Thread by @mika_enstars

jun arrives at the auditorium and he comments on how everythings so needlessly fancy

then he realizes theres not many people at all, and the few students there are all newcomers like him, not a single senior in sight

juns like uh toujou-senpai this is weird BUT HES GONE

juns still pretty creeped out when suddenly hes approached by himeru and asked if hes okay, cuz hes acting weird

Jun: Huh?...Um... me?
Kaname: Yes, you. What's wrong? Stomachache?
Kaname: Well, whatever. I don't even know you.

Jun: Umm... wait, huh? Toujou-senpai?**
Kaname: ? Yes, I'm Toujou...?
Jun: Ah, you're a blood relative, I was thinking you looked similar. Um, well, your relative just helped me out some moments ago.
Kaname: ...? What are you talking about...

**he uses boku pronoun here!

Kaname: You're strange. And you're injured here and there... Was a mistake to approach you?
Kaname: Well, nevermind. Actually, you answer that for me. Answer accordingly.
Jun: Ah, yessir. I-I don't think you'll get anything out of me

Kaname: Correct. ...You, answer this as well; are we in the auditorium?
Jun: Huh? Ahh, yes. I think so. Probably. I was just guided here by your relative-like person so I'm not fully sure.
Kaname: Just who is this relative-like person you're talking about...

Kaname: Anyhow, I can't help but ask you this anyways. You, this is the "First Auditorium", is it not?
Jun: Huh? There's things like a first one and a second one?
Kaname: Indeed there is. We special students are to participate in the First Auditorium entrance ceremony.

Kaname: So. A brainless pipsqueak non-special student like you should be attending the entrance ceremony at the Second Auditorium.
Jun: (Wha? That guy just insulted me like it was second nature...)
Jun: Ahh~... I see. You're one of those special students, huh?

Kaname: Can't you tell from the uniform? We special students have uniforms different than yours, you know?
Kaname: You must really be stupid, not knowing even that. It's because of this stupidity that you're not a special student. Because you're worth nothing.

Jun: Hahah... You have no right to make a fool outta me.
Kaname: ? What do yo umean by that. Explain right now.
Jun: The one in the wrong place is you, y'know~. Take a look around you, look, everyone here's wearing the same uniform as me.

Jun: In other words, this is the Second Auditorium for the non-special students that you speak of~. Maybe.
Kaname: ? Is that the case?
Jun: Eh, did my explanation not make sense to you?

Kaname: And so what if it didn't? It's not my fault, isn't it your fault that your explanation was hard to understand?
Jun: Who is this guy...
Kaname: Who is "this guy"? Despite being the failure of a student. You don't even know how to speak, huh.

Jun: I could say the very same to you—
Jun: But I really don't have the energy to argue with ya... Look, I really think you're in the wrong place, so you better head to the First Auditorium.

Kaname: In that case, I'm bitter over the fact that means you were right and I was the one who was wrong.
Jun: Who is this guy... Seriously, who on earth is this guy...
Kaname: I'm telling you, "this guy", isn't m—huh?
Jun: Now what's wrong?

Kaname: Look over there. Now I'm confused.
Jun: Over where?
Kaname: Over there, is that really a person?

(that chapter ends there, but would like to remind yall...... this meru is using 'boku' . this meru is (probably) ogmeru...........)

catholic boy jumpscare

Tatsumi: "Fufu. Hello, new students. It's nice to meet you."
Tatsumi: "My name is Kazehaya Tatsumi, a sophomore here at Reimei Academy."
Kaname: Kazehaya Tatsumi...?
Jun: Do you know this guy, er, Toujou.....-kun?

Kaname: Why don't YOU know? Didn't you know who I was right off the bat?
Jun: Is it really that bad I don't know? Look, my weird parents would keep me at home half the time so I'm only just now starting training as an idol, I don't know much about the idol world, okay?

Kaname: ? Training as an idol? But if you're even a little aware about idols, you should at least know about us.
Kaname: It makes no sense. In other words, you're a liar.
Jun: What's wrong with this guy... He acts all smart, but can't understand a thing.

Kaname: Oh, so you think I'm an idiot, huh? I'm able to understand that, so I'm not an idiot, and you're still a liar!
Jun: Keep your voice down... The entrance ceremony is starting, and if you don't keep quiet, we'll get in trouble with the teachers, y'know.

Kaname: Shouldn't be a problem. If you just looked around yourself, you'd notice no teachers at Reimei Academy care to pay attention to you non-special students.
Jun: That's true, there's so little teachers here I can barely find 'em.

Kaname: You pipsqueaks aren't worth any investment, so it wouldn't make any sense for them to spend time with you!
Jun: I'm telling you to keep your voice down... There's only non-special students around us, what you're saying is gonna make 'em angry, you.

Kaname: I'm not "you". I'm Toujou Kaname.
Kaname: Nows the time to remember it. It's not a name anyone can forget.
Jun: Right... So, does this great and famous Toujou Kaname-kun know that long-haired guy up on stage?

Kaname: ? How did you know that I knew him?! No way, are you actually some detective here to investigate me? A spy...?!
Jun: (Ah~, I'm so tired of dealing with this idiot...)

Jun: (Are all special students like this? Is it because they compare themselves as excellent idols compared to us inferior students, creating this strange specific behavior they have?)
Kaname: What? Please don't stare at me like that. Any longer and I'll have to fine you.

Jun: Right, right, forgive me~... Hearin' all these strange things is bad for me, so please forget about me, I won't talk to you any more.
Kaname: I don't want to forget you, because it was you who told me to.
Jun: Such a pain... this is such a pain...

Kaname: Fufu. But, don't you want to know about that Kazehaya Tatsumi?
Jun: Oh, it's a miracle you remembered.
Kaname: All of the special students at Reimei Academy, the CosPro-affiliated idol training school, have already made their debuts as idols.

Kaname: I'm sure you don't even know that, either.
Jun: Yeah, yeah... No need to act all cheeky about it, Sagami Jin made his debut as a student too y'know.

Kaname: Sagami Jin, huh? I know him, he was a super idol from a long time ago. Didn't he come from Yumenosaki Academy?
Jun: You're an idiot, but your memory's at least good.
Kaname: Not an idiot.

(so sorry guys. ive hit my limit, its almost 6am, i have work at 10am, i should get in a nap at least! dunno when ill continue but i absolutely WILL continue)

Kaname: At Yumenosaki, a long-established academy in the industry, even ordinary students who aren't special at all are all given the professional debut treatment.
Jun: I'm not sure if it was like that back in Sagami Jin's days, but that's how it is now.

Jun: And it's why Yumenosaki's idols all have a reputation of being useless garbage, rather than just being a mixed bag of good and bad.
Kaname: Reimei is different. Only special students who have proved their excellence are granted a professional stage, high-value, guaranteed.

Kaname: And that Kazehaya Tatsumi is widely considered the most excellent special student in all of Reimei. He doesnt need a uniform for it to be obvious.
Kaname: Although, I had the impression he would be more silent and cool, based on what I've seen from his appearances on TV.

Kaname: And that'd his long hair would be more... what do you call it... flowing?
Jun: Ah~, he does sort of look like he'd be the soothing type. It's pretty common that someone's persona as an idol differs greatly from their true self, though.

Kaname: Although that's becoming more and more rare, with how so many idols nowadays are selling their private lives...
Kaname: As for CosPro idols, it's agency standard to embellish your "idol persona" down to the very last detail.

Kaname: My middle school was CosPro affiliated too, so I've been thoroughly instructed in how to create a persona. I look wise, so I should behave wise as well.
Jun: Well, if you went talking like an idiot with such a pristine appearance, your image would come off way different.

Kaname: Yes. Though I am not an idiot. I'm a smart idol, therefore I must be smart.
Jun: Hmm... You seem to be pre~tty suffocating, too.
Kaname: Suffocating or not, I'm still an idol. If the world doesn't want me, then I don't even qualify to on the front stage.
Jun: ...

Tatsumi: "New students, welcome, to hell born anew."
Jun: ...?
Tatsumi: "I have something I would like to tell you all. I'm sure every one of you have entered through Reimei's school gates with hopes and dreams."

Tatsumi: "But, your dreams won't be coming true. Your hopes will be crushed. Your three years of high school life will be filled with nothing but pain, and regret."
Jun: What the hell is this guy saying...? This Kazehaya, was it?

Kaname: Kazehaya Tatsumi. Hm, I was wondering if he had come to give instructions as the current student representative, but this is too strange for that to be the case.
Tatsumi: "But if you ask me, that should not be the case—"

Tatsumi: "If possible, once these formalities and preparations are over, go home immediately. Please, re-enter another idol training school, it is still not too late."
Tatsumi: "I will assist you. Whatever paperwork must be done, I will do, and provide you money if necessary."

Tatsumi: "So please, return home."
Tatsumi: "Here, at Reimei Academy, you will not be treated as human beings."
Tatsumi: "Not just that, as long as you are here, you will never be able to become an idol."
Tatsumi: "It's cruel, but this is the reality."

Tatsumi: "Please, leave now before you lose anything, before this miserable "future" becomes your "now"."
Tatsumi: "And please, forget all about Reimei Academy."
Tatsumi: "This is your only way of salvation."

Tatsumi: "All I can do is pray. Pray that you all will be able to make this wise decision."
Tatsumi: "Amen. May you all have the blessing of God."
Tatsumi: "...♪"
Jun: ...Is this for real? What he's saying doesn't make sense at all!

Kaname: M-moreover, Kazehaya Tatsumi's in danger! Look, do you see those strong men—who I think are teachers?—sneaking up on him!?
Jun: Ah? This can't be normal, seriously, what is this...?
Tatsumi: "...Seems my time is up. What a shame."

Tatsumi: "I still had much I wanted to tell you."
Tatsumi: "But this, too, is the destiny God has given me."

Tatsumi: "Fufu. If you would like to hear more details, please come by yourself to the "catacombs" at night. As for the place, you will be able to find the location by asking your seniors around the student dormitories and so forth."
Jun: Kata, kombu*...?

Kaname: It's not kelp (kombu). It's an underground tomb, isn't it? A place where people of persecuted relgions would flee to in order to secretly keep their faith.
Tatsumi: "You are welcome anytime, not just today, but always."

Tatsumi: "Please, allow me to dedicate my time to give you a free and prosperous life for your glorious futures."
Tatsumi: "—And with that, I'll excuse myself. ♪"

Jun: (Oh? That Kazehaya Tatsumi just brilliantly dodged that teacher coming for him! That's some amazing physical ability! He didn't look phased at all!)
Jun: (He looks like a freakin' beast! Amazing, go, go! I dunno how he did it, but he completely escaped the teachers!)

Tatsumi: ~...♪
Kaname: ...Hmm. It appears that Kazehaya Tatsumi snuck in without permission for his own affairs.

Kaname: These sorts of announcements are being made lately. It'd usually be because the current student representative for you non-special students wouldn't end up coming at all—

Kaname: And then instead, for some reason, Kazehaya Tatsumi gets on stage and talks about something I don't really understand.
Kaname: What exactly's going on?
Jun: Well... I haven't been able to understand a thing the moment I stepped foot into Reimei Academy.

Jun: Kazehaya Tatsumi... I don't want to forget everything and run away, as you said. There's still too many things I'm curious about.

<Modern day, ES Building, CosPro>
Jun: —Man, I should've just ran away, instead of thinking those things~.
I shouldn't have thought those things and just ran away~.
Jun: I should've known Reimei was crazy the time I got beaten up by some guys I'd met for the first time.

Jun: But I didn't have my guard up and everythin' felt like a dream, so I didn't think anythin' of it and got swept away like a fool.
Jun: And I still regret it. Tatsumi-senpai wasn't joking, everything he said, start to finish, was nothing but "the truth".
[ch end]

next chapter starts out with this setting line and its sending me

<Three yeras ago, one week after Reimei Academy's entrance ceremony. Reimei Academy Student Dormitory for Non-special students, commonly known as the "octopus room">

*bc octopi are spineless. geddit

Jun: (Just how many hundreds of years ago was the Shimin Byodo enacted, I have no clue. I was never taught.)

**Shimin Byodo (aka 'equality of all people') occurred when the feudal Tokugawa Shogunate was overthrown, and a democracy enacted in its stead

**An interesting note, however, is that this revolution was lead in the name of the Emperor, an absolute monarch, and enacted by samurai, a feudal class.

also it happened in 1868, your welcome jun)

Jun: (They have a precise identification system present here at Reimei Academy.)
Jun: (In just one week's time, I've gotten it hammered into my bones.)

Jun: (Upon entering Reimei Academy, your abilities as an idol are thoroughly examined, and you are divided into either a "special student" or "other".)
Jun: (And here at Reimei Academy, the special students are favored unconditionally.)

Jun: (No, if anything, the only students considered to be idols here are the special students.)
Jun: (Us "other" students, is such a priceless existence—that we aren't even recognized to be human beings.)

Jun: (We rise in the morning and take care of the special students all the way until we go to bed at night.)
Jun: (We prepare the glorious special student's rice, their clothes, their meals, and clean and tidy up their lesson rooms.)

Jun: (Everything we have different from the special students, our living areas, our classrooms and lesson rooms, what we learn, and so on and so forth, like heaven and earth.)

Jun: (We are absolutely devoted to the special students, just so they can live comfortable and carry out their idol activities.)
Jun: (But there's nothing we can do about it! Because apparently none of us are fit to be idols!)

Jun: (That's what they judged! That I was a just nothing but a nobody examinee!)
Jun: (...I mean, obviously I wasn't as talented as an idol that I thought, since I wasn't able to become a special student, but...)

Jun: (It's just that, I worked so hard. I worked when other kids my age were cared for by their parents, able to carefreely play games.)
Jun: (Even though every day I worked as hard as I could without complaining. Damn it, damn it, damn it...)

catholic boy jumpscare (again!)

Jun: ...Eh? Ah? Uh?
Tatsumi: Good morning. ♪
Jun: You, you're, uh... Kazehaya Tatsumi...senpai.
Tatsumi: Fufu. I'm honored, you recognize who I am.
Jun: You're from the entrance ceremony...
Tatsumi: Oh right, I did do that, did I. Even still, it makes me glad you recognized me.

Tatsumi: But, more importantly, "you guys" need to get ready to attend the morning meeting on time.
Tatsumi: If you don't rise early, you won't have any time to eat breakfast.
Jun: You're right, but...I caused a little bit of trouble earlier, and a teacher has me under detention.

Tatsumi: Ah, I believe I heard about that. Something about a rebellious first-year physically assaulting a special student.
Jun: I didn't physically assault them! I just backtalked a bit! What the hell happened for you guys to make it sound like I hit a special student?!

Tatsumi: Mhm. When I hear those sorts of rumors, it always seems to differ from what really happened.
Tatsumi: I know it from your eyes. You would never cause trouble that would unnecessarily cause others harm.

Jun: What would you know about me... Aren't you one of the holy and blessed special students?
Tatsumi: Well, in title only, is true that I am one of these special students.
Jun: Here at Reimei Academy it's never more than 'in title', it's the only thing that matters here—

Tatsumi: Not at all. You may say that, but is it what you truly believe?
Jun: Wha?
Tatsumi: If you do, then I'm truly sad. It's this environment that made you think that way.

Jun: ...Either way, why is it that a special student like you is here at the Octopus Room?
Jun: If you come and go from a place like this, you'll just get nothing but cold stares from my other "companions" here, y'know.

Tatsumi: Well, to begin I don't have the best reputation among other special students either. At this point, it doesn't matter whether I get cold stares or not.

Tatsumi: And, as sad a fact it is, I won't get in trouble as I'm a special student. On the contrary, any wrongdoing done by you guys will be punished severely.

Tatsumi: For example, it doesn't matter if violence is used or not. As long as the other party isn't a special student, the same status, we likely won't be persecuted for anything.

Jun: ...Yeah, I'm veeery familiar with that. What surprised me was when I told a teacher about the special students that beat the hell out of me~. They gave absolutely no reaction at all.

Jun: Yet if I give a special student a bit of attitude, I get disciplined. Absolutely batshit. I didn't get it at all, are they all insane—every last one of them?

Tatsumi: I understand how you feel, but you shouldn't intentionally demonize others like that, as if they are a devil or something to be despised.
Tatsumi: Prejudice begins with thinking that "they" are different people than us.

Tatsumi: And countless tragedies have been born from those types of prejudices.
Jun: Aren't they the ones with the prejudices? Aren't the ones creating and imposing these identities the special students?

Tatsumi: It's exactly why we, as human beings, should improve our drawback of creating differences between this and that.
Tatsumi: We are all equal under God. There is no 'this and that'. You and I are both human beings with the same drawbacks and virtues.

Jun: The hell... Did you come all the way here just to give some shady sermon?
Tatsumi: No no, I apologize if I made you feel that way. It seems that due to the environment I grew up in, this manner of talking has permeated my tongue.

Tatsumi: This isn't what I came here to talk about. Simply, I have decided to live here coming forward, so I decided to extend my greetings to the inhabitants.
Jun: What? Live here? Don't you special students have excessively luxurious dormitories to stay at?.

Tatsumi: Indeed. However, I have decided to withdraw from it and move here instead.
Jun: Why would you go out of your way to do that...?
Tatsumi: I'm not doing this just on a whim. I have my own reasons, or rather, I have a plan.
Jun: ...?

sorry jun blinked in the last screenshot ..... anyways im gonna pause here! how am i 6 chapters through already . how am i 25% through the story

here we go again! next chap is after some time

tatsumi is drinking some tea to wake up (he steeped it extra for effect)

Jun: A special student is drinking self-brewed tea...
Tatsumi: ? This special student is also a human, is it that surprising for him to drink tea?
Jun: That's not it. We're usually doing all the chores, like making tea. It's horrible, do even know how to change your own clothes?

Jun: We're just aristocrats and their slaves, fucking ridiculous.
Tatsumi: Right. I don't understand why. If you brew it yourself, then you can enjoy it at your favorite temperature.
Jun: They just want others to do their work for a power trip.

Tatsumi: Hm... Sure, the idea of someone doing everything for you is appealing to me, but...
Tatsumi: That way of living would make anyone a useless member of society.
Jun: That's true. This isn't an idol training school, just a factory for producing useless members of society.

Tatsumi: Fufu. That may not be too far off the mark.
Tatsumi: Ah... By the way, these tea leaves I've brought over were grown at my parent's house.
Jun: So? I didn't think you just went up and stole someone else's personal belongings or something.

Tatsumi: Fufu. You are free to drink some if you'd like. I've boiled more water than necessary, so I'd just end up throwing it out anyways.
Jun: Then, ummm, sure, I'll take some.
Tatsumi: Help yourself.
Jun: ...
Tatsumi: ...
Jun: So...

Tatsumi: Hm? Let us talk after enjoying our tea. Don't you know it's bad manners to speak with your mouth full?
Jun: Well excuse me, then. Guess I was raised badly.

Tatsumi: No need to apologize. I'm not the type to get uncomfortable if tea gets sprayed on my face. You can always just wash your face after.
Jun: That's kinda weird...
Tatsumi: Not the first time I've heard that. By the way, what's your name, again?

Jun: Oh, my name's Sazanami Jun....
Tatsumi: Hmm. Sazanami. I feel like I've heard that name before.
Jun: Does that mean people are talking about me around here?
Tatsumi: No, no. Although, it is certainly unusual to get disciplined like this so soon after starting school.

Tatsumi: Unfortunately, special students show no interest towards "you guys" in any sense.
Tatsumi: They no attention to anything like a rumor spread over some tea, about some cheeky newcomer.
Jun: ...
Tatsumi: Ah, I remember now. There used to be an idol with the name Sazanami.

Tatsumi: I believe I saw that name at Reimei's idol history class.
Jun: You mean, the special student's class. We're forced to do endless work from morning to night, we don't have time for proper classtaking.

Jun: This class sounds like one you'd find at an ordinary school. Why the hell do they call this an idol training school?
Jun: Either way, us non-special students cant be idols, so we're not prepared at all for when we go out into society.

Tatsumi: That's also a problem. It's difficult to criticize, because it's always met with "do not worry about the future".
Tatsumi: But, that aside. Could it be that you are the son of the once famous idol, Mr. Sazanami?

Tatsumi: Your face does seem similar to his photo in the textbook, in a way.
Jun: Are you gonna do somethin' if I am?
Tatsumi: No. Some things would make more sense, though.

Jun: Being? What, because I'm the son of the failure who disappeared from the entertainment world after being trampled by the super idol Sagami Jin?
Tatsumi: I don't see it like that. But the teachers and other staff seem to care about it.
Jun: What do you mean...?

Tatsumi: Reimei Academy's—no, CosPro's higher-ups are afraid of scandals above all else. Well, more like they're afraid of their brand getting damaged?
Tatsumi: So the fact that your father is often seen as a "dog bitten by a super idol" might be a reason to assess you poorly.

Tatsumi: People think that since you're the child of someone they despise, it means its fine to despise you as well.
Jun: ...It shouldn't matter who my parents are.

Tatsumi: Sadly, most people out there don't think like that. Rather, they think in the same way that they think a frog's child is also a frog, unfortunately.

Tatsumi: The child has to deal with the repercussions of their parent's actions—even when in reality, your father wasn't even a cause of the scandal like of "that Akehoshi".

Tatsumi: Your name, tainted with the connotations of "failure" and "bitten dog", might come as a non-negligible uncleanliness to business managers.
Jun: Why... I don't understand it at all.

