E9 - If you don't make up your mind, the story won't advance

Source: Crunchyroll
Translator:
Editor:
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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
SIGN    Tomozaki
[00:04] Tomozaki
    "You thought I meant I liked
    you that way, didn't you!"
[00:07] Tomozaki
    "I actually do like you that way."
[00:11] Tomozaki
    Who, a bottom-tier character like me?
[00:14] Tomozaki
    This calls for some top-tier assistance.
SIGN    Aoi Hinami
[00:19] Tomozaki
    I guess I'll have to go
    to Hinami for advice...
SIGN    Takehiro Mizusawa: Sorry, Fumiya. Can you come to work? Someone called in sick.
SIGN    Takehiro Mizusawa: Sorry, Fumiya. Can you come to work? Someone called in sick.
[00:25] Tomozaki
    Mizusawa?
SIGN    2nd Stage: Lv. 9 If you don't make up your mind, the story won't advance
[02:02] Mizusawa
    Sorry for the short notice.
[02:04] Mizusawa
    This is a big help.
[02:05] Tomozaki
    Sure.
[02:07] Mizusawa
    What's wrong, Fumiya?
[02:09] Tomozaki
    It's not like I can tell him about Mimimi.
[02:13] Mizusawa
    Aha! Girl trouble, perhaps?
[02:18] Mizusawa
    Hey, I got it right.
[02:20] Mizusawa
    So were you dumped? Did you jump
    the gun on confessing your love?
[02:25] Tomozaki
    Dumped? No, not dumped...
[02:28] Mizusawa
    Oh? Then did someone open up to you?
[02:31] Mizusawa
    You've been spending a lot of
    time alone with Kikuchi lately.
[02:34] Tomozaki
    Huh? Kikuchi?
[02:37] Mizusawa
    No?
[02:39] Tomozaki
    Uh... no...
[02:42] Mizusawa
    Hmm... Then that means...
[02:45] Mizusawa
    the other possibility would be...
[02:49] Mizusawa
    Mimimi?
[02:51] Mizusawa
    Whoa, seriously? Mimimi?
[02:56] Mizusawa
    Hmm.
[02:57] Mizusawa
    I see.
[03:00] Mizusawa
    So what's got you confused?
[03:02] Tomozaki
    I don't even know if it counts
    as a confession, for one.
[03:07] Mizusawa
    It's hard to say.
[03:10] Mizusawa
    Could be a confession, or
    she could be playing games.
[03:14] Tomozaki
    Games...
[03:16] Mizusawa
    If you want to continue the
    relationship you've had so far,
[03:19] Mizusawa
    you can totally go on
    as if nothing happened.
[03:23] Tomozaki
    I-I can, huh?
[03:25] Mizusawa
    Although I would say that...
[03:27] Mizusawa
    if you wanted to date her in this
    situation, you can probably do that, too.
[03:33] Tomozaki
    What?!
[03:34] Mizusawa
    Keep it down!
[03:36] Tomozaki
    S-Sorry...
[03:38] Mizusawa
    But yeah, I can see why
    she'd be feeling the heat.
[03:42] Mizusawa
    What's that mean?
[03:44] Mizusawa
    Remember? Attractive guys attract people.
[03:48] Mizusawa
    Mimimi's probably fretting about
    you getting snapped up by Kikuchi
[03:55] Mizusawa
    or someone at the girls' school.
[03:57] Mizusawa
    Y-Yeah, but even if I did get snapped up,
[04:00] Mizusawa
    there are plenty of other options...
[04:02] Mizusawa
    Listen.
[04:04] Mizusawa
    When are you going to quit
    with that masochistic crap?
[04:07] Mizusawa
    You're just wielding your
    weakness as an excuse
[04:10] Mizusawa
    so you don't have to acknowledge
    anyone's expectations or goodwill,
[04:14] Mizusawa
    and it's a terrible habit.
[04:16] Mizusawa
    Haven't you noticed?
[04:18] Mizusawa
    Whenever you're putting yourself
    down, you look almost relieved.
[04:24] Mizusawa
    Don't do that.
[04:27] Mizusawa
    A truly cool guy is only relieved
[04:30] Mizusawa
    after raising the bar for himself,
    then eagerly putting in the work
[04:35] Mizusawa
    to be able to clear it.
