[Itaru Chigasaki] MANKAI Shot SSR — Backstage — Off Shot: ITARU
Sorry… I don't think I have it in me… to make it to the top...
Translation below the cut
Part 1
Itaru: Sigh...
Chikage: …
Itaru: Hang on, why are you ignoring me like that? Can't you tell me "good work today" or something?
Chikage: I thought it might be better not to bother you, since it seems like you still have work left to do.
Itaru: ... Are you going home already, Senpai?
Chikage: Yeah, since I'm done with my work already.
Itaru: Damn, I'm jealous. I must face the hell known as the department drinking party yet.
Chikage: My deepest condolences.
Itaru: Uuugh... Please let me be able to go home like that, soon, too~.
Chikage: If you want to, why not?
Itaru: ... You're so mean and you know it.
Chikage: Well, good luck with everything.
Itaru: Sigh...
[Door closes, scene: Room 103]
Itaru: I'm so tired...
Chikage: Welcome back.
Itaru: I managed to say no to the after-party, but my HP is seriously still close to zero.
Chikage: I can tell you're tired just by looking at you.
Itaru: Healing... I need some healing...
Chikage: And he's heading to his PC. Gaming as soon as you're home, huh?
Itaru: I'm not gaming, actually. When I'm this tired, I'd rather watch a video.
Chikage: And what video would that be?
Itaru: Here. This streamer is a corporate slave for an absolute hell zone of a company, but...
Itaru: As stress relief, they make videos eating a ton, going to onsens, and going all-out enjoying things on their days off.
Itaru: They're super popular with corporate employees who say their content is healing to watch, so I end up watching them sometimes, too.
Chikage: Huh.
PC: "It's been forever since the last time I took PTO, but your corporate slave friend is doing just that today to go mountaineering!"
Itaru: Ooh, they're going to the mountains this time. I totally get it... when you're that tired, it actually feels like touching grass would be the ultimate healer...
Chikage: I'd feel bad interrupting your long-awaited fun time, so I'll go somewhere else for now.
Itaru: Wanna watch with me? Since we're both corporate cattle, you might find it relaxing, too.
Chikage: I'll have to decline. That aside... have you thought about where you want to go for the project this time around?
Itaru: Project...?
Chikage: The birthday project. You're up next. Forgot already?
Itaru: ... Yeah, honestly, I did.
Chikage: You really have been busy lately, huh. Good job keeping up with it all.
Itaru: If I'm remembering right, the person whose birthday it is makes a request for something they want to do, and their troupemates do it to celebrate with them, right?
Chikage: Yeah. We're also supposed to take some candid shots for the birthday bromide set while we do it, so...
Itaru: And you're the one on photography for mine, right? Take some good ones.
Chikage: Well, I'm glad you remembered. Now, don't overdo it. Go to bed.
Chikage: I know you're going to be busy later, but I really can't stand how messy the room has been lately, so please do something about that.
[Door closes]
Itaru: For a split second, he went deredere... He's such a monster, piling even more tasks on me when I'm already so tired...
Itaru: (I'm so damn tired... Ugh, the sleepiness might win out in the end...)
Part 2
[Scene: Lush forest]
Itaru: ... Mmph..
Itaru: Wait, where am I...? What's going on?
Itaru: (This place... Somehow, it feels like the scenery around the mountains from that video.)
Itaru: Well, there's no point in just standing around here, so lemme try walking around.
Itaru: (inhale)... (exhale)...
Itaru: (The atmosphere here is so nice, all I'm doing is walking around in nature, but it's so healing.)
Itaru: (Now that I think about it, that streamer said the same when they reached the summit, didn't they?)
Itaru: (Something about how this purified their exhausted heart and they really felt hope for the future after it.)
Itaru: (My body feels so light now, I feel like I could copy them and aim for the summit, too.)
Itaru: ... Something feels off, though.
Itaru: (I've walked so much since I got here, but I don't feel tired at all. When did I get so fit?)
Itaru: Hm? I just heard something from within the bushes...
