V2C3 Part8

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“Have you gotten all the ingredients yet, Hasshi?”

“Not yet! Kakihara-san is buying more as we speak!”\n “Kyouya-kun, I think we’re missing a table cloth~”

“Go and ask Hiyama-san! Ah—Nanako, you’re doing it wrong put it on the shelves instead of the table!”

“Eh, but I was just told it was the other way around.”\n “Seriously!? Isn’t there miscommunication here? Kiryu-san!”

“Yessir!”

“This goes on the shelf right?”\n “My bad! It’s a mistake on my part. The Tab--“\n “It’s fine to put it on the table! Ah, Keiko-san good morning!”\n “Morning~ Do you want me to change clothes for now?”

“Please do, we’ll be doing a practice run after- Wait a minute Keiko-san! Don’t start changing your clothes here! There’s a changing room over there!”\n “Haha, Nobody’d want to look at auntie’s body ‘ere anyway. I’m just kidding ok ~~”

“It’s not a laughing matter! Kiryu-san stopped working and is staring over here! And speaking of him, Kiryu-san please bring that over faster! Ah Shinoaki, that pitcher is for kitchen use there’s a separate one for the guests, pass that message to Nanako for me. Oh Kakihara-san welcome ba—….you brought the wrong ingredients! That’s not honey that’s vanilla extract! Aah Hiyama-san, Shinoaki put tablecloth on the shelf earlier , I mean a jug, I mean- Uwaaaaaaahggg”\n 

The turbulent week passed by and we somehow managed to finish all the preparations just in time. 

“Good job everyone! Thanks to all of you it shaped up to be a pretty good looking shop”

With the preparations nearing completion, Kiryu-san voiced out his joy at the completely exhausted crew.\n “Kiryu-san”\n Hiyama-san’s cold voice flies through the air.\n “Shut up ok?”

“Y-yes ma’am….”\n Kiryu’s body shriveled up\n “Kyouya-kun, Shinoaki-chan, and Nanako-chan good work~. How bout going out to eat with auntie ‘ere~”\n Keiko-san talked to us in a show of concern.\n “Ah then I’ll take you up on the offer. I want to talk with you Keiko-san.”\n Shinoaki seemed raring to go.\n “I will have to pass on that. I’m a bit tired so I think I will be taking a break…”\n Nanako looked like she’s nearing her limits.\n “Then I’m going to take Nanako home now, Keiko-san sorry but please take care of Shinoaki for me.”\n “ ‘Course I will”\n “Take care of Nanako-chan Kyouya-kun~”\n Parting ways at the classroom, the two of us headed home. This time, the preparations for the club are completed. The only thing left now is the actual performance at the school festival.\n \n 

November is cold as expected.

The students around me hunched forward as they walk to fight the freezing temperature. Since it’s in the middle of the changing of seasons, others were wearing light clothes and some were wearing thick ones. Fortunately for her, Nanako was wearing heavy clothing, meanwhile I wore fairly thin ones and I’m feeling chilly.

“Time flies fast doesn’t it? The temperature’s starting to feel wintery already.”\n Nanako is walking on ahead of me. It looks like she’s feeling cold with her shoulders hugging

inwards. Maybe she’s sensitive to the cold but even with such a warm looking jacket she’s still shivering.

“Yeah. It went by in a flash.”

My body slightly quivered at the temperature as I replied to Nanako.\n Without experiencing much of fall, winter came straight away. When I get home I’ll take the cold weather seriously into account.\n “Preparing a shop from zero is pretty tiring. Working at a convenience store is better because everything’s already there from the start.” 

 She’s might have been overworked too hard her neck makes a cracking sound as she turns her head side to side.

“I’m sorry about this. Even when you’re working hard practicing I still asked you to do this kind of thing.”\n “And you should be sorry! Why the heck am I a maid! —is what I wonder from time to time.” 

--Nanako answered back with a wry smile.\n “But to be honest it’s a nice refreshing change of pace. The costume is cute too.”

I’m going to show her the abundance pictures I took with the digicam we used back in the project for the first half.

Nanako, I’m sure that in ten years’ time you’ll be a mainstay in Instagram.

“Just as with that incident from the other day.”

She looks up at the pitch-black sky.\n “I keep saying irresponsible things like pouring my whole life into acting. Just because I was praised a bit I got carried away.”\n *Haaa--*She takes a deep breath\n “Then I was pushed down from my high horse, even my singing was bombarded relentlessly. And yet somehow I was encouraged to start taking lessons……”\n *Hahah*

She laughs softly

“Then after that I was turned into a maid.  I’m honestly not sure where I’m headed next”\n “I’m really sorry.”\n “It’s fine. I don’t have a problem with it but…..”\n Nanako cut off her words.\n “Rather at this point in time it’s actually harder for me to run away from singing…..if you get what I mean.”\n  “………”\n Genuine fear is hidden behind her words.\n Right now she was striving for something that she can’t shrug off with excuses.\n “Kyouya hear me out….”\n Her uneasiness is apparent on her face.\n “If I keep practicing like this….will I really be able to sing properly?”\n “What are you getting at?”\n “Ah, what I mean to say is…My instructor teaches me extremely well, although I may whine a lot I still think I have to try my best.”\n So she’s not worried about the practice itself. \n “But you know, even if I do try my best what comes after then? If you ask me whether I have goals or not I just don’t know.”\n “Goals?”\n “I have no such thing. I won’t be entering contests nor do I have any plans to sing in front of others.”\n Nanako stopped walking and looked back at me.\n “Is it really ok for me to continue on like this?”