[04:38] Mizusawa
    I mean, honestly, you're free
    to keep denigrating yourself.
[04:42] Mizusawa
    I don't care either way.
[04:43] Mizusawa
    But when you put yourself down,
[04:47] Mizusawa
    it upsets the people who like you.
[04:59] Tomozaki
    I guess I am an undisputed bottom-tier
    character in this game called life.
[05:04] Tomozaki
    I go on about truth and sincerity while
    using my own weakness as an excuse,
[05:09] Tomozaki
    shutting down my thoughts with "No one
    would ever choose the likes of me."
[05:13] Tomozaki
    But maybe I knew that, somewhere deep down.
[05:18] Tomozaki
    Maybe I was just pretending not to notice.
[05:21] Tomozaki
    Which is exactly why I'm
    going to voice this truth
[05:26] Tomozaki
    in the realest sense of the word:
[05:29] Tomozaki
    Yes, Minami Nanami...
[05:34] Tomozaki
    She... she likes me.
SIGN    Sewing Room 2
[05:40] Aoi
    Now then,
SIGN    Today's Task: Decide who you want to get closer to
[05:41] Aoi
    you've chosen your two or
    more girls to pursue, yes?
SIGN    Small Goal: Who do you want to get closer to?
[05:47] Tomozaki
    Can I ask you something, Hinami?
[05:50] Aoi
    What?
[05:51] Tomozaki
    What does it mean to... to fall for someone?
[05:56] Aoi
    How can you ask something so
    embarrassing with a straight face?
[05:59] Tomozaki
    S-Stop it. I was doing fine
    till you said something.
[06:04] Aoi
    Well, if we look at it analytically...
[06:07] Aoi
    It's when reliance, lust, possessiveness,
    and interest coincide.
[06:13] Aoi
    Precisely speaking, it would be an emotion
[06:17] Aoi
    made up of a combination of these factors.
[06:19] Tomozaki
    No, I mean in a more individual way.
[06:23] Tomozaki
    Something like... who do I like?
[06:27] Tomozaki
    How do I even know how to tell?
[06:33] Aoi
    Are you still going on about that?
[06:35] Tomozaki
    I do want to make up my mind,
[06:38] Tomozaki
    but I can't yet. Or something.
[06:41] Aoi
    See, this is why you need to
    choose two or more people.
[06:46] Aoi
    You honestly can't decide, yet you're
    compelled to narrow it down to just one.
[06:51] Aoi
    Isn't that much more insincere?
[06:56] Aoi
    Or perhaps there's not a single
    girl you're vaguely interested in?
[07:02] Tomozaki
    No... that's not it...
[07:05] Aoi
    I'm not telling you to run out
    there and declare your love.
[07:09] Aoi
    You don't even have to be certain about it.
[07:12] Aoi
    Just decide who you'd like to become
    closer to from now on. That's all.
SIGN    Small Goal: Who do you want to get closer to?
[07:19] Tomozaki
    Got it.
[07:21] Tomozaki
    The girls I'm interested in
[07:24] Tomozaki
    are Mimimi and Kikuchi.
[07:29] Aoi
    An extremely appropriate answer, given
    all your hesitation. What a letdown.
SIGN    Small Goal: CLEAR! Who do you want to get closer to? Mimimi / Kikuchi
[07:36] Tomozaki
    Oh, hush.
[07:38] Aoi
    Okay, so starting today,
[07:40] Aoi
    you'll get closer to them
    on the premise of building
[07:43] Aoi
    a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.
[07:46] Tomozaki
    Boyfriend... girlfriend...
[07:48] Aoi
    Picture this:
[07:50] Aoi
    Mimimi comes to your room,
[07:53] Aoi
    and the two of you sit on your bed, alone.
[07:55] Aoi
    A lot of words are exchanged,
[07:57] Aoi
    your fingers are entwined...
[08:01] Aoi
    Or you're with Fuka,
[08:03] Aoi
    and a lot of words are exchanged,
[08:05] Aoi
    your fingers are entwined...
[08:09] Aoi
    Okay!
[08:11] Aoi
    Looks like you got it.
[08:13] Tomozaki
    Damn her...
[08:15] Aoi
    Now, first up, your new goal:
SIGN    New Goal: Decide which one you like
[08:19] Aoi
    Decide which one you like.
