The slope we climbed together, the same sky we looked up to (Yonetani Nanami x Koike Minami ENTAME December 12)

“Yonesan” aka Yonetani Nanami made an impactful graduation announcement in September. She spent a lot of time together with Koike Minami, who also came from Kansai, and she recalled memories of rushing up the slope while balancing her academic studies. I wonder what kind of scenery the two of them, who climbed the same slope together, see? Because the two of them are best friends, I asked them about their true feelings.

The slope we climbed together, the same sky we looked up to.

Laughs, tears, the memories of the close friends who supported each other.

Koike Minami (“I have always been supported by Yone’s broad-mindedness”) x Yonetani Nanami (“I like Minami who’s always kind no matter what”)

The day when our family sent us off to Tokyo

-- Yonetani-san will graduate at the end of the 7th single’s activities. It seems like Yonetani-san and Koike-san have become good friends ever since the two talked at the announcement day for Keyakizaka46

Yone: Yeah it seems so but… Actually, i don’t remember our first interaction at all (laughs)

Koike: How could you--! I remember it clearly

Yone: Wait, hold on! Let me explain (laughs). First, there was a third round before the final judging. Minami and the others stayed in a hotel after the third round. But because I had something to do related to school, after the third round I went back to Osaka. The next day I was the only person who came in late for the final judging. Then seeing how everyone looked at me like “Why is this girl late?” scared me.

-- And ever since that time there are times when you are late because of school.

Koike: But for us, it felt like “Oh there’s one more who came”, we didn’t really think much about it (laughs)

Yone: But it was really awkward because I never spoke to anyone and stayed by myself. Then, after the judging and the announcement of who passed, when I climbed the stage, I think because I was so nervous, I spoke to Minami who was next to me.

Koike: So you really forgot! That time, Yone said something like “I’m from Osaka~”. And I said “I’m from Hyogo, so we are both from Kansai! What’s your name?” and then Yone replied “Yonetani Nanami. Call me by my last name.” 

Yone: Heee~ (grinning)

Koike: Then, when it was announced that our name is changed from “Toriizaka46” to “Keyakizaka46”, the two of us reacted! 

Yone: Ah, i remembered that! We said something like “The heck is written there? We can’t read it!”

-- In the end, you really don’t remember about it (laughs). After the activities started, the two of you went back and forth from Kansai to Tokyo, right? 

Koike: Yeah. From 3 months until we moved to Tokyo, we would meet up after school and go by shinkansen.

Yone: The day we left for Tokyo, we didn’t make any plans but we just happened to go by the same shinkansen.

Koike: Yeah, yeah! Our families come, and they sent us off together (laughs).

Yone: When we were on the shinkansen, we would play games together using my phone, right?

Koike: Yeah. And i always lost so i said “Let me win!”

-- It wasn’t Koike-san’s beloved penguin raising game?

Yone: Yeah, it wasn’t that boring game, it’s an actual game.

Koike: It’s not boring!!

Yone: You still playing that?

Koike: Yeah! My penguin is already 9 meters tall.

Yone: Scary (laughs)

-- Do you two go out during your private time as well?

Koike: Yeah, quite often, right? Yone likes to suddenly invite me out like “Let’s hit karaoke!” or “Let’s go to a cafe!”

Yone: Yeah, i’m the kind of person who usually schedules everything in advance (laughs). But even if i said “Let’s go!” out of nowhere and invite her out, Minami usually goes out with me.

Koike: I think the place i got the most often with you is to a karaoke.

Yone: But you are always going to karaoke (laughs).

Koike: Yeah, but if you invite me out i will definitely go.

Yone: Happy to hear that!

The first and last big fight

-- Yonetani-san and Koike-san both say that the other one is “like a sister” but who is actually the “sister”?

Yone & Koike: (points out to each other)

Koike: It must be Yone! She is shy and likes to be spoiled!

Yone: No, no, Minami is the one who likes to stick to people! This girl, not only me, she also sticks to Habu (Mizuho)-chan or Oda Nana indiscriminately. All day long, she would link arms or be hugging someone.

Koike: Not at all! Yone would stand close to you and cutely look up to you.

Yone: I don’t do that!! (laughs)

Koike: She does! She shows a very cute face, you would really fall in love with her. Also, she has a habit of biting her lips when she’s blushing!

Yone: Shiichan (Sato Shiori) told me about that, but recently there are a lot of members who pointed it out so it troubles me.

Koike: I knew about it from a long time ago, but i thought that if i told her she would stop doing it so i stayed quiet.

Yone: Eh-- Say something! (laughs) But there’s something i want to say, Koike said that i am “sister-like” or “like a baby”, but there are also times where she called me “mother-like”. So what am i to you?

Koike: Mother-like was a long time ago. Once, when i was troubled, you sent me a letter, didn’t you?

Yone: Ah, i remember about that.

Koike: While still wearing our uniforms after coming back from school, you gave me a letter and a souvenir. I remembered thinking “I didn’t say anything but she noticed, she seems like a mother". But now she feels like a baby i raised.

Yone: Hold on (laughs). i’ve been receiving clothes from her recently.

