Omi Fushimi/Festival of Blooming

Roommate Mission! Omi as Taichi

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2

Taichi	Ah, this is a pic of when we went cherry blossom viewing in the spring!
Kazunari	Yep!
	It already feels like a throwback~.
Sakuya	I feel like this is first time I’ve seen these photos.
Omi	That’s right. I printed out a batch of them I had been meaning to do, but didn’t get the chance to before.
	I brought them here because I’d like everyone to help me decide which ones would be nice to include in an album.
Taichi	Ah!
	I’m into this one!
Kazunari	Ahaha. We were all having a tea party in this shot!
Sakuya	When you look at the photo, you can even recall the scent and the mood in back that moment, right?
Taichi	Mm. This one and this one are musts… ah, this pic is sweet too!
	And then this one, and you can’t forget that one…
Omi	Haha. I think the layout is going to be tough if you add that many.
Kazunari	It’s Kazunari Miyoshi’s time to shine then ☆
	Taicchan, gimme those photos, pretty please!
Taichi	That’s Kazu-kun for ya!
	Here, do your magic!
Sakuya	Taichi-kun is smiling in all his photos, huh?
Kazunari	Ooh, you’re right~!
	Taicchan’s smiling super wide in all his shots!
Taichi	Now that you mention it!
	I’m smiling in all the pics Omi-kun took of me!
Omi	Ahh… that was unintentional, but I see I did only choose shots of Taichi where he’s smiling.
Sakuya	I understand! Taichi's smile makes even those who see him feel happy, doesn't it?
Kazunari	Yep, yep!
	You feel like smiling along with him!
Taichi	Ehehe. I’m thrilled if you guys say so!
Omi	…
	(There’s a yellow sticker on the back of Taichi’s photo…
	“It was a fun day”, right?)
	Speaking of which… we’re supposed to play our roommate for our company’s project, aren’t we?
	Playing Taichi…
	(In this room, I’ve always watched Taichi closely when he’s troubled, depressed, or having a hard time.)
	(Even though I’m aware of those negatives sides of him, I still think it’s best when he’s smiling. I know that. But…)
	…Is it alright for me to play Taichi who always has a smile on his face?
	…
Tsuzuru	Oh, it is Fushimi-san. There’s a nice smell coming from the oven, so we figured it might be you.
Juza	Are these… cookies?
	There’s prolly chocolate and nuts in ‘em.
Omi	Haha. Impressive, Juza. That’s correct.
Tsuzuru	You can tell just by the smell!?
Juza	Just that much.
Omi	Are you two home from school?
Tsuzuru	No. This year, Juza’s taking a class I took before, so we were talking about how to prepare for the exam.
Juza	Then we smelled somethin’ good from the kitchen, so we came to take a look…
Omi	Haha. You really do have a good nose, Juza.
Tsuzuru	Even so, why the cookies at this hour?
Omi	Well… I was mulling over something, but I hit a wall. I thought I’d make some sweets to take my mind off it.
	And, well, cookies are simple and if there’s leftovers, they’re easy to share with everyone afterwards.
Tsuzuru	I see.
	Well… no need to worry about the leftovers.
Omi	That’s true.
Juza	?
	…By the way, Omi-san.
	You said you were thinkin’ about something. Did somethin’ happen?
Omi	Ahh… you got me.
	It’s not a big deal…
	*ding*
	Looks like they’re done baking now.
	Let’s snack on these cookies while we continue our chat.

