Hehe. I'm happy to see that the ideals SANCTUARY was founded upon have become a reality.

An amusement park where one can simulate the gratification of being an idol⁠—

Yep. But it does feel a little exaggerated and implausible, like we're in some kind of manga.

It's completely gotten rid of all the negative or painful sides of the idol experience, like all the sweat and tears we pour into our lessons.

Yeah. When you actually take a step back and think about it, it's very surreal to be able to stand on a huge stage and perform with your favorite idol without actually putting in any effort towards achieving it yourself.

And even the concert itself can be made to look like the real deal with just the press of a button. You don't actually have to sing at all.

If you prefer, you can make it less professional and sing and dance more akin to a karaoke style.

It's an experience that can be tailored to each individual guest's personal preferences to make them feel more at ease.

And with every attraction, you're met with a big reaction on your collier's social media platform.

Yep, your follower count explodes, and there's tons of conversation about the things you did.

It's not that you just enjoy the rides and then you're done; you also get to see all these reactions pile up about them. It's really nice.

All it takes to get lots of praise is immersing yourself into your favorite attraction.

And if you're good at it, or if you're lucky, you'll get an even better reaction than usual and unlock rare responses.

All these faceless people are following you. And so maybe you'll want to go on a ride again and again just to get those rare responses.

It's something you could even brag about on real social media.

Additionally, you can save all of this information on the account you opened, and the next time you come to the park, you can choose to continue the idol lifestyle you already began.

Yeah, you can come back a bunch of times to build up your account's idol power (?), and that way you can unlock a bunch of special events and productions and stuff.

It's kinda structured like an online game? A mobile game? Something like that.

It's the same kind of rush as gambling, so you get addicted to it⁠♪

Tehe. When you say it like that, it sounds suspicious, or even dangerous...⁠♪

Amusement parks are all about the pleasure, after all.

The more fun you have, the less pain and suffering you go through. Wouldn't it be better if the happy times were able to go on forever?

There was a bit of controversy and complication surrounding this point, though. We were wondering if we should only depict the bright sides of being an idol.

Or if those who visit SANCTUARY might misunderstand what it truly means to be an idol.

Yeah, and? Are we supposed to show them how hard we have it too?

Amusement parks are like toys. You're supposed to be happy when you're playing with them.

It's weird to think you could learn something about the world from a toy. And it's arrogant of us to think we could teach them.

Obviously it'd be nice if we could tell them about those things in a more casual setting. Something like giving them a prize or candy for learning more about it.

But if you make that your goal, you're probably way off track. That'd just take away from the whole point of an amusement park, wouldn't it?

That's true. Hibiki-sama and Eichi-sama were of the same opinion.

You didn't make a comment on it though, Yuzuru.

That's because my opinions are always the same as yours, Young Master⁠♪

You really should follow your own heart sometimes... But in this case, I do think your opinion was just like mine.

Yes. And currently, we are developing a solution to the issue of not depicting any downsides to being an idol.

So in essence, it's okay to just have fun and be happy.

Oh, right. You just reminded me⁠—

There's even a special area for people who actually like the dark side of the entertainment industry, like all the painful and bitter stuff that stirs up gossip.

Yes. There is an area isolated from the bright and fun atmosphere of SANCTUARY—one known as the Dark Side.

If you go through special procedures and enter the park from a side entrance, it seems as though you can lead a rather unpleasant life as an idol.

Although I seriously can't figure out why you'd ever wanna put yourself through a terrible experience like that.

Hehe, it's the same as wanting to enjoy a haunted house or a particularly extreme roller coaster.

Many people take pleasure in the thrill of simulated, inauthentic fear and despair.

I can't really relate to that.

I'm sure you can't. However, there is still a need for such things. There is a large population of people who can only find pleasure, satisfaction, and happiness from an experience like that.

It is for that reason that people continue to smoke and drink even though such things have been irrefutably proven to be unhealthy for them.

I guess... It'd be nice if the world was just filled with beautiful things that made people happy, but that's unrealistic.

.........

Oh! Sorry. We were totally leaving you guys out of the conversation.

No, it's alright. I really am impressed with fine. You guys are always thinking about such difficult—no, such impressive things.

We're always completely invested in what's right in front of us.

Yep. We're strong and powerful, so we have the luxury of being able to think about difficult things for the sake of everyone who's fighting tooth and nail to survive right now.

These are things that aren't necessary for survival.

But despite that, someone has to think about them. Someone has to bring those thoughts to life and then project them onto the world so that everything will get better for everyone.

I'm trying my best to do that right now.