agirlattea

 ここに、心繋ぐ魔法を ・ Here, magic connecting our hearts

Nero 5th Anniversary SSR 

 

Card Story: An umbrella for the never-ending rain 

 

Chapter 1: 

 

(Location: Central Kingdom, Magic Manor- Courtyard , Daytime)

 

Akira: Oh, Nero! Is now a good time?

 

Nero: Oh, Ms. Sage. What’s up? 

 

Akira: Actually, I have a favor to ask you. Would you be willing to do another interview? Now that I’ve spent some time in this world and gotten to know everyone better, I wanted to speak with everyone again and update the Sage’s Journal. 

 

Nero: You’re as serious as ever, huh? I might not have anything too exciting to tell ya, but if you’re okay with that…

 

Riquet: Nero! It’s terrible! 

 

Nero: Riquet? 

 

Akira: What’s wrong? You look so panicked… 

 

Riquet: Mitile and I were making pancakes and the batter just kept expanding and expanding until the pan was overflowing… at this rate we are going to drown in pancakes! 

 

Akira: What…!

 

Nero: Did ya use the powder in the back right cupboard by any chance? The one in the red paper bag? 

 

Riquet: We did… was it not regular flower? 

 

Nero: That’s Puffnut Powder*. When ya mix it with eggs, it’ll expand basically infinitely. If ya add water from a stream that’s been exposed to sunlight it’ll stop though… 

 

Mitile: Riqueeet! It still isn’t stop- woah?!

 

Akira: Oh no! Nero, Riquet, I’ll help too! 

 

Nero: Sorry, but can I count you two? I need ya to hurry and get water from the river in the forest! 

 

Akira and Riquet: On it! 

 

 

(Location: Central Kingdom, Magic Manor- Dining Hall , Daytime)

 

Akira: Sigh, what a relief… we were able to stop it somehow…

 

Nero: It was a close one… a little while longer and we’d’ve lost the kitchen to pancakes…

 

Faust: Ah, there you are! Nero, and the Sage too. Would you lend me a hand? Shino and Heath started arguing and they’ve gotten out of control. 

 

Akira: Oh dear… 

 

Nero: Aren’t those two regularly going at it? Isn’t it fine to just let them get it outta their systems? 

 

Faust: No… it started over something small, but neither of them are willing to back down so things are slowly getting more serious. I don’t want this to get more complicated and end up affecting class tomorrow. 

 

Nero: Got it, got it. They really are childhood friends, aren’t they…

 

Akira: Ahaha, I’ve heard that the more you fight with someone the closer you are to them. 

 

Faust and I follow after the still-grumbling Nero. 

 

Akira: (Everyone relies on Nero, calling out to him, and Nero always responds like it’s natural. Back when we all first got here, he was so reluctant to move into the Manor… I’m kind of happy to see him like this now.) 

 

Chapter 2: 

 

(Location: Central Kingdom, Magic Manor- Hallway, Afternoon)

 

Nero: I’m beat… pretty hard to calm things when they’re both so stubborn. Sorry, Ms. Sage, I’ve been pretty much dragging ya around all day. 

 

Akira: No, not at all! It looks like things have calmed down, but even if we were to talk now… 

 

Bradley: Hey, Nero! 

 

Nero: What do ya want!? Save it for later! 

 

Bradley: Huh? What’re ya even so mad about? Whatever, this is the example I was tellin ya about earlier. I’ve got a great idea, lemme hear yer thoughts on it. 

 

Nero: Idiot! Right in front of the Sage?! 

 

Akira: Is this something private? Umm, should I cover my ears? 

 

Nero: Ya don’t have to do that! Brad, I’m busy right now. I’ll head to yer room later, so just wait.

 

Nero pushed Bradley’s back like he was kicking him out, and Bradley reluctantly left, despite his complaints. 

 

Nero: Sigh… sorry, Ms. Sage. 

 

Akira: Don't worry about it. In any case, I’m impressed. 

 

Nero: Impressed? 

 

Akira: Everyone relies on you… that’s how much you’re trusted, Nero. 

 

Nero: Trust, huh…? 

 

Akira: (…oh…)

 

Seeing Nero’s bitter smile, I suddenly remembered what he told me long ago. The last time I interviewed him, he closed his eyes and warned me: “Please don’t trust me”. 

 

Akira: … Umm… just now… I didn’t mean it like that…

 

While I stammered, Nero tilted his head. He understood what I meant immediately, laughing softly. 

 

Nero: I told ya before, didn’t I? Please don’t trust me. But, how should I say it… a lot’s changed since then. We shouldn’t stand around talking, would ya like to head to my room for now? 

 

 

(Location: Central Country, Magic Manor- Nero’s Room, Evening) 

 

Nero: Here ya go. Careful not to eat too much before dinner. 

 

Nero stood next to the chair I sat on, offering me cold tea and a small plate of light snacks; each one of them something I once praised him for, telling him it was delicious.

 

Akira: Thank you, I’ll savor them.** … and… about what we were talking about earlier… 

 

Nero: Oh, right. 

 

I heard ice clinking as he leaned on the kitchen table, swirling his own glass of tea. 

