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Nagira Yuu’s Interview from ddnavi

Hagiwara Riku in JUNON March Issue 2022

Yagi Yusei in JUNON March Issue 2022

Visual Photobook

Extra Story: Kinmokusei/Sweet Osmanthus

Utsukushii Kare TV Drama Extra Edition

Kinmokusei

Sweet Osmanthus

Story: Nagira Yuu

Hira’s house veranda is so comfortable. There are a lot of fruit and flowering trees planted in the large garden. When I said they smell good, Hira told me that they might be sweet osmanthus.

Sweet osmanthus...

I borrow the sandals, go down to the garden, and move my face closer to the full-blossoming small orange flowers. I smell the fragrance of them. When I close my eyes and finally find out they are exactly it with its sour-sweet scent, the clicking sound comes from behind. When I look back, Hira is in the garden holding his camera.

“Don’t take pictures on your own, that’s unpleasant.”

“I-I am sorry….You are so beautiful that I did it unconsciously.”

While he is saying that, he releases the shutter again. Even though he does it nervously, he’s unexpectedly selfish.

“Okay, fine then.”

When I laugh in front of his camera lens, Hira freezes. His face finally shows up after he puts down his camera slowly. His eyes which have been always hidden under his bangs are fully opened, showing admiration as if he falls in love.

Kiyoi, you are beautiful.

I love you, Kiyoi.

His eyes are so sparkling like I almost hear his inner voice.

I can’t tell anyone yet, but actually it is comforting to be stared at with those eyes.

I stride forward to the veranda, bringing my face closer to his, asking for ginger ale. Hira jumps back with a surprised look. He catches the camera as soon as he knows that it will fall in this situation.

“Be careful. That is expensive, isn’t it?”

“T-T-T-Thank you. G-Ginger ale….I’ll bring it now!”

Hira stands up like a coil toy and runs into the kitchen.

Although Hira holds his camera to never miss any of my trivial gestures, when I come closer to him, he panics and runs aways. What a creep, I never understand what he thinks, and he is nothing like a friend. Sometimes it irritates me as I don’t know how I should position him in my heart. But I don’t hate the time I spend with him.

No, rather than hate...

“Thanks for waiting, Kiyoi.”

He puts ginger ale in a glass full of ice in front of my eyes. There is Hira’s drink too, but somehow my glass is bigger. When I ask him the reason, he convincingly answers that I am the king. Even though I think that is creepy, I feel a bit creepier with my self satisfaction.

”Anyway I am hungry.”

“Should I go buy you something?”

Then let’s go together, by bicycle, with the two of us....Before I even say that, Hira has already stood up.

“Are potato chips or such fine with you?”

“Yeah. Let’s go...”

“I’m going right now! If it's fine with you, please eat this. It was sent from my parents, though.”

Hira leaves in a hurry, leaving me alone. What the heck. Even if I come to play, don’t toss me out. When Hira is out, I feel a sudden silence in the house. Although I favor silence, it is slightly different when Hira is around.

“What’s wrong with him?”

Doesn’t he think about being with someone he loves even for a bit? Not that I am in love with him and want to be with him, though. But he must have thought about it. Ask me to go with you and wait for my answer. I click my tongue and look toward the box with food he’s asked me to eat before. “Hiyoko Manju” is written on it. Manju? Do I look like a grandpa , huh? While still complaining, I open the lid. When I take off the wrapping paper, there is a dark brown chick appearing, which makes me freeze.

What the hell is it?

Isn’t it cute?

I find it hard to eat. It is even harder to eat since it resembles Captain Duck which Hira treasures. While I am holding it on top of my palm, my stomach slightly growls. Shit, because of its sweet smell, my stomach starts to get hungrier. For the time being, I unfold the wrapping paper on the table, put the small dark brown chick on top of it.

Hira, come back quickly.

I curl my back, putting my cheek on the table. Since long ago I dislike being in crowds, but I dislike being alone even more. I put the chick which becomes something like Hira’s confidant beside me, closing my eyes with a slight loneliness within me.

Ever since the tomato juice’s incident, I spent much more time with Hira. Being with him is so comforting. Probably because of his stuttering problem, Hira doesn’t speak much. He isn’t noisy and doesn’t use me as a panda to attract girls like any other guys. He doesn’t expect anything and only devotes himself to me.

He really is in love with me, isn’t he? In the beginning of the year, we will take the entrance exam and rarely go to school. Then our chance to meet will become less and less. Even as a weirdo Hira, I wonder how he will make a move.

When will he make a confession?

