Subaru: I forgoooooooooooooooot!
Hokuto: Whoa! Wh-What's the matter, Akehoshi? You nearly gave me a heart attack just now!
Makoto: Good moooorning, Akehoshi-kun... What'd you forget?
Mao: Are you still dreaming, sleepyhead?
Subaru: Nu huh, it's the cherry blossoms, the cherry blossoms! I forgot! I was wishing on 'em!
Hokuto: The cherry blossoms? They're blooming quite late this year, so they're still buds right now, aren't they...?
Subaru: Sorry, I'll be riiight back!
Hokuto: Where're you going? Hey, Akeho... Huh.
I've got no idea what's going on with that guy... I'll go fetch him, so sit tight.
And if the teachers come back before I do, I'd appreciate it if you explained what's going on to them.
Mao: Roger that~.
Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms... Anything coming to mind on your end, Makoto?
Makoto: Huh? Um... I feel like they bloomed way earlier last year, especially compared to this year.
Ah, I remember the way they unfurled their petals and blossomed right before my very eyes, as if by magic.
Or rather, in front of our eyes — that was the first time that the four of us in Trickstar gathered together, wasn't it? Beneath the cherry blossom tree?
Mao: Oh, for real? So it was around then that we got together, huh...
Last year, me and Makoto were in the same class together, and Subaru and Hokuto shared one too.
But honestly, we weren't buddy-buddy at all at the start... If I remember right, we sorta just hit it off after being paired off for the same work.
Wasn't that in the fall though?
You know, when we participated in that DreamFes together as "Model First Years".
Makoto: No, not when we came together as a unit... There was another time before that when the four of us happened to meet up.
It really left an impression on me, so I remember it pretty well.
That was in spring, though, I'm sure of it... The cherry tree bloomed right in front of us.
Now that I think about it, didn't Akehoshi-kun make some kind of wish that day? Maybe that's what he's been talking about?
Mao: Your guess is as good as mine, dude. Huh...
Wait, I think you're right.
Man, how could I forget that? It was the first moment we'd stood together, I can't believe I didn't remember it sooner.
Makoto: Don't worry about it, Isara-kun. You were always so busy day after day... I'm sure you had plenty of things to remember, and it just got pushed out of your head.
It’s not like anything special happened on that day we met.
The tree might've been blooming from the start, and I just hadn't realized it... it just seemed like they bloomed for us.
We were all looking up at the starry sky that night.
It makes sense that you wouldn't have noticed or remembered it, Isara-kun.
Mao: C'mon, don't say that~. It was a pretty important moment for us, y'know? The sort of thing we'd write about in our autobiographies once we hit it big as idols.
Ahaha... Look at me, getting ahead of myself. I act like we won the world cup of idols, when really all we've done is win the DDD.
We're still total nobodies, all in all.
Makoto: That's fine though, right? It's good to dream big, and we've managed to do something amazing...
I think we've earned the right to get a little carried away, right? ♪
Mao: Ahaha, I feel like you're just too timid as a person, or at least that your esteem's normally rock bottom... If anything, you oughta let yourself get carried away by more things.
You're a pretty alright guy now, but before you were always shaking and second-guessing yourself on stuff, it was pretty grating.
I really felt like a bully whenever we met up back then, y'know?
Makoto: Um, you sorta were, though~? You made a pretty bad impression on me the moment we met, Isara-kun...
Mao: Really? Well, I mean, it was for work! What else could I do, huh? ... Though I guess it'd be bad to excuse how I was back then just 'cause we're so chummy now.
... Ah, shoot, sorry. Seems like we've totally lost you, transfer student.
Makoto: Sorry, we didn't mean to leave you out like that... It must be pretty hard to follow a convo you've got no memories with, huh?
You weren't here last year, so you've got no idea what happened back then.
Mao: Hold up, have you guys really not told her anything that happened last year?
Well, I guess a lot has happened since she transferred in... It feels like it's been a lot longer than it has been because of that, but it's only been a month since then.
We didn't really have any time to spare for chats like that, huh?
Still, that makes me feel like we've been pretty cold~. I mean, we really do owe you a lot, even putting aside the DDD. And on a more personal note, you've definitely become one of our best friends.
So let's keep learning more about each other, talking about all kinds of things and such... I wanna hear about your old school too, Transfer Student, so don't hesitate to jump in.
I mean, we're practically family now, aren't we? It sure feels like we're close as kin~. So... there'll be no secrets between us.
How about this? Since Hokuto and Subaru haven't come back, and the teachers won't start until they do...
Why don't we kill some time talking about what happened back then?
Maybe it's because I'm tired as hell from performing in the DDD, to the point that I feel like I'm about to fall right out of my seat...
But my mind keeps wrapping back around to those days, and the memories we made then.