Chapter Text
<Congratulations, Tenma Mitsuru! You’ve been selected for…>
Immediately after reading the first sentence of the email, Mitsuru dashed down the hall toward Nagisa’s dorm room and rapidly knocked, shouting, “Nagisa-senpai, Nagisa-senpai, NAGISA-SENPAI~!”
Soft footfalls neared the door before it opened, and Nagisa’s frown brightened into a confused smile at his energetic visitor. “…Tenma-kun, you received the email as well?”
“Yup, yup! They invited us back to BOGIE TIME!” The superstar waved the phone in Nagisa’s face with a jittery hand. “I can’t wait to see who our opponents are!”
“…Did you completely read the email?”
“Nope! I just saw that we were gonna play again!”
Nagisa chuckled. “…They listed our opponents if you scroll further down.”
Mitsuru proudly hit his chest with his fist. “Thanks for the heads-up, Nagisa-senpai! Now I know not read it!”
“…?”
“Why’d ya gimme that look!? Y’know, so now I won’t get spoiled on our opponents! When I see them there, I’m gonna be like ‘WOAHHH’, yanno~?”
Nagisa’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “…Of course. I understand now… We have a week to prepare until then. Let us do our best, Tenma-kun.”
“Yeah! We’re gonna show the world that we’re the brightest idols around ☆”
“…Tenma-shi, is everything alright?” Saegusa yawned as he fixed up his formal spring-summer attire. “I really wish I could be as energetic as you sometimes…”
“Mm?” Mitsuru brightly grinned at his roommate, who shielded his eyes. “Yeah! Everything is better than alright! Team God got selected for BOGIE TIME! And it’s today!”
“I’m well aware…”
“HUH!? How did you know!?”
Saegusa raised an eyebrow. “In the BOGIE TIME email I received—”
“WAIT, WAIT~!” Mitsuru whined, “I wasn’t supposed to find out who my opponents were yet… Now I know you and Hajime-chan are gonna be coming back too! Wait, is Hajime-chan coming back too…? WAIT, don’t answer that!”
A groan came from a nearby bed, where Midori sat up, glaring at his roommates. “Isn’t it a little early to be this loud!?”
Mitsuru dashed over to his bed and tossed his croissant plush at the green hero’s head. “Why’re you still asleep, Midori-chan~? It’s time to get UP UP UP!!! RYUSEI Green should be up early to help the people!”
Midori used his giant carrot plush to cover his eyes. “So bright… Well, I guess Morisawa-senpai would be banging on our door in a few minutes anyway, if not Tetora-kun…”
Aoba stopped sipping his coffee. “Isn’t it nice to have someone that cares about you so much though?” He put a hand on his chest and fondly sighed in reminiscence. “Sometimes Natsume-kun breaks into the NEW DI office, and he grabs me by the collar and drags me out to get some fresh air ♪”
Saegusa shook his head. “Really now, Your Majesty. You shouldn’t let yourself be manhandled so easily by the likes of Natsume-kun. If you’re interested in knowing all his weaknesses, from the battles Natsume-kun and I have had, I’ve been able to compile a list of—”
A series of rapid knocks suddenly rattled the dorm door.
Midori sighed. “What did I say…?”
“MORNING~!” Mitsuru shouted, waving frantically to the other idols approaching the station. He reached for Nagisa’s hand so they could wave in sync.
Hajime ran ahead of Saegusa to give his fellow unit member a big hug. “Always one step of us, Mitsuru-kun. Let’s do our best today ♪”
“You’ll definitely do better this time, Hajime-chan!”
“Hey! Hope you… ugh… don’t forget about us!” Mao slowly trudged over to the embracing rabbits, carrying a huge sleeping weight on his back. “Can’t wait to face off against the champions of the last BOGIE TIME event ♪”
“Maa~kun~” Ritsu tutted, burrowing his head further into the crook of Mao’s neck. “I know you’re used to coming out on top with Trickstar, but if we’re being honest, someone like me from Knights is way more reliable. Luck isn’t gonna get us through everything…”
“What do you mean by that!?”
Mitsuru looked Mao and Ritsu up and down and all around. “Jii… So, you guys are gonna be my opponents, huh~?”
