#and a childhood friend of mine was his TA and directed me to speak with him regarding my classwork so i did

[tatarianasters]

Pink Carnations

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts is not mine.

---

Summary: Memories of them are her treasure. Naminé's sketchbook is filled with silver hair and pink carnations. Whenever she sees him, her heart breaks just a little because he will never be him.

---

The room Naminé uses is far more colorful than what she was used to. Back in Castle Oblivion and her room in the mansion in Twilight Town, everything was a sickening white. She couldn't go somewhere without seeing the color. The room she now uses has baby pink walls and a black ceiling filled with plastic glow-in-the-dark stars (Kairi must have plastered them on there when she was a child) and the sheets on top of the single mattress is sunshine yellow. Her grip on her drawing pad tightens as she remembers the only reason she was able to experience this new life of freedom.

She opens the drawing pad, flips it to a certain page. There, drawn in her own hand, was a certain white-haired boy. Even in a drawing, his back was turned. Her vision blurs as her fingers run across the picture. What was the point of returning when the person she wants to see the most wasn't there to welcome her with open arms?

“Naminé?” Kairi's head peeked from the open door. Naminé snapped out of her reverie. Her “twin” gave her a small smile. “Just wondering how you're doing.”

Naminé gave her an identical smile, closing her drawing pad shut. “Im good.”

Her other stood straight, entering the room and looking around. “I hope you don't mind this room,” she starts. “Sora, Riku, and I used to play here a lot.”

That explains the stars, the blonde thought fondly. “I actually like it,” she informed her, craning her neck up to see them.

“Sora loved them,” Kairi informed her, a hint of melancholy permeating her voice. “He bought those stars for me as a birthday gift. I have more of them in my own room.”

She shook her head before returning her gaze on Naminé. “Riku and I were planning to grab some dinner. Wanna come along?”

Riku. She was afraid to see Riku. Thorns wormed their way around her heart and she clutched the drawing pad a little more tightly. She gives Kairi a soft smile.

“Dinner would be wonderful.”

---

Kairi and Riku led her to a restaurant in the main island, just near the school the three (two, now?) of them go to when they're not busy saving worlds.

The sun was halfway below the horizon and you can see the first stars twinkling. The lampposts are starting to come to life one by one and the breeze starts getting a little more chilly, tickling her skin and gently blowing her hair. Naminé walks a little behind Kairi and Riku, watching as the two of them talk. She wasn't paying attention to what they were saying. In fact, Naminé has no idea what they were talking about at all. She was more focused on the way Kairi smiles at him, and the way he looks at her with a silent promise. Her heart begins to clench once again. It could have been him and her.

“We're here!” Kairi announces.

Naminé studies the quaint building. It’s modest, not quite like the bistro at Twilight Town. The restaurant is decorated with a bunch of wooden tables symmetrically arranged throughout the whole place, with vases of pink flowers resting in the middle of each. Kairi chose a table right next to the window. A waiter hurries over to their table to give each of them a menu.

“What do you guys recommend?” Naminé asks, unable to choose from the many dishes. She heard Riku speak.

“We'll have three seafood paellas.”

The waiter nodded and jotted the order down. “And for drinks?”

Riku looked at the two girls for answers.

“I'll have a coke!” Kairi said. Not knowing what a coke is, Naminé decided to order the same thing. Riku placed their orders and the waiter left with a bow.

The two childhood friends fell into easy conversation. She waited for their food to come silently, watching the pink flowers sitting on their table. They're beautiful, she thinks. Her fingers itch to grab pencil and paper.

“Oh yeah Naminé,” Kairi suddenly called her name and she snapped to attention. Her other was looking at her with a smile. “Did I tell you that Riku's family owns the place?”

Naminé was surprised and whipped her head to look at him. Riku gave her a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head. She dropped her gaze. A sharp pang shot through her heart.

“Yeah, so don't worry about the bill.”

Naminé gave a little nod, turning her attention back to the flowers. Riku noticed her sudden change but decided not to pry. After all, she was probably thinking about him. Kairi doesn't seem to notice anything. Their food come shortly after and they all ate in silence, the only noises to be heard the clinking of utensils against china.

It wasn't long until they finish and Kairi left to use the restroom, leaving Riku and Naminé in uncomfortable silence. Her azure eyes scan the place again, noting white wallpapers and star-shaped lights, before landing back on the pink flowers on the table.

