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shivalriesSeason: Winter
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[Hallway]
(The next day, late at night)
Ritsu: (Hmm, I think I’ve got all the info together now.)
(Based on what Su~chan told us about his problem... I did some research and found out the details.)
(I also got info from Ma~kun about the student council~ It’s easy enough if you beg him a little. Well, in the end he still didn’t tell me all of it.)
(And I hate to admit it, but I can’t keep up appearances trying to ask Anija for something, so I just asked him honestly for some info too.)
(And then finally, it was an endless pain, but I managed to dig up Ecchan’s true intentions as well.)
(It took so much effort… Not only is Ecchan good with words, but sometimes his true feelings aren’t totally separate from his public face.)
(But I took care with my search on all fronts… I think I’ve analyzed this situation from top to bottom now.)
(It helps that people let their guard down around me because I usually act like I don’t care.♪)
(“It won’t affect anyone no matter what I say to this guy,” people think, and they tell me things as if they were complaining to their cat.)
(This is my secret ability. King Midas has a donkey’s ears~♪) [1]
(Fufu. It’s true that I don’t want to move if I don’t have to, though. I’m so tired now… But I also feel accomplished.)
(It feels like I’m really alive right now. Just like all the normal people… It almost feels like a waste to fall asleep now.)
(…Ahh, the moon’s out tonight.)
(I think it’s been a while since I’ve stayed up this long.)
(You’re alright with this, right, Moon? When I’m awake in the daytime, the sunlight tears me apart, but…)
(Nestled up close to everyone, sharing their warmth... I’m both protected and healed by it.)
(That’s the only reward I need. The lonely world of night is safe and peaceful, but it’s also empty.)
(I wonder – are you spending your days like this too, Oniichan?)
Tsumugi: Nnnuuwaaaahhh?!
Ritsu: …?!
(Huh? What was that? A baby being born? No, that was a scream! It sounded like something huge just fell apart!)
(What could it be? It seems fishy! I don’t wanna get involved, but that voice…)
(Mm~… Fine, I guess I’ll go take a look.)
[Library]
Ritsu: Hellooo~…?
Tsumugi: Uhyah? Ah, Ritsu-kun! Good evening~♪
Fufu. I heard you’re usually awake in the daytime these days, but I suppose today you’re pulling the rare all-nighter?
Ritsu: Uwah, there’s a ghost in here.
Tsumugi: I’m not a ghost, see~ But I’m sorry, it must be scary seeing my face all lit up with a flashlight.
But around this time, they turn off the electricity at school, so I can’t turn on the lights.
I think it’d be a waste if they had to supply power just for me to use the bright lights in here at night.
It’s just a little hard to see where I’m going because it’s so dark, so I’ve been falling down a lot.
Ritsu: Ah, that’s what that scream was earlier… You’re clumsy enough to trip when it’s bright, so you have to be extra careful in the darkness, Aoba Oniichan.
Tsumugi: Ah, you’re still calling me Oniichan, I see~♪
That makes me happy, but I’ve already reminded you many times that we’re the same age, you know?
Ritsu: No worries, it’s just a dig at Anija anyway…
It’s a strategy – I wanna make Anija upset by getting close to the few friends who haven’t changed their attitude toward him all this time.
Tsumugi: Ahaha. I don’t think that’ll shake Rei-kun, though.
Anyway Ritsu-kun, were you going to do something in the library this late at night?
Ritsu: Not really, I just heard a scream and came over to investigate.
Also, I just happened to overhear… Aoba Oniichan and the rest of Switch are trying to help out with our youngest child’s work.
I came over to find out how that happened, what you’re all planning to do, and all that good stuff.
Tsumugi: Youngest child? Ahh, you mean Suou-kun from Knights…
That’s right, our Sora-kun was the one who suggested it, but we want to help out as much as we can, too.
We’re still hammering out the details with Anzu-chan. So right now, I’m gathering materials for it~ That’s my job, after all.
It seems like we’ll have to deal with business and administration this time around, so it’s not something that can be wrapped up with a simple live show.
So I’m doing a comprehensive search right now.
I remember asking my mom a long time ago about her experiences, because she used to run a business.
Well, I know it failed in the end, but at least she understands the basics and makes a good negative example.
Ritsu: Oh… Hey, sorry for the trouble… Switch wasn’t really involved in the first place.
Tsumugi: It’s fine~ It was just the right timing for us, anyway. We were wondering what we should do next, but thanks to this, now we have a direction again.
Rather, I’m sorry we just stuck our noses in it. I hope it’s not too intrusive…
Ritsu: I don’t mind. Who knows what’ll happen, but… from what I’m hearing, it won’t end up being something too serious.
We can just sit back and watch as the youngest kids take the lead this time.
Don’t do anything unnecessary like when you were in fine, okay… Aoba Oniichan?
Tsumugi: Fufu. No need to worry~ Actually, lately I’ve started to forget what it was like to be in fine.
Of course, that reality will never disappear. But now, everything seems like just another memory tucked away in an album.
---
[1] King Midas is a character from Greek myth. In one tale, he was punished by the god Apollo and given donkey ears on his head. His barber was the only one who knew the truth, but in the end, even the barber could not keep the king's secret. I'm guessing Ritsu is making an allusion to the fact that he can get insider knowledge, much like the barber in this tale.
