Welcome to the Cage

Oh, there it is!

…Yes, I see it.

(Nayuki-kun doesn’t seem very excited. I guess he really didn’t want to do this.)

(I need to focus enough for the both of us. I got a sunburn while I was in Shodoshima, and it hurt pretty bad afterwards, so I should make sure I have my hat on.)

(Kafka pushed me to bring one this time out of concern… He’s such a worrywart.)

(The Monkey Cage prison island… I didn’t know working for HAMA Tours would take me here, of all places.)

Huh? You wanna debut a local idol group?!

I do. The R1ze and Day2 tours were well-received, and we owe a lot of that to our hospitality lives. I’d like to turn the Evening Team into idols and have Nayuki on support.

That… That’s a wonderful idea…! I really, really, really, really agree!

Local idols are the center of attention for any tourism region. Plus, now we have Nanaki to compose for us. Not a bad idea, right?

Yeah, I think it’s great! You never have any bad ideas, Mr. President!

Your pool of ideas is as vast as the great ocean, Young Master Kafka. As this will be our third team, I wanted to add something fresh to them, so this is a splendid plan.

(If Kafka’s confident in this, then we’ll probably be fine. That means it could be really successful.)

What about you, Nayuki? Anything to say on the matter?

Well, even if I did have something to say, I don’t think I could change anything. You were already determined to put me on this project, weren’t you?

It’s very unusual to see you in a bad mood like this. But I’m sure you’ll do well as long as you work with our chief.

(Hm? Nayuki-kun looks a little mad… No, that can’t be true. He’s usually so mild-mannered.)

Well, I do understand your thought process.

This team will be encompassing wards 10 through 14, and while they don’t have many tourist attractions, they are famous for their concert venues. We should make use of that fact.

But until now, our mayors have only performed within a limited scope. Naturally, turning our next mayors into fully-fledged idols carries some risks.

Like what?

Our most difficult task will be upholding their image. Simply put, we’re at risk of them getting into scandals. If even one becomes public, all of our work will go to waste.

I knew you’d pick up on that, Nayuki.

I-I don’t think a true fan should drop their idols after just one scandal…

When I think about all of the idols who have disappeared because of that…

Fuefuki-kun, please allow me to wipe your nose. Swipe, swipe.

Image management will be our top priority, so we can avoid hurting devoted fans like Yachiyo.

To lock in on that, I’d like to create an idol group that completely defies common sense.

…? What does that mean?

What if all of the idols were despicable people from the beginning? That way, they can only go up.

They’ll show off all of their flaws and charm people with their true selves. It’d be nice to have idols like that out there.

This is honestly a huge gamble. The experimental nature of it leaves room for a lot of risk.

Should we bet on it?

I think I can win this gamble.

(He wants us to go to a prison to find members so the group can have a bad image from the beginning…)

(Kafka always has the craziest ideas.)

(Prisoners to idols… Prisoners to ward mayors… It’s a tall hurdle to clear.)

(But I can’t make assumptions about them just because they have criminal records! I might meet some wonderful people here!)

(But…Nayuki-kun’s been on edge this whole time. I guess he’s not too fond of the idea.)

*sigh…* It looks like we’re here. Goddammit.

N-Nayuki-kun! The weather’s nice today, right? By the way, did Kafka tell you how we’re going to select the members?

I tried to ask him, but he told me it was a secret…

I don’t know. I’m not sure what he has in mind…

But I’m only going to pick from the well-behaved inmates. Any misfits who have no value and no will to live are off the table. That’s all.

N-Nayuki-kun…?

(He’s definitely mad about this…)

Welcome to the island of monkeys, or as we call it, the Monkey Cage! I’m Kodama, the head warden here.

I-It’s very nice to meet you. Um, may I ask where the inmates are…?

(Nobody’s here. How are we supposed to select our members?)

Don’t worry, this is all according to the Ward 0 mayor’s orders.

I’ll be leading you two to a room where you’ll be witnessing a very special audition!

An audition…?!

Truthfully, I have much to say regarding idols!

I believe the idol industry is a dog-eat-dog world… It’s kill or be killed out there!

Luck, wit, and skill! These are what makes a true idol!

And that is why! We will be holding a battle royale audition!!

(Huh? What? What does that mean? What’s a battle royale audition?)

…I see Kafka’s already laid the groundwork. He intends to stop me from keeping things clean.