nazunyan427 | Entries tagged with black bunny

Chapter: Black Bunny - Epilogue

Writer: 西岡麻衣子 Nishioka Maiko

Season: Fall

Location: Yumenosaki Corridor

The next day.

Hajime:

Well then, if you’ll excuse me~♪

Phew... The stuff I was asked to carry over to the teacher’s room was way more than I thought, so thank you so much for giving me a hand, Tomoya-kun.

Tomoya:

You shouldn’t try to carry that much stuff all at once! You won’t even be able to see your feet. That’s dangerous?

Hajime:

You’re right. I can carry quite heavy loads, so I ended up overestimating myself. I’ll be more careful from now on.

But anyway, I was so surprised when Mitsuru-kun got his memories back midway through our concert.

Tomoya:

Yeah, that was wild... I’d rather avoid accidents wherever possible during concerts though. And what happened with Mitsuru was the biggest accident for us.

Hajime:

Hehe. But didn’t it all work out? It didn’t seem like the crowd noticed anything, and our performance was a huge success...♪

Mitsuru:

Groooagh! Dash, dash, daaash~!

Hajime:

Oh, Tomoya-kun. Speaking of which, that’s Mitsuru-kun himself...♪ He’s running on the sports ground today too.

Tomoya:

He is, huh. He’s so full of energy... Even though I’m exhausted today.

Hajime:

Me too. Mitsuru-kun’s stamina is amazing, huh...

Oh, it looks like Mitsuru-kun noticed us?

Hehe. Just before he lost his memories, we were waving at each other like this too when a ball suddenly came flying out of nowhere...

Tomoya:

Wait, hey! Another ball is coming flying his way?!

Mitsuru:

Gyargh?!

Tomoya:

N-Not again?!

Hajime:

M-Mitsuru-kuuun!

Location: Yumenosaki Sports Ground

Mitsuru:

...Uuungh.

Tomoya:

Hey! Mitsuru, get a hold of yourself~!

Hajime:

Mitsuru-kun, are you okay?! Mitsuru-kun!

Mitsuru:

Uhh...?

Hajime:

Oh! Mitsuru-kun!

Tomoya:

You okay?! Mitsuru!

Mitsuru:

...Who’re you?

Tomoya:

I knew it! Not again?!

Mitsuru:

Psyche! I’m just messin’ with ya~!☆ Did I get ya?

Tomoya:

Q-Quit it with that sort of joke! It’s bad for my heart!

Hajime:

...... (*collapses weakly to the ground*)

Tomoya:

Whoa, Hajime! Stay with us!

Hajime:

I-I’m okay. I was just a little in shock...

Mitsuru:

Wagh...! I’m really sorry, Hajime-chan...! I didn’t think I’d scare ya that badly~!

Tomoya:

Oh for... I’m banning that kind of joke from now on, Mitsuru!

Mitsuru:

Okay! I’ll never do it again! I promise~

Oh right—there was so much going on during the concert that I didn’t get a chance to say this to you all yet!

Hajime:

...? Say what? Did you want to tell us something?

Mitsuru:

Tomo-chan. Hajime-chan. And he’s not here, but Nii~chan too—

I’m back~!

Chapter: Black Bunny - Ra*bits in Underland

Writer: 西岡麻衣子 Nishioka Maiko

Season: Fall

Location: Wonderland stage

Mitsuru:

*whisper* Whoa! There’s so many people here...!

Hajime:

*whisper*

M-Mitsuru-kun...! If you keep craning your neck out of the trap room so much, people are going to see your head pop up on stage!

Tomoya:

*whisper* All right, everyone. Ra*bits are up next.

*whisper* Let’s bounce around on stage all in high spirits today too! Let’s gooo~!

Mitsuru:

“BAM~! ☆ It’s time for Ra*bits’ superstar, Tenma Mitsuru~!”

(Whoa... This is awesome...! My body’s pounding just like a taiko drum, boom boom boom! I’m drinkin’ in a whole ocean’s worth of fans screamin’ for us!)

(This is just like a track race - my heart’s beating so fast. It feels like all the excitement I’d been storin’ in my body has jumped outta me all at once!)

“♪~♪~♪~”

(Ahh... The glow of the pen lights is so pretty. I’m gonna go crazy thanks to this flood of light and sound.)

(But all of us worked so, so hard to see the sight before us today. We challenged ourselves over and over again and we cried tears of frustration - but kept standing’ back up again, even through our tears.)

(My song is sweepin’ over the crowd way faster than I can run—I wonder if it’s bringin’ joy to everyone? Just like the way that idol did for me back then.)

(I sure hope so.)

(But I’m not done yet! I wanna give it even more! Today’s performance—this moment in time—is only gonna happen once!)

“♪~!”

(I want the power of our songs, the light inside of us, all of our thoughts—I want all of those things to reach even further.)

(—That’s what I must have told myself on that day. The day that nobody would even take any notice of us. I know for sure, that’s the decision I made inside my heart.)

...Ah.

Hajime:

“♪~♪~♪~”

Nazuna:

“♪~♪~”

Tomoya:

“♪~♪~”

(When I look around me, I see everyone else right by my side... This isn’t a goal I have to reach on my own anymore.)

(This time I’m together with everyone. We’ll stand side by side and aim towards our goal together—)

Hajime-chan.

Hajime:

Huh?

Mitsuru:

Nii~chan.

Nazuna:

Hm?

Mitsuru:

Tomo-chan.

Tomoya:

Mitsuru?

Mitsuru:

Thanks for findin’ me!

Tomoya:

You... Do you remember who we are?

Mitsuru:

“And all of you guys too! Now matter how much I say it, it’ll never be enough! Thank you for everything! Thank for supportin’ us all this time! Thank you, thank you, thank you~!”

Chapter: Black Bunny - Ra*bits with Jumping 2

Writer: 西岡麻衣子 Nishioka Maiko

Season: Fall

Location: ES Practice room

Mitsuru:

Hm? I don’t really get it. Why can’t we be both?

Tomoya:

Huh? Uhh - well, look at it this way. If an entertainer had already established himself as a comedian, then suddenly started singing powerful ballads, wouldn’t that confuse the public?

Everyone would be like, well what kind of performer are you trying to sell yourself as? It’s the same thing as that.

Mitsuru:

Nah, I don’t think so! I think people would be all, whoa - that guy’s funny AND an amazing singer!

Just bein’ able to do one kinda thing is boring!

Tomoya:

“Boring”... Look, you’re thinking about this in way too simple terms -

Mitsuru:

Nah, you’re the one makin’ things complicated, Tomo-chin!

Sayin’ we can’t go both ways. I don’t think for a second that the world is that cold a place!

You guys accepted me both before and after I lost my memories, right? It’s just like that!

So I don’t think we’ve got anythin’ to worry about!

You’re full of, uh... What was it called again...?

Oh, I remembered! You’re full of groundless incomprehension, Tomo-chin!

Tomoya:

...Groundless what?

Nazuna:

Mitsuru-chin, Mitsuru-chin. I think you mean “groundless apprehension”, right? I think the only “miscomprehension” going on here is the words you’re trying to use.*

Mitsuru:

Yeah, that! I meant “groundless apprehension”!

Everyone has both good and bad sides to ‘em, that’s what makes ‘em interesting and what makes you like ‘em more!

It’s WEIRD if the only thing we can be is cute! I wanna show our audience both our cute side and our cool side!

The more great stuff we can do, they’ll just come to like us all the more, right?

Everyone’ll be happy! Fans who love our “cute” side, fans who love our “cool” side, and fans who love both!

