#hasunosora walking diary

[big-sankaku]

Blue sky and ladybugs - Murano Sayaka's Walking Diary

Original work of Teren Mikami and Aifuji Yuu (Hasunosora Scenario Team) Original publication : Hasunosora Jogakuin School Idol Club Walking Diary ~DOLLCHESTRA~ Murano Sayaka. Released on Sep. 30, 2024. Physical version of the book is available to purchase at amazon.jp and various store. *This entire story took place on summer 2024.

I translated Sayaka walking diary as a celebration for Kosuzu's birthday. Why Sayaka book and not Kosuzu? Well, if you ask me who's the person that love Kosuzu the most, my answer is Sayaka! (biased opinion) I'm not proofreading this one. Sorry if I made any mistakes, english is not my first language.

Without further ado, enjoy!

The refreshing day of early summer is simply unparalleled.

Thinking ahead of the upcoming rainy season and the scorching summer heat that follows, this comfortable time with its pleasant sunlight is something to be thankful for.

In Kanazawa, where rain is frequent, the weather tends to be relatively favorable up until early June.

Speaking about that—

“Can I See? Can't you see?♪”

This evening, Sayaka was preparing a lunchbox for her outing tomorrow.

And—

“Kaketa negai wa♪”

Beside her, Kosuzu was diligently pulling apart dried sardines with her skillful hand.

“You're making great progress, Kosuzu-san.”

The task was to clean the dried sardines by removing their heads and gut, what remains will be used to make a stock. It was a mundane but necessary task that Sayaka gave to Kosuzu who was eager to help her.

“Yes! I’m going to finish this all.”

“Ah! We don’t need the whole bag.”

“Uwa! That was close.”

“Yes. This much is enough.”

Not wanting to let the entire 1kg of dried sardines to be wasted, Sayaka hurriedly took out the necessary amount and closed the bag. Just to be safe.

“I’ll do my best!”

Sayaka gave a bitter smile as she watched Kosuzu pump herself up.

“I'm counting on you.”

She prepared a bowl of water and submerged the cut kelp in it. All that was left to do was to toss in the dried sardines that Kosuzu had diligently prepared. With that done, Sayaka moved on to the next task. She cleaned the chicken that she planned to fry in the morning and began making the marinade.

Noticing a gaze from her side, she turned around and saw Kosuzu peering curiously at the chicken thigh.

“Hehe... I'm looking forward to it…”

“Yes. I’m making fried chicken.”

Sayaka smiled at Kosuzu as she carefully cleaned off the excess fat and tendons with a knife.

Fried chicken is Tsuzuri's favorite food. Of course, Kosuzu likes it just as much. That’s why she said she was looking forward to it—or so she thought.

However, to her surprise, Kosuzu shook her head. “That’s not it.”, she said, leaving Sayaka stunned.

No way… does she not like fried chicken?!

“Ah! I’m looking forward to the fried chicken too!”

Phew! Sayaka was horrified by the thought that she might ruin their outing because of her menu, but she was relieved that it didn't seem to be the case.

“Then?”

“Uhm. I'm just really happy that I was invited by Sayaka-senpai.”

“Eh, that makes you happier than the lunchbox?”

“Is that a bad thing?!”

This time, Kosuzu was the one that had a stunned expression.

“It's not that it's bad, but...how can I put it?”

Sayaka was a little worried about what to say. As she poured soy sauce into the Tupperware, she searched for words.

That's because, if things like this are considered as a rare occurrence, that would mean she wasn’t being a good senior. 

In fact, if that's how Kosuzu sees Sayaka, then it's something to reflect on.

As Sayaka beat herself over it, Kosuzu, seemingly unaware of Sayaka's feelings, laughed carefreely and said, “Hehe. It’s rare for Kachimachi to get invited like this.”

“........”

Sayaka's smile disappears completely. She began washing her hands that were covered with sauce silently.

However, Kosuzu remained completely oblivious and kept talking.

“Every time we went out, it was just one failure after another. Rather than having fun, it probably just felt like a hassle, didn't it?”

“Kosuzu-san.”

“Huh? Wa— mmph!”

Kosuzu blinked in surprise as Sayaka cupped her cheeks with both hands, “S-Senpai?”

“Tomorrow, let's make it the best day ever.”

“Huh? Yesh, I'm happyy!”

