Transcript
Ako
Hngh~!! Finally lunchtime... I'm so hungry~.
Asuka
I knew the classes at Haneoka would be hard. And you've been doing this for a while now, huh, Ako? Impressive.
Ako
It's because I was born from the darkness... So, uh, I have the power, you know?!
Asuka
Oh, okay... Ah, Rokka, you should have lunch with us.
Rokka
Y-yeah! Sure!
Ako
I have to eat and get all the energy I can. I have Roselia rehearsal today!
Asuka
Rehearsal seems pretty tough. My sister usually comes home all worn out.
Rokka
I can imagine Roselia's are really hard...
Ako
Super-duper hard! It's fine though! I love Roselia! And I wanna make the band even cooler than it already is! So I'm okay with it!
Asuka
... "Cool", huh?
Classmate A
You're a member of Roselia, right, Udagawa-san?! Tell me everything!
Classmate B
Tell me too!
Ako
Ehehe~! Of course!
Ako
So Roselia is, like, super cool.
Ako
And then, that's when Sayo-san was all like "ka-blam" with her guitar, That's when Lisa-nee came in with the bass...
Ako
Anyway, the point is that they're just so cool! Ehehe, awesome, huh~?
Asuka
...
Rokka
...
Classmate A
You're so lucky, being able to practice with people like Yukina-senpai and Sayo-san! What's everyone in your band like?
Ako
Uhhh, they're the coolest! Yukina-san and Sayo-san are always cool, and even though they're strict, they listen to me and give advice when I need it!
Ako
Lisa-nee always makes us cookies! She's so nice, but she's the most intense when we're actually playing! It's so cool!
Ako
And Rin-rin makes the costumes for Roselia! Isn't that amazing? Just putting them on feels like, uhhh... the power of darkness going "kaboom!"
Classmate A
I wish I could hang out with them. I bet there's a side to Yukina-senpai that only you know...
Classmate B
See you at your next performance! And we'd love to hear more about the band later!
Ako
Okay!! And definitely come to our next show!!
Ako
I'm happy to see how many people know about Roselia!
Ako
Fufufu. Of course they do. Roselia is the coolest.
Asuka
Yeah, "cool" for sure.
Rokka
Mhm... Yeah...
Ako
Huh? Why are you guys saying it like that?
Asuka
Hearing that conversation just now made me think, you say "cool" a lot. It kinda makes me unsure of what you mean...
Ako
That's because they're cool.
Asuka
I get that part. But what do you mean when you say that?
Ako
Well... Uhhh...
Asuka
... Ah! Sorry. Forget what I just said. If you could clarify what makes something cool to you...
Asuka
Then I think other people will have a better understanding of what you mean when you use the word to describe Roselia.
Ako
Grrr...
Rokka
Wh-whoa whoa...! Ako-chan, Asuka-chan, no fighting...!
Ako
Okay! I will... I'll tell you more about things that are cool!
Ako
And that will allow me to show everyone what makes Roselia cool!!
Ako
... Ah, I said it again.
Asuka
Ahaha... I think that time was appropriate.
Ako
Okay, I'll do my best! You just wait, Asuka, Rokka! I'll teach you everything you need to know!!
Transcript
Moca
And then, when the main character's hand opens, all this light comes pouring down like "waaa"...
Moca
And what happens to the enemy soldiers next is crazy. They're sent all over the place like "boosh"...
Moca
And then, it turns out that one of the enemies is the main character's little sister... Hey, Tomo-chin~. Are you even listening?
Tomoe
I mean, yeah... But I don't get what you're sayin' at all.
Moca
Why not?
Tomoe
Well, you're talkin' about 'waaa' and 'boosh'... That doesn't really paint the scene for me, I guess. I just... don't understand.
Moca
C'mon~. Your feedback is what's hard to understand. All you keep saying is that you don't get it~.
Tomoe
But if I don't understand, that's the only thing I can say, right?
Ako
Hmmm... The power of darkness is cool. Uhhh~...