And then they’ll come to love us even more! ♪

Hajime:

You’re right...! It’s just as Mitsuru-kun says. Just because we try something cool, it doesn’t mean we’ll lose that cute side to us.

Nazuna:

Ahaha! They’ve got you there, Tomo-chan~♪

So why don’t we go for it—fall into Underland?

Well, I definitely get what you meant about wanting to take the safest possible action as the Leader, Tomo-chin. You just didn’t want to put the rest of us at risk, in case you made the wrong decision.

But look—we Ra*bits aren’t gonna be shaken up that easily.

Up until now, no matter how bumpy the path we went down, we’ve always managed to jump back up and overcome whatever troubles came our way.

Tomoya:

......

You really are Mitsuru, huh...

Mitsuru:

Huh? Yeah? I’m Mitsuru.

Wait, don’t I look like Mitsuru Tenma to you, Tomo-chin...?!

Tomoya:

That’s not what I mean. It’s like you always manage to make the truth so straight-forward...

I was just thinking about how many times you’ve given us the push we needed forward, or the courage we need to keep marching on with all of our strength.

It’s never “can or can’t” with you—it’s always “will or won’t”. And that’s really important.

Mitsuru:

Yeah, right! I prefer takin’ action to thinkin’!

Tomoya:

...You’re right. It’s way too early to try to “preserve” what we have. We’re still growing and developing as a unit after all. We’ve got to make everything we do a source of nourishment for us.

All right! Let’s challenge ourselves...!

Let’s give our fans who are counting on us an even more amazing performance than they could have possibly imagined. And for anyone who says we’re going against our brand, we’ll make them love us so much that they’ll take back their words!

Ei, ei—

Hajime + Nazuna:

—OH~!

*Mitsuru tries to say the Japanese word kiyuu (groundless apprehension) but it comes out as “kyuu” instead, which causes Nazuna to react with, “you sound like you’re turning into a white ghost”. This is probably a reference to Little Ghost Q-Taro, whose name sounds the same as the word Mitsuru ends up saying by accident.

Chapter: Black Bunny - Ra*bits with Jumping 1

Writer: 西岡麻衣子 Nishioka Maiko

Season: Fall

Location: Resting Room

A few days later.

Mitsuru:

*munch munch*...*gulp*

Mmm~ An idol’s body and health is their wealth~! I gotta get all my nutrients! ♪

Kanata:

puka puka...♪

Kanata:

what’s this~? mitsuru. are you in the middle of a “break”?

Mitsuru:

Oh, the monster Onii~san! Hello, hello~! ☆

My body’s all drained from practice, so I’m gettin’ my sugar levels back up. What about you, Onii~san?

Kanata:

the “same” as you~ i was scolded for “bathing”, so i came over here to just drink some “water” instead. otherwise i will completely “dry up”.

Mitsuru:

Ahaha. You’re so weird, Onii~san~! You’re like dried seaweed!

Kanata:

mmph... how “rude”~?

but “seaweed” does smell like the “ocean”, which i like, so i’ll “forgive” you.

mn~? you look “happy”? your “eyes” are glistening like the “surface” of the ocean.

Mitsuru:

Yeah! That’s ‘cause I found what I wanna do! So I’m not gonna be lost anymore!

Kanata:

i see~ i’m happy to hear everyone “found” you~♪

Mitsuru:

Yeah. I don’t really understand why, but after you grabbed me, somethin’ really good happened, so I wanted to say thank you!

Kanata:

no, i didn’t do anything~

Mitsuru:

Oh, break time’s over! I’ve gotta leg it ‘else I’m scared Tomo-chin’ll get angry at me and make a face like THIS! Later, Onii~san! Bye-bye!

Kanata:

bye bye~♪

Location: ES Practice room

Mitsuru:

Huh? I hurried back over here, but where’s Tomo-chin~?

Nazuna:

He stepped outside to take some kind of urgent call from the organizers of Wonderland.

Hajime:

But quite some time has passed since then, so he should be heading back by now.

Tomoya:

......

Mitsuru:

...Ngyah?! You scared me! You came up behind me outta nowhere and just stood there lookin’ all lifeless...! You could at least me know you’re there, Tomo-chan~

Tomoya:

...Sorry.

Mitsuru:

Hm? What’s wrong? What’s with that gloomy look on your face, Tomo-chan?

Hajime:

Tomoya-kun, did something happen...? What was the urgent phone call about?

Tomoya:

...We might not be able to perform at Wonderland. Or rather, I’m not so sure if we should...

Hajime:

Huh?! Wh-What are you talking about?

Tomoya:

The organizers just called me up to confirm that the contents of Ra*bits’ performance they laid out was okay with us...

Listen, do you remember what you said back when I was first explaining about the plan? About the name of the concert being wrong?

Hajime:

Yes. Where they’d written “Underland” instead of “Wonderland” by accident, right?

Tomoya:

Well, “Underland” actually is the correct name. And the event is going to focus on the “Under” part of that—in other words, the theme is going to be dark.

Apparently the opening is going to be based on the cutesy world of Alice in Wonderland, but then it’s gonna do a 180 and completely transform into this dark, “underworld”.

Nazuna:

And that wasn’t all explained in the documents we got?

Tomoya:

That’s... These documents here...

Nazuna:

Lemme see...? Hmm... Looks like the normal description of an Alice in Wonderland themed concert to me—hm? Wait, isn’t this page a little thick?

Oh no, there’s something stuck to it and it’s clinging onto the other page...! That’s why you didn’t notice it...!

Tomoya:

Exactly. And it just so happens that the details about Underland were on those two pages that are stuck together, so I completely overlooked it.

Nazuna:

I see~ In that case, why don’t we just perform at the right version of the concert? If we start preparing now, we can still make enough adjustments for it to work out?

Tomoya:

But aren’t we Ra*bits still in the process of promoting ourselves?

Our “cuteness” is finally starting to be recognized and we’ve built a certain fan base attracted to that specifically.

So if we completely change the color of our fur and put on a “dark” performance out of nowhere, I feel like we’ll just confuse our fans. I don’t think it’s a very wise tactic for Ra*bits.

Hajime:

But... We all worked so hard to prepare for this concert... Isn’t there anything we can do?

Chapter: Black Bunny - Mitsuru to Escape 4

Writer: 西岡麻衣子 Nishioka Maiko

Season: Fall

Location: Yumenosaki auditorium

Mitsuru:

At first, when you guys were tellin’ me I was an idol, I was like, but how come? But after hearin’ that, I’m kinda startin’ to understand. Like, I kinda get how the me from back then must have felt.

I mean, if that’s how things were then I musta been so frustrated that I’d wanna do whatever it takes from then on!

Hajime:

Hehe...♪ Yes, you always put your heart into what you do. Both then and now.

Mitsuru:

Hey, Hajime-chan. I’ve been thinkin’ about that song Arashi-chan sang this whole time. And I think I managed to remember a little somethin’. Not everything though.

Hajime:

Huh? Did you remember why you were drawn to that song?

Mitsuru:

Yeah. I joined the track team ‘cause I love to run but... I got kinda tired.

Hajime:

Tired...? Tired from running too much?

Mitsuru:

Mmm. Yeah, maybe. I guess it’s from running too much.

The faster I ran, the further I pulled ahead from everyone runnin’ alongside me.

And in the end, I ended up all alone. ‘Cause I’ve gotta reach the goal first, before anyone else.

It feels great to be the first to cross the finish line, but it’s a lonely place ‘cause there’s no one else there beside me.

