Chapter 9

Sigh… Lemme take a quick break~… ♪

Ahaha—Gotta rest your weary bones, Hakaze-senpai~? ♪ You’re like an old man~ ♪

Huh? I should ask you why you’re so full of energy, Hinata-kun. I first noticed it back in school, but you’re really childlike~

Well, I guess it just makes you cuter.

Ahaha, with our looks, it’s better for us to act like a couple of innocent kids than grown-ups. It’s our marketing strategy~ ♪

Did Anzu-chan give you that kind of advice?

Nah, we want to pave our own way… But Anzu-san does seem to like our childish side.

Wait, really? Well why didn’t you tell me! Next time we see each other, should I try sucking my thumb and saying like, Kaoru-kun want baba?!

Yyyyeah no, that’s definitely a turn-off. At worst, you’d probably get the police called on you. Or a shrink.

Then what am I supposed to do? My manly charms don’t work on her at all! So there’s no choice but to go the opposite direction and turn into a baby, right?!

Ahaha, this guy turns into a total moron whenever it comes to Anzu-san, huh?

…But you really do look exhausted, Senpai. We might actually need to take a break.

You’re probably right. I have my surfboard here with me, so we can rest in its shade. If we keep hanging out under the direct sun, we could actually die out here.

Yeah… I’ve been wondering about this for a while now, but what’s up with that surfboard even? Did you buy it somewhere?

Nah, the idol who stole my Coins left it behind.

Maybe he felt bad just leaving me to die, or maybe it was an impulse buy that ended up getting in his way—

But if I were anyone else, getting a surfboard would’ve been more of a burden than anything.

Ahaha, not that it really matters right now, but you look like a picture-perfect surfer dude, Hakaze-senpai ♪

Gnarly. I never thought I’d be able to make use of my surfing skills in a place like this, but it’s way useful for gliding down sand dunes.

But it’s also tricked out in really unconventional ways, too. Look, if you press this button you can ride the sand like a jet ski.

But I don’t think you should go testing it out, Hinata-kun. You’re not used to it yet, so you might fall and get hurt

Well, you do seem to have a great sense of balance, so I’m sure you’d be fine with a little practice.

Fufu—We’re the 2wink performers, after all… ☆¹

But that’s just the title of your song, right?

Yup! But I’m glad I can do things with you again, Hakaze-senpai~

Just being able to have a nice conversation like this makes me feel so much better. If I’d had to wander the desert all alone, I totally would have lost my mind halfway through.

But I can keep my cool like this, so I can actually calm down and take a good look around me… And I can see there’s some safe zones here and there.

Yep. There are signs that say “Oasis” where we can rest and get more supplies. We’re able to eat and sleep in a safe, comfortable environment.

But you do need to use Desert Coins for all that, so we’ll have to be smart with our money and not make heavy use of it.

I feel like other idols, especially the popular, strong ones with silver spoons in their mouths are spending all their time there. Honestly, why would they even bother leaving the Oasis?

I’m sure there’s lots of idols just like that. No one would take a nice stroll through the desert if they didn’t have to.

Aha! Then that’s our ticket to victory, Mister Hakaze!

While all those other idols are blowing all their Desert Coins in the Oasis, we’ll keep our distance and save up!

Then if we keep winning battles, we’ll keep raking in the dough, and then? Oh, how the turns have tabled. We’ll have SDS in the bag!

You got it. Well, we should use the Oasis every now and again though, since it’d all be for nothing if we got heatstroke or something while trying to save money.

But even then, we can still reduce our own spending more than the other idols. And I think that’ll really show in the results.

Sorry though. Since you gave me half of your Desert Coins, we’re both starting off with a serious handicap, huh?

Even though I only asked you to lend me a few.

Nah, it’d be way too rough if you only had a few~ And besides, I’d feel kinda crappy if we didn’t split it evenly.

Hmmm, because you’re twins? You guys always split everything halfway, right?

Yup. It’s been our habit ever since we were kids~ Kiiiinda embarrassing ♪

I don’t think that’s embarrassing at all.

But now we’ve got fifty Desert Coins each, and we have to compete against everyone else—who are all starting off with a hundred.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other, huh. Just a single Desert Coin is worth a lot, so it’s gonna be tough having that halved from the beginning.

We’re out here playing on hard mode~

But! It’s that same adversity that gets me fired up! I am a boy, after all! We’re gonna value our Desert Coins and use them way more efficiently than any of those other idols—

Those big names who can fill up a stadium with a solo live most likely can’t remember the face of each and every one of their fans.

But we can. We’ll remember every single one of them, and we’ll cherish them.

Wait, are you talking about idols now?

Yup! We may be in some insane situation that has nothing whatsoever to do with being an idol, but we’re still in the middle of a big event that’s meant to figure out who the strongest idol is, right?! Don’t forget about that!

If we’re not idols, then what are we? Aimless creatures who don’t even know who we are, ourselves—That’s what we’d be reduced to.

……