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[IDOLiSH7] [Part 6] Chapter 6: Promise

6.6.1. - Self-hatred

Ousaka Sougo: …..

Yotsuba Tamaki: You’ve been stuck for a while now. Is it hard to do this when there’s people around after all?

Ousaka Sougo: Ah… No! It's nothing like that.

Yotsuba Tamaki: It’s okay, don't force yourself. …Well, I'll go home now.

Ousaka Sougo: Wait… wait!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Sou-chan?

Ousaka Sougo: Earlier, you said you were just lonely and sulking…

Yotsuba Tamaki: Yeah….

Ousaka Sougo: …Well, how should I say it… If there is a place you want to go to, I’ll wave and send you off, but…

Ousaka Sougo: Just disappearing because you feel lonely… If that's the reason, wouldn't that be weird?

Yotsuba Tamaki: …..

Ousaka Sougo: …..Sorry…. My wording was bad. Wait… Wait, please. What I'm trying to say is…

Yotsuba Tamaki: ….Yeah…..

Ousaka Sougo: No…. I’m sorry… It's nothing.

Ousaka Sougo: Do your best, Tamaki-kun. I'll be cheering you on.

Yotsuba Tamaki: ….What's with this half-assed attitude…

Ousaka Sougo: It’s not half-assed though!?

Yotsuba Tamaki: Then what were you trying to tell me? Say it.

Ousaka Sougo: I can’t say it… I don’t know whether we have a bond or if it’s a shackle, like with my father.

Ousaka Sougo: I don't want to be like my father who didn’t give me any freedom and tried to force me to succeed him as head of the family.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Me, too… I’m like that, too. I never wanna tell you anything my old man would say.

Yotsuba Tamaki: But I feel like I am about to do it… That’s why it can’t stay like this.

Ousaka Sougo: …What kind of thing are you about to say to me?

Yotsuba Tamaki: ……

Ousaka Sougo: Tamaki-kun…

Yotsuba Tamaki: What about you, Sou-chan? What did you mean by not wanting to be like your dad?

Ousaka Sougo: …….

Yotsuba Tamaki: Tell me. I won't get angry, so…

Ousaka Sougo: …You’ll be disgusted by me.

Yotsuba Tamaki: I mean, it’s the same for me… I feel sick because of myself.

Ousaka Sougo: …….

Ousaka Sougo: But I still want to hear it.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Well, then you have to tell me afterwards, too, Sou-chan.

Ousaka Sougo: I will….

Yotsuba Tamaki: When you get so absorbed in composing, I feel like I’m being left behind… It’s not like I want you to stop making songs…right?

Yotsuba Tamaki: But at those times… I end up wanting to scream like my old man.

Yotsuba Tamaki: “Don’t ignore me.” “How much do you think I’ve done for you?”...Is what I thought.

Ousaka Sougo: ……

Yotsuba Tamaki: I’m the worst, seriously… I’m sure it’s because I don't have my own dream, so I just got lonely and frustrated.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …That’s why, so I can be a proper person, I wanna find my dream….

Ousaka Sougo: ….That’s…. There’s no reason for you to get angry… After all, it’s because of you that I’m writing songs.

Ousaka Sougo: I didn't mean to ignore you, but I didn’t notice it made you feel lonely. I’m sorry for….

Yotsuba Tamaki: That’s not something you have to say sorry for! I didn't say that because I wanna make you apologize.

Ousaka Sougo: …..

Yotsuba Tamaki: And you? What did you not wanna tell me?

Ousaka Sougo: …I’m sure you’ll be sick of me.

Yotsuba Tamaki: I won’t be. …I think. But you promised, so tell me.

Ousaka Sougo: …..

Ousaka Sougo: If there is something you want to do, Tamaki-kun, whether it’s a hiatus or free time, then I want to let you do what you want, but…

Ousaka Sougo: If it’s for such a vague reason, I don’t want you to go so far away. I need you.

Yotsuba Tamaki: ……

Ousaka Sougo: I told you I would support you but... Don't go far away and leave me behind like that…

Yotsuba Tamaki: You’re the one leaving me behind though, Sou-chan. But it’s fine… I seriously want to support you.

Yotsuba Tamaki: I saw your family’s car parked in front of the dorm. You looked happy when you were talking to them.

Ousaka Sougo: Ah…

Yotsuba Tamaki: It happens with that sort of thing, too. I wanted to be happy for you. Normally, I should be. Without getting angry.

Ousaka Sougo: …….If you were angry, you should’ve told me…

Yotsuba Tamaki: I could never. Because I like you, Sou-chan. I don’t want to make you sad.

Ousaka Sougo: I don’t want to make you sad, either. If you’re lonely, tell me you’re lonely. ….Studying overseas…

Ousaka Sougo: ……No…. I won’t stop you if it’s something you want to do.

Yotsuba Tamaki: ….Right….

(door opens)

Oogami Banri: Are you okay?

Ousaka Sougo: Banri-san….

