Hisoka Mikage/MANKAI Memory

Childhood Memory: HISOKA

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2Part 3

Hisoka	Zzz, zzz…
Izumi	Ah, I knew you’d be here.
	(He’s brought over another warm blanket…)
	Wake up, Hisoka-san.
Hisoka	Zzz, zzz…
Izumi	He didn’t budge…
	Alright, it’s time to bring this out.
	Here’s a marshmallow, Hisoka-saaan~.
Hisoka	…*Nom*.
Izumi	Ah, you woke up.
Hisoka	This marshmallow is… caramel… ginger?
Izumi	Yep. It’s limited edition.
Hisoka	…It’s yummy.
Izumi	(He’s silently asking for a second one…)
	I’ll give you the rest after we talk, okay?
	It’s about the birthday bromide photoshoot.
Hisoka	Ahh… that.
Izumi	Right, so… um…
Hisoka	…It’s the memorable item from before I joined the troupe.
Izumi	…Yeah.
	We’re asking every member to bring in one memorable item to use as an accessory for the photoshoot.
	You spent a while with amnesia at the dorm. And it seems you’ve regained most of your memories now—.
	But I thought it might be a bit difficult to ask of you.
Hisoka	…Thanks for caring about me.
	I doubt I can get the actual item. But if something similar is fine, then I’ll be okay.
Izumi	Are you sure? That’s a relief…
	Alright then, I’ll let you know when we’ve decided on the photoshoot date.
Hisoka	Hold on.
Izumi	?
Hisoka	…The marshmallows.
Izumi	Oh yeah! Sorry, sorry.
	Here you go.
Hisoka	Thanks.
Izumi	Okay, I’m gonna head back down now.
Hisoka	Yeah.
	…*Nom, nom*.
	(That’s what I said… but I wonder if I have anything.)
	…
	(Nothing comes to mind...
	I wonder if I have anything memorable in the first place.)
	*Nom, nom*…
	(I guess there’s no way around it. I’ll try asking that guy.)
	(…It’s a bit cloudy today so it’s kind of hard to see the moon…)
	Ah, he’s home.
Chikage	Hm?
Hisoka	…
Chikage	Oh, geez…
Hisoka	Welcome home.
Chikage	I’m back.
	Keep it short, will you?
Hisoka	…I have my birthday bromide photoshoot coming up.
	And I’m supposed to choose a memorable item from before we joined the troupe for it.
Chikage	Oh, I see.
Hisoka	Don’t you have anything, Chikage?
Chikage	Me? A memorable item of yours?
	There’s no way I do.
	You’ve got most of your memories back, don’t you?
Hisoka	…Yeah. I’m not confident though.
	And… to be honest, I don’t have many memories I want to remember from before we joined the Theatre.
	I have memories, but nothing that I’m attached to.
Chikage	…That might be the case.
Hisoka	I doubt you have anything either.
Chikage	Shut up.
	Anyways, that’s something you have to find on your own.
	Figure it out yourself.
Hisoka	…You’re no help.
Chikage	I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.
	I’m going to head down first.
Hisoka	*Sigh*…
	(If only there was another World Market like that time. Then I might find something.)

