Wonder Game - infinite 6

Location: Animal Pen

- One year ago, in fall. On the day of old fine’s very last Live -

Nagisa: ………..

.....”The Jabberwocky is coming ♪ The Jabberwocky is coming ♪”

.....”Out of fear we built a bulwark, and now he’s angrily clawing at us ♪”

.....Hey ♪ Yo ♪

Tsumugi: Nagisa-kun.

I was looking everywhere for you. It’s almost time, so let’s get ready.

Nagisa: ………..

Tsumugi: I implore you. Because this is probably going to be the last one.

The other fine members got exhausted, grew tired of being used like tools and quit already.

If you and Hiyori-kun don’t participate, we won’t be able to win the next show. This is a crucial match for the sake of our revolution; the conclusion of the subjugation of the “Five Oddballs”.

I want to make sure we succeed. But you’re so kind, and I don’t want to make you do any more inhuman things… 

I think this will be the “happy ending”, so please, I beg of you.

Nagisa: .....Tsumugi-kun.

…..Don’t lower your head to me, please.

.....You-- No, we, aren’t doing anything wrong, are we?

Tsumugi: ………..

Nagisa: .....You see, I was caring for the rabbits.

.....Raising animals helps cultivate your aesthetic sensibilities.

.....That’s the official reason why the school built these animal pens.

.....However. Now that everyone is so absorbed in waging war, no one is paying attention to this place.

.....Is it justifiable to abandon frail creatures and to let them die, if there is some greater cause for it?

.....I don’t know. Lately, I’ve become unable to tell.

.....If I hadn’t remembered these little ones, and wasn’t taking care of them, they would probably starve to death.

.....Back when we started our revolution, it was the same with the concept of idols at this school.

.....They were such a feeble existence that without someone to find them and support them, they would have surely died and disappeared.

.....Father, loved us idols. That’s why, I wanted to protect them.

.....I just wanted to keep them alive, out of love.

.....How many dreams did we have to starve to death for the sake of this greater cause?

Tsumugi: Nagisa-kun. We couldn’t have helped that. We aren’t God, after all.

All we could do was either hold on to this one dream, or to abandon all of them and let every single one die.

That’s why… I want us to keep those alive whom we trampled all over, those we hurt and tried to protect until they met utter misfortune.

Together, just one last time.

Nagisa: ………..

.....Don’t worry. I’ll stand on that stage just like that contract obliges me to do.

.....I will abide by the contract. If I broke it even once, the door to Heaven would close for me, after all.

Tsumugi: Contract? Aah… A long time ago, you and Hiyori-kun were acting so unrestrained that we were all made to sign written contracts, I remember.

I think that was just something like a game of make-believe between children, though.

Nagisa: .....Is that really what you think?

Tsumugi: Yes… Because, if it wasn’t, then that would mean…

That Eichi-kun was serious about it ever since we signed the written contracts back then. It would mean that he knew things were going to turn out like this, and worked out a scheme for it in advance.

It would mean this wasn’t fun and games, it wasn’t a childish flight of fancy, he really put his life on the line to make this revolution happen.

And it would mean that despite Eichi-kun's expression telling me that we are best friends--

I was never able to understand even the most fundamental thing about him at all.

I abandoned his true self in the darkness, and was never able to find him even to the very end. And all this time, I was just making merry like a complete idiot.

I don’t want this… I don’t want to acknowledge it. It feels like our whole year is going to turn into nothing but a dream.

All I wanted was to spend a glittering youth together with my beloved friends--

To think that I was all alone all this time, merely shown a dream from a corner of the world…

Nagisa: …..Tsumugi-kun.

…..When I’m no longer here, I want you to look after these Jabberwockies in my stead.

Tsumugi: Eh, what do you mean, “no longer here”? You’re exaggerating, Nagisa-kun! Well, it does kind of feel like we’re about to head into a cruel, decisive battle…

But it’s not like we’re really going to take up swords and arms and kill each other.

Nagisa: …..Eichi-kun, probably intends to.

…..That’s why. If you get on stage, aware of this, you might be able to reach it in the very end.

…..The bottom of the darkness, where he is.

Tsumugi: ………..

Nagisa: …..Take care. And don’t die, because there’s no guarantee that Heaven and Hell really exist.

…..Bye-bye, Jabberwockies.

Tsumugi: Jabbaworkies? Is that what these rabbits are called?

Nagisa: …..I don’t know. But the one running at the head of the herd is a white rabbit, so.

Tsumugi: Aah, like in “Alice in Wonderland”.

Nagisa: …..Yeah. This one is “Alice”, this one is the “Cheshire Cat”, and this one is the “Mad Hatter”.

…..The one who always lazes around arrogantly in high places is “Humpty Dumpty”.

…..And these twins who always get into fights are “Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum”.

Tsumugi: Fufu. So you even gave them names, and looked after them enthusiastically. That’s kind of surprising. I always thought that you didn’t have any interest in animals, Nagisa-kun.

Nagisa: …..I don’t. Maybe Hiyori-kun asked me to take care of these rabbits because he wanted me to cultivate an interest in them.

Nagisa: …..I still don’t understand life. Or love.

…..But. I find it hard to part with these rabbits, and feel some kind of attachment to them.

…..That’s why right now, I can truly feel the weight of the precious lives we trampled all over. It hurts.

