#c:kaoru

Season: Autumn

Kaoru: Sigh…

A few days ago, I saw Kanata-kun beg Anzu-chan for his “exclusive outfit”[1] and I was surprised it’s possible to request for something like that.

Ever since that day, somehow I can’t seem to take my mind off of it.

Since the order of outfits to be made depends on Anzu-chan, I thought of just quietly waiting for my turn but…

I know myself better than that. The feeling of wanting Anzu-chan to make my “exclusive outfit” probably just got stronger.

I’ve been waiting restlessly everyday for her to contact me. I can’t even count the times I have looked at my phone, expecting a HoldHands notification from her.

Rather than getting all fidgety like this… should I just try the same approach that Kanata-kun did?

If I were to compare Kanata-kun back then and me right now, there’s not that much difference in terms of begging Anzu-chan for the “exclusive outfit.”

Everyone besides me in my unit has their own exclusive outfit already, that’s why I want one for myself, too.

I’d be lying if I didn’t want UNDEAD’s exclusive outfits to be completed as soon as possible.

If I remember correctly, Kanata-kun prepared quite a lot for his little game before he told his request to Anzu-chan.

I need to plan for something that Anzu-chan can enjoy. And I should find a time when she’s not already busy with her work as it is.

Alright, that’s settled! But before I get ahead of myself, I should start by having a good understanding of what’s going on with Anzu-chan at the moment. I’ll message her on HoldHands now…

Or―

Yeah, I just really want to see and talk to her…

Kaoru: (…I heard she is at StarPro’s office so here I am on the 20th floor without that much thought.)

(I guess I’ll try next time if I don’t get the chance to talk to her today一)

Tatsumi: Kaoru-san.

Kaoru: Eeek…!?

T-Tatsumi-kun! You surprised me!

Tatsumi: I apologize for frightening you. You were pacing back and forth in the corridor with an uneasy expression so I was worried for you.

If there is something you need from StarPro, shall I tell them there’s someone waiting outside?

Kaoru: Mm..~ I’m not here for any errands but there’s something I want to discuss with Anzu-chan so I’m looking for her, you see..

I heard about something like her being in StarPro office around this time so I came here. I do look like I’m waiting for an ambush here in the corridor, huh… I really should have contacted her beforehand…

Tatsumi: Is that so? I think Anzu-san would be at the conference room at this hour.

Tatsumi: I shall call for her, then. Please wait for a moment.

Kaoru: W-Wait…! Huh…!?

(Tatsumi-kun is really leaving!? Is he really going to get her… wha…? What’s happening?)

(He came back with Anzu-chan!? W-Wait wait wait, my heart isn’t prepared at all for this!)

Tatsumi: I apologize for keeping you waiting. I have Anzu-san here with me, Kaoru-san.

Kaoru: (This is way too ahead of what I imagined in my mind….!)

I’m sorry for calling you all of a sudden like this, Anzu-chan.

U-Uhm… There’s something I need to talk to you. Is today… Er, I mean… uhm, it doesn’t have to be today, but we can talk anytime you’re free.

I was, uhm, wondering if we can have lunch together. There, I finally said it.

…How about it?

…Eh? We can go after this? A-Are you sure?

Th-Thank you! That makes me really happy!

I see, so your meeting just reached a stopping point. I’m glad I got the timing right, then… ♪

Since it’s a sudden invitation, we can’t really leave right at this moment, right? I can wait for you in front of the building.

How does 20 minutes sound? Alright, I’ll see you in 20 minutes~

… (Escorts Anzu back to the office)

Tatsumi: Fufu. I’m glad you were able to peacefully discuss with Anzu-san.

Kaoru: Thanks, Tatsumi-kun. Even though you just went along with it, I was able to invite Anzu-chan for lunch thanks to you.

Tatsumi: Don’t mention it. I prayed that Kaoru-san’s troubles would be resolved… ♪

(20 minutes after…)

Kaoru: Whoa there, no need to run! I wasn’t waiting for that long. I don’t want you falling over now, take it easy. 

