Amagi Brilliant Park - Volume 6 - Chapter 2

2: Seiya’s Day Off 

Seiya woke up feeling sick the next morning. He threw up twice in the toilet. At first he thought it might have been food poisoning, but that didn’t seem possible— when he messaged Isuzu to ask her how she was feeling, she’d said she was fine. 
He’d eaten every meal with Isuzu yesterday: for breakfast, he’d had AmaBri’s “Set A” lunch in the cafeteria. For lunch, he’d had a box meal that Isuzu had made for him. For dinner, they’d gone out to the gyudon restaurant together. 
He could conclude that it wasn’t something he’d eaten. A psychological issue, then? Yes, there was ample cause there... He would have liked to just go back to bed, but he gritted his teeth, got dressed, downed some water and headed for work. 
He knew there was no way he’d make the long bike ride up the hill to the park, so he commuted via train and bus instead. The train turned out fine, but the bus was a nightmare; he ended up getting off at one stop to barf up a storm, after which he messaged Isuzu to say, “I missed my first bus, so I’ll be 15 minutes late.” 
Isuzu’s response was, “Understood. Why don’t you take the day off?” But Seiya couldn’t do that. He had several important meetings to attend to today. 
He got on the next bus, arrived at the park, and passed through the employee gate. Security chief Okuro greeted him there. “Good morning, Kanie-san! Fine weather we’re having, eh! ...Oh, what’s this? No bike today?” The lack of real suspicion in the guard’s voice, though, suggested that his performance must have succeeded. 
Seiya just said, “Yeah, the brakes need a tune-up,” then hurried to the general affairs building. 
He ran into Salama on her way to work. He said hello, but her response was more dubious: “Are you all right? You’re looking pale.” He’d let his guard down a little around her. 
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he answered. Then Seiya entered the general affairs building, threw up one more time in the second floor bathroom, and carefully rinsed out his mouth before heading for his office. 
Isuzu was at her secretary’s desk, typing away when he arrived. “Seiya-kun,” she greeted him. She was wearing her usual uniform, that of the Maple Land Royal Guard. It was a sleeveless red top with gold aiguillettes and a dark gray skirt. “Are you all right?” 
“What do you mean?” He decided to play dumb. 
“You don’t look well,” she observed. 
“Yeah, I’m just fine. Aunt Aisu made me join her for a few drinks after I got home last night. That’s probably the reason.” He knew Isuzu was aware of Aisu, Seiya’s young aunt (and perpetually drunken roommate). 
“I see.” 
“Anyway,” he said. “Has there been any word from Digimaland?” 
Isuzu remained suspicious, but seemed to remember her job soon enough. She looked down at her PC’s display. “...We received an email,” she told him. “It isn’t from Lord Mackey himself, but from one of his lawyers. It contains more details about yesterday’s proposal.” 
“What does it say?” Seiya wanted to know. 
“Let me see...It’s more or less what Lord Moffle and I were worried about... It’s only a rough outline, but the content is quite extreme.” 
“I see...” 
“I forwarded it to you. Can you see it?” 
“Yeah.” Seiya sat down at his desk and booted up his PC. It was an old model with an annoyingly slow boot-up process, so he changed into his manager’s uniform while he waited; thanks to the partition, Isuzu couldn’t watch him change. He sat down and checked his email. 
“......” Isuzu was right; the conditions were extreme. He felt the slowed churning of his stomach start up again in force. 
First, rights to all of AmaBri’s characters would be transferred to the Digima Group, which would be free to make movies or merchandise of them as they saw fit. Even just using Moffle’s face on a sign would require the Group’s permission. 
Next, Maple Real Estate (the corporate name for AmaBri) would be significantly restructured. Their current departments would be reshuffled and further segmented; leadership of each section would be held by a Digima Group employee. For instance, the head of administration, Tricen, would be dismissed, to be replaced by one of their own. 
In addition, the park’s attractions would function under joint control. Attractions that weren’t profitable would be closed immediately and replaced by new attractions (which of course, they’d use the Mogute Clan to build) integrating the Digima Group’s stronger IP. The Digima Group would also gain “input” into what the attractions would contain. 
This was only the beginning. 
In all facets of park administration, the Digima Group would have authority and control. Seiya’s position of “acting manager” would become more or less ceremonial, with most of his role being comprised of negotiating things with Latifah—and the Digima Group could also dismiss him at will. 
It was the same regarding income from merchandising: Currently, the park kept 30% of revenue, but from now on it would be 5%, with the other 25% going to the Digima Group. 
Each attraction would be assigned a sponsor through a major advertising agency, and while this would obviously result in incredible revenue, at the same time, it would mean losing the sponsors that had stuck with them all this time. The new sponsors would also have some say in the casting for each attraction. 
“Well? Unreasonable, isn’t it?” Isuzu asked, her voice shaking, as though she was holding back her mortification. 
Seiya smiled awkwardly and let out a sigh. “I’m not sure. I don’t think they’re serious about this.” 
“...?” she waited for him to go on. 
“This is a sort of posturing that goes on before negotiations begin,” Seiya explained. “Of course they want to get as many favorable conditions as they can out of the contract, but they won’t really expect us to swallow this nonsense wholesale. We’ll work it out at the table.” 
“Ah... perhaps you’re right,” Isuzu agreed tentatively. 
“I mean, it’s true that we’re at a major disadvantage... Mackey knows we need to bring in three million people,” he said, “and that we’re grasping at straws.” 
“Indeed. But, more than that... the conditions themselves. They feel like an insult.” 
“Well, it’s not like they’re doing this out of charity,” Seiya remarked. “If I were in Mackey’s position, I’d do the same thing.” 
“So, what do you intend to do?” she asked. 
“Let’s see... what to do...” Seiya mused, struggling to sound nonchalant. He looked away from his PC to gaze out the window behind him— It wasn’t good to stare at a screen while you were thinking. He couldn’t see much of the onstage area from here; the general affairs building was short, and separated from the park by a thick patch of trees. He could see the great wheel, though. 
I wish I could get on that wheel and just think things over there, he reflected. I’d love to look out over the whole park, examining everything up close... But the park was about to open for the day, and he was acrophobic, anyway. “...Sento. Can you cancel my plans for the day?” he asked, finally. 
“Cancel them? All of them?” 
“Yeah. If there’s anything you can’t get me out of, I’ll do it, of course, but...” 
“Just a moment... let me think. I believe I can move the meetings to other days this week,” she decided. “The negotiations with the agency, too... Tricen and I can handle them.” 
“All right. Make it happen.” Seiya hid behind the partition again and changed back into his street clothes. 
“Do you intend to go home and rest?” 
“No... I’m going to stroll around a little bit.” 
“...?” 
“I’m officially ditching,” he declared. 
Isuzu did not breathe a word of objection... or support, for that matter. She simply said, “All right,” and then watched him leave. 
First, Seiya went to the infirmary and laid down for about an hour. The decision to ditch, combined with the rest, proved much more refreshing than he’d expected. 
“You were really snoring in there,” the medic, Auntie Peggy, told him. Of course, she was a two-heads-tall tanuki, so while Seiya called her “Auntie,” he wasn’t sure of her real age. Seiya thanked her, left the infirmary, and headed out of the park. 