“They're called pink carnations,” Riku informs her, noticing her interest on the flowers. “My mom loves them. She said they mean undying love.”

“Undying love, huh?” Naminé smiled. “That sounds poetic.”

Riku nodded, letting out a low chuckle. “There's another meaning to it. ‘I miss you'.”

“I miss you…” Her gaze was blurred by tears she quickly wiped away, hoping Riku didn't notice. But he did. Nothing escapes Riku's eyes.

---

She's back in Castle Oblivion. Larxene and Axel were there. Vexen is too. She knows what's about to happen. She's powerless to stop it.

She sees him then. White hair. The dark bodysuit. He's oozing confidence, thinks he can defeat the Keyblade hero without any help. She chokes back a sob.

The dream fades.

And she wakes up.

Naminé took the drawing pad from the night stand and frantically flipped through a page. The picture looks exactly the same as him. Confident. Wearing that bodysuit. She hugs the picture close to her chest and cries.

“I miss you,”

---

Naminé is sitting on the sand, watching the others play, her drawing pad resting on her lap. The ocean breeze feels nice on her skin. Kairi and the other girl, Selphie, were on the islet, talking. Riku and the two boys were sparring. Riku was obviously just playing along. He's laughing, more carefree than what she's used to. She wonders how he can laugh like that when his best friend is nowhere to be found.

He must've felt her eyes on him because he suddenly turned in her direction and their eyes met for a fraction of a second before she breaks contact. Sand crunches under his feet and Naminé realizes that he's walking towards her. He sat down next to her wordlessly, resting his elbow on one bent knee, his other palm gently digging the sand. They watch Tidus and Wakka for a while.

“Are you sure you're not supposed to be there?” Naminé finally asks after a while. Beside her, Riku shook his head.

“I'm pretty sure they can train without me.”

“You weren't even training.”

Riku lets out a short chuckle before nodding his head. “You're right. I guess it's not just the same without Sora.” The barest hint of melancholy laced his voice. Naminé didn't know what to say.

“I miss Sora too you know,” Riku continues. “But I know that he wouldn't want any of us to mope around. He'd want us to continue living.”

Naminé looked down, feeling guilty. As much as she misses the spiky-haired teen, it wasn't him who haunts her memories. It wasn't him who she wanted to see the most. It was…

“I didn't want him to leave you know,” Riku started again, staring at the sea. His green eyes sparkled. Naminé's got a feeling he wasn't talking about Sora. “It was his choice, to go away.”

Naminé looked down at her drawing pad, her hands clenching into fists. “Who?” she asked in a soft whisper. Riku only gave her a smile before standing up.

“Wanna go see the pink carnations tomorrow?”

Naminé nodded.

---

She spent the entirety of the day with Riku inside their garden. He told her that his mother loves growing carnations because they remind her of his grandmother.

“My grandmother grew a lot of these when I was young,” he told her as they pass through rows of white and red carnations. “Sora and I would play here a lot and she would often scold us because Sora would accidentally knock over a pot.”

Naminé giggled. She could imagine a little Sora and a little Riku running through this garden. Maybe she's even seen a glimpse of this memory when she was shuffling through Sora's memories.

“We're here.”

The pink carnations were as lovely, or perhaps even lovelier, than she first saw them. She leans down to touch one of them gently. Riku watches her with a small smile.

“Do you want to draw them?”

Naminé turned her head to look at him. “May I?”

Riku nodded. “I don't see any harm in doing so.”

Naminé nodded, flashing him a big smile. Now that he thinks about it, this is the first time she's smiled at him like that. Smiling like that, her resemblance to Kairi seems even more obvious. She should smile like that more often.

Naminé took her drawing pad and pencil out of the white sling bag Kairi lent her. Turning to a blank page, she let the graphite dance across paper, creating copies of live flowers in front of her. Riku watches the process silently. It's amazing how much drawing flowers can change Naminé’s mood. Maybe he should bring her here more often.

Once she was done, she took out a pink coloring pencil and began coloring the flowers she made on paper, bringing them to life. She showed her finished work to Riku.

“Ta dah!” She said proudly. It was the first time she's actually drawn anything outside of Sora’s (and his connections) memories, and she was quite happy with how it turned out. Riku gave her a big grin.

“That looks really good, Naminé.”

“Thanks, Riku!”