Will he call me somewhere? What kind of face will he make when he asks to date me?

Or will he kneel down again? The heck of prince are you from, huh?

After the tomato juice’s incident, he knelt down and kissed my hand in that music room. Whenever I remember that, it creeps me out. He’s creepy but then my ears and nape gradually turn feverish. Well, if he isn’t creepy, he won’t be Hira. When I open my eyes, I find the brown chick is close to me, which makes me embarrassed. Not that I am waiting for his confession. But, well, if he wishes to go out with me, I will think about it. If he really begs for it and squeals that he loves me...

+++

“I’m home. Sorry for coming late.” I go to the convenience store by riding my bicycle at full speed, panting as I arrive home, only to find Kiyoi has been sleeping. For some reason hiyoko manju is lying beside his innocent sleeping face with his cheek against the table. I feel as if an arrow is shot right in the middle of my heart. Adorable. He looks like a deity who is not an adult yet.

A sleeping face with remarkably long eyelashes. A sleeping face like an adolescent with unparalleled beauty and hiyoko manju. A technique of beauty, cuteness, and sublimity combined together that won’t even make you take a single breath.

I am dying….I am back to my consciousness right before I almost die because of a deadly suffocation. I am taking a deep breath and still in awe to an existence called Kiyoi So who can murder human with his sleeping face. This amount of beauty is really dangerous. Kiyoi might be too early to exist for humankind. If I approach him carelessly, I will lose my life.

This is definitely a warning.

Just like Tower of Babel’s Tale, when a tower was made and reached Heaven and became well-known, by God's wrath, He confounded their common language and scattered them away, to make sure they wouldn’t be together ever again, it is a sin if you try to touch the treasure. Don’t come close. Don’t touch. The ultimate love is defined by just looking up.

Kiyoi, please rest assured.

I absolutely won’t come closer anymore than this.

I take the camera quietly so as not to disturb God's sleep, and with utmost care take a picture of sleeping Kiyoi. Even through the lens, he is so beautiful that I am almost suffocated. Is beauty able to pass through the lens? I can't stop releasing the shutter to confirm his fine beauty through the lens that can’t be captured with my inexperienced naked eyes. Beautiful. So Beautiful but painful.

I want to lose my life while still being captivated with such sweetness. But I don’t want to die yet. I want to keep living and looking at Kiyoi with my own eyes forever. I don’t know how to deal with such a contradiction.

+++

I wake up as I hear a clicking sound.

“A-Ah, I am sorry to wake you up.”

Hira puts down his camera as I rub my sleepy eyes.

“Don’t take pictures of my sleeping face.”

I don’t hate whether Hira takes a picture of me. But I am embarrassed to show my careless side.

“ I am sorry. A two-shot of you and the chick is too precious…”

“That’s creepy.”

“I am sorry. You didn’t eat the chick, did you?”

It will look lame if I say it was so cute that I was not able to eat it.

“I don’t like Japanese sweets.”

When I turn back, Hira hurriedly takes out many snacks from plastic bags. After that, without talking about anything, I go to the veranda, sitting on the rocking-chair to play games and take a look at the garden. Hira lays down under my feet to study. While we are sharing the same space, we spend time doing different things. Without being excited over anything, but this time, I...

“Hurry up and say it.”

“Huh?”

Hira looks up at me.

“Nothing.” I suddenly turn my face away.

You dumb! Just hurry up and say it! Hurry. Hurry.

The sour-sweet scent of sweet osmanthus tickles my nostril. By the end of this flower’s blooming season, we are surely….

Translation’s Notes:

1. A bit different with how to define kimoi from official sub, with my understanding and interpretation, kimoi as always used by Kiyoi to describe Hira isn’t disgusting or gross, which much more close to rejection, but creepy, a feeling of unpleasant, like when you find a weirdo who follows after their idols, but never they feel rejected, but just weird beyond normal 😂

2. Kinmokusei or so called Osmanthus fragrans var. aurantiacus, fragrant olive, sweet olive, sweet osmanthus, etc is a flowering shrub which has strong fragrance with its small orange flower. It usually blooms in autumn, especially October. When you are very detail about Utsukare drama setting( especially season) , you will know right away why this flower is chosen. Nagira-sensei is very careful to input such detail to fit with the drama setting. (I hope you know what I mean lmao)

Kinmokusei flower language can be interpreted as “Modesty” or “First Love”. https://lovegreen.net/languageofflower/p135068/

3. Hiyoko manju

Hiyoko manju is sweet made in Fukuoka with a shape of small chick with filling.