Epilogue 2

Wataru: Now then, should I explain the sequence of events?

A dear old friend made a request... and I’m simply helpless when that child turns his puppy-dog eyes on me.

I am his big brother, after all! Fufufu ♪^[1]

Natsume: Don’t think that this makes us even now, though.

I still think you’ve betrayed the Five Oddballs to join fine... Wataru-nii-san.

Eichi: Just what have you roped our Wataru into... boy?

Natsume: Your Wataru? Hey, do you really think you’ve made Wataru-nii-san yours? What a naïve old man ♪

Wataru: Indeed, I belong to everyone! I am your Hibiki Wataru... ☆

Eichi: Wataru, could you please stop talking? You’re only complicating things.

Natsume: I do agree with that. In any case, Switch has been unable to take part in any official Dream Fests for various reasons, including the A1 live designated for new units.

This B1 will be our first performance on campus.

So we thought to have you guys perform as set pieces.

fine suffered an embarrassing defeat at the DDD, but you still put on quite the impressive show, and you cleaned up gracefully afterwards. As such, you’ve maintained your reputation as the strongest unit on campus.

There is no more appropriate sponsor for us, especially within the school.

We’ve therefore requested for you to make a friendly appearance and give Switch your blessing ♪

Eichi: Do we have any obligation to do that?

Tsumugi: You do, Eichi-kun.

The War is over. The heroic protagonists of fine defeated the villainous Five Oddballs, and we’ve closed the book on the revolutionary tale of good and evil.

If you can step down from that stage and think of us all as flesh-and-blood humans... well, it’s not that unusual for you to be supporting me as a member of the original fine.

I do want us to get along. Really.

Natsume: Senpai can speak for himself; there isn’t even the tiniest part of me that wants to be your friend.

Just remember, if you hadn’t had Wataru-nii-san, you would have lost the DDD in the first round ♪

Eichi: Tsumugi... you ought to teach your kouhais better manners. And try to keep him under control.

Tsumugi: Oh, no. Someone like me could never rein him in. Also, I was the one who had this idea in the first place.

So if you have any complaints, please direct them to me.

Eichi: I’ve never taken issue with you. If I had to say anything, I’d ask you to cut your hair. We’re expecting the weather to get unbearably hot from here on out.

Also, your glasses don’t really suit you, do they?

Tsumugi: Wait, you’re really going right for the jugular?!

I made an oath, so I can’t cut my hair until it’s been fulfilled~ ♪ And my glasses are supposed to be auspicious under the philosophy of feng shui.

Eichi: I see you haven’t cut off contact with your mother yet... She’s a terrible influence on you.

Tsumugi: My mother is a hopeless person, but she is kind and good to me. I still love her.

And recently, Switch worked our magic on her... It seems she’s content with supporting us for now.

So, even though I really am grateful for what you’ve done for my personal life, I want to do my best as part of Switch going forward.

I hope you’ll be able to support us, Eichi-kun ♪

Natsume: Personally speaking, I wanted to issue a challenge to fine and thoroughly crush you.

But I can’t say we’re prepared for that quite yet... So, just like you did in the past, we will take our time this year carving you up.

I’ll boil you up in a witch’s cauldron and use you for a ritual sacrifice ♪

Until your ashes return to the sky... until death kisses your soul, I will keep dragging you back to the battlefield to make you know pain.

I won’t let you close the book on us and call it your happy “ending.”

You won’t call this war over and cast yourself as a senile old man to live out the rest of your days in comfort.

The future you won starts here, doesn’t it?

Sora: Master! Did you call Sora? What was that about a kiss?^[2]

Eichi: ...Who is this child? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him before.

Natsume: That’s still a secret ♪ Just like a magician’s tricks, magic loses its power once the truth is revealed.

I’ll let you wonder for a little while longer. The word occult is derived from “to conceal,” you know... That is our power.