Tatsumi: Me neither. But what I can say, is that all our humanity, as idols, are in a position to be judged by even complete strangers.

Tatsumi: It gets thoroughly dissected and judged whether it is good or bad by fans, all around the world. That's why we must fully understand all of our setbacks and all of our virtues.
Jun: ...Hahah. ♪
Tatsumi: ? What is it, did I say something amusing?

Jun: Nah, sorry. It's just that you just said that "we" are idols.
Jun: For the first time since I stepped foot in Reimei Academy, I was treated like an idol... When I realized that, I laughed for some reason.
Tatsumi: ...

next chapter is back to modern day! tatsumi jun and himeru are infront of reimei's gates a couple days infront of the COMP meeting which... i guess... i skipped translating................ read it here ig

hyenahunt.tumblr.com/post/682996773…

LMAO JUN HAD RECOUNTED THE MEMORY TO TATSUMI AND TATSUMIES LIKE "hm... did i say that?" and juns just "you did!! did you forget tatsumi-senpai?? im so shocked.... those words and attitude of yours saved me that day too😭"

"for the first time since i entered reimei, i was treated as a human... thats why it meant so much to me, its what kept me going" "fufu, i was just joking. ive been thinking a lot about my time at reimei, of course i remember the first time i spoke with you." SO CRUEL, TATSUMI

tatsumis embarrassed about being praised, and jun reassures him that he deserves to be praised, hes his senior and he led reimeis revolution

and tatsumis just... was it a revolution if it failed? if anything, it shouldve been called terrorism...

Jun: So humble! Besides, are you sure that it was a failed revolution? I mean, you got seriously injured mid-way, and ended up dropping out, but...
Jun: After what you've done, Reimei Academy changed.

Tatsumi: I don't think it was because of me. It's likely thanks to the work of Ibara-san, who was dispatched to Reimei Academy to take over for me.
Jun: Nah, all that guy did was steal your show!

Jun: I bet the only reason he gets to act all important is because you laid the groundwork for the revolution.
Jun: Without you, Tatsumi-senpai, nothing would've changed~! ♪
Tatsumi: You really look up to me, huh. Ahh, I'm embarrassed.

lmao himerus annoyed and tries to get jun to stop talking about tatsumi and jun brings up the fact himeru "just changed characters one day" uh oh

himerus like "of course, himeru became himeru. like himeru said, he buried my shameful past alongside his real name. if anything himerus puzzled why you, someone troubled by their surname, never thought of using a stage name.🙄" and juns like dam u got a point

jun chalks it up to probably being a rebellious act towards who decided to scorn him for his name. and hes like 'well its too late now, with the internet and all itd be impossible for my identity to stay secret, so ill just have to improve the value of my name then huh?'

J: Changing your name and living as a completely different person is just running away~. An escape.
H: —You're beating a sore spot. Are you proud of yourself?
J: ...You're a pain in the ass as usual. Youre always blatantly avoiding me, making it impossible for me to approach you.

Jun: You're still as aggravating as you were when we first met, you know~?
HiMERU: —Is that so? Well then, what an honor.

lmao juns supposed to be filling in tatsumi and himeru about COMP but seeing tatsumi he ended up just rambling about the past and himeru and tatsumi still have no idea what theyre doing...

Tatsumi: Fufu. You just ran up and started talking on and on, it was endearing, like a puppy.
HiMERU: —Yes. And annoying, like a puppy.
Jun: Ahah, perfectly timed. I can tell, you two get along as well as ever~.
HiMERU: —How an earth did you come to that conclusion, I wonder.

Jun: Well, during my time in Reimei, you two were basically inseparable.
HiMERU: —Hmph. HiMERU was just one of the many "believes" Tatsumi had.
HiMERU: —Of course, Tatsumi loved each and every one of his "believers" equally.

next chapter theyre meeting up with ibara in the second auditorium, who is still pushing his desperate LOVE AND PEACE character 😭 hes saying SS had a lot of people saying idols are scary so hes trying to... fight it?

extra details: COMP is part of an effort to liven up CosPro-affiliated training schools (like reimei), invited tatsumi, and although he sn't part of CosPro, and alkaloid isnt desperate to scrape up cash anymore, but theyre used to group-work so tatsumi wanted individual practice

after yumenosaki representatives won SS (fine), yumenosakis ratings are high and ibaras trying to find ways to make reimei be appealing to ppl, especially with how accessible and cheap yumenosaki is (the fact yumenosaki is ES-affiliated also makes it v appealing)

tatsumi and himeru were chosen to portray a positive image of special and non-special students getting along..... oh boy.........

himeru doesnt have much choice to participate in the project bc crazyb is in a rlly bad place. ibaras like "thank you for ur cooperation! next time think twice before acting on your own ^_^" and himerus just "please redirect your complaints to amagi."

ibara: "that guy isnt talking to me so i have to tell you instead ok" LMFAO??

more explaining about COMP and what it is as a project.... himerus like "yep sounds like propaganda" and ibaras like "yes it is! any other complaints"

HiMERU: Since you're the vice president, was it you who scripted this fun episode that's absolutely inconsistent with reality?
HiMERU: Reading this, there's no way HiMERU could play this appearance without any discomfort. Tatsumi and Sazanami friends, and it stops there.

Jun: ...You really are different now, aren't you~.
HiMERU: ? How is HiMERU any different? HiMERU has always been the perfectly honest HiMERU.

Jun: Well, humans do change~. But, you were a bit more insecure back then, and always did your very best—
Jun: But even though you look like the same person to me, it's like you're a robot.

next chapter is BACK IN THE PAST (applause) this time a month after the entrance ceremony, so, a week or two since tatsumi joined the octopus room

jun awakens in his bed immediately filled with dread for another day of work for the shitty special students

nothings changed, and hes still pissed at the fact nothings changed and be STILL hasnt been able to do any idol training

he laments the fact he was able to train harder before joining the school ... hes training in secret but he can only do so much, esp after a day of hard work

juns like thinking 'ahh damnit can all the special students die to some accident already or something already' in his head when tatsumi interrupts his thoughts with "good morning♪"

tatsumi healing time

Jun: Hunh... M-Morning, Kazehaya-senpai.
Jun: Seems you've made yourself at home here at the Octopus Room. I thought you would've left a lot earlier.

Tatsumi: If you clear your mind of pain and suffering, anything can be done. Around the world, there are many people living in much worse conditions.
Tatsumi: Even so, someone privileged like me has no room to complain.

Jun: You think so? I mean, as a privileged special student you could be living somewhere nicer, so how come you came down here to the bottom of the heap?
Jun: I keep asking the same question over and over again. I'm so very sorry for, uh, for that.

Tatsumi: Theres no need to force yourself to be so polite. You can use any words you like, its the message that you get across that matters.

(becoming horizontal has made me a lot sleepier than anticipated..... i will continue tomorrow lol)

Jun: Are you kidding me? Everyone knows that pieces of shit here won't hesitate to pick a fight over getting someone's formalities wrong.
Tatsumi: Oh, is that so? Fufu, I learn a lot talking with you, Jun-san.
Jun: (This guy is really weird.. Seriously, what's with all this?)

Jun: (I did hear a rumor around, about something like a special student getting rejected by the school after requesting to remove their title, and rebelling.)
Jun: (I feel like the other special students wouldn't be very happy with that student, either.)

Jun: (But, whenever I see Kazehaya-senpai around school, it seems like he's getting along with both special and non-special students alike)
Jun: (When it comes to Reimei Academy, the school with a severe hierarchal system, this guys the only "exception".)

Jun: (I'm really curious about who this guy is~... I'm not really interested in other idols, let alone fledgling student ones, so I don't really know much...)
Jun: (When I looked into it, turns out when Kazehaya-senpai made his debut as a special student, he became a hit.)

Jun: (Maybe because Yumenosaki, the largest in the industry, hasn't been producing any notable idols, especially last year when young male idols became popular by storm.)

Jun: (So naturally, CosPro-affiliated schools seem to be in good shape, likely thanks to the hard work of us non-special students.)

Jun: (This guy right here, is the best of the best.)
Jun: (Yet, here he is, drinking self-brewed tea in the Octopus Room, living alongside the bottom of the barrel, instead of living it up.)

Tatsumi: ...? Jun-kun, wouyld you like more tea?
Jun: Sure. Lately I feel like I can't fall sleep no matter how hard I try, so I wanna get drowsy.
Tatsumi: You're sounding like a tired middle-aged person. You're still young you know, Jun-san.

Jun: You are too. Ahh, the tea is delicious. This is one of the few things I can enjoy here in Reimei.
Tatsumi: Fufu. Being able to look forward to these little things is one of the greatest parts about being an idol.

Tatsumi: Though, you do look seriously tired...
Tatsumi: It's just speculation, but it does sound like it might be a symptom of depression, so please do feel free to vent out your worries before they overwhelm you, alright?
Tatsumi: I'm here to listen to you, anytime.

Jun: I'll manage~. You tell that to everyone, don't you?
Jun: It's why every day depressed-looking guys come over to the Octopus Room and talk to you about their depression...
Jun: It's startin' to feel more like a hospital in here, or some religious facility.

Tatsumi: I apologize, it seems I always end up causing trouble. I've been trying my best to tell others not to come here.
Tatsumi: The teachers don't look happy about it. Rules are enforced strictly for non-special students, so if this becomes a hang-out, you'll get in trouble.

[cw suicide mention]

Jun: Well, it's not that bad. Everyone needs a haven to go to.
Jun: Here in the Octopus Room, you're able to stop the bullied non-special students from being overwhelmed with torment, taking their lives, and going to real heaven.

Jun: When I think about that, I feel like I'm taking part in something noble, even though I just live here—For that, I'm thankful.

[ch end]

after-the-fact translation correction; i forgot that they were drinking tea to wake UP. LOL

jun can sleep, but no matter what, he feels fatigued and drowsy. hence why hes drinking a lot of tea!

<After the school day>
Jun: Yawn~...♪
Jun: (Ahh... I really am still tired, no matter how much I sleep. I don't think I'm doing anything that'll cause this... Maybe I really am depressed.)

Jun: (If I can't figure out how to get my energy back, I'll definitely hit my breaking point.)
Jun: (Good thing that it's lunch break. The one and only time of solace in these hellish days~♪)

Jun: (Pain-in-the-ass special students around the school are always running me around here and there, I never have a time to rest.)
Jun: (But since special students avoid the Octopus Room as if it's something dirty, I'm able to sleep comfortably...♪)

Jun: (Not just that, but for some reason these days, Kazehaya-senpai has been treating everyone to delicious meals and sweets here.)
Jun: (I'm able to enjoy myself every day, too...)

Jun: (All of the non-special students suffer from tuition fees, so we're all grateful for the free meals, and it's fun being able to chat around the table.)
Jun: (Lunch break really is the sole time of solace! We can finally rest~♪)

Jun: (...I really want to use free time top train, but I just don't have the ability anymore. I feel like I'm living in poverty.)
Tatsumi: ...
Jun: Hm? Huh, Kazehaya-senpai...?
Jun: What're you doing, you'll get in the way standing in the doorway like that.

Tatsumi: Ah, Jun-san. Hello.
Jun: 'ey, hello~.
Tatsumi: Yes, you're able to greet me properly now, huh Jun-san? Good, good.
Jun: ...I really didn't do anythin' worth praising, though.

Tatsumi: No, I think everything is worth praising you guys for. It's wonderful to be able to move on your own accord. It's wonderful to be able to speak words. It's wonderful to be able to breathe...♪

Tatsumi: But, that aside. What is going on over here? I couldn't figure out what was happening, and froze up at the door.
Jun: Huh? What's going on is.... Umm, wha?!

Kaname: Aaaaahhh...
Kaname: Ahhhhhh... Ahhhhh, ahhhhh...!
Jun: what the hell IS going on?!
Tatsumi: Well... I wonder what's the matter. Everyone seems to be confused, watching cautiously from a distance.

Tatsumi: It doesn't seem anyone here know's the situation. It's pretty troubling.
Jun: M-Maybe it's best to call a teacher over...? Or would that be useless, since teachers here don't do anything for the non-special students...

Tatsumi: Not all teachers are like that, but... Even so, I'm not sure if it'd be a good idea to call a teacher over and cause a ruckus over it.
Tatsumi: We need to think carefully about what would be the best for him—HiMERU-san.
Jun: Himeru...?

Tatsumi: Oh, you're not familiar? This is HiMERU, a popular idol who seems to be the top of the new special studeets.
Jun: Huh? Was that his name...?

Jun: (No, didn't he introduce himself as Toujou Kaname at the entrance ceremony? Was that someone else? But no matter how you look at it, this seems to be him...?)

Jun: (...No, that doesn's matter, rather where and who is that Toujou-senpai, who looks a lot like Toujou Kaname? I don't think I've seen him since school began.)
Jun: (Is he also a special student, and that's why he hasn't been seen in the Octopus Room?)

Tatsumi: Fufu. HiMERU must be his stage name. Yumenosaki has the custom to work under your real name, but there's idols who go by their stage names.
Tatsumi: So here at Reimei, it's customary to call who have stage names by that name, as a policy of respecting their idol side.

Jun: Oh, really? Hahah, so it's a—stage name?
Tatsumi: By the way, Jun-san is your real name, right?
Jun: Yeah. I wasn't thinking and entered the school with my real name, and now I'm ridiculed for being the fucking "son of a failure".

Jun: Bad rumors about those laid bare spread quickly.
Tatsumi: Right. At a place like Reimei Academy, where a strict hierarchies is thoroughly enforced, these "reasons to look down on someone" can turn into a weapon to climb up the ladder.

Tatsumi: The only weapon that can be used to change the status quo.
Tatsumi: And that's why it's so popular to be used. But it's no good, is it. Really not good.
Tatsumi: This really needs to end. A world that thrives on hurting others...
Jun: ...?

Tatsumi: Let's move on. Everyone, myself included, seem to be pretty troubled by this, so I'll talk to HiMERU for a bit.
Tatsumi: If anyone has any troubles, I want to talk with them.

Jun: No, is that really a good idea? I don't know what happened to him, but he keeps thrashing and wailing...
Tatsumi: One could say the same for a baby. And if there's a baby, it's only natural to reach out and hold them close.

Tatsumi: I want to be someone who does what's natural. What we do instinctively as people.
Tatsumi: HiMERU-san. I'll give you want you're seeking, I assure you.
[ch end]

Jun: (Ahh... and I was looking forward to lunch break too.)
Jun: (Kazehaya-senpai asked to speak alone with Toujou Kaname—who I've got to call HiMERU now...)
Jun: (Everyone's gotten locked out of the Octopus Room. Kazehaya-senpai isn't a bad person, but this is a pain~)

Jun: (I've been just eating Kazehaya-senpai's meals for lunch, so I didn't care to prepare a lunch or anything.)
Jun: (Oh well. Non-special students aren't allowed to leave Reimei's premises without permission, but—)

Jun: (I was angry and ended up running out a bit, thinking of it as some escape.)
Jun: (Well, I'm not gonna waste this sacrifice I made, so I'll go on a run and pick up something at a convenience store on the way back. It's pretty far. Whys Reimei like some isolated island...)

Jun: (I wish there was a normal place to buy stuff on the school premises. The current vendors are associated with the school and only give discounts to special students, so if we try to buy anything we get ripped off like an idiot.)

Jun: (And then it's another case of emphasizing the disparity between us, so it makes me angry. ...Huh?)
Jun: (Huh? What the, is that smoke..?)
Jun: Is there a fire? Oh no, fire extinguisher, is there a fire extinguisher...?!
Jun: Wait, huh? Hey~, is that you, Toujou-senpai?

Jun: W-Why do you have a bonfire set up here...? I thought it was a fire, and hurried over~!
Jun: Oh, no no, you don't have to bow your head like that. There's nothing remarkable about me. I'm a non-special student. A freshman too, so I'm at the very bottom.

Jun: Huh? You're saying youre even lower than me? How's that possible?
Jun: Actually, are you baking delicious meat and veggies over the bonfire on that wire mesh? Could I have some to eat as well~?

Jun: Actually, this and that and this happened, and now I'm not even sure I'll be able to eat lunch. It'd help a lot.
Jun: Ah, I can? I'll take your offer then, I'm in your care! Time to eat~!

Jun: Hehe, I knew it since I first met you, Toujou-senpai, you're a good person. You're quite the mystery, though.
Jun: Speaking of, where are you, usually? I never see you in the Octopus Room or non-special student classrooms, are you actually a special student?

Jun: You aren't? You're not part of the hierarchical system? What is that supposed t'mean?
Jun: Ahh, I'm not gonna hurt you or anything... Sorry 'bout that, my behavior's just no good. You're older than me, right?
Jun: Ah, yes please. I'll take some meat. You're generous.

Jun: *chomp chomp* It's good. What kind of meat is it, though...?
Jun: Ah, I have something I wanna ask you, actually. Do you know Toujou Kaname? Are you guys related or somethin'?

Jun: You guys seem similar somehow~... Like your facial features. And your last name is the same. I have a feeling it's not just a coincidence.
Jun: ...Whoah?!
Jun: W-what? It's one thing after another, today!

Ibara: Pardon me! Over there, are any of you injured?
Jun: (Huuh? Is that some luxury car? It's approaching at some crazy speed...!)
Ibara: My sincerest apologies! I truly didn't think anyone would be sitting and eating in a place like this!

Ibara: We nearly ran you over! I will give my driver a stern talking-to later, so please, forgive me!
Jun: Huh? Actually, who are you and where are you from? That's not our uniform you're wearing...
Ibara: Ah, sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier! Here, take this!

Jun: (Hmm? Who is this guy, he's around my age yet he just shoved a business card at me...)
Jun: (What's this? Shuuetsu Academy First Year / Special Student Ibara Saegusa...? How do you read this name? Seven... Seeds, what? It's such a weird name! Maybe it's a stage name?)

Jun: (And Shuuetsu, right? I bet all the students there are special students, it's a super elite school.)
Jun: (It's said they're collecting the absolute best idols hand-picked from CosPro affiliated schools nationwide.)

Jun: (Is this guy from that school? My age, too. If this guy's nobility, he must be living in a whole different world than I, huh~...)
Ibara: My apologies! I am in a hurry, so please excuse me! If you need to contact me for anything, please refer to the business card!

Ibara: Now then, please pardon me! Once again, my sincerest apologies!
Jun: (Haha. Ran away in a luxury car so he doesn't have to look at me anymore. I bet he thinks nothing of me, pisses the shit outta me.)
Jun: (When it comes to me and him, how am I any different, really?)

<At the same time, Octopus Room>

Tatsumi: —Yes, things are going to be okay.
Kaname: ...
Tatsumi: I asked everyone else to leave, okay?
Tatsumi: Not only that, but the door's locked shut, and I put a barricade up just in case. The windows are secured shut too, of course.

Tatsumi: This area is now closed off completely, like a confessional room. No matter what you say, the only ones who can hear are God and myself.
Tatsumi: Please rest assured, and confide your worries.
Kaname: ...

Tatsumi: Please, don't be afraid. See, I'm the only one here.
Tatsumi: I'll wait patiently until you speak. I'll even talk to you for days, and weeks.
Kaname: Why would you do that...? Just what are you...?
Tatsumi: You finally spoke to me. That's it. ♪

Tatsumi: That aside, allow me to finally introduce myself, my name is Kazehaya Tatsumi.
Tatsumi: Recall the strong winds from the southeast. Yes, Tatsumi as in, southeast, the archaic expression of southeast.

Tatsumi: Fufu, the regular expression sounds like the word for "theft", it'd be a bad omen.
Kaname: Kazehaya Tatsumi...
Tatsumi: Yes. Call me whatever you like, whether its "Kazehaya-senpai" or "Tatsumi-kun". Although lately, I've been often called "priest" on TV.

Tatsumi: Apparently I'm well-received in the religious field, hahaha. I'm not actually a priest in our doctrine, but it seems to be effective towards society.
Kaname: Why are you here...?

Tatsumi: For you. Well, you're a special student, HiMERU-san, you should have been given a luxurious private room in the newer dormitory, no?

Tatsumi: Well, one could say the same for me. Although I was given such a spacious room as well, I found it too much, and recently remodeled it into a training room that's open to everyone.

Tatsumi: It's free to the public, for anyone to gather and train together. Although, it's rather unpopular with the other dormitory tenants, since more and more people are visiting, and it's become quite noisy.

Kaname: Ah, I remember hearing something about that. More and more special students from the dormitory are beginning to move to their parent's houses, citing their discomfort.
Tatsumi: Is that so... Hmm~, I had intended to create a cozy environment as possible for everyone.

Tatsumi: The special students always seem to disagree with me. However, the ones who do understand me are increasing little by little.
Tatsumi: I still have a long way to go, and more and more trials to face.
Tatsumi: Fufu. Exciting, isn't it?
Kaname: ...

Tatsumi: Oops, right now isn't the time for myself. What's important is you, HiMERU-san, why are you really here?
Tatsumi: If you remain here, it'd cause trouble for the other dormitory students as they need a place to sleep. Ahh, not to blame you, it's just a simple question.

Kaname: ...What are you doing? If you've remodeled your private room, then where do you sleep?
Tatsumi: Are you that worried about me?

Tatsumi: As long as I have a sleeping bag, I can sleep anywhere. Lately I've been staying up late, so I've been sleeping in the underground catacombs.
Tatsumi: It's like camping every day, and I have fun. Sometimes I have barbeques with everyone.