…..It hurts so much. I find it hard to breathe, being alive is suffocating.

…..Ultimately, this is surely the Original Sin that was bestowed upon me.

Wonder Game - infinite 7

Location: Rooftop

- Several days after “Wonder Game” started -

Ibara: (And so, this strange daily life has begun.)

(So far, it's going smoothly... In fact, everything is going just as planned to an alarming degree. At this point, you might even think the name “Wonder” is unfitting for it.)

(Every morning, the "Alice" of the day is announced at the regularly scheduled meeting.)

(“Alice” makes it sound like it refers to a singular person, but it actually refers to an entire representative “unit” from an agency or training school, so 3 to 7 people are “Alice” at a time.)

(During the time it takes them to do their warm-up exercises, the remaining idols are moved to a different room where they discuss the schedule for the day and such.)

(We prepared episodes from Alice’s story for every single day… A theme based on which we plan the lessons and a live show.)

(Watching the heated discussions and differing, incompatible opinions of people during the meetings is quite interesting.)

(Since I am used to that kind of thing, it’s an easy feat for me to take the lead during these discussions.)

(Afterwards, we announce the plan for the day to “Alice” and the viewers.)

(If there are no objections from “Alice”’s side, we assist them in their lessons next.)

(We take on the role of a coach, instruct them and aid them in their training, prepare meals and clean up after them, and divide odd jobs between us.)

(Our budget is quite lavish, so we have the leeway to dress everyone up as residents of Alice’s stories and let them show off their talents a little.)

(Well, that part is quite amusing, and serves to keep the event from becoming too monotone.)

(It makes the event a bit like a variety show. I expected agencies who usually focus on live shows and the idols of Yumenosaki to struggle with that part, but…)

(Since Switch is centered around Mr. Sakasaki, who has experience as a fortune teller on television programs, they are unexpectedly adept at these kinds of jobs that are unorthodox for Yumenosaki Academy.)

(I anticipated it based on the information I collected beforehand, but they really did establish their own presence well for now.)

(Oh well, it takes one to know one*, but they can’t compare to Eden, who has prioritized TV broadcast activities so far.)

(Anyway, through this and that we follow “Alice” around like we’re in a funny documentary of sorts, and at night the grand climax of the day, the live show, is held.)

(The viewers who know how much agony “Alice” has suffered through, working so hard all day, must be on the edge of their seats, watching over her and rooting for her.)

(The enthusiasm in the actual live venue is one thing, but I’m sure the broadcast is just as exciting.)

(The very first “Alice” was decided impartially through a lottery, but after that…)

(During the evening, the audience including the TV viewers get to vote the “Alice” for the next day.)

(Although, we were the ones who prepared the lot for the first day, and there’s a time lag involved with the editing and broadcasting of the event…)

(So in reality, the “Alice” for each day has essentially already been decided well in advance.)

(It’s a TV program. Through editing and production, it’s easy to control the voting results arbitrarily.)

(As long as the results don't seem unnatural to the viewers, we can easily proceed with our plans.)

(For the very first day of “Wonder Game”, we didn’t choose Eden, the most influential of all participating units, to be “Alice”...)

(Because that would be too obvious for the viewers.)

(To be honest… All the other “units”, including Switch, have no outstanding characteristics whatsoever.)

(Since there’s no obvious winning horse in this race, there probably won’t be any distrust in the results of the “Alice” elections.)

(Even if they differ from viewer expectations, they’ll probably just shrug it off. It’s not like these are political elections, so there likely won’t be anyone who gets angry because the results differ from their predictions.)

(As long as people don’t feel like they’ve been wronged, they surprisingly won’t complain.)

(Anyway. In this manner, all we have to do is spend these two weeks playing out a pleasant slapstick comedy.)

(If nothing impedes it, we can take it easy and earn huge profits from all this.)

(We turned down the role of “Alice”, the leading role, of our own volition, but...)

(That just made us look generous and increased our likability, while putting us in a more favourable position.)

(A more unique position. The role of “Alice”, the protagonist, is chosen again every single day for two weeks, so it has no scarcity value.)

(Things that stand out and are valued just for being rare are the basis of economics… The rule of supply and demand.)

(Officially, “Alice” is the protagonist of the story. But from a meta perspective, we are the ones standing at the center.)

(Known as the “Red Queen”, if you change the reading of the name a bit, it becomes “Evil King”**!)

(Ah hahaha! How wonderful and thrilling, “I” am the “King” of that world...!)

Nagisa: …..Ibara~? Why are you laughing ominously and loudly in a place like this?

…..If the school regulations haven’t changed since then, the rooftop at Yumenosaki has been declared off-limits.

…..I think it’s best not to trespass.

Ibara: My oh my! To think that His Excellency would preach to me about common sense, you’ve really matured!

It makes me feel like a parent or a teacher who has learned from their own child, though that might be an insolent manner of speaking! Ah ha ha ☆

Nagisa: ….You’re in a good mood. That’s fine, though. A laughing face is better than a crying one.

Ibara: Yes. It’s smooth sailing~, I can’t help but break into a smile.

Though I believe we must keep our guard up. Which is exactly why I’m about to visit His Eminence Eichi for one last push.

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* Since this is Ibara, he uses an idiom involving snakes in Japanese. “蛇の道は蛇” (lit. A snake knows the path of snakes). 

** “Aka no Jouou” turns into “Aku no Ou”