Chapter 13: Best Friends

You’ll Get There Someday.

Yotsuba Tamaki: ……….
Yotsuba Tamaki: Why…. Why didn’t he tell me something as important as this…….
Yotsuba Tamaki: …Why……!

Osaka Sougo: ….I……. What have I done….
*click*
Nanase Riku: Huh…. What’s wrong, Sougo-san?
Nikaidou Yamato: We heard Tama yelling from that practice room….
Osaka Sougo: …Riku-kun, Yamato-san….
Nikaidou Yamato: What happened…. Tell us.
Osaka Sougo: ……. I met Tamaki-kun’s younger sister, Aya….
Nikaidou Yamato: Wait, what–
Osaka Sougo: But I couldn’t tell him…. I just…. Assumed that he’d abandon his work again….
Osaka Sougo: Even though he’s been trying his best for me….
Nanase Riku: …Then…. Was that Edo Fireman story about Tamaki?
Nanase Riku: Why…. Why didn’t you tell the truth!?
Osaka Sougo: …I didn’t want to burden everyone, especially not during a time like this…….
Nikaidou Yamato: Not again…. What’d you expect? You basically swallowed a ticking time bomb…. (1)
Osaka Sougo: ……. I’m sorry….
Nikaidou Yamato: ……. What did Tama say?
Osaka Sougo: ……He said he’s quitting MEZZO".
Nikaidou Yamato: Well, shit…….
Nanase Riku: …Tamaki…….

Yotsuba Tamaki: Screw this…. I’m gonna stop trying so hard…. Everything I do is pointless anyways!
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Tamaki-kun…. Don’t say that….
Yotsuba Tamaki: I’m hopeless even if I try my best, so I might as well stop trying!
Yotsuba Tamaki: I’m gonna quit MEZZO"……. If I meet Aya, I’ll quit IDOLiSH7 too……!
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: …What about your fans? What about your friends?
Yotsuba Tamaki: Fuck if I care! I became an idol to find Aya in the first place! Once I find her, all of this is useless to me!
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: …….
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: You know, he doesn’t trust you because you say things like that so easily.
Yotsuba Tamaki: ……. Ryuu-aniki….
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: It’s not Sougo-kun, but that attitude that’s putting all your hard work to waste.
Yotsuba Tamaki: ……! I–
Yotsuba Tamaki: I…. I just wanted Sou-chan to praise me…….
Yotsuba Tamaki: …I just wanted him to acknowledge me…….

Nikaidou Yamato: Why didn’t you tell Tama? Aren’t you guys partners!?
Osaka Sougo: …I’m sorry…….
Nanase Riku: Yamato-san! Sougo-san didn’t do anything wrong! Sougo-san was just being considerate of Tamaki–
Nikaidou Yamato: Be quiet, Riku.
Nikaidou Yamato: Sou. Didn’t I tell you? If anything happens, tell us. Tell him, tell all of us.
Osaka Sougo: …….
Nikaidou Yamato: Please remember that you can lean on us. There’s no point in taking on everybody’s burdens and stressing over them all by yourself.
Nikaidou Yamato: I’m not mad that you didn’t tell us, Sou. I’m sad. Aren’t we friends?
Nikaidou Yamato: …You know, Tama noticed you were hiding something.
Nikaidou Yamato: He was worried about you, like maybe something had happened with your family again.
Osaka Sougo: Tamaki-kun was…?

Yotsuba Tamaki: …I thought it’d be impossible for me to get along with him, but…….
Yotsuba Tamaki: Someone told me that he looked up to me…. So I thought, “Alright, I’m gonna do things properly then, so maybe he’ll praise me”….
Yotsuba Tamaki: I thought, “I’ll try even harder!”
Yotsuba Tamaki: Because he told me that he was watching me…. Watching me do my best….
Yotsuba Tamaki: …I figured out that the stuff about him looking up to me was a lie…. But I thought that if I just kept giving it my all…….
Yotsuba Tamaki: Then one day it’d be the truth…. I’d be really happy if that happened….
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Tamaki-kun….
Yotsuba Tamaki: But…. I’ll always be hopeless to Sou-chan.
Yotsuba Tamaki: He wouldn’t even tell me about Aya…….
Yotsuba Tamaki: ….So no matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, I’ll always be hopeless in his eyes.
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Aren’t you the same, then?
Yotsuba Tamaki: How so….
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: You’re assuming that he’ll never understand you, even though this is just one disagreement.
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Sougo-kun might’ve been trying his best to understand you.
Yotsuba Tamaki: …….
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: No groups are perfectly compatible right from the get-go. They just don’t exist.
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: What happens is, you start understanding each other, bit by bit. And before long, you guys will the ultimate partners. We used to be like that too.
Yotsuba Tamaki: TRIGGER was like that…?
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Yeah.
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Off stage, Ten’s sharp-tongued and harsh. And Gaku is Gaku– he’s hot-blooded.
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: It was always tense in our dressing rooms, to the point where I’d sigh every day. I really missed my friends back home too.
Yotsuba Tamaki: …Is it different now?
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: You know the answer to that. What do you see when you look at us?
Yotsuba Tamaki: ……. You guys look like really good friends to me.
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: They’re my best friends– they’re irreplaceable. And I’m sure you guys will get there someday.

