Girls Side 2 Summary

>Michiru and Utaha bond over a meal at the cafe. It explains why it was Michiru that called Utaha over in Volume 9 for her to give advice to Tomoya. Though the mood is initially tense, as Michiru lets out how she used to pro-wrestle with Tomoya and Utaha goes in a frenzy on how pro-wrestling is close to sex, even playing porn with the sound on to prove her point, things listen up.

>Machida and Akane go for a drink. They negotiate over how much time each gets with Utaha since she's working with Machida on her new light novel and with Akane for her game.

>Icy Tail minus Michiru discuss what they will do in the future with how Michiru is constantly stuck with make-up exams.

>Megumi is wandering around as she is unsure of what text to send to Eriri. After a long while, she still has not written anything, and she considers going back to Tomoya for help. However, she rejects that idea, thinking this is something she has to resolve herself, and finally comes up with a good message.

>Izumi is at a doujin event. She meets the cover girl and asks her for advice on her slump. The cover girl tells her that it's not that she's imitating Eriri but that she's letting the game's story influence her art. She tells Izumi that her current art is good.

[important stuff starts here]

Megumi and Eriri are on a train ride for a trip. The mood awkward and silent, so Megumi asks Eriri to talk about something. Eriri says that she doesn’t want to because Megumi is scary when she’s mad. A long silence passes before Megumi tells her she’s not mad, but Eriri just says that’s exactly why she’s scary. In truth, Megumi was mad, but she was mad at Tomoya for painting her in a negative light. Eriri tells Megumi to start the conversation instead.

[translation from here on]

“Well then, I’ll start, but let me think a bit on where to start from.”
Megumi worked up her courage and looked at the sky for a while. She had so many things to say that it looked like they would spill out, but she took the time to pick the one that was comparatively the most gentle before talking.
“I definitely did get angry at you for no reason.”
“Megumi…”
“Without thinking about how things were for you, I selfishly made up my mind, treated you like a villain, scolded you, cried, and broke off our friendship…”
She had a bitter smile of depreciation as she rejected those hard two months.
“Thinking back on it, I’m the worst, aren’t I?”
“That’s not true, you’re not unreasonable at all…”
Eriri felt a drilling pain in her. Those words were so kind and gentle and yet had the opposite effect.
“I’m completely in the wrong here. Everyone understand that.”
After all, Eriri came prepared to be yelled at, but she wasn’t ready for Megumi to blame herself.
“But Eriri just wanted to do her best and grow as a creator.”
Megumi didn’t notice Eriri’s pain and kept on hurting herself and Eriri.
“Envying you when you’re giving it your best or feeling betrayed, as a creator, that’s just wrong.”
“Megumi stop! Blaming yourself like that…”
“No, I’m in the wrong here…but only if I were a creator, anyway.”
“…huh?”
Megumi’s words of depreciation were just the beginning of a grand counterattack.
“I’m not a creator. I’m just a normal girl.”
“Megumi?”
“I have no talent nor motivation to work hard. Supporting and encouraging is the best I can do.”
“Uh, um?”
“That’s why after you suddenly left the circle, dragged Kasumigaoka-senpai into this, and betrayed Tomoya-kun, I couldn’t forgive you. Even now I can’t do it.”
“Wha-?”
“To top it off, you act like you feel sorry, but in the end you’re the only one getting better. You chose to leave us and go on your path.”
“Me-Megumi, calm down…please?”
“What’s with that game’s key visual? If Tomoya-kun and I saw that, of course we’d be speechless.”
“I don’t get it, I gave it my all to draw that to make you happy and that’s what you think of it!?”
“That’s impossible. We can’t both do our best. I can’t keep up. You don’t understand…aah, just thinking back on it makes me want to cry…”
“Hey, wait a minute. Megumi, you’ve definitely been calling him Tomoya-kun for a while now!”
“…..no, I haven’t, you’re just imagining things Eriri.”
It was the worst trip possible.