Moca
Oh, it's Ako-chin. Howdy~.
Ako
It's cool- No, that's not it. Uhm... It's no good! I just don't know~!
Moca
A pair of sisters dealing with an inability to understand. What's wrong, Ako-chin?
Ako
Ah, Sis, Moca-chin!
Tomoe
What's up, Ako? Looks like you're thinking pretty hard.
Ako
I don't get what's cool anymore!
Tomoe
What?!
Moca
That's a disaster of universal proportions in Ako-chin's world, isn't it?
Tomoe
A-Ako! Just start by filling us in!
Moca
So basically, you wanna be able to explain in more detail what you mean when you say "cool"?
Ako
Exactly! If I can't, then I'll never be able to get Asuka and Rokka to understand how cool Roselia is~!!
Ako
There's you, Sis, and the games I like. There are so many things that I think are cool.
Ako
I figured If I can explain my thoughts on all of those things, I can get people to understand Roselia's coolness even better.
Moca
Hmmm~... What shall we do, Tomo-chin?
Tomoe
I always wanna help when Ako's in trouble. And it's a waste that Ako can't communicate how she thinks and what's important to her.
Tomoe
But...
Ako
But?
Tomoe
Well, it's just... You've been nice enough to... include me in that list of cool stuff, right?
Moca
Ahhh...
Tomoe
Analyzing myself with that reason in mind is kinda... embarrassing, you know?
Tomoe
Even putting that aside, I'm pretty bad at talking about myself, thinking about myself, stuff like that... So, I'm sorry, Ako! I don't think I'm gonna be much help this time around.
Ako
Ngh... Oh...
Moca
Don't start feeling down yet, Ako-chin. You've got the language-arts master right in front of you~.
Ako
Oh, I didn't know you were good at that.
Moca
Yep. I'm especially good at the questions that want you to describe what the writer thinks~.
Moca
So I can help you out here, and I'll fill in for Tomo-chin as well.
Ako
Really?! You will?!
Moca
Absolutely~.
Tomoe
Thanks for giving Ako a hand, Moca!
Moca
Don't mention it~♪ Time to get down to business, Ako-chin~.
Ako
Okay!! I'll think about what cool means... and then I'll become even cooler!!
Moca
That's the spirit~. You're already there~♪ Ow, ow, owww, so cool~♪
Tomoe
...
Tomoe
Moca is the best student in our group, and I'm pretty sure she's one of the top students in our grade when it comes to language arts...
Ako
Yay~! I can already feel the power of darkness... growing... and something awesome is happening, I know it~!
Moca
And I'm now filled with the power of buns~.
Tomoe
... Letting her take care of this should be okay, right?
Transcript
Moca
Now for the first "Think of What Ako-chin Means by Cool" Meeting. Yay~.
Ako
Yay~!
Moca
Now that we have our drinks and our yummy cake, let's get the cogs turning~.
Moca
Now, Ako Udagawa-kun! I want you to write everything you think is cool.
Ako
Huh? All of it?
Moca
Yes. There was one time when Afterglow was writing lyrics as a group, and we listed up a bunch of stuff that we thought counted as our new "same as always."
Moca
I feel like that worked out pretty well. You should give it a try~.
Ako
G-got it! What do I think of as cool...?
Ako
Hm, I think these are all the first things that come to mind.
Moca
Mhm. Yes... And this...? Okay, I see...
Ako
Wait! Moca-chin, you're already onto something?!
Moca
Nuh-uh. Nothing at all. "Roselia, Tomo-chin... Necromancer..."?
Ako
Necromancer is the class I use in NFO! You can control the power of darkness, and the equipment is so cool! It's black, and dark, and... cool!
Moca
So you think that the power of darkness is what makes something cool? Hmmm. Does that mean that Tomo-chin is a wielder of that power too?
Ako
Hmmm, I don't think Sis falls into that category. But she is cool!
Moca
What about the members of Roselia?
Ako
Yeah!! Roselia gives off the power-of-darkness vibe!!
Moca
...
