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[IDOLiSH7] [Part 6] Chapter 10: Inherited Melody

6.10.1. - So it reaches you

Nanase Riku: What are we gonna do about the setlist!?

Yotsuba Tamaki: It’s made of four songs, right!? Do we go with the ones we like best?

Izumi Iori: It won’t become a good live if we just randomly choose four songs. Isn’t that right, manager?

Takanashi Tsumugi: That’s true. I think we should consider how we want to excite the audience and also keep a theme in mind!

Izumi Mitsuki: A theme, huh…. What kind of thing would be good? I’d like a bright, festive theme!

Nikaidou Yamato: Avoiding overlap with other groups is important, too.

Nikaidou Yamato: Overlapping is fine, but we need to make sure to not bore the audience.

Izumi Iori: To narrow down the theme, wouldn’t it be fine to mainly structure it around the new song?

Ousaka Sougo: Uhm, actually, I’d like some advice from everyone about the new song…

Nanase Riku: The new IDOLiSH7 song Sougo-san is making, right! What kind of advice do you need?

Ousaka Sougo: If possible… I’d like Nagi to help me.

Rokuya Nagi:: Me?

Ousaka Sougo: Yes…. With MEZZO’’, I can do what I want the way I want to do it, but…

Ousaka Sougo: IDOLiSH7’s songs should be the way IDOLiSH7 does things… I was thinking I want to make a melody that still preserves Sakura-san’s spirit.

Ousaka Sougo: Nagi-kun, you know Sakura-san the best and have a positive attitude just like IDOLiSH7’s songs…

Ousaka Sougo: I would be happy to have you help me. ….Would that be alright?

Rokuya Nagi: Wow! Welcome! You’re very welcome!

Ousaka Sougo: Really!?

Rokuya Nagi: From the time I was born up until now, I’ve never gotten a proposal that is such an honor to accept!

Rokuya Nagi: Being able to become a composer just like Haruki, that is!

Izumi Mitsuki: I’m glad for you, Nagi! I’m sure Sakura-san will be happy as well!

Rokuya Nagi: Do you think so…?

Nanase Riku: He’ll definitely be happy. When the song you two write is done, let’s sing it as loud as possible so it reaches Sakura-san.

Nikaidou Yamato: And Sou’s uncle, too.

Ousaka Sougo: …Yes.

Rokuya Nagi: Thanks! I’ll do my best!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Everyone’s doing their own way! Iorin started being a producer, too.

Izumi Iori: I’ve been doing that since before you started doing choreography, though.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Ya~y!

Izumi Iori: Don’t fool around distracting us with high-fives. …So, what would we do? Do we decide by theme? Or by the songs?

Nanase Riku: Uhm, can I ask something just out of curiosity?

Nikaidou Yamato: What? Onii-san’s underwear color?

Nanase Riku: If you’ll tell me, I’ll listen!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Green.

Nikaidou Yamato: How do you know?!

Yotsuba Tamaki: I saw it earlier.

Ousaka Sougo: I saw it, too.

Rokuya Nagi:: I also saw it.

Izumi Mitsuki: It’s because you keep wandering around after taking a bath.

Nikaidou Yamato: Because it’s hot! I end up wanting to open the fridge door right away.

Nanase Riku: I get that! Recently, I also had ice cream and…

Izumi Iori: Nanase-san, get back on topic. What were you going to ask out of curiosity?

Nanase Riku: I want to know which song everyone would want to include in the four song setlist!

Izumi Mitsuki: MonGen.

Rokuya Nagi: “MONSTER GENERATiON”! It’s our debut song, we should honor it!

Yotsuba Tamaki: I’d also like that. I also like “Sakura Message”. It’s so pretty.

Nikaidou Yamato: I get that. It moves you to tears.

Izumi Mitsuki: What about you, Riku?

Nanase Riku: I also wanna include MonGen! I want to put in “Perfection Gimmick”, too, though.

Izumi Mitsuki: I get that~. I always get pumped up when we sing it.

Nanase Riku: And you, Mitsuki?

Izumi Mitsuki: Maybe “RESTART POiNTER”. I really like “Nanatsuiro REALiZE”, too, though.

Ousaka Sougo: Seems like the venue will have a nice atmosphere. What about you, Iori-kun?

Izumi Iori: “RESTART POiNTER”, “Mr. AFFECTiON”, “Mallow Blue”…

Nikaidou Yamato: Solid choices... What about you, Nagi? Other than MonGen.

Rokuya Nagi:: Hm… “Joker Flag”.

Izumi Mitsuki: Ah, that one.

Rokuya Nagi:: Rap is cool. And you can feel like a pirate. What would you like, Sougo?

Ousaka Sougo: Something other than MonGen… Maybe “MEMORiES MELODiES”.

Nanase Riku: It’s the song that won Black or White, after all!

Nikaidou Yamato: Aah! That might be nice. It’s like a piece of IDOLiSH7 history.

Yotsuba Tamaki: The order is important with things like this, too, right? Like whether we’re putting MonGen first or last, for example.

Izumi Iori: That’s true. After raising the mood of the venue, we should think about where we take the audience, and where we want to land.

Izumi Iori: Since, depending on the setlist, the excitement of the venue, as well as the feeling people leave with will change, too.

Yotsuba Tamaki: ŹOOḼ seems like they’d want to go all in with a bang.

Rokuya Nagi:: Hm… TRIGGER probably has the best balance.

Nanase Riku: What about Re:vale?

Nikaidou Yamato: Re:vale is the hardest to read… They can be really graceful with all their songs, and I think they’re going to try making the crowd laugh, too.

Izumi Mitsuki: They could also take the classic royal road, after all~. Re:vale-nii-san are pretty strong, eh.

