[ES!] First Dreams – Hurray for a Normal Day
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Mao and Midori relax for a day during the New Years break…
Story Release Date: December 30, 2018
Chapter 1
This story is translated by Peace. I am hosting the translation for them. For their translation terms, please read this.
Season: Winter
Location: Gymnasium
One day during New Years' vacation…
(Okay… Instead of throwing my arm, I’m supposed to try shooting by using my wrist and fingertips… like this?
Mm~… Like I thought, there's still something off about it…
Maybe being overly conscious made me use too much force, so for the next shot I won't think at all…
Here we go… Ahh, I was so focused on not thinking at all, I forgot the pointers I’m supposed to follow…)
He~ya ♪
Man, I thought I heard the bounce of a ball! This is pretty rare, Takamine, are you here by yourself?
Huh…?
Ahh, you surprised me, Isara-senpai… Um, hello, Happy New Year's…?
Right, Happy New Year's~♪
…………
… Hey, don’t just stop talking ‘cause you've done the bare minimum and said happy new years, c’mon.
Let's talk some more~, at least give me a "Take care of me in the new year as well" ♪
Um, right… Sorry, I'm terrible at talking…
Oh nah, you don't have to apologize for that kinda thing. Anyway, what're you doing here during winter break? The basketball club isn't practicing today, right?
Ahh yeah, I heard that… Morisawa-senpai said to take it easy going into the new year holidays, or something like that…
Yup, I heard that too. It's kinda surprising, but that guy knows how to separate work from playing around.
His own brakes are completely broken, but he gives everyone else a chance to take a break, yeah?
Yeah… He’s always prioritizing others over himself… But you’re also like that, Isara-senpai…
Ahaha. I sure am~, it's a real bad habit of mine. I mean, it’s the new year’s holiday and all, and I’m still going around helping my family day and night.
Lately, my little sis's become real spoiled somehow, so I'm always dragged around places to hang out with her every day.
Thanks to that, my wallet's as exhausted as I am… I’m mentally drained after engaging with my little sis’s friends… For some reason she kept introducing me to them as her “big brother”, so~
Ahaha… I don't really get it, but that sounds pretty tiring…
You start to really miss your family when you’re away from them, but being near them 24/7 starts to get annoying, too, doesn’t it…
I wish I could let the New Year pass like anyone else, but I got tired of my parents bossing me around about preparations and such--
So, after carrying over the vegetables to the school cafeteria like I always do, I came here to get a ball in my hands instead of going home…
Isara-senpai, did you come here for a breather, too…?
Yeah, I was seriously exhausted from how much I did during the SS…
I don’t feel burnt out or anything, but it was kinda mentally and physically draining to work like an idol.
Now that we'd reached our ultimate goal, the SS, we’ve gotta think about what to do next, but…
I can’t really do much about that without talking to the rest of Trickstar, soo…
I mean, there's no point in me just rushing ahead on my own… Or well, I wanna decide on what to do with everyone else, no matter what it is.
That said, since it's winter break, there's no Student Council work to do.
And since I'm seriously done with spending my free time helping my family, I just wanna use it on myself instead.
Sooo, I thought that playing a bit of basketball’d be the best way to do that.
Since I wasn’t in the mood to do anything productive, I figured I could kill my time with a hobby.
Ahaha… We're both here "just because," but I feel like your reason for being here's more respectable than mine…
Ah, right… I’m late in saying this, but congratulations on winning the SS…
I still don't totally understand what the SS is, but it sure was something else, right…?
Fuhaha, I accidentally made it sound like you gotta cough up a few praises… But I'm happy to hear it, thanks Takamine… Keep ‘em coming ♪
Sure…♪ If I remember hearing right, the SS is the biggest accomplishment for Yumenosaki Academy, or something…?
All of us in Ryuseitai came to back you up, and, well…
The moment Trickstar were announced as the winners, Morisawa-senpai let out a weird, seal-like noise…
A "seal"…? I see… It was all thanks to everyone helping us, so I’m seriously glad to hear that everyone cheered in joy.
Though personally speaking, it still doesn't feel real.
Fufu… You didn't get anything like a trophy or champion's belt for winning…?
Nope. We’re just winners in name; the SS is pretty much just bragging rights. Though we did get the usual pay and such for performing.
