Oi~ Anzu-dono! Anzu-dono~☆
It's finally the day of Scroll of the Elements! I got too excited again and woke up too early!
You arrived early too, huh? I’m always really impressed with how early you come to work ♪
H-Huh? No reply! I guess she can't hear me, but I don't want to be ignored…
Anzu-dono~! “Lord”~ I am over here~!
Ah, you finally noticed me. Ehehe, good morning～♪
Yes! Look, look here at this sculpture of Frog-san!
The sign said you could climb on and take photos, so I decided to go for a ride~♪
Please spare me from any scolding about how it’s embarrassing that I’m doing this as a high schooler, okay? This was a dream of mine, so please take a photo~♪
Peace ☆ Don’t I look like Jiraiya?(1) Ninpou: Toad Technique~♪
Anzu-dono, I’d like you to play Orochimaru or Tsunade! — Eh, don't you know about the three-way stalemate?(2) Orochimaru has the snake and Tsunade has the slug~♪
Huh? "Be careful not to lose your balance and fall into the pond?"
Don't look down on me, I'm a ninja! Our main selling point is our agility...♪
However, just in case... It would be bad if I got injured, or got wet and caught a cold before Scroll of the Elements.
I will disembark from the statue. Farewell, Frog-san~♪
Hup–! Once again, good morning! Anzu-dono, thank you for your hard work~♪
Hm? What’s wrong? Why are you moving so strangely? Ooh, wait, are you hand-signing a jutsu?(3)
What? “Let me hug you...?” W-Why? Have you caught on to Taichou-dono’s hugging habit, Anzu-dono?
G-Gh–!? Hey, don't forcibly hug me! It hurts!
Hmm. Anzu-dono, your parents and younger brother will be away this weekend, so you’re feeling lonely, huh...
You’ve been busy with work lately, so you don’t have much contact with your family...?
I’m sorry to hear that…
Anzu-dono is a producer, so you must be much busier than me.
And although spending time with family is important, you can't neglect your work... I can guess that’s frustrating for you.
I understand; for me, in the past… until I entered Yumenosaki Academy, I pretty much stayed home all the time.
Lately, I've been going outdoors more often, which makes my family lonely.
So every time I go home, my parents come running towards me, saying “Shinobu~! Shinobu~!” ♪
Since I was a child, I’ve always been the odd-one-out who loved ninjas...
I’d always act and talk like a ninja, too. It worried my parents, as I didn't have any friends for a long time either.
I know they can't help but be overprotective, but it’s frustrating being treated as a child who can't do anything.
I’m already a teenager by now.
Anzu-dono. I'm glad you're kind to me, but I'm not a stuffed animal.
And I’m not your little brother either, you know…?
Ohh, that’s Sengoku’s voice! I see that Anzu’s here too! The two of you are here so early! Wonderful, I can tell you’re both motivated☆
I also arrived early, and have been making the rounds to greet people while checking the souvenir shops!
I'm sure you know this, but this tourist spot is also the holy land for tokusatsu(4)...☆
You see, I spotted a Shocker Combatman over there just a minute ago! I got his autograph! Ahh, I'm so happy!
My dream has come true~ This will become a family heirloom! Fuhahaha…☆
………
………
…— Sorry! My timing is always, always awful—!
Anzu and Sengoku, embracing each other like that… S- So it’s that kind of relationship, huh? I’m sorry, I don’t want to disturb you! I’ll take my leave!
N-No? Taichou-dono, you’re misunderstanding the situation—!
It’s alright. I understand.
To me, I believe that an idol and a producer together is a thorny road, and as captain, I don’t think I should overlook this love affair, but—!
No one can ever stop love!
I give you my blessings! That’s all I can say! I’m rooting for you! Goodbye!
I told you already, you have it wrong, Taichou-dono?! Don’t run off with the wrong idea in your head—! Every once in a while, I’d like you to listen to what people have to say!
………
………
(T-This is so awkward…! Why am I the first one from RYUSEITAI to get here? Aren’t Sengoku-kun and Morisawa-senpai always the ones to get here first…?)
(I thought I’d get lost wandering around an unfamiliar place, so I got here early, but…)
(It's just the two of us here — Me, and the scary vice president from AKATSUKI…)
(Ahh, I'm so depressed, I want to die... I feel like my own lack of communication skills are to blame...)
(I can’t just run off somewhere… But I don't know what to say to someone I don't know well, either...)
(S-Someone hurry up and get here...! It’s getting hard to breathe...!)
You. Are you alright? Your complexion doesn’t look good. Are you feeling unwell?
Fweh…? Oh, me…? I’m fine, er, probably…?
Probably? Good grief. If you get anxious now, you'll only wear yourself out. Although, it's not good to be too relaxed, either.
...I think the others will be arriving soon, so just wait a little longer.
Ah, sure… I’m sorry…?
