, I’ll sit over here next to Mika-chan.

Mika: Heave-ho…

Yuzuru + Hajime: …(Gets up from their chairs.)

Mika: ? What’re ya doin’ standin’ up all of a sudden, Yukkun, Hajime-kun? Was it wrong fer me ta sit down?

Hajime: Ah…!

Yuzuru: …Now that I think about it, this meeting room is inside a cafe.

Hajime: Ehehe. I usually serve tea for everyone when I attend these types of meetings. I couldn’t help getting up to prepare tea out of habit.

Yuzuru: I’m in the same situation as Shino-sama. My body was moving unconsciously.

Arashi: Fufu. That’s a habit for you. But today we’re having our meeting inside a cafe. Both Yuzuru-chan and Hajime-chan are on the side being served today.

Everyone is probably feeling thirsty, so why don’t we go ahead and order some drinks for those of us who are here already?

Ritsu: Nacchan, please order a cream soda for me too.

Arashi: Oh my, Ritsu-chan came at just the right moment. Now, now, Ritsu-chan. What are you making Mao-chan carry you around for?

Yuzuru: My, did the two of you come all this way like that?

Mao: Ugh. You’re heavy… It’s not like I wanted to walk all the way here like this. But if I had kept arguing with Ritsu about it, we would’ve been late for the meeting. So I had no choice. Probably.

Arashi, please scold Ritsu for me. Ever since I ran into him on my way here, he’s refused to get off my back~

Oi, Ritsu~. You’ve been doing great lately with living on your own, right? To think I was so proud of you for that.

mao+ritsu

Ritsu: That’s right. I’m working so hard every day that I’m completely burnt out.

Which is why it wouldn’t be worth the effort unless I can have Maa~kun comfort me and spoil me every now and then like this. Right, Maa~kun…♪

Mao: Ggeeh…! Throat! That’s my throat you’re squeezing! Don’t use so much force when you hug me~!

Aah, I just remembered! This is how things used to be around spring last year!?

Arashi: My goodness. I wonder if you had repressed those memories…?

It’s been a while since the two of you have had work together, so I think Ritsu-chan is probably just really excited.

Mao: N? …Oops. Ah, sorry, Anzu. We were blocking the entrance, weren’t we?

Ahaha… That’s right. Ritsu has been like this all along.

C’mon, Ritsu. The meeting is about to start so get down from my back.

Ritsu: I guess I have no choice. Well, I guess it’s okay since we can walk back home together as well ♪

Mao: You’re planning on hitching a hike on my back on the way home too!?

Hajime: Everyone~. Please choose what you would like to order from this menu. I’ll order for everyone.

Yuzuru: Well then, it seems we’ve all calmed down. Could you please explain why you have gathered us here today, Anzu-san?

Tori: Well, I’d think it’s for work.

Hajime: Ah, that’s what I thought as well. Then, what kind of job is it?

Mao: N~? Are you writing the name of a show on the whiteboard, Anzu? What a weird title.

“Chance”... Nn? “Batsuori”...?

Ritsu: That’s read “Basara”. It refers to one of the Twelve Heavenly Generals who protect Bhaisajyaguru in Buddhism. So the title should be read as “Chance Basara Night”.

Mika: “Chance X Basara X Night”...

Aah, I see. I didn’t know the full name since people always just use the short version, but this is about “Chanbara Night”, ain’t it?

Mao: “Chanbara Night”?

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Serious Showdown * Chanbara Night

event

"Mao and Ritsu are set to participate in the showdown variety show "CHANCE X BASARA X NIGHT", where they will compete about the fate of an old, traditional Japanese inn. The two are fighting for opposing teams, as they are confronted with the conflicting feelings of the inn's owner and his son..."

Writer: Nishioka (feat. Akira)
Season: Autumn
Characters: Ritsu, Mao, Hajime, Tori, Yuzuru, Arashi, Mika, Anzu

Chapters:

Prologue

The Sudden Job Request 1

The Sudden Job Request 2

The Burden on that Back 1

The Burden on that Back 2

Epilogue

Season: Winter

Writer: Haruka Kanata

Characters: Adonis, Nagisa, Anzu, Kaoru

<A few days later. Inside a meeting room in ES.>

Adonis: Thank you, Anzu. To think we’d get this many letters sent in.

nagisa+adonis

Nagisa: …Thank you for going out of your way to print them all for us. It must’ve been tough to carry them all this way.

…So we just need to choose which problems we will discuss during the show from these, then?

Adonis: I’m having trouble deciding where to start reading. Either way, let’s try to get through everything today.

N? Ah, we will be fine. We scheduled today for reading through these letters, after all.

So you don’t have to worry, Anzu, you can go on to your next job. Thank you for coming all this way to see us.

Nagisa: …Anzu-san seems to be very busy lately.

Adonis: It still hasn’t even been a month since the new year started. I’m sure she’s busy planning new programs.

Nagisa: …That’s true. We should work hard to avoid adding more to Anzu’s burdens.

…Since we will be creating a script in preparation for the recording, we should pick our topics as soon as possible.

Adonis: Yes. I’m glad we were able to find that solution thanks to Sakasaki’s advice.

Or rather, I wonder why we thought we had to come up with advice on the spot while recording.

When you think about it carefully, it would be more unnatural for us to record the show without having gone over the topics we would be discussing beforehand.

Nagisa: …Right. It seems we were both getting somewhat ahead of ourselves. Having to improvise answers seemed so scary.

…But if we prepare our answers in advance, we can both feel at ease during the recording.

Adonis: I have to say, there really are a lot of letters. Are all the listeners carrying around this many worries?

Did you find anything that caught your eye yet, Ran-senpai?

Nagisa: …I found one that says “I always end up eating too many sweets. Do you know of any good ways to avoid gaining weight?”

Adonis: …? Isn’t it enough to just exercise?

Nagisa: …I think so too. The solution should be obvious. I’m curious as to why they wouldn’t just do that.

…There may be a special reason as to why they aren’t able to exercise.

Adonis: …If that is the case, then it would be hard for me to come up with any other advice.

Moving your body is accessible to everyone. If someone isn’t capable of moving at all, then I can only assume there must be extraordinary circumstances in play.

Nagisa: …Did you find any good questions, Adonis-kun?

Adonis: Yes. This one interested me, “English is too difficult and I ended up scoring badly on a test. Do you know of any good study methods?”

I can relate to having trouble learning a new language. I still often worry about whether or not I understand Japanese correctly.

Nagisa: …You speak Japanese very well though. It’s obvious you’ve studied a lot.

Adonis: I’ve been travelling back and forth between Japan and my home country since I was young, so I picked a lot of it up naturally.

Even then, I still had to work hard to study Japanese. I can’t say much except that regular studying will lead to results.

Maybe we could bring this problem up on the show?

Nagisa: …I wonder. It might be lacking in excitement. After all, we were only able to come up with the most obvious advice in response.

Adonis: That’s true. I’m not very confident that we would be able to find a concrete solution for that problem.

Nagisa: …Let’s look over the other letters. There are still many to pick from, after all.

…Let’s take it slowly and find some problems we feel confident in solving.

<Several hours later.>

Adonis: …Well, Ran-senpai. Were you able to find a problem we could solve?

Nagisa: …I’m not sure. Even “picking” becomes difficult when you don’t know what the correct answer is.

Adonis: I see. I also can’t seem to find any problems I feel like I would be able to solve.

Rather, I’m beginning to wonder if there really are any problems in here we can solve…?

Nagisa: …Maybe we are being arrogant in thinking that we will be able to find a concrete solution.

Adonis: What do you mean?

Nagisa: …I gave it some thought. All of these letters contain something the writer considers to be a serious problem they’re worrying about.

…And we are in a position where we want to pick and choose the ones we feel we can solve from among all these serious problems.

…It is an act of arrogance, as if we are picking and choosing which people to save. Are we really of enough importance that we are qualified to make that choice?

Adonis: Indeed, it is as you say. We really ought to seriously consider each of these letters and come up with a proper response…

N? I think someone knocked on the door… Did Anzu come back?

kaoru

Kaoru: Nice, looks like I had the right room. Hiya, Adonis-kun, Ran-kun. Is your meeting going well?

Adonis: Hakaze-senpai!? What are you doing here…?

Kaoru: I was with Anzu-chan up until just now, you see. We worked at the same location today.

My work finished early, so she asked me to check in on you two if I had the time.

Plus, I was the one who recommended Adonis-kun to take my place for this job. And Ran-kun told me in our room that you two were having trouble, so I figured there might be something I could do to help.

