#the whole time i was drawin this i was thinkin about giving him lots of head pats

[starberrymilk-vendetta]

puppy james bait

[jewwyfeesh]

To The Gentle You 3

Writer: Mitsuki

Character(s): Kagehira Mika, Hakaze Kaoru, Aoba Tsumugi

Translated by: stcrfeesh

CN Proof by: jewwyfeesh

Tsumugi: Ahaha ♪ Well, it’s not like I could have heard something that you’ve never really said, no~?

Please read the translator notes at the end!

Season: Summer

Location: Seishou Hall Common Room

Mika: (Ugh… the hell was I even on about, tellin’ Tsumu-chan-senpai I’d make a design so perfect it’d impress Naru-chan…)

(I kept thinkin’ ‘bout what Naru-chan might like while designin’ and ended up drawin’ a whole buncha drafts. Now I dunno which one ‘ta choose.)

(Back when I took on a jewellery designin’ gig, I got Naru-chan ‘ta model fer me and successfully designed a necklace that everyone liked.)

(Or maybe it's ‘cause this time ‘round, t’was only outta my personal desire ‘ta gift Naru-chan a brooch that's uniquely fer her and her alone, an’ not for anyone else. So now……)

???: Kagehira-kun, are you currently struggling with something very important?

Mika: Nnah~ bingo…

???: If that's the case, do you need this kind and considerate nii-san to give you some advice~?

Mika: That’ll do me a world of good— hold up, who the hell are ya?!

Kaoru: Ah, sorry, my bad. Did I interrupt your musings?

Mika: Eh?! Ha-Hakaze-senpai?! How long have ‘ya been standin’ there?! Have I been unconsciously sayin’ my thoughts out loud?

Kaoru: Ahaha, it’s nothing like that~ It’s just because your thoughts are clearly written on your face. I’m free right now, so you can talk to me if you have any worries.

Mika: Sorry ya had ta see me so unkempt… I actually wanted ta make a unique brooch as a gift, but I just ended up gettin’ stuck with the design.

When it comes ta usin’ cute elements as the design’s main theme, I just kept thinkin’ how all of them suit each other — I couldn’t pick. So now I’m here, mullin’ over the design drafts.

Kaoru: Huh… if you don’t mind, could you show me those design drafts?

(Hm… looking at it, it seems that most of these brooches have flowers, bows, hearts, and the like as the design’s core, which is rather cute. It’s definitely something a girl would like—)

(Wait, didn’t Kagehira-kun say he wanted to hand make a brooch as a gift? Is he going to give it to a girl?)

(For him to go to such lengths, then it must certainly be for someone who’s important to him, right…?)

Mika: …Hakaze-senpai? I see yer lookin’ like ya’ve got some stuff ya wanna ask me?

Kaoru: Ah, well, you see… What I'm trying to say is that, if you’re aiming for a design that’s more intimate, why not try getting inspiration from the mundanes of their everyday life?

For starters, you can go with how they dress — whether their usual style is more suitable for simpler or fancier jewellery, and identify colour palettes that would act as a complement to them. Just things like that.

Oh, yeah! How about using your outfits during your date as a starting point? It’ll be something rather memorable ♪

Mika: Woah… as expected of senpai who’s a part of the “Date Plan” project [1], ya really know a lot ‘bout these type of things.

Hmm~ If I were ta look at it from an everyday-life perspective, then I do wanna make this brooch suitable for goin’ out on dates too. I’ll trash these, then.

But it’s so hard to choose the best one among the bunch, and I keep thinkin’ how it could be way better… Could I ask for yer help with this again?

Kaoru: Ahaha, no worries~ I’ve got you covered ♪

(…I was just testing the waters by mentioning the word “date” earlier, and he didn’t even try denying it? Could it really be that he actually came looking for me to ask about relationship advice?!)

(Now that I think about it, other than Anzu-chan, who else would he be close with that isn’t also a guy…?)