---

Naminé begins spending more and more time in Riku's family's garden. She finds that whenever she’s there, surrounded by pink carnations, she was able to be rid of her loneliness. The flowers provide her with silent company.

Riku usually accompanies her there. Most of the time he would just watch her in silence as she draws more carnations, slowly filling her drawing pad with them. Naminé was thankful for the silence. It was all she needed from him.

On the rare days Riku was unable to accompany her, it was his mother who provide her with company. Naminé has grown rather fond of the woman. She has hair the same color as Riku's with warm, dark eyes, and whenever they’re together, she would tell her all sorts of stories from Riku's childhood.

Kairi saw the change in Naminé. She was happier. She laughs more often. More importantly, she looks more comfortable around Riku now. At least, she doesn't look at him like he's died anymore. Kairi is happy for her other. She's finally breaking her shell, finally starting to move on.

---

She’s in Castle Oblivion again. This time she’s alone, in one of the castle's many hallways. She doesn't know what floor it is.

Is this a dream or is this a memory?

She decides to move forward, a hand clutching her chest. A bright light suddenly envelops the place, blinding her temporarily. She shields her eyes with an arm in a futile attempt to block the light.

It subsides after a while, and when she puts her hand down, she sees a silhouette. She knows this person. She calls out to him.

“You've forgotten about me,” he said in a scathing voice.

“No!” She cried out, taking a step forward. “I would never!”

“Liar!” He roared. She flinched. “You replaced me with him!”

Naminé shook her head, breaking into a run as she tried to reach him, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't reach him.

“Riku!”

She can see him shake his head. “You know I'm just a fake. A replica. That's why you replaced me with him. Because he's the real deal.”

“No! Riku, please!”

She ran faster, her arm stretching to reach out for him. A sudden flash of light. He disappears.

Naminé sat bolt upright, gasping for breath. She felt like she just ran for miles. Her tears roll down her cheeks and she hugged herself as sobs wracked her body, breaking her from the inside.

She knew that it was just a nightmare, but why does it hurt so much? Why does she feel like something inside her has broken?

---

Naminé hasn't come out of her room the whole day and Kairi was starting to seriously worry about her. No matter how hard she tried, the other girl won’t let her in. She chewed on her lip in worry. She doesn't want to resort using her Keyblade to respect her other's privacy but if she continues like that… A knock on the door shook her out of her reverie. She opened it to find one of her best friends.

“Hey Kairi,” he greeted. “Where's Naminé? I waited for her all day in the garden but she didn't come.”

“She wouldn't leave her room.”

Riku's brows furrowed. He stepped inside the house and made his way towards Naminé's room, patting Kairi on the shoulder as he passed her. He gave Naminé's door a gentle rap but nobody answered.

“Naminé?” he called out. “Are you okay? What's going on?”

No reply. Riku tried turning the knob. It was locked.

“Naminé, answer me.”

Still no replies. Riku tried pushing the door open.

“Naminé, if you don't reply, I'm going to open this door with my Keyblade.”

He heard the door unlock and he pushed it open, revealing Naminé with bloodshot eyes. His frown deepened. He stepped inside before she could close the door on him and looked around.

“What happened, Naminé?”

The blonde in question didn't reply. She sat down on her bed and grabbed her drawing pad, finishing her drawing. Riku's eyes gazed on the picture. It was him. No. Not him. It was him.

“He accused me of replacing him,” she suddenly said, and Riku's green eyes turn their gaze on the girl.

“When did he say that?”

“Last night.”

“Naminé, you were probably just having-”

“-a nightmare, I know.” Naminé finished for him. She dropped her pencil and looked at him. “But Riku, what if he's right? Maybe I really am replacing him. I don't want that Riku!” she wailed. “I don't want to replace him!”

Big, strong hands wrap around her small figure and she sobbed into his chest, dropping the drawing pad on the mattress. Riku remained silent, letting her sob into his shirt. It took her a while to calm down a little.

“He entrusted you to me, you know?” Riku started. “Though I have no idea if I'm doing a good job. Maybe he's watching us right now, shaking his head.” Naminé said nothing. He continued. “I told him to take the vessel back then but he was a bit stubborn. I wonder where he got that from.”

Naminé lets out a wet laugh at that statement and the corners of Riku's mouth tilted up in a small smile.

“He wanted you to have it. He still wants to protect you, up until the end.”

“That's just because of the fake memories I implanted on him,” Naminé mumbled against his shirt.

