Honey Bee - Chapter 4

Location: Café Area

 

- A few days later -

Kohaku: I finally found a good job, and here I wanted to announce it all flashily like as a proper debut--

But when I went to the café where we usually meet up, it was their closin’ day…

So I came here instead, but… Is HiMERU-han even around?

Rinne: Hell yeah~! Niki, that building you’ve got there is now the property of Rinne-kun~! Hand over all your money~!

Niki: UwaaAAAH!? N-no wayyy~! I developed that building with all my love and care~!

HiMERU: --You made a bad move last turn. If you keep this up, you’ll be bankrupt soon, Shiina. Which is why HiMERU is going to take that credit he lent you back now.

Niki: Are you a demon!? HiMERU-kun, what color is your blooood~!?*

Rinne: Kyahahaha ☆ Mo~ney, mo~ney ♪

Kohaku: ...Guess there’s no need to look for him.

And they’re gamblin’ again. Seriously, what’s the world comin’ to if that’s what idols act like…

They oughta call it a hell filled with nothin’ but money grubbers instead.

Well, just lookin’ at this wild party from the outside won’t get me anywhere. I’m not feelin’ up for it really, but I guess I’ll call out to ‘em.

Y’all seem to be havin’ a blast. Makin’ an unbearable fuss about it, too.

Rinne: Ooh, Kohaku-chan. You made it ♪ Come and play with us!

Kohaku: Nah, I’m good. Hmm, I overheard some talk about money earlier, so I figured y’all were gamblin’, but you’re just playin’ that board game you brought the other day.

HiMERU: --Yes. Amagi kept pestering us about it, so we finally gave in today.

If the game involved betting real money, HiMERU wouldn’t consent to it, though.

Rinne: And there you have it! Well, as far as I’m concerned it’d have been more fun with real money.

But since we’re not doin’ that, Kohaku-chan can feel at ease and join in, too.

Kohaku: I told you I’m not gonna.

At any rate, I think it ain’t right for a buncha guys who are supposedly idols to be gettin’ all hyped playin’ a dubious board game like that.

It’s far-off from the image of idols I’ve gotten from lookin’ at ‘em online.

There’s probably no need to worry about it since this place is off-limits to the general public, but don’t you think the others in this trade are gonna look down on y’all for this?

Rinne: Gyahahaha ☆ Serious as ever. But you can dump that worn-out image you have of idols right into the trash can.

Bein’ so caught up in your common sense just makes you a commoner! How boring.

Niki: Letting Rinne-kun preach to you about morals isn’t worth the trouble, Kohaku-chan. It’ll just make you hungry.

By the way, what’re you doing here? Do you have business with us?

Kohaku: Ah, right! I got so caught up in this idiotic spectacle that it slipped my mind.

Well, I only really have business with HiMERU-han over there.

HiMERU: --With HiMERU? What could this be about?

Kohaku: It’s about the contest from the other day, I found a job for it. See, I can do it if I try. Ko ko ko ♪

HiMERU: --Hmm. That’s great news.

Rinne: Sweet! Hey, what kinda job is it? I wanna have a look-see~

Kohaku: Ah, if I let Rinne-han see, it’ll put me at a disadvantage! Get lost! Shoo, shoo!

Rinne: Don’t be so cold~. Rinne-kun and Kohaku-chan are buddies, right? And there’s also merits in showin’ it to me!

You can put pressure on me that way! Showin’ your opponent your hand to make ‘em tremble in fear is a valid measure in gamblin’!

So lemme see~☆

Niki: Uwah~, I can’t believe you’d break out the smooth talk for something like this. Actually, it’s kinda impressive.

Rinne: Niki-ku~n. Stand at attention right there and keep that mouth shut, else you’ll probably die ♪

Niki: U-umm~…? Why are you posing like a martial artist? L-let’s keep this peaceful, okay, Rinne-kun?

Ah, that smile is real scary...!?

Kohaku: ...Aah, geez. You’re so noisy. I get it! I get it already! I found the job first, so I guess it’s fine to show it to Rinne-han and Niki-han too.

Be grateful that I’m such a generous guy~♪

HiMERU: --My, my. Well, one could say that knowing when to give in is a sign of maturity.

--In any case, let’s get to the main topic. What kind of job did you find, Oukawa?

Kohaku: Right. Gimme a second, I bookmarked the HoldHands page for it.

Ummm? Aah, it’s this one, the one right there!

HiMERU: --Let’s see here…

Hmm…? This is…

Kohaku: ? What, is there a problem with it?

Rinne: Which one is it? ...Hm~?

Niki: Aah… That one, huh~… (shaking his head in disapproval)

Kohaku: Hey, what. Don’t gang up on me with those dicey reactions!

-----------------------

* Niki is quoting Rei/Lei/Ray from Hokuto no Ken/Fist of the North Star here.

Honey Bee - Chapter 5

Location: Café Area

Rinne: Hey, Kohaku-chan? Why did you choose this job?

Kohaku: Huh? Look closely. The client for this job is a major advertising firm. So regardless of whether there’s a reason to take on this job or not, there shouldn’t be anythin’ speakin’ against it.

