Kumon Hyodo/Blue Heart in a Downpour

Searching for the Hydrangea of Happiness

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2Part 3

Kumon	…
Muku	Hm? What are you reading there, Kyu-chan?
Kumon	This? It’s a magazine I borrowed from Kazu-san!
	It features hydrangea gardens.
Muku	Wow, they're really pretty!
Kumon	Right! Kazu-san bought this to use as reference for an assignment.
Muku	I see. I wonder what kind of painting he’ll create this time.
Kumon	I’m sure it’ll be a fluffy, sparkly, and super pretty painting just like these hydrangeas in this magazine.
	See, like this!
Muku	They look like they belong on the cover of a shoujo manga!
	How nice. I’d love stand surrounded by hydrangeas like this.
Kumon	I wanna visit a hydrangea garden too!
Muku	I wonder if there’s any place nearby…
	Ah, this garden’s close to the dorm.
Kumon	It is! There was one this close?
	I had no idea.
	Look here, Muku!
	It’s a heart-shaped hydrangea!
Muku	So cute…!
	This kind of hydrangea really exists, huh?
Kumon	Umm, it says that it’s rare in this garden too.
	If you’re able to find one, then you might become happy…?
Muku	Become happy…!
Kumon	Let’s go there next time, Muku!
Muku	Sure!
	*door opens*
Izumi	I’m home…
Kumon	Woah! What happened, Director!? You’re soaked!?
Izumi	Ahaha… I went to help with a friend's theater company, and it suddenly started to rain.
	I always bring a folding umbrella with me, but today was the only day I forgot it.
	And then on the way home, I got splashed with water by a car and plunged my foot into a puddle. So it was just one bad thing after another.
Kumon	Uwahh, that sounds like an awful time…
Muku	I understand how you feel, Director-san.
	In the past, I was wearing rubber boots, but the rainwater got inside them…
	Then when I slipped and fell in the rain, my clothes got covered with mud and my umbrella also broke.
	So I’ve come home soaked to the bone before, just like you, Director-san…
Izumi	That sounds like a disaster…
	Anyways, today just wasn’t my day…
	Achoo!
Kumon	…!
	You better hop in the bath before you catch a cold, Director!
Izumi	Good idea. I’ll go take a bath like you said, Kumon-kun.
Muku	…Is Director-san really alright?
Kumon	…

	*knock, knock*
Kumon	Do you have a minute, Director?
Izumi	Kumon-kun? Come in.
	*door opens*
	You’re acting kind of formal. What’s up?
Kumon	Um, I… have somewhere I’d like to take you, Director…!
Izumi	Somewhere you want to take me?
Kumon	I wanna visit this hydrangea garden!
Izumi	Wow, it’s beautiful!
	And it’s pretty close to the dorm, huh?
Kumon	…Is it ok with you?
Izumi	Of course it is. I’d love to go there too!
Kumon	That’s great…!
	Are you free this weekend?
Izumi	Yeah, I shouldn’t have anything going on.
Kumon	Alright, it’s a promise then!
Izumi	Yeah. I’m looking forward to it.
	Wow…!
Kumon	The ones I saw in the magazine were beautiful, but the real ones are amazing too…!
Izumi	They really are super pretty. It’s like we’re inside a painting.
Kumon	Oh yeah.
	I’ll send a pic to Kazu-san!
	Sending, sending.
	Wait, he read it already!?
	Ummm, he said, “wowie it’s pretty af! That’s totes legit!”!
Izumi	Ahaha, I’m glad he liked it.
Kumon	Ah, this is a great chance, so let’s take a picture together!
Izumi	Eh? With me?
Kumon	Yep. Come on, come on, get close!
	Okay, pose!
	*click*
	Hehe, it came out great! I’ll sent to you later, ‘kay!
Izumi	Great, thanks.
	It’s amazing, huh? The hydrangeas go on as far as you can see.
Kumon	I wanted to show them to everyone else too…
	The truth is, I also wanted to invite Muku and nii-chan. But both of them had things to do so they couldn’t come…
Izumi	Then let’s say we came to scope the garden out today.
	You can guide those two around next time.
Kumon	…Yeah!
	Alright, I gotta do my best to find it!
Izumi	Hm? Are you looking for something?
Kumon	Oh, you see, there’s a heart—.
Izumi	Heart?
Kumon	AH, uhhh… i-it’s nothing!
	I meant~, I wonder if we’ll find any cool spots to check out!
Izumi	?
	Yeah. Alright, should we head deeper into the garden?
Kumon	Sure! Okay, time to search…
	No, I mean, let’s scope it out!
	…Umm, am I not gonna find it?
Izumi	Huh, the clouds are looking kind of ominous…
Kumon	Oh, true… uh, UWAH!
	Rain!?
	What do I do? I didn’t bring an umbrella.
Izumi	Don’t worry, I brought an umbrella just in case something like this happened.
	I forgot it last time and got soaked, after all.
	*opens umbrella*
Kumon	…Director, isn’t that a hole?
Izumi	EHH!?
	Y-you’re right…
	Things like this seem to be happening to me lately…
	*rain gets heavier*
Kumon	Ah, Director! It’s really pouring now!?
Izumi	Let’s run to that rest stop for now!

