Part 1: A Tradition in Sirius?..
Panda: Ah~, itʼs finally getting warmer.
Kathrina: What’s that about?
Panda: Nothing really. I was just thinking how nice it feels to peacefully enjoy the tea after a meal with everyone.
Chisa: Yeah. Enjoying the peace after the Demon King was defeated is wonderful, isn’t it?
Shizuka: T-the Demon King?..
Yae: Fufu. Iʼm also happy to relax and enjoy the tea with you all.
Kokona: That’s nice! Yae-chan, hope me inviting you so suddenly wasnʼt too much of a bother?
Yae: Not at all! Iʼm already finished with what I came for. So, actually, thank you very much for inviting me!
Panda: Did Shamo-san and Hiiragi-san ask you to come?
Yae: Yes! They wanted to discuss the details regarding my new job.
Kathrina: A new job?
Yae: Itʼs not related to theatre, but they still asked me to keep it a secret…
Kokona: Not related to theatre? I wonder what it might be. Maybe, an interview for a magazine or volunteer work at a church?
Shizuka: But she’s been doing these already, so why discuss it now?
Kokona: You’re right…
Kokona: I know! Maybe, itʼs a photo session? Smiling Yae-chan under a sakura tree would look so adorable!
Yae: Fufu. Can’t say anything yet.
Panda: Come on, donʼt pressure Niizumacchi too hard.
Chisa: But it’s true that it’s sakura season already. Sakura mochi in doumyouji and choumeiji variations*… hanami dango**… sakura anpan***…
Shizuka: Thinking about food as usual, aren’t you…
Panda: Sakura season, huh…
Kokona: What’s on your mind, Panda-chan?
Panda: Look, actually there’s a spring tradition in Sirius we haven’t told you about yet.
Kathrina: Huh, another “tradition”? That’s what you told us when you made us cook for the move-in party.
Shizuka: And later Hiiragi-san said there was no such tradition, you know.
Panda: W-well, but should you be angry? Kathrin, it helped you and Koko-chan grow closer, so it worked out for the better, right?
Kokona: Yeah! Cooking with Kathrina-chan was so much fun! So, what’s that tradition you forgot to mention?
Panda: You should know that one… It’s sakura viewing!
Chisa: Hooray!
Kokona: Sakura viewing?! Wow, that sounds nice!
Yae: Sakura viewing, you say? You know, actually, at Sirius we…
Panda: We are partying hard for three nights and three days in a nearby park, drinking and singing while enjoying the view of beautiful sakura blossoms… It’s a greatly anticipated annual event we absolutely can’t slack on!
Chisa: Soumen noodles endlessly flowing down the bamboo shoots under sakura trees from the Sirius bathhouse like in a relay race is a sight to behold that brings tears to my eyes every year…
Panda: And there’s one absolutely essential part to this tradition.
Kokona: An essential part?
Panda: Yes. A grand ritual newbies must undergo to be recognised as Sirius members…
Kokona: Gulp…
Panda: Their mission is to choose a spot for sakura viewing and provide entertainment! And cook something delicious for everyone!!
Kokona: Wait what?!
Kathrina: Hold on, are we still considered newbies?
Noah: What’s all the commotion about? …Huh, Yae’s here too?
Yae: Yes! Kokona-san invited me for tea. We’ve been talking about organizing a sakura viewing party at Sirius.
Shamo: Oh, that surely sounds intriguing.
Panda: Shamo-san! It does, right?! Maybe tomorrow, since that’s a day off from practice? I would really love to do it!
Kathrina: So, is there really a tradition for the newly joined actors to choose a spot, come up with entertainment and prepare a meal? I don’t think we should still be considered newcomers.
Noah: A tradition? I think…
Panda: Yes, a tradition! So, I’m looking forward to what our best and brightest juniors will prepare for us!
Noah: …Expecting me to go along with it?
Kokona: Fufu, well, why not? I think it will be fun! Kathrina-chan, let’s work together and make a cool party!
Kathrina: Oh dear… I guess there’s no point objecting…
Shizuka: Come on, be a little more enthusiastic, Kathrina.
Kathrina: Huh? What’s with that patronizing tone?
Kokona: Actually, I would be happy if you could help out too, Shizuka-chan. As they say, three heads are~ a sure way to come up with something!****
Shizuka: …Well, I guess it would be unwise to rely on Kathrina too much.
Kathrina: Hey, you!
Shizuka: What? It’s just a fact.
Kokona: Um, girls, please!
Panda: Really, quarreling as usual…
Shamo: Fufu. Tomorrow’s certainly worth looking forward to.
TL note
Hanami (花見) is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers. I translate it as “sakura viewing,” but felt like adding a note since the term is a part of name of some dishes, etc.
* Choumeiji and doumyouji are two main variations of sakura mochi originating from Kanto and Kansai regions respectively. Choumeiji are named after a temple located near a teahouse that first sold these mochi. They have an appearance of a thin pink crepe rolled around a log of red bean paste and covered with a pickled sakura leaf. Doumyouji are named after a temple where the specific type of rice flour used for these mochi was invented. They have a pink rough grainy texture, a red bean paste filling, and are also covered with a pickled sakura leaf.
** Hanami dango (also called sanshoku dango) are skewered dumplings made with regular rice flour and glutinous rice flour that come in three colors associated with springtime—pink, white and green.
*** Sakura anpan are buns with sweet bean paste filling either baked in form of or decorated with sakura blossoms.
**** Kokona is being bad at proverbs as usual. The original proverb would be 三人寄れば文殊の知恵, meaning that three heads are better than two (or, literally, if three people gather, their cumulative knowledge would equal the wisdom of Manjushri, a bodhisattva who represents transcendent wisdom of the Buddhas in Mahāyāna Buddhism), but apparently she forgot how the second half goes.