Izumi Iori: I want them to take the comedic route and mess up…

Yotsuba Tamaki: It’s impressive how Iorin wants our enemies to screw up every time.

Izumi Iori: It is because I respect our enemies and acknowledge their strength. It’s exactly because of that respect I have.

Nanase Riku: So, are we putting in MonGen?

Nikaidou Yamato: Yes….

Izumi Mitsuki: Yeah!

Ousaka Sougo: I think we should…

Rokuya Nagi: Where are the people who want to sing “MONSTER GENERATiON”!

IDOLiSH7: Here!

Izumi Iori: Well, then… MonGen is decided.

Rokuya Nagi & Izumi Mitsuki & Nanase Riku & Nikaidou Yamato & Ousaka Sougo & Yotsuba Tamaki: Yay!!

Takanashi Tsumugi: Congratulations on deciding! I think this is definitely a song the fans want to listen to, too!

Nanase Riku: Thank you!

Takanashi Tsumugi: I’d like to keep listening to the meeting, but it’s almost time to get moving…

Izumi Iori: Let’s decide the other contenders later. Everyone, let’s go.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Sure!

Rokuya Nagi:: We’re working fast! We already got one out of four songs on the setlist!

Nikaidou Yamato: No, I’m sure we’ll keep adding and removing things from now on.

Izumi Mitsuki: It's fun no matter how many times you do it! Thinking about the set list is super fun!

Nanase Riku: Then let’s make it a battle of who comes up with the set list I find the best!

Izumi Iori: MonGen, ResPo, Affection, the new song.

Nikaidou Yamato: How about MemoMelo, Affection, Sakura, new song?

Ousaka Sougo: The new song will be the last, huh…

Nanase Riku: I’m looking forward to the new song! I want to end on a high note with a super good song!

Ousaka Sougo: That… that’s right…

Yotsuba Tamaki: You can do it, you can do it! It’ll be fine, it’ll be fine!

Kujou Tenn: What do we do about the setlist?

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: It’s four songs, right? I’m indecisive… But it’s really fun to think about it by ourselves!

Yaotome Gaku: Yeah! If possible, I’d like to think of them as a full set.

Anesagi Kaoru: My, you should put that to use in the next live.

Yaotome Gaku: The next live? Is it okay if we decide the entire setlist of a TRIGGER live by ourselves?

Anesagi Kaoru: I think it’s good if you try it out. I don’t think you guys will do a bad job.

Anesagi Kaoru: Before that, do your best with the “New Black or White”.

Yaotome Gaku: …Thank you! One more fun job on our hands again!

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: I’m glad, it’s all fun things! I hope that our guests and our fans will be happy, too.

Kujou Tenn: Thinking about it from that angle might be good. “What do we want the fans to feel?”

Kujou Tenn: Do we want them to spend their time immersed in our refined performance? Do we want their hearts to beat so much they can’t breathe? Or do we want them to laugh happily like children?

Yaotome Gaku: I want to give them all of that. I want them to jump into the extraordinary space we create.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Like a movie, right? I want them to enjoy action, but also a crime thriller and a romance.

Kujou Tenn: Extraordinary… movie… That might be a good concept.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: You think so?

Kujou Tenn: I think it’s close to what we want to express, too.

Kujou Tenn: We want our meeting with the fans to not be a continuation of their ordinary lives, but to be an extraordinary, special experience for them.

Yaotome Gaku: Aah, that's right. We want to take their hands and take them with us. To a once in a lifetime, unforgettable time.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: It might be a thing only TRIGGER can do.

Kujou Tenn: I want them to see this gorgeous, luxurious dream as they fall in love with us.

Yaotome Gaku: That’s a fitting image, yeah…

Yaotome Gaku: We'll carefully escort the people who followed our invitation to that place, climbing the staircase to the extraordinary together.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Like to a mansion, or a theater… Maybe an atmosphere like an old movie theater could work as well.

Anesagi Kaoru: Isn't that nice. Seems like something we could use for the set.

Yaotome Gaku: If we went with that, would ”DIAMOND FUSION” be a song?

Kujou Tenn: Maybe for the opening. It has passion and could grab the venue's attention.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: What about Daybreak?

Yaotome Gaku: I don't know. It does feel “extraordinary”, but maybe not escort-like…?

Kujou Tenn: Conceptually, LastDim might be better.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: It might not be the fancy kind of escorting someone, but it does feel like you’re running towards the extraordinary together.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: The feeling of not letting go of the hand you've grasped… That’s why I’d like to put Daybreak in.

Yaotome Gaku: You’re making some nice points, Ryuu…

Kujou Tenn: Pulling them close and taking them to the extraordinary, not letting go of their hand throughout the storm and finally escorting them; that might be an option as well.

Kujou Tenn: Because having an element of storytelling draws them into the setting.

Yaotome Gaku: That sounds great! A live with a story fits the theme of movies and the extraordinary as well.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: That's fun! We still haven't decided anything, but I'm excited!

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: I mean, it'll definitely be a good live and Gaku and Tenn will look the coolest!

Yaotome Gaku: That's my line! If we were doing a phantom theme, Ryuu would be the best fit.

Kujou Tenn: The Phantom of the Opera, huh? There's romance in that, and I’d also want to include sexy songs.

Yaotome Gaku: I want to include them, too. Maybe Secret Night.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: What about “Leopard Eyes”?

Kujou Tenn: That's right… Ah, wait… That song…

Yaotome Gaku: Eh?

Kujou Tenn: That song by Magechon-san… Doesn't it fit the concept perfectly?

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: That's true… The image of carefully escorting someone into a luxurious extraordinary world…

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: It might be perfect.

