Orihime and Hikoboshi – Epilogue
Chapter Index
Ch 1 - Ch 2 - Ch 3 - Ch 4 - Translation Notes
Chapter 1
Location: Tanabata Festival Stage
A few hours later…
“Now then! It's our turn at last!”
“I'd love to start our performance with our usual catchphrases, but we’d lose out on time if we do that!”
“And so! Unfortunately, we'll be cutting them short! I'm Ryusei Red! Morisawa Chiaki! ☆”
“Ah, we were gonna do that!? Couldn’t we have just left them out~?”
“Well, whatever! I'm Ryusei Black, Nagumo Tetora…!”
“Ahaha. We must properly say our catchphrase — or rather, a ‘Transform!’ — or else we won't assume our roles.”
“Also, I am Ryusei Yellow, Sengoku Shinobu…☆”
“and then comes~ ryusei blue, shinkai kanata…♪”
“Ryusei Green, Takamine Midori… Ughh, I'm already tired just from doing the stall…”
“Now now, no fussing! Get yourself pumped up again, Takamine! We can't win against our opponents if you're like that!”
“Our adversaries are the people we've been practicing with this whole time — the four members of Trickstar!”
“What a cruel twist of fate… Who would've thought we'd end up competing against you!”
“No matter! You may have helped us a lot, but that doesn't mean we'll be holding back! We’re in no way going easy on you!”
“After all, that would be rude to the audience cheering for us, and to you, our opponents!”
“Both karate and idols start with a bow and end with a bow! Isn't that right, Nagumo!?”
“Ossu! I'm actually real happy about this! This is exactly what I was hopin' to happen! I’m all fired up~!! ☆”
“Trickstar, I plan to fight against you as my skilled seniors!”
“Yeah, sure… You guys sure kick up a lot of fuss… Don't yell so much~ You'll burst my eardrums.”
“fufufu. [wild animals] avoid [fights] by shouting out [threats].”
“after all, it is [sad] to [shed] blood with [claws] and [fangs].”
“so, a [happy ending] is when the animal’s [opponent] cowers in fear and [runs away]~♪”
“Oh! I see you’ve also become knowledgeable about land creatures, Kanata! Nice, absolutely wonderful! You're a studious one, aren’t you~♪”
“fufufu, the [land] and the [sea] are the same~ both are the [survival] of the [fittest]! rawr~☆”
“Man, Ryuseitai are superbly hyper…”
“It's the first time we fight them head-on, but wow do they pour out all that heated-up passion onstage…”
“Just means they're gonna overwhelm us if we aren't careful! We gotta prepare ourselves, stand our ground, and strike back!”
“Actually — Let's get rid of ‘em with our radiance! ♪”
“That is just what we wanted to hear! The stronger the light, the darker the shadow! And that is exactly my forte! ☆”
“Thank you, Isara-dono~! You were giving me a chance to say something ninja-like, right!? ♪”
“Isara-kun tends to do stuff like that, doesn’t he… But yeah, we're running out of time, so how about we start?”
“We really struggled to finish the preparations, and ended up taking so much time to get here…”
“But I wanna sing and dance lots with everyone—”
“So I’m not letting a single second go to waste! Bring it on, Ryuseitai…☆”
“Fufu, you're unusually confident of yourself, Yuuki. It feels reassuring.”
“As long as we’re all looking in the same forward direction — we’ll be able to break through any wall, and charge onwards. We can go anywhere.”
“Amazing! How wonderful of you, Hokuto-kun! You're actually joining in on the conversation!”
“It is truly relieving to see you getting along with your friends! I'm cheering you on, so do your very best~☆”
“Are you my parent watching over me, or something? Don't pay attention to me. Just do your job as the announcer properly, Masked Freak.”
“Sob, sob… So it is not only Tomoya-kun, but you too… Why are my juniors so cold to their own club president…?”
“This must be the inversion of love! Ahh, we are all still in puberty…☆”
“And now, here stand two units who shall set flame to the light of their splendid youth! To their love! Their passion!”