Rinne: If the only reason you chose this job is ‘cause it’s got a bigtime client, it’s no good at all. Zero points.

Kohaku: Hah?

HiMERU: --Oukawa. If it’s such a good job, then how come no one took it on and it still remains posted?

If the conditions for the job were that good, HiMERU thinks everyone would scramble to take it on.

Niki: And the pay isn’t that great either… Since they’re such a major company, how should I put it… They must be real stingy or something.

Kohaku: Uguh…

Rinne: Well, there you have it.

And look at the other companies involved in that job. They’re all complete small fries.

In terms of influence, it’s “one strong, many weak”. Well, they probably set it up like that on purpose.

That big time firm’s got a monopoly there, so the best you can hope for at that job is to be chewed up and spat out by ‘em, and then tossed into the trash.

Kohaku: Uuu… --T-then! How about that one!? There should be nothin’ to criticize about the payment for that one!?

Rinne: That one’s out of the question. If we took it, we’d barely get any screen time, and it’s got basically no merits for us whatsoever.

Kohaku: Ugugu…

HiMERU: --Oukawa. Finding a profitable job is always difficult the first time around. HiMERU believes you can put this experience to good use next time.

Niki: Well, yeah. They say failure is a something-or-other to success, right. Cooks figure out the right amount of seasoning through trial and error, too.

Isn’t it just the worst when a recipe calls for “a pinch” of something?

Rinne: You two are too soft on him. Soft and fluffy like a marshmallow!

Kohaku-chan. Earlier, if you had given me a good reason as to why you chose that job, I would’ve been fine with takin’ it on, you know?

But from what you told me -- You only chose it ‘cause it “happened to be there”.

Kohaku: T-that ain’t true…

Rinne: In that case, can you still throw your chest out and say with pride that you took it on? If you can’t, then I won’t acknowledge that you “took on a job”!

Kohaku: ………..

Rinne: Use your head. If you don’t make use of your brain and your heart, they’ll grow rusty. Before long, you’ll be unable to distinguish between anythin’ at all.

And that couldn’t even be called “livin’”. You’d just be existin’ while breathin’, that’s it.

There’s tons of people who want to use guys like that. In this world it’s eat or be eaten after all.

So quit renouncin’ your ability to think.

Otherwise you’ll really end up being used as some big bad grown-ups’ doll, got it? --Like a certain someone.

Kohaku: ………..

HiMERU: --Amagi. Don’t you think you went a little bit too far?

Rinne: Well, whatever. Think it over, Kohaku-chan.

Niki: Huh? Where are you going, Rinne-kun?

Rinne: The mood’s all ruined now. I’m gonna go play some pachinko or somethin’. See ya!

Niki: Huh!? Hey wait, Rinne-ku~n? ...Ah, he’s gone.

Well, since that leaves the outcome of the half-finished board game undecided, it’s a lifesaver for me ♪

Kohaku: ………..

HiMERU: --Oukawa. HiMERU thinks there’s no need to let what Amagi said get to you too much.

Kohaku: ...Huh? Aah, I’m fine. I think what Rinne-han said was pretty reasonable.

It’s just like he said -- I only chose it because it “happened to be there”.

The reason why I kept my mouth shut was because I was thinkin’ about myself. How I reeeally wasn’t thinkin’ at all before--

Nah, maybe I’m always tryin’ to get away with bein’ like that…

Sigh… I’ve finally gained “freedom”... And yet, it’s like those stains from my past won’t fade.

I feel like I’m forever bound by somethin’ invisible, and it disgusts me.

HiMERU-han, do you have some time to spare for me? I’d like to try havin’ another look around…

HiMERU: --Sure, HiMERU doesn’t mind. Leaving things as they are must be frustrating, so let’s give it another shot ♪

Kohaku: Thank you kindly. Alright, I’ll go search once again from the top.

Niki: Hmm. Well, both Rinne-kun and Kohaku-chan left, so should we tidy up and disperse?

How rare of Rinne-kun to say such decent stuff, though~. When he’s usually nothing but a tyrant.

HiMERU: --…......

Niki: Hmm? So this time HiMERU-kun’s the one lost in thought, huh.

He~y, HiMERU-ku~n?

HiMERU: (There was a feeling of discomfort within Amagi’s attitude, akin to a falsehood. It felt like he was putting on an act…)

(It was so slight that Oukawa and Shiina probably didn’t notice.)

(This must be what people call “a liar knows a liar”. That’s how HiMERU could sense it.)

(Thinking it over, the conclusion HiMERU arrives at is--)

Aah… Of course, so that’s how it is. Fufufu ♪

Niki: This time he talked to himself and burst into laughter!? That’s scary!

He~y, HiMERU-ku~n. Please stop ignoring me and snap out of it~.

HiMERU: Aah, my apologies. HiMERU was lost in reverie. But it’s no good to “be so lost in thought that one forgets their surroundings”.

Niki: What’s so interesting?

HiMERU: --You see,...

--No, HiMERU will hold off on that for now. It wouldn’t be elegant to tell you. Just for today, HiMERU will accommodate that man ♪

Niki: Eh. What the hell!? When you put it like that, it just makes me all the more curious~!?