[08:22] Aoi
    Once you have that answer,
[08:24] Aoi
    work on conveying your feelings to her.
[08:27] Aoi
    Your small goal will be...
SIGN    Small Goal: Complete event map (before culture festival)
[08:29] Aoi
    to complete a normie romance event
    map before the culture festival.
[08:35] Tomozaki
    An event map?
SIGN    Minami Nanami Route - Event 1 - Event 2 - Event 3 Fuka Kikuchi Route - Event 1 - Event 2 - Event 3
[08:38] Tomozaki
    Like in a dating sim?
[08:43] Aoi
    Hexactly!
[08:45] Aoi
    And if you ultimately confess your
    feelings to her and start dating,
SIGN    Medium Goal: Have a girlfriend before starting year 3
[08:49] Aoi
    you'll have met your medium goal.
[08:52] Tomozaki
    Now hang on a second...
[08:53] Aoi
    What is it?
[08:55] Mizusawa
    I don't want to make confession a goal.
[08:58] Mizusawa
    If I'm going to tell a girl how I feel,
[09:00] Mizusawa
    it can't be for some goal or task...
[09:05] Mizusawa
    it's got to be because I,
    myself, want to tell her.
[09:10] Aoi
    What? Are you saying that the
    process is what matters here,
[09:14] Aoi
    regardless of the outcome?
[09:17] Aoi
    nanashi is saying this?
[09:19] Tomozaki
    I do think the outcome is important, too.
[09:23] Aoi
    Right? Then who cares?
[09:26] Tomozaki
    nanashi's play style is all about valuing
    both the process and the result.
[09:30] Tomozaki
    That's how I got to be
    Japan's top-ranked player.
[09:33] Tomozaki
    I mean,
[09:35] Tomozaki
    it's got to be more efficient to
    fight that way IRL, too, right?
[09:40] Aoi
    Well, if you insist, I guess, sure.
[09:45] Aoi
    Okay, next we'll go into more
    detail on the event map.
SIGN    Small Goal: Complete event map (before culture festival)
[09:49] Tomozaki
    Right.
[09:50] Aoi
    I've just sent you three
    events you'll need to clear.
[09:56] Aoi
    First up:
SIGN    Discuss what you're looking for in a dating partner
[09:58] Aoi
    Discuss what you're looking
    for in a dating partner.
[10:02] Tomozaki
    Th-That's pretty direct...
[10:04] Aoi
    Second:
SIGN    Touch each others' hands on purpose for at least 5 seconds straight
[10:05] Aoi
    Touch each others' hands on purpose
    for at least 5 seconds straight.
[10:09] Tomozaki
    Wh-What?!
[10:11] Aoi
    Third:
SIGN    Wear matching accessories just for you two
[10:12] Aoi
    Wear matching accessories, just for you two.
[10:15] Tomozaki
    Wait wait wait!
    Aren't these all incredibly hard?!
[10:22] Aoi
    They are. But you can do it.
[10:25] Tomozaki
    Eh?
[10:26] Aoi
    After all, you've managed to
    complete almost every task so far.
[10:31] Aoi
    Isn't that right?
[10:46] Tomozaki
    Here goes.
[10:50] Mimimi
    This new cheese curry on
    the school lunch menu...
[10:53] Mimimi
    pulling some strings as
    student council prez, I see!
[10:56] Aoi
    Who, me? No way!
[10:58] Mimimi
    Are you sure?
[11:09] Tomozaki
    Wh-What's going on?
[11:11] Aoi
    What's wrong, Mimimi?
[11:14] Tomozaki
    Damn. Now Hinami will see that
    Mimimi's acting weird, too.
[11:27] Tomozaki
    Mizusawa said we could always
    just carry on as we always had,
[11:32] Tomozaki
    but that's looking unlikely.
SIGN    Did something happen with Mimimi? Nothing in particular
SIGN    Ah. Well, as long as you're getting through those tasks of yours
[11:50] Tomozaki
    First, what we're looking for in a partner...
SIGN    Discuss what you're looking for in a dating partner
[11:56] Fuka
    Sorry I'm late.
[11:57] Tomozaki
    Whoa!
[11:59] Fuka
    I-I'm sorry.
