Nagisa Idol Story 2

J-Proofer : Hyenahunt
E-Proofer : Skyress

Jun: G’morning~!

Hiyori: Yes, indeed! Splendidly done, Jun-kun! You've arrived on time!

Jun: Ohii-san, you're already here, huh?

Who woulda thought~? So ever since living at Starmony Dorm, even you've stopped being late for everything.

Hiyori: Goodness, Jun-kun, how terribly rude of you. No matter how free-spirited I may be, I shan't ever be late when it comes to Eden’s meetings! What terrible weather!

Nagisa: … Just before the meeting, Hiyori-kun and I had work together.

… Then we simply got picked up together, and returned to the agency right after that.

Jun: So that's how it was. Wait, so that means Ohii-san’s terrible habit of being late hasn’t been fixed just yet, huh~? There goes any admiration I had for him.

Hiyori: You ought to admire me even more, you know. In fact, you ought to admire me all the time!

Jun: Don't you always end up shopping 'til the very last minute whenever I'm not around?

By the way, I don't see Ibara anywhere. That's unusual for him… Wonder if something happened?

Ibara: Dear fellow members of Eden! My apologies for keeping you all waiting! Salute 〜☆

Nagisa: … This is when one would say speak of the devil, yes?

Ibara: Do you mean myself? If even you've been speaking of me, Your Excellency, then it is such an honour ☆

However, as a matter of fact, we can’t afford to stand around leisurely chatting away.

And this is due to the fact that we as Eden were defeated in SS, and forced to abdicate the throne of the idol industry…

Although our activities after SS may have drowned out the impressions others may have had of us from it, the upheaval in the idol industry brought about by ES's plan is without a doubt an unfavourable force against us.

... Well, everyone has a grasp on the situation, I believe?

Hiyori: Yes, yes. We were thoroughly defeated, weren't we? Thanks to that, CosPro's been working us to the bone in a most inelegant fashion! Truly the worst weather!

Jun: Yeah, Trickstar seriously handed our asses to us. I wanna go head to head with 'em and get our revenge ASAP.

Ibara: Indeed. I, too, found it rather shameful―however, let us think about it in another way.

In fact, I believe this situation may be a good opportunity for us to reconsider our course of action.

Nagisa: … Opportunity?

Ibara: Here are the documents I had prepared before arriving. May I ask you to read it?

Hiyori: What's this…?

Nagisa: … “Ran Nagisa - Elucidation Plan”

Ibara: Indeed, it is just as it says! After all, the idol industry is in the midst of extreme turmoil.

So as the leader of Eden, Your Excellency, it is crucial for you to develop a brand new stage persona!

Nagisa: … Now, hold on for a moment, Ibara.

… Didn’t you say that you would stop writing my stage character for now?

Ibara: Oh! This is nothing to that extent, Your Excellency!

All I ask of you this time is to simply experiment playing various personalities for the sake of further enhancing your charms...☆

In fact, did you not previously say that it is through sharing and trading that humanity may come ever closer to attaining perfection?

Nagisa: … That’s true. I do recall saying that.

Ibara: Indeed! After all, such a need to broaden your horizons is what currently drives you!

However, with all due respect, do allow me to say at least this much. I believe that in order to share your thoughts with a vast number of people, it would be better if you could first put yourself in their shoes.

Essentially, by acting out the roles of various different personalities, you may construct your personal image with increasing clarity, and in turn you may come ever closer to perfection.

In turn, Eden's rapid growth too shall continue to progress ☆

Nagisa: … If that's what you think, Ibara, I will give it a try.

Hiyori: Well then, why don’t you try reading this aloud? It's a magazine for ladies that Eve's photoshoot was featured in!

There's this ditzy girl over here, and I do believe immersing yourself in her character would make an interesting contradiction to your looks... ☆

Jun: Ohii-san, your sense of humour sucks.

Nagisa: ...I don't completely understand, but I shall try it out, taking note of how it may contrast with myself at the same time.

"We're on a date to see the cherry blossoms bloom... Our hands intertwine, our warmth mingling, and my heart is all a-flutter!"

“If only such a lovely day could last forever and ever… "Let's come here again," I long to tell him... Oh, perhaps I will ♪”

… How was that? If by doing this I may come to understand myself, then I suppose there is value in acting these out.

Hiyori: Yes, yes. Nothing less from you, Nagisa-kun! With your outstanding acting skills, you can certainly play any role with zeal!

Now then, Jun-kun, you ought to try giving an order to Nagisa-kun, too...☆

Jun: You're really getting into it, huh~? Though considering how Nagi-senpai's a member of that theater troupe circle and all, he played that so well it was almost scary, honestly.

But alright, let's see. I guess I'd like to request you do something kinda gangster-core. How ‘bout the villain from this manga?

Nagisa: ...I wouldn't usually read this kind of book, so perhaps it can serve as a reference for me. Hmm, let's see the dialogue…

"Hey, fucking shitheads! Ya lookin' down on us or somethin'!? You've gotta be outta your damn mind to try and raid South High, 'cause you can bet that we'll send your asses packing!"

Ibara: O-oh...? How very intense. Impressive as always, Your Excellency...

Nagisa:… I'm sorry. Perhaps this is out of the question for me.

… After all, I can't understand why humans would ever fight one another—they'd only be wasting their energy.

Hiyori: Jun-kun, you certainly requested he play a role with not even a single shred of decency. Go think about what you've just done.

Jun: Is that so? I actually think it suits him pretty well… Or more like no matter what you ask of him, Nagi-senpai can pull off anything perfectly.

For me, I think he hit the perfect vibe for it, y'know?

Hiyori: Goodness. Jun-kun, you ought to start reading poetry anthologies rather than your vulgar manga books.

I would hope for your tastes and interests to grow more elegant in order to balance me, okay?

Jun: Nah, c'mon. You're the one who roped me into this, Ohii-san.

But you've got a point there, huh. Guess I did go a lil' too far messing around with Nagi-senpai.

Ibara: How was it for you, Your Excellency? Were you able to further grasp the essence of humanity by immersing yourself in other characters?

Nagisa: … I'm truly grateful that you think so much about this for my sake, Ibara.

… But in the end, I want to discover the way to do that while still being true to myself.

Ibara: Hm… Very well, then! After all, trial and error is crucial for everything! Conversely, it delights me that you gave your opinion on the matter so early on!

Nagisa: … Certainly. I’m glad you understand.

… Attempting to uncover the profound truth is like trying to do God's work itself.

… And that would be nothing short of blasphemy.

… For now, it is all I can do to seek it out.

… I shall continue to reach out for it, and believe that the paradise I look for lies just ahead of me.