It was summer; it was hot; the sky was blue. He walked out the employee gate and headed east down the street. After about five minutes of walking, the guest gate came into view. The park had only been open for an hour and a half, but there was already a long line at the ticket booths. Seiya wandered his way to the end of the line. 
Shady overhangs and electric fans helped to make the heat bearable; he felt glad that he had ordered them installed. His turn came up about ten minutes later. “One student, please,” he requested. “A day pass.” 
The cast member who ran the ticket window, Drokko-san, stared in disbelief. “Kanie-kun? What’re you doing?” Drokko-san was a member of the real cast. Her head was a candy drop, and she wore a long-skirted, sailor-style school uniform. She looked like a Showa-era sukeban—a female delinquent gang leader. It was an odd combination of traits, but she was quite popular (for reasons Seiya couldn’t comprehend). 
Drokko-san’s weapon was a yo-yo. Her catchphrase was, “don’t underestimate me!” She was apparently from a magical realm known as the Manpanan Kingdom, and was one of quite a few cast members at AmaBri of the “food for a head” variety. 
“I’ve decided to walk around as a guest today,” Seiya explained. 
“Huh?” 
“Just give me a pass already.” He paid the price for the day pass: 4500 yen for the high school rate. This was standard for an amusement park—a little on the generous side, actually—but it still felt like a major expenditure. It would probably feel worse if you knew about their 30 yen days. 
“Don’t tell anyone,” he whispered to Drokko-san. He didn’t want her using the work message board to tell the rest of the cast about it— they might think he was running surprise inspections, or something like that. 
For today, Seiya genuinely wanted to be a guest. He wanted to stroll around the park and empty his mind. He wanted to go back to March, to the day Isuzu had first invited him to the park on a “date.” What had changed since then? What hadn’t changed? Maybe, in that, he would find inspiration. 
With his pass in hand, Seiya walked through the gate and into Entrance Square. He was greeted by a cluster of buildings, shining white against the blue summer sky. It was a transformation of environment in every way, right down to the sounds and the smells. 
The park was holding out its arms to Seiya. Everything around him seemed to shout, “Welcome!” The guests around him seemed just like they’d been yesterday, walking around briskly and cheerfully. 
“Hmm...” he hummed. Of course they are, though. I made it that way. 
“Ron! Ron, ron, roooon!” Macaron approached, surrounded by children and playing the violin. He whispered to him, “Kanie-kun, what are you doing in street clothes, ron?” He wasn’t braced for a surprise inspection; he seemed more curious than anything. 
“Nothing,” Seiya told him shortly. “Go back to work.” 
“Sure thing.” Macaron danced away from Seiya again, still bowing away. The part-timer Adachi Eiko was also present, urging guests who wanted pictures to form an orderly line. Eiko noticed Seiya, too, and waved to him. The other guests seemed to notice. 
This isn’t working, he thought. As expected, slipping into the role of “just a guest” was proving to be difficult. Even just entering one of the Entrance Square shops caused Merchan, head of merchandising, and other subordinate cast to call out to him. If he went to a cafe, Nick, head of food, and his staff would call out to him, too. 
Each time, the other guests would turn and say, “Is that handsome man connected to the park, somehow?” (That first part was understandable; he really was handsome.) Seiya had come out here on a whim, but it was proving impossible for him to walk around anonymously. I hate to waste that 4500 yen hurt, but maybe I should just give up and head backstage... he began to think. 
But just then, a voice addressed him. “Kanie-sama?” 
He looked back and saw a strange girl standing there. At first he assumed she was one of the guests; a petite girl with longish black hair, wearing a summery top and pleated skirt. 
“...?” He looked at her inquisitively. 
“Hello, there,” she said. “Do you know who I am?” 
Seiya didn’t recognize her, but he knew her immediately. “Ahh... ...Are you... Latifah?” 
She was facing him, but her gaze was unfocused, suggesting that she was blind. She had Latifah’s noble-yet-charming features. Most importantly, he only knew one woman in the world who addressed him as “Kanie-sama” (although there might be other women who called him that in secret!). Her voice, too, sounded just like Latifah’s. 
“Correct!” she laughed. “Did I surprise you, by chance?” 
“Y-Yeah... Why are you dressed like that? And... did you cut your hair?” 
“No, this is a Gulley Suit LT!” 
“LT?” he questioned. 
“The LT is an abbreviation for ‘light,’” Latifah explained. “It is rather like a wig... Taramo-san of the Mogute Clan created it so that I might travel incognito.” 
“Hmm...” 
“When I take it off... you see?” She removed the black hair. Her clothing didn’t change, but Latifah’s voluminous blonde hair was suddenly visible below, radiant, like a shower of light... 
“O-Okay, I got it,” he said shakily. “Put it back now. You’re drawing attention.” 
“Ah, excuse me.” Before she caught the eye of the others in the shop, Latifah replaced the wig. She was once again a girl with black hair to her shoulders. Every time he saw something like that, Seiya was forced to wonder about the physics at play. 
“A member of the Mogute Clan kindly brought me this far. It was so kind of him to take time out of his schedule...” Latifah was only comfortable walking around in Maple Castle itself; when she left it, she needed a guide. Seiya looked over and saw the employee door open a crack, and a member of the Mogute Clan—a mole-like mascot wearing a helmet—wave at them. 
“I see...” he observed. 
“Isuzu-san told me that you wished to look through the park by yourself.” 
“Sento said that?” 
“Yes. She also told me that you had forgotten something. She asked me to bring it to you... Here. Your very own Gully Suit LT.” 
He pulled out a mask from the paper bag Latifah handed him. It was a mask of a human face; it looked a little grotesque. Ah, of course. If I want to go around unnoticed, I can just wear this, he realized. Smart thinking. Thanks, Isuzu. 
Seiya had used this mask once before to disguise himself as another boy from his school. He already knew how it worked, so he quickly put it on. Then, he looked into a nearby mirror. 
His reflection was that of an average-looking boy in glasses. The lips were a little thick, and the eyes a little beady... but he wasn’t going to complain. He was just glad it would let him blend in. 
“What is your appearance now?” Latifah asked him. She sounded very interested. 
“Hmm... I guess it’s... normal,” he told her. “Not great, but not bad. Wretched compared to my usual handsomeness, of course...” 
“You frequently say such things,” she said wistfully, “but I also do not know your normal appearance...” 
“Heh. Just try to extrapolate from my gorgeous voice.” 
“Yes, that is indeed what I do.” Latifah smiled brightly again. Even in disguise, she was beautiful. 
“Well,” he coughed, “if you’re all dressed up like that, I assume you want to go around with me?” 
“If I would not be too much of a bother, yes...” 
Isuzu must have planned this, too— She was saying, “If you’re going to walk around the park, take Latifah with you.” What Seiya couldn’t work out was her motives. 
Did she really want to go around with me herself, but couldn’t abandon her duties? Did she want Latifah to have some fun, for once? Or was she worried about me going off to brood on my own, and just wanted me to have company? “I don’t get it...” he muttered. He’d wondered, time and again, if Sento really liked him. But each time something like this happened, it left him more confused than ever. If she really likes me that way, I doubt she’d send Latifah to join me... 