Sayaka made up her mind.

She would make sure that her junior would have nothing to feel bad about tomorrow. A flawless and perfect outing without a single failure in sight!

・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

The next day.

Under the warm and cheerful sunny day, three girls walked through a sun-dappled path. The location was Kanazawa Castle Park. Since it was a holiday, the place was bustling with people. The three girls walked happily with baskets in hand, blending in with families and tourists.

“I can hear the leaves breathing. They're rustling, and everyone seems to be enjoying this weather.” Tsuzuri smiled lovingly as she gently ran her fingers over the leaves at the ends of the branches.

She wore a thin jacket over a loose-fitted one-piece dress, an outfit that fit for today's leisure walk. With each step she took, the flowy skirt swayed gently, making her look elegant to anyone who saw her.

“Fufu, that’s right.”

Watching a carefree Tsuzuri, Sayaka couldn't help but smile too. She had a refreshing expression that perfectly matched the pleasant day of early summer.

Similar to Tsuzuri, she’s also wearing a long loose skirt. It gave her a refreshing and modest look. The exchange between those two was serene and beautiful, like a refreshing sky after rain.

However, one of them suddenly glanced to the side and spoke.

“Kosuzu-san, you sure you're alright?”

“Y-Yes! Somehow!”

“That's good.”

Sayaka's voice was wary, a complete change from the peaceful conversation she had earlier.

Tsuzuri furrowed her brows slightly in concern and peeked at Kosuzu from behind Sayaka.

“Suzu, are you worried about tripping?”

“Don’t worry! As of now, Kachimachi has had zero death so far!”

“Death?”

“Ah! That’s what Hime-chan says when she falls during practice, so I kind of picked it up!”

“I see. I’ll remember that.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary.”

Even so, Tsuzuri continued as she turned her gaze to Sayaka.

“Then, Saya. Why are you worried so much whenever Suzu will fall or not?”

“Uh, well…”

For a moment, Sayaka hesitated. She could have said, "I just want today to be a perfect day for Kosuzu." But revealing that intention upfront might put unnecessary pressure on Kosuzu.

After a brief moment of thought, Sayaka glanced over at Kosuzu.

“Senpai?”

If you look from the top to bottom, there stood a girl as adorable as a doll. The beret that was lightly placed at her head added a touch of maturity to her appearance, which was different from usual, and the chino jumper skirt gave her a soft and girlish look.

Nodding to herself, reassured that the outfit choice was a good one. She came up with the perfect excuse.

“It's a little different from what Kosuzu-san normally wears, so it might be hard to walk.”

“Oh... now that you mention it, isn't that Saya's clothes?”

“Yes.”

Since Kosuzu didn’t have any outfits suitable for the occasion, Sayaka lent her one of her own. She had thought the jumper skirt might be a bit too long, but since there wasn’t much of a height difference between them, it wasn’t an issue. Although Kosuzu ranked second to last in the School Idol Club’s height competition, Sayaka herself wasn’t far off from the bottom either.

On the other hand, the winner of the height competition put her hand against her lips, looking a bit envious.

“Maybe I should hide my clothes too.”

“I understand what you're trying to say, but I don’t have any clothes that would fit you, Tsuzuri-senpai. It’s not going to stretch.”

“Then, how about mine?”

“It’s bigger than mine, it might work too… but the sleeves might be too long…. Eh, wait, you mean your clothes, Tsuzuri-senpai? Me... wearing them...?" Sayaka's eyes widened as she remembered what Tsuzuri had said to her previously. Though it was only early summer, she groaned in discomfort as heatstroke hit her. “Me and Saya have completely different styles.”, those cursed words continued to ring in Sayaka’s mind.

Tsuzuri tilted her head at Sayaka’s reaction.

“Saya is spinning 'round 'n' 'round, and Suzu is frozen stiff. What should I do?”

“I’m not spinning at all—wait, Suzu is frozen stiff?”

Wondering what on earth was going on, Sayaka turned around and saw that Kosuzu was quite literally staying still, trembling hard.

“D-don't get it dirty... I absolutely must not get it dirty!”

“What happened, Kosuzu-san?!”

“Maybe it’s because Saya has been so worried that she was counting how many times Suzu almost tripped, twenty-three times. Even if that’s not happening, it’s still Saya’s clothes, so…”

“There’s no way it reaches that number, right?! Wait—I didn’t, right?”

