Surprisingly, this is the
first conversation between the two of you?

Ruka:
Yeah, this is the first time.

Wait, but didn’t you ask me
a while back, “Can you introduce me to Maya?” When Nightmare and LM.C were
at Shinkiba Studio Coast. I brought Maya to Nightmare’s dressing room.

Maya:
Oh, you’re right. Wasn’t it the “little HEARTS” event, about two years
ago, maybe?

Ruka:
Right, it was two years go. I feel like I’ve seen you in a long time.

You’re using polite
language.

Ruka:
So, that’s normal isn’t it? It would be rude to talk too casually with people
you’re meeting for the first time, right?

(To Maya) He’s such a surprising person
(laughs).

Maya:
Aha-ha-ha, that’s right. Previously, we’d also been together at the NACK5
event. At that time, I went to Nightmare’s dressing room with a member of
NACK5, and we were like “Yea!” But they were in the middle of a serious
meeting, and we like “…Oh.”

Ruka:
Ah-ha-ha, I don’t remember that at all. (laughs) I should be the one who’s
sorry. (Laughs) Anyway, I’ve wanted to talk for a while.

Maya:
No, no, thank you having me. By the way, why me in the first place? (laughs).

Ruka:
I like tall people and cool people. And I think we had a band battle when you
were a guitarist in Sinners. I was curious about you from that time. You’re not
normal.

Maya:
Right, maybe I was strange. Not just me but the band itself wasn’t normal.
Neither was our visual style.

He (Maya) was black metal
style.

Ruka:
He was basically, but the others were different.  Maya had horns.

Maya:
Hahaha. Right. Even now I sometimes have horns. (laughs).**translators note: We are
not sure if Ruka and Maya mean that he literally wears horns or that he
sometimes gets angry/devilish.

Ruka:
So, you’ve changed impressively since LM.C. I didn’t think it was the same
person at first.

Maya:
Ah, so it’s been said. (laughs) Maybe if I wasn’t doing the vocals I’d still be
strange to people.

Ruka:
Maya is kind of a mystery. I haven’t even had a chance to contact Aiji either.
I don’t know about much about the you two. Also, a long time ago, when I
greeted Aiji, he was looking at my face very intently. I haven’t had a chance
to speak to him. Since then, I’ve wondered if I did something wrong.

Maya:
Oh, it really that doesn’t really mean anything. (laughs) For him, that’s
completely unconscious. He never remembers that he stares at people. I’m sure
he’d say, “Oh, I did that? Sorry.” It’s like a baby seeing a new person for the
first time.

Ruka:
Hahaha. Is that so, that’s good then. (laughs) It was kind of scary. It stuck
with me. (laughs)

Hahaha. So there is
something that scares you. (laughs).  So
you not a Jaian-type* (Jaian is a character from Doremon). (laughs)

Ruka: ……

Maya:
Hahaha. The next time you meet time you meet him he’ll be surprisingly normal.
(laughs)

Ruka:
Hey, from your point of view do Maya and I seem similar?

Well…you’re a little bit
of a different type. Maya’s really a houseplant. Ruka is more social.

Ruka: Really!?

Maya:
I think so.

To compare, Ruka is more
like a dog, and Maya is more like a cat.

Ruka:
Ah, I see!

Maya:
That may be. Basically, I don’t eat out with people.  And I only know a few other musicians. The
Visual Kei artists contact information I have is Hitsugi, Sakito, Tatsurou of
Mucc, and Miyavi. And then I don’t remember when we exchanged information but I
also have Chiba’s info from the Sendai cargo freight company. (laughs)

Ruka:
(Laughing a lot). That’s a surprise!

Maya:
I haven’t contacted them even once. (Laughs). I think I’m a top class Visual
Kei houseplant.

Ruka:
I like to invite people, but I hate to be invited.

Maya:
Oh, conversely, I want to be invited but I always refuse when I get invited. So
I don’t get invited second time. When we formed LM.C, Tatsurou used to invite
me a lot, but I never answered his invitations so he stopped.

Ahahaha! He gave up (laughs).

Maya:
I lack both sociability and sociality.

Ruka: (Laughs)

Huh? Is Maya different than
how you imagined? Did you think he was more of a “fluffy” person?

Ruka:
No, I didn’t have a “fluffy” impression of him. My image of him was that he’s
hard to get close to.

Maya:
Am I!? But then again, people do say that a lot. But in fact, that’s not true.

Ruka:
That said, I wonder if I’ve ever met someone who’s like how I imagined them.

Maya:
Indeed. Usually, when I speak to someone face to face, they’re different from
how I imagined. The previous generation had the “rocker” image, even in their
daily lives, and a lot of people (of that generation) are how we imagined them.
But since our generation, it’s been changing.

Right. Now we have Social
Network services, so now people feel closer. It’s harder to live privately
these days. Everything is visible.

Ruka:
By the way, I don’t care if I’m seen eating ramen. Because we’re human we eat
ramen. That’s what I think. But if I start walking with a girl and they see
that, then they write about it all over the internet as if they’ve got a demon
by the neck. That’s crazy!

To fans it’s like your
committing a crime, a shock, I guess.

Ruka:
I know right!? The fans who write about me dating, also go on dates.

That means “Ruka can’t date
but we can.”

Ruka: It’s so unfair.

