Antique Legend - Prologue

[bakemonoremy]

Guest translation by Soup

Location: Meeting Room

Early October. In the ES Building Meeting Room, immediately following the holding of the Antique Market.



Hokuto: What did you want to ask me, Anzu?

In all honesty, I’m exhausted, so could you keep it brief? Really, I’d love to talk with you till the night starts to lighten up, but as I am right now, I can’t. How frustrating.

The other day, I performed at an event called Antique Market with my father, but even before and after that, I ran into all sorts of issues that just chipped away at my spirit—

I know I’m not exactly in the best of moods right now, and I’m afraid I’ll lash out at you, so I wanted you to avoid approaching me if possible.

Right now, I feel like I’ll explode like a bomb if I’m given even a little bit of provocation.

“No, you’re always like that,” hm? Is that so?

Well then there’s no problem, I can still talk to you as “my usual self.”

I feel like you’ve been distant lately, so a conversation would be very welcome right now.

Fufu… Hmm, the thing you wanted to ask me about was related to the Antique Market I mentioned just now, right?

”There’s something I absolutely need to know, so I’ve been asking everyone involved,”?

I see…so I’m not the only one… But I’m happy you came to ask me about it first. Mm.

Well, nevermind that. We, Trickstar, are willing to do anything for our precious friend. Ask me anything, I won’t hide any answers.

Fufu, yes. It’s always been my duty to explain these sorts of things to you.

That said, I only have a small connection to the Antique Market. My father forced me to go and help him there without telling me why.

Mm. “I want you to tell me about the things your father told you, no matter how unimportant”? You’re not usually this frantic, Anzu.

...Did something happen?

Please feel free to talk to me if you have any sort of worries. Even if I have to cooperate with that annoying father of mine and Tenshouin-senpai, I’ll still put in the effort for you.

Mhm. “I’m the one asking you questions,” hm?

That’s right, but please don’t forget that we’ll always be on your side.

Huh? “That’s why I didn’t want you to get too involved this time around,” hm?

I don’t really understand, but in any case, we should just talk about the Antique Market for the time being, right?

I thought it’d be me who’d be acting strangely, so it worries me that you’re the one acting like this instead.

First, I’m sure you know this already, but I’ll summarize what it was. The Antique Market was an event held the other day in the outdoor space near ES .

To be more precise, it seems like some parts of the ES building were opened to the public, and you could go in to look at merchandise sales or theatrical performances.

I haven’t been there myself, so I don’t know too much.

The basic foundation for the Antique Market was selling antiques, as its name suggested.

Apparently, a certain industry leader has disappeared, and a vast amount of his inheritance — or something like that — seems to have circulated around in the market.

I don’t think his death has been confirmed, but perhaps the inheritance was taken as collateral for a debt?

Aren’t those circumstances something you’re more familiar with than me? You’re kind of like that industry leader, being a Producer.

It’s the same type of job, and in the same kind of place too, so I expected that you would have heard more about it.

Mm. Is that so? I’ll omit the circumstances around that, then.

How should I say it... I don’t really know much about the leader who seems to be known as GFK, so I can’t say much about that matter in the first place.

Anyway, as the name suggests, many people came to buy, sell, and preview— or rather, scope out, the antiques in the preliminary exhibition.

Thus, a variety of performances were prepared to entertain every last one of them.

For us idols, the role of “entertainer”, so to speak, is as familiar as everyday business.

Numerous units were invited to stand onstage to delight the eyes of the people with displays of all sorts of skills.

Naturally, we average idols don’t know much about antiques, so we leave the marketing and explanations all to the specialized staff instead.

But because of that, we do our best to entertain the guests to the fullest.

Well, that’s just what an idol does.

Mhm. Among those idols, Valkyrie is the one that stood out.

They didn’t just take the stage, they also assisted in the marketing for the antiques as well.

Antiques are works of art that dilettantes pursue, something that suits a unit like Valkyrie.

As a matter of fact, they seemed quite popular, and I hear they only gained more new fans from Antique Market.

If they hadn’t gotten tangled up with that strange unit Double Face, Antique Market would have certainly held many wonderful memories for Valkyrie.