#Good luck with the Reiji event everyone!

[izumi-fanclub]

A3! Event Story Translation “NEW ERA GARDEN” [Chapter 3]

We find out about Yukio's plans for the first gen MANKAI troupe members.

Kasumi

Shinsengumi!?

Yuzo

…Another famous theme.

Hiro

Come to think of it, we talked about it back then too.

Zen

Hakkaku-san’s Shinsengumi, another troupe wanted to do the same thing. We never settled on it in the end.

Syu

Don’t tell me, Hakkaku-san left behind a script?

Yukio

Nope, I decided to write it myself this time.

Kasumi

You did, Yukio-san?

Syu

I don’t recall you writing a screenplay before.

Reni

He used to write a lot in highschool, he makes quick work when he’s excited. I had a chance to check it out, it’s mostly finished.

Yukio

I have a general idea of what I wanted to do with the Shinsengumi story since I used to talk about it with Hakkaku-san back then.

We even considered the casting.

Yuzo

I see…

Syu

I wonder if Reiji accepted the story so eagerly just because Yukio’s the one writing it.

Reni

It’s because of his position as a board member.

Zen

Well, whatever it is, we’ll be fine as long as there’s a script.

Hiro

If it’s the Shinsengumi Yukio and Hakkaku-san had in mind, then I look forward to it.

Kasumi

Another famous one, huh, I already feel the pressure…

Yuzo

Pull yourself together, this is a part of your job you know.

Yukio

I couldn’t directly direct “Traces of a Dream”, so I’m thrilled to be able to do it now so carefreely.

Hiro

It’s your return to Japanese theater, Yukio, we can’t afford to make it boring.

Yuzo

Guess you’re right. We got to celebrate with a banger.

Kasumi

Let’s do our best to make it exciting!

Zen

Sure, let me live up to your expectations.

Reni

Of course. The recognition of the new Fleur Award is at stake, after all.

Yukio

Good luck to us!

Based on what I discussed with Hakkaku-san, I wrote the script for each one, and the cast will be—.

Yuzo

…

Member A

Yuzo-san, that’s a script of your upcoming play, right?

Member B

I’m guessing it’s not gonna be MANKAI Company.

Yuzo

Yeah, it’s more of a collaboration, think of it as a one-time thing.

Hope you can excuse me since I’ll be away a lot while this show’s on.

Member A

It’s no problem, you can leave all the affairs to us.

Member B

I’m looking forward to Yuzo-san’s play.

Member C What are you playing?

Member D

What’s your role, Yuzo-san?

Yuzo

It’s confidential so you can’t ever leak it, understood?

It’s Shinpachi Nagakura. I heard back then that he and Hakkaku-san decided on this role for me.

Member C

It’s Shinsengumi then! Wow, just imagining it now, it’s gonna be so cool.

Member D He’s so skilled with a sword that Nagakura’s known as the best in Shinsengumi, I’m guessing he’d be quite the killer.

Member B

Maybe that’s exactly why they chose Yuzo-san?

Member A

Yeah…

Yuzo

I’m right here you know!

…Guess it makes sense that Shinpachi Nagakura was entrusted to me.

Yuzo

…Tch, those two guys specifically. They got no social awareness.

Yukio

Haha, everyone’s making time in their busy schedules. It can’t be helped.

Let the busybodies get along with their kind. Here, cheers.

Yuzo

That sounds more like you than anything…

Yukio

It’s been so long since I had a drink alone with you Yuzo, when was the last time? Yuzo

It’s cause even back when we were in MANKAI Company, there’d always be someone there, it’s rare for us to be ever alone…

Yukio

That’s right, even when the two of us start drinking, there’d always be two or more people in the mix.

Speaking of, I recall talking about Shinsengumi at the drinking party, it was pretty wild then.

Yuzo

Yeah, all that talk about their favorites and what went down, the shinsengumi fanatics just yapped on and on.

Yukio

Yup, everyone had someone they were pushing for.

Yuzo

Now that I’ve been cast as Shinpachi, I gotta kill it at my swordsmanship or else those guys who wanted to play him will kill me themselves.

Yukio

You haven’t done Shinsengumi until now?

Yuzo

No, I’ve done it once in a historical drama.

At that time, I was practicing to die by a sword fight with Shinpachi, but I never thought I’d be in the opposite position.

Yukio

The ruthless killing isn’t the only reason I entrusted Shinpachi to you, Yuzo. Nagakura Shinpachi was one of the most long-lived major Shinsengumi leaders, right?

In his later years, he left records that showed the truth about the Shinsengumi which gave people a more nuanced evaluation of them.

I’d say that quality overlaps with you, Yuzo.

From the launch of the new troupe, all the way to now, you’ve always been watching over MANKAI Company even when you’ve left.

I thought you’d be perfect for it.

Yuzo

…Is this a ploy to get me to continue watching over them, including the newborn guys?

Yukio

Fufu, watch over my daughter well.

Yuzo

Geez, you got guts asking that kind of thing lightly.

Yuzo

(...I wasn’t exactly asked to do it, it just happened naturally.)

(The two generations of parent and child. I’ll continue to watch over them until the foreseeable future.)

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#a3 translation #a3! translation #a3 #a3! #a3! event story translation #a3 event story translation #yukio tachibana #reni kamikizaka #reiji kamikizaka #kasumi hinamori #hiro hyuga #zen kuryu #syu otomiya #yuzo kashima #act 3.5

[utapriyanderes]

Continuation of this post.

    My head feels fuzzy, a slight pain making its way to the front. Slowly I open my eyes only to shut them tight as my head starts to throb. I move myself to sit up and try to look around me. Avoiding the pain my vision steadies and I notice a glass of water on a coffee table right in front of me. I’m laying on a plush couch and am in a luxurious living room.

    I take a look at the glass and realize how dry my throat is. Yet I don’t know if I should risk drinking it since something could be in it. I gave myself a quick rundown and there’s nothing out of sorts with my clothes, and I don’t particularly feel out of place anywhere, so I don’t think they did anything to me. Except for experiencing this pain in my head.

    Glancing at the water once again I notice a piece of paper folded beside it. I reach a hand down and grab it. I unfold it and read the simple line on the inside: “For when you wake up.” I look back at the glass and rationalize. I don’t even know who kidnapped me so should I trust it that easily? Instead I figure that I should be looking for a way out, not thinking about if I should trust a glass of water or not.

    Getting up from the couch I look around me to see possible exits. There’s a door to my left and one on the wall in front of me. I move to check the one in front of me first. I grab the knob and turn it, but it doesn’t budge in the slightest. Dropping my hand I move over to the one on the left. When I’m about to reach for it I can hear the lock starting to turn and the handle jiggle.

    A flash of fear shoots through me. I’m frozen for a second as I think of what to do. I probably only have a few seconds. There’s a lamp a few feet away from the door that could be used as a weapon, but if I’m fast enough maybe I should go back to the couch to pretend I’m sleeping?

Choice:

Attack with the lamp.

Or

Go back to the couch.

#As of right now- still choose your idol. #Might be like it through out all of it but I don't know as of right now. #Also there will be bad endings / multiple endings. #Actually wanted to do a choose your own adventure story for this AU for awhile. #Though this was kinda spur of the moment since this was just supposed to be just a direct continuation of the first part instead of a split. #Though I'm pretty excited to see how this will go! #CYOA Yandere Story #Main AU #starish #quartet night #heavens #Good luck with the Reiji event everyone! #yandere au #au #yandere #utapri #uta no prince-sama

[kitahara-rei]

Can I just say that I all the songs in the set list for Reiji's event like, I jam to these beats every day I love these beatmaps (but its so bad for my hand it hurts maybe i shouldnt have drawn art right before)

ᕙ[･۝･]ᕗ

Also thank klab that the blue songs are in front bc my blue team is still terribad I be here flexing my red team, which is why i need this reiji so bad

Am sad that I got called in for work tomorrow but I got the Monday off so I still got time to get my man ( ͝° ͜ʖ͡°)ᕤ

Which also means I probably won't make making art for the next few days (but u can still request them!! I'll get to them when I can!!)

Ok break time over time to go back to playing the event

Good luck to everyone playing the event!! (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤

#rei plays shining live

[shiningliive]

I've a feeling we're about to have a Tokiyanado....It already started with Holmes Tokiya but now with him being the new event UR, and his birthday and the fact that there's a 40% chance of him being a UR in August. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Yep! I’m ready for the Tokiyanado. If the Tokiyanado is followed by an Ainado I will be in trouble though. Please go easy on me Ai. This is how the Otoya and Reiji stans felt recently. Good luck everyone, Tokiya’s out for blood. 

#ask #ano-kata

[mas-ai]

Hiatus.

welp. there goes my ability to attempt to tier in this event. good luck everyone and please remember to drink water and be kind to one another.

things curved for the worst so I’m gonna be pretty away for a while as things settle. queue will be running but it is low.

I have some asks queued, but the queue is gonna run out for sure while I’m away. I’m gonna slow it to one post a day for now so i don’t have to feel so bad about it ;; but a lot of the asks i haven’t answered are doubles. i’ll try to get them queued when i have a bit more mental space but for now

please give me reiji and let me sleep for a month ;;

#personal #utapristream #no streams for a while i'm sorry #when i return we'll do the final 4 episodes in one go #i should've done them yesterday but i was just not up to it #not utapri

[harumistar]

REIJI'S BIRTHDAY PHOTOSHOOT MAYHEM

Okay so!! I - AM A FAN OF REIJI...with that being said , I have been saving a lot of prisms for the day my baby's birthday comes~♡

Wanted to get that UR mind you uwu

I even stopped myself from going to the top 1% teir in the recent event qwq (was in 2%)

But WHY is it that klab hates Reiji????

An only one pull photo shoot?! (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞

Like don't get me wrong, the perk of atleast 1 SR guaranteed is cool and all..

.....BUT THATS NOT FREAKING ENOOOOUUUGHHHHHHH!!! AHHHH

My love for Reiji doesn't stop at 1 SR okay KLAB??

For the record , the Reiji SR I pulled was one I already had (I know you could say it's good for special training, but that's not the point!!!)

Also bear with me here buut....why is Reiji's photo shoot....the ONLY ONE out of the OTHER birthday photo shoots to have special settings??

Like why did they suddenly decide to change it with Reiji? QwQ

(UPDATE : it seems that I was oblivious to the fact that the rest of the birthday events being also a one pull so please continue the rant like you didn't see this update, while keeping in mind I mean no malice uwu)

I know ...I should be grateful..to at least get 1 SR since under normal circumstances my luck is garbage

BUT I DIDNT GET ANYHTING NEW OKIEEE??

Ya know what would have been nice??? If they pulled out that stupid "one pull only" title. Thats the only "one pull" I would be satisfied with :DDDDDDDDDDD

And they say in the photo shoot description "this is the chance for Reiji fans!"

cuz N 0 ...Thats like stabbing Reiji fans in the back!!! D;<

Waaaaaaa, I'm so frustrated 。゜゜(´Ｏ`) ゜゜。(〃＞＿＜;〃)

Why you do this game ...why ? What have Reiji fans done to deserve this TwT

.

.

.

Of course with that being said , I envy all those who managed to get a U R... :DDD

Ihateyou

<strike>jk I love u</strike>

To everyone who got something they dreamed off in that people ...please have a happy time...qwq

Now excuse me while I go cry in my mushroom corner...while being blessed by that special ohmygodsogood blush from Reiji uwu

That blush..could literally be the only good thing I got out of his birthday event 😂😂

That blush could save souls people- I tell you~ ♡

There goes my rant~ Toodles!