N͐o͆ͮ̍w͒̾,ͬ l͍͈etͨ t̖h̷ͮe̛͞ mag̨̥̟ic͔ r͛i̾͊ͬt̷̡́ȗ̪al̻ b̡ͪ͊eġ͙iͥn̕.͝ W̊ͯe̜͋ wi̜ͅl̻̜̊l̟͒ g͐a͊the̛̝ͭr̲ al̈́͛̑l̛̩̓ ȏͤ͆f͎ th̿e͔̖͠ pͯr̺̙͑e̼ͅc̈́̆͢í̤̣ouͤs̴͋ t̅hi̗̟̓n̼̟gs̅̃ͥ t̓͠_h͙́ͥā̺tͯ̆̕ so͓ͅli̙t̛̲aȑ͖̋y̐̿̎ dic̎t͚̍aͥt̜o̽r͔ le͎f̼̀t̆ b̖ehin̔d,̜ à̏n͖͈̑d̩̈́ t͔hi͖̹s̒̄ͯ ti̻̫m̯ͣë̪́͢ w̯e̸̩ w͚͌ͫỉ͡l̴̈́͝l̐ ma͍ke̫ s̴̹͗ur̈́͘ȅͦ t̛h̻̒ȧt̪ͬ l̈o̤ͫv͕̞ͭe͉̞ bl͈o͉ͧs͍̯s̲o̧͍m̗̎͆s a̞ͨ͟c͂r̩͊ͣo̻͓ss̷ th̳̄͘e̒ w̞̮o̲rͨͥl͙̓͜d͖̳.͛^[3]

Eichi: ...How unexpected. You’re going to follow in my footsteps?

Natsume: That’s what Senpai wants. And although the way you went about it was nauseating...

Your dreams aren’t so evil that I would reject them and trample over them.

Eichi: How could you possibly know what my dreams are?

Sora: It makes sense, you know~? Master has the same color as you ♪

Tsumugi: I was thinking the exact same thing, Sora-kun! They both love to argue, they’re always saying really profound things, and they never go to karaoke with me ♪

Natsume: Stop talking and start focusing. Our song is about to start, and we have a full house.

Despite Switch being a unit with dubious, unknown origins.

Wataru: Do you think so? It seems fitting to me~ One of its members is the one of the Five Oddballs, the greatest for of Yumenosaki Academy’s top unit, fine.

Everyone is deeply curious about you.

Natsume: Hmph. I guess we’re all still living in an extended version of a story that’s long ended.

A new story is already unfolding, but we must begin it by waking everyone up.

F̡̙̍ọ̃͒ř͍ t̼͌̽he̸̖̋ sakȅ o̙̊f̷ t̬he̖ futṳͬre,̓ n͐oẗ̬̬́ tḥ̾̈́e pa͗s͖̀ṱ, a͐̀n̏d̋͘ t͋o̗̎ b͋r̗̫ͫi͟ng h̯̳͘ap̘̋pi͉̓ne̡̼ͧs̵̃sͧ͞ t̯͇͝o̞͆ͩ a̷l̹̫l̷ l̗i̷͚v̟ͤing̱ t̤̂̀h̷̜i̷͍n̛̹gs̏—̏̀́

T̻̼͗hͬ͛͡i̞ͧs̀ e̥͂̂ve͢n̋in̰g, w̧͊͠ȅ̟ w͉̘i͚l̋l̜ š̛͈u͊ͫ͡m͚mo͉n t̅̐͡h̵̟̉e̶̒͋ b̦ͮͣes̙̼͙t o̔͋f o͍̚u͊rͧ m̞ͮ̄ag̛̐͆ì͍c̠̥͟ s̝ͤ͟ô͎̲ a͎͊̐s͉ tͣo ċ̽o͛ͥnť͈i̵̶̩nu̷̝e f̪orw̴̪aͯ͞rd͕.̱

♪ͤ ~̼̄͢ ♪̭̥̿͢͝ ~̖ ♪̪^[4]

Eichi: Hmm, it looks like you all are the protagonists of this live. Well, we’re just a last-minute addition, and it is a B1, so you can do whatever you’d like.

But we aren’t simply going to stand there to make you look better, you know.

...A question, though: what is this fantastical, glowing stuff? And don’t say it’s actually magic.

Tsumugi: It’s chemistry, and staging. But for some people, it really is magic.

(Natsume-kun, you once told me that your magic had no effect on me. But the truth is that I’ve always been under your spell.)

(You will become a great idol; please let me help you achieve that.)

(I left Eichi-kun all alone on the stage once. I won’t make that mistake again.)

Natsume: ...Senpai, quit staring off into space and flip your switch. I know you can do anything you put your mind to, so don’t try and act like you’re removed from all of this.

Tsumugi: Okay, okay. I know, Natsume-kun. Let’s work hard to spin a tale of our own.^[5]

Sora: Sora will work hard, too! HaHiHuHeHo~ Switch is going to paint a rainbow of infinite colors~ ♪

Eichi: ...I don’t understand any of this. Well, I shouldn’t get too impatient. I’ll take my time and pore over every line in this tale of yours.

I want to see this other ending, the happily-ever-after I never could have dreamed of.