#yuuai-ivyui double date go!!!

[deus-ex-mona]

Even Our Private Lives Are Great Too!

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Epilogue

[deus-ex-mona]

Even Our Private Lives Are Great Too!: Epilogue

in which aizo of lipxlip hosts a radio show with some average joe

previous part (chapter 7)

A few days later—.

Aizo & Yujiro: “Welcome Julieta” to LIPxLIP Radio.

Aizo: Good evening, I’m Aizo.

Yujiro: And I’m Yujiro.

Yujiro: Let’s get right to business by reading some fanmail, yeah?

Yujiro: “The other day, I read that you guys had performed at a live on the spur of the moment…”

Aizo: Eh? A spur of the moment performance? What in the world could they be talking about, Yujiro?

Aizo responded to the sentence in the letter with exaggerated surprise, which had probably been due to the fact that their agency had explicitly told them not to acknowledge their last-minute performance.

Yujiro: (His acting is laughably bad… But I guess I’ll just follow his lead for now.)

Yujiro: I’m not too sure myself… But all I can say at the moment is…

Yujiro: It’d be great if the staff at the live with the last-minute performers didn’t get into trouble because of them.

Aizo: And so? Sorry, but could you read the rest of the letter?

Yujiro: Hmm… “Do you get along well with FT4?”.

Yujiro: “As a fan of LIPxLIP, I get really happy when I see you guys befriend others.”

Yujiro: …Thank you. Ah, we get along as long as we’re off the stage.

Yujiro: We’ve met up for meals several times, and we’ve also participated in lessons together.

Yujiro: In fact, we met up for a meal with YUI and FT4’s DJ, IV, just the other day.

Aizo: Yup, yup. All of you know how much YUI loves ramen, right? So, y’know…

Aizo: All of us ate ramen normally at first. But then, for some reason, I, and I alone, was dragged off for super spicy tanmen after that…

Yujiro: You were pretty out of it when you guys returned, weren’t you, Aizo? It was quite the funny sight.

Aizo: You think? You didn’t eat it, so you don’t understand my pain at all.

Aizo: It was suuuper spicy! Wait, no, the word “spicy” doesn’t cut it! Eating it was a really painful experience!

Yujiro: It was a painful experience, hm?

Aizo: Though, I was able to talk about all kinds of things with YUI when I was alone with him—.

Yujiro: Really? What did you guys talk about?

Aizo: Y’know, stuff that even we talk about.

Aizo: Like, you know that feeling that you’re coming down with a sore throat that you get the day before a live or a recording session? We talked about stuff like that.

Yujiro: Ah—... I know that feeling too...

Aizo: YUI said that he’d “Eat spicy foods!” whenever his throat is sore. “That way, I’ll be able to sing even better!”, he’d claimed.

Yujiro: Eh? Where’s the logic behind that…?

Aizo: I have zero clue as to what he means either. But I think he’s talking about relieving tension in the throat or something?

Aizo: I’m pretty sure that eating spicy foods would only make your throat hurt even more, though… Just how strong is his throat anyway?

Aizo: …Anyways, do you guys get sore throats real often? The two of us do, y’know?

Yujiro: Though, if you guys do get sore throats, please don’t be like YUI, okay?

Aizo: On that note, you were alone with IV, weren’t you, Yujiro?

Aizo: What did you guys talk about? Did he tell you secret info about FT4 or something?

Yujiro: Of course not, stupid.

Yujiro: But, hmm… About that…

Yujiro: (What we talked about… huh…)

IV: Regarding my dream…

IV: One of my dreams has… Already come true, I think.

Yujiro: …That’s a secret.

Aizo: Eh?! Why?! Can’t you at least tell me the gist of what y’all talked about?!

Yujiro: (Don’t wanna. I want to keep it a secret between myself and IV.)

Yujiro: Well, I may tell you about it someday, okay?

Aizo: Huh?! You’re as stingy as always!

Yujiro: Do you mean to say that I’m usually stingy, or something?

Aizo: Am I mistaken?

Yujiro: Completely and utterly.

Aizo: But, hey, listen to this, Julieta. Just the other day, Yujiro was—.

The recording of the radio programme continued on at a good tempo. Following that, Aizo pestered Yujiro to “Tell me what you talked about with IV!”, but that was a story for another time—.

