by Shouji Gatou
“Mackey?”
“Yeah. I suspect he was talking to someone in the cast on social media and let it slip. It’s his way of rattling us, fumo.”
“Hmm. Very gentlemanly, that old friend of yours,” Seiya remarked.
“Stop it, fumo.” Moffle waved his paw in disgust.
“Are you coming to the meeting?”
“No, I’ll be staying here with Latifah,” Moffle decided. “But don’t worry. No matter what you decide, I’ll support you.”
“I see. I’m off, then.”
“Seiya. Don’t push yourself too hard, fumo.”
“.........Right.” Seiya left the rooftop garden. Don’t push myself too hard, huh? he thought to himself as he rode the Maple Castle elevator down. That was roughly what Latifah had told him, too... Isuzu would surely say the same thing; so would the others.
A vague image was starting to form in the back of his mind. A completely different road to be taken... one that he could enjoy, too. It might just work, he thought. Unfortunately, his reason was flatly rejecting the idea.
Just as Seiya returned to the general affairs building, he received word that Mackey had arrived.
“He’s coming by car today, he said,” Isuzu told him.
“There’s a surprise,” Seiya responded. “I thought he’d want to spook our cast with another flashy helicopter entrance...”
He went to the employee parking lot. A limo, long-bodied like a dachshund, parked there, and Mackey got out and spoke: “Haha! I wanted to bring my helicopter, but it was out for maintenance! Haha!”
“Well, that limousine is certainly flashy enough...” Seiya observed.
“Neat, huh? It’s bulletproof too, haha! It could survive a direct hit from an RPG!”
Seiya had noticed the thickness of the door when Mackey had gotten out; 30 centimeters at the least.
“Anyway, Kanie-kun!”
“Yes?”
“I can’t believe you’re making me bid against Cosmic! That’s what I call hardball! Haha!” Mackey’s demeanor was bright and cheerful, but it didn’t sound like a compliment.
“We are desperate, after all,” Seiya pointed out.
“Yeah! But I was just tryin’ to help you out, yanno! This is how you repay me? It’s almost enough to make a guy stop playing nice! Haha!”
Yeah, he’s mad. But Seiya had expected that. Mackey was likable enough, but he was also a shrewd businessman, and he certainly wasn’t on AmaBri’s side. Seiya was ready to use his magic on him at any moment.
Mackey was accompanied by two beautiful blondes; his secretary and his lawyer, apparently. One had cat ears, and the other dog ears, so they were probably residents of magical realms.
Cosmic Studios’ delegation arrived a few minutes later. It was made up of “Kurayama” and two of his subordinates. The subordinates were middle-aged men, their appearances so unremarkable as to be almost beneath notice. It occurred to Seiya that they might not really be human, but puppets controlled with magic.
“Kurayama, Cosmic Studios.” “Kurayama” held out a business card. Isuzu accepted it politely and handed him her own. She didn’t seem to have the slightest idea that he was Idina, or the former Kurisu Takaya, even though his appearance was exactly the same. Seiya was the only one who recognized him, then; he wondered what kind of spell was behind it.
Seiya hadn’t told Isuzu about “Kurayama’s” true identity, either. To say that she would disapprove of negotiations with that magician would be an understatement. She might even try to kill him on the spot, and as cathartic as that would be, they couldn’t afford to be rid of him; he might yet offer a hint as to how to cure Latifah’s curse.
And even if Seiya could convince her to hold off, knowing the evil magician was there would probably just stress her out. He could just tell her later.
“...What’s wrong, Seiya-kun?” Isuzu asked, sounding concerned.
“Well...” he hedged.
As he watched the interaction, “Kurayama’s” eyebrow quirked upwards. He must have reasoned out that Seiya hadn’t told Isuzu his true identity. “...Thank you for considering my company’s request. I hope we can build a mutually beneficial relationship,” “Kurayama” said. It might have seemed like his usual mockery, but Seiya knew that wasn’t really what it was; he was working hard to hide his displeasure at being dragged out here by Seiya.
“It’s... a pleasure, truly,” Isuzu said politely, though she still seemed a bit dissatisfied. Perhaps she could sense that something was off.
They moved to the conference room in the general affairs building. Mackey and “Kurayama” greeted each other courteously enough; Mackey made small talk (in a way that suggested a little malice), and “Kurayama” grinned and bore it. Mackey didn’t seem to realize who he was dealing with, either, at least as far as Seiya could see.
“Okay, let’s move on already! Haha! I’ve got a shoot tomorrow in California!” And with that, the meeting commenced. Digimaland’s new conditions were just a little bit more relaxed than before. The only major improvement was a guarantee that AmaBri’s most popular attractions—the top five—would remain intact. That would mean, Moffle’s House of Sweets, Macaron’s Music Theater, Tiramii’s Flower Adventure, Aquario, and Rubrum’s Training Grounds. Conversely, that meant that all the other attractions would end up closed, including the stage show that was currently gaining popularity, and the summer-only pool. A few other conditions had improved on their end, too, but most of the cast was still destined to lose their jobs. “Haha! I’ve been thinking awful hard about this! I hope you’ll make a wise decision! Haha!”
Seiya couldn’t deny the merit of it. As Mackey had said during their last meeting, Digimaland was making them an extremely powerful offer. They were capable of opening tons of attractions, swiftly, based on globally known, extremely famous IP. Any other manager of an insignificant park would jump at the offer.
