Tsumugi Tsukioka/Nom Nom Hotdog

Resting Into Me

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2Part 3

	*DOOR OPENS*
Tsumugi	Finally made it to our room…!
	*THWUMP*
	(sighs) … The bed feels so good…
Banri	I was gonna get delivery for our dinner tonight… But it's lookin' like you won't be needin' it, huh?
Tsumugi	Mhm. Sorry. I thought I'd be feeling better, but I'm still pretty beaten by the jet lag, it seems…
	You seem to be doing fine, though, Banri-kun. I'm jealous…
Banri	Guess I'm used to it. I've had my fair share of traveling abroad, 'fter all.
	Oh, hey, this shop here has fruits on their menu. You can at least get some of that into your system, right?
Tsumugi	Mh-hmm. Thanks.
Banri	Alright, I'll make the order.
	Looks like it'll be here soon 'nough. I'll head to the lobby to get ready and pick it up. You just stay put and rest, alright, Tsumugi-san?
	*DOOR CLOSES*
Tsumugi	…….
	(Even though Banri-kun isn't feeling the jet lag as much as I am, I'm sure he was hoping to enjoy have a more American-style dinner while we're here…)
	(I wanted to just tell him that he could just go ahead and eat whatever he wanted, without paying so much mind to me at all, but…)
	(I'd be worried if he went around New York at night all alone.)
	… Although, I’d bet he'd find it funny, for me to get that worried about him over that.
Tsumugi	… Mm.
	(What time is it now?)
	Only 2'o clock in the morning…
	(Last I checked the clock was around 1 AM. It seems like my body just keeps waking itself up every hour.)
	(This jet lag is hitting me harder than I would've thought…)
	(If I'm going to keep waking up like this anyway, maybe I should try watching some of "BANANA FISH" for now.)
	(Let's see, where are my earphones… Okay, they're properly plugged. And if I lower the screen brightness to about this much—)
Banri	……
Tsumugi	Looks to be just fine.
	*KEYBOARD CLACKING*
Eiji	"... Ash?"
Ash	"Did I wake you up?"
Eiji	"Er, no…"
Ash	"Go back to sleep. It's still early."
Eiji	"And you? What're you…?"
Ash	"I'm stealing."
Eiji	"......"
	"Um, Ash? …Are you going to keep doing that stuff?"
Ash	"Stuff', like?"
Eiji	"You know. The gun fights and all that."
Ash	"You scared?"
Eiji	"Wh-Who says I am! I'm just saying that being reckless isn't the only way to be brave! I'm older than you, so you should listen to me!"
Ash	"Well forgive me then, Onii-chan."
Eiji	"How are you back to acting like this so soon! Don't you remember who was crying like a baby just last night!?"
Ash	"Come on, Onii-sama. I'm quite busy right now, so could you get off my back, please?"
Eiji	"—Hmph! That Ash…"
	"Oh, well… I guess if he could cry onto my lap like that, it just means he's still a kid, after all."
Tsumugi	…Fufu.
	(Even in the midst of such a serious plot line, the back-and-forth between these two feels so casual. It's the very charm of this work.)
	(It's a moment when Ash isn't acting as the boss of a street gang, but just another 17-year-old boy…)
	(And he only allows himself to show this side of him when it's with Eiji. In other words, Eiji is definitely the highlight of this scene.)
	… I have to deliver this scene with great care.
	……
	Hey Banri-kun, about the blocking for this scene——
	(Ah! Oops! I fell into my habit again…!)
Banri	…. (snore snore)
Tsumugi	… Thank goodness.
	(Rather than the brightness and volume, the thing I should’ve been more careful about is keeping MYSELF down…)