“Our proud, glittering stars of the school — Trickstar and Ryuseitai — shall now have their dreamlike showdown!”
“Ladies and Gentlemen! Forecasts may have foretold otherwise, but the night sky has miraculously cleared up, and it is the perfect moment to see the Milky Way!”
“However! Please pay close attention to the stars lighting up right here, on the earth itself!”
“Night has fallen completely, and we are drawing ever closer to the end of this wonderful Tanabata Festival!”
“But it is still far too early to leave! This cheerful night will continue onwards~!”
“This is Tanabata, something you can only experience annually! You will have to wait a whole year for another such rendezvous!”
“And so, if you do not want to have any regrets about this day, then please do keep your eyes trained on these bright, shining idols’ spectacular, dreamlike harmony! Amazing…☆”
Chapter 2
“♪~♪~♪”
(Yes! I'm in perfect shape! My body feels light thanks to all that resting! I could soar to the far ends of the sky! Fuhahaha! ♪)
(I’d been over-pushing myself nonstop until Supernova happened, and that was only a while ago…)
(I was forced to do it, but I’m still glad the doctor’s warning stopped me from pushing myself even further. It helped me finally slow down.)
(I really could’ve collapsed again if I kept going like that.)
(But I was having so much fun, I just couldn't stop myself… and I ended up getting too into it. Ahhh… Guess I’m also still just a kid.)
(It's just, everything feels so… dreamlike. I keep on wanting more and more.)
(I never want the finale to come! Oh, stars in the night sky! O Orihime-sama, Hikoboshi-sama! Please, hear my wish!)
“♪~♪~♪”
“fufufu~ we are [stars] swimming in the [milky way]~ puka puka~♪”
(Heheh, Kanata looks like he's having fun… I'm glad. He would always have a blank look on his face1 in his home, and it was pretty scary… The only time he didn't was when he was alone with me.)
(I'm sure he's also happy to be back on stage.)
(No, not just that. I'm sure he loves being an idol. He loves singing and dancing with everyone…)
(He doesn't want to be an unreachable, mighty being — not like a god, like nature, or like the stars…)
(Rather, he wanted to be beside everyone — close enough to hold hands with them, and laugh together.)
(If that's his wish, then we'll make it come true together. After all, we are “Ryuseitai” — Shooting Stars2.)
(We won't make wishes come true only once a year, like Tanabata. We'll make them come true time after time, all year round.)
“♪~♪~♪”
(Mhm! And the first years have grown so, so much this time! I’m in awe! They're performing with such nimble movements!)
(Everyone’s so into this! I can feel their overflowing enthusiasm!)
(I made the right choice by entrusting the kids to Trickstar.)
(I felt pathetic that I couldn't do a single thing for them — I couldn't even see them or support them, but…)
(I'm absolutely certain you three can go anywhere, even without me around. Of course, I still plan to stay by your sides, and watch over you as much as I can, but…)
(The day when we say our goodbyes will surely come. But even so, I know I have nothing to worry about.)
(Let's go anywhere, all the way, Ryuseitai! Here we goooo~!!3 ☆)
(Uu~myu… That idiot Taichou’s jumpin’ around everywhere, when he's only just recovered.)
(I guess he’d built up a lotta stress during the time he was sick, since he couldn't join in on practice.)
(You're gonna regret it if you end up collapsin’, y’know~? But I guess it's just like us to not think about the li’l details, and charge forward immediately instead… yeah?)
(Ahaha, “just like us”… I'm getting influenced by how Trickstar talk.)
(“Us,” huh… There was so much I didn't like 'bout Ryuseitai at first…)
(I just wanted to join Taishou in Akatsuki…)
(But us, being a mess like this, having nothing but fun like this… Ryuseitai perfectly suits who I am now.)