The elevator was stuck for a while, I really thought I wouldn’t be able to make it~ That’s why I also just arrived here.

Even though I tried to make time for leeway to get to the building, the elevator wasn’t moving. I wasn’t late but I just barely made it in time to get to the office.

It would have been better if I just used the emergency stairs in the beginning but whenever I see the number of stairs I need to climb, I think that maybe waiting isn’t that bad.

…Are you breathing alright now? Okay, good, you look better.

Since we’re going to talk about work to an extent, we can go somewhere around ES. Is COCHI okay? 

Sure, no problem. By the way, thanks again for going out of your way to make time for my sake.

(...? Just now… did Anzu-chan say “I should be the one saying that”?)

Kaoru: (Hm~m. I wonder what did she mean by “I should be the one saying that”? Did she need something from me too by chance?)

(At a glance, she seems to be the same as usual. Or rather, she’s not paying that much attention to me while we’re eating.)

(Could it be she’s uneasy because I’ve never been the type to cut to the chase?)

Do you need another refill for your drink, Anzu-chan? I’m just about to call for the waiter, too.

You want to hear about what I want to discuss with you after our drinks? How did you know I wanted to talk to you about something?

…I see. Tatsumi-kun passed it on to you when he called for you.

Yup, that’s right. There’s something I want to talk to you about.

I… Actually… I want to talk to you about my exclusive outfit.

Eh? W-Wait, did I just say something that scared you?

…Ah, so that’s what it was. You were also thinking of talking to me about my exclusive outfit.

That’s why you said “I should be the one saying that.” I was kinda~ curious whether you needed something from me.

So you’re having trouble trying to come up with an idea for my outfit… I never would have guessed.

Can you tell me which parts you’re at a loss with? Since I’m here, I’ll do whatever I can to help.

……

The way I changed, huh… It’s true that compared to last year, my manner and ambiance may be different. The me from long ago was… well, there’s a lot of things I wasn’t happy with.

If I've already noticed how much I changed, then it must be more obvious to the people around me.

And even Anzu-chan thinks so too, because you watch our TV shows and live performances, and you read our magazines… So you also check up on me often…

It does seem like the difference between my past self and my present self is quite a lot. And what you were really worried about is what I really like and what suits me…

…Did I get all of that right?

Refers to Kanata's FS Story "everyone and the sea and me"

Season: Autumn

Kaoru: Ahaha, I’m glad I got it correctly. Or more like, I’m relieved because I wanted to talk to you more or less about the same thing.

You should relax your shoulders a bit more, Anzu-chan. …But I’m not sure if you would want to hear that from the person who got you feeling all troubled.

I’m also glad we can think about my outfit together from here on out.

Since you’re earnest about taking what I want into consideration, I also want you to get to know me better.

So, what can I do to help with my special outfit? Can you tell me what you have in mind?

Kaoru: (She said she wants to listen to me talk about myself one more time.)

(So I suggested that we can take a stroll around ES while we’re at it.)

Kaoru: (Now I find myself beside Anzu-chan, spending time with her like this. With the way things are going… is this what I think it is–)

(N-Nope, nope, I shouldn’t get too ahead of myself! We’re just going to talk about my exclusive outfit… Get yourself together, Kaoru!)

Kaoru: Uhm, I did say I was going to talk but I’m not sure what I should talk about. What's a good topic that could be useful as a reference for making an outfit, anyway?

I guess we can start with something cliche like, things that I like?

Well, I think you already know this but, the fact that I’ve always liked the sea has never changed.

But even though I keep on saying I like the sea, I was so busy this summer that I wasn’t able to go there as much as I would have wanted.

That’s why I really enjoyed myself when we all went to the sea for Kanata-kun’s outfit just recently♪

Things like walking along the shore or making sand castles… I find any activities at the beach really special to me.

…Yup, it’s just exactly as you said. I also love surfing.

Oh, so you read the magazine feature last month. Okay, where were we… You were saying you want to go to a place where it’s famous for surfing?

