Magic Lantern - Monument 3
Jul. 28th, 2022 01:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iridesenescenceWriter: Akira
Season: Autumn
Location: Props Room
[Evening of that day]
Subaru: —Hm, and so? What happened afterwards?
Did everything just end the same as always, with things only feeling like they were somehow resolved?
Sora: HaHa~ ♪ Not at all, nothing was actually resolved this time~? Things are as you see it!
Subaru: As I see it... What are you guys up to? It looks to me like you're building some kinda huge weird mechanical thingamajig?
Is this a machine to brainwash everyone in the region into thinking about ES?
Sora: HiHi~? Sora supposes it would probably be convenient to have something like that~?
But no one can or should change someone else's heart. No one has the right to, not even magicians or fortune-tellers~
The only hearts we can change are our own! And this is a machine meant to interfere with that?
Subaru: I don't geddit! But I guess it's all good — you're looking just a li'l better than you were before, Yellow kid!
Sora: Oh, weren't you going to call Sora "So~ran"?
Subaru: Was I? I forgot about that! I just say whatever feels right in the moment!
But apparently, there are times when those careless words end up stabbing deep into others' hearts...
Since it seems I sometimes hurt others without realising it, I was just a li'l worried about you.
I wondered if I'd said things I shouldn't have, or something like that.
Sora: Sora doesn't think you did at all, though?
If Paise— Sparkly oni~san hadn't let Sora have the magic lantern, Sora would probably still be stuck at the same place~?
Subaru: You're always affirming others and trying your hardest to match up with them, aren't you, Yellow kid... You're such a good kid, it honestly hurts to watch.
Sora: ? So good kids are painful to watch?
Subaru: Maybe I'm just envious of what's out of my reach. Even when I tried to do the same thing, I failed and ended up all alone...
So maybe I feel jealous that you're managing alright.
I ended up getting rubbed the wrong way and stuck my nose into things a little more than usual.
Sora: ......?
Subaru: I'm glad you found good and kind people before you pushed yourself too hard and broke, Harukawa Sora-kun.
Sora: Yes! Everyone around Sora is great!
... But that might just be because Sora holds everyone at a distance.
Maybe it's just because Sora's always maintained a distance such that he can't see the ugly and bad parts of other people, and they won't show it to him.
So that's why Sora's decided to try stepping closer this time — close enough that we can properly see each other's faces.
Sora trusts that Shisho~ and Senpai won't be disgusted even if they look at him from up close... No, in fact, Sora's hoping that they'll properly accept every part of him.
Subaru: Hmm? Yeah, I really don't get it! I think I'm no good at conversations!
Sora: HuHu~ ♪
Subaru: But I think you'll be fine despite being this way. Natsume is good at conversations, and Blue-senpai probably is too.
They both seem pretty used to perceiving what others are thinking, so when you're talking to them, it kinda feels like there's no real need to think much~
Sora: Yes, and that's a problem. A really big problem.
But! Magic is all about cleverly solving problems with miraculous methods, or something?
Natsume: —Hey. Don't go sticking your nose into our Sora's affairs, Baru-kun.
Subaru: Sup, Natsume! Feels like it's been a while! You should try actually showing up for class sometimes!
Natsume: Well, I've had my hands full over here. Besides, why do lessons matter? All you need to do is score well in tests to balance the books.
Subaru: But you're only a student once, so you should make the most of this period, y'know~?
Natsume: Thanks, but no thanks. I want to hurry up and be an adult — I'm sick of being treated like a helpless child.
Subaru: Ahaha, you wanna hurry and be an adult so you can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Blue-senpai, don'tcha, Natsume?
Natsume: Who's this Blue-senpai you speak of? Never heard of them.
Natsume: Ah, whatever. More importantly: Sora, I've gotten the tools we need.
The blue shaggy guy is looking up how to use them now.
Tsumugi: You know, I'm starting to suspect you actually like the shaggy state of my hair.
