Envy ♦︎ The Feather-Light Brush of Small Wings: Prologue

!! CONTENT WARNINGS: mentions of ritual suicide !!

Location: ES Live Stage

＜Mid-September, onstage the ES Live “R2”＞

Hiiro: ”Everyone, go forth!”

Tatsumi: “Hallelujah…☆”

Mayoi: “Ufufufu, have you already learned the rules of playing cards? Understand the variety of cards in your hand and use them to your advantage!”

“By the way, I’m embarrassed to say your suit of clubs is me, Ayase Mayoi!”

Tatsumi: “I am the diamond, Kazehaya Tatsumi♪”

Hiiro: “I am, of course, the spade— Amagi Hiiro!”

Aira: “......”

Tatsumi: “...!? And naturally this is the heart, the lovely Shiratori Aira-san!”

Aira: ...Oh shoot, I totally zoned out.

Tatsumi: (Whispering) It’s alright, I’ve covered for you. Let’s begin the song before the audience becomes suspicious.

Aira: (Whispering) ...U-Um, I-I’m sorry.

Tatsumi: (Whispering) Please don’t fret about it.

“With that, please enjoy ALKALOID’s debut song, ‘Tsubasa Moratorium’!”

Mayoi & Hiiro: “♪~♪~♪”

Aira: “~...♪”

 

Location: Dressing Room

＜A few hours later, immediately after the live in ALKALOID’s dressing room＞

Aira: —I’m sooo sorry!

Uwaah, why the heck did I make such a careless mistake!?

We’ve been getting better and better lately, but I almost screwed up and ruined our live!

This is the greatest mistake of my life! Exposing such dishonor to the public brings disgrace to a samurai. I shall honorably commit seppuku…!

Hiiro: In that case, if you don’t have someone to properly and cleanly behead you, then you’re going to suffer for quite a long time.

Mayoi: Eek, the way of the samurai is scary! Let’s stop this conversation, Hiiro-san; Aira-san, please calm down!

Lately, just hearing such an archaic way of speaking¹ is enough to get me terribly excited on reflex!

Tatsumi: Mayoi-san, won’t you please calm down as well?

In any case, this show as a whole ended up being a success. Of course you should reflect on it, but please don’t let worry consume you.

Hiiro: That’s right, I’ve made countless small mistakes as well!

If Aira is to be criticized then I should be criticized as well, if not more. I can’t wait to be able to give a flawless performance like Mayoi-senpai and Tatsumi-senpai!

Tatsumi: Fufu. Hiiro-san, there is no need to rush. There are no shortcuts anywhere, and hard work always pays off.

Hiiro: Indeed, and I’ll amen to that!

Mayoi: Fufu. Hiiro-san, you’re so worked up right after a live. It’s cute...♪

I-I mean, u-um…Aira-san too, you don’t have to dwell on this too much, you know?

We’ve been working since MDM to make a name for ourselves by actively performing lives.

Now we’ve gained a steady following and secured a position where we no longer need to be concerned about being fired.

And that’s probably why you let your guard down. When you think to yourself that things are finally stable and you’ve adjusted well, that’s when careless mistakes tend to increase.

Rather, it could be said that it’s my mistake for not saying anything beforehand and giving you a warning in advance. I’m sorry Aira-san, I’ll wipe away all of your sweat as an apology...♪

Aira: I can do that myself. Uuhn, I’m happy that you’re comforting me, but don’t spoil me too much.

I’m mad at myself for messing up something so important; I’ve always been like this.

Tatsumi: Fufu. Humans are not almighty gods, everyone makes mistakes you know. Come to think of it, Aira-san, you probably don’t have much experience with live performances yet, do you?

You can’t help but be a bit clumsy if you’re only starting out.

Mayoi: Fufu. You know a lot about idols, so it seems like you have a wealth of experience.

However, if you think about it, you’re a newcomer who just debuted, right? Well, it’s the same for me, but...

Aira: Uu. That’s right. I’m just a huge idol otaku… My real world experience is about Hiro-kun-level, so I’m still getting used to it.

Hiiro: Aira, just now you used “Hiro-kun” as a synonym for “the lowest”, did you not? Rather than “Hiro-kun”, perhaps you meant to say something like “Zero-kun”, isn’t that amusing?

Mayoi: …(has a laughing fit)

Tatsumi: Fufu. At any rate, you three are beginners and I’m returning from a hiatus; we are unable to behave the same as other shining idols in our current position.

We are the “underachievers”. However, if we work hard and don’t give up, we will wipe away the ruthless stigma that was stamped upon us.

This experience, this story, is not so fleeting that it can be ended by a single failure.

So truly, there is no need for you to look so gloomy Aira-san.

Aira: …...

¹ Aira uses "gozaru" when he says he will commit seppuku. Shinobu also speaks in this manner.