The Legend of KAGETSU | Prologue
Prologue 1
ES’s second year of establishment, Spring. Early May. In front of RhyLin agency [^]
… Hm? There used to be a poster promoting a drama in the hallway outside the offices, but it’s been changed out for a poster of Rumbling Heaven and Earth R.[^] I didn’t notice.
(I wasn’t sure what would happen after being entrusted with Rumbling Heaven and Earth and meeting the Three Sages…)[^]
(But as a result, we succeeded in making the show back into a hit again, spreading it even to an audience that wasn’t interested in history, while managing to not dismiss the wishes of the Three Sages.)
It must’ve become a real big hit if they made a poster like this for it… Seeing it here is pretty moving.
Hm?
What the? The office is terribly noisy.
Ahh. Congratulations, Hasumi-kun.
Sakuma? You came in to the office too?
Actually, what’s with that greeting? It’s more appropriate to say something like “Good afternoon” or “Thank you for your hard work”. It’s too early for you to be getting senile.
You haven’t found out about the news yet?
AKATSUKI was awarded the Diamond Arrow Rookie of the Year Award, you know.
You were nominated, no? Your achievements with Rumbling Heaven and Earth R[^] seemed to be appraised on a grand scale.
Apparently, this is the first time the agency has won the Diamond Arrow Award. RhyLin has been long-established, but up until now, none of its rookies have done anything flashy enough to warrant the award.
It’s an incredible accomplishment for rookies, and everyone in the agency is absolutely thrilled about it.
… So that’s what the noise is about.
You aren’t happy? The Diamond Arrow Award is a considerably prestigious one.
No, of course I’m glad. Kiryu and Kanzaki would be too— Especially if it’s the achievements of Rumbling Heaven and Earth R.
You say that, but it doesn’t look as if you’re glad.
The Hasumi-kun I know may put on a cool composure, but he also tends to wear his heart on his sleeve, surprisingly earnest and honest. He’s the kind of guy who dances flamenco when a salsa rhythm comes on.
I regret to inform you that Hasumi-kun isn’t me.
What? That’s boring. If you don’t come up with more witty comebacks to fire back at me, it’s going to get real dull, you know.
Go do that kind of thing with Hibiki. If it’s him, he'd blend dances from all around the world and improvise a wild, exuberant dance.
But when Hibiki-kun goes all out, it’s too miraculous. There’s no way to get an edge in, competing with him.
At any rate. What on earth is going on with you, truly? Is there something that’s bothering you?
...
If there’s something that’s worrying you, you can always speak to me about it. We’re fellows in the same agency, after all.
Besides, haven’t AKATSUKI’s efforts been doing quite remarkably lately? Something like that one saying, “energy that could take down birds in flight”[^] — It makes me quite proud as a friend.
Don’t give me such weird flattery. AKATSUKI’s on thin ice right now.
Thin ice, you say?
Yes. AKATSUKI’s recent efforts have certainly been on an irresistible winning streak. Thinking about the time when things were stalling out, this probably seems like absolutely remarkable efforts.
But, that’s a farce.
From where I’m looking at it, the results we’re getting are far more overblown than our actual activities. You’ve got to be at least a little aware of this too, right, Sakuma? This trend in the agency?
Hmhm. So that’s what was with the long face.
I did sense that there was some fishy behavior here and there in the agency. Well, not so much sense, as I was moreso concerned it could happen.
The agency intends to carry AKATSUKI over their shoulders like a mikoshi.[^]
AKATSUKI’s activities are being reported on with grandiosity, they’re joyfully celebrating us, just about everything and anything we’re doing is being over-exaggerated, all to mark AKATSUKI as idols that are on the rise.
I believe that’s exactly how they intend to make AKATSUKI into overnight sensations.
Prologue 2
This is a guess of mine, but our agency is long-established. As such, the only people who take the lead within it are big names in the industry. Until now, that’s probably been fine.
That said. I think somewhere along the way, somehow, the matter of succession came up in meetings amongst the higher-ups.
Until now, those people in the agency had been fine only thinking about themselves, but…
For the sake of keeping the agency going in the future, they’ve started to take the matter of succession into serious consideration because they have to. That’s what I suspect.
Hahah… I see.
RhyLin has a large amount of big names who are long-established.
That’s exactly why it became extremely clear to them that it’s going to be difficult to replicate other agencies’ practice of bringing in the generational cycling of new blood to replace the old in a place like RhyLin.
Right. I imagine that’s why they’re moving to pick a successor so hastily like they are now.
