Also known as PA. It's a colonization project that ES, which now has its sights set on national domination, put into motion after SS.
Tori: Colonization?
Eichi: Yuzuru, Tori... What do you suppose SS is in the first place?
Yuzuru: It is a historic annual idol festival with a long-standing tradition—It is the largest, most important festival in the idol industry.
... Is how I would answer—But I doubt that you'll be satisfied with such a generic textbook response, correct?
Eichi: Yes. I'm not asking for a formal definition of SS, but rather about its impact on the industry.
Yuzuru: Can you give him an answer, Bocchama?
Tori: Eep! D-Don't put me on the spot like that?! Rather, you should be concerned with demonstrating your worth in front of your master!
Hmm. The SS that was held a few days ago was unprecedentedly large-scale, wasn't it?
It spanned the whole country, and we were able to get local and underground idols to actively participate. Thanks to that, the total number of participating idols was higher than ever before.
But, as a result, almost no local idols made it past the qualifying rounds. The final round was completely monopolized by ES, or more accurately, by Yumenosaki.
Yuzuru: Yes. Some local idols made brief appearances in collaboration with Mikejima-sama. But they were the exception.
Eichi: That's right... SS was held with the pretense of an energizing collaboration with local idols all across the country.
In reality, however, it turned out to be more of a farce that only served to flaunt the strength and authority of ES, which in many ways has become the center of the country.
Ultimately, you can say that was ES's intent all along.
The local idols were mere foils—nothing more than casualties positioned to highlight our—the "main idols'"—brilliance.
Naturally, the local idols found this dissatisfying.
The most radical among them have formed what one might call an anti-ES organization, and are now rioting across the country.
Project-ATLANTIS is one measure with which to pacify these hostile anti-ES forces gathered in such places.
Yuzuru: This is quite the belated response.
Eichi: It's certainly better than doing nothing.
When ES was first established, it was falsely advertised as a "utopia for all idols." For that reason, those who did not directly benefit became quite dissatisfied.
ES was supposed to be an ideal world where "all idols" are able to shine. Then, if we really are idols, why can't we shine?
Yuzuru: It's a natural question and a natural complaint.
Eichi: Fufu. In my opinion, people just navely put their faith in ES' exaggerated advertising
Anyway, if this was the Sengoku period, it would be standard practice to suppress such criminal forces with military power.
Tori: I-Isn't it kind of mean to call them criminals...?
Eichi: I consider it an appropiate expression. ES is a nation, and the forces that oppose it are nothing more than bandits and pirates.
However, although ES continues to make strides like Oda Nobunaga, we still haven't conquered the entire country like Tokugawa Ieyasu (*).
Yuzuru: I think that's a good analogy.
Eichi: Thank you. Right now, ES is in the era of Oda Nobunaga. More precisely, around the time that the anti-Nobunaga network (**) was established.
Yuzuru: I see. That makes it easy to understand.
Tori: Er, I'm sorry, but I don't really get it.
Eichi: You studied history in school, right?
Fools learn from experience; wise men learn from history. Be sure to take your studies seriously while you still have the chance, Tori.
Because, once you grow up, you'll have no choice but to learn things on your own.
Tori: Yeah~ I know this is gonna sound like an excuse... but I haven't been able to study much at school lately.
Eichi: Is something happening at Yumenosaki?
I entrusted all matters over there to Mao, my successor. I don't think it's appropriate for graduates to intervene, so I've generally been staying away.
Yuzuru: Fufu. At present, Yumenosaki Academy is holding an election to determine the next student council president.
Bocchama is running for the student council presidency as well, of course.
Combined with idol work, this is too many irons in the fire. As such, this is a very busy point in time.
Eichi: The student council elections? Huh, this is the first time they've been properly carried out.
We—or rather, mainly Keito—created a model for the student council and then passed it down to Mao, who inherited it.
Tori: As the new president, Isara said that we should actually hold an election.
He said, "I could appoint you, but I don't have much authority, so it'd seem really forced."
If I win the election properly, then I'll be able to attain that kind of authority.
Eichi: That sounds really modern. And it feels like a natural progression.
I like Mao's way of thinking. He understands the limitations of his position—I mean that in a good way.
(*) Eichi is referring to the reunification of Japan at the end of the Sengoku Period (1467-1600). Oda Nobunaga was a feudal lord who raised war against different clans during one of the most tumultous eras of conflict in Japan. Oda set the stage for the reunification of Japan, which was achieved later by Hideyoshi and Ieyasu—the latter becoming the ruler during the beginning of a peaceful period in Japan that lasted until the arrival of Perry and the US Navy.
