[ES!!] me research

Kanata thought up places he’d like to have the photoshooting for the pamphlet. But when he notices it’s only things he likes, he tries to think about it from the opposite direction…

This story is connected to the card [singing with the fishes] Kanata Shinkai.

Story Release Date: June 25, 2022

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Chapter 1

Season: Winter

Location: Aoumi Aquarium

sweep, sweep… clean, clean…♪

Shinkai-dono! I’ve finished cleaning the floor of the exhibition area. Where shall I clean next?1

Shinkai-senpai, I’m done cleaning the stairs~♪ I’d like to know where to work on next, too!

both souma and tetora are such [hard-workers]~

thanks to the two of you helping me, i can save [personnel expenses] for other things. i really appreciate it…♪

This is nothing; we rushed to your aid out of a duty to repay you. Please continue to assign us with tasks, be it cleaning or other.

Yeah! You treated us to the tastiest fish ever, so please let us work for you lots!

The fish Shinkai-senpai brings over are always tasty, but the one you treated us to the other day was a whole other level~

fufu, seeing you two eat it happily made me happy, too.

i did not necessarily want [repayment] out of it, though. so i am sorry to make you both [help] me out so early in the day.

Nah, there’s nothin’ to be sorry for, it’s been pretty fun! The aquarium’s empty right now, so I get to take my time looking at all the fishes~♪

Indeed, please do call for us anytime. I assure you that I’ll be of use to you with all my experience at the Marine Life Club. ♪

how reliable~ okay then, i will take up you two’s offer sometime…♪

for today, there is only the [entrance] to [sweep] and [clean]…

but are you sure you have the time before work?

There are no problems on my side. I only have a practice session in the afternoon today.

Yeah, my job today starts in… Ah!

That reminded me; I had something I wanted to ask you, Shinkai-senpai!

…? something you wanted to ask me?

I happened to overhear talk of you doin’ a solo live, Senpai. But Midori-kun and Shinobu-kun didn’t know anything ‘bout it, so I was wondering if it’s really true.

[solo live]…?

ahh, you mean the feature live, yes?

Feature Live?

i only heard about it from anzu-san just recently, so i have not told anyone in ryuseitai yet.

but yes, it is true that i will appear in a feature live.

a feature live refers to a [mini live], where an [idol] performs [solo]…

and i heard that there will be photoshooting for a [pamphlet] related to the [live].

Ooh, a pamphlet! Have you decided what sorta photos you’ll take?

mm~ not yet. anzu-san told me that she will consider any [desires] i have regarding photos i want, or places i would like to go to.

personally, if i can [puka puka] in the [ocean], then i would like to go with that…♪

Ehh!? You can’t dip into the ocean in the middle of winter! Morisawa-senpai’ll scold you for soaking in water during this time of year y’know~?

Indeed! You’ll only catch a cold, so I would like you to refrain from doing so, as well!

…hrmph. then i would like the two of you to also think of a photo for me.

what would be a good photo for the [pamphlet]?

A photo of Shinkai-dono…? Mm~…

Uu~myu…

Ah! There was a show you participated in for your shuffle unit, Shinkai-senpai… What was it called again…?

do you mean [dj koten-kun]?2

Yeah, that! Your moments in that show left a striking impression on me.

‘Cuz like, I’m so used to how you perform in Ryuseitai, yeah? So your performance in your shuffle unit was super new and fresh~♪

Hm. I have yet to watch it, but I’m interested to see how different Shinkai-dono is in the show compared to his usual self…♪

That reminds me — During the time when Hasumi-dono participated in his shuffle unit, he gave a much different impression from how he performs in Akatsuki.

the one midori was [part] of, right? midori looked absolutely wonderful in a [tuxedo]…♪

Yeah, he looked really cool~ His expressions were like, the kind that could only exist by performing on a stage like that. My heart skipped a beat when I first saw it.

Hasumi-dono’s pure, kind smile filled with fondness was also something I don’t think I would be able to see on an Akatsuki stage.

I like the usual way I see my unit members, ‘cuz I’m so familiar with it, buuut…

Getting to see a whole different side to ‘em because they’re not performing in their unit is pretty nice too, isn’t it~

fufu, then the feature live will be the same, yes?

since i will not be performing on [stage] with everyone in my [unit], but [alone].

Ah, so we may be able to see a different side from Shinkai-dono in Ryuseitai.

Woah~! I’m excited already! I can’t wait to find out what you’ll be singing, and what sorta stage it’ll be.

ahaha. but i still do not have anything decided, so i need to talk to anzu-san about it~ i have to think about the [pamphlet], too.

Ooh, that’s right, we were discussing the pamphlet.

A photo of Shinkai-dono….. A photo of Shinkai-dono…?

Uu~myu……

i am troubling you both with my own matters…

i think my [fans] would also be happy to see many different sides of me on the [pamphlet]…

so i will use what you mentioned as a [reference] point, and think about it on my own as well.

Got it. We’re supportin’ you from the sidelines…!

Aight, we’ll head off to clean the entrance now.

We’ll make sure to leave it spotless, so that the visitors enjoy their arrival to the aquarium.

thank you very much~ if there is anything you are not sure of, please call for me anytime.

Understood. Well then, we’ll be off. ♪

…now then. i need to go where the [store] is…

(…after that conversation with those two, i feel like i have to [reflect] on myself a little.)

