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CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains discussion of severe injury caused by a car accident. Please read at your own discretion! |
'''CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains discussion of severe injury caused by a car accident. Please read at your own discretion!''' |
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{{Dialogue options}} |
{{Dialogue options}} |
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Revision as of 02:42, 9 June 2024
Translator(s):
Source(s):
CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains discussion of severe injury caused by a car accident. Please read at your own discretion!
The Next Day
crase cafe
crase cafe
Kohane
Hello...wah!
Len
MEIKO! Can I put this speaker here?
MEIKO
Go ahead! Take care not to hurt yourself! Luka, could you help him lift that?
Luka
Aye aye sir~♪
Miku
Oh, we have the mic cable out right now, so make sure you don't get wrapped up—
Rin
Wahwahwah—! I got all tangled up!
Miku
Ah...Looks like it caught a Rin.
Akito
...Looks like there's plenty of progress on this end.
Toya
You're right. ...I'd like to help, but I feel like I might get in the way when there are so many things out. Perhaps we should kill some time until things are calmer...
KAITO
Hey everyone! Doing good?
An
Ah! KAITO-san! You surprised me~
An
...Huh? KAITO-san, are you not helping out with preparations?
KAITO
Yup! They told me that once I set up the DJ equipment, I could take it easy for the rest of the day!
Akito
(...It kinda sounds like they came up with a good excuse to keep him out of the way...?)
KAITO
So...how's it going with your event? Going well?
An
Ah— about that... It's not going exactly how we imagined. We came here to ask for some advice.
KAITO
Eh? So that's how it is.
Kohane
Um, all of our participants are very skilled, so it's shaping up to at least look like a decent event, but...
Akito
...The atmosphere isn't even close to approaching it.
KAITO
Atmosphere... Is that the vibe you were talking about before?
Akito
Yeah. Well, I wasn't thinking we'd instantly be able to recreate it, but we can't even graze it... I don't even have a clue...
Akito
Not only that—
Toya
...Is this about Touno-san?
Akito
...What, so you noticed?
Toya
Yes, it seemed as if you kept looking over at Touno-san. Is there something up with him?
Akito
Yeah. He's got good musical sense, and his advice helped us out a ton, but...
Akito
—I have no idea what he's thinking.
Akito
I'm sure he's taking practice seriously, but he'll step out all of a sudden, and when he returns it's like his mind is someplace else...
Toya
...I think I understand what you're saying.
Toya
Compared to before, Touno-san seems somewhat empty...in other words, it's like his mind is preoccupied, looking somewhere else.
KAITO
Hmmm...
KAITO
Ah, I know!
Kohane
I wonder what we should do...huh? KAITO-san...I wonder where he went?
Toya
Hm? You're right. It seems as though he may have disappeared at some point...
An
Ah! He's shuffling around by the fridge.
Akito
Huh?
KAITO
Um, ice cream, ice cream... I found it~! This one looks tasty!
Akito
...Come on! Why are you eating ice cream now?
KAITO
Eh? Ah, no, no! You misunderstand~!
Akito
No, there's nothing to misunderstand. You were clearly about to eat it.
KAITO
No, it's true!
KAITO
Everyone... Especially Akito-kun, you seem like you're really worried, so I wanted to make some pancakes with ice cream so you could relax! Sugar helps you think, y'know?
Akito
Pancakes?
Akito
...KAITO-san, you can make stuff like that?
KAITO
Of course I can! I'm actually pretty good at it. I'm the second-best after MEIKO at making coffee!
Kohane
I didn't know that...!
An
That's an unexpected skill!
Akito
—Sorry. I misunderstood, even though you were trying to be helpful.
KAITO
Ahaha, don't worry! When you first met me, it was right after I'd eaten Len's ice cream, so it makes sense you'd misunderstand—
KAITO
...Ah. But maybe that kid you were talking about earlier, Touno-kun. It might be the same for him.
Akito
Eh? What do you mean by that?
KAITO
I mean you might be misunderstanding him. Last time you talked about Touno-kun, he seemed like a highly skilled and determined person....
KAITO
But maybe, just like you guys, he's actually got a lot of things in his life to worry about?
Akito
Things in his life...
Toya
It's true, that's a possibility. Touno-san is very skilled and I respect him a lot, but there's no such thing as a perfect pesdon.
Kohane
I wonder, does the fact that he hasn't participated in any events recently have something to do with it?
An
Hmmm— Maybe he's been lugging around the fact that he got beat by Uncle?
Akito
...He doesn't seem like that pathetic of a guy to me.
KAITO
If you want specifics, you could just ask him yourself.
KAITO
And then, once you guys understand each other...yeah! You guys can all become delicious pancakes!
Akito
Hah?
Toya
P-pancakes...?