If you hated it, you'd just totally ignore and not comment on it, wouldn't you?
Natsume: Uwagh, could you not erase your presence and sneak up on me from behind?!
Tsumugi: I wasn't trying to do that at all~ Haven't you just been too relaxed lately, Natsume-kun?
Natsume: Can you really blame me? One way or another, if no problems crop up, the conflict at school is going to be resolved. It finally feels like I can catch a break.
There are still seeds of unrest here and there, but I've prepared countermeasures for all sorts of potential turns of events. Besides, it's only realistic to forgo demanding perfection.
Tsumugi: Fufu, students sure have it good~ At the end of the day, you have a chance to take a breather.
Working adults have to keep running without pause, or you won't even be able to maintain your position; it's a hellish and competitive marathon out here.
Day after day, tasks will pop up one after another, and you'll have to work feverishly to handle it all... Though I suppose it is better than having no work at all.
When you're an adult, in theory you can manage your busyness with money and power... Except that our agency has neither of those.
Natsume: What is up with this agency, anyway? The difficulty level is way too high.
I mean, it is nice that we can sort of run the agency however we want, but it's problematic that we're saddled with work that idols shouldn't have to do.
Tsumugi: Fufu, but that's how it was back in Yumenosaki too, so we're used to it, aren't we?
Maybe we should make even better use of the experience we got from Yumenosaki from here on out.
While Knights is earning us money and Double Face is keeping those around us in check, perhaps we can afford to be a little more daring.
Natsume: Mm~mm. I guess that would be better than the way things are now, with us always being used by others whenever it suits them.
But if we're too reckless and piss people off, the four agencies will turn on each other and engage in warfare.
Just when we finally got some peace inside ES...
Tsumugi: You're right, but I think all the war-lovers are pretty much at their limit.
Just in case, we should prepare for the worst.
There's been all sorts of troubling rumours lately, too. Things about the Godfather's inheritance, and "Gatekeeper"—
Momument 2 || Momument 4
Story Masterlist
Season: Autumn
Location: Props Room
[Evening of that day]
Subaru: —Hm, and so? What happened afterwards?
Did everything just end the same as always, with things only feeling like they were somehow resolved?
Sora: HaHa~ ♪ Not at all, nothing was actually resolved this time~? Things are as you see it!
Subaru: As I see it... What are you guys up to? It looks to me like you're building some kinda huge weird mechanical thingamajig?
Is this a machine to brainwash everyone in the region into thinking about ES?
Sora: HiHi~? Sora supposes it would probably be convenient to have something like that~?
But no one can or should change someone else's heart. No one has the right to, not even magicians or fortune-tellers~
The only hearts we can change are our own! And this is a machine meant to interfere with that?
Subaru: I don't geddit! But I guess it's all good — you're looking just a li'l better than you were before, Yellow kid!
Sora: Oh, weren't you going to call Sora "So~ran"?
Subaru: Was I? I forgot about that! I just say whatever feels right in the moment!
But apparently, there are times when those careless words end up stabbing deep into others' hearts...
Since it seems I sometimes hurt others without realising it, I was just a li'l worried about you.
I wondered if I'd said things I shouldn't have, or something like that.
Sora: Sora doesn't think you did at all, though?
If Paise— Sparkly oni~san hadn't let Sora have the magic lantern, Sora would probably still be stuck at the same place~?
Subaru: You're always affirming others and trying your hardest to match up with them, aren't you, Yellow kid... You're such a good kid, it honestly hurts to watch.
Sora: ? So good kids are painful to watch?
Subaru: Maybe I'm just envious of what's out of my reach. Even when I tried to do the same thing, I failed and ended up all alone...
So maybe I feel jealous that you're managing alright.
I ended up getting rubbed the wrong way and stuck my nose into things a little more than usual.
Sora: ......?
Subaru: I'm glad you found good and kind people before you pushed yourself too hard and broke, Harukawa Sora-kun.
