103: Comet

—Maaan, they were so strong it was almost scary, y’know. Akatsuki, I mean. Those guys were all like… I dunno, those real angry-looking Buddha statues. You know the ones.

Like those guys who trample all over demons or something.

Hm. Perhaps you’re thinking of the two guardian Deva kings? But that’s outside my area of expertise, so I’m unfamiliar with it.¹

Yeah, it’s probably that. That’s exactly what it felt like when poor little Crazy:B got pounded into dust.

We used a buncha dirty tricks, but it didn’t pan out and we ended up losing.

Well, we went into it yesterday knowing we’d lose, so we only placed a small wager on it…

So for us, it’s like we lost the battle but won the war.

Um, what do you mean by wager?

Nahaha. Recently, we started using a weird “special rule” for our DreamFests.

But I’m not really into it and didn’t ask for the details, so I don’t know all that much.

Ngh… Amagi Rinne’s love of gambling is pretty well known, though. Has your brother always been this way?

No, not at all. He did enjoy playing games that used his body or tested his mettle, though.

He said that gambling isn’t any fun because he always wins.

Wait, seriously? That reminds me, you’re Rinne-kun’s brother, aren’t you? You guys are a spitting image of each other~ I bet it’s real hard having a brother like that, huh?

It’s not. He’s troubling me now, but back home I respected him more than anyone else.

Right—maybe I just want Nii-san to go back to the way he used to be.

(Ngh. I can’t jump into the conversation at all… It feels like Shiina-san has inserted himself into the place I should be in.)

(Shiina-san told us, “I just remembered Rinne-kun wanted me to come by, so you guys wanna walk there together?”)

(“We’re all meeting up to talk after this, right?”)

(I–I’m so jealous he can just say those things so casually. You don’t even think about whether you’re bothering anyone, or wonder what you should say.)

(In fact, he’s already thrown away all pretenses with the other members of ALKALOID, and now they’re having a nice, friendly chat.)

(From the looks of it, he’s the complete opposite of me: so full of optimism.)

……

…Gyeh?! U–um, uhh, why are you staring at me?

Nahaha, You were the one watching me. I’m pretty sensitive to stuff like people’s gazes, or smells and other things.

I couldn’t care less right now, but it’s a different story when I’m hungry.

I–is that so… I think that’s an advantageous quality for an idol to have. Ahhh, I’m sorry—that’s probably a pretty self-righteous thing for me to say.

…Hey, Onii~san. You look delicious. You smell so good, too.

H–huh…?

When I’m all quiet like this, you probably shouldn’t get too close, y’know.

If you smell this good, I might mistake you for food and try putting you in my mouth.

Gh, uhmmmm…?

I’m invading the Summit! Don’t try and stop me, Isara!

Oh? Wh–what’s going on?

(Phew… thank goodness. The strange aura around Shiina-san disappeared.)

I told you to calm down, Hokuto. Yelling at them won’t do you any good now. You’ll just get in Anzu’s and Tenshouin-senpai’s way.

We’re always under the scrutiny of the higher-ups, so don’t act so recklessly.

Just try being a little smarter about this. We’ve already got a place in this world.

We aren’t even the ones under fire. What the heck are you gonna say if you go complaining to the guys leading the Summit?

Look before you leap, okay? Can you just take a deep breath?

…We are under fire. Crazy:B was trying to sink their teeth into us at our live the other day—We just happened to be able to deal with it.

But it could have been a disaster if we’d handled it poorly. We might have even had to stop the show.

Ngh… You’re digging that back up? You’re a little more vindictive than I thought.

It all worked out in the end, so it’s fine—

Oh?

…It’s ALKALOID. We were warned to stay clear of them as much as possible, and to not get involved.

But it’s not like we’ve been banned from contacting them, right? It’s just Anzu who said that…

Well even so, it’s not something I’d encourage. What’s up with those vague instructions, anyway?

I could take a guess. I think it’s because we might catch them up in a “stage storm,” so to speak.

Ohh, so you read manga too, Hokuto. You should’ve told me sooner. We could have a great conversation about it ♪²

Manga…? What are you talking about, Isara?

Trickstar—

Oh, yeah. That’s all from us. Keep doing your best and stay positive. We’re cheering you on, ALKALOID.

…Does that count as “getting involved?”

Sometimes I have my doubts that you’re the son of a famous actress.

Well, whatever. If genetics were the only defining factor in things, I’d be SOL there. We’re all about the effort, right Hokuto?

Uh? Sure…?

Ahaha. Sorry for bothering you, ALKALOID.

No… We’re sorry, too, for taking up the whole hallway with so many people.

I was taught that it’s not correct because it’s bad manners.

Eh? Well, it’s a public pathway, so you can walk wherever you want.

Trickstar’s been walking in the middle of the road all proud and self-important since back when we were nobodies.

…?

Ahaha, that sounded kinda arrogant, huh… Well, see you later ♪

Hey, c’mon Hokuto~ Let’s do what we came here to do before we go tacking things on.

If we don’t get just a little more money, there’s no way we’ll get to perform at the MDM, right?

Mmm… We can’t help it if we’re low on funds, but I can’t help but wonder why we’re running out of money.

‘Cause we’re using it, usually. Just because I’ve got some accounting skills and know how to make ends meet, I still have my limits, y’know? You guys should keep in mind how to use your money too, ‘kay?

(Wh–what was that all about? They just said what they wanted to say and then left… Hm?)

……

Umm… Shiina-san, why are you hiding behind me?

Nothing, I just don’t wanna get caught up in any trouble. I’m trying to fly under the radar of anyone we’ve done anything to.

Since Rinne-kun’s an idiot, we keep making all sorts of bad blood—

With this many enemies all around us, we’d have gone extinct if we were out in the wild.