Kaname: I'm no idiot, but I can't understand anything you're saying. I don't think I'm speaking to someone from the same school.
Tatsumi: Fufu. Well, it's difficult for special students to see those who are not.

Tatsumi: That's not something I think is right, so I'm trying to spend time with them in private practice.
Kaname: ...Do you hate being a special student, yourself?

Tatsumi: I don't hate it. However, I feel the system of inequalities at Reimei Academy, which thrives upon trampling over others, must change.
Tatsumi: My actions are a modest protest against that.
Kaname: Well then, if you hate being a special students so much—
Tatsumi: ...!?

Tatsumi: Ohh... You're pinning me down. I don't often share close contact with someone, my heart started pounding, fufu.
Kaname: Kazehaya Tatsumi, Kazehaya Tatsumi, Kazehaya Tatsumi—
Tatsumi: Yes. I'm Kazehaya Tatsumi. I'm glad you remembered my name.

Kaname: The best of Reimei Academy's special students by far, one of the greatest student idols out there. A child prodigy who strides down the path of glittering glory, the star of this era.
Kaname: I knew that was the reputation you had.

Kaname: A reputation, a title, the one that I deserve.
Tatsumi: I recall that you too have gained a similar reputation.
Kaname: Please, please... I'm begging you. Please give me your position.

Tatsumi: ...?
Kaname: ...If I'm no longer a special student, then theres no reason for me to keep living!

<That night>

Jun: Hmm... So basically, you're no longer a special student?
Kaname: ...
Jun: So you lost your position after causing some scandal during recording for some film or TV program, which made some higher-ups either pissed off or hate you.
Kaname: ...

Jun: And Reimei Academy, to comply to the requests of those higher-ups, temporarily stripped you of your special student status.
Jun: And so, since you didn't like it and was sad, you threw that tantrum crying earlier. That's the story, more or less, right, Kazehaya-senpai~?

Tatsumi: Correct. HiMERU-san didn't want to go into the specifics, but I was able to understand the general situation after talking to some people.
Tatsumi: However, it looks like they're trying to control info and such, so there's no way to tell what happened in specifics.

Tatsumi: The only thing that's clear is that HiMERU has temporarily lost his special student status because he caused a problem.
Tatsumi: Hence why HiMERU was kicked out of the special student's dormitory and wound up in the Octopus Room.

Jun: This is the first time I've heard about special student status getting stripped, what on earth did HiMERU do? Did he punch a higher-up's face or something~?
Tatsumi: Well... That much is expected of the students, but what I don't understand is when I asked the teachers.

Tatsumi: When I spoke to them, they hit me with a barrage of questions, like "What on earth did HiMERU do??"
Tatsumi: I don't know why they're asking me that.

Tatsumi: Judging from everyone's reactions, it's possible that HiMERU-san might have gotten involved with something taboo in the industry.
Jun: Tabu?
Tatsumi: Something forbidden. In other words, a problem you must not interfere with.

Jun: Your explanation's hard to understand, Tatsumi-senpai.
Tatsumi: I'm sorry. I'm trying my best to make it as easy to understand as possible, but... If I can't get the meaning through, it's just nothing but sounds, huh.

Jun: Well, I can understand to a degree~. Basically, HiMERU did something that should absolutely not be done?
Tatsumi: It's simply a guess, though, okay?
Jun: Something like this happening so suddenly really is worrisome. What the hell did you do, HiMERU?

Jun: Hey, hey, can't ya tell me secretly? What'dja do to set those higher-ups off?
Jun: I don't want to make the same mistake and die, so wouldn't it be best if you shared the information with us?
Kaname: ...

Kaname: Please don't talk so familiarly with me. You feeble non-special students are all infected with bacteria.
Kaname: I'm not the same as you drop-outs.

Jun: Huh? What's the difference? Even though we're both at the bottom of the barrel? Even though we're both in the Octopus Room, wearing the same jersey, and eating bad food?
Tatsumi: Was the food unsatisfactory...?

Jun: Oh no, I'm only using a metaphorical expression now! Your meals are the best, Kazehaya-senpai! It wasn't bad or rotten, I just wanted to say that it's like we're in a prison!

Tatsumi: Fufu, if this is a prison, once you paid your time and your dues, you'll be able to go out into the world. Then you can live in the same free and brilliant world alongside the special students.

Jun: That's not how it is here, huh~? Here the cliffs are so steep, once you fall, you'll never get out again.
Tatsumi: Don't lose hope, Jun-san. If you believe and keep endeavoring, I'm sure your efforts will be rewarded some day.

Tatsumi: ...Reimei Academy's structure doesn't give you the position to say such soothing words, though.

Tatsumi: Although it's rare for someone like HiMERU-san to lose his status as a special student, on the contrary, I've never heard of anyone gaining special student status during my time in this school.

Jun: Hahah! You'll be stuck behind forever, and be treated like a slave until it's over! Reimei Academy really is the best!
Jun: Well, the real world may not be much different. Small fish are small fish, from birth to death.

Tatsumi: Such ill humor... You're still young, Jun-san, you should look forward to your future with hope.
Jun: You're still young too, Kazehaya-senpai. So why do act like you're so old?

Jun: Nah, maybe I should say it's more of a mature vibe for your case, Kazehaya-senpai? You're so calm and reliable~, it's hard to believe you're just one year older than me!
Tatsumi: Mayhap it's due to the fact I've had many opportunities to interact with the elderly over time.

Tatsumi: Oh, oops. I just remembered something I need to do, I have to head over to the underground catacombs.
Jun: I'll see you later, then. You've been going there every night until morning, haven't you, Kazehaya-senpai?

Tatsumi: Fufu. It's of my own making, so it's my obligation to properly manage it.
Tatsumi: If you are interested, feel free to come join us again, Jun-san, and you too if you can, HiMERU-san.
Jun: Huh? Why this guy?

Jun: When I stepped in earlier, this guy was straddling you and trying to strangle you, Kazehaya-senpai, wasn't he?
Jun: Wouldn't you rather keep someone as dangerous as him outta there?

Tatsumi: That was nothing more than an accident, an accident. HiMERU-san had just carelessly toppled over ontop of me. Isn't that right?
Kaname: ...
Tatsumi: Even if you had been using violence in malice, I'd forgive you.

Tatsumi: It doesn't bother me at all, so if possible, let's get along from now on, okay?
Kaname: ...
Tatsumi: Fufu. Well then, I'll excuse myself. ♪
Tatsumi: ♪~♪~♪

Jun: (There he goes... Kazehaya-senpai is also a mystery. At the end of the day, I have no idea what he's thinking.)
Jun: (HiMERU seems to be a ticking time bomb too, it bothers me 'cuz the situation's so suspicious.)

Jun: (Well, it's better than slowly and uneventfully being used for labor each and every day.)

[ch end]

(its almost 4am . what has this story done to me LMAO-
ill continue tomorrow~)

(while i painfully await the next moment of free time i have pls enjoy this ✨Super Cool Fun Fact✨🥲🥲🥲)

https://twitter.com/hyenahunt/status/1521541354631081985

theres been a line change to fix an inconsistency! kaname's line was replaced as he wouldnt know so much about catacombs

Kaname: Hm. Why is he talking about healthy foods...?
**since kombu = kelp

https://twitter.com/mika_enstars/status/1520609389509738496

<Later at midnight>
Kaname: Hey.
Jun: ...
Kaname: Hey, hey... Guy called Sazanami, wake up. You should be at my command, since I'm giving you this order.
Kanane: Get up, quickly. I need you to tell me something.

Jun: Hn... *yawn* Huh What is it?
Jun: It's the middle of the night... That voice... umm? Toujou?
Kaname: It's HiMERU. I've ordered you to call me that from now on. You are not to speak my real name for the rest of eternity.
Kaname: This is an order. Break it, and you die.

Jun: The hell d'you think you are...? Aah whatever, I give up tryna understand!
Kaname: This for your own sake, Sazanami.
Kaname: Even I don't know why. Apparently my name has the capability to bring ruin to anyone.

Jun: ...? What the hell does that even mean? Do you really just not know where to sleep yet or something?
Jun: Your beds overt here in that corner, you just haven't put your stuff there yet. Look, your name's written on the plate even, "HiMERU".

Jun: It's defining feature is scratch marks on the wall left by someone who ran away not long ago.
Kaname: I do not care about the bed. I'm not proud about it, but I can sleep anywhere I want, like flicking a switch.

Jun: Hmm, a talent fit for an idiot... You sure don't look too nervous about all this, huh?
Kaname: What? You have a complaint about that too?
Jun: Not that, I just don't want to talk 'cuz I'm really fucking sleepy... Is it really that serious?

Kaname: Hmph. You, take me to Cabicombs.
Jun: ...? What country is that in?
Kaname: That secret meeting grounds here at Reimei Academy. Are you not familiar?
Kaname: I've that Kazehaya Tatsumi is doing something shady there about every night?
Jun: Oh, you mean the catacombs!

Kaname: The name doesn't matter. What does matter is what Kazehaya Tatsumi is doing there.
Jun: How d'you come to that conclusion?
Kaname: Because, I want to be like him.

Kaname: To be a top idol like him, highly-regarded by both teachers and higher-ups in the industry alike, by both special students and non-special students alike.
Kaname: I'm not sure myself, but It seems that I've done a certain thing—

Kaname: Now that I've resigned myself to this humiliating status, eventually and inevitable, I'll regain my former status. But to do that, I need to know how Kazehaya Tatsumi gained his own status.

Kaname: He currently is the most revered idol here at Reimei Academy. I'll need to know how to can replicate it for my future.
Jun: All it really is is that Kazehaya-senpai is an admirable idol, and everyone respects that, though~?

Kaname: And I am too an admirable idol! So what's the difference between me and him?!
Jun: Right. Well to start, Kazehaya-senpai isn't so insane that he'd loudly make a fuss when everyone's tired and sleeping.

Jun: Okay, let me give you some advice. I don't think you'll get anything by going to the catacombs.
Jun: I was curious about it since the start, so I gave it a little peek.
Jun: What goes on there in absolutely useless as an idol.

Kaname: ...? I don't get it, why should I listen to you? Aren't you a failure who couldn't become a special student?
Jun: To have the nerve to talk out of turn like it's nothing, shut up... Is this carelessness why you fell to the bottom?

Jun: But it's fine, I don't get upset when I get demeaned so cluelessly. Mysteriously, it doesn't feel malicious coming from you.
Jun: You're probably some idiot who just doesn't think.
Kaname: Please don't call me an idiot. The one who calls someone an idiot is the idiot.

Jun: ...It's a hassle, but I'll just bring you there. Besides, it's not far.
Kaname: Right. You should've said that from the start, Sazanami.
Jun: Can't you at least say "thanks"... I'd love to be able to see your parents.

Jun: Well whatever. I already said I'd take you, so lets go.
Jun: However, I'm only gonna take you to the entrance. Seriously, I don't wanna get involved in THAT.
Kaname: What is "that"? What's going on at the.. katakonbes?

Jun: You'll see for yourself. To put it in one word, it's—
Jun: —a religion.

<Several minutes later>
Jun: Now now, stop dawdling and hurry up.
Jun: I know I keep sayin' it, but I wanna hurry up and go to bed.
Kaname: P-please don't leave me behind. Your duty is to guide me, Sazanami.

Kaname: Idols are expected to fulfill their duties, and I've never been out at this hour before, so I'm anxious. It's dark... I'm scared...
Kaname: Here, hold my hand to reassure me.
Jun: You look like the protagonist of an action movie, yet you're shaking in your boots...

Jun: Seriously, there's such a gap between your appearance and actions. It's startin' to get comical.
Kaname: Whos comical! There's nothing comical about me! I won't forgive you for ridiculing me, even if I'm no longer a special student!

Jun: You're being loud. At this time this area's usually off-limits. If you get spotted by a security guard, you're gonna be in big trouble.
Jun: Well, in the catacombs, you may be sittin' side by side with one of those said guards or janitors.

Kaname: ...Let's turn back, Sazanami.
Jun: What?!
Kaname: Isn't this place off-limits? I don't wanna break the rules! I don't wanna get in trouble!
Kaname: I can't have them thinking that I'm a hopeless or bad guy anymore than already!

Jun: You told me to take you there. The entrance to the catacombs is in the middle of the off-limits zone, so there's no way to go around it.
Kaname: Why does this place have to be off-limits? I'd like them to make this less troublesome for me!

Jun: I don't know too much about it, but its some facility made by some bigwig a long time ago. So not only can't it not be demolished, they can't risk being too close to the school staff, even if it's a pain.
Jun: But thanks to that, it's a great hideout for "those guys".

Jun: So what you said is pretty flimsy and contradictory. I think one of their, what were they—commandments? Was that Reimei Academy's full of such contradictions.

Kaname: Don't talk about what I said! I'm not my usual self right now! So that criticism is completely incorrect!
Jun: Yeah, yeah, I know~. You're always the right one here~.

(sorry for stopping halfway thru a chapter but i have an early day tmrw and gotta stop here! heres for not passing out on the couch the moment i get home from work tomorrow)

Jun: —Look, see how there's light peeking between those rocks there? That's where the staircase to the basement is.
Jun: From here on out it's just you. I'm way too tired to bother to go further.

Kaname: Stop right there! Don't you leave me here! As someone greater than you, you have a duty to protect me!
Jun: No I don't... If you want me to protect you, try actin' more lovely. Then maybe I'll want to protect you, damnit.
<scene change>
Kaname: I-Is this it...?

Jun: Yup. Here's the catacombs, the place you were lookin' for.
Kaname: What kind of place is this? Isn't this like, super shady...?
Jun: That's why I didn't wanna come with. It's creepy, and it's not the season for a ghost run. What would I do if I couldn't sleep at night?

Kaname: I don't care about you and your sleep.
Jun: How refreshingly self-serving.
Kaname: So, Kazehaya Tatsumi will be here?
Jun: You'll always find him here. I mean, the reason everyone gathers here is for him, so I don't think it works without him.

Jun: Like I said, I took Kazehaya-senpai's invitation from the start. Don't get me involved, okay?
Jun: These people gather here every single day, so there's no reason to hurry. You can just ask Kazehaya-senpai tomorrow morning to guide you.

Kaname: Absolutely not. I can't put up with this miserable situation for another day.
Jun: You're way too selfish.
Jun: (But this HiMERU guy is clinging to me like a kid... It's not like I can just shake him off and go back. So troublesome...)

Jun: (But well, at Reimei Academy, my self-esteem gets shattered to pieces every day already.)
Jun: (So having someone rely on me like this is making me feel a little better, so that's good.)

Jun: (Maybe that's how Kazehaya-senpai feels, too. Am I being influenced by that idiot?)
Jun: (Is it possible to keep doing that all in return for nothing?)

Jun: Over here, over here. This is where the lights are on.
Jun: These catacombs are unnecessarily large, this strange space seems to be the only part used.
Jun: Every night, eccentric people gather here and do all sorts of things.

Kaname: The airs horrid here... I know there's not much you can do since it's underground, but what if I had asthma?
Kaname: I have a lot of complaints.
Jun: ...Oh, found 'em. Look, there's the Kazehaya-senpai you were looking for.

Jun: He's always in the center, makes him easy to find.
Tatsumi: ...Hm? Do we have visitors?
Tatsumi: Welcome to Reimei Academy at night! Kidding~♪
Kaname: ...! Kazehaya Tatsumi!
Tatsumi: Yes, I'm Kazehaya Tatsumi. I'm grateful that you remember my name.

Tatsumi: However, it is strange to be called by my full name every time, so feel free to omit either Kazehaya or Tatsumi.
Jun: Or y'know, Kazehaya Tatsumi-senpai, 'cuz were younger.

Tatsumi: There's no need to give me an honorific, though. What truly matters is the respect we have for each other.
Kaname: Tatsumi-senpai, then? Would you be satisfied with that? Then, will you give all of yourself to me?

Tatsumi: Hmm... That right now would be difficult, since I really don't know exactly what you seek from me.
Tatsumi: But that aside, there's quite a bit of unusual guests here today. Earlier, the "elder" came to see me for the first time in a while.
Kaname: Elder...?

Tatsumi: He's like a former manager of this place.
Tatsumi: Fufu. Jun-san's here too, he didn't seem to like this place so I didn't expect him to return.
Tatsumi: I even thought it was no use. A kid who can work hard and progress on their own doesn't need my help.

Jun: I'm not progressin' at all, though. Besides, I was forced by HiMERU to guide him as his attendant.
Kaname: ...
Tatsumi: Hm. So, HiMERU-san has business here today?

Jun: About that, no matter how much I asked, he wouldn't get to the point. He'd only tell me he wants me to guide him to the catacombs, or wants to see you.
Tatsumi: Oho, well it makes me happy you were so eager to see me.
Kaname: ...

Tatsumi: Either way, yet another of my roles is to draw close to those feelings of kids who don't know what what they wish, so I can grant it to them.
Tatsumi: Now, please tell us your story. Confide from your heart.
Tatsumi: What is it that you wish? What are you looking for?

Tatsumi: Money? Work? Fame? Affection? Peace?
Tatsumi: If you're seeking to give something to me, give me whatever you wish.
Tatsumi: Amen.
Kaname: ...This really is like a religion.

Tatsumi: Forgive me. I was raised in a church, so this speech and conduct has sunken deeply into my mind.
Tatsumi: Although strictly speaking, this isn't exactly a church. Something like that would be out in the public.
Kaname: ...?

Tatsumi: Well, it appears that Jun-san also has that misunderstanding of this place.
Tatsumi: Here is much like a counseling office for troubles. Well, religious churches are also essentially such places, so you're not entirely mistaken there.
Kaname: Counseling office...?

Tatsumi: Yes. I felt that a place like this was needed, so I requested the "elder" mentioned earlier if I could use this place, and thus I opened this.
Tatsumi: Here is a place of prayer and peace, with the mission to make it easier for everyone to breathe here at Reimei Academy.

Tatsumi: It is mainly Reimei students who aren't special students that utilize this place, as most of those children face many troubles due to their position.

Tatsumi: But because of that, maybe people are suspicious that Kazehaya Tatsumi may be planning something, by gathering children who aren't special students.
Tatsumi: I don't have anything planned, however.
Tatsumi: All I want is to make everyone happy, even if only a little.

gonna speed up here a little- tatsumi decides to go into an explanation about how this facility works. he also notes that jun went home without saying anything during his last visit, and juns like "look bc i really dont wanna get involved ok" lol

jun thinks to himself that the main reason is because theres just something off about tatsumis demeanor; he has this overly relaxed demeanor, always smiling slightly, etc... he seems much different than he does inside the academy

he brings up the time where the industry was booming and there were super idols and etc, kanames like "ok everyone knows this though" and tatsumis like "yes you must know as a special student, but jun-san may not" --

--and juns like "i also know, my shitty father would always talk about tales from his past, always complaining saying "i used to be good~" and such" LMAO

tatsumi continues about how eventually the market bubble burst, and quickly things got pretty miserable-

he created the place in order to help people realize that the problem arent other people, as no person is responsible for it- whats bad are the times, the environment, everything except people are bad.

kaname is thoroughly confused, of course

ok actually kaname big brain moment bringing up the question on why reimei and shuuetsu, new schools, are being established despite the struggling industry

reimei was completely renovated from a mission school (a religious schools ran by christian missionaries) to make it the idol training school it is right now, which .... explains why catacombs exist (i guess?)

tatsumi doesnt really know why reimei was established and chalks it up to probably some bigwig at cospro's nostalgia. or maybe just tax reasons
and juns like "i guess? youd think theyd make something more profitable"

Kaname: I don't care about money or the history of this school! What I really want is Tatsumi-senpai, the secret to your current status!

(me too im very tired of this type of exposition)

Tatsumi: Please rest assured, if you listen until the very end, you should have your answer.

(please stop making me tl this)

more talk about how the idol industry is suffering, how even with successes most ppl are without work, and special students are no exception, and face hardships as well

jun gets pissed, "so is that why we non-special students are harassed? to release stress? because you guys are suffering, so we should suffer too? dont be stupid. people who hit others, who push their pain and misery onto others, are the scum of the earth, no matter what reason."

tatsumi acknowledges it + says that his intention isnt to get non-special students to forgive all special students, just them to understand theres no point in revenge and demonizing every single one of them. just bc theyre victims of the times doesnt mean they should be forgiven

Kaname: You speak as if you aren't involved yourself. You're a special student too, Tatsumi-senpai.
Tatsumi: I am. Because of this, I can understand the feelings of the special students. They too are suffering from this world.

Tatsumi: It's a hell without salvation, where the dead cannibalize each other.
Tatsumi: I want to change this situation as much as I possibly can.
Kaname: ...Is that so. It really is a no good situation where nobody can be happy. It needs to be changed.

Jun: Oh, I'm surprised that you agree. I felt like you'd say something like "I don't care about that. As long as I'm happy, everything's fine".
Kaname: Stop doing that boorish mimicry of me.

Kaname: Do not get me wrong, Sazanami. If I make my debut as an idol, I cannot be happy if the industry is in such a state.
Kaname: That would be a problem. I want to be happy.
Tatsumi: It's interesting to hear from you. Please, tell me more about yourself.

Kaname: Rather than that, how many times is it gonna take until you tell me the secret to your success?
Tatsumi: Hm. Regarding that, its one of those 'which came first, the chicken or the egg' sort of things—
Kaname: I hate this answer, because I don't understand the allegory.

