Pseudo blog:Cheironyx/Drama CD 2

**Potential spoilers:** up to episode 6 / chapter 13

M: Woooow... Hey Kei, this area's all food.

Ke: You're right.

M: This one's cereal... this is cereal too... cereal... cereal... more cereal... We're going to have really dry mouths. Ah, some seasoning.

This is popcorn! I wonder if it's for the theatre...? How do you make popcorn, again?
But you know, with this much food, maybe we'll be able to live here for a while. Right, Kei?
Ke: Hey, Miki...

M: What is it?

Ke: If we're alive... is that enough for you?

M: Huh?

Y: Zzz... zzzzz... zzzz...

M: Kei? ...Kei?

Y: Mmmnn...? Mii-kun? Mii-kun?

M: Nnh... Yuki-senpai...?

Y: Are you okay? You looked like you were having a nightmare.

M: \*yawn...\* I'm fine. I just had a dream about the past.

Y: A scary dream?

M: Senpai, do you sometimes have bad dreams too?

Y: Huh? Of course I do.

M: That's a surprise. You don't seem like you have any troubles, Yuki-senpai...

Y: Troubles?

M: Ah, no, never mind...

Y: Hey! I have scary dreams too, you know!

M: What sort of dreams?

Y: Dreams about exams...

M: E-exams?

Y: Dreams where I'm late for a test, or where I know I've written something but the test paper's totally blank...

M: That would be scary...

Y: Right? Right?

R: You two! Breakfast time!

Y+M: Okaaaay!

M: Dreams about exams... Come to think of it, I used to have those...

R: Everyone's here? Okay then...

All: Let's eat!

Y: \*scoff scoff...\*

K: Hey, eat a bit more calmly!

Y: But it's spaghetti! It's ca...carbonic acid!

K: You mean carbonara. Carbonic acid is from chemistry!

R: She was just having supplementary lessons yesterday. You remembered it perfectly. Good work, Yuki-chan!

Y: Ehehe...

K: "Perfectly"...?

M: Spaghetti carbonara... really is... delicious!

K: Whoa...

Y: I-it's so bright!

M: H-hey, please don't stare at me!

K: Well, it's nice that the food's tasty.

R: Indeed.

Y: I-it's class time already! See you later!

K: Okay! See ya!

R: Wait, Yuki-chan! Wipe your mouth, come on...

Y: Okaaay... Now, I'm off!

K: Say hi to Megu-nee!

Y: Okaaay!

R: She's always so impatient...

M: Thank you for the meal.

R: No, it was nothing.

K: Hey, sorry about earlier.

M: Earlier?

K: You know, teasing you when you were eating.

M: No, that was... It's true that the food here is delicious.

R: What sort of meals did you have over there, Miki-san? Did you do any cooking?

M: We didn't have any utensils, we just ate things as-is.

K: So you had food?

M: We were in a... I think you call it the "back of house"? The place that staff members use...

R: Yes...

M: It was connected to a storeroom, so there were plenty of food supplies and day-to-day items.

K: Wow, that's nice...

M: It was only "supplies". Most of it was cereal, and the rest was things like popcorn...

K: That'd be tough...

M: I survived thanks to it, though, so I can't complain.

K: Ah...

R: Oh...

M: Ah, that's why I said the meals here are really delicious...

R: Thank you.

K: We had it tough here too, at first...

R: It took a lot of work before we could harvest food from the rooftop gardens.

K: Eventually, we became self-sufficient.

M: "Men live that they may eat, whereas I eat that I may live."

K: What's that?

M: It's a phrase from Socrates.

K: Socra...tes?

R: A Greek philosopher.

M: Yes. He lived in the fifth century BC, and to be exact, his words were preserved through his student Plato.

K: "Men live that they may eat", huh... I wonder what we eat for?

M: Yuki-senpai said that she has bad dreams about exams.

R: Dreams about exams... now that you mention it, I haven't had any recently.

K: She's surprisingly serious about her studies.

M: I used to have those dreams too...

K: Yeah... Back then, it was all about studying, taking tests, going to a good school... It was such a pain.

M: We ate that we could study...

K: It wasn't that serious, but, well...

R: All that talk about university preferences and entrance exams feels like it was far in the past.

K: How long have we been here, again...?