(**) At the end of the Sengoku era, a group of forces led by Shogun Yoshiaki Ashikaga formed an alliance to rebel against Nobunaga and his allies. The conflict ended with the defeat of the anti-Nobunaga alliance and the expulsion of Yoshiaki from Kyoto.
(The first year of ES's establishment. Early February. The morning after Himemiya Tori had a nightmare—At the ES building; inside Starpro's office.)
Yuzuru: —Sanctuary is closing?
Well, it is what it is... I guess it can't be helped. Mankind wasn't quite ready for that strange amusement park.
Eichi: It's unlike you to rush to conclusions so quickly, Yuzuru.
No, I suppose you were simply speaking your mind. Still, it's unusual to hear you say something like this.
I really like Sanctuary, but it turned out to be quite unpopular in the industry... especially among active idols.
I'm well aware that a considerable amount of people out there would prefer to pretend it doesn't exist in the first place. It seems that you're one of them, Yuzuru.
Nevertheless, I still believe that it's a worthwhile enterprise that will increase the number of idol-related job opportunities and encourage newcomers to enter the industry.
Yuzuru: As I said earlier, Eichi-sama's ideas are too innovative; most people cannot grasp even their core concept.
And, of course, that includes the smug servant standing before you.
Saying this to you, Eichi-sama, may be akin to lecturing the Buddha himself, but people generally avoid the unknown and that which they cannot understand.
Eichi: I wonder whether that will actually be an issue. I'm used to responses like that—Besides, most people will probably keep their mouths shut if Sanctuary actually begins making money.
Profits—immeasurable amounts of money—have the power to dissolve all human reason.
That's why, even though many wise people preached in opposition to it, no one was able to prevent the Great Depression.
It's the same reason why gambling has never fallen out of fashion. Fufu, well, now it sounds like we're talking about Crazy:B instead of fine.
Anyway, there are no plans to close Sanctuary. It hasn't even officially opened yet, after all.
There's no sense in closing it before it has made a return on investment. And it's not as though I've experienced any major issues with it.
Yuzuru: If only you had said that from the beginning. You have been adding unnecessary embellishments to each of your responses.
Eichi: With Wataru absent today on theater business, I've been starved for a conversation partner.
Yuzuru: Did you really call us here simply because you wanted someone to talk to?
Eichi: No, by no means, I'm not that lonely. I have an actual reason.
Thanks to this bad habit of mine, I keep dancing in circles around the subject... But, to begin with, Sanctuary is—
Tori: —Yaaawn... Mm.
Eichi: Tori. You're not acting like yourself today. For you to yawn like that... Is something the matter?
It's quite improper. You've always been so well-behaved around me.
You've been silent this whole time and you seem quite sleepy... Perhaps you didn't sleep well last night?
Tori: Eh!? Aaah, I'm sorry, Eichi-sama! That was super embarrassing!
Eichi: It's alright, because Wataru Number 2—I mean, Yuzuru—was listening to what I had to say.
Yuzuru: I will pretend that I did not hear that unpleasant error.
Eichi: What an exemplary butler.
Tori: I-I'm sorry, Eichi-sama. I haven't gotten much sleep lately because I've been having nightmares.
Yuzuru: Yes. Bocchama awoke me quite late last night... And then he clung to my chest and cried like a little baby.
Tori: Hey, can you stop telling stupid lies? You know I'd never do something that embarrassing, right, Eichi-sama!?
Yuzuru: Forgive my impertinence. I was relaying the contents of my own dream.
Tori: Don't have dreams like that! Groooss! Super gross!
Yuzuru: Fufu. Even I am unable to control the contents of my own dreams.
Eichi: This all sounds very interesting. Are you familiar with the art of dream interpretation?
Tori: D-Don't fall for it, Eichi-sama! I feel like if you dig any deeper into Yuzuru's dream, something scary is gonna happen!
Eichi: It's not my intention to ignore your request by elaborating on the subject, but it's been said that a person's heart is laid bare in their dreams. Well, there's probably no real basis to those beliefs, though.
By projecting a favorable interpretation onto someone's dream, you can lighten their spirit, even if only slightly. That's one of the selling points of fortune telling.
Getting to feel better without medication—that's a good deal, isn't it? So, as long as it's alright with you, why not tell me about the dream you had?
Tori: I mean—no matter what, dreams are just dreams. You usually forget them as soon as you wake up.
Well... In my dream, I felt like I was sinking endlessly to the bottom of the sea.
It was just a dream, but it was so painful and cold—and way too dark to see anything. It was really scary.
Eichi: The sea? Hm, this is quite the strange coincidence.
Yuzuru: What do you mean?
Eichi: To be honest, it's probably hasty of me to tell you this now, but—There are plans in the works to build something akin to a second Sanctuary.