Nagisa: …Thank you. I would appreciate your help, Kaoru-kun. To tell you the truth, we are currently-

<A couple minutes later.>

Kaoru: Ahaha. You’re both so diligent. You're way overthinking this job...

If you’re going to spend so much time worrying about every little thing, you’ll never be able to finish, you know?

Nagisa: …That’s true, we don’t have forever. Besides, it would be truly arrogant to think that we would even be able to find answers to every single problem.

Adonis: …That’s right. Which is why we should choose something we can responsibly find a solution for.

Kaoru: You’re so uptight! Well, that seriousness and dedication of yours is one of your charm points, though.

Alright. First things first, let’s get rid of that feeling that says you have to find a proper solution to everything.

Nagisa: …Why would we do that? If we are going to be listening to people’s problems, I think it is important that we manage to find solutions as well.

Kaoru: Sure, but in the end, the only thing we can actually do in the show is give out advice. There’s no telling whether that advice is enough to solve the problem, right?

Adonis: …You’ve got a point there.

Kaoru: So what’s most important is for the two of you to find some problems you feel like you would like to help out with.

Adonis: Problems we want to help out with…

Kaoru: For example, for me it would be… something like this. “There is a person I like, how should I approach them?”. A problem concerning romance.

When I look at this, it makes me want to support this person. Well, it might be bad to choose only based on that feeling, though.

The most important thing in all of this is that you two need to be able to maintain a conversation together, after all.

Nagisa: …In other words, we should just pick something we would feel comfortable talking about?

Kaoru: Shortly put, yeah. Did you have something good in mind?

Nagisa: …Yeah. I think this one would work well. I think Adonis-kun would find this easy to talk about as well.

Adonis: Hm. You’re right, I should be able to come up with something to say about this.

Thank you. Thanks to Hakaze-senpai’s advice, I feel like we’ve just made a breakthrough.

Nagisa: …Kaoru-kun is good at giving people advice, isn’t he?

Kaoru: I didn’t mean to do that this time though. Either way, if I was able to help you two out then I’m glad.

-

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Season: Winter

Writer: Haruka Kanata

Characters: Nagisa, Adonis, Anzu

<A few days later. The meeting day for the talkshow>

nagisa

Nagisa: …Oh. Good morning, Anzu-san. I look forward to working with you today.

…You're coming along to the talkshow meeting today, are you not, Anzu-san?

…Yes. I’m happy I remembered correctly. I was afraid I might've misunderstood something.

…Normally Ibara would be on top of every little detail for me, but for this job I’m on my own, you see.

…That reminds me, the person I will be talking with on the show ended up being Adonis-kun, didn’t it?

…I have talked to him before at Starmony Dorm, but we haven’t had many chances to really relax and talk until now.

…So I’m happy to have this opportunity to properly talk with him.

…Oops, this isn’t the time to stand around leisurely chatting. I wouldn’t want to be late for the meeting. Let’s hurry up a little, Anzu-san.

Nagisa: …Good morning, Adonis-kun. It seems I’ve kept you waiting, I apologize.

nagisa+adonis

Adonis: …

Nagisa: …Adonis-kun? Is there something wrong?

…There's no reaction even when Anzu-san is the one calling out to him. It seems like he’s been staring at something for a while now.

…Is this the proposal we were given in advance for the program?

Adonis: …N? You’re already here, Anzu and Ran-senpai? I’m sorry, I didn’t notice you until now.

Nagisa: …No, don’t worry about it. You must’ve been very focused for you to not even notice that we came in here.

Adonis: I was just nervous. So I haven’t actually managed to read much yet…

Nagisa: (...Now that I think about it, he is gripping the paper with enough force to wrinkle the edges.)

(...It seems like Adonis-kun is much more nervous than I thought.)

Adonis: I’m sorry, Anzu, Ran-senpai. I might end up causing trouble for the two of you.

Nagisa: …What makes you say that?

Adonis: I’m not very good at talking. So I’m not confident that I’ll be able to keep up in conversation with you.

I’ve made appearances on radio programs with UNDEAD before, but the only reason I was able to perform well back then was because Hakaze-senpai and Ogami were there to support me.

Which is why I’m afraid I’ll end up causing trouble for Ran-senpai this time around.

Nagisa: …I see. I understand why you apologized now.

…However, if you’re insecure about talking, why did you end up accepting this job?

Adonis: …Because I wanted to grow more as an idol.

Being an idol isn’t just about singing and dancing. I want to be able to do even more for my fans’ sakes.

However, those are merely my personal circumstances. It doesn’t matter for the people who I end up causing trouble for.

Which is why I wanted to apologize to Ran-senpai and Anzu in advance…

Nagisa: …I understand how you feel, Adonis-kun.

…You’re both kind and honest. I think that’s amazing.

…To tell you the truth, I’m in the same situation as you.

Adonis: The same as me? What do you mean?

Nagisa: …It was easier for me when I acted according to Ibara’s instructions, but the current policy for the agency is for me to act as my true self.

…But I still don’t know how to properly show that part of myself.

…Not knowing the correct way to behave is somewhat similar to not being good at talking, I think.

Adonis: I see. So Ran-senpai has been worrying about this just like I have.

Nagisa: …So, let’s both work hard to grow through this recording.

…It is precisely because we are imperfect that we can find enjoyment in growing.

Adonis: That’s true. I feel better after hearing that. Thank you, Ran-senpai.

Nagisa: …It seems as if Adonis-kun feels less nervous now, I’m glad. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting as well, Anzu-san.

…Fufu. I’m glad you didn’t mind. Thank you.

…It’s already past starting time, so let’s get the meeting started right away.

<A few minutes later.>

Adonis: -I see. So to sum things up, this episode will have us giving out advice to viewers who’ve sent in problems they're worried about.

The program staff have already prepared a form for the viewers to send in any problems they’d like me and Ran-senpai to discuss.

The specific questions included in the form are… I see. We can’t see yet.

“The two of you can go over the questions and pick which you want to talk about on the show at a later time”, is it? Understood.

Nagisa: …The difficult thing is that it won’t be enough if we simply listen to the listener’s worries and give out advice.

Both myself and Adonis-kun are revered as “mature” by the public, so the program staff wants to take advantage of that reputation for this show.

So they want us to act like calm adults, discuss topics related to the viewers’ problems, and offer our advice and solutions.

Adonis: …Even just talking sounded hard enough, I wonder if I’ll be able to do all that.

Nagisa: …The parts I added are merely requests for us from the staff. I think they’ll forgive us if we decide it’s too difficult and we can’t go through with it.

…Those requests are more like suggestions for decorations to make the program more exciting. The most important thing for us should be the main contents of the proposal.

Adonis: The main contents. Meaning, giving out advice, huh…

Even though the two of us already have our own problems in that we’re bad at talking, I wonder if we’ll be able to do something like giving out advice to others.

Nagisa: …You’re right. If I was tasked with doing something like that on the spot, I doubt that I could do it successfully either.

…I suppose the two of us will have to hold a rehearsal together before the show, don’t you think?

Adonis: A rehearsal? Are you saying we should practice beforehand?

Nagisa: …Yes. We won’t know what problems could arise unless we try it out first, after all.

nagisa+adonis

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Season: Summer

Location: Rooftop

Characters: Jin, Hokuto, Chiaki, Tori, Anzu

TW: mention of weight/calories.

Jin: Anyways. The outfits you’re looking at are just prototypes, so if you find any problems with them, we can have them fixed. The transfer student is also saying she’ll make us a few more outfits if we want.

jin+chiaki

Chiaki: It should be enough with just this one. It’s still just our first live as Rain-bows, after all…

If we keep doing costume changes before cementing a clear image of ourselves as a unit, we will just be making it harder for our audience to recognize us.

Hokuto: I agree. It would be hard on the transfer student as well. She has a lot of other jobs to attend to besides making our outfits, after all.

This outfit is really well-made, so there should be no problem at all to make this our official outfit.

Tori: Agreed~. I feel like these need some fine-tuning, though. To be honest, I’ve lost a bit of weight since entering school…

If this was made based on the measurements taken back then, then it might be a bit big.

Chiaki: Hm? Is that true, Himemiya? You’re already pretty slim… do you really have any weight to lose?

Tori: It’s true. Not only am I burning lots of calories with all these lessons, but I stopped eating sweets because I don’t want to risk getting pimples.

It’s no wonder I’ve lost some weight.

Chiaki: That’s not good, Himemiya, more meat equals more power! You need to eat lots and build up your strength! Here, I’ll give you the rest of my bento ♪

This one has eggplant in it so I could never eat it…!

Tori: Don’t push your leftovers onto me! I-I’m okay! I usually gain weight easily, so I’ll probably go back to my original weight in no time!