[12:01] Fuka
    Did I startle you?
[12:03] Tomozaki
    Oh, no... you're fine.
SIGN    My Unfamiliar Way to Fly First Draft
[12:08] Tomozaki
    Oh, wow!
[12:10] Tomozaki
    It's like a real script!
[12:13] Fuka
    Isn't it?
[12:15] Tomozaki
    That was fast, though. You're done already?
[12:18] Fuka
    Um, I still haven't figured
    out the second half.
[12:23] Tomozaki
    Oh, no?
[12:25] Fuka
    But it's kind of fun, somehow.
[12:29] Fuka
    I get so excited when I picture these
    characters coming to life on stage.
[12:34] Fuka
    And a little nervous, too.
[12:37] Tomozaki
    I get it.
[12:39] Tomozaki
    All those people watching
    the festival stage...
[12:44] Tomozaki
    Okay, I'll give this a read-through
[12:48] Tomozaki
    and we'll met up again after school.
[12:50] Fuka
    Thanks in advance.
[12:52] Tomozaki
    Oh, um, a-actually...
[12:55] Fuka
    Yes? What is it?
[12:56] Tomozaki
    Well, uh...
[13:00] Fuka
    What's wrong?
SIGN    Discuss what you're looking for in a dating partner
[13:04] Tomozaki
    Now what do I do?
[13:09] Tomozaki**
    I know! If Fuka's my choice...
[13:13] Tomozaki
    Earlier you said you were
    trying to figure out
[13:17] Tomozaki
    who the hero Libra would wind
    up with at the climax, right?
[13:21] Fuka
    Right. Kris or Alucia.
[13:25] Tomozaki
    People who see romance as a
    matter of who winds up with who
[13:29] Tomozaki
    are going to be really
    invested in this story.
[13:32] Fuka
    Uh-huh.
[13:33] Tomozaki
    So, um... if a guy and
    a girl are g-going out,
[13:40] Tomozaki
    what do you think their criteria should be?
[13:43] Fuka
    Their criteria for choosing someone to date?
[13:46] Tomozaki
    Y-Yeah. Right.
[13:50] Fuka
    There's still so much I don't know...
[13:55] Fuka
    But I think it probably depends on
[13:59] Fuka
    what "dating" means to any given person.
[14:05] Tomozaki
    What it means?
[14:07] Fuka
    If someone is simply interested
    in trying this "dating" thing,
[14:12] Fuka
    or if a couple wants to put a name
    on the relationship they share...
[14:18] Tomozaki
    I see.
[14:20] Tomozaki
    That probably counts for my task, anyway...
SIGN    Discuss what you're looking for in a dating partner
[14:24] Tomozaki
    But I'd like to take it a step further.
[14:29] Tomozaki
    O-Okay, then, what does "dating"
    mean for you personally?
[14:37] Fuka
    Me? Personally?
[14:40] Tomozaki
    Uh-huh.
[14:42] Fuka
    Um...
[14:43] Fuka
    Well, there's this Andi story,
    "The Scissorman's Lie."
[14:49] Tomozaki
    Oh, that one. The short love story
    about the Scissorman and the princess.
[14:53] Fuka
    Right.
SIGN    The Scissorman's Lie
[14:55] Fuka
    A man with scissors for hands who
    hurts people without meaning to
[15:00] Fuka
    gets pulled into a storybook world
    and falls in love with a princess.
[15:05] Fuka
    A bond gradually grows
    between the lonely pair.
[15:09] Fuka
    The Scissorman is the only
    one for the princess,
[15:13] Fuka
    and the princess is the only
    one for the Scissorman.
[15:18] Fuka
    I think dating might mean being able
    to create that kind of relationship.
[15:24] Tomozaki
    Where no one else could
    take your partner's place.
[15:29] Fuka
    That's right.
[15:30] Fuka
    A special relationship, where no one
    else will do, taking one ideal shape.
[15:38] Fuka
    I think that might be what
    "dating" means to me.
[15:44] Tomozaki
    One ideal shape, huh?
[15:46] Tomozaki
    I'll have to give that some thought myself.
[15:49] Fuka
    You don't have a take on it?
[15:53] Tomozaki
    Mmm... I never really thought about it.
[15:56] Fuka
    Oh, I see.