(It's a festival riot every day! There’s never a single moment to worry over things! Woohoo~! ☆)
(Ughh… Everyone's way too energetic…)
(Now I gotta perform just as loudly and flashily, or it’s gonna look like I'm the only one slacking off…)
(Ahh… Being an idol is so rough… How does everyone manage to get so into it…?)
“♪~♪~♪”
“♪~♪~♪”
(Woah! That surprised me… They suddenly got right in front of me…)
(I’ll crash into them if I’m not careful… This is a live showdown, so Trickstar is singing at the same time as us…)
(Ahh… This sucks, everything’s so messy…)
(But I don’t have anywhere to hide… Everyone's focusing on me… This is why I'm scared of being onstage, it sucks… Ughh, and it's just so hot, this is seriously the worst…)
“……♪” (waves)
(Huh…? Did Akehoshi-senpai just wave at me…?)
(Now he's clapping and moving around like he’s taunting me…? Uh? Huh? What's he trying to tell me…?)
Chapter 3
(Akehoshi-senpai… Back at it again already, criticizing me about unnecessary things when you don’t even get me?)
(“Why can't you get this right?”
“Do it properly!”
“Are you really trying?”)
(You think you're such a good person by saying all of that… Acting as if you’re being reasonable and helpful…)
(When I am trying my best! I am doing it as properly as I can! I'm already at my limit, but you still come and spit in the face of my hard work!)
(Then you laugh it all off and apologize with a simple “Sooorry~♪”)
(So annoying! If you were gonna apologize, then you shouldn’t have said it in the first place! You can just leave me alone and not say anything…!!)
(And anyway, people of your species4… Even if I hadn’t accidentally gotten into this school, you would've still been sparkling bright your whole life!)
(You would've been doing that without ever knowing I existed!)
(Akehoshi-senpai! You don't know how it feels to be me! Living the life of a miserable bug underfoot while you glitter in the sunshine…!)
(You don't! That's why you can't treat people like me right — You get close to us in all the wrong ways and then hurt us!)
(Then when you get tired, you just wander off and leave us to rot…!)
(I'm so sick of people like you! You all just piss me off…! Ahh!! I feel like I'm gonna explode from all this anger and heat…!!)
…Takamin, concentrate. You always slipped up on this part during practice, remember?
It's fine to make mistakes there, but you can't mess up onstage, y’know~?
Go for it! Do it properly! It'll be okay, I'm sure you can do it! ♪
……!! We're in the middle of our match, but I guess you still have time to help me, huh…!?
Ah, right… I did it again… I just can't get used to this.
See, when I was a first year… before I even met Trickstar, I was always by myself.
I couldn’t get close to anyone, so I just copied stuff from videos of my dad’s performances.
But… involving yourself with actual people and practicing with them is a million times more fun, and you can learn things faster, right?
I’m so jealous of you, Takamin. Everything I wanted in the past… You have it all with you.
……………
Ahaha~♪ I’m sorry if I upset you, okay?
But it’s just as you said — I shouldn't be helping my opponents! Ryuseitai, together as five, is super strong! You'll get the best of me if I don't pay attention!
Ahh, this is so much fun! It's awesome~! This sort of thing has been my dream for so long! The entire world is sparkling~! ☆
Dad…! I think I’ve finally reached it…☆
(B-Bleached it?5 What's he on about…? Ahh~!! I don't get anything anymore!!)
(But somehow, just for a moment… Akehoshi-senpai made a face similar to how I would look in the mirror…)
(He had an exhausted, depressed, painful look on his face…)
(I guess even he wasn't blessed with his desired path at first… Yeah, I guess not… Everyone has their own worries…)
(I'm nothing special… There's no point in me aiming for the stars…)
(So I'll look down at my feet below, and do what I can in this moment… I’d only embarrass myself if I messed up right after being warned, so I'm gonna get that move right, like—this!)
(How's that!? Even I can do it if I get serious—!!)
……☆
(Ughhh~!! You didn't even try to understand what I'm telling you, did you!? Yet you're acting so smug like you’ve done a good job…!)
