Hanamichi 2

Keito: ♪ ~ ♪ ~ ♪

(...Hm. The guests are pouring in, and we’re getting a god response from them. If this keeps up, it looks like Flower Fest will go off without a hitch.)

(There were a few close calls while we were preparing for the event.)

(But now that we’re actually here, Akatsuki is perfectly stable. We’ve become rock solid, having honed our skills through the experience we gained in countless battles.)

(Today as always, we’re in perfect condition.)

(The problem, then, is fine. I don’t have the first clue if they’ve managed to come together... but still, they’re more like “extras” in this.)

(Even if they crash and burn, they’ll be able to recover from it.)

(We are the linchpin of Flower Fest. As long as we’ve got ourselves together, a few mistakes here and there won’t be fatal.)

(We can cover that up with energy, passion, and applause.)

(It took back-breaking effort, but we’ve put ourselves back on track to our pre-established harmony... We’ll make our power known and give a perfect performance.)

(Throw our your chest; this is our triumphant return.)

(Are you watching, Eichi? A million flower petals are dancing in the air. It’s a scene straight out of paradise.)

(They’re flowers blossoming in sin, with the blood of corpses as their fertilizer... but no one can deny their beauty.)

(We are the victors—the kings. We are justice itself, and we will create a beautiful and worthy future.)

~...

Kuro: You’re in a good mood, Danna. Don’t get too carried away, or you’re gonna trip and fall. ‘Course, I’d be there to catch ya.

Keito: Oh, sorry. Practicing too much and accumulating too much experience is also a problem, I suppose. If you leave everything up to muscle memory...

The brain turns off, and your thoughts begin to turn wayward.

For the record, “thinking” is nearly synonymous with “resting” in terms of cognitive function. The adage “you can’t tell a poor thinker from a sleeping one” rings true.

This is just a routine, insignificant task for us.

Let’s keep focused so we don’t fall asleep at the wheel and cause an accident.

Kuro: Sure. Well, one thing’s different from usual: we’ll be walking around while we perform. I bet that’ll keep our minds stimulated.

I gotta say I’m worried about your total lack of stamina though, Danna. Not so much myself and Kanzaki, though.

Oh, there was that mikoshi Hibiki got for us, right? Well, I guess it’s more like a bandstand.^[1]

Maybe we could use that thing instead. Then you can just concentrate on your performance.

It’d pretty much turn the whole thing into a parade, though.

Keito: Our only purpose is to make the event more exciting; we shouldn’t stand out too much.

Singing and dancing from inside a bandstand would be plain idiocy. Akatsuki would never put on such an bizarre show as that.^[2]

Kuro: Really? I dunno, I think it’d be fun... Whatever, guess there’s no point in straying from the natural course of things.