It was a rare and busy day for T-party, as they prepared to welcome guests. It was the second time this had happened since I had been hosting for almost nine months now.
While everyone was bustling about, Nagisa and I quietly shared tea on the terrace of T-party, waiting for the guests to arrive. I already knew from the news that the T-party executives were coming to pick them up as soon as they arrived at the Trinity airport.
“Once they arrive, let them in immediately. There’s no need for excessive politeness since we know each other.”
“Understood, Mika.”
The first guest was, of course, Hina. We don’t often visit each other’s academies, but we make it a point to spend at least one day a week together. There was a time I invited her to T-party, but Nagisa was absent then.
And today was the second occasion. After adjusting our schedules last week, Rion from Millennium had promised to come personally.
Despite actually loving to travel around, I couldn’t help but think that it felt a bit odd for it to always be on my side.
To be honest, Rion and I should have met much earlier, but for some reason, it kept getting postponed. Fortunately, I had wrapped up any lingering business at Millennium well, and I had been preparing the groundwork for our project through fax communication recently.
“To be honest, I find that girl a bit unsettling.”
“Huh? In what way?”
“I don’t know… I just got that feeling when I met her back then…”
“Heueng. I think it’s a bit excessive to dislike someone without reason, Nagisa.”
“Dislike? It’s not that severe, really.”
Come to think of it, Nagisa did show some reluctance towards the student council president of the other academy in the main story. By now, Makoto would probably be added to that list.
As I sipped my tea and scanned through the documents, I noticed Nagisa starting to play chess by herself. While I’d like to join her, it felt a bit inappropriate since Rion could arrive at any moment.
My choice was proven right when I heard the clicking of heels just minutes later.
Clack-clack. Clack-clack.
“…It’s been a while, T-party host. And Kirihouji president.”
Seeing Rion in person for the first time, after only experiencing her through holograms during my visit to Millennium, I found her even more mature than I remembered.
The paradise pocket seemed even more splendid than I recalled, which surprised me. How could it have gotten even grander?
“Hi, Rion! I’m so glad you could come today☆”
I stood up and approached Rion, extending my hand. She gazed at my hand for a moment but eventually nodded and shook it.
“By the way, seeing you in person makes me a bit envious. Huh.”
“…Um, what do you mean by that?”
“Oh, just height. Your height.”
“T-party host, you’re above average, right? I don’t see why you would care about something so trivial.”
“Wow… Is that the confidence of someone who has it all?”
Since she rarely looks up at others, there’s no way she cares about height. No matter how much she pursues rationality, she might change her tune if she just grew 20cm.
“Come, sit here! We have a lot to talk about, right?”
“…Okay, I get it.”
I naturally guided Rion to the tea table and pulled out a chair for her. It’s just manners; I have to show Nagisa I’m being safe too…
Huh?
“Hey, Nagisa?”
“Y-yes?”
“…Ahaha, it’s nothing.”
I caught Nagisa’s gaze unconsciously drifting toward Rion’s paradise and her hand moving up.
Nagisa, that’s cheating! Being conscious will only end up hurting yourself. Rion is, in terms of appearance alone, perfect and the very embodiment of an alpha female.
On another note, while Kisaki’s inner self seems more mature than her appearance, Rion appears younger than her looks suggest. If we could transplant Kisaki’s inner self into Rion, we might just achieve perfection…
“For the second monumental guest at this T-party, we have prepared… Assam tea brewed with golden tips and the exquisite cream scones and tiramisu from the best dessert shop in Trinity, Millefeuille! And, if you want, I can make the tea a milk tea as well.”
“…No, this is fine just as it is. Thank you, T-party host.”
“Heueng. Calling me T-party host every time must be tiring. Just call me Mika. That’s more comfortable for you too, right Rion?”
Rion nodded at my suggestion, then looked towards Nagisa. She immediately noticed the meaning behind Rion’s gaze and shook her head.
“I think I’d prefer you stick to calling me as you have, Tsukatsuki president.”
“Understood, Kirihouji president.”
By the way, I was right to ask for the damn tea table that was originally here to be moved. It needed to be appropriately sized; having that long table while hosting guests would look utterly ridiculous.
“So, shall we discuss what happened two months ago before we get to the main topic?”
“Heueng. Is that about Veritas?”
“…Yeah. If Himari’s involved, she probably hasn’t forgotten to mention my complaints. Thanks to that request, I heard we were able to replace some of Veritas’ equipment.”
