Chapter 7

(Hm.)

(We had a lot of fun on our ride here.)

(When we found out a unit we were close to—2wink—was assigned to Chuugoku region alongside us, we decided to enjoy a bus ride together.)

(And so we went, talking amongst ourselves without a care and enjoying the scenery.)

We even sang karaoke on the bus, since it was set up for it, and played party games, which Hakaze-senpai particularly enjoys—)

(Spirits were high as we headed toward our destination, as if we were on a field trip together.)

(Oogami did complain quite a bit, but he seemed to be enjoying himself as well.)

(He’s always aiming for greater heights, so I’m sure he was really looking forward to SS.)

(No, to show the world UNDEAD’s strength.)

(Thinking about it now, we hadn’t been meshing well with each other for a while in the spring; things were a bit awkward between us.)

(But we overcame our difficulties in the summer, and then showcased our capabilities as a rock band at Nightless City Live—)¹

(We were going to flourish as a new incarnation of UNDEAD, drawing new fans to us with the help of our senpais, and all the while satisfying our current fanbase.)

(We’ve always been slow to start, but we were planning to make a brilliant comeback as a somewhat unique kind of champion unit.)

(Oogami has always been pushing for this, and I’d started to believe it, as well.)

(But you can see what came of that.)

(The bus ride was long, so we stopped midway through at a hotel ES booked for us.)

(We went to sleep with our guards down, and when we woke up—We were in this unknown location.)

(Of course we would be confused. Then someone who claimed to be from the SS Administration Committee gave us a general explanation of what was happening.)

(But it’s still unclear why we’ve been trapped in this place. They just kept insisting that everything was fine, and that there was nothing to worry about.)

(But it seems that, for some reason, only Hakaze-senpai and Hinata have been separated from us and taken to a different place.)

(Like they’ve become hostages—So we can’t even be defiant.)

(If we do anything too excessive, they might be harmed. And since we can’t rule out that possibility, we must tread carefully.)

(I am still weak. But I have no choice but to endure this situation.)

—I’ve got a proposal for you.

? What’s with that all of a sudden, Yuuta? You figure out a way to turn this ridiculous situation around?

You’re a good little brat after all, ain’tcha? Way smarter and more level-headed than Hinata at least ♪

…I mean, that’s my character trait, after all.

Anyway, while Oogami-senpai was throwing a tantrum, I was looking up some things on my phone.

I don’t know how they made it happen, but it looks like functionality has been heavily restricted.

Oh yeah, for some dumbass reason I can’t make any calls or contact anyone from the outside world through HoldHands. Doesn’t look like I can connect to the internet, either.

I have a signal, but I can only go to certain sites.

But It’s probably impossible to try asking anyone for help through the typical social media platforms.

Look here, though. You can upload a video through this page.

A video?

Lemme see—Oh, deadass? What’s this “OasisTube” thing?

Yep. Looks like you can upload videos with it.

And I guess whoever runs OasisTube will review it. If they give it the okay, it’ll be posted online.

Haah? Review it? The hell, can’t you just upload it directly?

The SS Administration Committee manages OasisTube. See? They made a little note of it here.

So I bet the Administration doesn’t want us using their platform to send out an SOS.

Hmph. If they’re so scared of that, then why let us upload videos in the first place? What’s even the point? None of this makes any damn sense!

The goals of the SS Administration Committee aren’t very clear at all. As far as I can tell from the terms and conditions, it looks like you can upload things like music videos, or even just funny videos.

You wanna try posting something?

Haah? This ain’t the time for that! We gotta figure a way outta this place!

…… (whispers something to Yuuta)

? Hmm, hmm…?

All right, here’s some wise words from Sakuma-senpai: “You imbecile. Those who are drowning must resort to desperate measures; we should use this OasisTube to uncover a means of escape.”

“It’s said that you must use your tools and your fools responsibly—But you are the fool if you don’t even make an attempt to use what’s in front of you.” …Aaand that’s it.

Argh! Why won’t you just tell us that directly, Sakuma-senpai?!

C’mon, just have an actual conversation with us. Don’t use Yuuta as your damn mouthpiece! You’re pissin’ me off!