Knights VS Trickstar – Epilogue

Characters

Writer

-

Translation

toribocchama

Proofreading

TBA (first version)

Chapter Index

Ch1 - Ch2 - Translation Notes

Chapter 1

The following day. Knight’s room in the Star House.

—What is the meaning of this!?

Eek!? Please don’t yell out of nowhere, could you? I was so startled that I messed up my make-up…!

What a racket… Suu-chan, what happened?

Where is Sena-senpai!? There is something I must discuss with him at once! But he’s not present…

Secchan? Oh… Now that you mention it, Tsukipii is also gone.

Oh, Izumi-chan said they had some business to take care of, and he left with Leo-kun to their place in Florence.

I see… I suppose it will have to wait until they return, then.

Huh? What’s got you looking so shocked at your phone screen?

Well, according to a communication I’ve just received from the office—

Up until now, Sena-senpai has been splitting his activities between Japan and overseas, as his modeling work is based in Florence…

… It seems that Sena-senpai has requested to switch to working exclusively in Japan hereafter, and the agency has agreed.

What…!?

Achoo!

Ohh… Sena, that means someone’s talking about you~

What are you talking about? Shouldn’t you be worried that I might’ve caught a cold, or something?

I didn’t, anyway. The wind is just strong, so there’s dust flying around.

We’re next to a big river, so of course there’s gonna be a lot of wind! Hyururuuun, run run run, it’s cause we’re by the riverside, hyurururururun ♪ 1

Why’re you singing that? Those are not even the right lyrics.

Don’t be a party pooper! Windy days have their positives!

Huh? What could possibly be good about the wind? My hair’s gonna get messed up, so I styled it for nothing. Why’d you ever be glad that it’s windy out?

‘Cause the wind is carrying a tasty smell our way~♪

(Sniff, sniff) Mmm, freshly baked bread!

Oh, you’re right. It smells nice.

Hey, since we’re here, we should get some to eat on the way home!

Huh? No way. Don’t you know that carbohydrates are a model’s mortal enemy?

Those who laugh at carbohydrates will cry over carbohydrates later! Put some respect on their name! 2

The show’s already over, so it should be fine to have just a little, right? Do it for me, at least!

…

Hah… Alright. I’ll make an exception.

… (Munch, munch)

So? What’d you think of my rec? It’s fresh out of the oven, you know! ☆

You were right, this store’s bread is pretty good. You buy from there a lot, right?

Yeah! Munching on these helps my writing flow~ I’ve written a ton of spectacular Bread Songs thanks to them.

Are you for real? Have they ever helped you write something not bread-related? Your clients are going to faint if you submit something like that.

… Wha—!? Hey, watch where you’re going…!

Are you okay? You almost knocked into someone.

Hah… there’s a lot of tourists. It’s really lively out today, huh.

But they’re standing in the middle of the road to take pictures and getting in the way. What a nuisance.

I mean, we’re right in the middle of a tourist spot… there’s that huge cathedral over there, so… 3

That doesn’t mean they have to make a fuss. They could always just not block the road and do their sightseeing quietly.

You were exactly the same when you got here! Making the rounds of every tourist attraction, making a huge fuss and taking a million pictures.

… Shut up. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

—Ugh, it's too crowded. Let’s take this back street.

Phew…

Finally, some peace and quiet. This neighborhood is so much better than those tourist spots… ♪

You really hate noisy places, huh, Sena?

I do, but that’s not the only reason.

Look; there’s colorful laundry hanging out to dry, that person is watering their flowerpots, and there’s a cat basking in the sun over there…

There’s something comforting about those markers of everyday life.

Oh, and I smell dinner being made~ ♪ Look, those people are cooking tomatos!

… Hold on. Those people look like they’re having a romantic moment.

I know I said the smells of everyday life are comforting, but isn’t that a bit too personal?

What are you saying? That’s what living is like. The smells are comforting because they’re signs of the people you’re surrounded by.

…

… I see. I guess the scene of this neighborhood ended up becoming a fixture of my daily life…

Chapter 2

Feels good to be home~

…

What the hell… when you get home, you’ve gotta say “I’m back”, or something… and to think you’re the one always lecturing me.

…

Well, this isn’t going to be my home anymore.

—Here’s the keys to the room.

…

Can you take them already? How long are you going to make me wait?

… You always said this place belonged to you.

Yeah, until now. I’m letting you have it. I can’t just leave you without a place to live. Your name is on the lease, so that’s already settled.

If you’d rather not stay here, you can also leave. You’re free to do whatever you want to.

Are you really going to leave…?

… Yeah.

Hey, don’t make that face. It’s not like we’re saying goodbye forever.

We’ll still spend time together as unitmates in Knights, and we can see each other any time at the Seisoukan or at the Megasphere.

If you think about it, nothing’s really going to change. Right?

… No, you’re wrong. Isn’t this a special place for us? I thought we were starting over together here.