Yotsuba Tamaki: Ban-chan….

Oogami Banri: I didn't mean to interrupt you, but both of you looked kind of troubled, so...

Yotsuba Tamaki: Ban-chan, I told Sou-chan about it.

Oogami Banri: Ah… I see.

Ousaka Sougo: Banri-san, you knew about this?

Oogami Banri: We talked a bit about it a while ago.

Ousaka Sougo: …….So you talked to Banri-san before telling me about it.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Well, I just…!

Oogami Banri: He didn't want to burden you, Sougo-kun. Tamaki--kun was unsure, too.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Yeah. That’s what it was.

Ousaka Sougo: ….Okay….

Oogami Banri: …….The rain is still pretty strong, how about we stay inside a little longer?

Oogami Banri: Would you tell me what kind of talk you had? If it's alright with you, of course.

Utsugi Shirou: Haa….

Isumi Haruka: ……. You feeling down?

Utsugi Shirou: I’m not feeling down….

Isumi Haruka: You totally are. Don’t be sad. You did well, Utsugi Shirou.

Utsugi Shirou: Okay…

Utsugi Shirou: Well, no. Getting comforted by an idol I’m responsible for after I’ve made another one of them mad is the worst.

Utsugi Shirou: I will do better.

Isumi Haruka: Haha… Don’t worry about that. I mean, if it makes you sad, doesn’t that just mean you’re being serious?

Isumi Haruka: If it’s that… How do I say it? It makes us happy.

Utsugi Shirou: Ah… You’re a good kid, Isumi-san…

Isumi Haruka: I’m not, though! But what happened with Torao? It’s the first time I’ve seen him like that.

Utsugi Shirou: ….Right. He always seemed kind of indifferent about himself and his work…

Utsugi Shirou: I thought he was the most stable and confident out of all the ŹOOḼ members.

Isumi Haruka: He always just goes “Well, yeah…” with that attitude, like he still has a lot of pride.

Isumi Haruka: But really, he was just being full of himself.

Natsume Minami: That’s incorrect.

Isumi Haruka: Minami…

Utsugi Shirou: Natsume-san. Is Midou-san….

Natsume Minami: Inumaru-san is with him. It seems he slowly managed to calm down.

Utsugi Shirou: I see, so Inumaru-san is doing it…. Even though this is supposed to be my job…I am very sorry.

Isumi Haruka: It’s fine. Minami, what did you mean by “that’s incorrect”?

Natsume Minami: About Midou-san being full of himself to the point of overflowing with confidence.

Natsume Minami: Confidence is the ability to believe in yourself. A person who can believe in themself does not need another person to make them feel valued.

Natsume Minami: If you don’t have the strength to believe in yourself, you need to rely on other people’s praise to give you self-esteem.

Natsume Minami: But in the end, you won’t get rid of your true insecurity. That’s why, even though Midou-san might outwardly seem like he is overflowing with confidence, he is weak on the inside.

Isumi Haruka: …That sounds super awful… but it really hits home.

Natsume Minami: I used to be like that, too. Even now, I still act a little like that…

Natsume Minami: But that started to get ridiculous, so I decided to live the way I want to.

Natsume Minami: Midou-san told me that, too, but… in the past there were moments where he seemed a lot like Sakura-san to me.

Isumi Haruka: …Like how they’re both showy?

Natsume Minami: Fufu…. Basically, yes. People with a lot of confidence tend to be passionate, after all.

Natsume Minami: But both Sakura-san and Midou-san, even though they were confident, were hard to grasp, kind of like the wind.

Natsume Minami: That’s why I thought they were similar. But in reality, it was the opposite.

Natsume Minami: Sakura-san’s gentleness… It was like the softness of reeds. Completely, stubbornly rooted in the ground. Midou-san in comparison…

Natsume Minami: He is like a paper balloon. Pretty, polished, empty. Even if you were to strike at him, he wouldn’t rip.

Natsume Minami: He won’t break and disappoint anyone. But he won’t be able to fly, either.

Natsume Minami: If it’s for ŹOOḼ… if it’s for us, he’ll do his best, but since this time it’s about himself…

Utsugi Shirou: …He’s holding himself back?

Natsume Minami: I think he was afraid.

Utsugi Shirou: Of stunts?

Natsume Minami: No. He was scared of doing what other people don’t want him to do. Of following through with his own wish.

~ to be continued ~

6.6.2. - Gentle binding spell

Utsugi Shirou: …It’s a complicated matter, isn’t it… Of course, I do want to try to understand it, though.

Utsugi Shirou: I just think that, if I was in Midou-san’s place, born into the world like that, I would be filled with unshakeable confidence…

Natsume Minami: Even though you seem to be overflowing with confidence already, Utsugi-san.

Utsugi Shirou: That’s not true at all. I’m unsure about things all the time, and I get scared as well. Like whether I’m hurting you…

Natsume Minami: Is this lip service?

Utsugi Shirou: I’m serious, though.