“Well, forget it...” Seiya waved his hand dismissively, as if brushing away his hesitance. He cleared his throat and spoke aloud, “How are you feeling?” 
“Ah, I am perfectly well,” Latifah answered. 
“Just don’t push yourself too hard,” he ordered her. 
“I shall not.” 
“Good. Well, it’s been a while since we’ve done this, but let’s have a walk around.” 
“...Er?” Latifah showed a moment’s confusion, which she covered with a vague smile. 
Of course. The last time he’d gone around the park with Latifah had been in March— Before she’d lost her memory. This would be first time walking around the park with this new version of herself. “Ah... Er, never mind. Let’s go.” 
“Yes! It shall be just like a date.” She giggled. 
“That’s right. Yeah... you know, let’s treat it that way.” Seiya took Latifah’s hand gently and led her along. He didn’t feel the slightest hesitance about doing it. Treating it like a date— maybe that was for the best. After all, there wasn’t anything particularly normal about a boy in high school wandering around an amusement park by himself. It would feel just as unnatural as having the cast single him out. 
“First... okay,” he decided. “How about Wild Valley?” 
“Very well!” she replied cheerfully. 

Hand in hand, the two set out. Seiya wished she could see the ways his renovations had changed the park, but even without her vision, Latifah seemed to enjoy herself. Most of the members of the cast didn’t realize who they were (though a few of the more savvy types narrowed their eyes suspiciously at Latifah). Seiya enjoyed that aspect, as well. 
And most importantly, Latifah was... Well... er... you know... Very cute. Her usual princess style was beautiful in an aristocratic way, and she took his breath away every time they met. But he couldn’t deny that it also made her feel a bit unapproachable. Right now she felt closer to his level, which meant he could relax a bit more. She was still a little too pretty to be considered “just a normal girl,” but she at least seemed like someone you might see on the Omotesando in Harajuku, while “blonde princess in sparkling dress and silver tiara” went beyond anything you’d see, even there. 
The attractions were all as crowded as could be; most of the lines suggested a wait of 30 minutes to an hour. They lined up obediently for Toon Rangers, a ruin explorers attraction. But after that, Seiya decided he didn’t want to force Latifah to stand in the heat any more than he had to. He started using his manager’s ID card in the vending machine, which let him get all the fast passes he wanted. 
Latifah seemed a bit reticent about this. “Would we not be taking advantage of the ordinary guests?” she asked. 
“It’s fine,” he replied. “We’re constantly stressing ourselves out over everything... Let’s just treat ourselves for once.” 
“All right...” 
“Also, let me know if you start feeling overtaxed, okay? Moffle would kill me if I let you get heatstroke.” 
Latifah giggled, then said suddenly, “Oh, I know!” 
“...?” he waited for her to continue. 
“Could we go to see Moffle-san?” she asked excitedly. “I would dearly like to see if he recognizes us!” 
It did sound like a pretty amusing idea. “Sure thing. Let’s try it.” 
He led Latifah to Sorcerer’s Hill. They entered Moffle’s House of Sweets: Blood & Bullets, and took on the viciously naughty mice. Moffle joined them in the last room, Hamburger Hall— Perhaps he was too focused on his work, or too tired from last night’s drinking party, but Moffle didn’t even seem to notice Latifah’s presence. 
“Moffu! Moffu, moffu! Moffu!” Moffle rallied the troops, a machine gun in his hands. Latifah fired her gun timidly. Seiya joined the other guests in firing all around, and in doing so, they managed to repel the final boss. Latifah’s score was third from the bottom: Sixth out of eight. It was a pretty impressive showing, given that she was blind. 
“I aimed with the eyes of my heart!” Latifah proclaimed. “No, I am joking. Each naughty mouse has a motor that makes a sound just before it appears... I simply fired in the direction from which the sound came.” 
Seiya couldn’t hear the motor sounds at all, personally; it sounded like she was in Zatoichi territory. She could probably rack up a really good score if she went through enough times. 
“Moffu. Moffu...” Even later, in the souvenir photo room, Moffle didn’t recognize Latifah. He treated her like any other guest. 
Just leaving felt a little anticlimactic, though, so right at the end, Latifah drew up close to Moffle and whispered, “You were wonderful, Uncle” to him. 
“Moffu. ...eh? Lati— huh?!” Leaving a wide-eyed Moffle behind, the two dashed out of the House of Sweets. Once they were clear, they burst out laughing. This might have been Seiya’s first time seeing Latifah laugh so wholeheartedly. 
“He did appear quite surprised!” she exclaimed jubilantly. 
“Yeah. You scared the life out of him,” Seiya chuckled. “That was some reaction.” 
She giggled. “But I feel I should apologize later...” 
“No need to apologize. The customer’s always right, remember?” 
“Oh, you!” she said, then laughed even harder. 
From there, their date continued. Latifah seemed to be enjoying herself— wholeheartedly enjoying herself. Her delight lifted Seiya’s own mood. 
“I’m glad to see you’re having so much fun,” Seiya said as they enjoyed some crepes they’d bought at a nearby stand. It was a sign of how much his mood had improved that, after all his digestive troubles this morning, he could sit here now, eating fresh cream. 
“Yes, very much so.” Latifah smiled. “Kanie-sama... are you?” 
“Yeah... I’m having a lot of fun.” He’d meant to make it sound natural, but the answer came out haltingly. He was having fun. At least, he wanted to be... but thoughts of Digimaland and the issue with his magic lingered in the back of his mind. On top of that, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about all the ways the park was lacking. 
He’d been taking note of the cast’s minor interactions with the guests, the small shows of consideration. There were positives there, of course... but there were also a lot of problems. For instance, some cast members were very considerate of guests with strollers. When a mother bought a crepe at the concession stand, she would have to push her stroller with one hand. There was a bit of a slope to the path there, which left her in a dicey position, so a cast member would say, “Can I help you to a bench?” and push the stroller for her. This left the mother feeling extremely grateful. But when that cast member checked out for their shift, the other cast members wouldn’t do the same. They didn’t notice— It was like they couldn’t even see the mother standing there, looking around in confusion. They couldn’t imagine how hard life was for a mother with a baby. 
He wasn’t angry with the cast members over this; he just found it depressing. The customer service manual that Seiya had thrown together for the year put it like this: “Always consider the feelings of the guests and work to make sure they’re not inconvenienced.” The first cast member had succeeded in that, but their co-workers hadn’t. The limited nature of the rules he’d put together meant putting a lot of faith in individual personalities. 
But of course, he couldn’t make precise rules about every little thing. Not only would a manual like that take forever to put together, but you couldn’t get a strong cast overnight by telling them to read a bunch of rules. It took a long time, lots of lectures, and the kind tutelage of the more experienced staff, to really change someone’s outlook. It also meant spending money, which would be difficult in AmaBri’s current financial state. 
Mackey’s Digimaland could handle all of that. They had produced manuals explaining what to do about every little situation that came up, and whenever they had free time, the cast passed on their know-how to the newcomers. Knowing how to treat mothers with strollers was absolute beginner stuff. For the cast at Digimaland, it was as basic as learning how to tie your shoes. 
