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Following the Starlight |  |
Rimi
... Achoo!
Saaya
Are you okay, Rimi-rin? Want a lap throw?
Rimi
Brr... Thank you, Saaya-chan. The hallway was colder than I expected when I stepped out earlier. Maybe my temperature dropped because of that.
Kokoro
The hallway really is cold today. It's like the inside of an ice-cold fridge!
Saaya
I'm not sure it's that cold, but it does feel a lot colder than usual today.
Rimi
Hmm, I wonder if there's a good way to become warm.
Kokoro
I know! What about a game of oshikura manju?
Kokoro
When I played with Hagumi and everyone the other day, all the shoving and squeezing against each other made me really warm! We should try it too!
Rimi
That does seem like a quick way to become warm.
Saaya
Oh, but if we play here, we might get hurt because there isn't much space like out in the courtyard...
Rimi
Ah, right. Hmm, I wonder what else we can do then... Oh!
Rimi
Why don't we talk about something warm?
Kokoro
Talk about something warm?
Rimi
Mm-hmm. Talking about fun things makes you feel fun, right? So I think talking about warm things will make us feel warm... What do you think?
Kokoro
Wow! You're a genius at making us warm, Rimi!
Saaya
Fufu, that could work. I'm interested in hearing what warm things you two have to talk about.
Rimi
Okay, I'll start them. Um... Eating read bean soup while under a kotatsu makes you pretty warm, don't you think?
Kokoro
Yes! It does make me really warm! Red bean soup is so warm, sweet, and relaxing.
Saaya
Yeah, it tastes great when you have some on a cold winter day.
Rimi
Back when I was in the Kansai area, my grandma often served some. The smooth bean paste was so good...
Saaya
Huh~, my family usually goes with mashed bean paste.
Rimi
Interesting. I wonder if every family has their own way of doing it.
Kokoro
Why don't we each bring some to share so that we can compare?
Rimi
That sounds like a super good idea! I'll ask my grandma for her recipe.
Saaya
Okay, my turn next. Let's see~... On cold mornings, you can see the steam rising from freshly baked bread so clearly. Seeing that makes me feel really warm.
Saaya
It comes with this delicious aroma that spreads throughout the bakery... The bread's so warm and soft, too. I actually quite enjoy those mornings.
Kokoro
Soft, fresh bread that makes you feel warm! How nice!
Rimi
I bet your fresh bread would taste super good on a cold morning!
Saaya
Did that count as talking about something warm?
Rimi
Definitely! Ehehe, what you described even made me a bit envious.
Kokoro
Last one is me! Remember that time after school when the three of us had sweet potatoes? They made me feel so warm!
Saaya
Oh, the roasted sweet potatoes~! They were really sweet, delicious, and warm.
Riomi
I felt so warm inside just by eating them.
Kokoro
Yes! But it wasn't just the potatoes!
Kokoro
The three of us eating them together is what made me feel warm!
Saaya
Fufu, true.
Rimi
I know what you mean. There's an emotional warmth that comes from eating with friends.
Rimi
Ehehe. This conversation is making me want to go eat with both of you.
Kokoro
Me too! It would be nice to eat yummy food together again!
Saaya
Now that I think about it, the three of us have eaten a lot of things after school. All the places you've recommended have been incredible, too, Rimi-rin.
Rimi
Ehehe. That's because I want people to enjoy the good food I find.
Kokoro
Thanks to you, Rimi, I now know a ton of places with yummy food!
Kokoro
There's the Japanese confection store nearby, the crepe place by the station, the pancakes at the café on the way to school, and the doughnut place we went to recently!
Rimi
Ehehehe. I have such fun memories of all of the delicious places we've been to, but I still have lots of places I want to visit with both of you.
Rimi
For example, there's a taiyaki place that just opened... Oh, wait... Classes are going to be shuffled when we become third-years.
Saaya
Yeah. If we end up in different classes, we probably won't have as much time to discuss what to do after school.
Rimi
That's something I'm kind of going to miss...
Saaya
Hmm...
Kokoro
Rimi, Saaya, there's nothing to worry about!
Rimi & Saaya
Hm?
Kokoro
Even if our classes change, nothing will change between us!
Rimi
... You're right. Let's keep spending lots of time together even if we do end up in different classes!
Saaya
I'm looking forward to hanging out with you guys once we're third-years!
Kokoro
Me too! Let's spend even more time together~!
Rimi
Oh, I know! What do you think about going somewhere today after school to eat something warm?
Kokoro
That's a really nice idea~! I can't wait to find out what warm things we'll get to find!
Saaya
Sounds great. I just happened to be thinking about how nice it would be to go somewhere with you guys.
Rimi
Ehehe, perfect~. I have a ton of recommendations I want to share with you.
Rimi
There's red bean soup, hot chocolate, pork buns... I wonder which of these we should warm ourselves up with.
Transcript
Marina
Phew... Why don't we take a bit of a break? Hm? That looks like Rimi-chan over there.
Marina
Hi, Rimi-chan. What're you up to?
Rimi
Marina-san, BanG Dreamer-san. Hello. I'm working on a new song.
Marina
New song, huh~? Nice! What kind?
Rimi
The plan is to make it something you can listen to that makes you feel optimistic. It's for some lyrics that we all wrote together.
Marina
You came up with lyrics together, huh? You girls sure are close!
Rimi
Fufufu. Saaya-chan slept over the other day. We had breakfast together before basement practice... I was so happy because it was like having my sister back home.
Rimi
The only issue was that Saaya-chan was feeling kind of down.
Marina
I heard a bit about how she recently had some trouble trying to figure out what to do after graduating.
Rimi
Yes... I was trying to come up with ways to cheer her up.
Rimi
But I wasn't sure we could help because of Saaya-chan's own feelings and family situation...
Marina
Yeah. Deciding what to do after graduating is complicated...
Rimi
I know... but we still wanted to do something for her, so we all thought really hard.
Rimi
Back when I had trouble writing the downtown song, Saaya-chan was the one who gently encouraged me.
Rimi
So I felt like it was my turn to help her...
Rimi
That was when Arisa-chan suggested writing lyrics.
Marina
That's a very nice idea she came up with.
Rimi
In the end, we were only able to give Saaya-chan the unfinished lyrics, but that ended up working out well.
Rimi
It made me realize that even unfinished lyrics can be used to let someone know how you feel as long as you put your feelings into them.
Rimi
I saw Saaya-chan after the parent-teacher-student conference, and she seemed to have gotten over the things that had been troubling her.
Marina
I'm guessing all of you girls being at her side and supporting her has helped put her mind at else and let her find an answer she could be satisfied with.
Rimi
Ehehe, it's a bit embarrassing to get so much credit...!
Rimi
But... it would be nice if we actually managed to at least give her some help.
Rimi
I hope I can come up with some great music to go with these precious lyrics that are filled with our feelings.
Marina
So do I! We can't wait either to see how your new song turns out!
Rimi
Me too. Thank you for listening to me today.