KRIEGSKALD DORM - BIRTHDAY VENUE
SCENE I
PUPPET: [Upon this blessed day, we bring to you an offering that seeks to satisfy your whims. On behalf of us, servants, we present to you the one which the fates considered worthy: IDIA SHROUD.]
MARCIA: JACKPOT!
IDIA: HUH?! Wh-What?! Wh-Wh-What's that supposed to mean?! And why are you standing so close?!
MARCIA: Oh? Whoops, got carried away there for a second, hahahahaha!
IDIA: ... Laughing so mindlessly after invading somebody's personal space like that... It's what I should have expected from an always grinning normie like her, but...
MARCIA: Hm? Did you say something, Shroud-senpai?
IDIA: N-No, forget about it... Let's just get this over with so I can go home already.
I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for Ortho and Vita. Making me come all this way when I could have just done it online... Are they trying to punish me or something?
MARCIA: BWAHAHAHAHA! You're super funny Shroud-senpai! That's why I'm glad that I got partnered with you of all people!
IDIA: ............
MARCIA: What's with that distrustful look? You look like you want to say something, hahahaha!
IDIA: No, it's just... That's not something I'd expect you to say...
MARCIA: How so? You know, Vita-senpai and I get along suuuuuuper well so I thought it was good luck that allowed me to end up with her husband as my presenter for today! We have a lot of stuff in common actually! Even Vita-senpai said so!
IDIA: ... She did?
MARCIA: Yep! Totally! I mean, it's definitely what I got from our conversation before so that's gotta mean something, hahahahaha!
IDIA: ... Right. In any case, here's your gift since I was told I had to bring one...
MARCIA: THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
IDIA: !!! Wh-What's with the sudden shiny atmosphere?! It's way too bright! I feel like I'm gonna go blind!
MARCIA: AHAHAHAHAHA, YOU'RE SERIOUSLY HILARIOUS, SHROUD-SENPAI! Making all these jokes and getting me what I assume is a super-high-end-edge-of-the-line type of gift!
IDIA: ... Eh?
MARCIA: I heard that the Shroud family is even richer than the Asims! Man, Vita-senpai sure scored big when she bagged you. Gotta admit that I'm a little jealous of her even though I don't think I could be ok with being engaged that young, hahahaha!
IDIA: .... Right... The money... That makes a lot of sense. Normies are always after one sort of thing or another, huh...
MARCIA: That's normal, isn't it? People just don't go through life without some sort of plan... I mean, unless they can afford to do so, I guess, hahahaha! Man, rich people sure have it good!
IDIA: ... Eh, Vita did say you're the straightforward type... I don't see how it's cute though.
MARCIA: Cuteness is relative! Ya gotta take what you're given! Right, senpai?
IDIA: I guess... A lot of people trash talk idol groups online too despite the whole thing being up for grabs depending on the person. Everybody's got different types so obviously, one group's appeal can't work for everybody... For me, though, it has to be Moirai above all else~
MARCIA: I've got no idea what you're talking about-
IDIA: Figured.
MARCIA: But I have to agree on the Moirai stuff!
IDIA: ... Huh? Wait, you mean...
MARCIA: Yep, yep~ I'm tooooootally a fan, ya know!
IDIA: Se-Seriously?! A normie like you... Actually, maybe... Hehehe, that's so unexpected, but you're probably just a bandwagon fan, right? Jumped in when the group got big and start trying to shoulder you're way in even though us older fans have been here first...
MARCIA: Hey, hey, are you sure about talking that way to a fellow fan! We gotta be united, that's what they'd want, you know?
IDIA: Th-That's- !!! Ok, gotcha, then I've gotta restart the level-
MARCIA: Huh?! Hey, why are you-
IDIA: This gift is just something I got at random for you but if it's a fellow Moirai fan... Then I gotta go for a real good drop!! Material goods mean nothing when compared to the feeling you get when supporting your fave! That's why I gotta look for something like that... Merch, or tickets, or... hmm...
MARCIA: Hu-Huh?! Shroud-senpai? Shroud-senpai! Hey!
He just got on that tablet and is now typing away... Crap, maybe making up all that fan stuff wasn't a good move. Aaaah, there was definitely something heavy and expensive in that box!! I could almost smell it!!
SCENE II
IDIA: Hehehe, shipping should only take a few days at most then the package will arrive~
MARCIA: My dreams... they're all dust now... I bet that merch doesn't sell anything more than a few madols...
IDIA: Huh?
MARCIA: Ne-Nevermind, ah! That's right, that's right! Shroud-senpai, let's play a game!
IDIA: A game? Just what kind of games would a normie like you think of? I bet it's all the party kind that super-extroverts like you can't get enough of...
MARCIA: It's true that I do enjoy those, but today's game is a liiiiittle special!
IDIA: ... Is that so?
PUPPET: [Shall I proceed with the game?]
MARCIA: Take it away!
IDIA: Haaa? That thing will be the console? It's really outdated and the mechanism seems to have been last updated a hundred years ago or something...
MARCIA: Hey, hey, hey! Don't be so harsh! That's the pride of Kriegskald, I'll have you know! One of our own Prefects repaired it back in the day and it's been working ever since! Talk about talent, right?
IDIA: ... Haaa, guess normies would be impressed by just about anything, huh?
