Chapter 1111 - The Fifth [Starry Paradise]
—And so, time passed, and it was the beginning of February.
"Uh, ah, yes. So, anyway, welcome to our [Zoodiac]."
"""""—!!"""""
"To the guests who have arrived, congratulations on winning the lottery, please enjoy your stay—"
"""""—!!"""""
"To my fellow Zoodiac management comrades, it's been a while. My apologies once again for the last-minute cancellation last time."
"""""—!!"""""
"...Today's dinner was tomato sauce pasta with a mountain of meatballs."
"""""—!!!"""""
"Haha, I see. Not a single one of you is listening to the content of the speech, are you?"
—...And so, it was the day of the regular holding of the starry sky event, [Starry Paradise].
Although I was now completely a 'figurehead,' I was still being held up as the group leader, and I was receiving the gaze of all the participants.
My cheeks were twitching at the speech podium where I had been forced to stand.
There were about a hundred and fifty members of the existing force, who could be called the current staff (insiders). And exactly one hundred guests. In addition, there were dozens of people who had been invited again as compensation for my absence last time. A total of nearly three hundred gazes rained down on me...
Well, that part was fine.
I wasn't the type to get scared by that level of attention anymore; I had a criminal record for laughing out loud in front of ten thousand spectators. I had already graduated from the mental level of feeling nervous in a place where more than half the people were familiar faces.
But, however.
Regarding the heat directed at me face-to-face, it seemed my resistance training was still shallow.
No, really. I—or rather, the [Acrobat], also known as [Hoshikake (Clown)]—was relatively well-received by the public, and I accepted the fact that I was, thankfully, an object of envy and support.
I had no intention of saying something as foolishly ignorant as 'Why are these people so enthusiastic when they look at me?'—which would go beyond being unconsciously annoying.
There were people who participated in a lottery with insane odds just to meet me. That was a fact.
And after winning, they came here, saw [Clown (me)], and became enthusiastic.
There were, at the very least, such people—
Facing the current reality, which felt unbelievable when I calmly looked back on a year ago, and being showered directly with high-pitched cheers, there was simply one thing I thought.
It's just plain embarrassing (save me).
In that case, there was only one choice—if I'm going to die for my position, I might as well make my escape (disappearance) flashy!!
"Ah, yes, yes, you're all very energetic, that's great! Everyone, look straight up!!"
"Recall" & [Mistlurade (Ten Caressing Strings)] activated.
The fingertips that turned everything they touched into bullets didn't flick 'bullets,' but the 'guns' themselves. In other words, what shot up high at high speed were the crimson crystal matchlock guns, [Ruby Rabbit Bullet (Ruby Bullet)] x many.
And then, yes. I pulled the trigger.
There were thirty guns that looked like they would fly all the way to the land that served as the canopy instead of the sky during the event if left alone. The shadow strings of [Nine Tail (Ninefold Shadow-Woven Gauntlet)] tied to the trigger of the one gun dancing in the center transmitted magical power along with the action—
In my 'Outer' form, I transmitted the mismatched magical power, which would be the source of an accidental discharge (explosion), to the reaction bullets inside the gun barrels.
Thus, a grand chain reaction of explosive sound and brilliance.
Exactly thirty crimson-shining fireworks brightly celebrated the opening of the festival (event), and at the same time.
"Well, that's that."
While quietly dodging the thunderous cheers, I hurriedly retreated from the stage.
◇◆◇◆
—Thus, although things hadn't exactly settled down... for now, at least, several dozen seconds after successfully escaping the center of the commotion.
The guests were making a huge fuss. The staff members, while joining in the excitement, began to take control as part of their duties.
Leaving all that bustle aside...
"It's because you keep doing things like that that your fans increase, you know?"
"No way."
"The skill poured into that one performance is, as always, beyond the ceiling..."
"It's a move I've practiced because it can be applied to combat, too."
I was immediately deepening my friendship with two friends I hadn't seen in a while.
From my perspective, they were a male-female pair whose relationship—or rather, degree of closeness—was mysteriously subtle, as always. Two craftsmen with different specialties, serving as our Zoodiac's strategist and head chef: Nonomi and Ittetsu, also known as Nono-san and Tetsu-san.
I'd been busy lately and hadn't been able to show my face at Tetsu-san's shop, so it was really the first time in a while I'd seen both of them. And since I had briefly contacted them as a friend about the fact and reason for my absence from the virtual world...
"Anyway, you really seem to be doing well. Relief, relief!"
"Yeah, I'm relieved... but well, don't overdo it."
"Thank you for your concern."
I don't know how many times I've said it, but I should return my gratitude as many times as it takes. I gratefully accepted the consideration from the two of them—and just then, a thud (impact) on my back.
"Oh. —Gufufu... you can't do that, okay? Making your little sister worry—"
"What's with the 'gufufu'?"
Even without looking back, and even without Nono-san's teasing, I knew who the culprit was.
And since the period of making up—or rather, the follow-up period—was still ongoing, I endured the urge to release my shadow strings and casually patted and stroked the small head that had suddenly popped up from my side... while I was doing that,
"—So? Are you guys going to shut yourselves in (seclude) right away?"
One after another, they raided. Following my useless little sister, who apparently has no intention of hiding anything here in Zoodiac, was the kitten-like lady who seemed to have settled in completely after participating this time as well.
In response to the question from Natsume-chan-senpai, who had walked up.
"Ah... no... well... if we suddenly shut ourselves in..."
While hesitating, I made eye contact.
The one I directed it toward was the orange-colored one. That is, our strategist and consultant, the citrus lady. Upon receiving my gaze, she blinked and put her hand to her chin in thought.
"I don't think a riot will break out, but the hurdle for making up will go up, you know? Are you okay with that? I'm fine with it because it seems like it would be interesting, though."
"I thought so..."
Being told something so obvious as if it were natural, I fell silent.
I didn't think I was taking it lightly, but I should revise my estimate after experiencing it myself—specifically, the tension and everything of the guests.
As expected, leaving people who wanted to see me that much and shutting myself in would be...
"...? Mm, anything is fine."
When I turned my gaze toward my collaborator in seclusion, she gave a single nod with her usual lethargic face.
"At worst, if it's not enough, I'll make time separately."
"...Sorry. In that case, I'll delay the public release a bit, so please do it to an extent that isn't too much."
"Yeah."
And this person was an idol.
Whether she was thinking that the thing about 'for the sake of the fans' was truly not someone else's problem was unknown, but I continued stroking Ri-na's head as she obediently accepted.
Now then, in that case—when I turned my eyes toward the indigo color that had been right next to me the whole time,
"Well then, I'll go do my duty (service). Wait for me a bit."
"Yes, yes. Take your time—"
Since she waved her hand at me, I once again.
After steadying my breathing and casually making up my mind, I ran toward the crowd.