Taking Hold of a New Wind

Original Release on May 25, 2026

Characters

Era

ES Year 2, second year of establishment

Translation

citrinesea

Proofreading

Chapter 1

Season: Summer

I’m home~ … Huh? It looks like Hasumi-san and Kiryu-san aren’t back yet~?

If I recall correctly… Hasumi-dono is at a preparatory meeting and Kiryu-dono said he was going to join Nagumo for a work-out.

Ahh~ Now that you mention it, I feel like I remember that too~ Guess it totally slipped my mind while I was streaming~

… Ibuki. Put your shoes together properly when you take them off. Having them face opposite directions... and one of them is flipped over— how completely unsightly.

Huh~? That’s way too fussy of you, Kanzaki-san~ I wish you’d praise me for taking my shoes off in the first place~

Hmm. Come to think of it, people do wear their shoes inside in "Amerika".1

And a lotta houses don’t have entryways where you take your shoes off to begin with.

Thanks to life in Seisoukan, I feel like I’ve gotten a lot of practice, though.

Hmm. … Well, I certainly was perplexed the first time I was told I wasn’t allowed to don my blade.

Just because you understand something rationally does not mean you can break a habit overnight…

That’s ri~ght. I’m glad you get that~♪

Weeell, I’ll make sure remember that the next time I take my shoes off~

Mhm, that is a good answer. See to it that you keep to your word.

Anyways, all I did was stream today and I’m beat~ Just keeping it to small talk is boring, so next stream, I wanna do something more active like dancing~

But you learned something from it, did you not? In the case of “raibu”, there are times where banter and idle chatter are part of the performance.

Mn~ I get what you’re saying, but~

Well, whatever. Hu~up!

(A deep, contented sigh) Ahh, nothing beats a plush, fluffy bed, huh~♪

Ibuki. Don’t flop onto the bed with such force. Dust is flying up from the impact…!

We’re not at work right now, so couldja not be so strict~?

Honestly, you’re just too sloppy, Ibuki.

I am not saying you should be as methodical as Hasumi-dono, but you must be precise in order to embody harmony.2 Try being a little more conscientious at the very least.

You guys sure are havin' a good time, huh? I could hear you from out in the hall, y’know.

Oh, Kiryu-san. Welcome back~

Yo. Anyways, I heard someone say somethin' about bein' "sloppy" or whatever. What's goin' on?

For me to have raised my voice like that…! I am an utter embarrassment.

He was teaching me a lil’ somethin’ about etiquette~ That said, it looks like I got a long way to go before he gives me a passing grade, though~

Haha, it’s ‘cuz Kanzaki's a real strict guy. Welp, good luck to ya.

Now if ya don't mind me, I’m gonna grab a lil' rest… Hup.

K–Kiryu-dono!?

Ahh~ No good. This bed is so stupid-comfy, I could knock out the second my back hits the sheets.

I just had a big meal too, but I might just fall asleep here and now.

Nyahaha ♪ It looks like the bed's holding Kiryu-san totally prisoner~♪

(— I never could have thought that Kiryu-dono would just flop into bed like Ibuki does…!)

(Mn~nn. It would be insincere of me to say nothing to Kiryu-dono when I was just lecturing Ibuki for the same thing. Still, is it truly appropriate for me to raise the matter to my dear senior whom I respect?)

(At times like this, if Hasumi-dono were here…–)

(No, I was the one who said something to begin with. I’ve decided— I shall chastise Kiryu-dono…)

Hey, Kanzaki. Don’t be so stiff over there, come on over and relax a little, yeah?

(He beat me to it!? … No, calm down. What exactly am I fighting against here?)

You’re startin’ up your solo live practices pretty soon, arentcha.

Mhm. I have a preparatory meeting tomorrow with Anzu-dono, and then I intend to attend practice, but…

Now, if that’s the case, isn’t it better if you rest up too?

Take after me and lounge around, Souma-san~

R–Right…

(Kgh, I lost my chance to lecture him.)

(It happened again this time. As always, Ibuki does something I never could have expected.)

(I could hardly believe my eyes when he inhaled an entire "pi-za" this morning, and on top of that, he helped himself to seconds.)

(... That said, it doesn’t feel so bad learning things through Ibuki.)

The next day. The producer’s room.

— And that’s what happened.

Hm? You’re glad that Ibuki and I have been able to acclimate to each other?

So you’ve been worrying for our sakes, Anzu-dono. You have my gratitude ♪

Oop! We got carried away in coversation, but you are very busy yourself too, Anzu-dono, Let us get to the main topic quickly.

Mhm. About the “soro raibu” livestream.

As I said back when we first began discussion... I want everyone who supports me to feel that I have grown.

Grown into something that can offer far more splendid things than when I first took the stage…

I want my “raibu” to convey to everyone that I want to continue being an “aidoru” that lives up to their expectations.

Heheh, if I have your help Anzu-dono, I shall have a strength of a hundred men!

The new song should be coming-in-soon, so all that’s left is deciding what “de-za-in” my outfit will have? Would you wait until our next meeting before we discuss more?

