“To put it more bluntly,” Macaron continued, “it’s because we had complaints about your adult fans sneaking into nursery schools and old folks homes to see you, ron!”
“That time at the nursery school when a grown man in short pants and a kid backpack wanted a handshake was pretty creepy...” Shiina said.
“Don’t be afraid! Most of your audience today will be people like that, ron!”
“Er, do you mean grown men in short pants and kid backpacks?” Eiko asked.
“Only in the most extreme cases, ron. Your normal adult fans will be much easier to get along with,” Macaron assured them. “I mean it! They’re just here to cheer on some under-the-radar talent. They’re a nice bunch of people, ron.”
“R-Really?”
“...I mean that they genuinely admire your work as idols! You need to treasure those people, ron!”
“Okay!”
“Good. See, look at that!” Macaron turned on the CRT screen installed backstage, where there was already a long queue snaking around the Music Theater to see Task Force ABC.
The main age range seemed to be late teens to mid-thirties, though there were quite a few in their 40s, as well. They were equipped with the special T-shirts and glow sticks the park sold, and were carrying tote bags with the girls’ faces printed on them. They were fully decked out and flushed with excitement.
“You can see they’re very different from the guests I usually pull in! But that’s a good thing! I want you to do your best to entertain them! Sing, dance, show your belly buttons and shake your moneymakers! Service is the name of the game! Got it? Got it? Got it, ron?!”
“Y-Yes, sir!” The three answered energetically.
“Okay! Then, one more time! Ezekiel, chapter 25, verse 17, ron! ‘The path of the righteous man is beset...’ Okay!”
“Back to that in the end, huh?” Shiina slumped over.
That was when Kanie Seiya arrived. “How’s everything going?” he wanted to know. As usual, he was in his blue acting manager’s uniform. He seemed surprisingly relaxed, even though they were about to have a big show.
“Kanie-san,” the three girls greeted him, straightening up in unison. It was a slightly over-the-top reaction to a boy in his second year of high school.
Meanwhile, Macaron gave a polite nod to Seiya, although his attitude was its usual haughty one. “What is it, Seiya-kun? We’re all nervous before our final rehearsal, ron. If you’ve come here to nitpick at us, I’d prefer you to save it until after, ron.”
“Actually, I just came to check in,” Seiya told them. “How are you all doing?”
“Perfect, ron. We’ve got five songs in total, and the choreography and everything is in the bag.”
“I see. That’s good to hear.” Seiya cleared his throat, looking from Eiko to Biino to Shiina. It wasn’t his usual scrutinizing gaze; he actually looked pretty relaxed. “Ahem. Ah... I know it’s a strange thing to ask, but...”
“...?” The girls waited.
“Are you sure you’re all right with this?” Seiya finally asked. “We kind of railroaded you into it, and you three... it’s not like you signed up to be entertainers. Giving a performance like this tonight could be the start of a lot of trouble for you...”
“Huh?” Macaron scowled. It wasn’t just him—all three of the girls were shocked by what they’d just heard, too. After everything that had happened, Seiya was the last person they’d expect to say something like that.
“There are going to be some real weirdos out there,” Seiya admitted. “Maybe even some stalker types. If you want, we could cancel it and gradually scale back your appearances...”
“Hey, now...” Macaron protested. He wanted to say, After all you’ve put us through?
But before he could, Chujo Shiina spoke up. “Pafter allyou thrut us boo?!” She stumbled over her words.
“Huh?” Seiya blinked in confusion.
“Yafter pall you thut us do?!” Shiina tried again.
“I can’t understand you.”
“You can do it, Shiina-chan,” Biino said encouragingly.
“Nice and slow, nice and slow!” Eiko agreed.
“S-Sorry...” Shiina’s face turned red. She took in a deep breath, and said timidly, “Um... after all you put us froo?!” She almost managed it.
Macaron, Eiko, and Biino gave her a round of applause.
“Th-Thankoo mery vuch... um, ahem.” Shiina straightened up and rubbed her chest. “...B-But I mean it, we’re... we’re working really hard! Of course, I wasn’t comfortable at first, but... now I like seeing our guests smile, and I like helping the park to do good business! So... so... it’s very discouraging to hear you say things like that!”
“Ron?” Even Macaron was surprised by her words. The three had been working very hard lately, it was true—but this was still just a temporary gig, and he’d assumed they were treating it as such.
“I’ll put my all into Task Force ABC!” Shiina declared. “I want to sell 100,000 CDs! I want to do a sold-out show at the Budokan! I want to tell a huge crowd of people, ‘Please come to AmaBri!’” There were tears in her eyes. Shiina, who had been so reluctant to sing that day in April when Moffle had pushed her into it, was now dead serious.
A mentor of Macaron’s had once told him, “Boy, keep this in mind: The stage has a way of growing a person up, ron.” Macaron recalled those words now, and nodded quietly to himself.
Seiya, meanwhile, just looked perplexed. “Are you serious?”
“Ah, well... I know we probably won’t sell 100,000 CDs or perform at the Budokan... but that really is the way I’m feeling, I guess. Right? Don’t you feel that way, Eiko-san, Biino-san?” Shiina looked at them for backup. Macaron assumed Eiko and Biino would react hesitantly and skirt the question, but his assumption was off the mark.
“I feel the same way that Shiina-san does,” Biino announced.
“So do I,” Eiko agreed enthusiastically. “Let’s do it!”
Each girl made her declaration and balled her hands into fists. Their gazes were determined.
“I see. Give it your best, then.” Seiya’s reaction, too, was unexpected. Normally, he’d say something like You underestimate what it takes to be an entertainer! or Don’t think determination and desperation alone will get you far! But instead, all he’d said was, “give it your best.” The comment wasn’t dismissive, exactly, but something about it felt wrong, coming out of the Seiya that Macaron had known.
There was nothing... greasy about it, you might say. It had none of the sweaty earnestness, none of the seething desperation that he’d felt from Seiya in the past. Is he tired? the sheep mascot wondered. Yes, that must be it. But even so, it was a strange way to behave...
“Macaron,” Seiya said, “what is it?”
“Ron? Ah, nothing...”