The Legend of KAGETSU | No Sign of the Awaited's Arrival 2

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citrinesea

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Anonymous, citrinesea

Season

Spring, Summer

No Sign of the Awaited's Arrival 4

♪~♪~♪

Yup. That felt nice just now. There weren’t any mistakes from anyone~

Right? Let’s do it one more time while it’s still in our muscle memory.. Ahh, but it might be better if we break off by ourselves to practice...?

Oi, Danna. What should we do? Start from the top and go to the end one more time? Or should we just focus on the areas we’re not solid on yet?

…

Oi, ya listenin’? Hasumi?

– Huh? Ahh, yeah. What is it? Did you want something?

So you weren’t listenin’ to what we said.

Sorry, I spaced out a little.

Kiryu, what should we do? Start from the top and go to the end? Or split off and focus on the parts we’re having trouble with…?

That’s what I just asked ya, though. What on earth is goin’ on with you? All you’ve been doin’ lately is spacin’ off more and more as the days go on.

… No, sorry. I might just be tired from all the practice we’ve been doing every day. I’ll be more careful and try not to lose focus.

That’s not what I’m tryna say...

Anyways. Each of you, check the tricky parts one more time. In five minutes, we’ll come back together and do the whole thing one more time, start-to-finish.

Kiryu-dono.

Oh, what is it, Kanzaki?

What on earth is going on with Hasumi-dono? It’s as if he's there in body but not in spirit… It seems like something’s weighing on his mind…

So he looks that way to you too huh. Looks like I'm not just makin’ somethin’ out of nothin’ about it all, then.

… Besides, it’s not just Hasumi-dono who is acting weird.

Who else besides him?

That Taki. I mean, he has been acting more strange by the day as well. It seems like he’s been keeping his spirit and intensity bottled up.

That right? He doesn’t seem any less lively than usual just by looking at him, though.

No. He’s as lively as ever. I was worried that with the addition of Taki, we would get out of time with each other, lose step and lose precision, but…

It doesn’t look to be that way: we seem to be synchronizing just fine.

It isn’t like it was when we first started practices, where we were trying to wrangle a vagabond… it was like trying to catch the wind. Right now, it feels like there’s no sense of challenge—

…

… (Cough). I don’t mind if he's easier to deal with, though.

I see, huh. I wouldn’t say he’s quieter than usual, but maybe a lil’ more subdued?

Well, yes, put simply.

It feels a lil’ creepy. Lotsa things are going right, but there’s this weird disconnect everywhere.

Maybe I’d better give him a little prod, huh…?

Fade to Keito's temple.

… [Sitting in zazen]

(The phrase “taming the mind” truly does exist for a reason. I wanted to clear my head, so I came home for the first time in a while, and it seems like that was the right call.)

(It felt like all of my thoughts were in tangles. I feel much more calm now.)

(Although, just because I’ve composed myself doesn’t mean I’m not lost anymore.)

(It’s like I’ve been trapped in a bottomless swamp, unable to move.)

(I decided to bring Taki in as a guest on stage and everything is moving forward, but… is letting things stay as they are really okay...?)

(Taki isn’t the problem. If anything, I think he’s doing a great job.)

(Kanzaki and Kiryu too. They may have mixed feelings, but they haven’t let it show. They’ve really thrown themselves into rehearsal..)

(Thanks to that, I imagine the next performance will be a good one.)

( — A good live, fit for AKATSUKI.)

(So why on earth does it leave a bad taste in my mouth?)

(... No. I know the reason for it. I’m just pretending not to notice it.)

(I’m just not confident in my decision, that’s what it is. I'm afraid to admit that the choice I made might have been a mistake.)

(In other words… Was inviting Taki to be a guest with AKATSUKI truly the right call…?)

…

(But, that moment… Without a doubt, I felt like I saw a glimpse of light.)

(I don’t care if it’s just a hallucination or my own wild assumption. The feeling I felt then was real.)

(When I stood with Taki on the stage of 4piece—)

No Sign of the Awaited's Arrival 5

… Hold it, Taki!1

『♪ ! ♪! ♪!』

Look, look! That’s a shamisen over there, right? Jam sesh with me~♪

You…! Have you no consideration for where I stand…!

Fine. I’ll just play the shamisen, then…!

『♪~♪~♪!』

(No, no. That’s no good~ Hasumi-san.)

(... Hm? That Taki guy’s signalling something at me with his eyes… What is it?)

(This is a chance we can’t miss~, right~?)

(Think about it carefully~ We're the only ones here on stage. We're playing our favorite AKATSUKI song. People who love music are right in front of us.)

