Chapter 5

Aight—

We went back over how important SS is, so let’s get back to practice now.

I’ll do anything I gotta in order to win—in order to make the music I want. Who gives a shit if I gotta act like a bunny or whatever?

Ooh, are you getting fired up? Then c’mon, get hoppin’~ ♪

Yeah… And in exchange, you’re definitely gonna copy a unit that you don’t wanna copy at all after this.

A unit I don’t wanna copy? Hmmm, how about Crazy:B?

Fine, go for it. You’re only gonna be able to build on your art style if you take elements from things that are the furthest thing from whatcha already got.

That’s what we’re doin’ by imitatin’ Ra*bits, and I guess it’s what Adonis wants to do too.

It’s tough, but ya gotta go all out. Don’t just push all the work on us—And Sakuma-senpai’s prolly sayin’ the same thing, too.

Huh? He hasn’t said anything though. How can you possibly know?

He don’t gotta say anything—I feel it in my soul! Now stop screwin’ around n’ put some effort into this lesson!

If you got time to look for shortcuts, you got time to throw your back into it! It’s way quicker that way!

Wow, talk about hot-blooded. It really shows sometimes, Oogami-senpai.

Shaddup! I had no choice but to live with that kinda worldview growin’ up!

♪ ~ ♪ ~ ♪

Fufu. That was all so interesting I couldn’t help but listen in. But now, I’ll get to the main point.

All right. We can talk while Oogami is distracting Yuuta for us.

Kukuku. Koga always does exactly what we want him to do most, seemingly without a single thought. I’m not quite sure if he’s a natural airhead or an utter genius.

In any case, our present situation is rather bleak.

We are demons who reside in the dead of night, and yet our bodies must breathe in the light to preserve our health. As a whale lives in the sea, we too must surface to take in the air.

Sakuma-senpai. This isn’t like a verbal conversation; it’s very difficult for me to understand your roundabout manner of communication when you are using sign language. And your hands will surely get tired, too.

I imagine so. And body language such as sign is, by nature, designed to be universally understood.

The longer we prolong this, the more likely it is that someone will take notice and decipher our conversation.

Yes. Although I did find out much later that not everyone can understand sign language in general. It might be an overstatement to call it a universal language.

Kukuku. And yet, under the pretense that it is, we have performed countless lives via sign language.

But of course, it very well may be that not everyone can understand it.

Your idea to bring music to the Deaf was never a wayward one.

And so I sympathized with your ideals and made no move to stop you. I admire your efforts. As Koga said, everything you do is correct—Adonis-kun.

Thank you. Spoken language—a voice—is not the only method through which people can connect. I’m sure that’s the message my mother, who taught me to sign, wanted to convey to me.

Now that I think about it, though, I don’t think she was talking about sign, but rather body language.

Hmm? I am certain that what your mother wished to convey to you was, in fact, done so as she intended.

And besides, you can still correct the mistakes you make. I, too, make mistakes quite often. Unless you are an almighty god, there will without doubt be times when you fail.

Which is why, no matter how indestructible a plan appears, there are always loopholes to be found.

What do you mean?

I mean that, at present, we have found ourselves in a harrowing situation. Our unitmate has been separated from us; our movements have been restricted; our freedoms have been robbed of us. Were this a game of shogi or chess, you could even say this is checkmate.

Do you understand why we’re all in this situation?

I don’t; it’s very troubling.

I imagine so. There is nothing even I can do but speculate, for I am in the same place as you.

I am unable to involve myself; however, that has allowed me to collect various intel and put careful consideration into what I’ve found.

I believe I attained a general grasp of our state of affairs.

That’s amazing. Of course you would be able to gather evidence and deduce the truth just like a great detective, Sakuma-senpai.

I am the kind of being who ought to be defeated by such heroes, aren’t I?

Fufu. After all this time, I don’t think there is anyone who thinks of you as an “evil monster” anymore.

That’s not quite true. I should be grateful that you would say that, but you believe too much in the goodness of others, Adonis-kun. However, I would not call it a bad habit of yours.

Just by getting in the way of someone else’s goal can you be considered worthy of their hate and malice. That’s why pest, pain, plague—Humanity’s own demons are called upon to personify mere nuisance.¹

And it seems that we have become such nuisances this time.

So what do you mean…? Please talk to me in a way I can understand, Sakuma-senpai.