Operetta - Birthday 3

[bakemonoremy]

Location: Dance Room

- The next day, after school -

Koga: ...Yeah. Yeah. I got it already, and it ain’t manly for a guy to apologize so many times. I keep tellin' ya this, Adonis, but people're gonna take ya for a wimp.

Yeah. That can’t be helped, and it ain’t like that’s your fault. Your home, or rather, your homeland, is in trouble right now.

If anythin’ it’ll be a reason for celebration when this is all done and dealt with.

And afterwards you’ll be able to focus on your activities freely without havin’ to worry about your “households’ circumstances” gettin’ in the way.

I ain’t gonna forgive ya if you don’t come back here, ya hear? ...I’m waitin’ for you, so don’t turn me into the next faithful dog Hachiko*.

Alright. Yeah, got it. See ya, Adonis.

-- We are UNDEAD ♪

………

(I wonder if he’s gonna be okay. Shit, isn’t there anythin’ I can do to help him?)

(I guess there ain’t, so all I can do is believe in him and keep waitin’... Dammit, and here I keep gettin’ all worked up sayin’ I’ll bite anyone who tries to stand in our way!)

(Somehow this all brings back memories of last year. Back then I had to wait around for Sakuma-senpai to return from overseas where he was takin’ care of some stuff and travelin’ all over the place.)

(Unable to protect anyone, unable to save anyone, all I could do back then was howl like an idiot.)

(You haven’t changed one bit since then, aah? Oogami Koga-kun?)

(...I’ve got it, since it’s overseas that’s exactly Sakuma-senpai’s territory.)

(Hm~... I don’t really wanna rely on him, but I guess I’ll ask him for advice just this once.)

(Well, usually I wouldn’t even have to say anythin’ for him to have already gotten himself involved in this.)

(Our precious comrade, Adonis, is in trouble after all.)

(...But is that really the truth?)

(Does he really think of us as his precious comrades?)

(I haven’t forgotten about that time before “RepayFes” when he said he was gonna disband UNDEAD all nilly-willy, that bastard!) 

(And then everythin’ got kinda vague, and I’ve yet to hear somethin’ from his mouth that I can actually believe are his true feelings.)

(Crap, what if he only decided to keep UNDEAD goin’ out of pity and a sense of obligation…)

(There’s no way that’s true… At least that’s what I wanna believe.)

(That guy never tells us the important stuff, maybe ‘cause he’s scared that if he says somethin’, reality will actually turn out exactly “that way”?)

(If that’s what it is, it pisses me off! How much longer is he gonna play God!?)

(...But maybe that’s the fault of fans, like how I was before, who always treated him like one.)

(That’s why I probably don’t have the right to say anythin’ to him about that now.)

(And yet…)

(Weren’t we supposed to have become equals, Sakuma-senpai…? During “RepayFes”...)

(In that case, there’s no need for us to act reserved around each other anymore.)

(...Alright. I made up my mind, I’ll just try givin’ Sakuma-senpai a short call.)

(Around this time of day he’s probably busy with work, but we don’t have the sort of relationship where I have to pay any mind to that.)

(‘Sides. Since it’s “that Sakuma Rei” we’re talkin’ about here, I might have convinced myself he’d just cleanly deal with anythin’ even if I don’t overthink it to hell and back.)

(But there’s no way he can… We already took up so much of his time last year.)

(Still, I feel it ain’t like me to act like this. This is about an important friend of mine, so I’ll regret it afterwards if I don’t do anythin’ I can to help.)

 

(Right now, I’ll do whatever I can.)

(Alright, I’m callin’ him.)

(..............)

(...........UgaaAAH! What the hell am I hesitatin’ for, am I some kinda grade school girl with love troubles or what?!)

(This ain’t no time to be bashful, I’m just casually givin’ him a call so why am I agonizin’ over it like this?)

(You can do it! You just gotta dial Sakuma-senpai’s number in your phone, even a little brat can do that much, right!?)

(Alright, take a deep breath first! Aah, but still, what if he’s busy over there?)

(I should make sure I know exactly what I wanna talk about first, makin’ phone calls ain’t free of charge after all!?)

Rei: ….Kukuku ♪

Just watching you from afar is already delightful, really ♪

Koga: Owagyaaah!?

D-D-D-Don’t scare the crap outta me like that, asshole! Wh-Wh-What the fuck are you doin’ here, didn’t you graduate already, bastard!? I’ll fuckin’ kill you!

Rei: Do refrain from barking so much. If you raise too much of a fuss I’ll get in trouble~, since I entered the school without permission.

Sakasaki-kun, with whom I recently worked together on a matter regarding “that building”, is well-informed about the hidden passages in this school, you see.

I happened to take the opportunity to ask him about the infiltration points for the school.

I heard that they strengthened the security, so it leaves me feeling a bit anxious knowing how easy it is to intrude. 

Koga: Han, so that redhead told you about the magic doors.

Ever since that bastard became a senior he’s been gettin’ even more full of himself than ever, and makin’ all kinds of suspicious passages and hidden spots all over the place.

Rei: Is that so. Well, though it may not be praiseworthy, throughout the ages, those who are disobedient always required a shelter of some sort.

This is very much like Sakasaki-kun, he certainly has grown into a splendid oddball ♪

Koga: ...Anyway, since when were you able to enter places on your own all uninvited?

You should adhere to your own setting**, otherwise there won’t be any point in actin’ out this character of yours, right?

Rei: Ku ku ku. There’s no problem with that, since we live in reality and not inside some kind of story.

Even if I don’t perform this character all the time, there won’t be any author or reader who’s troubled by it.

And so-- While there is no greater bliss than having a conversation void of any ulterior motives like this with you --

I came here because there is something more important I need to speak to you about.

If you’d like, would you hear me out, Koga?

Koga: ………….

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

* This is a well known one, but I’ll clarify just in case: Hachikō (ハチ公, November 10, 1923 – March 8, 1935) was a Japanese Akita dog remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, for whom he continued to wait for over nine years following Ueno's death. (Wikipedia)

** Koga is making another reference to how vampires allegedly cannot enter places they haven’t been invited into.