Ako
Moca-chin?
Moca
... Timeout. I need to replenish my sugar supply with some cake~.
Ako
Okay! I'll have some too! Down the hatch you go~!
Moca
Phew, I think this meeting is gonna be longer than I thought.
Ako
I'm sorry, Moca-chin...
Moca
Oh, no, no big deal~. It also means I get to eat a lot more cake.
Ako
Oh yeah! You and Ran-chan do a thing that's cool too!
Moca
Ran and I do? Really?
Ako
Mhm! Every member of Afterglow's cool, but the whole thing you and Ran-chan have where you don't have to say what you mean to understand each other? Don't you think that's cool?
Moca
Fufufu~, so you noticed that, did you~?
Ako
Ehehe, sure did~♪ I bet if you two were to play NFO, you could watch each other's back easily and plow through monsters.
Ako
"Moca, I got this!" "Ran, here we go!" That sort of thing!!
Moca
Ahaha, thank you very much. You wanna be like Tomo-chin though, right~?
Ako
Yeah, but still, you and Ran-chan are cool too!
Moca
Much appreciated~. Man, your list of cool is all over the place. This is hard even for Moca-sensei~.
Ako
Ngh, I'm sorry, Moca-chin...
Moca
No worries. You know though, you didn't go on and on about the power of darkness back then. When exactly did these powers awaken?
Ako
Hmmm~, when did I start liking it? I don't remember.
Moca
Before that... what were you like again?
Ako
Uhhh... Not very different, I think~.
Moca
Yeah, you were always pretty energetic. I remember when we played together you would volunteer to be "it" whenever we played Tag.
Ako
Yep! Because you get to run a lot! I may not be very fast, but I've always loved moving around.
Moca
So you haven't changed much, but I think you like a lot more stuff than you used to.
Moca
And with those things, all of these people have become cool because... Hm~, nope. No good. Need more sugar. Excuse me~. Can I get another cake set~?
Ako
What?! You're gonna get more?!
Moca
I'm low on sugar. I can't get my brain working otherwise~.
Ako
O-oh. Is that what it is?
Moca
That's exactly what it is.
Moca
(A relationship where you don't have to say what you mean for the other to understand, huh...?)
Moca
(I don't think that's actually the case, though~.)
Transcript
Rinko
... Okay. That's the end of the daily missions. Great work today, Ako-chan.
Ako
You too! Ahhh, yep. There's never any reason to doubt how fun and cool NFO is.
Rinko
... Ako-chan? What makes you say that...?
Rinko
Oh... So right now... you're thinking over the meaning... of the word "cool," correct?
Ako
Mhm. Moca-chin has been helping me out, but it hasn't gone very well so far.
Rinko
Ako-chan... Do you remember... when you started finding cool stuff so appealing?
Ako
Hmmm... Well, I've always wanted to be like my sister, ever since I was really little. She's so nice, and she would help me when I needed her, and she's cool...
Ako
Ah! Now that I think about it, I might have picked up the word from her.
Ako
She used to say that a bunch of things were cool when she was younger.
Rinko
What kind of things?
Ako
Like~... the color red!
Ako
Do you know what Nin-Vincible is, Rin-rin?
Rinko
Mhm... I watched it sometimes as a kid... It was one of those hero shows, right?
Rinko
Yeah! Sis used to talk about how cool Invinci-Red was! Same for the color!
Rinko
Fufu.
Rinko
Oh, but I liked Invinci-Black! Do you know that character?!
Rinko
Sorry... I didn't watch it that often...
Ako
Invinci-Black was super cool! That character joins the team later in the show, but before that, no one knows anything about Invinci-Black!
Ako
Red and the others are in a corner, and Black shows up to help them out and has a bunch of info on the enemies...
Ako
It turns out that Black was a spy sent by the enemy but couldn't fight the feelings that had grown for Red and the others while watching out for them, so they all stay friends!
Ako
Even though they were fighting for justice, Black worried about using dark powers to battle enemies. I thought that was so cool~.