“Kanie-sama?” Latifah addressed him, drawing Seiya back to reality. 
“Ah... it’s nothing,” he said hastily. “Where do you want to go next?” 
“Let me see... Might we try the merry-go-round?” 
AmaBri had a merry-go-round, which was tucked away in a corner of Sorcerer’s Hill. It was on the smaller side, and very old-fashioned, and full of wear and tear: several of the horses were missing their manes or tails, and the paint was peeling off the carriages. The lighting was broken here and there as well, in ways that cast creepy shadows on the horses’ faces when it ran at night. Since guest clothing could get caught in the moving parts, and there was a danger of small children falling off, it had an age limit of 12 or over... Which sort of defeated the point of having it. It was a powerful reminder of what a crummy place the park had been before the renovations. 
“Have you ever been on it, Kanie-sama?” Latifah asked, as they stood before the deserted entrance. 
“No...” he answered. “I’ve watched it run a few times, but I’ve never been on it.” A man in his late teens didn’t exactly belong on a merry-go-round. “It’s pretty old, though. I think it precedes the park’s founding 30 years ago... Do you know anything about it, Latifah?” 
“No. According to Unc— to Moffle-san, it has been here since the “Amagi Playground” days. But he, himself, only read about it in the documents...” 
“Ahh,” Seiya mused. “That’s what I read, too...” Amagi Playground was the amusement park that predated AmaBri’s existence. It had laid fallow for about ten years after its closing in the 1970s, which meant that most documentation about it had simply been lost to time. Seiya genuinely didn’t know how many of their current attractions had carried over from the Amagi Playground days, or in what form. 
“But I do so enjoy this merry-go-round...” Latifah commented. 
“How come?” he wanted to know. 
“It is the smell... the smell of animus... the smell of those to whom it has given joy for so long,” Latifah answered. “I can almost hear the laughter of the customers who rode it decades ago...” 
“Hmm...” It was all over Seiya’s head, but if Latifah was saying it, it couldn’t be total nonsense. “Ah, well. Let’s get on.” 
“All right!” 
Normally he’d say, “You get on, I’ll watch from the sidelines.” But Latifah was blind, so he decided he should escort her— and wearing a different face reduced his feelings of self-consciousness. He took her hand and led her to a two-person carriage. 
“A carriage?” she questioned. 
“You’re a princess, right? You deserve a carriage.” Besides, Seiya didn’t like the idea of putting her on one of those dilapidated horses. Looking excited, Latifah followed his lead. 
Seiya and Latifah were the only two on board. Given how crowded the park was these days, it was a strong condemnation of the attraction’s popularity. 
There was an ear-splitting buzz, and the ride started up. First came the sound of grinding gears, which was followed by the scream of metal against metal, and an intense, worrying vibration. Music was playing, but it was hard to hear under all the noise— It sounded like Chopin’s “Revolutionary Etude.” 
The carriage they were on moved in a rickety way that hurt Seiya’s backside; It reminded him of riding a bicycle with his Aunt Aisu over the gravel road of Kasenjiki Park by the Tama River once, long ago. Ahead of him, to the right, an unoccupied horse jiggled back and forth, hardly moving up or down at all. It was one of the most uncomfortable rides Seiya had ever been on—and yet, surprisingly, Latifah’s reaction was one of utter delight. 
“Oh, this is... amazing!” she gushed. “Just amazing!” 
“I guess it is, for certain values of the word!” 
“Is it not thrilling?!” 
“Yeah, a little too thrilling!” 
They couldn’t talk without shouting. Latifah was so excited, you would think it was a roller coaster instead of a merry-go-round. 
Seiya was happy for her, but inside, he felt frustrated. I never realized it was this bad. I should have ridden this a lot earlier— the thing needs to be off-limits to guests. The only reason he hadn’t taken action earlier was because it wasn’t an especially noteworthy attraction, and he’d had a lot of other things to deal with. 
“But how delightful it is,” Latifah squealed, “just as it is!” 
“Um... well.. I guess...” 
“...You do not agree?” 
“Well... I wouldn’t say... umm...” Seiya didn’t notice the shadow that fell over Latifah’s face. Actually, he did—but he was too consumed over what to do about the disastrous ride to give it any deeper thought. 
Should I fix it? he asked himself. But so many of the parts were so old, he’d probably have to make special orders. That wouldn’t be cheap. 
Wrenchy-kun, head of the facilities department, had told him, “It’s pretty bad, maybe you should close it down a while.” But it did still function, so Seiya had told him to keep it running, for now. 
That was clearly the wrong decision. If I leave this thing as-is, some day, it’s going to cause an accident— And in that exact moment, the accident occurred. 
There was a loud bang from the horse in front of their carriage, which had been vibrating dangerously the entire time. The metal part that fixed its pole to the ceiling had broken, causing the horse to dip down with an ear-splitting groan. The part that had broken off—a ring a little smaller than a fist—tumbled down, hit the back of the riderless horse, and then bounced. 
“......!” It happened too quickly for Seiya to react. The metal part flew into the carriage, and banged Latifah on the head. 

Moffle didn’t hear about it until after his live show that night. After a charismatic performance on-stage, he withdrew to the sound of applause. 
While his fellow performers high-fived and congratulated each other, his assistant, Chujo Shiina, timidly approached. “Moffle-san,” she said nervously. “I need to tell you something...” 
“What is it, fumo?” 
“W-Well... J-J-Just before the show, you got a call... But I was worried it would distract you... so...” 
“All right, just get to the point, fumo.” 
“I th-think it might make you lose your mind...” she ventured. 
“Hmph. Lose my mind?” he scoffed. “Who do you think I am, fumo? Just tell me.” 
“Latifah-san was injured,” Shiina finally said. “She snuck onto the merry-go-round and there was an accident...” 
Moffle lost his mind. He spat out the mineral water he’d just taken a drink of, then started pacing back and forth backstage in panic. He took out his smartphone and went through several failed attempts at placing a call. “A-Ambulance! Call an ambulance, fumo! What’s the number? Yes... 911! 911, fumo!” 
“That’s America’s emergency number,” Shiina reminded him. 
“Then 118!” 
“That’s the Japan Coast Guard.” 
“Er, I see, fumo... Then, um... um... 03-3238-****!” 
“That’s the Fujimi Shobo editorial department. Why do you even have that on your phone? Anyway, calm down!” 
“But! But! Moffu!” Shiina’s knowledge of phone numbers was even stranger than his, but Moffle was too flustered to consider that now. “R-Right, fumo. Where’s Latifah? How’s she doing? Is she conscious, fumo?!” 
“She’s in her room in Maple Castle. The wound was minor, but... I haven’t heard if she was conscious or not.” 
“Moffu!” Moffle rushed towards the underground passageway that would take him to Maple Castle. 
“Wait, Moffle-san!” Shiina called after him. “You don’t mind me filling in for the rest of your work?!” 
“Mooooffu!” 
“Is that a yes or a no?! Um, um...!” 
Moffle ignored her and ran down the stairs to the underground passage. He remembered hearing something earlier about the merry-go-round malfunctioning and being shut down. He hadn’t heard there was an accident, though... Could it be that Latifah was riding it then? 
