Season: Winter

Location: SANCTUARY Amusement Park

Chapter image 1

That evening, inside SANCTUARY.

Mitsuru

Ahahahahahaha☆

So cool, so cool—this's the funnest thing ever! Like stupid as heck! Wait, I mean that in a good way!

Hajime

I agree⁠♪ All of this feels impossible, ridiculous, and most of all, fun!

Yuzuru

Hehe. I'm pleased to hear that you're enjoying the many attractions SANCTUARY has to offer.

The planning and construction of SANCTUARY were essentially left to our top-grade contractors, but there are some attractions that we in fine designed ourselves.

It's satisfying to know that people are enjoying what we have created.

Tori

Yuzuru's idea was pretty unpopular though... What was up with that, anyway? Seriously, a roller coaster that just narrowly avoids crashing into a swarm of fans?

Yuzuru

A situation such as that one is far from impossible, so I must always be prepared for it. I am still your guardian, Young Master.

Tori

I know you're crummy at creative work in general, but I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be treating our fans like they're zombies or some other kind of threat...

Mitsuru

It was crazy fun for me though! If I was runnin' around in a big crowd as fast as I could it'd cause an accident, but since it's just an amusement park it's A-OK!

Hajime

Tehe. You can't run around because of your Order, so I'm sure you're so happy because you got to finally get a taste of speed... Mitsuru-kun⁠♪

Mitsuru

Yup!

Wait a sec, did I just go against my Order?

Hajime

Umm? It's not like you were dashing with your own two feet, so I think it's okay?

But I haven't seen what your actual Order is, so I can't say for sure.

Mitsuru

Ngh... Hmm? So if I'm ridin' in something, it's fine! That's my final answer! No point in second-guessin' myself, so I'll just do what's easiest for me!

Hajime

Haha. It's important to be able to do that. I'm always worrying about the smallest things, so I'm jealous of your cheerfulness and positivity, Mitsuru-kun.

Mitsuru

I'll inject some positivity into you then⁠☆

Hajime

Gyah? Mitsuru-kun, you're in a really good mood?!

Tori

Ahaha, that's good though. That excitement is what we're looking for.

This is an amusement park! It's bad manners to look so down in the dumps here⁠♪

Hajime

Right! But really, there's no reason to be sad here. Everything is so much fun⁠♪

Tori

Right, right⁠♪ When I first heard about SANCTUARY I was actually worried about it, thinking it was gonna be a total disaster.

But it was made by the best of the best, so it ended up being a park you can really enjoy yourself at.

Yuzuru

Yes. All of the attractions at SANCTUARY are exaggerated versions of real events that could happen in an idol's life.

Tori

That's the entire concept of SANCTUARY, after all. It's designed to make people think being an idol is cool and fun.

Yuzuru

Correct. As soon as you enter the park, you're treated as if you've just made your debut as an idol, and from thereon you are treated to various experiences related to that.

Tori

There's lots of more "hands-on" attractions here than your traditional amusement park.

You can play games like you're on a variety show, or see all the cute animals at the zoo or aquarium like you're getting interviewed.

Or even ride a roller coaster through the worlds of gothic horror or period dramas as if you were acting in a movie.

Mitsuru

We had tons of fun with all the dinos and robots and aliens too!

Hajime

Yes, and then we got to perform with someone who looked like Akehoshi-senpai. It was as if we were starring in a movie with him...⁠♪

Chapter image 2
Hajime

But who was that person? He really looked like Akehoshi-senpai, but it couldn't have been him, right? Was he just a body double?

Yuzuru

Mhm. The cast members working at SANCTUARY are split between real people and artificial intelligence.

Some aspects of the park also utilize a system called SSVRS to create virtual images. We have a partnership with those in the field.

Hajime

W-What do you mean by that? Who are they?

Yuzuru

There are many people involved, so it's somewhat complicated.

It is quite difficult to build an amusement park of this scale without outside help, even for Eichi-sama and the Tenshouin Conglomerate⁠—

Therefore, we have partnered with many businesses and foundations, most of them being foreign companies.

Tori

Because of that, Eichi-sama kept getting frustrated that everything wasn't going exactly how he wanted.

But you can't just ignore what the sponsors want, so...

Yuzuru

That's just idle gossip, though. Eichi-sama tends to revel in both opinions and criticisms from others.

He's far from being a dictator.

Tori

Yeah, like when he set up ES. He didn't keep all the power to himself; he spread it out across all of the agencies. He said that diversity is important.

Yuzuru

He did indeed. So, if either of you gentlemen of Ra*bits are dissatisfied with your experience at SANCTUARY, please let us know.

Your feedback is valuable for this experiment, or rather, this dry run.

Hajime

We will! But really, I have no complaints right now. I'm having so much fun.

Maybe it's because I'm poor, but I haven't had any experience with this kind of thing before.

All of the rides here really feel like they belong in an amusement park, but they're also themed around idols, so it's really unique and interesting!

Nn, I can't really explain it... Sorry.

Tori

Don't worry about it. You got your feelings across loud and clear.

Like when you're reviewing food or something, it's not always the best option to explain things logically and eloquently.

TranslationCiel
Translation Checkremi, Ren
Quality Checkhoneyspades, Simon