Sayaka asked nervously, and when she looked over, Kosuzu was struggling to walk, tiptoeing instead of walking normally.

“Ah, maybe that’s true after all…”

“I’m not lying.”

“Please don’t get dejected over this too, Tsuzuri-senpai! I won’t be able to handle it!”

From early spring to the beginning of summer, Sayaka had lost count of how many times she had cried out her frustration like this. Free-spirited Tsuzuri, free-spirited Kosuzu, and then there was Sayaka—this was the new DOLLCHESTRA. Their future certainly looked promising.

“Ahem. So, Kosuzu-san. You don’t need to worry about it getting dirty. If anything, stains are proof that you had fun that day, right? Besides, you can always wash it. It is 100% washable, I’m sure I checked it beforehand.”

“R-Really? But still…”

“When I asked if you were walking properly, actually…”

Sayaka knew it was her fault that things turned out like this. If only she can make a better excuse. That’s wrong. Shaking her head slightly, she decided to just be honest.

“Kosuzu-san. Yesterday, you said it yourself, didn’t you? That every time you go out, you always end up with some kind of failure.”

“Ah… yes. Today too, I’ve ended up making you worry again, Sayaka-senpai.”

“No, that was just me overthinking things, so please don’t worry about it. Besides, I just wanted you to have a perfect day, Kosuzu-san. But I ended up getting too worked up.”

I wanted to make this a perfect day, but instead, my judgment has caused this mess.

As Sayaka showed her a self-deprecating smile, Kosuzu blinked her big, innocent eyes once and then twice.

“Is that true?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.

“Yes, it is. I wanted you to have memories worth bragging about, so you'd never feel like a burden.”

“Ah, you went out of your way for me.”

Gripping the borrowed beret tightly with both hands, Kosuzu adjusted it and lifted her face.

“In that case, I should be the one apologizing for making you worry, Senpai!”

“There’s nothing for you to apologize fo—”

“There totally is! Because I don’t care about being a burden! Not at all!”

As Kosuzu flailed her hands in protest, Sayaka frowned slightly.

The words that came out of Kosuzu’s mouth were unexpected. Sayaka wondered if that was true, that she really didn’t care about it at all. But the fact that Kosuzu had been treated like that in the past, it’s a completely different story, which is why she wanted to help her gain confidence.

“Because, for this day, Kachimachi had prepared something!” With those words, Sayaka suddenly remembered.

Since it was a special outing, Kosuzu volunteered to help. And the results of that effort were now safely tucked inside the basket Sayaka was carrying. The content of the basket isn’t solely made up of a bento box that they prepared the day before, but also some other things Kosuzu prepared to make sure they had a fun day today.

As Kosuzu puffs out her chest proudly, Sayaka seems to have realized something. “What are you talking about?”

Tsuzuri looked at them with confusion, her eyes widening in surprise.

Sayaka gave a little smile and said, "Kosuzu-san was absolutely right. It’s about time, so why don’t we have lunch?"

・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

The three of them took off their shoes and stepped onto the picnic blanket they had spread it out. As they sat down, they could feel the grass beneath them tickling them ever so slightly. Letting out a small sigh of relief, they settled in. They hadn’t been walking non-stop, but now that their brains registered it as a break, their bodies naturally began to relax.

“This is fun.”

“Yes! I’ve never had a picnic in such a big park like this with anyone other than my family!”

Tsuzuri gazed around, deeply engrossed in her own worlds, while Kosuzu, as always, found joy in the smallest things. As she began unpacking the basket, the chatter between the two naturally made Sayaka smile.

Since they had planned a picnic in the park, she had considered making a Western-style meal centered around sandwiches. However, rather than sticking to a traditional picnic menu, Sayaka’s thought it better to make a dish that would bring the most joy to those eating them.

“Wow…” “It smells amazing.”

Seeing their eyes light up, Sayaka felt a sense of satisfaction in her heart. But outwardly, she remained composed as they each took a bite of the carefully prepared food.

“Since there were many different fillings, I made nine types of onigiri. We also have the classic sausage and Tsuzuri-senpai's favorite, fried chicken. And then...” she pointed toward a dish that has a splash of color, an awkward mix of yellow and white. That wasn’t something Sayaka had made, but rather, something Kosuzu had prepared this morning.