Exactly two minutes later, he was in Latifah’s bedroom in Maple Castle. “Latifah! Are you all right, fumo?!” he asked, kicking the door open like a member of a SWAT team. Then, he stopped in shock when what he saw was Latifah and Isuzu sitting in the parlor chairs drinking tea. 
“Lord Moffle,” Isuzu greeted him. 
“Uncle?” Latifah seemed perfectly at ease. She was dressed in plain clothes—the same outfit she had been wearing when she visited the House of Sweets that day— and there was a large band-aid on the right side of her forehead, but that was all. 
“I... I heard you were hurt in an accident, fumo. A-Are you all right, fumo?” 
“Yes. I was a bit startled, nothing more,” Latifah said with an awkward smile. 
“A metal part from the merry-go-round happened to come loose,” Isuzu explained, “and it happened to strike the princess in the head...” 
“It is fortunate that it was not one of our guests,” Latifah put in. 
“How can you say that, fumo?!” Moffle had granted himself a second of relief, but he was immediately back to shouting again. “You could have been hurt! Who was with you, fumo? Isuzu! Was it you, fumo?!” 
Isuzu slumped and let out a sigh. “No, it was Kanie-kun. He was wearing one of the Gulley suits, taking a day with the princess in the park.” 
Now Moffle remembered. When Latifah had visited him, she had been with an unfamiliar male guest. So the man who had run off grinning while he stood there reeling from her reveal—that was Seiya, was it? 
“A surprise inspection, fumo? But—” 
“Not exactly,” Isuzu hedged. “It’s rather difficult to explain... I believe he wanted a change of scenery. A way to sort out his thoughts.” 
“Moffu...” Isuzu’s statement made everything clear. Knowing Seiya’s personality and the offer Mackey had made yesterday, it wasn’t a stretch to imagine he was torturing himself over it. To go around the park as a guest—it was better than stewing in his office all day. And it was understandable that he’d take Latifah with him, too. “I see, fumo. All right.” 
“Ah... might I ask what you meant?” Latifah inquired. “About sorting out his thoughts?” 
“It’s nothing, Your Highness,” Isuzu told her. “Just a minor issue.” 
“Yeah. Nothing to worry about, fumo.” 
They had to choose the right time to tell Latifah about the offer. For all the disagreements those three might have, that was one matter on which they stood united. 
“But today, Kanie-sama was—” Latifah seemed about to say something, then noted the atmosphere and bit back her words. “Ah. Forgive me...” 
“So? Where’s Seiya now?” Moffle wanted to know. 
“He went home,” Isuzu told him. “The accident must have been disheartening for him... and he looked tired as well.” 
“Moffu...” 
“I advised him to take a proper rest. I’m sure I can adjust his schedule tomorrow.” 
It seemed best to leave such matters to Isuzu. “Understood, fumo. Latifah?” 
“...Ah, yes?” Latifah seemed deep in thought about something. 
“I was thinking about taking off early today, fumo. Would you like to get dinner with me after? Kobory’s family sent her a huge pack of udon. She shared some with me, so I thought I’d make some miso nikomi udon, fumo.” It occurred to him, suddenly, that with as busy as he’d been lately, he’d been neglecting Latifah. By the time his work was over, she was always in bed. As her uncle, it was his job to enjoy a leisurely meal with her now and again. 
“Forgive me, Uncle. For today, I believe I should rest...” Latifah smiled her usual bright smile, but there was something depleted about it. There was no way she could enjoy miso nikomi udon in her condition. 
“Ah, I... I see, fumo. Well, you’ve been walking around the park in this heat all day, after all. Sorry for being insensitive, fumo.” 
“Not at all. I hope that we might share a meal very soon.” 
“Yeah. Let’s make it a promise, fumo.” 
“Yes,” she agreed. “Let us promise.” 

Isuzu and the others had told him to rest, but Seiya was in no mood to do so. Latifah’s injury had been blessedly mild, but it easily could have been much more serious. Seiya was so shaken and angry at himself that he ordered the cast member in charge to close the broken-down merry-go-round until further notice. 
What that meant was that they’d probably tear it down. It would cost too much to repair, and in Seiya’s mind, it bore a stigma as “the attraction that hurt Latifah.” He’d told Latifah as much while her injuries were getting patched. She had seemed to want to say something else, but she’d held herself back, and simply assented. The mournful manner in which she’d done it was just another log on the fire of Seiya’s anger. 
In the end, his little venture in the park hadn’t yielded a single good idea; that was usually the way when someone hit a brick wall. He’d hoped that his date with Latifah would produce yield something, a faint glimmer of hope that a way out of the tunnel was in sight—but he hadn’t been so fortunate. The only way to spark ideas now was to take action. 
Thus, Seiya took action. The minute he got home, he made a few calls, then rode his bike back out to central Amagi City. It seemed he could still meet with the man he was after tonight. 
It took him about twenty minutes to reach his destination; a golf course in the middle of a peaceful residential district. The sun had gone down by now, and the blinding white lights and the vibrant green netting stood out in sharp relief against the darkness. Even from the parking lot, he could hear the thunk of well-hit golf balls. 
The lot was full of foreign cars: three Mercedes, two BMWs, an Audi, and a Volvo. Even the domestic cars there were Lexuses and the like. The practice range catered to the well-to-do, so the brick-tiled outer wall and the fountain at the entrance were all top-notch. He didn’t see a place to park his bicycle, so instead, he leaned it at the entrance and passed through the automatic door into the lounge. 
“Welcome. Do you have a reservation?” the middle-aged receptionist asked him immediately. She was polite and courteous, but clearly on her guard around the unfamiliar young man. 
According to Seiya’s advanced research, this place was often used by young wannabe pros in the region, but the receptionist probably knew all of them on sight. Ergo, Seiya decided to employ a different tactic. “Er... excuse me. I believe my grandfather might be here...” 
“Yes, sir,” the receptionist said agreeably. “And what is his name?” 
“Hojo Ichiro.” 
“And could I ask for your name?” 
“Um, Kazuki.” 
“Could you wait just one moment?” 
“S-Sure. Sorry.” Seiya’s performance of a high school student feeling out of place was perfect. 
Fortunately, the receptionist bought it. With a smile meant to assuage his nervousness, she returned back behind her counter. Of course, Seiya wasn’t really nervous at all— he’d been invited by many great stars and their wives to visit snooty country clubs in his child actor days. This practice range was no different. 
The secretary had a short phone conversation with someone else in the building, then spoke to Seiya again. “Go on in. Hojo-sama is at the 12th driving range.” 
“R-Right,” he said shakily. “Thanks.” 
“Shall I show you the way?” she asked. 
“No, thanks! I... I can handle it!” He gave her a low bow, then strode off. 
Once the receptionist was out of sight, Seiya immediately dropped the nervous act. If he were an assassin planning to kill Hojo Ichiro, she’d bear a great deal of responsibility for what happened next; unfortunately, this was a simple neighborhood driving range, not a home to politicians and mob bosses. 