[deus-ex-mona]

Even Our Private Lives Are Great Too!: Chapter 6

blatant excuse to perform is blatant

previous part (chapter 5)

next part (chapter 7)

When they were on their way back—

YUI: …Huh? It looks like there’s a live going on over there!

Yujiro raised his head upon hearing YUI’s words to find that, sure enough, there seemed to be an outdoor live festival nearby. Keyword: “seemed”—

Yujiro: …Something seems strange, doesn’t it?

Whether the cause was due to equipment troubles or something, the performances had seemed to come to an unexpected halt. The staff members were running about in a panic, all while the audience just sat in their seats, completely bored out of their minds.

Yujiro: (It kinda seems like the audience has gotten tired of waiting…? This looks like quite the dire situation…)

Just as Yujiro began to feel a sense of pity about the situation—

IV: …I know some of the staff over there.

Yujiro: Eh? Really?

IV: I’m gonna lend them a hand for a bit.

IV led the way towards the staff tent, with the three others following after him.

Yujiro: (He’s lending them a hand… right here, in such a crowded place, all without hiding his face…?! Will it really be okay…?!)

Staff: Ah… IV?! And YUI’s here too…

YUI: Heyo!

Staff: And… Aren’t the two of them LIPxLIP?!

IV: Yeah, all of us are out on a private outing today.

IV: We came by to check on you guys because you seemed troubled… Is there anything we can do to help you out?

Staff: Ah… Um, the equipment that the next performer’s gonna use is a little faulty…

Staff: The DJ booth and the speakers are working fine though.

IV: How about the microphone?

Staff: It’s still able to amplify sounds.

YUI: Then…

IV: …Shall we?

YUI and IV locked eyes and exchanged a nod.

Yujiro: (Um… Don’t tell me…)

IV: …

Audience Member 1: Hey, isn’t that…

Audience Member 2: Eh? Is this a mistake? FT4 weren’t supposed to perform today, right?

Standing on the stage behind the DJ booth, IV commenced his improv performance. The previously dull atmosphere of the venue completely changed in just an instant.

Audience Member 1: How amazing! It really is IV!

Audience Member 2: Eh, why is he here?! Is he a surprise guest?!

With a raise of his right hand, IV’s highly skilled playing spread throughout the venue. His performance adopted a slightly playful edge to it, a marked change from his playing from earlier.

Yujiro: (He’s amazing…!)

The sound of cheers enveloped the venue.

Yujiro: (He managed to capture the hearts of the audience in just an instant!)

Even though he had not even been listed as a scheduled performer, IV performed his piece without even a single indication that he was a complete outsider at the live. As Yujiro watched IV stand onstage with pride, he found it hard to believe that the IV he saw before him was the same guy he had hung out with earlier that day.

Yujiro: (The look in his eyes… The atmosphere that he’s exuding… Everything about him has changed. This guy is… IV of FT4…!)

Yujiro: (I’ve seen FT4’s lives many times before… But I get a different impression from them each and every time.)

Yujiro: (One day, we’ll be able to perform like them too—)

Yujiro turned to look at Aizo. Even though the latter’s face was still pale, he was looking at the stage with sparkling eyes.

Aizo: Wow…!

Yujiro and Aizo smiled at each other the very moment their eyes met.

Yujiro: (Somehow… I feel as though I understand what it means to think the same thoughts as another, just this once.)

YUI: Oii! Isn’t it unfair that IV’s the only one who gets to be all cool up there?!

Clutching a microphone in his hand, YUI thumped onto the stage noisily.

YUI: Yujiro! Aizo! Get over here too, you guys!

[deus-ex-mona]

Even Our Private Lives Are Great Too!: Chapter 5

this happened ig

previous part (chapter 4)

next part (chapter 6)

Yujiro: Do you have any secret tips to share?

IV: Hmm… Lemme think…

After pondering over Yujiro’s question for a moment, a small smile spread across IV’s lips.

IV: I’d say it’d be to overcome hard times together… I guess.

Yujiro: “Overcome hard times… together…”

IV: We’ve been friends even before we started making music together, you know?

IV: We’ve seen all kinds of sides to each other, and we’ve overcome all sorts of challenges together.

IV: I get the feeling that that’s why our bonds with each other are so strong.