Why are you apologizing? We may be upperclassmen and underclassmen, but we’re about the same age in the end, and we’re performing a joint live together, so...
I’m not saying you should act overly familiar with me, but you don’t have to feel sorry like that...
Ah, okay… I’m so sorry…
I just said you don’t need to apologize, though… You. Let me see that bag for a bit.
Fweh…? Eh? What do you mean…? I-Is it a violation of the school rules in some way?
No. Show me the plush hanging off of it. This is Hanzoumon, isn’t it?
Ah, yeah… While I was on the way to our meeting spot, I saw it was on sale, so I bought it without thinking. Our eyes kinda met, y’know…♪
Is that so? Forgive me, but let me have a good look.
Right now, I’m putting together different key points that I couldn’t fit in the pamphlet.
I’m thinking of making flyers of that information, and handing copies of it out for free, but...
Rather than just listing it out, I figured it would be easier to read it in manga form where Hanzoumon explains the information.
Considering that a lot of families with children come to this tourist spot.
However, I only have a faint recollection of its design, so I want to draw it while looking at the real thing.
Ahh, I was wondering what you were drawing a moment ago... Er, I'll put the Hanzomon plush here, if that’s fine...?
That’s helpful. Thank you.
………
What? Why are you staring? I assure you, I’ve been given permission to use Hanzoumon’s design. Once I finish the flyer, I’ll check again.
No, it’s just… You’re really good at drawing, aren’t you…?
It’s the work of an amateur(5). I don’t have any art supplies right now, so I have no choice but to draw in an app on my tablet. I’m not accustomed to it, so the lines are shaky…
Ghh… if only I’d practiced a little more on digital…
It’s kinda unexpected. I always thought Vice President-san was a serious honor student…
There is no law that says honor students can’t draw. You. It seems like you like yuru-characters, hm?
How about I draw something for you? I’d like a good warm-up to get my fingers used to digital art.
Ah, then… Hikonyan…♪
That Akazonae(6) character? I only have a faint memory of that one too… Isn’t it the one that looks like mochi?
Ah— I have a key strap…
My parents travel all around the country to buy vegetables, so I always ask them to buy me a yuru-character souvenir from wherever they go~♪
Midori-ku~n! Mornin’! ☆
Woah—! Y-You startled me. Morning, Tetora-kun…?
Yo! You looked like you were having fun talking about somethin’. Did I interrupt you guys?
No, no… It’s a relief you came, Tetora-kun. I don’t know how to talk to someone older than me…
Really? Aren’t you always bantering with Taichou? You aren’t together today?
At times like this, I feel like Taichou always goes to pick you up or somethin’, Midori-kun ♪
No… Morisawa-senpai has been somehow getting closer and closer with my parents…
I felt like it’ll get out of hand if it continues any further, so I’ve been telling him lately, “Don’t come to my house”...
I don’t want that guy to disturb even the peace of my own home…
Ahaha, it's a luxury to get to worry about that kind of thing, Midori-kun. Personally, even if I ask Taishou, he doesn’t come to my house, so I‘m the one who goes to his, even if he never asked.
We came together today, too~♪
Don’t come to my place too much, Tetsu... My neighborhood isn’t that safe.
We do wanna move, though… I worry about my sister too, so I drop her off every morning and pick her up later.
Good morning, Kiryu. It feels like it's been a while. Are you in top shape?
Who do you think you’re talking to? C’mon, that’s my line…
I'm sure it'll be fine since it’s you, but if you end up lookin’ pathetic, I'll knock you off stage.
Heh. Rest assured, today I’m—... no. AKATSUKI is in top shape as always.
However, that Kanzaki… even though I went to the trouble of appointing him as the representative of AKATSUKI...
In the end, Kiryu and I got paired to play the lead roles for the AKATSUKI side of the performance, so I did encounter some difficulties.
In fact, the two of us had a lot more stage blocking than usual, so I had trouble learning the routine.
At this rate, it seems like there was no point in leaving everything to Kanzaki.
I was hoping that he would take on becoming the center of AKATSUKI, but...
Kanzaki is pretty subservient, it seems. If anything, he tries to bolster us up so much that it puts himself down in the process. It’s troubling.
Even though he's a kid who can do it if he tries…
Haha. That just means he holds us in high regard and treats us with respect. Isn’t that a blessing? Well, that also means we can’t ever perform poorly.
That’s true… Anyhow, so Kanzaki still hasn’t shown his face yet?
He's very precise with his time, and always arrives at the scene before anyone else, but…
I don’t see him anywhere. I’m worried… Did any of you see him on your way here?
No, I haven’t. I did pass by Taichou, Sengoku-kun and Anzu-anego, though.
When I called out to them, they said they’d meet up with us later, so I'm sure they’ll show up soon.
What about Shinkai-senpai…? That guy’s pretty loose with time, so I'm worried that he might be late...?
