Sprinkle Glitter
This just feels like I’m working part-time at a convenience store… Heavy lifting, customer service, more heavy lifting…
*sigh* Man, I’m tired. Maybe I should go somewhere with Chihiro for lunch.
It’s Chii, the miracle number 14! You were our favorite for the whole show.
You’re number 13 in our hearts, Chii! You were so close to making it…
…Ahaha, thanksies. ☆
(Chihiro’s smile doesn’t seem genuine… Didn’t Fuefuki-san mention that “miracle number 14” thing too?)
Cool… I’m glad you’re feeling better now.
Hm? How’d you know I was sadsies?
Sadsies…? Uh, I just had a feeling.
Oh, I got you some Jigokumushi pudding. You like pudding, right? I remember you talking about it when you decided to work at Sea Hell.
…I didn’t expect you to remember that.
Haha, you’re a really nice guy, Taotao. You picked up on my feelings yesterday too.
*humming*
Oh! Man, that song really takes me back. I used to listen to it a lot.
How does it go again? Like…
*humming* Right?
! Taotao, you’re so good at singing!
Huh? Um, really…?
I guess you couldn’t sing yesterday ‘cuz you were embarrassed. You should try singing like that today! That’s a really good skill to have.
But, like, this is a pretty niche song from the 90s. How do you know it? Oh, can you sing that one song they put out in 2000 too?!
Uh… 2000…? Nah, I dunno. I just picked the song up from somewhere random… How do you know it?
I totally love that era, so I danced to this song! ♪
You…danced to it?
Yeah, at an audition for a show… Chii used to be on an idol survival show called 13Choose!
I was in 14th place at the end. I just barely missed the final lineup.
(Oh… Is that why everyone calls him the miracle number 14?)
I guess that’s why you’re so good at dancing…
Yeah, but just being a good dancer doesn’t mean anything. Idols have to do a lot more than that.
Really? Man, if you’re not good enough, then there’s no hope for me. I think you’re pretty amazing…
…I’ll let you in on a little secret. I was actually in 13th place.
What…?
But apparently the producers rigged the results and bumped me down a spot. I only heard about that from the director after the show ended though, so I don’t really know if it’s true or not.
That’s totally unfair if it’s true.
Yeah, but I dunno for sure. Maybe he just told me that because he wanted to hurt me.
I was…kinda targeted a lot back then. People hated me.
Huh…? Why?
I guess because I stood out? Not in a good way though. So I was the perfect bad guy for the show. I really liked all of the other participants there and had a lotta fun, but…
The show would take what I said and edit it to make me look bad, so I got a lotta haters and got doxxed online. But that probably helped raise the ratings for the show.
……
Sure, I can dance, but I suck at singing. There’s a lot of stuff I’m not great at.
So because people kept coming for me, I came up with my Chii persona. That way, I can avoid getting hurt…and I can always look like I’m having fun.
Having fun, huh…?
I really don’t want my haters to think I’m, like, super depressed and stuff because of them. That would suck. So I always try my best to look like I’m having fun.
So that’s why you wanted all of us to put on personas…
(Maybe he just wanted to protect us…)
Everyone on our team’s a criminal, so people are gonna say all sorts of mean stuff about us.
Even if we said that we didn’t commit our crimes on purpose…nobody would understand us.
…You’ve really been through a lot. Even with the whole criminal thing aside, I think it’s awesome that you were able to become an idol.
I don’t really think I’ve become one.
My family would always love to watch me dance. I kept going with it because I wanted to help raise my little sisters, even though I didn’t go to high school.
My mom…wasn’t really around all that much. But she would give me support and stuff when I was on the survival show, so that made me happy.
I really wanted to make the final lineup, because I knew it’d make my little sisters happy. But I lost.
Since I already had a fanbase, I decided to become an influencer, but…my likes started going down after the show stopped airing.
Then I started working with some weird company. I did PR for them, but it turned out they were engaging in fraud, and I was helping them.
Then I got arrested…and now I’m here. Awful story, right? I don’t think my mom even cares about me at this point.
But if Ev3ns gets popular…
Nah, no way! Chii’s such a dummy!
I don’t think so.
Well…that’s ‘cuz you’re a nice guy. And you’re normal, unlike me.
Not really. I was on a TV show to help my family out too.
Really?
Even if you’re family, there are things that you can’t really resolve or things that you can’t forgive. You don’t have to blame yourself for everything.
…Are there things you can’t forgive your family for, Taotao?
……
You wanna skip out on work today and go to the onsen?
*gasp* Yeah, totes! That’d be super fun!
What were you thinking? I would expect Natsuyaki-kun to do this, but you decided to skip too, Kinouchi-kun?
I-I’m sorry.
I did try to let them know beforehand…
Nayuuki, you’re so scary! And what do you mean by you “would expect me to do this”?!
Oh, but I’ll make sure to focus during practice today… I want Ev3ns to become proper idols. I won’t let everyone down.
*gasp*
Chihiro, can you teach me how to dance?
Yeah! Def! Can you teach me how to sing, Taotao?
(I don’t know it happened, but they seem so much closer than before! That’s such a relief. Things are starting to look up.)
Those two were arrested for fraud and theft, weren’t they?
Those are relatively minor offenses compared to the other members. They’ll help improve the image of the group a lot.
…! Fraud and theft…
They didn’t seem to commit their crimes with the intention of hurting anyone, so we don’t have to worry about them.
I wonder what the other three members got arrested for. Kafka wouldn’t tell me.
…I think it would be best if you asked them yourself.
But at the same time…maybe it’s better left unknown.
(Is Nayuki-kun…hiding something?)
(He’s usually so composed, but he’s been on edge since he started working with this team…)