Jin: Hahaha. Uuuhm, summing up… Everyone’s happy with these outfits, right?

The transfer student ended up finishing them before I could run the design through you guys, so I was a bit worried actually.

Hokuto: Don’t say that as if the transfer student did something wrong. You should be praising her for how effective her work is.

Jin: Yup. You’re a good kid. Honestly, this applies to all of you, but… the transfer student is really evolving at a surprising speed. Youth really is an amazing thing.

Moving on. For our songs and choreography, we had Hidaka ask his father’s connections, or rather, friends, to help us out.

From what I could gather from today’s lesson, we’ll have memorized them all in time for the live.

And since the outfits are looking to be fine as well, we should be able to perform live without any problems. Of course, we’ll still have to advertise ourselves beforehand, as well as practice our fan-service in preparation.

Ah, that reminds me. Apparently, the magazine serializing Project-Saga will also be advertising for us, so we might be getting audience members even from outside of the school…

It seems like Project-Saga has been picking up popularity lately, so we can expect there to be quite a lot of people coming to see us.

Hokuto: I see. Since there will be guests coming from outside of the school, does that mean our live will be ranked as an “S1” dreamfes?

Jin: No, it won’t be anything that grandiose. This live is being treated as if it was an official dreamfes, but in reality, it’s more like a special event that has nothing to do with that system.

I feel like this kind of thing will become the norm moving forward. Call it a hunch.

Yumenosaki has become somewhat out of touch with the current trends, so I think the dreamfes system itself is due to be reformed.

jin+tori

Tori: Ah, the president also said something like that.

He rarely shows himself in the student council room, but each time he comes over, he will end up bickering with the vice president about those kinds of topics.

They always look like they’re having fun together… I’m still not at a place where I can join their discussions.

Well, whatever. Then, uhm, does that mean things are going well for now? Is all we need to focus on for now to do our best to improve the level of our performance, even just by a bit?

Jin: That’s the most important thing, yeah. But there is a slight problem. That’s what I wanted to ask you guys’ advice about.

You see~, I don’t really get what’s going on, but… It seems there’s another unit that wants to participate in that live alongside us.

Hokuto: Right. What’s the problem with that?

It’s not like we really need it to be a solo live, and I feel like having more units participating would raise the overall quality of the live and make it more exciting, no?

Chiaki: Yup! More people will come to see that unit as well, so it’s a win-win situation for everyone! We should always accept all challengers… ✰

Jin: How are both of you this confident already, we haven’t even achieved any results with Rain-bows yet… And also, there’s something even weirder to this.

Apparently, the unit in question was formed by Kunugi-sensei.

It’s like he’s imitating us, he’s got himself a first-year, second-year and a third-year to create a unit with him as their mentor.

Hokuto: Kunugi-sensei? I wonder why?

Jin: You tell me… I tried asking him directly, but he refused to give me an answer. I don’t really get it.

Based on the unit, maybe he also wanted to participate in Project-Saga?

Chiaki: Fufu. Maybe he didn’t want Sagami-sensei to be the only one in the spotlight.

Jin: He’s not really that type of person, though. Anyways, I don’t really know why he created that unit…

It somehow creeps me out, so let’s keep our guards up.

This isn’t like Kunugi-sensei, after all. This might be due to someone meddling unnecessarily.

Chiaki: Someone, huh…But who would that be? Don’t tell me there is a mysterious organization behind Project-Saga scheming to conquer the world!?

Jin: Yeah, no. That’s such an overused plot that even if some drama TV show tried to use it they would just be cancelled for being unrealistic.

But then again, I can’t help but have this bad feeling… I’ll try bothering Kunugi-sensei again to find out more.

Well, leaving that aside. Since we’ll be performing together at the live, we’ll need to tweak our performance to match up with theirs.

It seems like they want to do a live battle, so if things go down that route we’ll have to be proactive and come up with countermeasures.

In a live battle, the winners stand alone on top, while the losers gain almost nothing at all, after all.

We’re supposed to be the main characters of Project-Saga, so it would just be shameful if we lost.

If that happened, we could end up being kicked out of the project, with Kunugi-sensei and his unit replacing us and taking over the center position for Project-Saga.

Tori: H, hmph… Well, I wouldn’t want to be involved in this stupid project forever, so I wouldn’t really mind though.

But it would feel a little frustrating, I guess. I hate losing, after all.

Hokuto: Yeah. I agree. Of course, we’ll be going in with the intention of winning.

Chiaki: Fufu. If we can resolve the conflict through the power of friendship and words, then that would be best, though.

If it comes down to it, then it can’t be helped… It would be pathetic if we showed up to a fight without preparing ourselves and got our asses kicked.

We should do whatever we can to prepare ourselves in case we end up fighting. What exactly is Kunugi-sensei’s unit like?

Jin: N~, I still don’t have a lot of info on them. They’re another temporary unit, formed later than us - the day before yesterday, I think.

As of now, I don’t think they’ve done any activities at all.

I used my authority as a teacher to look over their application form, for what it’s worth. But the only thing on there was their unit name, as well as the names of the members.

Chiaki: Even that is important information. If we’re familiar with any of the members, we might be able to estimate their abilities somewhat.

Jin: Right. Well, let’s start by going over the members. The leader is, obviously, Kunugi-sensei.

Unlike me, Kunugi-sensei didn’t stop his training regimen even after retiring, so I think he’s a pretty formidable enemy.

Tori: If only Sagami-sensei had kept training on his own, then we would have had less trouble as well… Well, I guess continuing to do lessons after retiring is weirder than stopping them.

Jin: N~. It hasn’t been that long since Kunugi-sensei retired, after all, I guess he hasn’t lost all of his old habits yet.

As for me, it’s been long enough that I sometimes forget that I used to be an idol at all.

Hokuto: Don’t forget that. Even if you were to forget, the world will keep remembering.

Navigation:
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Season: Summer

Location: Rooftop

Characters: Hokuto, Tori, Chiaki, Jin, Anzu

Hokuto: Fufu. This feels somewhat strange, being able to sit down and enjoy a meal with Morisawa-senpai and Himemiya like this… Life can be hard to understand sometimes.

hokuto+tori

Tori: Yup. I really don’t understand this at all.

Chiaki: Fuhaha! This is why life is so wonderful! You guys think so too, don’t you!?

Tori: How annoying… Why are you always this energetic? Well, it’s the same with that long hair in my unit, though.

Your energy must be overflowing~, I almost wish you could share some of it with me.

I’m still lacking in stamina, so I can’t keep up with fine’s lessons yet… If I’m causing my friends to stagnate then that would be the worst.

I didn’t work hard to get all this way just to become a hindrance like that.

Chiaki: …

Hokuto: …

Tori: Uhm. Senpais. Why are you moving your jelly cups over to my bento box all of a sudden?

I’ll admit I was thinking about how this bento wasn’t sweet enough for my taste, but I’m not a beggar!

Hokuto: No, sweets help with stress relief.

Chiaki: They do! Eating lots will help you become stronger, I promise ✰

Tori: …I was in the wrong for expecting these guys to be delicate or considerate. Yup, I already knew this much.

It’s not like I was really expecting much from you two, but what kind of reaction is this to someone venting about their own weaknesses to you?

jin

Jin: O~i, I’m home~, sorry for leaving outta nowhere… I’m happy to see the three of you getting along so well.

Chiaki: Sagami-sensei! Welcome home!

Oh, the transfer student came along as well, how amazing! I was worried that you wouldn’t show your face here today, come here, come here, come here ♪

Hokuto: Don’t pspsps her like a cat. Treat her with respect like a proper human being.

Tori: Sigh, Morisawa-senpai sometimes shows this side of himself, doesn’t he?

Chiaki: I don’t want to hear that from you guys… I’m not very used to interacting with girls either, so I’m still trying to figure out how to treat her.

Up until middle school, there were usually girls around. But I didn’t really mingle with them…

I preferred playing baseball and stuff with my guy friends rather than playing with the girls.

Tori: Huh. Isn’t that fine…? From my perspective, being able to have such a normal life sounds like a blessing.

Chiaki: Fufu. Everyone wants what they can’t have, after all.

Jin: Haha. You really have gotten close all of a sudden. You’re able to forget all about your troubles and have fun together, I feel like I used to be like that when I was a kid, too.

Anyways. Transfer student, please hand “that” out to everyone.

Hokuto: “That”? What are you talking about?

Chiaki: Ah, I’m sorry, Sagami-sensei. I got so absorbed in talking with the others that I completely forgot about explaining.

Jin: Huh. Well, isn’t that for the best? Right now, your top priority should be to become closer.