*nyooms to the mushroom corner with the blush screenshot*

#kotobuki reiji #reiji kotobuki #uta no prince sama #utapri #utapri shining live #kotobuki reiji's birthday #kotobuki reiji's birthday 2018 #reiji kotobuki's birthday #reiji kotobuki's birthday 2018 #frustrated #why you do this #i wanted more #i wanted more gdiii #not enough to quench my reiji thirst #quartet night

[lovelysincerity]

Durch Leiden Freude

[[Yes I know this is random but I got inspired at work and figured this was the best day to throw it at you. Have some emotions. They’re good for you, probably.

Here’s my hand at writing Reiji, hope you enjoy this dose of angst.]]

(Alternate version Ai’s All Star Love End if Reiji had found a certain trio after the Song Festival, plenty of spoilers)

After hearing that performance, Reiji already knew who the winner of this year’s Song Festival would be. And strangely enough, underneath the initial disappointment he felt… satisfaction.

Watching the much younger idol maturing over the past six months had been a delight. Just a half year ago Ai wouldn’t have smiled at him to save his life, and now, shortly before the concert began, Ai had smiled at him and told him good luck. Good luck. Just hearing that left Reiji momentarily flabbergasted; when he recovered, the grin he took onto stage was huge and came with what he was certain was one of his best performances ever.

And yet, when the next performance began and Ai opened his mouth to sing, Reiji felt certain that this would be the winning performance. He could only hear it over the monitors backstage, but that was enough to convince him.

“Ai-Ai… you’ve really grown,” murmured Reiji to himself. His eyes had closed to listen better, his fists tight at his sides. “Kouhai-chan was the best medicine after all, huh? … Haha, I didn’t think it’d be this satisfying to lose.”

But if it was Ai, the frustration and disappointment that his performance hadn’t been good enough could be pushed aside. Longing clenched Reiji’s heart in their place as he wondered if he could ever sing like that- but none of that now. Ai and Haruka had come so far and he was proud of them. Now would be the time to congratulate them.

… So where were they?

Reiji took a casual look around after Ai left the stage to compliment him on his performance. No luck on the other side of the backstage, nor in the dressing room. This didn’t bother him since Reiji figured he could wait for Ai to show up for the award ceremony at the end of the event.

Except Ai never came on stage, even when his name was called as the winner. As confused whispers swept over the audience, Reiji bit his lip. Something seemed off when Saotome announced that an important engagement had come up and Mikaze Ai had needed to leave right away. What kind of ‘important engagement’ could trump this event in Saotome’s mind?

Time to take another look around. Haruka, along with Ai’s mentees Syo and Natsuki, were still here. He could ask them what happened.

Of course Reiji was concerned about Ai. It had nothing to do anymore with Ai’s similarities to Aine- that couldn’t have been the reason for his unease at this sudden disappearance. This… disappearance.

And fear, unbidden, gripped Reiji’s heart. That wouldn’t happen again, would it? Ai wasn’t Aine, Ai wasn’t suffering, Ai was happy- that song just now had been proof enough. Why, then, were Reiji’s footsteps picking up in his search for those three kouhai, and why was it hard to keep his worry off his face?

A familiar voice caught his ear and turned Reiji’s feet towards a door he wouldn’t have thought to look in, an unused dressing room. When had he gotten this far down the hallway? He brushed that thought aside and, after fixing his smile on his face, gripped the knob and flung open the door.

“Kouhai-chaaaan~! And Nattsun and Syo-tan too!” he proclaimed, the sudden entry and exclamation greeted by gasps for surprise. “Ai-Ai’s performance today was just incredible! Congrats, you guys! Now Kouhai-chan’s debut is a guaranteed-”

He stopped. Or rather, his throat had clenched and refused to let him say any more. The three younger ones were huddled in a circle on the floor, Natsuki with his arms around the other two, and all three were hastily brushing away tears.

A cold stone dropped into Reiji’s stomach. Instead of celebrating, they were crying. Icy fear chilled Reiji’s legs and froze his feet to the ground; his outstretched hand fell to his side.

What had happened to Ai?

One, two shaky breaths in, out, in, out, as Reiji fought to make his blank mind and numb tongue work, to come up with something. Finally he opened his mouth-

“Thank you, Kotobuki-senpai! W- was there something you needed?”

Haruka spoke first, startling Reiji back into silence for a moment. No, that wasn’t it. It was the shaky yet kind smile she’d forced on when she greeted him, and it snapped him back to his senses.

‘Get your act together, Rei-chan! This isn’t the time to let your fears get a hold on you!’

He wrenched his feet from the ground and strode forward. In the next moment Reiji dropped to his knees in front of the trio and pulled all three into an awkward hug. Maybe it wasn’t about Ai, maybe it was something else. Comforting them took priority.

“… Don’t bother trying to hide those tears, kiddos,” Reiji told them softly. “I’m good at spotting teary faces, y’know! … So what’s the matter?”

Unbeknownst to them, he was holding his breath, afraid of the answer. Afraid of what he might learn- or not learn.

Syo was the first to answer. “We’re just- maybe we’re just so happy we’re crying!”

Nope, not flying. “Sorry, I’m not buying that,” Reiji told him, his hand gently knocking Syo on the back of the head. “I know the difference between happy tears and sad tears.”

“Hmph… sniff…”

“Go ahead and cry, it’s okay. You can talk later.”

“We’re… we’re okay,” Haruka tried with another smile that was more watery than the previous. She looked ready to break down again any second. “Don’t worry, we’ll… we’ll be fine…”

“Nanami,” whispered Syo, his teeth clenched. Natsuki hadn’t spoken, or maybe he couldn’t with his jaw trembling that badly.

Reiji’s heart went out to them. They weren’t just sad, they were grieving. And that was enough to send his worried thoughts into overdrive. What were they hiding?

“Hey,” he murmured, fighting to keep his voice from shaking. Time to try distracting them and calming them down. “What’s this sudden business Ai-Ai had to leave for? He missed the awards ceremony, that kid, and now he’s not even around to… comfort you…”

They’d flinched at his question. Ah… this was related to Ai after all… No, no, he needed to stay calm. He was a professional, he could easily hide things from them, he had to hide his fears.

Guilt swirled in the pit of his stomach with his concern. In truth Reiji knew he’d been cruel to ask that question, for he’d posed it as a test as much as to hopefully calm them. Their reaction gave him the answer he hadn’t wanted to hear yet had expected.

“- Where is Ai-Ai?”

This time, the worry leaked unbidden into Reiji’s voice. He cursed himself in his head. How could he be so immature as to act this way? Especially while they were grieving whatever had happened. ‘Keep your hands from shaking, Rei-chan, they’ll feel it…’

None of them would look at him, somehow avoiding eye contact from this close distance. “Is it something secret?” Reiji pressed, his anxiety winning out. They all knew what had happened, that was certain. “I’m just worried about you three and about Ai-Ai.”

“… Hngh…” Haruka turned her head away when a choked sob left her throat. Immediately Reiji felt guilt again.

“I’m sorry, Kouhai-chan. Forget I asked. You can go ahead and cry about whatever happened, it’s okay.”

“Rei-chan-senpai…” For the first time Natsuki spoke, softer and more forlorn than Reiji had heard him even in acting. “I’m sorry. This is… this is one thing we can’t talk about. Thank you for worrying, and we want to say, but… we can’t talk about this.”

Couldn’t talk about it? Reiji wanted to protest, to say that he just wanted to be sure they were okay or something (in contradiction to his own words before, he knew), except he couldn’t. Not when he had too much he couldn’t, no, wouldn’t tell them.

And so Reiji defaulted to the easiest, hardest, most typical response for him: he put on a smile and agreed. “Okay, I understand. I won’t ask anything else. It’s okay.”

“S- sorry,” Haruka sniffed, Reiji only chuckling in reply and patting her back.

“Aww, don’t be sorry! I should be sorry for bugging you with questions! Go on and let it all out, I won’t tell anyone. Tell you what, I’ll treat you kiddos to something good later!”

He wanted to add, “To celebrate Ai-Ai placing first,” but held off.

Held off on quite a lot, in fact.

==/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\==

At some point, it became common knowledge around Shining Agency that Mikaze Ai was studying overseas for a while. Everyone accepted this and moved on. He was famous but still young enough that no one thought twice about a teenager in the industry taking an opportunity to learn more.

The movie Ai had starred in would be released soon. Reiji thought he might see if he could view it on the opening day. Ai had done a fantastic job, especially towards the end. Acting alongside him in that movie had been a great experience and Reiji wanted to know how the finished product had turned out.

He hadn’t moved on. Try as he might, Reiji couldn’t disregard this. The end of the movie and filming that scene where the mermaid had disappeared into the water had been hard enough; then Ai himself went and vanished? It was like his nightmares all over again.

He got a call from one of the staff members asking if his schedule was free in a few days. Apparently the entire staff was gathering together to watch the finished product the day before it would be released in theaters. Since Reiji’s schedule had mysteriously opened up that day, he went for it.

Maybe this could give him some closure, although Reiji doubted it. It was worth a try and he already wanted to see the movie anyway.

The day came and found Reiji at the theater last minute. He slipped in moments before the theater darkened and the opening credits rolled. In the dim lighting from the projection he could just see Haruka a short distance away. Her gaze was fixed on the screen, her expression one of longing… and hope.

That sent a pang through Reiji’s chest. Hope? Did he even feel that anymore? That girl was so pure still, holding onto hope.

Hope for what, though? Was it the same thing he hoped for? … Did he hope for something?

That question had bothered Reiji these past few months. What did he hope for, if at all? That Ai was okay? That he really was just studying overseas? He just couldn’t bring himself to believe it, not when the teary faces of Haruka, Natsuki and Syo kept cropping up in his mind.

Reiji wrenched his thoughts back to the movie unfolding onscreen. He came here to watch this and he would do just that.

At the scene where the mermaid boy, Ai’s character, reunite with the human girl from his past, someone near Reiji whispered to another, “Man, that scene brings back memories,” to which both quietly chuckled.

Reiji, too, found himself smiling. It had been the first scene for Ai to stumble, the first time he hadn’t gotten a scene perfect the first take in fact. The memory of both young actors sprawled on the ground from colliding foreheads made Reiji want to chuckle and wince at the same time.

The movie continued, and so did the memories. He wasn’t seeing this as what Aine could have been, he was remembering all the effort Ai had put into the filming and Haruka’s dogged persistence at helping out. The flubs, the successes, the tears everyone had shared as the last scene finished filming. It had been an unforgettable experience…

As the final credits rolled at last, applause broke out across the theater. Congratulations and well dones sounded over the ending music. Reiji ignored this and leaned back in his seat, melancholy rolling over him again.

‘What could I have done differently?’

He asked himself that a lot as an actor when looking back on shows he’d been on or recordings of events he’d been in. Thinking back on those and studying what he’d done helped him improve. This time, though, that wasn’t what he was thinking about.

Was there something that could have prevented the tears from those three? Had he missed something from Ai? Was it really okay to move on and let himself believe that Ai really was fine?

These thoughts continued to swirl in Reiji’s head. And then-

The screen lit up again. Silence quickly fell over the theater again, this time of confusion. Everyone was looking at one another with the same silent question: “Was there supposed to be something after the movie?”

Reiji’s eyes locked on the screen. He became aware that his heart was racing. For what, he didn’t know, except he knew he couldn’t look away from whatever unfamiliar scene would unfold.

Blue, blue sky. Endlessly clear blue sea, crystal waves. A familiar sandy shoreline: the location they’d filmed the final scene at.

