Dialogue (5)

“♪～♪〜♪”

(…His performance during the first round was horrible, but it seems he’s finally recovered his form.)

(Kagehira must have worked to resolve the issue the day I sent him away from the atelier.)

(So, the source of Kagehira’s troubles is presumably… MELLOW DEAR US’s Kuon Mashu.)

(Did Kagehira contact him? Or did he find some other way to resolve the matter…?)

(Whatever the case may be, as long as it doesn’t interfere with our performance, I have no qualms with it. It’s actually a good thing that I no longer have to deal with unnecessary trouble.)

(…Still, this is rather unexpected.)

(I don’t think I fully understand all of Kagehira’s relationships, and I certainly have no intention of restricting him…)

(But to think he had ties to MELLOW DEAR US…)

(No. Judging by his reaction when they arrived at the Megasphere, there was no indication that they were acquainted.)

(It’s most likely that Kagehira himself only realized their connection after some time had passed. Honestly, it would be more like him to have simply forgotten about it until recently.)

(Also… Kagehira claimed that he had nothing left to worry about, but I suspect that whatever was troubling him hasn’t been completely resolved.)

(The fact that he has been spending more time lost in his own thoughts is likely evidence of that.)

(Well, it’s not as though there are discernable flaws in the quality of our performance. So I could simply leave him be…)

(But if you were to ask me whether I want to know what’s been troubling him…)

……

—Oh! Isn’t this what you were looking for?

Good! Losing it would’ve been such a bummer~★

No, no! I told you not to worry about it! I’m really just glad we found it~♪ #CaseClosed #TryNotToLoseItAgain★

(…They looked like they were in a bind so I lended a hand, but it ended up taking longer than I thought.)

(Everyone’s probably done changing by now~ We were supposed to have practice today, so I’d better hurry and get back.)

…I was wondering what you were doing. Trying to win the staff’s favor, are you?

Seems a bit petty doesn’t it? Is that really how you intend to maintain your position as the world’s greatest unit?

Wh—?! You scared me~! I didn’t think you’d come to talk to me, Shu © ¹ !

What’s up? Did you wanna chat with Mashu~? We’ve never really had the chance to actually sit and talk, so I’m really excited~★

Do refrain from speaking in such a vulgar way in front of me. It’s unbelievably grating.

Changing demeanor in front of an audience versus away from them is something many idols do to some extent, however…

The way you and your unit do it is unbearable to watch.

There’s no need to worry. There is no staff around.

—You don’t really hold back, do you Itsuki-kun~ ² ?

But, Gramps here actually likes it better when you’re that ruthless.

Once you become an adult, you just can’t take people’s words at face value anymore. You end up making a habit out of guessing what they’re really trying to say.

So, I get the feeling that you’re saying exactly what you think, Itsuki-kun. It makes things easier~♪

Hmph. I didn’t ask for your opinion. I have no interest in any of you anyway.

…Howver, if you become an obsticle to Valkyrie, then that is another matter entirely.

I’ll ask you bluntly. What is your relationship with Kagehira?

My relationship with Mika-kun…?

No need to act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. I’m already aware that you have some sort of history with him.

I have no intention of interfering with any relationship Kagehira might have with anyone. It’s none of my concern, but…

He is currently in the middle of trying to establish himself as an individual artist.

That is why obstacles and failures are absolutely essential. People only grow by becoming more aware of their own shortcomings, after all.

Therefore, I’ve avoided interfering with Kagehira’s decisions.

However, simply standing idly and watching him grow is not necessarily the correct course of action. Respecting his independence is one thing, leaving him entirely to his own devices is another.

Now that I’ve noticed that there is someone having a negative influence on my disciple, I can’t just ignore him as his master.

I get it… Even though he seemed fine today, he was acting pretty strange during the first round, wasn’t he?

So you think Gramps is the source of all the trouble and wanted to ask what was going on.

Hehe, Mika-kun sure is loved~♪

If you have time for such idle chatter, then answer the question.

Unlike you philistines, I’m a busy man.

Or is there something you can’t tell anyone about? If so, then I’ll have to take matters into my own hands…

Woah there, hang on! It’s not like it’s some big secret or anything! I’ll tell you!

Gramps here and Mika-kun met when we were kids. We kinda just recognized each other—or, no… I guess we were more like acquaintances?

You see, Gramp’s parents ran a circus. I was born into it as a member.

Mika-kun was one of the people that came to see the circus. An adult from some facility would bring him over, so he popped up a few times.

We weren’t exactly close, but he’d warmed up enough to chit-chat with me.

Gramps liked having him look up to me too, so I remember giving him a bit of special treatment…

Buuut, that only lasted until the circus moved on to its next stop. That marked the end of my time with him.

That’s why I was super surprised when I came to the Megasphere. I never dreamed that I’d get to see Mika-kun again.

Well, as far as I could see, he was just another audience member. So it took me a while to realize it was him.

…So, that’s all Gramps’s got on his relationship with Mika-kun. Did that answer your question, Itsuki-kun?

(Quietly) So that’s why he was investigating that strange circus.

…I see. I was able to understand a bit after hearing that.

I’m glad I could help you out. It’s a liiittle embarrassing talking about the past, though.

Besides, I’d guess that nobody even remembers that Gramps was part of a circus anyway.

Anyway. I’m glad we cleared that up~♪

Hold it. We aren’t finished here.

I understand that the two of you were acquainted in the past. However, I cannot believe that alone would cause Kagehira to act so strangely.

You’re still hiding something, aren’t you?

Is there some history between you…? Or perhaps there was some sort of incident when you met Kagehira recently?

Whichever the case may be, that must be the source of anxiety unsettling him.

Source of anxiety…? Is Mika-kun still worrying about something? His performance today looked fine, though…

(Weird. I could’ve sworn I told him not to worry about leaving me behind and running away…)

(Can he just not let it go that easily? If he still feels bad about it, then isn’t he taking it a bit too seriously?)

(I told him he didn’t need to feel bad about it. Ugh, what a pain…)

It seems you have something in mind.

(Hmm… How do I explain my way out of this one… I really don’t want to go spreading that story around…)

(But it’s not like I can just walk away from this either…)

Mind letting me join your chat?