(Idols and examinations don't matter here~ There are musical performances that can show someone a good time, one that can be enjoyed with all your entirety even more. But right now, all we’re doing is playing the guitar and shamisen~)

(If it’s you, Hasumi-san, you’d get me~, right~? What we should do?)

(... Damn it. That’s what he meant.)

(Very well then, we’ve gone too far to go back. If this is how it is, I might as well be on board until the end…!)

『 ♪ ! ♪ ! ♪ !』

You meant like this, right, Taki!

Yeah, yeah! It’s gonna get more and more fun from here~ Keep up~ ‘kay~?

…–!

(He upped the tempo even more…!)

(Yet as soon as he did, it became a smooth, clear stream, before dropping down like a violent waterfall.)2

『♪~♪~...♪! ♪!』

『♪~♪~...♪! ♪!』

(Engulfed by the raging, rushing river of the sound.)

(What on earth is this… I see light surrounding us.)

( – This is fun.)

Ha, hahaha…

Nyahaha. That’s a real nice smile~, Hasumi-san. Fun, right~? It’s fun for me too~ This stage is so fun~ It’d be a waste to have such a grumpy look on your face, y’know~

Well, if you held back from acting off your impulses, I’d say the likelihood of a grumpy look on my face drops by 30%.

You got me there~ Nyahahaha☆

(... Hmph. Taki’s proclivity to do things as he pleases is unmanageable.)

(He just starts appealing without thinking… Doesn’t he get that there’s “music enthusiasts” of all kinds out there?)

(Still… This is the first time I’ve heard “A Thousand Blossoms, the Night of Crimson Moon” sound like this.)

(The AKATSUKI song catches onto Taki’s wind and soars into the sky… what is this…?)

『─♪!』

『─♪!』

… (Panting). Eh? Over already~...?

Ah~ I wanna perform for a whole other hour~! Hey~? Don’t you feel that way too, Hasumi-san?

…

Hm? What’s the matter~? You’re staring at your hand. Don’t tell me you got hurt?

… No, that’s not it.

(My hand’s shaking… From excitement.)

Taki. I…

Hasumi-san?

Fade back to the temple. The sound of a punch.

— Hasumi!

Uwahh!? What the—?

I’m not that sturdy, so don’t hit me like a temple bell…!

Those are some real powers of concentration, huh. That’s a son of the temple for ya, flawless Zen ‘n selflessness, huh. You didn’t respond no matter how many times I called out to ya, I even thought you were sleepin’ for a second there.

Why are you here, Kiryu…?

When I went by your dorm, they told me you went back home. I came after you.

I just wanted to sit zazen— No, hold it. Why did you stop by for me at the dorm?

Is that what you’re really gonna say…?

Things have gotten real weird lately. I mean, you've been completely spaced out the whole time.

It’s pretty much standard fare that the reason you worry yourself to death like that is something to do with AKATSUKI.

I dunno if you’re troubled about somethin’ or fightin’ with somethin’, but Kanzaki and I’ve picked up on it, whatever it is.

…

… You guys saw through me?

That’s right… It’s about AKATSUKI. If I couldn’t hide it, I suppose that means I have to tell you properly.

The truth is—

Ah~ Hold it, Danna. I came all the way out here to get ya to talk, but sorry, if it’s about AKATSUKI, I’ll listen to ya when Kanzaki’s here with us.

If we do this here ‘n leave Kanzaki out of it, he’s gonna get real disgusted with us. Real disgusted.

… Is that so?

No, you’re right. I realize how oblivious I’ve been to my surroundings…... Sorry.

Well, it’s fine. Honestly, I wasn’t sure whether or not I should prod you ‘til you opened up about what’s on your mind.

If AKATSUKI’s the thing you’re worried about, I don’t want you to take it on all by yerself

But I didn’t want to force ya to tell me anythin’ you didn’t wanna tell me. I think Kanzaki feels the same.

So, when the time’s right and you feel like you wanna talk, come and confide in us properly.

Forget me, Kanzaki’s a real sharp guy too. It’s a lot more constructive to leave it to us than worryin’ on yer own, right?

Well, up ‘til now, all I’ve ever done is leave everything up to you, so I guess it’s on me things got like this too.

That’s not it. This is just the way I am.

That right? What a coincidence, huh. That’s the way I am too.

But, I’ve decided to stop sittin’ on the fence and leavin’ everything up to you, Danna. So, hurry up and throw those worries you’ve been carryin’ all on your own onto us already.

…

(Sigh)... I’m utterly disgusted by how shallow my own thinking’s been. Honestly, how shameful.

No matter how many times I reflect, I keep making the same mistakes over and over... I’m not in the position to lecture others, being like this.

