Chapter 1
—me.
…What is the matter?
Mmmm…?
Has Juis awakened finally? Good morning. You appear to be a bit distressed.
It would be quite a waste for your distress to wrinkle the space between your beautifully-kept eyebrows. So please continue laying there, Sleeping Beauty, breathing so peacefully as you are.
…Are you trying to poison me? The way you’re talking makes it seem like you’re going to send me into an eternal slumber.
Ah, Madoka. There’s so many things I want to say, but first of all I need to confirm something.
Why are you sleeping in the same bed as me…?
Hmph. This one [1] wondered what you were going to say… but it’s nothing more than a foolish question.
Juis, you looked like you were unable to sleep properly, so this one wanted to ensure you could get a moment of restful sleep.
Uh.
That is exactly why this one applied a pleasant fragrance to myself before I entered your bed…♪
Uhhh?
Juis, are you aware? Certain scents have a calming effect.
What makes the sense of smell different from the other five senses is both the path and speed at which it reaches your brain. Smells bypass any sort of reasoning, and immediately target your instinct instead. [2]
It is because of my rich fragrance that your parasympathetic nervous system has become more dominant, which has caused your calm awakening.
First of all, this is the worst wake-up…
Fufu, “rich fragrance” is an interesting way to put it, Nozomi-san. It sounds a little bit like an advertisement for a rose garden.
Although, I guess “beautiful but thorny” is a good way to describe you. But sometimes you’re a bit like a carnivorous plant too.
–Ack!? Ouch!? A pillow where you rest your head, not something you hit someone’s head with!
Is it because I just woke up that I still don’t understand Madoka’s answer to why he was sleeping with me?
Maybe I’ll understand it in a little bit when my head clears up?
Mhm. The things Nozomi-san says are difficult to understand. Especially for someone like me. Besides, he gets more unintelligible whenever it involves you in any way.
Take what just happened as an example. Nozomi-san saw you sleeping soundly, and said “He looks distressed” before climbing into bed with you. Strange, right?
Yup.
I seriously tried to say something though! I said: “How can he be distressed if he’s sleeping so peacefully?”.
Tsuzura, that’s not the point. It would’ve been appreciated if you actually stopped him from sleeping with me.
Huh? Ah! So sorry. As expected, I can’t even be considerate…
Is the issue really you not being considerate…?
Ahaha. Sorry~ Ojisan wanted to stop him, but the second I tried, I swore my life would’ve been over then and there soooo I chickened out.
So, what’s actually up?
What?
You slept so poorly that you had Nozomi-kun worried.
Ojisan isn’t really an expert in the “study of Juis-kun”, but Nozomi-kun is, so I believe his concern. Is something wrong? Didja have a bad dream?
If it looked like I wasn’t sleeping well, it’s because Madoka climbed into bed with me.
Understandable.
Huh…? But Nozomi-san only slept with you because you weren’t sleeping well.
If that’s the case, then it makes no sense to say Nozomi-san caused you to sleep poorly.
That doesn’t maaatter anymore. What’s MELLOW DEAR US’s schedule look like today?
Oh. Umm… Today we have to go to ES.
Look here. Today’s our first day working under ES’s Rhythm Link agency
We will likely be talking about it more with Producer-san and Nice-san, but I dunno.
Oh, yeah. Now that you mention it, that’s today right?
Well then, I should get ready soon or we might get in trouble.
Madoka, can you move? I want to get up and get changed now.
…It seems you’re expelling me now, but who exactly do you intend to bring in next?
Are you even listening to me? I’m saying I want to get up. Please actually engage properly in a conversation with me, I’m serious.
…… (Getting his appearance ready in front of the mirror.)
Ah.
(I had a really strange dream…)
(Thanks to that, I’m exhausted. And on our first day working in Japan too.)
(Is that because that Nice guy suddenly decided he would collaborate with ES to produce MELLOW DEAR US…?)
(It seemed like quite the shock.)
(…No issues for me, though.)
(No matter where I am, there’s only one thing I have to do.)
(Just like the past, it’s still the same story now. I’ll continue what I do from inside this birdcage until the day I die.)
—Alright, today’s another day of being an idol, which I love more than anything!
Chapter 2
—Fufufu. Welcome to ES, MELLOW DEAR US! Welcome!
Oh, thank you so much for the warm welcome. I look forward to working with you today. Um, here’s a sweet you can have with your tea. It’s really not much but…
Woah, woah, wait. This isn’t right!
Huh? This gift really was awful, I knew it…
But it really is delicious, you know? And filling too. I bring a Seppuku Monaka [3] like this to all sorts of places when I’m apologizing♪
Wow. It’s a perfectly fitting sweet for Chitose-kun. But the sweet isn’t the issue. Why’s Nice-san standing with ES and welcoming Ojisan and the others?
Ah, right. Nice-san welcomed all of us so naturally that I unintentionally felt like an invited guest instead of a friend. [4]
When you really think about it, it doesn’t make much sense. But of course I didn’t even think twice about it, I really am hopeless. I’m so sorry.
It is completely unnecessary for you to apologize, Chitose.