“This is the rolled omelet that Kosuzu-san has been practicing lately.”

“Today, I did my best!” Kosuzu puffed out her chest.

“Wow Suzu, you're amazing. It's on par with Saya's cooking.”

“Is that so?! Hearing that is quite intimidating for Kachimachi!” Kosuzu squirmed at that.

“Also, we have some Oden that we prepared yesterday.This time I used dried sardines and kelp for the broth. Kosuzu helped me with that as well.”

“Yes! I'm helping with cleaning up the fish!” Kosuzu puffed out her chest again.

“I see, Suzu seems to have a natural talent at handling fish.”

“Is that so...?”

She tilted her head, rather confused.

Sayaka let out a quiet chuckle, she's as busy as ever.

“Now that you mention it, Kosuzu-san, you never seem fazed when looking at raw fish. Surprisingly, most people tend to be startled or even try to avoid them.”

“Avoid them? Why?”

“For example, when people see someone removing a squid’s eyeball, they tend to react like, ‘Ugh!’”

“Huh? I see. But we don’t eat the eyeballs anyway, so it can’t be helped, right?”

Kosuzu nodded with an indifferent expression. Sayaka chuckled, realizing that the girl truly seemed to have no sense of disgust whatsoever.

“Well, that's one of your strong points, Kosuzu-san.”

“I don’t really get it, but I was praised, so I’m happy!”

Seeing Kosuzu’s bright, carefree smile, Sayaka smiled back before turning to her senior, who looked like they were starting to struggle with the wait.

“Please go ahead and enjoy. This is a dish Kosuzu-san and I made with confidence.”

“Yes, I've been waiting. I'm in charge of eating.”

“Yes, please enjoy it.”

As Sayaka nodded, Tsuzuri reached for the Oden before anything else. This was a bit unexpected, so Sayaka's eyes widened slightly. Normally, if there was fried chicken on the menu, Tsuzuri-senpai would start with the fried chicken.

That being said, it didn’t take long for Sayaka to understand why this unexpected turn of events had occurred. Right beside her, Kosuzu was watching Tsuzuri, looking nervous. Seeing this, Sayaka quickly grasped Tsuzuri’s intention.

Since Kosuzu had helped prepare the meal, it only made sense for Tsuzuri to start with something she had worked on. She picked up a piece of red fish paste rolled, one of her favorites, and took a bite. Her lips curved slightly into a small smile.

“It tastes a little different than usual—there’s a stronger umami flavor from the broth. Maybe it’s because of Suzu’s hard work.”

“Did you like it?!”

“Yeah. It’s a mix of Saya and Suzu. This too is a school idol.”

“Ehehe. I wonder if Oden can be considered a school idol or not… Well, I’ll leave that to you, Tsuzuri-senpai."  Sayaka understood that, in Tsuzuri’s own way, this was the highest form of praise she could give. That was why she could only let out an awkward smile. Catching that reaction, Tsuzuri glanced at her briefly and then smiled gently and continued.

“Then, in that case, it is a school idol. Because it’s something that Suzu can be proud of.”

Muttering this sincerely, Tsuzuri continued eating alone. She had a happy smile on her face as she ate her favorite fried chicken. Then, just as she was about to reach for the sausage, her hand finally stopped. She realized that no one else was moving except for her. 

“Saya? Suzu?”

"Sorry, how can I put it?"

It’s the same as usual, Sayaka thought.

She didn’t quite see this small picnic space as a grand stage, but still—Kosuzu faced this with a sense of pride. She had worked hard yesterday and this morning. What gives her confidence, it was because she had contributed to their outing. Kosuzu herself had said so.

“As Tsuzuri-senpai said, maybe this Oden we made together is a kind of school idol, too.”

“Right?”

Perhaps due to the happiness from eating her favorite fried chicken, Tsuzuri smiled even more cheerfully than usual, about thirty percent more. She was the kind of person who effortlessly made others realize things without even trying.

Though her actions might not always reflect those of a third-year student, she’s a “senpai” that continued to give her valuable lessons. Sayaka smiled in admiration, realizing that even though she was now a senior too, she isn't a match to Tsuzuri.

Then— she heard the sound of someone suddenly standing up next to her.

