Chapter 6

…Oh, my. This is no time to be talking; the curtain’s rising.

We’re up. Let’s go, everyone: Flap your angelic wings with all your strength and fly into the light.

We can go wherever we wish, even to the edge of the horizon.

This is our fine—all of us, together.

“♪ ~ ♪ ~ ♪”

Fufu, he said what he wished to say then left us standing here…

What an arrogant, selfish, carefree person. It’s not easy keeping stride with him, is it, Hibiki-sama?

Fufufu, I’m rather enjoying myself, Butler-san! I’m certain that wherever the wind may blow, we will find a brand new world before us!

“Amazing! Ladies and gentlemen—I thank you all for coming to Starlight Festival today!”

“I offer you the warmest of welcomes! Come, witness this most special Christmas performance!”

“And voilà! A poinsettia for you! In the language of flowers, it means blessing… ☆”

“So love and blessings to you all! Merry Christmas… ♪”

Hey, cut it out! Don’t just throw flowers around for no reason, Rapunzel! I keep saying, someone’s gonna trip over them!

Oh? People make this mistake often, but the brightly colored part of the poinsettia is not actually a flower; it’s the leaves.

The green and red make up the colors of Christmas—They’re quite beautiful, don’t you think? A miracle, indeed ♪

Petals, leaves, what’s the difference? Quit nitpicking at what I say and use your brain!

Now, now… That’s just Wataru’s way of expressing his joy. You, too, will come to find it more endearing the more time you spend with him. Because you and I are a lot alike.

I don’t think what we like is all that similar… Actually, there’s nothing about us that’s even remotely similar.

I’m still way too immature to to say I’m on par with you, Eichi-sama.

But… don’t give up on me yet. I want you to keep showing me how things are done, and I’ll keep doing my best to grow up and become strong enough to support you one day.

Because that’s how much I love you, Eichi-sama. So please, please let me stay by your side forever.

I’ve always wondered why you like me so much… It really is a wonder, although I do know there is no logic in love.

I dunno, I loved you before I ever even realized it.

I’d always been so bored with everything… Day after day, I just felt so tied down by all these annoying things like socializing and studying and practicing etiquette.

But Eichi-sama, even though you were just like me… No, even greater than me, since you’re the heir to the Tenshouin Conglomerate, after all.

And despite that, you just came out and said you wanted to be an idol, and then you were singing and dancing up on a stage.

You looked so free, like you were having so much fun. I got jealous.

And it made me want to be more like you…

Maybe it’s some kind of like, imprinting thing? But back then, I knew I’d found the ideal I should be aiming for.

That’s really all it is… Ehehe, I guess you were expecting something more out of a fairytale, huh?

Not at all. I prefer this over some strange, artificial story. And I understand your feelings as if they were my own.

I, too, longed for someone who could perform tricks that felt like pure magic, that seemed to deny all laws of physics.

Nothing seemed impossible for him; he was so brilliant and free.

Just witnessing that person’s radiance was enough to make me know that were brought into this world for a reason.

Fufu, let’s sing, Tori—together. We can be perfect, beautiful, pure angels, just for today.

fine will shine so brightly that every shadow will be cast away.

And then, when everything is over… I’d like to talk with you.

I’ll tell you what we—what fine has done. I’ll tell you the story of a past that would make any saint pinch his nose and turn away.

I believe it’s high time that you know.

Because you’ve grown into such a splendid, mature gentleman.

You don’t have to tell me anything, Eichi-sama—I already know.

……

The night my proposal was rejected, Yuzuru told me all about it in a bedtime story.

Ehehe, maybe I shouldn’t act like I know everything; Yuzuru only gave me the highlights.

But I think I’ve got the gist of it.

…I see. I wonder how Yuzuru learned of that. I can’t even begin to understand that boy.

Yeah, I dunno? He said he found out from someone around the time of Autumn Live?

Oh, perhaps it was Tsumugi’s doing… Now that I think about it, I did put both of them in support positions together during that time.

Tsumugi’s as loose-lipped as ever, I see. Or rather, he can’t tell a lie.

…No, I was the one who was embarrassed to tell you about my past, trying too hard to put up a good front—

So he did it in my place. He’s always so unnecessarily meddlesome.

In any case, what did you think when you heard that story? Did it disgust you? Did it make you hate me?

Fufun, wouldn’t you like to know~? I’m not telling yet! We’re in the middle of a live; we don’t have time to be talking, right?

Hm? That’s pretty cruel of you, keeping me in suspense like that…?

Ehehe ♪ You made me cry a whole bunch, so this is payback! C’mon, lemme mess with your head! I wanna make you sweat!

Goodness gracious… At your core you’re an angel, but sometimes you really do turn into a little devil.

Angels, demons—they’re one and the same, Eichi-sama! I don’t know how it was in the past, but that’s what I think it’s like right now… ♪

Let’s sing, Eichi-sama! Because more than angels or devils—we’re idols! And there are so many people right in front of us!

So let’s sing about love, about peace, about happiness, to make everyone smile!

“Merry Christmas… ☆”

“♪ ~ ♪ ~ ♪”