Sudden Death - Romanticism Chapter 12
Aug. 13th, 2022 05:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shivalriesSeason: Winter
---
Location: Downtown Osaka - Evening
Rinne: Obviously, the talented and obedient star students would be ES's favorite.
That's why ES made Knights their priority above other idols—they had it all laid out for you.
They went outta their way to set the Kansai region up all in your favor to give you an easy win.
Reminds me of an overprotective parent throwin' tons of cash into getting their precious little baby into a good school. You've got their hopes, their respect, and their care—Knights.
Tsukasa: ......
Rinne: And not only did ES fix the rules so you guys could use your favorite Duel setup—
But they also made sure they didn't put any bigshot units in Kansai that mighta given you trouble.
I mean, if ya stop to think about it, it even starts to look like they threw in a buncha useless idiots and pests, like us Crazy:B who've earned their spite—fodder you guys could gobble right up and they wouldn't blink an eye.
"Now, dear little Knights! Make sure you eat up your yummy kibble and grow big and strong!"—now doesn't that sound insane?
Give a lil' thought to us poor wretches out here who get to be humiliated right before you scarf us down!
Tsukasa: ......
Rinne: But obviously, we don't feel like lyin' down and bein' your prey. When cornered, even the frailest little insect'll clamp down with its jaws or jam in its stinger.
Just trying to stay alive. To avoid gettin' squashed and killed for some other asshole's convenience.
—So,you see, we just wanted to survive. And because we wanted to survive... we teamed up with Gatekeeper.
Tsukasa: "Gatekeeper"—do you mean that suspicious character who acts as chairman of the SS committee? The one who issued us our secret orders?
Rinne: Yup, the shady old bastard himself. Real scary customer, though, that guy. Even I don't wanna have much to do with him, but this time 'round our goals just so happened to match up.
So we're workin' together for now. Had a good reason to do so, anyway.
Kohaku: ......?
Tsukasa: Am I to understand your true allegiance lay not with us Knights, but with Gatekeeper?
Rinne: Yeah, that's what I'm sayin'?
From an idol perspective, he's a piece of shit, but he's got power and money comin' out his ass—enough to change the world, no doubt.
Kohaku: ...Wasn't Crazy:B all about givin' a big hearty sting to snobs like him?
Rinne: Yeah, I know. We'll sting 'im later. It's just not the time for that yet.
Kohaku: ......?
Rinne: What's good news for us is that ES and Gatekeeper aren't one and the same. Sometimes their goals are at odds and they butt up against each other.
I even heard they're split on what to do with Knights.
ES wants their goose that lays the golden eggs to win.
But on the other hand, Gatekeeper's got backdoor deals with Switch and Double Face, from the same agency as Knights.
He sees those units as his associates.
Kohaku: ...Oh, is that so. Madara-han did look pretty darn friendly with that Gatekeeper fella. Almost looked like they trusted each other.
Huh, wonder if that's why Madara-han stopped me when I was just about to rip the guts outta that guy.
Rinne: Guts...?
Kohaku: Stuff happened on my side, too. ...But if we were in an alliance with Gatekeeper all along, maybe I shouldn'ta done all that.
Rinne: Nah, don't want him thinkin' we're pawns he can move in any way he wants. Gotta give him a good prickle when he needs it ♪
Anyway. Our guy Gatekeeper wants to facilitate his plans with Switch or whoever he's dealin' with. And of course he would; that's where his business is.
That's exactly why he wants NewDi's biggest—and pretty much only—breadwinners to lose SS.
If Knights falls, so does NewDi. That rips out the spine from Switch an' whoever else is there, putting 'em in a weak and useless position.
Up 'til now, I bet they could make some pretty robust negotiations 'cause they had Knights backing 'em up.
But losing that insurance makes things harder.
That's what Gatekeeper wants. He can't let NewDi be too strong, right? Way easier to bleed 'em dry when they're weak.
Tsukasa: ...How truly depraved.
Rinne: Nope, this is a real, proper strategy. Even the strongest predators use their fangs and claws to make their prey bleed first—to weaken 'em.
