Chapter 1

……

M–mfgh? What’s going on? I’m being shaken… Is it an earthquake?

Oh. You’re up.

Gwah?! R–Ryu~ku—Kiryu!

What’s going on? Explain it to me! Why are you carrying me like a princess?

I mean, it’s the easiest way to carry ya. You’re way taller than you were as a kid, so it’s harder to carry you around…

But you’re still shorter than me ♪

Compared to you, nearly all of humanity is short! So—Put me down! This is humiliating; we’re not little children anymore, you know?!

Yeah, we sure ain’t. Well, I was just thinkin’ it’s none of my business.

But you were just collapsed in a heap in the hallway there. It’s not like I could just walk on by. …I’ll take ya to the nurse’s office, so zip it.

N—Gh…? I had collapsed?

Yup. You’re not lookin’ so hot, either. You’ve never been in good shape, even back then… You should take care of yourself and eat right and stuff, yanno?

When we were kids, you used to collapse from low blood sugar all the time~ ♪

Oh, right… Forgive me, I was up all night. And I don’t particularly enjoy eating, either; it’s an excruciating experience to put a foreign substance into my body.

Damn picky eaters… Mom got pissed all the time about that.

……

…I heard how Valkyrie’s really goin’ through it. You guys really did end up tumblin’ down the Yumenosaki mountain, huh.

You’re doin’ your best to reclaim your throne, ain’tcha?

But what’s the point in killin’ yourself to get it back? That’s not gonna make anybody happy.

Spare me the self-righteous sermon… You weren’t even present during your mother’s final moments. So please, tell me again how much you care for the health of others?¹

Don’t put on airs of kindness for me, you scoundrel!

I got nothin’ to say to that. Look, if you get too worked up, you’re gonna faint again.

An unconscious person’s twice as heavy as normal, so do me a solid and stay awake. Don’t make it too hard for me.

I don’t recall asking for this, Kiryu.

I know. And I already said it’s none of my business.

Hmph. Then let me make one small correction: We have not fallen.

We, Valkyrie, are still the greatest, even now… We present only the finest performances, the likes of which cannot be compared to that of those other philistines.

But because of the system which has transformed live performances into a game known as Dream Fests…

It has become that those of us who don’t participate in those live showdowns aren’t building up a track record.

All the while, those barbarians have participated in Dream Fes after Dream Fes…

The rules of this absurd game have made it so that they have overtaken us in rank.

But we have never been beaten, even once. Valkyrie is still the superior idol group—Get that through your head.

The only regret I have is that people are speaking of us as if we’ve lost something!

Yeah, I’m sure… But that’s their strategy, I guess. They changed the rules of the game, those crafty bastards.

So now in the eyes of the world, and on paper, you’re no longer at the top of Yumenosaki.

No point complainin’ about it though. You can’t win a soccer game no matter how many home runs ya hit.

Damn it all… How vexing, these philistines who can’t see true art!

We present to them only the greatest shows—Why don’t they recognize that? Why don’t they reward us for that?

It’s sick and twisted, all of it! Just who turned Yumenosaki Academy into this thing?

Well, I ain’t really at liberty to say…

I’ve already gotten myself involved in it too. There’s no point grumblin’ about it—I’ve already been hammered into place.

It’s our fault for not seein’ through those bad guys’ nasty schemes and tactics before it happened. But it’s too late for regrets.

Sorry, Itsuki. My hands are tied. I know I swore that I’d keep ya safe a long time ago.

But it looks like I’m goin’ back on my word—Mom would be so pissed about that.

That was a promise we made when we were children, Kiryu. There’s no need for you to fret over it now. Just carrying me around like this, talking to me…

It’s not going to keep me all that safe, you know?

However, I am no longer a crying child, victim to the tyranny of bullies.

I can see to myself, and… I’ve already said this, but put me down.

I don’t want to depend on you anymore. I like to think I’ve become stronger now, even if only a little.

That so… Damn you’re stubborn, even though you’re so weak.

It’s all mere bravado. If you cry, if you cower—You will only please those bullies.

Very well. If the rules have changed, then so be it.

I’ll stand on that very battleground and fight to the bitter end. We are the supreme existence in this world, no matter which perspective you take.

We will perform in their little Dream Fes… in their live showdown.

The blood of those philistines will be on our hands before the battle even begins, and we will watch as their corpses sink to the bottom of the mire. I will make them regret having crossed me.

…Right. But maybe this is exactly what a certain someone is hopin’ for.

What are you talking about, Kiryu?

Nah, just talkin’ to myself. There’s no way… There’s no way a human being, a high schooler, would think up somethin’ so dirty, right?

No reason to go that far… I hope my fears are unfounded.

Just be careful, Icchan. I can’t get up on the stage to rescue you.

We’re in high school now. I can’t just solve all my problems with violence anymore.

You’re fussing far too much over me. I will be fine; god is fair and just…

If you are a good person, you will be rewarded accordingly. One’s efforts will always pay off in the end.

If that’s not true, then this world is truly hopeless.