Vol-13 Ch 4 – Idol Stage

Part 1

We had made steady preparations for the idol stage.

However, there was not much I could do, and I had to do what I could behind the scenes.

On the other hand, Lexia-san and the other girls have been practicing more and more, and I think they have become really great school idols.

And today was the day they were to show the results of all their practice on stage.

"I never thought they would actually finish it!"

"Was that a joke?"

I met up with Kitaraku-senpai before the show… and I was appalled when he said that out of the blue.

"No, no, I was serious! But it is true that I thought it would be very tough. But you guys really pulled it off. That's fantastic!"

"Y-yes…"

While I was happy that Lexia-san and the others seemed to have been recognized for their hard work, I also had the indescribable feeling that if I knew it was a reckless goal, I would've wanted a little more leeway.

And above all──.

"As this project progressed, I thought I had gained some understanding of senpai, but…"

"Hmm? That's nice to hear!"

He was a man who loved to have fun, and he would spare no effort to do so.

Moreover, the scale of what he wanted to do was always large, and this time, too, it was an idol stage involving Star Productions.

However, it was quite irregular for a professional entertainment production to cooperate with a school idol stage that was not planned by the production itself but by amateur students.

Of course, from my point of view, Lexia-san and the others are attractive, and I can say with confidence that they will be successful from a commercial point of view, but I don't know if that is the same from a professional point of view.

In such a situation, thanks to the efforts of Kitaraku-senpai, we were treated unbelievably well when we were provided with splendid costumes and, above all, even a song by the famous singer-songwriter Kanade Utamori.

In other words, we couldn't have asked for better support…

"I never thought the stage could be this big…"

The stage wasn't very big, but it was certainly big enough for a newcomer… and a school idol to stand on for the first time.

The stage that had been prepared was much larger than expected.

"Hahahaha…! That's because it was the memorable first stage! I couldn't have been more fired up!"

"T-that may be so, but I'm not sure if the audience will show up…"

For me, seeing how hard Lexia-san and the others have been working, I'd like to see a lot of audiences, but no one knows how this will turn out for sure.

But…

"You don't have to worry about that!"

"Eh?"

I didn't understand why the president could say that. But──.

"Well, the doors are finally opening!"

At the same time as the president's voice, a large number of the audience poured into the venue! And when I looked closely, I saw that many of them were junior high school students.

What in the world is this…?

"The project itself was originally initiated in order to increase the number of people interested in Ousei Academy. We've been working with the president of Star Productions and others, and we've been conducting promotional activities mainly at junior high schools in the area."

"I-I see."

Is that why there are so many young visitors?

I was surprised that he had thought that far ahead…

As I was surprised at the energy of Kitaraku-senpai, Lexia-san and the others came to the side of the stage where we were standing.

"T-there are so many people here…"

"Are we going to perform in front of this many people…?"

"I'm getting nervous…"

The number of people in front of them was so overwhelming that Kaede, Luna, and Merl almost lost their confidence.

"Don't worry! I've seen how hard you all have been working, and I'm sure… you'll succeed!"

This was my true intention.

It was out of my control whether or not the audience would show up, but I knew that if so many people showed up, I could be sure they would be satisfied.

Then…

"Yuuya-sama is right!"

Lexia-san stood in front of Kaede and the others and puffed out her chest.

"We've worked hard, and we'll be fine!"

"Le-Lexia, Yuti, aren't you nervous? We're going to sing and dance in front of all these people, you know?"

"I'm used to it."

Certainly, Lexia-san, being a princess, was in a position to face many people's eyes, and I wonder if she is fine with this level of situation…

If so, how about Yuti?

"Normal. I just do what I've practiced, so the audience doesn't matter."

"Y-you mean you don't care about them…?"

I-I see… It was a very Yuti-like reason.

And then, Lexia-san smiled when she heard Yuti's words.