Itaru: (Ah, there's a sign that says "Danger! Frequent Bear Sightings". There's no way, though, right?)
Itaru: !
Bear?: BEAAAR!!!
Itaru: Huh, what?
Itaru: (This is the Autumn Troupe's bear costume from the storage room, isn't it? I knew something's been wrong with all of this…)
[Fade to black]
Chikage: ... Chiga... Chigasaki.
Itaru: ...?
[Eyes open, scene: Room 103]
Chikage: Oi, wake up already.
Itaru: ... Huh, a bear?
Chikage: Who are you calling a bear? Don't mix up your dreams with reality.
Itaru: ... Aah, sorry. I think I dozed off while watching that video last night.
Itaru: (Was that bear being there in the mountains all part of the dream, too?)
[Scene: Living room]
Itaru: Phew...
Itaru: (Now that I've showered, I finally feel awake.)
Sakuya: Oh, Itaru-san! Good morning.
Citron: It is a very good morning!
Itaru: Morning.
Izumi: You're up early.
Itaru: Yeah. I kinda ended up nodding off early last night.
Izumi: You did get home pretty late yesterday. You've been working so hard.
Citron: I'm sure our tired Itaru would love to visit a spot that'll heal him for the birthday project~.
Sakuya: Yeah! If there's anywhere you wanna go, please don't hesitate to tell us.
Itaru: (Oh, yeah, Senpai did mention the birthday project to me yesterday, too. A place I wanna go, huh...)
Itaru: ... Then, how about heading to the mountains?
Izumi: Huh?
Sakuya: The mountains?
Citron: A request like that coming from Itaru's mouth is so surprising it rocked my locks off!
Izumi: You mean "knocked your socks off", right? You're right, though, it is strange.
Itaru: I just happened to watch a video of a person climbing a mountain recently and thought it seemed kinda nice.
Itaru: (I can't say I did it in a dream and felt like it fixed me, though, because thinking about it now that I'm awake and thinking straight, it seems like it'll be really hard on my body.)
Itaru: (Let me just pass that off as a joke, and--)
Sakuya: That does sound amazing, though!
Itaru: Huh?
Izumi: It does! The weather has been great lately, and we're in just the right season for hiking.
Citron: I totally agree as well! Let's have fun hiking together!
Itaru: (... There's no getting out of this now, is there?)
Part 3
Itaru: ... Haah... haah... gasp…
Tsuzuru: You okay, Itaru-san? Do you want some water?
Itaru: Th- thank you, Tsuzuru…
Chikage: We've only been climbing for half an hour and you're in this state already... let's just forget about the summit.
Masumi: At this rate, the sun will set before we get close.
Itaru: (Yeah, I really shouldn't have gotten my dreams mixed up with reality like that...)
Itaru: Sorry... I don't think I have it in me... to make it to the top..
Citron: Oh, Itaru! You mustn't succumb! How tragic would it be!
Sakuya: We'll support you with all we've got, so let's all try our best together!
Itaru: Understood... I'll push myself a little further...
Masumi: Chikage, you're not taking any pictures.
Chikage: Unsurprisingly, Chigasaki looks terrible right now, so I figured he might not want fans to see him like this.
Sakuya: Wait, what's that? I just heard something from those bushes over there...
Itaru: Huh?
Itaru: (I mean, in my dream, a bear jumped out of the bushes, but there's no way...)
Spring Troupe: !
[A rabbit darts across the screen]
Masumi: ... It's a rabbit.
Sakuya: It is! That's so cute! But... it ran away.
Citron: That's so sad~. Maybe if Tsuzuru had worn his bunny ears, it would've thought he was a friend and stayed.
Tsuzuru: And in what world does anyone wear bunny ears to go mountain climbing?
Chikage: It's pretty funny to imagine, though.
Itaru: Haha, it is.
Itaru: (I'm dead freaking tired, but... thanks to these guys, I can have a fun time here.)
[Scene: Mountaintop]
Citron: We reached the peak~!
Masumi: And somehow, we did it before the sun set.
Sakuya: You did it, Itaru-san!