Hisoka	(A memorable item… I’m drawing a total blank.)
	*bell rings*
Guy	Welcome.
Hisoka	…Welcome.
Male customer	Good evening.
Guy	Long time no see, hm?
Male customer	Ehh, you remember me?
Guy	Yes. You’ve visited us before, haven’t you?
	You told me you are running a shop.
Male customer	That’s right.
	Haha, thanks for remembering.
Guy	Mikage had the day off back then.
Hisoka	…I’m Mikage, a staff member.
Male customer	I’m Furuta. Nice to meet you.
Guy	Right, I recall you told me you were going overseas for business last time.
Furuta	Yeah, you got it. I went to pick up some things the other day as well, and I found some great items.
Guy	I am pleased to hear things are going well.
Furuta	But apart from the management, there’s just one problem I’m having…
Guy	What is the matter?
Furuta	Truth is, a part-timer had to take a leave of absence due to a sudden trip home.
	I’m not going on any business trips for now, so I can handle the store by myself. But there’s a day when I absolutely have to be out of the store.
	So I've been trying to find someone to work part-time for that one day…
	But most of our customers and clients who phone in are foreigners, you see? In that way, it’s tough if you can’t speak English.
	It’s been pretty hard finding someone capable who fits the bill…
	I mean, I suppose I could just temporarily close the shop.
Hisoka	…What kind of shop is it?
Furuta	I guess you could say it’s a general store.
	We mainly handle miscellaneous, imported antique goods.
	We’ve got lots of rare products and they’re pretty popular among enthusiasts and the local folk.
Hisoka	Miscellaneous, imported antiques…
	(I might find something that leads me to a memory there.)
	…I might be able to do it.
Furuta	Eh? You might be able to… are you talking about the part-time job?
Hisoka	Yeah.
Guy	Mikage can speak English. Doesn’t this work out well?
Furuta	Are you serious! I’m saved! Can I please ask you to take it on then?
Hisoka	…I look forward to working with you.
Furuta	Great.
	I forgot to say. There’s actually one more requirement…
	Hey, here’s the store apron.
Hisoka	Thank you very much.
Cat	Meooow.
Furuta	Man, this is great. Mikage-kun’s a cat lover.
	Right, Nosta?
Nosta	Me~ow.
Hisoka	(There was also a cat at the corner candy shop I worked at before…
	Maybe I have a connection with stores that have cats.)
	(There’s a lot of different things out for display inside the shop…
	Miscellaneous goods, accessories, mysterious ornaments…)
Furuta	I choose the things in my store on a hunch, or as I happen to be drawn to them.
	I believe shopping is a matter of fated encounters.
Hisoka	Fated encounters?
Furuta	Yes. Just like the encounters people share, there are once-in-a-lifetime encounters between humans and items as well. I believe that destiny exists.
	Suddenly grabbing something in a store you wandered into by chance can be a life-changing experience.
	Wouldn’t you think that’s a romantic, fated encounter?
Hisoka	So this is the meeting spot?
Furuta	Haha, that would be wonderful if it were.
	Oops, it’s about time for me to head out.
	Nosta’s a moody and pampered kitty, so be nice to him. There’s snacks on the shelf over there.
	Alright, I’ll be off.
	I’m counting on you to watch the shop.
Hisoka	Got it.
Nosta	Meooow.
Foreign customer	《Much appreciated. Thanks to you, I was able to buy a spectacular item.》
Hisoka	《Thank you very much.》
	…Phew.
	(The shop is small, but there’s always people somehow.
	It’s evening already.)
	I’ve spoken so much English for the first time in a while. I’m tired.
	(In the past, it used to be normal speaking English or my native language…
	But now I’m more used to Japanese, which I had a hard time learning.)
	…How strange.
	…Ah.
	Come to think of it, I was so busy I forgot to look for the accessory to use for my bromide.
	?
Nosta	Meow.
Hisoka	Nosta, no climbing on the shelves with the goods.
Nosta	Meow, meow~.
Hisoka	(Maybe he wants attention. He’s toying with the accessories on purpose.
	Oh yeah, the snacks…)
Nosta	Meow.
	*jingles*
Hisoka	Ahh…
	An accessory fell off the shelf.
	I hope it’s not broken…
	…This is… a rosary.
Nosta	Meooow.
Hisoka	A rosary… and cat…