Then, allow me to explain from the top. We’ve finished working out the fine details for our upcoming live, and our plan has been approved and we’ve been given a generous budget.

Tori: Wow, that’s good news. I was worried because we hadn’t finalized the plan yet.

In the worst-case scenario, I thought I would have to ask the student council president for help or provide the money myself.

Hokuto: Hm. Himemiya is helping us out in good faith, so I feel bad for burdening you with that.

Tori: What are you talking about after all this time? I’ll have you know that just showing up each week and missing out on my precious lunch break is already a huge burden.

Besides, you seem to have forgotten this, but it’s not like I’m helping you guys just from the kindness of my heart, either.

Hokuto: Aah… That’s right, you’re also here as a spy sent by the student council president.

Is that going alright for you? Are your reports living up to the president’s expectations?

Tori: Why are you acting so worried about the person actively spying on you… Honestly, this is such a weird situation.

I don’t know whether or not the president is satisfied with my reports, but I have been summarizing our activities and reporting them back to him on the days after our meetings.

In addition to that, it seems the president is looking into various things on his own as well. It seems he was looking into the magazine that will be publicizing Project-Saga.

He said it seemed like we were having fun and that he was jealous.

chiaki

Chiaki: Right. This has been unexpectedly fun.

Unlike in Ryuseitai, I’m not the leader here, so I’m able to lower my shoulders, relax, and work freely.

Hokuto: That’s the same for me. Being a leader, huh… I still don’t feel like I’m suited to that position.

Tori: ? Sagami-sensei is the leader of Rain-bows, right?

Hokuto: Oh, I was talking about my position as leader of Trickstar. Though it’s just a formality for the sake of paperwork, since we treat each other as equals.

Being the leader means your responsibilities and your workload increases, so it’s a position you can’t ignore.

Tori: Phew. Being weak and understaffed sure sounds tough, huh. You even have to take on roles you aren’t suited to do?

Jin: Now, now, don’t go off chatting at every opportunity. Though I’ll admit I’m used to it, since you guys are pretty much like this during class as well.

Actually, I’ve always felt like bouncing your opinions off of each other and discussing stuff leads to better learning than just shutting up and listening to some lecture.

Hokuto: Ah, right. I apologize, we were acting rude.

Jin: Okay. Transfer student, did you finish handing out “that”? Everyone, go ahead and take a look.

Hokuto: Hm… Oh, what’s this?

Chiaki: Ooh! I was wondering what it could be, but it’s our costumes! You’ve finished them already!

Tori: Eh, ah… Is this Rain-bows’ outfits? The ones we’ll be wearing for our live?

Hokuto: I’m amazed, transfer student. When we spoke last week you still hadn’t finished the design, and now you’re all finished sewing them?

Now that I think about it, you were really quick when you made the outfits for Trickstar as well…

Kiryu-senpai helped you out back then, but this time you were on your own, no?

Amazing. You really have a talent for making outfits.

Tori: Yup. I was wondering what kind of cheap thing you would pull out, but these are pretty high quality.

They seem really durable, but also easy to move around in. You must’ve used a really high-quality fabric, right?

Chiaki: …

Hokuto: Hm? What’s wrong, Morisawa-senpai? Is there something you don’t like?

Chiaki: Aah, no… The outfits are perfect. But did you make these before our budget came in?

You need to make sure you’re getting compensated for this, transfer student, you shouldn’t have to spend your own money on this.

And, I couldn’t help but wonder, did you use Sagami-sensei’s old outfits as inspiration when making these?

I felt as if I had seen this design somewhere before, and zoned out while trying to remember where exactly.

Jin: Oh, you noticed that? It would have been a pain to design new outfits from scratch, and the magazine company funding this plan asked it of us as well…

They wanted us to add in some easter eggs inspired by my looks from way back then, so we changed the design to reflect that.

Of course, if we had used the exact same designs as my old costumes they would’ve looked outdated and uncool, so I had the transfer student redesign them for me.

I’m sure it would’ve looked fine on you guys, but I’m in my 30s already… I couldn’t bear to put on any more sparkling and glittering clothes with bright colors, it would be too embarrassing.

Hokuto: Fufu. That reminds me, back when he was active, Sagami-sensei used to always wear really flashy outfits screaming of nouveau riche, didn’t he? Like covering your entire body in glittering gold and stuff.

Jin: Yup. I needed to stand out on my own, after all. That’s how it was back then.

The entertainment industry was on the verge of decline, but there were still a lot of people within the higher-ups who liked to pretend as if the economy was going smoothly.

jin+hokuto

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Season: Summer

Location: Rooftop

Characters: Hokuto, Chiaki, Tori, Jin, Akiomi

Hokuto: Either way. The things we’ll need for the live are songs, choreographies, and outfits as well?

Chiaki: Yes. We should decide on a setlist first, and then adjust it to balance things afterwards. We should design our outfits as well as the stage based on the overall vibe of the setlist.

Hokuto: Oh, the transfer student’s eyes are sparkling. Do you want to make our outfits?

Your abilities are trustworthy, and leaving it to you would be cheaper than hiring someone from outside the school…

Chiaki: Yeah. I was planning to ask my good friend Kiryu for help with the outfits as I usually do, but if the transfer student is up for it, I’ll leave it to her.

Kiryu did mention he’s gotten an influx of requests lately and is feeling overwhelmed, after all.

Tori: Uuuhm, you guys are moving the conversation along too quickly so I can’t get a word in… Wait a sec.

Since it sounds like we’ve solved the issue of creating outfits, I take it our next problem is how to make ourselves a new song?

Hokuto: When it comes to songwriting, I could ask some of my dad’s acquaintances for help.

Though since they also helped me out during the revolution, I feel a little bit bad about letting them spoil me like that again.

Chiaki: I see. Well, worst case we could always rent a song for a low price.

Tori: Rental songs? That’s a thing?

Chiaki: Doesn’t fine use those? It’s a rental service where you can borrow songs to use for lessons and lives for a fee, it was set up sometime last year…

It’s not like everyone is able to create a brand-new song for every live show. This system was set up to help out with that kind of thing.

Tori: Huh… I had no idea, this must be commoner culture.

Hokuto: I was thinking. Seeing as how we’re able to perform alongside Sagami-sensei…

What if we used some of Sagami-sensei’s old hit songs, either as they are or rearranging them?

Chiaki: Ah, that would also fit with Project-Saga’s theme of reviving old idols.

Using old songs for nostalgia might be a good plan, and it would also fit well with the purpose of Project-Saga.

Plus, singing Sagami-sensei’s old songs at karaoke is my specialty, so I already know them by heart.

Tori: Ah… Morisawa-senpai, are you into karaoke?

Chiaki: Hm? Are you also a fan, Himemiya? No, I guess there’s no way you would be, you are a young lordling after all.

Tori: No, I also… N, never mind.

jin

Jin: N~. That might fit well with Project-Saga, but whenever I listen to my songs nowadays I can’t help but think that they feel outdated… will that be okay?

Wouldn’t it just sound annoying and lame for today’s young people?

Chiaki: It will be fine, Sagami-sensei, those are timeless masterpieces… ✰

Jin: H~m. I don’t really want to drag you youngsters into an old man’s nostalgia like that but…

Let’s keep it in our minds for now, I guess it’s a common thing within the music industry to take old masterpieces and remake them.

However, even if those are my old songs, it’s not like I own the copyright to them.

Depending on which songs you want to use, it might be difficult to gain permission to use them, or we might be required to pay a stupidly high fee for them.

If that ends up being the case, then making a new song that actually fits in with modern trends would be better.

As I keep saying, Project-Saga is a low-budget plan and we really don’t have any money at all right now.

Tori: Yup, that’s the heart of the issue right there. So this is how it feels to be poor… This is exactly why we need to hype up our live so we can earn lots of money.

I feel a little motivated now. I guess being an idol really is all about performing lives.

Jin: Idol activities is more than just that though.

There’s marketing for our lives and fanservice, as well as responding to “Mr. Bossman”’s interviews and holding photoshoots… I guess we’ll be doing all kinds of typical idol activities.

I’m praying that these experiences will be useful for all of you on your original paths as well.

Tori: Fufu. Actually, when I’m with fine it’s pretty much all I can do just to keep up with my seniors…

Being able to plan everything by ourselves from the beginning like this actually feels a little refreshing, which is nice.

Chiaki: Right. I’m having fun as well. I have no complaints whatsoever about Ryuseitai, but thanks to yours truly all our activities are pretty hero-like.

Being able to act like an ordinary idol like this makes me feel like I’ve started over from the beginning, which makes me happy.

