Translated: Sei, MTL-sensei-tachi
Edited: Sei, Grammarly no Danna

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Chapter 5 | Tobiume | Remake our Life!



(Note: 飛梅 (Tobiume) — Literally means “Flying Plum.” It refers to the legendary plum tree associated with Sugawara no Michizane. According to legend, the tree flew from Kyoto to Dazaifu to follow Michizane after his exile.)

——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

Part 1

In February, two changes had come to life in the share house.

First was Tsurayuki. He had overcome his difficulty with creating plots, and had decided to actively devote himself to writing.

As a result, he increased the publication pace of his light novels. Until then, in consideration of balancing his studies, he had been publishing one volume every four months, but he changed that to one volume every three months.

That one-month difference was significant. Not only did he have to increase his writing pace, but it would also put a greater burden on his editor, his illustrator, and, of course, the author himself.

Even so, Tsurayuki had made his decision.

It wasn't really something an outsider like me could say, but I thought the path Tsurayuki had chosen would become a good experience for him in the long run.

And Shinoaki was gradually getting used to working at her new pace.

"Okay, Kyoya-kun, I'll send this one."

In the morning, in Shinoaki's room. On the screen she was pointing at were the illustrations for the light novel's bonus materials that she was in charge of.

"Mhm, looks good."

Shinoaki nodded, attached the address where she had uploaded the files, and sent an email to her editor. With that, all the work for this volume was complete.

"Good work! You did really well, Shinoaki."

When I spoke to her, Shinoaki stretched her body with an "Mmm~" before saying,

"But I'm totally fine. It's because you made a schedule that wasn't too hard for me, Kyoya-kun."

"No, the fact that you managed to stick to it properly is what makes you great."

I had asked Shinoaki to adopt a new schedule and way of working.

We divided the illustration production process, from rough sketch to completion, into several stages, and she would do what she could within the allotted time for each stage. By deciding on this in advance, the people placing orders could more easily estimate the delivery date, and it also became easier to get a clear idea when making schedules.

And Shinoaki had properly stuck to it.

"Well then, you can take a break until the next volume. I'll let you know when it gets closer, so until then, you should take it easy, Shinoaki."

"It's strange, isn't it~? Before, we were always talking about how much longer we could stretch the time, but now we have time left over."

She said that with a little giggle.

"Now that you've got more time like this, you'll also have more time to look at reference materials and study, so maybe you should spend it on things like that from now on."

"Mm, there are lots of things I wanted to look at."

After going over the things she would be doing from now on, Shinoaki decided to get some sleep. I said good night and was about to leave the room when,

"Kyoya-kun."

She suddenly stopped me.

"What is it?"

"No, it's not really anything in particular...but, thanks for everything."

I was surprised by her unexpected words of gratitude, but,

"What are you saying? I want to see Shinoaki's work, so this much is nothing."

"Kyoya-kun is always like that~."

We both smiled, and after saying goodbye, I left the room. I closed the door, let out a breath, and quietly muttered to myself.

"Good. Somehow...it looks like it'll work out."

At first, I had been worried about the level of her illustrations. Looking at what she had finished today, it seemed that she had managed to clear the necessary quality threshold.

The good thing about her drawings wasn't just their compositions and expressions. Once the coloring and effects were included, their uniqueness increased all at once, and they became drawings that were unmistakably hers.

A product had time constraints. The line between being able to work commercially and not being able to do so came down to how well you could manage that time and turn it into something tangible.

Including the thoughts of her family, Jin-san and Yuu-kun, the result of searching for a suitable way of working had all come together here. Even if there were still areas where she fell short, there had to be a future where continuing this would turn those shortcomings into something positive.

Shinoaki was doing her work properly.

There were no longer any delays in her work. Her editor was genuinely pleased as well, going so far as to say that if she could continue delivering at this pace, they would actively recommend her to the other people in the editorial department.

As this process became established, the number of requests she received should naturally increase.

"That's right. Being able to make a living from this work is what's most important, after all."

