Audio... Radio? 001, Backdated(?) to Night, Day 6
Okay, is anyone listening? Today we’re bringing you something special! I’m Ayumi Shinozaki, and with me is...
[ A remarkably similar voice follows close behind, though this one is calmer and a bit more restrained: ]
Chihaya Kisaragi. Welcome to our first episode of... of...
[ There’s a distinctly awkward pause here. IT’S PROBABLY A GOOD THING YOU CAN’T SEE CHIHAYA’S FACE RIGHT NOW-- ]
...Come to think of it, did we figure out a name yet? Hmm... Well, we’re both in Freyr House, and our voices are the almost the exact same, so for the time being, why don’t we go with Freyr Unity?
Freyr... Unity? … I suppose that could work until we think of something more permanent...
Naming issues aside, we’re going to be running this show weekly. It’ll be done every... Wait, what day is it anyways? I mean, it was Sunday where I came from, but... I don’t recall seeing any calendars around here.
I... don’t think they ever mentioned that when we arrived, either- ah, and if anyone would like to call in with their thoughts on either the name of this program or the day of the week, please feel free.
[ Chihaya pauses for a moment. Even this momentary silence sounds faintly embarrassed. ]
... we’re off to something of a strange start, aren’t we, Shinozaki-san...
Well, that’s how it goes around here, I suppose. For the time being, I’m going to refer to today as Saturday. So, every Saturday, we’ll be here until we get evidence of what day it actually is!
[There’s a short pause as Ayumi takes a deep breath.]
Anyways, since we’re going to be talking to you guys a lot, we should probably do another short introduction for those that missed our introductions on the network. I’ll start things off: As I said before, I’m Ayumi Shinozaki. I’ll be doing horror stories on here, but I actually have another role. One I haven’t even told Kisaragi-san yet! It’s going to be a special surprise for those that tell us what they think.
[And there’s the sound of something being written as Ayumi says this.]
Anyways! Aside from that little surprise, I’m sure Kisaragi-san would like to introduce herself as well!
A-A surprise...? In any case, I also introduced myself earlier in the week, but I’m Chihaya Kisaragi of 765 Productions, and I will occasionally be singing in this show. We don’t have any guest speakers this week, but... I’m sure that will be changing within the next few episodes. If anyone else would like to help us host, no matter if you’re an idol, a singer, a performer, or even none of the above, please do not hesitate to call in.
[ Yup, she’s totally looking at you, fellow 765 Pro members. ]
Yeah, we’re always looking for someone else to help out! I’m especially looking forward to getting some of the more physical arts, like fellow writers and artists. It’ll be great to see your perspective on this place!
[And there’s another short pause.]
Speaking of which... It’s really snowing heavily, isn’t it? You never see snow like this in Kanagawa. Oh! I have a good ghost story for this! If it’s okay with you, Kisaragi-san?
Eh? Ah... of course, Shinozaki-san, by all means.
Okay! There’s only one proper way to do this, so!
[And there’s the sound of something being lit.]
S-Shinozaki-san... the lights are still on...?
Well, I don’t mind if you turn them off, but it’s for effect. They can hear it being lit, so they can imagine the candle in their minds!
Besides, the scent’s nice, don’t you think?
[And Ayumi coughs a bit before beginning her story.]
Ahem! So, I know not everyone here is from Japan, so it’s possible that not many people here know about the yuki onna. So, let’s start at the beginning, shall we?
A long time ago, there was a beautiful woman, beloved throughout the small village she lived in. Her beauty was actually famous around the nation, and she had no end to suitors coming to court her. In fact, it came to the point where even the emperor himself came to court her, offering a large dowry in exchange for her hand.
Her father accepted automatically. After all, what woman wouldn't want to marry the Emperor? However, she had a lover in the village already, and the two had promised their lives to eachother when they were children. In reaction, her lover headed off deep into the mountains, declaring that the only way the two could be together was if they were to disconnect themselves from everything, and live as hermits.