On the other hand, I’m almost worried that I won’t be able to stop acting like a hero as usual and that I won’t be able to do normal idol activities at this point.

Hokuto: We’ve been doing fundamental lessons up until now in order to avoid that, haven’t we?

…I also think it’s delightful to be able to be a normal idol without worrying about revolutions and grudges anymore.

Idols should be focused on singing and dancing to make our fans happy, not on defeating our enemies and changing the world.

I feel like I’m relearning all these obvious things.

Jin: Why did you ever unlearn them? Those things are important.

Actually, as long as you don’t forget those things, you guys can keep being idols forever.

As long as you are wanted, you can keep standing on stage.

I threw that right away by my own hands, but I feel like you guys won’t make the same mistakes I did.

…Wait, what? I just noticed, but where did Kunugi-sensei disappear to?

Tori: Huh? You’re right… Well, lunch break is about to end, so he probably went back?

Jin: N~, honestly, what did that guy even come here for… Was he really just watching over us?

Well, whatever. Lunch break is pretty much over… Should we clean up and call it a day?

Make sure you’re not late for class now, okay? I don’t wanna get scolded by the other teachers.

Hokuto: Huh… Honestly, just when I thought you said something nice for once, this happens.

Jin: Ahaha. Being just a little pathetic makes me seem more like a regular human, which makes me more lovable. Don’t you feel it?

<Second floor hallway>

akiomi

Akiomi: …Yes, right.

Indeed. I’m sorry to call you over the phone like this. If I had used the school broadcast to call out to you then Sagami-sensei would have noticed.

If necessary, I can meet you in person and explain more thoroughly.

That won’t be necessary, you say? That’s good. It would be a pain to have to find you to talk to you after all.

Yes. As I briefly mentioned earlier, I plan to join Project-Saga myself as well.

Things seem to be going almost too smoothly for everyone so far, or rather, they’ve gotten too relaxed and have lost any sense of danger.

They might be in need of some outside encouragement. Yes, that is how living beings come to grow.

Yes. Come see me in the staff room once school ends. And bring with you a couple more “allies”.

Yes. If you don’t mind, please bring those children I recommended to you.

Fufu. I’m counting on you then, Mikejima-kun… Yes, as expected, the main character really does need his fated rival.

-

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Season: Summer of ES! timeline

Location: Rooftop

Characters: Akiomi, Anzu, Jin, Hokuto, Tori, Chiaki

<1 month later>

Akiomi: Hmm.

Thank you for the explanation, transfer student.

I looked over the report you wrote for this “Mr.Bossman” as well, and its contents were nicely summed up and easy to understand.

Even I, a complete outsider to Project-Saga, was able to understand the current status of the project.

To summarize, the temporary unit created by Jin and the students, “Rain-bows” successfully passed the application process and has been approved by the student council…

And they have been steadily increasing their activities in the month since.

Even then, all the members appear to be rather busy.

It seems they’re only barely able to gather everyone for a lesson once a week. This project sure is amping up to take an awful long time, don’t you think?

Like this, it’s more like they’re gathering to do circle activities together than doing proper idol work.

Well, it seems like they are able to relax and have fun with it, and looking in from outside it seems almost fun enough to make me jealous.

Jin: If you’re jealous then switch with me~, Akiyan. Aa~, I’m beat…

Akiomi: Hey, Jin. If you’re going to lie down at least move to a different bench or do it on the ground. You’re disturbing my meal.

Jin: And why are you eating in a place like this? I can’t relax if you’re sitting there watching me.

Akiomi: Hmph. I was worried that you might be slacking off instead of working properly.

I came over to scope the situation out while eating. I won’t be interrupting your lesson in any way, so please don’t mind me.

Jin: But I do mind. And your entire body is sending out some seriously bad vibes.

…Oh? Akiyan, is your bento homemade?

Gimme a bite, I’ve spent all my energy doing too much exercise… munch munch ♪

Akiomi: Hey, stop nibbling on my food.

Hokuto: Why are two adult men sitting and acting like a couple of schoolgirls?

Don’t slack off, Sagami-sensei. Come back and continue your lesson.

Jin: Uu~. You youngsters are too energetic, you’re shining too bright for me. I can’t keep my eyes open.

Hokuto: Don’t go to sleep either. If you need to rest, then rest properly. Don’t just lie down out of nowhere, or else you’ll get sore all over. You’re not young anymore, Sensei.

Akiomi: Fufu. Looks like you’re going through it, huh, Hidaka-kun.

Hokuto: Ah, Kunugi-sensei, nice to see you. Sorry for interrupting your meal, did you come to check on us?

Akiomi: Yes. It’s not that I’m lacking things to do, though. But I took a personal interest in whether or not Sagami-sensei is properly working hard…

Plus, I received some strange orders from the top.

Hokuto: The top? Strange orders?

Akiomi: Please don’t pay it any mind. For now, it’s just some paranoid old people who are panicking over nothing~, or at least that’s what it feels like.

Hokuto: …? I don’t really understand. Since you came all this way, why don’t you watch our lesson and let us know if there are any points we can improve on?

It seems like it’s all Sagami-sensei can do just to make sure he is acting like a proper idol, so he isn’t able to give us any pointers himself right now.

I’m worried about whether or not I’m doing okay.

Chiaki: You’re doing absolutely fine! There’s no problems, we are certainly becoming more and more like a proper unit!

You think so too, right Himemiya? Is your youth burning brightly!?

tori+chiaki

Tori: Please stop bothering me with everything…

Aah, I’m tired already. fine’s lessons are harsh as it is, but Rain-bows’ lessons are mentally exhausting.

Akiomi: Oh. Morisawa-kun and Himemiya-kun, good work.

I’m sorry that you’ve been roped into this troublesome situation… I’m sure you’re having a hard time dealing with Sagami-sensei?

Chiaki: No, this is actually like a dream come true for me! I’m thoroughly enjoying myself!

It seems like Himemiya is having a rough time keeping up physically, though. Are you doing okay? If you’re tired, then feel free to take breaks, okay?

Tori: Don’t take me so lightly. It’s true that on days when we have Rain-bows lessons during lunch and I have fine lessons after school, I barely have the time to relax and it’s super tough.

And in addition to all that, I still haven’t gotten used to being at Yumenosaki Academy yet.

However. It seems like the president is actively cheering me on.

It seems like no matter how much I complain, I won’t be able to get away from this troublesome party. So I’ll mentally prepare myself, no, I’ll give up and do my best.

Aaargh, why did things come to this?

Chiaki: Hahaha! You’re such a hard worker, Himemiya, I really admire that part of you! There, there, there ♪

Tori: Umyah!? Stop hugging me all the time, you’re too clingy, I’ll bite you!?

Akiomi: Ahaha. It seems like you’re getting along surprisingly well.

Hokuto: Well, Himemiya still hasn’t gotten over what happened during DDD, and I still feel like there’s a certain tension between us…

But since Morisawa-senpai is skillfully acting as the mediator between all of us, the atmosphere is pretty harmonious.

I’m sure that is the kind of quality necessary for a leader. I should learn from him.

…Well, on paper, the leader of Rain-bows isn’t Morisawa-senpai, but rather Sagami-sensei, though.

In other words. Stop being lazy and get back to work, what kind of leader are you if you don’t take the initiative and work hard?

Jin: Alright… The four of us can only meet up once a week, during lunch break, after all.

No matter how we look at it, we don’t have a lot of time. I guess we really have to make good work of the time we have.

I do understand that. But this old man is tired, I can’t believe I used to be able to keep up with this lifestyle when I was younger.

Akiomi: Your youth was even harsher than this, wasn’t it?

You were supporting the entertainment industry all on your own… Watching from beside you, I couldn’t help but admire how superhuman you seemed.

In the end, I could never imitate you.

Jin: Hm. The unit system was probably put in place exactly so that those responsibilities could be shared between several people. If one person is left carrying it all on their shoulder, they’d break down after all.

Honestly speaking, I’d like to leave all the hard work to the youth.

Akiomi: Honestly now. You’re already this beaten down, huh… Jin. Are you sure you’ll be okay from here on out?

…Maybe it would be better if I stopped acting as a bystander and instead joined in to support you. That is what the top ordered me to do, after all.

Jin: Eh, what? Did you just say something scary, Akiyan?

Akiomi: No. I was just talking to myself. Please pay it no mind.

jin+akiomi

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Season: Spring

Location: Empty classroom

Characters: Tori, Hokuto, Chiaki, Jin, Anzu

-

Tori: …

Hokuto: Alright. It seems like Himemiya’s mood has gotten better since he ate the sweets the transfer student prepared for today’s meeting…

It’s about time we restart the meeting.