Rinko
Oh... So that must be why... you chose the class in NFO... related to darkness...?
Ako
Ah...! Yeah, that might be why! Maybe the color is one of the reasons I thought the necromancer was cool.
Ako
Ah, but you know, I came to think that black is cool like my sister thought red was cool, so...
Ako
I thought that maybe if I find a bunch of cool stuff, that I could become like my sister.
Ako
And to me, that meant jumping into different game worlds, the color black...
Rinko
And that's... how you came across NFO...
Ako
Mhm! I found the necromancer class in NFO, I went wild with the power of darkness, and then I found you, Rin-rin!
Ako
You unlocked the power of darkness that was inside of me.
Rinko
Huh?! I-I did...?
Ako
When I mentioned how cool I thought it was, you taught me about black magic and all types of mythological stuff like that!
Ako
If I hadn't been looking for cool stuff, I would have never met you, and my dark powers would have never awakened! And I don't think I would be a part of Roselia either!
Ako
So I'm very grateful to my sister for showing me what "cool" is, and I'm grateful to you for teaching me everything you've taught me.
Rinko
Ako-chan...
Ako
And since so much effort went into teaching me the idea of cool, I wanna be able to tell people about it and have them understand me...
Rinko
If it's too hard to put into words...
Rinko
Why not try a different way...? Like putting what you feel... into a musical performance...
Ako
A different way...?
Ako
Yeah! That could work! I'll create something filled with all the stuff I think is cool! That should make it really easy to understand, right?
Rinko
Mhm! I have a hard time... using my words to explain things too...
Rinko
So... I've put my thoughts and feelings... into performances... and costume designs...
Ako
Rin-rin, you're always so smart! Thanks!
Rinko
I'm glad... I can help...
Rinko
(Ako-chan shows so much love for the things that she likes... That's what makes her so wonderful...)
Rinko
(That's what makes her cool.)
Rinko
(I hope... she's able to show... that side of her too...)
Rinko
You can do this, Ako-chan.
Ako
I'll do my best! And thanks for your help, Rin-rin!
Moca
"Cool," huh~?
Moca
(From my point of view, putting my thoughts and feelings into words is...)
Moca
(Kinda scary.)
Moca
...
Moca
(I decided I would catch up though. Man, this isn't good.)
Moca
Good luck, Ako-chin~!
Transcript
Tomoe
Yo, Moca~. Is Ako doin' okay?
Moca
Doing okay with what?
Tomoe
What...? You know! She said she wanted to think about the idea of cool! Something like that.
Himari
Ako-chan said that?
Tomoe
Yep, she did. She said she thought that she could get people to understand what's so good about Roselia if she could explain what makes something cool more clearly.
Moca
And Tomo-chin is included in that definition of cool, so she can't help Ako-chin this time around.
Ran
And that's where your help comes in?
Moca
Correct. Because I am a language-arts genius~.
Himari
If we were listing things that Ako-chan finds cool, besides Tomoe, there's also Yukina-san and Roselia, right?
Tsugumi
That's right. There's not much overlap between Tomoe-chan and Yukina-senpai though. Does that mean Ako-chan thinks they have something in common?
Himari
Those two are pretty different! And Ako-chan doesn't seem that similar to either of them...
Ran
And Minato-san can get preachy. Ako doesn't have that side to her.
Moca
I sense a high level of respect for Ms. Minato coming from you, Ms. Mitake~.
Ran
Shut it.
Ran
You know, I feel like Tomoe and Minato-san are similar in their stubbornness.
Tomoe
What?! You're one to talk, Ran.
Tsugumi
Y-yeah, once they decide they want to do something, they carry through!
Tsugumi
Maybe that's the trait that Ako-chan thinks is cool!
Himari
Nicely put, Tsugu~.
Tomoe
We carry through, huh...? C'mon, Ran, you could've just come out and said that. You don't have to be all shy about it.
Ran
I wasn't trying to compliment you.
Himari
Ako-chan might think that people who know how to stick it out are cool.
