[Yumenosaki Era] Sparkling First Years
Note: This story is set in the early days of April, just days before Anzu joins the school.
Chapter Index
Ch 1 - Ch 2 - Ch 3 - Ch 4 - Ch 5 - Ch 6 - Ch 7 - Ch 8 - Ch 9 - Translation Notes
Chapter 1
Season: Yumenosaki Era, Spring (Early April)
Location: Front Gate
…………
(Fwooohh! There are tons of people today, just like the last~)
(Well, this is during commute hours, so it makes sense that there would be such a massive crowd here.)
(But I feel a little ill with this many people around…)
(I have not grown accustomed to my class, either… and saying things like “my stranger anxiety has backfired on me” would be nothing but an excuse in the end.)
(Uu… I was so determined to change a little after entering Yumenosaki Academy… But days have passed since then, and nooothing has changed about myself!)
(I started the springtime of my youth the same way I did in middle school, gloomy and dull.)
(But…! Even then, there was still a place that would accept someone such as myself!)
(Yumenosaki Academy is a school for cultivating idols. This, of course, means that I am also treated as an idol here.)
(However, with how strange and unusual I am…)
(I was prepared to go through countless struggles, with no unit taking notice of me. And yet, Morisawa-dono… Nay, Taichou-dono, wasn’t it?)1
(Taichou-dono invited me, asking: “Won’t you become a hero?”)
(To be frank, I felt nervous around Taichou-dono and kept running away at first, due to his extremely close sense of distance.)
(But he kept appearing wherever I went and then tried to scout me every time, so shy as I may be, I had no choice but to give in and accept his invitation…)
(Thus, I managed to join a unit much faster than I had ever expected.)
(It appears that Ryuseitai is a unit made up of allies of justice, who crush evil and save the weak—)
(But since I joined before I ever knew what was happening, I don’t have a single clue what sort of activities Ryuseitai conducts.)
(Regardless, I’m delighted to at least know I managed to enlist in a unit, so all that is left is to take part in a club!)
(Students of Yumenosaki Academy must join a club, and I am no exception to this.)
(Of course, I already know what club I’d like to join~♪)
(And that is none other than the Ninja Club, intended to make my beloved ninjas known to the whole world…! While ninjas tend to have a “shadowy” image…)
(There are many stories out there based on ninjas, and they’re even popular among foreigners. I myself am but another captive of their ninja charms.)
(However… there exists no Ninja Club in Yumenosaki Academy…)
(I may be the only person who still adores ninjas at my high school age.)
(Even then, I will start up the Ninja Club… No, the “Ninja Association”.)
(I deeply love ninjas to no end, so I refuse to give up and waste away the precious days of my youth.)
(And for that sake, I shall muster up the courage! Fufufu… This is also thanks to Taichou-dono.)
(Just as I was feeling hesitant over where or not I should start up the Ninja Association, Taichou-dono encouraged me by saying, “If you want to do it, then go for it!”.)
(Had he not given me that pep talk, I might have shrunk back from trying.)
(Perhaps I would have ended up wasting all three years of my time here, just waiting for someone else to do it.)
(I might have even confined myself to my home, worrying both my parents… I wouldn’t want that at all.)
(Even if I end up the only member of the Ninja Association after launch, I will have no regrets!)
(…Well, being all in my lonesome would truly feel lonely, so I would be superbly happy if I could make a friend who I can have ninja discussions with.)
(But it is far too difficult for me, who has never had friends in elementary school or middle school, to suddenly make friends at high school~!)
(Uu… I must start by becoming acquaintances with people. I’ll try to imagine scenarios of myself greeting classmates a little.)
…Huh? Uhh, you’re Sengoku-kun, from my class… right? Good morning~♪
Eeek!? G-…G-G-Good morning!
I-I have something to do, so I must excuse myself! Shutatatata…!
Woah, he zipped off with insane speed. I can’t see him anymore.
Yu-u-ta-kuu~n? You’re sooo mean, leaving your own Onii-chan behind!
Aren’t we 2wink, the two hearts beating as one? So c’mon, stay right beside me at all times~ Squeeze, squeeze ☆
You’re so suffocating from the early morning, Aniki…2 Can’t we do our own thing every once in a while?
You’re in your rebellious phase, aren’t you~ But it’s fine. No matter the phase you’re in, Yuuta-kun will always be my adorable little brother~♪
I saw you greeted someone a moment ago, was it a friend? Allow Onii-chan to judge whether he fits this one’s standards of beauty~☆
The heck kind of character is that… It was Sengoku-kun, and he’s my classmate.
I don’t know what he’s like since I haven’t talked to him much… Maybe he hates me~ He always runs away whenever I talk to him.
Huh, I wonder what he’s like. I wish I could’ve greeted him, too~ You meanie, Yuuta-kun!