Yaotome Gaku: Have you still not been able to contact Magechon-san?

Anesagi Kaoru: It seems that way. Next time on the radio show, we're planning to make you ask them to message you once more.

Kujou Tenn: I see…

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: I hope we can get in contact with them.

Yaotome Gaku: Right…

Anesagi Kaoru: It certainly was really good. I can already imagine TRIGGER singing it at the “New Black or White”.

Kujou Tenn: When I heard that song… I had the feeling I was meeting our past selves.

Yaotome Gaku: But at the same time, it felt like meeting our future selves, too.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Maybe it’s because they did say they liked TRIGGER… I don't know how to put it…

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: It made me feel that we were in a spot where our fan’s like us to be.

Yaotome Gaku: That's right, that’s right! I got a feeling of mutual love.

Yaotome Gaku: Both the TRIGGER we are building and the TRIGGER within that song’s soul were…

Anesagi Kaoru: Like, “let's start dating already”?

Yaotome Gaku: Well, yeah…

Kujou Tenn: If Magechon-san is fine with it, that is, but…

Yaotome Gaku: They said they wanted us to sing it, right? Though they did add a “(lol)”…

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: If it starts becoming reality, it might be difficult, though. I was kind of scared of the entertainment world at first, too…

Yaotome Gaku: But isn’t it an opportunity for them?

Kujou Tenn: It might not be a person who wants an opportunity. There's people who don't want to stand out too much, too.

Kujou Tenn: If we sing it, there will be quite a few people who say they like or hate it.

Kujou Tenn: No matter how much we want to sing it, we need to make Magechon-san’s feelings, as an ordinary person, a priority.

Yaotome Gaku: That's true… I hope they feel the same, though.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: There's still time. Let's wait and see if we can get in touch!

Kujou Tenn: Yes

Yaotome Gaku: Yeah!

~ to be continued ~

6.10.2. - Taking our own shape

Yuki: So, what do we do about the setlist?

Momo: Four songs, huh… I definitely want to win.

Yuki: Right.

Momo: Can I put in an MC corner?

Yuki: Isn’t that as if we entered the competition as MCs?

Okazaki Rinto: If you put in a big MC segment, it’ll be too long.

Yuki: There won’t be a turn like, “everyone, sit down~”?

Okazaki Rinto: This time, it should be like, “attack, attack, attack, finish”.

Yuki: It won’t, huh…

Momo: Let’s think of a setlist that will lead us to certain victory!! With the godlike setlist I came up with as a Re:vale fan we’ll overwhelm the others!

Yuki: Oh, what will it be like?

Momo: First, our debut song! Ah, but, isn’t that because of my own attachment to it…!?

Yuki: Wouldn’t it be nice? We haven’t sung it a lot lately.

Momo: I wanna put this one in, too. The one where we collaborated with a travel agency for a snowboard commercial…

Yuki: Ah, that one. But isn’t it a little too well-behaved to put in a live?

Yuki: What about the song we sang at the charity live with TRIGGER?

Momo: I considered that, too, but I thought it could be unfair since the song is so king-like…

Yuki: It also doesn’t feel that exciting.

Okazaki Rinto: Then what do you think about something like this? The one that became a song for an energy drink commercial…

Momo: I like that one, but the hook of the chorus is long, so.

Yuki: Whenever that song ends, both me and the fans end up exhausted.

Momo: If it’s just me who’s energetic, you might as well call it a battle royal.

Okazaki Rintarou: Wouldn’t this one be good? You know, the one you wrote before, the wedding song.

Yuki: That one isn’t finished.

Okazaki Rintarou: Finish it. Won’t you sing it at my wedding?

Yuki: Definitely not.

Momo: President, you’re holding a wedding ceremony!?

Okazaki Rintarou: Well, if Re:vale is going to make a wedding song, someone has to get married.

Okazaki Rinto: President, please stop abusing your power.

Yuki: Ah, but isn’t Momo’s older sister, Ruri-san, about to marry soon?

Momo: Right, right.

Yuki: If it’s for Ruri-san’s wedding, it might be fine to make the song.

Momo: Really!? Nee-chan will be super happy!

Yuki: You think so? No, I mean, I did think I’d get invited, but what if I’m not?

Momo: I… I don’t think that would happen.

Okazaki Rintarou: If that happens, you can come sing at my wedding.

Yuki: No, I can’t.

Momo: Even though I promised it earlier, making a godlike setlist is hard… What do you want to sing, Yuki?

Yuki: Hm, right…

Yuki: “Re-raise”.

Momo: That one!? Why!?

Yuki: Because it seems happy.

Yuki: We had it rough at that time, but when we sang that song so carelessly, we were happy.

Momo: …That sounds so cool…

Yuki: You think so?

Momo: It’s really cool…

Yuki: What are you saying? Isn’t it all thanks to you, Momo?

Momo: That’s not true! Ah… My oshi is always cool… Did you two know already, too?

Okazaki Rintarou: I knew it.

Okazaki Rinto: I knew it, too.

Momo: It was cool, wasn’t it!

Yuki: What songs do you want, Momo? I wanted to hear your godlike setlist.

Momo: Noo, I can’t narrow it down to four songs. I have around 50 songs in my head.

Yuki: If we sing that many in a live, I’ll die.

Okazaki Rinto: How about deciding the theme first and then narrowing down the number of songs?

Momo: A theme, huh…

Okazaki Rinto: Yes. Imagining the stage set will become easier, too.

Yuki: How about returning to the start with new freshness?

Momo: That’s nice!

Momo: And we want to show our current fans a fresh, hardworking Re:vale, too, right!

Yuki: Right.