I... I wanted to run faster than anyone else I spent every day runnin’ alongside friends who felt the same as me.

But one day, one of the guys who used to run with me said that he didn’t have any talent. And that he was gonna quit the team.

I love competition. And on top of competing, I can’t help wanting to win - those feelings are never gonna go away.

But... I realized that the more I run ‘cause I like doin’ it, the more likely it is I’ll end up stealin’ someone’s dream from them.

Even though it’s not like I wanna kick anyone down! I just love runnin’ and bein’ the first to reach the goal.

Hajime:

Mitsuru-kun...

Mitsuru:

That’s the world of competition. Only one person can become number one and there’s nothin’ anyone can do about it.

But I... I got kinda tired of all that.

And after that it became harder to run... I even lost a race...

Even though if someone has to lose ‘cause of me, then I’ve GOT to win... That’s the responsibility of a winner for sure!

And so... On the day I lost that race, an idol came to hold a concert to cheer us on.

Hajime:

An idol...?

Mitsuru:

Yeah. That idol sang the same song Arashi-chan-senpai was singing earlier.

It cheered me right up! Everyone around me got completely absorbed in listenin’ to them sing, and by the time they finished everyone had a smile on their face!

That’s when it hit me that idols are really amazing! They can make a whole crowd of people smile way faster than I can run, even when I’m givin’ it everything I’ve got!

...So I guess that’s why I started thinkin’ I wanted to become an idol.

Hajime:

...Mitsuru-kun, I’m so sorry!

Mitsuru:

Ungh?! Wh-What’s wrong all of a sudden?

Hajime:

We weren’t looking at you at all... We were all just looking right through you to find the old Mitsuru-kun...

But you’re still you. Nothing’s changed that.

Mitsuru:

Hajime-chan...

Hajime:

So asking you to “stand-in” as a “temporary helper” was going about it all wrong. Please let us have a do over... From the very start...

It’s not about whether you remember anything or not. If you don’t, then we’ll just make new memories from now on.

I... We all want to be idols together with you, Mitsuru-kun. We want to laugh together and cry together, by each other’s side.

Remember when I said “All four of us make up Ra*bits” a little while ago? I mean it. Still... I don’t want you to force yourself either. Then there’d be no meaning to it.

So, let me ask you, Mitsuru-kun. Will you be an idol together with us? That’s my wish.

I want you to be the one to decide whether you’ll be an idol or not, but only if that’s what you want.

Mitsuru:

...What I want?

Hajime:

Yes.

Mitsuru:

...Yeah.

Yeah! I’ll be an idol! I mean it—this time for real!

I wanna sing with you guys! I wanna make everyone who watches us smile!

I’ll become an idol superstar~! Along with the rest of you guys, of course!

Hajime:

Yes...!

Mitsuru:

...Wait, uh. By the way, why’d you come here, Hajime-chan? Did ya come lookin’ for me?

Hajime:

...Oh no! Aaaagh! I found you but I completely forgot to let Tomoya-kun and Nii~chan know...!

What should I do now?! Oh nooo, I’ve got a ton of messages from them! I must have made them worry so much...

Mitsuru:

Are those two lookin’ for me too...?

...Ahaha! That’ll be all right, Hajime-chan! The two of us’ll just dash, dash, dash back over to wherever they are right now and apologize!

And then they’ll forgive us for sure♪

Hajime:

...Hehe. You’re right. We’ve got to get back quickly so we can let them know we’re okay.

Mitsuru:

All righty~! Then let’s dash, dash, daaaash back over to them~!

Hajime:

Huh? Whoa?! W-Wait, Mitsuru-kun! I can’t keep up with you when you run that fast~!

Chapter: Black Bunny - Mitsuru to Escape 3

Writer: 西岡麻衣子 Nishioka Maiko

Season: Fall

Location: Outside ES

Hajime:

Mmm... He’s not here either...

(I’ve checked more or less everywhere in ES... Where did you go, Mitsuru-kun...?)

(Hmm... No messages on my phone either.)

(We promised to contact each other as soon as we found him, so I guess neither Tomoya-kun or Nii~chan have seen him yet either...)

(Tomoya-kun’s looking inside the main ES building, Nii~chan is searching Seisou Dorm, and I’m checking all sorts of places.)

Where on earth could he have gone?

Perhaps he’s gone further than ES?

(But the current Mitsuru-kun doesn’t remember anything, so it’s hard to imagine that he’d go somewhere unfamiliar to him.)

Hajime:

Oh! I might have one idea... Could he possibly have gone there...?

Location: Yumenosaki

Hajime:
Somewhere the current Mitsuru-kun might go is here... I wonder if I’m right?

In any case, I’ll go have a look around.

Location: Outside Yumenosaki auditorium

Mitsuru:

......

Hajime:

(Oh, there he is...! I knew it, he came back to school.)

Mitsuru:

Hajime:

(Huh? He’s not headed for the sports grounds?)

(It looks like he noticed something and headed inside...)

Location: Yumenosaki auditorium

Mitsuru:

...?

Hajime:

Hehe. Did this place catch your attention? We often used to perform here.

Mitsuru:

Whoa! You scared me! Hajime-chan?

Hajime:

Oh! Ehehe... I startled you, huh. Sorry about that.

But why did this place catch your eye? You’ll probably get scolded if you try running in here.

Mitsuru:

Hey, Hajime-chan. Why don’t we perform here anymore?

Hajime:

Huh? Oh, we as in Ra*bits?

Mmm, thankfully now we have ES to perform at instead. Performances at school are when they hold big events and such.

Mitsuru:

Hmm...

There’s something about here... It definitely means somethin’ to me.

But it’s not a fun feeling at all - it makes me feel all disappointed and angry. It reminds me of that feelin’ I get when I haven’t had a good run; all pent-up and gloomy.

And...kinda scared. Even though I’m no coward!

Why does just being in here make me feel this way...?

Hajime:

Oh, I might know the reason for that.

This is the place we performed...even though we had no audience. Well, it’s more accurate to say that Anzu-san and Akehoshi-senpai were here watching us but...

Mitsuru:

Just two people...? How come? Isn’t that pointless?

Hajime:

The situation is a little complicated... But everything's changed now, so there’s no need to worry about it.

Oh but it wasn’t pointless at all, you know?

We’re idols. If even just one person is there to support us, then we’ve got to put our whole heart into our performance. We’ve got to thank them with the brightest smiles we can.

Isn’t it the same for you, Mitsuru-kun? If even just one person says they like watching you run, then you’ll run and run as fast as you can, right?

Mitsuru:

Yeah. If I can make whoever it is watchin’ me run smile, then I’m gonna dash, dash, dash with everythin’ I’ve got!

Hajime:

Yes! And we idols are the same.

Hajime:

That said... To be honest, rather than just one person, or two people, I’d much rather reach a whole crowd.

So to not even be given to the chance to do that was so painful that, as soon as our performance was over, I bawled my eyes out. Ehehe...

Mitsuru:

Was I there too?

Hajime:

Of course. You and me. And Tomoya-kun and Nii~chan too. All four of us make up Ra*bits after all.

Chapter: Black Bunny - Mitsuru to Escape 2

Writer: 西岡麻衣子 Nishioka Maiko

Season: Fall

Location: ES Practice room

The next day after that.

Hajime: Sorry for being late...!

Nazuna:

Oh hey, Hajime-chin. All finished with work for today? Good job!

Tomoya:

Don’t worry about being late. We just stopped to take a break.

Hajime:

Oh, I’m glad! ♪ All right, then I’ll go get changed.