Natsume Minami: It’s because it seems like you have never experienced failure before, Utsugi-san.

Utsugi Shirou: But aren’t you and Midou-san like that, too?

Isumi Haruka: Why aren’t you including me and Touma?

Utsugi Shirou: It’s not that I didn’t include you… naming everyone individually just would have taken more time.

Isumi Haruka: Be honest. Me and Touma look like we’ve failed before.

Utsugi Shirou: No need to be sulking. I just think you two are the type of person who does what needs to be done when it comes down to it.

Isumi Haruka: I’m not sulking! …Aah, wait, we’re talking about Torao right now.

Utsugi Shirou: That’s right.

Isumi Haruka: What could we do to encourage him? Though Torao said it himself… That optimism is something you’re born with.

Utsugi Shirou: Being too perfect… is what makes him afraid of failing, right?

Isumi Haruka: I don’t think someone who’s scared of failure could’ve performed at RedFes, though. Did he tell you something like that…?

Utsugi Shirou: Well, more than seeming afraid, it looked like he was sorry.

Utsugi Shirou: He said he isn’t going to cause people trouble by doing what he wants, when it’s something nobody even asked him to do.

Isumi Haruka: ….He said something that sad? Did maybe we make him hold back?

Natsume Minami: ……I think the cause is something that happened before he met us.

Isumi Haruka: Like having to restrain himself at home? Because he’s from a rich family and it’s strict?

Natsume Minami: …..

Natsume Minami: Midou-san was indeed born into a prestigious family, but he does get along with them well.

Natsume Minami: It’s obvious from the way he acts that he respects his parents and his siblings.

Natsume Minami: Unlike his brothers who received a strict upbringing, he was the carefree third born son who was allowed to live an easy life.

Natsume Minami: In other words, unlike the oldest, there were probably no expectations directed at him.

Isumi Haruka: ….

Natsume Minami: But Midou-san loves his family. His beloved family that gently told him it’s fine to just be comfortable and have fun…

Natsume Minami: “You don’t have to try so hard. It’s impossible for you anyway.” These are the things they continued to tell him.

Natsume Minami: When he was made fun of by someone he hates, he’d tell them, “shut up, watch and learn”, and he could rise to the occasion but…

Natsume Minami: Since his trusted family kept lovingly telling him, “There’s no way you can do it, so just don’t, alright?”…

Natsume Minami: He eventually started to feel like a foolish criminal for telling someone what he wanted to do.

Utsugi Shirou: ……..

Utsugi Shirou: …..I will try to talk to him again.

Natsume Minami: ….We should probably leave it at this for today… There’s also shooting to be done, so it’s better to try again on another day…

Utsugi Shirou: But…

Isumi Haruka: Minami. What was it? The thing Torao wanted to do.

Natsume Minami: …..

Natsume Minami: He wanted to try doing the action scenes himself, like a hero.

Isumi Haruka: ….That’s it?

Natsume Minami: Yes.

Isumi Haruka: Haha… That’s cute, though. He should try it. Since it’s Torao, I think he can do it.

Natsume Minami: I think so, too. Since Midou-san is athletic, and his movements are quite striking, too.

Natsume Minami: However, we have a proper stuntman on set right now.

Natsume Minami: Aside from the possibility of injury, there is also a huge risk to it because Midou-san is an idol. Isn’t that right, Utsugi-san?

Utsugi Shirou: …That’s right.

Natsume Minami: Lives, movie shoots, TV appearances, magazine shoots, MV shoots…

Natsume Minami: Midou-san is a performer who is required to be active.

Natsume Minami: If you consider our future schedule, you don’t want him to do this, do you?

Utsugi Shirou: ……

Utsugi Shirou: Well… To be honest, you’re right.

Isumi Haruka: …….Lame…..

Utsugi Shirou: However, I understand that right now is a critical moment.

Isumi Haruka: A critical moment? For what?

Utsugi Shirou: For the trust between everyone in ŹOOḼ and me.

Isumi Haruka: Oh— Are you gonna show us your cool side now?

Natsume Minami: Should we get our expectations up?

Utsugi Shirou: You’re really laying on the pressure…

Natsume Minami: Fufu… Sorry about that.

Isumi Haruka: I wanna believe in you, too. In our manager.

Isumi Haruka: I want to believe that you won’t abandon us, that you’ll come to save us.

Utsugi Shirou: …….

Utsugi Shirou: Let me be clear, I’m not scared of being fired.

Utsugi Shirou: But if I make a wrong decision here, there is a chance your precious work as ŹOOḼ will be lost.

Utsugi Shirou: That’s why I’m hesitating.

Isumi Haruka: It’s fine if we lose that. Ryou-san said it too, after all. We’re a group that only lasts for three years.

Utsugi Shirou: …….

Isumi Haruka: If I know you’re serious, then even if we lose everything, I’ll do everything I can to take you along.

Utsugi Shirou: Where to?

