gyaxa | Cards — The Roses and the Lost Child 4 (Reply)

Hiiro: No, that’s not what I…!

Eichi:『I know that’s not what you meant. That’s why I’m moving you to action right now so you can appease them.』

Hiiro: … What do I need to do?

Eichi:『You sure got serious fast. The fact that you’re quick at getting down to business is a big help ♪︎』

『It’s simple, really. You made them harbor bad sentiments towards you, so now you need to do the opposite. Use your upcoming work to change their opinion of you.』

『That said, the higher-ups are also kicking up a fuss. You’re going to have to amp up your workload up until SS.』

Hiiro: Work… to change their impression…

Eichi: 『Act while keeping your goals as an idol in sight. Hold your aspirations up high and seek to carry them out.』

『By repeating that process, you can keep shining like a star—that way, you won’t leave anyone uneasy or unsatisfied.』

Hiiro: I’ve been thinking since I checked your message, but the way you’re speaking right now reminds me of how you spoke to us back when our summer first began.

Eichi: 『Is that so? Well, it’s still the same old me speaking, after all.』

『—Alright, I think it’s time for you to tell me. What ALKALOID—what you should be doing right now.』

Hiiro: (He’s being a lot more clear now than he was when we spoke in the lounge… I think.)

(True to his word, he did give me a lot of hints. He shared his request with me, and the conversation unfolded in a pretty straightforward manner.)

(My remarks, taken as clueless and empty. The point Tenshouin-senpai has been trying to make during both of our conversations these past few days.)

(The actions I need to undertake to fix the impression I made, and the request he made of me…)

(As an idol… I need to hold my aspirations up high, and act of my own volition. Then see them to fruition, and produce results. Which means—)

I’m not confident I could convey it well using my own words, so I’ll borrow something you once told me.

You’re telling me to prove my worth, are you not?

So that we, who successfully carried out our roles this summer, can have ALKALOID continue to be noteworthy.

Eichi: 『That’s not a bad line of thinking ♪︎ I’m impressed at how much more perceptive you’ve grown since summertime.』

『In this shrewd business world, you have to completely devote yourself to beating down your opponents in order to survive.』

『I’m looking forward to seeing how you lead ALKALOID, Hiiro-kun…♪︎』

───

Mayoi: Huff, puff…!

Aah, Hiiro-saaan! Thank goodness, I finally found youuu!

Hiiro: Mayoi-senpai.

Mayoi: You just disappeared, and I started panicking!

I should’ve just jumped into the hedge right after you, but some other visitors showed up, and I…

I got self-conscious, and ended up being too late to follow you. Uuu, I’m sorry…

Hiiro: Please don’t apologize. I’m the one at fault.

Mayoi: Wah?! Hiiro-san, there’s a cut on your cheek…

Hiiro: Huh?

Mayoi: Something must’ve grazed you… It’s bleeding just a little bit. Does it not hurt?

Hiiro: Not one bit. Had you not said anything, I doubt I would’ve noticed at all.

I wonder if I got snagged by a rose thorn?

Mayoi: That’s probably the case… Once we get back, I’ll make sure to disinfect it so it can heal.

Hiiro: Alright, thank you.

… Hah, I’m pathetic. Not only could I not stop myself from reacting, but getting injured on top of that?

Mayoi: Speaking of which, why did you jump into the hedges out of nowhere?

You did seem to be in a bit of haze before that, but I just assumed you went back to thinking about your problem…

Hiiro: I heard some sort of noise coming from far away, so I was trying to track its presence.

I figured it was probably an animal of some kind, so when I spotted a white silhouette… I reached out to try and grab it.

In the end, it wasn’t a rabbit or anything of the sort, but a branch of white roses that was being blown along by the wind.

Mayoi: Wow, so even such a splendid set of roses can get torn and carried off by the wind…

Fufu, but even so…

Had it truly been a white rabbit, it would’ve been just like Alice’s tale, the one we were speaking of earlier.

Hiiro: The story starts with her chasing a white rabbit and falling into a hole, right?

If I saw a rabbit pulling out a pocket watch in real life, I’d probably be too shocked to even consider trying to catch it.

???: Ah, there they are!

Tatsumi: Thank goodness we could finally find you two.

Aira: Geez, don’t worry us like that. Hiro-kun wasn’t responding to any of the messages we sent him, and Mayo-san stopped responding to us in the middle of our conversation…

Wai— HUUUH?! What the hell is with that cut on your cheek?! You know idols can’t bruise their faces!

Hiiro: A-Ah, I’m sorry. For everything.

Tatsumi: Please calm down. It’s rather unfortunate that he got injured, but if we cover the cut with some makeup, it shouldn’t hinder his work.

I was quite distressed when Mayoi-san contacted us to tell us Hiiro-san had disappeared, but everything’s alright now that we found him.

Mayoi: I-I apologize. I got myself quite worked up…

Hiiro: Woah, that’s a lot of unread messages. I was so immersed in my conversation that I didn’t even notice.

Aira: Conversation? Were ya talking with someone?

Hiiro: Yeah. I received a call from Tenshouin-senpai.

Tatsumi: From Eichi-san…?

Hiiro: Um, that’s right. I’m sure it’d be better to share what happened with you all, but I’m not sure where to begin…

Aira & Mayoi: ?