Cycle I: Coming on Strong
The Hidden Voice
Record ~ Kawaii · 01 (v1.00)
THE HOUSE OF ZAN — Zan
♡ Konnichiwa Tokyo — Cosmic Girl
OPENING: はじめまして。
こんにちは！
えっと…
Hello?
Hey?
Hi?
Why does saying hello suddenly become so difficult when there’s somebody you actually want to say it to?
It’s one little greeting!
People do it every day.
Sometimes without even thinking about it.
You could send a cute sticker of a bunny waving with both hands.
It’s smiling, of course, bowing so enthusiastically that its little ears are practically touching the floor.
Adorable!
And very confident for somebody who doesn’t actually exist.
／(=･ x ･=)＼
Meanwhile, I’m wondering whether hello sounds too serious.
Or whether hi sounds too casual.
And don’t even get me started on hey.
…
It’s amazing how much trouble you can get into without saying anything at all.
So…
How do you talk to somebody you don’t know?
Especially when we’ve spent so much of our lives being warned about strangers.
Remember?
“Never TALK to strangers!”
Why?
Because somebody might trick you.
Okay.
That’s a pretty good reason to be careful.
It’s easy enough to avoid somebody you don’t know when there’s nothing you particularly want from them.
But what happens when there is?
What if they’re cute?
Funny?
Interested in something you’ve always wanted somebody to understand?
Or what if they’re usually quiet, but you happen to ask about something they love, and suddenly they have so much to say?
Oh.
Now you’ve got my attention.
“Never take CANDY from a stranger!”
Why?
Because somebody might offer you something you want to get something they want.
Even if it’s strawberry candy!
Especially when there’s a smiling little strawberry on the wrapper.
Now I’m supposed to resist that?
…
No way!
(๑><๑)
But wanting the candy doesn’t tell you anything about the person holding it.
They might be perfectly lovely.
They might not be.
And just because two people want something from each other doesn’t mean their intentions are the same.
Even wanting the exact same thing doesn’t guarantee they’ll be good for each other.
Hmm.
Why do people have to be so complicated?!
Actually…
I’d be disappointed if they weren’t.
Imagine knowing absolutely everything about somebody before you’ve even had a chance to get to know them.
Where’s the fun in that?
Where’s the curiosity?
Where’s the wonderful little moment when somebody says something you never would have expected?
I’d miss that.
Although…
I wouldn’t mind knowing whether they’re being honest.
That would be helpful!
Imagine if everybody came with one of those little character guides tucked inside a capsule toy.
Favorite things: Music, strawberry sweets, cute animals.
Special abilities: Making people laugh.
Warning: Disappears whenever a serious conversation begins.
Oh!
That’s something I’d have liked to know sooner.
ฅ(º ﾛ º ฅ)
Unfortunately, people don’t come with instructions.
And I’m not entirely convinced everybody would include the warnings if they did.
Would you?
…
Hmm.
Anyway!
Here’s something I’ve always found funny.
We spend childhood learning to avoid strangers.
Then we get older and start hoping we’ll meet the right ones.
Sometimes we even go looking for them!
At first, you’re wondering whether somebody is worth answering.
Then you’re wondering why they haven’t answered you.
A little message appears.
Nothing particularly exciting.
Just a hello.
Except it’s from them.
…
And suddenly you’re smiling.
Over a hello from somebody you didn’t even know existed a little while ago.
I wonder if they’re smiling, too.
Now you’re curious about what they’re doing.
Whether they’re thinking about you.
Whether they’ll want to talk tomorrow.
Before you know it, you’re looking forward to hearing from them every day.
They’re making you feel something you weren’t expecting.
Who knows?
They might even become your person.
Aww…
That’s lovely.
But wait.
There’s a question hiding in there.
Do you like the person, or do you like how they make you feel?
Somebody can make you feel special without knowing very much about you.
They can make you feel wanted without necessarily wanting the same connection you do.
And when you’re especially excited about somebody, your imagination gets involved.
Give it a favorite song, a cute little keychain, and two interesting conversations, and suddenly it’s built an entire solar system around somebody you’ve barely met.
Amazing!
Unfortunately, the actual person hasn’t agreed to live on any of those planets.
They might have plans of their own.
…
How inconvenient…
But there’s a difference between discovering somebody and deciding who they’re supposed to be.
I’d rather discover somebody.