"As Yuti said, just show what you have been practicing. You don't have to think about showing anything more than that. You've been giving it your all since you started practicing, haven't you?"

"That's…"

"The only difference is that we have fun! Because you never know what this project will be like in the future, right? This may be the last time. So, let's enjoy this situation with all our might and without regrets!"

"T-that's right…!"

"Fufu… Thanks to Lexia-san, I'm feeling much more relaxed now."

Everyone seemed to have changed from nervous expressions to lively smiles.

Kitaraku-senpai, who was watching the situation, grinned.

"Yes, yes, it's really wonderful! Don't you think this is the real thrill behind the scenes?"

"──You're absolutely right."

"Ueh! P-President-san! A cameraman?"

"Yuuya-kun, it's been a while."

I reacted to the voice I suddenly heard, and there was the president of Star Productions standing there with a cameraman.

"W-what are you doing here?"

"It's a project we're helping out with, so it's only natural that we'd be here to see it. Besides, if we get some good footage behind the scenes, we might be able to use it for another project, don't you think?"

"I-I see…"

"Sigh… But, it was a little surprising to find out that the person with whom we were working closely was you."

Then, Kitaraku-senpai, who had given the impression of being pushy until now, told us so, as if a little taken aback.

"Eh, is this the person you're in close contact with, Kitaraku-senpai?"

"Yes, that's right. If we were to suddenly get up close and personal with the girls who are going to be our school idols this time, we would make them shrivel up, wouldn't we? Then, don't you think it would be best if we could get close to them and capture them on camera at the right time?"

"T-that's…"

"Above all, I believe Kitaraku-kun has the potential to be a great idol!"

"Hahahaha! It's an honor to have the president of an entertainment agency say so! But there's still something else I want to do, so please save that talk for another time!"

"Ara, I've been rejected."

W-what can I say? Kitaraku-senpai is really amazing…

As I was thinking about this, the stage was finally set to begin.

"──Everyone, let's go!"

Everyone responded energetically to Lexia-san's final call, and they ran out onto the stage.

The girls looked more radiant than anyone else as they stood in the spotlight on stage for the first time.

The audience was captivated by the sight of the girls and was instantly drawn into the performance.

The girls captured the hearts of the audience with their singing and dancing.

"Amazing…"

One of the audience members muttered, and as if caught by the sound of their voices, more and more people began to cheer, and by the end, the entire venue was in a frenzy.

──The first idol stage was thus a success.

Part 2

While Lexia, the first princess of the Kingdom of Arcelia, is somehow singing and dancing as an 'idol' in a different world called Earth──.

"Sigh…"

Arnold, the king of the Kingdom of Arcelia and Lexia's father, was sighing heavily in his office.

Seeing this, Owen, the knight captain who had been Lexia's escort, held his head up.

"Haahh…"

"…Your Majesty."

"Haaaaah…"

"Your Majesty! Please stop sighing, for goodness sake!"

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Owen shouted so, but Arnold didn't seem to mind it and leaned on his elbow.

"Shut up. Can't you understand the trouble I'm going through?"

"It's an exaggeration to say it's trouble… It's just that Lexia-sama went to study abroad, isn't it?"

"That's the problem, isn't it?"

Arnold had been sighing earlier because he was thinking about his daughter Lexia, who was currently studying on Earth with Yuuya.

"What are you talking about? It was originally decided that Lexia-sama would study abroad, wasn't it? It's just that the place of study has changed…"

"It never occurred to me that the place she was going to study was in a different world!"

"That may be true, but…"

"Besides… living under the same roof with a man… Nugaaaaah! After all, it's no good! Bring Lexia back now, Owen!"

"There's no way I can do that!"

Arnold was going on a rampage as he said that, but Owen was trying his best to quiet him down.

"In the first place, you need Yuuya-dono's power to go to the other world, you know? The house of this Yuuya-dono is in the middle of the Great Devil's Nest… and cannot be reached so easily."