Koike: Yeah. If i give Yone clothes, she will wear them the next day, so i’ve been giving her a lot (laughs)

Yone: I’ve been getting them from Shiichan too, so there are many clothing brands mixed up, right? My university friend told me that “You don’t really wear one clothing brand” (laughs)

Koike: Ever since Yone entered university, she became more colorful. Before she would only wear brown, but now she wears various kinds of clothes, and she buy her own makeup tools.

Yone: I pretty much made my university debut, huh? (laughs). Speaking of which, there was a time long ago when i was doing my own mascara, and Minami said “It looks like seaweed”! It was very shocking to hear such powerful words.

-- It’s something that can be said because you are close (laughs). Can you tell us what do you like about each other?

Koike: Eh, i wonder? Her broadmindedness?

Yone: Ahahaha (laughs). The good side of Minami is that she never gets angry. She has become calmer than before. 

Koike: In the past, i got angry. Just once. When the two of us really fought (laughs).

Yone: Oh yeah we did (laughs). We both cried and argued with one another. There was a distance between us for about half a year, then before we realize it, we were already close again.

Koike: Yeah. I think it was the only time i said such strong words to a member.

Yone: Me too. Even if there is something that comes in mind, i wouldn’t tell that member. 

-- It is because the two of you are close that you can openly speak to each other. Koike-san, what do you think is Yonetani-san’s charm point?

Koike: I thought of this ever since seeing Yone’s close up shot in Silent Majority. i think that Yone is the type that gets deep into the song. When Hirate (Yurina) is not present in Garasu wo Ware!, Yone went to the front in the last chorus. when i saw the footage of the performance she showed an amazingly powerful expression that made me thought “Wow, Yone!”

Yone: They don’t give me specific instructions on what to do, so i don’t remember anything.

Koike: Yone always looked down during rehearsal so that her face won’t be caught by the camera.

Yone: Yeah. I hate to show my face, so i have no memory of me showing up on screen (laughs). During the rehearsal, to make some final confirmations, they told us to show our face. So that my face won’t be shown i would look down, and did that even more so during the actual performance.

-- Come to think of it, Yonetani-san is rarely shown on screen.

Yone: That’s correct. Even now, it hasn’t changed. Even after graduation too.

Koike: That’s such a waste!

In a location without Yone, i started looking for her

-- Can Koike-san tell me what you felt when Yonetani-san told you of her graduation?

Koike: I heard about it when i was with the other members. “Yonetani has something to tell you”, then the staff left us alone, and in such a serious atmosphere Yone started speaking… “I will graduate from Keyakizaka46. It will be once we finish our current activities. That’s all”. She was really straightforward about it.

Yone: I was saying it in front of everyone, so it was hard to find a good way to say it on the spot. Although i feel like i had to tell them the bare minimum, i didn’t hide the reason why i wanted to graduate or anything, so if they asked me about it personally then i would tell them.

-- Did you talk about it with Koike-san?

Yone: I didn’t, right?

Koike: Yeah. Like, it was hard to know that even though Yone is still here, she is going to graduate, and it made it difficult to interact with her, so i thought of staying the same as before. So even now, the fact that Yone is going to graduate still feels weird. There are times when i’m in a place without Yone, and i would start looking for Yone…. Then i thought “Ah, Yone is not here” and started feeling down.

Yone: But other than that, you often told me “You can’t!”. When our eyes met, she would say “You can’t!”

-- What does she mean by that?

Yone: I don’t know either. When i ask her, “What can’t i do?”, she would only reply with “You can’t!”

Koike: In any case, you just can’t! I will only tell what it means to Yone…

-- So you can’t talk about it yet. Well then, now, can you face each other and say what you feel to the other?

Yone: I wonder what… Eh, i have to say it?

Koike: Is it from me?

Yone: Eh, me? I’m saying it?

-- The two of you are too flustered (laughs)

Yone: Because it’s really embarrassing (laughs). Er, face each other and speak. Minami is the calm observant type, so i think that there’s a lot that burdens your mind, but you’ll be fine without me.

Koike: I wonder…

Yone: You’ll be okay. I will always cheer for you, so do your best, okay?

Koike: …..

-- Well then, Koike-san, please go ahead.

Koike: Yone is someone who is serious and straightforward…

Yone: Hey, don’t cry~

Koike: Uu… (Looks up to hold back tears)

-- It seems like it’s hard for her to say something. You can still meet her until Yonetani-san’s graduation, so are you withdrawing?

Koike: No it’s okay, i’ll say it… Yone doesn’t rely much on people, i think that you should start to rely more… Uu… (crying)

Yone: And you said i’m the baby (smiles)

Koike: After you graduate i’ll freeload at your place. I’ll be staying inside closet.

Yone: Scary, scary!

Koike: I’ll come see you everyday!

Handwritten message:

Thank you for everything up until now.

Please look after this girl who likes to be babied (Koike)... 

Please continue to support Keyakizaka46 from now on!

Keyakizaka46 Yonetani Nanami

Members profile:

Yone: She always attends the photoshoot with a smile on her face, she also takes up the unreasonable requests in the July 2018 edition. Our staff received cheerfulness from your brightness. Cheers for the good work!

Koike: The spoiled girl who always sticks around Yonetani, who is younger than her. In the middle of the interview, when she is giving Yonetani her message, she started crying. The Kansai Combi is eternal.

Translation: toomuchidea

QC: SeiEri

Raw: weibo