She recalled that she wasn’t the only one who had frozen in place at Tsuzuri’s casual remark.

“T-Tsuzuri-senpai! Kachimachi… Kachimachi is so happy!”

“?”

“I was able to help Sayaka-senpai. I’m also really happy that the three of us were able to hang out like this... but I'm also grateful that Tsuzuri-senpai thought it was delicious, and that Sayaka-senpai told me that she made this delicious Oden together with Kachimachi. Kachimachi … right now, Kachimachi truly feel like she was meant to be here!”

With warmth spreading through her chest, Kosuzu put her hand over her heart, speaking excitedly. Sayaka gently stroked Kosuzu’s cheek and smiled.

“You’re not a burden at all, Kosuzu-san.”

The words she had been meaning to say from the start had finally come out just the way she intended.

Feeling the warmth on her cheek, Kosuzu turned to look at her, ”Yes!”

A smile that radiates true joy, completely different from the resigned expression she had worn the day before.

“Yeah, I think I finally got my point across the way I wanted to.”

Sayaka nodded, reassured that her feelings, which had seemed like they weren’t reaching Kosuzu before, had now truly gotten through to her. She could feel it.

Sayaka's mission for the day was complete. As she had let her guard down, thinking that all that was left was to relax and enjoy lunch. Tsuzuri murmured suddenly.

“You know, Suzu.”

Sayaka was caught off guard, not really grasping how the conversation would turn out. 

In this peaceful afternoon. Tsuzuri continued, as though it was the most natural thing to do.

“By the time Saya invited Suzu out, she had long since stopped seeing you as a burden.” "Eh…?"

Now that she thought about it, Kosuzu didn't really know why Sayaka had suddenly invited her out.

She had assumed it was just because she and Tsuzuri were going out together, and since Kosuzu was a junior of the same unit, she was simply being brought along as well.

That's what Kosuzu had been thinking all along.

“Ah, T-Tsuzuri-senpai, that's a sec—”

“Actually, Saya wanted to do something for Suzu, so she came to my room at night. We came up with all sorts of ideas, about making a bento together, and prepared the outfit for going out.”

“Don't blurt it out like that!!” “Why? I think Suzu would be happy, though.”

Sayaka, red-faced and flustered, while Tsuzuri remains cheerful. Despite Sayaka’s loud protests, Tsuzuri ignores her, dismissing it as nothing more than another Big Voice Championship. Then, as if recalling something, Tsuzuri covered her mouth with her hands. “Ah, I see. From that day on, for Suzu's sake, Saya has to be someone that Suzu can admire. So that's why I shouldn't say anything!”

“This girl! Ugh, seriously!! It's too late, you already said everything!”

Sayaka buried her flushed face in Tsuzuri's chest and hit her shoulder lightly. Nothing about her actions can be seen as admirable.

Tsuzuri let a mad Sayaka do as she pleased, she kept her usual smile and turned to Kosuzu.

“Today is Saya's way of thanking you, Suzu.”

“Y-Yes...?”

Kosuzu, who had yet to process Sayaka's feelings, had a blank look on her face.

Completely unfazed, Tsuzuri continued at her own pace, “Let's hang out again sometime.” “Absolutely! If you're okay with Kachimachi!” “Then let's do it as many times as we'd like.”

Sayaka finally regained her composure and lifted her head.

“Ugh... I can't let Kosuzu-san see me like this...”

“I'm sorry I blurted it out, but, I'm sure Suzu's feelings toward Saya will remain unchanged.”

“Ugh...”

Then, with a face red like a tomato, Sayaka shifted her gaze to Kosuzu.

Kosuzu simply scratched her cheek and said, “Well, um... I truly appreciated your feelings!”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Ah, um... I just thought, ‘Wow, I never thought Sayaka-senpai could get this adorably when flustered!”

“Please forget everything!!” Sayaka shouted, in an unusually loud voice. Then, she spun around and yelled at Tsuzuri, “This is your fault, Tsuzuri-senpai! What will you do if Kosuzu-san ends up disappointed in me?!”

“Oh, look, a ladybug.”

“Tsuzuri-senpai!!!!!!!”

Translator's note: When Tsuzuri says "that day", she was referring to Episode 2 of 104. That day Sayaka has setting her goal to be someone that Kosuzu can always admire.