Then, a voice.

“I’m right here. Where are you?”

“… Ai-Ai…” The shaky whisper escaped Reiji before he knew he was speaking. When had this scene been filmed? If anything, the clear sky and the green trees in the distance made it look recent.

A rustle and sound of pattering feet yanked Reiji’s attention from the screen when it went black. He turned his head just in time to see Haruka racing down the side aisle towards the back of the theater and then out into the lobby. For a moment Reiji was struck with an urge to follow her, one he forced down.

‘… Hope, huh?’ That was exactly what Haruka’s hurried form had been declaring, the same feeling rising in his own chest.

Haruka was excited, and now Reiji was too.

==/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\==

Two days later, for the first time in months, Ai replied to Reiji’s text. Reiji had sent them almost daily, his usual rambling chatter about things that had happened during the day along with various queries about how Ai had been doing. As time went on he’d begun asking more and more if everything was really okay, even messing up once and letting slip that he was worried.

“Though he probably picked up on that already, sharp as he is,” had been Reiji’s dry laugh to himself at that time.

This time had been no different. All Reiji had gone on about was the same mostly pointless things as usual plus a cheery question of if they could hang out when Ai got back. He’d posed that question a couple times before, not that he’d expected any responses for a while now. Why, then, he had continued to send those regular texts was beyond him. Maybe that was some kind of hope? Or maybe he was just bad at giving up?

Regardless Reiji had sent that most recent text during a pause in his most recent job and had put down the phone a moment later to continue working. When he’d gotten back to the break room and spotted the notifications light flashing he’d assumed it would be something about work or perhaps a text from Otoya or a work friend.

When he read the name of the sender, for a moment Reiji’s heart seemed to stop. Four familiar katakana spelling out a nickname. A reply… from Ai.

Reiji fumbled to check it, almost dropping his phone in his haste. The message that opened up on screen was short, as per Ai’s usual, but it was enough to make Reiji smile.

<Okay. Tomorrow afternoon?>

Not only had Ai replied, he’d agreed. What should he reply now? No, wait, that was obvious. He’d make room tomorrow! >Tomorrow afternoon at 3pm! Your studio!< Ai would counter that if he didn’t like it, Reiji didn’t really care.

He didn’t have a chance to put away the phone before the next reply came, even shorter than before: <Okay.> Even to that, Ai had agreed.

“Haha… ahaha…!” A grin had spread over Reiji’s face, quiet laughter of relief and delight coming with it. Somehow, just those few words had lifted a weight from his back. His fingers shook as he typed out one more text. >All righty~! See you then! Been too long and I hear what you’ve been up to!<

… No, not quite the last. For a long moment Reiji’s thumbs hovered over the keyboard. Should he ask one more thing?

>And I want to know why Kouhai-chan and the others were crying after the Song Festival and where you went.<

This time the reply took much longer, though Reiji had the strangest sense that Ai was debating his reply as well. At last…

<Okay.>

==/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\==

What was he so anxious for this time? Ai had agreed to see him and explain things, so why did Reiji feel nervous about this? Was it because he hadn’t seen the other in several months? Because he felt silly for worrying all this time? Something else?

There he stood, one hand lifted, unable to knock on the door before him. This was Ai’s studio, it was 3 o’clock, he’d said he would be here for crying out loud! All Reiji had to do was knock- wait, there was a bell, should he ring that instead-?

The door opened while Reiji was still fretting over what to do. He jerked back a step, his thoughts flailing. “Um, uh, ummm-!”

“For crying out loud, Reiji, how long as you going to stand there?”

Ai had one hand on his hip and the other on the doorknob, his brow knitted in a very familiar frown of exasperation. As Reiji looked on, dumbstruck, Ai went on, “You’ve been standing there for several minutes. I was going to wait until you rang the bell but you just took so long I got fed up.”

“Ai-Ai…”

“Hm?” Ai met Reiji’s gaze with his head tilted. His expression softened into a small smile. “Well? Don’t just stand there, come in.”

“Uh- r- right!” ‘Snap to it!’ Reiji scolded himself. He barely kept from stumbling when he hurried past Ai into the open studio room that Ai lived in.

As Ai shut the door behind them, Reiji caught a glimpse of silver around his wrist. ‘That’s the bracelet Kouhai-chan got him for his birthday, isn’t it?’ Somehow, seeing that Ai was wearing it set Reiji’s mind at ease. ‘He’s still the same. That’s right. Ai-Ai is still the same.’

“So, you wanted to talk?” That question from Ai startled Reiji just a little. He chuckled weakly.

“C’mon, Ai-Ai, aren’t you going to at least offer me something to drink? Hospitality, hospitality!”

Instead of sighing the way Reiji expected him to, Ai considered it. “You’re right. It’s been a while and I rarely have to host anyone, so I didn’t think about it. I’ll go get-”

“No, no, don’t worry, I was just joking!” Reiji cut across hastily. “I didn’t know what else to start with, that’s all!” He trailed off, just staring at the younger boy.

“… What is it?” Ai’s brow furrowed again. “You’re acting kind of wei-”

“Ai-Ai~!”

“- Whoa?!”

Everything he’d considered saying before he got here had fled Reiji as relief had taken over. Without even thinking about it he’d flung his arms around Ai, not minding that Ai stumbled just a little.

Of course Ai protested. “H- hey, Reiji! What the heck-?! You almost knocked me over, geez…!” Yet he made no attempt to push Reiji off and just heaved a sigh. Again he muttered, “Geez,” followed by what Reiji was certain was a quiet laugh.

“… You didn’t forget, did you?” Reiji’s question was soft, a little muffled. “What I asked yesterday?”

Ai was silent; when he didn’t answer right away Reiji let go and took a step back to see his face. “You didn’t, did you?” he pressed. “You of all people wouldn’t forget.”

“No, I didn’t, you don’t have to get all worked up like that,” grumbled Ai. Again Reiji laughed, louder than before.

“Haha, of course not, you wouldn’t forget!”

“I wouldn’t… again…”

“Hm? What was that?” Reiji missed part of what Ai mumbled there. “Something- again?”

A sigh from Ai, who folded his arms. “It’s… hmmm. I’m not sure where to begin.”

Then Ai wasn’t going to pass it off with “it’s nothing?” That was a surprise. Unless it had something to do with what Reiji had asked him yesterday.

Silence fell for about long ten seconds. The one to break it was Ai, in an unexpected way. He heaved another sigh, looked right at Reiji, and said, “I wanted to see you. And thank you.”

Reiji was floored. He gaped, floundered for words, and at last came out with a breathy laugh. “Wha… ahaha! C’mon, you’re gonna make me blush~!”

“I’m serious, Reiji.” Ai was smiling again, not widely but a real smile. “Haruka told me you were worried about me and that you comforted her, Syo and Natsuki the day of the Song Festival. And all those texts from you- well, frankly, they took forever to look through when I was finally able to read them, and at first they were annoying… but after a while I realized you were just worried. I’m sorry about that, and thank you.”

Again, speechlessness silenced Reiji. He only managed a few stutters. “Y- you… so… sorry…?”

“Hey, is it that shocking? Even I can be sorry about things.” Both disappointment and irritation had Ai’s cheeks puffing out in unusual childishness. The sight and his words stirred some sense back into Reiji.

“Haha, yeah.” He took a deep breath. Now was his chance to say some of the things that had been weighing on his mind before things got awkward.

“Phew… Listen, Ai-Ai. You know that Kouhai-chan and the other two have been worrying about you the whole time you were gone, right?” A suddenly serious question, but Reiji needed to say it. If not now, maybe not ever.

Ai’s gaze dropped. “… Yeah. I’ve already talked to them and apologized.”

“Good, because they were pretty darn torn up when you… disappeared.” At those words Ai’s eyes snapped back to Reiji; although he said nothing, the unasked question was obvious: “What do you mean?”

Reiji went on with his gaze locked on Ai’s, “Maybe that’s not exactly what it was. All I know is that I couldn’t find you after you were up on stage that day, and immediately after I found your partner and two kouhai crying. No one saw anything of you from then on. It was like you just- just vanished.” He paused. “Frankly, worried as I’ve been, I want to sock you one too for that. So, Ai-Ai… could you tell me what’s been going on?”

No answer came immediately. Reiji waited, trying to slow his racing heart. He was anxious, he was excited, he was scared. This wasn’t like several years ago when he’d first met Ai and had gotten such a shock to see someone so identical to Aine standing before him. This was Ai, with all Ai’s memories and experiences and connections. Could he hope that he’d formed enough of a bond that Ai would trust him?

When Ai next opened his mouth, Reiji held his breath to hear. “I told you I’d tell you, so I’ll tell you what I can. No… I’ll tell you what I want to, as much as I want to. But… just answer one thing first.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Can you promise that you’ll tell me what you know about Kisaragi Aine?”

Goosebumps rose along Reiji’s arms. He sucked in a shaky breath, his mind reeling. No, he had to calm down. There was nothing strange about Ai asking about Aine. A good number of people knew they looked and sounded alike, he could have picked it up from anyone. Perhaps even Haruka, who had asked Reiji directly and who knew that Aine and Reiji had been friends.

The steady seriousness in Ai’s gaze told Reiji that this wasn’t an idle question, that whatever would come from it and from each of their answers would be deep. And Reiji let out a long, slow breath and smiled.

“Yeah. I’ll tell you what I know.”

Ai examined him for several seconds, and then smiled as well.

“Thanks. Okay. I’ll tell you… everything.”

He lifted a hand and tapped the side of his neck…

#MY FRIEND WRITES GOOD STUFF 8D #This gave me feels #submission

[thefinalcinderella]

DIVE!! Book 4 Chapter 4-OH, MY JINX!

I always felt bad for Reiji because throughout the series he got pushed to the background pretty much because he isn’t a main character, and this chapter just made me even sadder! Reiji, I hope you can shine, achieve your dreams and be appreciated for yourself one day!

Also just realized it’s been almost a month since the last chapter (sorry guys)

Full list of translations here

Previously on DIVE!!: We catch up with Hiroya and Miu.

Tomoki seemed to have dived successfully. Although it was difficult to see his aerial performance well from above the steps, the judges’ scores told all. Four of them gave 8.5 points, and two of them gave 8 points. One gave 7.5 points. It was a good performance if all those points were applied to a dive from Group 6. What’s more, Tomoki had never received anything less than 7 points from a judge today. He did accurate performances with no mistakes. Did Tomoki unnoticedly learn what was both the easiest and the hardest?

After Tomoki, who served as the anchor for the third round, Reiji, as the person in the top of the fourth round, took in three deep breaths while waiting for the whistle to signal the start of the performance.

Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.

Other people were other people. He was himself. In less than a year, he surely had it thoroughly beaten into him that he had not one single good thing to compare with others. Regardless of Tomoki, because he did what he himself should have done, it was alright. Even at the time of the fourth round’s performance, before he got onto the platform he diligently performed bending and stretching exercises three times, stepping onto the stairs with his right foot. Stopping at the tip of the five-meter, he swallowed the word “water” that he had written on his palm with his finger. (1) He could only leave luck to heaven.

When Reiji dealt with a competition, he tended to not settle down unless he faithfully did the huge pile of jinxes that he created himself. He never told anyone about it because it seemed stupid to tell people, but to Reiji, they were sacred rites.

“Stretching three times” itself wasn’t very meaningful, and he was all too aware of that. During a competition, when he stretched three times before going up to the platform, he ended up with a good result by chance. Even though he knew it wasn’t because of the stretching, Reiji was relieved by adding it to the countless numbers of jinxes on his Jinx List.