I remembered something Matsuhira-san had said, and reflected on the feelings of the people around us.

We are creators, but at the same time, we are also individual human beings who live and go about our daily lives. If we lose sight of that, we gradually lose the very essence of living as a human.

I had realized that. Shinoaki had understood it too, which was why she had accepted this and been able to change to the style she had now.

So, what comes next is already clear. The question is how to market Shinoaki using this approach.

"It's difficult, but I have to do it."

There should still be things I could propose. I would think them through properly.

——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

Part 2

A few days later. In the living room of the share house, Tsurayuki was busy getting ready to leave.

"All right, then, I'll be off for a bit."

He picked up a small travel bag and waved to us.

"Mhm, take care. I hope you have a good talk."

"Yeah. I'll get to know the illustrator-sensei better, too."

The door closed, and his light footsteps gradually faded away.

"...He's starting to feel more and more like an author, too."

Nanako let out a sigh, but she looked a little happy.

Immediately after deciding to increase the publication pace, Tsurayuki had been called to Tokyo.

His editor had arranged for him to have a proper talk with the illustrator. Apparently, they explained that since they would be putting a greater burden on the illustrator from then on, it would be necessary for the author himself to properly greet them as well. I thought that was a very good thing.

For now, he was still based in Osaka because he had classes, but once he became a fourth-year student and then graduated, I thought Tsurayuki would probably return to the Tokyo metropolitan area.

He had originally been born and raised in Saitama, after all, and since publishing-related companies were concentrated in Tokyo, it wasn't strange at all. Still, I did feel a little lonely about it.

For a moment, it had seemed like the share house's everyday life had returned.

But once again, with everyone changing, that shape was beginning to change.

"Tsurayuki-kun is really doing his best~. I have to work hard so I don't lose to him...Fuaaah."

After a small yawn, Shinoaki said, "See you later," stood up, and returned to her room on the second floor. Apparently, with her work having reached a stopping point, she had been reading through all the manga and art books she had saved up and had ended up sleep-deprived.

Nanako and I waved our hands as we watched her leave.

"Haa~, and now I'm left behind again."

Nanako lay down flat on her back, spreading her arms and legs, and puffed out her cheeks unhappily.

"What are you talking about? Nanako, you're already a proper artist."

Since I had stepped back from directly managing her, Nanako had become much more active, as if her former shyness had been a lie.

Her active posting of singing-cover videos, the increase in collaborations, and her approach of avoiding showing her face and media appearances had all worked well, and her potential name recognition continued to rise.

She probably wasn't even thinking about things like producing herself, but the results were connecting to good things, and I couldn't help but admire her, thinking that perhaps this was what a natural-born star was like.

But as for Nanako herself,

"An artist, huh...But there are definitely still things I'm lacking before I can have people call me that."

Even though she had been praised, she didn't seem very satisfied.

"I understand that."

I also understood her worries very well.

Original songs. For her, who was attracting attention through singing covers, there were still overwhelmingly too few songs that belonged only to her.

"Hey, Kyoya. How do you think I can make more original songs?"

"Well...wouldn't you have more if you made them?"

I said something far too obvious, and Nanako puffed out her cheeks again.

"Come on, that's why I'm asking how to find a reason to make them, or something like that."

Right. At that moment, Nanako had no reason to make original songs.

The songs from Harusora, and the song we made for the video competition, had all been songs that I had planned projects for and commissioned specifically for those purposes. Since I had placed the orders along with detailed images and sample songs, I thought they had been relatively easy for her to create as well.

But now, she only had the vague reason that she wanted original songs. Nanako wasn't working in music as a job yet, so she needed to start by finding that reason.

"What are you doing now, Kyoya?"

"Hmm, nothing in particular. Just organizing the status of some work projects from my part-time job, I guess."

The project I had decided to create was still hardly taking shape.

After all, I hadn't even decided on a direction for it. If a project that had only been determined to the extent of "we'll make something together" could be put together in an instant, things wouldn't be so difficult.