Isumi Haruka: To a live better than RedFes. You said you wanted to see it.

Utsugi Shirou: Haha… Are you going to show me your cool side, too?

Isumi Haruka: Of course.

Natsume Minami: That depends on you, though.

Utsugi Shirou: You’re really laying on the pressure…

Midou Torao: …Haa…

Inumaru Touma: Are you alright, Tora…

Midou Torao: ….I want to erase you guys’ memory of this…

Inumaru Touma: Got it. It’s gone already. I remember nothing.

Midou Torao: …Damn…

Inumaru Touma: But I do remember what you want to do, Tora. Let’s ask Utsugi-san about it.

Midou Torao: …..It’s fine….

Inumaru Touma: Why.

Midou Torao: It’s fine. I was wrong. Right now, it’s… It doesn’t matter. It’s annoying.

Inumaru Touma: Don’t lie.

Midou Torao: It’s the truth. Just talking about it makes me tired already… if I actually do it, I’ll be even more tired.

Inumaru Touma: Tora…

Midou Torao: It’s fine, really. Sorry for worrying you.

Midou Torao: Thank you.

Inumaru Touma: …….

Midou Torao: Ah… it’s Bella.

Inumaru Touma: Bella? That big dog? She’s got good manners. Doesn’t even bark.

Midou Torao: Staying silent an entire lifetime.

Inumaru Touma: Eh?

Midou Torao: Amazing! Look at it, she jumped over a fence that high!

Inumaru Touma: Wow! Bella-chan is working real hard!

Midou Torao: Stop calling her Bella-chan.

Inumaru Touma: If she can jump over that fence, that means she could always run away, you know?

Midou Torao: Well, yeah.

Inumaru Touma: Even though she’s so smart and agile, she behaves so well…

Midou Torao: Stupid and cowardly…

Inumaru Touma: I’m sure she loves people.

Midou Torao: ………

Inumaru Touma: She’s super kind and patient. She wants to be useful to her trainer, so she does her best.

Inumaru Touma: She’s great. Right, Tora?

Inumaru Touma: Tora…?

Midou Torao: ….Nothing. Something… got caught in my eye.

Midou Torao: That’s all…

~ to be continued ~

6.6.3. - Bonds and freedom

Oogami Banri: …So that’s how it was…

Oogami Banri: Since you started attacking each other and kept denying what the other said, you weren’t able to have a proper discussion anymore…

Yotsuba Tamaki: Ban-chan… I think we two really don’t fit together after all.

Yotsuba Tamaki: I don’t hate Sou-chan, and I wanna be nice to him, but nothing’s working out right…

Ousaka Sougo: …I think so, too… No matter how much I like Tamaki-kun, on a fundamental level, things are not going well…

Ousaka Sougo: We’re polar opposites. Even if we try to be nice, even if we try to show consideration, we end up misunderstanding each other…

Yotsuba Tamaki: Right. Even when I and Sou-chan try to handle it together, I end up showing my worst side…

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Maybe it’s impossible….

Oogami Banri: I don’t think so.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Why?

Oogami Banri: Because I’ve been watching you two.

MEZZO’’: …..

Oogami Banri: I really understand that you two want to avoid acting like your bad fathers.

Oogami Banri: The things that once hurt you seem like deadly weapons to you.

Oogami Banri: But like that, Tamaki-kun couldn’t spend as much time together with Sougo-kun as before.

Oogami Banri: “Now that he started composing, I wonder if I don’t matter to him anymore”. I think it’s normal to get lonely and frustrated like that.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Maybe, yeah….

Ousaka Sougo: …I was thinking that, too… that it’s true that Tamaki-kun did a lot for me, too…

Ousaka Sougo: And that I am sorry for having been so obsessed with composing that song that I didn’t have time, that I didn’t notice.

Ousaka Sougo: “If changing my behavior could make him rethink going on hiatus…… That would make me much happier…”

Yotsuba Tamaki: Eh….?

Ousaka Sougo: ….Something like that… I can’t say something that is just convenient for me like that.

Oogami Banri: Sougo-kun, it’s fine for you to say that, too. Saying you want Tamaki-kun to stay, doesn’t mean you are denying him his future.

Oogami Banri: It would be a huge problem if you locked him in a cage and stole his freedom. But if you are just expressing and trying to get your feelings across to him, then please do.

Ousaka Sougo: …Is that so…? But….

Ousaka Sougo: Denying Tamaki-kun the future he has been thinking about and telling him to stay here, forcing him like that…

Ousaka Sougo: That is exactly like what my father did to me.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …It’s not. When you told me that earlier, you looked super pale, too, like you were saying something bad.

Yotsuba Tamaki: I was happy you said you needed me.

Ousaka Sougo: …..

Ousaka Sougo: If that’s the case… And it doesn’t burden you…

Ousaka Sougo: Please… I don’t want you to go anywhere… I want to continue working with you, Tamaki-kun.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …..