Yujiro: (I see… So they have intimate relationships with each other… that have existed longer than they have been artistes.)

Yujiro: Do you guys also discuss the kinds of activities that you’d like to partake in in the future?

Yujiro: It kinda seems like you’re able to communicate about things like that without needing to say them aloud.

IV: Well, even though there certainly are parts that we’d just understand about each other, we do discuss the finer details with each other as we go along too.

Yujiro understood just how important IV’s position within FT4 was, just from his facial expressions and the atmosphere around him alone.

Yujiro: (...He’s amazing. He’s definitely the pillar of support for FT4…)

Yujiro: ..I’m sorry for asking you so many questions. Though, um, IV, what is your dream?

IV: …My dream?

Yujiro: Yeah. I’d like to hear all about it, if you’re willing to tell me.

Yujiro: I’d like to use it as a reference during our… I mean, LIPxLIP’s activities.

IV: I see… My current dream is…

Yujiro: (“For FT4 to become the best artistes in the world”, or something?)

However—

YUI: Ah—! There they are!

Before IV could even voice his reply to Yujiro, YUI and Aizo returned to their sides.

YUI: We had some super spicy food! Man, I’m so stuffed, I can’t eat another bite!

IV: Yeah, welcome back. You guys sure are quick.

IV: You look all chipper, YUI… But Aizo, on the other hand…

Yujiro turned to look at Aizo, who had been dragged along by YUI, only to notice that his face was rather pale.

YUI: Aizo turned really pale in the middle of our meal yannow~!

Yujiro: He’s still pale right now, though.

YUI: Well, last time, he found the food so spicy that his eyes rolled back into his head, so I guess this is kind of an improvement.

IV: Well, if you insist…?

Aizo: YUI’s gonna… kill me someday…

YUI: Hey, I’m not gonna do that! I’m still going easy on you, yannow?

Aizo: Eh?! You’re going easy on me?! You mean, there’s stuff out there that’s spicier than this?!

YUI: Of course there are! The world’s a huge place! There aren’t any limits to how spicy food can be!

Aizo: I’m seriously starting to… hate you, you know…

IV: Haha, sorry about this, Yujiro. It sure looks like my YUI has caused quite some trouble for you guys.

Yujiro: Nah, it’s fine. I should be thanking him for spoiling Aizo instead.

IV laughed softly as he watched the exchange between the ever-excitable YUI and Aizo.

IV: Let’s backtrack to our conversation from earlier.

Yujiro: …Yeah?

IV: Regarding my dream… One of of my dreams has—

IV: Already come true, I think.

Yujiro: …?

Yujiro: (What does he mean…?)

Yujiro: (...But, well.)

Aizo: Please, I beg you, don’t make me eat super spicy food anymore!

YUI: What do you wanna eat next time, then? Super sweet foods?

Aizo: Does the phrase “in moderation” even exist in your dictionary?!

Yujiro: (Well, I had lots of fun today, so it’s all fine with me.)

[deus-ex-mona]

Even Our Private Lives Are Great Too!: Chapter 4

no spice girls (read: yui and aizo) to be found here

previous part (chapter 3)

next part (chapter 5)

They entered a nearby coffee shop and took their seats. Yujiro immediately flipped the menu open as he settled down into his seat.

Waiter: May I take your order?

IV: Hmm… I’ll have a hot coffee, please.

IV: As for him…

Yujiro: (Hmm… That looks good too… But I don’t want to miss out on the limited offer cakes either…)

IV: I apologise, he’ll be placing his order later.

Yujiro: …! Ah, I’m sorry!

Yujiro: Um… I’ll have…

IV: It’s fine, it’s fine. Take your time to decide on your order.

IV: There’s still lots of time left in the day. I don’t think that YUI and Aizo will return that quickly either.

Yujiro: I’m sorry…

IV just waited for Yujiro to place his order, not seeming particularly bothered by Yujiro’s indecisiveness in the least.

Yujiro: (He’s so kind… Or perhaps “caring” is the right word for it…? This is exactly how I’d imagined him to be like, though…)

Yujiro: (Wooow…! It looks better than I thought it would…!)

Yujiro’s excitement rose as he looked down at the parfait he had ordered.

Yujiro: Um… Do you mind if I take a picture? I’ll try to keep you out of the shot.