That's why I called the two of you here today—I wanted to talk to you about it.
Yuzuru: A second Sanctuary? Eichi-sama, is it your intention to create another bizarre amusement park?
Eichi: Yes. And I plan to build this amusement park under the sea.
Hello! I will be translating the fine climax event Blue Ocean * The shining truth of Atlantis. This translation comes in collaboration with @spectralpooch and mia (nenosuns)
English proofreader: @spectralpooch
Japanese proofreader: nenosuns
Second part hasnt come out yet but I hope you enjoy the story
(A dream. Or, perhaps, the harsh reality of Himemiya Tori)
Tori: (………….)
(I can't… breathe... )
(It hurts. It hurts so, so much.)
(I can't keep my eyes open… I can't see anything.)
(It's so dark and cold in here.)
(It's cold. So, so cold.)
(I'm about to freeze…. Why is it so cold?)
(Hey, is anyone there?)
(Yuzuru! Hibiki-senpai! Eichi-sama…!)
(Is anyone there? Anyone would be fine, please I…)
(It hurts. I can't see anything. And it's so, so, so cold.)
(Where even am I? Why am I in such a…?)
(Eichi-sama! Eichi-sama! Eichi-sama!)
(The place where you stand is so high, and it looks so cold…)
(I stretched my hand as far as I could and desperately tried to reach you.)
(But I'm not an angel, and I wasn't able to fly through the sky.)
(So I succumbed. My wings shattered and I crashed down.)
(Ah, is this the sea?)
(I must be at the very bottom of the deep, deep sea, where no light can reach.)
(Is that why it's so cold, so dark, and so hard to breathe?)
(Cough... cough... cough...)
Yuzuru: … Bocchama?
I-Is everything all right?
You collapsed during SS and you are still recovering, so you shouldn't overexert yourself—
Tori: Hh... hh... Ugh... gh...
Yuzuru: If you are unable to respond, then I will have no choice but to call an ambulance immediately...
Tori: Pant... Pant... Yu-Yuzuru?
Yuzuru: Yes. It is me, Yuzuru.
I am here by your side, as always.
Tori:… Yeah. Guess you are.
Hehe... Even though I came to live in the dorms, I ended up sharing a room with you, Yuzuru. So tiresome.
And here I thought I'd be able to do whatever I wanted without nosy people like you spying on me all the time.
Yuzuru: Jesting aren't we? Nevertheless, even if we were to be assigned different rooms, Bocchama, I would still choose to reside in your room.
So that I can be by your side and serve you. After all, taking care of you is my job, as well as my reason to live.
Tori: Uwaaah... Groooss... You're so annoying ♪
Yuzuru: Fufu. Your words and actions don't match at all.
Right now you're holding my hand so tightly—Bocchama, I'm always going to have my hands full looking after a spoiled child like you, aren't I?
Tori: I'm sorry. I just had a really scary dream.
I may have said some weird things in my sleep because of that. But I'm fine now—It's not like I have a cold or anything.
I'm sure that I'll be able to get back to working super hard by tomorrow.
Yuzuru: Hmm... Indeed, your temperature appears to be normal. It's occasionally hard to tell because your body temperature, like a child's, is naturally high.
Tori: When did you measure my temperature?
Yuzuru: With my talents, I have the power to change your clothing from head to toe without you noticing a thing, Bocchama.
Since I know where all your nerves and sensitive points are, I can check your body thoroughly without you feeling anything, much like an acupuncture session—
Tori: Wait, wait, that's so scary! I swear, sometimes your weird, mysterious skills are way too scary and gross!
Yuzuru: Oh, but I trained especially for you, Bocchama ♪
Tori: Yeah, and that's why you're so scary!
Yuzuru: There's no need for you to be scared, because I will always be on your side, Bocchama.
Tori: I know~ And I'm grateful but… Having someone way more talented than I am devote their entire life to me is a lot to deal with.
And I don't feel worthy enough of being treated like that.
Yuzuru: What are you saying? It seems as though the nightmare you just had has left you quite anxious.
But don't you worry. Bocchama is a good and virtuous person who is worthy of my service.
If you continue to doubt my words, I can sit at your bedside and repeat them a million times over into your ear.
Tori: I think I'll have another nightmare if you do, so please don't.
Yuzuru: I only wanted to whisper about... my love for you, Bocchama.
Tori: You're half asleep too, aren't you, Yuzuru?
Oh, no wonder—it's already 3 AM. And yet I woke you up while you were fast asleep. Sorry about that.
Yuzuru: Not at all. It would be troublesome if something were to happen to you, so please do not hesitate to rely on me if you are not feeling well.
There is no need to concern yourself with time or circumstances.