Ousaka Sougo: …I… I’m sorry… I went ahead and asked for that much, I shouldn’t…

Oogami Banri: It’s fine, Sougo-kun. You, too, Tamaki-kun.

Oogami Banri: “Don’t ignore me” and “I want you to stay here” are both feelings that you cannot one-sidedly force on someone, but they are natural.

Oogami Banri: So please don’t just assume that what you’re feeling is something bad.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Really…?

Oogami Banri: Yes. It makes sense that you two ended up thinking like that, though.

Oogami Banri: You were trying to protect each other from the things that hurt you in the past.

Yotsuba Tamaki: ….That’s right… maybe….

Ousaka Sougo: ….. …..Is it fine to think of it as a bond? Not as a restriction or a kind of control…

Oogami Banri: I think so. It’s exactly because you are connected by that bond that you end up caught up in things like that.

Oogami Banri: But didn’t you get this far by not giving up and not letting go of each other’s hand despite that?

Oogami Banri: I think that’s amazing. Both of you have always worked this hard.

Ousaka Sougo: Banri-san…

Oogami Banri: Speaking of which, regarding Tamaki-kun’s future, I have something to talk to you about.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Something to talk to us about?

Oogami Banri: Yes. After getting advice I did some assessment of Tamaki’s personality as well, or rather, I reconsidered and analyzed your work up until now.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Analyzed? You thought about it that much?

Oogami Banri: I did. Of course I did. You’re an important idol and I have responsibility for taking care of you, too.

Oogami Banri: I decided that I would definitely make you happy this time around.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Ban-chan…

Oogami Banri: Tamaki-kun, even though you’re good at dancing and you like it, you aren’t that ambitious about it, right?

Oogami Banri: In the sense that you don’t really want to stand at the top, or try to learn high difficulty skills.

Oogami Banri: I don’t think that you don’t have ambition at all, but you’re not the type of person to bother with self-improvement on your own…. Does that sound right?

Yotsuba Tamaki: Yeah, I’m not that type. Getting trophies would be nice and all, but I’m not hungry enough for that to work hard for getting it.

Yotsuba Tamaki: When I have to, I work hard, but if possible… I want to be praised without working hard.

Ousaka Sougo: That’s true… Tamaki-kun may be a prodigy, but he is easily bored and doesn’t seem to have that much patience…

Yotsuba Tamaki: I prefer to be spoiled. If I think about it, instead of working hard for myself, I think I prefer to work hard for others…?

Oogami Banri: Instead of being told “You’re amazing!”, you’d rather be told “Thank you”, then?

Yotsuba Tamaki: Yeah! Being told I’m amazing makes me happy, too, but I’d rather be praised by my managers and group members than by a total stranger.

Oogami Banri: In that case, studying overseas apart from your friends, getting lessons from a famous teacher and becoming a top dancer…

Oogami Banri: …It might be different from what you actually want to do, Tamaki-kun.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Well, maybe….

Yotsuba Tamaki: I thought that if I wanted to have something to get absorbed in like Sou-chan, maybe that could be dancing for me, but…

Yotsuba Tamaki: I think if I were to feel down, I don’t think I could think something like “I’m not gonna fail!” like Mikki…

Ousaka Sougo: What do you think then…?

Yotsuba Tamaki: I end up thinking “It’s fine, whatever…”

Yotsuba Tamaki: If it’s for you guys or for Aya, I’ll do my best, but if it’s for myself, I think it would end up like that instead.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Sou-chan, how do you keep going while you’re making songs?

Ousaka Sougo: In my case, while my thoughts are filled with all these famous songs, this sort of thing doesn’t get through to me at all…

Ousaka Sougo: Somehow, finding something that fits... Whether I want this, or don’t want that, or that, it’s like putting a thread through the eye of a needle…

Yotsuba Tamaki: For who?

Ousaka Sougo: For myself, I guess. For myself and for the sake of the music I love. I guess it’s wrong to say “for the sake of” though…

Oogami Banri: Haha… Interesting. So you’re both on opposite sides in that regard, too.

Yotsuba Tamaki: I guess…

Ousaka Sougo: I suppose…

Oogami Banri: Tamaki-kun, if you really want to, I won’t stop you from studying abroad and I’ll support you wholeheartedly. After all, going out of your comfort zone is important, too.

Oogami Banri: But dealing with strict lessons in an unfamiliar environment isn’t a run-of-the-mill task, so…

Oogami Banri: I thought it might be even more painful for you if you end up feeling even lonelier, trying to overcome those lonely feelings on your own.

Yotsuba Tamaki: ….But… I wanna change.

Yotsuba Tamaki: I don’t wanna stay like this. I don’t wanna get anxious and scared when I compare myself to Sou-chan and the others.

Yotsuba Tamaki: I wanna have something I want to do, too.

Oogami Banri: Yeah. I understand that. You’ve kept agonizing over finding what you want to do all this time, huh.

Oogami Banri: I think finding the thing you truly want to do is very hard.