IV: Yeah. I don’t particularly mind if you do, though. Feel free to take as many pictures as you like. 

Yujiro: (It sure has been a long time since I last had a parfait with such a wide variety of fruits on it…)

Yujiro: (I’ve been trying to watch my diet these days, so…)

IV: Haha, it’s fine to take pictures of the parfait, but… Shouldn’t you start eating it soon? It’s getting tired of waiting for you.

Yujiro: Yeah…! Let’s eat!

Yujiro: It’s delicious…!

IV: That’s good.

A sudden realisation occurred to Yujiro as he watched as IV sipped his hot coffee.

Yujiro: (Oh right…! I wanted to ask IV all about FT4, since I’m all alone with him at the moment.)

Yujiro: Um… IV. Why did you decide to hang out with us today?

Yujiro: All of this may have started with that incident with YUI and the super spicy food, but I think that he could’ve just dealt with everything by himself. 

Yujiro: You didn’t have to go out of your way to… invite me as well, much less tag along yourself…

IV: I don’t have a special reason or anything for coming, though.

IV: But, the reason I invited you along was because… I just thought that I ought to extend an invitation to you as well if I were to invite Aizo out.

IV: You guys come as a pair, after all.

Yujiro: We come as a pair…

Yujiro: (I wonder if… the same goes for FT4 too. Do the five of them come bundled as a group or something…?)

Even though a “4” was present in the name of the group of “Full Throttle4”, it was evident to everyone, from the involved personnel to their fans, that IV was an important member of the group.

Yujiro: All of you guys in FT4 get along really well with each other, don’t you?

Yujiro: Since there’s just the two of us in LIPxLIP… We always have to see each other at work all the time.

Yujiro: As such, neither of us go out of our way to hang out with each other on our days off.

Yujiro: So I found myself thinking about how amazing you guys are when I heard about what all of you do together. 

IV: Really? That’s just the norm for us, though.

Yujiro: I get the feeling that the close bonds between you guys give rise to your great performances, so…

Yujiro: Do you have any secret tips to share?

IV: Secret tips, huh…

IV: Hmm… Lemme think…

After pondering over Yujiro’s question for a moment, a small smile spread across IV’s lips.

[deus-ex-mona]

Even Our Private Lives Are Great Too!: Chapter 7

that sure was a long day

previous part (chapter 6)

next part (epilogue)

YUI: Yujiro! Aizo! Get over here too, you guys!

When IV and YUI called out to Yujiro and Aizo from their spots on the stage, the audience turned to look at the latter pair.

Audience Member 1: Hey, YUI’s here too!

Audience Member 2: LIPxLIP’s also here?! How come?!

Audience Member 3: Aizo! Yujiro! Sing for us!

Yujiro: (Looks like… we’ve got no choice but to go for it, hm?)

Yujiro: Shall we, Aizo?

Aizo: Yeah…! Of course…!

The audience cheered loudly as Yujiro and Aizo ascended to the stage.

YUI: Awwright! You’ve prolly been bored enough, right?! Wouldn’t you rather be packed full of fun memories of today instead?!

YUI: But aren’t y’all being way too quiet, even though we’re right here in front of you?!

YUI provoked the audience with an air of familiarity, all while Yujiro and Aizo sang along to a backing track that was played by IV. Following that, YUI began to improvise a rap to go along with their performance.

Yujiro: (...YUI’s really good at rapping.)

Yujiro: (We can’t rap as well as him yet… But…)

Yujiro: (—Take this!)

Yujiro gestured to IV at the precise moment that his DJ solo began.

IV: …

IV laughed lightly when his eyes met Yujiro’s, and he raised a hand in response to him.

Audience Member 1: IV!

Audience Member 2: He’s so cool!

A staff member who was standing by the side of the stage gave the performers a signal that indicated that their equipment troubles were about to be resolved.

Yujiro: Hey everyone! It looks like the problems with the equipment are gonna be resolved soon!

Yujiro: It’ll only take a little while longer, so please listen to our performance till then!

Yujiro: (Let’s liven things up even more to warm up the stage for the next performer…!)

The audience let out an especially loud cheer, as though they were responding to the performance by the four of them—.

Staff: Hey IV! And everyone else! Over here!

By the time they got off the stage, word had gotten out that FT4 and LIPxLIP were performing at the live. Owing to that, a huge crowd of people had gathered there.