He understood himself a little. Reiji was the type who got extremely anxious. That’s why he continued to create jinxes to preserve himself. The more jinxes he had, the more they filled his head just by performing them, and he could hold his many idle thoughts at bay.

But, on this day…only on this day of fate, it was almost impossible to only think about his jinxes.

And so, he failed. When he was waiting just some time ago, he had messed up calling out to Tomoki, who had been about to go on for his turn.

“Um, just now, Youichi-kun…”

Tomoki probably dived with the words he said in mind. If he made a mistake it would be his fault. Although, if he had finished his sentence, Tomoki definitely would have messed up his diving while dragging around a terrible shock.

Remembering that feeling, Reiji’s shoulders suddenly shook. He himself was still dragging around that shock.

The feeling of Youichi’s palm, which he placed on Reiji’s shoulder as he told him, “Yo, do your best” just before the beginning of the finals.

Like it was shivering, like it was burning.

“Um, just now, Youichi-kun…”

Felt really hot—.

Reiji had already noticed that Youichi wasn’t in perfect condition. Although Youichi had abstained from the springboard diving competition that took place before this high diving competition, giving the reason of poor physical health, but he didn’t think that was necessarily a lie either. However, even if he was in perfect condition, Youichi probably would have abstained from the springboard anyways in order to fight with the same conditions as Tomoki and Shibuki.

He had started his fierce training session two weeks before today’s qualifying trials. Though the sight of someone seeming to breathe fire was no longer unusual at the MDC, he didn’t think that Youichi would be desperate enough to take on a new event at the last minute.

The reverse 2½ somersaults in pike position. It was a difficult dive, but the degree of difficulty wasn’t especially high. Was it worth it to go so far as to take a break from school just to go to the pool every single day?

For Reiji, Youichi was showing an inexplicable obsession. Youichi, who was receiving intensive training from Kayoko until he was exhausted, had astonishingly managed to actualize that new event in such a short time. He said he’d do it, and he did. That was Youichi. Even though the success rate of a no-splash entry was still low, it truly was monstrous to be able to master a new event in just two weeks.

But, his body was human. As the monster rampaged more and more, the body would exhaust itself by bearing that burden. Day by day, Youichi grew more haggard, and lost more color from his skin. Even so, he never tried to rest his body. Even yesterday before the competition, after returning from sightseeing around Kobe with the others and talking about Asaki Kayoko in Reiji’s room, he must have been doing self-training by himself until the middle of the night.

Reiji knew that because after everyone left last night, he noticed in his phone’s call history that he got a call from Ryou. Out of consideration for his roommate Sachiya, who was already sleeping soundly in his bed, he went out to the lobby from his room to try to call Ryou back, and happened to come across Youichi, who had a nylon bag in hand for practicing in the hallway.

“I thought I’d get a commemorative stamp at Tsutenkaku.” (2)

Youichi glossed it over with a lame joke, but he got on the same elevator as Reiji and pressed the button for B1 instead of the front lobby. The laundromat and the ping-pong room were in B1. As well as the heated swimming pool.

Is he going to go practice in the pool…?

The moment he had that hunch, Reiji felt a bad uneasiness. Youichi, who was so cornered that he couldn’t help but practice at the last minute, had eerie, purplish skin.

That was why on this day, Reiji wasn’t very surprised that Youichi didn’t do all that well in the preliminaries.

But, when I was touched by that hot palm…

He felt that the cogs of the day had gone wild in that one moment.

No matter how much his condition worsened, no matter how much he lost his composure, he would definitely overcome it in the end, because he was Youichi. And so, when he smiled his usual proud smile, Reiji believed in him up until right before that hot hand touched him.

However, if Youichi’s poor condition was more serious than he thought, then he couldn’t see the outcome of this important match at all. Anyhow, in order to compensate for Youichi’s poor condition today, Tomoki and Shibuki continued their faultless steady advances from the preliminaries.

Of course, the other non-MDC athletes still had a chance.

Right at the moment he was waiting for the whistle, Reiji’s gaze wandered towards the divers standing in a line at the bottom of the steps.

When it came to winning the championships, currently it was Pinky…er, Camel Yamada who was at the top. Was it human to be able to change so much just with one image color? Nakayama was also a dark horse, who, with his high difficulty dives, won’t be outdone by Youichi. Or, could it be Asama, who was the oldest and had the most mature performances, who would be laughing in the end?

As the faces of each major contender sprang up in his mind, Reiji noticed that he wasn’t including himself there even in his imagination and smiled bitterly.

It couldn’t be helped.

Other people are other people. I am myself. Just like how Tomoki has his own rivals and Camel has his own rival, I have my own rival.

What matters now is defeating that rival.

Reiji switched gears and glared at the tall diver who was waiting for his turn right behind him.

Moriya Kazuteru, who passed the preliminaries in eleventh place. No matter who he lost to in these finals, he was the only one who he definitely wouldn’t lose to. Therefore, if he didn’t dive carefully and cautiously for each round…

Reiji renewed his enthusiasm for the fourth round.

Stop focusing on Tomoki and Shibuki and get fired up by them. Don’t try to make yourself look bigger, perform calmly like in practice, and steadily go through with it. I can’t defeat Moriya by diving like I’m gambling desperately, because first, that way of diving doesn’t suit me.

“Reiji, your diving gives off a feeling of, like, stuffiness. It’s nice to be careful, but I mean, it’s not very impressive, and it’s missing appeal.”

Last night, that was just said to Reiji by Ryou on the phone.

“Anyways, isn’t it fun diving by yourself? For at least once, you should make yourself explode with a bang, be more extreme, and try to do things as you want to do them. Even for tomorrow’s competition, since there’s no chance you’re going to win, you should be more adventurous.”

It seems that Ryou, who had been playing nothing but basketball everyday nowadays, was encouraging his former clubmate who had his fateful battle coming up soon, in his own way.

But, honestly, what he’s saying is just unpleasant, Reiji thought. Even though Ryou can’t see the good points of people at all, he excels at finding out the things that they don’t want to see.

He was faithful to the basics. He had a sense of stability. The balance for his entire body was good. Those special qualities of Reiji could also be taken for boringness, monotony, and lack of personality if he made just one mistake. He himself knew that. To sum it up in one word, unremarkable. In place of having few failures he had no big success, and in place of being thoroughly trashed he had never been praised. He often heard the word “sparkle” in sports manga, (3) as in “I can’t stand to see the inexperience, lack of skill, roughness, and clumsiness in your performance, but there is a sparkle of light in it”. Reiji was lacking that sparkle that easily, almost unfairly converted all his negatives to positives.

But, in the end, this is my own diving.

After worrying about his troubles, it was a testament of Keisuke’s great power of being the MDC’s head coach that he came to be satisfied with that.

There is no point in asking yourself for something that isn’t within you. Develop something specific and change it into power. Keisuke encouraged Reiji by saying that at every opportunity.

In the first place, a comment from Keisuke was also the impetus for him to begin diving.

“Why don’t you join the club and try diving fully? Perhaps you can grow up to become the part of the best three in the Japanese Championships.”

The summer of second grade. Reiji had just been stamped with the mark of disqualification of the coach of the gymnastics club that he frequented until then, having been told that “your body is too big for gymnastics”.  He had been somewhat hurt by the first setback in his life and became dispirited. As such, Keisuke, who called out to him in a diving try-out class he was invited to by his friends, was like a “god of picking up” (4) for Reiji.

It wasn’t just Reiji; there were quite a lot of athletes who switched from gymnastics to diving. Gymnastics fostered physical strength and flexibility, which manifested as they were in aerial performances.

At the time when Reiji started, he was much quicker to learn than Tomoki, who joined around the same time. Of course, he was scared at first, and it took time for him to get used to the feeling of landing in the water. Even so, he gradually gained experience, competed with Tomoki and Ryou, and polished his skills little by little while supporting them. Also, while priding himself on the inside for leading one step beyond Tomoki and Ryou.

That had been the story up until that lady coach appeared.

After Asaki Kayoko appeared, the MDC changed dramatically. It was like they were sparrows chirping on an electric line for all that time and getting swallowed up by turbulent air, and then crossing over towards the sea all together. Tomoki successfully spread his wings riding on that stream. Next thing they knew, Shibuki, with his strange wings, joined them, bringing about a new wind. Finally, even Youichi bared the talons that he had been hiding, and began to reveal his fighting spirit. When he wondered where exactly they were going, they said they were aiming for Sydney.

The Olympics—.

“Perhaps you can grow up to become the part of the best three in the Japanese Championships.”

For Reiji, who had adopted that sentence as his target, it seemed like an unreal, illusory stage.

Other people are other people. I am myself. It was after that that he came to repeat it over and over, like an incantation.

To be honest, he was envious of Tomoki. There were times where he was jealous of him, frustrated with him, and didn’t want to see his face. Please let me quit the MDC. He murmured that sentence many times in his mouth. But, when he thought about Keisuke’s sad-looking eyes every time a student left, he wasn’t able to discard from himself the “god” who had once picked him up.

If he kept going anyways…he could have encouraged himself to head for the Olympics against his will. However, as Reiji took one step forward, Tomoki was always advancing five and ten steps forward. No matter how much he flapped his wings he couldn’t catch up to him, and on the contrary, the distance between them was widening. Before he knew it, he had completely strayed away from the flock that was headed to Sydney. No, maybe he was the only one who thought he was flying together with everyone else, even for a moment.

While glancing sideways at the quickly overheating representative battle, in order to continue diving anyways, Reiji took a long time to make himself understand one thing.

Tomoki’s goal was different from his own goal. Therefore, their paths were different. Their paces were different.

Being different was fine.

Best three at the Japanese Championships.

Wasn’t that enough to boast to his children and grandchildren in the future?

To Reiji, who got to that point steadily, his breakthrough in the preliminaries of this grand stage was, without exaggeration, a wonderful, major event that was so delightful that it seemed slightly strange.  

Reiji knew that no one expected him to advance to the finals, much less win the competition. Though he thought that was understandable since it was a battle filled with veterans, at times even he wanted to create a miracle. A miracle that people like Tomoki, Shibuki, and Youichi could create. No matter how tiny it was.

“Congratulations, Rei-kun. It’s just like a miracle!”

It was a blessing from Sachiya, so he accepted it obediently. Not only Sachiya, but all of the MDC, including Keisuke, congratulated Reiji, and they were happy that they were all together.

Reiji knew that effort wasn’t always rewarded. Nevertheless, if he pressed on, if he didn’t give up, then one day that day might come.

During the lunch break after the preliminaries, Reiji went outside the venue, feeling as though he was floating on air. Sitting on the stairs that extended from the entrance of the giant dome to the traffic roundabout, he exposed his dizzy head to the cold December wind. They weren’t the main stairs that led to front entrance, as he purposely chose a deserted, out-of-the-way corner. It was because of a jinx where other people must not step on his shadow on the day of the competition until victory or defeat was reached.

Jinx. Perhaps it was thanks to his jinxes that he was unexpectedly able to stay in the finals.

Reiji thought back quickly on the day.