Half of the ranges were in use. Coach-like figures taught young women how to stand, hold the club, and swing. Middle-aged men muttered and seemed to project their boss’s face onto a ball before they smacked it. 
The man he was after was on the last range. He was a man of about 70, but his posture was upright. He had sunken-in eyes, sagging jowls, and long, shaggy eyebrows. 
This was Hojo Ichiro, the CEO of the park’s mortal enemy, Amagi Development. They’d met several times before, so Seiya knew him on sight. Hojo didn’t notice Seiya at first, but just kept swinging his driver silently and skillfully. Each hit let out a solid sound of contact, and the ball flew straight where he’d aimed it. 
“Hojo-san,” Seiya greeted him politely. 
“...? Aren’t you...” Hojo stopped mid-swing and furrowed his brow. 
“Kanie, from Maple Real Estate.” “Maple Real Estate” was AmaBri’s corporate name; it ran off of funding from Maple Land. 
“I know that,” Hojo retorted. “What are you doing here? ...You’re not a golfer, are you?” 
“No, I came here to talk to you,” Seiya admitted. “Someone in your company told me you often come here on Mondays.” 
“Hmm. I wonder who that might have been...” Hojo muttered grouchily, then let out another full swing. The ball flew in a beautiful arc. “Sorry, but can we do this another day? I’m off right now.” 
“You’re off most days,” Seiya pointed out. “You only come into your office for a few hours twice a week to play around on your PC.” 
The old man glared at him. “I knew you were an impudent child... You pushed me several times on the land sale issue, too. But this is a little beyond the pale, wouldn’t you say?” 
“It was the only way I knew to get a meeting with you.” 
“I’m talking about your attitude,” Hojo told him coldly. “You’re being very aggressive.” 
“And I think you know why,” Seiya replied. When they were working on making the sale of the second park a reality, Seiya and Hojo had gone through several rounds of negotiations, in which Seiya had always maintained a respectful attitude. 
Now, things were different. He’d openly come to pick a fight with this old man, who had been the one to hand him the three million attendance quota just before the final Malmart negotiations began. It had felt like a stab in the back. It was the kind of thing he would normally reject out of hand, even if it meant scrapping the agreement. But because it had been the only way to guarantee the park’s financial future, he’d been forced to accept. 
Hojo averted his eyes. It was just like during negotiations; the face of a man who felt it wasn’t his problem. “You know, those were informal discussions with a rank-and-file member of the company. I wouldn’t usually do that... once we got to the real negotiation among proper adults... you should know, it’s only natural that other conditions would come out.” 
“But before that negotiation,” Seiya retorted, “you told me the conditions were fine as they were.” 
“Did I?” Hojo hedged. “Well, maybe that was true at the time...” 
“Proper adults” my eye, Seiya thought. Hojo had no compunctions about reversing himself on things he’d said before, or trying to worm his way out of this. Seiya had seen more than his fill of such people. And they always referred to themselves that way—“adults.” 
As far as Seiya had seen, real adults didn’t have to refer to themselves that way. Well, they might use that phrasing under certain circumstances, but they weren’t bragging about it. Loath as Seiya was to admit this, Moffle was a prime example; the man was an adult. He could lose his temper, he could get carried away, he could develop childish fixations... but he was an adult. 
Meanwhile, this old man... He felt an urge to snatch up a golf club and break it over his head, but of course, he held back. If he was going to bust this man’s head open, he would have done it in the meeting three months ago. What Seiya wanted was information. His anger was partly feigned, too. “Then what changed?” he insisted. “Who was it that fed you that three million figure?” 
“Nobody did,” Hojo said huffily. “I just decided, in the moment, that it was appropriate.” 
Let’s go, Seiya thought, right before trying his magic. This was his second time using his mind-reading magic on Hojo. He had used it during the land sale to find points of compromise on the second park’s value; that’s why he’d given up on the possibility of ever finding out what the old coot really thought. Until yesterday, that is. But would Seiya really be able to use it on him multiple times, the way he had during his exchange with Isuzu? 
It was time to find out. Seiya focused, and Hojo’s thoughts revealed themselves. <<Could he know about Kurayama-san from Cosmic Studios? No, that’s impossible...>> It worked! But that meant he’d used his magic a second time. He’d probably forgotten something. 
Seiya did a mental catalog of what he knew about Hojo: Hojo Ichiro, CEO of Amagi Development. A graduate of Tohto University’s engineering department, he’d spent 30 years in the Ministry of Construction and MLIT. He’d been appointed to the board of Amagi Development 13 years ago, and had been its CEO for six. Hobbies: golf and mahjong. His wife’s name: Sadako. His children’s names: Kazufumi and Mieko. His grandson’s name— His grandson’s name— What was his grandson’s name? 
That sense of wrongness confirmed it for Seiya. That’s it. I forgot his grandson’s name. He’d used the grandson’s name just minutes ago in the lounge, but that information was now completely wiped from his memory. 
Still, it was a small price to pay. Losing memories of Isuzu and Latifah and his other friends from the park was a chilling thought, but Seiya had no regrets about losing memories of this old man. He’d uploaded information about the man’s personal life and past as cloud data, and he could access it on his smartphone at any time. 
This will work, he told himself. I came here hoping to get a hint about resolving this mess, but it looks like I might get more than that. This will work. Let’s push it. As he continued, Seiya took out his smartphone in order to have Hojo’s profile at hand. Mackey was right that Cosmic Studios was behind this. Which meant that the next information he needed was— 
“I see. Kurayama-san must have offered you a pretty good deal.” The mention seemed to come completely out of the blue, causing the old man’s shaggy brows to shoot up in surprise. 
Seiya used his magic a third time. <<Deal? Does he know they agreed to make me consultant on their new park, too? Who is this child?>> Of course, a consultancy. They must have promised the old man a consultancy with the park they’d build after knocking AmaBri down. 
Seiya had forgotten the old man’s name. He looked down at the profile on his phone: it was Hojo Ichiro. Good, no problem. 
“I don’t know... what you’re talking about,” Hojo said slowly, attempting to keep his calm. 
But Seiya kept pushing him. “Is that so? I know you have no interest in the pocket change itself. I wonder how much a consultancy comes with. The yearly salary would be, let’s see...” 
He used his magic. This was the fourth time. <<20 million yen. Does he know about that, even? Did he hire a detective? No, a detective couldn’t know...>> 
This time, Seiya forgot his first meeting with Hojo Ichiro. That wouldn’t be on his profile, but he’d detailed the meeting in his log book on the cloud. No problem. Seiya tried to shake him down even more. “If it got out that you were selling out your own park for 20 million yen a year... it wouldn’t sound very good, would it? The fact that Cosmic Studios would be coming to Amagi would be big news, after all.” 
“Are... Are you all right? You’re throwing around a lot of false accusations...” The fact that he’d guessed the exact number seemed to have the old man badly shaken. 
Seiya glared at Hojo daringly. “That’s not all I know about you. I know even more...” 
