Envy ♦︎ The Feather-Light Brush of Small Wings: Ugly Duckling 2

[holistar]

Location: Hanging Garden

〈A few hours later, in the evening〉

Mayoi: Fufu. Our break has ended, so shall we wrap up today’s lesson here?

Tatsumi: Indeed, today it feels like just a test drive, as if we’re just taking the car out for a spin… Everyone did a great job today♪

Mayoi: Eek!? Tatsumi-san… recently driving-related metaphors have been cropping up in your speech a lot, but you couldn’t possibly mean…?

Tatsumi: So you’ve noticed? My life has become more stable as of late, so I’m considering purchasing my own car— with my parents’ permission, of course.

For that reason, I’ve only had cars on my mind recently.

Mayoi: Eeeek! Scaryscaryscary— cars are so scary!?¹ 

Tatsumi: Fufu. What’s the matter with you Mayoi-san, is it really so frightening...♪?

Hiiro: Phew, I worked up a good sweat! Great work everyone! Aira, it isn’t good for your muscles to sit down directly after a strenuous workout.

Aira: Shut up, fitness nerd. Huff huff... Tattsun-senpai called this a test drive? Are you kidding? I’m totally exhausted already.

Mayoi: Fufu. Aira-san’s body is still a work in progress. Of course, that’s also very adorable... ♪

Hiiro: If you’re working on your body then protein is a must! I’ve been exercising so much that I’ve become quite hungry. It’s about time for dinner, so how about we all get food together?

Tatsumi: Shall we? It’s been quite difficult to sit around the dinner table together since we officially moved into Starmony Dormitory...

During summer break we always dined together, so now it feels a bit lonely to be apart.

Mayoi: Yes, fortunately ALKALOID is doing well and we have plenty of L$.

Though I still find myself exhibiting self-restraint... Sometimes I catch myself thinking things like “Eating out is expensive!”, even if only for a second.

Tatsumi: Fufu. It would certainly be less expensive to dine in the staff cafeteria at ES, yes?

Hiiro: Then I want to eat that thing— umm, the omurice!

 

I wonder if my roommate Shiina-san remembers that I like it. Recently, he’s been making it for me without even taking my order first! “This is your go-to, right?” he says!

Aira: …………

Tatsumi: Naturally Aira-san is invited as well; would you care to go eat dinner with everyone?

Of course, if you’re exhausted from practice, please feel free to return to the dormitory instead—

Aira: Huh? Oh, um, it’s totally ok! Let’s go eat! Honestly I’m feeling pretty tired, but not too tired to eat some food.

Tatsumi: Fufu. I don’t know why you’re so tired after we’ve taken a break. Please take a rest when it’s the proper time to do so. 

Even God rested on the seventh day of creation.

Aira: Ugh… I’ve never had much stamina to begin with, and lately I haven’t been getting enough sleep due to this ketchup guy!

Hiiro: Fufu. I feel like I’m the only one being blamed for this, but I think you’re also an undeniable ‘ketchup guy’ yourself for covering me with it in the first place.

Mayoi: Then you’re the ketchup brothers.

Hiiro: Now I really have a craving for omurice!

Aira: Now you’re just making up weird characters, Mayo-senpai… Anyway, I’m sorry I worried you guys.

That’s why I want to become more competent, just enough that you guys won’t be concerned about me. On the contrary, it seems like a vicious cycle where I keep going in circles and worry you anyway. Ugh, I’m just hopeless.

Hiiro: It’s okay Aira! If you were truly hopeless, then I would perhaps be even more hopeless than you!

Aira: You’re always telling me things like that Hiro-kun… but what difference does it make if you’re more hopeless than me? We’d both be super hopeless anyway, right?

Tatsumi: Now now… let’s stop belittling ourselves. We are all equal in God’s eyes.

(However, MDM truly saved us. We’ve played numerous lives and gained support from fans...)

(Normally one would get rather carried away— therefore it’s essential to constantly check your behavior so that doesn’t happen.) 

(But in regards to Aira-san in particular, he can’t seem to break his self-deprecating habits.)

(An inferiority complex that has been deeply ingrained in your mind for many years is quite difficult to get rid of.)

(For this reason, the other day I consulted with the StarPro higher-ups— or rather, Eichi-san, one-on-one. Perhaps it would be beneficial to analyze the matters we discussed.)

(Eichi-san completely manipulated us until the MDM, so I would honestly prefer to distance myself from him for a while.)

(But he’s almost like our direct supervisor, so we can’t afford to get on his bad side and end up fired.)

(Of course, I’ll listen to everyone else’s opinions prior to making a decision.)

(As Eichi-san suggested, perhaps it would be a good idea to participate in the project by one of ES’s top producers, Anzu-san.)

(If it’s Anzu-san’s project then it will have a high success rate, and if we do a splendid job, then Aira-san will surely build some self-confidence as a result.)

(If there are problems that cannot be solved by idols alone, then it makes sense to ask agencies or producers for assistance in resolving them.)

¹ A reference to Motor Show, where Tatsumi drove with ALKALOID as his passengers. Tatsumi is a terrible driver and quite oblivious to that fact.