Mermaid Admiration - 4: My Role Model

Beach

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1

Nene

(Wh-What's Yuka Kazamatsuri doing in a place like this...?!)

2

Nene

(I... I really want to talk to her but... What should I do?! I'd hate to interrupt if she's in the middle of practice or something...!)

3

Nene

(Geez... I'm so nervous, I'm getting drenched in sweat...!)

4

Yuka

Again, can I help you?
You've been staring at me for a while now.

5

Nene

Huh?!

6

Nene

I...!
I... Uh, th-that is...!

7

Yuka

Hehe. I like your outfit. It's very cute.
You look just like a mermaid.

8

Nene

Huh? I, um...!

9

Nene

(I was so busy cleaning up that I forgot to take this thing off...!)

10

Yuka

Wait, it sounded like somebody was putting on some kind of performance just now too... Were you by chance a part of that?

11

Nene

Y-Yes! Yes, I was!

12

Nene

I, uh... I work as a cast member for an amusement park called Phoenix Wonderland, and my troupe performed here today as its ambassadors...!

13

Yuka

You're a cast member for an amusement park? That must be quite a bit of fun!

14

Nene

Th-Thank you very much...
But more importantly...

15

Nene

What are you doing in a place like this, Ms. Kazamatsuri? I thought you weren't supposed to return to Japan until much later...

16

Yuka

Hm?
Oh, you know who I am?

17

Nene

Y-Yes, of course!
I... I've been a huge fan since I was little...

18

Yuka

You are? Really?

19

Yuka

Hehe.
I never imagined that I'd meet one of my fans way out here.

20

Yuka

I was actually just practicing for my performance for that return to Japan you just mentioned, and staying here in the meantime.

21

Nene

Oh, I didn't realize that...!

22

Nene

I promise to go and see your show!
I'm really looking forward to it!

23

Yuka

Hehe. Thank you very much.
Good luck to you too.

24

Nene

Th-Thank you...!!

25

Nene

I still can't believe that I'm talking to you right now, Ms. Kazamatsuri...

26

Nene

It's just that... You're the reason I decided to try to become an actress, Ms. Kazamatsuri...

27

Yuka

Because of me?

28

Nene

Yes! My dream is to become an actress who can touch people's hearts by singing just like you...!

29

Nene

Your performance in the Little Mermaid ten years ago is still one of my absolute favorites!

30

Yuka

The Little Mermaid from ten years ago?!
Hehe. That really takes me back.

31

Yuka

That was actually the first time I landed the lead for a show. I managed to win the part but still didn't have much experience.

32

Yuka

But really I'm glad that you liked my performance so much...

33

Nene

I really did! I joined a children's theatre group right after that to learn how to sing like you!

34

Nene

There were some points where I felt like giving up...

35

Nene

But now, I'm doing shows at one of the stages in Phoenix Wonderland!

36

Yuka

That's wonderful.
Hehe. It's almost as if us meeting like this isn't just a coincidence.

37

Yuka

By the way, how long are you here for?

38

Nene

Us? Well, we're here for three days, so until the day after tomorrow, and we're doing two shows each day at 11 am and 4 pm.

39

Yuka

Then I might just be able to catch your last performance!

40

Nene

Wait, does that mean...?

41

Yuka

Do I need to buy tickets for your show?
If so, I'd like to buy some right now.

42

Nene

N-N-No, that won't be necessary!
It's free to begin with and making you go out of your way to buy tickets doesn't seem right...!

43

Yuka

Oh, then I should be able to head straight over after I'm done practicing. By the way, your name is...?

44

Nene

N-Nene!
My name is Nene Kusanagi!

45

Yuka

Hehe. I'll be looking forward to your show, Nene.

46

Emu's Voice

Neneee! Where are you?

47

Nene

Oh...

48

Yuka

Ah, that must be your friends.
Break a leg tomorrow, okay?
If you'll excuse me...

49

Nene

Y-Yes, we'll do our best...!

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50

Emu

Aha, there you are!!
Nene, I just finished cleaning up so I decided to come and get you...

51

Nene

Emu...

52

Emu

Nene?

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53

Nene

Wh-What do we do, Emu...?!
She's coming to see our last show...!! What do we do...?!

54

Emu

W-W-Wah?!
N-Nene, please! Try to calm down!

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55

Tsukasa

You actually talked to her?!

56

Rui

Well, they say truth is stranger than fiction.

57

Rui

Nene, that's so amazing.
What did you talk about?

58

Nene

I told her that I've been a big fan since she performed as the Little Mermaid and how we'll be doing our show for a couple more days.

59

Nene

Th-Then...

60

Emu

She's coming to see our show, right♪

61

Tsukasa

No way!!

62

Nene

Yes way... She said she'll try to catch our last performance...

63

Tsukasa

Then, that's great!
What an incredible opportunity! We get to perform for your hero!

64

Robo-Nene

Let's do our best, Nene!

65

Tsukasa

Agreed!
Our show's going to make her smile from ear to ear!

66

Emu

Yeah!! It's gonna be super duper maximum wonderhoy!!

67

Tsukasa

Alright, let's do a quick debrief to make sure tomorrow goes even better than today! I'm sure we all found some things challenging being away from home like this.

68

Rui

I agree. I believe we can make the final scene more dramatic by having a slightly stronger fan creating wind for us.

69

Emu

Oh, I wanna make a bigger splash with everyone during the last dance scene too!

70

Nene

Hehe...

71

Nene

(I can always count on the three of them.)

72

Nene

(They were willing to go with my idea, so I need to keep doing everything I can for them too.)

73

Nene

(I want more people to come and visit our park. I want the audience and Ms. Kazamatsuri to smile and laugh. As ambassadors...)

74

Nene

Let's do our absolute best...!

Next Chapter: A Disastrous Final Show