Mitsuru:

*sneak sneak*...♪

Tomoya:

Mitsuru! Come. On! Don’t think you’re gonna be able to pull the same tricks on us over and over again! Today for sure there’s no way I’m letting you get away!

Mitsuru:

Ungh?! Tomo-chin, you’ve got hold of me like a cat again! Lemme go~!

Tomoya:

It’s ‘cause you always escape on us?!

Tomoya:

Why won’t you keep practicing with the rest of us? We haven’t got much time left before the concert!

Mitsuru:

Huh? But I’m doing all I need to do as a stand-in! I’m just a temporary helper after all! And I already learned all your dances and songs!

And besides, I’m an athlete—that means I’ve gotta go run! So lemme go already, Tomo-chan!

Tomoya:

A stand-in... A temporary helper, huh... Well, I know that I’m the one who said that would be okay, to see yourself that way, but...

But aren’t you an idol? Well, at least you were before you lost your memories.

We’ve always stood on stage together and sang and danced... Together... We’ve come this far side by side, haven’t we?

Mitsuru:

I’m tellin’ ya, I dunno about any of that! I don’t get any of this! Whether I’m an idol or not—I dunno!

This is all crazy! I’m the only me here!

Hajime:

Mitsuru-kun...

Mitsuru:

So I’m gonna do what I want! I wanna run, so I’m gonna run! Dash, dash, dash~!

Nazuna:

Ahh! Mitsuru-chin!

Tomoya:

Wait! Mitsuru!

...Mitsuru.

Hajime:

...Oh, so that’s what it was. Yes... I finally understand now.

Nazuna:

Hajime-chin? What do you understand?

Hajime:

Ever since Shinkai-senpai told me to “find what is real”, it’s been on my mind ever since.

I felt like the answer was right in front of me, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around whatever it was, and it was making me feel super uneasy.

But thanks to what Mitsuru-kun just said, I feel like I’ve finally figured out what it was.

We weren’t looking at Mitsuru-kun as he is right now, were we?

Tomoya:

Mitsuru as he is right now...?

Hajime:

Yes. We desperately try to force Mitsuru-kun to get his memories back, because that’s what we wanted... But Mitsuru-kun is still Mitsuru-kun, no matter what state he’s in.

Hajime:

Just because he’s lost his memories, doesn’t mean he’s a fake.

Both the Mitsuru-kun with his memories and the Mitsuru-kun without them are still equally the real him.

Tomoya:

I guess... But don’t you want Mitsuru to remember everything too, Hajime? I mean, we have so many memories together...

Hajime:

Yes. I’d love it if Mitsuru-kun got his memories back.

But that’s just us focusing on being sad about Mitsuru-kun forgetting about us.

That’s no good. We have to look things in a different way - “We want Mitsuru-kun to get his memories back, but only if that’s what he wants for himself”. For his own sake.

When you look at it this way... I believe that if Mitsuru-kun doesn’t end up remembering anything, then everything will still be fine.

I believe that just looking for traces of the old Mitsuru-kun in the current Mitsuru-kun... Not taking into consideration how he is now is just getting hung up on the past and not looking towards the future.

If he doesn’t remember everything we’ve been through up until now—even if he’s forgotten all of our memories together—then we’ll just make new ones all over again. This time around we’ll make even more than we had before.

I mean, look at the way Mitsuru-kun is still by our side even now... ♪

Tomoya:

Hajime...

Nazuna:

...You’re right. Yeah, it’s exactly as Hajime-chin says. We weren’t taking the future that we’ll share with Mitsuru-chin into consideration at all.

Tomoya:

Yeah... We were so desperate to get the idol Mitsuru back...

But, yeah... Even without his memories, he hasn’t changed.

Then we’ll just have to do everything over. We can make a bunch of new memories together...

Hajime:

Yes...! If anything, we might become even closer than we were before.

Nazuna:

Ahaha. I hope so♪

Now that that’s decided, let’s go look for Mitsuru-chin!

Translation: @nazunyan427 JP Proof: @noscomnia

Chapter: Black Bunny - Mitsuru to Escape 1

Writer: 西岡麻衣子 Nishioka Maiko

Season: Fall

Location: ES Practice room

The next day.

Tomoya:

♪~♪~...And that’s how it goes. Well, Mitsuru? Do you think you can remember?

Mitsuru:

Nooope! Not a single part!

Hajime:

I thought this might be the case, Tomoya-kun. It’s unreasonable to expect him to be able to learn all of our dances immediately after just watching us.

Nazuna:

Hm? What’s wrong, Mitsuru-chin? If you come this close to us, you won’t be able to see the dance as a whole?

Mitsuru:

I can’t learn this stuff just by watchin’, so I think it’d be better if I just forced myself to learn manually! My coach said that learnin’ by repetition is important for track stuff too, so yeah!

Tomoya:

Huh? You can just do it right away?

Mitsuru:

Can’t answer that until I try! And if I can’t, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it! So I’d rather just continue on this way!

Tomoya:

All right, we can try but...if it’s too much, you can stop us any time, okay?

Mitsuru:

—♪~♪~♪~

Hajime:

(Wow! Mitsuru-kun is amazing...! He hasn’t got the dance moves 100% correct, but he’s still able to keep up with us without much trouble!)

(This is Mitsuru-kun after all. Even without his memories he’s still got his natural reflexes, so he’s able to do it pretty easily. I envy him.)

(When Mitsuru-kun sings and dances, anyone watching him will cheer right up. For sure, no matter who you asked, there's no doubt that they’d tell you Mitsuru-kun is an idol, through and through.)

(He’s got to be the kind of person that people would call the ‘real deal”.)

(Find what’s “real”... Just what was Shinkai-senpai trying to say back then...?)

(I still can’t get what he said to me out of my mind.)

(Something’s been feeling off for a while now and it’s like he gave me a hint in relation to that... But I can’t put it into words myself. I just feel way too uncertain about this.)

Nazuna:

Hey, Hajime-chin. You’re repeating the same move over and over again y’know?

Hajime:

Eek?! I’m sorry...! I got lost in my thoughts-

Tomoya:

What’s wrong? Are you tired?

Hajime:

Oh-no, that’s not it.

Ehehe. I can’t be like this. Not when Mitsuru-kun is working so hard.

Nazuna:

Right? You’re doing great, Mitsuru-chin! You didn’t memorize anything, did you?

I can’t believe you came this far just by watching us and copying our moves.

Tomoya:

At this rate, it looks like we’ll have things in some sort of shape by the concert!

Mitsuru:

Ehen♪ Feel free to praise me even more~♪

Tomoya:

All right, let’s keep going like this until we’ve covered everything you’re able to do~

A few hours later.

Tomoya:

Okay, break time’s over! Let’s get back to practice~

Hajime:

Yes sir~☆

Nazuna:

Yeah. I’m just gonna go put this towel away.

Tomoya:

Next up is our new song—huh? Where’s Mitsuru?

Hajime:

Huh? I feel like he was just over there getting a drink of water a second ago? ...Huh?

Nazuna:

Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen him since a little earlier. Wonder if he went to the toilet?

Tomoya:

Wait...! I... I remember...!

Hajime:

Do you have an idea where Mitsuru-kun might have gone, Tomoya-kun?

Tomoya:

No, that’s not it.

Have you guys forgotten? Remember back when we’d just started at Yumenosaki and only just formed Ra*bits? That guy was constantly slipping away from practice to go run, wasn’t he?