[15:58] Tomozaki
    But that's all the more reason I ought to
    pin down my own definition of "dating."
[16:05] Fuka
    Well, once you do,
    please share it with me.
[16:12] Fuka
    Oh! To, um... to help with
    the script, that is...
[16:18] Tomozaki
    A-As reference.
[16:20] Fuka
    Right. As reference.
[16:28] Mizusawa
    Yo, Fumiya.
[16:30] Tomozaki
    What's up, Mizusawa?
[16:34] Mizusawa
    Sure is awkward between you and Mimimi.
[16:36] Tomozaki
    Oh, well...
[16:38] Tomozaki
    you know...
[16:40] Mizusawa
    This calls for drastic measures.
[16:43] Mizusawa
    Let's get to lunch.
[16:44] Tomozaki
    Huh?
SIGN    Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki S2
[16:53] Mimimi
    Oh! Mapo bowl for you, Brain?
[16:56] Tomozaki
    A-And ramen for you, Mimimi?
[17:01] Mimimi
    Hey, Tomozaki?
[17:03] Tomozaki
    Y-Yeah?
[17:05] Mimimi
    About... About yesterday...
[17:10] Mimimi
    I mean, don't worry about it too much.
[17:14] Mimimi
    In fact, forget it!
[17:16] Mimimi
    Or, well, not exactly.
[17:19] Mimimi
    Let's just be like we always
    have been... or something.
[17:23] Tomozaki
    S-Sure.
[17:24] Tomozaki
    Got it.
[17:28] Hanabi
    Huh! Who knew?
[17:30] Mizusawa
    Same goes for you, right, Aoi?
[17:32] Aoi
    That's right!
[17:34] Aoi
    I've had people ask if you
    and I are dating, Takahiro!
[17:39] Mizusawa
    Oh, yeah, those two would
    make a great couple.
[17:44] Tomozaki
    If you do say so yourself.
[17:46] Aoi
    Actually, Tomozaki... what about you?
[17:51] Tomozaki
    Um...
[17:53] Tomozaki
    I can feel her pressing me to
    make the most of this setting
[17:58] Tomozaki
    to get my tasks over with.
[17:59] Tomozaki
    M-Me?
[18:01] Aoi
    Yeah! It's like you seem to have
    something going on, but you don't...
[18:06] Aoi
    or it seems like you don't, but you do.
[18:08] Tomozaki
    Well, which is it?
[18:09] Mizusawa
    Oh, he might. He was at that girls' school
    culture festival, after all.
[18:15] Mizusawa
    Talking to girls and everything.
[18:20] Mizusawa
    I wouldn't be surprised if
    something developed after that.
[18:24] Mimimi
    I-Is that true, Brain?!
[18:26] Tomozaki
    N-No, there's nothing!
[18:29] Mimimi
    Hmm...
[18:31] Hanabi
    You know, Minmi...
[18:32] Mimimi
    Wh-What?
[18:34] Hanabi
    You're weird today.
[18:35] Aoi
    Oh, that? I thought so, too.
[18:39] Aoi
    I bet she's hiding something from us!
[18:42] Mimimi
    I-I wouldn't... say that...
[18:46] Tomozaki
    Whoa, Mimimi—this is not the
    time to be looking my way!
[18:50] Mimimi
    Now, now. Setting that aside...
[18:54] Mimimi
    Whoops—my ramen's gonna get soggy!
[18:57] Mimimi
    Everyone eat up fast before it gets cold!
SIGN    My Unfamiliar Way to Fly
[19:07] Tomozaki
    "My Unfamiliar Way to Fly" went like this:
[19:13] Tomozaki
    In a world where dragons
    and humans lived in harmony,
[19:16] Tomozaki
    there was one very special
    breed of flying dragon.
[19:21] Tomozaki
    Susceptible to stress and wary of humans,
[19:24] Tomozaki
    the most important factor in raising them was
[19:27] Tomozaki
    never exposing them to the
    impurities of the world.
[19:31] Tomozaki
    Libra, the locksmith's son, and Alucia,
    next in line to be queen, were both 15.
[19:37] Tomozaki
    They grew up together, despite
    their different backgrounds.
[19:40] Tomozaki
    When Libra was younger, he visited the
    castle on an errand for his father,
[19:44] Tomozaki
    where he met the smart and determined Alucia,
[19:47] Tomozaki
    and the two became friends.