I have said so many times already, but once again: I am, now and forever, your most faithful ally and I will always put you first no matter what.
Please, don't ever forget that.
Tori: Hm…I get that too.
Yuzuru: Has your anxiety passed?
Tori: For now, yeah... Ah, now that I'm more relaxed, I'm starting to get sleepy.
Yuzuru: That's good to hear. Shall we hold hands like this until you fall asleep?
Tori: I'm not a baby. Yuzuru, you have work tomorrow as well, right? So you should hurry up and sleep too.
I worked in the translation of the story for the past week and I have been unable to shut up about until now. This translation work was done in collaboration of @spectralpooch who worked as English proofreader and provided a lot of insight of the english grammar and composition. I was also helped by Yuko and Asher who helped with wording.
I hope you get to enjoy, even if just a little, the love we all put in this story that we have been waiting seven years for.
Blackbird
The fantasy is burning.
—At the end of the day, love always prevails.
—Hard work and good intentions are always rewarded.
—As long as you wish for it with all your might, your dreams will always come true.
Such are the nonsensical, gibberish words that everyone recognizes as downright lies once they reach adulthood. And burning within a bonfire is the pile of papers—the representation of the very innocence of a young boy who earnestly believed in those lies.
The embers of dreams and hopes are stirred by the updraft caused by the hot air.
Ashes and soot soar up, miserably staining the clear skies.
“Aah, what a terrible shame.”
Hibiki Wataru looked up at the sky and, in sharp contrast to his words, trembled with pleasure.
He is a beautiful man.
Long, silver-white hair that resembles moonlight incarnate. A physique blessed with a perfect golden ratio.
He is wearing his elegantly designed uniform in quite an incomprehensible way.
His facial expressions and gestures are refined and effusively charming, and it feels as though wing scales and fluorescent lights should flutter around him with every step he takes.
But it is precisely because he is too beautiful that he can stand out in any town.
Every person who passes by throws him a strange look and either turns away or flees the scene as if having just encountered a monster. It is the most appropriate reaction when confronted with a monstrosity, but—
He wants them to at least scream.
To curse, spit, and throw stones at him.
It hurts the most to be ignored.
As if to convey this point, Wataru gestures towards them in invitation to do so—but the only one willing to approach him is a slightly dirtied pigeon.
"Aah, Gil! Poor you, Gilles de Rais¹! Your feathers are completely sullied!"
Wataru laments while rubbing his cheek against the pigeon perched on his shoulder.
"When you are covered in soot like this, you look more like a crow than a pigeon! Crows are really smart, and they can become great ‘entertainers’ when trained, but people often hate them for no reason—it's troublesome, isn't it?"
At the sight of Wataru having a conversation with a pigeon as though it were completely normal, the people around him begin to back further away.
"... But right now, I have the feeling that such an individual would be the most suitable companion for me."
As Wataru mutters sadly to himself, the soot-covered pigeon pulls his hair with its beak.
“That hurts?! It was just a joke, Gil! Are you jealous? I've raised and looked after you since you were an egg, so there's no way I could ever discard you and look for another partner! Please cheer up—oya?”
As the pigeon goes all out on him, something falls down from the crevice of its beak.
Cinders.
The wreckage of a dream that had been carried by the wind from afar.
“That's splendid! This will solve the problem of my ink running out!”
Wataru exclaims with pleasure and mashes the cinders with his fingertips.
Then, with fingers stained in black, he writes his name in the bundle of documents that he had been holding.
“—With this, it’s finished.”
Embracing the bundle of documents as though it were his most prized possession, Wataru trembles again.
“I wonder if he will be happy with this.”
***
There was a war.
A tragic conflict in which boys hurt and killed each other for the sake of their own dreams and ideals—for the sake of love.
Of course, although it has now become a gloomy and sorrowful memory, it was not actually a battle where people fought with guns and blades and bathed in each other's blood.
All of them were idols.
Standing on the stage, singing and dancing, their top priority was to bring people happiness.
However, at that time, their place of residence, Yumenosaki Private Academy, was not an environment in which idols could properly live as idols. Everything was decayed, stagnant and rotten.
There were those who stood up in order to change the situation at hand.
There were also those who tried to fight back in anger and sorrow after everything they held dear had been mangled in the name of the "revolution" the others had raised.
They turned the things that were supposed to make people happy into weapons, abused them, and imposed their own resentment and misery onto others.
As a result, this vast and boundless world was changed only slightly.
But the price that had been paid was extremely high.
—Yumenosaki 's era of conflict.
—The first revolution.
—The beginning of the end.
Regret consumes everyone whenever they remember the tragedy of that time.
***
A hospital room.