Nanako is struggling against a destination yet unseen. In the past she would resign herself to the fact that she’s tone-deaf and be done with it. She’s given up on that and she’s now shaken off those thoughts. However, she doesn’t have a guarantee whether it would or even know what comes next after achieving it. It is exactly as she said, it isn’t easy to blindly reach out to a goal you don’t even have. In her case her tentative goal is “To be able to sing as much as I want” but even then a hard numerical value or a correct answer doesn’t exist for that. Standing up to such a vague and undefined thing drains a lot of energy.\n But I myself, I want Nanako to sing.\n “…..Of course you can.”

“Kyouya?”\n “Now that you’ve committed yourself to it facing it head on, I’m positive you can. Besides that, I was touched by only a fraction of your sincerity yet I was still deeply moved by it. I’m sure that if it’s the sincerity that comes from Nanako herself, you will one day be able to reach out and move the hearts of crowds upon crowds of people.”\n I have no proof of it. The only thing I can believe in is my own impression when I listened to her voice. But first things first, if Nanako doesn’t rise up to the task then her story ends here half-way unfinished.

“Kyouya can I ask…..? Why do you keep urging me on forward….?”\n She curiously inquires

“That’s because I’ve listened to Nanako’s singing. Getting to experience something that amazing, it’s bound to happen.”\n Shinoaki, Tsurayuki, and Kawasegawa are all cut from the same cloth.

I’m surrounded by loads of amazing people. Everyone is in anguish, each one of them is struggling to create amazing things. In order to make their dreams a reality, I’ll do everything in my power to help.It’s the reason I’m 10 years in the past, I’m sure of it.\n “Then can I also become one of Kyouya’s great achievements….yeah right.”*\n Nanako looks downwards in embarrassment.

“You already are Nanako”

“Kyouya…?”\n She faces upwards\n “That’s why if you ever lose your way then let us search for your goal together, I will help you with all that I can. Until you’re convinced…..I will absolutely find a way.”

I don’t know what in what way yet,though.

If Nanako says that she wants to sing, then I will set up the grandest stage and when that time comes, I will spare no expense at helping her.

“And for that end I will…….ah”\n I was about to say it but I couldn’t get the words out. Time stopped. I held my breath, my head’s gears started to run as I try to orient my bearings at what was happening in front of my eyes because….\n “……Thank you Kyouya”

A girl hugged me head on.

“Nanako…..?”\n It happened all at once, my arms were just dangling around so for the time being I decided to calm down her down by gently settling my arms on her back.\n “Though there’s nothing meaning I can do to repay you……I am grateful for all that you’ve done. ”\n Nanako’s whispered voice reaches my ears.\n It should have been drowned out due to the construction work in the school building right next to us with the sound of nails being driven into a signboard. On the contrary though it seemed to come from so far away.

“Thank you. I’ve never had a friend who would go so far for me.”

I could smell the sweet scent of perfume from her body. At close quarters, rather than just tickling my nose it had a hypnotizing effect rendering my brain functions useless. Her originally high-quality voice is amplified with the whisper causing my ears to overheat and malfunction.\n And then there’s ---\n (What’s this soft feeling…..”)\n There were 2 big mounds in front of Nanako.\n It’s exactly that, the same thing I saw when I entered the bathroom at the share house before.\n It’s cold today so the down jacket she was wearing reduced its effects. Despite that though, her jacket was zipped down, so the only thing separating me from her bare skin is a knit sweater and her innerwear(which is most likely her bra). I think commendations for me are in order for not losing my mind.\n The winter cold had long since blown away.\n (If we were home….this would have been case closed……..”)

We are outside right now, and it’s kept my sanity barely in check. I can say nothing more.

If this was inside the share house…and there was no else around.

Then the 28-year old geezer in my head would have reached the breaking point.\n “Uwaa!!”

The sweet and tender moment ended abruptly as Nanako let go.\n “So-sorry for that Kyouya, I just wanted to express my thanks…..I don’t know what came over me.”

Somewhat flustered, she waved her hands and was reflecting on her actions.

“Ah uhh so it was that! You know, that! It’s purely a sign of your thanks.”\n …..Is not what I thought.

“I mean—it’s just because of the school festival and it’s because we’re tired and overwhelmed so these kinds of things happen. S-so….for now!”\n Nanako turns a 180 from me.\n “L-let’s go home! Yup!”\n Her tiredness from before is nowhere to be seen and is moving her limbs with vigor.

“You’re right, let’s go back home.”\n I took the chance and didn’t touch on it further. It may really just be the excitement that’s associated with school festivals but I felt like I received a tremendous blessing.

At any rate, I’m just glad she’s cheered up so the results were favourable.\n (I’m glad I took part in the school festival………)_

And its curtains are about to be drawn.