[Yumenosaki Era] Strawberry Colored Holiday
Note: This story was written before Enstars decided to create the agencies.
Chapter Index
Ch 1 - Ch 2 - Ch 3 - Ch 4 - Ch 5 - Ch 6 - Ch 7 - Ch 8 - Ep 1 - Ep 2 - Translation Notes
Chapter 1
Season: Yumenosaki Era, Winter (Post-Graduation, Spring Holidays)1
Location: Strawberry Farm
Haaaaahh… I’m sooo depreeesseddd… I wanna dieeee…
Uuu, this was supposed to be my spring holiday… But then they had to tell me to help out a relative, and just had to make me work without any pay…
What did I ever do to deserve this… Everyone should just die…
That’s not what an ally of justice would say, now is it~ C’mon, Midori-kun! Cheer up!
What’s wrong, what’s wrong! You don’t have enough guts! Become hotter! Just like the sun…☆
Stop talking like that… Being reminded of a certain someone makes me wanna die… Mmgh, it makes me wanna kill…
Woah, now that’s terrifying. Huh? I was so sure you were depressed ‘cause Morisawa-senpai graduated, though?
That’s why I imitated him for your sake and everything. I guess I’m not someone who can be the sun, huh…
At most, I might be able to become a himawari? ’Cause y’know, if you reorder himawari around, it becomes “Aoi Hinata”!2
So a sunflower! A-hahahaha!! ☆
Where the heck are you getting that energy from… Why’re you so energetic anyway… I don’t even feel envious anymore, I just find it repulsive…
Ahhh… Why do I have to spend my time all alone with a classmate I’m barely close to…
I would’ve seriously preferred being all on my own instead of this…
Ahaha, don’t say something so sad and lonely, c’mon~?
You never know if we’ll be in the same class again the next school year, so you should get my affection level to 100% while you still can!
This opportunity may never come again, y’know?
I never wanted that opportunity in the first place… More importantly is the spot you’re standing on… There’s seedlings planted there, so don’t step on it… The plants will die…
Whoa, for reals? I can’t tell them apart at all~ My bad!
You can tell what they are, huh? That’s the son of the greengrocer for you! Heyo, 1-A’s Plant Master! ☆
Uu, why’re you so hyper… They’re making fruit wine on the other side, so did you get drunk from the smell or something…?
I’m always like this, though~ It’s like the remnants of the time when I’d always try to have different traits from Yuuta-kun, I guess?
I got so familiar with those traits that I’m just the cheerful type now! Ahaha~☆
Anyway, it’s fun to try out something for the first time, right? That exhilarating feeling of experience and skill building up inside of you…☆
Thankies for inviting me to this strawberry picking today, Midori-kun~♪
Uh, we’re not strawberry picking, we’re helping out with my relative’s farmwork… We’re not here to play around, so could you quit babbling and start working…?
If we don’t put in the effort, we seriously might not make it before the spring holidays are over…
Also, I didn’t really invite you, okay… Before the holidays started, I was groaning in class about how depressed I was, and you hounded me for answers…
I was worried, y’know~ As your classmate and everything. Sorry, was I being insensitive?
It’s fine… You surprisingly pay attention to the people around you, don’t you… If someone’s down in the dumps, you try to make them laugh by saying stupid stuff…
You’re a good guy, Hinata-kun… Probably, I dunno…
Heh-heh. I have a troublesome little brother after all! I got pretty good at being thoughtful of others~♪
Who’re you calling a “troublesome little brother”, huh~? Don’t act like you’re so much greater, ‘kay?
Whoa—… Huh, the little brother came too…?
Mm? Aniki, you didn’t tell him I’m coming?
Ahem~ Onii-chan always comes prepared with surprises, after all! ♪
You just forgot, didn’t you~ You’re always so careless.
Sorry, um, Midori-kun. Could I join you with the strawberry picking?
Sure… Having more helping hands would be helpful here… I’m not too sure if I’ll be able to pay you for this as part-time work, though…
Ahh, I don’t need money. This is just me helping out a friend after all, right, Aniki?
