13 hours ago
The air in the Bamboo Grove after three months feels special, yet strangely unfamiliar. The joy of reclaiming this invaluable space, which I wouldn’t trade for anything, is fleeting.
During the past three months that I was gone, someone graduated from our school, and someone new enrolled. So, I can’t really claim the Bamboo Grove is the same place I remember.
But that’s okay. My time that was paused… the second hand of my clock has just started moving again.
The Bamboo Grove… I solemnly declare that I have returned to this precious place that holds everything about me, the third thing I love most in this world.
In that regard, tomorrow I’m planning to worship by watching the idol debut stage cam of Misono Mika, T-party host. Weekend agenda? What is it again?
Honestly, I feel like I could faint right there, but what excuse could I possibly conjure up to kick the family out of the house?
Anyway, writing in the grove after so long feels like being reborn. This is life, and this is XX.
I hope everyone does well this year too.
– Third? Third? Third? Third? Third?
The betrayal feels unreal… I thought this was just a fellow comrade whose first love was also the grove. Guess they had other priorities.
– So who the heck is this person?
Now, second-year Shirase Azusa (confirmed)
– Author – Not me, Azusa.
– Oh, it’s Misono Mika again. I must worship her. Please share the video, I beg you ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– Author – No way. This is something I’ll keep to myself for life.
– If the grove is third, what are the first and second then?
– The first is my love, my light, my darkness, my life, my joy, my sorrow, my rest, my soul, and everything that comprises me… ‘Misono Mika, T-party host.’ The second is Skullman.
– Mika-chan is definitely acknowledged. But what do you mean by being able to faint?
– What? Mika-chan? Is she your friend? Show some respect.
– Huh? Yes, she’s my friend…
*
Three months had passed since Azusa was put under Bamboo Grove detention last Christmas. It was none other than Saori who had dragged her in front of me.
The two of them stood there frozen like statues, unable to even meet each other’s eyes, waiting for me to speak.
“Our Squirrel.”
“…Yeah.”
“Is the Bamboo Grove really that fun? During the time away I thought you were studying, but you don’t seem to be doing that now.”
“…”
“Well, I guess it could be fun. Yeah, I understand. But what is all this nonsense… Wow—oh.”
I don’t recall seeing it, but Azusa came here incognito? And even filmed a stage cam?
With that thought, I played the stage cam video boldly saved in Azusa’s gallery.
The angle of the camera following me was much closer than I thought, filmed from right under the stage.
Good thing she wore shorts during the performance. The angle makes everything so clearly visible. She’s pretty, and there’s a slight collectible value to this…?
“…Weird. I have no memory of seeing you there.”
“I went in disguise. I’m a secret guard.”
“A guard who doesn’t even know who they’re guarding?”
“Yup. That’s why it’s a secret.”
“These days guards have time to shoot videos too… okay, cool☆”
“That’s, um…”
“Shh. My Squirrel, can you just be quiet for a moment? You know, I’ve thought about it a bit, but time off for a certain period seems pretty meaningless.”
In these three months, how sad Azusa must have been, having to stay away from the Bamboo Grove she loves so dearly.
Yeah, I understand.
“No matter how I think about it, I feel like a lifetime ban would be more beneficial.”
“Not a lifetime…!”
“What? Who am I to enforce that ban? It’s just if Azusa-chan wants to, she can do it. I’m just saying I think that might be good.”
“So…?”
“What does Saori-chan think? As the first discoverer…”
Azusa’s trembling gaze shifted towards Saori and immediately dropped to her feet.
I could somewhat guess what kind of situation was happening between the two that they couldn’t even look at each other. After such an experience, they can’t make eye contact.
“…I think it’s better to impose a ban after all.”
“S-Saori?!”
“Heueng. I see. But what’s more important is Azusa-chan’s will. To make her listen, I suppose convincing Azusa-chan is the priority.”
“If that’s the case… Azusa needs to broaden her relationships like Hiyori or Misaki and invest her time in more constructive directions—”
“…Saori, if that’s the case, Atsuko just goes out to play with her friends. And you, Saori…”
“What does that have to do with anything? Not stopping training is all to get strong enough to protect Mika someday. Besides, I’ve got friend Hoshino from Abydos and other friends I met while working. Honestly, Azusa, aren’t you close with that Hifumi person?”
“Exchanging Momotalk weekly counts as a friend, Saori? And can you really call an encounter from the labor market a true friendship? Besides, I’m better off having Hifumi-chan as a close friend.”