"Why is he living in such a dangerous place?"

"…Well, I wonder?"

Yuuya was given the house of the sage in the Great Devil's Nest by chance, and it was not that he had planned to live there from the beginning.

But to the two people who did not know such circumstances, they saw him as an oddity who had deliberately chosen a dangerous place to live.

"B-but, with Yuuya-dono's ability, living in that place must be no problem, right?"

"That may be so, but Lexia is different! Besides, if anything should happen between them…!"

"That would be a good thing, wouldn't it? We can establish a solid connection with Yuuya-dono."

"Nuh-uh…"

Arnold couldn't say anything back to Owen's words.

This is because Arnold also understands Yuuya's superior ability, and if such a connection between Yuuya and Lexia is established, it will be possible to welcome Yuuya's power and his blood into the royal family.

That is why, from the king's point of view, he would welcome the tie between Lexia and Yuuya.

But…

"I know that… I know that, but…! It's painful; it's painfuuulllll!"

"Sigh… it's so bothersome…"

"Did you say it's bothersome?"

"No?"

Owen lets out a sly lie.

The reason why Owen was able to be so open with the king was because he and Arnold had an old relationship, and they were the only two of them in the room.

"First of all, I don't think Yuuya-dono is the kind of person who would do such a thing."

"…That's also true."

Arnold recalled Yuuya's personality and suddenly became calm.

"But a different world… I had heard stories about it, but I never thought my daughter would go there…"

"That's right… because of the saint summoned by the Regal Kingdom, the existence of the other world itself was known, but I was surprised that Yuuya-dono was also a person from that world."

"Well, yes. However, it is also understandable. Yuuya-dono's potential is truly on par with those of the heroes and saints of history. If Yuuya-dono was not residing in this world but in another world, it might have been Yuuya-dono who was summoned in place of the Saint of the Regal Kingdom."

"Indeed…"

When Arnold spoke up to that point, his expression was somewhat serious, and Owen tilted his head.

"Your Majesty, is there something wrong?"

"No… it is good that the Saint of the Regal Kingdom and Yuuya-dono are friendly to us, but not all people from other worlds are like that. And if all the people of the other world possess power like Yuuya-dono, I wonder if we can compete with them…"

"That's…"

Owen's expression hardened as he imagined what Arnold was talking about.

Owen understands Yuuya's ability more than Arnold because he was saved by Yuuya at the Great Devil's Nest.

Owen believed that Yuuya's ability was comparable to or even better than the strongest force in this world, the Holy.

There are still countless people with such abilities in the other world, and if they were to try to invade the world Arnold and the others live in… there would no longer be any way to beat them.

"Sigh… I guess Lexia's study abroad was a godsend in terms of finding out about that…"

"T-that's true. By all means, if Lexia-sama can bring back even a little bit of information and technology from the other world… I would like her to deepen her relationship with Yuuya-dono if possible, so that she can always get help from Yuuya-dono in case something happens to her."

"That's not alloweeedddd!"

"This flow again?"

Owen was not expecting a denial, and he was a little annoyed.

"That's a different thing from this!"

"What's different about it? Isn't it good if it is Yuuya-dono? Who could be more wonderful?"

"Yes, Yuuya-dono is a wonderful man! He has solved our problems with Rhaegar and is a very humble and nice young man to talk to! …Huh, isn't that good…?"

"That's what I'm telling you…"

Once again, thinking back on Yuuya's personality, Arnold was astonished that he couldn't find anything in particular that he could deny him.

But he quickly shook his head.

"N-no, that's not good! I won't accept it! Lexia… Lexia's boyfriend… I won't admit that Lexia has a boyfriend!"

"Sight… I don't know when you'll ever be able to let go of your child."

As Arnold stormed off, Owen let out a deep sigh.

Arnold then noticed something.

"Huh! I just don't know. Could it be that Lexia and Yuuya-dono are already together?"