“Meanie”…? Never mind, let’s just get going already.
Ah—! Wait! You’re walking off so fast! Lemme guess, we’re playing tag?
Ahaha, no matter how far you pull ahead, I’ll never lose sight of you! ☆
I’m your Onii-chan, after all~ Prepare yourself, Yuuta-kun! Nishishi~♪
Location: Classroom 1-B
…Phaah—!
(T-T-T-That was so anxiety-inducing~!! I just held my breath and ran as fast as I could to my classroom!)
(He was kind enough to greet me of all people… I must have given a bad impression by running away due to my stranger anxiety.)
(The same class, is it… That means we’re classmates. And he knew my name, as well.)
(We might have been able to become friends, but I ended up letting the opportunity slip by just like that.)
(Oh well, friendship is uncharted territory for me, so this was for the best.)
(Hmm, the teacher will arrive right about now. I’ve filled in the application form for the association, so now I simply need to submit it to the Student Council.)
(But I do not have enough time to go there now and come back. I’ll keep it for the lunch break.)
(Once my application is accepted without any hitches, I will start by deciding the activities of the association, then advertising for new members… Fwooohh! My dreams are expanding evermore~♪)
Chapter 2
Location: Classroom 1-B
(Ehehe, it is finally time for the lunch break I’ve been waiting for~…♪)
(I have with me the association application form. I have to make sure I take it with me, lest I get turned away at the door.)
(Now, onwards! To the Student Council office…!)
Location: Hallways
Sniff-sniff, sniff-sniff…
I’ve been trying to look for Yuuta-kun through his scent, but I can’t find him anywhere~! Yuuta-kuun~! Where’d you go, my brother~?
He promised me we’d do 2wink practice together during lunch break, but I can’t find him in his classroom.
Is this a tactic of his to make Onii-chan find him through hide-and-seek?
Which means Onii-chan loses if he can’t find him before breaktime is over! Aaalrighty, Onii-chan’s gonna give it his all~☆
(Oohh, I managed to leave my classroom, but I’m already faced with a difficult challenge.)
(Uu… I cannot reach the Student Council office unless I pass by that person to take the stairs!)
(I’ll simply have to stealthily tip-toe my way there! If I am a ninja, then I’m supposed to be able to do that at least!)
Mm? Someone came out of Yuuta-kun’s class~?
Heya, g’afternoon~☆ I’m Aoi Hinata. Nice to meetcha~♪ (waves)
(A-A preposterous individual caught hold of me!?)
(He’s really pushy, isn’t he~…? As was Taichou-dono, though… Is everyone in Yumenosaki Academy like this!?)
(Uu… Strangers frighten me… And it is all the more terrifying when they come so close to me!)
(I feel like I could collapse from the sheer terror~!)
Heeey, answer me! You okay? You alive?
I…I am alive.
Oh, whew. You had me worried for a sec, ‘cause you weren’t saying a word~ Okay then, I introduced myself, so c’mon, it’s your turn to tell me your name!
(S-Se-Se-Se…Sengoku Shinobu.)
Eh? Sorry, I could barely hear you speaking. Repeat that again, pretty please…♪
Uuu…! Spare me, I beg you to spare me! I cannot take this any longer~!
Woah, he vanished!?
……Ahh, I see now, he slid by the wall and ran off. What a nimble guy~ If he’s a first-year student with that much physical capability, then he might be promising talent with a bright future~♪
I lucked out, huh… I really wish I could’ve gotten hold of his name.
Oh well, it seems like he’s Yuuta-kun’s classmate, so… I can just ask him! ☆ Aaalrighty, let’s get back to searching for Yuuta-kun!
Yu-u-ta-kuu~n? C’mon, c’mon, no need to hide~ Come on out wherever you are~♪
Location: Staircase
I-I believe I ran enough to be in the clear now. Uuu, that was a lot of effort for a ninja like myself!
That person a moment ago… I believe his name was Aoi-kun? That name feels familiar to me somehow. Mmh~…?
Did you mention my name, Sengoku-kun?
Eeep!? You creeped up behind me without making a single sound?! Are you a ninja!?
Nah, I’m not a ninja. What’re you doing here, Sengoku-kun? Our classroom’s over there, y’know~?
Eeeek!?
Huh!? Why are you yelling like you saw a ghost!? You were acting that way in the morning too, but you really don’t have to be on your guard so much.
We’re classmates, so I’d love to get along with you~♪
I beg thee, I beg thee! Uu!? Are you using a shadow clone jutsu!?
I never thought I’d come across a shadow clone user in a school like this!
Uhh, shadow clone jutsu? We’re not in a manga or anime, y’know… I’m Aoi Yuuta. We’re in the same class together, do you not recognize me?
No, um! It’s just that I had met Aoi-kun a moment ago~?
Ehh!? I didn’t catch sight of you, though.