(………)

(N-N-Nah, it can’t be. It’s probably just a misunderstanding cause I care too much about Anzu-chan… it’s nothing, let’s calm down. My priority now is to help Kagehira-kun with his troubles.)

Location: Seishou Hall Library

(And so I ended up accompanying Kagehira-kun to look for info at the library. I’m a member of “Biblion” [2], so the library here at Seisou Hall isn’t really new to me.)

I remember seeing it here… Woah?!

Aoba-kun, what are you doing just standing behind the shelf and not saying a word? You scared me…

Tsumugi: Oh, it’s Kaoru-kun and Mika-kun~ Apologies, I’ve been so into arranging these books over here that I hadn’t noticed someone entering. 

Oh, I see. So you guys are looking for reference materials on jewellery making. You should find them on those shelves in the back row.

Kaoru: Uhh… about jewellery… not this one… not this either…

Aha~ found it! “Classic Jewellery Illustration and Design” and “A Selection of a Hundred Brooches”. Both books don't seem too shabby  ♪

Mika: You have a good eye for things, Hakaze-senpai~ I only found one, “A Manual on Jewellery Making”.

Tsumugi: Ah, Kaoru-kun just reminded me. There are a few brooch designs in that “Classic Jewellery Illustration and Design” book that are quite similar to Mika’s ideas for his design drafts. He could check those out…

Kaoru: Eh? You’ve already seen Kagehira-kun’s design drafts?

Mika: Uh-huh~senpai even gave me some real helpful advice. Both of ya are such reliable senpais ♪

Tsumugi: Ahaha, you flatter me too much, Mika-kun~ I’m also an amateur when it comes to designing jewellery, so I decided to skim through some of the books while I was rearranging the bookshelves today.

I was planning on recommending these books that would be useful to you, Mika-kun. Let’s take a look at them now, shall we ♪

Take the design on this page for example. A technique that can be used to convey the delicacy and elegance of flowers could be adding ribbons to a fretwork.

Or perhaps these types of simple yet stylish designs over here aren’t too bad either. I think it would go well with everyday wear.

Mika: Hmm…

Kaoru: …How about we approach it like this — Kagehira-kun, what do you think about going over the person’s likes and dislikes with us? This way, if it’s someone we know, it’ll be easier for us to help you narrow down those ideas.

Tsumugi: (Huh? Does Kaoru-kun not know for whom Mika is making the brooch?)

(He’s been uneasy since earlier, could it be that he’s misunderstood something…?)

Mika: Nnah… when it comes to the things Naru-chan likes, it should be anythin’ that’s beautiful ‘n cute—things that’re called “Pretty”, y’know?

Kaoru: I see I see, so it’s someone named Naru-chan and not Anzu-chan. That sounds like a really cute name too~

Mika: — Naru-chan’s style seems to be more handsome rather than cute when she’s doin’ idol jobs with Knights, but no matter how ya look at it, she’s still very charmin’ either way~ ♪

Kaoru: (Eh…? This “Naru-chan” is a member of Knights…? So are you telling me that I… I’ve been under the wrong impression about this whole situation the entire time?!)

Mika: Hmm? Were ya sayin’ somethin’, Hakaze-senpai? Sorry, I was talkin’ to myself earlier, so I missed what’cha said~

Kaoru: I-I didn’t, though? Haha, I didn’t say anything earlier, I prommy! Cross my heart and hope to die!

Tsumugi: Ahaha ♪ Well, it’s not like I could have heard something that you’ve never really said, no~?

(But there’s something about this recklessness that makes you feel like you’re reliving a spring from once upon a time… ♪)

Translator's notes:

[1]: Mika is referring to Kaoru’s shuffle unit project, √AtoZ. 

[2]: Biblion is an existing ES archive circle composed of the following members: Hajime, Kaoru, Nagisa, Tsukasa, and Tsumugi. The members gather out of their love for books of all genres.

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