“Huh?” Ritsu tilted his head in confusion.
“He didn’t fully read the email so he would be surprised to see who the other contestants are,” Saegusa clarified. “He has no idea who the last two here are going to be.”
“Hmph, doesn’t look like there’s any serious competition here~” an unfamiliar voice interrupted.
The six idols turned to the two approaching kids. One was a spunky looking boy sporting white spiky hair with black streaks, and the other was a reserved kid with longer white hair and glasses.
“There’s no need for rude interruptions,” the quieter one commented.
Saegusa stepped forward and nodded toward each child as he spoke. “You’re Taki Ibuki, correct? And you’re Natsu Kanna; the two of us have already met. It’s a pleasure to be working together with a couple of 4piece’s graduates! I salute ☆”
While Kanna uneasily nodded at Saegusa, Ibuki instead had a bewildered frown. “What a weirdo…”
A strangled sound came from the back of Saegusa’s throat, his smile slightly more strained while his right eye twitched, and he was led away by an apologetic Hajime.
“Hello, children!” Sagami greeted from the raised platform of the variety show venue. “Stayin’ out of trouble, I hope. We’re gonna help running the show this time around!”
The floor was striped in bold white, yellow, and blue streaks, overlapped by opaque stars. The glossiness of the floor reflected the almost overwhelmingly bright overhead lights, and it was so large that Mitsuru could feel the itch in his legs urging him to dash. Among the different stages and activities lining the walls of the venue, there was a colorful seating area for audiences and a large screen to display whatever the showrunners wanted.
Kunugi sighed. “As unprofessional as ever.” The strict teacher offered a polite smile to the idols. “Welcome, contestants. I am sure you are all already aware that you have been called here for the variety show BOGIE TIME, previously participated in by Eden and Ra*bits.” Kunugi nodded toward the previous contestants, ignoring Mitsuru waving at him.
“Since Ran, Tenma, Saegusa, and Shino all already participated,” Sagami chimed in, “they’re gonna stay in the teams they were in last time, as per audience request! Too bad Sacchan isn’t gonna be here again…”
Kunugi rolled his eyes. “Regardless, the four other participants will be sorted into pairs right now! The two pairs will be… Isara Mao and Taki Ibuki, and Sakuma Ritsu and Natsu Kanna.”
“What!?” Ritsu desperately latched onto Mao’s shoulder. “Maa~kun… don’t leave me…”
“C’mon,” Mao teased. “You’ve been getting a lot better at talking to new people. You’re going to be just fine. Besides, it’s not like we’ll be that far apart ♪”
“I guess so…” The vampire loosened his grip on his childhood friend. “Just remember to blow kisses to me at least once every five minutes.”
“…I’m not doing that.”
“Ibanyan, we can do it this time!” Hajime gently pumped his fists, prompting Mitsuru and Nagisa to mimic the action.
Saegusa sighed. “As long as I don’t have to dress up for a date again…”
Kunugi cleared his throat. “Allow me to explain the rules. As BOGIE TIME is a variety show, all the typical activities such as interviews and fun will be performed. Given the intensity of the BOGIE TIME challenges, only five will be set out for you. One challenge will be set out per day, in which you will all compete for points. For each round, first place will be awarded ten points, second place will earn seven, third place, five, fourth place, three, and last place will receive zero.”
Ritsu lazily raised a limp hand. “Hey, hey~ I got a question… There are four teams here, but you just listed five places… What’s the deal with that?”
“Excellent question, Ristu-kun. For each round, a guest pair of idols will join in order to add some variety to each competition. If everyone plays their cards right, this will allow you all to avoid last place. However, any teams that land in a place lower than the guest team will for the rest of the day be forced to follow whatever order that pair of idols thinks of. And if the guests land in first place, they will gain a special prize as well, which may or not benefit the contestants.”
Mao and Hajime gulped.
“No need to worry, kids,” Sagami absent-mindedly reassured. “You’ll still be alive by the end.”
Kunugi shot a glare at the other teacher before aggressively clearing his throat. “I assure you all that we will not be forcing you to do anything too humiliating. After all, the purpose of BOGIE TIME is to create an environment for both idols and their fans to enjoy. Scrutinous fans would be disappointed if they could tell that the idols they love do not have their heart in the show.”