And ya wanna talk about fairness? Chivalry? Think that's gonna put food on the table, huh?!
Even if it did, that only works for people who had power in the first place.
They've got their freezers stocked up full and won't have to worry about a thing, and then they laugh at all the pitiful lower creatures scrambling for a scrap of food to eat.
But see, the lowest rungs of our society run on somethin' much more primitive: the law of the jungle. But I guess a little boy from a well-to-do family wouldn't know about that, now would he?
Tsukasa: ......
Rinne: What makes you guys a lost cause is you sit there in your nice and cushy position—and it doesn't even cross your mind to donate to the weak.
Knights are all about individualism, yeah? That means you only care about yourselves!
Tsukasa: That is hardly the case. We are training a new generation of Knights, and we safeguard the weak from all that threatens them—
Rinne: Sure, that's probably what you were goin' for.
But ES has got a different idea: "Don't get sidetracked, think only about making yourselves shine"—
Knights and Ryuseitai are fine examples of this.
ES is makin' up all sortsa reasons to force you all to stop doin' "unnecessary" things that don't count as idol activities.
Didn't they tell you somethin' about that? Like they'll take up those newbies you so carefully raised yourselves, so now you have to focus on work?
ES is a business, and it's always lookin' to profit—guess you could say this was only bound to happen someday, eh?
The more you guys focus only on idol work, the more cash ES rakes in.
Nothin' more, nothin' less. All these pretty words are just an excuse ES made up to cover up their desire to keep their own stomachs full.
A business operation of ES's size is like a living, breathing monster runnin' on nothin' but its own instincts.
Basically, even if puny humans like us kick up a fuss down below, this creature won't listen, won't even understand.
If we wanna make this monster move the way we want it, we gotta dish out some pain, make it physically understand.
Tsukasa: And that is why you've joined forces with Gatekeeper, who many dark rumors claim is involved with the mafia?
Rinne: Bingo. But that ain't the only reason. We're gonna have this monster meet another one its own size.
---
< Romanticism Chapter 11 || Masterlist || Romanticism Chapter 13 >
---
Location: Downtown Osaka - Evening
Rinne: Obviously, the talented and obedient star students would be ES's favorite.
That's why ES made Knights their priority above other idols—they had it all laid out for you.
They went outta their way to set the Kansai region up all in your favor to give you an easy win.
Reminds me of an overprotective parent throwin' tons of cash into getting their precious little baby into a good school. You've got their hopes, their respect, and their care—Knights.
Tsukasa: ......
Rinne: And not only did ES fix the rules so you guys could use your favorite Duel setup—
But they also made sure they didn't put any bigshot units in Kansai that mighta given you trouble.
I mean, if ya stop to think about it, it even starts to look like they threw in a buncha useless idiots and pests, like us Crazy:B who've earned their spite—fodder you guys could gobble right up and they wouldn't blink an eye.
"Now, dear little Knights! Make sure you eat up your yummy kibble and grow big and strong!"—now doesn't that sound insane?
Give a lil' thought to us poor wretches out here who get to be humiliated right before you scarf us down!
Tsukasa: ......
Rinne: But obviously, we don't feel like lyin' down and bein' your prey. When cornered, even the frailest little insect'll clamp down with its jaws or jam in its stinger.
Just trying to stay alive. To avoid gettin' squashed and killed for some other asshole's convenience.
—So,you see, we just wanted to survive. And because we wanted to survive... we teamed up with Gatekeeper.
Tsukasa: "Gatekeeper"—do you mean that suspicious character who acts as chairman of the SS committee? The one who issued us our secret orders?
Rinne: Yup, the shady old bastard himself. Real scary customer, though, that guy. Even I don't wanna have much to do with him, but this time 'round our goals just so happened to match up.
So we're workin' together for now. Had a good reason to do so, anyway.
Kohaku: ......?
Tsukasa: Am I to understand your true allegiance lay not with us Knights, but with Gatekeeper?
Rinne: Yeah, that's what I'm sayin'?
