What if Honma Himawari Had Quit the Audition That Day? - Episode 3

Two days had passed since that storm of a debut stream. Today was Honma Himawari's first consecutive days off in a long time. Her shift at Daily Port had, unusually, given her two days in a row. Normally, she would have spent the day in her six-tatami-mat room with the curtains drawn tight, staring blankly at her phone until the day was over. But today was different. At ten in the morning, her phone buzzed on her pillow. "[excited]Himawari! We're having a date at the shopping district, right now!" A LINE message. The sender was, of course, Tsukino Akari—or rather, Tsukino. Himawari stared at the screen with sleepy eyes and couldn't help bursting out laughing. (A date... we're both girls, you know.) Even as she thought that, a tiny warmth spread deep in her chest. How long had it been since someone had invited her out like this? "[surprised]Huh, right now!? Wait a sec, I'm still in my pajamas—" Before she could finish typing her reply, it was marked as read. "[excited]Whenever's fine! I'll be waiting in front of Marukichi at the shopping district entrance!" A stamp popped onto the screen. A sunflower with a beaming smile. It was such a Tsukino-like way of inviting someone—pushy and bright. "[whispers]...Well, okay. I've got nothing else to do anyway." Himawari threw on a thin parka and quickly fixed her bangs in the bathroom. The face reflected in the mirror had cheeks that were just a little pink. Her large brown eyes seemed, somehow, to sparkle more than usual. (I really am looking forward to this, huh.) Poking at her dimples with her finger, Himawari got on her bicycle. The Minase Hondoori Shopping District was bustling with people, it being a holiday. Families and strollers passed beneath the arcade, and lively calls from shopkeepers rang out from every direction. This wasn't one of those desolate streets lined with rusted shutters. On a Sunday morning, this was the most energetic place in Minase City. "[excited]Himawari! Over here, over here!" In front of the takoyaki shop "Marukichi," a head of bright red short hair was bouncing. Tsukino. Today, as always, she had her hair tied up in a small bun just above her left ear. Her round black eyes drooped into a figure-eight the moment they found Himawari, then broke into a smile. "[gentle]Sorry for calling you out so suddenly." "[laughing]No, not at all. Honestly, I got to sleep in, so it worked out perfectly." Himawari parked her bike and stood next to Tsukino. Himawari, petite and slender, and Tsukino, about the same height. Standing side by side, they looked just like sisters. "[excited]Alright! First, we eat! Kichi-san, two orders of takoyaki!" When Tsukino called out over the counter, a small old man with a white bandana wrapped around his head poked his face out from inside. It was the owner, Kichi-san. Sixty-seven years old. The longest-standing shopkeeper in this shopping district, and someone who loved this town more than anyone. "[gentle]Ohh, Tsukino-chan. You've got someone with you today." "[excited]Let me introduce you! This is my new partner, Honma Himawari!" "[surprised]Wha—hey! Don't call me your partner!" Himawari waved her hands frantically. She was bouncing up and down in denial, making her fluffy brown bob sway. Her long bangs fell annoyingly over her eyes, and the desperate way she brushed them aside only made it funnier. "[laughing]Your face is bright red, you know." "[embarrassed]But... we've only done one stream together..." "[gentle]Is that so, is that so. A partner, huh. Tsukino-chan, you've found yourself a good one." Kichi-san laughed with his wrinkled face as he deftly turned the takoyaki on the iron griddle. The fragrant smell of the sauce spread throughout the arcade. "[whispers]...Tsukino-chan, you're still working hard without giving up on comedy. I'm glad." That murmured comment reached Himawari's ears. (Comedy... Tsukino's been working hard here all along, too.) Himawari looked at Tsukino's profile. Beneath that bright red hair, her dark eyes were fixed intently on the steam rising from the takoyaki. She was smiling, but her eyes seemed somehow lonely, yet deeply serious. "[excited]Here you go! Two orders of eight pieces, four hundred yen each!" "[excited]Thanks, Kichi-san! Himawari, let's eat over on that bench!" Near the middle of the shopping district, in a small rest area, there was an old wooden bench. The two of them sat down and began eating the piping hot takoyaki from their boats, blowing on them to cool them down. "[excited]Hot! But, so good! The sauce has soaked in... and the gooey inside is amazing..." "[laughing]Himawari, you're such a glutton. You eat so happily, it's satisfying just watching you." Tsukino skewered a piece of takoyaki with her toothpick, gazing happily at Himawari. "[gentle]You know, you look the happiest when you're eating something delicious like this." "[surprised]Huh, really?" "[serious]Yeah. It's the same when you're streaming, but how do I put it... you express joy with your whole body. It makes even me, watching you, feel happy." Hearing that, Himawari felt a little embarrassed. It was true—when something good happened, she bounced up and down. When she ate something delicious, her whole face smiled. When she was moved, tears came immediately. Everything was an overreaction, but that was her charm. (She really sees that side of me, Tsukino does.) The warmth deep in Himawari's chest spread gently once more. "[curious]So, what did you call me out here for today?" As Himawari asked, stuffing the last takoyaki into her mouth, Tsukino narrowed her figure-eight eyes even further and grinned. "[excited]To hunt for material for our second stream!" "[surprised]Material hunting!? In the shopping district!?" "[excited]Exactly! This shopping district is a total treasure trove of material! Look, like the old guy at the hardware store over there, or the lady at the fish shop—they're all such rich characters!" Tsukino stood up and grabbed Himawari's wrist firmly. "[excited]Come