Hahaha. That’s fine. Just ‘cuz you’re an educator doesn’t mean you gotta be perfect.

Besides, everyone goes down the same path, doin’ the same thing over ‘n over again.

Makin’ mistakes again and again is how you get the ability to change lil’ by lil’, right? That’s how it is for me and the people around me, anyways.

They say a leopard can’t change its spots. Ya can’t change who ya are that much, and even if ya set yer mind on doin’ it, ya can’t get dramatic development like the hero from a manga or a movie can.

You’re right. I’ve always been aware of that, but figures, I’ll never become the protagonist of my own story.

What’s with that? Do ya prefer the superhero stories where they can do everything from the start? Well, guess that is a pretty standard ideal for men, though.

Well, I actually like the stories where the protagonist makes mistakes ‘n grows lil' by lil', too. There’s lots of that kinda thing in delinquent manga.

… I’m not a delinquent.

For sure. You’ve always been a serious honors student, Danna.

That’s why me ‘n Kanzaki are worried. You’re overthinkin’ more than ya should, aren’tcha?

That’s all I came by to say today. See ya.

…

(What am I really doing here? Making everyone worried, making them read too much into things. How shameful.)

(— I’ll steel myself too.)

(I don't know if I’ll be able to express myself properly, but I'll try and confront it head on. We should be close enough that I can manage to do that at the very least.)

(Tomorrow, we have practice arranged for the live. When it’s time and everyone’s gathered, I’ll tell them all how I really, truly feel.)

Hah. It's a serious opportunity to be able to practice at the actual venue… I feel miserably bad for putting a damper on it, but…

It's far better than continuing to shoulder this self-centered indecision and going out into the performance with it.

No Sign of the Awaited's Arrival 6

Season: Summer

— He’s late!

This is just like the scene from the other day.

.. No good. Tried callin’ his phone, but he’s not pickin’ up at all.

What on earth could be the matter. There’s absolutely no way he changed his mind and decided to skip out on us or something, right…?

At first I was angry and thought he was insolent, but once practice started, he seemed to be taking it seriously. I doubt he’d slack off now.

Oh?

Huh. At first I wasn’t sure how it’d go, but I’m glad to see some trust’s been growing.

… On second thought. Maybe he skipped out after all. That’s what that guy would do.

Heh. You don’t need to walk it back.

It really is like you said, Kanzaki. It's hard to imagine that now of all times, after throwing himself wholly and entirely into practices, Taki would just vanish for no reason.

So if that’s the case, the natural conclusion is that somethin’ must've come up that was absolutely unavoidable.

What business could possibly take more priority over “aidoru” work…?

Beats me. We’ll just have to ask Taki himself.

At the very least, let's try calling Taki one more time. We have to get a hold of him no matter what it takes.

Honestly… With things like this, I should’ve given him a full rundown on keeping people posted3, not just the five-minutes-early rule.

… (Calling Ibuki on his smartphone)

… No good. Figures, he’s not picking up—

! Taki! Where in the world are you, what are you doing? I thought I told you that today we were practicing on the ES live stage.

Where are you? Can you get over here right away?

Hah? What’s all this, all of a sudden? You were practicing so hard just a few days ago.

Wait, wait. Don’t just move the conversation on as you please. We have no clue what your situation is.

Before anything, we need to talk. If you can’t come here, we’ll come to you. Where are you right now?

… Don’t joke around. I’m being very serious. I’m prepared to face it head on. We will be having you at that stage too.

Hah…?

What!? How the hell did that happen, Taki! You were in the dorms just yesterday, weren’t you!?"

… He hung up.

Hasumi took the call on speaker, so we could hear the whole conversation with Taki, but… what the hell was that all about?

I’ve lost all patience for this! After all of this, how can he just say goodbye!?

We’ll leave for Okinawa at once, I won’t be satisfied until I hack off that half-willed attitude myself!

That’s right. I won’t be satisfied with just one lecture, either.

If we leave from here now… Hm, hmm— Alright.

Smartphones are always handy, huh. You can get the best solution right away. If we leave from here and get to the airport now, we catch the evening flight into Okinawa.

Let’s go. If he’s so sure we won’t come, let’s go surprise him. He can tell us himself why he thinks nothing can be done.

… Eh? Hold on a second…!?

Translation Notes

1. ↑ This original scene is in VS AUDIENCE Hundred 11, seen from a broad perspective.
2. ↑ Wordplay on Ibuki's last name, Taki (滝, waterfall)
3. ↑ 報連相 (horenso, lit. "reporting, contacting, consulting"), which is about keeping your supervisor informed and aware.