___ARASHI___
Ready
Valentine!

When does Arashi’s heart race? Valentine’s Day is the best time, of course ♡
(Note: no translation for Aiba)

The first day of a concert is always nerve-wracking. You’re on standby, right? That’s when my heart really starts racing. I can’t wait to get going, but I feel flustered about whether or not everything I’ve been doing in rehearsals will go well, and so on. Of course, I’m nervous, too. At times like that, I get super restless. But once I’m on stage, I can just go with the flow (lol). My heart doesn’t really race outside of concerts… Ah, but recently, something really made it pound! In my high school music class, we had a free performance, and we could do whatever we wanted. I played the piano. I’m used to being watched, but the thought of everyone watching me made my legs shake so much. My left leg was shaking the whole time I was playing. I used to learn piano, but I hadn’t played in about five years. I was super nervous! I wasn’t nervous at all until I started playing (lol).

Does Valentine’s Day make your heart race? Well… I think it’s more nerve wrecking to give chocolate than to receive it, right? Because the giver has to create the situation, right? But Valentine’s Day is the day when you know you’re going to receive chocolate [in Japan, girls give chocolate to boys on Valentines Day and then boys give it a month later on White Day]. So if a girl in your class asks you, “Can you come over for a bit?”, your heart would be racing like crazy (lol). Because it obviously means you’re going to get chocolate. Speaking of heart racing, when I was in elementary school, I would get really flustered calling the house of a girl I had a crush on. I didn’t have a cell phone, so I would call her home, right? And usually her parents would answer (lol). I’d get so nervous I’d have a hard time dialing the last number (lol). I still get nervous the first time I call a girl. Not just at home, but on my cell phone too. I bet I’d have a hard time pressing the call button (lol).

What makes my heart race? On Valentine’s Day, I get excited when someone hands it to me in person. The most exciting part is when they say “Please accept this,” hand it to me, and then say “Thank you” and leave! But I’ve never received Valentine’s chocolate from a girl I like. The last time I was excited was during the World Cup. I really like the captain of the Italian women’s team, a player named Cacciatori. I wouldn’t say I like her, I really respect her. When they’re winning, Cacciatori stands out, but when they’re losing, it feels like Cacciatori is holding them back. Her uniform is kind of weird (lol). The bottom part is like leggings (lol). What do I like about Cacciatori? I wonder… I think I like her sense of responsibility. She’s the captain, after all. I’ve been interested in Cacciatori since before the World Cup even started. She’s cool. I was excited watching the Italy games during the World Cup. It’s a shame that it’s over (lol).

At work, my heart was racing when we shot the kissing scene in “Akimahende” (lol). Nervous and heart racing. I was laughing because I was so nervous. On the day of filming, my heart was racing from the morning. I was like eating, then brushing my teeth, then eating, then brushing my teeth (lol). I don’t know how many times I brushed my teeth that day (lol)! Before the recording, a buzzer goes off, and I was so nervous even when it went off. Then they counted, “15 seconds left! 10 seconds left! 5 seconds left! 4…” and in my mind I was thinking, “Ahhh!!” but my face was smiling. But I was ready by the time we hit 5 seconds. I was thinking, “Sorry everyone! I have to do it for work!” (lol). My heart was racing, but we didn’t kiss. I was like, “What, you’re not going to do it? I brushed my teeth?” (lol). I was supposed to make a face like, “Huh?” and that’s exactly what I ended up doing (lol).

Racing heart, huh… What? Can I talk about pounding instead? Like pounding a bunch of food in my mouth! No? My heart races a lot when I feel like I’m about to make a mistake at work. Or when I try a new acrobatic move and perform it on stage for the first time. My heart is racing right now having this conversation, so I’m starting to wonder what it even means (lol) . Outside of work, the only time my heart races is when I’m standing somewhere high up with a net under my feet so I can see down (lol). It’s when I can tell how high I am. My heart races thinking about what I’d do if I fall (lol). But there’s also a part of me that feels a bit excited.

I don’t remember ever feeling excited about Valentine’s Day. I’ve received chocolate before, but my heart never raced. I was like, “Oh! Yes! I got chocolate. Let’s eat it!” (lol). I didn’t really care about Valentine’s Day (lol). I don’t even remember it. If I don’t have a clear memory, it must have just flown by (lol). Huh? I’m starting to lose track of what a racing heart means (lol). When does your heart race? When you confess to a girl you like? I don’t confess my feelings (lol). I mean, I don’t think confessions need to be that formal. If I were to confess, I’d just blurt out, “Will you go out with me?” When I’m near the girl I like? That’s not nerve wracking, it’s exciting! The first time you call a girl you like, it’s not nerve wracking, it’s exciting (lol). If a girl confesses her feelings to you? My heart would probably race a little bit. I’ve had the experience of someone confessing their feelings to me, or rather, their behavior made me think they liked me. At the time, I was also conscious of them and it made my heart race (lol). But I was also feeling excited. Whether it’s work or love, it’s not just your heart racing. I think there are a lot of different emotions mixed together, like excitement, thrills, and nervousness.

When is it good for your heart to be racing? You mean like when something is scary? The other day I was doing sit-ups and my heart was beating hard (lol). It’s been a while since I did them so I was exhausted. What does it mean when your heart is racing? I think my heart basically only beats hard when I’m nervous. I was nervous the first time I appeared on Music Station with Arashi. Once it starts I’m fine, but the time before it is tough! I’m nervous from five minutes before it starts until right after it starts. Come to think of it, my heart was racing when it was decided I’d join the Juniors, too. I was nervous then. I get nervous easily (laughs). The most nervous I’ve been recently was the Jr. Tokyo Dome concert. The Dome was really crazy (lol)! My heart was racing from 15 minutes before it started until the moment I got on stage. I was practically shaking. Once it starts I manage somehow or another though, (lol).

Aside from nervousness, is there anything else that makes your heart race?… I guess if I was suddenly asked to do bungee jumping. But I’d like to try bungee jumping (lol). My heart races when I’m in a high place, or in a dangerous place. I’m sure the moment I confess my feelings to a girl I like would be a thrill (lol). I don’t have any memories of my heart racing during Valentine’s Day until now. That’s because I’ve never received chocolate from a girl I like. I don’t really like chocolate either (lol). But if a girl I like gives me chocolate, I’ll accept it (lol). My ideal type is a girl who is honest and doesn’t lie. I really can’t stand being lied to! A heart racing Valentine’s Day situation? This will never happen, but I’d be surprised if the girl I like was waiting for me in front of my house with chocolate (lol). If that happened, I’d hug her right away ♡ Like running into the girl I like when the elevator opens, those kinds of unexpected meetings definitely get your heart racing.