Number Eight - Take a Chance (3)

……

…Are we there yettttt~? I’m already starving!

Quit your whining. We just got on the road. Don’t start yapping like that to me for another hour or so.

More importantly, how about you two back there? Have you figured out how to put that tablet to good use?

—Yes. There appears to be a document stating the outline of the project in one of the applications. Similar to an instructional guide.

Looking at what the document says, this tablet supplied by “Number Eight” has two primary functions.

Firstly, an application to roll a die.

It’s monitored so that once the die has been thrown, it can’t be thrown again until the previous objective has been completed.

The die has twelve sides…a dodecahedron.

It’s also written that by completing the objective at hand, we’ll be rewarded.

The rewards can be anything from a beneficial service, money, or even additional applications to the tablet. However–

It also supplies clues in order to complete the bigger goal.

We have a 24 hour time limit. If we reach the goal point safely within the allotted time frame, we’ll be rewarded with the ability to perform a new song in new outfits live.

That reminds me, wasn’t our last reward in “The Minotaur’s Labyrinth” a new song too? Do they just think that if they dangle a new song over our heads we’re gonna be desperate to grab it?

I personally want a nice big meal over performing a new song live.

Just think of it as work then, Shiina. By getting paid “L$”, you’ll be able to buy the food you’d like.

Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy most of the things people want to become happy–that’s the entire premise of capitalism.

I’ve got a grip on how the rules work now. What about the other function you mentioned?

It’s a communication function. Though it looks like it’s solely provided for emergency purposes.

For instance, if there is an issue with filming, then we could contact the staff–or they could contact us.

Hmm…? Seems like it’s not a half bad plan to keep beloved idols safe. Will they just end up doing a little extra if they don’t have enough shots?

Probably. That was the purpose of “Number Eight” to begin with.

At any rate, those are the functions of the tablet. All that’s left is to take the car and get to the goal.

Yup. It would’ve been useful if that thing came with a map or something, but it’s fine.

I spent such a long time back at my hometown in nature that I’ll be able to find our way around without a map or GPS.

We’ll be there in no time~

~♪ ~♪

…Rinne-kun?

Hm, what’s up? Gonna shower me with how hungry you are again?

No, I wasn’t planning to.

It’s just that it’s been a while since we’ve last seen anyone. Is that okay? We’re not completely lost are we?

And how, exactly, could I get lost without a map?

We’re driving through a pretty open expanse of foreign land.

It’s no good if you can’t even put up with it this long, y’know.¹

Agreed. In fact, it would be a good thing if we arrived in an hour.

Pray to Buddha all you’d like, Shiina, but it’d be best to sit a bit longer and be patient given you’re the one with the most experience overseas.

No no no! I’m just about ready to eat grass at this point!

Ah, there’s a bit of tumbleweed over there!

God, would you quit being so fussy already? What are you, four?

Jeez, even you’re being careless, Niki. Why didn’t you bring emergency food if you knew something like this would end up happening?

Obviously I brought some! I just ate it all on the bus and plane rides here!

Rinne-kun, you’re underestimating my appetite. You’ll feel hungry as long as you’re alive~

I guess we really should’ve seen this coming, huh?

……

Uwah! Don’t look at me like that, Rinne-kun! Look! Keep your eyes on the road!

There may be a cloud of uncertainty² at the moment since we haven’t completed the objective at hand.

However, Shiina may be right.

It seems like not knowing when we’re going to arrive is causing a bit of anxiety.

When we do arrive, it would be in our best interest to buy a map with the voucher we have in the car.

Yeah. I’d rather not be in the kind of situation where I can’t use the Internet to know where I’m going.

There’s a bunch of tumbleweeds around here…the kind of tumbleweeds you’d see in western movies. In other words, this is probably America.

We can’t rule Mexico out either.

Wherever we are, we’re just gonna have to keep following the road. We’re bound to hit some kind of town eventually.

…Look, we’re already starting to see road signs.

Town’s ten kilometers away…looks like we’re finally getting somewhere.

Yeah, our luck is starting to change for the better!

I can’t wait~! Step on it, Rinne-kun!

I’m already on it.

Just you wait, my gluttonous fiend, we’ll get that lunch in you soon…~