From an idol perspective, he's a piece of shit, but he's got power and money comin' out his ass—enough to change the world, no doubt.
Kohaku: ...Wasn't Crazy:B all about givin' a big hearty sting to snobs like him?
Rinne: Yeah, I know. We'll sting 'im later. It's just not the time for that yet.
Kohaku: ......?
Rinne: What's good news for us is that ES and Gatekeeper aren't one and the same. Sometimes their goals are at odds and they butt up against each other.
I even heard they're split on what to do with Knights.
ES wants their goose that lays the golden eggs to win.
But on the other hand, Gatekeeper's got backdoor deals with Switch and Double Face, from the same agency as Knights.
He sees those units as his associates.
Kohaku: ...Oh, is that so. Madara-han did look pretty darn friendly with that Gatekeeper fella. Almost looked like they trusted each other.
Huh, wonder if that's why Madara-han stopped me when I was just about to rip the guts outta that guy.
Rinne: Guts...?
Kohaku: Stuff happened on my side, too. ...But if we were in an alliance with Gatekeeper all along, maybe I shouldn'ta done all that.
Rinne: Nah, don't want him thinkin' we're pawns he can move in any way he wants. Gotta give him a good prickle when he needs it ♪
Anyway. Our guy Gatekeeper wants to facilitate his plans with Switch or whoever he's dealin' with. And of course he would; that's where his business is.
That's exactly why he wants NewDi's biggest—and pretty much only—breadwinners to lose SS.
If Knights falls, so does NewDi. That rips out the spine from Switch an' whoever else is there, putting 'em in a weak and useless position.
Up 'til now, I bet they could make some pretty robust negotiations 'cause they had Knights backing 'em up.
But losing that insurance makes things harder.
That's what Gatekeeper wants. He can't let NewDi be too strong, right? Way easier to bleed 'em dry when they're weak.
Tsukasa: ...How truly depraved.
Rinne: Nope, this is a real, proper strategy. Even the strongest predators use their fangs and claws to make their prey bleed first—to weaken 'em.
And ya wanna talk about fairness? Chivalry? Think that's gonna put food on the table, huh?!
Even if it did, that only works for people who had power in the first place.
They've got their freezers stocked up full and won't have to worry about a thing, and then they laugh at all the pitiful lower creatures scrambling for a scrap of food to eat.
But see, the lowest rungs of our society run on somethin' much more primitive: the law of the jungle. But I guess a little boy from a well-to-do family wouldn't know about that, now would he?
Tsukasa: ......
Rinne: What makes you guys a lost cause is you sit there in your nice and cushy position—and it doesn't even cross your mind to donate to the weak.
Knights are all about individualism, yeah? That means you only care about yourselves!
Tsukasa: That is hardly the case. We are training a new generation of Knights, and we safeguard the weak from all that threatens them—
Rinne: Sure, that's probably what you were goin' for.
But ES has got a different idea: "Don't get sidetracked, think only about making yourselves shine"—
Knights and Ryuseitai are fine examples of this.
ES is makin' up all sortsa reasons to force you all to stop doin' "unnecessary" things that don't count as idol activities.
Didn't they tell you somethin' about that? Like they'll take up those newbies you so carefully raised yourselves, so now you have to focus on work?
ES is a business, and it's always lookin' to profit—guess you could say this was only bound to happen someday, eh?
The more you guys focus only on idol work, the more cash ES rakes in.
Nothin' more, nothin' less. All these pretty words are just an excuse ES made up to cover up their desire to keep their own stomachs full.
A business operation of ES's size is like a living, breathing monster runnin' on nothin' but its own instincts.
Basically, even if puny humans like us kick up a fuss down below, this creature won't listen, won't even understand.
If we wanna make this monster move the way we want it, we gotta dish out some pain, make it physically understand.
Tsukasa: And that is why you've joined forces with Gatekeeper, who many dark rumors claim is involved with the mafia?
Rinne: Bingo. But that ain't the only reason. We're gonna have this monster meet another one its own size.
---
< Romanticism Chapter 11 || Masterlist || Romanticism Chapter 13 >