To be continued….

Thank you Kuri and Tsuki for betaing!!!

hey fucK THIS TITLE BC I originally left it in jp to fix later bc i waslike HEY THIS IS RYUUS LINE!! I REMEMBER!! but then uh surprise i probably can’t put a whole sentence as the title (this!! is hwy!! i avoidED TITLE TRANSLATIONS eVEr SINC ELIKE 2012!!! But SIKE 2 late shiroi, ur doing what u thought u’d never do)… So yeaH JUST KNOW that the title is a shorter, condensed, tl;dr version of the second half of Ryuu’s last line in this section
(1) yamato’s p hard to put into english so this line is more ‘localized’ than directly translated (at least more than usual)

As usual, if you see any mistakes/mistranslations/etc, please message me!

Thank you for reading!!

It too me 13 chapters and like a 5 minute talk with my brother before i realized ive been a damn fool about formatting things on tumblr, so I’ll be trying something new (aka trying to save myself time vs going through and bolding each name like a dumbaSS)

send me an ask if something looks wonky!

Tomorrow

Nikaidou Yamato: Tama thinks about you more than you believe, Sou.
Nikaidou Yamato: He doesn’t really have strong family bonds, so he thinks of you as his older brother– as family.
Osaka Sougo: Family…….
Nanase Riku: I understand…. Sougo-san’s really caring and really nice, so he’s like an older brother to me too….
Nikaidou Yamato: How so? Sou’s a self-contained only child, through and through.
Nanase Riku: H-how do you know that?
Nikaidou Yamato: Because I’m the same. …I’m not good at trusting people, or letting them trust me.
Osaka Sougo: Yamato-san….
Nikaidou Yamato: You’re cautious and always prepared, Sou. That’s one of your strong points– and no one else has that.
Nikaidou Yamato: But you don’t have to be cautious towards us…. Or towards Tama.
Nikaidou Yamato: Before you try to shoulder something by yourself, come at us at full force and be honest with us. Or are really we that unreliable?
Osaka Sougo: That’s not it at all…. …I’m just afraid of causing everyone trouble…. Of hurting someone…….
Nikaidou Yamato: Cause all the trouble you want. I’d be really happy if you leaned on me. Riku and Tama feel the same way, too.
Nikaidou Yamato: You’re not alone……. You’re a seventh of IDOLiSH7 and half of MEZZO", right?
Osaka Sougo: ……. Yes….
*click*
Kujou Ten: What? Is there trouble again?
Nanase Riku: T-Ten-nii…….
*click*
Yaotome Gaku: This group sure bumps into a lotta trouble. Maybe you guys should get an exorcism. Did you make sure to do your first shrine visit of the year? (1)
Nikaidou Yamato: Thanks for the advice, Yaotome…. click
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: You can come back in, Sougo-kun.
Osaka Sougo: Tsunashi-san….
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: It’s okay. Come on. Make up with him, okay?
Kujou Ten: Ryuu. You’re helping them make up?
Yaotome Gaku: Oh? Not bad.
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: It’s because I’m used to dealing with interpersonal problems on a daily basis.
Kujou Ten·Yaotome Gaku: How come?
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Think about it, guys.

Nanase Riku: …That practice session finished, by some way or another.
Nanase Riku: Sougo-san and Tamaki didn’t really talk, but I hope they’re okay….
Nikaidou Yamato: They are. They both just want things to go well, after all.
Nanase Riku: …Was what you said earlier true? That you’re not good at good at trusting people, or letting them trust you?
Nikaidou Yamato: I guess so.
Nanase Riku: You don’t really seem that way though….
Nikaidou Yamato: Haha…. Something like that happened to me when I was a kid. A “you betrayed me!” moment.
Nikaidou Yamato: I don’t want them to become twisted like me. And if it’s them, I’m sure things will go well.
Nanase Riku: Yamato-san…. I won’t betray you, Yamato-san!
Nikaidou Yamato: Ahaha. I know. You’re pure, Riku.
Nikaidou Yamato: I guess I’m a little jealous of that.