And everything that’s been happening here lately makes sense if it was AKATSUKI that was chosen out of the whole lot.
Why AKATSUKI, though…?
UNDEAD and other units should be more than enough, with all due fairness. When it comes to UNDEAD, the merit and popularity is all there.
Well, there is the reality that there are those within the agency who don’t accept the way we do our activities and musicianship, as well.
That’s right. There are plenty of stubborn people among the higher-ups of the agency. They aren’t open to the new trends that come with the times.
I suppose that’s exactly why you and Hakaze were laying the groundwork from the start, huh? You were making supporters for UNDEAD so they could be your allies.
And that would make it harder for your opposition to speak out against you publicly.
… That’s something hard to hear right now.
Indeed. That’s one reason. Good things will come your way if you pluck pebbles off the path ahead of time, after all…♪
I’m sure the reason the big names of the agency have selected AKATSUKI is because… it was convenient for them.
Yeah. AKATSUKI has been obedient and well-behaved, fundamentally.
There was a little bit of dispute over Unification by Force[^], but we got to have that chalked up as a child’s typical rebellious phase.
Besides, I imagine the success of Rumbling Heaven and Earth R was a big factor for the big names.
When it came to thinking about who should be their successors, AKATSUKI was massively convenient for them.
Well, this sort of thing more or less happens at any kind of agency, doesn’t it?
I suppose. That’s why I can’t say I don’t understand all of their intentions.
It's not a bad thing to do, thinking about what the future might look and acting to keep the agency alive.
I’ve got no intention of going down with the ship with those senile old badgers either.
Hey, watch your mouth. You went to the trouble of building a support-base, don’t say things that’ll just destroy it. You never know who or where someone might be listening from.
Oh? Pardon my insolence ☆
Don’t pull out that cheekiness. That kind of thing isn’t cute whatsoever when it’s a grown man doing it.
Anyways. I don’t have a problem with being promoted or getting backed by the agency. I have a problem with how they’ll handle AKATSUKI.
Our unit’s image— they’ll underscore it, squeeze us into its mold, and won’t allow any deviations from it. That’s the kind of unit they want us to be.
They won’t let us try anything new. They’ll say we don’t need to keep up with the trends of the times.
Having cemented our image, they have no desire to see us grow or evolve. It’s as if we’ve been stuffed, taxidermied and put on display. There’s no soul or anything in that.
That’s a fine position to be in while it’s still trendy, but nothing stays in fashion forever. People get tired of it sooner or later.
And when that happens, I imagine that those who hoisted us up to the top wouldn’t intend to scoop us right back up.
We’ll be labeled as washed-up idols and vanish from the center stage before you know it.
I’ve seen that kind of treatment a lot in the past— people who stepped back into the shadows and vanished without a trace.
Right. And the next victim will be AKATSUKI.
Still, it's dangerous to confront the agency head-on just because you don't take to their motives. It’d be too short-sighted.
Of course I understand that. That’s exactly why I intend to make my intentions clear for AKATSUKI, as implicitly as I can, before they can ensnare us in their arms.
Hm, I see.
AKATSUKI is certainly a unit whose basic theme has been “harmony”[^], but I want to make it clear to them that we’re not idols who get trapped in the old and outdated— we’re idols who live in the present.
We still have the opportunity to do something about it, but I just can't come up with a good way to do it.
I see. Think it might be better to do a live show like DEADMANZ?[^] If the honors students go instant-delinquent, it’ll shock just about everyone.
Absolutely not. They’ve been keeping a close eye on AKATSUKI’s activities lately. Whenever it starts to look like I’m straying from the path laid out for us, there’s been more and more interference.
Even if I were to arrange a DEADMANZ Live, it would be squashed in seconds.
Now, if I were to do that, the single best way would be to slip under the radar of the higher ups’ while still helping the audience understand AKATSUKI’s changes, though…
Then for that, it might be fruitful to do something like make major rearrangements of your live songs.
Maybe AKATSUKI should learn how to do at least one rap after all…? I heard that rapping sutra chants has become trendy lately.
You’re definitely swerving off course too much now.
Anyways. I said I’d give you advice, but if it's something that important, wouldn't it be better to discuss it with AKATSUKI properly?
After all, I don’t surround myself with AKATSUKI— my advice is that of an outsider at the end of the day.
… That’s something hard to hear right now.
I can sort of guess the reason why you hesitate to talk to them about it, but... Your guys are just as well-matched to mine, and they don't seem all that weak, no?
…