English translation
Yuma Anzai's "Promise to Me" (part 13)
Weekly Pro-Wrestling
No. 2342, 2025/2/26 issue, p.11
What does Valentine's Day mean to you?
☆When you think of February, what do you think about?
Anzai:
Setsubun?
☆I see.
Anzai:
Haha, it's Valentine's Day, right?
☆We know you like sweet things, but how about chocolate?
Anzai:
I really like it.
☆You're probably not hurting for chocolate at this time of year.
Anzai:
Hahahaha! February has an image of being a "sweet month".
☆When was the first time you received Valentine's chocolates?
Anzai:
Maybe in kindergarten... I remember receiving chocolate and giving some in return when I was an elementary school student. But, it wasn't with the intent of saying "I like you" or anything like that, though.
☆When did you become aware that you were getting lots of chocolates?
Anzai:
When I was in the upper grades of elementary school, I started getting lots of chocolates, so my heart started racing whenever I looked in my shoe rack or whenever I opened my desk drawer, like in a manga.
☆Even though you knew they'd be in there?
Anzai:
Haha, there were some strict teachers in my elementary school, and they'd tell us we weren't allowed to have chocolate. So, when school finished, just as I was thinking, "No chocolates this year, huh...", there'd be people saying, "Come here after school", and they'd say, "This isn't obligation chocolate" while handing over the chocolates. That left a big impression on me. When I was in the sixth year of elementary school, I had a lot of friends of the opposite sex, so I got a lot of "friend chocolate", which made me really happy.
☆What was your record?
Anzai:
Maybe around sixteen?
☆Did you get more chocolates than your friends?
Anzai:
Yeah. I got a lot of chocolates in those days.
☆So, you didn't get chocolates from your mother because nobody gave you any?
Anzai:
Hahahaha! I got a lot of chocolates when I was a student. Now, I receive chocolates from fans, so Valentine's Day is a happy day for me.
☆You get more chocolates from fans, right?
Anzai:
Yeah. If I have a match close to Valentine's Day, I can get a lot of chocolates then, but every year, I say, "The whole of February is Valentine's Day". But, I'm happy to get chocolates in March, too, hehe.
☆How do you give something back for the presents you get?
Anzai:
What I can do is give back through my wrestling. I always eat all my chocolates with gratitude.
☆You can eat all of them?! What if you passed some on to (Taishin) Nagao or something...?
Anzai:
Never!
☆Incidentally, who is the most popular in All Japan?
Anzai:
Apart from me?
☆Yeah.
Anzai:
Hmmm... who, I wonder? Atsuki-san... Miyahara-san... Nah, at the moment, it's the Saito Brothers. Things sent to the dojo or the office are sent to the wrestlers, last Valentine's Day, there were so many sweets and beers.
☆Rei's favourite beer and Jun's favourite sweet things. Of course, you got more, didn't you?
Anzai:
Well, yeah...
☆You were very quiet just now.
Anzai:
Because it's not about numbers! Valentine's Day is about feelings.
☆You suddenly care more about feelings than numbers...
Anzai:
In terms of numbers, I lose to the Saito Brothers (*strained laugh*).
☆I see. You were unrivaled on Valentine's Day when you were a child, but now you've had your first taste of defeat...
Anzai:
That's probably it...
☆You couldn't take the Triple Crown from Jun, and now you're losing to him at Valentine's Day, too...
Anzai:
Ahhh... But, I'm really looking forward to Valentine's Day! I really like white chocolate and things like that!
Translated into English by Michelle @puroresueikaiwa
Please do not use without permission and credit.