M: It feels like a lot of time has passed since I met all of you.

K: It also feels like it was just yesterday...

R: This place never changes, after all.

Z: UuuUrRrrGh...

M: They're on the move...

K: It's the lunch break. Maybe they're going to the cafeteria?

R: When it rains they hide under the roof, and when it's clear they go out onto the oval...

K: Always repeating the same things...

M: Maybe we're sort of similar.

K+R: ...?

M: Don't you wonder, sometimes? Maybe all this time, we've been...

K+R: Ughhh... Gwaaah!

Y: I'm back! ...Huh? What's wrong, everyone?

R: I-it's nothing.

Y: You're hiding under the desks for nothing?

K: Ah, no, um, that's right! Spooky stories! We were telling spooky stories and got scared...

M: That's right! Spooky stories!

Y: You're all such kids, getting scared of spooky stories!

M: \*sigh...\*

R: You're early today, Yuki-chan...

Y: That's because Megu-nee asked me to do something...!

K: Megu-nee did?

Y: Yeah. She said to submit a report on our club activities...

K: A report...?

Y: Um, if she doesn't have a, what was it, "record of activities", Megu-nee says they'll be mad at her at the staff meeting...

R: That's not good...

K: Club activities, huh... Now you mention it, we haven't done anything lately...

Y: Tut tut tut...!

K: Hmm?

Y: It's not true that you "haven't done anything"! Kurumi-chan... you've been living!

K: Y-yeah...

R: I feel like she just said something deep...

M: But she hasn't thought about it very deeply.

Y: Y-yes, I have! See? Ta-da!

K: Huh? Art paper?

R: You're well prepared.

M: Let's see... "School Living Club..."

M+K+R: "Survival Cooking Tournament"?

Y: The School Living Club is a club about living. Living means surviving. And surviving means eating!

K: Uh...

M: Yes...

Y: And so...! The Survival Cooking Tournament! A colosseum of souls where we duel with recommendations for tasty preserved foods to eat each day!

M: I don't get it.

K: In other words, you just want to eat stuff, don't you?

Y: You could say that...

M: She's not denying it...

R: If we all made some food and held a contest, we'd be able to write a report...

Y: Just what I'd expect from Rii-san! Of course, that's exactly it!

K: Why, you... you hadn't thought that far! You only decided just now!

Y: No, no, no!

K: So? If we win, we get a prize, right?

M: Uhh... senpai?

Y: A prize... It'd be fun if we had one, wouldn't it?

R: Well then, how about this? Each person brings one item to recommend for tomorrow's dinner. However, rare items are not allowed.

Y: Heh heh...

R: The victor gets to choose one of the deluxe canned goods we brought back from the mall recently!

Y+K+M: Ooooooh!

Y: I want a can of Soft and Fluffy Rolled Omelettes!

K: Pulled-Apart Corned Beef, hands down!

M: There was a single can of Mapo Tofu, but would that be okay?

R: They're all fine. If I win, I'll take the can of Family-Style Genuine Mackerel in Miso, okay?

Y: Okay! Now we've decided, let's get to preparing! The School Living Club's First Survival Cooking Tournament... let the cooking begin!

K+R: Yeahhh!

M: Y-yeahhh...

K: Now then, what shall I pick?

R: Mine is a secret, okay?

M: You two are in quite high spirits.

K: Really?

R: Heehee, perhaps we are.

K: Hmm, is something the matter?

M: Even if we call it a tournament, we're just eating food. Is that really okay? We only have a limited amount of food supplies...

R: It's not just eating. It's a Survival Cooking Tournament, right?

M: That's just a name, isn't it!?

R: No, not just that. We're taking another look at our everyday meals... If we do that, perhaps we might notice something?

M: Hmm, I suppose...

K: Well, eating something tasty's more likely to give us good ideas than worrying and looking miserable...

M: \*sigh...\* You're right. I understand.

K: Oh? Are you more motivated now?

M: Yes. I'll look for a survival food to recommend too.

K: This one...? Nah, this one has its upsides too...

M: Our school's store really does have all sorts of items. Ah, Nummy Sticks!

R: There's also lots that we brought back from the mall, rather than the school store.

M: They were in the mall?

K: Okay, this one!

R: Which one?

K: Nope, it's a secret until the tournament, okay?