Naturally, she gave chase, but by the time she evaded her father and the emperor’s soldiers sent to bring her to the capital, the trail had long grown cold. Nonetheless, she continued deep into the mountains, and never returned.
It’s said that she never found her lover -- that she was got lost in the mountains and froze to death. However, her spirit would not falter. It’s said that during a large snowfall, she appears, searching for her lover’s warmth, unaware that she now saps the heat out of anything she touches, and, unaware that her lover is long dead, believes everyone she sees is her long lost lover. and so she runs up to them, and unknowingly steals their life away with a kiss.
[There’s a deep breath, and then it seems that whatever was lit was blown out.]
That’s how the story goes, anyways! Do you think we’ll see anything like the yuki onna, Kisaragi-san?
[ Chihaya hesitates a little bit before speaking. ]
... I don’t think we will. At least, I sincerely hope not. This world is strange enough without spirits wandering about...
Then, I think we’ve about covered things for our first episode... Unless you’d like to sing so that they can get a little bit of both of us for our first show?
... would it really be alright? The episode’s already run for a while now-
It’s fine, it’s fine! I’m pretty sure that at least some of the people are going to be listening to hear you sing, so we ought to go all out for the pilot!
If you’re sure... I’ll do my best to keep it short, however.
[ A chair can be heard scraping back, and Chihaya, before she takes a deep breath, quietly says- ]
“Blue Bird."
[ And what follows is about a minute and a half of a hauntingly subdued song, with bittersweet lyrics; Chihaya’s singing voice is much more expressive and confident than how calmly she normally speaks... and the effect is somehow stronger, as if there’s some other power at work there.
[Once the song ends, there’s a surprisingly long moment of silence.]
Ah... that was amazing, wasn’t it? I... Ah, sorry, I think I lost myself for a bit there.
[And Ayumi coughs slightly before continuing.]
Anyways, that’s it for today! Normally we’d include a bit of conversation with anyone willing to call in as part of the show, but that can wait until next time. Don’t let that stop you from calling in, though! Just remember to mention your name and house if you want the surprise, okay?
Thank you very much for listening. Until next time,everyone.
[ A remarkably similar voice follows close behind, though this one is calmer and a bit more restrained: ]
Chihaya Kisaragi. Welcome to our first episode of... of...
[ There’s a distinctly awkward pause here. IT’S PROBABLY A GOOD THING YOU CAN’T SEE CHIHAYA’S FACE RIGHT NOW-- ]
...Come to think of it, did we figure out a name yet? Hmm... Well, we’re both in Freyr House, and our voices are the almost the exact same, so for the time being, why don’t we go with Freyr Unity?
Freyr... Unity? … I suppose that could work until we think of something more permanent...
Naming issues aside, we’re going to be running this show weekly. It’ll be done every... Wait, what day is it anyways? I mean, it was Sunday where I came from, but... I don’t recall seeing any calendars around here.
I... don’t think they ever mentioned that when we arrived, either- ah, and if anyone would like to call in with their thoughts on either the name of this program or the day of the week, please feel free.
[ Chihaya pauses for a moment. Even this momentary silence sounds faintly embarrassed. ]
... we’re off to something of a strange start, aren’t we, Shinozaki-san...
Well, that’s how it goes around here, I suppose. For the time being, I’m going to refer to today as Saturday. So, every Saturday, we’ll be here until we get evidence of what day it actually is!
[There’s a short pause as Ayumi takes a deep breath.]
Anyways, since we’re going to be talking to you guys a lot, we should probably do another short introduction for those that missed our introductions on the network. I’ll start things off: As I said before, I’m Ayumi Shinozaki. I’ll be doing horror stories on here, but I actually have another role. One I haven’t even told Kisaragi-san yet! It’s going to be a special surprise for those that tell us what they think.
[And there’s the sound of something being written as Ayumi says this.]
Anyways! Aside from that little surprise, I’m sure Kisaragi-san would like to introduce herself as well!