“The memories may be fake, but his feelings weren't. After all, if the feelings were fake then he wouldn't be the person you wanted to see the most, right?” He gave her head a small pat. “And nobody's ever going to replace him. Not even me. He's different the same way I am different. He will always have a special place in your heart.”

Naminé tilted her head up to look at him with a watery smile. “Riku, thank you.”

“No problem, Naminé.”

“I want to do something for him. Will you help me?”

He nodded.

---

Riku placed the seeds in her hand. His mother was very willing to help them and even gave them a pot. He watched as Naminé carefully placed the seeds inside the soil before sprinkling them with water.

“Do you think he'll like them?” Naminé asked.

“I think he will.”

She gave him a smile.

“I think so too.”

---

She's in Castle Oblivion, inside the room Marluxia and Larxene keep her in. Drawings were scattered all over the floor: of the Keyblade hero and his friends. Standing right in front of her, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, was him. A small smile played on his lips. She stood up and ran up to him and he took her in his embrace. A soft chuckle escaped his lips.

“Did you really think I would be mad at you for replacing me with the real one?”

Naminé frowned. “You're just as real as him.”

“I know.”

They stayed in silence for a long while, enjoying each other's warmth. Finally, cups her face and tilts her head up to look at him.

“It's time for you to wake up soon.”

“But I don't want to. Please. Let me stay here for a little while longer.”

Riku Replica pressed a kiss on her forehead.

“It will be fine. Trust me. I may not be by your side but he… he will carry on my will. He will never leave you. I promise you.”

Naminé nodded.

“I trust you.”

Light is starting to surround them and Naminé knows that it's almost time to part.

“I love you,” she says just as the light begins to swallow them up.

She thinks she can see his smile as he replied.

“I love you too.”

---

The pink carnations grew beautifully under Naminé and Riku's care. She would often draw them together with a certain boy.

"Hello, Riku," she greets the plant. "How are you today? Riku and I helped out at the their family restaurant. Then we went to the island with the others. It was fun." She paused, giving the plant a fond smile.

"You're right, Riku. Everything's alright. Thank you."

[kanasmusings]

[Translation] StarMyu - THIRD STAGE Drama CD - Track 1

Did I say more StarMyu??? Welp, either way, here’s more StarMyu!!  Third Stage is such a fun drama CD (not just because Ren and Nanjo are there sshhh) but because a lot of the scenes would feel nostalgic specially if you remember what they talk about as you listen~ 

※ Please don’t re-post the English translations without permission. Please just like/reblog them instead ^^

Under the cut, enjoy~!

Track 01: [スタミュ in 座談会!! その2] “StarMyu in Round Table Discussion!! Chapter 2”

[0:00]

  HOSHITANI: Our time as first years in Ayanagi Academy is about to end and next year, we’ll be entering our second year of school!

HOSHITANI: That means that we started doing our reflection—Ah, no, our round-table discussion about our first year but…

HOSHITANI: There were so many things we wanted to talk about that the conversation wouldn’t move forward at all.

HOSHITANI: That’s why, today will be the second time we try!

HOSHITANI: Come what may and all but, this is a story about that certain day~

  HOSHITANI: Third Drama CD—

ALL:  StarMyu in Round-Table Discussion – Part 2!

HOSHITANI: Alright, guys! We’ll be doing a round-table discussion~!

NAYUKI: A-ah… Hoshitani-kun. Kuga-kun left for his part-time job already…

HOSHITANI: Eh?!

TENGENJI: Tsukigami went off on his own somewhere, too.

HOSHITANI: What?!

NAYUKI: It seems like he got a call from his mom.

NAYUKI: The friend she was supposed to go see a play with suddenly cancelled so she asked Tsukigami-kun to come with her.

NAYUKI: It’s a musical that his father directed so, she begged him to because she didn’t want to see any empty seats there, it seems.

HOSHITANI: Is that so…? From five to three people, huh…

HOSHITANI: That sounds a bit sad…

TATSUMI: If you’d like, would it be alright for me to join you?

HOSHITANI: Eh?

TATSUMI: Hello.

TEAM OTORI: Tatsumi!?

TORAISHI: Yo, Team Otori~

HOSHITANI: Toraishi, too!

NAYUKI: What’s up, both of you?

TATSUMI: Tsukigami contacted me. He said that he felt bad for not being able to attend the round-table discussion and asked if I could go fill in his place if I’m free.

