Chapter 1
A few days later, in Tenshouin Eichi’s dorm in Starmony Hall
‘Scuuuse me~ ♪
…Oh. I was wondering who it could be, but it’s you, Subaru-kun. Welcome ♪
Apologies, but I was just about finished cleaning up the room. If you don’t have any urgent business with me, I’ll have to ask you to wait a moment.
Fufu, this is actually the formal attire we’ll be using during the SS Finals. I was asked to try it on to see how it fits, so I’ve had it on for a short while.
Ooh, killing two birds with one stone I see!
Wait, so you’re cleaning for the new year, Senpai? It’s the end of the year, right?
Yes, I’ve occasionally wondered whether I might enjoy participating in the annual tradition. But I don’t really understand how to go about it, since I’ve always left it to my servants at home.
Really? Then lemme teach you! I’ll give you a helping hand ☆
I’ve always helped my mom out around the house, so I’m pretty good at cleaning and cooking and stuff, if I do say so myself.
I know. Every time I come to visit your house, I’m always surprised how clean it is.
Ahaha~ I didn’t have any hobbies or anything as a kid. It’s not like I had anything better to do, so I just stayed inside and did chores all day. It’s how I got to be so good at it.
I know what you mean. When I was in the hospital, all I could do with my spare time was read, and so I eventually got so fast that I could read even the thickest books in under an hour.
…Cough, cough.
Wh—Hey, you okay? Air, we need air!
Yes. But now I see; dust flies up when you clean. A little coughing fit like that is inevitable. …It’s somewhat laughable that I didn’t even know that.
……
……
…Well, it’s a pity, but I’m no omniscient god. I do prefer to keep up a good façade in front of you, but I can’t answer all of your questions.
Just like I told you when you came to see us in SANCTUARY, I don’t know anything about your father.
I swear on my pride as an idol, I’m not lying about this.
Right… Yeah, of course. It’s not like you can know everything ever, after all.
Though I am ashamed to admit that. However, the idol industry used the full force of its power to shroud what happened to your father in darkness and pretend it never happened.
By the time I was released from the hospital and able to act freely to a certain extent, it was too late.
Everything had already been destroyed, buried under thick, hefty layers of earth.
I did try to dig up all that I could about you back during the days of the first DDD. It feels so long ago now.
Yeah… how nostalgic. So huh, that’s why you were trying to use Hokke~Papa and Mama to keep Hokke away from us.
You used to be such a douchebag back then, huh.
Oh? Has your opinion of me turned around since then?
In any case, at the time I had thought I could use a similar tactic to manipulate you, too, since your father was as great as Hokuto’s.
So I tried to look into it.
But your father was entirely untouchable. So much so that even the greatest idiot could see that they’d be brought to ruin if they made a single misstep.
It seems that it could go so far as to incur the wrath of the so-called Godfather, the one calling the shots in the worlds of business, politics, and others still.
Even with my standing, I was hesitant to touch it.
This might sound like I’m just making excuses, but I’ve always walked a tightrope in my life… And so I’ve tried to let sleeping dogs lie when I can.
Are you really no match for that Godfather person even as a kid born into an ultra-powerful conglomerate, Eichi-senpai?
Mm… It’s hard to say who has more power between the Tenshouin Conglomerate and Godfather’s forces.
I’m not sure if this is the best example, but it’s similar to debating whether an earthquake or a flood poses more danger.
It’s dangerous no matter which one you face—Subaru-kun.
And both of them are calamities beyond human comprehension.
They influence each other, an entanglement of cause and effect, yet they continue to exist as pervasive threats against which mankind can never stand a chance.
This isn’t a tokusatsu show for children, where monsters wrestle with each other to determine a winner. No, it’s much more complex, much more nuanced than that.
……