Tori: …My mood hasn’t gotten better. Sigh, this is the worst.

I’m not sweet enough to be convinced just with some pieces of candy. You ought to present me with something more suited for my noble self!

Hokuto: You may not be sweet, but the candy sure is. Fufu. I got you, Himemiya.

tori+hokuto

Tori: …? …?

…D-don’t speak so casually to me, Hidaka-senpai! You traitor, I still haven’t forgiven you!

Chiaki: Now, now… Don’t be so cold, try to be patient and get along, Himemiya. Here, I’ll give you a cookie ♪

Tori: I, I said sweets won’t change my mind! Don’t treat me like a child!

Hokuto: Don’t say that. Here, I’ll give you some konpeito.

Tori: …? What’s this, I’ve never seen anything like this before. Don’t try to trick me into eating weird things. Konpeito? What country is that even from?

Hokuto: …Fufu♪

Tori: Wh, why are you laughing? It feels like you’re making fun of me, hmph~! How annoying!

Jin: Alright, let’s keep the small talk at that. Everyone is taking time out of their busy lives to be here, so let’s try to be effective and not waste our time.

Chiaki: Yup. I understand why you feel discontent, Himemiya, but please try to play along. I’m sure Tenshouin has his own reasons for recommending you for this project, don’t you think?

If you don’t fulfill your role as he wants, it would be like betraying his expectations… That might be an unfair way to put it, huh?

Tori: …Hmph. Still, I have absolutely no motivation for this, you know? I don’t know about Project-Saga or whatever, but this feels like a major detour!

Oooh whatever, I just want to get this over with so I can go back to fine’s lessons~!

Chiaki: Yup. And with that goal in mind, let’s properly discuss our activities going forward. Here, have some more candy♪

Tori: Hey, have you been trying to hand-feed me for a while? Even for you that’s too cheeky, Morisawa-senpai! Stand back!

Hokuto: (Hm. As expected of Morisawa-senpai. He’s good at dealing with Himemiya. So that’s how you should interact with him… I’ll remember that.)

(I wonder if this is the same strategy as when I give Akehoshi a 10-yen coin to make him listen to me.)

(No… Akehoshi himself is aware of that and goes along with it, it’s more like a ritual between the two of us.)

(It wouldn’t work with anyone else.)

(I need to learn strategies that will allow me to win over people outside of Trickstar as well, or else I might not be able to survive in the entertainment industry.)

(Project-Saga is the perfect opportunity to learn. I’ll make sure to internalize all of it, the proper way to interact with other idols.)

Jin: …Yup. Everyone’s bringing their own motives into this project, but since you’ve agreed to participate, I’d like it if you could do your best.

I’m praying that Project-Saga will turn out to be more than just an “unnecessary detour” for all of you.

Once again, thank you all for deciding to help me out with this.

Hokuto: Hm. How rare for you to act like a proper mentor, Sagami-sensei.

Jin: It's been known to happen. It’s an adult’s job to lower his head, so you guys should also learn how to act properly when necessary.

Either way, since this will be our first meeting… It’s enough if we confirm what our plans going forward are.

And as a bonus, there’s one thing we need to decide on.

I guess I just took the lead there, but is that okay? If anyone else wants to do it, I’m willing to give up the leader spot?

Hokuto: No, you should do it. You’re the main character in all this, so I’d like you to properly steer us through it for now.

Chiaki: Yup. You’re the one with the most superiority here, after all. You are the safest bet for our leader, and it makes the most sense.

Toku: Yeah. Well, I’m the greatest person here, though.

Jin: Where did that confidence come from… You seemed so polite when you first enrolled here, is this your true nature shining through?

Well, whatever. Then I’ll lead the show for now. Everyone is familiar with the general gist of Project-Saga, right?

How about it Himemiya? If there’s anything you don’t know I’ll explain it for you.

Tori: It’s okay… sir. I read through the materials you sent me before coming here, and the president and Yuzuru explained the parts I didn’t understand.

Hokuto: The transfer student and I have been involved since the beginning, so we are also familiar with the concept.

hokuto+chiaki

Chiaki: I’m also caught up for now, Sagami-sensei.

Jin: You’re all such diligent students, huh. If only every student here could be like you, then my job would be way easier.

Anyways, since it seems like you’re all familiar with the general concept for Project-Saga, I’ll leave out the explanations for now.

For now, we’ll go over our plans moving forward… and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Project-Saga is a leisure project to be published in a weekly magazine, and an employee of that magazine will be responsible for writing the articles for the project.

That person isn’t here right now so I can’t introduce him, but for convenience, I’ll be referring to him as Mr. Bossman from now on.

Mr. Bossman will visit us once a week to interview us and to take pictures for the magazine articles.

Then he’ll write the article before the deadline is up, and if we have no problems with the finished product it will be published in the magazine.

The main topic is legendary idols… well, it’s pretty much about me.

It’s about reviving retired idols like me and having us tutor young idols. They’re aiming for a dramatic effect like you’d see in a story.

Think the hot-blooded teacher trope, or one of those teacher-student themes.

It seems like the plan is for idol vocational schools as well as idol companies from all over the country to participate in this at the same time.

Well, for now I’m the only legendary… or rather, retired, idol participating. So it will be more like our own exclusive article.

If negotiations go well, then more and more “teacher and disciple” units will be added to the project later on.

Once that happens, we’ll be given less feature space in the articles.

Which means at that point, we won’t have to work as hard anymore.

But since we’re the only “teacher and disciples” available for now, we’ll need to come up with some drama to get the show rolling.

Hokuto: When you say drama, what exactly do we need to do?

Jin: N~. Well, it seems like you really went through it when you tried recruiting members for the project, Hidaka. So for our first feature you could try to put a funny spin on that experience?

In due time Mr. Bossman will come to interview us, so make sure you respond to whatever he wants to know about.

Hokuto: Hm. I understand.

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Season: Spring, ES! timeline

Location: Empty classroom

Characters: Hokuto, Chiaki, Jin, Anzu, Tori

<The same day after school>

Jin: Eh~, ahem. Well then, let’s get this Project-Saga meeting started or whatever.

Chiaki: Glad to be heeeeeeeere✰

Hokuto: …

Jin: Yup. Morisawa is too energetic, meanwhile Hidaka and the transfer student are too quiet. What’s up, are you feeling bad or something? Do you need to go to the infirmary?

Hokuto: No, that’s not it. I feel fine. I just can’t get used to this, it’s too different from our usual meetings with Trickstar.

Jin: Oh, so even you guys hold proper meetings. I was under the impression you just did whatever you felt like without prior planning.

Hokuto: Well, that is mostly true. In our case, it’s more like whenever we get together it often ends up becoming a sort of meeting.

Chiaki: Fufu. It’s good that you’re all friends but… That won’t fly outside of this school, so you should get used to doing things by the book as well.

Hokuto: Ah, I also think so. …Thank you so much again for joining, Morisawa-senpai. It makes me happy.

I’m still lacking experience, so I’m relying on your guidance and encouragement going forward.

Chiaki: How polite! But since I’m still busy with Ryuseitai as well, I probably will be going a lot back and forth between here and there, so I won’t always be able to participate.

I’ll let you know beforehand whenever I’m unable to participate, so I’d like you to keep me up to speed on what goes on during the meetings and lessons when I’m not there.

I want to be able to keep up with you guys as much as possible, after all.

Hm? What’s wrong, transfer student? You’re raising your hand… what are you trying to say?

Hm. So you’ll take responsibility for sending those messages, will you? That’s a huge help.

Going from that topic, we should make a group chat for Project-Saga in the school SNS.

Jin: Aah, I’ll leave that to you. It’s too difficult for this old guy, so please teach me how to use it later.

chiaki+jin

Chiaki: Okay! Leave it to me, Sagami-sensei♪

Jin: You’re so bubbly… Students usually don’t take me seriously at all, so I’m not used to being treated this way.

Hokuto: Hmph. It’s weird that you aren’t being taken seriously, you should act more like a proper teacher.

Jin: Yup, yup. …Either way, we’re already off to an awkward start, but is it okay to actually start the meeting now? Everyone’s here already, right?

Hokuto: Ah, that reminds me. Originally we were supposed to gather one member from each grade to participate in Project-Saga, right?

Finding members proved more difficult than expected, but shouldn’t we try to find a first-year member before beginning anything?

It feels a bit wrong to start holding meetings when we don’t have the entire team here yet.

Chiaki: Ah, you don’t have to worry about that. I managed to secure a first-year representative for us already.

Hokuto: Oooh… You’re so reliable, Morisawa-senpai. I’m glad we’re working together.