Ibuki fist bumped himself. “Bring it on, then~!”
Ritsu sighed. “Maa~kun~ If I win the whole shebang, can you propose to me as a reward?”
“No. Do that yourself,” Mao sighed.
“…So, you’ll say yes if I do?”
DAY ONE
“HELLO, EVERYONE!!! MAMA IS HERE!!!” Mikejima’s booming laugh echoed throughout the venue.
“H-Hello…” Mayoi mumbled, hesitantly peering out from behind the taller man.
“Mayo-chan-senpai!” Mitsuru jumped at Mayoi to give him a big hug, but the clover of ALKALOID immediately wilted in a crumpled heap on the floor. Mitsuru ended up landing in Mikejima’s arms instead, giggling as he was swung around. “Mike-chan-senpai!”
“As you can see here,” Kunugi stated, completely unfazed by Mikejima running around and picking everyone up, “the first duo you two will have to face off against is Mikejima-kun and Ayase-kun. They will be competing against you all in the cover song competition. And we have another guest…” An excited smile grew on his face before he seemed to correct himself. “Everyone, give a warm welcome to Hidaka Seiya!”
Hidaka came out from backstage, waving to an imaginary audience. “Hello, everyone! I’ve found time in my tight schedule to be here for the first two days of BOGIE TIME! I hope you’re watching this too, Hocchan! Hello~!”
Sagami raised his hands toward the large screen above him and Kunugi. “All of you get to choose from these three songs: ‘Melty♡Kitchen’, ‘Finder Girl’, and ‘Or the Beautiful Golden Drop’! If you choose a song from your own unit, there’ll be a score deduction, so take that into account when considering the best song to perform!”
Nagisa leaned down to Mitsuru’s level, his eyes trained on Mikejima chasing after Ibuki. “…Tenma-kun, do you wish to choose ‘Melty♡Kitchen?’ It is a Ra*bits song, so you may find it easier to perform… and I am sure your performance will make up for the score deduction.”
Mitsuru frowned as he considered the three options. “But Nagisa-senpai wouldn’t be as good at that song, yanno~? Besides, I kinda wanna try to be cooler!” His head started to hurt from how much he was thinking. “Mm~ I know how to do ‘Or the Beautiful Golden Drop’! Does that sound good, Nagisa-senpai?”
Nagisa smiled. “…I trust your judgement, Tenma-kun.”
Mitsuru’s face flushed with pride. “I-I won’t let us down!”
First up, as the losers of the last show, were Saegusa and Hajime, who performed “Finder Girl”. While Hajime looked like he was having the time of his life, Mitsuru noticed that Saegusa’s left eye twitched whenever he had a solo line.
After the short duet, Sagami lifted a small whiteboard with an eight on it. “Your voices happen to work well together, and I’m impressed you two were able to avoid stumbling on the lyrics. But I think Saegusa needs to smile a bit more ♪”
“T-Thanks… I watch Akehosh— uh, Trickstar a lot, so I’ve listened to Finder Girl enough to know it,” Hajime shyly admitted.
Saegusa proudly saluted Sagami. “I will keep your advice in mind, Sagami-shi!”
Kunugi raised his own board, displaying a nine. “I do not see your seriousness as a considerable issue, but I do believe your voice could have been better adjusted to the song. Perhaps you should take a few notes from Shino-kun.”
Seiya gave an eight. “I have similar thoughts!”
“W-Wah, me!?” Hajime stumbled over his words as the corners of his mouth threatened to turn upwards in response to the compliments.
Kunugi nodded. “Take pride in your own ability, Shino-kun.”
The next two idols to perform were Mao and Ibuki, who named themselves “Team Guitar”. Mitsuru’s wide eyes were mesmerized by Ibuki’s flashy moves, but he had to admit it made “Or the Beautiful Golden Drop” feel a bit more like “FIST OF SOUL”.
“A six from all three of yous~?” Ibuki scoffed. “Why do people around here hate fun, huh~?”
Mao facepalmed.