"No, I don't think so."

"How can you be so sure? Lexia is so cute! A man would want to go out with her!"

"It doesn't sound like that's the case with Yuuya-dono…"

"You mean to tell me that Lexia isn't cute?"

"What a hassle!"

Owen couldn't help but retort at Arnold's exasperated response.

But Arnold's outburst did not stop.

"T-that's right! Now that Lexia's not here, isn't this a rare situation when we can check whether there's a shadow of a man in her room?"

Owen couldn't believe his ears at the words that came out of Arnold's mouth.

"Huh? Yo-Your Majesty, if I may ask… Are you suggesting that we check out Lexia-sama's room?"

Arnold had already begun to move, despite the fact that Owen's cheeks tightened.

"Owen! We're heading to Lexia's room right now!"

"No, no, no, no! You can't just go to Lexia-sama's room without permission… Lexia-sama won't be happy about it!"

"Eii, shut up, shut up! If it weren't for a time like this, I wouldn't be able to check on my daughter's situation!"

"Please don't say such a pathetic thing so openly! Ah, are you really going to investigate? You're going to get in trouble for sure!"

Owen followed Arnold's lead.

"Sigh… Like this, once he decides, he'll just push forward… He's really just like Lexia-sama…"

"What did you say?"

"No, nothing… Just, are you sure you want to do this?"

"You're such a pain in the ass. When I say I'll look into it, I look into it."

"She will hate you, you know?"

"Fuggghhhh!"

Owen's words struck deep into Arnold's heart.

The reason was that Lexia's treatment of Arnold was becoming cruder and cruder these days.

If she really hated him here, Arnold was not confident that he could recover.

But…

"But… still, there are things I need to know as a parent…!"

"It's definitely not normal…"

No longer moved by what was said any longer, Arnold finally stepped into Lexia's room.

Upon entering, he found a somewhat cute atmosphere, and although nothing fancy was placed there, Lexia's tastes were evident in the little furnishings.

The room was always cleaned by the maids, and the air was clean, but there was only one thing that gave off an odd vibe.

"Wh… what is this?"

It was a painting depicting Yuuya.

Moreover, it is unusually large.

The Yuuya painted on such a large canvas was a cool and dynamic figure in armor, taking on monsters.

However, it was somewhat shoujo manga style and uselessly sparkling…

To Arnold, who was surprised at the unexpected painting, Owen clapped his hands as if remembering.

"Oh, come to think of it… Lexia-sama invited a famous painter to draw something for her before. I didn't know what she had him paint at that time… but I didn't realize the painting was of Yuuya-dono…"

In fact, when Lexia first met Yuuya, she could not forget the image of Yuuya and went to the trouble of calling in a painter and having him draw a picture of Yuuya based on her own memory.

The artist who painted the picture was a well-known artist in the Kingdom of Arcelia, but Lexia was relentless in her demands.

"It's not bad at all! Yuuya-sama is much cooler!"

"It's just not powerful enough… Can't you draw it more like this, like a zubaass, like that?"

"It's just a little bit! It's not shiny enough! Can you make it shinier?"

It is very difficult for even the most talented painter to paint according to Lexia's abstract requests without a subject.

As a result, the invited painter, who had prided himself on his solid skills, had his heart broken.

When Arnold heard Owen's words, he was stunned and muttered.

"I-I didn't know Lexia had such feelings for Yuuya-dono…"

"Well, it was a chance encounter, you know. Besides, Yuuya-dono is actually a good man."

"…What are the chances of Lexia and Yuuya-dono getting together?"

"Hmm… I can't say anything… Lexia-sama is passionate, just like Your Majesty, but Yuuya-dono is quite reserved. But I don't think we can say that there isn't a complete connection."

"I see…"

Arnold, aware of his daughter's strong feelings, staggered back to his room.