IV: I apologise for getting way too carried away back there.

Staff: No need for apologies. You guys were a huge help! We’d been at a loss for how to deal with that atmosphere before you came.

Staff: YUI, and the two of you from LIPxLIP, thank you all so much for the help too.

Staff: Once again, thank you guys so much… I’ll be sure to contact your agencies as well.

The four of them boarded a taxi that the staff member had led them to.

Audience Member 1: Hey, IV and the guys are leaving!

Audience Member 2: Aizo~! Yujiro~!

Yujiro: (...Sorry guys. See ya again.)

IV: Man—... For a moment, I was wondering how things would unfold, but…

IV: In any case, our last-minute performance was a great success, yeah?!

Yujiro found himself bursting into laughter at the sight of IV’s childlike smile.

Yujiro: Ahaha… A great success, you say… Even though we made a run for it at the end, haha.

IV: Well, that may be true…

IV: No, wait, don’t you think that making a run for it is pretty much a given with last-minute performances like ours?

Yujiro: I don’t understand what you’re trying to say at all. Ahaha.

IV: Sorry about this… YUI and Aizo. I brought you guys all this way to our studio…

Aizo: Nah, it’s fine. I had lots of fun.

YUI: Yup. I had tons of fun too, so everything’s A-OK with me!

IV: You guys had fun, hm? Me too.

Yujiro: (I had thought that IV was… a really serious person. But it turns out that he has a mischievous side too.)

Yujiro: Thank you so much for today.

IV schooled his face back into his usual expression when Yujiro gave his salutations again.

Aizo: It was really fun to hang out with you guys.

Yujiro: It was an honour… to have been able to perform with you two.

Yujiro: But… We’ll be rivals when we next meet onstage. 

IV: Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.

YUI: See ya!

And so, the curtain fell upon the day that Yujiro had spent with IV and the guys, with Yujiro having found himself with way more memories than he had expected to make.

[deus-ex-mona]

Even Our Private Lives Are Great Too!: Chapter 1

i gave up on the title (true story)

next part (chapter 2)

Yujiro and Aizo, namely the members of the idol unit LIPxLIP, would hang out with the members of Full Throttle4, a dance-vocal unit, in private.

One day, upon YUI’s suggestion of “Let’s get some ramen together!”, several of them met up and…

Yujiro: (This is… where we’re supposed to meet up, right?)

Yujiro looked around at his surroundings, to find Aizo and IV standing together a short distance ahead of him.

Yujiro: Good morning, IV.

IV: Yeah. Good morning, Yujiro.

Aizo: Oh, you’re finally here, Yujiro.

Yujiro: “Finally”...? But it’s not like I’m late or anything, right?

Yujiro: Thank you for… inviting us out for ramen today.

Yujiro: So then… where’s YUI?

IV: He’s not here yet. Seriously, he’s so…

Everything started back when YUI and Aizo went out to eat super spicy tanmen together. Aizo had a hard time with handling the terribly hot spice levels of the tanmen, and, as Yujiro had been unable to make it, IV had to be called in his stead. 

As they seemed to be meeting up for normal ramen that day, Yujiro felt safe enough to tag along with them.

Aizo: I had a pretty rough time last time. Isn’t YUI’s spice tolerance way too high?

IV: You may be right about that… I heard that you were on the verge of fainting, Aizo.

Yujiro: I can’t believe that… you almost fainted because of spice.

Aizo: You idiot! Only those who have eaten it would be able to understand! That thing wasn’t on, like, regular levels of spice or anything!

Aizo: It was so spicy that it burned to extremes! It wiped out half of my memory, for reals.

Yujiro: You’re exaggerating.

Aizo: Am not! I’m telling the truth here!

IV: Haha, sorry, sorry. I did tell him not to take it too far, though.

IV: As a form of apology for that, we’ll be going for normal ramen today. So there’s no need to be on high alert, okay?

Yujiro: Thank you very much. But it’s kinda unexpected for you to accompany us for it, IV.

IV: Haha, well, I guess so.

Yujiro: (IV sure is a man of many mysteries… I wonder what he’s like in his private life.)

Yujiro: (YUI probably remains the same throughout, in both his private and public lives, but I can’t picture what IV is like in private at all…)

Yujiro: (I’m curious… about what kind of guy he really is.)

