Chapter 12

(Fufu. Thank you as always, Yuzuru.)

(I know you’re happy to work in the shadows, but you are the very sun to Tori. A precious, warm presence he can lean on for peace of mind.)

(I’m not of a stable mind right now; I’m sure I’ll only serve to confuse him—)

(So I hope that you will support him.)

(…I suppose I should tell him that myself. But it never works out; I have a bad habit of making a caricature out of myself when I’m in front of cute kids.)

(Perhaps I’ve started to think of him as a fan who should be entertained instead of my equal.)

(That’s rude of me. They only want to be closer to me.)

(Well, it’s a waste of time to psychoanalyze myself. It doesn’t matter how much I try to rationalize my thoughts; if I want to change the world, I have to put things into motion.)

(There’s no time to waste. I can only move forward, even if I have to cut out whatever I can’t hold onto, or whatever gets in my way.)

(……)

“Tenshouin!”

…It’s you, Nito-kun. I’m happy to hear you’re doing well, but would you mind keeping your voice down a bit? The crackle of the receiver is killing me.

“Shaddup! Whudda hell’re you plannin’?!”

Ahaha, so you still get tongue-tied when you’re all riled up. You really are cute.

“Don’t make me puke! I don’t give a shit if you like me or not!”

I only called you cute; I didn’t intend to imply that I like you.

But perhaps “cute” hits a little too close to home for you, doesn’t it?

“But lately I’ve been coming to terms with it. Or really, I’ve been changing the way I interpret the word little by little…”

“But hey, good to see you’re as lively as ever. I hope you die soon.”

Fufu. I quite like that you’re able to say that in earnest to someone as pitiful and feeble as I am.

“Shut the hell up! I’ve heard all about you from Anzu-chin and Gatekeeper, Tenshouin!”

“So what, you’re doing some sort of experiment thing with my kids?”

“I dunno what’s going on here, but if you touch a single hair on their heads, I’m not gonna let you off with just a warning!”

How can you be so angry when you don’t even know what’s going on? I’m honestly impressed.

You truly are an animal who lives only on instinct. That’s why this experiment is so meaningful for you all.

“What’re you talking about…? I think about this whenever you try to explain something, but you really have no idea how to talk in any comprehensible way.”

There’s no need for you to comprehend. In fact, you don’t have to think about anything at all. You’ll only get tired if you use your head so much.

You are like livestock that only thrived because you’re kept by humans—Don’t think about anything, accept what you’ve been given, and you’ll be happy.

No. I, personally, will build a utopia just for you.

“…? What the hell are you talking about? And for the record, no one’s asking you to do anything like that!”

“We’re happy enough right now! Where do you get off? Barging in and deciding on your own that we’re pathetic and unhappy—And then you say you’ll make us happy?!”

Ahh… That stings; how nice. You always respond exactly the way that I want you to.

In that sense, you might truly be a superb idol, Nito-kun. It would be a shame for you to remain as an ordinary college student.

It’s all thanks to you that we were able to defeat Valkyrie in the War two years ago. I’m truly, sincerely grateful for that.

“…?”

Love makes us weak, foolish. Because the thing he so dearly wanted to protect was right before his eyes, Itsuki-kun marched right up to the guillotine all on his own.

There’s no point in talking about hypotheticals, but had he been working as an individual, like the others in the Five Oddballs—

He would have been able to withstand any attack, use it to fuel his art, and then come back even stronger than before.

Even if we had defeated him, he would have reincarnated before the subjugation of the Five Oddballs was complete.

But of course, that would have been quite the problem. And so I denied him everything and insulted him, right before the one he loved.

He is a proud man; he can endure defeat, but not so much humiliation.

Thus, Itsuki-kun died, crushed under the weight of his own conceit.

“No, he’s still alive and kicking. Don’t just go killing people off.”

It seems you don’t understand metaphors, Nito-kun. In that way, too, you are like an animal.

That’s exactly why I wanted you to participate in this experiment, if it were at all possible.

The leadership may have changed, but you are still the emotional pillar of Ra*bits. When you’re around, those children in Ra*bits have noise interfering with their reactions.

You are their big brother, their role model—the idol they look up to. Whenever you’re there, they’re influenced by your vision of idols.

I’d like for them to experience SANCTUARY in a natural, relaxed way, without any textbooks or guidelines to follow. That is the meaning behind this experiment.

“…Is that why you isolated Anzu from the other idols?”

How frightening. It sounds like a conclusion based entirely around intuition with no thought put into it—And yet you’re right on the mark.

That’s why I have such a tough time with pure, innocent children like you all.

But at the same time, I need you to retain that innocence, that innocence which I cannot even wish for anymore.

“I already said I have no idea what you’re talking about!

And I already said I won’t explain myself. I don’t even want to talk to you… Please put me on the line with Gatekeeper.

We’ve had a bit of trouble spring up due to an oversight on our part.

But I want to let him know that I plan to take care of it on my own, and I don’t want anyone else interfering with it.

“Trouble? A–are my kids okay?!”

That’s exactly why I’m trying to get in touch with Gatekeeper—to confirm that. There are some things that don’t quite add up, and I’d like to probe him for his response.

“Things aren’t adding up…?”

Right. First off, I’d like to know what order he gave to Wataru.

And I’d also like to tell him that I won’t let it slide if he’s the reason why Wataru has been acting so strange.