To be honest, I’ve been eyeing that place too~ Not just to go surfing, but also to simply listen to the sound of the waves or spend my time along the shore at my own leisure.

Now that I think about it, ways of having fun at the beach are changing little by little…Or it’s more like you can do so much more at the beach now.

Besides doing the things I like, I love the thrill of that change; it brings me new ideas and aspirations on how I can spend my time there. I wonder if it’s because I’m all grown up now ♪

Back then, I would get all giddy like a child when I visited tropical places. I felt so free and I can't help but let loose on an unfamiliar island…

—Oh, look over here.

This shop’s display has goods and artwork all lined up. They remind you of the freshness of the seashore for some reason, don’t they?

Just like with interior design, same goes for fashion. It's pretty handy when I can include the things I like into my daily life which makes me appreciate it more often.

Since we were already on the topic of the things I like, I thought that I might as well add that.

I’m staying at a dorm right now, so it might be difficult to put it somewhere in our room. If I had my own room, then maybe…

Oh! Yeah, I was looking at that garland over there. It got your attention too? The motif has this pleasant feeling that really stands out from the rest♪

(Anzu-chan, you’re really taking notes. I thought of presenting myself in an exaggerated way, but it looks like it’s alright to keep on talking about the little things about myself.)

(Hmm, yeah… It’s actually better if she gets to know me like this, little by little.)

(Next, I want to bring her to a place where we can have a longer conversation. Maybe that pastry shop that serves yummy pancakes or the book cafe I recently came across–)

Wanna move on to the next store, Anzu-chan? There’s still a lot I want to tell you…♪

Several days later…

Kaoru: Aa~h, what should I do…! I just can’t choose one from all the designs Anzu-chan gave me. They all look great…

No, no, that wasn’t a compliment! I’m sincerely thinking it through, so I can’t really decide on something. I’m so sorry for taking your time.

But when I think about how Anzu-chan came up with these for me, one design is just as–

(Hm? This one concept in particular is completely different. It looks like a rough draft compared to the others…)

What’s wrong, Anzu-chan? You seem anxious about the sketch I’m looking at right now.

So you didn’t want to give this to me… Is this not included in the list of the designs you initially thought of for the outfit?

…Oh, uhm, I’m sorry for putting you on the spot like that. Okay, but listen to me for a sec.

Is this also a concept you came up with for me?

I see, that’s a relief… I was curious so I thought I’d ask. If this was for another person, I’d feel down about it.

While thinking of ideas, you remembered the stuff we talked about and the things we saw. You wanted to draw it by all means, but all you finished was a sketch…

It just means that you really put your heart into this one, right?

…Say, Anzu-chan. Do I really have to exclude this design from the concepts I’ll choose for my outfit?

Mm, yeah, thought you’d say that. But to be honest, I’ve grown to like it.

What I shared to you on that day, I mean all of it. So if this outfit can capture the memory we had, I think it would best describe my sincere feelings.

I can already picture myself up there on the stage… I can’t wait for everyone to see how I’d look in this outfit.

Seeing as you’re worried with this one, this might not be the outfit but…

I just know I’ll completely pull it off. You do think I’m good-looking, don’t you? 

Hey now, why are you laughing at that~? I’m imagining myself giving a performance where I can steal the hearts of every one of my female fans, I mean it.

(At that moment, I’ll also charm Anzu-chan with my performance. I’m not gonna say that one out loud, of course.)

So, let’s move forward with this direction?

…”If you already have an image of the stage and the performance, then there’s no reason to say no,” you say? Are you okay with it?

“Because more than anything, I want to encourage you as an idol”…?

Me as an idol…

Don’t worry about it. The fact that Anzu-chan believes in me as an idol and gave me an OK is more than enough for me.

Kaoru: Because it’s going to be an outfit that Anzu-chan made for me, I’ll absolutely cherish it. I’m sure I’ll look good in it.

I’m certain I’ll show you something that will exceed your expectations, so look forward to it…♪