Episode 20 – On The Radio

“Good evening~, This is Suzuki from 〇〇 Broadcasting Corporation~.
“Good evening everyone. My name is Tatsumi Mirei.”
“Yes, so as usual, with Tatsumi san’s plain greeting, we present to you “Mireta Sono Bassari Toxic Radio”. Please look forward to it~”
“Please look forward to it”

Mirei’s voice followed by a cheerful female commentator.

The radio recording began.

“Well~ It’s so hot today~”
“It’s really hot. Why do I have to stay in this closed room?”
“B-Because it’s a radio…..”

Gahaha, the laughter of the producers and broadcasters echoes loudly.

I feared that their voices would be included, but apparently it is more enjoyable for the listeners to hear them if I let them in the other way around.

So, this is a program in which we have Tatsumi Mirei, a very successful singer, cut off your letters cold and fast.

I wonder where in the world the demand for such a program would be generated, but judging by the number of e-mails sent, there must be quite a demand for it. …… There are no end to the number of M men in the world.

And where am I now? I am inside the broadcast booth. Not outside, but inside.

For those who don’t understand, in radio, there are two separate rooms, one for the basic broadcasting booth and the other for the director and sound engineers.

Since they are separated from each other by a transparent partition, they can see each other’s faces and, as mentioned earlier, can hear each other’s voices.

But the broadcast booth is basically off limits to all but the performers.

So why am I in such a place?

“What a surprise! This time we have a …… special guest! Come on in!”
“Nice to meet you ……. My name is Kazashiro Rei and I mainly write lyrics and music. I look forward to working with you. ……”
“Nice to meet you”

This is how it is.

— Hmmm? Why? Why do I have to go out in this place and be exposed to the public? (Note, only talk, not show faces.)

Well, I was doing an internship at 〇〇 Broadcasting.

Somehow they knew I was Kazashiro Rei and gave me a big welcome.

But in the meantime, I am here on an internship, so take the job seriously.

Sort the mail and coordinate the equipment.

Ah, yes, that’s where Mirei came in.

“Rin, let’s do it together, radio.”

What does she say?

“Today is work day you know?”

What a thing to say.

And after hours and hours and hours of arguing, Mirei’s manager said to me, “I introduced you to this company, didn’t I?” I had no choice.

-No, I knew it, why am I on the radio?

“Now, I never thought I’d be doing this for the first time in the media. How are you feeling, sensei?
“eh, yeah, that’s. You understand while seeing me right?”

Hahaha, the producer’s laugh that pierces through. Ah, this feels good. I feel as if I said something funny.

“Rei, there’s no need to be nervous.”

And since she cannot use my real name, Mirei, who usually called me “Rin,” called me “Rei” today. Wouldn’t it be more funny if I answered her “it’s cold~”? I’m sorry.
(TL/N Rei ( 冷 ), means cold)

“The two of you seem to be getting along pretty well, don’t you?”

And here, Suzuki san, who seems to like such a juicy story, looks at me with a smirk on the face.

“N-No, we have somewhat of a business relationship. You see, as you all know, I have provided some of my music to Tatsumi san.”
“Tatsumi san?”

Mirei glaring at me

“Mirei san?”
“Why the question mark?”
“No, um, I’m trying to determine the distance.”

She seems very unhappy, probably because I usually call her Mirei. But as expected, if I call her by her name, her fans would complain and stab me the next day, so please don’t do that.

Ask Suzuki to proceed with the story, showing that the relationship is still awkward.

“Let’s go to the Futsuota corner then! Unfortunately, Kazashiro Sensei is making a complete surprise appearance, so all addresses are to Tatsumi san, but please forgive me, Sensei.”
“No, no, it’s sudden for me, too. Besides, I’m interested to see how Mirei san will respond.”
“I will do my best to meet your expectations.”
“What did I expect?”

I quickly tsk tsk Mirei’s comments and wait for her to read the letter. Futsuota, by the way, is an abbreviation for “Futsu no otayori”
(TL/N : letter from a regular customer)

“Then let’s start with the first case. It’s radio name “Mushikui san” “
“Thank you.”

After Mirei’s phase, Suzuki san reads it out.

“Well, [Good evening, Suzuki san, Miretaso. This is my first e-mail. I always wake up to the sound of Tatsumi san’s singing voice. It is your wonderful singing voice that helps me wake up early. Now I listen to this radio to accompany me when I go to bed. Please take care of yourself and do your best.]”
“Thank you.”

After reading it, Suzuki san puts the mail on his desk and begins to dig deeper into its contents.

“Now, you say that you wake up every morning to the sound of Tatsumi san’s singing. Is that your alarm? How about it, Tatsumi san?”
“Uh, that one. I appreciate that, but the way you say it is a little …….It was a bit of a pull….. Still, it seems like this is your first e-mail, so I can’t help it. Thank you so much for listening to the radio.”

I can tell that she is trying to use a roundabout way of expressing her thoughts by suppressing her desire to say them frankly. Or rather, listeners can feel it.

Still, Mirei’s use of honorifics and concern for others is refreshing and a bit mature, reminding me that this girl is also a member of society.

Like with Omori sensei, this kind of thing is happening a lot these days.

“By the way, Tatsumi san, do you use an alarm clock?”
“Yeah, I got a cell phone.”
“Do you play tunes and stuff?”
“I’ve got a video of Rei on YouTube that I play in the morning.”
“You’re doing pretty good yourself!”

It was a hell of a hobby.

No, this is not the place to laugh, producer!