What if Honma Himawari Had Quit the Audition That Day? - First Stream and a Pounding Heart

Exactly two weeks had passed since that night Tsukino Akari burst into the convenience store. During that time, Honma Himawari's daily life hadn't changed. She woke up at five in the evening, took a shower, and slurped cup noodles in Room 205 of the twenty-eight-year-old "Corpo Minami" apartment building. Then she'd bike fifteen minutes to Daily Port Minase South Exit, where she'd work the late-night register. If no customers came, she'd kill time with her usual solo comedy routines. Nothing had changed. Except for one thing — her smartphone screen. Karaoke Voice Box Minase, this Friday, midnight. Tsukino Akari's LINE message was pinned at the very top of her chat list. Every time Himawari saw it, she'd start typing a reply, then her fingers would freeze. [whispers]"…Is it really okay for me to go?" A voice echoed in her head, over and over: *Someone like me, anyway.* The memory from two years ago was still raw — standing in a room in a big Osaka office building, saying "I can't do this," and running away. It was the same now. Someone says "let's give it a try," she gets her hopes up, but at the very last moment, she gets scared. She shoved her phone under her pillow and pulled the blanket over her head. Even so, Friday came. Midnight. A five-minute walk from Minase Station's north exit. Under the flickering pink and blue neon sign of "Karaoke Voice Box," a girl with bright red short hair was waving. A tiny bun perched just above her left ear. [excited]"Himawari! Over here, over here!" It was Tsukino Akari. Her big, round black eyes sparkled, reflecting the neon lights. [whispers]"U-um, Akari-san…" [excited]"Drop the '-san'! Just call me Tsukino! That's what everyone calls me! C'mon, hurry up, let's go in!" Tsukino grabbed Himawari's wrist and pulled her straight into the shop. The college-aged part-timer at the front desk took one look at Tsukino's face and said, "Ah, the usual," casually handing over the key to Room 7. Room 7 was the second-to-last small room at the back. A space of about six tatami mats, with a big monitor, a long table, and sofas crammed tightly against the walls. A mirror ball on the ceiling scattered the room's light into tiny fragments. [excited]"Alright, let's get set up!" Tsukino swiftly pulled out what she'd brought from her bag: a cheap-looking smartphone stand, probably from a hundred-yen shop, and a small microphone. That was it. [surprised]"Huh?! That's all?! No computer, no camera… none of that?!" Himawari's fluffy brown bob swayed as she looked around the room in a fluster. When she'd heard "live stream," she'd assumed there'd be much more elaborate equipment. [laughing]"We don't need any of that yet! A single smartphone is plenty for starters!" Tsukino set the phone on the stand with practiced ease. The screen displayed YouTube's live streaming setup page. [panicked]"W-wait a second! I'm not mentally prepared! What about the title, the thumbnail…!" [excited]"That stuff? Just wing it! Let's see… 'Late-Night Rambling Talk'… yeah, that works! Alright, stream start!" Tsukino's finger tapped the screen. *Ping.* A red "LIVE" indicator lit up in the corner of the screen. "I-it's started…?" Himawari's voice trembled faintly. Her heart began pounding. It was the exact same sensation she'd felt two years ago, standing in front of the audition room door. Her fingertips went cold. Her mind went blank. (*It's the same as back then. I knew it — I'm just not—*) [excited]"Hellooo! Tsukino Akari here! Today's our momentous first stream! And I've brought a guest!" Tsukino's loud voice drowned out Himawari's thoughts. She was already fully in "streaming mode." The corner of her right lip quirked up slightly — her tell when she was about to step onto a stage. In the top right corner of the screen, the number "2" appeared. The viewer count. Just two people. But those two people were watching them, right now, in this moment. [excited]"Let me introduce her! My new partner, Honma Himawari!" Pushed forward by Tsukino, Himawari was seated in front of the screen. Her own face appeared on the smartphone display, slightly delayed. Her large brown eyes wavered with anxiety. [whispers]"…H-hello. I'm Honma Himawari." Her voice came out slightly shrill. She had no idea if the two viewers on the other side of the screen could even hear her properly. The comment section was silent. The silence stretched on for about ten seconds. It felt long. Incredibly, unbearably long. (*This is bad. I have to say something. But what am I supposed to—*) Himawari looked at Tsukino, as if pleading for help. But Tsukino was completely unfazed. In fact, she was grinning. She'd experienced this kind of "nobody's reacting" silence over a hundred times before. [excited]"Hey, hey, Himawari — what do you think you're supposed to talk about in a self-intro? I bomb every single time, so I honestly have no idea what the right answer is." [surprised]"Huh?! The right answer…? I mean, normally… your name and… maybe your hobbies…?" [laughing]"Hobbies! That's it! My hobby is bombing at comedy shows! I've bombed fifty-one times now, so I figure it's about time I can call it a hobby, right?!" Tsukino let out a loud laugh. But the comment section still didn't move. Nobody was laughing. The two viewers on the other side of the screen were just watching in silence. Himawari stared intently at Tsukino's face. *She just bombed. And she doesn't care at all.* In fact, she looked like she was having fun. Giving it her all — the jokes, the laughter — aimed at just two completely unresponsive viewers. (*This person is amazing.