Reminiscence ＊ Marionette/Prologue

Reminscene * Marionette/Prologue

This story has 21 chapters. This is only the prologue.

This story takes place after a competition against Valkyrie. 

This is happening in a classroom during spring time.

Color Guide: Nazuna, Hajime, Mitsuru, Tomoya

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Everybody~ Yew must be tired fwom dat… ♪

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Ahaha. Niichan, it looks like you’re the most “tired,” yanno! Get your energy up! Eat some bread! Bread bread bread~ ☆

Even though the live performance is over already, so what’re you going to do with more energy… But, I’m hungry too, aren’t I? Give me one of those breads, okay?

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Sure, yanno! A bit ago, on the way back, I stopped in the school store and bought them, yanno~ Which one do you want?

The round one or the one that’s not so round or~ I also have this floppy one and and this red one, yanno! ♪

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Say anpan or curry bread or whatever, okay? The way you explain it, I don’t know what you’re talking about…

*sigh*~ I’m beat. Really, I feel like I can’t even move one finger. Mitsuru, you sure are energetic, aren’t you~ You’ll go far, you know.

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I’ll “do stretching exercises?” That’s right, isn’t it! I moved around a bunch, so I need to loosen up my muscles! One, two, three, four! ♪

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No, not stretching exercises, “go far”... Seriously, why are you so energetic?

Huh!? Hajime? Are you okay? Are you alive?

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…Huuh!?

I-I’m sorry. It… seems I just fainted a bit there.

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You don’t have much stamina, do you, Hajime~ I can’t say much about that either, though.

Really, my feet just wouldn’t move for the whole last half, and all. My hat fell off in the middle of it, but I didn’t have the strength to pick it up, it was a mess.

Sorry, Niichan… I... held you back, didn’t I?

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What’re you sayin’, you did a great, great job, being able to move that much.

Even though you guys have almost no live performance experience, you made a great effort. Niichan will make some hot lemon tea for you.♪

It’ll warm you up, you know~ Drink up, drink up. Look here, I’ve got some hot towels, too, you know.♪

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Ohh~ … It’s warm, it feels good, doesn’t it…♪

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Niichan, look, look! Look, there was a lemon seed in it!

’m the big winner, yanno! If I plant it here, next year, we can eat as many lemons as we want, yanno! Ahahahaha! ☆

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Mitsuru-chin, rather, you’re so energetic, it’s worrying, isn’t it… Your body hasn’t come down from its excitement from the live performance, has it? If you don’t calm down quick, you’re going to feel it tomorrow, you know.

Well, you’re young, so I’m sure you’ll be alright, but… Ah~... More than the live performance itself, I got hit hard by all the worrying I did, you know.

Really, I have a griping pain in my stomach.

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Ahaha… I got nervous too, just from being near you and watching you.

The air felt as heavy as when my parents talk about household finances.

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Niichan, those people we were up against in today’s live performance… Is it okay if I ask you about Valkyrie?

That’s the unit you belonged to a long time ago, isn’t it?

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Ah! I wanted to know about that, too! They were super creepy, yanno! I can’t explain it well, but they gave me the shivers!

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They were otherworldly, weren’t they? It was like... They weren’t made of living flesh, maybe? There was something amiss about them. They were very cold… But their live performance... was terrific.

Even though we had all four of us, with just the two of them, they kicked us all over the place, didn’t they…

Just the fact that we got to have a real match, that alone was a better result than the S2 from some time, right, though?

I… feel like I’ll have nightmares for a while now… They’re scary, to be honest.

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But, probably, you know, compared to Valkyrie in their heyday, that wasn’t a show of their true abilities, you know.

I wonder if it’s because Niichan left? It seemed like they were out of sorts.

Well, even so, we got completely beat, though.

It’s frustrating, isn’t it… I thought we’d be able to fight a bit more, but…

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You can’t get gloomy on us, yanno. Not you, Tomo-chan, or you either, Hajime-chan! Our opponents were human, same as us, yanno! They’re not scary compared to a machine gun or a tank, yanno!

Next time we won’t lose~! Ahh, but it is frustrating, yanno!

I’m... going to go run around the grounds a bit! Run, run, and grow up strong, yanno! ☆

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Wait, wait, I’m telling you to rest. You’re probably just not experiencing any symptoms, but you should be exhausted, and all. You’re going to get stress fractures, you know?

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Ahaha. Mitsuru-kun, even though he’s always so simple about things, when you get into a competition, you get intense, doesn’t he… He is a boy, isn’t he? I have to learn from him, too.

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Ahaha, that’s right, isn’t it? I’ll try learning from Mitsuru and becoming a dummy, too. Let’s do our best tomorrow, you know~ … That is- I feel like I missed the mark, there!

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Yeah. About Valkyrie, I’ll tell you about it like I should, you know.

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…If it’s hard to talk about, it’s okay if we do it “some other time,” you know?

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Nah. I’d have to talk to you guys about it sometime, anyway, and all. This is a good opportunity to do it, so I’ll tell you.

It is right after a live performance, and all. So I wanted to let you guys go home and rest right after, but…

I’ll just summarize it, so I won’t take that much of your time. I still haven’t sorted out my feelings about it at all, and all, and some things might have slipped my memory, but…

Even so, I want you guys to know.

I want to talk with you guys like equals, as people with hearts, you know.

I absolutely wouldn’t tell you to praise me. But, this is just me grumbling.

It’s just, I don’t want to burden you guys with pain and ill will. So I’ll choose my words, and all, and there are things I can’t put to words.

But if you’re okay with that… Then come over here, you guys.

Up until now, I haven’t been able to tell anyone. Let’s keep this a secret.

A looong time ago… I... was a puppet without a will of my own.