TORAISHI: Same here. And since the date I was supposed to go to got cancelled, I’m here~

TORAISHI: I asked Inumine and Ugawa if they wanted to join but…

TORAISHI: I can’t catch Inumine and Ugawa said it’s troublesome so he didn’t come.

TORAISHI: What happened to Sawatari?

TATSUMI: Ah, Eigo’s been out since this morning.

TATSUMI: He left a letter with big words on it so I’m pretty sure that he went somewhere to “add to his experiences”~

TENGENJI: We complained and now we’ve got five again.

HOSHITANI: As expected from Tsukigami! He’s so prepared~

NAYUKI: (chuckles) That’s nice, isn’t it, Hoshitani-kun?

TATSUMI: But is it really, okay? We’re not Team Otori members so…

TORAISHI: Isn’t it fine? Team Hiragi and Team Otori are pretty close, right?

HOSHITANI: Totally~! Toraishi and Tengenji get along well, too~

TENGENJI: It’s not like we’re friends though.

TORAISHI: What’re you saying, Tengenji? You’re Shu’s friend. And Shu’s friends are my friends so that means, you’re my friend, too.

TORAISHI: Can’t you just admit that~? You’re so troublesome, geez.

TENGENJI: I… (softly) Friend…

TORAISHI: Well, I’m the hotter one though.

TENGENJI: No, it’s me!

NAYUKI: A-ah… Please don’t fight, you two.

HOSHITANI: It’s true. They’re true rivals…

HOSHITANI: Geez, you’re both good looking so isn’t that good enough?

TATSUMI: So, how far have you gotten into the round-table discussion, Hoshitani?

TORAISHI: This guy’s completely got no interest in our faces!

TENGENJI: Well, of course. I mean, I’m not interested in any face aside from mine either.

TORAISHI: You--! For real… Your personality’s real amazing, huh.

NAYUKI: (slightly panicking) Ho-Hoshitani-kun…

HOSHITANI: (nervous chuckle) U-um… Then, should we start the round-table discussion?

ALL: Yeah.

[03:18]

  HOSHITANI: Last time, we managed to talk about… Well, until the outdoor performance, right?

NAYUKI: That’s right. Then, continuing that would be… Summer vacation?

HOSHITANI: Oh! Then, I have the perfect thing.

HOSHITANI: Speaking of summer vacation, it’s definitely~!

TATSUMI: The joint training camp we did at Hiragi-senpai’s villa, right?

HOSHITANI: Exactly!

TENGENJI: It was totally unplanned though.

NAYUKI: No one expected that we’d all meet in the villa… I was so surprised when I saw Inumine-kun in the food storage shed.

NAYUKI: I mistook him for a bear and accidentally hit him…

TATSUMI: You hit him?

TORAISHI: For real?! Good going, Nayuki-chan…

TORAISHI: But, won’t it be dangerous if you actually hit a bear?

NAYUKI: Eh? Ah… That’s right… I did it unconsciously so I—

TORAISHI: Well, it’s good that it was a dog, huh? Ah, I guess it’s not really either.

NAYUKI: I’m sorry…

TATSUMI: (chuckles) It’s okay. Inumine’s pretty tough after all.

TORAISHI: We went back home after about a week of training camp but… Team Otori stayed for most of summer vacation, right?

TORAISHI: I’m surprised you didn’t get so bored when you weren’t practicing. Specially deep in the mountains like that.

HOSHITANI: It got a bit lonely when Team Hiragi left though.

NAYUKI: True. Sometimes I even ended up making too much food. Though, it’s good that Kuga-kun ate a lot.

TATSUMI: Did you not go home at all for summer vacation?

HOSHITANI: I couldn’t. Nayuki too, right?

NAYUKI: Yup. Remember? I took a look at Hoshitani-kun’s summer homework during the opening ceremony.

HOSHITANI: That’s right… I’m sorry.

NAYUKI: No, it’s okay. I can always go home any time after all. Tengenji-kun didn’t go home too, right?

TENGENJI: Well, yeah. If I came home only for a few days, I’d only end up not doing anything.

TENGENJI: I’d feel bad for Tavian if I just went and then came back again soon.

TORAISHI: Ta-vi-an? What’s that?

TENGENJI: …! N-n-nothing, it’s nothing!

TORAISHI/TATSUMI: ?

TORAISHI: Ah~ I know, I know.