Oogami Banri: There might be people who find it fast, but there’s also people who only finally find it after lots of experiences.

Oogami Banri: I was like that, too. So, thinking about Tamaki-kun’s skills and personality that way, I have a proposal…

Oogami Banri: Why don’t you try creating choreographies?

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Choreographies…? For our dances…?

Oogami Banri: Yes. You haven’t done it lately, but haven’t you done dance arrangements a lot before?

Oogami Banri: You seem like the type who gets choreography ideas while dancing to a song.

Yotsuba Tamaki: ….

Oogami Banri: Tamaki-kun, you have a flexible way of thinking. You’re bold enough to execute spontaneous ideas right away and have the toughness to not get discouraged by criticism.

Oogami Banri: You also know the others’ traits well, and I think you’d want to make them look good, without making them overdo it.

Oogami Banri: The others know you’re good at dancing, too, Tamaki-kun, so I think it will be easy for them to accept the choreography proposal from you.

Oogami Banri: First, you could try doing MEZZO’’’s choreography… and then one day, IDOLiSH7’s choreography. How do you feel about trying that, Tamaki-kun?

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Amazing… I want to…! I want to do that…!

Ousaka Sougo: I also… I also think it fits Tamaki-kun perfectly!

Ousaka Sougo: You have a good grasp of Mitsuki-san’s and Nagi-kun’s dance styles, too and you’re good at imitating them. You know everyone’s dancing the best!

Yotsuba Tamaki: You think so!?

Ousaka Sougo: Yes! I think so!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Ah… But I might be bad at stuff like formations…

Yotsuba Tamaki: I can look at them individually, but I sometimes forget to pay attention to the whole picture…

Oogami Banri: I’ll help you with that.

Yotsuba Tamaki: You will, Ban-chan!?

Oogami Banri: Yeah. I’ve dabbled in it a bit before. And I’m the opposite of you, so I’m better at looking at things from a wider angle.

Oogami Banri: After hearing your ideas, Tamaki-kun, I will arrange the formation. Once you get used to that way of doing it…

Oogami Banri: Eventually, we can shift things so you can get advice from a pro choreographer.

Oogami Banri: If you were to work with a pro from the beginning, you might end up feeling intimidated, so instead we will start with an easier environment to work in; with me.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Are you sure? Even though you’re so busy…

Oogami Banri: What are you saying? I’m doing it for you cute kids, after all. I’m literally here to give you a hand.

Yotsuba Tamaki: I’m so happy! I’m super looking forward to it!!

Oogami Banri: I’m glad.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Thank you…

Yotsuba Tamaki: Until you said it, I didn’t notice this was an option. I didn’t think it was fine for me to do that…

Oogami Banri: I should’ve suggested it earlier. I figured you were busy with school and work.

Oogami Banri: But you know, Tamaki-kun. There’s nothing you can’t do.

Oogami Banri: If you really want to go on hiatus, I won’t stop you, Tamaki-kun.

Oogami Banri: It’s not because I don’t need you. But because I want to protect your heart, your talent and your future.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Ye…Yeah…

Oogami Banri: You guys’ place is right here. We will protect you for sure.

Oogami Banri: It’s fine to come back empty-handed even after aimlessly going somewhere. We will always welcome you back with a smile.

Ousaka Sougo: …Yes…

Oogami Banri: Even regarding choreography, you can just try it. If it doesn’t work for you, it’s fine to choose something else.

Oogami Banri: If one ability doesn’t flourish for you, it’s fine to take up things you’re interested in here and there. Don’t judge yourself.

Oogami Banri: You guys are free. And you have a safe space to return to. I will be that place.

Oogami Banri: I will give you both freedom and bonds. I won’t take away your freedom, but I won’t let you feel helpless, either.

Oogami Banri: I promise that. …I’m sorry for saying this so late.

Yotsuba Tamaki: (crying) …Thank you… Ban-chan, Sou-chan, thank you…

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Thank you… for understanding me better than I did…. for taking care of me…

Yotsuba Tamaki: Thank you for telling me not to go….

Ousaka Sougo: …I was able to say it because it’s you. Back then, I couldn’t tell my uncle to not go when he left…

Ousaka Sougo: I thought that I shouldn’t object to something that someone has already decided…

Ousaka Sougo: But you always told me to put things into words, so I worked up the courage…

Ousaka Sougo: …I’m glad I told you… Sorry for not having noticed… Sorry for having been unable to say it confidently before…

Ousaka Sougo: We have a bond. Let’s sing about that loudly. Since I’ll dance to your choreography too, Tamaki-kun.

Ousaka Sougo: Even if we’re bad at it, let's help each other.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Yes… I’ll do my best, too…. I’ll study lots about choreography.

Yotsuba Tamaki: This is the first time I thought I’m looking forward to studying this much!

Ousaka Sougo: Haha… I’m looking forward to it, too.