I decided I would wait before telling Nanako about it. If I told her now, it would inevitably influence her creative work, and more than anything, I wanted to value what came from Nanako's own initiative right now.

(Well, though.)

I glanced at Nanako.

As always, she seemed to be struggling with a lack of inspiration for her music.

(It wouldn't hurt to give her at least something that could serve as a trigger.)

I’d been dealing with some heavy stuff lately, so I was in the mood for a change of pace myself.

The area around the university was remarkably rural, so maybe it would be nice to go into town.

Thinking that, I called out to Nanako.

"Nanako, are you free today?"

She glared at me with half-lidded eyes before saying,

"Kyoya, you're being mean. You can see exactly what I'm doing, can't you?"

Indeed, lying under the kotatsu while drinking tea didn't exactly make her look busy.

"I was thinking of doing some market research, or maybe seeing what's popular lately. I thought I might go see a movie, and... well, I wondered if you'd like to......"

I hadn’t even finished speaking yet, but Nanako jumped up with incredible energy and said.

"Eh? Right now? Immediately?"

"M-Mhm...that's what I meant."

After answering, she instantly checked her face and clothes.

"Sorry, give me an hour. I'm going to get myself ready!"

"Y-Yes."

As soon as she said that, she dashed into the bathroom at full speed.

I didn’t know the details, but it was clear she was determined to go.

"Well, all right. I'll call Kawasegawa, too."

I had originally planned to call Kawasegawa and invite her along. Since she loved movies so much, I was sure she would be able to give her opinions from various perspectives, and I wanted to use them as a reference.

So, I contacted her and explained what had happened so far, to which she replied,

"Haaaaaah..."

For some reason, she let out an enormous sigh.

"Eh, uhm, what?"

In response to my question, she said,

"Well, at this point, I'm not going to complain anymore about your cluelessness, your naturally born talent for making people misunderstand you, or the fact that people somehow break down around you even though you haven't done anything."

"So what is it...?"

"But seriously! You really need to learn your lesson already! There's no way I can just casually show up while Nanako is preparing like that and go, 'Hi, I'm here to watch a movie~! I'm looking forward to it!' Think a little!"

After saying that much, the call ended. It was unusual for Kawasegawa to get that seriously angry.

"What the heck? It’s not like it’s a date or anyt..."

It was only then, in an act of truly extreme stupidity.

It wasn’t until she said that much that I finally understood what Nanako had prepared, what she’d been thinking, and what Kawasegawa was actually angry about.

Cold sweat broke out all over me in an instant.

"I’m going to step on a huge landmine any minute now."

For a while, I’d been so preoccupied with Shinoaki that I hadn’t realized it.

But now I fully understood that I was already right in the middle of a veritable minefield.

"For now, I'll wait upstairs..."

Until Nanako finished her "preparations," I decided to stay quiet, at least.

——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

Part 3

Just as Kawasegawa had predicted, or rather, just as everyone except stupid me had predicted, Nanako had put an incredible amount of effort into her "preparations."

"Sorry to keep you waiting! Shall we go?"

"M-Mhm!"

Overwhelmed by how sparkling she looked, I boarded the bus running through the rice fields and headed for the familiar Kintetsu station.

Luckily, a train had just arrived, so we hurried aboard. While checking the arrival time, I looked up the movie showtimes on my phone.

"Areh? The latest Pexar movie that was playing until the other day is already gone."

"You’re right. I was actually thinking of that as an option."

It was a film that had been the talk of the town for its high-definition CGI, and I’d been meaning to see it someday.

"Other than that...I can't really find anything that catches my eye."

Indeed, movies with the kind of solid spectacle Nanako would probably like seemed to be in a bit of a slump at the moment.

"Hmm...I wonder if there's anything else."

I clicked through the list of theaters one by one, looking to see if there were any titles that caught my eye.

I’d either already seen the big-name films or they just didn’t really pique my interest. On the other hand, the indie films caught my eye but felt too niche, they lacked that deciding factor.

