Itaru Chigasaki/Memories are in the Game
From A3! Wiki
My Personal Fairy Director
Backstage Stories
| Izumi | (Huh. Has Itaru-san woken up yet? I didn’t see him at breakfast…) |
| Chikage | …. |
| Izumi | Ah, Chikage-san, is Itaru-san in your room right now? |
| Chikage | Well, he’s been there all day... Did you need something from him? |
| Izumi | There was something I wanted to discuss with him regarding KniRoun’s main performanceーー |
| Chikage | Hmm, I’m not sure if now is a good time. |
| Izumi | ? |
| (What a questionable expression he’s making. Maybe it’s Gamer’s High Time?[1] | |
| (For now, I’ll just go and check.) | |
| Izumi | *knocks* |
| Itaru-san, can I talk to you for a second? | |
| Itaru | ーーI’m tied up at the moment so go ahead and let yourself in. |
| Izumi | Pardon the intrusion. |
| Itaru | ...Ugh, why am I getting shot at from that angle. |
| Izumi | (It really was Gamer’s High Time...But he’s sitting at the PC today instead of the television.) |
| Are you playing a PC game? | |
| Itaru | Yep, I’m beta testing KniRoun ONLINE, which is slated to release next year. |
| Izumi | Beta testing? |
| Itaru | Before a game gets released, the developers recruit participants as public beta testers and have them play the game. |
| They get results from surveys, reflect on the responses, make improvements, then release the final product. | |
| So, this time I applied as an advance beta tester when they sent out recruitments, and thanks to Hoshii-san’s influence, I got a spot as a priority tester. | |
| Since it’s only available for a limited time as a small scale beta test this weekend, I thought I might as well take advantage of it while I still can and play it until I get sick of it. | |
| Izumi | So you were in the middle of Gamer’s High Time… |
| Itaru | Ya, and I dragged Banri in too since I figured I could get ahead in the game faster than the other beta testers with him around. |
| I want to play it thoroughly and send a solid report of my impressions, enough to equal Hoshii-san’s generosity. | |
| Izumi | (He really loves KniRoun, doesn’t he…) |
| Itaru | That’s how it’s gonna be, so I’ll be staying in my room all weekend, kthnx. |
| Izumi | (Well then, looks like I can’t discuss it with him right now. It’s not urgent though so I’ll ask him next week.) |
| Have you eaten breakfast yet? | |
| Itaru | Mm, not yetーー |
| Izumi | It’s already noon. Since you’re preoccupied, shall I bring you lunch instead? |
| Itaru | ...Director-san. |
| Izumi | ? |
| Itaru | I’m really glad you’re our director. |
| Izumi | ...Even if you say that while posing seductively and giving me The Smolder[2], that won’t make me feel happy. Oh my god. |
| What would you like for lunch? | |
| Itaru | Something I can eat with one hand would be great. |
| Izumi | I’ll bring some rice balls and side dishes that fit your requirement, then. |
| Itaru | ーーWoah, that was close! |
| Izumi | (He’s completely absorbed in gaming…) |
| (Huh...It’s totally different from the mobile game version we played before. The graphics are super pretty.) | |
| (Still, I can take a guess and know exactly which character he’s playing.) | |
| Ah, Gwen’s with you. | |
| Itaru | It’s cuz I’m using Lancelot. |
| Gwen always follows me around, and she provides auto-recovery during combat. I’m seriously getting healed in more ways than one. | |
| I would work so much harder if I had a Fairy Gwen following me around in my life as an office worker... | |
| Izumi | Is work getting busy? |
| Itaru | It kinda is. Actually, I was supposed to be working during my time off, but I’ve been completely avoiding it so now I’m scared to go in on Monday. |
| Izumi | That sounds rough. Be strong… |
| (Prioritizing games even though he knew better, that’s Itaru-san for you...) | |
| Itaru | Beta testing ends in two hours, huh… |
| Banri | [Let’s log off soon-] |
| Itaru | Hah? |
| [We’ve still got 4 more runs to go.] | |
| Banri | [It’s already 3 A.M. I’ve got first period tomorrow so I can’t.] |
| Itaru | [*Itaru grumbling noises*...] |
| Banri | [GG.] |
| System Message | NEO has logged out. |
| Itaru | Can I get an F in chat… Guess I’ll run it solo. At the very least, I wanna rank up one more time… |
| …. | |
| ……… | |
| ーーHell yeah, ranked up just barely before maint! | |