Yep, yep, exactly as Yuuta-kun says! Lemme eat strawberries later, that’ll work as a reward! I looove sweet fruits! ☆
I don’t really like sweet food, but… Well, if Aniki is happy, so am I~♪
Y-Yuuta-kuuun~! Please do not abandon me…! I am filled with a sense of helplessness on my lonesome! I beg of you, don’t leave me on my own…!
Huh…? I didn’t know Sengoku-kun was with you. Hey~… It’s been a while, hasn’t it…?
Mfun. It has been only a few days at most, Midori-kun!
I’m so delighted to see you again! Ahh, oh how reassuring it feels to come across a familiar face in unknown land…☆
Woah—! Don’t pounce on me… You’re acting like a little kid… We’re about to be in our second year of high school, y’know…?
Ehehe, whenever we travel somewhere for our Ryuseitai activities, Midori-kun would often carry me on his back!
And so, hugging you puts my heart at ease~♪
Huh, is that so… It’s fine, I guess… You’re pretty light, so it wouldn’t get in my way…
Woah, wouldja look at that, Yuuta-kun! Ryuseitai’s showing off how close they are! We 2wink have to stand strong and show our lovey-doveyness too~♪
Why’re you so enthusiastic, Aniki… Sorry, Midori-kun; I’m sure we’re causing a ruckus, aren’t we?
It’s fine, really… The liveliness distracts me from my mood…
Whenever I saw the red color of the strawberries, I just sunk further into depression… and I seriously felt like I could die from it…
But thanks to all of you, I feel just a little bit relieved…♪
Chapter 2
Huff, hiihh! N-No more! I cannot move any longer~!
My back hurts after working hunched over for so long! Auhh, how shameful of me! I’m the only one knocked out of action while Midori-kun’s still alive and kicking…!
Ahaha, we’re working with a greengrocer’s son, after all~ I bet Midori-kun’s pretty used to farmwork. Those with experience know how to avoid tiring out in the workflow~♪
Meanwhile, I’m worn out from overusing muscles I barely ever use.
You and Yuuta-kun joined us mid-way, but I’ve been picking strawberries aaall morning, so~
I’m pretty beat. I’ll take a break too~ You alright if I sit next to you?
…………
Mm? Huh!? No response? Don’t ignore me! It feels lonely!
M-My apologies… That was rude of me. You kept talking without pause, so I could not respond in time.
It’s fine. I’m guessing you’re wary of me ‘cause Yuuta-kun’s spoke badly of me, right?
Stuff like, “my Aniki’s hopeless~ He’s an idiot who just does anything, so don’t get near him”… Yeah?
Ahaha, well, it’s like that for the most part, but I can tell he really cherishes his big brother. Especially lately~♪
I’m quite shy and anxious around strangers, you see… I apologize for not providing a sufficient response.
It’s fine~ Yuuta-kun was like that in the past, too.
He’d aaalways hide behind me and everything~ Well, I didn’t make things any better by constantly expressing his thoughts on his behalf.
It’s exactly ‘cause he was like that in the past… That he was able to understand how you feel and be friends with you, I think. So all’s well that ends well~ Nihihi~♪
But I’m glad to know you don’t hate me or hold a warped view about me. I wanted to sit down and properly talk to you at least once, y’know?
Thanks for taking great care of my li’l brother~♪
No, no! It’s simply preposterous to say that! I’m the one who puts a lot of trouble on Yuuta-kun!
If anything, I should be apologizing! I must prostrate in front of you, with the dogeza that Isara-dono imparted on me…!
Ahaha… No need to be so humble~ We’re the same age, after all.
Ahh… It seems I cannot help but think of you as much older, since you are “Yuuta-kun’s Onii-chan”.
Even though you look exactly like him, almost as if you’re using the shadow clone technique.
Ahaha… Our family has a guardian that’s well, like that, so… I’ve been Yuuta-kun’s papa and mama for a looong time.
So maybe I’m showing signs of age a little toooo much~?
Nah! I’mma put it as “looking mature”! Y’see~ Yuuta-kun’s the apple of my eye! He’s my precious li’l baby-chan…♪
Anyways, I always take up the guardian front, so… I guess Yuuta-kun’s pretty happy he gets to act all big and tough in front of you~?
Fufufu. This feels weird, Yuuta-kun having his very own friend.