Momo: But I also want to take the time we’ve spent together and the things we’ve built over the years, too…

Momo: I’m not talking about Re-raise from earlier, but I also want to put in the kind of carefreeness that comes from maturity…

Momo: Fresh, carefree, without being too reckless, smart, witty…

Yuki: Like going on a journey?

Momo: Yeah, that might be it! I wouldn’t go far enough to call it an adventure. More like… feeling at ease because you know what you’re in for…

Yuki: The feeling of being at ease and knowing what you’re in for… And also witty and fresh….

Yuki: Like the moment when you unlock a door with a click?

Momo: That! As if the moments of unlocking just keep going!

Yuki: Opening the lock, freely stepping towards the next door… opening another lock and continuing onwards.

Momo: And as you keep unlocking those doors with a click, you keep becoming freer! You start to feel excited and refreshed like an adult!

Yuki: That’s nice, it’s like us.

Momo: Let’s keep going like this and think about the rest of the setlist! And the new song, too!

Yuki: Alright.

Natsume Minami: What would you like the setlist for “New Black or White” to be?

Inumaru Touma: Well, Mina, you’re the one making the songs, so you can decide.

Midou Torao: That’s probably the best.

Isumi Haruka: It should be balanced with the new song, too, right.

Natsume Minami: You think so? Well then, with that: Are there any requests?

Inumaru Touma: Not really, but it'd be nice if it had an exciting feeling to it.

Isumi Haruka: I want the new song to get you hyped-up. It's about time we one-upped the others.

Midou Torao: I'd like a post-apocalyptic, super flashy set.

Natsume Minami: That’s a lot of requests, isn’t it…? I don't like having the role of the organizer.

Utsugi Shirou: Then I'll do it.

Isumi Haruka: You can do that…？

Utsugi Shirou: I ‘ll use a whiteboard to create a mindmap. It’s easy to understand visually.

Inumaru Touma: Sounds like you dropped some business lingo there.

Utsugi Shirou: The main topic is “Black or White Live Showdown”, right?

Isumi Haruka: Seems right.

Utsugi Shirou: With that as the center, I'll put down the ideas from before while gradually branching out and adding onto it. Uhm, it was…

Utsugi Shirou: “An exciting feeling”, “Getting hyped-up”, “One-upping the others”, “Post -apocalypse”, “Flashy”.

Natsume Minami: Hearing it again, this starts to sound like the executive meeting of some kind of evil organization, doesn't it?

Inumaru Touma: When you hear things like “one-upping the others”, yeah.

Isumi Haruka: Isn't that good? I mean, I also like songs about doing your best even when things are hard, but this time I wanna get lost in a feeling of boundless power already.

Natsume Minami: That's puberty for you.

Inumaru Touma: Post-apos… Post-apscalyp… Post-apocapolyse?

Midou Torao: Post-apocalypse.

Inumaru Touma: What does post-apocalypse mean?

Midou Torao: Like, the end of the world? A destroyed world where civilization has collapsed?

Natsume Minami: Looks like it will become an interesting set. I’d like to not overlap with the futuristic feeling of “BLAST” though…

Midou Torao: No, we’re going for something that’s more nasty than that. For example… It could be like an antlion pit¹...

Inumaru Touma: An antlion pit…?

Isumi Haruka: Ah, stuff like that. Like when there’s turned over cars lying around.

Natsume Minami: I see. We could have a huge cage hung up and things like that.

Utsugi Shirou: That sounds good. It fits ŹOOḼ’s image perfectly.

Inumaru Touma: Just what’s your idea of ŹOOḼ, Utsugi-san…?

Utsugi Shirou: It gives you the feeling of a world of outlaws, doesn’t it. Like something coming crawling at your feet.

Midou Torao: Aah, nice. That’s cool.

Isumi Haruka: Crawling around is cool…? Isn't that scary…?

Midou Torao: It’s cool! You know, crawling around like a giant desert creature.

Utsugi Shirou: Like a giant centipede.

Isumi Haruka: Centipedes are a no-go! If I was singing and there was a giant centipede wriggling around, there's no way I could focus.

Midou Torao: I would be like “Oh, it's doing that, so we gotta do it, too”.

Isumi Haruka: No way. What's up with you saying that like it’s a pet.

Natsume Minami: I’m fine with the idea but our main fan base is women. I don’t think that would be popular with them.

Midou Torao: That might be true… I also don’t like centipedes, even if they aren’t giant.

Inumaru Touma: Well, huge things are cool. Lizards don’t really work for that, but I like dinosaurs.

Isumi Haruka: Huge animals are nice. Mh, which one do we go with?

Natsume Minami: Maybe a fish moving around in the cool water, or a snake…

Inumaru Touma: Aren't there a lot of girls who hate snakes, as well?

Natsume Minami: I'm popular.

Inumaru Touma: I'm not talking about you though, Mina… You really think of snakes as your kind, don't you?

Natsume Minami: You see, that's because my true identity is a snake. I'm just disguised as a human to repay my debt to you, Inumaru-san.

Inumaru Touma: Eh?

Natsume Minami: Do you not remember that time you saved me when we were kids?

Inumaru Touma: … Uhm…

Natsume Minami: Don't take it seriously.

Inumaru Touma: You scared me! I thought you might be the one I met in a field in the countryside when I was a kid!

Utsugi Shirou: Centipede, snake… For now, let's go with “long creatures”?

Isumi Haruka: I like that. This set is cool, like a movie. Especially the turned-over car.

Midou Torao: No, especially the antlion pit.

Natsume Minami: I think the hung-up cage does it.

Inumaru Touma: All of them are good! The other groups aren't going to go for a vibe this dusty, so it seems like a good way to set ourselves apart.

Natsume Minami: If the set is going to be a destroyed world at its end, I want the new song to match that. What were the requests again…?

