Cards — Prologue

[gyaxa]

Season: Autumn

 

(Within a recollection, or perhaps a dream)

???: (Just how many times have I watched the sun rise and set since departing from my hometown? For how many days have I walked on and on like this?)
 

(There are so many people here, and buildings I can't see the top of no matter how high I look. The vehicles roar as they rush onward. It's as bizarre as all the stories I've heard—no, even more bizarre than them.)
 

So this is the "city"...
 

I must track "that person" down and bring him back home as soon as possible.
 

(…? I've been seeing that poster everywhere for a while now… I wonder if there's some sort of notice on them.)
 

(Um… "The Idol Festival "SS" will be held this year"— Idol?)
 

(Huh?! A strange sound suddenly came from the sky…?!)
 

(No, that's not it. It seems that the pole I'm leaning against is fashioned with a device that plays music…?)
 

(I suppose I can't help getting confused, though, with all these noises and things I've never seen before surrounding me.)
 

(Ah, it's as if I've wandered into some unknown world—)
 

 

(One October evening)
 

Hiiro: …Nngh. Where am I…? 
 

In one of Yumenosaki's classrooms? Wasn't I just in the middle of the city…?
 

Ya~wn…

(Ah, I see. I must've been dreaming.)
 

(No wonder the evening sun seems so bright. Just when did I fall asleep?)
 

(After I finished my club activies, I noticed I had forgotten the textbook I needed for my homework, and came back to the classroom to collect it—)
 

(And what's with this book? Why's it on my desk…?)
 

Tomoya: Huh, funny seeing you here, Amagi. What're ya doing here so late?
  

Hiiro: Mashiro-kun.
 

Tomoya: That's a sleepy face, alright~ Didya fall asleep on your desk?

I do that sometimes too. My arms always go numb from cushioning my head.
 

Hiiro: Fufu, I don't think I'm feeling anything of the sort right now. I'm am a little disoriented from just waking up, though.
 

Tomoya: Hm? Is that my book on your desk, Amagi?
 

Thank God~ so I did leave it in the classroom ♪︎
 

Hiiro: The cover says "Alice in Wonderland".
 

Tomoya: That's right. There's a live we Ra*bits wanna participate in called "Wonderland".
 

It's themed around "Alice in Wonderland", and multiple units are participating, so it's a pretty large scale live.
 

You've gotta pass a screening in order to participate…
 

Before the screening even starts, we have to fill out an application and have someone recommend us.
 

So in order to prepare for that, I'm studying the original text so I can have a better grasp on Alice's world.
 

Hiiro: Ooh…
 

Tomoya: We Ra*bits have our eyes on the "White Rabbit" role, see…
 

Hiiro: Rabbit?
 

Ah, now I remember! I was reading this book before I fell asleep. 
 

There was a rabbit who pulled out a pocket watch and was rushing off in a hurry… and Alice chased after that rabbit and fell into a hole. I remember reading that far.
 

Tomoya: So just the very beginning, huh…
 

Hiiro: I apologize for taking your book without asking. It was wrong of me to start reading it without permission.
 

Tomoya: Don't sweat it. I shouldn't have left it out lying on the desk, in any case. I probably would've been curious too if I saw something left on a nearby desk.
 

Hiiro: Thank you. I can feel your kindness moving my very soul… ♪︎
 

I'm a little puzzled, though. I hadn't the slightest urge to sleep, so it's strange that I grew drowsy all of a sudden while reading that book.
 

Tomoya: Hm~m? Couldn't it be that you started dozing off while reading, and your fatigue caught up with you?
 

Didn't ALKALOID just participate in that R2, too?
 

Sometimes when a live ends, I'm too excited to notice how tired I am, but once some time passes, my fatigue starts to rear its head.
 

Hiiro: Hm, that is one possibility…
 

Tomoya: And like, you guys have been super busy since summertime.
 

You guys got shoved into a unit outta nowhere, and then played a big part in MDM. After something like that, even someone with as impressive a physique as you would definitely get worn out.
 

Hiiro: Hmm… Well, I've been simultaneously taking part in idol activities while also going to school. I can't deny that these days have been extremely hectic and stimulating.
 

Nevertheless, everyone is working just as hard as I am, if not more.
 

In all truth, I haven't gone out of my way to learn new things, or sought out lives like you have.
 

I think the fact that you can devote yourself to studying so diligently in hopes of participating in a live is what makes you such an impressive person, Mashiro-kun.
 

Tomoya: Nah, this much is nothing special. I'm Ra*bits' leader, after all. I've gotta handle at least this much.
 

Damn, I gotta think about who to get a recommendation from once I get home. It'll help me iron out the details on the papers I gotta fill out…
 

Hiiro: You sure have a lot of work to do.
 

Tomoya: Yeah, having to do this much is pretty tough. But how much work I put in now might determine whether or not Ra*bits can participate in that live.
 

So in that sense, I can't say it's tough at all.
 

I'm putting my all into this, so I really, really hope we can participate in the Wonderland live…!
 

Hiiro: Fufu, I'm sure everything will work out for you guys. I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines…♪︎

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