Ranmaru Kurosaki - The two of you are idols

“I’ve heard that the ingredients and flavoring of oden are different depending on the region. Is this one Kansai-style? Kanto-style?”
“That seems hard to tell, indeed. Anyhow, could I get a Bailey's Milk?”
“Oi, you won't find that at a food cart. 'Sides, that's just wrong.”
Camus looks at me begrudgingly.
…This has become troublesome.
This all started ‘cause of Shining; the old man came up with the idea for a show.
One fine morning, the four of us were tossed into a car and taken to some unknown place deep in the mountains. For three days, we were forced to survive together.
The four of us being put into a unit was already common knowledge, but this would serve as extra publicity of sorts.
Obviously, this lineup was never going to work out, and just when I thought that this hell of a survival shoot was finally over….
On the way back, Reiji was drivin’ and got lost, and that's how we ended up at this oden cart at the foot of the mountains.
Maybe it's 'cause they were serious about the whole survival project, but the only piece of recording equipment we had was a video camera that was operated by hand.
We recorded footage as we saw fit on our way here, until the power finally ran out. Whatever, it was just footage of us on our way back, so it would’ve been cut during editing anyway.
The four of us sat in a line and took up all the space at the counter.
The other customers… actually, there isn’t even anyone else walking 'round the neighborhood.
“Hey, Ranmaru, which one is it? Kansai? Kanto?”
Oh, just shut up.
It’s the same food no matter what.
Disregarding the rest of them, I start ordering.
“We’ll start with beef tendon, chicken meatball, boiled egg, radish, and… ah, fish cake, deep-fried tofu, konjac, shirataki noodles.”
“Hold on. You don’t even have vodka, what is the meaning of this?”
Camus starts houndin’ the old man minding the cart.
“Ranran, don’t forget to order ganmo! If we’re having oden, we gotta have that.”
Reiji leans on the counter, resting his chin in his hands and giving me directions.
“So it’s Kanto-style after all.”
Ai decides he’s figured it out on his own and nods to himself.
These guys….
“Sir, do as ya like for the rest.”
“You got it.” The man minding the deserted cart nods at us.
When our order arrives, Reiji takes his beer in one hand and stands up. Usually, Reiji is the one who’s in charge of this sorta stuff.
“Alright, good work everyone these past three days! Now then, altogether~”
“Time to dig in.”
“Wha—!?”
I put my hands together and, next to me, Reiji is taken aback.
“You got a problem?”
At any rate, this is the first decent meal we’ve had in three days.
“The ganmo is so good~! Aahhh, it’s a great time to be alive~”
“Quit the chit-chat and just eat, Reiji. Once we’re done, we’re leaving.”
“Waah, how scaaary….
But really, Ranran worked the hardest out of all of us for this shoot in the end.”
“Geez…. Getting thrown into a slightly different environment is enough to turn you guys into big whiners. Particularly you two, Reiji and Camus.”
Ai speaks up while taking small sips of his glass of water.
“Why you! Don’t speak so arrogantly when you couldn’t even start a fire!”
“But Camus, you also got Ranmaru to do it in the end. In this day and age of modern Japan, people who can create fire from nothing are simply unusual.”
“Hmph. ‘Unusual’ people such as cavemen?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“What the hell, you guys….”
Come to think of it, over the past three days, it was these two who passed the time nonchalantly even in the cold or on empty stomachs.
As a result, they were the ones who kept asking others to do things. And this is what I get.
I’m a little pissed off but….
I gotta fill my stomach first, so I ask the old man working the cart for extra chicken meatballs, radish, and fried tofu.
We came across the stall by chance, but the flavors have been enhanced by the broth, and it tastes delicious.
“In the end, it was basically Ranmaru and myself who gathered food.
The remaining two of you were hopeless.
In terms of mobility, even Syo and Natsuki would have been more help than both of you.”
Just as Ai said, it was the two of us who did all the work of gathering food.
I was the one who caught fish in the river in spite of the cold.
He stood by the riverside, directin’ me to where the fish were.
“Waaahhhh, Mister, did you hear that just now?
I…! Even though I worked equally hard too~!”
