Chapter 13: 2.7

Chapter 2: Great things are not done by impulse, but a series of small things brought together.

Translated by 64990022
Edited by Fen01lalune

 

Chapter 2: Great things are not done by impulse, but a series of small things brought together.

 

Part 7

 

 

As they drew closer, I noticed that they were quite talkative, as expected of a comedian. The small, portly man was the Boke and the other, the burly man, was the Tsukkomi.

[TN: “Tsukkomi”, the straight man, and “Boke”, the funny man. These two were the roles in Manzai Comedy]

 

“Hahh, the homemade croquettes the lady gave me were delicious!”

 

“You eat too much! We came all the way here to the festival, but all you do is eat! You’re giving the viewers the impression that Maimori is all about food!”

 

“It’s your fault for bringing me close to the food,” quipped the portly man, “but look at all these snow sculptures! Looks like we are finally in the snow sculpture area. Let’s go talk to the sculptors!” 

 

The moment the portly man began looking for someone to interview, Yuri’s eyes lit up.

 

“Here! Hereee!”

 

With her hand raised like what students do in classes, Yuri told a barefaced lie. All eyes that existed there simultaneously turned to Yuri, including the Fishermen’s.

 

“Huh?!…You’re embarrassing me! Stop it!”

 

But despite my protest, the Fishermen made their way here as Yuri continued to appeal to them.

 

“What an energetic girl! What grade are you in?” asked the portly man.

 

“High school second year! These two are my classmates!” reliped Seino.

 

Following her word, Fishermen’s eyes and the camera were turned our way. Under their stare, I tensed. Seino was completely out of her mind while Yuri still continued to talk to them nonchalantly. Repressing my fear of the camera, I forced myself to stand between Yuri and the microphone pointed at her.

 

“S-sorry for your inconvenience! These guys have nothing to do with the snow sculpting, they just want to be on screen! I’m sorry for wasting your time, please ignore these two!” I bowed, angle precise ninety. Hahh… Why did I have to do a follow up everytime. And given how immediate my response was, I guess  it had become a habit ingrained into my very existence. Would they think that I did this because I cared about Yuri? Better come up with an excuse that I can’t ignore people in need. I didn’t want Yuri to start teasing me again. 

 

“Oh, I see. You seem to be having a day-to-day struggle. What a poor thing, want some booze? I’ll pay,” offered the portly man, his hand on my shoulder.

 

“You idiot! Don’t offer alcohol to minors, especially on TV!” 

 

It was nice to have one of the Fishmen holding me by the shoulder and brush it off with a joke. As soon as I began to feel relieved that it settled well, Yuri pushed me away and took up position in front of the camera again.

 

“Utakoo! How are you doing? I know you’re quite busy, so good luck in Tokyooo!” 

 

Everyone around me froze, even the burly man’s eyes widened in surprise. I broke a cold sweat. 

 

“What a willful girl we have here. A girl like you’s gonna be a big shot. By the way, is this ‘Utako’ your friend?”

 

“Well, she is precious to me and this guy here,” she then asked the Fishermen, “You have female friends too right?”

 

“Hmm, yeah. There’s a lot going on here. And I heard that I’m quite popular… Wait, why are we talking about women at my turn!”

 

The burly man’s long awaited tsukkomi brought laughter to the audience. I, too, laugh along with them, not because it was funny, but because Yuri admitted that Utako was precious to her.

 

The conversation went on for a while, before they left after they finished filming. 

 

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“Ah–! That was a blast–!”

 

“We even got pictures–. Oh, man, I’ve gotta upload them,” said Seino.

 

They were both in a good mood. Well, being entertained directly by a world famous comedy duo was more than exciting. 

 

“I wonder if it will be on air. Looking forward to it–!” 

 

“They have a servicemind, so they talked to us, that’s it. You two are not even in the snow sculpting production in the first place. I’m sure talking to us wasn’t in their programme… One of them even offered me booze, no matter how much of a gag it was, I don’t think that would get on air,” I reminded them.

 

“Ehh?! We won’t be on TV? I’ve talked so much!”

 

When Yuri pouted, the snow sculptures began to light up. The light brought the sculptures to another level of beauty. Around us, the crowd cheered.

 

Her eyes fixed on the sculptures, Yuri muttered, “Christmas and Snow Festival lighting up is always a spectacle. That’s a lot of effort… Which reminds me, Sousuke, have you ever given Utako a Christmast present or anything?”

 

“Huh? I haven’t. Well, I did send messages on her birthday and other occasions though?… Umm, isn’t getting a present from a guy you didn’t even date a bit troubling?” I looked at their faces in confusion.

 

They both looked at each other. While Yuri sighed amusedly, Seino tilted her head in confusion.

 

“I mean, you two have feelings for each other, right? How would she be troubled when she got a present from someone she likes? It doesn’t hurt to try.” Seino might just as well slap me. No, being slapped might be a better choice. Her words just pierced my heart. “Whatever is fine, just find a reason to give her, I’m sure she would be happy. What are you even doing up until now, you insensitive virgin.”

 

They were mocking me, alright. But they did have a point. Even the glowing sculptures seemed to be peering at me, condemning, asking me, “What are you doing?”

 

Yuri’s grin reflected in my downcast eyes. “Ah!” She looked at me as if she remembered something. “I think you already know this, but Utako’s birthday’s next week.”

 

“Yeah, of course, of course… I’ll get her something this year, roger.” I pulled my hands up in surrender.

 

What to give Utako on her seventeenth birthday was something I had never thought about before. A part of my brain started firing up, but short-circuited due to years of inactivity. Would stationery be too innocent? Could I pull jewelry off? 

 

Perhaps concerned by the indecision on my face, Yuri dropped her playful tone. “Sousuke. Are you still in love with her?” She asked in all seriousness.

 

If it was any other question, I might hesitate a moment, but my love for Utako was something I could answer loud and clear, without the slightest of doubt.

 

There was no need to be reminded of her, for I could see her face every time I gaze at the stars. The precious memories of us three together, every cell in my body longs for her, for those days. Not a single day goes by without me thinking of her. 

 

The answer was already decided.

 

“Yeah, I still do.” I stood tall and proud. “I still love her, and will still love her no matter how far apart we are… I mean, didn’t you just ask me something familiar the other day? Like ‘So now you are just enjoying being seduced by Sugawara-senpai’, am I that untrustworthy in your eyes?”

 

“I’m  checking you up in Utako’s stead… Your devotion, whether it’s for painting or Utako, is a sight for sore eyes, you know?”

 

Her smiling face under the night sky was lit up by the colorful lights of the sculptures. Much to my surprise, I was mesmerized by her.

 

—Yeah, it was always like this.

 

I was so focused on Yuri and her talent that I overlooked the most important things.

 

Even the smallest of irregularity in our everyday life could destroy the bond we had made. We thought that our promise was absolute, that our bond was unbreakable.

 

But it was more fragile than we knew.

 

I should have been more careful about that.

[TN:Ooh, ominous foreshadowing.]

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