Projection★The Magic Lantern That Reflects the Heart - Prologue

(The middle of October, in the Starmony Dorms Courtyard)

Subaru: Heeey, Daikichiiii~? Where'd ya goooo?

First tag, and now hide-and-seek...? I’ve never been able to beat you at either, Daikichi!

(No gooood... Dammit, I was too careless. I thought it'd be fine to take him off his leash as long as we were around the dormitory...

Since I usually keep him leashed up, it'd be nice to let him have a taste of freedom every once in a while! Or so!! I had thought!!

Just goes to show you that me and Daikichi both love our freedom... ☆

But I really didn't think this through... Me and Daikichi are the same way, so of course he'd be so happy that he'd just go wild...

It’s not the season for dogs to be frolicking outdoors just yet, though~…)

Sora: Heeeeey! Sparkling-oniisan~!

Subaru: Huh? That voice's...

Where's it coming from, uh... Oh, found you! Heeey, yellow kid~

What're you doing all the way up there? That's dangerous, you know! You're gonna get hurt if you fall!

Sora: Haha~♪ Sora's playing by himself! He's been playing a game where he tries to get from school, to the dorms, allll the way back to his room — without ever touching the ground~♪

Subaru: Wow, sounds fun! Though I don’t really see the point in it!

Sora: Games are fun precisely ‘cause you don’t try to find a point in them! That's what Master says~♪

Subaru: Ahaha, that really does sound like something Natsume'd say... Something preeetty complicated that might or might not make any sense at all! It’s Natsumese!

Sora: Nope, it's a magic spell ♪

Subaru: That magic or spell stuff you guys talk about is all another game of make-believe too, isn’t it? ...Well, whatever.

Yellow kid! Sorry to interrupt your playtime, but have you seen Daikichi anywhere?

Sora: Daikichi? Is that your dog?

Subaru: Yep! Mom usually takes care of him while I'm busy with work, so when I finally got to see him after a while... He'd turned into a real rowdy pupper!

It's 'cause she spoils him to bits and pieces.

Sora: Hmm-hmmm... So Daikichi ran away ’cause you’re a lot stricter than your mom and he didn’t like that?

Subaru: Well, Mom spoils me to... but I'm the type of Subaru Akehoshi that's known for being super strict with himself and others.

Sora: Are there other types? Do they have different colors?

Subaru: Nope, not at all! I'm the ONE AND ONLY...☆

...Uh, what were we talking about? You really grab onto the weirdest parts of conversations and veer them way off-course, don't you, yellow kid.

Sora: Does he? Though Sora hasn't been told he's been "weird" that much recently, you know~?

But! Since it seems like Sora did something he shouldn’t have, he's gonna help you look for Daikichi to make up for it! Maybe it'll be easy for Sora to spot him from way higher up~♪

Subaru: Err, it's not really your fault or anything though... And when I say weird, it's just like, we're just on sliiightly different pages — though I'm one to talk, I guess.

Sora: Hihi~♪ Gottem! Daikichi's tearing up the ground over in the corner of the courtyard~

Sora's glad he was moving like that! Wild animals are really good at hiding, so it's hard for Sora to see their colors, yanno?

—Okie-dokie! That-a-way, Sparkling-oniisan!

Subaru: Wh-whoa there, don't just jump down! That's super dangerous...

Sorry, sorryyyy, I really got in the middle of your playtime, didn't I.

Sora: It's okay! Everyone else's happiness comes before Sora's fun!

Subaru: Hummm-mmmm, my dad was that kind of idol, too... The more you love someone like that, and the more important they are to you, the harder it is to be around them.

Sora: ...? Sora doesn't get it, but look! Right over there~! Daikichi!

Subaru: Ohhh, you're right. Thanks, yellow kid! You sure are sharp-eyed, aren'tcha?

Sora: That's Sora's specialty! He's always really good when it comes to finding Easter eggs~

Subaru: It's not really the time of year for Easter though? Wait, is that some kind of game term? Natsume loves saying weird stuff like that too, and then he’ll start laughing and grinning to himself~.

Well, whatever. C'mere, Daikichi... What do you think you're doing, just deserting your lordship like that? That kind of disgraceful behaviour from a pet is gonna bring shame to the Akehoshi family name.

Sora: You don't have to go that far... Or is that just a lighthearted joke you can make since he’s family?

...Huhu~?

Subaru: What's up now, yellow kid?

Sora: Well... There's something really super sparkly where Daikichi was digging.

Subaru: For real? Daikichi looooves sparkly stuff too, after all~. It's an Akehoshi family trait!

Us Akehoshis devote ourselves from infancy to learning the secret arts of sparkles!

But, uh... there's nothing actually shiny there? It's kinda dirty, but it sooort of looks like there's some kind of machine buried there?

Sora: Yeah! That's what was sparkling to Sora!

Hmmmmm~? Sora's never seen anything like this before... What is it?

Could it be part of a spaceship, or...?