Chapter 2

Of course, I do have a few of my own hypotheses and countermeasures in place regarding the various problems that encircle your father.

I’d like to ask you just one question, to either reinforce or dispose of them.

That’s fine, but you’re seriously beating around the bush here, Eichi-senpai. You’re always doing that though! Ahaha ☆

I’m trying to be considerate of your feelings.

People often see me as some contemptible demon, but I’m not actually so twisted as to take pleasure in picking at someone’s open wounds.

Especially in your case, Subaru-kun. I would never want anything to happen that might dim your sparkling existence, even in the slightest.

I getcha~ I was reminded of that when I got to talking with everyone back in Hokkaido.

We’ve been pretty spoiled this whole time, haven’t we?

Not at all. You’ve been respected, rather, by all of the people who love you.

It’s not that you’ve been reaping unfair gains; it’s all just the product of your hard work and brilliance.

Aren’t we getting off topic here? What was that question you wanted to ask?

Fufu, I take it you’re not very good at being praised so directly? Perhaps you’re just not used to it because you didn’t have much exposure to it as a child.

Can you like, not psychoanalyze me~?

Sorry, it’s a bad habit of mine. I’m just very interested in you, Subaru-kun.

Anyway, my question is: When and where did you learn this information about your father?

Or rather, what I mean to ask is—Who did you hear it from? That’s what I’m really trying to know.

Was it Gatekeeper? Or was it our star of hope, Anzu-chan, who was spotted for but a moment in Hokkaido?

Don’t act like she’s some cryptid…

Oh, but I did wanna ask you some stuff about Anzu too, so how about we talk about that later?

I don’t mind. There is a lot I can say on that topic.

But actually… It might still be too early to reveal all of that.

At the very least, it would be dangerous—or rather, a complete waste of time if we don’t figure out what Gatekeeper is planning.

And Gatekeeper’s that one scary-looking guy?

Precisely, that scary-looking guy. He doesn’t care about idols in the slightest, much less love them. And yet, he holds so much power that he can sway the entire industry.

That’s exactly why he’s so dangerous, just like a natural disaster or a plague. For those of us who are submerged up to the neck in the idol industry, it’s difficult to get involved with him.

Perhaps he should be considered the all-important supporting role, the trickster, in this series of stories that make up SS.

Huh~? But I thought we were the tricksters!

You are the former champions of SS. If I were to call you that, I’d be underplaying the significance of your role. Your greatest oversight was mistaking your roles this time around.

But of course the Anzu card was pulled, so there was no helping it.

You should have defeated all of the idols in Hokkaido—including ALKALOID. You should have triumphed as an overwhelmingly strong unit.

And you should have continued onto the SS Finals as a massive wall to climb over, exuding the aura of former champions.

Then, in order to defeat you, we would have had to work much harder to grow even stronger, as challengers to your throne.

So you wanted us to be like how fine was during the first DDD?

Exactly. During BIGBANG, there was too much hesitation; everyone failed to act.

And so the giant stage at SS would have been the ideal place to become that wall.

Or rather, the story that began with BIGBANG—the story that began with you—ought to have been continued with this.

You are the kind of people who make authors cry—You act in ways that nobody can predict. It’s exactly why you’re so interesting, and it’s what gives you allure and a unique brilliance.

But I suppose it’s too late to say all that.

Uhh y’know, this party isn’t over yet, so how ‘bout you hold off on your review ‘til after SS is behind us?

And I didn’t really wanna go off on a whole tangent while we were talking, but the guy who told me about my father wasn’t Anzu or Gatekeeper.

It was the guy who just showed up outta nowhere while we were traveling across the country—

—The biggest threat to us in last year’s SS: the leader of Eden, Ran Nagisa-senpai.