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A Forced Dance |  |
Misaki
I swear, the minute I saw Marie's long jump, I knew it had to be you, Hagumi.
Hagumi
Ehehe~, that was a pretty great jump, wasn't it?!
Kanon
It sure was. You were running so fast too, even wearing such a heavy costu-- Ah!
Misaki
Y-you almost gave me a heart attack... What's wrong, Kanon-san?
Kanon
U-uhm, Hagumi-chan, that was you in the Marie costume, right?
Hagumi
Yup! That's right!
Kanon
S-so, what was it like being Marie? Or rather, being inside a suit like that?
Hagumi
Uhm~, it was super hot! And it was way harder to move around, too~!
Kanon
I-I'm sure it was! It seems really hard on Misaki-chan too... Being inside a costume sounds tough!
Misaki
H-hey, Kanon-san? What's gotten into you...?
Kanon
Hagumi-chan finally understands what a costume is... Now's our chance to explain to her that you're Michelle!
Misaki
... Ah~, gotcha. You're right, she might be able to put the pieces together now.
Hagumi
What's going on, you guys? Did I do something weird?
Kanon
N-no, it's nothing! Nothing at all! We were just talking about how hard being inside a costume is.
Misaki
Yeah, you can't see where you're going, among other things.
Hagumi
I know~... Huh? Wait, does that mean you've been inside one too, Mii-kun?! It's pretty tough in there, huh?!
Kanon
... Y-you mean...
Misaki
... You still haven't figured it out?!
Hagumi
What's wrong? Did I say something super shocking?
Misaki
Uhm, Kanon-san, can I talk to you for a second?
Kanon
S-sure...
Misaki
... I think getting her to understand might be... a little harder than we thought.
Kanon
I agree... She doesn't see any similarities between Michelle and Marie.
Kanon
B-but we can't give up now!
Kanon
I want her to understand. I want her to know you're Michelle.
Misaki
Kanon-san...
Kanon
This is our chance to get through to her... So I'm going to keep trying...!
Misaki
I mean, you can try all you want, but--
Hagumi
Hey, why are you guys talking by yourselves?
Misaki
Ah~, sorry, sorry. No reason really.
Misaki
(... Kanon-san said she'll keep it up, so maybe she has some sort of plan.)
Misaki
(Still, something tells me Hagumi's not going to get it unless we give it to her straight...)
Kanon
U-uhm, Hagumi-chan!
Hagumi
What is it, Kano-chan-senpai?
Kanon
Misaki-chan wears a costume too! And its name is Michelle!
Misaki
(Whoa, that's straight alright!!)
Hagumi
Michelle...? Michelle...
Kanon
Yes! Misaki-chan is Michelle!
Hagumi
... I-I see!
Misaki
(This is it... Will she finally realize the truth...?!)
Hagumi
What are the chances! So your costume is also called Michelle?! That's so cool~! Wait, so that means you wear this costume often, Mii-kun?!
Kanon
U-uhm, Hagumi-chan...?
Hagumi
I can't believe they have the same name! What a coincidence! Hey, can I meet your Michelle sometime?
Hagumi
Ah, you should bring her to our concerts. Then we'd have double Michelle! That'd be awesome!
Hagumi
Hey, hey, what's your Michelle look like?! Is she a bear too?!
Hagumi
I wonder who's cuter, your Michelle or ours?! I bet they're both adorable!
Kanon
... I'm sorry, Misaki-chan. It seems I underestimated Hagumi-chan's innocence...
Misaki
Aha... Ahahaha... No kidding~.
Hagumi
I can't wait for the day we can see double Michelle~!
Transcript
Kanon
I'm a little early... Maybe I'll stop by the café. Ah, looks they have something new on the menu... ♪
Marina
Huh? Kanon-chan?
Kanon
Marina-san, BanG Dreamer-san, good afternoon. Are you on your breaks?
Marina
Yup. We just started. If you're not busy, why not sit down and have a cup of tea with us?
Kanon
Are you sure? Thank you so much.
Marina
By the way, I heard you guys had it pretty rough the other day.
Kanon
The other day...? Ah, do you mean the Fluffy Mascot Competition?
Kanon
Y-yes, it was very tough... We thought Michelle was going to be the only one representing Hanasakigawa...
Kanon
Then suddenly she had a rival. It was this mascot called Marie Andromeda... I couldn't believe how fast she could run!
Kanon
Let's see, what were all the challenges...? Long jump, handing out balloons... dancing, and a marathon... I think that's everything. Actually, I ended up helping Michelle out a little.
Kanon
I played a marching snare drum while she was handing out balloons. It was pretty embarrassing with all those people there... But I wanted Michelle to do her best, so I did everything I could to support her.
Marina
A marching snare drum? Ahaha. I can't really picture that...
Kanon
Yeah... At least now I have a great memory of that day... Even if it's a pretty humiliating one...
Marina
Ahaha... Regardless, to think Michelle had a rival out there~. Marie Andromeda, right?
Kanon
... Actually...
Kanon
... It turns out the one inside the Marie suit was Hagumi-chan.
Kanon
When I found out, I was so surprised... and a little worried.
Marina
Worried? Why
Kanon
Uhm, you see... Hagumi-chan is a very nice person.
Kanon
So I thought she'd be so considerate of the losing side of the competition, that she would hold back...
Kanon
However, it seems I was worried for nothing. Hagumi's just as strong as she is kind... She fought Michelle with everything she had.
Kanon
And as a result, now Michelle and Marie will be working together to liven up the downtown area.
Kanon
Hagumi-chan and Misaki-chan both did amazing that day... They were like shining stars, even more so than usual.
Kanon
I was just there to support Michelle, and I wasn't the one competing, but... I'm glad I went.
Kanon
... I'm sorry. I've only been talking about myself.
Marina
It's fine, I don't mind. I'd heard little bits and pieces about the Fluffy Mascot Competition, but no real details... I was pretty curious, if we're being honest. BanG Dreamer-san, you were too, right?
Kanon
Th-that's good... Thank you for listening, Marina-san, BanG Dreamer-san.
Kanon
There's still time before our practice starts, but... I think I'll head over now. I don't want to take up any more of your break.
Marina
You don't have to worry about it.
Kanon
No, it's important to rest when you can...! I'll see you two later. If we need anything, we'll be sure to let you know as always.