Inumaru Touma: “Exciting”, “one-upping the others”.

Natsume Minami: Then instead of a theme as severe as “how are we going to survive?”, going for a feeling like “searching for paradise” might be better.

Isumi Haruka: Like living in a dystopia while searching for a utopia.

Inumaru Touma: Aah! That sounds nice!

Midou Torao: I'm starting to look forward to the new song.

Natsume Minami: Fufu, I'm looking forward to making it as well. I got a lot of inspiration now.

Isumi Haruka: I wish we could give them the feeling that we’re taking the whole audience along to the utopia!

Inumaru Touma: Right! I wanna stir up the crowd！Utsugi-san.

Utsugi Shirou: What is it？

Inumaru Touma: We might surpass RedFes at the “New Black or White”.

Utsugi Shirou: That sounds terrific. I'm really looking forward to it.

Isumi Haruka: Yeah! You should be!

Inumaru Touma: Alright! Let’s keep up this mood and decide the setlist!

Midou Torao: Yeah!

~to be continued~

6.10.3. - Seven colors

Izumi Iori: But as an impression, that’s…

Cameraman: Good morning.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Ah, it’s a person from BackMagic.

Nanase Riku: Hello~ We were given a lot of sweets, so here you go. Eat them, please.

Cameraman: Ah, thanks…

Nanase Riku: Another one!

Cameraman: Ah, uhm…

Nikaidou Yamato: He doesn’t have his hands free. He’s holding a camera, you know.

Nanase Riku: Ah, is that so.

Izumi Mitsuki: Pocket, pocket.

Rokuya Nagi: OK! I’ll put it in here.

Cameraman: Ahaha, sorry. Is this really fine…?

Ousaka Sougo: Take it, take it.

Cameraman: Thank you very much. Please, continue talking…

Yotsuba Tamaki: No, no, you can’t record that! It’s a secret! It’s super secret!

Rokuya Nagi: It’s top secret!

Nikaidou Yamato: We were having ideas. About the stage set for “New Black or White”.

Cameraman: I think this program will be broadcast after “Black or White”, so if you don’t mind, can I film it?

Yotsuba Tamaki: Then it’s fine, but… don’t tell on us, Mister.

Cameraman: Roger.

Rokuya Nagi: Are spoilers OK? You’ll enjoy it more if you don’t know.

Cameraman: Yes…! I’m a bit conflicted, but I’m at work, so I will be filming.

Rokuya Nagi: Alright! Let’s get back to the meeting then!

Cameraman: That… That whiteboard…

Cameraman: The thing that’s depicted there, is that an impression of the set…?

Nanase Riku: I hope it works.

Izumi Iori: I wonder if we can do it… But if nobody is on stage, that would be lonely, right?

Izumi Mitsuki: Then, what if we have the people on the stage and people riding this thing part?

Rokuya Nagi: Like departing and being sent off?

Yotsuba Tamaki: Eeh? Isn’t that lonely?

Ousaka Sougo: It’s not lonely. It seems like the new song will be a cheerful one. Probably…

Nikaidou Yamato: Besides, if there is a difference in height, the idea of the sky is easier to feel.

Izumi Mitsuki: There’s people in a high place and people in a low place looking up, but they’re connected through the same sky.

Nanase Riku: That’s great! No matter where we are, everyone is together!

Nanase Riku: Summer’s over already, but the cumulonimbus clouds² were really huge.

Izumi Iori: What are you saying all of a sudden?

Nanase Riku: Hearing all the fans’ voices and singing below the bright lights makes me feel like I’ll become a cumulonimbus cloud.

Izumi Mitsuki: Aah, I get that! Even when I look up at everyone, I end up feeling like I got a super huge body!

Izumi Mitsuki: Like that, I could reach out to the audience seats and get the feeling of hugging everyone!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Nice! A kind, huge monster.

Rokuya Nagi: Becoming a big monster and hugging my friends!

Ousaka Sougo: If it’s about a cumulonimbus cloud… then after all, this vehicle might be good. It has a soft form.

Izumi Iori: I think that’s good. Because a rocket would be too fast, but it also doesn’t give the feeling of a bird flapping its wings.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Takin’ our time enjoying lightly flying with us, that’s a lot like us.

Rokuya Nagi: Then what do we do with this song? To the blue sky, the starry sky. Aurora, sunrise…

Nanase Riku: Isn’t that just a galaxy!?

Yotsuba Tamaki: It’s space!

Nikaidou Yamato: Don't do something so big! If we’re too flashy, we’ll end up looking like our equally flashy senpai!

Izumi Mitsuki: We won’t lose! What if during the live, we started flying, broke through the ceiling and kept flying?

Izumi Iori: Destroying the venue is a bit…

Rokuya Nagi: OH! If we hold back, we’ll get surpassed by Re:vale!

Izumi Iori: Seems like it’ll work… If we build a pool on the stage and appear on the boat.

Izumi Mitsuki: Seems like it’ll work~! It’s like dancing in a marine colored costume!

Nanase Riku: The kind that splashes waves into the front row!

Yotsuba Tamaki: The kind that makes people wear a raincoat! We’ll definitely sell it in Re:vale colors!

Ousaka Sougo: As expected, you’re great at business…

Nanase Riku: Aah! I’m really looking forward to the other groups’ lives, but I won’t lose!

Nanase Riku: Iori！

Izumi Iori: Yes.

Nanase Riku: Make us win!

Izumi Iori: …

Izumi Iori: We will win. Us, IDOLiSH7, will reach the top.

Yotsuba Tamaki ＆ Nikaidou Yamato ＆Izumi Mitsuki ＆ Nanase Riku ＆ Rokuya Nagi & Ousaka Sougo: Yeah…!!