The competition began in the morning from the moment you woke up. Just like what Keisuke often said, Reiji’s jinxes also began in the morning, from the moment he woke up. The very first thing was his wake-up orange juice (more than 30% fruit juice). Breakfast was mainly vegetables and fish. He didn’t eat meat. Since the hotel’s breakfast was mainly Japanese food in a buffet style, that wasn’t a problem. He drank water at breakfast, not Japanese tea. That was because the damage would be too great if the tea stalk didn’t float upright (5). And he always cut his nails after breakfast. When he went to the competition, he wore dark-coloured clothing on a clear day, and wore bright clothing on cloudy or rainy days. In other words, he prepared two sets of clothing in advance. He entered the venue with his right foot. He used an odd-numbered coin locker. He put his left foot through his swim trunks first. He ate an apple one hour before the competition started (in case he couldn’t get an apple, he could substitute with apple juice with more than 30% fruit juice). And so on…

Of course, his current ability was accumulated by working in tandem with his coaches. Whether or not he could demonstrate that ability in his performance was another problem. Reiji thought that if thanks to his jinxes he was able to preserve the calmness of his mind, then they could never be ridiculous. By upholding his jinxes, he was upheld by the jinxes.

Reiji quietly sucked in a breath and looked at the wristwatch on his left hand.

There was an hour and a half before the competition started.

The finals. He, who had passed the preliminaries in dead last, wondered how well he was going to do in them.

Best three? A thousand percent impossible.

Within fifth place? Impossible with that lineup.

Within eighth place? Still unrealistic.

Within tenth place? That’s also uncertain.

Within twelfth place? That was everyone.

He should at least escape from last place. Yes, around eleventh place would be a suitable goal for himself.

I’ll aim for eleventh place!

Reiji swiftly stood up, stepping forward with his right foot with energy. Now, he was heading into battle, and he went towards the entrance hall with bigger strides than usual.

Then, from behind Reiji, the shadow of a person running vigorously suddenly appeared and overlapped with Reiji’s shadow that was stretched out on the stairs, just as he overtook him.

…Shadow?

Reiji, turning around with a start, saw the foot of the man approaching from behind on his shadow and almost fainted.

My…my shadow was stepped on!

The man who had ruined in an instant the day that he had been paying such meticulous attention to—Moriya Kazuteru.

At that moment, Reiji’s goal changed from “Aim for eleventh place!” to “Beat Moriya!”.

Come hell or high water, he’ll beat Moriya Kazuteru at the very least.

At the moment he waited for the whistle to signal the start of the performance, Reiji gave another menacing look at Moriya, who was behind him.

Watch, Moriya. My careful, faithful to the basics performance.

His event was the forward 1½ somersaults and 1 twist in free position. It was the same dive that Camel Yamada dived in his third round. Though the long-limbed Camel wore a pair of camel-colored swim trunks, he still mesmerized the audience with a performance so beautiful that it was almost disappointing when he sank into the water.

He didn’t have Camel’s beauty, Tomoki’s lightness, Youichi’s skill, or Shibuki’s strength. So, at the very least, he could show a steady, stable performance.

Approach. Take-off. Jump. Rotations. Entry. Reiji rehearsed the series of performances on his mind, and for some reason at that moment, Kayoko’s voice suddenly floated through his head.

“Congratulations, truly, on advancing the finals. So now I have one request for you: in the finals, I hope that you can do a bold performance because it’s okay to fail. When I look at you, Maruyama-kun, how do I say this—it feels like you’re restricting yourself too much. Certainly, it’s important to look at your current self. But, don’t label it as your future self. If you summon your courage and break out of your shell, you would surely burst open a new future from there on out.”

What had she wanted to say? Even though diving cautiously isn’t a bad thing. Does it seem like I don’t have any courage?

Originally, Reiji hadn’t liked Kayoko, who had chosen Tomoki rather than him. It was because of that lady coach that the MDC became chaotic, and it was a little sad that Keisuke faded into the background thanks to her. Therefore, as for the story was that she was going to return to America, deep down Reiji still hadn’t seriously accepted that either.

Stuff like being more extreme, and diving boldly.

Both Ryou and that woman can say whatever they like, because it has nothing to do with them.

But I have my own strategies and chances.

Number one, be cautious; number two, be cautious; there is no three and four, and number five, be cautious!

Right at the moment Reiji renewed his determination, the whistle signalling the start of the performance resounded, and like a needle being stuck into the top of his head, his nervousness ran through his head.

It had been six years. His daily, repeated practices. His numerous, self-created bruises. His tears of frustration. The struggles of trying to balance practice with his studies. His decreasing number of friends. The love letter that he didn’t know how to reply to.

He concentrated all of his nerves to his chest on those things, as he stepped one step forward in his approach.

For a moment, he felt like he was about to faint again.

“Uuh..”

Oh no, I stepped forward with my left foot…!

But his body was already moving.

He wasn’t allowed to stop.

The tip of the platform was coming closer.

Dammit, if it’s like this, then I’m already desperate!

Before the eyes of Reiji, who raised his arms overhead with more force than usual and threw his body out with all his strength, a new future burst open brightly at that moment.

Rankings as of the Fourth Round (Cumulative)

①     Yamada Atsuhiko (197.64 points)

②     Okitsu Shibuki (196.86 points)

③     Sakai Tomoki (186.15 points)

④     Ogawa Shinobu (182.97 points)

⑤     Kaburagi Shinji (180.6 points)

⑥     Matsuno Kiyotaka (179.01 points)

⑦     Asama Takashi (177.9 points)

⑧     Nakayama Masahiko (176.1 points)

⑨     Maruyama Reiji (166.02 points)

⑩     Moriya Kazuteru (160.2 points)

⑪     Tsuji Toshihiko (153.51 points)

⑫     Fujitani Youichi (139.11 points)

Translation Notes

1. You might have seen this in anime or somewhere else, but swallowing a word written on your palm is believed to help you overcome that thing

2. Tsutenkaku Tower is a famous landmark in Osaka where I think you can get stamps and other souvenirs

3. The word used here is “スポ根漫画” which literally means “fighting spirit manga”. “スポ根” (supo-kon or spokon) refers to a Japanese manga, anime, and drama genre from the 1960s where the protagonist overcomes the obstacles in his chosen sport through sheer perseverance and hard work. Titles that helped pioneer this genre include Ashita no Joe and Attack No.1. Many of the shonen sports manga and anime we have today still have many influences from these old works (got all this from wikipedia jp)

4. “God of picking-up” (拾う神) comes from the Japanese idiom “ 捨てる神あれば拾う神あり “ which literally means “when one god abandons you, another one picks you up”, which basically means “when one door is shut, another door is open”

5. A superstition/fortune-telling thing where an upright-floating tea stalk means good luck

Next time on DIVE!!: An interlude!

#DIVE!! #dive novel translation

[trans-maedhros]

)Faves that don’t fit( )Tolkien( )Yuri!!! on Ice(

These are some of the great Ace Attorney fics out there♥

☆ - Not complete |  ★ - Complete 

★ The Art of Bluffing by @metatronis 

Narumitsu fake relationship fic, where they eventually get together, but it’s painful to read the pining. Like, good painful. Anyway. 

(This fic is great, and one of the fics I occasionally reread♥) 

★ Blue Eyes by TianShan 

Narumitsu. 

Naruhoudo Ryuuichi is the merchant son of a tea salesman, ostracized due to his blue eyes. Mitsurugi Reiji, a samurai, comes to shop the wares. Edo period, so hakama, swords, tatami, and bushido abound. 

(I’m always up for historical AU’s)

★ The Coffee Prince by Dienamic 

Narumitsu, Klapollo and LanaMia. 

Coffeeshop AU. (Stylistically it’s labeled with numbers for each scene written. I’ve reread this several times. It’s funny, cute and an all around nice fic.)

★ Damn It All by phoenix_risen 

Angel/Demon AU. This is hilarious tbh.

★ The Death of King Arthur by @lemonmintcoughdrops 

Narumitsu, FranMaya, LanaMia. 

When Phoenix Wright was nine years old, a boy named Miles rescued him from corrupt city guards and bought him a book. Ten years later, Phoenix meets that same boy while working as a servant in the king's castle. Only difference? Now Miles is crowned prince of the land, and he's very different from how Phoenix remembered him. 

(I stayed up until 4 am to finish reading this fic. One of the few 1st person fics I genuinely like. It deserves, like, five hearts. ♥♥♥♥♥)

★ Double Shots by kiyala 

Narumitsu. 

Coffeeshop AU. Miles Edgeworth, a defense attorney, gets his morning coffee from same café every morning. One day, he begins to notice that Phoenix, the barista, has extremely nice hands.

★ Everything Depends Upon How Near You Sit to Me by @dontkillbirds 

Narumitsu. 

Trucy is at a sleepover. With BOYS. Miles comes over to comfort a distressed Phoenix. 

(It’s a very sweet fic. All the kudos for ace and bi inclusion♥)

☆ Of Fake Fairytales and Faux Amour by @offafa (or LyricalRawr and ShivaSan) 

Narumitsu. 

Miles desperately needs a way to get rid of an unwanted admirer, and what better way is there than to pretend to date his very male, straight best friend and rival? It sounded so foolproof in his head... 

(I love this, and I’m waiting sort-of patiently on chapter 17.)

★ Flirting by TrinesRUs 

Klapollo. 

Klavier has this way of looking at Apollo, leaning down with his head slightly tilted and a soft smile on his lips. It's just another way of mocking him. It has to be.

★ A Haunted House by @chicago-poet 

Klapollo, Narumitsu. 

Apollo's house is visited by ghosts. Somehow, this is the least of his worries.

★ The Heart in the Hearth by @organicgold 

Narumitsu.  

Although it had so much love to give, Phoenix knew he had to be careful with his heart. 

(If a work includes ace characters, there’s a decent chance of me having read it. Also, this is cute♥)

★ Hot for Justice by @ikiiceland 

Klapollo

After the events of State v. Misham, Klavier finds himself in a slump, stressed at the prosecutor's office and unable to pen new songs. To his surprise, he finds creative inspiration—and unexpected feelings—spending time with Apollo and is able to write and record plenty of new material. Now if only he could release the new tracks without raising any suspicion as to whom his love songs are for.

(Red velvet cake. Also, I’ve reread this like 5 times)

★ i wanna hold your hand by apollosjustice

Klapollo

The Voice AU where Apollo Justice is a contestant and Klavier Gavin is a judge- and they're both talented idiots in love.

★ Landslide by @przeuszczski​ 

Narumitsu

When Klavier invites his co-librarian, Edgeworth, to a New Year's Eve party, the only reason that Miles agrees might have something to do with the theater major making a cameo in the Gavinners. 

(I cry every time)

★ Legal Partners by  Miggy

Narumitsu, Klapollo, Klema

Miles Edgeworth isn't totally sure how he ended up in this bet to demonstrate the strength of his and Phoenix Wright's (entirely professional and platonic! really!) relationship, but he knows it's Klavier's fault.

(Just, Klavier, no. But also misunderstandings. I’ve reread this.)

☆ Like Planets by Loreley

Klapollo, Narumitsu

Coffeeshop!AU

(space and coffeeshops are two of my favourite things)

☆ Klapollo Roadtrip AU by @popsicleofdeath and sleepcalls

Klapollo

Various stories revolving basicly around Klavier and Apollo stuck in a car together for an unspecified amount of time. Some angst. Some fluff. Some smut. Some of everything.

(Apollo is trans♥ Mentions of past abusive relationship and transphobia. I love this series because it’s so real and honest., and at times painful.)

★ The Man in Daddy’s Photo by Runawynd

Narumitsu

There's this picture by daddy's nightstand. A picture of daddy and some other guy. My daddy was wearing a suit and had his hair all nice and spikey like he used to. Like back when he was a defense attorney; before his job was taken away.

☆ NaruMitsu Fairy Tales by Tarma_Hartley

Narumitsu

Basically a fairy-tale AU, where Miles is an Emperor, and Phoenix is a Phoenix.

