Melée 9

HiMERU: —So it’s decided: Oukawa will appear in the SS Finals as part of Crazy:B and not as Double Face.

Madara: This is too cruel, Kohaku-saaan! I can’t take it! How could you get my hopes up like this only to toss me aside in the end?!

Kohaku: Aw, c’mon, quit your whinin’! You really don’t have to lay on the theatrics, y’know—you can just smile and nod like an adult!

Don’t start stirrin’ the pot this late in the game, got it?!

Madara: Hahaha! It’s just sooo much fun saying no to people who don’t even question that I’ll say yes!

Kohaku: You little...!

Aira: Uhhh, what’s with all the noise? Kohakucchi?

Kohaku: Love-han.

Madara: Hahaha! Bravo, bravissimo! All the blood lust has been sapped from Kohaku-san! You’re just like air freshener that way, ALKALOID ♪

Tatsumi: I can’t tell if you’re praising us or mocking us...

But that aside, I see you’ve all managed to advance to the Finals. Congratulations.

Mayoi: Uuu... I heard you were working as MaM, Madara-san, so I assumed you wouldn’t be participating in SS. Your unit doesn’t satisfy the requirements for performing.

Madara: Hahaha! Doooes it inconvenience you that I’m here? Good, good! It’s also fun to make people look the way you do now!

Kohaku: Do you exist just to irritate people...?

To answer your question, though, Madara-han did earn the right to come to the Finals as Double Face, but that’s a long story. ^[1]

But Crazy:B also made it to the finals. Which is great and all, I’m glad for it—but now I’m in a right pickle.

Tatsumi: What a shame; the rules specify that we can’t work as two units at once.

And so you must choose whether you want to perform as part of Double Face or Crazy:B.

Kohaku: Well, don’t you catch on quickly. I was originally plannin’ to join in the Finals as Crazy:B—

And I think Madara-han here got a few more buddies during the Qualifiers, right? So I’m tryin’ to convince him to perform as them.

Long as he’s not solo, there’s no problem with him performin’. So why the heck’re you complainin’ now?

Madara: Hahaha! Honestly, I’m just killing time until the show starts!

Kohaku: You’re so...!

Aira: Ahaha. Well, we’ve got a little bit too much time on our hands right now, don’t we?

It’s like when you’re just about to take a big test or something...

Like, you want to cram as much as you can, or I guess in our case practice as much as you can, but if you go too hard you’ll get tired and won’t be able to focus and fail big time.

Tatsumi: Cramming only gives you a veneer of knowledge. If we relax instead, we’ll be in top form.

HiMERU: —Fufu. Everyone has a unique approach to this. It’s interesting.

Tatsumi: It is. Just like I thought, you feel the same way I do, HiMERU-san ♪

HiMERU: Shiina, do you mind sharing a bit of your dessert? Not to relieve stress—sugar is imperative for maintaining nutritional balance.

Niki: Grrr, hell no! This is my food! I don’t have to follow that stupid order thing anymore, so get your paws off it!

Aira: Ahaha. Umm, hey Shiina-senpai. Did we get the same kind of orders, like a restricted diet?

Niki: Exactly! Those demons dropped me in Osaka and then told me I couldn’t eat anything made with flour! Whoever came up with that one can’t possibly be human!

Wait, am I even allowed to tell you what my orders were now?

Tatsumi: Yes, it’s fine now. The orders only applied to us during the Qualifying Rounds.

Aira: Ohh, that’s a relief. I haven’t even been paying attention to that.

Kohaku: Kokoko ♪ The Finals haven’t even started, so you better keep your wits about you, Love-han.

Aira: Right. I know, I’ll be careful. ...Okay, not that I care, but were is Rinne-senpai, anyway? Is he not around? Did he die?

Kohaku: I mean, he’s still alive if that’s what you’re askin’. And probably sneakin’ around again, to boot.

We had this extra round in ours, Sudden Death, and it used the same system as the Finals—

He got to analyze it back then, so he exploited it Crazy:B-style and showed the Administration how we do things, basically.

Madara: ......

HiMERU: —Oukawa. You don’t know who may be listening in. You shouldn’t speak so carelessly.

Crazy:B has had a change of heart and decided to be proper, serious idols. Or at least, this is the public stance we have taken.

Kohaku: Crap, that’s right. Sorry, sorry. I just can’t help but flap my jaw around Love-han.

Madara: Ohh, I seeee. Well, I’ve heard everything I need to hear, so I’ll be preparing for the Finals with a nice, long nap ♪

Kohaku: Ah, shit... You were just stickin’ around and drawin’ out all this talk to get a read on what Crazy:B was up to.

But just for the record, I am workin’ with Crazy:B for the Finals. If there’s a conflict of interest, I’m sidin’ with them.

Madara: Oh, I don’t doubt it. If you were to betray Crazy:B for my sake, I might just be sooo shocked that I die ♪

...All right. I’m always fighting on my own anyway. Having you to back me up lately is a veeery irregular thing for me.

Kohaku: ......

Madara: Thanks, Kohaku-san. These days haven’t been all that bad, surprisingly.

Kohaku: Gives me the heebie-jeebies... This ain’t your usual character at all.

Madara: Hahaha! Force of habit, really! My orders were to thank the people in my unit once a day—

It slipped my mind that I didn’t have to do that anymore now that the Qualifiers are over! Forgive me!