Izumi Iori: We’ll even fly the stage set to the moon.

Yotsuba Tamaki ＆ Nikaidou Yamato ＆Izumi Mitsuki ＆ Nanase Riku ＆ Rokuya Nagi ＆Ousaka Sougo: Yeaaah…!!

Izumi Mitsuki: It’s fine to destroy the venue after all.

Izumi Iori: We’ll obtain the rainbow, the stars, even the sun; without leaving a single thing behind.

Nikaidou Yamato: You’re confident.

Izumi Iori: Don’t make fun of me. This isn’t like writing on a tanzaku on tanabata; it’s not an innocent, fleeting wish.

Izumi Iori: We who sang in front of an audience of nine people…

Izumi Iori: If we reach out with our hands right now, our wish is within reach.

Izumi Iori: Nikaidou-san.

Nikaidou Yamato: …

Izumi Iori: Nii-san.

Izumi Mitsuki: …

Izumi Iori: Yotsuba-san.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …

Izumi Iori: Ousaka-san.

Ousaka Sougo: …

Izumi Iori: Rokuya-san.

Rokuya Nagi: …

Izumi Iori: And finally, Nanase-san.

Nanase Riku: …

Izumi Iori: Do you have the resolve to change the world?

Nikaidou Yamato: Yeah!

Izumi Mitsuki: Let’s do it!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Let’s win together!

Ousaka Sougo: Yeah!

Rokuya Nagi: Yes! We are top idols!

Nanase Riku: Even if we extended our hands, our selves back then wouldn’t have been able to grasp it, but…

Nanase Riku: Let’s grasp it!

IDOLiSH7: Yeah…!!

Izumi Iori: Let’s surpass both our rivals and the kings and leap over it.

Izumi Iori: After all, we are the seven-colored rainbow starting the new era.

~ to be continued ~

6.10.4. - The world moves on

Phone: ♪～

Yotsuba Tamaki: Ah… it’s from Tenten. I wonder if it’s about Aya.

(beep)

Yotsuba Tamaki: Hello.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Kujou speaking. Is right now fine?

Yotsuba Tamaki: It’s fine. Is this about Aya?

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Yes.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Is Aya debuting?

Kujou Tenn on the phone: I didn’t hear anything about that. If it was Aya’s wish, I’d want to grant it though.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Instead of doing it for herself, Aya wants to be an idol for Kujou-san’s sake.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Both our manager and Rikkun cooperated with him on “Zero”, so I don’t think he’s all bad.

Yotsuba Tamaki: But why does Aya support him that much?

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Will you listen to me calmly?

Yotsuba Tamaki: Eh~? I don’t like that start… You’re gonna say something that makes my head spin, aren’t you?

Kujou Tenn on the phone: …If I was in your place and Riku was my sister, I think my head would spin a little.

Yotsuba Tamaki: I don’t want that… I don’t wanna hear it… But there’s no use, I’ll listen. Since I’m her older brother…

Kujou Tenn on the phone: How admirable.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Alright… Tell me.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: If I said “probably”, it would be rude to Aya. From my point of view, it’s that she admires him.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Hm? Yeah.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Aya likes Kujou-san. In the romantic sense… it seems. She proposed to Kujou-san.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …

Kujou Tenn on the phone: …Are you okay?

Yotsuba Tamaki: Tenten, you’re an idol, right?

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Yeah.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Then what are you doing? Normally, wouldn’t she fall for you, Tenten? Why Kujou?

Kujou Tenn on the phone: …Well… People have different tastes…

Yotsuba Tamaki: Normally I go to Tenten, but Tenten, you’re disqualified from being an idol! You lost to an old man who can’t dance!

Kujou Tenn on the phone: That’s a bit of a shock… But, look. Kujou-san is kind. Especially to Aya.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Tenten, are you cold towards Aya?

Kujou Tenn on the phone: I think I’m being nice to her normally like an older brother, though…

Yotsuba Tamaki: Look! While TRIGGER’s Tenn is sitting by, that old man Kujou…!

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Wait. Don’t just make it my responsibility. Isn’t Isumi Haruka from ŹOOḼ in the same position?

Yotsuba Tamaki: That’s exactly it! Tenten and Isumin are there, so why Kujou?

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Isn’t it just her admiring an older person? Love-like feelings for someone who’s like a father to her…

Yotsuba Tamaki: …If you put it like that…

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Getting back to the topic, Kujou-san told Aya they can’t be together after hearing her feelings.

Yotsuba Tamaki: What!? Isn’t that irresponsible!?

Kujou Tenn on the phone: I get how you feel. I got upset when he said that, too, but I understand that Kujou-san is cautious as well.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Because he cherishes Aya. Because he doesn’t want anything to happen to her.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Even though Kujou-san says he wants to annul the adoption relationship with Aya at all costs, I intend to look after Aya.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Since we cannot live together at Ryuu’s house, I might end up moving out to live together with Aya.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: But before I just decide that by myself, I thought I’d listen to your opinion.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …I don’t think I can live with Aya at the dorm, either. If that’s the case, having Aya alone in a facility is…

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Aya herself doesn’t want that, either. Well, she does say she wants to be with Kujou.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Yotsuba Tamaki. You are a student, too. You don’t have to carry this burden alone. That’s why, don’t feel too responsible.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: I want to respect your will. I want to respect Aya’s will as well. That’s all it is.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …You say that, Tenten, but you’re younger than Sou-chan.

Yotsuba Tamaki: What about your will? I’ll respect it in your place.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: A happy ending. I like you, Kujou-san, Aya; Isumi Haruka, too.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Isn’t that just about other people? Will you be fine?

