Empire of Fantasy 9

Shu: In any case. In general, there are two ways to earn money in the SHINSEKAI.

You can either complete the missions and events that spawn throughout the world, or you can steal from other idols.

Mika: Yup. And all’s y’gotta do for the missions is whatever they tell ya to do.

Like maybe if they wantcha to go out an’ buy somethin’ for ‘em, or go kill a monster in a cave.

We been asked to do stuff like that from all those people hangin’ out around SHINSEKAI—what are they, NPCs? Somethin’ like that. The people who’re part of the program.

Shu: Yes. I know next to nothing about these so-called NPCs, but they appear to be different from us. Just like that Harukawa from earlier, they’re hollow characters.

Anyway, the events are occasional happenstances in SHINSEKAI. Depending on how we act during those event periods, our SSG will increase or decrease.

Mika: Somethin’ like, y’got caught up in a sandstorm! Lose a hundred SSG! Kinda like the Game of Life. Yanno, that board game thing.

Shu: I can’t stand it; everything is always too sudden or unreasonable.

Unlike missions, you can’t just take orders at your leisure. It’s bad for my heart not knowing when and where an event will take place.

Mika: What happens is super weird, too. I dunno why, but lots of the events really got that Tohoku feel to ‘em—

Like ZUNDAMOCHI –Overflowing River Blockade– or AOMORI –Monster Apple Elimination– or NAMAHAGE –Kidnapped Child Rescue–.^[1]

Shu: The image Tohoku presents itself with is all over the place.

Mika: There’s lotsa them fantasy-like events too, and they’re all mighty nice.

I dunno what’s up with these Tohoku-themed ones.

Shu: They feel like a rush job. Perhaps they prepared them once it was decided that Switch would be placed in the Tohoku region, since they’re the ones controlling the SHINSEKAI.

Mika: Ahh... We had no idea where we were gonna be put until just a little bit ago.

If we’d been in my hometown I coulda took the reins and gotten us through, but I ain’t got a clue ‘bout Tohoku.

Shu: I have no such expectations of you, though.

And besides, even if we don’t participate in the events or take the missions, we can still steal SSG from other idols to earn money.

Mika: We got robbed of everything we had right at the beginning... We’re the only ones who had no idea what was goin’ on, so they took advantage of us bein’ all confused.

Shu: Mm. It sounds bad when you put it like that. It’s simply a game-like confrontation, almost like a variety show—

If we had gone at it with composure, we might even have won.

Mika: Ngh... Yeah but, I don’t think you’re even that good at variety shows, Onii-chan. Well, I ain’t none too good neither.

But whatever. Whoever wins gets to steal some of the loser’s SSG.

But we didn’t even know ‘bout that rule, so we just kept on losin’ and losin’, and now we’re flat broke.

Shu: We still have some money left, though.

Our reward from the winner-takes-all match yesterday was converted directly into SSG; we have an immediate reserve of money on hand.

Mika: Yeah but like, if people keep comin’ at us and if we keep losin’, that reserve’s gonna dry up like a well on a hot summer day.

Shu: I get that. But I don’t know what to do about it.

I’m slowly coming to understand what this whole SHINSEKAI thing is all about, but I just can’t get used to it at all. It’s far too absurd, and there’s too much noise, and I just can’t feel at ease.

If I had it my way, I’d seclude myself inside this inn forever.

Mika: But they make it hard to just it around an’ do nothin’ by makin’ it cost an arm an’ a leg to stay at the inn.

So then you keep shellin’ out, and eventually you won’t have nothin’ left.

We worked so hard to get that golden ticket to SS, but we’d prolly just be tossin’ it out without even doin’ nothin’.

Naw, we’d just be lettin’ our big win yesterday turn into a total waste. I dunno what to do, but I don’t like it one bit.

Our performance yesterday was awesome. We threw all our effort into the prep work, and it turned out so great, and the fact we won is proof of that.

But now it’s all startin’ to feel like one big fib—

Shu: ......

It’ll be okay, Kagehira.

Mika: Huh?

Shu: If you wish it so, then your worries will never become a reality.

Because we are artists, those who grasp a fraction of the world ruled by God and dye it in all the colors of their dreams.

Within that dream, they are indomitable.

And it so happens that we have two such indomitable artists right here.

Mika: ......

Shu: The god of SHINSEKAI, huh... That impertinent boy, does he truly believe that just because he’s become a god that he can toy with us as he likes?

jp proofing: remi
eng proofing: Rui