Maya:
(laughs) Indeed (laughs). I understand both sides. It’s gonna be ok! (laughs)

Maya’s always calming angry
people like that (Laughs). Even when I get angry he’s like “Ok, ok, ok, let’s
go in a happy direction!” He never gets angry. It’s annoying (laughs).

Maya:
Please don’t get annoyed (laughs).

Ruka:
(laughs) That’s amazing. I have a low boiling point.

Maya:
Doesn’t having a low boiling point make you tired?

Ruka:
It does. It’s not fun that way (laughs). Like other day, I was on the train and
the person sitting in front of me had their legs crossed and they kept shaking
their top leg with incredible speed. That alone was making me annoyed.

Why
didn’t you change seats then? (laughs)

Ruka:
No. I was in the end seat, it’s hard to get those. Why would I change my seat?

That’s the only way to run
away from that stress. Otherwise you can’t sleep.

Ruka:
That’s what I thought, so I closed my eyes, then I thought when I open them
will this person still be shaking their leg? So opened them and they were still
shaking it (laughs). I hate irregular (or uncommon) things. *(In Japan on the
train, most people are very still and quiet.)

Maya:
That is tiring (laughs). I accept any strange thing (laughs). People are
curious about those who have strange atmospheres. They wonder why those people
are hated (laughs). I can see the reason they’re hated, but I am able to accept
them too. Wow, my boiling point is very high. Since Elementary School
characteristic has grown little by little because I didn’t want to be hated.
Besides, it’s easier on me not to get angry. But, I don’t have many friends.

Ruka:
Maya, you also have few friends? Surprisingly, I don’t have many friends
either.

Maya:
I only have local friends from elementary school.

Ruka:
You’re still connected with local friends, that amazing!

I guess that’s because you
changed schools a lot. Maya’s a local of Nagano, at the time classes didn’t
shuffle around. That’s why you remained friends.

Ruka:
Seriously!? They really don’t change classes?

Maya:
I don’t know about now, but they didn’t when I was there. That’s why we were
together. At our Elementary School graduation ceremony, it was like saying
goodbye to a relative forever (laughs).

Ruka:
That’s right! When you’re a kid a lot of feelings can develop, so that affects
your humanity.

That may be right.

Maya:
But the number of friends you have doesn’t matter. Making friends is like
getting married. If you’re just dreaming about getting married, you won’t see
your partner’s character.

Ruka:
You mean, first you fall in love, then you want to marry that person, that’s
the usual process. But, if you marry someone for the sake of being married,
then the meaning changes.

Maya:
Right, right. If the means become the ends, then that’s a wasted effort. That’s
kind of sad. If “I want friends!” comes first, then it’s a not a happy thing.
Ideally, friendships should be born from lovely encounters.

Ruka:
Yes, yes, I see.

Then why don’t you guys get
to know each other?

Ruka:
Hahaha. I can’t imagine how we’d hang out.

Maya:
That’s true (laughs). Basically, I don’t hang out with anyone. When clothes shopping,
I go alone.

Ruka: That’s awesome! I
can’t go by myself. It gives me a cold sweat.

Maya: That was written in an
article (laughs). I’ve read all your past articles, so I know a lot about you
(laughs).

Ruka:
I’m glad (laughs). But isn’t hard to go shopping alone?

Maya:
No, I anywhere I like, I’d feel bad involving other people. Being alone is
better.

Ruka:
Everyone who goes shopping alone says that. Forcing someone to go is bad. But I
want go with someone, to know what they want to buy. Besides, when people are
shopping with me, it makes me feel like I’m shopping too. I don’t need to spend
money.

Maya:
That’s a new idea (laughs).

Ruka:
Besides, when I go alone I tend to buy the same things. But when I go with
someone they tell me, “You already have that. Why don’t you get this?” So, it’s
more fun.

 

Maya:
I see. But, after I heard your story, I felt like you had a wide range of
friends.

Ruka:
I do but, the people I want to befriend tend to have walls around them.

It’s true. You like closed
people.

Ruka:
Yeah, right.

Maya doesn’t have specific
taste in people. You’re not aggressive, once you get close to people, you’d
hang out with them at their house. Right?

Maya:
Hahaha. That may be right. When I went to Aiji’s house, I used to open the
fridge without permission and I’d tell him “There’s nothing in the fridge.”
(laughs). I like to explore people’s houses.

Come on now. Didn’t your
mother teach you, “Don’t open the refrigerator when you’re in people’s homes.”

Ruka: Hahahaha!!

Maya:
Well…(laughs). The first time Aiji was like, “Hey, hey, hey!” He was inpatient.
But I haven’t gone to anyone’s house lately. Oh, next time can I go to your
house?

Ruka:
What!? My house!? My home isn’t in any condition to invite anyone over.
(Laughs)

You should clean your fridge
too.

Maya:
Come think of it, you like Akihabara right? Next time show me around please!

Ruka:
Ok, I know the place very well (laughs). Basically, I like the side streets of
Chuodori best. I like the mix of things from before I was born and contemporary
things.

Maya: It sounds chaotic.

Ruka:
Next time I’ll show you around.

Maya:
Then let’s meet at Akiba (short for Akihabara). Today has been really fun!

Ruka:
I think so too. Thanks for today.

Maya:
I wonder, who’s the next guest? I’m really curious (laughs). There’s not many
tall people right?

Ruka:
(Laughs) Who do you think would be good? (Laughs) (After this, their
conversation went on forever.)