“…Come on, both of you stop! Why are we suddenly having a diss battle? Calm down a bit. Okay?”
I really don’t understand why they get sensitive about topics that are fatal at just a brush.
Misaki knows her own path well, and Hiyori seems to appreciate the path I suggested. But Azusa and Saori seem to have no such thing, which makes me somewhat anxious.
Still, Saori saying all this makes me a bit hopeful. It’s been quite a while since we last sparred. I’m not sure if security is going to be needed after graduation…
“Azusa-chan, our promise was a three-month ban from the Bamboo Grove. Right?”
“Yeah. I made sure to keep that.”
“No, that’s not it, Azusa-chan. Starting from December 25 and accessing the Bamboo Grove on March 25… that’s like stopping right before the finish line and just lying down to sleep.”
“…Huh?”
“Too bad. This way, the gift might have slipped away.”
If it wasn’t for Saori’s tip-off, I might have missed this. Technically, from the time the gift was received, the chance for Azusa to be found innocent is quite high, but… this is for Azusa.
“Ah, no! Mika, give me one more chance!”
“But, a promise is a promise… what to do? I guess, sadly, that means you’re out. Hiyori could take it instead as she’s been working hard these days.”
I looked at Azusa’s expression as that was said. Her usual expression that’s hard to read now held a desperate glimmer. Then, with a resolution that seemed set, she looked up at me.
“I’ll… never access the Bamboo Grove again.”
“Eh?”
“And also, no matter the form of community, I won’t access it. So please give me a chance…”
“Azusa-chan, are you really willing to go that far? It’s just one gift. You might be disappointed when you actually see it.”
“…No, I still don’t quite know what I want to do. But I feel like doing something is better than wasting time in this community.”
“That’s a good mindset, Azusa. This could be your chance to join the labor market.”
…Please tell me Saori isn’t going to be running around in a work outfit and helmet, shouting “Safety good good good!”? I just hope she doesn’t come back influenced by some weird ideas from Minori.
“Mika, please erase everything here. I swear… I won’t even glance at the world beyond the screen again.”
“Wow—oh… how did our Squirrel suddenly become so admirable… okay, I guess there’s no helping it.”
“So, the chance is…?”
“Hahaha, why are you going so far just for a mere gift? Okay, I’ll give you another chance.”
“Phew, Hua. Thankfully I managed to keep the oversized Skullman plush safe. Well, that’s more important than the Bamboo Grove.”
“Oh, I see. You thought Hifumi-chan received something similar, huh? Well, that was not the case. But if that’s what you want, I can place the request right now. For our admirable Azusa-chan, of course.”
“Mika…!”
Azusa suddenly threw her arms around me. Watching her, Saori let out a chuckle. Meanwhile, she seemed to have a trace of envy on her face, a very unsettling feeling.
Especially thinking about how Azusa ended up here because her writings in the Bamboo Grove were confiscated, causing my stage cam… that I was using as material to tease Saori, came to mind… My head just hurts.
I still hadn’t come to a proper conclusion about the kids of Arius. The biggest issue, Nagisa, showed some stance but accepted she had no way around it, it seemed.
Atsuko was the only one in middle school, so I had reserved judgement, and I had postponed answers for the other kids out of sheer difficulty. When considering the distance Hiyori had shown recently, I feel they must still be sincere…
To put it plainly, if I accept one kid, I start lacking excuses to reject the other three. Juggling four relationships at once is already chaotic; adding four more just feels insane… which is what makes my head hurt.
…And not to mention Aco’s case.
Things have already gotten out of hand, but the necessity of looking ahead to that level is something I really need to think about later. After all, I only have one body.
“For now, Azusa-chan, I’ll leave the Bamboo Grove matter with you. I’ll give you a day as leeway. Think of it as a farewell time? After that, make sure to delete the Bamboo Grove yourself. You can do that, right?”
Azusa’s eyes sparkled as she nodded vigorously. With her seal of approval, I wondered if she was internally gushing over it.
…Not like it needs to be that exciting.
For now, I had things to do, so I sent the two of them off.
Then, I opened a Momotalk chat with the Teacher.
[Hello, Teacher☆]
[Do you have a moment?]
I said I’d give a day of leeway, but… sorry, Azusa. The Bamboo Grove is temporarily shutting down.
If we’re going to close it, we should do it thoroughly, right? Let’s not leave any lingering regrets, okay, Azusa?
