VS★GOURMET – Prologue
Season: Spring (2nd year of ES’s establishment)
2nd year of ES’s establishment. Spring, late into May…
On the morning of 4piece’s opening day…
Dash, dash, dash~! I’m late!
(I dunno what I’m gonna do…! Today’s the start of ‘4piece’, the audition I’ve been waiting for day and night!)
(I even asked for the impossible from Tomo-chan and the others if we could have our schedule changed, ‘cuz I wanted to join the audition that badly!)
(But I got so excited about it last night that I couldn’t sleep properly, and ended up oversleeping!)
(I left the dorms at the very last second ‘cuz of that!)
(If I’m not there at the venue, they’ll be able to tell that I’m late… And everyone in Ra*bits will get angry with me, too!)
If I run as fast as I can, I should make it just in time! I’ll keep dashing super duper hard ‘til I reach the 4piece venue!
…—ce.
…Mm? Did I just hear a weird sound?
Wait, I don’t have the time for that! I gotta get to the venue fast~!
…piece…
Huh!? What the, this is so spooky! There’s nobody around me, but I hear a voice!
Down… Down here.
Down?
‘Scuse me, sir… You said “4piece” just now, right?
Would it be alright if ya take me to the venue with ya, please…?1
Woah—!? There’s someone collapsed in the bushes…!?
You okay? Are you hurt anywhere?
Ehihi… I’m ashamed to admit that I haven’t eaten anythin’ in days…
I have an acquaintance in 4piece, so I tried walkin’ there in hopes of receivin’ his blessin’, but… I collapsed midway from the unbearable hunger, it seems.
I think I may starve to death at this rate, so… I beg you, may you please take me to 4p—(stomach growls)
Erm, ermm…?
I didn’t really get it, but I did get the part where your belly’s growling for food!
I’ve got anpan bread with me!2 I save it for emergencies! I’ll give it to you!
Huh!? Are ya sure…!?
Ehihi. Onii-san’s treatin’ me so generously even though I’m a stranger… That’s so awfully kind of ya~♪3
…………
Huh? You froze up with the bag in your hands… What’s wrong?
Uu… I’m so hungry that I don’t even have the strength to open the packagin’…
Oh what, that’s no problem-o then! I’ll just open it for you!
‘Kay, here you go~♪
Ooh…! Ya even kindly opened it for me!? Goodness me, I’ve truly only been gettin’ saved by kind people ever since I left the “facility”!
I can’t thank ya enough! A whole bunch of thank you…♪
(Nom, nom, nom)… Cough, cough!
Woah— You’ll choke if you eat it all in one go!
I’ll tear some bit by bit and feed it to you, so take your time gulping it down~♪
(Nom, nom)…♪ Ahh, it’s so sweet and tasty!
Ahaha. Feeding you like this looks as though I’m giving you pet food~♪
Heh-heh. I’ve also got a milk carton with me~♪ I’ll put the straw in so you can drink it right away!
Uu—! You’re far too kind! Why’re ya bein’ this generous to me even though I’m just a stranger, Onii-san?
That’s ‘cuz it’s only natural to help someone in trouble! I could never do something as cruel as ignoring someone collapsed on the ground!
Goodness, pardon me for not realizin’ sooner! I’m deeply impressed by your thoughtfulness, Onii-san.
I’ll never forget the debt I owe ya for the rest of my life! I assure ya I’ll have it in my mind, aaalways and forever!
Nah, don’t worry about it at all!
…By the way. You said you left a “facility”…? But have you actually been getting by okay?
It’s kinda worrying that you were passed out on the side of the road, like… Kinda makes me anxious?
Oh, no, no, there’s no need to worry about me!
Onii-san, ya said you’re on your way to 4piece, right?
Mhm! What about that?
The truth is, I was also on my way to the 4piece venue in order to meet my acquaintance.
But I completely forgot the path to the venue… so I was hopin’ someone could take me there.
I’m as light as a bird, so I can confidently keep up when someone’s runnin’!
And it must be fate somehow that we met here, so… If you could please take me there as a guide…!
Okay! Then you can count on me!
(…Huh, if he knows someone there, does that mean he’s also part of the showbiz?)
(Maybe he’s the child of someone participating in 4piece? I sometimes see people who work as idols with their kids around.)
(That would explain why he was in a “facility”, too~ That kinda work keeps a person busy all the time, so he might’ve been kept in custody somewhere?)
…Onii-san?
What’s wrong? Could it be that Onii-san forgot the way there too…?
Ah—! I got caught up in my thoughts! I almost forgot that I’m late to the audition!
I’m Tenma Mitsuru! What’s your name?
My name is Hojo Raika. I’m a newcomer who came here just recently.
I don’t really know much about this area, but with someone like Onii-san around, I can rest at ease~♪
Please do take care of me, Mitsuru-oniisan~♪
‘Course, Raika-chan! It also feels reassuring for me to have someone come with me to the venue~! ☆
But we gotta dash, dash right now, or we’ll be late!
We might be disqualified from 4piece if we don’t make it in time~!
Understood, Mitsuru-oniisan!
I absolutely want to repay ya for the debt I owe ya…!
Translation Notes
- ↑ Raika uses setsu (拙) as his first-person pronoun. He speaks in a very old speech pattern from the Edo period (de-yansu, de-gozee-yasu, shi-yasu). People who spoke this way were of the ordinary working class. It’s a polite way of speaking, but it’s also overly humble; the speaker puts themselves down while respecting others. His first-person pronoun also gives that same over-humble impression. Please check this masterlist for a translation of Raika’s Idol Story 1 & 2.
- ↑ Anpan is bread roll filled with red bean paste. Read more here.
- ↑ Onii-san is “big brother”. Other than its usage within family, it’s also used to show respect towards a stranger or an older person. It can also be used to refer to someone who feels like or is regarded as an older brother figure.