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Toy Friends |  |
Himari
Mmm! This parfait is so good! Look! There's chocolate ganache inside!
Rimi
Wow, you're right. Maybe I should have ordered that one...
Himari
Yours is gonna be super good, too. I know it! This shop never goes wrong when it comes out with a new sweets menu item!
Rimi
Right~? Have you tried that Mont Blanc pudding they started making this fall?
Himari
I totally did! It was really good~.
Himari
Ah, wait... Weren't you the one that messaged me about how good this place's Mont Blanc pudding was?
Rimi
Oh, did I...? Sorry, I forgot... Fufufu.
Himari
Oh! Your order's here! C'mon, let's dig in ♪
Rimi
Sure, sounds good to me~. Wow, you were right. This cake really is good ♪
Himari
We can always count on this place for sweets~.
Rimi
Ah! So like I was telling you earlier...
Himari
Wow~, I see~. So you're collecting and donating old toys. That's great.
Rimi
At first, we were just planning on getting this old tin wind-up toy we found fixed up.
Rimi
So I was really surprised by how much has happened.
Himari
And now you're even putting a collection box downtown, right? Poppin'Party really has some initiative.
Rimi
I don't know if it's Poppin'Party... It feels more like Kasumi-chan's doing.
Rimi
She's the one that comes up with all sorts of plans, and not only that, she's actually able to execute them. She's amazing.
Rimi
It takes everything I've got just to keep up with her...
Himari
You think so? That's not how I see it.
Rimi
Huh?
Himari
Kasumi's not the only amazing one in Poppin'Party. I think the rest of you are the ones that keep her going.
Himari
That sort of relationship's pretty rare, you know. I'm honestly a little jealous.
Himari
I bet everyone in Poppin'Party would respond if you said, "Hey, hey, hoh~!"
Rimi
Fufufu, that's definitely true.
Himari
The fact that Poppin'Party can do that when the time calls is amazing. That's what I mean by initiative.
Rimi
I don't know if I believe it myself, but... it does make me happy to know people around me see us like that.
Himari
We do! Remember that time with the downtown festival? You guys were running all over the place, weren't you?
Himari
You were really amazing back then! All of us in Afterglow were talking about you.
Himari
Tomoe and Tsugu were so happy that the festival was actually happening.
Rimi
Ah. Now that you mention it, Tomoe-chan did say that when we had that concert together at CiRCLE.
Rimi
It felt good to know that we made her happy.
Himari
There's no way Afterglow would be able to do anything like that.
Rimi
Really? I don't think it was anything special...
Himari
Oh, yeah! Maybe Afterglow should get in on that whole toy collection thing, too!
Himari
If we set up a box at Haneoka, I'm sure we'll be able to collect a bunch!
Himari
Maybe Poppin'Party's rubbing off on me, too.
Rimi
I think that's a great idea! Kasumi-chan would be so happy!
Himari
You think? Then I guess I can't disappoint her♪
Rimi
Yeah. To think our little idea would spread all the way over to Haneoka... This is incredible.
Himari
It might not stop at Haneoka, you know. This might get bigger and bigger from here.
Rimi
Really? That'd be so great if it did...!
Himari
Hey, so how did all this start in the first place? C'mon, tell me!
Rimi
Of course!
Rimi
So you see, we actually-
Himari
Ah, wait! I need to take notes!
Transcript
Marina
Oh, Rimi-chan, are you alone today?
Rimi
Ah, hello. I'm just here to buy a new cleaning cloth for my bass since my old one has gotten a bit dirty.
Marina
I see, I see. Careful maintenance is certainly important.
Rimi
And maintaining my instrument is also a lot of fun. Fufufu.
Rimi
Oh, that's right. Speaking of maintenance, I actually went to a place called a toy hospital the other day.
Marina
A toy hospital? Do they fix up old toys?
Rimi
Yes, exactly! They even had a doctor who will heal your toys for you. Oh, but they weren't wearing a doctor's coat. Fufufu.
Rimi
I saw that there were a lot of toys in the hospital, and it was kind of touching to see many people caring about their toys.
Rimi
I think Kasumi-chan was thinking the same thing. She said that when she got home, she also dug up her old toys to fix them.
Marina
Does that mean you did the same thing?
Rimi
Yes. I had a lot of old toys my sister and I used to play with, so I tried fixing up a few of them.
Rimi
But there were some that I couldn't fix on my own, so I was thinking about bringing them to that hospital...
Marina
I'm sure the toys must have been really happy to see you care for them that much.
Rimi
It'd be nice if that were true...
Marina
But why did you go to a toy hospital in the first place?
Rimi
We took an old tin toy we found at Arisa-chan's place there to get fixed.
Rimi
We ended up donating it to a toy museum, but before we left, I thought I saw it move on its own for a second...
Marina
Huh? The toy moved...?
Rimi
None of us wound it up, either.
Marina
Huh~... Now that's a very strange story, to say the least.
Rimi
I was thinking that might have been the toy's way of saying thanks to Kasumi-chan for going so far out of her way to help it.
Marina
Fufufu, it's a strange story, but it's also weirdly believable. You always hear about objects gaining souls after being treated well.
Marina
Ah, in that case, someday your instruments might start thanking you too.
Rimi
What makes you think that...?
Marina
I mean, you all take really good care of them, don't you?
Rimi
Fufu, it'd be great if that actually happened! That'd mean that all the love and care I have for my bass actually got through to it!
Rimi
Thinking about it makes me want to start playing. I'm actually going to go to practice with everyone after this.
Marina
Yeah, I bet your instrument is happiest when it's getting played, after all. Make sure not to skimp on the maintenance, alright?
Rimi
Of course! I'll make sure to give it lots of proper care and playtime today!