M: I'll take... this and this, then? Hmmm, but which one would be best...? This is pretty tough...

R: I'll take this one. Okay, I'll be off now!

K: Whoa, that's some impressive confidence... she'll be a powerful enemy.

Y: Whew, that's the washing done!

R: Ah, thank you, Yuki-chan!

Y: Ehehe...

R: Is this okay? Shouldn't you be going to choose a survival food...?

Y: Nope! I've already decided, so I'm fine! I'll be the winner for sure!

R: I won't lose, you know?

Y: Very well! I'd like to declare the first School Living Club Survival Cooking Tournament open!

K: All right!

M: Yeah!

Y: Now then! Lead judge Megu-nee, take it away!

R: Thank you for your help.

M: W-what do we do? About the judging?

K: Don't panic. It's the same as when we're dealing with them. We play it by ear and adapt quickly to whatever situation occurs.

M: In other words, we just take things as they come?

Y: Okay, let's start with our lead player, Mii-kun!

M: Ah, er, okay! H-here you go...

Y: Wow! It's curry rice!

M: I used packaged rice, and added keema curry and beef curry.

K: Whoa, this is great!

R: It's the usual retort rice, but when we eat it like this it has a different texture. How interesting!

Y: \*scoff scoff...\* Th-this is... Curry plus rice is double the tastiness! Two types of curry makes it four times! And if you eat it at triple the usual speed, that's three times four, so twelve times the power! Right, Megu-nee?

K: I don't really understand what she's saying...

R: But it seems to be "tasty", at any rate.

M: I often dreamed of food at the mall. The thing I dreamed of the most was curry.

K: I see...

Y: All done! Okay, we'll leave the marks for you to look forward to at the end, so next up is Kurumi-chan!

K: Okay! I've been holding onto these! Eat up!

Y: ...Cans? They're so big.

R: Is it okay to open these?

K: Go ahead, go ahead!

Y: Okay, pop! Whoa, it's bread!

R: ...It's sweet!

M: And soft...

Y: There are Danishes and ones with chocolate and orange in, too!

K: They'll never hit their best-before date! They're light and easy to carry around!

M: If only they'd had these at the mall too...

Y: \*scoff scoff...\* All done!

R: My, you're finished eating already?

K: I guess their weak point is that they're so light, so they don't fill you up as much as hardtack...

Y: No no, they're so soft and sweet, I'm totally satisfied! Okay, Rii-san, if you could?

R: Hmmm, the hurdle's risen considerably... Could you wait for a moment?

K: Ooh, that smells nice!

R: Here you go. It's simple, but...

Y: Wahaaa! That smells great!

M: Oiled sardines?

R: I opened the cans, added garlic, sprinkled them with soy sauce and spring onions, and cooked them in the microwave...

K: Mm, mmmm, s-so good! Serving it hot is unfair! But it's so good!

Y: Yeah, it's hot and tasty!

K: This is against the rules! Of course it's going to taste great!

R: If I'm not using heat, they would also be nice if I mixed them with vegetables and made something marinade-style, right?

Y: I want to eat that next time!

R: Okay. Well then, Yuki-chan, could I ask you for the last dish?

Y: Okaaay! I'll bring it right out!

M: Hardtack...?

R: This is nostalgic...

Y: That's right! The konpeito they include sometimes is tasty, right?

K: I've got nothing against it, but, well... you could've picked something a bit rarer, couldn't you?

M: You say this as you're eating it.

K: I said I've got nothing against it, didn't I?

Y: Heh heh heh... I have a reason for this!

R: A reason?

Y: Our first meal as the School Living Club was hardtack!

K: Come to think of it, you're right.

M: I ate hardtack at first too.

Y: And when we first ate hardtack together, we all thought, "it's good to be alive," right?

K: That's right.

R: Yes.

M: Yeah.

Y: We thought that being able to eat it with someone else was the happiest thing of all! Hmmm, so, um, it's not that hardtack is the greatest, but meals we all eat together are the greatest!

K: Heheh, that's against the rules!

M: Honestly... that's not fair, Yuki-senpai!

R: Heehee, that's true... it is unfair.

Y: Huh? You all think it's against the rules? Do you think so too, Megu-nee? No way!

M: Th-that doesn't mean you've lost, right?