Kujou Tenn on the phone: That’s not the case. Thank you.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Just think about it a bit. It’s possible the dormitory itself might disappear…

Kujou Tenn on the phone: Is that so?

Yotsuba Tamaki: Yeah… It’ll be lonely, though.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: That’s true… I think you guys having a place where you can have an exciting life together is a good thing.

Yotsuba Tamaki: I think so, too. But if you put Aya into that, I would feel sorry for her.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: That’s true... I’ll also try talking to Aya a little.

Yotsuba Tamaki: Yeah, good luck, Tenten.

Kujou Tenn on the phone: You, too. Well then, see you.

(beep)

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Haa…

Yotsuba Tamaki: I wonder what place we will be in next year…

Woman: …Aah… Today is when I’ll find out whether I won or lost…

Woman: Idol fans are too amazing. They managed to stand this feeling up until now…

Woman: Haa… I definitely don’t want to lose… God, please…

Woman: I already bought new clothes since I thought I can go, and I pre-ordered the goods already, so…

Woman: Since I really plan to go, I ended up watching all the footage from the lives up until now.

Woman: IDOLiSH7 was amazing… It was totally different from TV. Everyone, everyone was the best stars…

Woman: Their gazes as they looked over the venue were kind, they made me really happy.

Woman: It made me think I want to be in that place with them and cheer them on. It made me want to be one of the lights they see.

Woman: Because I am going to go to the live, I did my best with overtime and took on business trips. I must’ve accumulated some good deeds by now!

Woman: Please, let me win! If I lost right now, it’d be frustrating~!

Woman: Ah…! The person I befriended online won! Waaah~, congratulations!!

Woman: There’s people who didn’t win, either… It must be true that they’re crying… I feel like I’ll cry, too…

Woman: Haa… My heart’s pounding…

Woman: I can’t believe I’m trying to go to a place that will make my heart pound even more, even though my heart is already pounding…

Woman: What is it gonna be like? A really fun, sparkling and happy time…

Woman: …Is what I think it will be, but what if I go there and it’s different? …Everything’s just according to my convenient fantasy…

Woman: …I’m so excited, I’m anxious… I’m really looking forward to it, but I am also a bit nervous… This might be what it feels like to have a wish.

Woman: So that’s it, I… When I saw IDOLiSH7, I had a wish for the first time in a long time.

Woman: It’s not a wish like, “No way~”. “I wanna have fun~”.... It’s a sparkling, childlike wish.

Woman: That’s why my heart is beating and my chest hurts; everything’s so fun, I can’t bear it.

Woman: …I want to go to the live…

Woman: …A mail came! There was a notice about the lottery results!

Woman: What should I…? I’m scared to look at it…

Woman: It’ll be fine, it’ll be fine… If it doesn’t work this time, I’ll just have to apply again.

Woman: Since I joined the fanclub as well, it’ll work for sure. I might even win this time…

Woman: Let’s count down. One, two…

Clerk: Excuse me.

Woman: …!

Order: Would you like to have some more coffee?

Woman: Ah… I’ll dig right in… Ah, never mind, I’m good.

Clerk: I understand. Please take your time enjoying your stay.

Woman: Thank you very much…

Woman: …

Woman: …Oh, I won…！

~ to be continued ~

TL note:

¹ - An explanation on the antlion pit, lit. anthell: click

² - Yes, the same cumulonimbus clouds Kujou was talking about. Different word in JP, though.

I assume most people know about tanzaku and tanabata by now, but if not, click! As for the whole "royal road" talk, it's a kind of wordplay on doing it the classic way and also Re:vale being kings...

...mod riku here!! this is the first time i bothered to translate some of the chapter headlines myself instead of leaving it to mod haruka, and you can tell from the awkward wording, ehehe... that being said, it's done now!

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chengfei · 2 months

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Free! Anniversary Fic Recs 🦋🐋🐬🦈🐧 Can you share your fav fics from each year (2013-2023) Free! has been around?

This is a very fun ask!! Lemme root through my bookmarks and see what I can find 😅

2013 - A lot of the stories I have saved from this time are shorter lil one-shots like “Never Leave” by Shimegami (classic mh hug-it-out interlude fic) and “The Sound of Settling” by teke (feelings realization stuff), but one other one I liked was “The Ocean You Gave My Heart” by miaoujones. Smut warning for that one (if that’s not your thing), but something about desert-bound Makoto learning to swim and indulge in water with Haru, thinking upon meeting him that he’s a wonder whether he’s really a mermaid or not, that’s neat!!

2014 - starting to realize the ones I kept any note of from the early years are some of the popular mh fics probably already recommended 10 times over, but there’s a reason why people sing their praises. If you haven’t checked out fics from tide tothemoon like 2/13189000 (mhtokyo my beloved), their writing is *chef’s kiss* delightful. Another AU I haven’t been able to bring myself to revisit was orihime’s reincarnation stories from “I cannot be without you, matter of fact.” There are two different stories, one where Makoto remembers their past lives and a follow up where Haru remembers, and oh that made me ache dude.

2015 - Speaking of suffering, have y’all checked out Heart’s Departure yet? I think we’ve referenced and talked about that story enough for it to speak for itself 🥴 heartbreaking circumstances but still cosmic and so so beautiful. Then, once you’re done crying about that story, hop over to “Shake the Heavens” by Ad_Astra to break down over (what I described in my ao3 bookmark) Makoto and Haru’s “inherently cataclysmic devotion.” I guess 2015 was the year of shoving the boys into tragic AUs and seeing how much they were willing to give up to get back to each other. A whole vibe

2016 - let’s goooo gamers, more AUs!! “I’d Create Oceans For You” by trashness is a fun fantasy adventure that has both tender moments and interesting action (and some banger art from donguris omggg). If you want something more future-fish-flavored that shows that happily-ever-after doesn’t save you from your grief, “Sublimation” by RedScribbler was great. You can find more of my thoughts on that one if you scroll back a bit in my “fic recs” tag — one of y’all sent it in and yeeees it was so up my alley!

