nazunyan427

Parallel World - “Cuteness is Unjust” Chapter 1

Writer: Akira

Season: Winter

(Traveling two weeks back in time, mid March. ES Building Canteen)

Nazuna:

Great work this year, guys~ ☆

Tomoya/ Hajime:

You too, Nii~chan! ♪

Mitsuru:

Yes, all of us did wonderfully! It’s clear as day that we all endeavored to give it our all! How brightly all of us shone!*

Nazuna:

Hm? It was Mitsuru-chin that spoke just now, wasn’t it? And not Hajime-chin?

What are you speaking like that for? You sound as awkward as a machine translation. What happened to the way you normally speak?

Mitsuru:

Mhm~ I got scolded back durin’ White Choco Fest and was told I needed to fix my habit of speakin’ so casually.

Nazuna:

What the?! And what dumbass told you that? You making yourself sound so friendly is a unique quirk of yours that fans adore! Unlike the way I slur my words…

Tomoya:

You’d be surprised how often fans bring up how much they miss “Nazuna-kun” slurring his words the way he used to.

Nazuna:

Well, I hate it when I do that! It makes me sound unprofessional.

Tomoya:

Ahaha, I feel like you’re the only one who’s bothered by it.

But anyway, Mitsuru, I think I must have already scolded you about speaking more politely a thousand times now. Like, at least try to be more formal when we’re meeting with important clients.

But you never seemed to care up until now, so why is it bothering you all of a sudden?

Mitsuru:

‘Cause I really look up to our Trickstar Nii~chans as idols!

Oops, I started speakin’ all casual again!

Nazuna:

Don’t worry about it. You shouldn’t try to forcibly change what sort of person you are~ You should speak and act in the way that comes most naturally to you.

I’m speaking from experience… Back when I was part of Valkyrie, I played the role of a mute, expressionless doll which was hella stressful.

I can already feel myself about to trip over my words just by thinking about it…

Not that Itsuki or Kagehira forced me to act that way. I started playing that sort of character of my own accord.

So it’s not like I can blame it on anyone else. But it really was a stupid thing to do.

Hajime:

Especially considering the real you now is the complete opposite sort of person, Nii~chan.

Nazuna:

I dunno how I feel about being told that the pure, cutesy member of Ra*bits I play is the real me either—that also doesn’t feel right. But if I had to pick one, this way is definitely easier on me.

Everyone’s a cutie back when they’re a baby or still little. It’s a period everyone should have experienced at some point, so all you have to do is recreate it.

Hajime:

Hehe. That’s why back when we were fledgling idols and forming our group, even we were able to pull off playing that sort of character pretty easily.

Nazuna:

Yeah, exactly. Cuteness is something anyone can easily create.

But it’s because it’s easy that there’s so much competition. So it would have been pretty tough to come out on top if cuteness was all we had.

Tomoya:

…That’s becoming painfully clear to me these days.

Anyone with eyes can see how cute Hajime and Nii~chan are at a glance, and Mitsuru’s pulling off going in a cooler direction pretty successfully.

But as for me, I feel like I’m not regarded as someone who has any particular praiseworthy qualities.

Lately, I’ve been stressing out about that a lot.

Wait, sorry. We’re supposed to be celebrating, but here I am grumbling about this.

Nazuna:

No, you’re fine, grumble away. Nii~chan is here to listen to you.

That’s why we’re all here today anyway. Lately, all of us have been so busy with our work as individuals on top of being involved with projects like shuffle units, so we have more work than ever.

It’s not like we can just hang out the way we used to every day back when we were all at Yumenosaki.

That’s why we get together for drinks and meals like this—to basically make up for lost time. Or rather, make sure our bonds are just as strong as ever.

Though the reason we haven’t been able to meet up all that much is thanks to me struggling to balance work on top of school. I’m not used to this at all, so the bulk of the blame is on me.

I really feel like I went back to school too early. Taking on two roles at once sure isn’t easy.

Though I knew that back when I graduated.

Tomoya:

Sorry… If I was more put together, I wouldn’t be causing so much trouble for you, Nii~chan.

Nazuna:

No, not at all. It’s not your fault, Tomo-chin. I always make my decisions based on my own volition. That is, after considering what sort of life I want to lead.

I’m sick of having to adjust myself to suit other people.

Hajime:

You say that, Nii~chan, but I still get the impression that you tend to sacrifice yourself for the sake of others.

Nazuna:

I guess that’s just a habit of mine. A bad habit, that is.

But the guy who gives up his own time to suit others is still me. Even if you tell me I need to do something about that, it’s not a part of myself that I can discard so easily.

Hajime:

I know, I understand.

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Notes:

*Mitsuru normally speaks very casual Japanese, ending his sentences in “da ze”, even when speaking to seniors. But here, he speaks in polite Japanese, similar to how Hajime always does.

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Translation by:

Ara @. nazunyan427

Proofreader:

Sophie @.ra_bits_daisuki