Reiji starts kicking up a fuss about being treated too harshly by his coworkers, going on about not being shown kindness even though he’s older and whatever. The old man silently places an egg on Reiji’s plate.
“What? That ain’t fair.”
“Oh Mister, you’re too kind…!
Reiji here is deeply moved!”
He jumps up from his seat, his body swaying back and forth.
Reiji’s energy is gradually getting stranger.
His behavior’s always been eccentric, but now he’s completely drunk.
Maybe because he’s feelin’ the cold, but he quickly returns to his seat and leans in close to me.
“Heheh, drinking a lot~?
By th’ way, what are things like between you and Kouhai-chan?”
“Hah…?”
After emptying my glass, I had grabbed another bite of deep-fried tofu when my hands stopped unintentionally.
“She asked you to be her partner, right?”
“Hmm?”
“Just hearing about it now, huh?”
At Reiji’s words, the other two show a sudden interest.
As Reiji grins at me, he takes a bottle of beer in hand and fills up my glass.
Meanwhile, he’s moved onto hot sake.
“Where the hell did you hear that?”
“Tee hee, I’m not telling~
Even though sweet Kouhai-chan asked you with all her might, seeing you act so cold towards her, I couldn’t stand it~”
He probably got his information from… Ren or Masato.
Damn the two of them.
At the live show the other day, that girl asked me to be her partner.
‘Course I turned her down, but she kept running into me.
She was an absent-minded woman who I noticed was often getting into trouble.
“So, are you going to partner with her or not? Have you already given her your answer?”
“Ooh Ai-Ai, you’re super interested now too, I see~”
Quit butting in only when it interests you.
“That has nothin’ to do with it.
And if you’re so interested, one of you guys pair up with her.”
“Oh Ranran, no need to be so bashful. C’mere, you!”
“Hrrrk!”
As I move for more of the fried tofu, Reiji starts hitting my back mercilessly.
Knock it off. Anyway, this tofu is really hot.
After that, following a lot of quarrelling, the owner announced that it was closing time so we decided to leave.
“The night breeze feels so good~”
Since Reiji has had a lot to drink and can’t drive, we are going on foot.
“I wonder where the station is.”
“Even if we reach one, we don’t know if we’ll be able to get on a train. I would call a taxi, but….”
“This deep in the mountains, we can’t even get a signal. What should we do with the car we used to get here?”
“I don’t know.”
Behind me, I can hear Camus and Ai muttering about something.
Next to me, Reiji has his arms spread wide, walking on the edge of the curb on the side of the road.
“Ranran, didn’t you say you had a license?”
“Only for a motorcycle. ‘Sides, that’s outta the question ‘cause you made me drink too.”
“For a pair of adults, you two really are stupid. You don’t even have a plan?”
A voice speaks up from behind us.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay from time to time! I mean, we hardly get the opportunity to go on walks together under a starry sky like this.”
“I’ve seen enough of you these past three days.”
Camus grumbles aloud as he looks up at the sky.
“Ouch, so cold~
But in those three days, we’ve forged an honest relationship with everything laid bare, haven’t we?”
“Don’t spout such nonsense. Besides, *you* were the one who pushed me into the river first.”
“Hah, serves the count right.”
“The suit took a long time to dry.”
We whine and complain as we keep walking the streets, not knowing where they will lead.
“Oh, speaking of, we’re having a meeting tomorrow about the unit song. I wonder if we’ll make it back before then.”
Maybe the walking has helped him sober up a bit, but Reiji says that aloud as if he’s suddenly remembered.
That’s right. We scheduled a meeting to talk about the unit song.
“Gotta put up with seein’ all of your faces again tomorrow….”
That means I’ll be seeing that absent-minded woman’s face again too.
As if seeing these three isn’t troublesome enough.
…What a pain.
Just as I was thinking that, before I knew it, the sky in front of me started to lighten up.
“Tomorrow, huh… More like today.”
You gotta be kidding me….
“Okay everyone! Let’s run towards the sun!”
“You can run on your own.”
“Mm, it seems we’ve finally made it to an area with reception.”
With the morning sun pouring over us, we quietly make our way home.