MARCIA: Hey, hey, let's have the puppet take it away otherwise we'll be here all day! Do you wanna spend time with me so much, huh?
IDIA: Absolutely not! I have a lot of banners to pull for and can't afford to waste any more time on this! Let's get it over with!
PUPPET: [Understood. I shall now proceed to ask a question that Marcia Pyroeis will answer and which Idia Shroud will be tasked to interpret.]
PUPPET: [Sometimes a stroll along a sandy beach can transport you much further from your everyday reality than the actual distance you walk. That may be why the sea holds a special place in lovers' hearts. It provides them with the chance to journey together, if only for a brief time, into another world. As you walk along a quiet beach, you spot a surfboard washed up on the sand. What kind of impression does it make on you?]
IDIA: .... This is just a party game question.
MARCIA: Bwahaha, you think so? Still, it's kinda fun to think about it though~
Well, I guess, 'cause I know for sure that I'm would a super brand new surfboard that's a limited edition replica of a famous one used by an athlete or in a movie!!
IDIA: Huh? You mean like a collector's item? I guess that would have some value to it...
MARCIA: EXACTLY! Usually, those kinds are the ones that sell the best 'cause everybody wants a limited-time item in their collection, right? That means they're willing to pay a pretty madol out of their pocket for it. And that's where people like me come in~
IDIA: That's-!!
MARCIA: Genius, right?
IDIA: Genius?? Don't make me laugh! Any insects with a brain could do as much! Not that it makes it acceptable, you know?! Scalpers like you are the reason ticket sales are always such a chore! Do you have any idea what people like you put us true fans through every time, huh??
MARCIA: Huh? Eh? Suddenly it's gotten really high stakes...
AHAHAHAHA, SHROUD-SENPAI, YOU'RE SERIOUSLY SUPER FUNNY, YOU KNOW THAT? IT WAS ONLY A JOKE! TOTALLY ALL A JOKE, HAHAHAHAHA!
IDIA: .... A joke? Seriously? What kind of sense of humour do you have, huh?
MARCIA: A poor one, I guess, hahahaha~
I-In any case that probably sufficed for the interpretation part... I don't wanna be scolded again, ugh...
IDIA: ..... Vita was right after all...
SCENE III
PUPPET: [Please proceed to the last part of the interview.]
IDIA: A-Another one?? Ugh, I guess, fine... Since it's the last part of the interview anyway...
"If you had to choose one to be your sister, who would that be?"
What sort of question is this... ?
MARCIA: IT'S VITA-SENPAI, OBVIOUSLY!
IDIA: Huh?? Vita?? Seriously??
MARCIA: Huh, why do you sound so surprised? Aren't you and senpai engaged?
IDIA: Th-That's... But it's got nothing to do with your question, so let's just...
Why Vita of all people?
MARCIA: SENPAI IS SUPER KIND TO HER LITTLE SISTERS!!
IDIA: EH?
MARCIA: I mean it's just Agatha, for now, but I imagine she'd behave pretty much the same if I was the one in her place! All the presents that I could dream of! Unlimited access to her funds!! The Dies family is pretty well off but ever since their union with the Shroud family, they've jumped up in estimates!! Their value is twenty times what it was and once Vita-senpai becomes the new matriarch, then she'll all but set for life no matter what!! Right??
IDIA: A normie's greed is something else... But... I think Vita would be amused to hear all this. She has that sort of sense of humour that enjoys this sort of humiliation... hehehe...
MARCIA: Hm? Are your tips turning pink, Shroud-senpai?
IDIA: DO-DON'T BE RIDICULOUS!! IT'S NOTHING LIKE THAT!!
Besides, you're not the sort of little sister Vita would have in mind anyway... You're too shiny and cheery and she'd never go for someone that athletic anyway...
MARCIA: Hm? Is that so? But from what I've seen, Vita-senpai and I get along pretty well. Since we're both super driven people who don't back down from any challenge. She said as much when I finally finished doing an errand for her a while back.
IDIA: Errand?
MARCIA: Yep! She got really busy that day and said she wouldn't be able to walk Larna around the campus as she usually does, so she asked me to do it instead. Obviously, since it was my esteemed senpai asking me to do that, I obliged. I'm a really kind underclassman, you know? Hahahhahaha!
Well, it turned out that Larna was a lot bigger than I remembered so I kinda got dragged all over the campus, instead of the other way around. Senpai even said that she's super surprised I still had my limbs attached after that bit of exercise!
IDIA: ... Larna tends to be a lot tougher than people give him credit for... And that sounds like Vita was having a bit of a laugh at your expense too.
MARCIA: THAT'S OK!! 'Cause at the end, senpai gifted me with some really cool stuff and managed to get a good price for- I-I mean, I totally cherished it and have looked after it since! Yep! That's it!
IDIA:....
[*]
PUPPET: [Congratulations. The interview portion has been completed. Please proceed to the last event of the celebrations. A bottle has already been prepared for you.]
IDIA: Champagne is so bitter... Couldn't we have gotten anything else instead? These sorts of celebrations are just... I wanna crawl into the ground...
MARCIA: Come on, come on! It's definitely gonna be super fun! You can be sure of it!
IDIA: Haaa, if it gets me out of here faster... Ok, prepare yourself.
Ha-Happy Birthday, Miss Marcia Pyroeis!