	*DOOR OPENS*
Tsumugi	…….Mn.
Banri	My bad. Did I wake ya?
Tsumugi	M'no…..
	(Since when did I fall back asleep…?)
Banri	You can go back to sleep, y'know.
Tsumugi	Mmm……
Tsumugi	……Mn… So bright……
	Good morning, Banri-kun…
	Wait, huh? He's not here? I thought for sure I was talking to him just now…
	Was I just dreaming that…?
	*LIME NOTIF*
	A LIME message from someone?
BANRI. gmorn. have you gotten up?
BANRI. im headed for the library. u just take ur time
Tsumugi	He really could've just woken me up…
Tsumugi	— That looks to be the place.
	Thank goodness, I managed to get here on my own.
	(... Hm? There's a nice, slightly spicy smell in the air. Where is it coming from…)
	Ohh, a food truck!
	(They have chicken-over-rice and pretzels on their menu. And a whole lineup of different kinds of hot dog arrangements! It really makes it feel like New York.)
	(Speaking of, I'm pretty sure there was a scene in the anime where Eiji enjoys some hot dog...)
Owner	≪Heeey! Morning boss! You feeling hungry?≫
Tsumugi	Eh?! Uhm......
	(I AM curious about trying it… But finding Banri-kun comes first.)
	≪Thank you for the offer! I'll come back later!≫
Tsumugi	Wow…
	(It's still so early in the morning, but there are plenty of people in here already. Where could Banri-kun…)
Banri	………
Tsumugi	(Oh, there he is. If he's standing around in front of the bookshelves, he must still be searching for something to read…)
	(Maybe I should try looking around too while I’m here…)
Tsumugi	(I ended up taking a lot of time just trying to choose a book. Meanwhile… Banri-kun is over there already seated and reading his pick.)
Banri	…...
Tsumugi	(He certainly looks like Ash while he's here at the library.)
	……
	(I'm pretty certain photography is allowed indoors. This picture is going to be against the light, but…)
	*CAMERA CLICKS*
Tsumugi	(Hmm…I can't really see him that well with how strong the natural light is inside here. But as long as it doesn’t look like it's blurred, this should be fine.)
	(I could go up and take the seat right beside Banri-kun but… He seems to be so focused; I wouldn't want to just interrupt him…)
	(—Ah! There's a good spot.)
Tsumugi	(Fufu. How lucky that there was a free seat just two spots behind Banri-kun's. He should be able to think a lot clearly without me getting in the way.)
	(... I wonder how Eiji felt whenever he watched Ash get engrossed in books.)
Banri	……
Tsumugi	(Ah, he took out his smartphone. I wonder if he's looking up a translation for something he can't understand.)
	(He isn't just skimming through the book; he's actively reading it then.)
	(chuckles)
	*PHONE BUZZES*
Tsumugi	—!!
BANRI. havent u had enough fun over there?
Tsumugi	EHH—?!?
Elderly Patron	≪ Shh! ≫
Tsumugi	S-Sorry……
Banri	……
Tsumugi	… You actually knew I was there?
Banri	Y'sure didn't make it difficult, y'know. I was waitin' for you to call out to me or somethin', but you never did.
Tsumugi	I'd feel bad if I interrupted you, that's all.
	… Still, it's surprising.
Banri	What is?
Tsumugi	I would've expected to see you at a cafe enjoying some coffee, or even go to some fancy shop in an off-beaten path.
Banri	Well, I guess I did consider all that… But I just somehow felt drawn to this library. Don't even know why myself.
Tsumugi	Were you looking to understand Ash's feelings?
Banri	Maybe. Who knows if he does actually feel this way, though.
Tsumugi	That's more than enough, I'd say.
	By the way… What book were you reading?
Banri	This.
Tsumugi	"Wild Flower Book" … A guide book on wildflowers?
	*FLIPPING PAGES*
Banri	I was initially tryin' to find a book on theatre, but this thing sorta caught my eye.
	The English text on an illustrated book aren't too chunky, so it makes for an easy read. I know I wouldn't normally even think 'bout picking up a book like this, so I thought, “why not?”
Tsumugi	…Ohh, they use illustrations instead of photographs! How charming. I probably should've tried looking through those bookshelves, too…
Banri	What 'bout your book?
Tsumugi	This? It's an English localization of a book that I read back home. I was curious about the differences it'd have compared to the Japanese text.
Banri	Translated stuff usually leaves a different impression compared to the original, don't it? Have ya picked out the differences already?
Tsumugi	Err… I haven't read a single page yet, to be honest…
	(I… can't exactly tell him that I was too busy observing him, can I…)