If anything, I think he’s the one that needs escorting from Morisawa-senpai…
Those two seem to be close friends, but… there’s something about that that they’re distant about. Like, doesn’t it feel like they’ve drawn a certain line between each other…?
Maybe it’s ‘cause there’s a different sense of distance when it comes to someone your age, and someone who’s your junior?
Same for you Midori-kun, wouldn't it be uncomfortable if I picked you up every morning? Like, “we’re peers, so don't act like a guardian~”, or something?
Not really, I wouldn’t mind if it were you, Tetora-kun... Unlike Morisawa-senpai, you don't push my personal boundaries or anything...
Yeah, that’s my point exactly; that’s the different sense of distance you get from someone of the same age, yeah?
That's an interesting conversation, but it's time for all of us to start heading to the stage. Otherwise, our progress will be hindered.
We’ll try to contact Kanzaki, so you all, check on the status of the other RYUSEITAI members.
Ahh, roger that! Midori-kun, do you know Shinkai-senpai’s phone number?
Yeah, I know it… I picked out a cute smartphone for Shinkai-senpai's birthday...
I was the only one who forgot about his birthday and didn’t prepare a present for him in time(7), so I got it for him to make up for my mistake...
Just a sec, I’ll give him a call…
… Ah. Hello…? Shinkai-senpai…?
Ye~s, hellooo~♪
— Huh? That voice is surprisingly close?!
Oi. In that river over there… isn’t that Shinkai?
Puka, puka…~♪
Uwaa— What are you doing, Shinkai-senpai?! We’re not at school right now, so please don’t do anything so weird~!
They’ll call the police on you!
Ahaha. My, my, “Tetora”... you say things like “Chiaki”, don’t you?
I think that's a completely proper comment to make.
Shinkai, if you misbehave, you’ll only give trouble to your unit, even your juniors. Get a hold of yourself, you’re incorrigible.
Aren’t you bossy~ When my skin gets “dry”, it gets suffocating for me.
Also, “Froggy” was here, so I thought I’d give Shinobu a “present”~♪
That kid loves “froggies”, so… hop, hop…~♪
When it was my birthday, everyone “celebrated” with me, yes? I want to "return the favor".
And so, I’m “fully motivated” for Scroll of the Elements, as well...～♪
Hmph. Good to know, then. — Wait, no, it’s not. Get out of the river at once. It may still be early in the morning, but more tourists are arrriving…
Don't expose the school's shame to the public too much, “Three Eccentrics”.
I won’t listen to the “things you say”. Never again…(8)
But I “didn’t mean” to cause “trouble” for the “children” of “RYUSEITAI”.
So, well... Just this time, I’ll do “as you say” ♪
That’ll save us trouble. Does anyone have a towel or something to wipe Shinkai off?
Ah, I’ll do it! It's already autumn, Shinkai-senpai! You're gonna catch a cold~!
Hehe, I’m not that “fragile”, you know~♪
But, well, it’s a “good thing” to have someone be “worried” for you, yes?
I feel kind of “warm”, so I'm sure I won't catch a “cold"...♪
TL NOTES
[1] Ogata Shuma Hiroyuki, or Jiraiya (lit. "Young Thunder") is the protagonist of the Japanese folk tale The Tale of Gallant Jiraiya. He's heavily associated with toads, and is often depicted riding a giant toad. Read more here.
[2] In the same folktale, Tsunade is a young maiden who learns slug magic. Orochimaru is a robber who posesses snake magic. The relationship between Jiraiya (toad), Tsunade (slug) and Orochimaru (snake) is like rock-paper-scissors. Snake fears slug, slug fears toad, toad fears snake. Read more here
[3] 術 (jutsu, lit. technique ). By hand-signing a jutsu, you're manipulating your chakra to perform the ninja technique (in Naruto, anyways).
[4] From 特殊撮影技術 (lit. special effects technology), 特撮 (tokusatsu) refers to live-action films or TV-shows that use heavy special effects (SFX). One well known SFX tactic is the use of miniature sets or scale models. Subgenres of tokusatsu include kaiju (i.e., Godzilla), superheroes (i.e., Kamen Rider or Power Rangers), and mecha. It's kind of Chiaki's whole life. Read more here
[5] Read more about Keito's secret life as the mangaka Mizuhanome-sensei here.
[6] 赤備え (Akazonae lit. red arms ) is a military organization from the Sengoku period to the Edo period. As their name suggests, they were known for their use of bright red in all of their arms, which highly stood out in the battlefield. Read more here. Also, look up Hikonyan, it is very precious.
[7] From Kanata's birthday story with Midori (!-Era). In general, everyone's mentioning his birthday because it's in late August, and Scroll of the Elements takes place in autumn.
[8] Hm, I'm sure this won't come back in three years, when Meteor Impact is written. During Keito's villain monologue, it's revealed what Kanata means by this.