Imitation Love

So, yes, we haven’t decided on our tour concept yet…

I see. Well, I expected this to happen.

I’ve been checking in on Raito-san, but… He keeps avoiding the topic…

The Noon Team decided on their concept pretty last-minute, so I figure that we’re fine.

But we’re already taking reservations…

The Evening Team tour concept will also serve as a sort of roadmap for their future activities as an idol group.

We need to take a look at what they’re doing now to find a foundation for the tour.

But if worse comes to worst, we can just pick out a concept for them.

I don’t want to resort to that!

The Morning Team and Noon Team’s tours succeeded because the team leaders came up with the concepts themselves… So I want Raito-san to handle it.

Yep, I knew you would say that.

Then let’s just wait and see.

Ugh… Yeah, let’s…

Excuse me. President Oguro, Chief, may I talk to you for a bit?

Oh, Nayuki-kun. Sure, what’s going on?

It’s a few things… It’s about the Evening Team’s current activities.

They’ve gotten a lot of new fans recently, so it’s been getting difficult for them to put on street performances, even with granted permission.

So I’d like for them to perform in an outdoor concert venue soon for promotional purposes. I’ve already booked one.

An outdoor venue?! That sounds great, but what if they reject us like last time…? I’m a little worried.

I anticipated that, so I made the venue owner sign an oath. We should be alright.

(He’s always so capable…!)

The hospitality live will be performed at the same venue, so that’s been discussed as well.

I want Ev3ns’ popularity to shoot up following this first venue show and leading up to the tour.

……

What is it, President Oguro? Let me know if you have something on your mind.

It’s nothing. I’m just happy to see how involved you’re getting. You were dreading this when you first started.

*sigh*

I’ve already had my mistakes cleaned up by other people many times. I need to make up for it. Also…

Although not all of the members are exactly saints, I can say that none of them are all that deplorable either.

They’ve encountered some obstacles, but they’re still working hard and attending all of their lessons. I’m their manager, so it’s not strange for me to provide them with support.

Haha, well, if they have you on their team, I’m sure they’ll succeed.

Yeah! Definitely!

(Nayuki-kun only saw Ev3ns as a bunch of criminals at first, but…he’s really come around to liking them.)

Alright, let’s start preparing for that promotional show and their first tour.

Of course.

(I’ll do my best too!)

Good job today, everyone! Nayuki-kun bought these for you.

Wow, ice cream! And it’s Häagen-Datz¹ too! I’m, like, SO happy! Thanks, Nayuuki.

I have something to announce while you’re eating. You’ll be performing a promotional show at an outdoor venue soon.

For realsies?! Like, an ACTUAL concert?!

Huh…? But we can’t fill out a whole setlist. We don’t really have that much prepared, even if we include our covers…

After calculating backwards using the average concert length and our current plausible performance length, there will be approximately 30 minutes of time left over.

We’ve prepared for that. We want you to host a fanmeet after the show, like you do after your guerrilla gigs.

Those fanmeets have really helped boost your fan count, and I’m sure fans would especially be happy to participate in one after such a large show.

I assume the audience for this show will be larger than usual.

So we can talk to more fans than usual too, right?! O-M-G, I’m so excited!

Seriously…? Well, if I have to.

It will be a good opportunity for me to practice my smile.

……

Raito, remember to actually return the love you’re given this time.

You’re totes right, Kugurinu! We should give our fans even more love than they give us. ♪

Exactly, Raito. You don’t want to disappoint your dear fans by not returning anything. You’re not that cold-hearted, are you?

…I don’t need you to tell me that, Kuguri. I’m well aware.

That’s all I have for you today. I’ll send you the specifics later, so make sure to check your phones.

Ah, Raito-san. How are you faring with the tour concept? Did you come up with anything?

Not yet… I understand that I need to get that squared away soon.

We’ll wait for you! Just let me know if you need any help.

…Sounds good. Sorry for the trouble.

(Raito-san…? He’s so gloomy today. Did something happen…?)

A concept…

*typing* …Love.

Love? *scoff* How absurd. You barely even know what it is.

! Mind your own business.

Oh, that expression is simply divine. What happened to the kind and benevolent king everyone loves? You’re looking at me as if you want me dead.

……

You can’t even lie to your fans that you love them, but you’re using love as the tour concept? How very hypocritical.

Idols are often the subject of pseudo-romantic relationships, if you weren’t aware. I’m sure there are many fans who have fallen in love with you already.

Shut it… You think I don’t know that…?

But don’t you positively despise it when people harbor feelings for you? I discovered that little tidbit immediately when I looked into your past.

Unlike you, I am very well-acquainted with love.

It’s not one of my strong suits, admittedly. I always feel guilty about not returning people’s feelings…

You don’t feel guilty, Raito.

You feel inferior.

……

Raito, you have a dreadful habit of driving a wall between you and the people you meet. In your mind, there are only two different types of people.

You and everyone else. You, who will die soon, and everyone else, who will not.

You, who cannot love, and everyone else, who can.

……

I’m surprised you haven’t realized that on your own. You truly wished to believe that you were virtuous.

I…

Other humans are just a nuisance to you. Through loving you, they expose just how incapable you are of love. Of course you’d want to distance yourself from them.

“I want to be a good person,” “I want to be admired,” “I want to be loved,” yet you feel bile rising up in your throat when people become strongly attached to you.

You feel that way because your inability to answer to their feelings exposes how despicable you are under that amicable facade.

You don’t have any of the same feelings, interests, or concern for the people you know. You’re destined to die at 28, but you have a shocking lack of humanity within you.

You’ll die incomplete. You’ll die without a single person who truly understands you. That’s why you hate everyone who reminds you of your inadequacy.

…Kuguri.

I’m not like you. I love all humans. Even you, in a way.

But you love no one. You find humans to be troublesome, even.

This hatred you harbor towards me will eventually reach your fans as well. After all, they’re the mirror for you to see your own shortcomings through.

Be quiet…

And yet you, Kitakata Raito, have the nerve to fool people into thinking that you only feel “guilty”.

Kh…

I’m not feeling well. Our conversation ends here.

You may stay. I’ll be kind and leave first. I feel satisfied enough that I was able to see such a comical expression on your face.

*sigh…*

(I couldn’t say anything to defend myself… Is that what I’m really like…?)

(Kuguri… Why would he chase after me this far…and target all of my weak points?)

…Haha. I don’t know love, but I can feel hatred. How ironic.

(If idols need to know how to love others, and I’m incapable of it, then…)

Did you check Spinet yet? Ev3ns are doing a concert soon!

Oh, is that the idol group you like? I see them on social media a lot these days.

Yeah, their fancams go kinda viral sometimes. Isn’t their leader that one really famous guy who got arrested…?

Kitakata Raito! He’s SO hot! His legs are so long. He’s, like, practically ALL leg.

Haha, come on, you’re overexaggerating. But yeah, he’s really cute. We should go to their concert.

Yeah, we should! This is the best time to stan! You can still get so much fanservice from them!

…Kitakata Raito?