“…Huh? Thank you?”
Rion, who wouldn’t even allocate a budget to Veritas, expressing gratitude? Is she not picking at Himari just for fun?
“If you’ve felt Veritas’ power firsthand, you’d know they’re among the best even in Millennium. Having their equipment upgraded to the latest model is certainly good news for a student council president of Millennium.”
“That doesn’t sound like the end of it, though…?”
“That’s correct. Separately from being good news, it’s concerning that Veritas, particularly with Himari, is unpredictable. But I have no intention of venting my frustration on you, so you can rest easy.”
“…Because that’s rational, huh?”
“Yes.”
Hmm. I had been busy thinking about how to respond since Veritas came up, but now that it’s gone smoothly, it feels oddly anticlimactic.
“Well then, now we get to the real point.”
“Mm.”
The Millennium team consists of Noa, Asuna, and Neru for this project. Asuna has remained very positive about it since the initial planning stages, and Noa is fine as long as Haruna and I are involved. Only Neru is still skeptical.
“Our goal is to create a perfect idol in every sense. With Hina and me involved, we’ll definitely attract attention, and the other kids are all outstandingly gifted, so as long as we deliver in performance, we can easily dominate the current pathetic idol market. By the way, how much was that projected profit Yuuka calculated earlier?”
“Based on the data you sent me, Mika, the theoretical maximum income over a year could rival Millennium’s entire budget for a year.”
“…?”
“What?”
Wait, what does that even mean?
Yuuka surely didn’t calculate haphazardly.
“Isn’t that a gross exaggeration?”
“It’s merely a theoretical maximum. Realistically, expecting about half of that would be the best we can hope for.”
“Even so, that’s an absurd amount… Hmm, well, considering my and Hina’s share, it seems excessive even by compensatory standards.”
“To think half the year’s budget for a school like Millennium is a possible figure just for this idol business—how successful does this idol project need to be to hit that number?”
“With music sales, concerts, and merchandise. It includes every conceivable revenue stream. Even with Neru excluded from the numbers except for those two on the Gehenna side, it’s an astronomical figure. Even if it falls below half, it should sufficiently cover compensation for past events. So I concede. Mika, your proposal, though it seems crazy, is undoubtedly rational.”
“Ahaha, so what’s left——”
“But there’s one problem remaining. And this is directly related to you.”
“…Ah.”
If I didn’t know what Rion was about to point out, I’d be a fool. This would be about my relationship with Hina.
Wow, this idol project is facing scandals even before it debuts. Even kids like these want to be idols?
But why is it involving me?
“That aspect may indeed pose an issue. I admit that.”
There are few occupations that suffer setbacks due to scandals quite like idols. Essentially, idols play a role that somewhat encompasses a romantic aspect for their fans.
To have two members confirmed as a couple even before debut—considering the norms in Kivotos, this feels like starting activities while being open about being lovers in a mixed group.
Originally, the concept of mixed groups was often discarded due to relationship issues, so starting one with this challenge is utterly ridiculous. Normally, any project would have fallen apart at this point.
However, since we’re only similar to a mixed group and not actually one, I believe we can navigate this with the right focus.
“Isn’t that a bit overly optimistic? If your private life leads to a collapse, we’ll end up having to compensate Gehenna and Trinity.”
Rion immediately reacted negatively to my thoughts. Which is a natural response if you think about it.
“Wha’? I mean, I wasn’t at fault back then, so it wouldn’t affect me, right? Maybe we should say we owe it to the fantastic summer festival… We could just abandon the project and settle the compensations if it comes to that.”
“…”
I could see Rion weighing the options between accepting the compensation Gehenna and Trinity had deferred and the potential return from a successful idol project. With the proposed return being far beyond our expectations, there’s no way she’d settle for less with a smaller pie.
“So under these conditions, let’s give it a shot, Rion. If it flops, I’ll cover the compensations Millennium should’ve received without question.”
“…Well, your proposal isn’t lacking in the upside for us. I have my worries, but there’s no reason to decline.”
“Don’t worry! I’ll prove it with results☆”
I wasn’t just saying it casually.
With this face and voice, if I just cheerfully sing a line, everyone will be enchanted; why worry about personal life? There’s a reason why even Sisterhood desires talents like this.
So…
The calm before the storm. The results will prove that I was right.