Third up was Mikejima and Mayoi performing “Melty♡Kitchen”, one of Mitsuru’s favorite songs. Mitsuru noticed before that Mayoi usually didn’t take the spotlight in ALKALOID’s Lives, but when it was only him and Mikejima, his fluid movements easily stole the spotlight. Mitsuru’s leg bounced as he fought the urge to jump on stage to see if he could match Mayoi’s pace, but then he suddenly felt a large hand on his.
Nagisa gripped Mitsuru’s hand gently. “…I just want to make sure you do not run up on stage.”
“Hehe… You know me so well, Nagisa-senpai ♪”
Kunugi and Hidaka gave a seven while Sagami gave an eight.
Fourth was Ritsu and Kanna performing “Finder Girl” under the name “Team Night”. Ritsu was much more active than usual on the stage, focusing his camera lens on Mao for the final pose. “How was that, Maa~kun? I’ve watched that MV more times than I can count.”
Kunugi sighed. “Only focusing on one audience member during a performance is not exactly standard for an idol, but I suppose your vocals were extremely in tune with the song. Seven.”
“I was a bit worried about you, Natsu…” Hidaka smiled. “But your expressions showed that you had a great understanding of the emotion in the song! Eight!”
Sagami nodded, giving an eight as well.
A faint light sparked in Kanna’s dull eyes. “Thank you very much.”
“Are you ready, Nagisa-senpai?” Mitsuru grinned at his partner.
“…Just say the word.” Nagisa confidently smiled back. “…I have no doubt that we will win.”
In between each idol pair going on stage, Team God quietly sang “Or the Beautiful Golden Drop” together, making sure that they would be well in sync by the time it was their turn. Mitsuru was confident that they had it in the bag! Nagisa detailed a simple explanation of the choreography, making them the only ones other than Ritsu, Mayoi, and Team Snakey to implement fitting dynamic movement into their performance.
All three judges gave a nine on their performance.
“I’m kinda upset that we got first, Nagisa-senpai… It was funny seeing Ibuki-chan and Mao-nii-chan get dressed up in cutesy clothing!” Mitsuru hopped into the temporary bed that Grandpa and Grandma let him sleep in last time he lived at their house.
“…Fufu. For someone in Ra*bits, I am sure something of that nature would make you feel at home.”
“Mhm~ I get ya! Anywho~ Grandma and Grandpa said we’re going out for dinner in ten minutes! Let’s go!”
DAY TWO
Team God: 10 points
Team Snakey: 7 points
Team Night: 5 points
Team Guitar: 0 points
“Ossu~!” Tetora bowed down to everyone. “I’m looking forward to working with you all!” He uneasily eyed Ibuki, who seemed very excited by his presence.
Hinata cartwheeled out from backstage and launched himself into the air, firmly landing next to Tetora. “Looks like we’re gonna be your next opponents ♪ I salute ☆”
“You…” Saegusa tiredly sighed, hand hovering over his face as if he was fighting the urge to rub the space between his eyebrows.
Kunugi pointed at the large overhead screen, which suddenly displayed a one-hour timer. “All of you will be expected to cook a dish in the next hour, which will be presented to us three judges. The set will be finished in twenty minutes, so brainstorm with your partner on what to make and become familiar with your new environment. Best wishes, everyone.”
“…What should we make, Tenma-kun?” Nagisa turned his eyes from the overhead screen to his teammate.
Mitsuru’s cheeks puffed up as he pondered his teammate’s words. “Mm~ Ah, I got it! Remember the bread shop on Seven… uh… Sea… uh Seasoning Avenue that we go to?”
“…On Season Avenue? …Yes, I recall. Did you have a specific idea in mind?”
Mitsuru bounced on his heels. “Let’s make some chocolate melon pan!”
“…Oh.” Nagisa’s eyes quickly scanned the ingredients being brought in by the hurried staff. “…I believe that should be possible, although the premade dough may change the flavor… I trust your judgement, Tenma-kun.”
“…Have you ever made bread like this?” Nagisa opened the fridge and pulled out a couple more items.
Mitsuru shook his head, making sure the oven was set correctly. “I always made my bread from scratch! It’s been a while though~ With all the work I’ve been getting recently, the last time I was in the kitchen for long was on 4piece, so I’ve been forced buy most of my bread…”
And then, a piercing screech penetrated the otherwise quiet set.