Still, as I kept searching.

"Ah."

I wouldn’t go so far as to call it fate, but the film that happened to catch my eye was one that made me think,

"I think I’d like to see this one."

Coincidentally, it was a film centered on the theme of time.

Nanako peered over at my phone from the side and said.

"A touching story about a man who travels back in time and struggles to live a better life by putting his past experiences to use... Isn’t that a little dull?"

"N-No, it's not. I think there are some pretty flashy parts, too...probably."

I had felt like she was talking about me, so I couldn't help defending it.

"Then let's go with this one! Let's see, the next showing is..."

Nanako agreed more easily than I expected, and the movie we’d be watching was decided.

After arriving at Osaka Abenobashi Station, we walked to Abeno Cinema. For Daigeidai students, this cinema was the most popular place they could reach by train. I had used it many times myself, but this was the first time I'd gone there with a girl, just the two of us.

We bought the standard popcorn and drinks and sat in seats next to each other. Perhaps because it was a quiet time, there were only a sparse number of customers.

"Hey, Kyoya. Aren't there hardly any customers?"

Nanako asked quietly in a small voice.

"Mhm... I guess it's not that popular after all."

I hadn't checked any reviews or comments beforehand, as I was afraid I might accidentally come across spoilers.

"Well, I guess it's fine. At least we'll be able to watch it comfortably, right?"

"Yeah."

When it came to movie theaters, you always had to rely on luck. It was great when everyone around you had good manners, but if they didn't, you couldn't concentrate on the movie.

This time, there was no one immediately around us, so it looked like we'd be able to watch it without worry.

(Though I might get nervous for a different reason.)

I glanced to the side.

"I'm looking forward to it~. It's been a while since I've watched a movie."

As expected from someone who had prepared herself properly, Nanako looked even cuter than usual.

For her honor, I should say that Nanako was normally cute enough to make you stare even when she was just relaxing at home. When a girl like that seriously dressed up, of course I was going to be conscious of her.

(Seriously, why to someone like me...)

I know it’s rude to be overly self-deprecating, but I constantly wonder if there’s been some kind of mistake, how could a girl as cute as her possibly like someone like me.

"Ah, i-it's about to start."

"Oh, then I'll turn off my phone."

The lights in the theater went down, and the movie began.

Just as the previews had indicated, the story revolved around the themes of rewinding time and do-overs, intertwined with the romance between the protagonist and the heroine... or so it went

Perhaps they wanted to make it easy-to-follow entertainment, but from what I saw, the romantic storyline took center stage, while the “do-over” elements I’d been looking forward to weren’t really the main focus.

But for me, who was actually living after turning back time, there were plenty of interesting parts.

What I found especially interesting was the memories the protagonist had brought into the past.

For example, the male protagonist retained memories of things that could greatly change something if he took them into the past, such as natural disasters and horse-racing results.

Because of that, he earned a lot of money, but those memories also became a source of trouble and caused problems for him.

(Come to think of it, I don't have any memories like that.)

It wasn't something I had ever needed to think about again, but the memories I had brought with me to 2008 consisted roughly of my personal experiences, the trends surrounding entertainment, and general knowledge that wouldn't affect anything even if I knew it.

Naturally, I didn't remember anything about natural disasters or gambling, and it was only when I saw such news being reported that I would think, "Oh yeah, that happened too."

I didn't know what kind of restrictions there were on that information, though.

(Maybe there’s something to it, something along those lines.)

Tsurayuki's setback, and the resulting return to the future.

I thought there had probably been something related to that, but by now, only the key memories themselves had completely disappeared.

I assumed they would suddenly return when I needed them.

The movie was approaching its climax.

It was a cliché but beautiful ending: in the world where the protagonist got a second chance, he wasn’t able to change much, but his bond with the heroine was firmly established.

"Uuwh~ It was so good...gusyu."

I looked beside me and saw that Nanako had genuinely been moved.