KAITO
Yeah! To make a good pancake, you can't just gather all the right ingredients together.
KAITO
If you wanna make fluffy pancakes, you've gotta mix the ingredients well, and you've gotta cook it just right, too.
KAITO
It's just like an event, once you mix together—as you understand each other, you'll be able to make a great event.
Akito
Understand each other, huh...
Toya
I knew it was necessary to compete with each other, but it never occurred to me that we should deepen our understanding of each other, too.
An
Now that you put it that way, it's easier to work together when you know each other well. It's the same with sports like basketball!
Kohane
Yeah. It feels like if we really deepen our understanding of each other, we can make it an even better event.
KAITO
That's the spirit! That's why I think you should get to know the other participants better.
Akito
...It's worth giving it a shot.
Akito
—KAITO-san, thank you very much. I'll do what I can.
KAITO
Yeah! Do your best!
KAITO
With that being said, you guys can eat these delicious fresh pancakes!
Kohane
Wah, they look so tasty!
KAITO
I was actually trying to make them even fluffier, but it didn't really puff up much~
KAITO
Ah, now that I think about it, MEIKO did say that if you stir pancake batter too much, they'll end up getting kind of deflated.
Kohane
Eh?
KAITO
Well, they still came out great, so I guess it's fine~! Ahaha!
Akito
...How do I put this...that feels like a weird note to end on...
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Scramble Crossing
An
Whew—! Today was a nice change of pace!
Kohane
The pancakes KAITO-san made were amazing, too.
Akito
Right. ...Okay, starting tomorrow, we're getting serious. We've gotta communicate better with not just Touno, but Mita and Okazaki-san too, so we can be a better team.
Kohane
Yeah! L-Let's do our best!
Toya
Well then, let's call it a day. Make sure to rest properly, everyone.
An
Yeah, good job everyone! Let's do our best tomorrow, too!
Kohane
Bye bye!
Akito
...Alright. Let's head back too.
Toya
Yeah. ...Hm?
Akito
What's wrong, Toya?
Toya
Over there, could that be—
Akito
...Touno?
Arata
...Yeah. I'll head over right now.
Akito
(...That guy, he's on the phone again.)
Akito
(But with who...)
Flashback
KAITO
It's just like an event, once you mix together—as you understand each other, you'll be able to make a great event.
End flashback
Akito
... Toya, I'm gonna go talk to that guy, okay?
Toya
—Yeah. That sounds good. I want to make delicious pancakes, too.
Akito
Dude, you don't even like sweets...
Akito
—Touno!
Arata
Hm?
Arata
Ah, Shinonome-kun, Aoyagi-kun. Headed home?
Akito
Yeah. We were just having a strategy meeting.
Toya
Touno-san, what are you doing here?
Arata
Oh... I just had something to do.
Akito
...Does it have anything to do with those phone calls during rehearsal?
Arata
Eh—
Akito
I'm not saying you're holding back on stage. Your advice has helped a lot, too.
Akito
But we can see that you're unfocused.
Akito
As members of the same event—we'll hear you out, if you need to talk.
Arata
I didn't realize you were that concerned. I guess I've still got room to improve.
Arata
Actually—I was about to visit my partner. At the hospital nearby.
Akito
Partner? By partner, you mean...
Flashback
Toya
What exactly happened to your partner?
Arata
...He's in a city far, far from here.
Akito
...A faraway city? Why aren't you singin' together? He wanted to surpass RAD WEEKEND too, didn't he?
Arata
He can't sing anymore, thanks to the accident.
Akito
Accident...?
Arata
One of your regular old traffic accidents. Hit by a speeding car at an intersection.
Arata
His life was saved, thankfully, but parts of his body remain paralyzed. It's only getting harder for him to continue singing.
End flashback
Akito
But, a hospital nearby... I thought he was in a city far from here?
Arata
Yeah. He used to be. But he's always wanted to come back here... Recently he's been doing well, so he got permission to transfer.
Toya
Transfer?
Arata
Yeah. He's been calling me a lot about it. His family's been busy with work, so I've been helping him with the transferral process.
Akito
...So that's what's been going on...
Arata
...That guy, I bet he's thinking that, even just a little bit, he wants to be closer to this town...
Arata
...I know, If you'd like, how about you come and visit him with me?
Akito
Eh?
Arata
He likes hearing stories about the people who sing on Vivid Street. You should share some stories with him. He says he's been bored recently because I only talk about myself.
Arata
—Please, would you do this for me?
Akito
...
Akito
...Got it. We'll go with you. Toya, are you good with that?
Toya
Yes, of course.
Arata
Thank you. Alright then, let's get going.
Akito
(Touno's partner, huh...)
Akito
(I wonder, what kind of person is he—?)