(Dammit! That sparkly smile pisses me off…!)
(I keep looking stupid for moping about everything so much…!!)
“♪~♪~♪”
Fufu, those two look like they're having a fun fight.
Yeah. When we were practicing, it felt like Akehoshi-kun was constantly being mean to Takamine-kun, but right now they're properly dueling it out.
They're buzzing back and forth! It’s making me more and more excited!
“♪~♪~♪”
…………
(Huh? This looks bad — Shinobu-kun's movements are so slow… And he's barely singing! Are the other Ryuseitai members performing so eagerly that they haven’t noticed his state…?)
(He doesn't have much stamina, probably because of his small figure…)
(And he’s always moving around vigorously, so he must run out of energy just as fast…)
(But not only that, he was also helping us out with various tasks during practice, and being considerate of everyone…)
(The fatigue must be hitting him hard…)
(He has to rest now before it's too late! What should I do? Do I try to get close to him, and help him offstage without the audience noticing…?)
“♪~♪~♪”
(Ah… Isara-kun's amazing as always. He's already doing something about it faster than I could have.)
(He's performing properly while casually getting near Shinobu-kun.)
(I can just count on Isara-kun for this, hopefully. I’m reaching the hard part of my performance, so I can't really pay attention to him anyway! Sorry!)
(No— I'll sing as hard as I can and pull everyone’s attention onto me, so Isara-kun can easily get closer to Shinobu-kun!)
(I'm used to drawing people's eyes! It's what I'm good at!)
(I don’t really like being in the spotlight, but my cute junior's in crisis — I can't start complaining about that right now!)
“♪~♪~♪”
Chapter 4
…………
Sengoku! …You okay?
…Hweh—!? I'm okay! I love ninjas!
Yeah, we're not on the same page here. You look like you could fall over any moment now, so you should move to the back.
Ah, but there's nowhere set up on the stage to hide and rest…
And it'll be immediately obvious that something’s wrong if you get off the stage right now, and it might even cause a panic in the crowd…
Guess we've got no choice. Hide yourself within my shadow, Sengoku.
Huff… Huff… Uuu…
(Mmm… It’s really not looking good for him. He's barely responding, not even with a quick nod.)
(I mean, his safety is top priority… So if his condition gets really bad, I’ll forcibly carry him off the stage.)
(Then I’ll take him to the infirmary. Hmm, what’s the fastest way to get there…?)
Isara-dono.
You need not worry. I am alright.
Nope. You don't look alright one bit, that's why I’m worried about you, y’know?
…In just a few minutes, our time will end.
I only need to endure until then, and as a ninja, I excel at that.6 If I say I'm okay, then it means I'm okay.
…That so. You can be pretty stubborn, huh…
Well, I would've said the same thing if I were you. It'd suck to be the only one leaving the stage while everyone’s working hard.
But collapsing onstage would be the worst outcome for us — it'd only cause trouble for your comrades. So if it really seems bad for you, don't be stubborn. Just give me a signal, okay?
I’ll carry you, and trick everyone into thinking that we're just doing some sort of performance.
I’ll also make extra sure no one can tell what’s really going on.
I'm gonna sound like I'm taking your words, but — I excel at that, so you can count on me.
Don't say anything like, “but I do not want sympathy from my opponent,”7 alright?
I think of you as my precious, cute little brother. So if it ever feels bad, just rely on me.
It's my repayment for all the times you’ve helped me out.
Fufu, “repayment”… That is what I'm supposed to say to you, Isara-dono.
I was reaching my limit, and beginning to feel dizzy, and so my mind started to wander back to our first meeting.
To that time in spring… when I wanted to form the Ninja Association — Though back then, I wanted to make it the “Ninja Club”.
And so, in order to do that, I headed over to the Student Council office…
During that time, everyone else was also at the Student Council to register for clubs and units, and I got caught up in the big crowd.
The Student Council members seemed so busy dealing with everything…
I am the type to simply hold my tongue and retreat at times like that.