Tatsumi: Metaphors are for easier understanding. Despite so, I can't say I've ever said it myself, as an idol who is selling well.
Jun: You're far from just selling well, in terms of income you're at the very top of Reimei Academy, y'know.

Jun: Not just that, but even surpassing those at places like Yumenosaki and Shuuetsu with your reputation as the top active student idol~.
Kaname: Yes. This is why I want to know your secret to success.

Tatsumi: I'm not sure if there is a secret. I didn't originally start working as an idol for the money.
Tatsumi: In that regard, my reason might be more like Jun-san's. Truth is, due to family circumstances, I was half-forced to become an idol.

Jun: What do you mean...? Was something fishy up, or...?
Tatsumi: It's not really something I want to share, I do think it's rather questionable. My family for generations has maintained hidden Christian practice.
Jun: ...Huh? Hidden?

Tatsumi: In short, my parent's house is a church, our livelihood being a religious practice less-recognized. I'm sort of like a priest there.

Tatsumi: Although religious freedom has since been granted, I still refrain from speaking about it, due to how dangerous cult religions and such have caused problems.
Tatsumi: Even the word "religion" tends to carry a bad reputation in this country.

Jun: ...You're right, I'm sorry, but I can't help but feel suspicious.
Tatsumi: It can't be helped. It's simply how things are nowadays, it's considered common sense.

Tatsumi: It's unfortunate, but I have been raised in a family that goes against this common sense. Even so, I want us to survive—
Tatsumi: I've decided, in this world, I want to create a place for us to stay.

Tatsumi: That's why we are working to raise our popularity with this world through utilizing idols, and fight against the discrimination and prejudice we receive.

Tatsumi: At the very least, we're hoping to create a space where it's easier for us to breathe, even if it's only a little. That way, we will not be excluded if we so choose to reveal our identity.
Tatsumi: I wanted to become an idol that sake, and followed that path.

Tatsumi: If we first cannot earn the trust and affection from the people of this world, we will eventually suffocate in this world where "religious people are suspicious" is the norm.

(oops ill have to stop here for the night, i stayed up way later than planned... )

(closing this w/ its good to remember that unlike other parts of the world where western colonialism was deeply established, they were indeed an oppressed minority in japan. but the decriminalization of christianity was also heavily influenced by western colonization)

(religious freedom in japan was established in only 1889!)

Tatsumi: Do you think its naïve? To believe that everyone in the world aren't fools, that they don't have to harbor prejudice?
Tatsumi: That there can be a future where one could reveal their true identity, and not be looked at coldly?

Tatsumi: I want to believe there can. In my family's church, we have many memoirs of those who have been painfully executed just because they believed in the god they wanted to believe in.
Kaname: ...So that's why Christians would hide away?

Tatsumi: Yes. Even Jun-san appears to have grown up in an unusual home environment, one might not know about.
Tatsumi: It's a historical fact there was a crackdown on religion, in this country as well.

Tatsumi: The blood stains and scorch marks on the ceiling of the room my family gave me as a child are evidence of this.
Tatsumi: You know, it might be laughable to some, but I used to be afraid of being killed unreasonably like the martyrs of the past.

Tatsumi: At least, when I was a little kid.
Tatsumi: I suppose everyone was scared of ghosts, fast-moving cars, and powerful dogs with loud barks when they were young.
Tatsumi: But for me, that was my fear.
Kaname: ...

Tatsumi: And so, in order to cover come that fear, I wanted to gain a position where I could be loved and recognized by everyone.
Tatsumi: Well, at least be in a position where I could never be unreasonably trampled and killed.

Tatsumi: My parents wanted me to spread our household's teachings. However, I have no intention of doing that.
Tatsumi: In all honesty, I don't want to be an evangelist.

Tatsumi: Because in the end, I don't want to become a martyr. I don't want to be loathed and hated, and trampled like a horrid creature that isn't human.

Tatsumi: ...I should probably find a way to repay my parents as an apology, since they were so kind to even pay for my tuition and other expenses.
Jun: Hm~... Sorry, I can't get myself to believe that. Is that really the truth?

Jun: Well, I guess that my family too probably seems like some unbelievable lie from the outside...
Jun: Like seriously, a father who trains his son as an idol as an attempt to take down the rival who defeated him?

Tatsumi: Fufu, it's an extreme case for Jun-san and I, but every household is different.
Tatsumi: Each one is like a world of its own, each with different rules, common sense, and atmosphere.

Tatsumi: Not only home, it's likely the same for schools, and companies and countries as well.
Tatsumi: The important thing is to not blindly believe that you are the absolutely only one who is right, and to mustn't invade other worlds with that belief.

Tatsumi: That is surely the basis for all things.
Kaname: ...
Tatsumi: Fufu. HiMERU-san seems to be getting frustrated, so I'll stop about something irrelevant and move on to the important things.

Tatsumi: I've had the privilege to be recognized as a special student, and I was rather skilled so I was able to do my job well.

Tatsumi: Perhaps it was because I enjoyed my job, I was able to work my hardest. As I moved from one job to another, I seemed to give off the impression that I was someone who could get stuff done from every direction.

Jun: Well, even TV stations prefer who can properly get the job done.
Tatsumi: Indeed. And the graduates of the well-known Yumenosaki had a bad reputation for being lazy, so everyone from there was looked at in that way.

Tatsumi: As someone who could efficiently complete his work, I got a lot of offers.
Tatsumi: And eventually, I'd get so many jobs that it was too much for even me to handle.
Tatsumi: For an industry in recession, it could make anyone so happy they would cry.

Tatsumi: And so I asked everyone at Reimei Academy who I had known for quite a while, to help spread out my work.
Tatsumi: I didn't want to decline help that I absolutely needed. As a newcomer, I didn't have a position to refuse any jobs.

Tatsumi: And so we were able to accomplish tasks we couldn't have accomplished alone by all working together.
Tatsumi: Particularly the ones who entered the school to become an idol only for their dream to be smoldered, the non-special students, became reliable assistants for me.

Tatsumi: Thankfully, everyone seemed happy to be able to work alongside me.
Jun: Well, that's a given~... Non-special students aren't able to do idol activities, and can't even debut at all.

Jun: I entered this school to become an idol. But each and every day, all I do is servant work non-stop.
Jun: And well, I'd be happy if I could do anything remotely idol-like, even if it was just helping out.
Tatsumi: That's right. Everyone was enthusiastic when working with me.

Tatsumi: And often because of that, my work was one great success after another. And what made me happy is that everyone was able to do things they wanted to do.
Tatsumi: Thanks to everyone's motivation, I was able to do a good job without fail.

Tatsumi: However, because each job was taken under the name of "Kazehaya Tatsumi", my reputation was skyrocketing.
Kaname: Ahh yes, the TV stations are only asking Tatsumi-senpai to do the job. The rest of the riffraff is only there to assist him.

Tatsumi: That's it. So, is that the secret to success? Use the non-special students to your convenience, and raise your fame by crediting it all under your name?
Tatsumi: It's a misleading way to put it, but it's not too far from the truth.

Tatsumi: It's true that I got my position thanks to everyone who helped me out.
Tatsumi: It's much like it's a company named "Kazehaya Tatsumi", and companies like TV stations chose this "Kazehaya Tatsumi" as their business partner.

Tatsumi: When I get a job, I gather employees to deal with it, and we all work together to get the job done.
Tatsumi: I actively educate the employees, and if we need necessary equipment, I will purchase it.

Tatsumi: For example, if I need back-up dancers, I will teach how to dance from the ground up.
Tatsumi: For someone who is still a high school student, it's quite a big feat. But by having all employees improve their skills, we can achieve better results in the next project.

Tatsumi: Results and reputation are what lead to the next job.
Tatsumi: It's a virtuous cycle that leads from one brilliant achievement to another.
Kaname: ...Is that the true identity of Reimei Academy's top idol, Kazehaya Tatsumi?

Tatsumi: Yes. When it comes down to it, I'm nothing but a mediocre idol.
Tatsumi: But by borrowing the strength of all the people around me, I become something huge.
Tatsumi: So to speak, I'm more akin to a leviathan company or nation.

(thats the end of this chapter.......... that one goes out to the tatsumiPs)

Kaname: ...I can't figure it out.
Tatsumi: What is it? I did give quite a roundabout explanation, but these catacombs are more or less the base of my leviathan's activities.
Tatsumi: Think of it like a company office.

Tatsumi: There is nowhere else where we can get everyone in one place, so we have to gather at these dubious ruins. I personally don't think I'm doing as much of an immoral activity as it might appear.

Tatsumi: Besides, wherever else we try to get together, special students who see me as an eyesore will drive us out.
Tatsumi: They'll call over teachers and security guards.

Tatsumi: It seems "other" special students are unhappy about how much work gets concentrated into our company. It's only natural.

Tatsumi: So they'll interfere at any chance they can get. It's rather troubling. Even though I've tried time and time again to ask them to become my companions.

Tatsumi: Power comes in numbers. If all these excellent professional-debut special students would join my group, they would be able to shine even more.

Kaname: ...What I don't understand is how come these non-special students, who you liken to employees of your company, have no complains about all of this.
Kaname: No matter how hard they work, the only name that gets rewarded is "Kazehaya Tatsumi", no?

Tatsumi: That's true, isn't it... I'm not happy with it, either. With everything that I do, I introduce everyone else to the people involved and to all my fans, even.

Tatsumi: Of course, that's not without it's benefits either, and lately there've been some non-special students who have able to land some jobs themselves.
Tatsumi: Naturally, in those cases, I give them my upmost support.

Tatsumi: We're from the same group, so we must support each other.
Kaname: But aren't those able to work alone in the minority? With the industry in recession, the overall amount of jobs have been declining—

Kaname: Compared to working under a huge company named "Kazehaya Tatsumi", the reward and praise you get working alone would be insignificant.

Tatsumi: That's true, isn't it... Although it may not be the case for everyone, if someone's dissatisfied they can return back to working underneath "Kazehaya Tatsumi".

Tatsumi: But I want them to become more and more independent. That way, they can make somewhat of a professional debut without the permission of Reimei Academy, instead of just the special students.
Tatsumi: The teachers don't really look favorably on it.

Tatsumi: Perhaps because they know this, it seems that both the business partners and non-special students choose to not work together independently.
Kaname: But even still, anyone who aspires to become an idol would want approval as themselves.

Kaname: To be loved not as just a part of "Kazehaya Tatsumi", but as "yourself".
Kaname: At least, that's how it is for me. I want to be loved as myself.

Kaname: I hate the idea of my significance as a person only being accepted as a part of someone else. Just thinking about it drives me crazy.
Kaname: Is it only me who feels that sort of strange way?
Tatsumi: I'm not sure... I don't really have a strong sense of self.

Jun: Hm~... If anything, I sympathize with HiMERU more~. How are the other non-special students content with that position?
Tatsumi: That's not something I can answer. To be honest, I also want to know why.

Jun: Turns out I really am incompatible with the guys here, huh. I don't understand them at all~.
Tatsumi: You don't need to say such things, Jun-san. Nobody has the privilege to invalidate others.

Jun: I'm not invalidating them though, I just definitely don't wanna get involved with what goes on in these catacombs.
Jun: Even if I get trampled with no rewards, it's meaningless if I can't be me.
[ch end]

Kaname: ...I feel the same as Sazanami. I cant imagine earning fame and brilliance that way.
Kaname: But even still... It's undeniable that "Kazehaya Tatsumi" is producing results.
Kaname: Maybe I should look into it, then. Get rid of this stupid pride of mine, and find success.

Kaname: So I can become the shining idol I've always dreamed to be.
Tatsumi: Fufu. We're here to help you if you ever choose so. Here we have job offers, idol training and studies, all free of charge.
Tatsumi: Rather, I pay anyone who attends these gatherings.

Kaname: Why is that...?
Tatsumi: My interest isn't money. All money I earn as "Kazehaya Tatsumi" gets fairly distributed to all my companions here.
Tatsumi: Regardless of how much you do or for how long, you'll be paid a decent amount of money.

Tatsumi: I simply ask you to help with my work to the best of you ability.
Kaname: Really? You pay all the others?

Kaname: Wouldn't it the other way around? Because you'd be the reason the others even get a chance on the front stage, wouldn't you? So why wouldn't you be the one getting paid?

Tatsumi: Yes, but like I said, I liken it to a company. And so everyone who is a member of "Kazehaya Tatsumi" is paid the same fixed salary.
Tatsumi: Of course, it's a reasonable reward for their work. I would never allow others to work for me day after day unpaid.

Tatsumi: It'd be against my teachings—No, it would simply be inhumane.
Jun: I see... I understand now how they could be contently working as "Kazehaya Tatsumi's assistant" over working alone.

Jun: It's economically comfortable with good compensation. I bet the fixed salary is even higher than working alone as an idol with no track record.

Jun: Moreover, Kazehaya-senpai's work is excellent, so his jobs are always great successes. You get to shine no matter what, without having to worry about hardships or losing your position.
Jun: It's basically a dream company, fuckin' hell.

Kaname: Not just that too. If what Tatsumi-senpai's saying is true, even who doesn't work still gets paid their fixed salary, yes?
Tatsumi: Yes. You mustn't discriminate, everyone here is equal.

Jun: Umm. I might be wrong 'cuz I don't get proper teaching, but I don't think that's exactly how it's supposed to work.
Jun: Pretty sure our country is capitalism, so that'd be the opposite—

Tatsumi: It's nothing to that scale, however. I simply want to treat everyone as equally and fairly as possible.
Tatsumi: Isn't that the ideal? I'd like to make that ideal into reality.

tatsumi then goes into a monologue about how he stresses equality in his organization, about how inequality and injustice are the roots of all calamities, the source of all misery, and thus that is why reimei academy must be saved... you know, the usual

Tatsumi: One day, all the special students and teachers, the entirety of Reimei Academy, as well as the idol industry, this country, this world—
Tatsumi: I will change all of it into the ideal utopia it should be.

Tatsumi: No, it's simply my mission in this world. Born into a family who preaches teachings of God, I am to be His spokesman.
Tatsumi: This is what I believe. And so, I shall live according to this belief.
Tatsumi: Amen. May all living beings be blessed with fortune.
[ch end]

next chapter is 2 years ago shortly after hiyori and nagisas transfer to reimei and shuuetsu respectively ... theyre talking together about tatsumi's ideal and how everything he strove for was 'to make everyone happy'

nagisa wholly agrees with tatsumi's ideals, hiyori too 🥺

Hiyori: I agree. The revolutionary of Yumenosaki—the beliefs we had, were fully superficial. Or rather, I feel like they were tainted by Tenshouin-kun.

Hiyori: To make someone happy. To do it for love and peace. For the sake of a dream. No matter how many such ideals are put on display, they all lose their radiancy the moment they hurt someone.

Hiyori: We had a dream. An ideal. But in order to achieve it, we sacrificed the five eccentrics.
Hiyori: Our ideal became stained with blood, and collapsed.
Hiyori: ...

Hiyori: But, in that case of that Kazehaya, I heard his beliefs didn't stray until the very end.
Nagisa: ...I believe so. He held his noble ideal high until it was all over.

Hiyori: I envy him, really. Compared to us, who couldn't bear the gap between our ideals and the reality we upheld, and ran away midway, hating everything and anything.
Ibara: I humbly beg to differ! I believe that both of you made a wise decision!

Ibara: Dreams are dreams because they do not come true, and ideals are ideals because they cannot be realized.
Ibara: Kazehaya Tatsumi's revolution, which mistook dreams and ideals as able to become reality, ended as a tragic failure.

Ibara: Now our CosPro affiliated training schools, including Reimei Academy here, is an absolute mess due to the turmoil he caused.

Ibara: I was having quite a difficult time just managing the situation and was at a loss, I was clutching at straws when trying to convince you guys to transfer.
Hiyori: You sure do flatter me...but I don't think anything would have changed whether we transferred here or not.

Nagisa: ...Yes. There's nothing we can do.
Hiyori: ...After Yumenosaki Academy, I know that now.

*realized i accidentally made hiyori say tenshouin-kun earlier. no he says eichi-kun oops

Ibara: Not at all! Your humility becomes subservient when you go that far!
Ibara: I feel you to only took me up on my offer since you two's spirits are just weakened after going through such a miserable experience.

Ibara: But you two are unrivaled in terms of your abilities as idols. You two's radiance could repaint the world.
Ibara: Your revolution as 'fine' in Yumenosaki has also been received favorably and is regarded as a wonderful achievement by the world.
Hiyori: ...

Ibara: I, Ibara Saegusa, am honored to make the best out of you two's true ability and achievements!
Hiyori: You're a business owner who runs a number of companies. Although you may not have as many assets, by comparison to Eichi-kun of the Tenshouin family...

Hiyori: You have experience. The track record of starting a company from scratch, and turning it into a massive success.
Nagisa: ...That's true. If that was the first time Eichi-kun had picked up a knife in his life, you've been driving a car since you were a kid.

Nagisa: ...You are by no means incompetent. Because that had been my first experience, I didn't know how to cope with the situation, and caused a lot of trouble.

Hiyori: Despite being tied down to a hospital bed for so long, you've been able to learn an unbelievable amount in such a short amount of time.
Hiyori: But a bird whose wings became dirtied with mud cannot fly in the sky any longer.

Ibara: Yes, which is why you should fully refresh yourself! Purify yourself of that dirt! Here at our CosPro school!
Ibara: Then return as idols, and become the sun that illuminates the world once again! But of course, I shall not force you two to do anything!

Ibara: But I am far different than Mr. Tatsumi Kazehaya. I wish to build a staircase to heaven by piling up the truth, not empty reflections of a dream. Step by step, we shall go up!

Hiyori: And the materials used to build those stairs will be us, right? I guess changing the environment doesn't change the fact that someone's taking advantage of you for the better.
Nagisa: ...That's why I think we should work to prevent the same tragedy from happening again.

Nagisa: ...That way, we won't make the same mistake again, and we won't lose everything all over again.
[ch end]

next chapter we have hiyori speaking up about how this time he wants to learn more about the surroundings, and more about whos in charge of things- in this case, ibara, who works with cospro

he also denies he didn't take ibara's offer bc of a weakened and desperate attempt to find a new place to go, but bc he did see merit in it

ibara apologizes for assuming so, and then quickly assures hiyori that his judgement is corrent (lol)

hiyori points out that ibaras been pretty transparent that hes a businessman, a manager, whos end goal is easy to understand; money

and ibara acknowledges it, saying it easy to understand bc yes, people all want money... when you deny it, it starts to feel unrealistic

Nagisa: ...
Ibara: As one could probably guess once again, Mr. Kazehaya Tatsumi made a mistake in that area.

(dude. savage 😭)

ibara explains the organization tatsumi ran, and nagisa brings up how tatsumi putting himself in the center of all it made him into a heightened being, like a god

ibara says that tatsumi had likened it to a company, but as a (real) company owner, ibara had his doubts

to him it seemed more like a religious cult, with tatsumi as the head, one could say

although his ideals are good and praiseworthy, there was a very huge contradiction in tatsumi's ideals that was present since the very beginning

the contradiction is uhh... they're basically explaining how if "equality" is everyone starting at the same time at the start of the race, then everyone will rank differently

if that "equality" is to be maintained, you will have to start making things "unfair"

although the idea of everyone being treated "equally" and "fairly" is appealing, it's unachievable, something that cant exist

ibaras says that he doesnt really see tatsumi as a fool who cant see reality, just... religiously enthusiastic

he also gives tatsumi credit for being able to bring reality as close to as his ideal as possible, and making it a reality, albeit temporary

but he says the moment he was able to make it reality, he transcended a status of a human, and became more of a god, an angel, or saint

lmao nagisa started correcting ibara about how how saints arent rlly gods, saints exist to do what god cannot achieve himself

ibaras like im not here to go into a debate. but seems like in the end saint really is what describes that tatsumi tried to be

ANYWAYS. ibara continues that the only way that "fairness" and "equality" can exist at the same time is if theres an "exception"...which tatsumi made only himself to be.

everyone is treated fairly and equally... except himself. he took all the inequality and injustice himself

much like a saint being crucified on a cross, carrying the sins of all mankind

(so much for not being a matryr, huh, tatsumi.... you know, his huge fear.)

oh man theyre still going. they basically made a point that tatsumis revolution + the fact that the idol economy is in shambles = hell

what tatsumi did, to sacrifice himself for so many people, was a huge feat... and he truly did it out of love for everyone

but imitating a saint to such a degree was something nobody could understand, and when people tried to challenge him on his ways, tatsumi stood strong

for example, even if someone who loved him offered to help tatsumi, to join him as one of the "exceptions", or if they wanted to give tatsumi their rewards (which there was a lot of, esp since its hard to be on the receiving end of such selflessness)

tatsumi would reject all those offers...

Ibara: "Because that would result in inequality", "Because that would make things unfair"—Aha ha ha ha! ☆"

like ibara said before, nobody could understand tatsumi's actions... he slowly became more and more isolated, as he prioritized these ideas over other people's affections and care for him

and human beings usually prioritize these human rights and love over everything else

people started thinking tatsumi was crazy, and more and more people began to fear him

people couldnt understand him, and tatsumi couldnt sympathize with others, since he dedicated himself fully to this system he was building

tatsumi was basically voluntarily going through hell while smiling, satisfied; the fact he was happy ibara says is what it means to have religious faith

people began considering him as no longer human and more akin to a monster; much like what fine had done to the five eccentrics; but in this case, tatsumi did it to himself, although not not aware of it

not only that, but tatsumis body began to break down as well... hes only human
his body began to protest and he started falling sick, and his mental health deteriorated as well...there are burdens and pains that even faith cannot heal

and as his mental health deteriorated, he would lose his composure more often and be more unreasonable and compulsive, and it created a viscous cycle of bad decisions which would deteriorate his physical and mental health even further

tatsumi would be in and out of the hospital often... until one day, while tatsumi was in the hospital, an unforeseen emergency occured at reimei, a big incident which marked the end of tatsumi's revolution

apparently it involved one of the industry's big taboos, and was very serious...

but it's not something ibara can talk casually about, and he can't find the details about what happened either

Ibara: Only one thing is clear. The criminal behind this big incident, or the driving force behind all of it—
Ibara: Was a genius child named HiMERU, who is considered to be Kazehaya Tatsumi's greatest enemy.

