 |
When I Close My Eyes |  |
Ran
Phew... Once they're done talking, that should be one errand down...
Touko
Here, have some tea~, Ran-san~!
Ran
Ah, Toko. It's alright. I just dropped by to introduce them to each other.
Touko
But it looks like the business with grandma's gonna take a while~. We should totally just take it easy and chat while we wait~.
Ran
I guess you're right. Thanks, I'll have some of that tea after all.
Touko
The barley tea's gonna taste really good because of how crazy hot it is out here again~.
Ran
Mmm... Yeah... You're right. It does taste great.
Touko
See~? You know, I totally didn't expect you to suddenly contact us!
Touko
We said it's not urgent, so I figured you'd hook us up with your acquaintance later~.
Ran
That was the original plan... but I've got a band trip coming up.
Touko
Band trip...?
Ran
Yeah. Another band challenged us to a concert.
Touko
Wait, does that mean you're, like, going some place far to perform?! Seriously?! That's so awesome~!
Ran
I want to focus on it, so I'm trying to get these errands out of the way beforehand.
Touko
Ohhh! Man, going on a band trip sounds super cool! You're so lucky~! I wish we could do one too!
Touko
Hey, hey, tell me more! Have you guys been doing these band trips a lot?
Ran
Nope, this is our first time. It just so happens that the spot the other band wants us to come to is pretty far away.
Touko
Sigh~... I bet you're so pumped!
Ran
... I dunno, it's no different from usual. Regardless of where it is, we'll just do what we always do.
Ran
As I said, I wanna get what I can out of the way. That'll let me focus on the concert and the new song I'm writing for it. That's all.
Touko
Whoa, that's so cool...! I super wanna know more about this new song!
Touko
What kinda song is it? How much progress have you made? Ah~, I really, really, really, really, really wanna know~!
Ran
T-Toko, quiet down a bit, will you...?
Ran
And I've only started working on it. I still haven't decided entirely what I want to do, so there's not much I can tell you.
Touko
Aww~!
Ran
But one thing I am sure of is that I'm going to make it totally rock.
Touko
Ohhh~, you're super pumped!
Ran
Well, yeah. We accepted the other band's challenge, so it's only natural to give them everything we've got.
Touko
Wow, if this new song is something that's got you so fired up, I really wanna listen to it~!
Touko
I just know you guys are so gonna blow the other band outta the water during the show!
Ran
Thanks. Anyway, there you have it.
Ran
Looks like they're done talking too, so I'll be going now.
Ran
Thanks for the tea. See you.
Touko
Anytime~! Good luck with the band trip~! And I'm really looking forward to that new song~!
Ran
Yawn...
Himari
Are you okay, Ran~? It's rare to see you yawn so much.
Ran
I got carried away working on our new song and ended up staying up late.
Himari
You what?! You need to sleep properly at night!
Ran
I know. I'll be more careful.
Himari
Do you really mean it~? You're the type who'll overdo it anyway.
Ran
I mean it. I wanna be in the best condition possible when we go on that trip.
Himari
Alright, I'll believe you then, okay?
Himari
Sigh~. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to it~! I mean, it's our first band trip! What about you?
Ran
Same. But be careful not to let all that barely-controlled excitement backfire.
Himari
Er... I-I'd never let that happen! And aren't you excited too~?
Ran
... Yeah. I am.
Himari
For real?
Ran
Yeah... So let's do everything we can to pull this band trip off.
Transcript
Ran
Sigh... Think I might've overworked myself a bit...
Ran
... Hmm? Oh, BanG Dreamer-san. Are you taking a break too?
Ran
Same here... Really? I look that tired?
Ran
Uh, yeah. It might be because I've been a little busy lately.
Ran
The band trip's part of it, but there were also a few things I wanted to take care of beforehand.
Ran
Well, enough about me. Did Marina-san or the others tell you about the trip?
Ran
I see... Since it looks like you heard, you probably know just how many things went wrong.
Ran
I mean, it's kind of understandable since it was our first time and none of us had any experience...
Ran
But bringing the wrong outfits or forgetting them is just something else. To top it off, everyone was acting weird on the way there.
Ran
Not that I have any right to talk since that everyone includes me... It was probably the excitement.
Ran
Sigh... The way we messed up was a bit much, you know...?
Ran
Huh? I'm not happy about how we messed up, but I'll admit it was a worthwhile experience.
Ran
I won't bother going over everything that went wrong since it would never end. But yeah, overall, the trip was alright.
Ran
Performing in the round was more fun than I'd expected too.
Ran
Himari was the one who suggested we perform anyway, even though we had different outfits.
Ran
Looking back, throwing a concert like that wasn't all that bad. No... It was actually pretty awesome.
Ran
All five of us in a circle, singing and playing while looking at each other, the audience being right there and everyone being at eye level...
Ran
All of it allowed me to clearly see up close just how much fun both us and the audience were having.
Ran
We've done all kinds of concerts. People have cheered during them and commented afterward.
Ran
But I've never gotten to see the audience so up close before. It was new... and really refreshing.
Ran
I'm guessing the others felt the same way. That's why, despite everything that happened, it was a pretty good experience for us as a band.
Ran
We've learned that there are different ways of doing things and that different perspectives can come with them. These are lessons we can take and use in our concerts going forward.
Ran
... Yeah, you're probably right. It does look like all the trouble we encountered was worth it.
Ran
If it weren't for everything that happened, I doubt we would've even thought of performing in the round...
Ran
Hmm, I guess you could say everything that went wrong served a purpose in the end.
Ran
That said, I'd prefer things go smoothly. Everything may have worked out this time, but there's no guarantee they always will.
Ran
That's why the next time we try to discover new things to take us to the next level, I want us to be in the best shape possible and ready for anything. I don't want a repeat of the band trip.
Ran
... Thanks.
Ran
I feel a lot better after talking with you. Looks like I managed to sort things out.
Ran
Alright, break's over, time to start practicing. Thanks, and see you around today.