Next Door - Open World Chapter 6

[shivalries]

Season: Summer

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[Saison Avenue]



Sora: ......

Izumi: There. Now we're gonna hold hands while we walk. I won't accept any objections or rebuttals, got it?

Can't have you almost getting run over again, right? If you're gonna gamble with your life, there are more dramatic ways to do that, y'know.

Sora: Yes... Sora understands. We don't have infinite retries at life, so we have to treasure it.

But Sora's still disappointed. Sora saw Leo-san's color again, but Leo-san wasn't actually there. Where could he have gone?

Izumi: Who knows. The last time he just vanished into thin air, he was in Egypt or something all of a sudden—he's hard to predict.

Knowing how he is now, though, he probably hasn't gone that far. And if he really was that ungrateful, I'd steamroll him right into the pavement myself.

Sora: Ungrateful? Does Leo-san owe you something?

Izumi: Well, obviously. See, if he's not submerged up to his head in the ocean of music, he'll die—

And the ones who brought him back to that place, to the stage... that's us in Knights, you know?

There's no denying that Mikejima was the one who saved Leo-kun as a person.

But the ones who saved him as an idol—no, breathed life back into him are none other than Knights.

Sora: HaHa~? Is that so? Sora doesn't know much about the seniors' era...

Izumi: ...Hmm? You didn't hear it from Aoba or something?

Sora: Mnn~ He'd probably tell Sora if asked, but... whenever talk starts to go in that direction, both Master and Senpai turn an awfully painful-looking color.

All that past stuff is probably why they argue so much, anyway... It's not an easy thing to ask about. Nobody likes it when their wounds get touched.

Izumi: Haha. It's hard to butt in when you're the "obedient only child", huh. No reason to go stoking the flames on purpose, right?

Sora: Yeah. Sora wants Senpai and Master to get along. ...No, Sora wants everybody to have a happy color.

For that purpose, Sora can handle a little loneliness. He's fine even if he's feeling lost, 'cause he can't see his own color without looking into a mirror.

And because he can't see it, it's like it doesn't exist. Aliens, fairies, occult phenomena... Magic makes all of them visible, so that's why Sora wanted to learn magic...

Izumi: Mm... Well, they say that humans get 80% of their information from sight. People put so much weight into what they see with their eyes, y'know. That old-fashioned lookism still rules the world today.

Sora: Lookism, like... species conservation? Like how better genes look more attractive?

Izumi: Where did you get that? What I want to say is that I'm pretty, so I should be treated properly!

Sora: Ohhh, Sora thought you were talking about something else. So that was supposed to lead into some sort of brag or complaint?

Izumi: So what? Got a problem with that? What else would I be trying to say, anyway?

Sora: Mm~ Sora supposes we need self-love to survive~? And you have a really beautiful color right now... so you're not lying?

Izumi: Well now, don't start thinking you can butter me up like that. ♪

Sora: ? But Sora isn't buttering you up—he's just telling the truth!

Izumi: There, there, that's a good boy. I see now why Aoba and the others like you so much.

Meanwhile, Knights could seriously try harder to talk about things that make me happy, but usually they're just like, "go do what you want" and ignore me? I mean, rude much?

Sora: Sora gets treated that way too. Especially lately, Sora's seniors don't really weigh in on the things Sora does.

But that probably means the others trust us, yeah~? We all love each other, so we respect each other—

Izumi: Haha, that's what a sensible little kid would say. But y'know, that might work well right now, but when kids like that suddenly start talking of their own free will, their parents flip out.

My parents were like that too. I believed they would always support my dream, but...

To put it simply, they just wanted a perfect little doll that would listen to everything they said.

...A child that lived up to their ideals.

Sora: ...Is it bad to try to be that way, though?

Izumi: It's not necessarily bad, I'm just saying it's really tough trying to live up to ideals when reality's so filthy.

Sora: But turning ideals into reality is the work of magic—of idols, right?

Izumi: Yeah, that's true. That's why I'm pretty fond of this job. I've been playing this role since I was a kid, anyway—the role of an obedient, ideal child.

But that doesn't exactly work in the wide, wide world out there... so I've been worrying over that lately.

If I pull out and return to Japan just because I'm not getting any results, my parents are gonna look at me like, "I told you so." Sooo~ annoying.

I've spent my life trying to live up to other people's ideals, so I'm not used to reaching for my own...

But it's not like everything's gonna be so easy, right? I'm well aware I'm not a genius like Leo-kun, after all.

So it's not like I'm gonna lose hope in myself and the world now.

All I gotta do is throw myself into work without giving up, while blowing off steam by complaining and picking on my juniors.

...Why am I even talking about this, anyway? I thought Switch were magicians, but were you actually fortune tellers?

Sora: HiHi~♪ Sora's learning those skills too~ He wants to be just like Master!

Leo: "Ah, ah, mic test, mic test."

Izumi: ...?! Wasn't that Leo-kun's voice? Where is he?!

Sora: Over there, Sena-senpai! The huge TV in the window of that electronics store! Leo-san's there on the screen~ HuHu~?

Izumi: Whoa, you're right. Nicely spotted, Harukawa-kun.

Sora: HeHe~ Sora has sharp eyes. ♪

[Studio]



Leo: "Wahaha! With the help of my friends Tenshi and co. I've hijacked the commercial segment!"

"You all hear me~? Especially you boneheads in Knights!"

"Seems like you all wanna move me around like I'm your chess piece or something!"

"I wanna do what I want, when I want! I don't like this strategy the players—in other words, you guys—set up for me! It's boring!"

"But whenever I start saying that, the world goes quiet and stops cold!"

"So I gotta get it kickstarted again—and we Knights have just the thing to do that!"

"You know what I'm talkin' about, right? I'm sure you do! It's been a long time since I've said this: we're holding a Judgment!"

"It'll be an official duel to decide the future—ours, and especially mine! I'll tell ya about the rules and venue in a bit, so for now, polish up your blades and wait!"

"What's that? ES's Big 3 hotshot Knights is too busy right now, you say? You can't just drop everything for a live show? I don't give a crap!"

"If you guys don't show up, then it's my win by default! I'll just do whatever I feel like doing!"

"That's fine with you, right? You guys kept pushing your wishes on me without thinking about my situation, after all!"

"No hard feelings—we did it to each other! Let's have a big, grand duel, as we always do!"

"I'll be looking forward to it~ After you wash your swords, how about you wash your necks for the inevitable execution! Come at me with your gorgeous selves dressed in your Sunday best! Wahahahaha! ☆"

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