[translation ends]

They arrive at the mountains they went to in episode 0, but it’s rainy, so they can’t do anything. Megumi is sad that their trip might be meaningless, but Eriri tries to change that by using the area as a basis for a drawing for her game. Eriri gives Megumi her umbrella to hold for her and starts drawing. She makes something great, but Eriri’s creator mode only makes Megumi feels isolated from her.

[translation from here on]

“…”
“…”
In the end, Eriri’s sketch took more than four hours. When they got to the lodge, the sun was completely gone.
“U-um, Megumi…”
“Hm?”
“This is delicious.”
“It sure is.”
“…”
“…”
“A-and the open air bath felt really good…but the rain outside was cold, so I went from the washing place to the bathplace a couple times.”
“I see.”
“You should go to the bath after dinner. If you don’t you might catch a cold.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that…after I’ve calmed down a bit.”
“…”
“…”
Eriri had asked Megumi earlier to go to the bath and warm up with her, but she just said that she was tired and for her to go on ahead. During dinner, Eriri asked again, and Megumi absentmindedl responded with the same words and tired expression.
“…”
“…”
The conversation was at a standstill, the chopsticks weren’t moving, and the mood was cold. Things had just gotten worse, and from this Eriri learned how the Narita couple* must have felt after their divorce. (*TL note – the Narita couple refers to a couple that broke up at the airport as soon as their honeymoon was over).
“…Megumi!”
“Hm? What is it, Eriri?”
That’s why three minutes had already passed after the hot pot started boiling and yet neither had taken a bite.
“If I’ve done something wrong, I’ll fix it! If I fail, I’ll just try again!”
“Uh…”
“So, say it already…what did I do wrong?”
“You aren’t really at fault for anything here. I truly am tired.”
“Did I hurt you again? Did I make you sad?”
“…”
Megumi didn’t meet Eriri’s gaze. As if nothing had happened, she waited for things to blow over, but Eriri wasn’t going to let that happen.
“Was it dragging you around in the rain? Focusing all my attention on drawing?”
“None of that was wrong, you’re fine.”
“If that’s the case, then it’s something I have to figure out from the mood, but unfortunately I’m not good at that sort of thing.”
“That…”
That was a fault Eriri had carried since eight, maybe nine years ago.
“That’s not it, that’s not it…you did the right thing.”
It was why Eriri couldn’t make true friends for so long and focuses solely on drawing.
“You tried to cover for my failure and give some meaning to this trip.”
“Then why are you so depressed?”
“…you’re not the reason for that. It’s just self-loathing.”
“And that’s because…?”
“Earlier, when you were drawing, I thought ‘I hate seeing Eriri go away’.”
“…”
And because she focused solely on drawing, she could only solve things by drawing. She used her skill to overpower them.
“Even though I promised Tomoya-kun I’d make up with you…it’s so frustrating.”
The hot pot’s steam vanished and the room turned cold.
“I hate how I’m such a terrible person.”
Her sad, quiet voice rang through the room. A feeling of powerlessness drifted around. However, Eriri still chose to move forward and try to solve this through her own strength.
“What do I need to do for us to make up?”
After all, that was all Eriri could do.
“You don’t need to do anything. You didn’t do anything wrong in the first place.”
“I don’t care about that! Wrong, right, doesn’t matter! I’m saying that I’ll do whatever it takes for us to make up!”
“…that’s impossible.”
“Why!? You won’t find out if you don’t try.”
“Because…the truth is, I want you to come back to the circle and make another game with me.”
“Ah…”
“But now, no matter how you think about it, that can’t be done. This is a big chance and you have so much weighing on you. Above all, this is something you picked after worrying and worrying. That’s why I’m against it.”
And because of Eriri’s strength and pureness, her attempt self-destructed.
“So we’re at a dead-end. I’m sorry.”
Megumi lowered her head.
“Then, I’ll never be friends with you for the rest of my life?”
“Of course not…just, give me a little more time.”
Their food and room got colder and colder, and air felt heavy like the rain clouds from noon.
“…no.”
Once again, Eriri tried to force her way through this gloomy situation.
“I have to make up with you right now. I don’t want this.”
Tears were streaming down her face. No matter how much she failed or was repelled, she refused to give up.
“I don’t want this, I don’t want this, I don’t want this!”
“Eriri…”
Megumi envied that persistence. She didn’t think of it as the strength to feel despair.
“*sniffle*”
“Eriri, please…”
“*sniffle*”
Megumi gently, quietly wiped Eriri’s eyes with her handkerchief, as if to take in her strong emotions.
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Eriri, but this is the one thing I can’t give up.”
Even though she was doing the exact opposite of that.
“After all, we’re best friends, and I really like you.”
“Megumi…”
“So I can’t compromise on our reconciliation. I can’t smile together with you when we haven’t sold anything.”
Eriri kept bawling, her tears overflowing.
“Hey, Eriri…”
Eriri’s constant earnestness and her strong, tender, pure, and passionate feelings moved her, and perhaps because of that, her hands continuing to press the handkerchief on Eriri’s eyes, Megumi once again tried to move forward.
“Won’t you go to the bath with me?”

