Tsumugi: Mikejima-kun-- we finally caught up with you, so-- release Sora-kun already, please!¹
Madara: Hahaha! You're perseverant, aren't you? Running for so long must've gotten you aaall tired ♪
As promised, here's your Sora-san. He isn't harmed, so rest assured.
Sora: Yes, Sora's okay!
Natsume: Get away from SoRA, thEN. Do you really think you'll get anything from leading us oN?
Tsumugi: Natsume-kun's right. When we passed through the entrance, we were able to get in without any kind of pass. That means the receptionist was aware of this whole thing, right?
You normally aren't able to get in Yumenosaki Academy without an ID or without wearing a uniform. Why'd you make us come all over to this place?
Madara: Oooh? So you haven't realized yet? But, even here, isn't it obvious?
There's only one thing you'd do on a tennis court! Play tennis, of course!
Natsume: HuUH....!?
That guy caused all that fuSS, only because he wanted to play tennIS!?
Madara: Well, was it really that much of a wrong thing to do?
You see, I started thinking as I went home yesterday... "What is Switch lacking?", and then—
Then I realized that no one in Switch had shown their true nature yet.
Tsumugi: True.. nature..?
Madara: Hmm.. It seems you don't really get what I mean. Let's use a different term than "true nature" then, shall we?
Humans have needed fight-or-flight instincts to survive since ancient times. You have this instinct replaced today with the enjoyment of sports.
You guys are intelligent and kind.
But if that kindness and intelligence keep you away from your "shining and improving" goal, I'll make it my job to bring out your fighting instincts.
Natsume: Fighting instincTS...
This is ridicuLOUS. Humans know how to avoid fighting through communication, art or entertainmENT.
Such instinct is obviously foreign to today's socieTY. Just how old-fashioned is your thinking procESS?
Madara: Hahaha~. Then, I wonder... Would you still feel that way if I hurt Sora-san before your eyes?
Natsume: .... !!
Madara: Listen, Natsume-san. You've been keeping your fighting instincts away.
Magicians have been oppressed and hated since ancient times, so I understand that psychological projection² you're doing.
But you understand this would be a situation where you'd need to fight back, right?
Natsume: TcH....
This is getting very uncomfortabLE, Mikejima-senPAI. Enough with the pointless conversation alreaDY.
Get to the point, Mikejima Madara.
Madara: ....There we go~. Now that's a nice way to reveal your true nature ♪
Play tennis with me, and if you win, I'll give you Sora-san back. Of course, there'll be a handicap on my side.
For example, you guys can play doubles against me... hm... No, it's unfair if it's just that. I've already played with the tennis club as a backup player.
If you win one game against me, victory will be yours. Now that should be fair.
That's not a bad deal, right? Alright you both, show me what you've got!
Natsume: It looks like you set everything up for uS... I still don't trust that kindneSS, though. It's way too unusUAL.
SenpAI, we'd only do him a favor by listening to hiM. Let's save Sora and leaVE.
Tsumugi: I see... Got it.
Natsume-kun, shouldn't we take on Mikejima-kun's proposal?
Natsume: Are you even listening to mE? I said we'd be better staying out of thIS.
Tsumugi: Well... I can understand that you're suspicious of Mikejima-kun, but still—
I can't see him having bad intentions. He did make preparations for this confrontation to happen and, I feel it was surely out of concern for Switch.
Tennis... Since we're here, it won't hurt to give it a try, right?
Natsume: ......
SiGH, looks like arguing is pointLESS.
I guess I'll join you in this kind of joke this tiME.
...TheRE, happY?
Madara: Right answer! I know this situation is very hard for you guys, so—
You better show me through this battle that you magicians can turn hardships into miracles ♪
Sora: Shisho, Senpai! Do your best!
Tsumugi: Of course, Sora-kun.
Sora-kun is a very important member to Switch, that's why...
We'll battle until the end to bring him back. No matter how hard this situation may be, we aren't allowed to give up before the fight even begins!
—
1- i wanted to transcribe a sort of huffing, exhausted kinda vibe from the dialogue i hope it makes sense
2- ok in case u didnt know this is like. a defense mechanism where someone denies their own emotions n such subconsciously, which leads to them believing that people are only making up those feelings abt them (in that context for that matter)
pairing; n/a
word count; 4.1k
characters; oogami koga, otogari adonis, kanzaki souma, hakaze kaoru, sakuma rei
ao3 link
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“Leon’s a free spirit and a lone wolf. I let him off-leash so he can get all his energy out without me gettin’ in his way,” Koga shrugged. “He’ll come back if I call him though.”
Turning around to amplify his voice towards the general direction he watched him sprint in, Koga shouted, “Leon!”
… And nothing happened. No corgi came bounding for him from any direction.
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gift for @uglytsumugi12, you were my assignment for the enstars new years gift exchange 2022!! i hope you enjoy this silly little koga centric fic <3
As much as he loved him to death, even Koga could admit winter was not Leon’s best season in terms of agreeability.
Despite his well behaved nature, shaped by multiple years of Koga’s meticulous training, Leon was curious in nature. He loved exploring, and seemingly forgot how to act when temperatures dropped. He loved exploring, playing in snow, forcing Koga out into below freezing temperatures at 6am so he could go run around and get snow all over his coat…
Koga sighed. He can’t be annoyed with him really. He’s the one that signed up for the responsibility of having a dog, and Leon was always worth the turmoil. Doesn’t negate the fact that the streets are completely covered in ice that has yet to be salted, Koga has to be at school in two hours, and Leon is dragging him along to get to the park so he can run around off leash, and Koga has nearly slipped and ate shit about four times now.
“Quit tuggin’... We’re gonna get there soon, and then you can run around all you want without nearly killin’ me, okay?” Leon had stopped momentarily to pee on someone’s potted plant. He blinked at Koga owlishly. Koga, unamused, blinked back at him. The second he was done with his break, he darted off ahead of him, nearly pulling his arm off.
Two near death experiences and a little treat bribery later, and they finally made it to the dog park. Once there, they made it a safe distance into the park before Koga bent down to unclip Leon’s leash. Free at last, Leon dashed off into another direction, to do who knows what in the snow. Probably take a shit, Koga’s brain supplied.
“Oogami.”
Koga nearly jumped out of his skin at the hand appearing on his shoulder. When he whipped around, his attacker revealed himself to just be Adonis, joined quietly by Souma at his side.
“Jesus fuck, I thought I was about to be mugged. Always so damn quiet…”
“I apologize Oogami. I did not mean to sneak up on you.”
“...S’okay. I can’t really be mad when you apologize so earnestly…”
Souma, looking for an opportunity to make his presence apparent, bowed. “Hello, Oogami-dono.”
“Zakki, hey… What are you two doing out here?”
Adonis smiled. “Kanzaki needs to bring Kamegorou back to the marine life club for a check-up with Shinkai-senpai. We decided to take him with us while we went on our morning jog, so that we don’t have to go back and get him. It ended up being more of a walk to accommodate him… But it was nice.”
Koga looked down between the two of them and finally noticed what Souma was carrying- a small clear plastic pet carrier lit from the inside by a warming light, with a perch rock and a small bit of water. Laying on the rock was a small pond turtle shell, presumably with its head and legs tucked inside.
Koga looked at the carrier, confused. “Is it not… too cold to be carryin’ that thing around…”
Souma’s face dropped at the question, “I truly hope not. I’ve been doing my best to keep him warm. I’m unsure if the lighting fixture I’ve installed in his carrier is enough. We’ve been stopping in shops periodically to make sure he doesn’t freeze. I am beginning to think this was not the great plan I had thought it to be… But I acted selfishly. I did not want to give up on my morning run with Adonis…”
“Kanzaki. I would not have taken offense to you canceling for a day if you had other responsibilities.”
“I know… As I said, I was acting selfishly. I enjoy spending time with you and did not want to miss an opportunity to do so,” Souma lamented.
“Ah… That means very much to me, Kanzaki. You truly are a dear friend to me.”
“Adonis…”
Koga looked between the two of them with thinly veiled discomfort at the quarrel he had been forced into witnessing, if you could even call it that. “So if you two are going on a walk with the turtle… Why’re you at the dog park?”