2017 - Alright fellas, there are so many to choose from, because now we’re getting into the macbetha years! Who would I be if I didn’t mention “Eyes Wide Open All The Time” tbh?? It’s a long one with its own hard-hitting involved lore and world-building, but Beth builds this unique story in a way that pulls from the characters we know and love so effectively. I’ve sung the praises for this story multiple times (and could so do it again bro don’t tempt me) but I’ll end off with saying that if you’re fascinated in watching deeply-wounded people who’ve been put through hell learn how to make a life in the aftermath, there’s something special for you here. Aaaand, if you want something about 1/10 the length and not as heavy, “159 (Architect/Interior Designer AU)” by intoxicatedcinnamon has some fun moments 😌 that’s another one where you can find more of my thoughts somewhere in the fic recs tag (love when y’all send me stories 💚💙)

2018 - “Coral and Bone” by Macbetha my beloved!!!! Wanna play mermaids and fight the gods? Maybe try to find that summer magic that makes you want to keep going and accidentally fall in love on the way? I am puuushing you toward this story bestie. Everyone’s here and everyone’s having fun! OH ALSO I’m throwing in “Night Changes” by SEMellark because I love stories where Makoto and Haru actually figure out how to talk to each other. (Side note — a lot of these are probably gonna be things I’ve rec’d in the past, so feel free to scroll my tag for more details and consider this list an extra endorsement 😅)

2019 - (drops basket full of love for mutuals) OOPS OOPS OOPS!!! Don’t mind me, just popping in with some “Let’s Get Married” by sagesprouts and “Anthropocene” by testosterogna, nothing to see here but some classic natsunao shenanigans and one of the sickest elemental bender AUs out there 😌✨ I also have some fics from Svana saved from this year, but I’ll be mentioning her again later so hold on okay!!

2020 - alright, now the list is getting longer with everyone jumping back in during the early pandemic days 🏃🏻‍♀️SO FIRST OFF “green eyes, you’re the one I wanted to find” by infinite_always is an absolute FLUFF FEST of a soulmate AU! Unbearably tender moments but who doesn’t love that every so often? OH AND we have another one of my all-time ultimate fic recs here!! “Reaching” by CupNoodles55 has shaped and reshaped how I look back at Eternal Summer in the way I’d want any great canon-compliant fic to. Big love for interlude scenes and extra bits that help recontextualize or deepen what a moment could’ve meant in the show. Gonna end off 2020 with “The Sea Aflame” by Dizzydodo because even though this urban fantasy story is unfinished, I was super drawn in by the prospects of dragon!Makoto and whatever god stuff was going on with Sousuke. An interesting universe I love thinking about again from time to time.

2021 - Starting off strong with “love on the water, love underwater (and so on)” by rudimentaryflair because we love introspection here!!! Lovely writing style with lines that make me want to scale the walls. This take on Makoto is so so special. Also gonna rec “To Clear Away Today” by suhmayzooka (omg hiiii) if you want to be thrown into another hard-hitting intricate AU with loads of potential. Love exploring what we’ve got to see of the world so far 💞 and OOOH IT’S TIME!! “Extraordinary” by Svana_Vrika is basically canon to me at this point. Svana has a lot of sweet shorter stories with Makoto and Haru (look here, look here), but this one is everythinggg my guy. Similar appeal to “Reaching” mentioned earlier: a story of interludes that bring the story we already know to life in a delightful new way. Required reading for mhtokyo fans forreal. ONE LAST ONE OKAY!! “Teacher” by VeloxVoid is a great future fic with teacher!Makoto and artist!Haru (and I’m not biased just bc it was a gift exchange for me with details fit to my specific tastes wdym🧍🏻). Domestic blisssss

2022 - Ooh we’ve almost caught up y’all ☺️ gonna start with “All This and Heaven Too” by SocksAreArgyle because sometimes the bestie crafts a smorgasbord of smut with a delicious throughline of character/relationship development baked in. If you want your choice of spicy makoharus or some character exploration, you’re SET with this one. Next is “I Let My Heart Go” by martincrieff because sometimes the bestie looks at poor pining Makoto and goes “you know what would be messed up?” AND I JUST !!! So full of love and now full of flower petals. Hanahaki!Makoto my dearest boy!! Aaaand ending off the year with some tender mh (to Ikuya’s detriment) in “The Night Train” by Lizzyboo. They’re so softtt with each other and UGH this story is so nice. Love watching people take the crumbs from FS/FS2 and make a meal 💜

2023 - The year is young! And old! So here’s some more, with who knows how many bangers yet to come 🎉 First going to throw in the Makoharu Week 2023 collection for your perusal because I saw some fantastic stories emerge from that event. If you have twitter, I’d recommend also seeing some of the threadfics posted over there from the event as well 💚💙 and I thiiink I’m gonna close off for now with “just like it was always meant to be” by tonfea because they’ve been putting out banger stories that deserve all the love. Haru introspection is one of those things that isn’t always done very well (which is especially hard to reckon with in older fics) but tonfea’s stories all have an intimate understanding about Haru’s mind and journey that just makes sense.

Alright hello we made it to the end!!! Might’ve thrown in more than expected but I hope makoharu enjoyers find something on this list that fits their fancy 🥲 (and if anyone wants to rec something or ramble about a story here that they loved I’m all ears)

#OH NY GOD #makoharu #THANK YOU OP YOU'RE A LIFE SAVER #fic recs

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