Izumi	It’s really coming down, huh?
Kumon	Yeah…
Izumi	I really am unlucky, aren’t I? Like this time and last time…
Kumon	Director…
	I’m sorry, Director.
	I didn’t mean to make you look so sad.
Izumi	Kumon-kun?
Kumon	Actually, I wanted to cheer you up.
	They said that there’s a heart-shaped hydrangea in this hydrangea garden, and that you’ll become happy if you find it.
	You were looking down the other day, so I thought you’d smile lots if I found it.
Izumi	Oh, so that's what was going on.
	…Fufu, you’re so kind, Kumon-kun.
Kumon	But I'd be sad if I couldn't find it, so I kept it a secret from you... I'm sorry I kept it from you, Director.
Izumi	Don’t apologize. I really appreciate the thought, Kumon-kun.
	You can search for the heart hydrangea another time.
	The hydrangeas in this garden were beautiful so I had lots of fun!
Kumon	That’s good to hear…
Izumi	…Ah, it looks like the rain stopped.
Kumon	I guess it was a passing shower?
Izumi	It seems like it.
	Alright, shall we start heading home now?
Kumon	Okay.
Izumi	(Kumon-kun looks down. I guess it’s because he couldn’t find the heart-shaped hydrangea…)
CHOICE 1: Let’s come to look at it again. [+] Izumi Let’s come to look at it again, Kumon-kun. Kumon Yeah! I swear I’ll find it next time! Izumi Yeah. Then, let’s search for it together. I’m sure we’ll find it if we both work together. Kumon Ehehe… it’s a promise between us two. I’m happy since it’s kinda like a promise for a date~!
CHOICE 2: Don’t worry too much about it. [+] Izumi Don’t worry too much about it. The heart hydrangea is really rare, isn’t it? Kumon That’s what it said in the magazine. Izumi Then let’s invite Muku-kun and Juza-kun and all search together next time! I bet we’ll find it if we do that. Kumon …! Yeah!
	—AH!
Izumi	Kumon-kun? What’s wrong?
Kumon	Director! Look!
Izumi	…!
	Amazing! There really was one.
Kumon	Yeah, I’m surprised too.
	It’s actually heart-shaped…!
Izumi	Ahh… look at the sky, Kumon-kun.
Kumon	Eh?
	Wow… there’s a rainbow!
	And it’s super huge and pretty…!
Izumi	…Fufu.
Kumon	Ah, you smiled, Director!
	Ehehe, it’s all thanks to the heart hydrangea, right?
Izumi	…Yeah.
	Thank you, Kumon-kun.
	(If I had to say, I think it was Kumon-kun’s smile that cheered me up.)

Anna