First Note
From now on, this is where you all will be working–the HAMA Tours office.
I’m looking forward to working with all of you!
Oh good, you all made it. Welcome.
I’m Oguro Kafka, the president of the agency and Mayor of the 0th Ward.
Woah… A real agency…
Kafka, eh? I saw you frequently on TV back on the prison island.
I’m really looking forward to working with you.
So this is gonna be the office~?
(Uwahhhah! Natsuyaki Chihiro and Kitakata Raito in the flesh?!)
(O’ gods who have descended upon this wretched world, your presence is too bright for a pauper like me to bear witness to!)
What’s wrong, Nayuki? You’re lookin’ a little blue.
…Nothing you need to be worried about.
I’m sure Nayuki and Chief-chan have already covered the basics with all of you, but let me explain it again.
You will all become local idols in order to boost HAMA’s popularity. You’ll all be working as Ward Mayors as well. To be frank, you’re already starting with a negative rep. That’s a pretty big issue for you as idols. You’ll probably have a lot of antis.
Which is why I want you to be transparent, and work your way back up with your own skills.
That’s a little mean, Prez. That’s, like, the hardest thing to talk about~
Talk about mental pressure~
Well yeah, I’m doing this because I can see your potential.
Here’s a piece written by our very own composer… This is your first song, Ev3ns.
Sound of something being placed on desk.
! A song…!
Yachiyo’s the one that came up with the choreography.
I’d like you all to really practice this first, and then you’ll perform it in front of an audience.
FR?! But Chii wanted to think of some choreo tooooo~!
Umumumum! That’s fine! You can change the whole thing if you wanted to, Chihiro-sama!
Oh, word? Hey, could you show me a bit of the choreo later?
Oh, of-of course…! Being invited by the miraculous No. 14… I-I’m so honored I could faint…
Ahaha…
Are we just going to perform a song out of the blue? I don’t… really know much about being an idol, though.
Why not give it a try? People who make the most of everything always win, after all.1
You’ll be starting out with some basic work, so you’ll be alright.
You’ll also be going on a study tour before you start doing work as idols in earnest.
You’ll be acting as idols for your tour too. Look forward to it.
Well, you sure like to play rough.
Sorry, but those are president’s orders ♪
Nayuki, do you have a list of possible locations ready?
Yes. I’ve begun the job hunt. The destination for the trip will be decided soon as well.
That’s Nayuki for you. What a talented manager ♪
Well, that just about covers it for my explanation today. Chief-chan, would you take everyone and show them the staff dorms?
(There are dorms?! Thank God…!)
Yachiyo, right? I’m gonna call you Yapoo. Is that all good?
Let’s go! I wanna listen to the soundtrack!
Huh?! R-Right…!
(I was given a nickname by THE Natsuyaki Chihiro?!)
(Hieee… I’m gonna pass out! Should I get a tattoo of it somewhereee…?!)
Footsteps, then the door closes.
Kafka… I’ll be honest and say that I’m holding this against you.
Hm? What? What ever did I do?
(Sigh)… Whatever.
I’m never making a bet with you again.
Nayuki, hold on just a sec. Sakujiro, bring that out.
Yes, Bocchama. Manager, please take a look at this device.
…?
?! This is…
Can you handle this starting tonight? Don’t let the other members find out about it.
(Exasperated sigh)… A new hassle everywhere I look. When it rains, it pours.
Footsteps, then the door closes.
Bocchama, here are the background screenings of everyone in the Evening Team.
Kitakata Raito stayed, exactly the way you thought he would…
If he left after all the preparations we made, that’d spell the end of it, but he acted exactly as expected.
As for Domeki Kuguri, they wanted to keep him detained in order to fix all the behavioral problems he had in prison… but we managed to take him with us.
He’s quite the dangerous man. He was even able to control the guards there.
He’s a bit of an ideological criminal, so we’ll have to keep an eye out…
But as long as he’s keeping to his own devices, he won’t act out.
Natsuyaki Chihiro was also apparently able to receive aid from the guards.
That’s just one of his talents. Even though he’s the one with the most scandals and instability of the bunch, his experience with being an idol puts us at an advantage.
The ones that truly made it through the Survival Game… were Azekawa Kinari and Kinouchi Tao…
Those two seem pretty interesting, don’t they?
Yes… They’re quite surprising.
I wonder what might happen…2
Ev3ns is going to be an interesting bunch to watch…
Translation Notes
Footnotes
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なにごとも楽しんだ者勝ち is a colloquial expression that would have the same vibe as saying something like “the real idolhood is the fun we have along the way”. ↩
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鬼が出るか蛇が出るか is a Japanese proverb that literally translates to “will it be a demon or a snake”; it’s used when a situation has a looming outcome that is unforeseeable. ↩