Merry Xmas - adhésion 1

[bakemonoremy]

TL Note: The title for this arc is “adhésion”, which can mean “membership” and “joining”.

Location: TV Station Set Backstage



Hajime: Uu… There are always so many staff members at the TV station’s studio, and all the cameras look really expensive, too… No matter how often I come here, I still get nervous every single time.

All these people… putting in so much effort… for our sake… *whimper*~.

Tori: Uwah?! Hajime, please don’t faint on us~! We’re still on camera, remember?! And we’re about to start the filming, so we really can’t have you fainting right now!

Sora: Jime-chan, take some deep breaths~! You’ll be okay again!

HaHa~, Sora is so excited~♪ When he’s in high spirits, he feels like bouncing around!

Tori: Harukawa~! You’re being way too rowdy! Don’t jump around inside the studio~!

Oh, oops. Shh~...

You totally got me caught up in the moment and made me raise my voice. Uu~, I’m sorry, Anzu.

Sigh. These slapstick parts are also being recorded, right? It makes us look uncool, so can you deal with them during the editing?



Aira: ………. (He’s intently staring at something.)

Tori: Hm? Come to think of it, Shiratori is being really quiet.

Yup, yup. How commendable of you to be so calm despite being the youngest here. Let me praise you!

But actually, what is it that you’re staring at so intently? Today’s script?

Aira: Himemiya-senpai… Look… Look at this! You’re not gonna believe this…!

Tori: Huh… W-what is it? Is there some kind of mistake…? No way, stop freaking me out~!

— Er. Isn’t this the guide map to the backstage area that the staff gave us earlier?

Aira: Yeah! Please look at this!

Isn’t this incredible? Next to our dressing room is the room of an idol group that’s super popular right now…!

Their monthly CD sales are always in the national top three~! Ra~vely~♪ 

I really wanna meet them~. Do you think I might run into them in the hallways? And like, maybe I can even get their autographs!

Or actually, maybe it’s okay if I go to their dressing room and greet them directly…?

Tori: So it’s just about idols again! No, actually, you’re an idol yourself! Your idol job is about to start any second now! You’re not here to play around, so quit acting like it~!

Aira: O-oh, whoops. I got carried away… Ehehe, I’m sooo sorry.

Tori: Geez! You really freaked me out! It’s one thing after the other with you guys~!

Hey, Anzu? I’d really like to start filming before everyone’s focus drifts any more than it already has.

Aah, I see. So that’s why we can’t start the recording yet. The actress who’s playing the queen of the fairy kingdom is running late. Well, then there’s nothing we can do about it.

That actress is really skilled, isn’t she? I think it’s amazing how she can play any role, from a disgruntled police detective all the way to kind mother figures.

The role of the fairy queen is far from a difficult role, and there are many scenes where she doesn’t even have any lines.

So I just needed someone who could get the atmosphere across and act out the movements… I never dreamed you’d get us someone who checks all of our boxes like this.

Yeah, I’m fine with that. I’ll keep waiting. Well, personally I’d like to start filming before some kind of problem occurs, though.

Huh? Yeah, you could say that. As you say, Anzu, I’m not actually all that worried. I really believe that we can succeed with the members we have. It’s a given, since I’m their leader!

Hajime: Huh? The staff suddenly seem to be in a panic for some reason.

Sora: Is there someone over there~?

Aira: Uwaaah! That’s…! That’s her! The great actress who’s going to play the role of the queen!

Seeing her in the flesh like this…! Her aura is really off the charts~!

Tori: Shiratori? So you don’t just like idols, but actresses and actors, too?

Aira: Nope, idols are my everything ♪

But when you see a performer you’ve only ever watched on TV right in front of your eyes, of course it’s exciting… Don’t you think that’s a normal reaction to have?

Sora: HiHi~! Ai-chan’s so silly. We’re also performers, aren’t we~?

Aira: Uu… I mean, yeah~. It just hasn’t really sunk in for me yet…

Hajime: ? Umm… The actress is kind of staring at us, isn’t she…?

Ah! Don’t we have to go and greet her?!

Huh? We’ll go to her dressing room and introduce ourselves properly later, so it’s fine? Right, if all of us piled on her at once, she’d probably be overwhelmed.

Aira: Oh, she left. Did she go into hair and make-up?

Tori: In that case she’s going to be a while. Let’s be good and wait for her.

Aira: Okaaay!

- One hour later -

Tori: No matter how you look at it, this is taking too long~!

Hajime: It really is. Maybe hair and make-up always takes this long for women, though?

Sora: Hmm. Even taking that into account, Sora still feels like she’s late~. Maybe something happened?

Aira: Anzu-san already went to see what is going on…

Ah, she’s back!

Umm, it feels like this is all taking rather longer than expected, did something happen?

Tori: Hmhm, I see — Huh?! She indicated an unwillingness to co-star with us?! W-wait, wait! Where is this even coming from~?!

Sora: So she doesn’t want to work with us…?

Hajime: B-but why?! Did we make some kind of blunder? But our eyes only met for a fraction of a moment…

Tori: Hm? Anzu, you already asked about the reason? Then tell us! We really can’t follow what’s going on otherwise!

Uh-huh? It seems like her mood dropped when she overheard us talk earlier…? Umm, did we talk about anything that could’ve soured her mood like that…?

Aah, it’s about the thing Shiratori said? Uh-huh…

Eeeh?! Her mood was ruined when she heard Shiratori say that he likes idols more than actors~?!

Aira: I-it’s a misunderstanding! I didn’t mean it like that…! I just meant to say that I’m only an otaku for idols, nothing more!

Hajime: In that case, can’t we come to an amicable solution by clearing up that misunderstanding?

Sora: Hm? Anzu has a troubled “color” all of a sudden~. She seems hesitant. Does that mean that we can’t do Jime-chan’s idea?

Tori: Huh? That actress only started acting because she failed her auditions as an idol? I-is that so…?

Uh-huh? So that’s why she’s a bit over-sensitive about matters regarding idols, and putting idols above actors is like stepping on a landmine around her?

She’s angry because she thinks he said it just in time for her to hear it on purpose?

Aira: I-I had no idea! How could I have known about something that happened so long ago!

And like, I wasn’t even comparing idols and actors. It’s all a misunderstanding~! W-what do I do?!

Tori: Eh? Anzu, you’re going to help us…?

Y-yeah. You’re right. Let’s all go there together, sincerely apologize for causing this misunderstanding, and explain what really happened…!

Aira: I’m… I’m so sorry for causing this… What do I do… It’s all my fault…



Tori: ……...