Nazuna:

Now that you mention it, yeah, that did used to happen~ And then we’d often have to run all over the school looking for him. Ah, this sure takes me back~♪

Tomoya:

Nii~chan, this is nothing to smile about..

It looks like Mitsuru has reverted back to who he was back then, so I think he’s probably escaped in order to run...

Nazuna:

So that means... Now we’ve gotta search all over ES this time?

Tomoya:

Oh for god’s sake! ES is way more complicated than Yumenosaki - what are we gonna do if he gets lost?

Anyway, I’m gonna go look for him!

Nazuna:

Let’s split up, Tomo-chin.

Hajime:

I’ll help look for him too! Though Mitsuru-kun is so fast that I don’t know if I’ll be able to catch him.

The next day.

Tomoya:

Where the hell is Mitsuru?!

Hajime:

Huh? We only just stopped to take a break...

Tomoya:

He’s escaped again! The second I take my eyes off of him, he’s out of here!

Nazuna:

He hasn’t been missing for long, so he can’t have gone far. Let’s hurry after him!

Translation: @nazunyan427 JP Proof: @noscomnia

Chapter: Black Bunny - Mitsuru in Wonderland 3

Writer: 西岡麻衣子 Nishioka Maiko

Season: Fall

Location: Sky Garden

Nazuna:

Now look here, Kanata-chin! As if I’d EVER let you get away with something like that! I don’t care if you’re joking around—this is just in bad taste! Quit dragging my kids into your weird games!

Kanata:

hmm... this is a pickle. be that as it may, i’ve already decided to become a “monster”. i am just “sticking to the path that i’ve chosen”.

Mitsuru:

No, ya don’t hafta stick to anythin’~! Especially not me—lemme go!

Kanata:

then how about this?

which is the “mitsuru” you dropped? was it a “gold” mitsuru? or perhaps a “silver” mitsuru?[1]

Hajime:

Huh...?

Tomoya:

Uh... We really don’t have time for this? I’d really prefer you stopped playing around...

Kanata:

i am not “playing around”.

go ahead, answer me. “which” mitsuru do you want back? if you don’t answer, i’ll “take” him along with me~ rawr~☆

Mitsuru:

Ungh?! I wish you’d quit coming out with such weird stuff! I’m the only me here!

Hajime:

E-Exactly! Never mind gold or silver, the only Mitsuru-kun we want back is the one you’re holding right now, Shinkai-senpai...!

Kanata:

that is your “answer”. understood~

Mitsuru:

Huh...? You let go of me? And you did it so easily that it was actually kinda anti-climatic...

Kanata:

yes~ because the bunnies meant it from their “heart” when they “begged” for “you” back.

Hajime:

Mitsuru-kun, are you okay...?

Mitsuru:

Yeah. Not a thing wrong with me. I just didn’t see that comin’!

Tomoya:

And here I thought Hibiki-senpai was the only weirdo out of the Eccentrics... But there’s definitely nothing normal about Shinkai-senpai either. He’ll do something cryptic out of nowhere in a way that doesn’t make sense to anyone.

Nazuna:

Urgh, Kanata-chin! Quit kidding around like that! If you try that again, I’ll lose my temper with you for real, got it?

Tomoya:

Well, Shinkai-senpai. We’ll be on our way then.

Kanata:

oh... and to think i was so “serious”. you’re all so “cold”. this is a “rough” world we are “living” in...

Hajime:

Oh! I-I know you did something strange, but we all know you’re still a very kind person! So, it’s okay (?); everything’s fine...!

Kanata:

hehehe~♪ thank you.

make sure you continue as you are and find what’s “real”, okay?

Hajime:

Huh...? What do you mean by that?

Nazuna:

Hey! Hajime-chin, we’re leaving~!

Hajime:

O-Oh, right! Umm, but...

Kanata:

go ahead. though when you feel like “bathing”, you can come and find me.

then we can “puka puka” “together”♪

Location: Outside ES

Tomoya:

Man... We ended up calling by a ton of different places, but with absolutely no results.

Mitsuru:

I’m starvin’~! ...I might perish here on the spot...

Nazuna:

Right? I’m pretty hungry too.

Alrighty then! I’ll make you guys my fried rice—I haven’t done that in a while. The flavor’s gonna be pretty average though.

Mitsuru:

Fried rice! I can’t wait~! I can feel the will to live comin’ back to me!

Tomoya:

Oh yay! ♪ It’s been ages since we had your fried rice, Nii~chan! That sure is something to look forward to, right Hajime?

Hajime:

......

Tomoya:

What’s wrong, Hajime? You’ve been acting kind of strange ever since we ran into Shinkai-senpai...? Did something happen?

Hajime:

Oh no, that’s not it...

It’s just, I’ve been worrying about something he told me—no, that’s not it. I feel like something hit me...

But if you asked me what, I couldn’t tell you, so it’s been on my mind since then.

Tomoya:

Hm? What do you mean? Sounds kinda like a riddle...

Oh well, I don’t think you need to worry about it too much. There’s probably no deep meaning behind what he said.

Hajime:

Yeah... You’re right. I’m probably just overthinking things a bit too much.

Location: Seisou Dorm Kitchen

Nazuna:

All right! Dig in! ☆

Mitsuru:

Whoo hoo! Time to chow down! *munch, chew* ...Mmph?! Ish ish sho good! Ish sho, sho good, Eee-tan!

Nazuna:

Glad to hear it~♪ But don’t speak with your mouth full; it’s bad manners, Mitsuru-chin~

Tomoya:

We visited a whole bunch of places today, but we’ve got no spoils of war to show for it. So, where should we go tomorrow?

Mitsuru:

Omph, nomph...*swallow* Nah, you’re fine! You guys all did so much for me today, so that’s more than enough!

I don’t really understand what you guys were talkin’ about, uhh...Tomo-chan, but basically you have a concert comin’ up and all I need to do is perform with ya?

Tomoya:

Huh? You’ll perform with us, Mitsuru? Seriously? All of the practice sessions you’ll have to put in to learn off our entire repertoire up until now isn’t gonna be easy though?

Mitsuru:

Mmm~ I don’t really get it, but you guys are havin’ trouble, right? Besides, you all did so much stuff for me today!

That’s why it’s fine by me! I’ll cooperate with you guys as a sort of stand-in; a temporary helper! I’m always bein’ asked by other clubs to help them out with stuff!

Tomoya:

Th-Thanks a bunch! You’re really helping us out here, Mitsuru.

Nazuna:

Thank god, right Tomo-chin...?! Now we Ra*bits will be able to perform at Wonderland!

Mitsuru:

I’m the kinda guy who understands what needs to be done!

Tomoya:

All right, then I’ll sign us up for the event first thing tomorrow! And from tomorrow on it’s full steam ahead! Practice from here on is gonna be intense!

Hajime:

......

[1] This is a reference to the story The Honest Woodcutter. A woodcutter drops his axe into the water and a god appears, offering him both a gold axe and a silver axe, but the honest woodcutter declares all he wants back is his own axe.

Translation: @nazunyan427 JP Proof: @noscomnia

Chapter: Black Bunny - Mitsuru in Wonderland 2

Writer: 西岡麻衣子 Nishioka Maiko

Season: Fall

Location: Rhythm Link Office

Tomoya:

—Well? What do you think, Mitsuru?

Mitsuru:

*munch munch* Mmph? About what?

Tomoya:

What do you mean “about what”?! Did you forget why we came here in this first place?

Mitsuru:

......

…’Cause the snacks are delicious and it’s a happy place?