[translation ends]

Megumi and Eriri are taking a bath. Megumi asks Eriri why she decided to leave Tomoya. Eriri claims she never left, but Megumi says she did, or at least she hurt him. However, Eriri says that they made up. Megumi says that’s not making up but Tomoya acknowledging Eriri’s resolve and that the only reason their relationship is fine is because Tomoya believes in Eriri. Eriri asks if the real reason Megumi is mad at her and they can’t make up is because of Tomoya. Megumi denies that. Eriri asks why she’s been calling him “Tomoya-kun” but Megumi replies that she doesn’t feel like talking about it. Megumi says that there’s an order to their making up and there’s still a lot of things they have to resolve. She asks what Eriri wants to become in the future and if it was really necessary to leave the circle. Eriri replies that she wants to become number one and that if she isn’t pressured, she won’t progress. She says that the circle was too much of a paradise to her. Megumi says that the place she’s aiming for seems more like hell than heaven. Eriri says that if that’s the case, then after she reaches hell, she’ll just aim for heaven. Megumi asks what she’ll do after reaching number 1, but Eriri says there is no definite number 1 because you could be number 1 in ratings or money and there are so many genres. Eriri says that for now, her goal is to be recognized as number 1 by a select few people (furigana: the circle), to one day return to those select few people, and to become happy with them. She says it’s not a goal possible to do with Akane and that she has to go further than that. Eriri apologizes for not being able to be the person Megumi wants her to be but she swears she won’t give up on them and that she’ll become the greatest, happiest illustrator. Megumi looks and sees that Eriri is in creator mode but doesn’t feel the hate for it she felt before.

Megumi and Eriri are in their futons, but none of them are asleep. Eriri asks if everything will be back to normal when they wake up tomorrow. Megumi says that there’s no way that’ll and that there are things Eriri doesn’t want back to normal anyway like her resolve to develop as an artist. She also points out how no one knows when “normal” really starts and asks if Eriri would consider nine years ago when “normal” started. Megumi further asks if she regrets the first time she betrayed Tomoya. Eriri interrupts and asks why Megumi has been calling him “Tomoya-kun.” She says it’s nothing unusual and that Eriri did it since she first met him. She then talks about how Eriri and Tomoya met after fighting and how after the elementary school incident they didn’t start talking until high school. Eriri is puzzled on how Megumi knows all this, so Megumi shows her the Eriri route. Eriri is furious until Megumi tells her the scenario is a love letter towards the heroine. Suddenly Eriri is eager to read the scenario, and by the end she is crying. Megumi reveals that the scenario isn’t actually complete and that she has to write the scene where the heroines make up. Eriri is hesitant about being used as the basis of the material, but Megumi says that she’s being uses as a basis as well and that if it’s the two of them, they should be fine. The two hug each other and work on the reconciliation scene for the rest of the night. They take the train to get back home and fall asleep.

