Chapter 2

(Mm… Oshi-san is as annoying as ever today. I guess it’s fine, though.)

(Honestly, it was a big help that he got worried about me and took us here.)

(Today was rough, recording for that end-of-the-year TV program… We’ve been there since morning.)

(It’s not like it’s rare for Valkyrie to get on TV, but this is the first time we’ve done a full-day shoot.)

(We sang and danced from dawn ‘til dusk, and now my whole body’s screaming and my throat’s killing me.)

(Oshi-san usually rejects these kinds of offers, since he’s worried that I can’t handle it…)

(But our expectations are pretty low for everyone performing in the huge end-of-the-year event, SS.)

(They’re all a bunch of talentless hacks, only competing because they’ve got connections, and they pour donations into the event.)

(A bunch of insignificant idol wannabes who just wanna have fun with it.)

(They’ll be eliminated soon enough, though. The whole country is gonna see them mercilessly defeated from the comfort of their living rooms…)

(And thanks to that, Yumenosaki Academy’s brand power will plummet again, and we’ll have to look elsewhere to raise our value.)

(People look at us through the lens of their own bias.)

(Just being affiliated with Yumenosaki means people will completely overlook our worth. God, I hate that.)

(Oshi-san gives it his all every single day to refine his craft and create the greatest works of art he possibly can.)

(Isn’t it shitty that no one even recognizes that?)

? Is something bothering you, Nito? You’re staring at me… It’s quite counterintuitive for you, the very incarnation of beauty, would be admiring me instead, non?

……

Oh, would you like to order? I’ll call the server over.

You, come here. We’ll have this, and this, and this. And make it quick; my cute little Nito is utterly famished.

Hm? No, Nito is neither my lover nor my child… What a laughable mistake. You see, he and I are of one flesh.

Right, Nito? ♪

……

Look, he’s nodding! Truly adorable, don’t you think?

…Quit bugging the server. Seriously, you’re so embarrassing.

Does it bother you? I hold the world’s greatest treasure in my hands, so I’ll ask that you not mind a little braggadocio and encomium now and again!

C’est la vie en rose—and all the world is glittering… ♪

…Oh, thank you. I didn’t expect our order to be ready so quickly. The workers here must be highly trained.

…I can eat it myself.

Don’t be like that. Let me serve you, my dearest.

Fufu, you always get so angry when I care too much for you. I’ll eat my own food too, then.

Munch munch… If I could grant one wish, it would be that you’d allow me to feed you ♪

You know we’re both guys, right? What are you even saying? Do you think I’m your girlfriend or something?

Non! How could you say such a vulgar thing? As long as I have you, I am complete; in any case, I’m far too busy pursuing my art right now!

Actually, I have been very busy lately… I rarely have enough time in the day, and I certainly have none to devote to anything else—no heart, either.

…I wish I could help you out with your sewing and stuff.

I’m happy you feel that way. However, you are a fundamentally clumsy person.

If only you could bless the garments I weave with your touch, I would be delighted.

But it would ultimately lower the quality of Valkyrie’s art, which is an undesirable outcome. I’m sure you understand, Nito.

Yeah, I do. …Well, maybe there will be some students next year with a good sense for sewing.

I wish we had someone else with us~ It’s always just us two.

Fufu. As for me, the perfect world is one where we are the only two people in it.

You may already know this, and I am fully aware of it myself, but I’m a furiously particular person.

It would be quite difficult to come across another person who I would feel is suitable to join Valkyrie.

…At this rate, though, I’m scared, it’s gonna get to be too much, and someday everything will collapse around us.

That “someday” will never come, sweet Nito. No, it is inadvisable to waste your time worrying about the future.

Believe in me—this, here, is our paradise. And paradise is liberated from pain and sorrow.

……

…One moment, Nito. What in the world is it that you’re eating?

? Just some fruit.

I don’t need to be told that; this café’s menu offers an abundance of fresh fruit, right?

I thought it would be better than fast food, what with all the additives they put into it.

I chose this place to tide us over until we returned home.

The issue at hand, rather, is that specific fruit!

Wh–what is that thing? Oh, is it grotesque. It looks like some sort of internal organ, with how dark red it is! And if that isn’t bad enough, the flesh resembles the ashes of the deceased, if it were solidified into a starch!

It tastes really sweet, though. …Umm, I guess it’s called a dragon fruit?

Non! Absolutely not! Spit that out, Nito! Spit it out!

No way, it really is delicious. Sweet and soft, kind of like a pear…

Here, Oshi-san. You try some too~ You’re always knocking things before you try them, but that’s not good ♪

Non! Stop that! Everything about that thing looks unfit for human consumption!

Aw, c’mon, it’s fine. You’ve gotta be starving too. Say ahhh… ♪

Gh! You said it! I should be elated! And yet, it’s a double-edged sword! What cruel world is this?!

O God, Your creation is far from perfection…!