The brand new hospital in the vicinity of Yumenosaki Academy had been built with a sole purpose: to provide an immediate response on the occasion that a single person's physical condition changed for the worse.
Leading-edge medical equipment and top-notch doctors had been assembled in order to forcibly prolong his existence—sometimes even diverting attention from other, more urgent patients.
He is one of the world's most distinguished billionaires, the scion of the Tenshouin conglomerate, Tenshouin Eichi.
He is the leading actor in the conflict that unfolded in Yumenosaki.
He loved idols more than anyone else.
However, as a result of the kingcraft instilled in him from an early age by his private corporate tutor, the clear mind he has naturally possessed since birth, and his cold heart, he came to massacre the very thing he loved with his own hands.
The many sins he committed in this ironic twist of fate tormented him and made him sick.
“...”
Tenshouin Eichi is lying down on the floor of a very spacious hospital room.
He is also a beautiful man, but there is a crack distorting his beauty.
Seemingly because he hasn’t been eating, he has become emaciated, and his blond hair, which resembles sunlight incarnate², is disheveled and dull. His hospital clothes, composed of high-quality material, are completely wrinkled and dirtied.
Like a baby bird that fell from its nest.
He had ripped off the intravenous drips and other pieces of medical equipment designed to keep him alive and smashed them to pieces.
There were doctors who genuinely cared for Eichi's well-being and those whose interest in treating him stemmed only from professional duty—Eichi shunned them all equally with curses and threats.
—I don’t want to live anymore.
—So, please, don’t treat me.
—Someone like me doesn’t deserve to live.
“No.”
Eichi, withering and on the verge of death, hears a voice reply to the soliloquy he hadn't expected anyone to hear.
There is only a single small window in the room. No matter how hard one might try to contort their body, it would be impossible to enter through—regardless, it was from that very window that Hibiki Wataru's towering silhouette soundlessly entered.
It is like a dream.
As if it were a magic trick, he suddenly materializes.
“—It's you. Hibiki Wataru of The Five Eccentrics.”
"That story has already concluded, so will you please stop referring to me that way?"
As he casually replies to Eichi, who had spoken as though in a trance, Wataru strides across the hospital room.
He steps over the countless broken pieces of wreckage scattered across the floor, but never breaks anything.
“Let's readjust our mindset! Now, while we still have the chance to bask in the success of our stage performances, let's sit back and recharge our batteries! That is our duty, Tenshouin Eichi-kun!"
“Just what the hell are you doing here?”
Eichi mutters reproachfully, glaring up at Wataru with cruel eyes.
“Did you come to mock me because I thought I was victorious but wound up losing everything?”
Presumably too prideful to continue behaving in an undignified manner, Eichi staggers to his feet and then takes a seat on the mattress.
Having refused even the cleaning staff, this dirty hospital bed is now his only throne.
“Or do you intend to seek vengeance on behalf of your fellow Five Eccentrics?”
“No, not at all? Although there were some underwhelming parts, you still persevered and accomplished great things atop the stage! You have my praises. I have no reason to make fun of you!”
Wataru continues, his tone cheerful. Scattered, multicolored petals surround a broken flower vase—he gathers them up, grasps them in one hand, and opens his palm to reveal a single perfect flower.
"Besides, my beloved friends, The Five Eccentrics, were not actually killed. They're not that fragile, so I ask that you do not disparage them."
Though his eyes flash with hostility for a single instant, Wataru hides it with the ease of putting on a mask.
“Shu is slowly recovering his strength in the comfort of his dolls and the mutual love they share. Kanata, too, is embarking on a new life together with the inexperienced hero who saved his heart. And, of course, Our Majesty, the Demon King, Rei, too—indeed, someone like him will never die, even if he's killed.”
As he mentions each of the remarkable members of The Five Eccentrics, Wataru smiles.
“And the youngest sibling whom we risked our lives to protect, Natsume-kun, doesn't have a single scar. He quickly found the bluebird you set free, and is venturing forth into his life—not as a member of The Five Eccentrics, but as a human and idol.”
"...They're so strong. Everyone, all of them, are strong and splendid human beings worthy of respect—unlike me. Hiyori-kun and Nagisa-kun, too. It appears that they’ve already begun to move on to their next stage."
Looking somewhat astonished, Eichi hangs his head like a confused lost child.
“Am I really the only one who can’t move? At the end of Yumenosaki's conflict, or the saga chronicling the subjugation of The Five Eccentrics, am I truly the only loser?”
“No, no. I feel the same way. It's embarrassing to admit, but—I don't know what I should do next.”
With a dumbfounded expression that mirrors Eichi's, Wataru fidgets with the flower with his black-stained fingers.
