Chapter 2

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(……)

(The live started suddenly, with no introduction this time either—as if to say we’ll leave you behind if you can’t keep up with us.)

(Not only the audience, but Mika-chin and me too… Ignoring anything and everything, Oshi-san kicked it into high gear right from the start.)

(And with that we began just as planned, flawlessly—and things have gone smoothly so far.)

(Our performance is perfectly calculated from beginning to end, right down to the last second.)

(No fanservice, no flattery, no compromise whatsoever. Like a movie directed by an eccentric, Oshi-san pours his own worldview onto us…)

(All without even asking. There’s no room for the audience in his film… If they don’t like it, they can close their eyes, cover their ears, get up and go home.)

(That is who Oshi-san is… No, that’s who we, Valkyrie, are.)

(With this approach, with this style, we’ve become a unit that stands out from the rest.)

(Oshi-san isn’t just some arrogant, overbearing guy.)

(He calculates everything perfectly and puts so much effort into our lessons. He creates everything, from the stage design to our costumes, with the utmost care and attention to detail.)

(And he always puts forth the most staggering quality.)

(The idols at Yumenosaki are like corrupt nobility.)

(They rest on their laurels and only act in the name of personal gain, and they never put in any effort. Always cutting class, skipping lessons, just… playing around.)

(And still, because the Yumenosaki alumni—our predecessors have built up our brand power, huge crowds of guests keep flocking to them.)

(Even if they don’t do anything, even if they just play around and slack off, they’re still showered in glory.)

(There aren’t many people who can work hard in an environment like that. Of course, there are some who can perform brilliantly thanks to their natural talent.)

(But for the most part, they’re all just mere imitations of idols who are slowly rotting away to the point that it’s painful to watch them.)

(They’re all little more than amateurs who happened to be blessed with pretty faces and good standing.)

(But we’re different. Even if we’re made light of, even if we’re ridiculed for what we’re working so hard to achieve…)

(We keep pushing ourselves to the point that we bleed out.)

(Oshi-san is dead serious in that regard. People may call him crazy, for all those careful calculations… or for all of his excessive preparations, or all the investment and precision he puts into his performances.)

(I wonder if there are any guests here who came from outside the school to watch our live…)

(Most of them just want to squeal over a cute boy to kill some time.)

(It’s not like they’re looking to appreciate fine art, or even have their hearts moved.)

(And yet, we pour our bodies and souls into this, use all our strength, and offer up a perfect performance on par with the pros.)

(Pretty much everyone in the audience is shocked. They look at us as if to ask us just why we’re so serious about this.)

(And when that surprise has left little gaps in their hearts, we’ll sink our blades into those spaces and tear them down.)

(We’re so far from what they expected, so we leave them reeling. They think the idols at Yumenosaki are all frivolous, barely even amateurs.)

(That’s right. They sure are. But we—but Valkyrie is different.)

(While everyone else played around, Oshi-san was creating masterpieces with a tenacity bordering on insanity.)

(The audience wants to see something great without paying any more. And just like that, they’ll keep coming back to our lives.)

(Fame breeds fame, and now we’re standing at the very top of Yumenosaki Academy.)

(Oshi-san is a genius. His technique and resourcefulness are unparalleled.)

(It’s all relative just because the others don’t even care to try, but even so—He deserves to stand as the sovereign of Yumenosaki.)

(And then Oshi-san—someone like that decided that I would be his treasured, ultimate weapon…)

(And I’m happy about that—probably. Even if it’s just the happiness of a slave, it’s better than letting my soul rot away.)

(We didn’t come to Yumenosaki to eat good food and play games.)

(We wanted to become idols.)

(We’re not like those other guys…)

(Those other guys who are idols only in name, who have no pride, no ability—who laugh so flippantly while giving in to simple pleasures!)

(Those aren’t the idols I’ve always admired!)