Oogami Banri: I’m glad for you two…

Oogami Banri: I’m sure you’ll make a wonderful song about MEZZO’’’s bonds.

~ to be continued ~

6.6.4. - Thank you

Yotsuba Tamaki: Uhm….

Yotsuba Tamaki: New song announcement!!

(clapping)

Nikaidou Yamato: Oh! Congratulations on finishing it, Sou!

Rokuya Nagi: Let’s listen to it already!

Ousaka Sougo: Thank you very much. Well then, I’d like everyone to listen to it while watching the choreography.

Nanase Riku: The choreography’s done already, too? Nice!

Izumi Mitsuki: That’s MEZZO’’ for you! They're working fast!

Izumi Iori: What’s wrong, Yotsuba-san? Smiling with such an expression…

Yotsuba Tamaki: Hehe… Nothing, nothing!

Ousaka Sougo: Well then, please listen. Aah, I’m nervous…

Yotsuba Tamaki: It’ll be fine! Probably!

Ousaka Sougo: Right…

Oogami Banri: Well then, I’ll turn on the music.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Sure! Let’s go, Sou-chan. One, two…

MEZZO’’: This is MEZZO’’’s “Kizuna”!

Izumi Mitsuki: Aah… That’s nice, really nice!

Rokuya Nagi: It’s a wonderful song! It makes my heart flutter!

Nanase Riku: The dancing is cool, too! Sougo-san, give me some fanservice!

Nikaidou Yamato: Tama, Tama! Give onii-san some, too!

Izumi Iori: Disregarding that for a moment, why is Yotsuba-san grinning like that?

Rokuya Nagi: He’s totally acting like a shy boy! Hi~, you’re doing great!

Izumi Mitsuki: Nice harmony! Nice!

Nikaidou Yamato: Yeah, yeah!

Nanase Riku: Wow wow wow~!

Ousaka Sougo: Haa… Haa… Thank you very much!

(clapping)

Izumi Mitsuki: “Kizuna”’s so good! I never thought I’d hear a song like this from MEZZO’’!

Nanase Riku: It was really good! So good I’d wanna sing it with IDOLiSH7, too!

Izumi Iori: From a lyric perspective, wouldn't there barely be any space for us to enter?

Rokuya Nagi: Fantastic! We had a great time! OH… Tamaki…?

Nikaidou Yamato: Tama, what happened? You’ve been grinning for a while now.

Yotsuba Tamaki: I said I’m not! Well then, here’s a question!

Nanase Riku: A question? So suddenly?

Yotsuba Tamaki: There’s a difference between the MEZZO’’ you just saw and the usual!

Yotsuba Tamaki: What could it be!?

Ousaka Sougo: Haha…

Yotsuba Tamaki: Sou-chan, if you laugh, they’ll know what it is!

Ousaka Sougo: Sorry, sorry.

Izumi Mitsuki: A difference? That’s why Tamaki was acting embarrassed?

Yotsuba Tamaki: I’m not embarrassed! Hey, hurry. Figure it out already!

Nanase Riku: What could the difference be… The reason why MEZZO’’ is embarrassed…

Ousaka Sougo: No, uhm, it’s not that MEZZO’’ is embarrassed…

Izumi Iori: Can you notice it just by looking?

Yotsuba Tamaki: Those who get it will get it!

Izumi Iori: Then I’ve got it.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Really!?

Nikaidou Yamato: Ah… Onii-san gets it, too.

Izumi Mitsuki: I think I get it, too…

Rokuya Nagi: I get it, too. Particularly in the chorus…

Yotsuba Tamaki: Shhh! Nagicchi, shhhh!

Nanase Riku: Everyone got it!?! Aren’t you guys amazing!?

Nikaidou Yamato: I guess.

Izumi Mitsuki: Because of Tamaki’s reaction.

Nanase Riku: What is it with Tamaki’s reaction!? I just know Tamaki is super embarrassed…

Yotsuba Tamaki: Hehe…

Nanase Riku: I’m lost on this one.

Yotsuba Tamaki: As if! Well, there’s no helping it, wanna hear the right answer?

Nanase Riku: I do!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Yama-san, did you really get it?

Nikaidou Yamato: I think I did. Especially in the chorus…

Yotsuba Tamaki: No, no, no! Don’t say it! Aaah, it’s super embarrassing…! Uwooooh!

Izumi Iori: Please do not roll on the floor when you’re squirming like that.

Izumi Mitsuki: Then tell us the right answer, Sougo! Please!

Ousaka Sougo: Can I say it?

Yotsuba Tamaki: Yeah…

Nanase Riku: He said “Yeah” in a super quiet voice! Tamaki’s being shy!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Uwoooh, it’s embarrassing!

Ousaka Sougo: Tamaki-kun is the one who did the choreography of “Kizuna”.

Nanase Riku: Eeeh! Amazing…!

Nikaidou Yamato: I was right! I did think it was that!

Izumi Mitsuki: Especially the chorus! It’s a lot like him!