*) Something stirred deep in Himawari's chest. An emotion she couldn't quite identify — something like jealousy, something like admiration. [excited]"…O-okay then! I'll introduce myself too!" Before she knew it, her mouth was moving. [excited]"I'm Honma Himawari! My hobby is… um… doing solo comedy routines during my late-night convenience store shift when there aren't any customers!" She stood up. She extended her right hand toward an invisible customer. [excited]"Welcome! Today's recommendation is our piping hot pork buns!" The trembling from moments ago was gone. Her body moved naturally. It was a motion she'd repeated hundreds of times at the Daily Port register. [excited]"Oh, sir! You look exhausted! How about warming up with one of these pork buns?" She hopped up and down, enthusiastically offering a pork bun to an unseen someone. When she laughed, a dimple appeared only on her right cheek. Her round brown eyes reflected the mirror ball's light, sparkling like stars. Tsukino caught her breath. (*This is it.*) The scene she'd witnessed through the glass the first time she'd passed by Daily Port. A strange clerk, hopping around all alone with no one there, laughing all alone with no one listening. But for some reason, she couldn't get that image out of her head. (*This girl is definitely hilarious.*) And now, Tsukino's conviction was confirmed by a small change on the screen. The comment section moved. *lol* Just two characters. The first viewer's first comment. [surprised]"Huh…" Himawari's movements stopped dead. She leaned in so close to the screen that her bangs touched the lens. [surprised]"I got a laugh…? I just got a laugh…?" [excited]"That's right! You got a laugh! You did it!" Tsukino slapped Himawari on the back with a loud *thwack*. It was almost painful. But right now, that pain felt good. Twenty-five minutes had passed since the stream started. After that, they were completely absorbed. An improv skit began — Tsukino playing the customer, Himawari playing the clerk. Tsukino was in her usual form, her voice cracking, suddenly speaking rapid-fire, firing off a barrage of sloppy jokes. [excited]"'Scuse me! D'you have any chocolate-flavored pork buns?!" [excited]"Yes! Would you like chocolate sauce on your pork bun?!" [surprised]"Why would you do that?!" Tsukino's retort was half-genuine. I mean, who's ever heard of a chocolate-flavored pork bun? But Himawari was absolutely delighted, and began enthusiastically dousing an invisible pork bun with invisible chocolate sauce. [excited]"Here you go! One chocolate bun, piping hot! How's it taste?!" [laughing]"D-delicious… it's too delicious…! What is this?! It's so freaking good!" Tsukino gave a bizarre reaction as she pretended to stuff her face with the invisible pork bun. Her expression was so ridiculous that Himawari laughed so hard tears came to her eyes. That was when it happened. The other viewer's comment scrolled across the screen. *funny lol* [surprised]"Ah—!" Her brown eyes opened wide, perfectly round. Her mouth hung open. Right now, in this room, there was only herself and Tsukino. But on the other side of the screen, someone was definitely there. And that someone, with just a handful of characters, had just laughed. [whispers]"…I just… made someone laugh." A warmth spread through the center of her chest. It was the complete opposite of the feeling she'd had two years ago, frozen in front of the audition room door. The stream flew by, and thirty minutes had passed before they knew it. [excited]"And with that, the first episode of 'Late-Night Rambling Talk' comes to an end! See you next week!" Tsukino waved. The final comment slowly scrolled across the screen. *do it again* Tsukino's finger pressed the end stream button. The screen returned to the settings page. Silence returned to the room. It was quiet. As if the laughter from moments ago had been a lie. Only the low hum of the mirror ball's tiny motor echoed through the room. "…Haaaaah." Himawari sank into the sofa and stared up at the ceiling. Exhaustion hit her all at once. But more than that— *Thump-thump.* Her heart was still pounding, almost painfully. [gentle]"Hey, Himawari. How was it?" Tsukino held out a plastic bottle of tea, her eyes crinkling into soft arcs as she smiled. [whispers]"…I…" She placed a hand on her chest. She could feel the pounding all the way to her fingertips. [surprised]"It's been so long… since my heart's raced like this." [laughing]"That's it!" Tsukino slammed the table with a *bang*. The mirror ball swayed. [excited]"That feeling — that's 'fun'! You were having a blast just now! You keep saying 'someone like me,' but your reactions are definitely funny! You're absolutely cut out for this world!" She rattled off the words in her usual style, but her voice trembled just a little. A tremble that sounded happy, and just a tiny bit frustrated. (*Ah… this person has been waiting for this moment too, all this time.*) That's what Himawari thought. Not the moment of making people laugh alone — but the moment of making them laugh together with someone. [gentle]"…Yeah. I think… I had fun." She poked at her dimple with her finger and gave a small laugh. Three in the morning. The automatic doors of Daily Port Minase South Exit quietly slid open. [tired]"I'm baaack…" As Himawari entered the store, the college student working the register gave a small nod and a "good work today" before retreating to the back. It was almost time to close up. [gentle]"Welcome back." A familiar, unhurried voice. The store manager, Yamaguchi Takeshi, lumbered out from the back. He was wearing his usual Daily Port blue cap, and his gentle, droopy eyes looked sleepy. His hair still had bedhead — he'd probably been taking a nap again. [gentle]"How'd it go?" As he spoke, he quietly placed a teacup of warm tea on the register counter. [embarrassed]"Oh man, it was such a mess… only two people commented… but, somehow, it was fun. My heart was pounding like crazy the whole time." Himawari pointed at her chest and laughed, a little embarrassed. Yamaguchi said nothing. He just wrapped his own hands around her teacup to keep it warm, and listened intently. [whispers]"…Manager. Do you think… I could do it again?" The words came out before she even realized i

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Episode 2

Name: What if Honma Himawari Had Quit the Audition That Day?
Author: Novelia

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