(anzu-san asked me if i had any particular [desires], so i vaguelly thought of places i would like to go, or things i would like to do…)

(but if i go with what i have in mind now, would it be… too much to my own [personal] tastes?)

(and i think i can be of use to anzu-san a bit if i were to think up an [idea] that shows a different [side] of me, so~?)

…[blue tangie], what sort of photo would you like to see of me?

maybe i will ask [sunfishie], too… ehe, i am only kidding…♪

Chapter 2

Location: Café COCHI

Two days later…

(i came earlier than when we had planned to meet.)

(i will let anzu-san know through text. let me open [holdhands]—)

(“i am already inside the cafe, having a beverage~” “please take your time getting here, anzu-san.”)

…oh! i should not take so long to eat the [ice cream] ontop, or it will melt.

let’s have a bite…♪

(…mm~ i read through various [magazines], and rewatched our [dj koten-kun] episode…)

(but i still could not come up with any decent [ideas]. what sort of me would be [new] and [unusual] to see?)

(if i were to [think] about it literally, by looking at it from the [opposite] direction… then the opposite of the [ocean] would be the [mountains]…)

(a wintery [mountain] has [snow], and [snow] is [water] when melted… so i think i would be okay with climbing up a wintery [mountain]?)

(then, the opposite of [fish] would be—)

…mm?

eh? anzu-san, how long have you been here?

were you… trying to get my attention all this time?

i am so sorry for not noticing. i was in [deep thought] about something.

it has to do with anzu-san, too. do you want to know what i was thinking about?

fufu. then how about i make it a [quiz]?

please try to guess what was on my mind…♪

if you answer correctly, i will gift you the same [sea] and [fish float] beverage i am having right now…☆

—that is all a [joke]. i have already asked them to make one for you once you’ve arrived~♪

please, have a seat.

…even without the [quiz], you are still curious to know?

it was about my feature live. you said you would listen to my [requests] for the [pamphlet] photo, yes?

…about that, how about we go [mountain climbing] for the photoshooting?

[wintery mountains] have [water] of their own, in the form of [snow]. so maybe i will be able to enjoy it too…

why are you staring at me with such wide eyes? should i have suggested to have a [meat barbeque]?

no? what i said was [odd], and so it is confusing you?

neither [mountains] nor [meat] are typical of me… well, yes, that is true.

it is the [exact opposite] of what i actually [want]. so it makes sense you would be so surprised.

…the truth is, when i imagined the photo for my [pamphlet]…

i first thought about how nice it would be to [puka puka] in the [ocean].

but if i went with that, it would not really be anything [new] from my usual self, even though this is meant to be my attempt at a [solo live] separate from my [unit]…

and i had a conversation earlier that made me realize this is not a [side] of me i should show on the feature live.

i would also only cause you trouble if i suggest such boring [ideas]…

i want my [fans] to enjoy the live too, so i tried thinking of ideas on my own.

but it seems that my ideas were not really [impressive], to the point that it even surprised anzu-san.

…mm~? why are you apologizing, anzu-san?

you are sorry for being surprised? you are happy that i thought it through carefully?

…the most important thing for the [pamphlet] is to convey the [charm] of the [idol]—

so you would like to first hear my [thoughts], and then think about which [side] of me to show…?

i see~ so you would like a version of me that is a bit different than the usual, but can only exist because of who i am, yes?

now that you say so, that really is how it should be. thinking about it that way makes it much easier to see into all sides of myself.

in other words, erm… this means i can [puka puka] in the [ocean] if i want…♪

…hrmph. even anzu-san says no to dipping in the [ocean]? even if it were a [set] for the photoshoot instead?

a [pool] is okay too, but you cannot have [fishies] in [one]…

and i would really like to be with [fishies], you know~?

ah, but [aoumi aquarium] has a [photo spot] to take pictures with [fishies]…

…? having a photoshoot in the [aquarium] is also [okay]? really?

then, then, i would love to take photos with the [fishie] plush toys~♪

also, this will not be [mountain climbing], but… there is a pretty [waterfall] and [lake] in a certain [mountain].

it would be the perfect spot for [taking photos]…♪

and the [beach] in the pitch dark looks so [magical] with all the [stars] above~ i am sure it would be a wonderful experience to take photos there while going on a [walk].

also—

ah. i am so sorry, i have just been [going on] and [on]…

at this rate, you will only be stuck taking notes, without taking a sip out of your [float]…

i just felt so happy to know i can make anything i like come to life, and could not stop myself.

it is not every day that i get an [opportunity] to do a photoshoot however i prefer it.

so i got really into thinking up all sorts of photo ideas i could try or places i could visit for it…♪

i would like to hear anzu-san’s [thoughts] now, while we drink our [floats].

anzu-san’s idea of a cool me, a cute me… an amusing me, a dignified me, or maybe even a mature me…

i would like us to think together about various [sides] of myself that everyone could enjoy.

…you think it will become a long discussion?

that is fine by me. i would like to [hear] a lot from you, after all.

i am curious to see what sort of me you will discover, anzu-san. fufu, how exciting…♪

Kanata Feature Scout Stories

Ryuseitai 5* Feature Scout Stories


Translation Notes

  1. In Japanese, Souma says foreign words (that are spelled in katakana) in hiragana, to show his unfamiliarity with the words. I've italicized these words in the translation.
  2. Referring to Kanata's shuffle unit story, Princess Kaguya.