R: That's right. We've learned that meals we all eat together are delicious, so there's no contest. How about tomorrow we all open the cans we wanted?

K: That might be good. Right, Megu-nee?

Y: Yeah, that's right, Megu-nee! It's just like Rii-san says!

R: Very well, the first School Living Club Survival Cooking Tournament has no winner! ...Or rather, everyone's the winner!

M: Yes.

K: No objections!

Y: Hold it!

M: Huh?

Y: Heh heh heh... It's not over yet!

K: What?

Y: Look, ta-da!

K: Th-that's...!

R: N-no way...

Y: Hardtack With Mayonnaise! If hardtack is already the greatest, then by adding a little twist, it can evolve even further!

K: No no no no, it doesn't need that little twist...

R: You just said that hardtack wasn't the greatest... Ohhh... Hm? This might actually work...

K: Really? ...Hmmm... It certainly could... I guess... Hmm, nah, not for me...

Y: Huh? It's not popular?

M: \*sniff...\*

Y: Huhhh? M-Mii-kun, what's the matter?

M: \*sob...\*

K: Was it so bad you're crying?

R: Here! Have some water!

M: N-no! It just... brings back memories...

Ke: Here, try this! What do you think?

M: What's this...?

Ke: I'm sick of eating cereal every day, so I tried adding a little twist!

M: Ketchup...? ...Um, er... Hmm, i-it's a new taste, isn't it?

Ke: Hmmm, no good...? But we have mayonnaise, soy sauce, and other sauces too!

M: Y-yeah... ...Er...

Ke: Huh?

M: I think... they'd taste better on their own after all...

Ke: Really...? I'm sorry.

M: Huh?

Ke: I know. We need to take care of our limited food supplies, right?

M: Y-yeah...

M: The mayonnaise-covered hardtack Yuki-senpai made had the same taste as something a friend made for me once before.

Y: The same taste?

M: The taste of food that someone had done their very best thinking up for me. That's why it reminded me...

R: It was full of feelings, right?

M: Yes. So, Yuki-senpai... thank you.

Y: That's not right, Mii-kun!

M: Huh?

Y: At times like this, you know what you should say!

M: Ah... heh... Thanks for the food.

Y+K+R: Thanks for the food!

Y: Zzz... zzzz... zzzzz... zzzzz...

K: Haaaah... You're still awake?

M: I'm writing the report for today. Otherwise Megu-nee will get scolded at the staff meeting.

K: I see... Don't push yourself, okay...?

M: I'm almost done.

K: Okay... Good night...

M: Good night, senpai.

M: As explained above, the effects of food are not limited to a simple nutritional viewpoint; it also has a significant effect on improving psychological stress. This is not restricted to mere taste; rather, the act itself of sitting around a dining table with the people around you eases people's hearts.

Y: Zzz... Let's all eat lots of tasty food together tomorrow, too... Ehehehe...

M: We eat that we may live. We don't live that we may eat. This fact separates us and them. Tomorrow, I will live, so that I can sit around the dining table with everyone else. School Living Club second year, Miki Naoki.

M: Hey, Kei. I'm sorry for staying quiet that day, okay? Spending every day in the mall, I had trouble breathing and couldn't speak very well, so I couldn't tell you. It really was tough to breathe there, and painful... but that's why you tried your hardest, right? The truth is, I was happy. Happy that you were coming up with ideas, happy that you were making food for me, happy that I could eat it with you... If we meet again, let's eat a meal together, okay? And then, I'll make sure to tell you... "Thanks for the food, Kei." Thank you... for that time!

### **Translation notes:**

* The "carbonic acid" is carboxylic acid in the original Japanese, but "carbonic" sounds closer to "carbonara" in English.
* The deluxe canned foods offered as prizes are actual Gakkou Gurashi tie-in goods sold by canned food restaurant Mr. Kanso.
* "Nummy Sticks" (unmaibo) are a reference to umaibo, a popular Japanese corn snack.
* Konpeito is a type of traditional Japanese sugar candy in the form of small, colourful stars.
* Although this drama CD is titled "Itadakimasu" (a Japanese phrase traditionally said before meals, giving thanks to everyone and everything responsible for bringing the food to your plate), it mostly revolves around the related phrase "gochisou-sama deshita", which is said after a meal and specifically focuses on thanking the person (or people) who cooked it.