Osaka Sougo: I…. I have to take responsibility…. For hurting Tamaki-kun….
Osaka Sougo: My uncle…. How did my uncle make music with his friends….
Osaka Sougo: Depending on others…. ‘Friends’…. Just what are those…….
Osaka Sougo: …….
Osaka Sougo: …If I worry about it, then all I’m doing is containing myself again. Something has to change– I have to change. …I can’t live like this, keeping to myself…….
Osaka Sougo: I must go.

*knock knock*
Yotsuba Tamaki: Yes?
Osaka Sougo: There’s something I’d like to talk to you about. Is it okay……
Yotsuba Tamaki: ……. Whatever it is you wanna tell me…. I don’t think we’ll be able to agree right now. (2)
Osaka Sougo: ……So you’re not opening the door, no matter what?
Yotsuba Tamaki: ……. I just…….
Osaka Sougo: ……. Understood.
Yotsuba Tamaki: …….
*screech! *
Yotsuba Tamaki: ……!? W-what’s that noise!? Hey! Sou-chan…!?
Yotsuba Tamaki: Are you trying to break down my door!? O-okay! I’ll open the door right now……!
*clatter *
Yotsuba Tamaki: Uwah–!
Osaka Sougo: …Sorry, I ended up breaking your lock. I’ll reimburse you afterwards….
Yotsuba Tamaki: You…. You’re not actually from a nice, well-to-do family…. You’re from some family of extremists, aren’t you….
Osaka Sougo: I’m here to ask you a favor.
Yotsuba Tamaki: A favor…?
Osaka Sougo: I don’t want to disband MEZZO".
Yotsuba Tamaki: ……. Are you threatening me, while holding a screwdriver?
Osaka Sougo: Not at all. I don’t expect you to do this for free.
Osaka Sougo: I will definitely find where Aya is. Will you reconsider it then, once more?
Yotsuba Tamaki: Where Aya is…? How…….
Osaka Sougo: I’ll do anything to find her, and by all means necessary. I have to take responsibility for hurting you.
Yotsuba Tamaki: All means necessary…? Uh, let’s not use dangerous weapons, alright? (3)
Osaka Sougo: Alright….
Yotsuba Tamaki: ……. I’ll be doing it too. Looking for Aya. She’s my younger sister.
Osaka Sougo: Understood. …Then, starting tomorrow?
Yotsuba Tamaki: Tomorrow…. Ah, I see.
Yotsuba Tamaki: That’s the day we were supposed to hang out. Our day off.

To be continued….

Thank you Tsuki for betaing!!!! AAA

(1) I find this hilariouS because hatano wataru voiced Lindo, an exorcist, in Dance with Devils. And here he is. Talking about exorcisms agaiN,. HFH2 ANYWAYS first shrine visit of the year (i did this one p literally bc it fit in!! weehaw) –> hatsumoude. that thing in like every slice of life anime when winter comes around. You can read up more abt it over here! Anyways shrine visits are good for expelling evil spirits, etc. Lots of things! I Am No Expert. Pls Read the wiki article instead of going off of mE.
(2) 平行線 = parallel train lines. 平行線のままである = two paths that will never cross. alco hasn’t been of that much use lately because ejje weblio is juST THAT OMNIPOTENT bUT IN THIS CASE, i scrounged (from the handful of suggestions that it had) that it can mean ‘to never ceom to an agreement’ which sound about right in this situation. it certainly makes more sense than Tamaki, in a dudebro voice: bro i think we’re kinda like parallel train lines rn.
(3) TAMAKI!! YOU!!!!!!! ok what he said was とりあえず、物騒なエモノは置いておこーか。 and 'emono’ was in katakana and my instant response was okay, 獲物….. prey……… deep breatH EMONO WA KIMI DAYOOOOOooooo…. but false! 得物 is also emono, and means weapon. Makes 100% more sense in this context. Case closed! [Plot Twist: Tamaki is actually a BiBi fan] [Plot Twist Nikaidou Yamato: the bibi fan isn’t tamaki– it’s me]

As usual, if you see any mistakes/mistranslations/etc, please message me!

Thank you for reading!!