A-A surprise...? In any case, I also introduced myself earlier in the week, but I’m Chihaya Kisaragi of 765 Productions, and I will occasionally be singing in this show. We don’t have any guest speakers this week, but... I’m sure that will be changing within the next few episodes. If anyone else would like to help us host, no matter if you’re an idol, a singer, a performer, or even none of the above, please do not hesitate to call in.
[ Yup, she’s totally looking at you, fellow 765 Pro members. ]
Yeah, we’re always looking for someone else to help out! I’m especially looking forward to getting some of the more physical arts, like fellow writers and artists. It’ll be great to see your perspective on this place!
[And there’s another short pause.]
Speaking of which... It’s really snowing heavily, isn’t it? You never see snow like this in Kanagawa. Oh! I have a good ghost story for this! If it’s okay with you, Kisaragi-san?
Eh? Ah... of course, Shinozaki-san, by all means.
Okay! There’s only one proper way to do this, so!
[And there’s the sound of something being lit.]
S-Shinozaki-san... the lights are still on...?
Well, I don’t mind if you turn them off, but it’s for effect. They can hear it being lit, so they can imagine the candle in their minds!
Besides, the scent’s nice, don’t you think?
[And Ayumi coughs a bit before beginning her story.]
Ahem! So, I know not everyone here is from Japan, so it’s possible that not many people here know about the yuki onna. So, let’s start at the beginning, shall we?
A long time ago, there was a beautiful woman, beloved throughout the small village she lived in. Her beauty was actually famous around the nation, and she had no end to suitors coming to court her. In fact, it came to the point where even the emperor himself came to court her, offering a large dowry in exchange for her hand.
Her father accepted automatically. After all, what woman wouldn't want to marry the Emperor? However, she had a lover in the village already, and the two had promised their lives to eachother when they were children. In reaction, her lover headed off deep into the mountains, declaring that the only way the two could be together was if they were to disconnect themselves from everything, and live as hermits.
Naturally, she gave chase, but by the time she evaded her father and the emperor’s soldiers sent to bring her to the capital, the trail had long grown cold. Nonetheless, she continued deep into the mountains, and never returned.
It’s said that she never found her lover -- that she was got lost in the mountains and froze to death. However, her spirit would not falter. It’s said that during a large snowfall, she appears, searching for her lover’s warmth, unaware that she now saps the heat out of anything she touches, and, unaware that her lover is long dead, believes everyone she sees is her long lost lover. and so she runs up to them, and unknowingly steals their life away with a kiss.
[There’s a deep breath, and then it seems that whatever was lit was blown out.]
That’s how the story goes, anyways! Do you think we’ll see anything like the yuki onna, Kisaragi-san?
[ Chihaya hesitates a little bit before speaking. ]
... I don’t think we will. At least, I sincerely hope not. This world is strange enough without spirits wandering about...
Then, I think we’ve about covered things for our first episode... Unless you’d like to sing so that they can get a little bit of both of us for our first show?
... would it really be alright? The episode’s already run for a while now-
It’s fine, it’s fine! I’m pretty sure that at least some of the people are going to be listening to hear you sing, so we ought to go all out for the pilot!
If you’re sure... I’ll do my best to keep it short, however.
[ A chair can be heard scraping back, and Chihaya, before she takes a deep breath, quietly says- ]
“Blue Bird."
[ And what follows is about a minute and a half of a hauntingly subdued song, with bittersweet lyrics; Chihaya’s singing voice is much more expressive and confident than how calmly she normally speaks... and the effect is somehow stronger, as if there’s some other power at work there.
[Once the song ends, there’s a surprisingly long moment of silence.]
Ah... that was amazing, wasn’t it? I... Ah, sorry, I think I lost myself for a bit there.
[And Ayumi coughs slightly before continuing.]
Anyways, that’s it for today! Normally we’d include a bit of conversation with anyone willing to call in as part of the show, but that can wait until next time. Don’t let that stop you from calling in, though! Just remember to mention your name and house if you want the surprise, okay?
Thank you very much for listening. Until next time,everyone.