Unification by Force - Seamless Composure - 6

[verdantgrove]

 Location: ES Staff Canteen

Souma: Hmm. However, in truth, I am at a loss on what exactly we should do. I understand well that we are trapped in the midst of an impasse from which it is difficult to escape.

Kuro: We’ve got two ways we can escape. Either we push those veterans who are takin’ up the stage to the side and earn ourselves our own seat at the table, or we start lookin’ for other venues.

UNDEAD and Ra*bits basically went for the latter. They just gave up their seats at the table to those old folks, and now they’re runnin’ around this wide world doin’ whatever the hell they want.

Souma: Hmm… As so seems the natural course of action— or rather, the beteransu of the industry are no foe of ours, and so perhaps we should follow the same path...

Kuro: Hate to break it to ya— we can’t follow that path. I mean, if we choose to, we’d just be throwin’ our best asset to the wind.

Japanese style, tradition, and things like that… Those are our selling points.

Back when we were at Yumenosaki, there weren’t any other units doin’ what we do, so those selling points became somethin’ that made us unique— it helped us catch people’s eye.

But now we’re in RhythLin, a long established agency, and it’s not somethin’ unique to us any more. Hell, ya could throw a stone in this place and you’d be bound to hit a real kabuki actor or traditional Japanese instrumentalist.

We’ve only been active for two years at best. No way we can just cross swords with the greats like that yet. There’s way too much of an experience gap.

Souma: However, surely that does not mean that you and Hasumi-dono will simply abandon all hope, no?

Kuro: Doesn’t mean that at all. We’re not just classic traditional performers like everyone who’s come before us— we’re idols.

‘S like, we’re tryin’ to think of a way to establish ourselves in the industry without gettin’ rid of our individuality, the stuff we’re good at— 

—and the like. Hasumi’s been sayin’ that for quite some time now, and he’s been keepin’ himself busy workin’ on it. He’s made one proposal after another. But so far, nothing’s come out of any of ‘em.

Souma: Ah… It did appear to me as though he was devoting his every spare moment towards making proposals.

So that is how this situation came to be, hm? Hasumi-dono had been working himself to exhaustion, to such an extent that he would doze off while seated, all for the sake of our future as Akatsuki.

Kuro: Pretty much. I get the feelin’ that he’s just goin’ nowhere, but… I’ve never seen Hasumi look so lost— not even during the war.

Seriously, whatever he does just ends up bein’ done in vain. We never even get any responses back, and every proposal he sends out just gets rejected, rejected, rejected— 

Well, Hasumi’s got thick skin, so it’s not like all these rejections have him heartbroken or anything.

But it seems like he’s gettin’ just as stressed as you’d expect in a situation like this, seein’ as how he’s always so on edge these days.

And yesterday’s just when all that stress finally exploded out of him. ...Man, I’m sayin’ that like it’s somebody else’s problem, but really I’m the one who lit the fuse, huh.

Souma: By which you mean what exactly?

Kuro: Hasumi sent out a new proposal— called it the ace up his sleeve.

He wouldn’t even spare a second for sleep until he had finished writing it up, until it was perfect— he even went down on his knees to beg me for help, so I helped him here and there.

Souma: I was unaware of such a thing… Why is it that only I was deliberately kept excluded?

Kuro: Yeah, about that… I’m sorry. I’ll say it again— we wanted to seem like we had it all together when you were around, me and Hasumi both.

We wanted to keep that image you had of us in your mind, that image of us as your cool seniors who ya can look up to.

Souma: ...In regards to that point— I shall refrain from mentioning it now, as the matter has already been put to rest. However, it is immensely disappointing to me that you do not think of me as a valuable asset.

If you continue to do the same, it is only natural that my fondness for you shall promptly fade.

Kuro: Alright, I get it. We’re havin’ a heart-to-heart like this, so it’s like my guts are spillin’ out on the table or something… I’m not gonna look good like that, no matter how full of myself I am… I’m not gonna do anythin’ stupid like that again.

To be honest, we’re at the point where even a cat’s paw would be a good helping hand. It’d be great if ya had any nice ideas for us that’ll breathe some life back into us.

Souma: I am not a cat. Nay, if I could be at the very least the wood of Hasumi-dono’s shamisen, which he is so skilled at playing, I would be of much greater use to him than I am now, would I not?

Kuro: C’mon, don’t pout. I’m sorry we left ya out...

This is gonna sound like an excuse, but I think Hasumi and I were just so exhausted. Or maybe it’s more like we didn’t even have the time or energy to pay any mind to the people around us.

Really, it had me so shocked that I didn’t know what to say. Never would’ve thought that a proposal we’d put so much time and effort into would be rejected just like that.

We really can’t do anythin’ else about it at this point. I’ve got my head in my hands wondering what the hell to do, just like a lost kid.

Souma: While we are on the subject, of what nature was this proposal of yours?

Kuro: I’ll tell ya more later. But to put it shortly, it was a plan for a project where we would’ve put all our selling points to good use.

It’d have used traditional court music and the costumes I made as a basis, and then we would have switched it up by addin’ some more modern — some more idol-like — aspects.

Souma: Ooh, as is typical of our Akatsuki.

Kuro: Yup. But that’s not all.

We did a lot of research into the fanbases of the veterans at RhythLin and what kinda trends they go for, and took a lot of care to make sure we weren’t too similar to any of ‘em.

It’s like we took to those jam-packed stages and looked for an empty seat.

On top of that, we dressed it up with tons of new and innovative ideas that none of those stubborn old veterans could ever come up with in their lives.

Plus, we took lots of care to go about it in a way where there wouldn’t be any financial burdens on the agency if they let this plan through— only benefits.

But the agency still gave us a big no. Said that there was no point in goin’ through with this project.

Souma: But why…? Perhaps it appeared as though we would be venturing too far into uncharted territory, and thus they did not understand the depths of the project?

Kuro: Hasumi handled that pretty well. He does wanna be a manga artist, so explainin’ concepts that are kinda out there in a way anyone could understand is his specialty.

The reason they turned down our plan’s plain and simple— 

‘Cause the main feature of the project — the costumes I made — they just weren’t good enough.

“There is no chance that we’ll let you perform while wearing these disgraceful costumes— do you intend to drag the reputation of our agency through the mud?”

Well, that’s pretty much what they told us, so our proposal was trashed.

So that’s why it’s my fault. My skill didn’t hold a candle to the greats, so I’m just holdin’ you all back.

...Maybe I’m just some kind of cancerous growth bringing Akatsuki down.

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Proofread by allegiantheart and Amagiiz.