(...next chapter is quite a fuckin handful, so im gonna tackle it tomorrow.... )

(gonna post this one in chunks i apologize in advance)

<Reimei Academy 2 years ago, winter>

Ibara: Ah ha ha ha! ☆
Ibara: You're who told me the story, so it must be correct, Toujou-san. You have a bird's eye view of everything despite never mingling there. Much like being the reader of a story, rather than an author or a character.

Ibara: By following the story like that, you can understand everything.
Ibara: Well, yes, isn't that right? Doesn't that sound like lots of fun!
Ibara: Eh? All of this was is thanks to me? Not at all! Naturally, all I did was guide them to do what was most convenient for me...♪

Ibara: Rather, I didn't actually expect our plan to work so well, I'm rather pleasantly surprised. Humans sure are gullible, aren't they?
Ibara: I suppose it's due to how the students of Reimei Academy are already so used to "living doing what they're told".

Ibara: No, I'm sure they wouldn't be able to survive in this academy if they didn't.
Ibara: Obey whose above you. Obey the rules. Never go against them.
Ibara: If you dare disobey, you will be punished irrationally.

Ibara: The longer the you reside at Reimei Academy, the more it becomes "common sense" to you. The instinct to follow the rules is engraved into you.
Ibara: Your individuality will be molded to be most convenient for the administration, no, the management.

Ibara: This practice, or rather, brainwashing, is often used in other schools to a greater or lesser extent.
Ibara: But Reimei Academy specializes quite intensely in "that", doesn't it?
Ibara: It functions similar to the former military.

Ibara: If the soldiers didn't have absolute obedience, it'd be a problem. So the first thing after enlistment, they break their self-respect into pieces.

Ibara: And after that too, a hierarchy will continuously be enforced. By doing so, an excellent pawn with absolute obedience to their superiors is created—well, a soldier.
Ibara: They do not think for themselves. Because thinking is bad.

Ibara: Moving at your own discretion will result in getting reprimanded by a superior. You get slapped and cursed at, and even if you cry, you won't be forgiven.

Ibara: Because prioritizing the judgement of your superiors over your own is what is considered "correct" in that environment.
Ibara: Every human desires to be correct as a means to live. That's why by arbitrarily changing what is considered "correct", you can manipulate humans.

Ibara: And so I tried using that. Originally a strict mission school, that closed-off soil was perfect for creating the strict-ruled Reimei Academy—
Ibara: With some adjustments, a factory for mass-producing convenient humans was made.

Ibara: However, things got odd for a while, due to the emergence of an irregular existence named Tatsumi Kazehaya.
Ibara: He was unaffected by the brainwashing. The reason being, he already had a preexisting faith. A special belief he had since childhood—

Ibara: It sure is impossible overwriting something like that, isn't it?
Ibara: However, an obstacle such as that must be removed. If something threatens to shut down a factory, it's the management's responsibility to remove it quickly.

Ibara: Rather, one couldn't call themselves an excellent businessman if they couldn't turn such troubles into a profit with some quick wit!

Ibara: Mr. Kazehaya Tatsumi is a great idol, but not one suitable for this era of recession. If he had been born earlier, he might have been called a Super Idol.
Ibara: He is very capable and has a number of accomplishments to show for it.

Ibara: In that sense, how he gained public and business recognition was convenient for us too.
Ibara: However, his existence was too risky to leave be. He ignores the rules. His premise being to transcend the hierarchy.

Ibara: That's the tricky thing about religion. Soldiers who obey God over their superiors are considered dangerous and cannot be used on the battlefield.
Ibara: Which is why I decided to create a good God that was most convenient for me.

Ibara: A God unlike Mr. Kazehaya Tatsumi, that will do what we want.
Ibara: Contracts were signed. And "he" appears to be doing his job perfectly.
Ibara: Yes. Mr. Kazehaya was so busy that he fell ill, and so while he had been in and out of the hospital—

Ibara: There had been someone secretly stealing nearly all of his jobs the sidelines, yes?
Ibara: That's correct. You know his real name, but it seems that he is calling himself HiMERU now.

Ibara: Mr. HiMERU, he would accept all the jobs entrusted to Kazehaya Tatsumi by himself, and then redistribute it to other special students who were struggling since they had no work.

Ibara: Doing so, he was able to give the special students profit, gain credibility, and become treated as a representative.

Ibara: After being demoted for a bit due to tampering with something taboo, Mr. HiMERU, he seemed to have been able to regain his status as a special student due to his work.
Ibara: Yes. And of course, we're the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Ibara: Requests regarding Reimei Academy idols first come to us, as the manager. How they are distributed is up to us.
Ibara: Before, we had turned over all the work to Kazehaya Tatsumi.
Ibara: With his ability, we could expect him to maximize the value of Reimei Academy idols.

Ibara: Moreover, since he had no interest in money, he never complained no matter how much money was taken out of their pockets along the way. Truly, a great "employee" he was.

Ibara: But, eventually he grew a little too big, to the point it began to shake the very foundations of Reimei Academy.

Ibara: And thus, we adjusted the amount of work he had to do, overworking him and deteriorating his physical condition. To remove him from the board, even if only temporarily—
Ibara: In the meantime, Mr. HiMERU, the one convenient to us, could then gain power.

Ibara: He who would comply with the special student system without touting any idealistic thoughts like Mr. Kazehaya Tatsumi.
Ibara: A well suited figurehead for us. No, a well suited God.

Ibara: An all-influencing God that rules all of creation... One that "I" will even be able to manipulate from the shadows.
Ibara: And by taming and enslaving God, I can stand at the very top.
[ch end]

(at the same time, Reimei Academy campus, classroom for special students)
Jun: —GODDAMN!
Kaname: ...
Jun: Hey, HiMERU! What the hell are you doing'?!
Kaname: What do you mean, what am I doing?

Kaname: You're the one whose not a special student, yet are stepping into our classroom without permission and spewing curses.
Kaname: "Gaddam" is a curse, right? Probably?

Jun: Tha's right~... If there's somethin' I hate, Kazehaya-senpai told me to direct it at God instead of someone else.
Jun: He said that way, nobody will be hurt.
Kaname: I suppose. Whether or not God really exists, he's probably not listening to what we say.

Kaname: No matter how much you curse, I'm sure it isn't doing any damage.
Kaname: It makes sense. Good use of words. Well, I'm a perfect idol, so I don't ever say such curses.

Jun: Whaddya mean perfect idol... You still speak like an idiot, which doesn't match your pretty looks at all.
Kaname: I was simply stating a fact.
Jun: Is that so. Sure, you're the top idol at Reimei Academy currently, but I wouldn't say you're perfect.

Kaname: That I am, I put a lot of work into it.
Jun: Work? What you did was a dirty trick, robbing Kazehaya-senpai and others of their achievements from the sidelines!
Jun: What work did you do! Don't mess with me, you thieving son of a bitch!

Kaname: There seems to be a misunderstanding here—Sazanami, was it?
Kaname: Forgive me. I'm not an idiot, I just have poor memory. Things that aren't worth remembering I don't particularly retain.

Jun: That's right. Ah yes, that's right... To a great special student like you, the name of a failure like me isn't worth remembering.
Jun: What's important is the contact information of who you work with, and the historical dates in idol history, not useless shit like this.

Kaname: Yes. Idols must know all their resources, information, and technical skills. I can't neglect even one.
Kaname: The capacity of the human brain is limited. One must elect to choose what to remember and what to forget.

Jun: Hah! Elect to choose! What fancy words, even though you're stupid! You know, beneath that perfect façade of yours, you're just an idiot!
Kaname: Stop saying such horrid things with that loud voice of yours. I'll sue you, Sazanami.

Jun: Try and sue me, then! Punch me then, if I'm pissin' you off! Everyone around you will be on your side, you know, you oh-so-great special students!
Jun: C'mon, hit me! What'cha waiting for? I don't care what unreasonable shit you do to me, I don't feel a thing!

Kaname: ...Well, let's give him what he wants, shall we?
Kaname: Everyone, seize this simpleton, please. Just looking at him is unpleasant.
Jun: Ain't that rich! It wasn't long ago you were a sniveling and crying son a bitch coward, a drop-out, just like me!

Kaname: ...Forget about it. No, even if you won't, I will erase the fact that it ever happened.
Kaname: Right now, that's the amount of power I possess.
Kaname: No matter how much you tell anyone about that shameful past, nobody will believe you. Nobody will even listen to you.

Kaname: You and I's statuses are no longer the same, Sazanami.
Kaname: ...Haven't you already learned that the hard way?
Kaname: This Reimei Academy is demented down to it's very roots.
Kaname: No matter how much you plead "your righteousness", it means nothing.

Kaname: Here, you are the one whos wrong. The only we can survive is to realize this, and dye ourselves in it until we become demented ourselves.
Kaname: You should at least understand that much.
Kaname: I still pity you, who still has yet to abandon "yourself".

Jun: Gwaaaah?!
Jun: Shit! I'm seriously gonna beat his ass! Kickin' me out like a dog...! GODDAMN! GODDAMN! GODDAMN!
Jun: Ah fucking hell that's a useful word! GODDAMN!
Jun: (Like Kazehaya-senpai said, I'm cursing only God with this.)

Jun: (If we don't use words that hurt others, maybe there'll be a world where "nobody hurts each other"...)
Jun: In this world full of unfair things, we can curse God and fate, not other living beings. It's better that way, nobody gets hurt.)

Jun: (But that's only an idealistic theory, isn't it—We're not really angry at a theoretical God from who knows where, huh Senpai.)
Jun: (It's always the other humans we're close to. We want to hurt them, humiliate them beyond repair, and wish we could erase them all.)

Jun: (In the end, that's what we truly mean.)
Jun: (So there's no way to live the ideal way Kazehaya-senpai wishes for.)
Jun: ...
Jun: (No matter what we do, we're human beings. We can't be perfectly pure, we can't escape that.)

Jun: (Kazehaya-senpai, who strives to live as purely as possible, is no exception.)
Jun: (He's a human, too. So of course after stupidly doing so much work all by himself, he would fall sick.)

Jun: (I couldn't bear to just watch and asked if I could help several times, but he would refuse. I don't understand.)
Jun: (I couldn't help but find it creepy, and so I kept my distance from Kazehaya-senpai's catacombs.)

Jun: (The amount of "believers" fascinated by Kazehaya-senpai far surpassed me.)
Jun: (Yet nobody helped him.)
Jun: (Of course, I'm sure people tried to help—Everyone there loved Kazehaya-senpai. That guy made amends with what we lacked.)

Jun: (He would give us what we'd want even at the cost of his life, and not even ask for anything in return.)
Jun: (They liked it, relied on it, and revered it.)

Jun: (So they must have all tried to help Kazehaya-senpai. They must've tried to support him by helping with his work in whatever way they could.)
Jun: (But nothing worked. It seems Kazehaya-senpai refused any help in any circumstance—)

Jun: (Even those who ignored Kazehaya-senpai's wishes and attempted to help anyways, all failed to.)
Jun: (It's undeniable that Kazehaya-senpai was the top idol of Reimei Academy. What he held upon his fragile shoulders was so heavy that nobody else would be able to carry it.)

Jun: (I'm sure Kazehaya-senpai's believers would selfishly request him to take on some of his jobs for him, so that he could rest—)

Jun: (But of course, it failed. There was no way to fulfill his requests properly, because the idol "Kazehaya Tatsumi" was an army, with Senpai as it's head.)

Jun: (A colossal monster that would grow stronger the more people flocked to it. If a small part of this army tried to undertake the entirety of "Kazehaya Tatsumi"'s work, they wouldn't be able to succeed.)
Jun: (There'd just be no way to provide for what was asked.)

Jun: (They wouldn't be satisfied with the work. The request wouldn't be able to be handled properly, and so mistakes would be made.)
Jun: (And repeated mistakes would decline the reputation of "Kazehaya Tatsumi". It's value would slowly decline.)

Jun: (But anytime Kazehaya-senpai would be in the lead, everything went well.)
Jun: (But, now that Kazehaya-senpai has collapsed, it's all going downhill.)

Jun: (Nothing is going right... And not only that, Kazehaya-senpai's "believers", who should be loving him, are starting to blame it all on him because they don't like getting hurt.)

Jun: (They refuse believe they're responsible for the failure, but instead the rest of "Kazehaya Tatsumi".)
Jun: (So they could retain whatever self-respect they had.)
Jun: (Even though they've been taken care of by Kazehaya Tatsumi all this time.)

Jun: (Suddenly flipping their attitude, they began cursing Kazehaya-senpai.)
Jun: (So, those guys are rotten.)
Jun: (I mean, those guys were creepy to begin with, but... now I don't even want to breathe the same air as them!)

Jun: (Everyone just gathers in dim light underground and bitches and complains about Kazehaya-senpai.)
Jun: (And so they can thoughtless go about their day again, with a peaceful smile on their face.)

Jun: (Ahh, it must be nice to have someone else do all the things you don't like, huh! But you know, the person doin' all the things you don't like—Kazehaya-senpai, is a human being!)
Jun: (He's not God. He's a human, just like us!)

Jun: (And if you're human, you hurt. And when a wound deepens, you break. So now Kazehaya-senpai been hospitalized for not only his physical condition, but his mental condition too.)

Jun: (Why can't anyone sympathize with such a simple thing?)
Jun: (Why is it everyone just forgets "that"?)
[ch end]

[sorry abt my slow pace lately....i keep accidentally falling asleep. orz.]

Jun: That guy—
Jun: I thought that Toujou was somehow different from those worthless scumbags.
Kaname: How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me by that name?
Jun: ...Toujou? No, sorry, HiMERU?

Jun: I can't get used to your stage name for some reason, I'm a little embarrassed.
Kaname: Don't misunderstand me, Sazanami.
Jun: Huh?
Kaname: I'm simply here to tell you to not repeat such stupidity again. Do not burst into the special student room ever again, it's a pain.

Jun: ...What do you want now?
Kaname: You wanted to tell me something, no?
Kaname: I'll hear you out. Go, speak.
Jun: Still acting all superior, eh.
Kaname: You've done me a favor in the past. When I had you guide me to the catacombs.

Kaname: I'm returning the favor this way. I don't want to owe you anything.
Jun: Is that so. ...Hahah, I really cant get myself to hate you, can I.
Kaname: I don't care about whether you like me or hate me.
Jun: ...Why do you suddenly care to hear me out?

Kaname: Earlier, I would have heard you out if there weren't anybody else around.
Kaname: But that was a classroom for special students, full of special students, all who unanimously hate you nonspecial students.
Kaname: Before, they would simply just look down on you.

Kaname: But after the things Tatsumi-senpai did, it's since then turned into hatred.
Jun: So you blame it all on Kazehaya-senpai too.
Kaname: That's correct. Tatsumi-senpai had nearly monopolized all of the available work all by himself using that army of his.

Kaname: With the idol industry in recession, it's likely the result of everyone choosing to rely on "someone who can get it done".
Kaname: As a result, the more the army of "Kazehaya Tatsumi" got work, the less work would come to "anyone else".

Kaname: Originally here at Reimei Academy, only special students could work as idols. Only special students would make their debut and would have the privilege to get work.

Kaname: But Tatsumi-senpai ignored that. Instead, he monopolized the work with his company, which was dominated by non-special students.

Kaname: From the special student's perspective, its like the nonspecial students they would look down upon was stealing their work away from them. That discontent and frustration then turned into hatred.
Kaname: Humans view who rob them of their profits as enemies, and hate them.

Jun: I think it's mutual, though. Wasn't it just divine retribution for looking down on and mistreating nonspecial students all this time?
Kaname: Nobody sees it that way. We are all trying to live righteously and honestly, special students included.

Kaname: And by trampling on nonspecial students, special students lived a splendid life.
Kaname: That's why they were special students. Because they are superior to nonspecial students. That's what was evaluated and judged at the time of admission.

Kaname: There is nothing wrong with the superior humans to trample on the inferior ones—That's how the special students think.
Kaname: Nobody feels guilty over the slaughtered pigs and cows when they eat meat. Although some people do, it's a minority.

Kaname: Generally, everybody eats meat without thinking and feeling guilty. That is because they're paying a fair compensation for the meat.
Kaname: Eating that meat is not a sin. It's a right. Our right.

Kaname: Special students consider scorning and trampling non-special students to be a "earned right" in that sense.
Kaname: I'm sorry to say there's no malicious intent involved.
Kaname: They view it as a matter of course, much like breathing.

Kaname: So if someone ordered you to "stop breathing at once", would you be able to do it? Or what would you do if someone tries to force you to stop breathing?
Kaname: You'd get angry, and say "don't be ridiculous!" right?
Kaname: That's how those special students feel about it.

Kaname: To special students, the group of nonspecial students led by Tatsumi-senpai, is a hateful threat who robs them of their "earned rights".

Jun: ...HiMERU, you've really gotten smarter since we've last seen each other, haven't you?
Kaname: I have no idea what you're talking about. I've been smart since the very start.
Kaname: ...I'm not boasting though. Just saying what I've been told.
Jun: Who's telling you that?

Kaname: A guiding light in my life who I respect greatly.
Jun: And who could that be... Is it Kazehaya-senpai?
Jun: You seemed to be always be with him after I first led you to the catacombs.

Jun: I heard that about things like how you listened to him more enthusiastically than anyone else. Even though apart from a small period of time, you were a special student.

Jun: Like that you were so much more enthusiastic than the nonspecial students, by comparison they weren't fanatical anymore, or something.
Kaname: That's the truth, I won't deny it.
Kaname: But please do not lump me in with the other "believers".

Kaname: The reason I often went to see Tatsumi-senpai wasn't because I was a believer of his.
Kaname: I was just following orders and doing what I needed to do to achieve my goal.
Jun: So, someone was giving you orders...?
Kaname: Can't say. It's part of my contract.

Kaname: I've already failed once, and so I must follow "his" orders so I do not fail again.
Kaname: In fact, it's thanks to "him" that I, who once fell to the very bottom, was able to crawl back up like this. For this, I am deeply grateful to "him".

Jun: Who the hell could that be...?
Kaname: Fufu. Well for me, let's see... He's like God.

<an hour later>
Kaname: ...Hello? Onii-chan?
Kanane: Mhm. So you saw me on TV? Thank you!
Kaname: Fufu. Yes, all thanks to you, Onii-chan!
Kaname: By practicing what you said and perfecting my words and behavior. I was able to do my work perfectly.

Kaname: As the top idol of Reimei Academy, there's nothing I lack in.
Kaname: And thanks to you, my reputation is great and I'm getting jobs one after another.

Kaname: Yes, mhm... There's no way I could handle it all by myself, so I've been turning the work over to other special students, as you told me to do.
Kaname: And everyone's grateful to me for doing that. They always praise me, commend me, and love me.

Kaname: ...Even though when I had lost my status as a special student after messing with something taboo, they all ridiculed me.
Kaname: Even though they were so unkind to me and would ignore me, as if I wasn't human.

Kaname: It's too late for me to change my mind now. But I definitely don't want to forget the humiliation I received back then.
Kaname: Honestly, I don't even want to turn over work to them and put them in high spirits, it's like I'm trying to win them over.

Kaname: I hope they all go to hell.
Kaname: They've hurt others, so they should be hurt the same amount back then go die.
Kaname: ...Right, yes, I'm alright. I am perfect. I do not reveal these feelings, and behave according to your instructions.

Kaname: It's true! You'll believe me, won't you, Onii-chan?
Kaname: Hehe, we didn't learn about each others existence for so long, yet I already feel like we're siblings that have known each other their entire lives.

Kaname: Even though might've not been able to form a bond, rely on each other, and love each other as family...
Kaname: I still want to love you. I want to love you as I see you.
Kaname: I've always been alone my entire life.
Kaname: Mother died when I was young—

Kaname: I survived in the orphanage under poor conditions, keeping the dream Mother entrusted to me and her teachings engraved into my heart.
Kaname: That orphanage was just the most horrid place that exploited the children—

Kaname: I was able to get out of there and run away after desperately working hard and saving up money.
Kaname: Although, I wasn't able to get a decent education. No, I wasn't even in an environment where I could grow properly and healthily, let alone learn.

Kaname: Even though I had to go through hell just to survive.
Kaname: Work my hardest, be studious, and become strong and wise.
Kaname: That hard work paid off and I became the idol that I had desperately desired to be.

Kaname: And as a special student here at Reimei Academy, I was able to walk down that radiant path to the very end.
Kaname: I was really glad. I was happy. It was what I worked up to my entire life.