TORAISHI: It’s a girlfriend or something you got at home, isn’t it?

TORAISHI: What’s this~? You goin’ out with a foreigner or something?

TORAISHI: That’s funny coming from the “Heir of the Kabuki World”~

TENGENJI: Tavian’s my angel and not a foreigner.

HOSHITANI: Tatsumi, what about you guys? Did you go back home for summer vacation?

TATSUMI: Yup, we all did~

NAYUKI: Oh yeah. Ugawa-kun did bring back a lot of souvenirs from Kyoto.

HOSHITANI: Ah! Like that triangle-shaped mochi? That was so delicious~!

TORAISHI: Shu went back home for the last day of vacation though. He didn’t even contact me or anything.

TORAISHI: I was just walking around the neighbourhood, saw him, and just shouted “Wait, you’re back!?”

ALL: (laughs)

TENGENJI: What an unsociable guy, huh.

TATSUMI: (chuckles) Oh, that’s right. Toraishi and Kuga are neighbors, huh.

KUGA: Yeah. Not as close as you and Sawatari though.

KUGA: Your houses are right next to each other, right? I heard from Ugawa.

HOSHITANI: Eh, is that true?

TENGENJI: I did think that you two were always together a lot but…

TENGENJI: Don’t tell me… It’s that kind where you’ve known each other ever since you were born?

TATSUMI: That’s right. We were together for kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, and now in high school, too.

NAYUKI: And you share the same dorm room, are in the same class and team, too?

HOSHITANI: Is that kind of thing okay to happen?

TORAISHI: It’s surprising, right? They’re more like brothers rather than childhood friends, huh?

NAYUKI: They might have been together longer than I have been with my own sisters…

TATSUMI: (laughs)

HOSHITANI: But, I kinda want a brother like Sawatari. I want him to share some of that smartness with me.

TENGENJI: Share his smartness with you���?

TORAISHI: Your way of thinking is so unique, huh, Hoshitani…

TORAISHI: Well, Sawatari’s sort of our person-in-charge guy. He’s really smart.

HOSHITANI: Right~? Even during that time when Team Otori and Team Hiragi did the rock-paper-scissors competition.

TENGENJI: The one where we competed for Ayanagi Academy’s theatre?

NAYUKI: We both hoped to use the theatre for the afternoon schedule, right?

NAYUKI: And then, Inumine-kun and Hoshitani-kun had to do rock-paper-scissors.

HOSHITANI: I got fooled by Team Hiragi’s plan…

NAYUKI: All that “French rules” and stuff back then, were they really only a plan to confuse us?

TORAISHI: I actually… didn’t know anything about that either.

TORAISHI: It was your and Sawatari’s plan wasn’t it, Tatsumi?

TATSUMI: Nope. It wasn’t planned at all.

TATSUMI: You know? I watched a rock-paper-scissors competition in a French show on TV before and since Yuzuriha-senpai was there, I only decided to ask him about it.

TATSUMI: And then Eigo came up with it on the spot.

TORAISHI: Really?! You didn’t plan it at all!?

TATSUMI: We didn’t. That was actually the first time I’ve heard about it as well.

TATSUMI: It really helped that Eigo was so knowledgeable, huh~

NAYUKI: Heh…

HOSHITANI: Sawatari’s too amazing! He’s so omnipotent!

TENGENJI: Speaking of, there was a time when we had to perform in Inumine’s family’s restaurant but… Was that also Sawatari’s plan?

TATSUMI: Eh?

TENGENJI: Did he hide Hoshitani’s wallet somewhere or something?

NAYUKI: Eh?

HOSHITANI: Ah, no, no, it’s not. It got returned to me safely by mail afterwards.

TORAISHI: Ah, by that performance, you mean, when you wore that lame costume?

TATSUMI: (with a slightly menacing tone) Yes. It was from when you and Ugawa were trying to escape with all you’ve got.

TORAISHI: A-ah… I-I’m so sorry about that.

[08:34]

  HOSHITANI: But, you know what? Even during that time and even during the Ayanagi Festival…

HOSHITANI: And even when we were troubled after being removed as a Star Team, Team Hiragi helped us out a lot, huh.

HOSHITANI: I’m really grateful!

TORAISHI: Hoshitani…

TATSUMI: We didn’t help you out because we thought you needed it, you know?

TATSUMI: We wanted Team Otori and the other teams as well to be able to be our rivals fairly and work under the same circumstances that we were in.

