Chapter 7
A few minutes later
Pheeew… I–I’m exhausted.
You reap what you sow, Suu~chan. I told you to leave the talking to me, but you just kept butting in.
You kept rising to their bait and said all sorts of stuff you didn’t have to.
Ungh. However, I feel that you’ve been strangely tense, Ritsu-senpai. Especially recently…
I noticed some aggression in your behaviors, so I thought that it would be best to follow your lead even if it was uncalled-for.
Mm… Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I don’t like other people taking things once they’re mine.
It surprises even me how stubborn I am when it comes to protecting my honor, my things, and my place.
It’s not that I don’t understand your feelings, but Knights isn’t something that only belongs to you, Ritsu-senpai.
I get it, I get it~… But the fact of the matter is that you’re still coming into your own, Suu~chan. And Nacchan is smart, but she lets her emotions influence her. And Secchan and Tsukipi~ aren’t here right now—
So I’m the one that should be stepping up and taking care of negotiations. I’m our strategist, after all.
You like that, don’t you? Being our strategist~
Yes, you really are the right person for the job.
I’m aware that I used to be a bit better at feeling others out like that, but I feel as though I’ve been getting worse at it over time.
Well, the people around us are all pros (?) at it. Back in Yumenosaki, I didn’t think I could ever lose an argument to anyone but Anija.
I was surrounded by so many idiots that even cute, dumb Maa~kun looked like a genius compared to everyone else in the world.
Ufufu. There really are a lot of clever people around us, both at Yumenosaki and at ES.
Knowledge is power, y’know. The entertainment industry isn’t so cushy that anyone can make it just by getting swept along without using their heads.
You have to be smart to survive—And that’s why only the smart survive ♪
The only ones who can succeed without putting any thought into things are those with exceptional talent, like Leo-kun.
Isn’t that kinda a roundabout way of calling Tsukipi~ stupid?
Whoops, slip of the tongue ♪
Is someone talking smack about meeeeee?!
Well that’s all fine and dandy! C’mon, lay it on me! You use insults to hurt people!
So you pick the words that’ll hurt the most when you say them!
So so! If you analyze an insult reeeeal carefully, you can understand the person who used it!
So so so! I like insults! But it’s pretty irritating when someone badmouths me or someone I love! Wahahahaha ☆
Shhh, shhhh~! Keep it down! What on earth possessed you to pop out and start chattering away?!
Please don’t make so much noise! We don’t want anyone to know where we are right now!
Huh~? Then why’re you guys all sipping tea downtown?
Ngh. We did think about staying in the ryokan, but the last thing we wanted was to encounter another idol.
All the ES idols hang out at the ryokan… It’s better to go into town prepared for a run-in with one of them than it is to stay there. Right?
Oh, I see! I don’t really get it, but I got it! If you’re fine with that, then I trust you guys! C’mon out, Sena ♪
Forget about that. I just passed by HiMERU on the way here—
Oh~ HiMERU? That was him? He looked so out of place walking down the dog-eat-dog streets of Osaka! You too, Sena!
Excuse me? If I look “out of place,” that’s not my fault—Obviously it’s everyone else around me!
But what’s more, that HiMERU guy didn’t even say hello when he saw me. Who does he think he is?
He definitely noticed me, so he was ignoring me on purpose, wasn’t he? Even though we’ve been working together a lot lately?
Didn’t anyone ever teach him manners? Sooo~ annoying!
He can’t help it, you know. The more people get to know you, the more they start thinking they want nothing to do with you.
What do you mean by that?!
Exactly what I said.
…Anyway, are you guys okay? We just finished our meeting with Crazy:B without a hitch, but what about you?
Urrgh~ It’s a bit tricky.
Yep… It looks like we can’t change our schedule after all. But there’s nothing we can do about it; it’s the biggest festival in Europe.1