Tomoya:

Mi—tsu—ru! Stop losing sight of our original goal! We’re going all over the place to try help you get your memory back!

Hajime:

Well... We’ve only tried one place so far. We’ve still got a lot to go.

Mitsuru:

Yeah, right! Ya don’t gotta be so grouchy, Tomo-chin—it’s not gonna solve anything! My memory’ll come back when it comes back!

Tomoya:

I don’t wanna hear that from you!

Nazuna:

Ahaha. This is a pretty serious situation, but they’ve got no sense of urgency about it at all~.

Arashi:

Oh my. I personally think that’s just a fine way to be. As they say: haste makes waste.

Nazuna:

That said, when you consider the situation with Ra*bits, we can’t really afford to be too laid back about things...

Tomoya:

Exactly. Even if we take things step by step, there’s still a limit on how much time we can spend.

Nazuna:

Yeah, you’re right. All right, shall we get going and try somewhere else?

Uhh... Where else did Mitsuru-chin like...?

Arashi:

Are you visiting the places that Mitsuru-chan would often spend time at?

In that case, how about the Sky Garden? I’d often run into him basking in the sun up there.

Mitsuru:

The Sky Garden? That place sounds super cool~!

Woohoo, I smell an adventure comin’ on! I wanna go! Let’s dash, dash, dash all the way there~!

Hajime:

Oh?! Wait, Mitsuru-kun! Don’t go running off by yourself!

And isn’t the Sky Garden in the other direction?!

Tomoya:

Oh, come on! Can’t he stay still for just a second?! I’m telling you to hold it!

Arashi:

My, my. All three of them have taken off.

Nazuna:

You don’t say! Ahaha, sorry about my kids causing so much of a fuss! I’m gonna go chase after them. Thanks, Arashi-chin!

Arashi:

Don't worry about it at all! The pleasure's all mine♪ I pray that Mitsuru-chan will get his memories back soon.

Location: Sky Garden

Mitsuru:

Mmhmm...! The breeze sure does feel good~!

Tomoya:

*pant, wheeze* ...We f-finally caught up to you...!

Hajime:

*huff, wheeze* ...N-Never mind catching up with Mitsuru-kun... I even lost sight of you on the way here, Tomoya-kun... You guys are so fast...

Nazuna:

*pant* ...Really wish you wouldn’t just take off like that... Think of the ones who’ve gotta chase after you, Mitsuru-chin...

Mitsuru:

You’re all slowpokes~!

Aww...? This Sky Garden’s nothing like I imagined it would be... This sucks...

There’s no ancient city in ruins hidden amongst a nest of dragons? This is just a regular garden! [1]

Tomoya:

Obviously not? What did you think the Sky Garden was?

Hajime:

Hehe. I guess I can kind of understand how Mitsuru-kun feels.

When you hear the name “Sky Garden”, you picture a peaceful garden floating high above the earth, forgotten by the people. I wonder if that could be the influence of an anime?

Nazuna:

Yeah, it does have a pretty dreamlike image. You could say it definitely brings out your sense of adventure.

Mitsuru:

Yeah...

Mn? There may not be any ruins guarded by robots or an old lady sky pirate, but there’s a kappa in that pond over there![1]

Nazuna:

A kappa?!** Where do you—[2]

Kanata:

i’m no “kappa”, you could at least call me a “mermaid” or a “merman”~[3]

Nazuna:

Oh, pfft. So the so-called kappa was just Kanata-chin.

Kanata:

yes~ it is i, “kanata shinkai”...♪

i don't really desire any “cucumbers”~[4]

Nazuna:

Mitsuru-chin, Kanata-chin here is a little weird, but he’s an idol just like us.

Kanata:

yes, that’s right~ i heard about what happened; so he really has lost his “memories”.

Mitsuru:

That’s what everyone tells me! I don’t really get it though!

Tomoya:

Urgh. You could have even a little more sense of danger! How can you be so calm? Isn’t it way more normal to panic or be worried about something like this?

Mitsuru:

Beats me! I’m still me, so why would I panic? That’d be weird!

Kanata:

by the way, why did you come up here?

oh, could it be that you want to “puka puka” with me? i’d be happy to see my “comrades” increase~

Tomoya:

Uhh, not exactly. I mean, now’s not really the best time of year to be swimming in cold water like that...

Kanata:

hmph. i see... that’s a shame.

chiaki has also “banned” me from “swimming in cold water”, so i can only stick a “part” of my body in at the moment...

this is definitely what they call “power harassment”.

Nazuna:

No, I get the feeling that Chiaki-chin is definitely in the right here...

Tomoya:

We really want Mitsuru to get his memory back, so we’re visiting all the places that he likes...

Hajime:

And we heard that he’s fond of the Sky Garden...

Kanata:

yes. that’s true, i see mitsuru “here” quite a lot. he often runs around the “pond” as fast as the “wind”~

Hajime:

What do you think, Mitsuru-kun? Does this place bring back anything to you?

Mitsuru:

Nope, not a thing! I don’t remember a thing.

Hajime:

I see...

Nazuna:

So this place doesn’t work either, huh... I’m getting worried...

Tomoya:

The situation’s looking bleaker and bleaker... What should we do to get Mitsuru back...?

Kanata:

......

there...☆

Mitsuru:

Ungyah?! Why’re you grabbin’ me from behind like that?! Are you tryin’ to pull me into the water?!

So you are some kinda evil ‘monster‘ after all, Onii~san!

—Mn? Why’d I say monster instead of kappa...? That’s weird. It just slipped out...

Kanata:

hehehe~♪ that’s fine with me. then, i’ll become a “monster”~

Tomoya:

Huh?! What are you saying?!

Kanata:

hehehe ♪ “monsters” have to take the “prey” they catch and drag it back to their own “world”, don’t they?

Mitsuru:

Huh?! I’ve never heard about that before! Nooo, let go of me!

Kanata:

let’s go to the “bottom” of the “pond”~. puka puka...♪

Hajime:

W-Wait a minute, Shinkai-senpai...! This is just a joke, right...?

Kanata:

mn? i am very “serious”. if i wasn’t “serious”, i wouldn’t go this far.

[1]Mitsuru and Hajime are most likely referring to the Ghibli movie “Laputa: Castle in the Sky”. The floating city of Laputa is surrounded by storm clouds known as the “Dragon’s Nest”. See here for the plot of the movie.

[2]A kappa is a river-dwelling creature from Japanese folklore. Read more here.

[3]Rather than just merman, Kanata refers specifically to the Japanese version of a merman, the amabie. “Amabie (アマビエ) is a legendary Japanese mermaid or merman with a bird-beak like mouth and three legs or tail-fins, who allegedly emerges from the sea, prophesies either an abundant harvest or an epidemic, and instructed people to make copies of its likeness to defend against illness.”

See more here.

[4]In the original Japanese, Kanata specifies he wants neither a cucumber (the favorite food of the kappa and commonly given as an offering) nor a shirigodama, which is a “mythical ball inside the anus that is sought after by the kappa”. Since this trivia is commonly known among Japanese, it would not have much of an effect on the audience reading it, so I decided to leave out of the translated version, so as not to confuse English-speaking readers.

Translation: @nazunyan427 JP Proof: @noscomnia EN Proof: @ra_bits_daisuki

Chapter: Black Bunny - Mitsuru in Wonderland 1

Writer: 西岡麻衣子 Nishioka Maiko

Season: Fall

Location: Rhythm Link Office

Tomoya:

That said, I wonder where should we go?

When it comes to places that are important to all of us, this very office counts too. But we’ve been here for a while and still nothing seems to click, right, Mitsuru?