| System Message | Beta testing will close in five more minutes. Please log out as soon as possible. |
| Itaru | Next, I’ll put together my impressions… |
| …Zzz. |
Notes
| Itaru | *yawns* …So sleepy…I’m dying… |
| (Ahh, but I’ll die if I don’t go in today either, F… Death by society……) | |
| Zzz…. | |
| ??? | Wake up! Wake up! |
| Itaru | (ーーShit, seriously, just let me sleep in peace.) |
| ??? | If you don’t get up you’re going to be late! |
| Itaru | ….? |
| (What’s with that voice… Am I hearing things? My time has finally come, huh. This is what I get for pulling all nighters. My toughest year is upon me.) | |
| Itaru | Morning… |
| Taichi | Good morning! |
| Banri | You look like shit. |
| Itaru | GTFO traitor. |
| Azuma | Did you stay up late gaming again? |
| Itaru | I got a little fired up. *yawns* … |
| ??? | Hurry up! Hurry up! |
| Itaru | ……? |
| Taichi | What’s wrong? |
| Itaru | No, I’m seeing a light flickering here and there in the corner of my eyeーー |
| Taichi | EHH!? Are you okay? |
| Azuma | He must have played so much, his eyes became irritated even after waking up. |
| Izumi | Itaru-san! You have to eat quickly! |
| Itaru | D-Director-san….? |
| Azuma | Eh? |
| Taichi | If you’re asking about the director, she’s helping out with another theatre troupe early this morning so she already left. |
| Itaru | No, I mean there’s a tiny Director-san flying around… |
| Banri | I think you should go see an eye doc. |
| Itaru | …I think I should too. |
| Izumi | If you keep zoning out, you’re going to be late! |
| Itaru | (But I can totally see and hear her…Am I the only one who can…?) |
| Izumi | Hey, I’m talking to you Itaru-san! |
| Itaru | (Anyway, if she doesn’t disappear after a while, I’ll go to the hospital…) |
| Itaru | Morning. |
| Itaru’s Coworker A | Good morning! Good thing you’re here, Chigasaki-san. There’s an issue from last weekーー |
| Itaru’s Coworker B | Ah, Chigasaki-san! Please confirm this as soon as possible! |
| Itaru’s Coworker C | About this matter from the meeting with A Companyーー |
| Itaru | (Uuugh….I’m so busy today.) |
| Itaru | Haa…. |
| (Wonder if I can go somewhere for lunch… There’s not much time left until the next meeting, so I guess I’ll just settle with lunch at the company cafeteria….) | |
| Izumi | Nice work, Itaru-san! |
| Itaru | Ugh…. |
| (She still hasn’t disappeared… Speaking of which, since when did she get in my suit jacket pocket?) | |
| Izumi | Today’s lunch menu is… Ah! Lunch set A is beef curry! The only option is lunch set A! |
| Itaru | ….. |
| Izumi | I wonder what kind of spices they use in the beef curry. I’m going to go take a peek in the kitchen! |
| Itaru | ーーHey, wait! It’ll be a problem if other people happen to see you, so hide. |
| Izumi | Whaaa~t!? It’s fine! |
| Itaru | No, like I saidーー |
| Company Employee A | Eh? Did you say something….? |
| Itaru | ーーAh, no it’s nothing. |
| (Fine my ass, it’s not fine at all….) | |
| (But, this is turning out like the plot of an anime where the magical girl goes to school with her familiar…) | |
| (In any case, we’re gonna be eating curry back at the dorm anyway, so I’ll go with lunch set B with the ginger and fried pork….) | |
| Izumi | Ehh! But that’s lunch set B, you know!? There’s no curry in it, you know!? |
| Itaru | (She’s very noisy….) |
| Izumi | Look, the person next to you is having beef curry. It looks appetizing… Why don’t you try asking for a bite? |
| Itaru | The one who wants to eat it here is you, Director-san. |
| Izumi | I mean, you’re not wrong, but… |
| Itaru | (Could she even eat it if I gave her a spoon? NGL, seeing that would be pretty moe[1]…) |
| Izumi | It smells so nice… Beef curry…. |
| Itaru | Don’t fall into someone else’s dish, okay. |
| Izumi | I would never! |
| Itaru | (Fantasy things like this are pretty entertaining though.) |
| Izumi | And what are you laughing at? |
| Itaru | Nothing, excuse me. |
| Company Employee B | …..Um? Were you talking to me? |
| Itaru | Ah, no, nevermind. |
| Company Employee B | ….? |
| Itaru | (That was close… If this keeps going on, my reputation in the company will tank…) |
Notes
- ↑ Moe is a pretty old(?) term, but the meaning is still the same! Basically, a feeling of strong affection towards (typically) female charas in anime, manga, or video games. But it can also be strong affection towards anything in general!