Kaname: And so I couldn't bear it when I was forcefully lost my status and fell down to being a nonspecial student due to a trivial slip of the tongue.
Kaname: Even though I desperately crawled up from the depths of hell, I was knocked back down to the very bottom again—

Kaname: But you know... Thanks to you, I was able to crawl back up again.
Kaname: So, I don't want to make the same mistake and fall backwards again.
Kaname: This time I'll do it perfectly, so that I won't mess up.
Kaname: I will protect the place where I belong at all costs.

Kaname: And I'll fulfill the wish of Mother, who passed away at a regretfully young age. It'll be in memory of her, in return for giving birth to me and raising me.

Kaname: Mother died. And there is no heaven or hell—there is no world after death. No matter what I do now, she who has died cannot feel anything.
Kaname: But, when I lived through those hellish days, my love for her is all I had to support me.

Kaname: Yes, to me, Mother is my God. There's no way for me to change my belief at this point. I can't abandon this faith.
Kaname: My premise, my backbone, my everything.
Kaname: Do you think it's ridiculous of me, Onii-chan?

Kaname: You are strong and it's like you're able to live all by yourself. You threw away what I had wanted so desperately, like it was nothing—
Kaname: And yet, you live in peace.
Kaname: Ahh, I'm not saying you did anything wrong. I'm genuinely impressed with how amazing it is.

Kaname: For me, it's impossible. I can't live like you.
Kaname: If my heart isn't supported, it'll crumble easily. Because of this terrible environment I've always lived in.
Kaname: No, desperately clinging to that support was the only way I could survive.

Kaname: I'd wonder if something like my personality was bad, since everyone around me always treated my coldly.
Kaname: It was just my mother who loved me, and didn't treat me like that. That's why I clung to Mother, and worshipped her.

Kaname: Hehe, yes, I really am glad to have met you!
Kaname: This is a reward for me for having worked so hard, I'm sure. Or, maybe it's an apology from the real God. who had realized he'd been trampling on me all this time?

Kaname: You don't think God exists? Well, you would think that, wouldn't you?
Kaname: Maybe you'll understand it too, someday. If you ever hit rock bottom.
Kaname: It seems I have this sense of fear and urgency that if I don't cling to something warm, I'll freeze and die.

Kaname: Yes. Yes. I'll quit the idle talk and do what I need to do. As you wish.
Kaname: Hey, if I do that, will I be able to be happy?
Kaname: (...Ahaha. He hung up. Did I make him uncomfortable, when I cling to him like that?)

Kaname: (Apparently, Onii-chan loathes things that are wasteful and inefficient. My emotions and dependance might be annoying for an older brother like that.)
Kaname: (But even so... I really don't know how to live without clinging to another.)
Kaname: (I'm sorry, Onii-chan.)

Kaname: ...
Kaname: (Well, I finished reporting to Onii-chan, it's time to go to my next job now.)
Kaname: (Huh? Did I get it wrong? Today I'm to do practice?)
Kaname: (Onii-chan made me a perfect schedule down to the very minute—so I always have to check it.)

Kaname: (I have to follow what Onii-chan says flawlessly, so everything works out.)
Kaname: (I must properly follow my instructions. I have to do my best. Even if it's hard, I have to do my best—)
Kaname: Hm?
Kaname: (What? Through the school corridor's window, is that—)

Kaname: —Tatsumi-senpai!
Tatsumi: ...
Kaname: It really is you! I thought so! I wasn't sure if I was mistaken, or if it was an illusion...)
Kaname: W-Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in the hospital?
Tatsumi: ...Ah, HiMERU-san, hello.

Tatsumi: It's been a while, hasn't it. Did you lose some weight? I've heard that you've become a big success, but don't forget to take breaks, okay?
Kaname: That's my line! Senpai, you look awful!
Kaname: Why did you come to school in such bad condition? Are you an idiot?

Tatsumi: Hahaha. Aren't you the idiot, actually?
Tatsumi: It's just a hospital, not a prison, so I'm able to connect with the world, you know.
Tatsumi: There's limitations on time and place, but you can always connect to the internet or receive a letter.

Kaname: What are you saying?
Tatsumi: What I'm saying is how life is beautiful.
Tatsumi: My companions, who worked alongside me and ate rice from the same pot as me—
Tatsumi: So many of them wanted to exchange with me again. And I could never ignore any of their countless wishes.

Tatsumi: I will honor their feelings and do my best to grant them all, even if I end up dying.
Kaname: You really will end up dying. I'm not joking. You were hospitalized for both physical and mental ailments—though it seems you haven't recovered one bit.

Kaname: I can tell just by looking at you. People really can die, you know.
Kaname: If you overdo it, or are just unlucky, you will die.
Kaname: And all those people that await your return will be sad if you die, you know.

Kaname: Please don't get your priorities all messed up, Tatsumi-senpai.
Tatsumi: Thank you. For worrying about me, and scolding me.

Tatsumi: In this world, particularly within Reimei Academy, you and I are both figureheads for both the special students and non-special students respectively—
Tatsumi: As representatives, it's often said we have a conflict in interests and such.

Kaname: From the perspectives of people who don't know anything, it appears like that. However, it's true that I'm imitating you to steal your assets and vested interests.
Kaname: Although everyone seems to think it's impossible for you to resent me even for that. Mostly.

Tatsumi: I don't resent you, though.
Tatsumi: Rather, I'm grateful for you for doing the work I couldn't do while I was away.
Kaname: I suppose. I suppose you are, Tatsumi-senpai.

Kaname: You aren't lying and don't resent me, are anything like that, from the bottom of your heart, aren't you?
Kaname: Even me, much like Judas Iscariot, who betrayed the saint for petty change. You don't hold a single grudge against me, and only affirm and love me.

Kaname: You'd forgive even those who crucify and kill you.
Tatsumi: I'm no saint. That be impudent of me, I apologize.
Tatsumi: To be treated in line with the real saints of the past would be disproportionate and troublesome.

Tatsumi: I just want to live up to everyone's expectations. I wish you could have seen all the fan letters that arrived in my hospital room.
Tatsumi: A myriad of love-filled messages from all the people who've been influenced.

Tatsumi: I want to return all that love. I want to repay them with my warm feelings.
Tatsumi: Is that so strange of me to want?
Tatsumi: I love each and every one of them so much.

Tatsumi: So I want to please the people I love, and wish for them to be happy, as just an ordinary human being like everyone else.
Kaname: But that's why I'm telling you, if you fall apart or die, theyll cry and mourn. They won't be happy.
Kaname: You're mistaken, Tatsumi-senpai.

Kaname: Idiotic, foolish, and laughable.
Tatsumi: Well if I make someone laugh, then I'm satisfied.
Tatsumi: I'm only an idol if I can make someone smile.
Kaname: ...

Tatsumi: You know, HiMERU-san, I want to be an idol.
Tatsumi: I want to be loved by someone as a person, not as a pastor of a shady religion.
Tatsumi: ♪~♪~♪

<a couple days later, in the Reimei Academy Octopus Room>

Jun: (In the end, nothing's changed.)
Jun: (Everything was useless, pointless, worthless.)

Jun: (Even though Kazehaya-senpai tried his best to eradicate this life, Reimei Academy continues to be hell. Rather, it feels like it's slowly getting worse and worse.)

Jun: (Those special students who have HiMERU has their figurehead are delighted to steal all of Kazehaya-senpai's work and stand on the stage of their dreams.)
Jun: (And they love showing it off, too. Smiling high with triumph, they puff out their chests arrogantly.)

Jun: (Not only that, the special students have beating up non-special students more than ever..)
Jun: (It's ironic. The future Kazehaya-senpai wished for was one where everyone could be get along peacefully.)

Jun: (Until recently, all the work was taken from the special students by everyone in the catacombs, who of which were mostly nonspecial students.)
Jun: (Although it's probably because of that, it's become strangely aggressive .)

Jun: (They've been cursing at us and getting violent in public too. I don't know what the police are doing, it's obviously not right...)
Jun. (We nonspecial students are seen as entirely the enemy by the special students now.)

Jun: (Before we were treated as servants, but now they treat us like pests. It's become routine for them to to step on us when they come upon us.)
Jun: (And yet, strangely enough, the nonspecial students don't even have it in them to run away.)

Jun: (If Kazehaya-senpai recovers and comes back, I wonder if it's be possible to reverse it again?)
Jun: (I really don't know. I don't really speak with the other nonspecial students often.)
Jun: (I hope they're not up to something strange...)

Jun: (They seem to still gather frequently at the catacombs, which is a little suspicious...)
Jun: (It feels like bad news. ...Thanks to Kazehaya-senpai, the nonspecial students were able to be in the spotlight for a bit.)
Jun: (They were able to become idols.)

Jun: (To fulfill their dream, engulfed in brilliance.)
Jun: (They learned the joy of living.)
Jun: (But the situation changed, and everything they had obtained were taken away by the special students.)

Jun: (There's no reason for them to not hold a grudge towards the special students.)
Jun: (Even the ones who would give up thinking they had no choice, now might question if there really is no choice for them.)

Jun: (They were able to experience so many successes because of Kazehaya-senpai. They learned they could succeed and find happiness even not as a nonspecial student.)
Jun: (So I feel like there's more fierce dissatisfaction between the special and nonspecial students than ever.)

Jun: (The nonspecial students are beginning to doubt the unfair workings of Reimei Academy. Their stress is probably accumulating being forced to obey it.)
Jun: (I'm sure that they'll eventually reach their limit.)

Jun: (What HiMERU said, how human beings recognize what rob them of their profit as an enemy from outside and hate them...)
Jun: (Wasn't it describing how the special students are intensifying their persecution of the nonspecial students?)

Jun: (But the nonspecial students are also starting to hate the special students for the same reason, too. They have a grudge against them and see THEM as the enemies who kicked them off their stage.)

Jun: (It wasn't to this degree before. They were mutually adverse to each other, but never to the point of enemies.)
Jun: (Nothing more than bothersome neighbors. But now, they hate each other as enemies.)
Jun: (What Kazehaya-senpai wanted was love.)

Jun: (Instead, animosity is just increasing more and more.)
Jun: (Two forces that hate each other are taking a stand against each other within the small box that is Reimei Academy.)
Jun: (It's a powder keg waiting to blow.)

Jun: (Once something triggers it, it'll surely result in a huge explosion.)
Jun: (It'll be a huge catastrophe that has the capacity to destroy everything.)
Jun: ...
Jun: (Maybe that's alright. Maybe it'd be best to destroy all of this shitty school and turn it into a vacant lot—)

HiMERU: Hey.
Jun: ...?! Oh, huh!?
Jun: HiMERU.
HiMERU: ...
Jun: U-Um? Why're you here? I know it's been a while since you've returned to the special student dormitories, but did you forget somethin' here at the Octopus Room?
HiMERU: Tch.... It's someone who knows HiMERU.

(yep... thats a HiMERU nameplate!)

Jun: ...?
HiMERU: Well, it's hard to find people who don't know him nowadays.
HiMERU: It was I (ore) who raised him to where he is now, after all. Rather, if he wasn't this well-known, that would be a problem.

Jun: Ore...? What's with that weird persona? What, did you decide your face was too pretty to be using the boku pronoun?

HiMERU: Hm. I do recall he had this manner of talking.
HiMERU: —Umm, you. I'd like to ask a couple questions.
Jun: Ahh... Ok, what's the matter?
HiMERU: —Allow me a moment to refer to my memory.
HiMERU: Hm. You, you're Sazanami Jun, yes?

Jun: Huh? You know, what's with you acting like we've just met? Are you pretending to forget me since I'm not worth remembering, again?
Jun: That's real unpleasant, you know. As my father said, for idols, being forgotten is worse than dying.

Jun: Well, not that I'm significant enough to be called an idol yet, anyways.
HiMERU: Hm. That demeanor... Are you perhaps a friend of HiMERU?
Jun: Friend... maybe not so much, yeah. We're not total strangers, but not really friends.

Jun: 'Course, if you consider me a friend, then I'm quite flattered.
HiMERU: I see. Nevertheless, there seems to have been involvement. This might actually be rather fortunate, actually.
HiMERU: You, do you know where and what HiMERU is doing right now?

Jun: Huuuh...? What're you talking about, I don't understand your question at all. You're asking me what HiMERU's doin'—While in front of me. Is this some sorta riddle?
HiMERU: Hm. Allow me to rephrase. Do you know where and what HiMERU was planning to do today?

Jun: Why're you asking me that? How am I supposed to know what your plans were?
Jun: As usual, you're so weird.
HiMERU: —Indeed. HiMERU is a very interesting existence.
Jun: Seriously, why does it feel like you're speakin' about someone else?

Jun: ...Umm, though I do recall that either today or tomorrow, Kazehaya-senpai will perform on the new stage built on campus.
Jun: Didn't you say you also wanted to perform there too?

Jun: You've wanted to co-star if ever given the opportunity, so haven't you've been practicing for that everyday?
Jun: You must be busy, if you're even skipping classes and all that.
HiMERU: —Indeed. Without our permission, too. I don't understand why.

HiMERU: Even though HiMERU is always obedient, and never disobeyed our instructions. It seems that they've been moving around in secret from us, recently.

( i just want to point out that in the main story, there's a bit where tatsumi calls himeru by 'kaname toujou'... and himeru is taken by surprise, and deduces kaname likely told tatsumi his real name during the time when 'he was acting in secret' .... so heres some more context!)

HiMERU: It's certainly odd...There's been many discrepancies, such as the reports they give us not line up with what actually was done. It's very strange.
HiMERU: That's why made the effort into coming here myself. I'll have to approach HiMERU directly and confirm various things.

HiMERU: ...I want to see HiMERU up close on stage, at least once.
Jun: What the hell are you talking about, just now? Are you okay? You tired or somethin'?

Jun: But well, I don't dislike that 'bout you. You may look like a perfect idol on the outside, but on the inside you're embarrassing.
HiMERU: —HiMERU is not just perfect on the outside, he's perfect on the inside too.
Jun: Yeah yeah. You always say that, but it's all talk.

Jun: Recently you've earned the reputation as Reimei Academy's top idol, but all I hear about are your failures.
Jun: You'll get the name of your work partner wrong, or miss some of your singing or choreo while on stage.
HiMERU: ...?

Jun: Seems the higher-ups are covering up all the mistakes so it doesn't damage Reimei Academy's reputation, too. The nonspecial students make fun of it all the time, 'bout how horrible it is.
HiMERU: ...

Jun: But y'know, I'm just envious you get to stand on stage, HiMERU. Even if you're a no-good idol right now, you still might be able to gain experience and become a "real" one—

Jun: So, well, don't give up. Keep doin' your best. This time, I hope you don't end up falling to the bottom where I am now.
Jun: So, y'know, I'll be cheerin' for ya. I may not be able to understand you, but I can tell you're serious.
HiMERU: What are you talking about—
Jun: Huh?

HiMERU: Isn't HiMERU a perfect top idol, acknowledged by both himself and others alike?
Jun: But aren't you the only one saying that about yourself? For an incompetent idol, your evaluation of yourself is oddly high, isn't it?

Jun: Aren't you getting carried away now that you're called a top idol? Nah, you've like that since we've first met!
HiMERU: That can't be true... No, there's no way—

HiMERU: —Sazanami Jun. Thank you for providing this information. You must excuse me, I must hurry and confirm these facts.
Jun: 'Kay... Seriously, what the hell didja want from me?

Jun: Haha. From the time I met ya all the way to this day, I seriously still don't understand you a single bit.
Jun: ...At Reimei Academy, where everythin' keeps changing from bad to worse, it really is a relief to have one thing that never changes.

<at the same time, Reimei Academy 3rd Auditorium Stage>

Tatsumi: "Gather around, everyone of Reimei Academy!"
Tatsumi: "Today I have important new, from Kazehaya Tatsumi.
Kaname: ...
Tatsumi: (whispering) Hmm. Not much of a response, although that's expected.

Tatsumi: It doesn't seem like the special students like it when I speak. But, HiMERU-san persuaded them to stick around, so I'm able stay around for a bit.
Kaname: It was less persuasion, and more bribing with money.

Kaname: No, by offering and promising to supply and finance them for future jobs, they came to this auditorium as if it's just work.
Kaname: It's not persuading if there's no emotional understanding, Tatsumi-senpai.

Tatsumi: There is. I'm sure the ones who aren't special students are feeling compassionate. See, there are people here gathering even though they won't earn a single penny.

Kaname: That's because they still have faith in you. Because if it's you, you might be able to change this hellish situation.
Tatsumi: ...
Kaname: But let's not speak in conjecture, go ahead and continue speaking. Otherwise, all that money will go to waste.

Kaname: ...Because in the end, I'm still nowhere as popular as you.
Kaname: Reimei Academy's top idol. As if all those positions were bought and paid for with money. The school's higherups have been granting me these huge donations—

Kaname: Using that as leverage is what got me my current position. Up until the end, I still never was loved by anyone the way that you are.
Kaname: Do you look down at me for having learned a dirty trick like this, Tatsumi-senpai?

Tatsumi: I don't. This is power you've learned and acquired yourself. I look up to you for doing what I couldn't, HiMERU-san.
Kaname: I know you're saying that from the bottom of your heart, but... Please, never become like me.
Kaname: Please remain pure no matter what.

Kaname: No, I'll do whatever I can to protect you, to keep you as you are.
Kaname: This is what I've decided. I might be an idiot, but, despite so, I thought deeply and have chosen this path.
Kaname: I want to be a martyr for your beliefs.

Kaname: And with you, like a saint, as my exemplar, I will make myself a little better than I am now.
Tatsumi: I'm nothing like a saint, though.

Tatsumi: But if there are people who believes it expects it from me, then I will play that role. Although it is presumptuous to act as one, and surely a sin as well.
Tatsumi: I will gladly wear a crown of thorns, if it makes everyone else happy.
Tatsumi: Amen.

Tatsumi: "—Everyone of Reimei Academy."
Tatsumi: "Right now, do you feel happy?"
Tatsumi: "Each one of you, put your hand on your chest, and think about it. Right now, are you content with your life? Are there no misfortunes, or shortcomings in your life?"

Tatsumi: "If not, please acknowledge this announcement."
Tatsumi: "I've made the decision to make everyone a little happier than they are right now."
Tatsumi: "From here on, HiMERU and I will form a unit together."

Tatsumi: "Fufu. Here at Reimei Academy, we are not too familiar with units.
Tatsumi: "It is a concept that is more typically found at Yumenosaki Academy, a long-established idol training school."

Tatsumi: "As the name implies, it is a unit of idols, in short. We will be performing idol activities not as individuals, but as a group."
Tatsumi: "A unit is a collective of fate. It's like a family, like a company, like a nation."
Tatsumi: "As like-minded partners."

Tatsumi: "Going forward, we will be working as a unit. Our profits earned together will be distributed fairly to each member."
Tatsumi: "It's a system familiar to everyone at the catacombs."

Tatsumi: "However, it may not be a system familiar to special students. It is the foundation of Reimei Academy that every achievement is achieved as an individual. A results-oriented approach, I believe they call it."

Tatsumi: "But going forward, I want to ask all of the special students to follow this rule as well. Our unit will not allow individual monopolies on wealth, or reckless baserunning."
Tatsumi: "We can seek a future where everyone can find happiness together, equally and fairly."

Tatsumi: "...There will be those who refuse. Who ask themselves why they should distribute wealth and benefits from their work to others."
Tatsumi: "But in the end, it's the best way to function. For example, let's say you have an accident or make a mistake, and cannot work.

Tatsumi: "Or, let's say, you end up falling into debt instead of making a profit."
Tatsumi: "In those situations, we would not be abandoned by our members."

Tatsumi: "By sharing responsibility on behalf of that individual and compensating for their losses, we can avoid ruin that could not be avoided as an individual."

Tatsumi: "Currently, the idol industry is facing a slanting sun. There have been many pitfalls that have lead to ruin. I want us to overcome that, by supporting over the edge of despair together."

Tatsumi: "Rather, if we cannot draw ourselves together, then we cannot survive. It's unfortunate, but we've already been baked up into this corner."
Tatsumi: "However, this is all something we already know."

Tatsumi: "This is hell. It's an apocalypse where we can't even live a normal life."
Tatsumi: "It's painful just to breathe, and if we're not careful, we can easily be hit with immediate, unreasonable misfortune."

Kaname: "—These are the circumstances we wish to change."
Kaname: "Following this, we will be looking for members to join this new unit."
Kaname: "By completing a simple procedure, we will immediately welcome you as "our" new companion."

Tatsumi: "That brings us to the important point. Anyone can enter our unit. As a special student student, as nonspecial student, anyone.
Tatsumi: "As of now, we special students, and the nonspecial students, unfortunately detest each other."

Tatsumi: "I am sure there will be many people who do not want to work together."
Tatsumi: "But, if it is possible, swallow that bile and walk with us. I believe that is the only way we can reach a happy future."

Tatsumi: "We ideally want all students to be a part of our unit. This way, we can create a truly equal and fair environment."
Tatsumi: "We can all work together, and distribute all our bread and butter we've earned equally, and fairly to everyone."

Tatsumi: "By kicking each other down, we arrogantly stand only a bit higher than each other. Lets put an end to such cruel things."

Tatsumi: "If we continue, we'll never get rid of this disparity. Unless we properly create a equal and fair environment, people will continue to be trampled and suffer."
Tatsumi: "And I can't stand to keep seeing it anymore."

Kaname: "I know you special students might not understand my decision."
Kaname: "And so, as the figurehead for the special students, allow me to show the true profits of this. No, allow me to show you the merciless reality of it."