Souma brightened at the reminder of why they were there, “Adonis saw you and suggested that Kamegorou-san meet your dog. He spoke very highly of how well behaved Leon is, and if Adonis says he is well trained, I trust him.” Souma looked back at Adonis as they exchanged fond smiles. “We saw him with you just a moment ago. Where did he go?”
“Leon’s a free spirit and a lone wolf. I let him off-leash so he can get all his energy out without me gettin’ in his way,” Koga shrugged. “He’ll come back if I call him though.”
Turning around to amplify his voice towards the general direction he watched him sprint in, Koga shouted, “Leon!”
… And nothing happened. No corgi came bounding for him from any direction.
Koga, suppressing an instinctive anxiety, tried again. Louder this time, Koga shouted, “LEON!”
And still, nothing happened.
“God fucking damnit where did he go,” Koga grumbled. Leon was well trained, and rarely ever ran off without coming back. Koga also highly doubted he could get very far on his little legs. “Fuck, I don’t know where the hell he went.”
“Would you like us to help you look for him?” Adonis asked, concern clear in his eyes.
“Ah… Fuck, yeah, if you can.” Koga gave in. Souma pressed his carrier closer to his body and wrapped his arms around it completely in an attempt to keep its passenger as warm as possible, and then the three of them set off in different directions, all shouting Leon’s name.
After about ten minutes of walking around the park, Koga finally started to allow himself some internal panic. Leon never did this. Even when he was being trained as a puppy, he never strayed far from Koga for very long, especially not after having his name called. Not responding when his name was called implied that Leon was far enough away to not be able to hear him calling. Did he run away? Did someone take him? It was about 7am at this point. There were only about two other owner and dog pairs here right now, both caught up in their own little worlds. Still, he approached them and asked if they had seen an orange corgi running around anywhere. Both said they hadn’t been paying attention. A little negligent of them, Koga muttered under his breath as he turned away. Koga never didn’t pay attention to what the other dogs at the park were doing, just in case any of them were misbehaved enough to try anything… Except now Koga was the negligent one because he just left his dog completely unattended while he talked to his friends and now his best friend was lost and he was never gonna see him again-
“Oogami.” Adonis put a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts for the second time that morning. “Oh. I did it again. I apologize, Oogami.”
Souma piped up, “Unfortunately, me and Adonis did not make any meaningful progress towards finding your dog. We searched the entire left side of the park, and both found nothing. I’m sorry we couldn’t be of any help.” He paused, “... and unfortunately, it is 7:30… Classes start in half an hour…” He trailed off, looking extremely guilty that he had to put his studies over finding Koga’s friend. “It would be unwise of us to show up so late and risk punishment… And I also need to assure Kamegorou-san is properly warmed up.”
“If you would like, we can help you the moment we get out of school today. Kanzaki and I both feel deeply responsible for Leon running off, since we distracted you with our presence while you were watching him. So we will both do anything we can to help you reunite with him. I apologize that we cannot do more for him now.” Adonis said, hand still placed comfortingly on Koga’s shoulder.
As always, when the two of them were being so earnest with him, it was very hard to be upset at them for what he knew was ultimately his mistake. There were three things that Koga took more seriously than anything in the world. #1 was being a member of Undead, #2 was practicing his guitar, and #3 was being Leon’s owner. He knew that despite Adonis and Souma’s claim to guilt, the blame for Leon straying too far away was on him.
“... I think I’m gonna keep lookin’ for him for a bit. Student council be damned; it’s not like I’ve been extremely late all that often. I just gotta hope they’ll make an exception this time. Leon’s too important not to keep lookin’... You two can go though. I’ll come bother ya if I really do need help after school though.” Koga was desperately trying to keep his cool and not show how stressed he truly was. There was an image to maintain, after all.
Adonis looked at him unsure. “Kanzaki, maybe we should stay… I would feel truly terrible if something were to happen to Leon because Oogami could not find him in time…”
“Nah, seriously, you guys are good to go. Leon’s tough, I trained him to attack if he senses bad intentions. Unfortunately, he hasn’t attacked Hakaze-senpai yet, but hopefully he’ll get there one day.” Koga said, only about 90% sarcastically.
Souma giggled at that, while Adonis gave him a look of confusion, “Why would Hakaze-senpai have bad intentions with Leon?”
“Agh, nevermind, I forgot you two don’t always understand sarcasm…I’m just sayin’, he can handle himself. Besides, he’s got on a collar with my phone number on it. Nobody’s gonna think he's a stray.”
Having been reassured of Leon’s supposed strength, Adonis relented. “Okay. If you say he’s strong, we will go. Please let us know if you do need our help.” And with that, Adonis and Souma said their farewells and headed off. Koga sighed. Reassuring Adonis did actually help to reassure himself that Leon would be fine. Leon didn’t look anything like the strays that wander around the area. He’s a well taken care of, 12kg corgi. If anyone found him, they would call him.
Confidence in his ability to find Leon restored. He set off to search the entire park again.
How far away could Leon truly even get?
───────
Pretty fucking far, apparently.
He had searched the entire park, the park's direct exterior, up and down the streets surrounding it, hell, he even had begun to retrace his steps and walk back to ES, hoping that Leon was smart enough to know his way back home.
By the time the clock had reached 9:30, Koga knew he had to give up for now and take Adonis and Souma up on their offer to help look for him after school. He could tell he wasn’t doing a very good job at not wearing his emotions on his sleeve, because the second he walked in the room, they both gave him a slight look of pity that he pretended not to see.
All day, Koga couldn't stop checking his phone. It was truly baffling to him that no one had called and said they had found him yet. He couldn't stop bouncing his leg up and down and fidgeting with pen and looking out the window and checking the clock. He was so antsy, he felt like he was gonna explode.
The minute they were dismissed, he bolted from his seat, ready to go resume the search.
Adonis and Souma followed swiftly behind him. “Did you really find no leads while you were out this morning, Oogami-dono?,” Souma asked. “You were gone for an extra two hours…”
Koga glared. “If I found somethin’, do you think I’d be rushing out the door like this Zakki?!” Souma wrinkled his nose at Koga’s tone, but said nothing in response, reasoning that he was being even more snippy than usual because of his lost friend. If Souma lost one of his dear friends, like Kamegorou or Saigoudon, he doesn’t think he’d be very calm either.
“Where did you leave off your search, Oogami?” Adonis spoke up.
“I was heading back towards ES to see if Leon had somehow gone back home without me. But I realized how late it was getting, so I called it quits… Let’s split up. Zakki, go towards ES and see if he somehow made his way back towards that area. Adonis, you come with me and we’ll both look around the area of the dog park separately.”
They both nodded, and they all headed off on their separate missions.
───────
As the sun began to set, Koga allowed himself to feel an emotion he had not allowed himself to feel all day: dread. He and Adonis had searched an even wider area than he was able to cover this morning. He had begun to ask locals if they had seen a corgi waddling around, but both of them had come up empty handed on any sort of lead.
Only around 6pm did they finally allow themselves a break. They found a nice local cafe to get a rest from the cold in, just to warm up a bit before they ultimately headed back to ES. Adonis watched as Koga took a phone call while he got their drinks. “Was that someone calling about Leon?”
Koga sighed. “Nah. It was Sengoku calling on Zakki’s behalf. He didn’t find anything in the direct area around ES. Leon isn’t there.”
Adonis frowned at that, “I’m truly sorry, Oogami. I cannot shake the feeling this is my fault…”
“S’not your fault, I already told you that. You don’t have’ta feel guilty over it, Adonis. It was me who shouldn’ta let him off the leash in the first place. He never does stuff like this though! He’s never just run away from me like that before… And I mean honestly, how far could he have even gotten?!”
Adonis frowned at Koga’s attempt at a joke. “So what is your plan n-”
“I’m so sorry to interrupt. Did you two gentlemen say you were looking for a corgi?”
Koga immediately shot to attention. One of the cafe’s waitresses had timidly approached the table. “Yes. Why? Have you seen one? What do you know?!” Koga frantically asked. Her eyes widened, slightly, at the sudden outburst of her patron.