Omi	When I think about acting as Taichi, his smile comes to mind.
	But that’s a part of him that everyone knows, not just me as his roommate.
	That being said, that doesn’t fulfill the purpose of the project which is to “deepen your understanding of your roommate”… so I’m feeling a little lost.
Tsuzuru	I see.
	When it comes to Taichi, I do picture him smiling…
Juza	I’m sure you know more than just Taichi’s smile, Omi-san.
Omi	…I do. As his roommate, I’ve seen so many different sides of Taichi up until this point.
	(That’s right. Behind that carefree smile hides a crazy amount of effort and an element that really hates losing to himself…)
	Even when Taichi has a lot on his own plate, he always faces everyone with a smile, whether it’s Autumn troupe or anyone else.
	And more than anything, he’s always showering everyone with compliments.
	I think it might be because he himself wants to be praised, so he ends up being sweet on others…
	Oops, I went off topic, didn’t I?
	Haha.
Juza	Nah. I get it.
Omi	I understand that Taichi’s smile is the result of all of that combined. So I don’t think I can let go of that side of him.
	But that alone would be…
Tsuzuru	…Hey, what you just said is already enough. There are a lot of things about Taichi that only you know, right?
Omi	Eh?
	…Ah.
	I suppose you’re right… Even I’m a tad surprised that I could talk about Taichi that much.
Juza	…Wouldn’t it be good to put those feelings into your skit?
	That same smile can be expressed differently depending on whether or not you know the reason behind it.
	You’re not just gonna pull a simple smile and leave it at that.
Omi	Juza…
Tsuzuru	Besides, even though we were told this project is to deepen our mutual understanding of each other, I don’t think you need to think that hard about it.
	You should try conveying the things you like about Taichi and act them out in your skit.
Omi	The things I like about him… I see.
	You have my thanks, you two.
	I will give that a try.
	Taichi.
	Can I do my part for that project now?
Taichi	Of course!
	I’ve been waiting!
	Alright, alright. I’ll get my stuff ready right away…
	First, you gotta wear my clothes, right!
	…Err, ahh!
Omi	What’s wrong?
Taichi	Omi-kun… there’s no way you’re gonna fit in my clothes…
Omi	Ahh, now that you mention it…
	That totally slipped our minds, huh?
Taichi	I-I knew it!
	I wonder if I have anything that fits you!?
	Ah, this might juuust work!
Omi	Oh, I managed to get it on.
Taichi	Ohhh… it legit just fits!
	…I have mixed feelings that it’s the perfect size for you.
Omi	Well it’s good that I can wear it for the time being.
Taichi	Alright, back to the task at hand…
	Omi-kun, go ahead with your skit playing me!
Omi	Sure thing. Here goes.
	“It’s so awesome Ban-chan can do anything!
	That’s Ban-chan for you!”
	“Juza-san’s a man amongst men!
	I totally get how his admirers feel~.”
Taichi	(Yep, yep. That’s how I usually am, I think!
	And I’m happy he’s acting with a big smile on his face~.)
Omi	“Sakyo-nii is always my goal!
	Being intellectual and passionate is the ticket to popularity!”
Taichi	(Huh? Could he be complimenting all the Autumn troupe members?)
Omi	“A-chan’s so rad and cool!
	But that’s not all. It’s nice that he has a cute side to him too~!”
Taichi	(It totally is! I never expected Omi-kun to act that out… it makes me blush a little.)
Omi	“Also, Omi-kun is…”
	“O-Omi-kun is…”
	Ummm…
Taichi	Ehhh!?
	You got stuck there!?
	Aww, Omi-kun. It was going super well until then~!
Omi	Sorry.
	Talking about myself is a bit…
Taichi	In that case, I’ll show you an example!
	Omi-kun’s tall, burly, kind to a fault, and he cares so much for Autumn troupe!
	His cooking is professional grade and he’s pro at photography too!
	Everyone admires how he looks when he’s riding his motorcycle!
Omi	Taichi…
Taichi	What’s more. I love Omi-kun when he smiles!
	I’m sure that’s the face that I get to see the most as his roommate.
Omi	Haha.
	Yeah, that might be an expression that only you as my roommate know.
Taichi	Right!
Omi	…
Taichi	Ahh, that’s it! That smile right there!
	Alright, let’s strike while the iron’s hot and snap the polaroid picture!
Omi	Sure.
	Is this alright?
Taichi	Wait, before that…
	You gotta have this if you’re gonna be me ♪
Omi	An Akapoyo-kun?
Taichi	Yep! You’ll be just like me if you take the picture holding that!
Omi	Is that how it works…?
Taichi	‘Kay, here goes~.
	Say cheese!
	*click*
	Mm~… I’ll give you 70 points.
Omi	Haha, harsh.
	Try as I might, I’m still not used to having my picture taken.
Taichi	I know how you are, so I’ll let you off the hook this time! Hehe.
Omi	I appreciate it.

Anna