Yujiro reasoned that he would be able to learn something that he could apply in his future activities, if he could just catch a glimpse of IV’s true self. The reason why he had even decided to tag along that day had been to take advantage of this golden opportunity to find out more about FT4, after all.

Yujiro: (Alright…! I’ll be sure to uncover… the reasons behind their amazing performances today…!)

Yujiro cast a glance at Aizo, to see him grinning brightly, as though he was merely looking forward to the ramen that they were about to have.

Yujiro: (He’s so… oblivious… I’m so envious of his carefree personality.)

Looking away from Aizo in exasperation, Yujiro caught sight of a person making his way towards them from a distance.

YUI: Hey guys! Sorry for the wait!

IV: YUI… You’re late.

YUI: Ahaha. Sorry, sorry. I was so excited that I couldn’t fall asleep last night, yannow~?

IV: Just like a kid on the night before a field trip, no?

YUI: I’m not some brat! But, well, I guess I kinda felt like one though!

YUI: Oh right, thanks for coming today, Aizo and Yujiro!

Yujiro: No, rather, the pleasure is all mine. Thank you very much.

Aizo: We’ll be in your care for the day.

YUI: Yeah! Let’s head straight off then!

YUI: …IV, is it really okay for you to eat ramen, though?

IV: Yeah. I’ll be fine for today at least. I’ll tag along.

YUI: Awwright!

YUI: To be honest, I’m really happy that you’re coming along to get ramen, IV! But don’t overdo it, okay?!

Yujiro: (“Overdo it”...? Is IV trying to maintain his figure or something? As expected of Mr. Stoic over here—.)

[deus-ex-mona]

Even Our Private Lives Are Great Too!: Chapter 2

now i feel like eating ramen too...

previous part (chapter 1)

next part (chapter 3)

YUI: This place is pretty empty today! How lucky!

Aizo: What’ll you be getting?

YUI: Hmm… I recommend getting… this!

YUI: Dandan noodles at MAX spiciness!

Aizo: So you’re getting super spicy noodles after all?!

YUI: Are you gonna get the same dish as me?

Aizo: Gimme a break! I don’t wanna experience that pain again!

Yujiro: (They’re noisy… Do they really have to get this fired up over choosing their one and only order?)

Yujiro: (Don’t they care about being seen by others or something…?)

IV: Haha, they sure are having a blast, aren’t they?

IV: What will you be getting, Yujiro? Are you fine with normal ramen?

Yujiro: Ah, yes. That’s what I’ll get. I don’t come to places like this that often… so I’ll just get normal ramen for starters.

IV: I see. I’ll be getting the normal ramen too.

IV: I wonder how long it’s been since I last had ramen… To be honest, it’s been quite a long while since then. I’ll be having it just for today.

Yujiro: (Is he referring to what he and YUI were talking about earlier? I guess famous people really do have to restrict their diets, hm.)

Soon after placing their orders, their piping hot ramen bowls were delivered to their table.

YUI: It’s here! It’s hereee!

YUI: The most polite thing to do here is to eat the ramen before it gets cold!

Aizo: Let’s eat!

Yujiro carefully served his ramen out onto his spoon as he watched as the others began to eat out of the corner of his eye.

IV: Trying to divide your ramen into mini portions, are you?

Yujiro: I just think that it’ll cool down faster this way.

IV: Are you sensitive to hot foods, like a cat?

Yujiro: No, I wouldn’t say that I am. It’s just that it seems to be a little hot…

YUI: Eh?! You’re sensitive to hot foods, Yujiro?!

Aizo: Really?

Yujiro: (Those guys… were listening in on us?)

Yujiro: No, I said—

YUI: I totally get it! You’re just like a cat, Yujiro! If we had to choose between you being more like a dog or a cat, you’d definitely be a cat!

IV: Really? I’d say that Aizo’s more like a cat, if anything.

Aizo: Eh, me?

YUI: I can definitely see it… So I guess that makes me a tiger!

YUI: While we’re at it, you’d be a lion, IV!

Yujiro: (What ever happened to comparing us to dogs and cats…?)

IV: Haha, all of them are from the feline family, though.

Yujiro: (That’s the retort he’s going with?)