“I… Two gentlemen came in here earlier, one of them was carrying a corgi. They got drinks and dessert, and a small cup of whipped cream for him, dined, and then left…I vaguely remember them discussing needing to return him to his owner.”
Holy shit. Leon WAS kidnapped! He was fucking dognapped! Whoever the bastards were, they knew they had stolen the Oogami Koga’s dog, and they were gonna ransom him out for money! Or something potentially worse! Koga didn’t know what he was gonna do, he was an idol sure, but he didn’t have Leon ransom money?! Maybe he can convince the company to pay, or get Tenshouin to use some rich person trickery bullshit to figure out who kidnapped his damn dog-
“May I ask, what did they all look like?,” Adonis asked. “Both the dog and the two men,” he added.
She thought about it for a second, “The dog… was orange with white patches on his face and belly. Definitely a corgi breed.” Adonis and Koga shared a quick look. Definitely Leon. “And the two men… One had long-ish black hair, and scarlet eyes, and the other had blonde hair and brown eyes, but- oh, they kinda looked grey when the light hit them right. He was very charming, the way he talked, and-”
When Adonis looked back to Koga, he could practically feel the rage billowing off him in hot waves. “Those fucking assholes.” Cutting off the women from her rambling about how this handsome blonde stranger’s casual flirtatious compliments made her double shift totally worth it, Koga angrily grabbed his jacket and got up. Adonis quickly bowed in apology towards her as he followed Koga out the door. “I’m seriously gonna kill ‘em this time. They stole my fucking dog!”
“Oogami. We don’t know why Sakuma-senpai and Hakaze-senpai took Leon. We have to hear them out first.”
“I’m not hearin’ shit from the two of them! They’re both gonna fuckin’ die today!”
───────
The door to the Rhythm Link office space Rei and Kaoru were occupying slammed open. Koga was immediately greeted with the sight of the two of them lounging on the couches located at the back wall, filling out paperwork. And there, on Kaoru’s lap being absentmindedly pet, was Leon, napping without a care in the world. He seethed even more.
“YOU TWO.” Rei and Kaoru both looked up at him with surprise. Rei shook it off quickly, “Doggy. We were hoping you would stop by today.” Noticing Adonis standing anxiously behind Koga, Rei smiled at him. “Ah, hello to you as well, Adonis-kun.”
“Hello, Sakuma-senpai.”
“Don’t be nice to these thieves!,” Koga said as he turned around to reprimand Adonis. He whipped back around. “You two stole my dog!”
Having been woken up from his nap, Leon finally noticed his owner’s presence. He immediately hauled himself up, and Kaoru unfolded himself to allow Leon to jump off his lap and bound towards Koga. As soon as he reached grabbing distance, Koga snatched Leon up into his arms. He hugged him close and pressed his face into the side of his neck.
“Fuckin’ scared me…” Koga whispered into his neck, soft enough so only Leon could hear. Angry as he was, having Leon back in his arms significantly dampened the rage he had felt. Not that he was gonna let his seniors know that though.
He adjusted Leon so that he was pressed against his chest, head on his shoulder as if he were a baby. Koga stood up, made sure his dog was still comfortable, then glared at Rei and Kaoru. “Alright, ‘fess up. Why did you two take my dog, and then not bother to tell me you had him all day? I was goin’ crazy all day thinking I lost him. It’s really pissin’ me off that you two had him all day and didn’t fuckin’ tell me.”
Rei yawned. “Are you not glad that he was found and isn’t out there wandering the frozen streets? He even got to spend his day being spoiled by his favorite grandparents~”
“Don’t call yourself that!”
Rei shrugged as he continued absentmindedly filling out whatever bullshit paperwork they had been working on. Kaoru, at least, had the decency to look guilty. “We were gonna bring him back to you, honest!”
Koga continued to glared, unimpressed with this answer. Kaoru shrank back, still attempting to hold a kind smile, but evidently crumbling under his gaze. “Rei-kun and I were going out for brunch and we found him running around in an alley. Since you weren’t with him, we figured he was lost but my phone was dead, and Rei-kun’s-” Kaoru looked at Rei, exacerbated. “You wanna tell Koga-kun what happened to your phone?”
Koga switched his attention back to Rei, who now looked like he was actively trying to hide from this conversation, paperwork entirely covering his face. Realizing he had become the center of attention, he slowly lowered them, a feigned nonchalant smile on his face. “Ah… well… It’s truly an almost chivalrous story, if you think about i-”
“Rei-kun.”
Rei deflated at his partner's condemnation. “... You see, Kaoru-kun and I attended a dinner meeting last night to meet with Hasumi-kun, Kiryuu-kun, a handful of representatives from an advertising firm, and some of the companies’ higher ups to discuss some business about our units’ involvement in an upcoming advertising campaign for a brand of instant ramen. It was truly a beautiful establishment that they booked, with a dazzling view of the city skyline, and you could even get a stunning view of the ocean-”
“Get to the fuckin’ point.” Koga barked.
“... In my, truly noble might I add, attempt to get Kaoru-kun a picture of the view with my mobile phone’s camera… It seems that I was not being careful enough, and I dropped it off the balcony.” Rei hung his head in shame at the admission. “The representatives, at least, found my fumble amusing.”
“And so, neither of us had phones we could use to call you. We were planning on just taking Leon-chan back to you when you were done with classes, and we were done with all this paperwork, but it's ended up taking much longer than we thought it would.” Kaoru finished, sighing over the misfortune.
Koga squinted at the two of them. “That all sounds like a buncha bullshit you two made up. What’s the real version?”
Kaoru frantically shook his head. “Nonono! I promise it’s the truth!! Believe me, I wish I could make up the story of Rei dropping his phone off a balcony in front of all those important businessmen. Hasumi-kun was not happy with us on the ride back to the dorms…”
Adonis interrupted to ask, “Did it hit anyone when it fell? I cannot imagine that would have ended well if it had.”
“Thankfully, it did not.” Rei said, mood shifting back to being annoyingly playful. “To be quite honest, I do not understand why Hasumi-kun was so displeased with my actions. The representatives loved it, and it’s not as if it was his mobile phone-”
“Shaddup. You two are idiots.” Koga said, finally reaching his limit with the conversation. “C’mon Leon. Let’s get you cleaned up since you were apparently playin’ in the trash. Let’s go, Adonis.”
“Koga-kun!” As the three of them turned to leave, Kaoru suddenly got up to stop them. “We’re sorry. Really. We didn’t mean to scare you so bad. We know how much Leon-chan means to you, so we thought it was best if we looked after him. We should’ve found a way to tell you sooner.”
Rei nodded in agreement. “Rei-chan is weally sowwy~”
Kaoru scowled, Koga scoffed. Realizing his error in determining the mood, he quickly added, “Ah, I mean, what I meant was that we are truly sorry, Koga-kun. Kaoru-kun is right when he said that we should have made more substantial attempts to contact you. We apologize.” As if planned, they both bowed to him and Leon in sincere apology.
“Oogami, I think they are serious.” Adonis whispered.
“... Did you guys at least feed him?”
Kaoru perked up at that, “Yes! I used some steak pieces that someone left in the fridge with a “free to use” note on them, along with his usual food combination to make him something gourmet~! He really liked it, from what I could tell.”
Rei smiled. “Though it was safer with us, he kept trying to find his way to your dorm room. If I had to guess, he must have simply wandered too far in his excitement at the fresh winter snow, but he made some truly valiant attempts to get away from us to find you.”
“Heh, good boy.” Koga grinned at his dog. He knew he would never purposefully run away from him. “... Fine. You two are forgiven. If anything like this ever happens again though, you both are fuckin’ dead, hear me?”
“Yes, Wan-chan~”
“Understood~”
“Good. Adonis, let’s go.” As Koga turned to leave, Adonis bowed in departure to their seniors.
They walked to the elevator in comfortable silence. Leon had fallen back asleep, face pressed safely into the side of Koga’s neck. Once in the elevator that would take them back down to the dorm levels, Adonis broke the silence. “Oogami… I still feel bad about you having lost Leon-san. Seeing you reunited with him has made me even more aware of the damage I have caused, so I must offer my help with bathing him, if you will let me.”