TATSUMI: If we’re going to be competing then, I wanted you to be able to do it at full power.

TATSUMI: That’s what I thought.

HOSHITANI: Tatsumi…

TORAISHI: Tatsumi really loves Team Otori, huh~

TATSUMI: Eh?

HOSHITANI: Is that so?

TATSUMI: (chuckles) I wonder now…

TATSUMI: I think of all the teams as our rivals, too, but… Ah… I see.

TATSUMI: I think that maybe as friends, you had something more special.

TATSUMI: Tsukigami and Nayuki are here. And Toraishi’s childhood friend, too.

TATSUMI: And even the Heir of the Kabuki World that was the talk of the town even before being admitted.

TATSUMI: And Hoshitani’s here, too.

TATSUMI: I got curious about you. I wanted to see a performance you’d make and then I thought that you all had a lot of potential.

TATSUMI: (chuckles) I guess it’s true that I love Team Otori, huh~

TORAISHI: Ah… I don’t mean to sound like a downer but… I don’t think I can ever say something as meaningful like that to a guy��

NAYUKI: Tatsumi-kun…!

TENGENJI: Th-that’s kinda hard to follow up.

HOSHITANI: But, it makes me happy~! Thank you, Tatsumi!

TORAISHI: W-well, I don’t mind if everyone’s happy.

TATSUMI: In any case, to me, being able to perform with all of you for the Ayanagi Festival was a wonderful thing.

HOSHITANI: Me, too! Though, it was a close call in a lot of ways.

TORAISHI: To think that you’d do a sudden performance in the storm and defy the Kao Council’s orders…

TORAISHI: Now that I think hard about it, it wouldn’t have been absurd if you guys failed the test stage.

TORAISHI: I heard you all went to apologize to Akatsuki-senpai after that. I heard about it from Shu.

HOSHITANI: Yeah. We apologized to Hiragi-senpai, Yuzuriha-senpai, and Sazanami-senpai, too.

HOSHITANI: Though, Sazanami-senpai lectured us a lot…

NAYUKI: He was so scary, wasn’t he?

TENGENJI: I was prepared for a lecture and all but… That went beyond imagination, huh…

TATSUMI: That much?

TORAISHI: It seems dangerous making Sazanami-senpai mad.

TORAISHI: From what I heard from my friends in Team Sazanami…

TORAISHI: It seems like they were made to sit in seiza fashion for almost three hours and when they complain that their “feet are so numb,” they were made to fall over. (1)

HOSHITANI: Made to fall over…?

NAYUKI: Sazanami-senpai’s the son of an aikido dojo owner.

TENGENJI: Oh yeah. I remember Otori-senpai saying that Sazanami-senpai’s the strongest person he knows.

TENGENJI: I heard only about half of it but…

HOSHITANI: It might be true, huh…

TORAISHI: The only guy in the world who’s made Sazanami-senpai faint is in this room though.

TATSUMI: What? Who are you talking about?

TORAISHI: It’s you!

NAYUKI: Well, it’s more of…

TENGENJI: The curry that Tatsumi made.

TATSUMI: (chuckles)

HOSHITANI: Oh, like the time Tatsumi caused all those casualties during the sports event?

HOSHITANI: When Tatsumi’s curry was brought out for the obstacle race, almost everyone retired, right?

HOSHITANI: I didn’t participate so I wasn’t able to taste them at all but, was it that amazing…?

TATSUMI: I made it under Nayuki’s instructions though~

NAYUKI: M-maybe my way of teaching was bad…

TATSUMI: You don’t have to worry about it. Apparently, anything I make ends up tasting that way.

TENGENJI: Why are you like this?

TORAISHI: Ah! If it’s the sports event then I have something I really wanna say!

TORAISHI: Tengenji, Nayuki! You aimed for us specifically during your cavalry battle with Class C, didn’t you!? (2)

NAYUKI: A-a-ah… That was—

TENGENJI: (scoffs) The shrimpy was your rider so I told Nayuki to crush him.

TORAISHI: I knew it was your plan! Don’t just move ‘cause you like being a horse.

TORAISHI: Listen to Nayuki-chan’s orders!

TENGENJI: Call me a horse or whatever but I’m a great horse. I’m better than a knight.

TORAISHI: What the—You follow your own rules too much, damn it!