Yujiro: (Somehow… IV isn’t that good at making retorts, huh…)

Yujiro tentatively took a bite out of his ramen, which had probably cooled down considerably by then.

Yujiro: (...!)

Yujiro: It’s delicious…!

YUI: Right?! The ramen at this store is super duper good!

Yujiro: Yup, it’s really delicious!

Yujiro: You know… I’ve never come to a ramen restaurant like this before.

YUI: Eh, for reals?! You’re missing out in life, man!

Yujiro: I think that you may very well be right about that.

IV: In that case, hey, Yujiro.

IV: Since you’ve come all this way to eat at a place like this, you should just eat without overthinking it. Your food will taste better that way.

With that said, IV began to slurp away at his ramen heartily.

Yujiro: (Eh… His clothes look to be rather expensive, yet he’s getting soup all over them… Ah, but… are the others doing so too?)

Yujiro looked around to see YUI and Aizo slurping away at their ramen as well.

Yujiro: (Then… I’ll do the same…)

[deus-ex-mona]

Even Our Private Lives Are Great Too!: Chapter 3

divide and conquer

previous part (chapter 2)

next part (chapter 4)

As Yujiro slurped his ramen as per IV’s recommendation, he found that his meal, sure enough, tasted better when he did so.

IV: …It’s good, isn’t it?

Yujiro: Yes, it sure is.

Yujiro forced a smile in response to IV’s pleasant grin.

Yujiro: (Somehow… he seems different from how he’s like during our encounters in the dressing rooms.)

Yujiro: (He’s a pretty ordinary guy… Though, has he always been this friendly…?)

YUI: Ahh, that was so good~!

The four of them walked side by side as they exited the ramen restaurant.

YUI: RIO was actually the one who told me about that ramen place, yannow?

YUI: He and DAI ate there on their way back from the studio the other day. Or was it after our TV feature? Which was it again?

YUI: Either way, that’s pretty unfair, no?

YUI: I’m the one who’s all about ramen, so why didn’t he invite me too?!

IV: That’s just the way the cookie crumbles.

IV: He said that they stopped by for a meal after we all parted ways, no?

Yujiro: (I see… So FT4 share their favourite restaurants with each other… They really get along so well.)

YUI: Hmm… “That’s just how the cookie crumbles”, huh… Well, I got to eat there with you guys today, so I’m satisfied.

YUI: But more importantly, hey Aizo! You haven’t had enough yet, right?!

Aizo: Eh?! What’re you talking about?!

YUI: Spiciness!

YUI: That ramen was really good, but it wasn’t spicy enough, yannow~?!

Aizo: But wasn’t the ramen you just had spicy?!

Aizo: Wait, I mean, I’m already stuffed!

YUI: Does that mean that you’re actually afraid of being served foods of the same level of spice as me?

Aizo: Ugh… You have me all figured out… don’t you…

YUI: Awwright! I’ll be taking you with me! IV! Yujiro! You guys can’t handle spicy food, right?

IV: Yeah, I’ll pass.

IV: We’ll just split up for now. The two of us will get desserts instead.

IV: …So, how about it, Yujiro?

Yujiro: Yeah! It’s fine with me!

Yujiro: I prefer sweet things over spicy foods.

IV: It’s settled, then.

YUI: We’ll see you guys later then! I’ll be borrowing Aizo for a bit!

Aizo: W-wait up, YUI! What about what I want?!

Aizo: Do you not care about my wants or something?!

Aizo: I told you… I can’t handle… such spicy foods anymore~!

YUI grabbed ahold of the ever reluctant Aizo and headed off, partially dragging the latter along as they went.

Yujiro: …And they’re off.

IV: Yeah.

IV: I hope YUI doesn’t push Aizo too hard, though.

Yujiro: Nah… Being the way he is, Aizo would only be too happy to be spoiled like that, so I’m sure he’ll be fine.

Yujiro: I think he’d refuse to get dragged along if he really didn’t want to go.

IV: …You really understand his thoughts and feelings well, don’t you?

Yujiro: Eh?

IV: I’m talking about your partner.

Yujiro: (...I understand Aizo’s thoughts and feelings…?)

Yujiro: That’s not the case at all.

As Yujiro denied IV’s observation, a sudden realisation occurred to him.

Yujiro: (Perhaps this is my chance to ask IV deeper questions about himself… now that we’re alone with each other—?)