[19:49] Tomozaki
    One day, while his father was working,
[19:53] Tomozaki
    Alucia invited Libra to explore the castle.
[19:58] Tomozaki
    Inside it was a garden they
    were forbidden to enter.
[20:03] Tomozaki
    Out of curiosity, the two went in.
[20:07] Tomozaki
    There before them was a pure-white
    dragon with huge wings
[20:12] Tomozaki
    and Kris, a young girl who knew
    nothing of the outside world.
[20:17] Tomozaki
    Kris had been abandoned
    outside the castle as a baby,
[20:22] Tomozaki
    and was also 15 years old.
[20:24] Tomozaki
    She lived here, apart from the world,
    to serve as the dragon keeper.
[20:30] Tomozaki
    Neither she nor the dragons
    were permitted to have contact
[20:32] Tomozaki
    with any humans who weren't royalty.
[20:37] Tomozaki
    The king sentenced Libra to death for
    having entered the forbidden garden.
[20:43] Tomozaki
    But Alucia confronted her father,
    the king, with a hard truth:
[20:49] Tomozaki
    the king had illegitimate children
    hidden throughout the kingdom.
[20:55] Tomozaki
    Alucia bluffed that Libra
    was one of these children,
[20:58] Tomozaki
    making him royalty—and her brother.
[21:04] Tomozaki
    And if Libra were royalty, he
    couldn't contaminate the dragons.
[21:10] Tomozaki
    Not wanting his dirty little
    secret to go public,
[21:14] Tomozaki
    the king vacated Libra's sentence,
[21:17] Tomozaki
    and Libra was charged with caring for Kris.
[21:25] Tomozaki
    Um...
[21:27] Tomozaki
    I enjoyed it.
[21:29] Fuka
    Y-You did? Really?!
[21:31] Tomozaki
    Uh-huh. It felt a lot like the way
    it did when I read the story itself.
[21:36] Fuka
    Thank goodness...
[21:39] Fuka
    Um, w-would you say you
    had any concerns so far?
[21:44] Tomozaki
    Hmm...
[21:46] Tomozaki
    Maybe the characters?
[21:48] Fuka
    The characters?
[21:50] Tomozaki
    They feel... more ordinary now, or something.
[21:53] Tomozaki
    I'm sure the story is easier
    to understand this way,
[21:56] Tomozaki
    but it's like there's
    something off about them.
[22:00] Fuka
    Maybe so...
[22:02] Fuka
    I actually did change the concept a little.
[22:06] Fuka
    I simplified the characters to make it
    easier for everyone to play the various parts.
[22:11] Fuka
    But in making them easier to understand,
    they may have become more broadly drawn.
[22:17] Tomozaki
    Ah, I see.
[22:19] Tomozaki
    Her short stories are strong on portraying
    the characters' fine details,
[22:24] Tomozaki
    the particular ways they think,
    even their inconsistent feelings.
[22:27] Tomozaki
    That was a big part of its charm.
[22:30] Fuka
    I thought I'd do without complex emotions
[22:32] Fuka
    and bring straightforward
    thoughts to the forefront.
[22:37] Tomozaki
    But I feel like that weakened
    the sense I had before
[22:40] Tomozaki
    that these were living,
    breathing characters.
[22:43] Fuka
    Can I keep on writing this as is?
[22:48] Tomozaki
    I... I think you should go
    back the original characters.
[22:55] Tomozaki
    It might make them harder to perform,
[22:58] Tomozaki
    and it might be hard for you to
    get that across in just dialogue.
[23:04] Tomozaki
    But...
[23:05] Tomozaki
    I think that way is absolutely
    more interesting.
[23:10] Fuka
    All right, understood. I'll give it a try.
[23:16] Tomozaki
    Way too much happened today.
[23:19] Tomozaki**
    I feel like my head's going to pop.
[23:22] Tomozaki
    What should I be thinking about?
[23:25] Tomozaki
    What should I do?
[23:27] Tomozaki
    What does "dating" mean?
[23:29] Tomozaki
    And if I ever find out...
[23:32] Tomozaki
    who will I most want to be with,
[23:35] Tomozaki
    Mimimi or Kikuchi?