144: Weapons

Ahaha, compared to how it was in the beginning, things really are looking up for us. But I shouldn’t be so optimistic just yet.

Everything Tenshouin-senpai said sounded nice, but I still don’t know if we’ll even get a chance to do anything.

Yes. Based on what Eichi-san said, we’re the secret weapons to be used against Crazy:B… as if he’s expecting us to be a magical cure-all.

But to put it simply, everything depends on Crazy:B.

If by some chance they don’t trifle with MDM—then perhaps we won’t be needed at all.

At the very least, Eichi-san will no longer have any reason to support us, and we’ll have to resort to pulling ourselves up by the bootstraps.

That possibility isn’t unlikely.

If I were in the same position as Crazy:B, with so much hate and malice from everyone around me—I wouldn’t even want to stand on stage.

Well, considering what Hiiro-san’s brother and that Shiina-san have been doing and saying, I don’t imagine they’re that sensitive…

But they do seem to be in the same position as us; If they can’t get results at MDM, they’ll probably be fired immediately.

Yes. They earned a massive amount of L$ at Idol Royale. If they’re let go now, it will only be a waste of those precious resources.

But Crazy:B does have the tendency to be unpredictable in their thought patterns and actions—

We don’t know what they’ll do, but it feels as if Tenshouin-senpai has put a lot of measures in place. We are just one part of those.

Correct. He said it himself: We’re nothing more than one of his pawns.

We’re just troops deployed to prevent excess suffering if things go south.

Fufu. And here we are being talked up like we’re some protags, but I guess we are totally disposable in the end…

But it’s not like it doesn’t matter if we’re there or not.

Yes. If Crazy:B makes any moves, we will be needed to fight back against them.

Of course, even if they don’t show up, we’ll still need to perform at MDM as normal participants.

Which is why rehearsal is so crucial.

There isn’t much time before the show, so we can really only make cursory preparations and do a final once-over for the performance.

Yes. It’s said that God is in the detail, so let’s not be negligent.

At the end of the day, the only ones we can rely on is ourselves, so we have to put in the effort to grow and improve, even if only a little.

Hm. But I wonder if it’s okay for us to be rehearsing on our own like this.

At the very least, I’d like to be able to synchronize with the people we’re performing with.

Ohh… If you’re saying something like that, Hiro-kun, does that mean you’ve figured out what it means to be an idol?

Fufu. You’re always teaching me things, Aira, so I’ve learned the fundamentals.

Right. I’m glad I could help some, I guess.

Yes. You’re always teaching us a lot of things, Aira-san. Such as the sound of your heartbeat… ♪

My heartbeat?!

Hmm, if I recall correctly, it was decided quite hastily that the Eve of the MDM would be held today…

First off, it seems that fine, as well as another leg of the Big Three, Eden, will take the stage.

Two of ES’s strongest will be broadcast via television and over the internet.

And of course they’ll be performing in front of the fans who gathered here and explaining various things.

Explaining things? Isn’t it more like they’re defending themselves?

Crazy:B’s been going around saying a whole lot of shit, so they’re trying to flip the script by denying it all in an official setting, right?

Right. I don’t know if this will put out the flames, but it’s still better than staying silent while Crazy:B keeps spreading rumors.

As for Eichi-san and the others, they have until the main battle at the MDM in a few days to dispel the suspicions that fans and society have garnered and disavow the criticism.

It would be nice if the fans can enjoy the MDM with a clean slate.

Oh, so that’s why they’re doing all this a few days beforehand, instead of on the day of the MDM.

So they’re hoping to bring the audience back before then, now that Crazy:B’s rampage has sent them running?

Yes. They probably decided that it would be too late to make amends on the day of. The MDM is a massive event, and if it ends in failure, it’ll shake the very foundation of ES.

It’s as if they’re desperately trying to fix things by whatever mean necessary, or even just trying to get their bearings once they’ve stumbled.

Well. It’s the bigwigs’ jobs to think of stuff like that. We just have to do the job we’ve been given.

Yes. We’re supposed to be secret weapons, so it looks like Tenshouin-senpai wants us to keep our presence hidden until it’s our turn.

I wonder if that’s why we aren’t rehearsing with everyone together?

Probably. I feel like my heart would totally stop beating just being in the presence of both fine and Eden anyway.

It may just be a bunch of pretty words in the end, but it does kinda feel like an all-out war.

It does. Aside from us, all of the idols will be working toward their own ends. A storm is brewing…

I pray the turbulent winds will become a voice that entertains the people, and that it will clear away the thick clouds hanging over ES.

No. We’ll do everything we can to make sure that happens.

Yes. There’s something there that doesn’t sit quite right with me, but—Let’s save idols, and ourselves.

Huh? Anzu-san, why’re you laughing? I mean yeah, Hiro-kun is the one who wanted to destroy idols in the first place, but is it really that funny for him to be saying this now?

No? Not that? You just don’t think there’s anything left for you to do or say?

And you’ve been wondering what a producer even is, and what they’re here for?

Fufu. Then we’ve been thinking about similar things. What are idols? What purpose do they serve…? The answer still isn’t very clear.

Even still, we exist, and so we want to continue existing. Because you and I both live in this world…

It’s definitely the correct thing to want to keep living, and to not want to die.

If there is a person out there who rejects this, that person is my enemy. This time, without hesitation, and with all my power—I will destroy them.