*FESTIVAL GROUNDS - EDOGAWA - TOKYO*
I got complacent again and thought this contest would be a walk in the park for Kasumi.
Now a member of Liella! shows up and throws a wrench into our gears.
Great...
But! It's not like we're up against one of the original five members of Liella!, we're up against the least experienced member.
Natsumi Onitsuka, the greedy gremlin.
Compared to the experience Kasumi has, Natsumi has nothing. She's just a brat aiming higher than her class.
She thinks she's so hot, because she hides behind the other members of her group. Now she's all alone we're going to see the true Natsumi fail.
Then maybe she can go crying back to Kanon with a message telling her that she's next.
Heh, I had plans for Kasumi to be the one to take down Natsumi, since I think they're a great match. But looks like Oninattsu's confidence has brought her downfall sooner than expected!
Go for the throat, Kasumi; show her no mercy.
I want to see Liella! fall with the rest of Golden Calf!
End this takeover!
...
*CROWD CHEERS*
Incredibly cute!
That's the Kasumin everyone knows and loves!
Natsumi doesn't stand a chance flying solo against you!
...Eh?
What's with the production team on the stage? Wh-Why?!
EVEN HERE?!
Damn that Kamijou... He's making a mockery out of school idols with his high production value!
NATSUMI: "Oninattsuuuuu! This is 'Eye o Choudai'!"
*CROWD ROARS*
NATSUMI: "LIELLA!, WE WILL!"
CROWD: "WE WILL!"
Incredible...
Wh-Why am I saying that?!
Kasumi still had the better performance in my eyes! Yeah, that's it...
Even so, something seems different from their performance at Diver City.
Natsumi is only one member of Liella! who still had much to learn, but... To improve this much in such a short amount of time makes me think that there's something not quite right here.
I doubt even the greatest trainers in the business can pull off an improvement that spectacular. So...a professional idol may be at work here.
Given that it's Golden Calf we're talking about, they have a huge roster of talent, and anyone could have agreed to train Natsumi.
Gah...but it's all hypothetical. Maybe Natsumi put in a lot of hard work and now it's paying off?
Maybe she had a bad night at Diver City? Who knows?
But she's still going to lose to Kasumi.
...
*AFTER THE VOTES*
KASUMI: "Wahhhhhhh! I lost in the first round!"
AKI: "Ugh... Yeah, and not a single vote."
KASUMI: "I-I can't believe this... How could I lose to such a gremlin? I mean, her performance was great, but..." *Sob*
AKI: "Aw, Kasumi, it's all right. C-C'mon, dry your eyes. Here, I've got a towel..."
KASUMI: "Wahhh! Senpaaaiiiii!"
*SQUEEZE*
AKI: "I... I can't breathe..."
KASUMI: "Weeehhhhhh!"
*CLICK*
NATSUMI: "This is going viral! Privileged brat gets put in her place, latches onto her Producer! *Giggle* VIRAL!"
AKI: "Don't listen to her, Kasumi."
NATSUMI: *Sigh* "Looks like it's one defeat after another for you people. I almost feel bad."
KASUMI: "Eh...?"
NATSUMI: "ALMOST, but I don't. Quite frankly, you deserve it. I mean, look at how much time you've put into being a school idol, Kasumi.
Compared to the short time I've spent. Y'know, I'm an entrepreneur, and I have high standards.
Quality is measured by the amount of time which is spent on something.
But when you look at how much time you've spent as an idol, and the shoddy performance you put on...
What does that make you?"
KASUMI: "I don't know..."
NATSUMI: "MEDIOCRE! It means you're bad at this."
KASUMI: "..."
NATSUMI: "And look at the results, not a single vote in your favor. While a newcomer like me defeated you so easily."
AKI: "Because you're a newcomer, you don't know what you're talking about."
NATSUMI: "No, I do. The landslide victory is enough to make my opinion valid!"
KASUMI: "..."
NATSUMI: *Sigh* "Why are you putting so much effort into something you suck at?
You're better off finding a future husband with money and opening a bakery."
KASUMI: "You don't understand me! You don't understand how much I love this! I may not have the fancy stages and big budget, but I have way more heart than you do!"
NATSUMI: "Sometimes the things you love, they just don't love you back. But, I guess you already know that."
KASUMI: "...?!"
NATSUMI: "I don't care if you love being a school idol, it's clear that you have no talent.
You're always going to be a loser, Kasumi. Especially in the new era we're bringing in."
AKI: "New era?"
NATSUMI: "Soon, every school idol territory in Tokyo will be under our control. No other groups will stand a chance against us.
If you can't beat me at my rookie stages, what makes you think you could stand a chance against me when I become a professional?"
KASUMI: "I..."
NATSUMI: "I've got a suggestion for you, Kasumi...
Give up.
Quit and move onto your next hobby. It's much easier that way, and you'll find peace of mind doing it."
KASUMI: "..."
NATSUMI: "Well, I can't keep the fans waiting. I've got a second round with my name on it! Bye bye! Looks like Nijigasaki won't be winning any trophies. But Liella!? *Giggle* WE WILL!"
How rich of her to sing a song about not giving up, and then telling Kasumi to do that. It's just like I said before... Liella! are nothing but a bunch of fake idols.
AKI: "That brat... Don't listen to her, Kasumi!"
KASUMI: "She's right... Just look at what she did! Her performance was incredible and I'm supposed to overcome that?!"
AKI: "She had a team of professional scenographers on her side. You were the better school idol out there."
KASUMI: "Nobody else thought so..."
AKI: "Well, I wish I could've voted, but since I don't live in Edogawa, I couldn't."
KASUMI: "This whole idea was a big fat failure, just like me."
AKI: "Don't say that."
KASUMI: *Sob* "I'm never going to he a hometown idol!"
AKI: "Then what about that sign?!"
KASUMI: "Huh? What sign?"
AKI: "It says the winner of the flower-arranging contest will become a Hometown Idol, too!"
KASUMI: "Huh?! ...Wow, it does!"
AKI: "But flower arrangement's a bit hard, especially when you have to do it without practice... I've seen Shioriko even struggle with it sometimes and she's been doing it for years."
KASUMI: "There's always a chance! And I've never been the kind of girl who gives up that easily! I'm not going to let that greedy gremlin get to me!
I can guarantee that, Senpai.
And not only that..."
AKI: "Hm? What else?"
KASUMI: "...I can guarantee you'll see the moment that I become a Hometown Idol!"