Moca
Ah, that reminds me.
Moca
Ako-chin was telling me how cool we are, Ran~.
Ran
What?! Why?
Moca
Something about how we can understand each other without saying what we mean~. And she likes how Afterglow gives off that vibe.
Ran
Haha... I think that's one of our problems, actually.
Himari
Doing that has gotten us into arguments, yeah...
Tomoe
W-well, Ako, on the other hand, is the type to just say what comes to mind! She's definitely much better at it than I am.
Moca
I bet Ako-chin's gonna become cool in her own way~.
Ran
You're just saying the first thing that comes to mind, aren't you?
Himari
How did you help her, Moca?
Moca
We had cake at Tsugu's place.
Tomoe
Sigh...
Ako
Let's see... That's when Yukina-san does...
Asuka
Ako? What are you doing?
Ako
Hmmm~... Maybe it'd be better with Sayo-san here. And then I can change the song-
Asuka
Ako!
Ako
Ah!! Asuka, Rokka! What happened?
Asuka
Seriously...?
Rokka
You're thinking about something, Ako-chan?
Asuka
What are you writing on that sketchbook you brought? "Super Cool Rose-"
Ako
Wh-whoa!! N-no looking! I'll show you once it's done! Please don't look!!
Asuka
...? O-okay.
Ako
Uhhh, switch out the song... Chant a spell...
Rokka
A-a spell?
Ako
Grrr~! Give me strength~!! King of... Uhhh, Cool King of Darkness!!
Asuka
... What's up with her?
Transcript
Ran
Wait, she's actually doing it here...?
Moca
I guess so~. This is where Ako-chin said to be!
Asuka
Oh! Afterglow...!
Tomoe
Hey! Asuka and Rokka, right? Thanks for always hanging out with Ako!
Moca
Did Ako-chin ask you two to come here as well?
Rokka
Y-yes! She did.
Ran
More importantly, where is Ako?
Ako
Heh heh heh…… It is I, the fallen angel who descends from the world of monsters and spirits... The great demon princess Ako!
All
...
Ako
And now that great princess, with the power of darkness, calls you all to the illusion that is the gathering!!
Ran
What's all that supposed to mean, Moca...?
Moca
... I think she's saying she's gonna show us her idea for a Roselia concert.
Ran
Oh...
Moca
My language-arts expertise at work.
Ako
Now! The illusionary world awaits!!
Ako
(That was perfect! Thanks for the cool lines, Rin-rin!)
Yukina
...
Yukina
The eternal darkness commands thy resonance...
Yukina
Ye who would harmonize with my bellowing voice. Ye who hold the pride of the blue rose within. Come forth! Appear hither!!
Lisa
...
Sayo
...
Rinko
...
Ako
...
Yukina
Relinquish thine ephemeral garbs and unveil thy true forms!
Yukina
Let this gathering... be forever blazed into thy pupils and thy memory!
Ako
These spirits answer the call! Through their echos, sorcery is reawakened within my arms! Let the souls that have once passed return again!
Rinko
Ye whom darkness everlasting hath restored, bestow upon the great demon princess yet greater power!!
Yukina
Thus follows the bequeathment...
Sayo
...
Ako
May the gathering of eternity commence!!
Lisa
As we conclude this gathering, let us summon the demonic dragon with a ballad.
Yukina
Hear our call and reveal thyself, Dragon of Umbral Flames!!
Yukina
...
Transcript
Ako
... And then, at the end, Sayo-san would be all like "bwowww," and the power of darkness would be like "boom!"
Ran
...
Ako
And then I'd come in with a "ba-da ba-da ba-da kshhh" to close it out!!
Asuka
... I see.
Ako
And that's everything! That's the super cool, explosive, power-of-darkness Roselia concert I came up with! What do you all think?!
Ako
I took all of the cool stuff and gave it shape through a performance. I figured this would be the best way to explain what's cool.
Ran
That sure was... something.
Moca
It was like we completely entered Ako-chin's world~.
Ako
Right?!