He used his magic. This was the fifth time. <<What’s he talking about? Does he know about the bid from Qatar? Or Marina and Takuya? Qatar wouldn’t be so bad... but oh, tell me he hasn’t found out about Takuya!>> 
Seiya forgot what the man looked like. He remembered knowing a man named Hojo Ichiro, but the memory of his appearance had slipped out of his memory. A sense of disorientation assailed him, as he suddenly found himself talking to an old man he’d never seen before. He felt like he was going mad. A sense of vertigo overtook him, but Seiya gritted his teeth and told himself, The old man in front of you must be Hojo Ichiro. You can’t be sure, but it has to be him. Get a grip. Nail this guy to the wall! 
What was more important was what he’d just learned from his thoughts. A bid from Qatar? That was probably from his time as a government official... That was probably a long time ago, so he’d set it aside. It was those names, Marina and Takuya, that interested him. Especially Takuya... That was a man’s name, and seemed to be someone he cared about very much. A mistress and a love child, perhaps? 
“I know... All kinds of things.” Seiya was hesitant to use his magic any further, so he decided to switch to leading questions. “It must be very hard on you, having Takuya-san out there. Hmm... Kazuki-kun. Does your grandson know about it?” 
“Damn you! That’s enough!” At last, Hojo exploded in rage. He looked like he might even charge Seiya with the golf club. His shout carried across the practice range, causing the other golfers to stop in the middle of their swings. Realizing that everyone was looking at him, Hojo lowered his club, trembling. “...What do you want? Did you come here to threaten me?” 
“Threaten you?” Seiya’s head hurt. He was so sick of resorting to dirty tactics, but he felt no qualms about breaking this old man. 
How much suffering had this man’s actions caused him? How much suffering had he caused the people of the park? Right now, Moffle and the others would be in the middle of their evening show. They spent every day and every night performing. Even when they were exhausted, they smiled and did everything they could to entertain the guests. And here was this man, playing a leisurely round of golf. He didn’t deserve mercy. 
Yes, let’s finish this here and now, Seiya decided. “Yes,” he told Hojo, “I am threatening you.” 
“How dare you...” 
“Withdraw the three million condition,” Seiya said coldly. 
“Don’t be ridiculous.” 
“If you don’t, I’ll reveal everything. I’ll put it all out there, at the time that will hurt you the most— about the consultancy, about Qatar, about Takuya-san.” 
“......” Hojo was dumbstruck. 
“I’ll say this one more time: Withdraw the three million person condition.” 
“I can’t!” the old man squealed. “It’s not that simple! We’d need to change the agreement with Malmart, and—” 
“No, I think it is that simple,” Seiya told him coldly. “Do it.” Hojo couldn’t hide how badly shaken he was now. He stole a glance at the other golfers, who had gone back to their practices. 
Is it time to start playing on his compassion? Seiya wondered. Do you know how desperate the people of AmaBri are? Do you understand how hard they’re working? Do you realize the joy that they bring to their guests? You’re the only one who can save them! 
But before Seiya could make the hard sell, Hojo began speaking, in fits and starts. “First... do you mind if I... make a call?” 
“To whom?” 
“Er... to Kurayama-san... This discretion... isn’t mine alone.” 
Is that the man in charge of Cosmic Studios? he wondered. Seiya didn’t know what kind of man he was, or the nature of their agreement, but Hojo would probably call him the moment Seiya left the course, either way. It would be better, then, to let them talk where he could see it. “Go ahead,” he told Hojo. “Just keep it short, please.” 
“A-All right...” Hojo pulled out his feature phone and dialed. As it rang, he kept casting glances in Seiya’s direction. It was like he perceived Seiya as a monster. 
Go ahead and think as long as you like, Seiya thought. But I won’t let you get away. If you try anything on me, I’ll keep using my magic. I’ll use it as many times as it takes, and sink my teeth into your neck... 
“Ah... Kurayama-san. Are you free? ...Yes. Yes. I’ve run into... a bit of trouble... Yes. ...Er, it’s about the... land deal... and the three million attendance condition. I’m not sure we can go through with it now... er?” Hojo’s brow furrowed. “Ah... I see. I’m with a boy named Kanie-kun... Yes? Ah... what? And... that’s all I have to say? I... I see.” Hojo removed the phone from his ear, looking at Seiya uncomfortably. 
“What is it?” 
“Ah... well... He wants me to pass on a message... though I don’t know what it means, exactly...” 
“A message?” 
Hojo proceeded, weakly and hesitantly, “Ah... he said... ‘it must have been hard crawling along the fence at the stadium’...” 
The message caused the world around Seiya to go black. Stadium? Crawling along the fence? He knew exactly what it meant. Three months ago at Kajinomoto Stadium, he’d rigged up the circuit boards to cause a fire. It was a highly illegal act he’d taken to prolong the park’s life. No one had gotten hurt, but it was still arson. It was a felony. 
In order to get into the stadium to make it happen, Seiya had had to spend an hour crawling his way across an eight meter tall fence. That was probably what “Kurayama” was alluding to— and he was doing it in a way that left Hojo in the dark. 
The message, then, was clear. If you don’t want me spilling the news about the arson, lay off of Hojo, it said. 
“......” Seiya held his hand out to Hojo. 
“What is it?” the old man asked. 
“Your phone. Give it to me.” He half-snatched the phone away. Making a gesture to stay where he was, Seiya walked away from the old man. “Who are you?” He had an idea, but he asked anyway. 
“Well, well. It’s been a while, Kanie Seiya-kun,” “Kurayama” responded over the phone. The voice was different, but he knew that slightly mocking tone. 
“Kurisu?” 
“Correct. And how have you been?” 
“Drop the act,” Seiya told him flatly. “What the hell is this?” 
“Hahaha. I thought this might happen, you see... so I told him that if any member of AmaBri staff started making unreasonable demands, that he should call me right away.” 
Of course. How well-prepared of him. He had known in advance that Seiya would try to threaten Hojo. 
“It’s easy to imagine what you were talking about with the old man,” Kurisu said pleasantly. “Well... it’s a good opportunity, so why don’t we talk things out, you and me?” 
“Fine. Where are you now?” Seiya was in a mood to run there immediately. 
“Ah, not tonight,” Kurisu declined. 
“What?” Seiya was surprised. 
“I have a few plans for tonight. How about tomorrow? Yes... perhaps Amagi Bridge, at nine o’clock PM.” 
“Fine,” Seiya agreed shortly. 
“Goodbye.” The other man hung up. 
Hojo looked at him fearfully— at a “child” like him. Seiya almost told him to grow a pair. 
“So?” Hojo asked nervously. “What did he say?” 
“Forget it all.” Seiya threw the phone at Hojo. The old man rushed to catch it, juggled it a bit, but in the end, dropped it on the ground. 
“Excuse me,” Seiya said, then left. 
Seiya didn’t get much sleep that night. He commuted to the park the next morning, but Isuzu wasn’t in the office. He was about to call her to confirm some work details, but before he could, she called him. 
“Sento,” he said into the phone. “Where are you now?” 
“Maple Castle. I’m with Her Highness.” Her voice was tense; that alone was enough to get Seiya worried. 
“What’s wrong?” 
“Well... something strange has happened,” she hedged. 
“What?” he demanded. “Out with it already.” 
“The... The Princess’s memory has...” 
“What?” 
“Please, just come quickly.” Isuzu hung up. 