But I am tiny, and everyone around me was blocking my path, so I could not make a retreat…
No one could even tell I was there. I was frozen in place, unable to say a word.
However, you then noticed me, and called out to me. You were the only one to do such a thing.
I am a pushover, so when people were cutting in line before me, I could not bring myself to say anything.
But you saw what was going on, and told them, “This kid was here first.”
You settled the issue masterfully, without causing a fuss — I thought you were amazing for that.
But what really made me happy was you treating me normally.
I started babbling about something so silly, telling you about how I wish to make a club for people who love ninjas, and that we will do ninja training in it…
And you listened to me with complete interest.
Then you explained all sorts of things, like how a club without enough members turns into an association.
And after that, whenever we saw each other in the hallway, you would check up on me, and ask me how things are going lately.
Whenever I had trouble with something, or had hit a wall, you were always there to help me.
It made me so happy. Something so normal, so natural and mundane… It was sparkling bright to me. I’ve never properly expressed my gratitude, so… Thank you, Isara-dono.8
…You don't have to thank me. It really was something so normal, anyone could do it.
More importantly, you need to keep yourself together. You’re starting to sound like these are your last words.
Don't make me worry so much. …Our time is ending soon, so we just have to do our best now.
Okay. You are always carrying many burdens on your shoulders… So, in order to avoid adding to that load, and so that I do not end up repaying your goodness with evil, I will forge onward.
It is a ninja's duty to come back alive! So I will do my very best! Ninjas and heroes never give up!
Oooh… Your stamina's at zero, y’know? You shouldn’t jump about! But man, that's still amazing. Kids sure do bounce back quickly~♪
I am no kid! I am growing splendidly because of you and everyone in Ryuseitai — No, because of everyone in the whole world supporting me!
I will be able to jump up even faster, and even higher!
First is persistence! Second is endurance! Third, fourth, fifth is perseverance! I shall not let myself fall over now!
I shall be giving my all, so I want you to watch me, Isara-dono! Because you held out your hand to me back then, when I had been paralyzed in place!
You linked my chosen path to a bright, shining future!
I shall definitely become a splendid ninja! And then I shall become an idol like you, Isara-dono — I shall become someone who can be respected!
I shall persist onwards, until that very day! I shall go through all the rigorous training, and endure it all, to the very end!
Watch me closely, Isara-dono! I, Sengoku Shinobu, am still in the midst of carrying out my mission…!
Ahaha, yeah, everything you're saying is going all over the place… I'm kinda worried…
I already said it before, but if it really seems bad, just tell me.
I'll help you out. If there's anything I can do, I'll do it, ‘kay?
Yaaay! ♪ You can do anything, so I could ask you to make any of my dreams and wishes come true!
No, I can't. I may be capable of a lot of things, but I can't do any of them well.
But even if that’s true… There's still some wishes I can fulfill. I’ll have faith in that thought, and stand my ground next to all these sparkling people, just a little longer… together with you~♪
Let's go, Sengoku! We’ll get through this, while smiling ‘til the very last moment! Tanabata happens only once a year, so we gotta make this into a great, happy memory!
“♪~♪~♪”
Translation Notes
- ↑ Chiaki says noumen mitai na kao (an expression like noh mask) to describe Kanata’s blank expression. The masks he’s referencing look like this (warning: some are eerie).
- ↑ The ryusei in Ryuseitai lit. means shooting star/meteor.
- ↑ Chiaki says “Here we go” in English, written in katakana.
- ↑ Midori literally does say “people of your species.” Considering how Midori feels about idols (and himself), I left it the same in English.
- ↑ Subaru says tou-san (Dad), and Midori misunderstands it for tousan (Bankruptcy). I tried to give the English version a similar feel.
- ↑ Shinobu’s name and ninja both share the same kanji nin (忍), which can mean “to endure.”
- ↑ Mao imitates Shinobu here, and even uses de gozaru at the end.
- ↑ He thanks Mao without using de gozaru.