(Things involving time really are dramatic.)

Even though I was right in the middle of something involving time myself, I watched the drama before me as though it had nothing to do with me.

——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

Part 4

After the movie ended, we went into a nearby café and decided to have a discussion about our impressions.

"It was really good~! I seriously feel bad for saying it was plain. I actually cried during the latter part."

Nanako seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed herself and felt that she had gotten her money's worth.

"Mhm, that kind of theme is nice. It makes you want to think about what would happen if you could redo your own life."

I also genuinely enjoyed it, so I agreed with Nanako. Though, anyone who knew about my circumstances would probably hear that comment and think, “How shameless can you be?”

Nanako looked happy as she played with the straw in her drink,

"I came up with a song I kind of want to try making."

She suddenly said that.

"You know, what I’m doing now is obviously happening in a once-in-a-lifetime kind of way, but when I think that this might be a redo of something I did somewhere before, I think it’d be interesting."

"He~e... That sounds interesting."

Nanako was talking about something very much like a parallel world.

"I have this strange feeling, you know. Right now, I’m making songs like this and talking about all kinds of things with Kyoya, but sometimes I dream about myself who’s still shut away at my parents’ house."

My heart skipped a beat.

Because I had seen someone similar to her in that future.

"But even that me loves singing and all that just as much. It’s not that she’s sad or anything. It’s just that the situation she’s in and the quality of her happiness, I guess you could say, are different. So I thought I’d like to turn all those different versions of me into a song."

I was happy.

Nanako had already become someone who could create something on her own.

In the past, whenever the subject turned to worldviews or settings, she would just keep tilting her head in confusion, but now she was actively thinking about how to express her own world.

I felt that, in the truest sense of the word, she had also become independent.

(Wait, couldn’t there be the opposite pattern, too?)

Until now, I had been fitting everyone’s elements into the projects I came up with.

But now, both Nanako and Tsurayuki were beginning to build their own worlds.

"Hey, Nanako."

"Hmm~?"

Nanako turned her clear, straight gaze toward me.

I really thought she had become so confident now.

"I have a proposal. What if we took the songs Nanako makes, expanded on them, and turned them into stories...? Don’t you think that’d be interesting?"

"Ah..."

Nanako looked as if she had realized something.

"So first, Nanako can make whatever songs she likes, then Tsurayuki can expand the world based on them, and then Shinoaki and Saikawa can turn it into illustrations and express it visually..."

Even as I said it myself, it was the kind of idea that got me excited.

"That kind of thing would be the best, wouldn't you think? Waah!"

Before I could finish, Nanako firmly grabbed my hand and.

"Moh~, Kyoya, you really are a genius! That’s so good! Let’s do it! I’ll work hard on making the songs!"



"Mhm, then it's decided."

It was good that I had been able to give Nanako a hint for what she could create.

"Areh, but what will Kyoya do?"

"Eh? Ah, I, ehto......"

Since I had come up with this for the sake of encouraging everyone’s independence, I hadn’t thought about how I would be involved. Or rather, if possible, I’d like to gradually disappear from the picture.

"Well, Kyoya, you’ll support everyone as firmly as always, right!"

"M-Mhm, that's right. Exactly."

That's right. That's what I should be doing.

I would simply support something that everyone had taken the lead in creating.

(This is going to be a difficult project.)

It wouldn’t be a project created with a specific goal in mind, but one created for the purpose of putting the creators themselves in the spotlight. I was reminded once again of just how high a hurdle that would be.

"I, you know..."

Nanako suddenly opened her mouth quietly.

"Creating something is difficult, but I've really started to feel that I have to give it everything I've got."

"Why did you start thinking that way?"

She made a slightly lonely expression.

"A little while ago, someone who used to look after me back at my parents’ place passed away. They were still young, and it happened so suddenly."

I didn’t know something like that had happened around Nanako.

"And because of that, I realized that there’s no point in holding back on the things I want to do or only giving them half my effort. Since I’ve been given the chance to create something, I started thinking that I have to put my all into it. That’s why I was really frustrated that I couldn’t make an original song."

