Invitation to the Underwater Show!

Part 1

Morinomiya Music Academy - Rehearsal Room

Tsukasa Icon
Tsukasa

Heh heh heh....... The long-awaited first lesson at Morinomiya is upon us!

A proud opera troupe with a century of history, and the academy that carries on its legacy—

My fighting spirit is at 100%, and my motivation at 120%!!1

Rui Icon
Rui

Yeah, we’ve really been given a rare opportunity here.

There’s no better place to learn all about musical than Morinomiya. Let’s make the most of our time here.

Tsukasa Icon
Tsukasa

Of course! But still…....

Rui Icon
Rui

Hm? Something on your mind?

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Tsukasa

I can’t help but be a little worried about Nene and Emu.

We’re both in the boys’ division, but Nene’s with the girls, and Emu’s studying management, right?

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Rui

…...I see. We haven’t really been separated like this before, have we?

Still, I wouldn’t say it’s anything to be too worried about.

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Tsukasa

Hm? Why do you say that?

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Rui

Even when they struggle or have doubts, they always find a way to turn those moments into fuel that helps them keep moving forward—

Who knows? They might just come back stronger than ever while we're apart.

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Tsukasa

......Yeah, you have a point. In that case, we'll have to step up too.

Alright! Let’s throw everything we’ve got into these lessons, Rui!

Rui Icon
Rui

Yeah. Let's train hard and surprise those two with our growth too.

Some time later

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Rui

(—Our first lesson is ballet. We’re starting with barre exercises, doubling as stretches.)

(Rest one leg on the barre, then bend forward, backward, and side to side...… This exercise, limbering, helps increase our hip flexibility.)

(Keeping my leg raised, now I just need to move my upper body—ngh..…!)

Tsukasa Icon
Tsukasa

Gh… ughhhhh...…!! This is..… way harder than it looks..…!!

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Rui

And yet the professional ballet dancers made it look so easy.....! I have nothing but respect.

(Not to mention...… everyone else seems totally fine.)

(I guess this is just basic training for them. In that case—)

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Tsukasa

Rui! You can keep going, right?!

Rui Icon
Rui

Of course.......!

Grh…...!

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Tsukasa

.......NGHHHOOOOAAAH—!!!

After the Lesson

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Rui

...........

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Tsukasa

............

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Rui

…...I’m starting to think our greatest enemy right now is flexibility itself.

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Tsukasa

Can't argue with that......

Still, we held our own in terms of stamina.

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Rui

You're right..... Maybe all that training with Mikazuki Troupe is paying off.

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Tsukasa

That's nice and all, but..... Are we doomed to let out unholy screeches every ballet lesson we're gonna have from now on?

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Rui

Unless we somehow magically gain superhuman flexibility overnight, then..… yeah, that's pretty much the case.

*silence as both of them look like kicked puppies*

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Tsukasa

........Should I just start downing a liter of vinegar every day?

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Rui

Even you would probably get an upset stomach from doing that, Tsukasa-kun.

Besides, the idea that vinegar makes you more flexible is just a myth. There’s no scientific proof for it.

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Tsukasa

I see..... What a shame......

Rui Icon
Rui

Still….. maybe trying out a vinegar bath could be interesting.

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Tsukasa

A vinegar bath?

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Rui

You know how cooking meat in vinegar activates enzymes that break down proteins, making it more tender?

By that logic, if we bathe in vinegar...… we should get softer, in other words, more flexible too ♪

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Tsukasa

That does make sense—wait, NO, HOLD IT!

Isn't that for cooking?!

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Rui

Oh my, oh my. But the principles of cooking are rooted in science, you know?

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Tsukasa

Even so! That’s not gonna make us more flexible—just more edible!

Rui Icon
Rui

Well, I suppose you’re right. That leaves us with just one option...... The slow and painful road of stretching.

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Tsukasa

Ugh..… Yeah, I figured as much…....

Tsukasa - Rui Icon
Tsukasa - Rui

Siiiiiiiigh.......

  1. This line has some creative liberties applied. Tsukasa said his fighting spirit is 十分 (plenty) and his motivation is 十二分 (more than enough) but 十 and 十二 are also "ten" and "twelve" respectively, hence I went with "100%" and "120%" to match both the literal meanings and the numbers in those kanjis.

Translation
Usagi
Proofreading
QA