Homare Arisugawa/Promise of Blooming

Let's Play! Real-life Gacha: Homare's Turn

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2

Izumi	Hm, are you going out, Homare-san?
Homare	Yes. I have a meeting with my publisher today.
	To be frank, I was thinking of going to look for a keychain before that...however, I am a little short on time.
Izumi	Oh yeah, everyone's going to put keychains inside a capsule and exchange them...
Homare	It is the Real-life Gacha Project.
Izumi	Is that the name of the project?
Homare	I was the one who named it. I quite like the term "real-life gacha" that Itaru-kun mentioned.
	It has a playful sound to it.
	I came up with a good phrase from it the other day. I shall read the poem out loud at once--
Izumi	You can read it to me some other time. What do you want for dinner?
Homare	Ah, Winter Troupe is planning to drink at Guy-san's bar today.
	Why don't you join us if you'd like, Director-kun?
Izumi	Is that okay?
Homare	Of course. I will inform everyone.
Izumi	Thanks. I'll take you up on that, then.
	I also have some errands to run in the evening, so I'll head there afterwards.
Homare	Understood.
Izumi	Sorry for being late~
Hisoka	Welcome, Director.
Homare	Uuu, what a moving story...!
Tasuku	We were only talking about practice, you know. Good grief, you still cry when you're drunk, huh.
Izumi	Homare-san's already drunk...!
Tsumugi	He's been like this for a while...
Guy	I stocked up on some delicious sherry, so I served it...
	Perhaps it was because he had also had a few glasses of wine before that, but he seemed to have over-capacitated at once.
Izumi	I-I see. This drink does have a surprisingly high alcohol content--
Azuma	But this sherry sure is delicious. Mine's going to be finished soon.
Hisoka	Yeah. It's sweet and easy to drink.
Guy	How about you, Director?
Izumi	Umm...I'll have a beer to start.
Homare	...Good morning.
Izumi	Good morning, Homare-san. ...Do you maybe have a hangover?
Banri	You unusually ain't in high spirits, which you'd never expect from the usual Homare-san.
Homare	No...to be honest, maybe because I was drunk yesterday, but I seem to have lost the key to the front door...
Guy	Is this the key?
Homare	Ha! That's exactly it! Guy-san, where did you find it?
Guy	I found it near where you were sitting at the bar, so I figured it might be yours.
Homare	Oh, you were a great help! Thank you, Guy-san.
	But still, to think I have made such a blunder...
Izumi	You did put it on the key case, right?
Homare	Actually, I ordered a new key case to replace my old one.
	However yesterday, my young editor told me that their key case was broken, so I gave it to them as a gift.
	They have always been a fan of mine. It's a little reward for all the hard work they've put in.
Izumi	So that's the case.
Homare	So that day, I happened to have my key bare, happened to get drunk, and happened to forget my key...
Izumi	I don't think you just "happened" to get drunk, though...
Banri	Well, in the first place, that keychain exchange project started 'cuz there are too many people droppin' them like this these days.
Homare	That's it!
	Would it not be better to put something valuable on the key so you don't lose it?
Banri	I think that's a straight-forward approach but...
Izumi	But Sakyo-san doesn't want anyone buying anything too expensive...
Homare	Hmm...something valuable yet inexpensive...

Homare	Hmm...
Hisoka	Arisu, you've been looking at your phone for a while now, are you looking at a shopping site?
	If you want to buy something, buy some chocolate crunch marshmallows.
Homare	Goodness me, it cannot be helped, then.
	I am looking for a keychain for our project. I was wondering if there is anything that is inexpensive yet valuable.
Hisoka	Something not expensive but valuable...
	...I know one.
Homare	Do you really?
Hisoka	My part-time job.
Homare	Are you referring to Guy-san's bar?
Hisoka	Yeah, today...
	...Oh, I have to go. I'm going to be late.
Homare	Wait a moment, Hisoka-kun. ...Good grief, he always does things at his own pace.
	(Knock knock)
	Hm? I wonder who it is. Come in.
Tasuku	Arisugawa, I've finished the maintenance on your pocket watch like you asked me to.
Homare	Ooh, why thank you, Tasuku-kun! Glad to have you back, Christine.
	I am sorry for always making you do this, even though it doesn't even work anymore.
Tasuku	It's because there's a couple of parts that easily come loose. Even if it doesn't work, it's still important to you, isn't it?
Homare	Indeed. I will be counting on you as well in the future, Tasuku-kun.
Tasuku	Yeah.
Homare	That's right, Tasuku-kun. Do you know what part-time job Hisoka-kun went to today?
Tasuku	If I recall, yesterday he said that he's going to a thrift store.
Homare	Is that so?
Tasuku	Seems like he went to help out in a hurry. By the way, we talked about this when you were drunk.
Homare	I see...in other words, it doesn't cost a lot, but you can still get a good deal or a bargain.
	...Something inexpensive, yet valuable...a bargain...
	--I know! I think it was in this drawer...
Tasuku	What is it?
Homare	This!
Tasuku	Is this...a keychain?
Homare	It is not just any ordinary keychain. Try pressing the button in the middle.
Tasuku	?
Keychain	"Overflowing passion, surging emotion… To Geneva’s biotope, s'il vous plait…!"
Tasuku	?!
Homare	Fufun, were you surprised? It is a keychain with my reading voice installed.
	I made a prototype that I planned to use as a novelty for my poetry collection, however--
	The person in charge liked it so much that they decided to forgo it because he wanted to make it into a proper product in the future.
	Unfortunately, the novelties at that time turned out to be book-style notebooks with a binding design.
Tasuku	I'm pretty sure that one was better.
Homare	But this is just the perfect timing. I shall put this keychain in our real-life gacha project.
Tasuku	Demand and practicality aside, are you okay with giving it away?
Homare	Works are something that have to leave its nest, after all.
Tasuku	Yeah...I don't think I understand.
Homare	Sigh, you are the same as ever; Mr. I Cannot Comprehend Art, that is.
Tasuku	The heck is that?
Homare	However, I was able to choose something that was inexpensive yet valuable. I shall put it in the real-life gacha machine right away.
	Well then, it is my turn next on this real-life gacha project.
	Now, I wonder what kind of keychain is in it.
	Hm? This is...
Tasuku	It's a key finder.
Tsumugi	Key finder?
Tasuku	You can put this on your keychain so that if you lose it, you can locate it using your phone.
Tsuzuru	I see.
Sakuya	That's amazing!
Hisoka	...Somehow, I'm glad it wasn't me.
Kumon	Eeeh, why? It seems convenient.
Hisoka	I feel like I know who put it in.
Kumon	That so?
Homare	Hm. With this, I won't lose my key anymore.
Taichi	That's some high-tech stuff!
Tenma	I wish mine had that function.
Homare	...That may be so, but it is not.
Tasuku	Hm?
Homare	This is a gift from an important friend that has fallen to me on the wave of fate.
	This is already a "precious thing" for me.
Tasuku	I see...now that, I understand.

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