We’re only gonna get more and more stuff like this as time goes on, huh~ Awesome! It’s like twice the happiness and fortune for us! ☆
You and I should be friends too, if you like, Shinobu-kun~♪
O-Of course! I-I-I-If you deem me acceptable…!
Hold up~, Aniki? That’s my Shinobu-kun, don’t take him from me, okay~?
I’d never do that. Even looong ago… That mini four-wheeler I took from you was actually faulty.
And I thought you’d feel let down if you found out, Yuuta-kun.
So I decided I’d take up all those undesirable things instead… I admit it was pretty unnecessary of me to do all that, though~
Besides, Shinobu-kun is totally a good kid in every single way, sooo… There’s no reason for Onii-chan to take him away! ♪
Mhm… Okay, enough resting! Get back to work~ We’re specifically here to help out, but we’ve barely managed to do that, y’know?
No, it’s fine… This was a job my relative asked me to do, after all…
You can all just take it easy… Go ahead and eat the strawberries around this side…
If you want condensed milk and stuff, it’s in that cooler box over there…
And if it’s hygiene you’re worried about, there’s wet tissues and a water tap over on that side…
Got it~ You’ve got everything here, huh? Then I’ll accept that kind offer and eat some, I’m starving like crazy!
Nooow which to eat—Eeny, meeny, miny, moe~…♪
Wash your hands first, Aniki. You’re practically covered in mud. You seriously always lay down as soon as you can…
Ahaha, it feels nice, like we’re on a picnic! Join us Yuuta-kun, let’s relax together~♪
Chapter 3
Jeez… These two are just sprawling out on the ground.
I feel like Aniki’s incompetent side is infecting Shinobu-kun already.
It’s fine, isn’t it~ Ryuseitai has three whole members who’ve built experience, so I bet they’ll be tough opponents to us 2wink.
We gotta turn them incompetent and chip off their assets while we still can~♪
T-That was your master plan all along? I’ve made an oversight! And here I thought you were a super-duper nice person, being friendly even to the likes of me…!
You trust others way too easily, Sengoku-kun…
No, no, Midori-kun, you are simply far too distrustful, you know~?
Yumenosaki Academy is no longer a battlefield where blood is rinsed with blood!
Taichou-dono, all our seniors… They fought and struggled to the brink of death, and seized hold of a future for us brimming with hope.
Of course, I shall not be colluding with them. However, I do have hopes that we could become rivals who inspire one another to greater heights.
The act of hurting and deceiving one another is simply too heartbreaking.
You really are suuuch a good kid, Shinobu-kun. Stay the way you are forever and ever, okay? ♪
M-Mm. Why are you looking at me with such tender eyes, Yuuta-kun…?
Fufu, I feel like that sorta thing is a little too naive, but~ I don’t dislike it, either.
If we had to pick something red-colored, strawberries are way better than blood! Nom, nom… Could I just take some of these home~? I’d love to use them to make sweets~♪
Yeah, do as you like…
It’s a pretty bad harvest this year round… All the strawberries barely have any energy in them…
Then let’s cheer the strawberries on, Midori-kun! We’ll tell them, “do your best, do your best~”! ♪
I recall hearing that plants thrive if you speak to them!
Let us make full use of the boisterous energy we inherited from our Ryuseitai predecessors, and encourage these strawberries! ♪
I don’t recall ever inheriting something like that…
Don’t turn into a nuisance like our seniors, okay, Sengoku-kun…? Stay the way you are forever and ever, okay…♪
N-No, really, why does everyone look at me with those gentle eyes meant for toddlers!?
Nihihi. While you were all having a silly discussion, tadaaah! ☆ I went and washed the strawberries!
I picked out a lot for all of us! There’s ones you can eat as is, ones dipped in condensed milk, and ones I smashed and mixed with sugar and milk~♪
You’re oddly dextrous the moment it comes to stuff like this, aren’t you…
But well, they look pretty fresh and tasty, since they were picked just now! ♪ Midori-kun, Midori-kun, Midori-kun, do you know which ones aren’t that sweet? I always feel sick when I eat something too sweet!
Mm~ Try biting into one first, and if you think you can’t handle it, give it to your Onii-chan~♪
Mh~ The thought of pushing on you all the stuff I don’t like doesn’t really sit well with me, though~?
