[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.
Itaru: (... As much as I can, at least.)