If getting close with Adonis has taught him anything, it's Adonis’ tells when he's not being entirely forward with his feelings. Adonis was shy, but never closed off. Right now, his body language was almost anxious; arms crossed and looking downwards. If Koga had to guess, he didn’t truly still feel bad about being the cause for Leon’s brief disappearance.
Koga’s eyes softened. “If you just wanted to spend more time with him, you coulda just said so.”
“I apologize.”
“Didn’t mean it in a bad way. ‘Course you can come help me… If you wanna…”
Hi! Can I request Tiger of the Fifth Earth Star? I've been looking for a translation for that for ages but can't find one!!
hi there!! that definitely sounds possible hehe, ill add it to my list of projects !! i will try and do it when life gets less busy for sure. thank you for requesting & have a nice day!! <3
Shisho...? Is something wrong? Your "color" feels a bit clouded...
.."Wheel of Fortune" card?
Ah, did you get another bad omen...?
Natsume: Not reaLLY, that's not iT. I was just deep in thouGHTS.
AnywAY, did you come here to make some research tOO?
Sora: Yes! Sora came to investigate!¹
Natsume: HeHE, what a coincidENCE. I've also been doing research concerning spoRTS.
Senpai was there for a biT, but he had to leave to get resources from the compaNY.
Sora: Sora will research on sports, too. Ah, by the way Shisho... Do you know what "the 'S' in Switch is the 'S' in 'Sports'" means?
Natsume: ...? I have no idea whY, that proposal was Senpai's doiNG.
I asked him about iT, he said it was some "youthful enthusiasm's result". He was embarrassed to admit iT, thouGH.
Surely that isn't so much of big of a deAL, is iT?
Sora: Senpai was embarrassed to answer..? Sora feels troubled...
Sora thought this matter was important for Switch's formation...
Natsume: What can I saY? It was Senpai who thoughtlessly mentioned how I felt about the Five Eccentrics accidENT.
Work is better done fast and finished than slow and meticulOUS. Senpai's mindset differs from that entireLY.
Sora: ..Not a big deal...
(...Actually, Shisho might be right.)
(A sporty theme might've just been one amongst many others during Switch's formation. It could have no deep meaning at all.)
(But doesn't this all feel strange~?²)
(Tsuka-chan seemed to tell the truth, too.)
(Senpai never does things randomly...³ It wouldn't be surprising if he was hiding something.)
(Is Sora overthinking? Is he making wrong assumptions? Either way, he'll have to hear the truth from Senpai.)
(And Sora has the perfect trick up his sleeve for that—)
Natsume: SoRA, don't just stand heRE. Sit next to mE.
The interviews I'm reading right now will surely help uS. Let's split up and read them togeTHER.
Sora: ...Oh-- Yes, that's a good idea!
Let's find answers quickly and make this job a success, shall we~?
(...Sora would also be happy to discover what your secret with Switch is, Senpai.)
〈 Two hours later 〉
Tsumugi: Natsume-kun, Sora-kun! I'm back~♪
I'm happy you guys were still in the office when I contacted you. That way I'll be able to add up the company's data to your research.
I'm sure we'll be able to understand what a "performance where you shine and improve yourself" means with it.
Sora: HaHa~ Thank you! Can we read it now?
Tsumugi: Of course. Let's read it together ♪
Natsume: Let's sEE... "Sparkling sweat, glistening on the forehead. A good day with your friends."
...That doesn't mention anything about outfiTS, righT?
Tsumugi: Correct. It represents lifestyles in similarly to fashion magazines.
The other projects are similar... Some young people smiling wide and enjoying street sports while wearing the company's outfits.
Problem is, isn't this exactly what we did yesterday? Or is ice skating a too classy sport..?
Natsume: A problem indEED. We're running out of tiME, and we still don't know what they exactly want from US.
I thought we'd find the answers to our questioNS, but this isn't helping one bIT.
What do you thinK, SoRA? Did you find anythiNG?
Sora: Ah, yes! Sora—
Madara: Hey there, enough chit-chat!
Tsumugi & Natsume: ....!?
Sora: Uwah-?! Why is Sora being tied up!?
Madara: Hahaha, sorry, Sora-san! I'll be carrying you for a bit, so please hang in there!
Natsume-san, Tsumugi-san. My apologies but, I'll be borrowing your precious junior for a bit!
Sora: Shisho, Senpai! Please help!!
Natsume: SoRA!!
Tsumugi: Hey, wait-! What'd you do that for--
Madara: Things never remain static, and life's always full of unexpected events!
If you want your Sora-san back, you'll have to catch me first...☆
Natsume: GH-- SenpAI, let's go after hIM!
Tsumugi: Y- Yes!!
But- Why did Mikejima-kun steal Sora-kun away, he was so cooperative yesterday—
Natsume: Now's not the time to think about thAT, idiOT! Let's get goING!
UgH, I knew asking this guy for help was a bad idEA. He'd expect something back for suRE.
For hell's saKE, why do I keep getting bad omeNS...!!?
—
1- that term used by sora is the same natsume used b4 but i think sora would use it more literally than the adaptation i did for natsume lmao)
2- more precisely, foggy, uncertain, sort of hazy feeling abt the situation
3- here its more "praying and being fond of lucky charms" because as u may know mugi always tries to avoid bad omens and carries lucky charms with him. a lot. so ig this adaptation is more of saying he wouldnt do things carelessly as hes very meticulous about his work & wants to prevent unlucky events from happening
I'm not an object, I'm not an object, I'm not an object…!!
Hinata: Right, right! Yuuta-kun isn't an object, he's my beloved brother!
Yuuta: I'm not just some posession of the company!
Hinata: Right, right! Yuuta-kun isn't the company's posession, he's my beloved brother!
Yuuta: I hate you, Aniki!
Hinata: Why!? That's mean, Yuuta-kun!
Yuuta: Because you're not taking me seriously!
Hinata: That's not true. I heard you loud and clear!
Yuuta: Did you, really? I don't think you're being serious at all.
Hinata: The first thing I'm serious about is Yuuta-kun, and the second is Yuuta-kun. Third is naturally Yuuta-kun, and fifth one is Yuuta-kun as well. I wonder which Yuuta-kun should I choose~?
Yuuta: ..That definitely doesn't feel serious.
Well, aside from that! Since when does the agency even determine our value!? That's nonsense! Deciding value from popularity is nonsense, too!!
One doesn't work hard for so long to obtain this kind of value!
If someone decides of their own value, then an agency's opinion shouldn't matter!
Mphgh, ugh! I'm sho-- mhad! Ghrhn… Hey, Aniki! Toss me those Super Spicy Snacks over there!
Hinata: Eh? You sure you still want more?
I understand that you're angry, but I'm getting worried about the amount of spicy snacks you're eating~.
Yuuta: Hmphg hmpgh… ghlp. Haa… It's just 'cause I got too angry. I feel it's my only way to calm down.
Koga: What's wrong, Yuuta? Ya had a shitty day, haven't ya? 'Could hear your voice even behind the door.
Hinata: Oh! Welcome home, Oogami-senpaiii~. ♪
Koga: Yeah, thanks.
Yuuta: …Welcome home.
Sorry, I'm still not used to say "welcome home" to you, Oogami-senpai--or anyone, for that matter. I usually only say it to Aniki.
Koga: I guess I ain't gettin' used to it anytime soon, either.
Hinata: Haha, it hasn't been long since we've started living together in the dormitory, after all.
Koga: So? What got ya so angry, Yuuta-kun?
Yuuta: Ah, yes! I'll tell you everything that happened!
…
Koga: What the fuck?! What kinda shit is this!!?
Yuuta: Exactly, Oogami-senpai! See what I mean!?
Koga: Yeah, yeah. ES also gets on my fuckin' nerves. Sure, I'm gettin' more work 'n success as an idol, but still…
It's way different from school… They're so strict, it's like they got a fuckin' stick up their asses.
Yuuta: Yeah, exactly. They make me feel like I'm being used for something more important...