Tsumugi	I'm starting to feel a bit hungry, actually.
Banri	You didn't exactly eat a whole lot yesterday, did you? Why don't we go and grab something then? There's plenty of choices to go 'round.
Tsumugi	Oh right! Do you wanna have some hot dogs? From the food trucks over there.
Banri	Uh. I was thinkin' we'd go for something a bit more… appetizin' than that.
	Like, there's this cafe that I think you might like. Or we could go to this one store that's famous for their chicken-over-rice…
Tsumugi	Both of those have their own appeal, of course, but I've just been curious about these hot dogs ever since I passed by them earlier.
	Plus! There's that scene in the anime, too, when Eiji ate a hot dog, so I thought that I would feel a bit closer to him this way… So… Can't we?
Banri	… Geeeez, guess I don't got any choice.
Owner	≪—Lemme hand your drinks first! Here're your soda and orange squash!≫
Tsumugi	≪Thank you very much.≫
Banri	The hot dogs should be done in a jiff'.
Tsumugi	Right. While we're waiting, I should take pictures of the food truck too.
Banri	… "Too"?
Tsumugi	Oh, right. I actually took a picture of you while we were inside the library… Here, look.
Banri	… And it's still as bad as ever, I see. Very consistent of ya.
Tsumugi	Ehh… But I thought this one had a lot more 'feel' to it. The backlight may have made it difficult to see your face, but I figured that was stylish in its own way.
	It has such an “aesthetic” , as Kazu-kun would say, you know?
Banri	Uhh… Well, I mean……..
Owner	≪Thanks for waiting! Two orders of cheese hot dogs!≫
Banri	—Thank you so much.
Tsumugi	Time to dig in.
	… (chomp) (chomp)
Banri	How is it?
Tsumugi	…We~~~~~ll…….
	It tastes… like experiencing life?
Banri	Pfft— what's that even supposed to mean? You can just say it ain't to your liking.
	S'not like any of there's gonna be guys who can understand Japanese 'round here. No need to sugarcoat it.
Tsumugi	No, hold on. Maybe it gets better with the second bite, you never know…
	… What could it be, though? The ketchup tastes fine… Is it the texture of the sausage…?
Banri	Tsumugi-san.
Tsumugi	Hm?
	*CAMERA CLICK*
Tsumugi	Eh— Did you just…!?
Banri	Now this is what I’d call “# aesthetic” . Figured I'd show you how it's done— Look.
Tsumugi	(The light balance and filter makes it look like the shot came straight out of a movie…)
	… Job well done.
Banri	Only done a bit better than yours.
Tsumugi	(...It isn't just his skillfulness, but his way of teasing is quite like Ash too, huh.)
	*DOOR OPENS*
Tsumugi	Phew… We really walked the whole morning, huh?
Banri	Wanna take a break by doing some script reading? Feels like we've gotten a good amount of role study earlier.
Tsumugi	(He really is such a theatre junkie.)
	Of course; I was just about to ask you for the same thing.
Banri	Alright… Then before all that…
	*FOOTSTEPS*
Tsumugi	Banri-kun?
Banri	I'm gonna pour us some coffee. You just rest easy over there.
Tsumugi	Thank you.
	… Actually, this may be an odd question, Banri-kun, but… Did you happen to tell me something similar this morning?
Banri	Similar to just now, you mean?
	Ooh, like when you were half-asleep earlier? When I told ya to that you can just keep on sleeping?
	Seemed to me that you stayed up late last night, so I felt bad knowin' I woke you up.
Tsumugi	(Huh. So that WASN’T a dream.)
	(—Wait, if he noticed that I was still up at that hour, wouldn't that mean I actually DID wake him up last night? …I feel bad about that.)
Banri	… (yawn)
Tsumugi	Are you sleepy?
Banri	Mm… Guess I do have a bit of jet lag, too. Not as bad as you have it, though.
Tsumugi	Fufu, really now? Well, in that case…
	"Would you like to borrow Onii-chan's lap for awhile?"
Banri	…………. Thank you, but no thank you.

Dita