| Itaru’s Coworker A | Good work~ |
| Itaru’s Coworker B | I’ll be heading out first. |
| Itaru | Thank you for your hard work. |
| Whew…. | |
| (Wonder if I can finish this by the end of today…) | |
| (Well, I’ll just do the things I’m able to finish. I filled my gaming quota during the weekend, so I can work hard.) | |
| …… | |
| Izumi | Please do your best, Itaru-san. |
| Itaru | Candy….? |
| Izumi | It was left over there with a note saying, “Feel free to take some!” |
| Itaru | ….Thanks. |
| Itaru | …Whew. |
| (A little more until the last train leaves…. Worst case scenario, I might even call a taxi.) | |
| Izumi | One, two, one, two. |
| Itaru | ….? |
| Izumi | Your shoulders are so stiff, Itaru-san~ |
| Itaru | (Even though she’s hitting my shoulder, I’m not feeling any movement at all….) |
| Izumi | One, two, one, two. |
| Itaru | (But the mental healing ability is super effective.) |
| Izumi | Itaru-san, when are you going to eat dinner? |
| Itaru | Hmm. I’m skipping dinner today. |
| Izumi | You can’t! You won’t have any strength if you skip dinner! At times like this, you should eat curry! |
| Itaru | Again with the curry….? |
| Izumi | It will give you strength! Take a small break! Let’s go out and buy some curry! |
| Itaru | There’s no one around selling curry at this hour. |
| Izumi | There’s a curry shop nearby specializing in takeout that’s open late! |
| Itaru | Just when did you look this up… |
| Izumi | Let’s go! |
| Itaru | (I don’t feel anything at all when she tugs on me… Well, that’s fine.) |
| I got it, I got it. | |
| Itaru | I didn’t think there was a curry shop in that place. I had no idea at all. |
| Izumi | Please eat it right away! |
| Itaru | Don’t mind if I do. |
| ….Mm, huh. It’s not that spicy. | |
| Izumi | They recommended a vegetable flavored curryー It looks like there’s a lot of apples and honey in the roux! It’s perfect even for a late night dinner. |
| Itaru | I see… It’s delicious. |
| Izumi | I’m glad you like it! |
| Itaru | Want to try some too, Director-san? |
| Izumi | Can I!? |
| Itaru | Here, get on my hand. Say, “aaah.” |
| Izumi | …..Mm, it’s delicious! |
| Itaru | (She can’t even finish the curry in the spoon… I’m being healed…) |
| …Are you going to watch over me from now on? My own adorable Fairy-san… | |
| Izumi | ーーgh. |
| Itaru | You’re blushing. |
| Izumi | That’s just because your face is so close, Itaru-san…! Oh my god, I don’t know! Don’t ask me! |
| Itaru | Haha. |
| Itaru | ーー. |
| …..? | |
| (Huh? Since when did I get back to my room?) | |
| …Fairy-san? | |
| (She’s not here…) | |
| Fairy-saaaan? | |
| Chikage | …..Who’re you calling a fairy. |
| Itaru | This ain’t it, Chief.[1] |
| Chikage | Did you game so much you lost a few brain cells? You know today’s a weekday, right. |
| Itaru | It’s Monday….? |
| Chikage | We can’t proceed with work if you’re not there, so don’t be late. |
| Itaru | (What the hell, so it was the All Just a Dream Trope[2]….) |
| Itaru | *sighs* ….. |
| Izumi | Okay, for those of you who are eating, I used leftover curry from yesterday for the cheese curry toast! |
| Itaru | Fairy-san…. |
| Izumi | Huh? |
| Tsuzuru | Fairy-san….? |
| Yuki | I mean, she’s a curry fairy, no doubt about it. |
| Itaru | …..*sighs* |
| Izumi | ??? |
Notes
Ri