Well, either way, I won't accept this!
Of course, I need ES to get to stand near the top idols, but…
I want to become a top idol, not be made into a top idol!
Koga: Hah, ya seem to be takin' this at heart. That rocky attitude definitely fits ya tho!
I was familiar with a lott'a music shops that music district. It also had the live music club that helped my juniors. Can't really say this ain't my problem.
I went there today 'n seein' all those closed shops 'n abandoned buildings got me feelin' so...--ugh.
It's even worse since it's ES's fault.
Hinata: Well, ES's establishment was a big deal after all. The music district wasn't the only place that was affected.
Koga: Yeah right... ES's establishment also had a positive impact on some places. But the music district's still strugglin' to bring in new customers.
ES completely fucked 'em up.
Well, we couldn't really stop that from happenin'. I'll help ya either way.
Yuuta: Huh? You'll help us, Oogami-senpai?
Koga: Yeah, I'll do whatever I can to help ya. Let it be the event or just helpin' my juniors enjoying themselves, I'll support ya through it all!
We'll make it so that music district roars the fuck up again!
Hinata: Hehe, good job, Yuuta-kun! You've gained an associate ♪
Yuuta: Yes yes! You know what they say... When a door closes, tons of others open² ♪
—
1- those are like. chewing/mumbling noises…and the last one is like a gulp sound like. upset grumbling LMAO
2- here lit expression is like. "when theres a god who throws away, theres a god who picks up" but i thought adapting it w this fit more
Koga: Man, I stayed in here for too long. I wasn't plannin' on buy anythin' but they kept bringin' new guitars to me. Damn shopkeeper… Now I wanna buy one.
Well whatever, doesn't matter. 'M in a good mood now ♪
(Never would'a thought I'd get my hands on that discontinued score print. Had given up on it for a while. I was also able t' get that tailpiece I 'been wantin' for a while now. Thank fuck it was in stock.)
(They were all sold out when I came last time. Ended up bein' a fuckin' waste of time.)
(Guess I could avoid worryin' about items bein' sold out by buyin' them online but…)
(I need'a touch the actual thing myself before buyin' it. That way I can feel some sort'a connection with it, or somethin'.)
(Tch… Pisses me off when a shopkeeper tries t' force me into buyin' his shit, but…)
Well, I'm takin' care of a bunch'a stuff. Guess I'll stop relyin' on the internet 'n help with small shops' sales.
--Hn? Eh? That closed building, that's-- Hey, wasn't it a live music club? I remember some of the juniors used to play there.
Err.. There's a bar sign there 'n a convenience store over there. Guess I was right.
The fuck. Did it really shutdown…?
Well, now that I'm lookin' at it closer, some other shops have changed too.
The live music club's gone. The convenience store was replaced by somethin' else, 'n the rest are abandoned buildings.
Tch. That means the story I've heard was true…
That project of creatin' a "music district" put that music club 'n other music shops in a difficult situation.
It was already hard enough, but then ES was created 'n that was the breaking point.
Damn it. I wish I could do somethin', but there's nothin' I can do anyway.
Man, that fuckin' sucks…
Ibara: --Excuse me? Absolutely not.
Yuuta: What? Why not!?
Ibara: What do you mean, "why not"? You should be wondering why you even thought you'd get permission to do that in the first place.
Yuuta: W- Well, because this is out of my working hours and… It'd be a way for me to repay the people who've helped me for free in the past…
Ibara: …You've got to be kidding. Okay, listen up.
Surely that matter is personal.
But as long as you belong in this agency, your popularity, skills, appearances and such… They're all the agency's properties.
This matter being private isn't an excuse to handle it for free.
Are you saying you wouldn't mind disgracing the sponsors' value and huge money compensations towards idols? You're--
Yuuta: Ugh.. T- that's..--
(That may be true, but..! Handling it for free… What the hell does that mean!? No need to be so stuck up--And even so, I'm not some kind of object!)
Ibara: You look dissatisfied.
Well, I don't want to hear you complain anyway.
You should be happy with belonging to an agency offering so many merits in many situations.
Yuuta: …merits?
Ibara: Yes. Merits.
Ibara: Why do you think you keep getting job offers after job offers?
That's simple. The agency sells you to business offers, and that's how you obtain jobs afterwards.
Yuuta: Ugh…
Ibara: You get to work freely without having to worry about a single thing. Know why?
That's right; Someone else is doing all the hard work for you.
Yuuta: ..Hgrn…
Ibara: How is it that you're never exposed to society's ill will, hm?
Maybe because the company protects idols from any kind of danger.
Yuuta: ……
Ibara: It's unacceptable for someone in your position to think only of their own selfish wishes.
Besides, an agency can't just stand there and watch its idols getting exploited in any way.
Yuuta: That's…! This isn't some kind of one-sided exploitation!
I was just asked to come back for old time's sake… You don't have to be so harsh!
Ibara: Clearly, that is one-sided exploitation.
There are plenty places that would love to make use of a celebrity's popularity for their own benefit. They'll throw you away once you're not needed anymore.
Can you even differentiate what's acceptable and what isn't? Can you explain that this is a distinction and not a discrimination?
Furthermore. Instead of focusing so much on such a fruitless job, you should work harder on actual jobs that'll bring actual money.
Trust me, it's the only way you'll be able to grow and build your future. That's how it works in this industry.
I mean, when we were there--Well, maybe that's true, but… such helplessness… it's…
--Oh? That's what the project is?
That sounds amazing! I'm sure this'll be a lot of fun. Many people will gather together, too ♪
Ahh, I see. So that's what you meant by "thing to be done."
Ahaha, yes. That's fine. Yes, with Aniki too.
Huh? Isn't that normal? Your worries are my worries after all.
It's all good, no worries. I'm sure Aniki thinks the same as me.
Yep, yep. Alright, I'll contact you again once I've talked about this with Aniki. Seeya~a.
…..
Nagisa: …Yuuta-kun. Is something wrong?
Yuuta: Huh-? Oh, was I speaking too loud on the phone? I'm sorry. I hope I didn't interrupt your reading.
Nagisa: …Not really. I wasn't really interested in your phone call. You just sounded really serious, and it troubled me… Sorry if it seemed like I was eavesdropping.
Yuuta: Ahh, is that so? Well, it's not that big of a deal either way. It's just.. important to me, I guess.
Well, in fact-- There's a music club that seems to be having financial difficulties right now… This club had helped me and my brother in the past.
Nagisa: …Helped you?
Yuuta: Yes. They let us work here as a part-time job.
Nagisa: …Huh. Well, I see, but…
…I thought you worked at a chinese restaurant?
Yuuta: Precisely! Although, that job was mostly to help out the person who's been taking care of me since I was little.
And besides that, I was also working in multiple part-time jobs back then.
We wanted to promote 2wink to the world but money was always pretty tight.
Not many people accept high schoolers to work at their place. But since it was a live music club, we were allowed to play for the audience from time to time.
This is how they helped us in our career.
Nagisa: …Hmph. I can't believe you had to work so hard everyday. That must've been really harsh on you, you poor thing.
…I've read in a book that a child in such situation is called a "self-supported student."
Yuuta: What?! No no, hey, I didn't tell you that for you to pity me.
That's how it is for every normal student. They go to school, work in part-time jobs, and so on.
Though I can understand you might not get much about that, since you grew up in a rich family.
Nagisa: …Really?
Yuuta: Mhm. It's part of a normal student's daily life to do schoolwork and work hard on part-time jobs too.
Well, that music club has been having financial difficulties recently, and it might close down if things keep going downhill.
That's why they'll be organizing a live perfomance to hopefully save the situation¹.
They asked us, 2wink, to participate in it.
Nagisa: …I see. So that was indeed a serious matter. That sounds like a difficult situation to handle.
Yuuta: Hmm~… Well, it will be difficult, but not that difficult at the same time…
Nagisa: …Are you sure? I can understand it's hard to say no when an acquaintance asks for your help. Jun-kun is often in trouble since he has a hard time saying no².
Yuuta: Eh? We have no intention of turning this proposition down, though. 2wink will participate in this live event!
Nagisa: …Huh?