Other than that, there wasn't any proof it happened… To be honest, when I woke up the next morning, I seriously thought I'd dreamed the whole thing.
Well, when I went downstairs to eat breakfast, my family were all sat together with plenty of praise and my favorite foods, so there was no way I could believe it was a dream at that point.
My little sis even clung to me like no tomorrow, and just feeling another person's warmth--
I was so happy, I might've cried a bit… But keep that a secret from everyone else, alright?
Chapter 2
Sometime later…
Alright, here we go--
Woah--! Was the gym’s heater always this heavy? Man, you're not even breaking a sweat carrying this thing, huh?
Yo, you “kind and strong guy”~♪
Please don’t… Morisawa-senpai may say that to me often, but I don't really feel like it fits me…
I’m not kind or anything, though I do feel like I’ve gained some arm strength thanks to helping out my family’s grocery……
Actually, Isara-senpai, aren’t you usually carrying heavy things around…?
So if this feels too heavy for you to carry, then that must mean you’re still physically tired, doesn’t it…?
Ohhh, maybe? Guess I can’t really tell on my own, huh~?
Alright, here's good enough. I'm setting this side down now~, don't let your feet get caught.
Um, I'm not some stupid kid, y’know… One, two, three!
Alrighty, and now we've just gotta plug it in~.
We don't really use the kerosene types anymore, huh… I gotta say, it feels a little empty without that one-of-a-kind smell.
Yeah… It seems like they're doing repairs here and there, so there's a lot of things that're being replaced with newer models…
But you'd know more about that than I would since you're in the Student Council, wouldn't you…?
Mm. Yumenosaki Academy might be a traditional school with a rich history, but we still have to make adjustments for new facilities and the like whenever possible.
But the President and Vice-President have different opinions on the matter, so they've been butting heads, and I'm really stuck between a rock and a hard place…
Well, those two'll usually find some good ground to compromise on, so I thi~nk it'll balance itself out.
Huh… This may be rude of me, but… you don’t really act like a higher-up, so it feels refreshing to hear you talk about these things for once…
But you’re part of the Student Council, and you’re now being seen as the world's greatest idol thanks to winning the SS too…
So I guess you really are all the way above me, especially from my standpoint…
Ahaha. It's really not like that~, it's just that I'm surrounded by people on an entirely different level, so I’m getting the scraps of their accomplishments.
We’re the same kind of person, so… Don’t distance yourself from me, or I’ll feel lonely, y’know?
Huh… Ah, it's already getting warmer.
Haha. Let's rest a bit while we warm up.
I didn't plan to just play basketball the whole time, so I brought manga and some snacks too. You can have some if you'd like, Takamine.
Ah, I'd be happy to… I had lunch already, but exercising made me hungry again…
We're still growing, after all~. I mean, I’ve been craving food way more ever since I used up all my energy on the SS; I might end up getting fatter by the end of the holiday…
Here, have some candy. My sis gave them to me as a “bestowed reward” for doing as she says.
I'm tired of eating the same kinda stuff though, so you can eat ‘em all.
What kind of person is your little sister…
I thought she’d be the same sort of kind and friendly person you are, but she seems more like the bossy type…?
Ahaha. They say that if the first born's brought up as a good, serious kid, the younger'll be a spoiled, carefree one.
I get it, it's just like that for me too… I'm like this and all, but my older brother's pretty much a serious honor student…
I've had an inferiority complex over it ever since I was born…
Ah~, that's the same kinda thing my sis says.
Something like, “My big brother’s way too good, so people keep thinking I’m a way worse kid than I really am, it’s so annoying~” kind of thing.
But to a parent, a handful kid is more cute to them, ain’t it? Or so it seems to me.
…………
Huh? What's up, Takamine? What're you staring so hard at…?
That book you're holding, Isara-senpai, is it… manga? I’ve never seen something like it before, and it has English on the binding… is it foreign?
Ahh yeah, these are called American comics.1 It's pretty normal for them to print the whole thing in color, but it kinda feels like a picture book.
It seems like some of Ritsu's family run a vintage bookstore, so he bought a whole load of 'em on the cheap saying, and I quote, "Maa~kun, you like comics, don’t you?"
That guy's abroad for a family gathering right now… so he told me, "While I'm gone, think of these as me and let your heart be comforted."