Moca
Especially how everything started with Minato-san summoning you all with that spell. That really gave that Ako-chin feeling.
Ran
Wait... "Yukina-san uses a cool darkness spell and everyone comes out"... That's what you meant by that?
Ako
Yep, sure did!
Asuka
Uhhh, so what does "excitement fills the air and this really powerful darkness inside me is restored" mean?
Ako
It's... exactly what it sounds like! The power of darkness is restored~!
Moca
That probably refers to how the crowd starts to get excited and Ako-chin's performance is all like... "whoaaa," right?
Ako
Yeah! It goes "whoaaa!"
Asuka
It goes 'whoa', huh...?
Ran
At the very least, I've learned that the power of darkness is not to be messed with.
Asuka
Okay, so...
Asuka
What is "cool" supposed to mean...? The power of darkness...?
Ako
What~?! But I just explained it~!
Ako
Having a performance like the one I just told you about is what it means to be cool!
Ako
Everyone gets pumped up like "whoaaa" with the power of darkness, and all of that power from us five Roselia members becomes one...
Asuka
Well, Roselia is cool. I kind of got that part.
Asuka
And the same goes for that thing you like... The darkness thing. I got that too.
Moca
Welp, I guess as long as you understand that Ako-chin thinks those things are cool, then that's fine, right~?
Ako
Nghhh!! But if I could explain it better, then it would make more sense how cool Roselia is...
Ako
Grrr~... I'm gonna get better and better at getting people to understand~!
Moca
That's the right attitude, Ako-kun!
Rokka
Ako-chan, Asuka-chan! Next period won't be held in the regular classroom! We should go!
Ako
Moca-chin, thanks for all your help. And Ran-chan, Sis, thanks for listening!
Asuka
Uh-oh, this next teacher is scary when angry! C'mon!
Moca
See ya later, Ako-chin~.
Ran
Moca, how did you understand what she was saying?
Moca
Hm~? Well, I already have an idea of what she likes. I was able to create the scene with that, more or less.
Moca
Man~, don't you think what Ako-chin did there was pretty cool?
Ran
What do you mean?
Moca
Sure, there were parts that were hard to understand, but it seemed like she knew exactly what she wanted to do.
Moca
Wanting to communicate that to others, she challenged herself and did something she's not very good at, and did her best to think about what the word "cool" actually means.
Moca
It looked like the others were lost in the end, but that didn't stop her from saying she would continue trying to find a way to explain the idea of cool.
Moca
It just made me think that Ako-chin is just like Tomo-chin and Minato-san. Once she decides she's going to do something, she believes in it and runs with it.
Moca
That's what I mean... Hey~, Ran, Tomo-chin. Are you two listening~?
Ran
Oh, yeah, we're listening...
Tomoe
That was, uh, quite the little speech you gave there.
Moca
Oh, really~?
Ran
So there are things besides bread that you're passionate about.
Moca
Ugh~, that's what you have to say~?
Ran
I actually realized something while you were talking.
Ran
Ako's not only trying to be like someone she admires. She hopes to become someone she can think of as cool. I'm sure that's the path she's taking.
Moca
Isn't Ako-chin so cool~, Tomo-chin?
Tomoe
Ahaha... That's better than the compliments being aimed at me. Still, I'll be there while Ako is running her own path.
Tomoe
I gotta keep moving too. I can't let her outdo me.
Tomoe
Moca
Tomoe
And maybe I'll become cool like Ako-chin~. She can be Master Ako.
Tomoe
If you plan to show respect to Ako as a master, don't forget about Ako's teacher, Master Tomoe.
Ran
Master Tomoe sounds like she'd be overbearing.
Tomoe
Hey, don't say that!
Ran
What I really wanna know is what Moca thinks of as cool.
Moca
Sorry, that's a secret~.
Moca
(Creating your own path after following someone for so long, carrying through with something you decided on...)
Moca
(Those are the things I should be doing. I guess that's what "cool" is to me.)
Moca
(... Yep. I hope I can become... that "cool" me.)
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