Chapter 6

Yeah, uh… That’s all well and good, but what exactly are we supposed to be doing?

Things have calmed down a bit, but the conflict is still going on in this region. Is there even a safe zone we can escape to?

And if something like that exists, why didn’t we run away before?

Ngh~ Well first of all, we needed enough SSL$ to be confident that we’d be able to escape with a win.

And I live by the conviction that as long as I’m me, I want to avoid doing that as much as possible.

What? Are you going to ask your brother to protect us, Ritsu-chan?

Who said anything about Anija?

Yes, it would be difficult for us to rely on the other units we’re acquainted with, UNDEAD included.

Everyone else is similarly bound by the travel ban, therefore making it nigh-impossible for us to work together.

In any case, I hadn’t even consulted this with everyone until this morning, believing that you all would no doubt dislike it.

Yeah, don’t spring stuff on us so suddenly, Suu~chan. You’re always like that.

My apologies.

Well, it is good that you came to us in the end, right?

You are Knights’s strategist and advisor, Ritsu-senpai; of course I would consult you. Everyone’s cooperation is essential for this operation.

Umm, what does that mean? What do you want us to do?

—We will rent a theater within the Kansai region.

And we will stay in that theater, performing solo lives without pause, until the end of the Qualifying Rounds.

Uh? Huh? Like, until the very end? There’s still over a week left, and you want us to perform the whole time?

I do. We will perform without interruption, without stopping to eat or drink for even a moment.

We will sing and dance without rest or sleep.

Wouldn’t that just kill us?

We’ll just have to make the effort to stay alive, then. And our efforts will surely be rewarded.

In any case, by constantly performing lives in this way, we can eliminate all possibility of other units contacting us.

We will not take breaks, as there is a possibility that other units may contact us during them. We will eliminate entirely any chance of contact with others.

If we are on stage the entire time, we have an alibi—Even if we receive a letter of challenge through our phones, for example, we can say that we never noticed it.

Those who are sensible will merely think that we are busy and pull back from their challenge.

And if they actually manage to challenge us, we can turn them down because we’re busy with other work at the moment. Well I mean, it’s not like we could accept anyway, thanks to the secret order.

That’s right. The one thing I’m afraid of is someone bursting onto the stage—

But we’ll control the flow of people in and out of the theater we rent in order to prevent those kinds of people from getting in.

Precisely. And besides, we’re “in the middle of a job” so long as we’re performing.

And while interfering with the work of other idols is not forbidden, it will give off a poor impression to both ES and the Administration.

ES is slowly becoming the idol industry itself, and so no one would be so foolish as to advance upon their champion Knights without risking ES attention turning toward them.

Should they wish to continue being an idol into the future, should they consider their future at all, they would not make such a choice.

…Of course, if this were Trickstar, they would charge into the scene without so much as a thought.

But fortunately, no such nonsensical idols have turned up in the Kansai region.

They really are such a nuisance, aren’t they? You can’t reason with them at all. I mean, I’m sure they have their own logic, but.

…Perhaps it is that only those types of extreme people are able to conquer SS and stand at the top of the industry.

But we are their longtime enemies, their antithesis. And so—let us win with our own methods, our own style.

Honestly, it’s not like we don’t have a chance. If we rent out a theater and manage the audience strictly, we should be able to keep the gathering to just our fans.

Even if some unit makes a reckless assault on us, we won’t lose in that kind of environment.

The results of the live showdowns are decided by votes, just like the DreamFest system at Yumenosaki.

And if the audience is full of our fans, they’ll vote for us. That much is obvious, so none of the other units would even try challenging us.

It’s an overwhelming disadvantage. It’s not even a showdown at that point—not even a gamble. No one would challenge us just to lose.

I see… I didn’t expect you to have thought so hard about this. And that’s how you brainiacs came to the conclusion that this was the only way to do this.

If that’s the case, then it’s fine. I’ll go along with this. I’m not interested in playing war games with the boys, so I’d rather not have to put so much thought into this.

Exactly—You should do what only you can do, Narukami-senpai.

I’ve said this countless times already, but we still have a fighting chance! We must only perform in one continuous live with neither food nor drink for another week, and then we shall be crowned victorious!

Wooo~ My bed and I are a match made in heaven, so this will definitely be the worst hell I’ve ever had to endure~ ♪

My skin’s totally gonna get all dry, too… I know it’s impossible for things to be normal, but isn’t this a little too absurd?

Everyone at ES is pretty much a genius, so why are they all total idiots sometimes?

Well, they do say that there’s a fine line between an idiot and a genius. It feels like we’re leaving all reason in the dust, though; are we really going to be okay? Is this really the right answer?