Sakyo Furuichi/Nobly Beautiful Milky Way

The Wish Upon a Tanzaku That Came True

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2Part 3

Sakyo	Alright, thanks for waiting. Three orders of eight takoyaki.
Customer	Thanks~.
Izumi	Excuse me, please give me one order of eight takoyaki.
Sakyo	Thanks.... Oh, it’s you.
Izumi	Your takoyaki were so delicious last year that I had to come again, Sakyo-san.
Sakyo	...I see. And who told you about this store?
Izumi	Sakoda-san, of course.
Sakyo	Tch, I thought so.... How unnecessary.
	Here’s your takoyaki. Take it and leave.
Izumi	Yay, thank you very much!
Sakoda	How’s it going, aniki—huh, Director-neesan! You dropped by!
Izumi	Yes! You went through the trouble of telling me about it, and I wanted to have some again, so!
Sakoda	I understand! Aniki’s takoyaki are the best, after all!
	But what’s really amazing about aniki’s takoyaki is that you can enjoy both the taste and the cooking process!
	Aniki’s such a pro at flipping takoyaki that you can barely see the picks!
	If you watch that, I’m sure you’ll be heads over heels for aniki too, Director-neesan—.
Sakyo	Sakoda. Don’t you dare say another word.
Sakoda	Y-yessir....
Izumi	Ahaha, you two really get along.
Sakoda	Actually, aniki, isn’t it about time you took a break? You haven’t gotten to rest all morning.
Sakyo	Aah? What about that?
Sakoda	You shouldn’t overwork yourself!
	Director-neesan is here, too. You should leave the store to me and take a break!
Sakyo	No, but....
Sakoda	Director-neesan, take care of aniki for me!
Sakyo	...Is this déjà vu? I feel like the same thing happened last summer.
Izumi	Ahaha, I think he has a good point. It seems like you’ve been working nonstop, after all.
	You should accept Sakoda-san’s kind offer and take a break.
Sakyo	...Fine.
	Hey, I’m leaving this place to you. Make sure to keep up sales.
Sakoda	Aye aye, sir! Have a nice long break!

Izumi	Since we’re together, we should share the takoyaki. It’s sunny today, so let’s find a spot in the shade.
	Ah, how about that area over there?
Sakyo	Hey, wait. Don’t go wandering off on your own. It’ll be a pain if you get lost—.
Izumi	...Huh?
	Sakyo-san? Where are you?
Sakyo	Over here....
Izumi	Ah, there you are. You disappeared so suddenly, I was surprised.
Sakyo	That’s my line. Geez, you’re like a playful kid no matter how old you get.
Izumi	S-sorry....
Sakyo	...Here, lend me your hand.
Izumi	Eh?
Sakyo	You wander away the moment I take my eyes off of you. We won’t lose each other if we hold hands.
Izumi	D-don’t treat me like a child!
Sakyo	Why don’t you say that after reflecting on your actions from just moments ago?
Izumi	Ugh....
Sakyo	Let’s go.
Sakyo	But wow, there are a lot of people. Maybe even more than last year.
Izumi	Maybe. Well, it’s good when festivals are busy—.
Boy	U, uuu....
Izumi	...I wonder if that child is lost?
Sakyo	He might be. Let’s try talking to him.
	Hey, boy. What’s wrong. Did you get separated from your parents?
Boy	Sob... no....
Izumi	No? We can try to help out; could you tell us what’s wrong?
Boy	...I lost my tanzaku.... I brought it to hang on the bamboo tree, but.... Uu....
Izumi	(I see, so that’s why he was crying....)
	I see. Then we’ll help you look for it.
Boy	Eh... really?
Izumi	Of course. Right, Sakyo-san?
Sakyo	Yeah.
Boy	Thank you, onee-chan, onii-chan!
Izumi	Do you remember what the tanzaku looked like?
Boy	It was blue and shaped like a star.
Sakyo	What did you write on it?
Boy	...My mother is sick, so, please let her recover soon.
Sakyo	...I see.
Boy	I held onto it tight, but I still lost it, and....
Sakyo	Don’t cry. You’re a man.... We’ll be sure to find it, so don’t give up, okay?
Boy	...Yeah!
Izumi	(Sakyo-san has such a gentle look on his face.... This might the first time I’ve seen him like this.)
	Alright! Let’s work hard to find it!

Izumi	We can’t quite seem to find it, huh....
	(It wasn’t at the festival venue, the nearest train station, or the police station....)
Sakyo	This is pretty much the only place we haven’t checked.
Boy	...We searched so hard, but we still can’t find it. Maybe someone threw it away....
Izumi	D-don’t worry! I’m sure we’ll find it!
Sakyo	That’s right. Don’t give up so easily.
Boy	...Yeah.
Izumi	Tanzaku, tanzaku....
Sakyo	! Is this it...?
Izumi	The wish.... “Please let my mother recover from her illness so she’ll feel better soon”....!
Boy	Yeah, that’s it!
Izumi	I’m glad we found it.
Boy	Thank you, onii-chan, onee-chan!
Sakyo	Then let’s return to the festival venue. I’ll hang up your tanzaku while we’re at it.
Boy	Really?
Sakyo	Yeah.
Boy	Yay, thank you, onii-chan! I hope mother will recover from her illness soon.
Sakyo	You didn’t give up and you looked for it until you found it. Of course she’ll get better.
Izumi	(The two of them really get along now; I’m glad.)
Boy	Onii-chan, onee-chan, thank you so much for today!
Izumi	Take care.
Sakyo	Make sure you head straight home.
Boy	Yeah, bye-bye~!
Izumi	I’m glad we managed to find his tanzaku.
Sakyo	Yeah. That brought back some memories; I’m feeling a little nostalgic now.
Izumi	Did you make a wish upon a tanzaku when you were little, Sakyo-san?
Sakyo	...Well, yeah.
Izumi	I see. Did your wish come true?
Sakyo	...Yeah.
Izumi	Eeh!? Really?
Sakyo	....!
Izumi	What was your wish, Sakyo-san?
Sakyo	It’s already hot; don’t get so close!! Why does my wish matter anyway?
Izumi	When you dodge the question like that it just makes me more curious.
	Ah! Sakyo-san, was your wish—.
CHOICE 1: About money? [+] Izumi Related to money? Sakyo Too bad, you’re wrong. Izumi Really? I thought I was right.... Sakyo And that’s the end of that. I won’t answer another question about this topic.
CHOICE 2: About love? [+] Izumi Related to love? Sakyo ...Who knows. Izumi So I’m right!? Um, who was it about.... Sakyo ...That’s the end of that topic.
Izumi	Eh~!? Come on, tell me!
Sakyo	...Tch.
Izumi	Ah, wait, Sakyo-san! Where are you going?
Sakyo	My break’s over! I’m headed back!
Sakyo	(...How could I tell you that I wished to meet the person standing right before my eyes again?)
Izumi	Wait for me, Sakyo-sa~n!

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