Seiya didn’t need to be told twice; he rushed to Maple Castle. As he entered Latifah’s room, he found her sitting in her usual parlor chair, Isuzu by her side. Everything seemed fine at a glance. 
“Latifah?” he asked cautiously. 
A shiver ran through her, and then she spoke. “Isuzu-san. Ah... would this be Kanie Seiya-sama?” 
“...Yes.” 
Seiya was dumbstruck. Perhaps noting his reaction, Latifah continued apologetically. “Forgive me, Kanie-sama. I am told that you have done a great deal for the park and for me. But my memory... ah... it appears to be gone...” 
AmaBri No. 2 Building, Studio 1 
Chujo Shiina here, making a confession: I don’t know how I ended up in the idol unit(?), Task Force ABC. 
I understand why Kanie-senpai strong-armed me into recording a single of the park’s theme song (which is different from having consented to it). I’m honored that people want to buy my songs, but at the time—that time—he let me stay credited as Part-Timer C. And now, for some reason, I’ve been put in with Adachi Eiko-san and Bando Biino-san to form a three-person idol unit kind of thing... I really wish I knew how things went off the rails! 
Well, there are a few things I’ll admit to. For one, I do find wearing frilly stage outfits (that show off my belly button!), and singing flirtatiously, with a charming smile, to be a valuable experience. When my mother first heard about it, her nostrils flared and she proclaimed, “Shiina, do your best!” 
I’m a woman; a girl, like any other. I’d be lying if I said I never wondered what it would be like to join the glamorous world of show business. But... but still... Having videos of me singing and dancing in skimpy outfits on the Internet makes me very nervous! What would I say to the people at school if they found out? Actually, I think maybe they have found out... When I’m walking down the halls at school, I sometimes see people pointing and looking at me! I saw a boy from another class comparing me to something on his smartphone, too. It’s all very strange for someone whose default mode is under-the-radar. I wish someone would just come up and ask me directly! Then at least I’d have a chance to explain myself! I never meant for this to happen! I never wanted to flit around like an idol! I never had any delusions of grandeur! I just felt so bad for the people at the park that I had to say yes! 
But when I told Eiko-san and Biino-san about how I felt, they just said, “That’s truly wonderful,” and, “You’re awesome, Shiina-chan!” respectively. I guess that when I mentioned that people were talking about me at school, they thought I was bragging or something. 
That’s right... Eiko-san and Biino-san, the other members of Task Force ABC, are much better at rolling with life’s punches, and they always see the glass as half full. I’m the one who’s always pessimistic and hesitant. 
“Um, um, it’s really a problem!” I insisted. 
But Biino-san just grinned in response. “I bet it would be!” she said. “All of a sudden, you’re a big star at your school!” 
That’s not what I meant! 

“I bet that boy who looked at you had a crush on you!” Biino suggested slyly. “What does he look like? Was he handsome?” 
He wasn’t handsome at all. He had a crew cut and glasses and he was very plain. He wasn’t exactly gross, but he wasn’t handsome either. “Um, just normal...” I told her. 
“You’re so lucky! There are a few girls in the industry at my school! You know Kosaka Tomino?” 
“Um, not very well...” 
“Oh, yeah? Apparently she’s really popular these days...” Biino sighed. “I don’t stand out at all, in comparison! Ahaha!” 
I truly envied Biino-san. She went to another school in the same city, and it was famous for its pretty girls (or at least, its girls who made a flashy impression). Biino-san was cheerful and nice, and I personally think she’s much prettier than I am... So if she didn’t stand out there, her school must really be something! 
Biino-san turned the subject to Eiko-san, who up until that point had just been smiling and listening. “What about you, Eiko-san? Have people at your college been talking?” 
“Ah, not particularly... I have done similar work in the past, after all. But one of my professors did tell me, ‘It’s good of you to do work that will bring comfort to lonely men. Do your best.’” 
“I... I see...” The professor must have been influenced by the “AV issue.” I wonder if people think I’m part of some sexy group, too... So embarrassing! 
“Wow, he sounds really nice!” Biino-san said, her own eyes shining. She was such a kind person. 
“Woffle... er, Moffle-san is late, isn’t he?” I suddenly realized. It was morning, and we were in the studio in the No. 2 Building. It was summer vacation, so I was working full time days, and we were scheduled to practice a new song. But Moffle-san, who was supposed to come by to teach us, hadn’t shown up yet. We were supposed to meet up at 9:00 AM, but it was already fifteen past, which was very strange, since Moffle-san was a very punctual person. 
“Hey! Everybody here, ron?!” Just then, Macaron-san burst into the studio. He was a sheep-like mascot, woolly and soft. Eiko-san said that he was very handsome in his human form, but as I had never seen it, I found it very hard to imagine. 
“Macaron-san...” Eiko-san’s expression brightened. I had never seen her react that way before. 
What? Is it possible? It’s not possible, right? Excuse me; I must be getting the wrong idea. Macaron-san is a two-heads-tall sheep. He’s also a former delinquent and a very tough customer... 
“Moffle’s taking off today for urgent business, ron,” he told us. 
“Urgent... business?” Eiko asked. 
“Yeah. I didn’t ask what it was about, but I’m betting on ‘hangover,’ ron.” 
“Ahh...” 
Macaron-san seemed very unconcerned about it. He passed out the sheet music he’d brought, and went over minor modifications to the lyrics and the melody. “That should cover the singing, ron. I don’t really do choreography, so I brought a substitute instructor for Moffle, ron.” 
“A substitute instructor?” I questioned. 
Macaron turned to the studio door and shouted, “Instructor! Instructor! Come on in, ron!” 
“Coming on iiiiin!” In bounded our instructor. It was the Spirit of Wind Sylphie, a dancer with Aquario. Shouting in some kind of foreign language, Sylphie whirled and twirled. Her dance moves were truly impressive! 

“The bursting smell of melon! Cure Eagle!” she shouted as she capped it off with a strange, squatting pose. “Well, what pose is that?” she asked. 
“Huh?” 
“What pose?” she demanded to know. “Three, two, one...” 
“C-Cure Eagle?” I guessed. 
“Bzzt! The answer is Sylphie Pose! Your punishment is 500 radio calisthenics!” 
“What?!” I cried. 
Sylphie shot me a wink and a giggle. “But today’s Windsday, so I’ll forgive you!” 
“What’s Windsday?” I asked. Today was Tuesday. 
“Windsday is whenever I am! Come on, everyone, let’s do our best!” 
None of it made any sense. While we stared at her in confusion, Macaron-san strode for the door. “I’ll be going now, ron. Sylphie’s the best dancer we have, so give her your full attention, ron.” 
“Um, um...” I tried to object. 
“Okay, lesson one!” Sylphie sang out. “The history of dance!” 
“Um.” 
“The history of dance does not date back to the third century BC when Hannibal of Carthage crossed the Alps!” 
“Um.” 
“Lesson two! The fundamentals of dance!” 
“Um.” 
“Do not mix wasabi into soy sauce; put it on the sushi! That gives it more aroma!” 
“Um.” 
“Lesson three, the rules of dance!” 
“Um.” 
“Don’t feel! Think!” 
“Um.”