The ones here aren’t the super sweet type… And then there’s the ones that aren’t ripened much, feel free to choose whatever from those…
If any are rotten or have bugs on them, you’re free to spit them out.
Huh!? There’s bugs!? There’s no way I can put any in my mouth, even if there’s only a 1% chance of bugs in there! Right, right~ This is a farm after all…?
I bet there’s bugs everywhere! Eeeep!?
This farm isn’t pesticide-free or anything, so it’s not that bad, but… Bugs grow resistant to pesticides year by year, so… Well, we can’t really exterminate all of them, yeah…
Right, Yuuta-kun cannot handle insects.
If only I had brought Momocchi and Thunder, they absolutely love eating insects.
Hey, don’t get them near me, okay!? I don’t like nor dislike frogs, but if its body is made of bugs, then I don’t even wanna try touching it…!!
Frogs are adorable, though~ And if I may add, bugs are adorable too.
I’ll never come to understand that. It’s impossible for me, even if you’re my friend. Sorry.
Well, there’s no need to have the same likes and dislikes just ‘cause someone is family or friend, right?
I don’t really dislike bugs, though~ Couldja remind me again what made you hate them, Yuuta-kun?
I don’t wanna be reminded. I’ll give you a hint: Back when we were doing performances on the streets… I’m not saying any further! I wish all bugs could just perish from this world.
Yeah, I mean, it doesn’t really have a cute form to it, does it…
If only all living things could morph into cute tiny forms, not just bugs… I wish everyone could just turn into yuru-chara…
Chapter 4
Nom, nom… Anyways, I’m gonna gobble up all these strawberries if nobody else will eat them, just so you know~
Wait, don’t keep them all for yourself, Aniki!
Midori-kun, you come here too~ Let’s take a break and savor the strawberries together~♪
Uu~… I feel all wrong inside if I don’t finish work until a good spot…
My parents also told me not to come home until all the farmwork’s done…
How cruel! That’s abuse, totally abuse! Didja hear him, miss?
Mhm-mhm, my my, darkness exists no matter the household, doesn’t it~?
Uhh, no… whenever I have long holidays, I just laze about all day at home…
So they force me to work here and there because they don’t want me turning rotten…
This has always been a thing in my family, like, you could almost call it an annual event…
I’m guessing another reason for it was in case I inherit the greengrocer someday… so they want me to get familiar with vegetables, fruits and farmwork…
But I became an idol by mistake and all, so… I feel like that’s just something that’s true in name but not in reality for me… Like, I don’t feel as though there’s any point to getting me used to farmwork…
Ahaha, don’t say it was “by mistake”.
It’s because you joined Yumenosaki Academy… Or rather, it’s because you became an idol that we were able to encounter one another~♪
Mm… That’s, well, true…
If I hadn’t joined Yumenosaki Academy, I’m sure I would’ve never gotten involved with anything to do with idols… Fate’s strange, isn’t it…
Naah~ I doubt the world would’ve left you be with good looks like that, Midori-kun.
Mhm, mhm. Honestly, based on looks alone, he’s the strongest among our age.
He’ll be a terrifying opponent if he ever gets serious about being an idol, huh~ Maybe we gotta knock him down while we still can after all, yeah? Just like these strawberries!
Ehh~ Being big is just an inconvenience… I bump my head a lot, too…
You don’t know how good you have it~ I’d like you to share that height with me if you do not want it… I’ve been antsy over the complete absence of my growth spurt, you know!
If I could, I’d give you my height as much as you want, though…
Ahaha… Well, there is no point in asking for the impossible.
We’re all different, we’re all wonderful. That’s what Ryuseitai’s all about in the end!
Translation Notes
- ↑ Fun fact; the season was originally Spring, as it’s set in the spring holidays after the school year & graduation were over. But after the introduction of the ES agencies (i.e. Enstars Music & Basic), stories set in post-graduation Spring had their seasons adjusted to Winter.
- ↑ Sunflower is himawari (向日葵); when reversing the kanjis to be 葵日向 instead, it becomes aoi hinata. The only difference between this and Hinata’s name is that his given name is written in hiragana only (ひなた).