Chapter 1

You all right, Anzu?!

Don’t worry! You’re safe now that Nii~chan’s here! That sure was scary, huh! Are you hurt anywhere?

Pheeew, I’m glad to see you’re doing okay! I was worried, y’know~? I heard from some guys in other regions that you went missing—

Especially Mako-chin and them. They were so scary, like “Let me know if you find any information” and stuff—

…? Huh? Hey, Anzu? Why’re you ignoring me? Even though I’ve been so worried about you!

—Nito Nazuna. There’s three things I gotta say to ya.

Gwah?! D–don’ jus’sneak uppahind me! You scared me!

One: This here’s where the SS Administration Committee does its business. Don’t just come bargin’ in here squawkin’ like some untrained animal, or I’ll go and call animal control on ya.

Two: The one who called ya here is me. So ya shoulda greeted me before Anzu.

And three: Anzu here’s made a promise to me, so she’s a little tied up right now. She can’t interact with any idols.

If ya keep blatherin’ on and force ‘er to respond, she’s gonna lose what she’s workin’ so hard to protect.

But hey, if ya think your peace of mind’s more important than traipsin’ all over ‘er resolve and effort, then who am I to stop ya?

……

…What did you do to Anzu?

Me? Nothin’. See for yourself—She’s been workin’ just fine here with me.

All for the sake of all youse idols, as a member of the P Association—or should I say, as a member of the SS Administration Committee.

On the surface, that is. But I don’t wanna get my face bashed in again, or be messed around with.

So I’ll uphold my end of the contract—So long’s youse idols don’t get carried away and do somethin’ you’ll regret.

I’m not gonna lay a finger on ‘er, so don’t get so worked up. As long as she’s a good girl, I’ll even help ‘er out.

…?

You too, Nito Nazuna. If ya got somethin’ ya don’t wanna lose, you better be good. You’re in the same position Anzu is right about now.

You’ve got a hostage on the line, and you’re just standin’ there while I threaten ya like a pathetic little bird trapped in its cage. C’mon, be a good boy—Ya oughta be thinkin’ ‘bout how to put me in a good mood.

Take a note outta Anzu’s book, maybe.

What are you even talking about…?

Oh, whatever! Where’s Tenshouin? He’s setting me up here, isn’t he? I thought he’d finally calmed down after all this time, but is he seriously still up to no good?

Tenshouin… Eichi, huh? I can’t exactly deny that, but I got no idea how you jumped to that kinda conclusion.

I doubt that guy’d make a mistake and leave a trail back to him.

He’s the one who contacted me on HoldHands! When I woke up this morning, everyone in Ra*bits was gone, and I was looking for them everywhere—

And that’s when I got a call from Tenshouin. He said I’d “learn the truth” if I came and met Anzu here!

And I was worried about Anzu too, so I came running over here as fast as I could!

Hmm… I wonder why you’re the only one allowed to move so freely.

Tenshouin’s probably playin’ some game here, but I can’t see what he’s tryna do.

Huh…?

Ah, fuhgeddaboudit. Sit down for a bit, Nito. All your bitchin’ and whinin’s not gonna do nothin’.

‘Sides. Your precious, cute kouhais are safe in me and Tenshouin’s hands.

I got the power to do whatever I please, so I’d watch my mouth if I was you.

You Ra*bits are so worthless, I didn’t even hafta bother with your orders.

There’s plenty of ways to getcha under my thumb without playin’ games and trickin’ youse.

Take, for example, a knife to Anzu’s neck—or a gun to ‘er head.

That’s the only thing that’ll getcha to listen to me.

You and me aren’t equals. If you’re smart enough to get that through your head, you’ll play nice.

…If you do anything to Anzu-chin, all the other idols—Tenshouin included—are gonna talk about it nonstop.

And that’s why I’ve got ‘er all alone, right in the palm of my hand. So long as I’ve got Anzu, I can move around without any problem.

It’s just, I can’t figure out why alla youse care so much about ‘er. In the end, though, I couldn’t care less about this broad’s life.

If I start thinkin’ she’s gettin’ in the way of my goals, I’ll get ridda her. If ya got any brain in that head of yours, or if ya care about ‘er at all, ya should at least try not to get on my bad side.

……

You’re pretty good at followin’ orders huh, Nito Nazuna? I heard all about that from Tenshouin.

……