What if Honma Himawari Had Quit the Audition That Day? - Episode 6

3:17 AM. Honma Himawari stood in front of the register at Daily Port Minase South Gate. Her usual navy blue apron. Her soft, fluffy brown bob. Her slightly overgrown bangs held back with a yellow hairpin. "[gentle]Welcome, welcome—" The automatic doors slid open, and a middle-aged man in a suit walked in. He bought a canned coffee and a rice ball, then left immediately. Silence returned. It was dark outside. The lukewarm wind of late spring occasionally slipped in through the gaps in the automatic doors. The bossa nova playing over the store's satellite radio felt strangely distant. (*What did that comment mean, anyway?*) Himawari glanced at her phone. The comment section of the channel "Himawari and Tsukino's Late Night Radio." *"You two are quite interesting. Would you like to talk sometime? I'm from Nakajima Promotion."* Nakajima Promotion. Himawari knew it. A fairly well-known talent agency in Osaka. They put a lot of effort into their comedy division and frequently got their talent on TV. And that agency was reaching out to *us*— "[whispers]...Feels like a dream." She leaned her elbows on the register counter. That day, she'd stood on the Gera Night stage with Tsukino. Their fifty-first attempt. Their first success. And then, on the train home, they'd found that comment. She'd called Tsukino immediately. "[excited]Tsukino! Did you see it?! The comment! It says Nakajima Promotion!" "[surprised]Wait, seriously?! Hold on, let me look again!" At two in the morning, at Minase Station, they'd huddled together over the phone. Tsukino's eyes had grown wider and wider. "[excited]Is this for real?! It's their official site account! Look, there's the verification mark!" "[surprised]Whoa, it is! Oh man, what do we do?!" "[excited]What do you mean, what do we do?! Just hearing them out is fine! Tomorrow—no, it's already today—let's contact them!" At that moment, they'd both jumped for joy. But. Four days had passed since then. Tsukino still hadn't contacted them. At first, she'd said, "I need to send a proper email." Then she'd agonized, "Maybe a phone call would be better." Yesterday, it was, "After I've got a bit more material for our streams." Himawari understood. Tsukino was scared. Getting her hopes up again. Being let down again. Someone who'd bombed fifty-one times had finally gotten one chance. What if she let it slip away? What if it was just a prank? "[whispers]...Tsukino." Himawari closed her phone. She looked at the clock. 3:21 AM. Almost time. The usual time. The time Tsukino always came. ──────── Five minutes later. The automatic doors rattled open. "[serious]Himawari. You here?" Bright red short hair. A little bun above her left ear. Big, round black eyes. But she didn't have her usual energy. "[gentle]I'm here. Welcome." Tsukino walked up to the register and stopped. She stared at the floor. Three seconds of silence. "[serious]...So, um. I still haven't contacted them." "[gentle]Yeah. I know." "[sad]...I don't even know why myself. It's a chance. A chance I finally grabbed." Tsukino's voice was trembling. "[sad]One phone call. One email. That's all it is. And I can't do it. My fingers won't move. I remember bombing on stage before. I remember being told, 'You have no talent.' And then—" Her words stopped. Tears welled up in Tsukino's eyes. She was biting her lip. Just the right corner, still slightly upturned. Himawari stepped out from behind the register. She stood in front of Tsukino. They were about the same height. Their eyes met. "[gentle]Tsukino." "[sad]...What." "[gentle]I'm scared too." Tsukino looked up. "[gentle]I'm someone who ran away two years ago, too. The Nijisanji audition. I made it to the final round and then withdrew. Because I was scared. Scared of getting my hopes up. I felt like if I failed—I wouldn't be myself anymore." Himawari placed a hand on her own chest. Her heart was pounding. "[gentle]But now I think... what if I hadn't run away back then? What would have happened? Maybe I could have realized it sooner. That there are things I can do, too." "[whispers]...Himawari." "[gentle]So, Tsukino. I don't want to run away this time. I want to face this properly, together with you. Whether Nakajima Promotion is the real deal or not—that's for you to figure out. Not me. It's your decision to make." Himawari took Tsukino's hand. It was cold. Trembling. "[gentle]But if you think, 'Maybe just hearing them out'—then I'll follow you. Wherever you go." A tear spilled from Tsukino's eye. Just one. "[whispers]...You really are..." "[laughing]What? Gonna call me 'cool' again?" "[angry]As if! Like I'd ever say that!" Tsukino rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, then bounced on her heels. "[excited]Alright!" A loud voice echoed through the entire convenience store. "[surprised]Wha—hey, Tsukino, you're too loud!" Tsukino pulled her phone from her pocket. She tapped the screen. "[serious]...Sent." "[surprised]Huh?" "[serious]An email. To Nakajima Promotion. 'I'd like to hear what you have to say.'" Himawari's eyes went wide. "[surprised]What?! Right now?! Here?! In a convenience store in the middle of the night?!" "[excited]Why not?! Momentum! You can't overthink this stuff! When your body wants to move, you move!" "[laughing]Jeez! You're so extreme, Tsukino! You were crying just a minute ago!" "[serious]I cried, so now I feel better! Once a person cries, they get their nerve back!" Tsukino's face was already smiling. The trembling from moments ago had vanished completely. "[excited]Besides—you said all that cool stuff, so I got my nerve too. 'Follow you wherever you go'—I thought it was a proposal!" "[surprised]Wha—?! N-no, it wasn't! Nothing like that!" "[laughing]Your face is all red!" "[angry]No, it's not!" Himawari touched her own cheeks. Hot. They were definitely a little hot. (*Honestly, Tsukino, you're impossible!*) Just then, her phone vibrated. Tsukino looked at the screen. She froze. "[whispers]...Tsukino? What's wrong?" "[serious]...They replied." "[surprised]What?! Already?! It hasn't even been a minute since you sent it!" "[serious]'Are you free tomorrow? Could you come to our office in Osaka? We'd like to talk in detail.'—it says." Himawari held her breath. A reply came. A real reply. "[excited]Tomorrow! It says tomorrow! Himawari, can you go?!" "[surprised]Huh? Oh—tomorrow I'm... off from work!" "[excited]It's settled! Tomorrow, we're going to Namba! We're barging into Nakajima Promotion's office together!" Tsukino shoved her phone into her pocket and dashed toward the automatic doors. "[excited]Wait, I'm still on my shift—" "[excited]It's fine! I'll wait outside! Until your shift's over, I'll wait while writing material in my notebook!" The doors rattled open, and Tsukino burst outside. "[laughing]You idiot!" Himawari returned to the register. But her face relaxed into a smile. (*Tomorrow—*) Her heart was racing. She was scared. But this "scared" was different from before. It was the exciting kind of "scared." (*I don't know what'll happen. But—*) She looked at her phone. The channel's comment section. Subscribers had grown to eighty-three. *"Good luck tomorrow!"* *"We're rooting for you!"* *"Tsukino-san, please don't bomb again lol"* "[laughing]That last one—is that even support? That's just a tsukkomi." Himawari laughed out loud. The bossa nova on the satellite radio sounded just a little livelier than before. Outside, next to the vending machine, Tsukino had opened her material notebook. Under the streetlight, her bright red hair stood out vividly. Watching her, Himawari murmured quietly. "[whispers]...As long as I'm with Tsukino, I'll be okay." A convenience store late at night. The usual place. But tomorrow would be different from usual. (*Let's go. Together.*) Placing her hands on the register counter, Himawari gave a small nod. Her yellow hairpin caught the fluorescent light and sparkled. ——3:33 AM. The quiet night in Minase City was about to end.

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Episode 6

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

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