Kaname: "As of right now, we dominate nearly all the work given to Reimei Academy's idols."
Kaname: "All such requests were first only given to the group that Kazehaya Tatsumi had created."
Kaname: "While Tatsumi-senpai was sick and recovering, I had taken over for him."

Kaname: "I couldn't do all the work that was given to me, so I distributed it out to other special students."
Kaname: "How is it, special students? I'm sure you're all enjoying being idols."

Kaname: "But, all of them were requests for the idol Kazehaya Tatsumi. We were just replacements for Tatsumi-senpai."
Kaname: "In short; now that he has returned in good health, there is no reason for us to continue involvement."

Kaname: "I would gladly return what I owe back to Tatsumi-senpai."
Kaname: "Under certain conditions. Those being to form a unit with me, as Tatsumi-senpai always tries to do everything all by himself."

Kaname: "Going forward, we will do what Tatsumi-senpai had always been doing by himself together, as two people."
Kaname: "Accept jobs, select suitable members for it, and distribute all money earned fairly among the others."

Kaname: "This method of operation is what we will aim together to accomplish. By lessening the burden on Tatsumi-senpai, he won't fall ill anymore."
Tatsumi: "Fufu. He had persuaded it to me with such great fervor, I accepted. I knew that HiMERU-san's feelings were serious."

Tatsumi: "He was completely serious about carrying this burden with me through life and death."
Tatsumi: "Rather, he was trying to become the "same" as me. He was trying to become part of me, half of me. Much like a messiah identifying with God."

Kaname: "It's not something a subordinate or follower can serve. It's not something a master or boss can control. In order to properly operate with such an unusual person like Kazehaya Tatsumi, I must assimilate with him."

Kaname: "As he cannot control the super idol Kazehaya Tatsumi by himself, I too will function as an "outside form of himself.""
Kaname: "Rather, I believe this is the only way this "troublemaker" can be controlled."
Kaname: "That is why this is the decision I've made."

Tatsumi: "A "troublemaker", huh? Well, it seems so."
Tatsumi: "I've been thoroughly misusing my power on everyone. While swearing to make everyone happy, I've ended up making everyone unhappy."
Tatsumi: "I want to atone for that. And this is the only way I think it can be done."

Tatsumi: "I couldn't stand alone. It's impossible by myself."
Tatsumi: "And so I shall greaten "myself". I'll entrust another body of myself to HiMERU-san as an extension of myself."
Tatsumi: "Here-on forth, we, as an entity, will operate this way. We will live this way."

Kaname: (Ahh... my dream's come true.)
Kaname: (You said it, didn't you? I want to become you.)
Kaname: (To become a brilliant existence like you. An idol who can make everyone happy. To become a precious and irreplaceable light that Mother would've loved.)

Kaname: (I had planned out the groundwork completely, for this sake, too. I went behind my Onii-chan's back, who I'm indebted to for making the best out of me—)
Kaname: (The people in the catacombs began calling me a traitor for stealing Tatsumi-senpai's assets.)

Kaname: (I deceived all my fellow special students in order to keep my true purpose hidden.)
Kaname: (But I got what I had wanted.)
Kaname: (Kazehaya Tatsumi, Kazehaya Tatsumi, Kazehaya Tatsumi—)
Kaname: (I will become like you. No, I will become you.)

Kaname: (Everything will only go well now. I climbed to being the figurehead for special students, and am beside Tatsumi-senpai, the savior for the non-special students—)

Kaname: (By joining hands, we can control all of the students in Reimei Academy. The disparity, the source of all misery, will disappear.)
Kaname: (Going forward, our unit will take over all work given to idols here at Reimei Academy.)

Kaname: (We will treat both special and nonspecial students fairly.)
Kaname: (Our profits gained too, we will distribute them all equally.)
Kaname: (And then we will realize a world where everyone is treated fairly and equally. A utopia that Tatsumi-senpai painted.)

Kaname: (People will reject it at first. They won't want to immediately walk alongside each other as companions.)
Kaname: (That's just how much the special students and non-special students hate each other.)

Kaname: (So we will change the system, even if forcibly. By eliminating the difference between special and nonspecial students, we will eliminate that barrier.)

Kaname: (But we will continue to monopolize all of Reimei Academy's workload. If you don't become one of "us", you won't be able to do idol activities.)
Kaname: (You won't be able to become an idol if you aren't one of "us".)

Kaname: (That way, everyone will have to become one of "us" in order to live at Reimei Academy.)
Kaname: (And once you're part of "us", nobody's an exception. Special student or not, everyone will be treated fairly, even if you hate it.)

Kaname: (Even if it's forced, the disparity will be eliminated. The special student system will be in name, but not in reality, and we will control and manage all the students on behalf of the school.)
Kaname: (An ideal, realized.)

Kaname: (Eventually, we can expand our territory of control—get the entire idol industry into our hands. That way, we can make an ideal society a reality, where everyone can live happily.)
Kaname: (In this continually declining idol industry, we will live on by drawing together.)

Kaname: (It's a long and treacherous path, but still...)
Kaname: (There is hope. We have a compass called Kazehaya Tatsumi.)
Kaname: (He, he is amazing. He's a real idol. Unlike me.)
Kaname: (Unlike me, who is immature and can only fail.)

Kaname: (But he, he will definitely make everyone happy. And he will never give up on me, even though I can't do anything. I'll be kept alive as an idol.)
Kaname: (That's how I'm going to become an idol.)

Kaname: (Are you proud of me, Mother?)
Kaname: (Can you forgive me, Onii-chan?)

???: (—What are you doing, Kaname?!)
???: (What on earth are you doing...?)
???: (Who told you you could do that?! You're supposed to follow my instructions! That was the deal we made, you can't do whatever you want!)

???: (Who was it that saved you when you lost your way after you fell down and lost your title of special student?!)
???: (Was that Kazehaya Tatsumi who you're standing beside right now, smiling all saint-like?)
???: (Wrong! It was me! It was me who helped you! Just me!)

???: (And yet...! You ignore how much I've done for you...!)
Ibara: Oh~? Oh-ho ho~?
???: ...!?
Ibara: How strange! There's no doubt, you're the famous Mr. HiMERU, the top idol of Reimei Academy, aren't you?

Ibara: Yet, isn't Mr. HiMERU is on stage giving a speech right now? So, who could this be watching from afar?
???: ...
Ibara: Ignoring me? Well, do as you like, but I'll be talking to you anyways.
Ibara: So sorry to grate your ears! But, it is my job to speak.
???: Who are you?

Ibara: That is my line. As for me, please refer to this.
???: Saegusa Ibara, huh. Executive of CosPro-affiliated schools and businesses, like Reimei Academy.
Ibara: Yes. Please pardon my intrusion, you whose name I do not yet know.

Ibara: So it's you. The one whose been supporting Mr. HiMERU behind the scenes, that is.
Ibara: At first I had thought maybe it was that person. That apparition-like person—who can't be named, who inhabits Reimei Academy.

Ibara: That person, who is taboo of this industry.
Ibara: That person settled in Reimei Academy and lived by their own terms there. They lived all by themselves, grilling and eating meat beside a bonfire.

Ibara: However, that person is not just some vagrant who settled there. In fact, they're an orphan of one of the legendary original super idols of the industry.
Ibara: Of the monster who single-handedly established the idol industry.

Ibara: Well, that fact alone is not all too unusual. That monster was having children left and right after all. I, Saesuga Ibara, am too a descendant of that person.
Ibara: However, compared to me, that Reimei Academy vagrant was an untouchable existence.

Ibara: Well, I don't have to explain that to you, don't I, Toujou—
???: I've since discarded that name.
???: Originally, I had my doubts about getting involved with you.
???: I was in the midst of abandoning everything and searching for a place overseas.

Ibara: Yes, I've looked into it to an extent.
Ibara: You renounced your own name and face and became apprentice to "Priest" in order to master the art of disguise and deception. You then would become someone else, and live a life of various identities depending on the purpose.

???: "Priest"'s techniques was nothing but bought with money.
???: It was one-sided to boot, as it was simply because I had inherited the blood of one of the original super idols.

???: In the end, the techniques were just aggressively peddled onto me. I'm using it to my convenience, but I'm in no way grateful.
???: I had discarded everything. Both my name, and my heart. This includes my connections with others.

???: (At least, it was supposed to be like that.)
???: (After a long time of no communication, my father suddenly sent me a letter. I figured it was "Priest"'s doing, since I hadn't given out my current contact information.)

???: (I wasn't planning to read it, of course. I had all intention to crumble it up and throw it away. He and I were as good as strangers, and it was a nuisance to be contacted only now.)

???: (That's what I had thought. But I ended up reading it on a whim since I didn't feel comfortable not knowing the contents.)
???: (It was written about my little brother, as well as a plea for help as this little brother had gotten into a dire situation.)

???: (Up until then, I wasn't even aware I had a younger brother.)
???: (And it turned out that this younger brother, Toujou Kaname, was a thoughtless idol who didn't know a thing.)

???: (A total idiot. A descendant of a sinful family, taboo down to the very bones.)
???: (Who didn't know a thing about it, or about idols in general.)

???: (But... Ignorance isn't a sin. What's important was, little brother isn't bad one bit.)
???: (Despite this, he's been discriminated unreasonably since he was born. He was shunned by those in power within the industry solely because he was associated with something taboo—)

???: (He was shoved down to the bottom, even though he didn't do anything wrong.)
???: (I felt pity for my little brother, even though we had never spoken before.)

???: (And fortunately for him, I had the wisdom and the techniques he needed. Ones that I had to learn so I could run from home and live on my own.
???: (I decided to put them to use for the sake of my little brother.)

???: (Originally, I was making a living by imitating nearly anyone. This time, it would just be that my client would be a relative.)
???: (Not because my father asked me to. Because I wanted to do work for my pitiful little brother.)

???: (For his sake, I learned as much as I could about idols, which were at times worshipped like some mysterious faith—A culture unique to Japan, one not well-recognized overseas.)

???: (I utilized all the knowledge I learned and assisted Kaname. By following my instructions, he returned as a brilliant idol.)
???: (At least, that was what was supposed to happen.)

???: ...Do you know what this is? What is he doing? Do you have any idea what's going on?
Ibara: Honestly? I'm just as confused as you!

Ibara: This rally was organized and held by Mr. HiMERU and the others at their own expenses. It's simply a voluntary gathering of students, regardless of their work as an idol.

Ibara: And due to the fact I'm involved in various other businesses, I cannot constantly monitor the situation at Reimei Academy.
Ibara: So, we tend to be delayed in responding to private movements like these.

Ibara: If it had been a formal idol activity—like work, we could detected it from account movement.
Ibara: But because it wasn't, I was late to notice that people were gathering in the catacombs.

Ibara: Otherwise, I'd wouldn't have allowed Mr. Kazehaya Tatsumi to create such a dubious religious organization in the first place. You can't easily control religion, after all, it's my weak point.

Ibara: I had thought I could give his religion a form by incorporating it into capitalism and issue them work.
Ibara: And this rally this time too was completely unexpected. What are they planning to do with this?

???: Hm. So you're in the same position as I am, in a hurry to see what's going on after a turn of incomprehensible events.
Ibara: But you can anticipate what's going to occur, can't you? Whatever the circumstances may be, the outcome is plain to see!

Ibara: The heads of two hostile forces have shaken hands and insist for solidarity. In this case, that would be Mr. Kazehaya Tatsumi and Mr. HiMERU, yes?
Ibara: Doing so, the long and painful struggle between the two will finally be put to an end.

Ibara: Peace will come to Reimei Academy.
Ibara: Ah ha ha! ☆ Truly amazing! A happy end straight out of a fairy tale, isn't it!
Ibara: ...However, it's a shame, but reality is no fairy tale.

Ibara: The students here at Reimei Academy have accumulated a level of anger and hatred they can no longer control.
Ibara: You can't so easily flush that all under the bridge, and get along with someone you've hated all this time.

Ibara: But well, if they would get along and unite, it'd be a problem for me. Mr. Kazehaya Tatsumi's ideal was a thorough denial of capitalism, after all.
Ibara: That'd be an unwelcome incident for me, whose entire management is based around it.

Ibara: My plan was to get him to drop-out by flooding him with unreasonable demands and working him until this minds and body broke down, but...

Ibara: There was a problem, it being that Mr. Kazehaya Tatsumi was much stronger than I had estimated. He refuses to break or collapse. No mater how hard he is persecuted, he reinvigorates and rises again like a phoenix.

Ibara: It truly is troublesome... I respect him, actually. If there weren't such conflicting interests, he would be an excellent resource to have in my family.
Ibara: Which is why it pains me so to have to watch such a remarkable man get put to ruin in this way now...

Kaname: Is that—
Kaname: O...nii-chan?
Tatsumi: ...Onii-chan? Do you have family attending?
Tatsumi: I'm envious. My family hasn't supported me being an idol even once.

Tatsumi: Hiding and lurking is like second nature for them, so they naturally stay away from where the light hits. So at my parent's house, I'm as good as a heretic.

Tatsumi: They don't understand me, and think I'm weird and scary. It made me sad to think that my own family thought of me that way.
Tatsumi: But, that's why it made me happy that "you" believed in me.

Tatsumi: I'm neither God or a saint, so it's troubling when I'm worshipped. So I'm thankful to have someone there for me, who shares my beliefs and walks down the same path as I.
Tatsumi: Reimei Academy is hell, but... There was always warmth around me.

Tatsumi: I want to thank God for that.
Kaname: I could say the same for you.
Kaname: Why did you choose to believe in me? Before this, you would insist on bearing everything all by yourself.
Kaname: Weren't you trying to change everything all on your own, without any help?

Kaname: Before, you would have absolutely declined my offer. To become a unit, that is.
Kaname: What if I betray you and steal your assets again?

Kaname: Right now, I have the same status as you. It's been publicized and everyone knows now. If I take advantage of my position, I could take everything away from you.

Kaname: You and I are the two figureheads that lead a unit, but that's only what it's like to the public. I could still take control of everything.
Kaname: I could restrict you from all of it. And by doing that, I could become Reimei Academy's top idol in both name and reality.

Tatsumi: You wouldn't do that, though.
Tatsumi: You're already at the top of Reimei Academy. You wouldn't have a reason to sympathize with my ideas me and establish a unit with me.
Tatsumi: It'd make no sense for you to take the risk to appeal to my followers.

Tatsumi: In a position like yours, you could have rejected all non-special students and then rule Reimei Academy with just the special students.
Tatsumi: If anything, it would've been easier that way. With how things are currently, it's undoubtedly favoring that direction.

Tatsumi: And yet, you're putting in effort to join hands with me, and the nonspecial students who have been hostile towards the special students.
Tatsumi: It's inevitable that there will be opposition from those around you, and it'll be detrimental to your future activities.

Tatsumi: Someone wise would never cross a bridge that dangerous.
Kaname: ...Would that make me an idiot?
Tatsumi: I like the idiot you.
Kaname: ...
Tatsumi: But, I'm just as much an idiot as you.

Tatsumi: My dream is one not supposed to come true.
Tatsumi: Even though I've been warned by many wise men, I chose to ignore them and try to make myself understood. I was determined to try to build the utopia I've always dreamed of.

Tatsumi: I pursued an unrealistic ideal, like a small child. No matter how wise I act, I'm no different than a kid imagining up monsters and heroes in fantasies.

Tatsumi: Since didn't grow up in a decent environment, now I'm just finally acting out those silly things that everyone would normally do as a toddler.
Tatsumi: Something that a sensible adult would scold you for.

Tatsumi: I'm pursuing those dreams that everyone should have forgotten about as they grew up.
Tatsumi: But, you liked that about me, drew yourself close, and offered to play with me.

Tatsumi: You didn't think it was weird of me, and offered to join me in my antics that I should be scolded for.
Tatsumi: It made me really happy.

Tatsumi: That's why, even if you do take everything from me, I'll forgive you. I'm thankful for your words and your feelings, even if they turn out to be all a lie.
Kaname: ...But there's been many other people other than me who have tried to draw close to you.

Kaname: Your followers who gather in the catacombs would always be willing to be your playmate if you ever wanted.
Kaname: So why was I the only one chosen? Why do you give me preferential treatment?
Kaname: Don't you hate that sort of "unfairness"?

Tatsumi: Out of all of Reimei Academy, only you tried to become "the same" as me.
Tatsumi: You didn't pretend to not see me. You didn't see me as your enemy. Instead of believing and following me, you tried to become my equal.

Tatsumi: I've always wished for friend who was my equal, you know.
Tatsumi: But the stupid and immature me didn't know how to make a friend like "that".

Tatsumi: It was only you who showed me how to do it, acted on it, and made it reality. You reached out to me, and became my equal.
Tatsumi: Tried to get along with me, and move forward with me.
Tatsumi: And so I took your hand. I was overjoyed.
Tatsumi: That's all there is to it.

Kaname: That's all there is to it?
Tatsumi: Yes. The weird, naïve and unconventional kid finally found a playmate.
Tatsumi: That's all there is to it.

[next ch]
Tatsumi: ...
Kaname: Tatsumi-senpai? You're looking a little unsteady, are you okay?
Tatsumi: Fufu. My conditions still not in the best shape. My doctor did tell me that I was perfectly rested, but I'm starting to think I overestimated myself...

Tatsumi: So I think after this, I think I might have to head straight back to the hospital.
Tatsumi: I leave everything after this to you, HiMERU-san. Please, protect everyone whose still suffering here in Reimei Academy, and give them compassion and love.
Tatsumi: In my place.

Kaname: ...Am I even capable of replacing you?
Tatsumi: What's wrong?
Kaname: All I do is fail. I couldn't even do the jobs I stole from you right. It was just one mistake after another, over and over—

Kaname: After taking your place for only just a short time, I was already both physically and mentally exhausted. You're superhuman, a genius... I'm just an ordinary person.
Kaname: I'm not suited to be an idol. I'm reminded this every single day.

Kaname: I quickly forget song lyrics and dance choreography. I can't remember the faces and preferences of my business partners.
Kaname: Whenever I speak its a disorderly mess, and when fans approach me, I get scared and run away.

Kaname: I hate myself for not being able to do a single thing right.
Tatsumi: It's only natural, you are still young and have little experience as an idol. Everyone starts out that way.
Tatsumi: Nobody can be perfect from the very beginning.

Tatsumi: That is why we support each other, inspire each other, and encourage each other to grow. That's what school was originally supposed to be for.
Tatsumi: I'm sure for Reimei Academy it was, too.
Kaname: ...
Tatsumi: So let's start here, together.

Tatsumi: Let's all live happily together.
Kaname: But, I have to be perfect—
Kaname: —Uu!?
Tatsumi: ...? What's going on, is that a crowd people at the auditorium entranceway?

Tatsumi: Oh—they over there are all the nonspecial students who would gather at the catacombs. I recognize each and everyone's faces, of course.
Tatsumi: Thank goodness. Did they also come here to give us their support?

Tatsumi: I was worried since there appeared to be not as many nonspecial students gathered, compared to the special students you gathered, HiMERU-san.

Tatsumi: But they came. I'm grateful. There would've been nothing we could do if we had only gotten support from the special students.
Tatsumi: An equal and fair environment can't be achieved if we do not have the support of everyone.
Kaname: ...

Tatsumi: ? What's wrong, HiMERU-san? You're turning pale.
Kaname: I-It's Onii-chan...
Tatsumi: Onii-chan? You mentioned him earlier, didn't you? Which one is your older brother, HiMERU-san? As a friend, I'd love to say hello—

Tatsumi: Hm? Is it that person? There's someone in a Reimei Academy uniform that's all dirty and tattered, but—
Tatsumi: That's the "elder", isn't he? I don't know anyone else that dresses like that.
Kaname: "Elder"...?

Tatsumi: He's a descendant of a powerful man from the past. He'll do anything for you if you ask him. I was advised by the teachers to never get involved with him, though.

Tatsumi: Is "elder" your older brother, HiMERU-san? Now that I think about it, you do look quite similar, don't you?
Kaname: ...? Sazanami once told me something like that too, but that vagrant you see around the school campus sometimes has nothing to do with me.

Kaname: Just being told that I look like him is unpleasant.
Kaname: Never mind that, that's not my brother, my brother is—
Kaname: He's been yelling at me with a scary face for a while now! What are you saying, Onii-chan?
Kaname: "Run... a...way"...?

[ch end]

<Present day, live stage for shooting the COMP promotional video>

HiMERU: (—In the end, "my" warning was too late.)
HiMERU: (I underestimated the grudges of the oppressed non-special students.)

HiMERU: (I wanted to blame it on the fact I couldn't often leave where I was overseas, which made it hard for me to predict what the atmosphere was becoming.)
HiMERU: (If I really wanted to protect my little brother, Kaname, I should have stayed by his side.)

HiMERU: (I was his family, I should have rushed in even if it meant throwing away everything I had. I should have been quicker. Before it was all over.)
HiMERU: (I've always regretted it.)

HiMERU: (Instead, I wholeheartedly believed the reports of my little brother, who I had only just begun interacting with.)
HiMERU: (I was so assured that since he was my little brother, he must be as great as I was.)

HiMERU: (But, Kaname was a hopeless child. He made mistakes in everything he did, then falsified his reports so he wouldn't get scolded.)
HiMERU: (But it was all a bunch of tricks and fabrications to hide all his errors.)

HiMERU: ("The job was a great success", "I'm perfect and brilliant", "There's no problems at all"—The claims he would often repeat, each and every one of them were lies.)