Even if they turn out to be completely different from what I imagined.
Especially then.
I can’t exactly blame somebody for not being the person I invented.
…
Oops.
Hang on.
We’re strangers, too!
Oh!
Did you forget?
Because while you’re wondering whether somebody is showing you their real personality, they’re wondering about yours.
They don’t know everything you’re thinking.
They don’t know what you’re hoping for.
They only know what you’ve given them a chance to discover.
Which might not be very much.
I wish people came with little thought bubbles over their heads.
That would be so helpful!
Real people are terribly inconsiderate about that.
Somebody might think I’m shy when I’m really just being careful.
Or assume I’m agreeable because I’m being polite.
They haven’t seen how stubborn I can be.
Or what happens when somebody starts making decisions for me.
…
Then?
Absolutely not!
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
I don’t mind being called cute.
I mind when that’s all somebody notices.
I’ve got opinions, peculiar interests, and a sense of humor that apparently doesn’t always translate.
I haven’t figured everything out about myself yet, either.
Imagine that!
Somebody might be charming when everything’s going their way.
What happens when you disagree?
When you tell them something they didn’t expect?
When you say no?
You learn a lot about somebody when the answer isn’t the one they wanted.
Although…
I still want to know what music they like.
That’s important!
But seriously.
I don’t expect somebody to explain their entire personality before we’ve even finished saying hello.
I’d probably need a very long afternoon to explain mine.
And snacks.
Definitely snacks.
ʕっ•ᴥ•ʔっ
At first, we’re only giving each other little pieces.
A favorite song.
An opinion.
Something that makes us laugh.
Something we’re not quite ready to talk about.
Some things are easy to share.
Others take time.
I like that part, too.
When somebody starts feeling comfortable enough to tell you what they really think.
Especially if they’ve been holding back because they weren’t sure you’d be interested.
Of course I’m interested!
Well…
Depending on what it is.
I’m still allowed to have opinions.
But I wouldn’t want somebody to think they had to become more interesting, more impressive, or more like me just to keep my attention.
I’d much rather find out what they’re like when they aren’t trying so hard.
And what you learn about somebody isn’t always in what they tell you.
It’s in how they treat you.
How they listen.
Whether they’re still interested when the conversation isn’t entirely about them.
You can put the cutest little character on a message, but that doesn’t tell me what happens when I say something you don’t want to hear.
That’s something I have to learn about the actual person.
Not the sticker.
Sorry, little bunny.
You’re still adorable.
Do I know what this person wants from me, or am I hoping they want what I do?
And is what I’m being shown all there is, or only all I know so far?
All that from one little hello.
But what if I don’t know exactly what I want from them, either?
…
Oh.
Well, that got uncomfortable.
It’s easy to say I want somebody to get to know me.
To understand me.
To like me.
But what happens when they start showing me parts of themselves I wasn’t expecting?
They might want something different.
They might even like me more than I like them.
…
Wait.
What if I liked being wanted more than I actually liked knowing them?
Oh dear.
I might be somebody else’s confusing stranger.
The one they’re trying to figure out.
And I might not even realize it.
I’d like to be honest about my feelings.
It would help if I could figure out what they are first.
There’s no adorable little sticker for that, is there?
Well…
I’m sure somebody’s made one.
Probably a very worried-looking bunny.
Poor thing.
／(=； x ；=)＼
But I don’t think every beginning needs to come with an answer.
A hello can be nothing more than a hello.
It can start a conversation, lead somewhere lovely, or teach you something you wish you’d known sooner.
You might even discover that the person you were so excited about isn’t quite who you imagined.
That can be disappointing.
Especially when you really wanted to be right.
But I’d rather know.
Even if it means changing my mind.
Even if I’m the one who has to disappoint somebody.
Because I’d like to be careful with somebody else’s feelings, too.
There will always be strangers.
Some I’ll never meet.
Some I’ll wish I hadn’t.
And hopefully, a few I’ll be very happy I did.
One might become my person.
I might become theirs.
Or we could simply have a lovely conversation and leave it at that.
I like that possibility, too.
Hello.
It’s only a beginning.
I don’t know what they’ll want from me.
I don’t know everything I’ll want from them.
And I certainly don’t know what we’ll discover about each other.
Not yet.
…
But I know one thing.
I want to find out.
So…
What do you want?
ENDING: Nice to meet you!