[translation from here on]

“…”
“…”
An hour later, though in that time nothing had happened between them.
“…”
“…”
The Shinkansen was heading towards its destination at a good speed. The sky was like the day before, cloudy. Megumi and Eriri were sleeping, their shoulders touching.
“…hey, Eriri.”
“…”
“Eriri?”
“…”
Megumi opened her eyes and looked around. She turned and gazed at Eriri.
“Eriri…”
Megumi caught Eriri’s weight on her shoulder. She put her head against Eriri’s and started whispering into her ear.
“Don’t listen to this, alright?”
This truly was her last grudge left. She was supposed to say it last night as Eriri was sleeping in her futon.
“You and Utaha’s departure really hurt and angered us.”
“As allies, as friends, you two were that important to us. I couldn’t believe two who cared so much for the circle, for Tomoya, could leave us like that.”
“It was like our hands and our feet, no, even our brains and hearts, were taken away. You two made up almost all of Blessing Software.”
“We might not be able to make a great game like we could last year. Without Kashiwagi Eri or Kasumi Utako, our circle might just be any other circle doing this for fun.”
“…ahem.”
“Even so, even so…we’re going to have fun and feel pain and hardship, yet also be happy, making this game.”
“We might not make a big splash like you guys did. We might not even be anywhere close to as good as you guys are.”
“But together with the representative of this tiny circle (furigana: Tomoya-kun), this useless vice representative (furigana: me) is going to do her best.”
“No, not just us.”
“Hyoudo-san’s songs are matching our game better and better. Our game probably won’t lose to yours in this part.”
“And Izumi-chan is our new friend. Your always on her mind, and she’s always chasing after you. You’d better be careful so you’re not overtaken.”
“Anyway, that’s basically how our circle is.”
“Our circle might not be as ready as it was last year, but in terms of fun and joy, we won’t lose, you know?”
“If you’re going to be the world’s happiest illustrator, then I’ll be the world’s happiest main heroine.”
“…inside the game, anyway.”
“And someday, if that time comes, let’s make something together.”
“Like, if you really want to make something but can’t do it at work, then Blessing Software will welcome you anytime.”
“Or if Tomoya-kun gets acknowledged and lands a big job…if such a dream-like day comes…we’d be happy if you two came and help.”
“…thanks for not listening until the very end.”
“Let’s get along from now on, Eriri. Sleep well.”
Megumi was very sleepy by that point, but even so, she gave it her all to finish. Once she was done, she fell asleep. The two lay close to each other, rocked by the train.
“…”
“…”
And then, several minutes later, when Megumi was asleep without a doubt…
“Why are you assuming you’ll always be with Tomoya?”
It seemed that last grudge was heard after all.
[translation ends]
Epilogue
Icy Tail holds a concert. The circle and Eriri and Utaha attend. Eriri asks Utaha if she’s okay with not meeting Tomoya, to which she remarks that she came for the concert, not for that. The concert is a success. Michiru thanks the crowd for their support. She talks about her experiences up until now and expresses sadness that some of the people she worked with aren’t here anymore, a reference to Eriri and Utaha. She plays the debut single of their album, titled Icy Tail Yo (Aishiteru Yo).
[translation from here on]
“How is it? Is it done?”
“It’s going pretty well. Thanks for helping with the reconciliation scene, Eriri.”
“Hey, Megumi.”
“Hm?”
“Meguri and Eriri, is everything back to normal for them?”
“…”
“Megumi”
“Even if time passes, nothing completely goes back to normal.”
“But what about things like unchanging feelings or eternal love?”
“Feelings keep on changing, Eriri.”
“And that means…”
“Like, there’s someone who you had never felt anything towards before, but one day, that all changes.”
“Ah…”
“Of course, there are also times when those feelings go back to normal.”
“So which is it!?”
“Who knows? I can only say this.”
“And that is?”
“At the very least, that’s happened to me once.”
“…”
“What about you, Eriri?”
“My feelings have never changed like that.”
“But size changes, right? They get bigger and smaller…”
“If that’s the case, then yeah, they’ve changed, but…”
“But?”
“They’ve never gotten smaller.”
“…I see.”