Chiaki: Fufun. You shouldn’t praise me so much, this isn’t even my achievement, really.

Hokuto: What do you mean? Since you said you managed to secure someone, I thought you meant you took along a first-year from Ryuseitai… or something like that?

Chiaki: No, it’s not one of my kids. I mentioned this earlier, but I would prefer for the Ryuseitai children to be able to focus on getting used to life in Yumenosaki and to their idol activities for the time being.

It wouldn’t feel right to get them involved with Project-Saga, which wasn’t part of their plan originally.

In the end, they would end up doing both jobs half-heartedly, and it would be like trying to catch two rabbits and ending up with none.

Hokuto: Hm. I don’t really get it. Then who did you invite?

None of the first-years have gotten used to their idol activities or to the school yet, which is why it was so difficult to ask any of them to join-

Chiaki: Yup. I talked it over with Tenshouin, and I think “that kid” is supposed to come over here once he’s done with his classes…

But he’s late, I wonder if he ran into any trouble?

Hokuto: T, Tenshouin? The student council president? Honestly, I’d prefer not to get involved with that guy…?

Chiaki: You don’t have to be so wary. Even Tenshouin is a human like me and you. It’s not like he eats children’s dreams for breakfast or anything.

It seems Tenshouin thinks there might be some ulterior motives at play behind this Project-Saga.

He got curious while we were talking, and wanted to send one of his own over to run surveillance.

It’s something like a spy. But well, we were in need of a first-year representative either way, so it’s a win-win situation for everyone, don’t you think?

Hokuto: What is that, how suspicious… So the president is sending one of his underlings to infiltrate us? Who could it be?

Chiaki: Wait a bit, I’ll send him a message. Tenshouin gave me his contact information, you see.

Uuuuhm, it should be under “H”... I should organize my contact list more often, it’s hard to find the name I’m looking for.

Oh, found it. I’ll call him.

Hokuto: …!? What’s that, a phone started blaring from nearby!

tori

Tori: …Pyuu? Wa, wawaa?

Hokuto: Himemiya! So you're the spy sent to infiltrate us by the student council president!

Tori: I, I’m not a spy! Though the president did tell me to dig around for information and then report anything I learn to him~ or something like that.

He also said to “Basically just go have fun”, but… There’s nothing fun about this at all!

Putting Sagami-sensei aside, everyone else here are enemies of fine!

Don’t wanna~! I wanna go ho~me, why should I have to work alongside you guys?

Uuu. Did the president think that this Dropout Corps would fit me better than fine?

Does that mean fine doesn’t need someone like me anymore…?

Chiaki: Fufu. I don’t understand how Tenshouin’s head works, but either way you’re welcome with us.

You can sit next to us, let’s get along… Let’s work hard together on Project-Saga♪

Tori: No! I don’t know what Project-Saga is, but I didn’t enter Yumenosaki to participate in a detour like this!

I want to work hard as a part of fine, alongside Eichi-sama~!

chiaki+tori

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Season: Winter

Writer: Akira

Characters: Kohaku, Madara, Tsukasa, Ibara, Anzu

<The day after. Inside Estele (A TV station located near ES), during filming for “[MaM]’s Chronicle of Parenting Struggles”>

Kohaku: “-Double Face’s~♪”

kohaku+madara

Madara: “[MaM]’s Chronicle of Parenting Struggles~! Yaaa~y, clap clap clap clap ✰”

Kohaku: “Hey, why’s it so unclear if this program is about MaM or about Double Face!?”

Madara: “And there we have it, what you just heard was a classically sharp straight man comment from Kohaku-san ♪ Well then, J, how would you rate that reaction on a scale from 1 through 100?”

“Hmmm. J is raising his cute little fingers - one, two three… He put up eight fingers, which means that you get zero points! Kohaku Oukawa, you’re disqualified~!”

Kohaku: “Since when was this an exam!? And ‘sides, why does eight fingers equal zero points? Don’t go abusin’ the fact that J doesn’t speak ta randomly make up shit, ya rotten idiot!?”

tsukasa

Tsukasa: …With that choice of words it is hard to believe this is supposed to be a parenting program.

Ibara: That gap is this show’s main selling point!

The exhilaration and tension created by pulling off statements that would never be aired on regular programs is the best entertainment there is!

In fact, many of the current programs targeting housewives are filled with similar taboos!

People say not to curse in front of your children! They say that parents should never complain about parenting, they should uphold a saintly image!

This show - “[MaM]’s Chronicle of Parenting Struggles” aims to stick its hands into that built-up pile of parents’ good intentions and bring to light the truth of the matter!

It is a very meaningful program! Salute~!

Tsukasa: It’s almost definitely gonna get flamed online.

Ibara: I would hope so! That is exactly the aim of this project, after all!

From the very beginning, my plan was never to make a profit off of this program!

I will have plenty of recompensation once J-san has inherited GFK’s fortune ♪

Besides, though I worked out the details of this plan myself alongside Anzu-san, the ones responsible for creating this program are not CosPro, but rather the agency “Double Face” belongs to, NewDi.

Which means that this is a chance for me to try out things I normally would never dare to do, all without having to take any responsibility for it. There is no profit to be had, but also no loss. It’s the ultimate entertainment for killing time.

Tsukasa: Sigh, once again our agency is being casually pushed into poverty.

Since there is no other way to protect J-san, and because both Mikejima-senpai and Oukawa want to do this, I can neither deny nor reject this project, however.

We did make enough money off of SS that we can afford to keep this charade up, especially since our agency is rather small and yet famous.

Ibara: Indeed! For my part I am more than satisfied to be able to make an interesting program using someone else’s money!

Even though us at CosPro tend to end up in the role of the villain, even we can’t usually go around doing things like this.

Something like making a program to trivialize and make fun of parenting programs, that is.

Tsukasa: So you admit you are making fun of them.

Ibara: I was always going to.

Let’s thoroughly make fun of and sneer at those silly programs that boast about love and kindness.

Aah, this feels oh so refreshing!

tsukasa+ibara

Tsukasa: (Th, this guy has the worst personality. I had heard rumors about this, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.)

Ibara: -However, I had not expected this of Mikejima-shi.

Tsukasa: ? What are you referring to?

Ibara: From the beginning, that person has used the stage name MaM for his idol activities.

He chooses to define himself as “MaM”, Mama. Double Face is supposed to be his other, darker, identity.

Tsukasa: I thought the name was a pun on “Mikeji - Ma Ma - dara”, wasn’t it?

Ibara: What if that is not the entire story? What if he truly wanted to be able to play the mother role?

Could this not be a dream come true for him, though in a way he would never have expected?

Yes, I have helped him achieve that dream of his.

If idols are the ones to show dreams to the public, then it is the producers who help those idols make their own dreams come true, after all.

Really, I have done such a good job! Surely you feel the same way, Anzu-san?

Tsukasa: Fufu. It seems like Anzu-onee-sama is starting to wonder if we may have gone a bit too far… she seems a little regretful after all this time.

Onee-sama has a lot of complicated feelings for Mikejima-senpai, after all. It seems you bent the rules a bit because of that.

Usually you would never have taken this big of a risk, onee-sama.

Ibara: However, it is too late to regret anything at this point. The dice has already been thrown.

This unbelievably vulgar parenting show - “[MaM]’s Chronicle of Parenting Struggles” - will start attracting attention, either better or for worse. Well, I am nearly 100% certain it will be for worse.

And that attention is what is most important.

ibaba

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Season: Winter

Writer: Akira

Characters: Madara, Kohaku, Anzu, Ibara, Tsukasa

madara

Madara: You leave it to me, you say. Honestly speaking, I would have felt more assured if I could have left J in your care, Ibara-san.

I have my own work as well. Though recently it’s been drying up a bit-

I am trying to make a comeback after my jobs during “SS” and at the Maizuru House, so it would be too inconvenient to be unable to work right now.

If I have to stay with J twenty-four seven, I can’t exactly go to work as usual.

I would have wanted a trustworthy person I could leave J to, if only for while I am performing on stage.

Kohaku-san, Tsukasa-san or Ibara-san would have been appropriate for that job, but as of right now it doesn’t seem like J has warmed up to anyone except me.

I couldn’t very well nonchalantly go to work knowing that you guys are struggling to deal with this wild child while I am away.

Kohaku: I ain’t weak enough that this tiny brat could injure me.

But I’ll admit it’s too much work fer me. And I’m not fond enough of Madara-han ta spend all of my free time watchin’ after some kid fer him.

Madara: Don’t say such harmful things, Kohaku-san! This is your child as well!