“I'm quite satisfied with how things concluded on that most wonderful stage, even though we had to settle for the second-best result—but I'm at a bit of a loss, as I have no further plans for the future.”
"I see. Would you like me to apologize? By casting you in the role of the villain, a symbol deserving of ridicule and disdain, I turned you into the target of everyone's malice."
“Yes. Thanks to you, no one trusts me enough to work with me, so all of my future plans are now uncertain. I suppose I could arrange a stage and enact a story of my own choosing, but… A one-man show would be a little lonely, wouldn't it?”
"I thought that you would always be happy to stand onstage no matter what—even alone."
“Regrettably, I'm an entertainer whose only purpose is to make others happy. If I were to stand onstage all by myself, I would lose all motivation.”
With a shrug of his shoulders, Wataru quietly offers Eichi the flower.
”And so, I thought I would ask you, the organizer of the most satisfying stage I have ever stood upon, for another commission. That's the reason I came today. Of course, I am also here to visit the sick."
“Was that sarcasm? I humiliated and denigrated you and your beloved friends. I trampled on and killed all of you for the sake of my own dream.”
“No one is dead, Eichi-kun. Everything that took place is just a story.”
”Are you really going to behave like a sore loser and pretend like you all weren't actually hurt?”
"No. If I were to hold a grudge and get angry at you, it would be an insult to my friends' extraordinary performance in their roles as villains. That's why I won't give you the pleasure of my vengeance.”
“I don’t understand your reasoning.”
“It’s a mystery to me too. This is the first time in my life that I have ever felt this alive. It's as though something I cannot quite comprehend is stirring inside me.”
Wataru speaks with an innocent, puzzled expression on his face, as though he were a child who had just tripped for the very first time in his life.
***
“Oops. I went off on a tangent just now, but I meant to give you this gift earlier.”
Suddenly coming to his senses, Wataru quietly hands Eichi the flower in his hand.
The instant that the flower touches Eichi's fingertips, it transforms into a bundle of documents.
It’s just like magic.
“... Oh, my goodness. As always, your magic tricks are beyond comparison, Hibiki-kun.”
“You and I are not particularly close, so don't blurt out things like that as if you know me.”
“I’ve always been watching you.”
Eichi speaks honestly, seemingly too tired to maintain a strong front. He proceeds to look over the bundle of papers.
His expression dawns with astonishment.
“This is—”
“Fufufu. This is the pipe dream³ written by our beloved younger brother and only son, Natsume-kun. He poured all of his heart and soul into it.”
Wataru explains, satisfied with the surprised expression on Eichi's face.
“This is a scenario envisioning a way in which we, The Five Eccentrics, could have achieved victory over you in our final battle the other day.”
“Oh, that's right, just before the decisive battle, you and the other Five Eccentrics had some kind of exchange. I was preoccupied with other matters at the time, so I didn't pay much attention to what all of you were up to.”
Deeply immersed in reading, Eichi flips through the stack of documents carefully. A grin slowly begins to form on his lips.
“Fufu. So cute; it’s really like a fantasy story. ‘I don't want my beloved Five Eccentrics to lose. I want us to have a happy ending where no one has to be sacrificed—’”
"Indeed. He filled the pages with such impossible fantasies and impractical delusions."
“... It was only by defeating you on that stage that we somehow managed to settle things in a conclusive way. If the five of you had won that day, we would still be enmeshed in the middle of an unending conflict.”
"Exactly. I anticipated as much, which is why I was unable to accept this. This present, packed with that child's—with Natsume-kun's—dreams, expectations, and love.”
“And, because we followed the premeditated arrangement, everything went smoothly.”
“That's true. But, just as one would expect from a story desperately written by our beloved child... It's very compelling, isn't it? It'd be heartless to ignore it altogether and just throw it away.”
Wataru gently caresses the pile of documents as if consoling a little baby.
“And that's why I quickly examined the contents, committed them to memory, and secretly copied them. Only moments ago, Natsume-kun burned the original copy himself, so—that child's fantasy should, by all accounts, have been completely erased from this earth.”
Wataru laughs like a naughty child who just successfully carried out a prank.
“Everyone will assume so. And even though this is an imitation, the contents are extremely close to the real thing. No, rather, the contents are only the things that I chose to resurrect in accordance with my own preferences.”
“Hmph. But there's no way you can actually use this, right? It's just a bunch of delusions with no grounding in reality. In other words: worthless garbage. It's nothing more than a work of fiction that fabricates convenient plots for foolish readers who yearn to avert their eyes from this harsh reality.”
Eichi drops the pile of documents onto the dirty bed and sneers at it.
“It has no bearing on the real world. Those kinds of stories only exist in the minds of idealistic writers. It's not the real thing. It's not reality.”
