mandytl | romantic comedy - ( dilemma of love, chapter 2 )

Location: Light Music Club Classroom

Rei: Hmm. In any case, I had my information network investigate this matter briefly. Puppy's guess was right on the mark.

Rei: It seems the ones trying to disclose the scandal surrounding Kaoru-kun are officials from that magazine.

Rei: There was that case back then, which led to the magazine in question to be on the receiving end of some fairly serious retribution.

Rei: The article that just surfaced with all its underlying salt and bitterness seems a form of retaliation, so to speak.

Rei: It's thanks to that incident that they've lost public credibility, so this is a revenge attempt.

Rei: Though this strange article carrying such harmful rumors isn't quite connected to Yumenosaki Academy...

Rei: Hence why it's none too effective to repeat the same sort of incident in haste.

Rei: Still, mad men are dead to reason and won't cease until the pain and the injury bestowed upon them are paid back in full.

Rei: It's a chain of hatred, essentially, and the reason why war will never disappear from this world.

Adonis: .... that said. It's clear we're under fire, but we also can't just lay down and take this without fighting back. Still, figuring out how to retaliate is difficult.

Adonis: Suffering in silence never solves anything, sadly. The ones attacking us will get overconfident and simply try to hurt us over and over.

Adonis: Until one of us disappears from the surface, that is. History's proven time and time again that the chain of hatred Sakuma-senpai's talking about is nigh unbreakable, after all...

Adonis: That is why I'm so frustrated and restless.

Adonis: What are we going to do? How could this happen.... ?

Rei: .... you needn't grieve, Adonis-kun. Even now, mankind is undergoing the process of evolution. All I meant is that living in an ideal way is harder than one expects.

Kaoru: Uhm, I'm sorry. Really. So don't make a face like that, Adonis-kun.

Kaoru: I'm the only one involved in the scandal. If worse comes to worst, I'll just withdraw from UNDEAD and --

Koga: ... I'm not havin' that.

Koga: I didn't wanna say this, but we ain't "UNDEAD" without you.

Kaoru: Doggie....

Koga: Call me doggie again and I'll kill ya. -- ... is the kinda joke I wanna crack right now, but I can't stand you actin' like this is really the end!

Koga: There ain't anyway you can fix all this?

Rei: Yes. In fact, this can all be solved.

Koga: For real?! Hahah, you really are the best Sakuma-senp... ya damn vampire~!

Koga: Oh, yeah! You could have every freakin' one of those idiots cut to pieces if ya wanted, couldn't you?!

Rei: There will be no slaughter. Were there any lives to be lost over this, the scars leftover would be everlasting.

Rei: This time I sensed the coming danger and took the appropriate steps.

Rei: Much like Tenshouin-kun would, I braced myself so that a nightmarish event like the one that occurred on Halloween would never occur again.

Rei: I branched out here and there, constantly on the lookout with what I'd arranged to crush any budding catastrophe in the making.

Rei: It worked well enough, and now the article before us will be covered up before it can be listed.

Rei: Though naturally, there are no absolutes in this world.

Rei: Someone took this photo with the intent to spread it across the net and wreck havoc, irrespective of the consequences. No matter the era, it's difficult to prevent fools from committing such atrocities.

Rei: ..... well, what we ought to do in such a case is defiantly hold our heads high. A wonder lasts but nine days, after all. The world won't change no matter how much they riot.

Rei: If a large organization or company did something similar, dealing with the judgment and fallout head-on would be for the best.

Rei: Luckily Tenshouin-kun is our ally. He's quite formidable when it comes employing the Machiavellian tactics that I asked of him, you see.

Rei: Though, if we were truly the ones at fault here, he would simply discard us.

Rei: This is quite the delicate case, after all. A love affair revealed... -- to be tried for falling in love is just nonsense.

Kaoru: R-Really? What a relief! Leave it to Sakuma-san. There's never been a moment where I've ever been more glad to have you on my side!

Kaoru: Ahh, man. I felt totally dead for a moment there~ ♪

Rei: ... and? What're you smiling for?

Kaoru: Eh? Eh? What's wrong, Sakuma-san? Why the scary face.... ?

Rei: Kaoru-kun. I've told you time and time again to not get carried away with your womanizing ways, haven't I?

Rei: You see, I wasn't saying any of that out of spite.

Rei: Like this time, I felt uneasy about the fact that you were liable to bring about our end.

Rei: If this were a decade ago, things would be different. This age where "romance is forbidden for idols" will surely be recorded and labeled as anachronic.

Rei: This is a good time to consider why such gossip was overlooked in the past.

Kaoru: .........

Rei: Especially in your case, Kaoru-kun. You sell yourself by always tempting your female fans with feelings of love.

Rei: That in itself isn't a sin. It's simply business... in other words, that's what flavor of idol you are.

Rei: However. What do you think the ladies who've fallen for you will feel once they have a glance at a report that says you're involved in an affair?

Rei: After whispering all sorts of sweet nothings in their ears, a someone they're not even familiar with is proclaiming that they consider it to be "true love".

Rei: They'll undergo the shock of a broken heart and scorn you for betraying them.

Rei: Never again will they believe a single word of love that you utter while on stage.

Kaoru: .........

Rei: From that moment on, no longer would you be a charming idol that lavishes others in love... you'd be nothing but a two-faced imposter.

Rei: The idol known as Hakaze Kaoru would lose confidence, change routes for the better, and at worst undergo the hardships of unemployment.

Rei: I'm not reprimanding solely for the fact that you might cause trouble for UNDEAD.

Rei: I'm worried about your future. Your life.

Rei: I was able to prevent them from approaching you this time¹, but I won't always be so successful.

Rei: I'm no Almighty God, after all... and so, Kaoru-kun, I'd like for you to feel even just a little regretful.

Rei: I understand well that being able to fraternize with the women you love brings you great joy.

Rei: There's nothing evil or sinful about that, and I won't deny you without hearing what you have to say.

Rei: Nevertheless, I'd like you to be more careful in the future.

Rei: If you're going to carry on with the task of being an idol, eventually you'll be confronted by this problem. Soul-search. Deliberate. And then reign in the future you desire through your own efforts.

Rei: I won't tell you to be good. We're no longer just children who wish for presents on Christmas.

Rei: But as an individual and an adult, the time to consider your own future has come.... Kaoru-kun.
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¹ Rei's using a phrase here that basically means he's "defending him at the coastline", like this is a rough battle and they're in the midst of a war. It's typically used in tandem with military situations.