Ahh… Morisawa-senpai's the same way, he pushed a huge load of Tokusatsu Blu-rays and their extra content stuff on me…
It kinda irritates me that he's prepared things for me to kill time with, and I hate how it feels like homework I have to turn in…
Ahaha. But doesn’t it make ya feel glad to know we’re being cared for?
I like manga and read 'em pretty often, but I’ve barely touched any of these types of comics, so this all feels new and interesting to me.
Oh yeah. The Captain comes by the gym pretty often when he doesn’t have any idol work to do, especially recently.
For some reason American comics are almost always about heroes, so I brought some with me, ‘cause I thought he’d be happy to read them.
That's just what I'd expect from you, Isara-senpai, you're someone who's always bringing things to talk about…
But even if they have heroes, Morisawa-senpai seems to prefer Japanese tokusatsu, so I’m not sure how he’d feel about American comics…?
Ahhh, that's true, now that you mention it…
I think in my case, it's the same because they're both superhero-based. But someone who's a serious fan of them might be pickier, won't they.
If someone said that all manga was the same to me, I'd get mad too.
So you can get mad too, just like any other human being…
You’re always like the ideal, since you’re so nice and friendly to everyone… It makes me feel like you’re the sorta person I can't get a good read on sometimes…
So even if it's a little strange to say, I'm pretty relieved to know that…♪
Huh, do I really sound that way? You gotta tell me if I do~, I can't really tell by myself…
I know I'm a people-pleaser, but hearing that I don't seem human feels pretty bad, y'know?
Ahh, no, I wasn't trying to criticize you or anything… I think it's amazing, since it’s impossible for me…
So I couldn’t really believe that you’re the same human being as me, I guess……
C’mon, I’m the same as you! I’m an ordinary high school student, a regular guy who likes manga and sweets.
Right… I don’t really feel like you’re ordinary, but I get what you’re trying to say…
Ohh… I was reading while we were talking, but American comics really are grotesque, or well, realistic in depictions, aren't they…
And yet there’s also stuff about "What is good, and what is evil?" "What is justice? Freedom? Love?" that feels so pretentious…
It's realistic, but it's also extremely philosophical…
Hm~. That's because their Christian teachings usually appear in the content they make, and they are the “country of freedom and justice”, after all.
They can’t not talk about those sorts of topics, since that’s what the country’s based on.
In fact, I think it’s just that Japanese heroes barely talk about justice and stuff.
Well, I only saw it sometimes when I was a kid, so I don’t really know how it’s like nowadays.
It’s still like that now, and I think I relate to that better…
It’s like, instead of it being all about justice, they just do it ‘cause it’s their job, or because they’ve got no choice now that they’re caught up in the mess…
Ahaha. That sounds exactly like you, Takamine; maybe you were born to be a modern-day hero ♪
Please don't, that sounds like something Morisawa-senpai would say… Though it’s kinda frustrating that I can’t really argue against it, either…
But I never really wanted to be an idol or a hero…
I didn't have an answer when people asked what my dreams for the future were, either; I was a pretty boring kid…
Actually, Isara-senpai, why did you decide to become an idol…?
Ahaha, actually, I was the same way. I just let myself go with the flow, since I didn't have any sort of admirable dream for the future.
But y’know, even I was able to find my own dream, and make it come true.
That's why you'll be just fine, Takamine. You don’t need to stress about finding that dream; as long as you look around you, you’ll find something that makes you think “Ah, so that’s what it is”.
Maybe that's just how dreams are.
I feel enlightened.
Stop, it's embarrassing if you take me too seriously. Sorry if I sounded arrogant, I guess I got a little carried away after winning the SS…
I’m getting too ahead of myself, when we’ve only just started with the main show--or rather, the battle.
Ahaha. But isn’t that fine for now…?
Once the New Year holidays are over, everyone in Trickstar will have to go wild with everything they've got again, right…?
So we should do whatever we like for our day off…♪
Yeah, let's do it. I'll just take it easy today, read plenty of manga and eat as much candy as I like~!
Today’s a day to reward myself! It’s fine if I do, yeah? I also need a day like this sometimes…♪
Translation Notes
- ↑ Mao's using the shortened form of it, amekomi.