Huh. Are you comforting me? That makes me so happy… Thank you, Nozomi-san.
It is an everyday occurrence for Chitose to be unable to wrap his head around simple matters. Your foolishness is quite trivial at this point.
Thus, apologizing is entirely unnecessary.
Yep. Nozomi-san is acting like he always does. Whenever he talks, I feel like I’m being bounced back and forth between heaven and hell.
If you pick and choose what to hear, then he sounds sooo empathetic~. Everything else, though…
Alright, that’s enough. The producer can’t even follow what we’re saying anymore.
Fufu. As always, seeing you all act so free-spirited is a delight!
But Juis-kun is right, we shouldn’t keep Anzu-chan waiting, so let’s begin with introductions all around.
Introductions…? Now? We are already quite familiar with her.
Well, I understand how you feel, but…
Now that you’ll be operating under ES, introducing yourselves is just a common courtesy in this industry. Think of it like you’re starting fresh, okay?
If that’s how they do it here in Japan, then I’ll go with it. It’s the whole “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” mentality, right?
Exactly. Your quick understanding is NICE!
So let’s start, I’m Yoshihide Sanda.
But whenever we’re at work, you can call me by my business name: Nice Arneb Thunder. That way we can all be more familiar with each other.
We knowwww. Ojisan is more interested in hearing the producer’s introduction, not Nice-san’s~
Geez. I went through so much trouble trying to come up with a good way to pitch myself, but it seems like nobody cares.
Well then, allow me to introduce you all to Anzu-chan. She’s a hardworking producer with many of the idols at ES relying on her.
Even though she’s still young, she’s showing lots of promising talent in Japan’s highly competitive idol industry.
Since you experienced her talent firsthand, you should know how good she is, right?
Yeppers. We found out the hard way during Mainstream Megasphere.
So you’re Anzu-chan… We’ve met a buncha times in passing, buuut this is the first time we get to have a sit-down and chat for a lil, isn’t it?
Ojisan’s sooo jealous of all the idols at ES.
Having a cutie like Anzu-chan be our producer~ wowww that’s defs gotta be a benefit of being an idol, right? I’ve never felt this way before ♪
Oh, but this stays between us, ‘kay? We can start by exchanging contact info.
Kuon… there’s your nasty habit again. Stop that. You’re putting the producer in a tough spot.
Yessir! Wowzers, Juis-kun stopping me is a new one. That’s fine though.
Normally I wouldn’t, but the conversation wasn’t going anywhere and Madoka is looking like he’s about to snap.
…… (Glaring daggers at Mashu.)
Juis-kun, you’re totes a lifesaver…! Yeesh~ thank goodness looks can’t kill, otherwise Ojisan’s life would’ve ended right here~!
If looks could kill, you would be dead the moment we first met.
You hated Ojisan that early…? Talk about heartless.
Anzu-chan. This cheerful bunch is MELLOW DEAR US…
This high-performing unit is made up of Kojika Juis, Madoka Nozomi, Mashu Kuon, and Tsuzura Chitose.
Surely you understand their strength, Anzu-chan. After all, you watched them clash onstage with the ES idols.
That aside, from today forward, MELLOW DEAR US is officially a member of the Rythlin agency.
It really is a case of “yesterday’s enemy is today’s friend”. Isn’t that NICE?
From now on, your unit will be produced jointly by Anzu-chan and I. We look forward to working with you.
…This one objects.
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Translation Notes
[1] – Nozomi uses very archaic words to refer to others and himself:「己」 “ore” for himself and 「汝」 “nare” for others, so “I” and “you” aren’t necessarily the most fitting terms to use. I’ve translated him saying “I” to “this one”, which is what I’ve commonly seen it translated as, but left the “you” untouched to avoid making my translations too clunky.
[2] – This is just a quick explanation on what Nozomi is talking about. The sense of smell is the only sense out of the five that bypasses the thalamus (part of the brain that processes “data” before sending it to the cerebral cortex for rational thought). Instead, smells go straight to the olfactory bulb (part of the brain that processes smells) and sends that data to the limbic system. That part of our brain houses the hypothalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus (and these components handle stuff like fight-or-flight, other survival-related instincts, some emotions, and also memory). This is part of the reason why we get such strong reactions to smells, like a smell bringing up a past memory or spoiled foods causing such a visceral reaction that you back away. Anyway, I hope that makes sense, because I am in no way an expert on anatomy or the brain and relied on some quick research to get this information!
[3] – “Seppuku” (切腹) dates back to the Endo period, and was a ritual suicide by disembowelment (via a slice to the stomach) typically done by samurais. As for “Monaka” (最中), it’s a traditional Japanese sweet (wagashi) that consists of two mochi shells with a filling sandwiched in between. While there are other flavors of filling, the most common one is red bean paste. The “Seppuku Monaka” looks something like this or this, and is used as a sort of humorous apology gift.
[4] – The wording of this sentence was a little strange to grasp, but essentially from what I understand: MELLOW DEAR US is confused why Nice is acting all formal with them as if this is their first interaction. This is out of character for him because he’s been their producer for a while now, so he already knows them all really well and there should be no need to welcome them this formally.