“Right. And so, I'd like to ask you, with your firm grasp on reality, to please rework it.”
“...?”
“You're hospitalized, so you have a lot of free time, correct?”
Wataru smiles, carefully gathering up the documents Eichi dropped one by one.
“Please use that spare time to improve upon this document. And adapt it into a new story in which The Five Eccentrics, your opponents, achieve victory.”
“What would be the point of doing such a thing?”
“You must be prepared for anything the future decides to throw your way, no matter how incredibly low the chances of it actually occurring may be. You know this better than anyone, but you were born with a fragile constitution, so—you could die at any time.”
“...You're right. And now that I've lost my will to live, I'm even refusing treatment.”
“And if you, the main character of this story, were to die and abruptly, nonsensically disappear from the narrative, the entire plot would collapse.”
“.....”
"Do you understand what I mean, Eichi-kun?"
“I understand, Hibiki-kun.”
Eichi's eyes, as cloudy as a corpse's, begin to sparkle.
“I have a responsibility. A responsibility as a protagonist—as an author. I have to be prepared for when my character dies and vanishes from this world—from the story.”
"Yes. However, you don't strike me as an expert storyteller, so I thought it'd be convenient to use something as a basis—for the story. This pipe dream written by Natsume-kun is quite suitable in terms of both content and quality, right?”
“That's right. It's the story that the child prodigy, the youngest member of The Five Eccentrics, wove out of his own life force.”
This time, Eichi doesn’t sneer sarcastically. As he praises his enemy, an honest smile appears on his face.
“Thank you, Hibiki-kun. Since this is a story founded on the premise of my imminent death, I can't let Keito, who hates the thought of me dying more than anyone else, write it.”
Eichi's eyes widen, surprised at the deep affection with which he spoke these words.
He'd assumed he'd lost everything. And yet—is he only now remembering that there are still things worth loving?
“I'll write it. To ensure the story will continue after I'm gone.”
Growing more and more energetic, Eichi stains his fingers with the filth splattered across his bed and begins to scrawl on the back of the stack of documents. His handwriting is so sluggish and messy that no one besides him could possibly read it.
“First of all, let's ensure that I get defeated while I'm still alive. After bringing down The Five Eccentrics and seizing control of everything, I become a power-crazed tyrant. And so, a new generation of heroes stands up to defeat me. It could be Natsume-kun, the surviving member of The Five Eccentrics, or someone else.”
“Yes ♪ And then? What will happen next in this story?”
“It's not enough to merely change the person in power. The masses themselves should mobilize and take action into their own hands to improve the world. Yes, the next step is the people's revolution. That's why... errr... aaahh—”
Eichi is so absorbed in the moment that he scatters the documents. He clutches his head with both hands.
“I can’t work through my thoughts! I'm not a genius, so this is really hard for me! Aah, this is pathetic, and I have no right to ask this of you, but—Can you help me come up with more ideas, Hibiki-kun?”
“Yes, with pleasure ♪ I also have some time to spare, after all!”
Wataru sits on the bed and happily gazes at Eichi, who has become entirely absorbed in the act of weaving⁴ the beginnings of a new story.
“I look forward to seeing what sort of stage I'll stand on next. Aah, in both my past and present, this has always been my only source of happiness.”
“I'm out of paper! I also want something to write with! Hibiki-kun, isn't there somewhere nearby where you could buy some?”
“Yes, yes. Aren't you supposed to be my fan? Are you sure you should be bossing me around like this?”
With a smile that seems to say, Well, it doesn't really matter, Wataru shifts like a bird about to take flight.
“Come on, let's celebrate, let's weave, let's create—a story! In this second iteration, the tragedy will become a comedy! Yes, I'm certain that this next work will be a very enjoyable story!”
“Enough, enough! Stop saying unnecessary things and just hurry up! Before life leaves my body!”
“Yes, yes. You really know how to put people to work, Mr. Author... ♪”
………
And so, Hibiki Wataru chose to assist Tenshouin Eichi in the creation of his story.
Together, they supported one another, engaged in heated debates, and envisioned the future.
It was at the end of that gloomy winter when the two of them, now fine, the rulers of Yumenosaki Academy, were defeated by the revolutionaries of Trickstar.
It was a season when the seeds carried by dirty, exhausted birds finally bloomed into flowers.
1. Gilles de Rais was a leader of the French army and participated in the Hundred Years’ War alongside Jeanne d’Arc as a companion of arms. Later in his life he went on to become a serial killer of children and was condemned to death and hanged.
In the story “Cinderella on the Stake's Stage,” it’s revealed that Wataru also has a pigeon called “Jeanne d’Arc.”