	*flashback starts*
Hisoka	…I’m starving…
	(...I can hear the lively Christmas music and the townspeople’s voices all the way from here.)
Cat	Meow.
Hisoka	?
	…A rosary fell.
Cat	Meooow.
Hisoka	(I wonder if I can get money if I sell this rosary…
	Maybe I can buy something to eat.)
	(But I don’t want to get bad karma…)
	(I’d like to return it… but I doubt I’ll find its owner, or they might mistake me for stealing it.)
	…What should I do?
Cat	Meow~.
Hisoka	?
	(It kind of feels like he’s telling me to follow him.
	…I’ll go with him.)
	…It’s a church.
	*door opens*
Priest	Ahh, where in the world did you—.
	—! That rosary…!
Hisoka	…It fell so I’m here to return it.
	I didn’t steal it or anything.
Priest	Of course, I understand.
	Thank you. I was just about to go looking for it.
Cat	Meow.
Priest	Ahh. You’re the one who brought him over, hm?
Cat	Meooow.
Priest	Are you hungry?
	I’ll treat you to a meal as a thank you. Come in.
Hisoka	…
	…Thank you for the meal.
	That sandwich was yummy.
	Alright, now I’ll—.
	*door opens*
Child	Hello, Father!
Priest	Hello there.
Hisoka	(…They look like a happy family.)
	…
Priest	…Do you believe in fate?
Hisoka	Fate?
Priest	Indeed.
	I dropped my rosary, you happened to pick it up, and that black cat brought you over. And like this, we’ve met.
	Don’t you think… God’s guidance is destiny?
Hisoka	…I’m not sure.
Priest	Well, I am certain that many fated encounters are awaiting you.
	Perhaps someone who will eagerly await Christmas or celebrate your birthday with you.
Hisoka	…I wonder if we’ll ever meet.
Priest	You will.
	Please, take this rosary in your hand and pray.
	You’ve done a good deed. I am sure God is watching over you.
Hisoka	(Pray…)
	…
	*flashback ends*
	(That was way before I met August and Chikage.
	To think I recalled something that far back.)
	Fated encounters, huh…
	*door opens*
Furuta	I’m back. Thanks for watching the store!
Hisoka	Welcome back.
Nosta	Meow~.
Hisoka	Hey… can I buy this with my earnings from today?
Homare	Happy birthday, Hisoka-kun!
Tsumugi	Happy birthday, Hisoka-kun.
Izumi	Happy birthday!
Hisoka	Thanks.
Tasuku	I’ve brought the cake over.
Hisoka	It’s a caramel ginger marshmallow cake.
Azuma	You can tell even though you haven’t eaten it yet, hm?
Izumi	Fufu. It looked like you liked them, so I make this together with Omi-kun.
Hisoka	I’m happy… itadakimasu.
	*Nom, nom*… it tastes great…
Izumi	Fufu, I’m glad.
Guy	By the way, Mikage’s birthday bromide is finished as well.
Azuma	The bromide was very Hisoka.
Izumi	Hisoka’s bromide was…
CHOICE 1: There were a lot of marshmallows in the frame. [+] Izumi There were a lot of marshmallows in the frame along with the accessories. Hisoka Marshmallows are crucial after all. I have so many memories of what kind of marshmallows I’ve found, how I got them from everyone, and how I shared and ate them together with Director. From now on, I want to keep searching for delicious marshmallows, eat them with Director, and make lots of different memories. Izumi Yeah! Sounds great.
CHOICE 2: Penpen was with him too. [+] Izumi Penpen was with him too. Hisoka That’s because he’s my favourite. Thanks to Penpen, I’ve also come to like real penguins even more. I’d love to go play at the aquarium again.
Tasuku	So the memento Mikage chose for his birthday bromide was a rosary?
Tsumugi	It’s a wonderful rosary.
Azuma	Did you buy it at your part-time job?
Hisoka	Yeah.
	…When I was young, there was a time I picked up and returned a rosary to a priest.
	The priest and I talked about fated encounters…
	I couldn’t really comprehend it back then though.
	But when I found this rosary... and reflected on the encounters I’ve experienced before I came here—.
	I thought that maybe that's how I met Director and everyone in Winter troupe.
Tsumugi	Right.
Azuma	That’s true.
Homare	There’s no mistaking it. It was destiny that all of us met.
Tasuku	You can say that.
Guy	Yes, I think so as well.
Izumi	That’s right.
Hisoka	Yeah.
	(And not to mention… meeting both of those guys too.)

Anna