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?”
The fire alarm started ringing.
Team God whipped around to look at Tetora and Hinata’s station, where Tetora was running around with a gigantic flame bursting from the pan while Hinata was screaming and running after him.
“HINATA-KUN, HINATA-KUN!? WHAT DO I DO!?”
“STOP RUNNING, FOR ONE! TWO, REMEMBER WHAT SHIINA-SENPAI TAUGHT US!?”
“UH, I, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?” Tetora tripped, and the charred pieces of whatever food was supposed to be in there flew out and landed on the floor. Tetora fell to the floor with a loud crash, and behind him, Hinata slipped on a scrap of food and landed on top of him.
Ritsu glanced over from where he and Kanna were cooking and loudly commented, “I don’t think any of us have to worry about getting last place with these two around.”
Hajime and Saegusa presented a simple spicy curry with one of Cinnamon Café’s specialty teas, earning them two nines and a ten.
“It appears ‘Niki’s Kitchen’ really did pay off!” Saegusa boasted. “And your tea was perfect, Jimenyan.”
“T-Thank you, Ibanyan!”
Ibuki and Mao showed off an impressive sushi dish, so large that the three judges were unable to finish what was on the plate. They earned two eights and a nine.
“Yup~ This is the food I got to try in America~!” Ibuki picked up the plate and went around to the other idols. “Feel free to take some home for yerselves~”
Mitsuru’s eyes sparkled, and he subtly tugged at Nagisa’s shoulder, whose eyes seemed to reflect the exact same sentiment.
Tetora and Hinata… had nothing.
“How about I sweeten up the mood a bit?” Hinata tossed out a candy to each of the judges.
Tetora clutched his head in despair. “Aniki’s gonna kill me for this…”
“Not kiiiill you, but he’ll probably ban you from the kitchen forever ♪”
“U~miu~ Maybe I can cook something for him when we get back to earn his forgiveness…”
Ritsu and Kanna presented miso soup, which only got them three sevens.
“Look, I’m not the best at cooking, okay!? Mikalin makes some of my meals for me… I enjoy cooking, but I guess I’ve been getting a bit lazy…”
Kanna nodded robotically. “Cooking is time-inefficient in terms of a good work ethic, although it seems honing this skill can be practical…”
Jin’s eyes lit up. “Mm… this chocolate melon pan is more appetizing than it first looked! Eight.”
Kunugi inspected the insides. “Even though you used premade dough, you managed to create a delectable flavor… I’m impressed with your resourcefulness. Nine.”
Hidaka enthusiastically hummed as he ate. “I have to give a nine as well! What an excellent send-off for me! Congratulations on second place, you two!”
Nagisa’s eyes narrowed. “…You are very lucky, Ibara.”
“What’s wrong, Your Excellency?” Saegusa mocked. “Not used to being outclassed, are you? Even His Excellency won’t stand in our way! Attack! Invade! Conquer! Ahahaha ☆”
“Good job, Team God!” Hajime applauded. “You were so close to beating us; let’s keep it close so the audience has lots of fun guessing who the winner is ♪”
Mitsuru pulled Team Snakey into a group hug. “Awww, you’re right!”
“J-Jimenyan! Stop being so nice to them!”
Mitsuru rested his chin on the small pillow stack he made on his bed. “Nagisa-senpai…”
“…Hm?”
“Why are you letting me take the lead so much? Last time, you did a lot more of the thinking…”
Nagisa looked up from his book. “…Tenma-kun. You said you wanted to take more of a lead during the next BOGIE TIME so that you weren’t relying on me, correct?”
“S-So, you’re just going along with me because you feel like you need to…?”
“…Of course not. I say that I trust your judgement because I do. Even if you do not see it, you are bursting with genius. You did not settle for the easy song that would have assured us a decent score, and it only took you a few seconds to select a dish that was simple, representative of our tastes, and something we would both know… I hope to properly aid you in realizing those ideas to their greatest potential. I am positive you will become a superstar as you dreamed, and I hope to shine more like you one day ♪”
Mitsuru buried his heated face in his pillows. “T-Thank you, Nagisa-senpai. You’re super cool too!”