TATSUMI: Toraishi was a wild horse who didn’t listen to Ugawa’s orders, too, though~

TORAISHI: Th-that was--! I was just getting them back for picking a fight with us!

HOSHITANI: A cavalry battle is not a fight…

NAYUKI: Ah… If I did my job as the “knight” properly then, that battle royale wouldn’t have happened…

TATSUMI: Why did you decide to participate in the cavalry battle, Nayuki?

TATSUMI: I didn’t think that you’d be up for those kinds of competitions…

NAYUKI: Class A only chose someone who was short enough to do it.

HOSHITANI: Though, that plan failed completely, didn’t it~?

NAYUKI: Our class was totally annihilated after all…

HOSHITANI: Even though Tengenji was good, he only kept chasing after Toraishi and Ugawa.

TENGENJI: I follow my own path!

ALL: …

TATSUMI: If I remember correctly, Hoshitani didn’t participate in the cavalry battle, right?

HOSHITANI: Yup! I did the pole toppling match and the 400-meter relay~

TORAISHI: Oh~ You did all the good stuff, huh.

NAYUKI: Hoshitani-kun’s athletic sense is pretty amazing, you know? He might be the best in Class A.

TATSUMI: I was in the 400-meter relay, too.

HOSHITANI: Really?! I didn’t notice you.

NAYUKI: Tatsumi-kun was the first runner after all. Maybe you just missed him because you were the anchor, Hoshitani-kun?

TORAISHI: Shu was Class B’s anchor, too, right?

HOSHITANI: Yup! Kuga was super fast~

HOSHITANI: The lengths of our legs are so different that he passed me so quickly!

NAYUKI: Class C’s anchor was Inumine-kun, huh~?

HOSHITANI: Yeah! Inumine passed us at the last second so Kuga and I both lost…

HOSHITANI: Class C won in the end.

NAYUKI: Inumine-kun was the MVP, wasn’t he~?

TENGENJI: That guy appeared in all the matches he could appear in, right?

HOSHITANI: Now that you mention it… He was in the pole toppling game, too!

NAYUKI: He was in the bread-eating race, too.

TENGENJI: In the ball-toss game, too.

TATSUMI: He might be clumsy but his physical abilities are very strong.

TATSUMI: Eigo told him to enter anything as long as he understood the rules easily.

TENGENJI: Sawatari again, huh.

HOSHITANI: He’s Class C’s planner after all~

TORAISHI: Oh yeah, what events did the thoroughbred join? I don’t remember seeing him much there…

TATSUMI: Tsukigami was in the obstacle race, remember?

ALL: Ah…

TENGENJI: Th-that’s right…

NAYUKI: Tsukigami-kun ate Tatsumi-kun’s curry and then…

HOSHITANI: He was carried off to the infirmary…

TORAISHI: Tatsumi… Cooking really is the only destructive thing that you do…

TATSUMI: Unfortunately so~

[15:07]

  HOSHITANI: But, you know? Ayanagi Academy has a lot of strange sports for a sports festival, right?

HOSHITANI: It was so fun~

TATSUMI: True. For a school that focuses on music, it sure has a lot of rigorous cultural events, huh?

TATSUMI: It’s mysterious hearing that it’s from Ayanagi, too.

NAYUKI: Like the graduation ceremony, you mean?

TORAISHI: Oh yeah. Other schools have graduation but not a graduation ceremony.

TATSUMI: It seems that it originated only for Star Teams to be able to do a performance for sending off the mentors that trained them.

TATSUMI: It means it’s an event exclusive to the Musical Department.

TENGENJI: Heh~ And so it’s become a tradition for the school now.

NAYUKI: You can totally feel the history in it.

HOSHITANI: We managed to participate in that legendary event as performers, huh.

HOSHITANI: I managed to say my thanks properly to Otori-senpai who chose me as his student.

NAYUKI: Hoshitani-kun?

TENGENJI: What’s with you all of a sudden?

HOSHITANI: You know, um… A lot happened this past year but, I’m really glad to have been a part of Team Otori!

HOSHITANI: Right, Nayuki, Tengenji?

HOSHITANI: Tatsumi and Toraishi, too! Let’s do our best in the Musical Department!

NAYUKI: Yeah!

TENGENJI: I don’t want you telling me that though. You amateur.

ALL: (laughs)

TATSUMI: Looks like this will be fun, huh, Toraishi~?

TORAISHI: Totally.

  ==END==

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