Rocket Start ~star gazer~ Chapter 2

[nebulancer]

Hokuto: Speaking of which, it's only those who don't belong to a "unit" or are doing solo activities who are able to stand on the [Golden Star Cup]'s stage.

Due to that reason, others who are distinguished weren't chosen.

Subaru: Ah~, Gami-san also said he'd entered a "unit" or something, I think.

But if that's the case, why wasn't Natsume picked? Going by that logic, he'd be the best of the best among the first years, right?

He's the only one in this generation to belong to the "Five Oddballs", after all.

Hokuto: Aah, that also piqued my interest so I went to ask the teacher... But apparently he had other business to do, thus declining the offer to perform.

As such, it's come around to be your turn and mine.

Subaru: Huh, what kinda business could it be? Once he became one of the "Five Oddballs" he's gotten pretty busy hasn't he~? Flying around back and forth, here and there.

Maybe, after being fawned upon by those amazing geniuses a year above us, he might think nothing of us in the same grade.

Even though I talked so much to him when we entered the school, though!

I'm so lonely~! Hidaka-kun better be my partner, okay? Let's be friends forever, okay☆

Hokuto: When were we even friends to begin with? It's a solitary fight to become an idol, so friends and such shouldn't be necessary.

Well, not that the "unit" system's been set in place, it feels that's been rendered moot.

But, I guess... Due to my club president being one of the "Five Oddballs", he's been hard to get along with lately.

Though we may be practicing for plays on a regular basis, his instructions to me have been more and more sloppy.

There's even a performance today, so I want to accordingly match up with my acting.

Without concern to personality, ability has to be the real deal; to that point, I wouldn't be worried, but...

I'm getting anxious. I've finally been able to stand on the stage, but I'm still lacking in experience, huh.

Once I make a huge mistake on the stage, I'll have to get a harsh scolding afterwards.

Subaru: Ah, so you're gonna do a play today? What're you gonna do? Something like a price?

Hokuto: For what role it is, that's... The theme is "Sleeping Beauty," and so in particular, a role that shakes up the cast is needed.

The club president tends to be in the role of oddly serious characters.

Though he is able to perform in any roles, in the end he's most able to display a alluring charm with a trickster-like role.

Because I have no idea as to what I'm to do, as a co-actor, I might run into some trouble.

Subaru: ...Torikkustaa?¹

Hokuto: Don't know of it? Also known as that of a major supporting one, it's a role that seems to grate upon the stage.

Requiring a higher amount of skill than a dime-a-dozen protagonist, it's an indispensable position.

Because I still lack ability, I've never performed that kind of role once.

It's my dream to one day perform as the best trickster, knocking my club president out of his boots.

Fufu. No matter when, I'm thrilled to just imagine returning from upon the stage, seeing that person who watched my performance with a confounded expression.

Well, for now, it's still a dream within a dream... is how it feels.

Subaru: Hehe, it's good to have a dream! Trickster, huh? Kind of like a Trick of the Star?

Ahaha, got a nice ring to it~♪

Hokuto: Ah, the spelling's different. Not Star but rather, Ster... Wait, but you wouldn't know from saying as such.²

Anyways. There'll be the Theater Club's play, but after that is a themed Dreamfes of that famous "unit"... Our [Golden Star Cup] is treated as the opening performance.

Though the tickets had been sold separately, the customers could pass some time before that widely-discussed performance~... or so that's how it seems, so that more of the audience could arrive.

For the time being, it's been empty.

Though there'll still be a little less than an hour before the live begins, that won't matter.

Even so, it's much too desolate. I'm getting worried that they've gotten the time and date mixed up.

Well, whether or not there are guests yet when we begin the live, I'll do what I have to, performing solemnly.

Subaru: Eh~, it'll be lonely without any audience members~! Singing and dancing along is basically karaoke, then. It's the idols who let the audience have fun, right?

Hey, hey, why don't we go and drag some guests to come over?

Hokuto: We don't have time enough for that, speaking honestly. Don't do something on the spur of the moment right before a live, Akehoshi.

Due to our forming the group so suddenly, we'd be best to repeat our rehearsal and match up our breathing, before our real performance.

Because I'd been given this job, I want to make it the best it can be. Let's work hard to make the [Golden Star Cup] a good live.

Subaru: Of course! I like lives~, but it's been a while since I matched steps with someone else, so I dunno if I'll be able to pull it off well♪

It's kinda late to be asking this, though... Is it just me and Hidaka-kun on the [Golden Star Cup]'s stage?

Each class' representatives are participating right? So shouldn't the guys from B Class be showing up too?

Hokuto: Hm. That had caught my attention as well. They may skip out on it, as, like always, Yumenosaki Academy's student body lacks motivation.

Though, recently it seems the situation's been given a tailwind and is beginning to change.

Well, anyways. To assume the worst of this situation, we'd best prepare ourselves enough so that we can pull off the live even with the two of us.

It's only for this that we'll be together, but I'm looking forward to working with you... Akehoshi.

Subaru: Yup! Let's get along, Prince~♪

Hokuto: I told you not to call me prince.

¹-Trickstar, the unit, is written as トリックスター. Incidentally, that same spelling is used for the word "trickster", and they're pronounced the same. This first odd spelling is due to Subaru "speaking" in hiragana (とりっくすたぁ) , which is what Souma uses when he refers to Trickstar, due to being unfamiliar with it. One can assume that Subaru's confused as to the meaning as well as the word itself.

²-Another note here is that Hokuto says it's meaningless if he says that "ster" and "star" are spelled differently, because just like before, スター (sutaa) is how to pronounce both of them. You can't tell the difference of the spelling just by saying so.