Sora: Yes! Everyone around Sora is great!
... But that might just be because Sora holds everyone at a distance.
Maybe it's just because Sora's always maintained a distance such that he can't see the ugly and bad parts of other people, and they won't show it to him.
So that's why Sora's decided to try stepping closer this time — close enough that we can properly see each other's faces.
Sora trusts that Shisho~ and Senpai won't be disgusted even if they look at him from up close... No, in fact, Sora's hoping that they'll properly accept every part of him.
Subaru: Hmm? Yeah, I really don't get it! I think I'm no good at conversations!
Sora: HuHu~ ♪
Subaru: But I think you'll be fine despite being this way. Natsume is good at conversations, and Blue-senpai probably is too.
They both seem pretty used to perceiving what others are thinking, so when you're talking to them, it kinda feels like there's no real need to think much~
Sora: Yes, and that's a problem. A really big problem.
But! Magic is all about cleverly solving problems with miraculous methods, or something?
Natsume: —Hey. Don't go sticking your nose into our Sora's affairs, Baru-kun.
Subaru: Sup, Natsume! Feels like it's been a while! You should try actually showing up for class sometimes!
Natsume: Well, I've had my hands full over here. Besides, why do lessons matter? All you need to do is score well in tests to balance the books.
Subaru: But you're only a student once, so you should make the most of this period, y'know~?
Natsume: Thanks, but no thanks. I want to hurry up and be an adult — I'm sick of being treated like a helpless child.
Subaru: Ahaha, you wanna hurry and be an adult so you can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Blue-senpai, don'tcha, Natsume?
Natsume: Who's this Blue-senpai you speak of? Never heard of them.
Natsume: Ah, whatever. More importantly: Sora, I've gotten the tools we need.
The blue shaggy guy is looking up how to use them now.
Tsumugi: You know, I'm starting to suspect you actually like the shaggy state of my hair.
If you hated it, you'd just totally ignore and not comment on it, wouldn't you?
Natsume: Uwagh, could you not erase your presence and sneak up on me from behind?!
Tsumugi: I wasn't trying to do that at all~ Haven't you just been too relaxed lately, Natsume-kun?
Natsume: Can you really blame me? One way or another, if no problems crop up, the conflict at school is going to be resolved. It finally feels like I can catch a break.
There are still seeds of unrest here and there, but I've prepared countermeasures for all sorts of potential turns of events. Besides, it's only realistic to forgo demanding perfection.
Tsumugi: Fufu, students sure have it good~ At the end of the day, you have a chance to take a breather.
Working adults have to keep running without pause, or you won't even be able to maintain your position; it's a hellish and competitive marathon out here.
Day after day, tasks will pop up one after another, and you'll have to work feverishly to handle it all... Though I suppose it is better than having no work at all.
When you're an adult, in theory you can manage your busyness with money and power... Except that our agency has neither of those.
Natsume: What is up with this agency, anyway? The difficulty level is way too high.
I mean, it is nice that we can sort of run the agency however we want, but it's problematic that we're saddled with work that idols shouldn't have to do.
Tsumugi: Fufu, but that's how it was back in Yumenosaki too, so we're used to it, aren't we?
Maybe we should make even better use of the experience we got from Yumenosaki from here on out.
While Knights is earning us money and Double Face is keeping those around us in check, perhaps we can afford to be a little more daring.
Natsume: Mm~mm. I guess that would be better than the way things are now, with us always being used by others whenever it suits them.
But if we're too reckless and piss people off, the four agencies will turn on each other and engage in warfare.
Just when we finally got some peace inside ES...
Tsumugi: You're right, but I think all the war-lovers are pretty much at their limit.
Just in case, we should prepare for the worst.
There's been all sorts of troubling rumours lately, too. Things about the Godfather's inheritance, and "Gatekeeper"—
Momument 2 || Momument 4
Story Masterlist
