Chapter 2

To put it bluntly, it feels like the Administration just wants everyone except for the famous, powerful units who bring in a huge crowd to get the hell out of the way as soon as possible.

Almost like they’re trying to get rid of the riffraff to make room on the stage and the TV for the hens that lay their precious golden eggs.

That’s so mean… Isn’t that way discriminatory? So they're just telling everyone else to get lost?

I’m sure they never said it outright, but I’m just as sure it’s exactly what the Administration is going for.

All of us idols participating in SS are playing a gamble, winning and losing with the SSL$ they doled out.

And then the Administration shows all that on TV and rakes in the dough from our fans. They’re turning a massive profit.

You can say “oh, let’s all play nice now,” but when money’s involved, all bets are off. There’s no room for ideals or lip service. It’s a hard-knock life.

Urgh… Adults are always like this. So that’s it? They’d dump me just to make a quick buck?

I mean, most likely, yeah. Nice people like Anzu-chan are more the exception; employers basically never make the happiness of us worker bees a priority.

Most of the time, everyone just puts their personal earnings before everything else.

That’s capitalism for you. It’s all there is for us working adults.

I wish you’d never told me the truth…

Under normal circumstances, at least your family would put your happiness above all else, but guys like us are totally screwed—It’s the worst.

I wonder about that. I used to think the same way, but it might not be as hard as you’d think to reconnect with them.

I’m actually getting along with my dad and brother pretty well nowadays.

I’m with you, but Yuuta-kun’s a little, y’know…?

I can’t be the only one to make up with our dad and get over it, and that’s where I’m saying I’m screwed.

Hmm… I think you’d be better off setting your sights on things other than Yuuta-kun.

I’m sure there are people outside of our families who will love us and make us a priority in their lives.

I dunno. After all, I’d been searching for someone just like that, but in the end I couldn’t find them and ended up at a loss. Well, now I’ve got the guys in UNDEAD, though.

I know how it feels, wanting to be loved by someone but not being able to find that peson.

……

Well, anyway.

Looks like the Administration wants everyone except their golden geese to hit the road, but they can’t just come out and say it.

If they actually said that, they’d get canceled for sure. Gotta keep your cards close to your chest and all.

Yep. So that’s why I’m thinking the Administration’s holding this event to kill off all us small-time idols.

That way they can use the natural flow of things to get all those idols that don’t sell and those unskilled idols out of their way.

And now we’ve gotten caught up in it. It’s pretty poor taste. The only idols that’ll survive this death game are the ones the Administration wants to survive.

……

And I’m pretty sure I’ve been pretty much eliminated already. Too bad.

Huh, what do you mean…?

Why do you think I know so much about what’s going on?

When I got beat black and blue by that one idol I met back then, they explained it all to me like it some pleasant memory to take with me to the great beyond.

They were so full of themself. Pissed me off. Why does everyone like to lay into everyone else and fawn over themselves so much?

It’s probably not that they like it—It’s just a habit of species that live in groups, right?

True, true. Well at any rate, that’s how it is—I’m finished. I could keep trying now that I know what’s going on, but I’m probably stuck inside a pit I can’t climb out of.

I guess that’s why that idol who gave me the what-for was so careless and told me all those things.

I doubt I can make some big comeback now. There’s nothing I can do, even though I know all the rules now.

But. That’s why it’s pretty lucky I was able to find you here, Hinata-kun.

If I can get you in the know and have you come up with some countermeasures, there’s less of a chance of you ending up defeated like me.

I appreciate that and all, but… Why are you being so nice to me when you’re in such a bad place yourself, Hakaze-senpai?

It’s kinda annoying to be pitied like this.

That’s not what I’m trying to do. We’ve spent a lot of time together and we’re pretty good friends now—I just don’t wanna see you get hurt like I did.

I don’t have a big heart like Rei-kun or Adonis-kun do. If people in some far-off country are suffering from war or famine, I’ll just look away and pretend I didn’t see anything.

But at least, I don’t wanna stand around and not do anything while someone I know gets wrapped up in a tragedy. Not again.

……