Daikagura! Celebratory New Year’s Live | Stars of Hope - 1

[healingbonds]

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Location: Daikagura Stage


Souma: Everybody! It is finally the day of the “Daikagura”!

Ah, my blood boils! A head-on battle between the deeply fated “Trickstar,” and us, “Akatsuki!”

I cannot stop trembling with excitement; I have been waiting eagerly for this day¹!

Now, let us play a fair game.... ☆


Keito: Don’t rush ahead, Kanzaki. We’re still making final adjustments right before the curtains rise. Be calm; focus with all your mind to ensure that you won’t make a single slip-up

...Though I’m relieved to see that you’re not out of it because of the New Year’s break


Kuro: Yup, it’s really good to see that you’re energized. Kanzaki, stop hopping around and come over here

Actually, “Trickstar,” you guys also line up here, I’m gonna make minor adjustments to the “Daikagura” outfits


Keito: Please do. I feel at ease when Kiryu is around, because I can leave all sorts of things to him


Souma: I feel the same! I always look forward to outfit-fitting time.... ♪


Kuro: Haha, I’m grateful that you feel that way. But remember that Hasumi--and I, too--might be absent because of sickness, or whatever other reasons, at times

Don’t assume that we’re always going to be fully prepared

I’m not going to say something ridiculous, like, “learn to do absolutely everything,” but

....We’re going to graduate soon; it’s good to treasure the present, but be sure to think about the future “Akatsuki,” as well


Souma: Uu~mu... Even if you say that, to me, the fact that Hasumi-dono and Kiryu-dono exist is the same as the existence of the land and the sun in this world

I cannot imagine what it will be like when you are gone


Keito: ....We’re about to begin, Kiryu. Let’s leave lectures and the like for later, and do what we have to do


Kuro: Gotcha. The “Daikagura” is Japanese-style, so it’s our homeground, but “Trickstar” is also on a roll after coming back from the “SS”

We can’t let our guard down; let’s be fully prepared²

If we lose badly on our own turf, that’ll really put us in a place where we can’t afford to think about the future

Let’s casually kick the little men aside, and prove “Akatsuki’s” valor ♪


Subaru: Ahaha! Scaaary, please, go easy on us~ ☆


Kuro: You don’t look scared at all, Akehoshi. As usual, you’ve sure got guts, man.... Are there any problems with your outfit?


Subaru: Nope! It’s surprisingly super duper easy to move around in~, I could dance Rumba like this ☆


Kuro: Haha. It’s little miss Anzu’s achievement. She’s the first person to go to about “Trickstar”

She designed the outfits while thinking about the range of motion for your joints

I checked the data, too, but Yuuki... You’re surprisingly flexible, huh?


Makoto: Eh, me?

Well, I was told that models need to make all sorts of poses, so when I was little, I trained to make myself more flexible~ ♪

When you make an effort as a child, it becomes a treasure for years to come, doesn’t it. Recently, I’ve really come to understand that


Kuro: Is that so. But don’t get too full of yourself and make the mistake of ruining that gift of yours, all right?

You’ve put on some weight, so your outfit’s gotten tight


Mao: Ahaha. Seems like Makoto shut himself up indoors and played games all through New Year’s break

If you don’t move and only eat high-calorie foods like mochi, yeah, you’re gonna gain weight

I wonder if I should diet a little, too~, I ate too much osechi³ and stuff


Hokuto: You said that your little sister pressed you to eat food you didn’t like, didn’t you

I’m the same. My mother only eats what she wants to eat, and... My father told me, “just eat a lot,” and made me eat a ridiculous amount of mochi


Mao: Ahaha. Hokuto, I relate to you when it comes to stories about our families.... But you don’t look like you’ve gained any weight at all?


Hokuto: It’s hard for me to gain weight; I’ve always been like this. Akehoshi, on the other hand, haven’t you lost weight? Are you all right?


Subaru: Really? I’m the type whose weight hardly changes....

My mom was off from work on New Year’s--it’s New Year’s, after all--and I was so happy that I had her pay lots of attention to me, I wonder if that’s why

I did all sorts of things; I visited lots of shrines, and pounded rice⁴ at home! I also played games with the kids in my neighborhood!

Hagoita, sugoroku, fukuwarai⁵.... Ahaha ☆


Hokuto: Hm. If you enjoyed your New Year’s break to the fullest, that’s good

....My father was worried about you. He asked me, “Why don’t you invite Subaru-kun and his mother over,” a number of times

When I called you, you sounded like you were having fun, so I couldn’t ask you, but


Subaru: Ooh, Hokke-papa sure pays attention. From what I’ve heard from my mom, it seems like he’s cared for us really well up till now, so...

I’d feel a little bad if we depended on him any more than this


Hokuto: You don’t need to worry about it. I was also just lonely because I didn’t see everyone over New Year’s break

First Sunrise - 7 << | index | >> Stars of Hope - 2



1. The literal translation of this idiom is “I have made my neck long like a kirin waiting for this day," meaning you stretch your neck searching for something you really want to see. A “kirin” is a giraffe and a mythical creature; in context, the idiom obviously refers to a giraffe because of the long neck. However, Souma uses the kanji, which in modern day is more often used to refer to the mythical creature. This is likely just Souma being Souma, as he does not speak in katakana.
2. 褌を締めてかかる = tighten up one's loincloth (fundoshi), an idiom that basically means “brace yourself”
3. Japanese New Year foods
4. Pounding rice in order to make mochi, rice cakes
5. Hagoita is a wooden paddle used to play hanetsuki, a badminton-like game. Presumably he's talking about playing hanetsuki. Sugoroku is a board game. Fukuwarai is also a game, explained in the footnotes of chapter 1