Yuuta: ..Well- I haven't talked about it to Aniki yet, but I'm sure he'd love to participate either way.
Ah, I should probably report that to the vice president³ just in case, right~? I'll go tell him tomorrow.
Nagisa: …Um. I'm not sure if you guys will get to participate at all.
Yuuta: Eh?
Nagisa: …I don't think Ibara-- I mean, the agency, will approve of this.
Yuuta: Eeh? Why not? I don't think this live event will be a problem.
I participated in a lot of events like this one when I was in school, after all.
--Oh, I get it!
Ran-senpai, did you think I was going to tell the vice president "I want to make this event an ES job"?
Ahaha, I wouldn't do such a thing-- …Aniki probably would, though.
You know I'm only just a newbie in this agency, so I promise I won't speak thoughtlessly.
We'll only perfom as volunteers in this event during our days off ♪ I just want to return the favor to people who have helped me in the past.
And to be able to help someone by singing or performing… That's the whole essence of being an idol, isn't that right~?
Nagisa: …I see. You are really youthful. Are you so reckless that you're turning blind, too?
Yuuta: Hey, please stop treating me like a child and making fun of me. You're only two years older than me, you know?
Nagisa: …No. I wasn't making fun of you.
…Rather, I want to support you. I was talking about your potential. Only someone who's reckless and perseverant can achieve great success.
Yuuta: .. I don't really get what you're saying, but I still feel like you're making fun of me.
ー
1- here the term used is more "recover from a hopeless situation" or sth but i wasnt sure ab the phrasing sos
2- the term here is "taking the easy way out" which means well to accept doing sth without considering the responsibility behind it…like having trouble to say no to sth. its stated good natured people will do that by reflex awh jun :((
3- this is what yuuta calls ibara btw
"Yuuta receives a live offer from a live house he used to perform at, but his agency doesn't let him accept it. In order to do something about it, he goes to Koga for advice..."
Tsumugi: Oh! Good morning, Natsume-kun! You're early today.
Huh? I see you're looking up sports articles on your phone. Ah, an interview with an athlete, that'd for sure be helpful!
Natsume: Excuse yOU? It's rude to peek at someone's phoNE.
Tsumugi: Ah, sorry. I couldn't help seeing it from this position.
Still, it's reassuring to see everyone's taking this matter at heart. I believe Sora-kun was reading a fashion magazine in the shared room yesterday, too.
Natsume: OH. Sora was in tHE, uM, the shared rOOM?¹
Tsumugi: Yes. Students who belong in sports club often frequent that room. He mentionned wanting to talk to them, and it was the perfect occasion.
I was exhausted though, so I immediately went back to my room. Ah, Sora-kun's energy is impressive…
Natsume: WeLL, that being saID, what'd you come here fOR? Office work agAIN?
Tsumugi: Hey, I'm not always working in the office, you know~? I had some ideas about Switch for today.
I planned to contact the company through the office's PC so they give me resources concerning their past collaborations. I thought I'd ask them now.
We could use that information not only on idols, but also on famous athletes as reference for our own project.
Natsume: HM. I guess² it's good to see you're enthusiastic about IT.
--Or maybe it was that fruitless enthusiasm brought by this proposal that put us in such miserable situaTION. What a nuisaNCE.³
Why in hell did you write this proposAL? We're both terrible at spoRTS.
Sora's for sure okay with iT, but it's obvious this project isn't suitable for the both of uS.
Tsumugi: Ahaha. It's embarrassing to admit, but I guess that was mostly youthful enthusiasm.
Natsume: Surely they weren't aiming for athletic idols on the high roAD⁴, rigHT?
Even with the world upside doWN, that'd never be possibLE. If a world exists where Senpai is considered a high road idOL, I think I'd despaIR.
Tsumugi: Hey, I don't exactly want to be on the high road either, y'know?~ When I was still in fine, I quickly realized being on the high road wasn't for me.
Proof is there. Switch isn't a unit aiming for the high road, after all ♪
Natsume: HaH? Are you saying fine can do what Switch can'T? Are you saying we're not good enouGH?
Tsumugi: Eeh? I never said that!? How am I supposed answer then?…
I just worded it wrongly… I prefer to be an idol close to his fans rather than being far away from them because of popularity.
Natsume: …WeLL, you're only saying thinGS.⁵
Tsumugi: Eeh~… Then how am I supposed to have you trust me?
…Oh? Woah, I immediately got a reply to my email.
Seems like the company's had a lot of projects in the past. I should go make a copy of these documents real quick.
Natsume: You're constantly busy with woRK, aren't yoU? Won't it take too long to go all the way over theRE?
Tsumugi: Hehe, don't worry about it. I have my schedule cleared completely to focus on Switch. I'll get this done when working on tasks later ♪
Natsume: HM… WeLL, you're free to do whatever you waNT, buT--
--Don't return home too laTE. You'll have to be well-rested for Switch work tomorrOW.
Tsumugi: Yes, understood ♪
Ah also, Natsume-kun. If you don't mind, could you read my future with tarot?
Natsume: WhY.
Tsumugi: Why? Well, yesterday, you said you did a reading for Sora-kun, so...
If Sora-kun got his reading, I can have mine from Natsume-kun, too~.... Right? ♪
Natsume: Five hundred trillion yEN.
Tsumugi: H- hey, I can't afford that! And Sora-kun didn't have to pay, did he..?
Natsume: Shut uP. From your positiON, you're in no right to have such an attitUDE.
They're waiting for yOU, so get moviNG.
Tsumugi: You're right. I wanted to see if I could get any good omen, but... I'm sure you know there aren't any bad outcomes on the way.
Alright, I'll get going now. I'll bring lots of references!
Natsume: YeS, yES. Get going alreaDY.
...HmPH. That Senpai made me lose too much tiME.
Why'd he suddenly ask for a tarot reaDING. WeirDO...
......
"Wheel of Fortune"...⁶
...This doesn't feel right.
—
1- i suppose natsume isnt aware of this room?? or at least unfamiliar with it w this hesitation here
2- natsume uses an expression like "though not quite good" or like" more or less" so expressing some kind of condescension…harsh
3- omg here natsume mentions like "this is yakubyogami" who's an evil god believed to enter houses bring disease and misfortune to whoever it meets. i love how dramatic natsume is LOL
4- ok this is kinda hard to explain but its lit. the "royal road", or like a sort of "podium" where the most famous units are or sthn…royal road just sounded a bit eh
5- lit expression is like "you can say whatever with your mouth" which is close to like without actions words dont mean anything or smth like that yk
6- ok here i ABSOLUTELY have to mention this. so this is a tarot card as u might have guessed, and also concerning the separated chapters-- "the tower" is also a tarot card meaning danger, unforeseen change and crisis in a way. and "wheel of fortune" card means a life-changing element, a sudden change in a situation, such as the poor becoming rich or rich becoming poor. GOD I LOVE THIS SM
〈 After finishing the skating session, in Starmony Dorm's shared room 〉
Sora: ♪~♪~
(When in doubt, gather information!)
(Both Shisho and Senpai have gone back to their rooms, but Sora will use his leftover energy to collect more knowledge in sports fashion magazines!)
(It's true we live in an era where anything can be found in e-book formats using a tablet and such, but…)
(Sora feels he can learn much more by feeling the texture of the paper while reading~♪)
(Hm… Oh? Giant-san is a model in this magazine!)
(Giant-san must be so warm with so much fur on. It definitely was a good idea to have him teach us his knowledge.)
(Sora feels Giant-san's "color" is really close to what the fashion company's looking for.)
(If we all spend more time with Giant-san, surely we'll be able to find a new us, too~.)
Tsukasa: What are you reading, Harukawa-kun?
Sora: Oh, Tsuka-chan! Good work today!
Sora is reading a fashion magazine! It's full of brand new discoveries and sooo fun!
Would you like to read it with him? Sora's sure it'll be twice as much fun if you join him~♪
Tsukasa: It's unusual for you to read a fashion magazine.
Hmm. I see some casual and street styles over here. Do you like this kind of clothing?
Sora: Nope. Sora's reading it as a part of his current job!
