Natsu Kikyuu (Summer Balloons)
Vocals: yanaginagi
Composition and Lyrics: Maeda Jun
Arrangement: MANYO
There are two versions of this song with different instrumental arrangements. The "Lost Color Ver." serves as the new insert song of Interlude 1 and doesn't have an official release. The normal version was first released as a single on November 10, 2022, later included in the album "Love Song from the Water" released on November 26, 2022, and then used as an insert song in Chapter 4 Part 2.
Japanese |
Romaji |
English |
| 日差しは容赦なく | hizashi wa youshanaku | The rays of the sun mercilessly |
| まぶた越しに届いた | mabutagoshi ni todoita | Reached me through my eyelids |
| 政治もわからないのに | seiji mo wakaranai noni | It wasn’t like I knew a thing about politics |
| 新聞を待つ朝 | shinbun wo matsu asa | But I waited for the newspaper in the morning |
| あの夏は彼方に | ano natsu wa kanata ni | That summer is now far away |
| 声は届くだろうか | koe wa todoku darou ka | I wonder if my voice would reach |
| 消えないでほしいから | kienaide hoshii kara | I don’t want it to disappear |
| ずっとずっとって言うよ | zutto zuttotte iu yo | So I ask it to stay forever and ever |
| 背中を小突くのは | senaka wo kozuku no wa | I felt something poke my back |
| 母のかける掃除機 | haha no kakeru soujiki | And it was my mother using the vacuum cleaner |
| 夢もわからないのに | yume mo wakaranai noni | It wasn’t like I knew what my dream was |
| 作文を書く午後 | sakubun wo kaku gogo | But I wrote an essay in the afternoon |
| あの夏が彼方に | ano natsu ga kanata ni | That summer is now far away |
| 二度と戻れないのに | nidoto modorenai noni | Even though I can’t return to it |
| 行かないでほしいから | ikanaide hoshii kara | I don’t want it to go away |
| ずっとずっとって言うよ | zutto zuttotte iu yo | So I ask it to stay forever and ever |
| もっとそばで見ててよ | motto soba de miteteyo | Stay close to me and watch |
| あれもこれも出来るんだ | are mo kore mo dekirunda | I can do so many things now |
| 活字苦手も直り | katsuji nigate mo naori | Even overcoming her dislike of reading |
| 少女は大人になった | shoujo wa otona ni natta | The little girl became an adult |
| あの夏は彼方に | ano natsu ha kanata ni | That summer is now far away |
| まだ遊び足りなくて | mada asobi tarinakute | I’m not done playing |
| 眠りたくないから | nemuritakunai kara | And I don’t want to go to sleep |
| 待って待って駄々こねてばかり | matte matte dada konete bakari | So I keep throwing tantrums, asking you to wait |
| あの夏よ彼方へ | ano natsu yo kanata e | Oh, that summer, beyond the view |
| まだそこで待ってるなら | mada soko de matteru nara | If you’re still waiting for me over there |
| ずっと消えないでほしいから | zutto kienaide hoshii kara | I don’t want you to ever disappear |
| 言うよ ずっと居てって | iu yo zutto itette | So I ask you to stay forever |
| あの夏は彼方に | ano natsu wa kanata ni | That summer is now far away |
| 古い作文のように | furui sakubun no youni | Just like that old essay |
Comment from Maeda Jun in the album:
It’s a song that I had put aside for a long time because I didn't think it was good enough to be used as a tearjerker. However, MANYO-san’s arrangement elevated it. I’ve written other songs that evoke the feeling of summer, such as "Natsukage," "Natsu Nagi," and "Sea, You & Me." Such songs don't come about intentionally; they emerge by chance every few years while I'm writing many different songs. I think the arrangement, lyrics, vocals, and chorus came together to create a song worthy of representing HBR’s summer.