HiMERU: (Desperate lies told by a kid who wanted to make himself look big, so his guardians wouldn't abandon him.
HiMERU: (I couldn't see through his lies. I wholeheartedly believed it, and I was proud of Kaname, my little brother.)

HiMERU: (I've always regretted it.)
HiMERU: (The idiot was me.)

Tatsumi: I'm looking back on the past for COMP again, but—
Tatsumi: It's hardly suited for broadcast, isn't it.
HiMERU: —You should have been aware of this since the beginning, Tatsumi.

HiMERU: An unbelievably terrible social disparity. Rampant discrimination, bullying, and violence. A cult-like ideology that stemmed from the catacombs.
HiMERU: All which culminated into a gigantic, rioting brawl.

HiMERU: There's not a single thing from there to be proud of. Rather, after hearing that, people would only want to enter Reimei Academy even less.
Tatsumi: There were some fun and happy times, even only a little.
Tatsumi: But, it was indeed my youth.

HiMERU: You can't fool yourself into thinking it wasnt hell, even with such a purifying word like "youth".
HiMERU: Additionally, that event that ended this youth of yours—It can't be made public.
HiMERU: They covered it up as a scandal, and is now supposed to have never happened.

HiMERU: It's not anything anyone wants to be dug up anymore.
Tatsumi: What it was all about? Even I'm still not sure to this day.

Tatsumi: "—Do you remember that Akehoshi?".
Tatsumi: That day, HiMERU-san, when our phantom unit was about to be formed, footage that began with that mysterious line was played in the auditorium.

HiMERU: What comes to mind is that SS, two times before last. Rather, The fact that that footage was able to successfully crush your revolution means it wasn't the first time such footage was used, Tatsumi.

HiMERU: Even after death, one can still cause havoc to an industry, much like "that Akehoshi". That's why they're taboo.
Tatsumi: You shouldn't speak ill of the dead. That's a everyday moral that has nothing to do with religion.

Tatsumi: Anyways, while that mysterious footage was being played, the nonspecial students who had gathered all charged onstage, seething with anger.
Tatsumi: And, before anyone could stop it, they all cursed and assaulted you, HiMERU-san.

Tatsumi: All the teachers turned a blind eye to it. No one was willing to intervene, even the special students, whom you were the figurehead for.
Tatsumi: I've always thought such violence was wrong, I tried to stop it—

Tatsumi: But I wasn't able to, and the rampaging crowed pushed me away and I was knocked down off the stage.
HiMERU: Yes. Then, the special students who've always hated seeing you took advantage of the huge brawl, and began to hit and kick you as well.

HiMERU: It was truly a nightmarish hellscape.
Tatsumi: Yes. Of course, I don't really want to remember it either...
Tatsumi: Because of that, you and I were beyond recovery and were hospitalized. It's a miracle that we were even able to return in this way.

Tatsumi: Especially you. Your condition was so terrible it was even incomparable to mine.
HiMERU: Hmph. HiMERU's still has yet to be brought down.

HiMERU: (As if. The real truth is, Kaname is still in the hospital to this day, with irreparable damage.)
HiMERU: (He's almost always in a coma. Sometimes he wakes up, but he'll just cry out incoherently.)

HiMERU: (My little brother was broken, shattered into pieces by malice and violence.)
HiMERU: (Still suffering in agony, trampled down by a bunch of idiots all the way to the very bottom.)
HiMERU: (Even though he didn't do anything wrong.)
[ch end]

Tatsumi: I wonder why it happened. We were to lead a unit as the two figureheads, and create an environment where everyone is treated equally and fairly.
Tatsumi: The moment we began crossing the path to that dream, before we could reach the brilliant future, it was shut down.

Tatsumi: why? Where did we go wrong?
Tatsumi: While I was in the hospital, I asked God over and over, and never got an answer. My faith couldn't help me there.

Tatsumi: So lately, I've been trying to make sense of this absurd world by learning common sense and how to think for myself. So I don't make the same mistakes again.

HiMERU: It was a dream that wasn't supposed to come true, after all. It's rather presumptuous to think you could change the world when you are not God.

HiMERU: (The idol industry was built by a God-like super idol within a single generation.)
HiMERU: (But not a single person out of the the myriads of people who emerged afterwards could become God.)

HiMERU: ("That Akehoshi" and "Priest" included. No matter how hard they begged and longed for it, nobody can truly impersonate God.)
HiMERU: (God is dead. Recently I heard that "Priest", who attempted to imitate and take over the figure of God, met a miserable end in SS.)

HiMERU: (I was informed by Vice President Saegusa, as he felt I had the right to know.)
HiMERU: (Even though I don't really care for "Priest". He's been imitating and taking the place of God—Godfather—for a long time now.)

HiMERU: (I'm considered a relative, so when I had ran away from home from dissatisfaction, I ended up moving in with "Priest", who took care of me.)

HiMERU: (I hold no affection for him. Although, he had passed his techniques down to me. However, he's no different than a complete stranger to me—I do not care if he dies.)
HiMERU: (I can't love or respect an impostor whose been imitating my grandfather or great-grandfather.)

HiMERU: (Yet, Kaname is different.)
HiMERU: (My poor younger brother.)
HiMERU: (He innocently wanted to become an idol. Because his mother, the only person who ever loved him, wanted him to.)

HiMERU: (He wanted to live up to his parent's expectations. He wanted to become someone his parents could love even more. He was a kid in every sense of the word.)
HiMERU: (His mother, she loved idols.)

HiMERU: (But she loved them to the point of underhanded obsession, particularly fixated on "that Akehoshi", her top favorite—)

HiMERU: (When she learned that he was married, she became frenzied with jealousy. She rushed at him during one of his performances, shouting abuse at him, calling him a traitorous cheater.)

HiMERU: (Even though she wasn't a lover or family. She was a total stranger, whom he had nothing to do with.)
HiMERU: (Even though she had already had a husband, herself.)
HiMERU: (Kaname's mother had been driven crazy from love and obsession.)

HiMERU: (Things like love and faith can drive someone mad. And idols unknowingly reinforce such things.)
HiMERU: (It really is a sinful profession.)
HiMERU: (...During Kaname's mother's rampage, she fell off the stage during a struggle with "that Akehoshi".)

HiMERU: (With a stroke of bad luck, she ended up dying on the spot due a sort of neck or skull injury.)
HiMERU: (That incident cast disgrace on "that Akehoshi" during the height of his popularity.)

HiMERU: (Weekly tabloids and such published how "that Akehoshi" was the worst of the worst idol who killed a person during a performance, as if it was some amusing gossip—He received scorn from all across the world.)

HiMERU: (Even though it was by all means an accident. If anything, "that Akehoshi" was a victim that of a obsessed, crazy woman who ruined his performance.)
HiMERU: (Whatever influence it had eventually brought "that Akehoshi" to be branded as a convict, and he died in prison.)

HiMERU: (That case ended up becoming taboo in the idol industry.)
HiMERU: (Even today, just because he was the son of that woman, industry professionals grow wary and refuse to work with him.)

HiMERU: (That fact alone was enough of a justified cause for others to enact violence against Kaname.)
HiMERU: (Yes—Enough that the entire mob who gathered that day in the auditorium were acquitted of assault. It's easy to guess why the school's higher-ups did such a thing.)

HiMERU: (There was problem for the son of the criminal to be hunted down and crushed by a group. That's what the higher-ups decided.)
HiMERU: (Some teachers relayed this fact to the nonspecial students, it them to use it as an excuse to bequeath the despised special students.)

HiMERU: (They had never forgiven the special students in the first place.)
HiMERU: (The despised special student HiMERU, as forbidden to stand beside their beloved founder—Tatsumi.)

HiMERU: (And so, everything ignited. They turned their dissatisfaction into anger and became violent.)
HiMERU: (That's what happened that day, when Tatsumi's revolution was put to an end.)

HiMERU: (The ideals that Tatsumi embraced were shattered to the point of no trace, all because of pathetic grudges and past grievances.)
HiMERU: (Even if it was ultimately a dream that wasn't supposed to come true...)
HiMERU: (It was far, far too cruel.)

HiMERU: (...The woman who ended the super idol, "that Akehoshi", was dead.)
HiMERU: (But that woman had a husband and a child.)
HiMERU: (The husband had long since separated from that woman, and lived alone.)

HiMERU: (But the it seems the fans of "that Akehoshi" tormented him every day, and he fell mentally ill. Even though he was a stranger who had long since separated from the woman.)

HiMERU: (Countless fans who couldn't accept the end of "that Akehoshi" treated him as if he was the criminal himself—It was so serious he fell sick.)
HiMERU: (Sick, and broken.)

HiMERU: ("Godfather" felt pity for the man and protected the land he controlled. As a relative, he couldn't just abandon him.)

HiMERU: (Maybe he simply couldn't stand the sight of his broken figure, despite being the husband of the woman who robbed him of "that Akehoshi", his favorite—We don't know the reason.)
HiMERU: (God is dead, there's no way to find out.)

HiMERU: (That man never recovered, and would wander half-dead around the premises of a mission school, which then later become Reimei Academy.)
HiMERU: (He'd just wander around, with an existence like a ghost, or a zombie.)

HiMERU: (He appears to be kind fledgling idols who attended Reimei Academy, perhaps he saw it as atonement for his wife ending an idol on her own.)
HiMERU: (He'd do voluntarily do work around the school, like janitor work, as he'd wander.)

HiMERU: (It seems like there'd be times his self-awareness would return to an extent, and he'd try to contact me from time to time.)
HiMERU: (I'm Kaname's half-brother. To him, I was another of his sons.)

HiMERU: (Kaname and I's father was married to another woman, before he married the woman who put an end to "that Akehoshi". She gave birth to me before she apparently passed away to an illness.)

HiMERU: (When I was little, I was also very attached to my mother. It seems we're similar in that regard as brothers—Kaname and I.)
HiMERU: (So when my father was wanting to marry another woman, I felt betrayed and hated him, feeling as if he had forgotten my mother.)

HiMERU: (I slowly got more and more hostile, until eventually I left for abroad, as a way to run away from home.)
HiMERU: (After that, I didn't know or care about my father.)

HiMERU: (From time to time I'd receive letters, and I'd throw them away. Because of that, I wasn't aware that my father had remarried that crazy woman, and gave birth to a child named Kaname.)
HiMERU: (I was bewildered at first. I couldn't believe that I had a younger brother.)

HiMERU: (But after much begging and pleading to help my little brother, I ended up reaching out to him for the first time. He took to me innocently, relied on me, and called me "Onii-chan, Onii-chan".)
HiMERU: (It made me really happy, Kaname.)

HiMERU: (I thought I had no choice but to live alone.)
HiMERU: (But, I was wrong.)
HiMERU: (Kaname gave me what my parents never did.)
HiMERU: (And so, I wanted to reciprocate.)

HiMERU: ...
HiMERU: (But in the end, I couldn't. I couldn't make Kaname into the idol he always dreamed of being.)
HiMERU: (Even though my father and my little brother counted on me, even though I everything I could do...)

HiMERU: (I thought I was someone great up until that point. I believed I was a determined and talented person who could live on their own.)
HiMERU: (But, after that failure, my pride shattered into pieces.)

HiMERU: (...So now, I've taken over for my little brother, so I can make his dream come true in his place.)
HiMERU: (It's simply for my own satisfaction.)
HiMERU: (I failed. That's the reality, and I can't change it anymore.)

HiMERU: (I'm sure even Kaname doesn't really want this.)
HiMERU: (But I do, for myself, for my own pride.)
HiMERU: (I want to become that idol he's always dreamed of.)
HiMERU: (And make HiMERU, the illusion we created together, into a real idol.)
[ch end]

Ibara: Hello, yes, apologies for keeping you waiting! We've put together a good script, so please look over it for a moment, okay!
Tatsumi: Sounds good. We can't particularly tell the fact as they are, so a script will be needed.

Ibara: That is indeed correct! Do trust me, as long as this script is followed, everything will turn out a success!
HiMERU: —That sure sounds sarcastic.
HiMERU: Do you have everything in the palm of your hand?

Ibara: Ah ha ha! ☆ This time, please do us a favor and do what is expected of you, everyone!
Ibara: However, I do not hold any hard feelings, either!
Ibara: I have no reason to cause any harm to you, I wouldn't earn a single penny from that, wouldn't I!

HiMERU: —Yes, you do not hold any malice towards us.
HiMERU: However, you do not hold any goodwill towards us either. If you keep treating others as board pieces in a game, you will get painful retribution some day.
Ibara: I have indeed had my fair share of retribution!

Ibara: I do no know what your assessment of us is, but I've rarely had things go perfectly as I planned!
Ibara: Where did I go wrong, I wonder? Wasn't everything supposed to go exactly as I planned?

Ibara: I feel perhaps the first mistake was Your Excellency and Your Highness getting involved. They're far too much for me to handle!
Nagisa: ...Was I a nuisance, Ibara?

Ibara: What a surprise for you to be asking this only now! From what I can recollect, lately I've constantly been pushed around by you and nothing more, Your Excellency!
Nagisa: ...I'm sorry.

Ibara: Well, no use worrying about it now. After all, everyone in Eden has given a tremendous amount of benefits that offsets the inconveniences you all have caused.
Ibara: No, we shall use any mistakes and hardships we encounter as sustenance to lead to our next intrigue!

Ibara: It shall be the same for Reimei Academy as well. In the past, I failed to control it which caused ruin, but now I, Ibara Saegusa, have adapted and will not fail again!

Nagisa: ...If anything, I only have the impression that you're making a similar mistake, though.
Ibara: That's enough out of you!

Ibara: During the past events of Reimei Academy, it failed as I was completely behind-the-scenes, and could not keep up with the situation—
Ibara: But I have been involved here in COMP since the very start! Everything is under perfect control to give me maximum profit!

Tatsumi: Avarice, huh. I might give emulating something like that a try.
HiMERU: ...HiMERU does not want Tatsumi to become more the Vice President.
Hiyori: Fufu, Tatsumi-kun is to hear out anyone and everyone. That's both your greatest virtue and your greatest drawback, huh!

Hiyori: Everyone will like you for how you accept and love everyone.
Hiyori: But, every human has a limit, so if you accept past what you can handle, you'll reach your breaking point again.
Tatsumi: I will keep that in mind. Thank you for your advice, Hiyori-san.

Hiyori: Good, because I also like you very much, y'know!
Tatsumi: I don't think I've ever interacting with you at school, though?
Hiyori: According to the script prepared by Ibara, I visited you in the hospital, and we became close friends—it appears!

Hiyori: Well, that's nothing but a fact less fabrication, but it's true that I'd like to become friends with you.
Hiyori: I've heard all sorts of things about you from Jun-kun. So, I've always really liked you and respected you even before we've met.

Hiyori: It was especially bad when I'd first met Jun-kun. It'd always be about Tatsumi-senpai, Tatsumi-senpai, and more Tatsumi-senpai—It really gave me an earache, you know!

Hiyori: ...He really regretted not being able to stop your downfall.
Hiyori: You two drifted apart and stopped talking, and you were knocked into the depths of despair. Jun-kun always regretted letting that happen.
Tatsumi: ...

Hiyori: I'm not sure if it's compensation for that, but he's willing to devote himself to me. This time instead of pretending to feign ignorance, he does his beast to least be as friendly as he be.

Hiyori: You're probably the one who changed Jun-kun, whose been resentful since his childhood, into such a warrior of love. So I've always thought about how great a person you must be.

Tatsumi: I've never really done anything for Jun-san, though. Although, we would drink tea and talk together occasionally.
Hiyori: And, for the Jun-kun that lived in hell, that was his only salvation.
Hiyori: You did a lot more than you thought you were.

Hiyori: Jun-kun is evidence of that.
Jun: ...
Hiyori: Here, look. He had suffered at the hands of Reimei Academy's system for a long time, you'd think he'd refuse being in a project like COMP to liven the school up—

Jun: ...
Hiyori: But while he's quietly reading his script, he's even doing some warm-ups to raise the quality of his performance even a little.
Hiyori: Such a earnest and well-behaved kid, isn't he!

Hiyori: He puts aside his differences to do what people want him to do. He does what he can to continue improving himself to please his fans as much as possible.
Tatsumi: I agree. Jun-kun is to be admired.

Tatsumi: While everything was falling apart, he was the only one who remained the same.
Tatsumi: Rather than reaching out to him arrogantly, and trying to help him... I should have been the one to learn from him.

Tatsumi: I should have learnt from his way of life, and worked harder to become a better version of myself. But, it's too late to regret that now.
Tatsumi: I became an idol so I could earn a place where I could be myself. It's an impure motive.

Tatsumi: However, Jun-san alone continues walking down his path more purely and honestly than anyone else.
Tatsumi: I admire him. He, who was despised as the son of a failure, was the true victor of the former Reimei Academy.

Tatsumi: He's the only one who didn't lose anything. And now, he's turned everything he's gained into brilliance, shining all the like.
Tatsumi: Ahh, I'm envious.

Hiyori: Fufu~ yes, keep praising my Jun-kun more!
Hiyori: ...When I first was brought to Reimei Academy, I truthfully had thought I had drawn the short end of the stick.

Hiyori: At that time we had nowhere else to go, so we didn't have a much of a choice. I felt that the only way I could escape hell was hell.
Hiyori: But y'know, while I wandered around, feeling depressed, I saw Jun-kun through a window, silently training by himself.

Hiyori: At that time at Reimei Academy, the atmosphere was at its worst. Everyone was glaring at each other with hatred with expressionless faces.
Hiyori: Jun-kun was the only one removed from that atmosphere, trying to better himself.

Hiyori: It was very beautiful... Although I'm too embarassed to tell him that myself. I wouldn't want him to get too cocky either.
Hiyori: But after seeing him, I no longer felt like I'd made the wrong decision. Because if you have just one person like that, then it's worth it.

Hiyori: And so I transferred over to Reimei Academy with Jun-kun in mind. I was actually initially invited to Shuuetesu Academy, an elite school only for special students.
Hiyori: I decided to start off with getting muddy on the ground again, like Jun-kun.

Hiyori: If you're too far off the ground, you won't be able to see the important things, y'know?
Jun: What slander were you spitting earlier that had you lookin' so happy, eh~?
Hiyori: I wasn't slandering you! You're being paranoid!
Jun: Honest?

Tatsumi: It's true. Hiyori-san really cherishes you, Jun-san.
Hiyori: Yup! Well, second only to my family, Nagisa-kun and Mary!
Jun: I'm no better than a dog?

Hiyori: You're welcome to change that yourself if you're dissatisfied, y'know! C'mon, I'd like to see you to work hard to make me love you more, y'know!
Jun: Shaddup... Besides, the reason I'm workin' hard isn't so you'd love me more, got it~?

Jun: I work hard so I can be more proud of myself. My life can look rather woefully pitiful on the outside.
Jun: So that someday, I'll be able to declare that I was able to become the strongest and best idol out there.

Jun: Then all my pitiable efforts from my past will all be worth it.
Jun: So I'll be doin' my best. I'll be doin' the very best I can do~, and my best is all I'll do.

Tatsumi: Indeed. Fufu, you don't need God's blessings after all.
Jun: That's right. Even if he doesn't bother to save me, I'll be able to save myself on my own.
Tatsumi: ...♪
Nagisa: ...Everyone, shall we stop the idle talk, and begin recording the promotional video?

Nagisa: ...Although just practicing today for now is alright as well.
Nagisa: ...But it's not easy for us to find free time all together like this.
HiMERU: —Yes. We don't have time to reminiscence about the past.

HiMERU: Right now, we must put all our efforts into on the future ahead of us.
HiMERU: We should do at least that much.
HiMERU: (Kaname. My poor little brother. For now at least, I'll take your place.)

HiMERU: (So that when you can stand on your two feet again, you can at least live a happy life.)
HiMERU: (I'll secure a place where you can belong, a place just for you.)
HiMERU: (Because I'm your brother.)

HiMERU: (And when you open your eyes and are standing on your own two feet...)
HiMERU: (Let's make our dreams come true, both of us.)
HiMERU: (Because after living emptily, alone for so long, I share the same dream now.)
HiMERU: "♪~♪~♪"

Tatsumi: (...Ahh, even though it's the same place, the same Reimei Academy...)
Tatsumi: (Everything is different. It's filled with vitality and happiness.)
Tatsumi: (Should I be thank you for this, God?)
Tatsumi: (Our God who art in heaven, who has always watched over my life.)

Tatsumi: (My fate, my faith, thank you for leading me to this place.)
Tatsumi: (There was suffering. There was despair. There was tragedy.)

Tatsumi: (Nevertheless, I've found the warmth I had been seeking all this time. If this is recompense for my devotion, God, I can't hate you after all.)
Tatsumi: (Even if there is no God, and this is all is a series of coincidences all by chance...)

Tatsumi: (I shall call those coincidences a miracle, and as thanks, I will gladly continue to love you.)
Tatsumi: (Fufu. I too will follow behind Hiyori-san, and start with getting muddy on the ground, much like how he followed his beloved Jun-san.)
Tatsumi: (Amen.)

Tatsumi: (No matter how many times we get beaten up and fall to the floor, we will stand up again.)
Tatsumi: (I'm grateful for that. I have allies other than God, now.

Tatsumi: (With these invaluable friends, we can support each other.)
Tatsumi: (We can share our warmth, and move forward together with joy.)
Tatsumi: (Down our path, step by step.)
Tatsumi: "♪~♪~♪"

thats the end of obbligato..! thank you so much for joining me and following along<333 ill never be the same again .

whoops, thread broke; continue here

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