Really!? W-What on earth do you mean? I cannot make sense of anything here~!?
Uu…! This is all going over my capacity! I must take my leave here! Goodbye~!
Ah, wait, Sengoku-kun! …Ahh~ahh, he ran away again.
He said he “met Aoi-kun a moment ago”… Does he mean Aniki?
Yep, it’s gotta be Aniki. Aniki and I are twins, so we look the exact same, and it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Sengoku-kun mistook us for the other.
He looked really confused there… I should’ve properly explained that to him.
Mm? What’s this…? Did someone drop something? …Wait, a shuriken? Woah, this could hurt someone if it’s the real thing!?
U-Um~?
Huh, Sengoku-kun? Whew~ So glad you came back. Ah, did you accidentally drop this?
I-Indeed. So you picked it up for me… I am ever so grateful.
Hey, Sengoku-kun, hear me out. I think the person you met a moment ago was my Aniki. He had the same name, “Aoi”, right?
Aniki…?2 So you have an older brother, Aoi-kun…
You look exactly alike, even for brothers. To be honest, I genuinely thought there were two of the same person, you know~?
Ahaha, people would often say something similar back in middle school, too. Aniki and I are twins, so you can’t tell us apart that easily.
I’d sometimes get called Hinata-kun even though I’m Yuuta, and Aniki’d sometimes get called Yuuta-kun, too.
I got tired of explaining to people that I’m Yuuta every single time that happens, so…
We wear hair pins and headphones in different colors so people can tell us apart. I wear light blue, and Aniki wears pink.
That way, people can tell that I’m me, “Aoi Yuuta”, right?
That was rude of me then. Aoi…Yu-Yu-Yuu, ta-kun, was it?
That was way too many “yu”s~ You okay, Sengoku-kun? You look pale.
Uu…! This is the very first time I’ve ever spoken for this long! Spare me, spare me already~!
No more! I simply cannot do this anymore! Farewell~!
Chapter 3
He’s really quick on his feet… You’re the one who’s like a ninja, Sengoku-kun.
(…“You look exactly alike, even for brothers,” huh… We’re twins, so yeah, of course we’d look even more alike than typical siblings.)
(It was the same back in middle school. I partially gave in to the inevitable that Aniki and I would get mistaken for each other, since we’re twins…)
(But I feel like deep down, I was hoping it’d be a little different once we’re in high school.)
(That maybe this is when I’ll finally be recognized as an individual of my own, rather than an inferior copy of Aniki.)
(Those high hopes must be why I’m feeling this level of shock right now…)
(We decided to work as twins ever since we passed the entrance exam for Yumenosaki Academy…)
(So on the first day of school, we immediately submitted our unit application form. The moment it got accepted, I cheered with Aniki that this was great news.)
(But… Was this really great news? As long as I’m with Aniki, I’ll always be compared to him. The individual that makes “me” will be hidden in Aniki’s shadow, recognized by no one.)
(No matter how similar I may look to Aniki, I’m Aoi Yuuta. I’m not Aoi Hinata.)
(No matter how much I try to make it known that I’m not Aniki’s accessory, the outcome will always end up with me being told that I’m “the little brother of Hinata-kun”.)
Hahh…
(I can’t help but sigh. I was actually supposed to have a practice session with Aniki today too, but I ran away…)
(I don’t want to go back to my classroom. I’ll figure out some way to kill time until lunch break is over.)
Yuuta-ku~n!
Geh, Aniki.
I fiiinally found you! No matter how much of a master you are at hide-and-seek, Onii-chan can always tell where you’re hiding! ♪
I was so lonely without you, Yuuta-kuu~n!
Don’t cling to me… I wasn’t playing hide-and-seek, and I’m not a master at it either.
……You came looking for me because I wasn’t showing up in the practice room, didn’t you?
Yup! I thought you might have forgotten, actually. But you had it in mind all along!
I ran away with it in mind. I’m such an awful “little brother”, running away ‘cause I didn’t wanna have a lesson with you, right, Aniki?
You don’t have to put stress on the “little brother” part, y’know? You’ll always be my adorable little brother no matter what, Yuuta-kun!
Mm, you’re in your rebellious phase, right? You’re at that age when you want to go against everything~
It feels lonely when you run away from me, but it just means that I have to go looking for you, so!
Let’s have a practice lesson together, Yuuta-kun. You and I are the two-in-one 2wink, after all.
Mm… You caught me, so I’ll have a practice session with you for today, but… if it’s a weird program you have prepped up, I’m leaving midway, okay?
No worries! I thought up a whole bunch of stuff to practice that only the two of us can do!
Even if it’s not all of it, I’m sure you’ll find something in the program that you’ll like~♪
I sure hope so… I know there’s the saying that your happiness will fly off if you sigh, but I kind of feel like sighing nonstop right now.