2. Akira describes Eichi’s hair as “陽光を固めたような” = “As if sunlight has taken physical shape”. Likewise this is also the way he describes Wataru’s hair “月光を固めたような” = “As if moonlight has taken physical shape”.
3. We chose to interchange the words pipe dream and fantasy through the story but they often refer to the same script Natsume wrote.
Tori: Yu, Yuzuru~…… Help me, a demon appeared. A demon with endless hands
Tori: Excu~se me♪
Wataru: …………
Tori: Uh, wha~t...... Long hair is the only one here? I wasted such a cute greeting
Wataru: Zz, zz…….♪
Tori: (Is he sleeping? I don’t get it)
(Well, it’s a given but, even this guy sleeps……)
(It’s surprising because he doesn’t act like a human being in front of us)
(Uh~m. Until just before “Tanabata festival" I was given an intensive training in a "pair work" with this guy but…)
(Even now, he feels like an unknown existence to me)
(I just can’t get used to him. Though we're both members of "fine"....... We still need to find a way to reach a mutual understanding and get along.)
(I hate to say it, but "Tricktars"' is a good role model. It'd be nice if we too became more united, yep.)
(Even though I just blindly followed Eichi sama, who reigned so majestically... as if he was invincible......)
(I wanted to get closer to him, but it was too much for me)
(Since we’re the rightful rulers at the top of Yumenosaki. We have to improve quickly to reach even higher heights)
(In order to avoid losing and crying a second time.)
Wataru: zz zz ……..♪
ZZZ......♪
Tori: Oi, you’re awake right long hair?
Wataru: Amazing! You really saw through my sleeping facade Himegimi.........☆
Tori: You know, if the acting is too exaggerated people will find it strange. What is "zzz......" supposed to be? How did you make that sound with your mouth?
Wataru: Are you practicing? There's a tip, you can do it by learning the movement your lips make whenever you think of the letter "Z" in your head!
Tori: No, I don’t need to know how....... Why have you learned all this unnecessary stuff?
Wataru: Fufufu. They do say “Art and knowledge brings bread and honor”, Himegimi
The moment you master an art is sublime but, even then the genre will eventually become obsolete
Tori: This is the part where the character in a manga sigh dejectedly. Jeez, long hair you're too lively.
Wataru: Yes! This is Hibiki Wataru, the one born with a big mouth, I can even make the Tokyo Tower by rolling a cherry with my tongue☆
Tori: Hn~...... I see, you're someone who wastes their talent.
All right. I was thinking of asking the president and Yuzuru when they arrived, but you are fine. Hey long hair, are you good at dance?
Wataru: What is it? There isn’t a single thing this Hibiki Wataru is bad at!
I’ve learned all about dance but what exactly do you want?
Ballroom dance? Belly dance? Cheer dance? Limbo dance? I'm good at all of them~look look♪
Tori: Hii! Creepy~ Don’t come here moving like an insect!?
Wataru: Fufufu. It makes me so happy that Himegimi is always surprised by so little! You’re quite sensitive~♪
Tori: You meant to say “childish” right?
More importantly, I’m asking you seriously so listen……please don’t make fun of me.
Wataru: Hm? I don’t mind, do you have any problems? All right, allow me to let you a hand as another member of "fine"☆
See, every second a new hand will appear~! How many more do you need?
One, two, please take as many as you like~!
Tori: Hiii, arms are appearing one after another! Gross, too gross......!?
Yuzuru: What's the issue, young master?!
Tori: Yu, Yuzuru~…… Help me, a demon appeared. A demon with endless hands
Yuzuru: A demon? Ah Hibiki sama, could you avoid showing weird things to the young master? Such things are not educational.
Eichi: Fufu, isn’t it fine, they have become good friends……
It feels like the special training we had by pairing Wataru and Tori and Yuzuru and me had good results
I could hear you all the way to the hallway. By listening to such lively noise, you could get the feeling of youth.
Moreover. I heard some of it, are you having some trouble…… Tori?
If you don’t mind, I could give you some advice, I’ll do my best to thoroughly ease your worries ♪
Tori: E, Eichi sama……♪ Yeah, this is the kind of response I wanted!
There's no way I'd like to see the literal gag of "lending a hand"!
Eichi: You went too far with the jokes, Wataru. It could work if what you wanted was to dodge the question but...... Tori is a pure child. Don't confuse him
Having said that, how about we listen to Tori's worries while warming up before the start of the lessons?
The recent heatwave has been getting to me so .... let’s take it slowly today
I don’t have any urgent work and I can spare a lot of time for Tori
Yuzuru: President you’re spoiling the young master too much
However, I'm very thankful for your proposition
Wataru: Yes! Let's all joyously make fun of Himegimi's worries~♪