Mitsuru:

There’s a bunch of PCs all in a row—it feels super cool! Kinda like an electronics store~

Nazuna:

...Doesn’t seem like this place has much of an effect on him.

All right, why don’t we drop by some of Mitsuru-chin’s old favorite places in ES?

Hajime:

Mitsuru-kun’s old favorite places... Oh, speaking of which, he often visited the Resting Room.

That area is always stocked up with snacks and other refreshments—that’s why he said it reminded him of a manga cafe and was super happy about it.

Mitsuru:

Snacks?! I wanna go there! ♪ I feel like I’ll be able to remember somethin’!

Tomoya:

Oh really now. Looks like you just want to eat snacks to me though.... And anyway, if you get your memories back just by stuffing your face with junk food, I’m gonna lose it. It’ll feel like: “give us back all the time we spent suffering for no reason!”

Hajime:

Well, we don’t have anywhere else in mind for now, so why don’t we try heading over there for now?

Location: Resting Room

Mitsuru:

Yahoo! ♪ There really are tons of snacks here~!

Can I really eat whatever I want? Do I hafta pay anythin’? I don’t wanna get scolded later!

Nazuna:

You’re free to eat anything you want laid out here~ But you should try to keep other people in mind, so you can't just go and eat everything, okay?

Mitsuru:

Yeah, I got it! All right, time to dig in~! ☆

Mitsuru:

*chomp, chomp* This is so good! This is really really good! *munch, chew*

Arashi:

♪~♪~♪~

Mitsuru:

...!

Hajime:

Mn? What’s wrong, Mitsuru-kun? The way you froze so suddenly reminds me of a toy whose batteries just died—it’s kind of scary...

You know, the kind that often appears in horror movies? A cymbal-banging monkey toy will just suddenly...

Mitsuru:

...A song.

Hajime:

Huh? A song? I don’t hear any song...Hm? Wait, huh? I actually can kind of hear something...

Tomoya:

Yeah, you’re right. Though I think it’s just someone humming... Does this song ring a bell to you, Mitsuru?

Mitsuru:

Uugh, I dunno.

But it’s makin’ somethin’ stir inside my chest. It’s givin’ me this uncontrollable urge to run...! I guess that’s it!

Tomoya:

Really now...? Hmm, is it coming from around the corner over there? I wonder who’s singing...?

Oh, Narukami-senpai.

Arashi:

Eek?!

Oh gosh…! Don't just all appear out of nowhere—you almost gave me a heart attack! I’m not impressed by this sort of fooling around!

Tomoya:

Oh, right. Sorry about that. We didn’t mean to scare you. We were just wondering who was singing.

Arashi:

Singing?

Mitsuru:

Just now, you were singin’ somethin’, Oneech-

Hm? Oh! You’re an Onii~chan! I was about to get bamboozled by a beauty again!

Arashi:

Oh come now. Why did you switch to Onii~chan? Though it’s understandable that you’d get a little confused by standing so close to my beauty.

It’s all right to follow your heart and go with your instincts, you know? I won’t mind at all if you want to call me “Onee~chan”~

Mitsuru:

Huuuh? Nooo! What if my instincts get it wrong? I don’t wanna mess up again!

Arashi:

Just kidding~ I thought I’d tease you a little bit~

It doesn’t matter if I’m male or female. I’m just me.

So I’d love it if you just called me “Arashi-chan-senpai”♪

Mitsuru:

Yeah, all right! If that’s what you want, Arashi-chan-senpai!

Nazuna:

Hey, Arashi-chin?

*whisper* You’re super calm about this whole thing. Do you already know about Mitsuru-chin’s situation?

Arashi:

*whisper* I do. I just received a message from my agency about it. I believe Rhythm Link is currently contacting the other agencies about what happened.

*whisper* We were all just given a heads-up about Mitsuru-chan’s condition and to not do anything to confuse or agitate him.

Nazuna:

*whisper* Gotcha. That’s a relief. I was worried that with Mitsuru-chin as he is now, there’d be chaos for both him and whoever he ran into.

Arashi:

*whisper* I understand. And that’s why cooperation is truly important here. If there’s anything I can do, just say the word.

...Oh my? Did we stray off-topic? Weren’t you just asking about a song?

Tomoya:

Oh, right! It seems like Mitsuru was interested in the song you were singing to yourself just now, Narukami-senpai.

Arashi:

The song...?

Oh, do you possibly mean this song? ♪~♪~♪~

Mitsuru:

Oh! Yeah, that! That’s the one!

Arashi:

Hehe. I started singing it to myself without even realizing it, so for a second I wasn’t sure what you were talking about.

Hajime:

Umm. What was the name of that song?

Arashi:

It’s one that was fairly popular a few years ago.

It topped the charts for a little while, but quickly faded into obscurity... Both the song and the idol who sang it.

But you see, I'm a huge fan of this song. I listen to it when I’m a little down and it never fails to re-energize and leave me on a much more positive note ♪

So whenever I want to cheer myself up, I end up humming it to myself. It’s like my “good luck spell” for putting myself in a better mood.

Hajime:

Oh wow. I see!

But why did that song catch his attention? Mitsuru-kun, do you recognize it too?

Mitsuru:

Mmm... I dunno. I shouldn’t have heard it before...

But I think I like that song, too!

Arashi:

Oh my. I’m delighted to share a favorite song with you, Mitsuru-chan~

Mitsuru:

Yeah! Havin' somethin' in common with someone is a super happy thing~! ♪

Translation: @nazunyan427
JP Proof: @noscomnia
EN Proof: @ra_bits_daisuki

Chapter: Black Bunny - Mitsuru of Amnesia 3

Writer: 西岡麻衣子 Nishioka Maiko

Season: Fall

Location: Rhythm Link Office

Mitsuru:

*sneak sneak* ...♪

Tomoya:

Oh, come on! Why are you trying to sneak out of the room in the middle of an important conversation, Mitsuru?!

Mitsuru:

Wah, busted! Uh...Tomo-chan? Could ya not grab me by the scruff of my neck? I’m no cat!

Tomoya:

It’s because you’re trying to escape!

Mitsuru:

But but but! This is sooo boring! Everyone’s standin’ around with serious faces while havin’ a serious conversation. It’s so gloomy! At this rate, you’re gonna make me all gloomy too!

At times like this, it’s better to inhale some good ‘ol fresh air and dash as fast as ya can under blue skies~!

That always makes me feel refreshed! So that’s why I wanna go and run~!

Tomoya:

Well, you can’t. Or rather, we’re talking about YOU, so the least you can do is listen closely. Why is the person directly involved trying to get away?

Mitsuru:

Mn? You’re talkin’ about me? I wish you guys wouldn’t lie to me. Nothin’ you’re talkin’ about rings a bell.

I’ve been tellin’ ya this whole time! I’m not an idol! My thing is track and field~!

I’m not gonna be fooled by these lies! Hah~!☆

Nazuna:

Huh?!

Mitsuru:

I’m not an idol—I’m an athlete! Athletes don’t sing or dance—they run!

So that’s what I’m gonna do right now! Dash, dash~!

Tomoya:

Wagh?! Wh-Whoa?! C-Come on, Mitsuru! Stop flailing around~!

Ughhh...I’ll die before letting you go! Hnngh...!

Mitsuru:

Ugggghh...! Tomo-chan, will ya just let go of me already...?!

Hajime:

I think both of you should calm down, Tomoya-kun and Mitsuru-kun. At this rate, you’ll end up stretching and damaging Mitsuru-kun’s clothes.