This outfit is very important, so I want to take time thinking it over.

Yes. I shall try to come up with great ideas for the next preparatory meeting, so please look forward to it!

Chapter 2

Nearly an hour later. The bathhouse inside the MEGASPHERE.

(Hmm. I spoke to Anzu-dono about it, but… what kind of outfit would be good for expressing the form of ‘growth’?)

(Growth is not something you can visually see, so what does growing entail, I wonder… I still need to give it a bit more thought.)

(Hm? Those voices… are Isara-dono and… Ibuki?)

(Me? Being compared to Hasumi-dono? That is quite presumptuous…)

(Well, no, it isn’t such a bad feeling… ♪)

Hold on a sec… Ah, there he goes. Well, it’s not something I’m gonna force on someone. It’s fine as long as he doesn’t catch a cold.

Hmm. I believe I’ve heard that the culture of taking long baths is not widespread in "Amerika".

Yeah, I’ve heard that they usually just take showers. So maybe that custom rubbed off on Taki too.

Hm? You were here, Kanzaki!? You slipped into conversation so casually, I didn’t notice for a second there.

Forgive me, I couldn't quite find the gap in conversation to call out to you both.

That aside, when did you become such good friends with Ibuki?

I wouldn’t call it being “good friends,” but we’ve run into each other here or there in the baths. I feel like we just get to talking from there.

Well, he’s never in here for long, though. It’s always a pretty quick conversation.

… Oh yeah. We were actually talking about you, Kanzaki. Like how you're serious and a big nag.

Kh… Ibuki…

Don’t get mad. I didn't finish. Sure, he called you a nag, but he told me that you teach him all kinds of stuff he doesn’t know. And he said you were a senior who’s able to admit when he doesn’t know something.

…

(I can’t say that having Ibuki around every day isn’t discordant. There have been very few occasions I’ve felt we have aligned with each other. But…)

(The truth is, when I interact with Ibuki, my knowledge expands. I’ve come to learn so much about American culture and Okinawan culture, things I didn’t know up until now.)

(Most importantly, I’ve lost that conceit of thinking I know everything.)

(Whether or not I accept those beliefs and cultural norms is a different matter, but I can understand those perspectives exist.)

(Hmm. That sort of thinking might be the growth I was looking for. If I can just reflect that in my outfit…)

A few days later.

Sorry to keep you waiting, Ibuki. I do not make this kind of cuisine often, so I ended up struggling with the seasoning.

I don’t mind at all~

But what's the occasion? I know you can make some pretty mean seafood dishes, but I didn’t think you’d make me some pizza~

Hmhmm ♪ This is no ordinary seafood "pi-za". This is a Japanese-style seafood "pi-za", with soy sauce and dashi broth3 mixed into the dough.

Oh, no wonder, I thought I smelled something real savory~

That is right. Go on now, eat it while it’s still hot.

Well then, thank you for the me~al. (Nom nom)... ♪

Nyahaha~ This is super-duper delicious, you couldn’t get these flavors in America, that's for sure~! Pleaaase tell me you got some seconds lined up for me~

Indeed. It seems making a larger portion was the right call.

Yippee! I’ll accept it all gratefully~ When you called me so suddenly, I tried to think of what it could be about, but this is definitely a huge welcome~

What a fine appetite you have, mm? You being so delighted to receive it is what makes the effort put in cooking it worthwhile to me.

Come to think of it, why’d you make me some pizza anyway~? It doesn’t seem like any kind of day to celebrate.

I’m not familiar with the custom of eating "pi-za" in the morning, but I've come to know that we both share the joy of watching someone eat something that we made like it was delicious.

It may be better to call this an expression of gratitude, for making me realize the things the old me would have overlooked.

I feel that that is one aspect of growth for me, and I felt I wanted to show everyone that through my “soro raibu”.

It’s difficult expressing changes that the eye cannot see, though. So I enlisted the help of Anzu-dono.

Heheh, she’s come up with a few ideas already.

That’s Anzu-neenee for you, huh~ I’m starting to wonder what kinda live it’s gonna be like~

Ah, yes. It might be better to hear your thoughts on it before the actual show.

(And by doing so, I shall weave the old me with the me of now and show everyone the form of my growth…♪)

Translation Notes

↑ In Japanese, words from other languages (such as English) are typically rendered in katakana. However, when Souma uses katakana words, they are all written in hiragana instead, likely to emphasize how he struggles with foreign words. These words are kept as written in hiragana, and put in "quotes".
↑ 和 (wa) refers to a foundational cultural value in Japan that emphasizes social harmony through maintaining peaceful relationships within a group. 和 encourages compromise, consensus, and the avoidance of open conflict. Generally, it can refer to "Japanese-ness", and is used in words like 和風 (wafu, Japanese style). Having Ibuki conform to 和 (wa) has problematic implications, paralleling the real-world expectations placed on Ryukyuans to abide and conform to Japanese 和 (wa) during the Ryukyu Disposition (1872-1879 onwards). Read more about those problematic implications here.
↑ Dashi broth is a seaweed-based stock.