---
< A Gathering at the Round Table Chapter 3 || Masterlist || A Key to Strategy Chapter 2 >
---
[Hallway]
(The next day, late at night)
Ritsu: (Hmm, I think I’ve got all the info together now.)
(Based on what Su~chan told us about his problem... I did some research and found out the details.)
(I also got info from Ma~kun about the student council~ It’s easy enough if you beg him a little. Well, in the end he still didn’t tell me all of it.)
(And I hate to admit it, but I can’t keep up appearances trying to ask Anija for something, so I just asked him honestly for some info too.)
(And then finally, it was an endless pain, but I managed to dig up Ecchan’s true intentions as well.)
(It took so much effort… Not only is Ecchan good with words, but sometimes his true feelings aren’t totally separate from his public face.)
(But I took care with my search on all fronts… I think I’ve analyzed this situation from top to bottom now.)
(It helps that people let their guard down around me because I usually act like I don’t care.♪)
(“It won’t affect anyone no matter what I say to this guy,” people think, and they tell me things as if they were complaining to their cat.)
(This is my secret ability. King Midas has a donkey’s ears~♪) [1]
(Fufu. It’s true that I don’t want to move if I don’t have to, though. I’m so tired now… But I also feel accomplished.)
(It feels like I’m really alive right now. Just like all the normal people… It almost feels like a waste to fall asleep now.)
(…Ahh, the moon’s out tonight.)
(I think it’s been a while since I’ve stayed up this long.)
(You’re alright with this, right, Moon? When I’m awake in the daytime, the sunlight tears me apart, but…)
(Nestled up close to everyone, sharing their warmth... I’m both protected and healed by it.)
(That’s the only reward I need. The lonely world of night is safe and peaceful, but it’s also empty.)
(I wonder – are you spending your days like this too, Oniichan?)
Tsumugi: Nnnuuwaaaahhh?!
Ritsu: …?!
(Huh? What was that? A baby being born? No, that was a scream! It sounded like something huge just fell apart!)
(What could it be? It seems fishy! I don’t wanna get involved, but that voice…)
(Mm~… Fine, I guess I’ll go take a look.)
[Library]
Ritsu: Hellooo~…?
Tsumugi: Uhyah? Ah, Ritsu-kun! Good evening~♪
Fufu. I heard you’re usually awake in the daytime these days, but I suppose today you’re pulling the rare all-nighter?
Ritsu: Uwah, there’s a ghost in here.
Tsumugi: I’m not a ghost, see~ But I’m sorry, it must be scary seeing my face all lit up with a flashlight.
But around this time, they turn off the electricity at school, so I can’t turn on the lights.
I think it’d be a waste if they had to supply power just for me to use the bright lights in here at night.
It’s just a little hard to see where I’m going because it’s so dark, so I’ve been falling down a lot.
Ritsu: Ah, that’s what that scream was earlier… You’re clumsy enough to trip when it’s bright, so you have to be extra careful in the darkness, Aoba Oniichan.
Tsumugi: Ah, you’re still calling me Oniichan, I see~♪
That makes me happy, but I’ve already reminded you many times that we’re the same age, you know?
Ritsu: No worries, it’s just a dig at Anija anyway…
It’s a strategy – I wanna make Anija upset by getting close to the few friends who haven’t changed their attitude toward him all this time.
Tsumugi: Ahaha. I don’t think that’ll shake Rei-kun, though.
Anyway Ritsu-kun, were you going to do something in the library this late at night?
Ritsu: Not really, I just heard a scream and came over to investigate.
Also, I just happened to overhear… Aoba Oniichan and the rest of Switch are trying to help out with our youngest child’s work.
I came over to find out how that happened, what you’re all planning to do, and all that good stuff.
Tsumugi: Youngest child? Ahh, you mean Suou-kun from Knights…
That’s right, our Sora-kun was the one who suggested it, but we want to help out as much as we can, too.
We’re still hammering out the details with Anzu-chan. So right now, I’m gathering materials for it~ That’s my job, after all.
It seems like we’ll have to deal with business and administration this time around, so it’s not something that can be wrapped up with a simple live show.
So I’m doing a comprehensive search right now.
I remember asking my mom a long time ago about her experiences, because she used to run a business.
Well, I know it failed in the end, but at least she understands the basics and makes a good negative example.
Ritsu: Oh… Hey, sorry for the trouble… Switch wasn’t really involved in the first place.
Tsumugi: It’s fine~ It was just the right timing for us, anyway. We were wondering what we should do next, but thanks to this, now we have a direction again.
Rather, I’m sorry we just stuck our noses in it. I hope it’s not too intrusive…
Ritsu: I don’t mind. Who knows what’ll happen, but… from what I’m hearing, it won’t end up being something too serious.
We can just sit back and watch as the youngest kids take the lead this time.
Don’t do anything unnecessary like when you were in fine, okay… Aoba Oniichan?
Tsumugi: Fufu. No need to worry~ Actually, lately I’ve started to forget what it was like to be in fine.
Of course, that reality will never disappear. But now, everything seems like just another memory tucked away in an album.
---
[1] King Midas is a character from Greek myth. In one tale, he was punished by the god Apollo and given donkey ears on his head. His barber was the only one who knew the truth, but in the end, even the barber could not keep the king's secret. I'm guessing Ritsu is making an allusion to the fact that he can get insider knowledge, much like the barber in this tale.
---
< A Gathering at the Round Table Chapter 3 || Masterlist || A Key to Strategy Chapter 2 >