 

Nero: …I’m a cowardly, heartless, irresponsible guy. I’m always happy to be relied on, but I can’t ever give anything back to the guys who do. That’s why, though the root of the problem won’t ever change… right now, I’d feel a bit lonely if you guys didn’t trust me. 

 

Akira: Nero…

 

Chapter 2: 

 

(Location: Central Country, Magic Manor- Nero’s Room, Evening) 

 

Nero: Just joking. 

 

He scratched the back of his head, shrugging embarrassedly. 

 

Nero: …Before I knew it, I guess I got used to “Nero,” and being called “Nero” every once in a while. Every time you guys call for me, I feel like I have to respond properly. 

 

Nero’s voice was calm as he spoke; the corners of his mouth even rose in a smile. But I could see a faint shadow looming over every part of his face. 

 

Peering up at the open sky, it seemed he was the only one soaked by the guilty rain pouring down from it. 

 

Akira: …You said someday you might betray us all. You still feel that way?

 

Nero: Haha, more or less. You catch on pretty well, Ms. Sage. 

 

Akira: …When you told me last time, I wrote it down in the Sage’s Journal. 

 

Nero: Did you? I’m still unsure about it, sorry about that. 

 

His kind face, still damp from the rain, smiled a little sadly. 

 

Akira: Not at all…

 

I clasped my hands in my lap, something like Nero’s loneliness crouched inside me. 

 

Akira: …As I’ve gotten to know you all little by little after coming to this world, I’ve grown to like you all. That’s why I try to face the things that happen every day; so I can be trusted by everyone not just as a Sage, but as Akira. But I’m still inexperienced and there are so many things that don’t go well… that’s when I get worried. Am I living up to the trust everyone places in me? Am I worrying*** them…? That’s why, even though they’re different, I think I can understand your feelings somewhat. 

 

I wanted to hold out an umbrella for him, so I picked up the words, repeating them one by one as Nero listened quietly.

 

Nero: You’re not making us nervous or anything. You always respond as best you can, so much so that it makes people want to give ya a break… you’re definitely a kind person. 

 

Akira: That… I want to be closer to you, even if just a little. After all, we’re friends. 

 

Nero’s eyes widened for a moment, then slowly narrowed as slowly as the setting sun. 

 

Nero: …Right.

 

Rays of sunset shone gently through the window, caressing his hair. The day’s**** sunset glowed with soft colors. 

 

Nero: Speaking of which… are you recording this in the Sage’s Journal?

 

Akira: Yes, I was planning to…

 

Nero: What… that’s kinda embarrassing though… 

 

Akira: Ahaha, then should we keep it a secret between the two of us? 

 

Nero: Yeah, I’d appreciate that. 

 

Even if that rain never stops pouring, we can still stay together. 

Our eyes met, and we laughed secretly together. 

 

Card Episode: What I can say to you now. 

 

(Location: Central Country, Magic Manor- Kitchen, Morning) 

 

Nero: Here, Ms. Sage, I made Temari Sushi. 

 

Akira: That you very much. Wow, what cute decorations…! The vegetable slices are flower shaped and the colors are so beautiful! 

 

Nero: I tried making it more like a salad using vegetables and beans so it can be eaten lightly. I tried lots of ingredient variations too, like chopping up herbs and mixing them. 

 

Akira: It looks stylish and delicious, and the smell is making me hungrier. Nero, you’re really good at arranging food! 

 

Nero: Thanks, I’ve gotten pretty used to cooking food from your world. It’s getting more and more interesting to add my own touches to things. 

 

Akira: I’m really happy to hear you say that, but all the Japanese food you’ve made so far has been great, since your very first try. The first time, I could hardly believe it was foreign cuisine!

 

Nero: I’m surprised to hear that, since I didn’t know what the correct dish was supposed to be like. There were tons of ingredients, seasonings, and cooking methods I’d never heard of before. I actually found it pretty relaxing and ended up testing prototypes until morning. 

 

Akira: Really…?! Even someone as skilled as Nero had to stay up all night practicing… 

 

Nero: Yeah, I was doing it secretly ‘cuz I was embarrassed that anyone would find out I was trying so hard… keep quiet about that to everyone else, okay? 

 

 

Translator’s Note: 

*Literally ふっくらナッツパウダー

 ふっくら(Plump/Fluffy/Puffy) + ナッツ(nut) + パウダー (powder), I chose Puffnut because the powder puffed up when mixed with eggs. 

 

**セーブしつついただきますね。

セーブ should be a  cognate of save, but I extrapolated it to “savor” to make the meaning work since I’m a little confused and couldn’t find much online about it. 

 An alternative explanation I did find said that セーブcould refer to moderation or cutting down on something, so Akira could’ve been saying something like “I’ll eat in moderation” in response to Nero’s “don’t eat too much before dinner”, but I’m not sure.

 If anyone has an answer, I’d appreciate it! 

 

***Idk if I expressed this correctly but rather than worrying about her, it's supposed to be her worrying them by being unreliable. Akira’s stressed about whether or not people feel uneasy about her leading as the Sage. The kanji is 不安. 

 

****Technically “Today’s sunset,” but I didn’t know how to make that work in the past tense.  

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