Rokuya Nagi: Yes! It’s cute! 1, 2, 3, hey!!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Uwoooh! My face feels warm…!

Nanase Riku: It’s not something to be embarrassed about! It’s amazing, Tamaki! Do an IDOLiSH7 song next time!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Really?

Nanase Riku: Really! Right, everyone?!

Nikaidou Yamato: I wanna see it, I wanna see it! Isn’t that fine? Just try it, Tama!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Sou-chan, did you hear that? He said I should just try it!

Ousaka Sougo: Yeah, I’m glad. I figured everyone would like it.

Izumi Mitsuki: The song is really good, too! Sougo did his best, as well. It’s like “Kizuna” is the culmination of MEZZO’’’s hard work!

Ousaka Sougo: Thank you very much… I’m happy to hear that…

Izumi Iori: Yotsuba-san did good work, too. This is going to be a newsworthy topic. Assuming you’ll announce it publicly, right?

Yotsuba Tamaki: Eeeh? That’s embarrassing! But everyone might praise me… But it’s embarrassing…

Izumi Iori: I figured someone who walks around naked in the dorm doesn’t know shame, but Yotsuba-san is acting surprisingly cute, isn’t he?

Ousaka Sougo: He was shy the entire way here, too.

Oogami Banri: Good work, Tamaki-kun! Everyone praised your choreography!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Yes! Ah, Ban-chan also helped me!

Oogami Banri: Just for the finishing touches. Most of it was Tamaki-kun’s idea. Especially stuff like this…

Yotsuba Tamaki: It’s fine, it’s fine!

Izumi Mitsuki: Let us hear it! You did something great, so boast about it to us!

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Damn, I might cry…

Nikaidou Yamato: Don’t cry, don’t cry! You did well, Tama! Onii-san will praise you lots!

Yotsuba Tamaki: …You’re making me cry…!

Nanase Riku: You worked so hard that you end up crying. I didn’t know you’re good at choreography too, Tamaki!

Nanase Riku: Please show us more from now on!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Yes…. I…considered studying abroad…

Nikaidou Yamato & Izumi Mitsuki: Eeh…!?

Rokuya Nagi: Really…?

Yotsuba Tamaki: …But I won’t…

Izumi Mitsuki: …Don’t scare us like that!

Izumi Iori: …My heart just jumped…

Yotsuba Tamaki: …But, well… thanks everyone…. I’m glad to be a part of MEZZO’’ and IDOLiSH7….

Yotsuba Tamaki: Aaah…. I’m happy~!

Ousaka Sougo: I’m glad for you, Tamaki-kun…

Yotsuba Tamaki: We’ll dance again so watch…!

Ousaka Sougo: …Let’s dance once more!

Izumi Mitsuki: Alright! Let’s get pumped up!

Nanase Riku & Nikaidou Yamato & Rokuya Nagi: Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!

Izumi Mitsuki: Coming up, the long-awaited new song! Composed by Ousaka Sougo!

Izumi Mitsuki: With a choreography done by Yotsuba Tamaki!

Izumi Mitsuki: MEZZO’’’s “Kizuna”!

Nanase Riku & Nikaidou Yamato & Rokuya Nagi: Y~ay!!

Ousaka Sougo: Thanks for having us!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Thanks for having us! We are… One, two…

MEZZO’’: MEZZO’’!

MC: Presenting “Kizuna”, the special feature drama based on the youth novel!

MC: Starring in the drama are MEZZO’’ who will sing the theme song “Kizuna” today!

Audience: Kyaaaaah…!

Ousaka Sougo: Thanks for having us.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Thanks for having us!

MC: Ousaka-san, did you have any problems composing the theme song?

Ousaka Sougo: I suppose…. I worried a lot about how to express the theme of “bonds”.

Ousaka Sougo: Through the bond of the brothers in the drama, I felt like I could gain a new look at MEZZO’’’s bond again, too.

MC: Thank you. Yotsuba-kun, you’ve begun to take on choreography with this song…

Yotsuba Tamaki: Yes.

MC: What made you try that?

Yotsuba Tamaki: Because Sou-chan has talent. I wanted to become a man worthy of my partner.

Audience: Kyaaaaah…!

Ousaka Sougo: I’m honored.

Yotsuba Tamaki: I’m glad I found something I can do.

Yotsuba Tamaki: I think stuff like worrying about the future came to me naturally because it was linked to the role I play.

MC: Thank you very much. Ah, MEZZO’’’s bonds are a wonderful thing.

Ousaka Sougo: Yes.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Thank you.

MC: Let’s hear it then! Here’s MEZZO’’ with “Kizuna”!

Audience: Kyaaaaah…!

~ to be continued ~

TL note:

Hello, Mod Riku here! This. Took a while. Don't mind it!!

Anyway. Kizuna, the show's name, is written in kanji. The song's name is written in katakana. Mod Haruka and I had a lot of fun with the ŹOOĻ scenes!

#idolish7 #im ok #totally

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