"I enjoy watching my daughter grow up… but this kind of thing is hard…"

"The happiness of the child is more important than the heart of the parent."

"That's true…"

Arnold thought of Lexia, who was studying abroad.

The Kingdom of Arcelia was peaceful today as well.

Part 3

"After all, when you think of idols, it's the photo session, isn't it!"

After the stage was over, I thought we were going to start the clean-up work, but suddenly, Kitaraku-senpai said something like that.

As I tilted my head at the unfamiliar words, he told me.

"Many people would like to take pictures with their idols, you know."

"I-I see…"

However, since this is the first time I've heard about this today, I'm wondering how Lexia-san and the others will react…

"I don't know what that photo thing is, but I think it's good, isn't it?"

"Hey, don't be so quick to accept something you don't understand."

"But they've prepared it for us, you know? Besides, it's a social event with our audience, isn't it? They came today, so we have to ensure they have a good memory of the event!"

Lexia-san's words were the deciding factor, and to my surprise, a photo session was held.

I had expected that most of the audience would be male idol-loving fans, but since the venue was mainly junior high schools, many of the audience were girls, and they enjoyed taking pictures with Lexia-san and the others.

At first, Lexia-san and the others did not seem to understand what photography was all about, but soon they understood, and they began to devise various ways to entertain their audience, posing in idol-like ways.

"U-um! Can I take a picture with you?"

"Hmm? It's okay. Come on, come closer."

"Hiyaaaahh!"

Luna gallantly pulled the girl audience's hand and held it as if to take a picture with her.

Another member of the audience took a picture with Yuti and Merl.

"Um… Can I have a photo with both of you at the same time?"

"Affirmative. No problem."

"Fufu. Then, please come between Yuti-san and me."

Kaede, on the other hand, is…

"Can I have a photo with you, please!"

"W-with me?"

"Yes!"

While being pressured by the girls, she smiled somewhat shyly and took a picture.

And Lexia-san is…

"Look, you should look more graceful!"

"L-like this?"

"Ara, that's great! Keep it up, and let's take the picture!"

For some reason, she was taking pictures while instructing the audience on how to pose.

As the photo session progressed smoothly…

"U-um…! I really enjoyed your performance earlier! So, uh…!"

It was a boy, probably a junior high school student, who seemed to be trying to tell Lexia-san and the others what he thought of the stage, but perhaps because he was nervous, his words were not quite coherent.

However, there were still others in the audience waiting in line to take pictures, so we couldn't spend much time on this boy alone.

Lexia-san and the others were seriously listening to the boy's impressions, and even I would like to let them continue the conversation, but…

"Hey! How long are you going to make me wait!"

One of the audience, who was waiting for his turn, said so impatiently.

I immediately responded and approached the irritated audience.

"Excuse me, could you please wait a little longer…?"

"A little more, you say… I'm already, kuh…"

"?"

The man was about to raise his voice for a moment, but for some reason, when he saw my face, he instantly became quiet.

I-I don't know, but let's continue for the time being.

"I am very sorry. Lexia-san and the others are taking a little time because they value their time with you all, but… your turn will be coming up shortly."

"I-I see… then, well…"

"Thank you for your understanding."

The audience pulled back his words when I said that.

I was relieved to see that he was a kind man, and I approached the boy who was expressing his passion for Lexia-san and the others.

"Excuse me. Thank you very much for enjoying the stage this time. However, we have time on our hands this time, so please come back another time."

I told the boy as gently as I could so as not to make him uncomfortable.

The boy looked surprised for a moment when he saw me but soon became apologetic.

"I-I-I'm sorry! I was so nervous, I just…"

"No, no. That means you enjoyed it so much, and we are very grateful for that. Then, in the end, let's take your picture."

"Sure! Let's take a picture."

After finishing the photo with the boy, it was the turn of the audience, who had been waiting for his turn.

"Well, that… if possible, can I have a picture with that staff, too?"

"Huh? M-me?"