Itaru: Haah... haah... I... did...
Chikage: So, has touching grass healed you?
Itaru: No comment. I do feel a sense of accomplishment, though...
Sakuya: Woah, come look. The view from here is beautiful!
Tsuzuru: It really is. I can see everything miles from here.
Citron: This feels so confessing! HELLOOO!
Masumi: You mean refreshing.
Sakuya: Ahaha, HELLO!
Citron: Let's take a commemorative photo with this scenery in the background. Come here, Itaru!
Itaru: You got it.
Chikage: I'll take the pictures, then.
Citron: Don't worry, I'll take a selfie of us! I'll show you how to fit all of us AND the scenery in the frame!
Itaru: There's no point if we're not all in it, is there?
Citron: First, Itaru, you stand in the center. You'll be sandwiched by Sakuya and Masumi. Come on, squeeze even closer together~.
Sakuya: Like this?
Masumi: Too close...
Citron: I'll stand here, and Chikage, you can stand over there. Tsuzuru, bend down a little more! You're blocking the view!
Tsuzuru: Is- is this okay?
Citron: All good! Let's go, say "MANKAI"!
[Camera shutter sound]
Citron: I really took the best picture!
Sakuya: Wow, we really did all fit in so nicely.
Itaru: The scenery shows up really nice, too.
Masumi: I'll send this picture to her later.
Tsuzuru: Now that we've taken a good photo, wanna have lunch?
Chikage: We should. Director-san and Omi sent us with a lot of things, so let's sit on those benches over there and eat.
[Scene: Car]
Sakuya: We made it down safely!
Citron: Good job, everyone~!
Itaru: My whole body is ready to collapse... I could fall asleep right here...
Masumi: Don't. Not yet.
Tsuzuru: We still have to do the most important thing, Itaru-san.
Itaru: ... The most important thing?
Sakuya: Here, a present from all of us. Happy birthday, Itaru-san!
Spring Troupe: Happy birthday.
Itaru: Right... Climbing that mountain was so hard I kinda forgot about the actual purpose of this plan.
Itaru: Thank you, guys.
Citron: Hurry up and open it~!
Itaru: (Not only is this present big, it's also heavy... What on earth is in here?)
Itaru: ! This is... a robot vacuum cleaner?
Chikage: Correct.
Tsuzuru: Chikage-san was saying how you've been stressed about being so busy these days that you haven't had the time to clean your room.
Sakuya: We thought if you had a robot vacuum cleaner, it'd take a load off your shoulders!
Citron: With this, your room will sparkle, and your heart will be with peas~!
Masumi: At ease.
Citron: Yes, that!
Itaru: (... So this was all a plot from Senpai. Before I can use this thing, though, I'll have to pick everything up off the floor.)
Itaru: (But since everyone put so much thought into getting this for me, I should try using it on my next day off.)
Chikage: Isn't this great, Chigasaki?
Itaru: Yeah. I'd like to use this to keep our room neat and clean.
Tenma and Banri go to Yuzo's room for special training. They get curious about something Yuzo has, and...?
Featuring: Tenma, Banri, YuzoOriginal at https://manga.a3-liber.jp/comic/2710/
Note: I was a bit confused about the connection between panels three and four - how do Yuzo's use cases for the sword change anything about legal compliance? Why are Tenma and Banri at peace? I read MANKAI Sakurako's note on the chapter, though, and that made it clearer to me.
In it, she talks about having teachers in her childhood who were known for how badly they could hurt your knuckles (i.e. with a ruler), and how that can't really be done today. She says that despite that, it's sad to think of Yuzo going soft, so even in the current Reiwa era with its rules around what can and cannot be done, she hopes Yuzo won't change, and that he'll keep carrying around that sword. I'll leave the rest up to your interpretation, because we may all see it differently.
I initially translated this song for my friend Kimu's cover of it for Sakuya's birthday this year, but realized I had never gotten to actually post it lol. Here it is!
Forever one of my favorite A3! solos, it's such a beautiful song and so very close to my heart <3
