anesthetic

(Hotaru really is amazing.)

Details 5:15
Chapter
Sidearm Upon the Water
Duration
5:15
Release
Oct 17, 2026
Characters
Hotaru Shiomi , Natsume Izawa , Nagi Kotohira , Mahoro Hamasaki , and Houka Izumi

Text 67

Speakers

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A few days after Nagi returned to practice.

Everyone, shall we take a breather?
...Yeah. We've been playing nonstop for a while.
Actually, I brought some delicious sweets.
Could you wait a moment?
I had them chilling in the fridge... Here they are.
...! Is this... tiramisu?
It's so cute in this little jar!
Of course. My big sister gave them to me to bring for everyone as a treat.
There's enough for everyone, so please help yourselves.
Yay! Thank you~!
Look, Nagi-chan, they look delicious!
...Oh, wait. Is tiramisu okay for you, Nagi-chan...?
Could it be that this counts as a sweet, too?
...No, I'll have some. Thanks.
All right, you can listen while you eat.
Mahoro and Houka. Your tempo still wavers from phrase to phrase.
You two are the backbone, so keep it steady.
Ugh... I'll do my best.
I'll be careful♪
You still have some rough spots, so next time focus on playing more carefully, too.
But it wasn't as bad as I expected.
Yes! If you noticed anything at all, please tell me.
Things to reflect on, things to improve. I'll fix them all.
...Nothing in particular.
When you first joined the band,
for better or worse, you really stood out.
Lately that's gone,
and you've been blending into the band's sound.
I suppose that means you've finally settled in.
But I want us to perform even better...
If anything else bothers you, please tell me anytime!
Hehe. Is that humility, or greed...?
Right? If it were me, I might need a little courage.
Natsume-chan definitely wouldn't go easy on me.
Like a hot-blooded demon coach?
Oh? Then next time I'll stand right in front of you the whole time
and watch you. You should be grateful.
See, Hotaru-chan! This is what I mean! She's scary!?
It's okay! Advice and feedback
are all things I'm grateful for!
If that helps us give a good performance...
then working hard isn't painful at all!
(Hotaru's amazing.)
(So dazzling, unlike me.)
...Thanks for the food.
(If she shines this close to me...)
...? Nagi-san, is something wrong?
Was it too sweet after all?
Want me to take it?
You just want it for yourself, don't you?
So tiramisu isn't your thing after all...?
(That's right.)
(Sweet things and dazzling things. Both of them.)
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(Just for now, this sweetness...)
(It collides with the brightness and dulls it.)
(It makes me feel at ease.)
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It's delicious.
...I hope that's the case.
Forcing yourself to eat something you don't like won't do you any good.