Mitsuru:

...I don’t want my clothes to get damaged.

Hajime:

Exactly. So could you please try to be just a little bit more patient for now?

You can’t go running outside, but I can show you ES’ training room and the garden back at our dormitory in a little bit. I’m sure you’ll come to like them both.

Mitsuru:

Really, Hajime-chan?! Wahoo, I’m lookin’ forward to it~! I’ll behave myself quietly!

Nazuna:

Mitsuru-chin...

Tomoya:

*sigh* ... All of our problems just keep piling up, but this has to be the biggest one, Nii~chan...

He's not the Mitsuru who stands on stage as an idol—he's the Mitsuru who runs on the field instead from way back then.

Hajime:

Although we’ve already explained it to him quite a few times... Mitsuru-kun just won’t believe that he’s really an idol...

Tomoya:

Or rather, it feels like he has zero intentions of becoming an idol as he is now.

Mitsuru:

I’m tellin’ ya, none of this rings a bell! Why’d I become an idol? Why’d I quit track and field?

Tomoya:

Huh? Beats me...

Hajime:

Besides, you didn’t quit track and field, Mitsuru-kun. You’re still a member of the track team at Yumenosaki—you’re always running on the sports field, full of life.

In fact, the accident that caused this whole affair happened while you were in the middle of club activities.

Mitsuru:

Hmm. But runnin’ on its own is enough fun for me. Why’d I go through the trouble of becomin’ an idol?

Nazuna:

Uhh. Didn’t you say before that it’s ‘cause no matter how fast you run, you’ll never catch up to a car, but you can reach the whole world through a song in a second?

Hajime:

Yes. That’s why even when a scout approached you about running professionally, you turned them down.

Mitsuru:

A song...?

Agh, I don’t get any of this~! Why? Why’d I change my mind?

Nazuna:

Mmm... Not sure if we can answer that for you... Why did Mitsuru-chin become an idol?

Tomoya:

Who knows? We’ve only heard bits and pieces about the reason... Mitsuru’s never been super clear about telling us up until now.

I dunno if it’s ’cause he didn’t want to say why, or if he just doesn’t know how to put it into words well enough.

None of this seems to click with Mitsuru himself, so maybe it’s not even the original reason he wanted to become an idol.

Hajime:

...

Nazuna:

Mn? What’s wrong, Hajime-chin?

Hajime:

Oh, it’s nothing! It’s just...it just hit me that even though I spend so much time with Mitsuru-kun, I still don’t know aaanything about him...

… And I just think that’s really cold and terrible.

......

Tomoya:

There’s no need to get so depressed, Hajime. We’re all in the same boat here.

Nazuna:

Yeah. I’m just about to reflect on how little I know Mitsuru-chin, despite thinking I knew him well.

So, let’s go look for who he is.

Hajime:

Huh? Go look for him...?

Nazuna:

Yeah. Let’s visit places that share a connection between us and Mitsuru-chin together to look for fragments of his memories.

It won’t be too late to decide whether we’ll perform or not at Wonderland after we’ve done whatever we can to help him, right? Tomo-chin?

Tomoya:

Yeah, you’re right. We Ra*bits have grown step by step this whole time. We're used to walking down this kind of path.

Besides, it feels weird not having Mitsuru be the one all “Yahoo, idols!” or “Yahoo, a concert!”. He's the one who always gets the most excited among us!

Hajime:

Yes, you’re right... I want to see him like that again—Mitsuru-kun, the idol who’s full of joy.

Translation: @nazunyan427 JP Proof: @noscomnia EN Proof: @ra_bits_daisuki

Chapter: Black Bunny - Mitsuru of Amnesia 2

Writer: 西岡麻衣子 Nishioka Maiko

Season: Fall

Location: Rhythm Link Office

Tomoya:

I actually wanted everyone to take a look at this during today’s meeting. That way, I thought we’d be able to sort out the finer details.

Nazuna:

Hm? Oh, are those the documents about this Wonderland event that you mentioned in your message?

Hajime:

You mentioned that Ra*bits’ participation in Wonderland has been approved, right?

Tomoya:

Yeah. We somehow made it through the selection process successfully and were chosen to play the role of the white rabbits like we wanted.

Hajime:

Wow...♪ I can’t believe we get to perform as the exact role we were aiming for. Now all we need to do is join forces and give it our everything!

Nazuna:

Right. Besides, even though there are plenty of idols who use their cuteness as a selling point, there’s actually not a whole bunch of jobs that call for cuteness.

As it is, we’re all basically scrambling for a tiny slice of pie. And that’s exactly why the way we approach each one of our jobs from now on is super important for our future.

If we do a good job, we’ll leave a good impression on both the crowd and the staff—which should lead the way to the next job and the one after that too.

Tomoya:

Yes. It’s just as you said, Nii~chan.

There aren’t many concerts of this scale centered around cuteness, so when you consider the future of Ra*bits, it’s absolutely critical that we make this performance a success.

Hajime:

Well, it’s not like we intended to take it lightly in the first place… But what you're saying is that we should put in even more effort than what we usually do and be in the best shape as much as we can, yes?

Ugh, with that in mind, I’m starting to get nervous. My palms are starting to get all sweaty…

Tomoya:

Ah, there’s no need to be that anxious about it. Besides, you’re always at your best when you’re a little relaxed, Hajime.

Nazuna:

Yeah! If you start getting too stiff with worry then it’ll have the opposite effect and our quality will drop.

Hajime:

Th-That’s true—

Huh? Hehe. They got the name of the concert wrong on these documents.

Tomoya:

There’s a mistake? Oh, you’re right. They wrote “Underland” instead of “Wonderland”.

Hajime:

Hehe. I don’t feel as tense after seeing such a cute blunder. Thanks to that, my nerves feel a little more settled. I’m going to give this my everything I’ve got without letting my nerves get the better of me. That’s the way to go, right? ♪

Nazuna:

Right! That’s the spirit~!

By the way, Tomo-chin. I understand about the concert, but what is it that you’re so worried about?

I know we don’t have much time before the show… But we should have plenty of time to practice our new song, right?

Oh, is this about Mitsuru-chin?

You don’t need to worry about him that much—Mitsuru-chin’ll be just fine! He’s still got his athletic ability and reflexes from before, so I'm sure he'll be able to master our new song and choreography just fine...♪

You could say that Mitsuru-chin’s got the intuition of a wild beast… Er, anyway—he’s super fast at picking things up~ It’s like, it just comes to him naturally so I’m not too worried, y’know?

Tomoya:

Have you forgotten, Nii-chan? Mitsuru reverted back to who he was before he even entered Yumenosaki, never mind ES.

In other words—he’s completely forgotten everything about Ra*bits up until now; our songs, our dances...all of the experiences we went through as idols.

During the concert, there’s no way we can just perform our new song and call it a day; we’ll need to perform our other songs too!

Since that’s how it is, Mitsuru will have no choice but to master the songs that took us a year’s worth of time to learn in just under a month.

Nazuna:

Oh...

Tomoya:

Should we go ahead with the concert? Or should we just withdraw? Honestly, I’m at a loss about what to do...

I don’t wanna put pressure on Mitsuru… But a chance like this doesn’t come along every day, so there’s a part of me that wants to perform at this event for the sake of Ra*bits’ future no matter what…

What sort of a decision should the Leader make in this kind of situation...? What's the best thing to do...? I... really don't know...

Translation: @nazunyan427 JP Proof: @noscomnia EN Proof: @ra_bits_daisuki