You said you’d feed me and take care of me… That was your decision. But now that I’m giving you trouble, you’re going to get rid of me?

…

I did think we could start over here, at first.

I’d take care of you, and in exchange, I’d rely on you to climb to the top. I think I told you my reasoning, that I couldn’t afford to care if I looked desperate.

That’s how I got my hands on “Leo Tsukinaga”, the strongest weapon in the world.

You did your part like you promised. You got me a lot of work. Work that was pretty convenient for me, even.

I was really grateful for that. Even if my career wasn’t taking off, thanks to you, I was never short on work.

Yeah. That’s what I promised… that I’d give you as much as you gave me.

That’s our system of mutual give-and-take. We’ve been walking shoulder-to-shoulder like that…

Shoulder-to-shoulder…? You really think that?

Huh…?

It might’ve been like that at first, when I could still acknowledge you.

I wonder how long this has been going on. Since when have I been mistaking the strength of my weapon for my own ability…?

…

You know, I understood that at first.

I was well aware of it. I knew I was only getting those jobs because of you.

It was with that understanding that I decided to seize this chance. I thought that this could be what helped me rise to the top.

But people get used to everything in the end. Every situation, every favor, every privilege.

That excessive strength became a mundane part of my everyday life, and I started thinking I was climbing up on my own when I was actually using you as leverage.

It sounds nice to say we’re making up for what the other lacks…

But in reality, I forgot about you and the sheer privilege it was to have you around. I’ve been swinging my sword with abandon under the belief that I could do it all by my own might.

This situation made me see that clear as day.

Do you… do you hate it here that much?

I don’t. It’s a nice place to live in. I mean, it’s tailored to my liking, so of course it is.

That’s exactly why I have to leave. Something needs to change.

… So, this is where this ends.

…

No, I don’t want to let this go. This can’t be the end.

If I can be useful to you, I’m okay being your favorite weapon.

I’m not hurt by it. People have been using me as a weapon for a long time, so what’s different now?

…

Paired with that expression, you don’t sound very convincing.

I’ve thought this over a lot. I asked myself if I should turn a blind eye to it and stay complacent forever… if maybe it would be fine to keep on dreaming without paying any mind to it.

It is fine! We can stay like this! I’m telling you I’m fine! Just believe me!

It’s not fine by me! If things go on this, one day it’s going to come to a point when I can’t forgive myself.

I have to open my eyes to what’s really going on with us. Both of us.

It’s embarrassing, and pathetic, and absolutely pitiful to say, but…

You’re far too good of a weapon for me. It was impossible for me to use you only when I needed you.

Weak as I actually am, whenever I’d swing my sword, all my enemies would fall to the ground, defeated. That became so mundane to me that I stopped even noticing.

That feeling of omnipotence numbed my senses more and more… when that strength wasn’t even my own to begin with.

If I stayed here with you, I’d end up becoming like the people that took advantage of you in the past.

I’m not going to let myself wear you down without even realizing it. I refuse to do that.

I don’t want to turn you into a sword of destruction that carries a curse wherever it goes.

…

… The whole time we were walking around town together, I was hoping you’d change your mind.

But… you’re still leaving?

Yeah. It’s final.

And what are you going to do next…?

Start over as a model. I’m going to build my career on my own name, without the strength of your blade.

Same as with my idol career. I’m going to learn how to stand by your side without leaning my weight on you.

So, I’d like you to be there to see it.

…

… You don’t need me anymore?

Are you being serious? You’re going to make me angry.

If you need me to say it, I will. I do need you. Shouldn’t you know that? You are needed, both in Knights and in my life.

I don’t want you to have to say the same thing to me.

So, that’s why I’m leaving now.

This time, I want to be on the same level. I want us to be equal partners.

No more of this unbalanced dynamic. We can lift each other up as a mutual effort, instead. 4

That’s the kind of partner I want to be for you.

Even if you might’ve given up on that idea, I’m still determined.

I’m not going to let us go down together.

…

I scolded you a lot while we lived together, but looking back, it wasn’t so bad after all.

—Goodbye, Leo-kun.

Translation Notes

1. ↑ Leo is singing to the tune of Kitakaze Kozou no Kantarou (北風小僧の寒太郎), a children’s song (this part specifically). He swapped out the actual lyrics for his own.
2. ↑ A play on the saying that “those who laugh at pennies will cry over pennies” (一円を笑うものは一円に泣く), meaning that it’s dangerous to underestimate the importance of money. Thus, Leo is suggesting that Izumi not underestimate the importance of carbohydrates.
3. ↑ I can only assume this is in reference to the Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square), which indeed is probably the most visited area in all of Florence as part of its Historic Centre and the location of the Florence Cathedral.
4. ↑ Izumi says ibitsu, a word that is repeated in every chorus of Unbalanced Triangle. I interpreted the parallels between the themes of this story and the lyrics of Unbalanced Triangle to be very intentional, so I chose to translate it as “unbalanced” assuming that intent.