I was surprised, and the audience covered his cheeks.

"I-'m glad you looked me in the eye and listened to me even though I was behaving badly like that… Is it no good?"

"N-no, it's not that I can't do it…"

The only thing is, when I was tilting my head and wondering if it was okay for me to be in the picture, for some reason, Lexia-san was nodding her head profoundly.

"I understand… I understand…! You are attracted by Yuuya-sama's kindness, and it makes you push for it, right? But I'm Yuuya-sama's number one fan!"

"What are you competing with…?"

"Defeated. I lost to Yuuya…"

"What are you talking about?"

Amidst the tsukkomi from Luna and Yuti, he ended up taking a picture with me in it as well.

Despite this little incident, everyone was able to finish the photo session with smiles on their faces.

＊＊＊

Lexia-san and the others had left earlier, and Yuuya was helping to clean up after the stage.

As Kitaraku watched the stage, he was thinking about what to do next.

"I think it's fair to say that today's stage was a great success, don't you think?"

"Right… I didn't expect such a good stage performance."

The President of Star Productions was a little excited.

Even from the point of view of the President, who watched a wide variety of entertainers on a daily basis, Lexia and the other girls looked fantastic on stage.

"If you add to that the visual appeal, the singing and dancing, and the great personality… I can't see any reason why they wouldn't sell well. At first, I wasn't sure what would happen, but if this is the case… we can take these girls in."

The company's President said this in a somewhat probing manner, to which Kitaraku laughed.

"Hahaha! You'll have to ask them about that."

"…I can't stomach that. What are your plans for the future?"

Asked this by the president, Kitaraku stared off into the distance.

"Well… first of all, we will continue to plan around those five members, but we may increase the number of members or create another idol group, and so on."

"I see. Of course, we can help you with that, can't we?"

"If you want to help us, then by all means."

"I won't allow you to come all the way out here and say goodbye."

"Hahaha, that's scary. Also, since this stage was a success, I thought we could make use of the girls for the open campus as well…"

"Come to think of it, the idea behind the project was to increase the number of students applying to Ousei Academy. Now that I think about it, I think it's pretty messed up… but I wonder if it's okay. Unlike other schools, Ousei Academy focuses more on the inside, right? If there are too many applicants suddenly, it will be a lot of work…."

"Well, I'll let the teachers do their best."

"It's so refreshing to leave everything to others. "

The next plan for the Kitaraku is to start looking at the open campus.

＊＊＊

"Phew… it's getting all late…"

I was finally on my way home after the stage was cleared out.

In the midst of all this, the image that came to my mind was that of Lexia-san and the others.

"They were all so beautiful…"

I could see Lexia-san and the others shining brightly as they danced on stage, as well as all the hard work they had put in up to this point.

People who can work hard toward a single goal were just that amazing.

"…On the other hand, I'm…"

Lexia-san and the others had come to study abroad in order to bring back as much of this world's technology and culture to the Kingdom of Arcelia.

Even Kaede was working hard in club activities as well as practicing for this idol stage.

Everyone was living their lives with some kind of goal in mind.

But I don't have any goals at the moment.

Since I went to the other world, I had experienced many things, but I hadn't thought about what I want to do in the future.

"What's going to happen to me in the future…?"

I involuntarily look up at the sky in vague anxiety about the future.

As I was walking around thinking about that──.

"Eh?"

Suddenly, the sky turned red.

It was not the color of a sunset or anything like that, but literally, the sky turned bright red.

"What happened?"

Moreover, the sky was not the only thing that had changed.

The surrounding buildings were the same as usual, but for some reason, there was no sign of life in the area.

While I was puzzled by this mysterious phenomenon, a voice called out to me from behind.

"──I found you."

"Eh?"

I turned around in a hurry toward the voice and was absolutely stunned.

Because there I found──.

"I'm going to defeat you."

──The me who I was before the level-up, was standing there.