Nanako’s face brightened into a radiant smile.

"I don't want to lie to myself anymore."

For an instant, Shinoaki's face overlapped with that smile.

(...Eh?)

I immediately understood why I had thought that.

"You're right. We have to give it our all."

"Exactly! You know, the kind of thing where you say, ‘I’m putting my life on the line for this!!’"

She said it lightly, but I knew that Nanako had been creating songs while truly struggling with them, and at the same time, genuinely enjoying the process.

Creators aren’t machines that can put their work on a factory production line and have it automatically produce something.

(We only have one life, and one lifetime.)

I thought that as I watched the people walking along the street and the groups of cars passing by.

If each of us doesn’t do what we can, as much as we possibly can, then nothing will ever be created.

You can't make someone feel something unless you stake something on it.

(But isn't that different from Matsuhira-san's way of thinking...?)

A great contradiction, and the passion to resist it.

I could feel something indescribable welling up from the very depths of my body.

——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

Part 5

In the end, Nanako and I went our separate ways at the station.

"I'm going to look around at various places for a bit. I think I'll collect things that seem like they'd be good for making songs!"

She had become so excited that she wanted to keep looking around for material for her new work. Of course, I didn't stop her. I saw Nanako off with a smile and took the Kintetsu train back toward the share house.

As I was rocked by the train, I thought back to our conversation earlier. I was genuinely happy about Nanako's growth. At last, she had begun consciously thinking about creating a world. If that went well, she would probably have much less trouble when creating original songs.

"No need to worry about Tsurayuki or Nanako anymore...right?"

Those words, in reverse, meant that I was worried about the remaining elements.

But I still didn’t understand it. It was too vague, and all I could feel was an uneasiness about something unknown.

Shinoaki was doing her work properly. There had been a time when I was worried about the content of her work, but after that, she steadily improved its quality. It was true that she was spending less time on it, but even so, this change was necessary.

For her family, and for herself.

As I kept repeating those words in my mind, my phone, which I had set to vibrate, suddenly shook. I thought it was an incoming call, but,

"Areh? It's an email."

It was a new email. And it wasn’t a short message, but a forwarded message from an ordinary PC email account.

I wondered who it was from. It could have been Shinoaki’s editor. I had set up email forwarding because I wanted to check work-related emails even when I was out. But other than that, I couldn’t think of anyone who would send me one.

However, the sender of the email was someone I knew unexpectedly well.

"It's from Saikawa."

It was unusual for her to contact me by email. For the most part, it was almost always a phone call or a mobile email, and this kind of formal format was something she would only use when it was related to work.

"What's this about?"

I read the body of the email.

The contents were simple. She wanted to talk with Aki-san about something and asked whether I could accompany her.

The date and time were written down, along with a request for me to provide some possible dates. It was an extremely ordinary, politely written message asking to arrange a schedule.

(Hmm...)

I tilted my head. This was exactly the kind of thing that could have been handled with a phone call or a message on her phone. If this was what she had been talking about before, when she asked if she could contact me directly, then it seemed strangely formal.

There hadn’t been any particular changes in our circumstances. Saikawa was working hard as usual, and Shinoaki had finally gotten used to her new way of working.

"What’s your purpose, Saikawa?"

As long as I didn't understand her intentions, I couldn't say anything for sure, but Saikawa wasn't the kind of girl who would do something like this without a purpose. Surely, there was something behind it.

Since I couldn’t think of anything within the range of possibilities, for the time being, I told her that I had no problem accompanying her, and asked her just in case what the matter was.

I pressed the send button and looked up at the ceiling.

The inside of the Kintetsu train was as usual. With the end of the year approaching, advertisements for osechi cuisine reservations and New Year’s visits to shrines were lined up.

Although the cold wind that blew in every time we arrived at a station made me shiver, the warmth of the seat I was sitting in gradually brought on a pleasant drowsiness.

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