![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
distortedheartStory: Black Tea (紅茶)
Characters: Eichi, Tori, Ritsu, Hajime
Translator: distortedheart (twitter: adriessene)
Proofreader: Linnæus
Chapter One ✧ Chapter Two ✧ Chapter Three ✧ Chapter Four
Chapter Five ✧ Chapter Six ✧ Chapter Seven ✧ Epilogue
Location: Garden Space (same day, after school)
Tori: Nn~... Nnnnn...?
Ugh, jeez, I can't find it!
Anzu~ Did you find anything over there? Sorry for making you help me find these tennis balls...
It's a really, really big help for me, but are you sure you're okay with it? Aren't you super busy? Like, hasn't Trickstar been flying all over the country and doing a bunch of other things lately?
Not that you guys have much choice, since it's gonna be the SS in a few months, I guess...
And 'cause of the SS, the monkey with glasses hasn't been attending tennis club, so I think Sena-senpai's been more and more stressed out lately...?
He keeps slamming the balls really hard when he hits them to get out all his pent-up frustration, and they keep going out of bounds, like home runs...
And he doesn't even go look for them himself, he just says, "Getting the balls is a job for underclassmen," and makes me collect them? Isn't that just cruel?
You tell him off too, Anzu! He's been more emotionally unstable than he's ever been— It's suuuuper, super scary.
He keeps taking out his anger on me, and it's, like, a hassle to deal with him, you know?
Hey! Are you listening to me? Isn't it your job to listen to our problems, producer?
Eh? "You shouldn't call your senpai 'a monkey wearing glasses'"?
What's the problem? He doesn't get angry no matter what you say, and, like... He wears glasses and his name is "Ukki," like ook-ook, so he's a glasses-wearing monkey.
Besides, calling someone by a nickname means you're sorta like close friends with them, right?
Hajime: He~y, Himemi... Tori-kun ♪ What're you doing in a place like this?
Tori: Wah, Hajime! Right back at you! Just what were you doing in those bushes? Is it because you're a rabbit? Were you digging yourself a burrow?!
Hajime: Fufu. I may be in Ra*bits, but it's not like I live like a bunny or anything~
Tori: It's not like I don't know that, but, then, what are you doing? Seriously, you're just crouching down, and...
Wait, did you twist your ankle? Are you okay?!
Anzu, get a stretcher! I think Hajime got hurt!
Hajime: Ah! No, no, it's not like that! I'm all right, so shhh...! Please try to be quiet, or else the oni will end up finding me...!
Tori: O-Oni? I've seen a ton of stray dogs and cats around, but did we finally hit a point where we have an oni infestation? Here? At Yumenosaki Academy?
Hajime: Ah... No, it's not like that...
Tori-kun, I guess you wouldn't understand what I'm talking about even if I tell you I'm playing hide-and-seek, huh...? It's such a common game that it's kind of hard to figure how where to start explaining it...[1]
Tori: U...mmm...? So you’re playing some kind of game, Hajime?
Ritsu: Haa~kun~ Fouuuund you~... ♪
Hajime: Huh— Uuu?! R-Ritsu-senpai! Don't just shove your hands under my clothes all of a sudden...!
Ritsu: Fufufu~
Ritsu: Ahh~ So warm... I haven't had enough blood lately, so my arms and legs are super cold.
Hajime: Uuu~? It's okay to do it to me, but if you'd done it to a woman they'd press charges, do you understand that?
Ritsu-senpai, can you maybe rethink just how touchy-feely you are!?
Ohhh, Haa~kun got angry! Get angrier and angrier~! That face you're making, the one you ne~ver show anyone else— show it to me and me a~l~o~n~e~... ♪
Hajime: W-Wah!! I just told you— Please knock it off! Please stop touching me...! You're really really going to make me angry, okay!? H-Help me, Tori-kun...!
Tori: Stop right there!! So you're the oni, huh!! Let go of Hajime! Garurururu!!
Ritsu: Ahaha~ You have the same animal growl as Ou-sama... Kidding, kidding. It's Rittsu joke ♪[2]
Anyway, I may be a vampire, but I'm not an oni. If you make too much noise, the real oni will find us, so let's be quiet, shhh~... ♪
Hajime: Wait, you're right? I did think this was weird, since the real oni is President! Then just why did you pounce on me, Ritsu-senpai!? Honestly!
Ritsu: Fufufu~ Be~cause~ whenever you get bullied, you get all teary-eyed, and a teary Haa~kun is sooooo adorable~... ♪
... Oops, too loud— Guess we shouldn't make too much noise or stick around in one place too long.
Ecchan will probably figure out where we are pretty soon, so let's find a new hiding spot.
C'mon, come here. I just thought of somewhere safe to hide. No one scary will find you so long as you're with me ♪
Uuu... Right now, Ritsu-senpai is much scarier than President, the actual oni.
Ritsu: Ehhh~? But I'm the kind of vampire who's a friend to all creatures~
..................... Lately, anyway.
C'mon. Anzu and your friend can come along, too. Let's take refuge in the garden terrace for now.
We can all take a quick break. There's snacks waiting for us, so let's drink tasty tea in honor of Ecchan, who'll be tiring himself out hunting everywhere for us ♪
Heheh. Well, setting aside that last thing you said... Tori-kun, if you and Anzu-san don't mind, won't you join our tea party?
For some reason, President brought way too many sweets, so I doubt we can finish them all on our own~
Tori: Ohh... So Prez went with the "shoot enough and you'll hit the mark eventually" strategy, huh?
Hajime: ? What do you mean?
Tori: Mmm, it's a long story... I appreciate the invitation, but I should finish finding these tennis balls first. You haven't seen any around, have you?
Hajime: Heheh. So you're on ball-collecting duty, Tori-kun?
It's pretty tough joining a club since newbies always end up being gophers. I used to do ball sports too, so I understand what it's like~ ♪
Tori: Yeah, but... Sena-senpai's forcing me, who's super high-class, to do it, soooo...?
Ritsu: Hmm~mmm... Based on how he's dressed, this pink kid's part of the tennis club, I'm guessing? Looks like Secchan's started picking on his underclassmen a~ll over again...
In that case, I have an idea. Lend me your ear for a sec... (whisper, whisper) ♪
Tori: Huh, what? That tickles!
Ahh, jeez! Someone tell me why all the upperclassmen at this school so weirdly touchy-feely, huh?!
return to top
Translation Notes
1. In Japanese hide-and-seek, the person who's "it" is called the "oni." I left it as-is since they reference the meaning of the word "oni" specifically in the chapter. ↑
2. "Rittsu joke" is said in English, rendered in Katakana. ↑