★ Only If For a Night by Jayveedee

FranMaya

She was there, all pink and gold and glittering

★ Phoenix by @fdwrites​

Narumitsu

Was he… that Phoenix?

(Soulmate AU)

★ School Daze by @nerdyskeleton​

Narumitsu, Klapollo

They say being a teacher is one of the most rewarding things you can do with your life. New art teacher Phoenix Wright isn't sure who "they" are and what kind of angelic students they must have had, because the Themis Middle School students are really something else altogether.

(This is so good?? But I haven’t had time to finish it yet:(((()

★ Tie A Ribbon ‘Round the Old Oak Tree by @awkwardnesstotherescue​

Narumitsu, LanaMia

It's been over a decade since Miles Edgeworth has left his hometown. In between trying to keep track of what's changed and what hasn't, he has to prepare for his arranged wedding to Mia Fey. But there's dark secrets hidden within the town, secrets surrounding both his family and his engagement.

Of course, due to a mishap, he ends up accidentally marrying one of these secrets. That's just his luck.

(Corpsebride AU)

★ Words, Words, Words by @littlebutfiery

Narumitsu

Soulmate AU. Everyone is born with a tattoo of the first words said after their soulmate realizes their love. Phoenix and Edgeworth have spent their lives feeling ashamed of the cruel words on their soulmate tattoos, until the day they finally hear the other person say the words.

★ Working in Watercolours by @milesphoenix

Narumitsu

In his university years, Phoenix goes on a school trip to Europe to study art and art history abroad. But for Phoenix, the trip is about more than discovering Monet's inspiration; it's about finding someone he hasn't seen since his childhood.

☆ Yesterday Upon the Stair AU by @leonawriter

Narumitsu

It started with a glimpse of spiky hair in the library, and then by not-so coincidentally being outside just the right courtroom at the right time, and things start to slip from there.

★ You and Me and My Ghost Roommate Makes Three by @chicago-poet

Miles Edgeworth has a ghost problem. Well, he has a lot of problems. But his apartment isn’t haunted. If you asked, he would look at you sourly as if you had told a particular distasteful joke and say: “No, of course not. The windows have always rattled ominously, and only sometimes do my tea cups float by themselves. It happens to everyone.”

#ficrecdays #ace attorney #gyakuten saiban #gyakuten kenji #fanfic #narumitsu #wrightworth #klapollo #franmaya #lanamia #trinesrus #tarmahartley #jewishvelmadinkley #jane recs fic

[shiningliive]

Guess us in the Eng server will die then...No rest from the Reiji event...I wish luck to Reiji and Otoya stans out there...

Yeah only one day inbetween events will be rough. Considering Otoya should be one of the next two normal events (because only him and Masa are left in the rotation) its a given that yeah, his and Reijis revival events and normal events will be pretty close. Good luck everyone, we’re going to have double the amount of events for a while on EN so I hope they widen the tiers.

I think I’m gonna try for 1 copy of Otoy, Tokiya, Cecil and maybe 3 or 4 of Lavendedr Crystal Ai if my LP allows it lol. 

#ask #asahinasnowflakes

[thefinalcinderella]

DIVE!! Book 4 Chapter 1-DREAM MATCH

Not much to say, except that it’s pretty cool that the qualifying trials are taking place throughout the whole book. 

Full list of translations here

Previously on DIVE!!: Too many feels...

The stage where the dreams of boys were bet. Such a thing wasn’t particularly rare. No matter who they were, no matter which competition, the boys and girls standing on the platform were betting something there. That was something she had learned from coaching while teaching students at a DC in the New York suburbs for six years. Sometimes she witnessed close battles, like a stomach ache, and sometimes she supported from behind the scenes at the big stage of an away competition. She should have tamed the nervousness from before a competition a long time ago.

And yet, why is my heart pounding so violently?

In the stands of the “Namihaya Dome” that Sachiya named the “Giant Dorayaki”, (1) Kayoko, very much unlike herself, was losing her mind, shivering and praying while she waited for the competition to start. She herself didn’t even know what she was praying for. She will kneel down before God no matter who won among the boys competing here today, and no matter who lost, she will elbow God.

For now, she was relieved that all four of her students had passed the preliminary round.

At these qualifying trials, where the ticket to Sydney was betted on, the girls’ high dive and springboard, as well as the boys’ springboard had already occurred the day before, but no diver had met Chairman Maebara’s condition. As a matter of fact, Japan’s delegation was supposed to be decided at today’s high dive.

Will the second representative who will break through the wall of 600 points be born today?

Or, will Teramoto Kenichirou go to Sydney alone?

Of the twenty-eight who entrusted their last wishes to these qualifying trials, sixteen people—excluding the twelve who passed the preliminary round in the morning—had already been eliminated. Even while thinking that it was still the preliminaries, and that the real competition was after this, Kayoko couldn’t supress the undulating waves of intense emotions every time her students dived. In fact, during the preliminaries, the waves of unexpected results that disproved rumors came one after the other.

It could be said that it was good fortune that that child was left in the finals. Working tirelessly in a place where the sun doesn’t shine, and rewarded by coming here. I think that it was good luck that that child broke through to first place. That child’s favorable condition was helped by the other divers’ bad conditions. It could be said that that child being in third place was passable. He was put in a good position. The problem is that child. Who would have thought that he would end up at fifth place? No, even fifth place might be his limit for today. Oh, why haven’t I noticed it sooner…?

The ears of the worried Kayoko heard the announcement prompting the divers to gather.

“It is now time to begin the competition. All athletes must end their practice, and line up at the designated location.”

From the ten-meter, seven-meter, and five-meter, the twelve who had been throwing themselves into their final practice on each platform gathered on the poolside. They lined up in the order of their preliminaries rankings and walked around the diving pool in a line. Though cheers suddenly reverberated from the stands, as always it wasn’t for them, but for the university students’ winter swimming championships being held at the neighbouring pool.

―The divers silently diving in the shadow of the showy competitive swimming, are like the shining and darkening moon next to the lush and verdant Earth.

In the past, Kayoko had been indignant to hear such rubbish coming from the mouth of some kind of conceited commentator. It’s not a joke. Diving isn’t a satellite of swimming. On that tall platform, divers shone with their own will, without borrowing anyone else’s power. Even if everyone overlooked them, only they themselves won’t be able to miss that light.

“Even so…”

As Kayoko concentrated on her students’ every move, Ooshima complained in a stage whisper from her right side.

“This entry table has really amazed me. Their last ten dives…Reiji’s forward 2½ pike and Youichi’s reverse 2½ pike are reasonably safe levels, but what’s Tomo doing, the 4½? I didn’t think he’d bring such a risky technique to the finals.”

It seemed as though Ooshima was displeased with Kayoko only divulging to Keisuke their entry events until just before.

“But I was most amazed at Shibuki’s ten dives. When you’re talking about forward dives in straight position, isn’t it a kid’s technique to only dive forward? The degree of difficulty is only 1.6. I can’t believe he’s throwing the game from the very beginning.”

Wrong. Shibuki wasn’t just diving forwards; of course he wasn’t throwing the game. Whether it was risky or not, Tomoki needed the 4½ to gain the victory and go to Sydney. And Youichi would never bring a safe technique to the finals.

She wanted to reply back loudly. But before that could happen, Keisuke’s voice came in from her left.

“Coach Asaki consulted and decided with the children for those entry events. Those children are entrusted to her. And those children probably entrusted something to her.”

Kayoko stole a look at Keisuke’s profile as she searched for that true meaning.

As the head coach of the MDC, he was always composedly and carefully settling the situation, but what is he really thinking? Keisuke, whose career as a coach spanned decades, did not sincerely support the way that she, a novice coach, did things. However, there was only one time where he barely let slip his true opinion from the shadow behind that tolerant mask.

“Coach Fujitani. Do you remember what you’ve said to me before?”

It might have been due to the excitement before the competition. This was the first time that Kayoko spoke about that thing that still remained in her mind.

“Did I say something to you?”

“Yes. One day, you spoke to me, who was furiously urging on the divers. You said that diving is a sport that requires months and years, that their futures are long, and that isn’t it our role to teach them that length and not shortcuts?”

Keisuke narrowed his sunken eyes.

“I said such a thing?”

“Yes. Certainly.”

“…That might have slipped from my mouth unintentionally. I should have understood that you are forced to take shortcuts in order for the MDC’s survival. But, if you were worrying about that, then I am sorry.”

“No,” Kayoko shook her head. “I understood it recently. That those words were caught in my chest because I’m not sure if I’m working so hard just for the MDC’s sake. For the past six years in New York, I have met many excellent athletes. But in Japan, I was awaited by talents that could outshine them. Sakai-kun. Okitsu-kun. Fujitani-kun. It seemed like a dream to be able to train these treasure-like athletes. Thinking that, I was ecstatic, overjoyed. My ambition as a coach ran wild, and I thought of those children as reusable pieces for my own use (2). But, they followed me even though I was like that. They endured practices that would make even a large adult escape in half a day, worked harder than any athlete I’ve met so far, bruised their whole bodies…and for those children finally arrived here at last, the only thing I can do now is to firmly see them through to the very end with these eyes. And yet for all that, to my embarrassment, my fingers are shaking.”

The entry table slipped from Kayoko’s fingertips to her feet. Keisuke picked it up and returned it to her hand, but her fingers were still trembling.

“I can’t stop shaking no matter how hard I try. My throat is dry, my cheeks are burning, and my heart feels strange. This embarrassing thing disqualifies me as a coach. It’s embarrassing, but I am happy. As a coach, I am happy that I had the good fortune to run into athletes who would make me lose my judgement.”

For a moment, it seemed that tears were spilling from Kayoko’s eyes. But then, a smile like the morning sun overflowed from there.

“That’s enough. Those children really did a good job. Even if the MDC was forced to close, that would be my responsibility.”

“Wrong,” It was Sachiya who responded to Kayoko’s decisive assertion. “It won’t be because of you, Coach Asaki.”

Sachiya perched himself next to Keisuke, and gripped a handmade, supporter-like flag in his hand.

“It’s not anyone’s responsibility. Coach Asaki, and Youichi-kun and the others all did their best, so nobody should get blamed. Everyone in the MDC knows that. That’s why you should stay here forever. Don’t take responsibility and go somewhere else.”

“Responsibility…?”

Kayoko tilted her head suspiciously, but in the next instant, she straightened back up with a start.

The whistle announcing the start of the competition had reverberated through the dome.

As though her eyes had been flicked, she looked up and saw that the top batter of the divers—Reiji—had already appeared on the platform.

For the performances in the first round, both the diving side and the spectating side were nervous. Since the limited-choice dives, where the degree of difficulty was restricted, lasted until the fourth round, no high-level, fancy techniques appeared. In very basic dives, however, there was the fear of unfalsified ability, physical condition, and even mental condition being seen through for this very reason.

The first one was a trial of courage.

That child’s forward 1½ pike went as smoothly as it did in practice. Because of nerves, he has a habit of jumping out slightly to the right, but today he seemed to have calmed himself. Or it could be said that he was too calm. If he made his takeoff bigger, he will surely still be able to dive. Higher. Faster. Defter. First of all, the person himself must believe in that possibility.

There was none of that usual sharpness in that child’s backward 2½ tuck. The center of his rotations is off, and the timing to extend his legs is completely out of sync. If it was an ordinary diver, launching up splashes that resembled fireworks would have definitely been deemed as a misdive. Nevertheless, it was thanks to his inherent, superb saving techniques that the judges didn’t give him less than 6 points. However, he cannot compete in this competition with saving alone.