on, let's go!" "[panicked]Huh, wha—wait a second, I still have the last piece of takoyaki—" "[laughing]You can eat that later! Right now, while it's fresh, we're doing live human observation!" Tsukino practically dragged Himawari as she started walking deeper into the shopping district. The first place she was taken was a used clothing store called "Replay." When they entered, the female owner in her mid-twenties, Sae, greeted them with a smile. Her gently wavy black hair was tied back into a single bunch, and she seemed to be wearing clothes from her own shop. Not too flashy, but tasteful. "[gentle]Welcome. Oh, Tsukino-chan, you're with a friend today?" "[excited]Sae-san! This girl is called Himawari! She's my partner—" "[panicked]I told you to stop calling me your partner! We're friends, still! We just barely started streaming together!" "[laughing]Oh my, you two are so close." Sae brought a hand to her mouth and giggled. Then she looked intently at Himawari. "[serious]...Excuse me for a moment. Mm, you have a delicate shoulder line, so a silhouette like this would suit you." Sae quickly pulled a cut-and-sew shirt from the shelf and held it up to Himawari's shoulders. It was a pale yellow, with a small embroidered detail at the collar. "[surprised]Huh, wha—I didn't really come here to buy clothes today—" "[excited]Sae-san is a fashion pro! Let's have her look at some clothes we could wear for streaming and stuff!" "[whispers]Hey, Tsukino! I don't have any money!" "[gentle]It's fine, just looking is free. Besides, this is a recycle shop, so it's cheap. Just try checking the sizing today, at least." In the end, urged on by Sae, Himawari ended up trying on about three outfits. A pale yellow cut-and-sew, a dusty pink blouse, and a white knit with a round neckline. All of them were so clean you'd never guess they were second-hand, and they were under a thousand yen each. "[excited]Himawari, that yellow looks amazing on you! It matches your brown eyes and hair!" "[embarrassed]Y-you think so... but streaming is just on a tiny phone screen, so you can't really see much, right?" Spinning around in front of the mirror, Himawari tilted her head. The cut-and-sew, fitting snugly on her petite frame, showed off her delicate lines beautifully. "[serious]That's where you're wrong." Sae spoke up. "[serious]Even in streaming, clothes matter. The people watching notice surprisingly small details. And when you wear clothes you like, confidence comes naturally, right? A confident person conveys that, even through a screen." (Confidence... huh.) Himawari stared at herself in the mirror. Reflected there was the girl who had quit the audition two years ago, the girl who had never been able to believe in herself. But today, she felt like her back was just a little straighter. "[whispers]...How much is this?" "[gentle]Six hundred eighty yen. And as a bonus, I'll throw in this hairpin." Sae pinned a small flower-shaped hairpin into Himawari's bangs. It neatly held back the long bangs that always swayed annoyingly. A small yellow flower. A sunflower. "[gentle]Now it's perfect. Your channel name was 'Himawari and Tsukino's Late-Night Radio,' right? It fits the image perfectly." "[surprised]Huh!? How do you know that!?" "[laughing]Because Tsukino-chan came by the shop yesterday and wouldn't stop talking about it. 'We only had two viewers for our debut stream, but it felt really promising!' she said." "[embarrassed]Hey, Sae-san! Don't tell her that!" Tsukino's face turned bright red as she panicked. Seeing her like that was so funny that Himawari laughed out loud. "[laughing]Ahaha! Tsukino, you were that happy about it!" "[angry]O-of course I was happy! I mean, up until now, I was just bombing all by myself, but with Himawari there... somehow, it was really fun." Her voice grew quieter toward the end. (Ah, Tsukino felt the same way.) Himawari thought this as she gazed at Tsukino's little bun. Tsukino was always assertive, always charging forward, always getting back on stage no matter how many times she bombed. But the truth was, she had been lonely. Fighting alone had been disheartening. "[gentle]...I had fun too. Let's do it again." When Himawari said that, Tsukino's figure-eight eyes shot open, and her face broke into a beaming smile. "[excited]Yeah!" In the end, Himawari bought that yellow cut-and-sew and the hairpin. Seven hundred yen total. It was cheaper than her hourly wage at the late-night job, but for Himawari, it felt like a precious purchase—like reclaiming something she had given up on two years ago. Wandering through the shopping district, the two of them peeked into shop after shop. In front of the hardware store, Tsukino whispered, "That old guy seems super unfriendly, but he actually loves cats." Sure enough, when Himawari saw the old man feeding a stray cat in the back of the shop, she burst out laughing. In front of the fish shop, they were overwhelmed by the proprietress's booming voice. "You girls! You're young, so you gotta eat fish! Today's mackerel is fatty and super delicious!" Swept up by her energy, Himawari ended up buying a mackerel. In front of the Chinese restaurant "Ryuuka," Tsukino puffed out her chest and declared, "My regular spot!" The fried rice was five hundred fifty yen a plate. Sharing it between them, it was so perfectly crumbly and aromatic that Himawari's eyes sparkled again. A little past one in the afternoon, the two of them arrived at the riverbed of the Minase River. A twenty-minute walk from the station. Along the banks of the river, about thirty meters wide, stretched a long, narrow promenade. It being a holiday, there were a fair number of people jogging and walking their dogs. The two of them went down the stairs and sat down in the grass by the riverside. The river flowed slowly, and occasionally a small bird pecked at the water's surface. "[gentle]...This is a ni

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Episode 3

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

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