Kohaku: Not my kid. Though I’ll admit I’m too invested at this point ta just up an’ leave.

J is the child of GFK, whom we erased. My dignity won’t let me ignore this situation.

I want ta be able ta do somethin’ for ‘im, but-- hm?

Madara: What’s wrong, Kohaku-san? Did you come up with a good idea?

Kohaku: No, I felt as if someone was watchin’ me, and then I noticed Anzu-han was standin’ there. She’s as quiet as ever, her presence is faint enough that even I couldn’t notice her right away.

Madara: Anzu-san is here? Oh my, it’s true! What are you doing here?

Ibara: This “Information Room” is one of the workplaces for the P-association to which Anzu-san belongs, after all.

Besides, I have a favor I would like to ask of her, so I called her here.

Madara: You want to ask her a favor? Hahaan, I get it.

Anzu-san! You came at the perfect moment! I have something I want to tell you!

Please marry me, Anzu-san! This child needs a mother…!

-Owie!? Anzu-san kicked me in the shin!?

That’s a huge weak point for humans, and even grown men would start crying from pain when kicked there-

madara+kohaku

Kohaku: This was entirely yer own fault, Madara-han. Well, most things tend ta be yer fault though.

Tsukasa: Indeed. You shouldn’t say such things even if you mean it as a joke, it’s imprudent.

However, Anzu-onee-sama. No matter how rude someone is, violence is never the answer.

The moment you employ such methods, you lose your position as a pure victim.

If you wished to sue the person later on, that could become a disadvantage in court.

Madara: I was just trying to make a joke and now you are planning a lawsuit against me… Tsukasa-san, you look pretty calm but are you actually really angry?

Tsukasa: I’m not angry… However, Mikejima-senpai’s jokes tend to be hard to stomach.

Kohaku: Kohkohkoh ♪︎ Watchin' that made me feel refreshed, actually.

I get ya, Anzu-han. Mikejima Madara really is the type o’ guy that makes ya want ta kick him every now an’ then.

Madara: What do you mean by that. How rude… Even someone like me feels pain when they’re kicked, I get sad just like a normal person.

Ibara: Are you all done with that skit? Well then, Anzu-san - could you explain the thing I asked you about?

Madara: And what thing is that? If this has nothing to do with us, we’ll be taking our leave.

Ibara: That will not be necessary. You are hardly unrelated to this matter. In fact, I’d say you are something of the main characters.

Madara: …?

Ibara: I shall title this project “[MaM]’s Chronicle of Parenting Struggles”!

tsukasa+ibara

Tsukasa: Are you feeling okay?

Ibara: Whatever are you referring to? The project name might sound stupid, but this is actually a properly thought-out plan!

Madara: N~? I don’t really get it, but why don’t you explain in more detail? This smells kinda fishy all over, but at this point I’m not in a position to refuse help in any form.

A child’s life is at stake. I don’t know about Ibara-san, but Anzu-san would probably never get involved with something like this as a half-joke.

I can trust you on that.

…Honestly, I didn’t want to get Anzu-san involved in this kind of situation.

Ibara: Ahaha. Anzu is charging up for another kick. You’re wearing a skirt, so please keep it to a minimum.

More importantly, please explain the project details to everyone. I’m sure everyone will be thoroughly convinced.

They’ll exclaim “I see, so there was that possibility!”, just wait and see ♪︎

-

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Guardian’s◆Eye and the Last Mission

event banner

Season: Winter

Writer: yuumasu

Characters: Kaoru, Chiaki, Anzu, Rei

chiaki

Chiaki: Maybe he can’t hear me? O~I, Hakaze!

Kaoru: It’s fine, I can hear you just fine~ Could you not shout my name like that?

Yahho, Moricchi. Good morning to you as well, Anzu-chan.

Chiaki: Yahho! What a coincidence to run into you here ☆

Kaoru: Ahaha, really…

Uhm. What were you two talking about? I thought about calling out to you, but you seemed so serious…

Chiaki: So that’s why you tried to leave. I’m your friend, there’s no need to act so distant.

I was actually asking Anzu for some personal advice.

Kaoru: Personal advice?

Chiaki: I’m planning to visit the hospital that took care of me when I was younger soon. I was thinking about holding a hero show inside the hospital to cheer up the kids.

Of course, there’s no budget. We would have to use some old costumes, so I wanted to ask Ryuseitai for help.

Turns out, everyone already has work lined up for the day I wanted to do the show on.

Which is why I was asking Anzu if there was any way she could adjust the members’ schedules for that day…

Kaoru: Judging by Anzu’s expression, it seems that might not be possible after all.

If it’s not possible, then it’s not possible. Why don’t you choose a different day? You’re all in the same unit, so there must be some day that would work for all of you?

Chiaki: Right. Anzu said that as well, but if possible I’d like to keep the day I planned.

…The reason I decided to visit was that I got a letter from one of the children in the hospital.

Apparently, this kid really likes heroes. They found out I used to be in the same hospital, so they sent me a letter.

Heroes are persistent. They never give up no matter the crisis.

The letter was filled with strong words about overcoming illness and growing up to become a real hero, but-

It seems this kid is about to undergo a major surgery, I could feel their anxiety through the letter.

That’s why I want to make the visit before the surgery, so I can cheer them up and show them how heroes can overcome any hardships. I want to tell them I’m cheering them on, and that I want them to stay strong.

I was lucky enough to be able to book the show for the day before the surgery, but…

Kaoru: But your unit members couldn’t make it, huh.

And it’s not like you can put on a hero show on your own. And with those circumstances, you can’t really change the date of the visit either.

…What’s that, Anzu-chan? You have a suggestion?

Chiaki: You think we should ask Hakaze to join the hero show?

kaoru+chiaki

Kaoru: Me!? No way, no way, I’ve never even played a hero before.

…You think I will be able to do it even if it’s my first time? My acting in the tennis drama was even better than expected, you say?

Chiaki: Hakaze, huh…

Kaoru: Moricchi? What are you staring at me like that for?

Chiaki: …Yes. You could probably fit into Takamine’s costume!

To think I could rely on other units. I didn’t think to ask anyone outside of my unit, what an oversight.

Nice idea, Anzu…☆

Kaoru: Uuhm. I still haven’t said yes though…? I’ll need to check my schedule and make sure I don’t have anything planned that day.

You’ll check right away? Thank you, Anzu-chan.

<The evening of that day, in the radio recording booth>
rei

Rei: And after all of that, you were coerced into accepting the offer~♪

Kaoru: Don’t say that with such a happy face~?

Rei: *crying* You were coerced into accepting the offer…

Kaoru: And don’t just change your expression while repeating the same sentence.

Rei: Hmph, you sure are hard to please, Kaoru-kun. What exactly do you wish of me?

Kaoru: I just want you to shut up and listen to my complaining.

Rei: That sounds boring. There would be no need for me to even pay attention then.

Either way. To think you’d accept the task of doing a hero show, Kaoru-kun sure is a kind person.

Kaoru: That’s not it. I just couldn’t refuse in front of Anzu-chan. I was just irresponsibly acting cool.

When acting in a drama, you can retake the scene as many times as necessary. But hero shows are done in one go, right?

I have no experience, I can’t help but feel like I’m gonna fail.

Rei: What are you saying? Live performances are also done in one go, are they not?

Kaoru: But I’m used to lives, you see…

Rei: Then, what about when you are asking someone out on a date? Or the live broadcast we’re doing in a couple of minutes? Both of those also have to be done in one go, do they not?

Anyhow, this is not the kind of show done on a stage, is it? Why not just relax and have some fun with it?

Kaoru: Even if you tell me to have fun with it, I have no interest in heroes from the get-go.

I didn’t even know Japan and America had different kinds of heroes until just recently.

When I got the role as a hot-blooded man I used Moricchi as a reference, but I don’t have anything to go on for heroes.

Rei: Kukuku. If that’s the case, you should use the “Vampire Shogun”.

Kaoru: Ah, here it comes, “Vampire Shogun”.

Rei: What do you mean, “here it comes”? “Vampire Shogun” is a well-made historical drama which took the world by storm, he is a hero we should be proud of.

Why, this is a perfect chance. Let’s talk about him on the radio while doing your presentation, Kaoru-kun. ♪

We’ll be starting any minute now. Are you ready, Kaoru-kun?

Kaoru: Yeah. Since only sound can be heard through a radio, our tone of voice is enough to convey our feelings. I’ll get my head in the game.

Rei: That’s my Kaoru-kun.

Do your best to keep that attitude for the hero show as well…☆

Kaoru: C’mon, I’m trying not to think about that right now, don’t tease me~?

kaoru+rei

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