She had goosebumps from that child’s backwards dive in stretch position. That superhumanly strong jump, as though he was piercing into an invisible ice wall. That beautiful arc carved into the air with that strong body. How much time had he spent on taking into account that “beauty” with his natural “strength?” But now, that child had made those two matchless qualities completely his own. It was a great loss in life that only the person who was doing that strongest dive cannot be seen.

That child’s inward 1½ pike was also excellent. There was no indication that the perfect form from the preliminaries had weakened in any way. The sleeping lion appeared to have started moving in earnest.  But, that was still just a warm-up, and the talents rewarded to that child’s small body would push him up higher and higher. And now, that child had the emotional strength to endure that.

Before she knew it, Kayoko’s trembling had stopped, dragged into a plotless, momentary drama.

The ten-meter platform stretching from the top to the surface of the water. On there, there were exemplary lines, there were small deviations, there were corrections. There was beauty, technique, and harmony to overwhelm the spectators. Sometimes there were mistakes that made her want to cover her eyes, and tragic results. But now, she didn’t care about success or failure. If only this shining moment and those children’s brave figures could be seared into her own eyes, and their own chests, forever.

Oh, even so…Kayoko thought as she waited for the second round to begin.

It took 1.4 seconds from flight to entry.

What a short, unsatisfying thing.

Those dazzling children had nine dives left, and she could only see them for 12.6 seconds each!

Rankings as of the First Round

①     Yamada Atsuhiko (49.77 points)

②     Okitsu Shibuki (49.02 points)

③     Sakai Tomoki (48.6 points)

④     Asama Takashi (46.17 points)

⑤     Kaburagi Shinji (46.17 points)

⑥     Ogawa Shinobu (43.2 points)

⑦     Nakayama Masahiko (40.8 points)

⑧     Moriya Kazuteru (39.33 points)

⑨     Fujitani Youichi (39.06 points)

⑩     Matsuno Kiyotaka (38.4 points)

⑪     Tsuji Toshihiko (33.6 points)

⑫     Maruyama Reiji (33.6 points)

Translation Notes

1. Dorayaki is a type of sandwich made of two pancakes and red bean paste.

2. Kayoko uses the term ”持ち駒” here, which in shogi means a captured piece that can be reused. 

Next time on DIVE!!: Someone gets a name change, and what happened after Reiji told everyone about Kayoko returning to America.

#DIVE!! #dive novel translation

[thefinalcinderella]

DIVE!! Book 3 Prologue

Book 3 begins! And I just want to say, poor Youichi. You think Tomoki losing his social life from diving was bad? Well, Youichi doesn’t even have one in the first place!

Full list of translations here

Previously on DIVE!!: What do you mean the series isn’t over, since the representatives were chosen?

It seemed as though even snow was fluttering down in midsummer.

For the chosen Youichi, the tentative decision for the Olympic representatives was too sudden, an unforeseen major event.

“Congratulations. Although this is still kept as a secret, the Olympic representative selection committee have chosen you and Teramoto Kenichirou as Sydney representatives today.”

August 31st. He would never forget the excitement of that moment when his father, Keisuke, told him that the night before next semester’s opening ceremony on the next day.

The tentative decision for the Olympic representatives?

Me?

To the Olympics?

“Really…?”

He had thought that someday it would be great if this day would come. No, he always intended to grasp it with his own hands. But honestly, he didn’t expect the opportunity to come so soon.

His pulse rapidly sped up. His heart pounded excessively. His feet wobbled, as though the axis of his body was knocked out of order, and something hot welled up around his stomach. This condition might be what people called a “storm of joy” or something like that, and Youichi thought about it for a long time, but as he was calm by nature, he quickly returned to reality.

“But, why?”

From where the first squall blew through Youichi’s head, there was a question that everyone should have if they were involved with competitive diving.

“Aren’t the Sydney representatives decided from the qualifying trials in April or May? Also, it is just Teramoto-san and I…who is the last person?”

“The representatives are only you and Teramoto. It is true that Japan had a limit of three people, but for some reason this time that was cut down to two people.”

Despite the fact that his own son made the representative position his own, Keisuke had a heavy expression across the table. As he was the head coach of the MDC, was he weighing the good fortune of his chosen son, and the bad luck of his students?

Youichi also had mixed feelings. The fact that Teramoto and Youichi were chosen also meant that at this point, the chances for Tomoki and Shibuki to go to Sydney had disappeared.

“Do Tomo and the others know this?” When Youichi asked that, the crease between Keisuke’s eyebrows deepened.

“When I called Coach Asaki a while ago, Okitsu also happened to be there. She told him the gist of it, and she will also talk to Tomo and Reiji about it tomorrow. She is a young woman who was raised in a country where some kind of cancer notice is natural. I was going to hide it until an official announcement, but…”

“You were going to keep quiet until it gets leaked out?”

“No, you can understand even from such a prompt decision that there are complicated, hidden circumstances to this representative selection. I think it is better to encourage those children in vain until an official opinion comes from the JASF.”

“Hidden circumstances?”

“But, since this happened it can’t be avoided. Tomorrow I will gather everyone, and explain as much as I can. If you have something you want to ask me, do it then.”

He couldn’t give only his son special treatment. That was the principle of the consistent Keisuke, and Youichi’s wish as well.

“Understood. Well, tomorrow then.”

With Youichi’s agreement, the talk would be held over to the next day, and when Keisuke headed for the bathroom with a tired expression, he was replaced with Youchi’s mother, Yoriko, who was washing the dinner dishes.

“Congratulations for being an Olympic representative, Athlete Fujitani. Who do you want to share the joy you’re feeling today with?”

“My mother in heaven.”

“I’m still alive, you know.”

“Then why did you keep quiet, even though you knew?” Youichi glared at Yoriko, since she didn’t breathe a word of this big news while they were eating dinner together until a while ago.

“That’s because your father said he wanted to tell you himself. Plus, I felt a little strange.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because there’s no way that all three of us, parents and child, would go to the Olympics…It doesn’t it feel a lot like that we are a sinful family.” (1)

It appeared that his mother, also a former Olympic diver, had a different type of complicated feeling from his father. The pupils of her slightly wet eyes were blurred in a strange way. For Youichi, whose real feelings weren’t coming out yet, the two of them seemed like they were rolling an illusionary snowman.

The decision for the Olympic representatives—

He went back to his room and sat on the edge of his bed, carefully turning this unbelievable fact over and over in his head.

Even as he turned it over and over again, he still couldn’t believe it.

Sometimes, he saw athletes who were active on big stages commenting that “it suddenly felt real after reading the next day’s newspaper,” and until now he always thought that they had a couple of screws loose. But now, for the first time Youichi could empathize with them. It was the same as looking at a large nearby tower and being unable to fit its whole length into your eyes; the view of the person who obtained their excessively large luck had their field of vision blocked by it. When one checked the papers for facts seen through the eyes of others (“Athlete So-and-So, Immoveable Gold!” “Coach Also Cries Tears of Gratitude for Selfless Silver!” “Magnificent Bronze Dedicated to Second Mother!” etc.), for the first time they might be able to understand the volume of what they earned.

However, the newspapers wouldn’t report that at only the stage of a tentative decision, so Youichi didn’t have any means to confirm his own good luck.

Once the Olympic representatives have been decided, he wouldn’t be thinking about the phone ringing off the hook, or the endless stream of congratulatory gifts pushed at him. But still, what was this stillness? Youichi, who spent all his days with diving ever since he was little, had no friends with who he can share this good news. The only people he was close with were his fellow diving teammates, but they were also his rivals.

Tomoki. Shibuki. Reiji.

When he thought about them, Youichi’s chest felt stuffed up. How would they, who had their chance to go to Sydney passed up so quickly like this, react to this rapid development? What would be the thoughts of Shibuki, who returned from Tsugaru to fight again…?

That’s no use, Youichi panickily scolded his secret thoughts.

Everyone would lose someday. He could understand the feelings of losers if he became one. Until then, he must push forward with the thoughts of a winner.

His parting gift to the losers was only his retreating back as he continued to sprint full speed ahead without any hesitation.

In order to not waver, in order to not stay still, Youichi wrapped himself in his black sportswear, and went jogging after dinner.

In his neighbourhood, there were a number of jogging courses that he could choose for himself, depending on the weather, his physical condition, the time that he had, and other factors. Youichi felt like whichever he chose, he could run it with his eyes closed. He had gone running many times, for many years.

Today, the road was slightly wet due to a rain shower, and because dusk had already fallen too much, he decided on a middle-distance course that ran alongside the main road, avoiding the small road with bad footholds and the date spot.

Jogging alone was lonely, and he was embarrassed about it at first, but now it seemed more embarrassing to jog with someone else.

Because he was alone, he could hear his own breathing.

He could be sensitive to muscle strain and pain.

Beneath the sky sprinkled with stars, while kicking at the ground at a constant pace and concentrating on the sounds of his sweaty body, Youichi finally had his strong emotions about being chosen as an Olympic representative well up in his chest. Because I spent my time like this everyday, I got my hands on the representative position.

When he started diving in the summer of second grade, he didn’t want to lose to anyone in any way, and he always boldly faced off against divers with bigger bodies than him. If the kid next to him did entry practice five times, then he’d do it more than six times. If there was a kid who held a handstand for ten seconds, then he’d hold it for twenty. Then the years passed, his teammates quitted diving one after another, and before he knew it he was standing at the top of the MDC.

And after that he fought with himself. If he decided to do a hundred push-ups today, then in order to win against the him who had made that decision, he’d do a-hundred-and-ten. If he decided to jog for an hour today, he ran a minute or two longer. He used his force of will to hold down his body that shrieked that it couldn’t continue on any longer, and imposed on himself the endeavour to always surpass his limits.

His field of vision was distorted by the sweat pouring from his forehead.

While running swiftly through the neighborhood submerged in deep purple darkness, Youichi felt like he could now pump both his hands in the air and shout, “I did it!”  

Right then, never in his wildest dreams would he had thought that the day would come that he would fight that illusionary snowman.

Translation Notes

1. I would just like to say this sentence confused the hell out of me. “ずいぶんと業の深い親子って感じじゃない” maybe I’ll be enlightened on this later?

Next time on DIVE!!: Youichi begins his career as a commercial talento.

#dive!! #dive novel translation

[thefinalcinderella]

DIVE!! Book 1 Chapter 7-WHAT DO I HAVE?

Hey this was supposed to be up earlier but I was busy sorry

On the bright side I’ll probably put up two chapters this week (in anticipation for ‘’’’that scene’’’’’ next week OMG)

Also I kind of have mixed feelings about some of the changes about the rivals’ characterizations in the anime, but at least they’re still kinda pathetic like they are in the book

List of translations here.

Previously on DIVE!!: Foreshadowing. Oh, and that Beijing thing that takes up like two chapters in Book 2.

The Asian Joint Training Camp in August. Their goal was to try to be able to participate in it by any means, and the practice of Tomoki and the others suddenly heated up, with the drive and tension in each dive being entirely different. Everyone aiming for the qualifying trials at the end of July had begun a fierce spurt towards it.

Youichi’s resolve to abandon all of this summer’s three biggest competitions was especially amazing. He had already possessed abilities far above ordinary people, and if he continued to do the extraordinary practice like he was doing now, his dream and being awarded the first prize at the qualifying trials will not be unlikely, not to mention being chosen as one of the training camp participants.

