Chapter 4

(……)

(…Wow. Trickstar isn’t just all talk.)

(The first half of Star Fes is a sudden death round, but they’ve been taking stage after stage without showing any fear or caring what other people think.)

(It’s actually terrifying… Why are they putting so much effort in?)

(Are they trying to show off how strong they are? Or maybe they’re trying to reassure Anzu?)

(Or maybe… they’re just doing it because they want to?)

(They’re so weird. How can they keep going and going like that, without ever stopping?)

(What’s up with them…? Why can’t I do stuff like that? I just got rejected one single time and I ran away with my tail between my legs.)

Sir, it seems we’re about to go on stage. We should warm up to prepare.

The auditorium is swirling with energy and heat, thanks to certain people.

But it’s still mid-winter. It’s going to get chilly, so you’ll need to loosen up your body.

Y–yeah, right. Are we finally going on? That took forever…! We can’t let Trickstar be the only one shining out there!

Let’s show them how real royalty does it!

First things first—we’ve gotta beat Trickstar into a pulp, right? They’ve been fighting nonstop, so I’m sure they’re exhausted by now. It’ll be an easy win!

If we win, we get all the points our opponents have earned up ‘til now.

fine will close in on them and snatch up the victory without even lifting a finger… Fufun ♪

Hm. I do think that would be an effective strategy; however, it is a tad unrefined, as if we’re riding on their coattails… What do you think, President-sama?

Mm, I’m a little torn. On principle, a leader must make swift decisions. Even so, this is a difficult choice to make.

I don’t believe we can’t beat Trickstar, but right now, the souls of those children are burning bright…

I don’t want to touch them so carelessly, lest I burn my fingertips.

Of course, I’d also like to get a taste of them as they desperately struggle to survive… ♪

But for now, let’s have patience… The other day, I got up on my soapbox and told Tori to look at the big picture.

The actual issue at hand is that we’d be in trouble if Trickstar loses and forfeits the right to participate in SS.

I thought I would strangle them if they ended up making a shameful display after talking so big.

But truly, they’ve been shining so brightly this whole time that I can’t even complain.

We’ve poured an incredible amount of manpower and money into them in the last half-year.

We’ve laid out the groundwork for them, gave them publicity. I won’t allow them to quit at this point.

I doubt they’re such ignorant children, so I’m sure they understand at least that much…

But I can’t help but feel uneasy when I see them on stage. They really are a group of tricksters…

I must have been an idiot to think that they would ever dance in the palm of my hand.

Honestly, Yumenosaki Academy is full of nothing but troublemakers.

Fufufu! Despite your grumbling, you’re actually in good spirits, aren’t you Eichi! It’s the very show you’ve been dreaming of!

And what child wouldn’t be overjoyed for Santa to deliver them a present… ☆

You’ve certainly got me beat in that regard, Wataru. You’re even jumping around…

It seems you have plenty of energy, so why don’t we gobble up some units of our own, one right after another?

I’m not sure if it’s because of Trickstar, but everyone seems really motivated lately…

They’re all leaping onto the battlefield with overwhelming joy, even though losing means death.

It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet. I’m practically drooling… ♪

Umm, so then first we’ll be going after other units instead of Trickstar? So we can rack up points?

B–but I really can’t stand the thought of running away…

We aren’t running away. It’s simply that Trickstar is growing faster than I expected; they’re gaining more and more momentum.

I won’t take them on without a plan; I’ll give them that much credit.

However, we don’t live inside a shounen manga. There’s a limit to how much stamina a human can have, and they’ll reach that limit sooner or later.

Well, there’s also the possibility that they’ll skirt around that issue.

But humans are physically incapable of pushing themselves beyond their limits.

When they’ve exhausted themselves to the point that they can’t even move their fingers, we’ll gracefully sneak up behind them and chop off their heads.

They can think of it as payback for the DDD… ♪

That’s surprisingly devious, Eichi. Or perhaps I should call it vindictive…?

That’s my charm point.

…Besides, we can’t afford to be eliminated in the first half. I’m a bit reluctant to do so, but we’ll need to play it safe to avoid that possibility.

If you think it’s like running away, then perhaps you’re right…

It might be hard for someone as prideful as you to endure, Tori, but just this once I’ll ask you to behave and follow my lead.

If you do that, I’ll never treat you like a child again. I’ll treat you as your own person, one who can see the big picture, work out a stratagem, engage in underhanded methods wherever necessary…

I’ll treat you like an adult.

……

…But if you don’t treat me like a kid, that means you’re gonna be super strict with me, especially with work.

So I can’t say I’m too excited about that, either~ ♪

It is better than being coddled, though, and never being in the know about anything.

I don’t think you’ve realized it yet, but I’ve grown up a lot too… Eichi-sama.

Maybe it’s an exaggeration to say I’m just as good as Trickstar.

But I’m a little bit taller now, and I can see your face better now from up close.

I don’t need you to carry me around like a baby. That’s all I wanted you to know… That’s the only thing I want right now.

I’ll keep that in my heart, my adorable Tori.

Fufu, you’ve been such a good kid up to now… and so I’ve prepared a very special reward—no, a very special present for you.

I hope you’ll enjoy it. More than anything, if I can put a smile on your face…

Then maybe that can save my past self, who once lay painfully alone in a hospital room, bearing a grudge against the world.

Merry Christmas…

It’s finally sunk in. Today really is a wonderful Christmas ♪