Our new challenge is to show a more sporty side of Switch.
Tsukasa: A… sporty side of Switch..?
Well, this is surprising me a bit, considering your unit's usual theme is centered around magic.
But I suppose new challenges are essential in the idol industry. It's necessary to be like an arrow from a bow.¹
I'll be supporting you from afar, Harukawa-kun.
Please let me know if I can help in any way. We are one of the few classmates in NEW DIMENSION, so…
Let's do our best together so keep up against the other agencies.
Sora: Thank you so much, Tsuka-chan~. Sora will do his best too!
Ah, speaking about cooperation… Can Sora ask you something~?
Tsukasa: What is it? I'll answer to the extent of my abilities.
Sora: Well, everyone in Switch is inexperienced in sports clubs, and we're all feeling kinda lost.
Tsukasa: Inexperienced and lost..?
Now that's new. Are you guys trying to venture into something you have no experience in?
I think taking on this challenge is a good thing, but you're still very skilled at games. Was going in that direction a bad idea?
Sora: About that, Sora and the others are in a complicated situation.
This project is a menace from the past that came for us!
Tsukasa: A menace from the past..? Do you think you could explain further?
Sora: Of course! Sora will try to make it short~
That "menace from the past" Sora mentionned earlier is a prediction Shisho made during Sora's tarot reading.
When the unit was first formed, our proposal looked like… "The 'S' in Switch stands for the 'S' in sports!". It was quickly approved, and we had to work with it.
Sora: Hmm~. Did Sora simplify his explanation too much? Communication is hard.
Tsukasa: Nono. The point came across well through that summary somehow.
For instance, Knights used to go by the name "Chess".
Switch was going to be a sporty unit at that time. I suppose that proposal from the past was simply dug back up.
Sora: !! That does fits in the timeline!! You're so smart and helpful, Tsuka-chan~☆
Tsukasa: Hehe. What can I say? I guess my daily studies do come in handy.
…Alright, let's not cheer up over that too much. Back to the initial topic.
Sora: Tsuka-chan? Your "color" seems so serious suddenly.
Tsukasa: Yes. If you see it that way, then I think your perception is correct.
Maybe if this was only casual chatting, you could've kept on with your praises longer…
The more you talk about Switch like that, the more this situation feels sort of… off.
Sora: ….?
Tsukasa: You said earlier you wished to talk to someone with experience in sports club. Of course, if I can help with my own experience in the archery club, that'd be great.
But I feel like you're not exactly aware of the important thing here.
I suppose that proposal for Switch was made right after you entered Yumenosaki Academy, right?
If I'm not mistaken, it was around that time when Switch's activities began.
Sora: Yes. Shisho invited me to join his unit. Of course, our bonds weren't as strong back then.
Is there something wrong about that…?
Tsukasa: Well, yes. It would make sense if you were the one to make this proposal, since you are very good at sports after all.
However, that proposal was submitted shortly after you joined the company--Back then, Switch was a sports-oriented unit, right?
Neither Aoba-senpai nor Sakasaki-senpai give off a sporty impression.
So isn't it puzzling that they still chose to present Switch in such a way?
Perhaps the seniors are hiding something about circumstances concerning Switch's formation.
Sora: Hiding something…?
(Shisho and Senpai are lying?)
(That's… No way, no way! It can't be!)
(We've talked about it and promised the three of us would work hand in hand for Switch…)
(That's why Sora's sure they just forgot about it. Yesterday was a tough day, after all.²)
Tsukasa: Are you okay, Harukawa-kun? You've suddenly gone quiet…
Sora: S- Sora is okay. HaHa~, he was just very deep in thoughts!
Sora was a little taken aback by what Tsuka-chan said.
But, Sora isn't the same as he was before, where he'd watch and worry silently about his unitmates' "colors".
Tsukasa: Hehe. And here I thought I was the only one who had grown.
I can see that you're growing the same way. I'm sure the current Sora will be able to tell why Switch has changed course.
Sora: HiHi~♪ Just as you said, Tsuka-chan~♪
Sora's sure he'll be okay now!
Sora will prove the current Switch is no longer what it was last year…☆
〈 On the evening 〉
Sora: Thank you so much for today, Giant-san!
Madara: Don't mind it! I've learned a lot myself, too.
If you ever need anything else, don't hesitate to ask me. We do share the same room and same agency, after all!
Sora: …Well, about that…
Sora: Sora needs your help with something. Can he ask you a favor?
Madara: Hoo..?
—
1- okay i had some trouble adapting this one but this basically means literally. "to be able to pluck the eyeball of a living horse" which is to be alert and "outmaneveur" others to gain more profit..so acting smart but theres also some notion of doing something really quickly? theres some kind of reference to competition as well isnt there..i rly love this expression, it does fit idol industry a lot. i thought using an archery metaphore fit tsuka more
2- here sora describes it as like…the hardest day of the year? i mean technically since the year just begun its kinda ok BUT DAMN :((
this isnt translating this time but i wanted to share my absolute wholehearted hatred for shumika shu itsuki and mika kagehira whatevr theyre called BLERGH
Sora: HaHa~. You've improved so much since we've arrived!
Natsume: His legs still seem to be shaking a bIT, but I guess Senpai is doing weLL.
Madara: Mm-hmm. Good job, Tsumugi-san. You've regained your senses back, haven't you?
Tsumugi: Yes. It's all thanks to Mikejima-kun, though.
I'm still unable to skate as easily as everyone else but I think I'm feeling more confident now that I can skate alone.
Natsume: WeLL, it seems we are finally taking our first step towards Switch's sporty appEAL.
AlriGHT. Let's take a break for a momENT.
While you two were skatING, Sora and I brought some snaCKS.
Sora: HiHi~♪ Your stomach gets empty easily after moving around so much, you know? You need to eat up well so you're able to skate again!
Tsumugi: Huh? When were you able to go to the store--..?
Madara: Haha, did Tsumugi-san not notice anything because of how absorbed he was into skating?
They warned me when they left the rink. But you are good at concentrating on stuff, so it might've been hard to focus on something else.
Sora: Yes, Senpai has amazing concentration! This will definitely be useful for Switch's sporty representation later~♪
Tsumugi: Mhm. Hopefully I'll be able to use the experience I've gained today in my perfomance--
O- oh, oops… My apologies. If you're not careful enough, you lose your balance easily.
Shall we talk about today¹ as we eat? I'd like to hear about Natsume-kun and Sora-kun's thoughts.
It'd be nice if we found something that'll help us with concepting "the new us".
Natsume: AlriGHT, now that we've all warmed up with our hot drinks, let's get starTED.
Let's each share what we've gotten out of this skating sessION. SenpAI, you stART.
Tsumugi: Let's see... By persevering and working hard, I was able to skate in the end.
It's the same mindset when we're perfoming on stage, isn't it?
You're willing to work hard when you want to be good at what you're doing and want to make your fans happy as well.
Maybe part of the appeal of sports is to surpass a past self and achieve expectations.
Natsume: ..I guess you can say it like thAT. I'll give you a passing grADE.²
Did you feel anything else while skaTING? Anything that could be used to add more movement to the performaNCE, or something like thAT.
Tsumugi: Hmm. I haven't thought that far ahead… I was mostly focused on trying to regain my balance. The only thing I can think of is… dancing.
Madara: In other words, you've gained technique from practicing, but you still don't understand how an athlete's mind works. Is that right?
Tsumugi: Yes. I mean, skating was fun, but…
Sora: It surely was, but… Senpai's "color" feels really serene and peaceful.
Sora finds it had to correctly explain what he senses through his synesthesia, but sporty people's "color" is more intensely dazzling. Sora can feel their life force~.
Natsume: I'm not sure if this is because Senpai has been neglecting his health recenTLY, but he wasn't vigorous enoUGH. Maybe if he'd put in more enerGY, it'd make a differENCE.
Sora: HuHu~! That's a good idea!
If Senpai put more of his heart in his perfomance, something could change! Could you show us, Senpai?
Tsumugi: H- Huh?!- Isn't that asking for too much!?
I understand that motivation is important, but wouldn't it be difficult to intentionally change from Sora's perception?