Tomoki, Reiji and Ryou were presently struggling with the degree of difficulties of their entry dives, which were all on the same level as each other’s. Although, their level was considerably below the bar as to whether or not they would be one of the chosen six at the qualifying trials. From this unfavorable position, Tomoki was undergoing special training to turn the tables around with his forward 3½ somersaults in tuck position. Judging from its degree of difficulty of 2.7, it wasn’t a very complicated move to dive with. However, the impact of a middle schooler taking on the 3½ was great, and when they learned that Tomoki was striving for that event, Reiji and Ryou immediately went to talk with Kayoko.

“Please teach us the 3½.”

Kayoko, surprisingly, easily agreed.

“Of course. If you are motivated, I will teach you. But, 3½ is a huge challenge in every way, and I think the possibility of being ready to perform it in time for the qualifying trials is low, so you should just properly polish your current skills.”

They joined the 3½ practice with joy.

When tackling a new event, before divers perform it in the pool, they must first of all thoroughly grasp the intuition of the performance on land. For that, they use a special equipment called spotting equipment. (1)

Imagine that there was a four- or five-meter-high iron bar crossed over a trampoline. A rope is passed through the bar, and is tied to a round metal fitting secured to the waist of the athlete on the trampoline. There were two coaches on both sides of the bar, and they hold both ends of the rope. Every time the coaches jerk on the rope, the body of the athlete is pulled up into the air with great force. By rotating in the air, they could get tips for movement and timing. This teaches the sense of rotation to the body.

This exercise synchronises your breathing exactly with the coaches who are pulling on the ropes for this practice, and if you mess up the timing, the metal fittings attached to your waist will bite into your stomach and cause you great pain. Usually, Tomoki and the others avoided it, but this was the only time that no one complained about it.

Youichi, Tomoki, Reiji, and Ryou. While they made the MDC flourish in this way, it was always the new member Shibuki who raised a louder voice than anyone else.

Okitsu Shibuki. Until now, he had his own way of diving, and he flared up at anything from the MDC coaching methods, which were the standard methods and didn’t feel right in his skin at all.

“Saves (2) are unneeded. That’s what Gramps said. I won’t do it.”

Every time he quarreled with Kayoko, Shibuki always quoted the words of his grandfather Okitsu Shiraha, the phantom genius diver.

“Saves are one of the most important techniques for divers. When you dive from the platform, if you enter the water perpendicular to the surface, there would be no water going up. A beautiful rip entry will be settled upon. However, in reality, the angle will be too shallow or too deep, and a deviation will occur, to a greater or lesser degree. Saves will help you control that deviation in the water.”

“So, you’re saying it’s a cheater’s technique. Gramps taught me thoroughly on how to enter the water upright, rather than that cheap trick.”

“That’s an outdated way of thinking. In order to decrease the burden on the body that is the cause of injury, it’s essential for today’s divers to learn saves.”

“I don’t need it. First, I don’t know you like rip entry dives so much. Diving was always about competing with beautiful and powerful aerial performances. When did it become a contest for counting splashes?”

“From the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. An American athlete performed a flawless rip entry dive and got into the limelight. Since then, that technique spread rapidly.”

“Did I come here to dive so that I get too scared to make splashes? This is ridiculous.”

“There are ridiculous people in the world who watch a soccer match and wonder why the players don’t use their hands. Sports have been like that from the start. Getting into rules and values made by people you don’t know, and seizing anything sublimated (3).”

“The quality of the judges has fallen. Because they don’t have the power to observe aerial performances, they only focus on the splashes that are easier for them to understand.”

Losing the argument, Shibuki became sulky and started to blame the judges for being petty. Since he had never been in a competition, he had no way of knowing about the quality of the judges, so that must have also been second-hand knowledge from Shiraha.

Kayoko was again reminded of just how much influence of Shiraha’s shadow had over Shibuki. In order to build up trust with him, that shadow must be removed. However, that would require considerably drastic measures. Thinking about this, Kayoko was feeling increasingly anxious about the future.

Because usually, the living could not easily defeat the deceased.

                                      Death of the Genius Diver

“August 29, 1991. A small fishing boat fishing off of the coast of Aomori Prefecture was hit by a large wave caused by Typhoon No.19, and capsized. The passengers onboard were Okitsu Shiraha-san and his eldest son, Hiromi-san*, who both died…”

Seeing this article appearing in a corner of a newspaper at the end of last month, it seemed that I was not the only one that suddenly had the memories of bygone days come and go.

Okitsu Shiraha. Once you have heard this name, you will never forget it. It had a great meaning for us who knew the Japanese diving world in the 1940s.

He was the darling of that era who created a huge sensation in the Japanese diving world at that time. If everything went smoothly, he definitely would have been the top diver of the world. I only saw him dive once—at a Takarazuka pool after World War II—but his grandiose, almost ghastly performance was still burned into the back of my eyes. I have never seen an overwhelming dive like that since then. Of the blessed people who were able to see Okitsu Shiraha’s performance even once, didn’t they all harbour those same feelings?

Nevertheless, despite having such power, Okitsu Shiraha was also a diver from a tragedy.

He gave up on the 1940 Tokyo Olympics. He didn’t participate in the 1948 London Olympics. Due to the aftermath of World War II, at that time Japan had been away from the Olympics for sixteen years. In the era where Okitsu had peaked both physically and technically, it wasn’t just the Olympics, but also the Japanese sports world who were in total self-restraint mode, so it was hardly a situation where they could participate in competitions.

If Okitsu was in an environment where he could fully demonstrate his abilities in that era…even now my heart still aches thinking about a natural talent aging and leaving his abilities unused, and the regrets of this genius going home uncrowned. In 1952, when Japan finally returned to the Olympics, Okitsu was already over thirty. What were his thoughts beneath the sky of his hometown as he gazed at this grand occasion that came too late?

Fortune and misfortune shadow a person for their entire life. This was all the more true for athletes. However, Okitsu’s bad luck wasn’t just limited to himself, but it seems to have been bad luck for the entire Japanese diving world.

If Okitsu at his peak was given the door to the world in that era, he would have opened it and spread his wings to the farthest reaches. However, that door remained tightly closed. And even after more than fifty years, the Japanese diving world is still unable to spread its wings out into the world.

Now, the door is given to all athletes. But, there is no one with the power to open it.

The spirit of the former genius diver sleeping in the sea of Tsugaru might never rest in peace, no matter how much we pray for him.

--Iwamoto Shouzou, director of the Japanese Swimming Federation

“Wow. This is a good find.”

Tomoki said in admiration as he raised his eyes from the booklet spread out on the table.

“My mom helped out with some JASF work. She was in charge of all the bulletins like that. When Dad was talking about Okitsu before, she pulled this out.”

Youichi said, then sucked at his unmuddied iced coffee through a straw.

They were at the Mizuki Sports Club after dryland training. The two of them went to the coffee shop Top on the first floor. Only housewives and office workers who went to the gym went there, so there were no faces from the MDC there. Because they tended towards cheap fast food, this place was more favorable for confidential talks.

“So, what do you think about that article?”

“What do I…well, anyways, I was surprised. Okitsu-kun’s father and grandfather both died at sea.”

Grandfather and father. How would I feel if I lost them both at the same time? That happened eight years ago. Tomoki couldn’t imagine what the then-eight-years-old Shibuki felt.

But, Youichi seemed to be more interested in something else.

“Do you feel a grudge?”

“A grudge? From who?”

“Okitsu Shiraha, of course.”

“Why?”

“You really are too good-natured.”

Looking like he thought this wasn’t even worth talking about, Youichi leaned back in his chair.

“You see, according to this article, Okitsu Shiraha had his best years as a diver stolen from him by the war. He couldn’t go to enough competitions, so he grew old without being able to compete against divers from overseas. How would you feel if that was you?”

“Well, I guess frustrated, but…”

“Okay. Watching Okitsu Shibuki, Okitsu Shiraha seemed to have hated diving. Okitsu’s diving is certainly incredible, the scale is huge and daring, it’s rough, but his power makes up for it. But, I can’t help but feel that power seems to have come from something like hatred and anger. It’s the anger of a diver who had talent but died without ever being rewarded for it.”

“But…the reason he was not rewarded was because of the war, so you can’t really blame diving for that.”

“It’s not that simple. Okitsu Shiraha only had some half-baked talent, and ended up having to sacrifice everything for diving. He had to endure many things, dedicate himself to diving, and what’s the result? Diving gave him nothing at all. The only thing diving did was to steal everything away from him.”

“Aren’t…”

Aren’t you reading too much into it, Tomoki wanted to say, but he hesitated, since it seemed like Youichi’s words were directed at himself. He might have also been living at the expense of everything just because of a half-baked talent.

Friends. Studies. Girlfriend. Having fun. The caramel on pudding. Even for the not-very-talented Tomoki, the amount of sacrifices he had to make were not insignificant.

“Of course, sometimes I think that I don’t want to do diving. And when I’m in a really bad mood, I really regret it, but…”

Tomoki trailed off. He thought back to when he first met Youichi six years ago, and the mysterious words that he had told him bluntly. You’ll regret it.

You’ll regret it, and become stronger.

Every time he failed at trying a new event, Tomoki remembered those words.

Looking at the unexpectedly silent Tomoki, Youichi grinned and raised an eyebrow.

“It seems like you’re struggling with the 3½.”

He was as perceptive as ever.

“Don’t give up. And don’t forget, it isn’t just Asaki Kayoko who’s expecting something from you, you know.”

“Eh?”

“My dad was saying that Okitsu Shibuki’s diving is certainly incredible, but as a diver, he has a fatal flaw. On the contrary, Tomo has the strongest weapon.”

“Weapon?”

“Asaki Kayoko noticed it. That’s why she had her eye on you.”

Tomoki took in a deep breath and looked down at his hands. Of course, there was no weapon hidden in his hands clasped on the table. Compared to Youichi, his body was embarrassingly scrawny and unreliable, so why on earth would it have any kind of power?

“Most of what my dad says is like gas from a senile fossil, but I think there’s some truth to it with regards to you. It’s probably that there’s something in you. I don’t what it is yet, but when I watch you dive, I get drawn in by something. I’ve been drawn in for a long time, which is why I’ve been watching you.”

“Watching me?”

“Don’t get careless. I’m looking out for you like this, but maybe I’ll trip you up one day as a consequence of that.”

With a straight face, Youichi left words that were neither joking nor serious, and stood up to leave the dumfounded Tomoki.

Towards that beautiful profile and body which were headed for the cash register with a sales slip in hand, the women in the shop glanced at him repeatedly with rosy gazes.

Okitsu Shibuki had a fatal flaw as a diver.

Conversely, Tomoki had the strongest weapon as a diver.

The words that Coach Fujitani had told Youichi didn’t leave Tomoki’s head for a long time afterwards.

What is the strongest weapon?

Why on earth would he say that when I can’t even do the 3½?

There was Youichi, who was the model of a precise and beautiful performance, and there was Shibuki, who had an unconventional personality in a powerful performance.

Tomoki wanted to know what he had.

He didn’t want to just aim for succeeding at a technique. He wanted to be like Youichi and Shibuki, and grasp the kind of diving that only he himself could do. This was the first time that he had ever thought this.

Translation Notes

1. Spotting equipment: you can see some examples of it here.

2. Entry saves are a technique that helps the diver look like they’re entering the water vertically for a rip entry, since it’s impossible to make the body perfectly vertical. Read about it here.

3. Sublimation is that phase change where solid turns to gas. Not sure what that was doing in this sentence

4. Remember when I mentioned in Chapter 4 that the Okitsu family have sea-themed names? Here’s more: Shiraha (白波) means “white wave” and Hiromi (大海) means “great sea”.

Next time on DIVE!!: My favorite chapter!!

#dive!! #dive novel translation