Natsume: HmPH. Are you saying you can't fulfill Sora's requeST?
Isn't it quite pathetic that Sora is courageous enough to take on a new challENGE, but that someone as experienced as you can't show the right examPLE?
Wouldn't Sora and I would be very much saddened if our reliable Senpai were to abandon US~?
Tsumugi: I- I'll do it. I'll do it, but please don't do this to me! You know requesting things in such way gets to my heart…
Natsume: GoOD. I knew Fuyumoja³ still had some sense of empaTHY.
Tsumugi: What even does "fuyumoja" mean!? And, my sense of empathy has always been there, y'know~!
Uwaah… Which of Natsume-kun's statement should I focus on now!?
Madara: Hahaha. They get along so well, it's fun to watch them. They definitely fit with each other ♪
However, I feel that Sora's perception is right. There's that "intense dazzle" and vitality that're still missing.
It'd be a good idea to see if Tsumugi-san's "color" is able to fit Sora's perception or not.
Tsumugi: Ah, is that some kind of verification..? Well, if it is then, please watch me.
♪ ♪ ♪
♪~♪~
W- What do you think, Sora-kun? Has your perception changed?
Sora: Hmm~. Senpai's "color" still feels as serene after all~.
Sora can feel Senpai's kindness, and it is a very nice "color", but the person in charge of our tie-up might not be satisfied with it;
Well… Not with just Senpai, but Sora and Shisho~ too…
Sora feels we aren't able to show "a sporty reality that makes us shine and improve ourselves" yet.
Natsume: HmM. So there's still room for improvemENT.
I'm not sure what to do nOW. Should we try to experience other sporTS?
Tsumugi: That's a good idea~. There are plenty of other sports for us to try out, like track and field or ball game. We could try doing that.
Madara: Mhm! I believe a first priority when doing sports is to enjoy yourself.
When you enjoy competition, you challenge yourself to reach a higher level. If you don't love competition, it becomes a bother to do hard work, right?
Sora: HeHe~. Similarly to this mindset, Sora thinks parkour is fitting…
Challenging your high score, or inventing new jumping distances and routes for you to go even higher and farther--
If you think too much about that objective of "shining and improving yourself"… You'll distance yourself even further from brilliance.
Tsumugi: Ah, this is like the "Bluebird of Happiness"⁴, isn't it? But then, won't it be hard to find out how the new Switch will look like?
An environment where we'll be improving ourselves… Where can we even find such thing?
—
1- used here is a term more like.. "post-game analysis" kinda. like for example talking abt a board game u just finished or sth. idk i liked that term cuz theyre such nerds its so cute
2- "passing grade" well literally it means a score that makes u pass, like succeeding in an exam….natsume u take urself so seriously
3- i wasnt sure how to adapt this theres like "冬" which means winter and "モジャ" which is a nickname that natsume uses a lot for tsumugi….its like mophead of winter;; so i just adapted it from his other nicknames. istg as if all the nicknames he gives him arent enough LOL
4- ok so this is like, a saying in japan thats called the "bluebird syndrome". i believe its from a play. it defines someone who only pursues ideals, or searches perfection/happiness too deeply instead of focusing on simple things. hence why seeking for that brilliance too much gets u even further away from it. but considering mugi also gets called this..... :((
Ice skating is so funn~♪ Sora wants to jump just like a figure skater!
Madara: Hahaha. Sora still looks the same even while ice skating, doesn't he? Rather, he looks even more energetic than usual ♪
Now. What about the other two…
Natsume: WeLL, this is rather eaSY. We wouldn't want to make fools of ourselves in front of the puBLIC, after aLL.
I'm not bad at exercisING, I simply do not want to waste my enerGY. Please don't get the wrong idEA.
Madara: Ooh, you're right, Natsume-san. Although you tend to get overshadowed by Sora's unique physical abilities, your foundation is good!
By the way, I can't seem to find Tsumugi-san?— …Oh? That figure holding onto the railing at the entrance, that's….
Tsumugi: A- Ah, I'm okay! Look, I can even let go of the railing—
U- Uwaah–?!
…Haha. Looks like I accidentally fell~….
Marada: No way, no way! I would've never expected Tsumugi-san to know how to skate so well~¹
Natsume: You walk as pathetically as a newborn faWN. Where did all that boldness and self-praising from before GO?
Even your hair got completely frizzy from the coLD², mophEAD. SeriouSLY, I'm disappointed in yOU.
Tsumugi: Aah, what kind of insult is that…?!
I was confident until I started skating..~ When I was little, I knew how to skate quite well…
Perhaps growing taller has made me less agile.
Madara: Hmm. Tsumugi-san is so tall that keeping his balance is quite hard, isn't it? I guess that's part of the strenghts and weaknesses of having a nice figure.
Alright. Lemme escort you!
Hold my hands until you regain your childhood senses, Tsumugi-san ♪
Tsumugi: Thank you, Mikejima-kun.
Ahh, I didn't know skating after a long time would be so hard… I thought it was the same as cycling or swimming-- once you've learned it, you never forget it…
Maybe if I skate a bit, I'll be able to regain my old senses. Until then, thank you for helping me… ♪
Sora: HeHe~? Giant-san and senpai are sliding so elegantly, just like ballroom dancers.
Natsume: I think what you mean is more like ice dancING.
Either wAY, we only need to bring out the sporty apeal of Switch through extracurricular activitIES. I don't think it'd be possible for it to happen in such a short span of tIME.
..HM, looks like they're having fun over heRE. Come ON, let's skate on our oWN, SoRA.
Sora: Yes! Let's skate together so that we don't lose to them two!
Madara: Hehe. They look so full of energy, I kinda envy them.
Tsumugi: Mhm, you're right. This whole project... Sora-kun said he wanted to work on it. I find myself regretting having chosen Switch's form in it by myself before I was aware of that…
During the "Magic Lantern Fest"… He'd said that Switch will show to the world many beautiful things.
If Switch's future is to show to the world many of the stuff Sora-kun loves, then…
We'll have to show him things he might love in more details, like parkour, or other physical activities.
Ah… This will be quite the challenge, won't it?
Madara: What you're saying is really nice, though I doubt anyone would take you seriously with how you're waddling around like a toddler right now, y'know?
Well, I agree with you that the juniors--rather, the newcomers--are pretty much breaking our initial norms.
Like with the recent success of ALKALOID, CrazyB's boldness, and such.
They come from an outside system working differently from ours… And they're skillfully breaking the old traditions.
Hmm.. Oh! I think there's a more accurate precedent to them, right? Trickstar. They were the one to break Yumenosaki Academy's old system. Ah, I can't possibly talk about this topic without mentioning their story.
Tsumugi: That's right. And thanks to that happening, Eichi-kun also looks much happier than before…
Oh, speaking of newcomers… Oukawa-kun is also one of them, isn't he? I feel that since you've been more active in Double Face, your usual mood has also quite changed.
Now that we have something to protect, we're taking our unit activities much more seriously. I wonder if this has to do with the juniors' influence…
If so, I think it'd be very nice ♪
Madara: Ohh. Hm. I wonder, if I try to see things similarly to Tsumugi-san's point of view…
Well now that you mention it.. Right after ES was etablished, I was mostly working behind the scenes, which caused my idol activities in MaM to decrease.
Since Double Face was formed, I've been able to perform much more. I wonder if this is thanks to Kohaku-san's help.
Tsumugi: If I had to say, I do think it is~♪
I'll have to learn from you. In no way must I disturb Sora-kun and Natsume-kun's development.
I feel that if I do this… They'll be the ones inspiring me to climb even higher.
Madara: Haha, those youngsters… They grow faster everyday. If you're too slow for them, they might not even wait for you to catch up!
First of all, we gotta get you to skate! C'mon, do you think you can try without slipping?
Tsumugi: Yes! I'll do my best…♪
—
1- the phrasing doesnt rly go like this but id thought itd fit mama more in a teasing/ironic way LMAO
2- here natsume uses a term like..."white fur" which is kinda like how animals have their fur standing on end when its cold outside. which also kinda bring back to the fawn as well