“Now, our own offer.” Cosmic Studios took their turn. The conditions that “Kurayama” offered were extremely appealing. The sweetest was in regards to the three million attendance issue— Cosmic Studios had a good relationship with Amagi Development, and they claimed that if their offer was accepted, they could get the attendance requirement lowered to two million. Then, even if Amagi Development didn’t accept, Cosmic would shoulder the burden for lost profits.
In other words, for all intents and purposes, the three million attendance requirement would be relaxed to two million. Two million. Those were numbers that AmaBri, in its current state, might just be able to reach under their own efforts.
The conditions of the offer itself were much better for them than Digima’s, too— They’d get to keep almost twice the attractions, and they could guarantee jobs for at least 50% of their employees, including backstage cast. The IP being offered couldn’t reach the popularity of Digima’s, to be sure, but they did have two or three recent hits. The main issue was that the park’s name would be changed to Tokyo Cosmic Studios; not even “Kurayama” could block the company’s opinion on that. Even so...
“Haha... guess Cosmic’s pretty serious, eh?” The conditions were enough to cast some rain clouds over Mackey’s sunny disposition.
“Okay, now that both offers are on the table...” Seiya said, glancing at Isuzu. She looked despondent; understandably so.
Either deal would mean the end of AmaBri as they knew it. Even at best, they’d lose half of their coworkers, and even if they all managed to find new jobs right away, the loss would cast a pall over the mood of the park. Drinking parties at Suzuran Shopping Street? They’d never happen again.
“...I’ve prepared separate rooms for each party. If you wish to revise your conditions, feel free to go there and discuss,” Seiya said, finally. In other words, he was saying, “if you have another card to play, now’s the time.” He wouldn’t make final agreements just yet, but what conditions they brought next would determine the winner in this battle.
Mackey and “Kurayama” both looked at Seiya,
their manners somewhat strained. Seiya ignored them, feigning innocence. Both outside parties left the conference room, and after stewing for a few minutes, Isuzu spoke up: “Are you... certain about this?”
Seiya said nothing.
“There’s no way... to save everyone in the park,” Isuzu admitted. “And I don’t know what will happen to Her Highness.”
“Yeah, true,” he agreed.
“If the park does change... Lord Moffle may leave,” she went on. “As will I.”
“Same here. They’ll find an excuse to axe me off the bat.”
“But then...!” Isuzu began, then stifled herself. “Ah... forgive me. It’s not as though I have a better idea...”
“Right.”
“I’m so tired of this conference,” she sighed. “I just want to run away.”
“Same here. ......?” In that instant, somewhere in the back of Seiya’s mind, an idea arose. “What did you just say?”
“I’m tired of it.”
“Not that... wait, wait...”
“Seiya-kun?”
“Wait a minute. Let me think... hmm...” The vague idea that had been hanging in his mind began to take genuine shape. A better way of doing things. A more clever approach... Was this what people called inspiration? “Hey, Sento,” he said.
“Yes?”
“I’m hungry. Why don’t we forget those jerks and grab a bite somewhere?”
Isuzu stared in disbelief. “What are you saying?”
“Just what it sounds like,” he explained. “This isn’t fun, so let’s ditch.”
“But... we can’t, can we?”
“Hmm... I guess not. We’ll wait a little longer, then.” He fiddled with the conference room’s monitor and to put on some TV. Some pointless variety show was on; entertainers on a tiered stand were saying funny things. Seiya cleared his mind and enjoyed it.
About thirty minutes later, Mackey and “Kurayama” returned to the conference room.
“Apologies for the wait.”
“Haha! Yeah, sorry ’bout that!”
They must have really racked their brains in taking a scalpel to their conditions. neither wanted the other one to have the park.
But Seiya’s response was: “Sorry, but I’ve decided to turn you both down.”
The whole room went silent for a moment. Even Isuzu was unable to speak.
“Haha...?”
“And what... do you mean by that, exactly?” each said.
Seiya just waved a hand in annoyance, eyes locked on the variety show. “I’m turning down your proposals. I realized it was stupid, so we’re done. We’ll handle things ourselves from here on out. Go home.”
Mackey and “Kurayama” both flew into a rage, too angry at first to even speak.
“Haha...? What are you saying? You’re dead at the rate you’re going. Don’t you realize that? How can you—”
“Shut up and get out, you plague rat,” Seiya told him flatly.
“Huh?!”
“You have a shoot in California, right? So forget our lousy park.”
“...Haha! How dare you...”
“I told you to get lost.” Seiya took his eyes off the TV at last and glared straight at him. He activated his magic (we’ll spare you the details). “You don’t want your wife to know the games you’re playing with your little secretary, do you? And I don’t want to tell her. So go home.”
“Haha...” Laughing, Mackey took his leave.
Seiya then turned to “Kurayama.” “Are you still here? Leave.”
“...What exactly is your game here?” His tone was understandably guarded; his suspicion outstripped his anger.
“I’ve changed my mind,” Seiya said shortly. “And I’m sick of looking at your stupid face.”
“But you’re in such dire straits—”
“Shut up,” Seiya said, conveying his utter disgust with the process. “I’m sick to death of you. No matter what dirty tricks you try to pull, my allies and I will stop you. We’ll make it through this.”
“What are you saying?” “Kurayama” asked. “How will you possibly call in three million people—”
“—With no help? I actually have a great idea; I’m just not telling you what it is. You’re completely insignificant to me. We’re going to blast through whatever twisted game you’re playing. My team knows we can do it. Because...” Seiya took a deep breath, and then declared: “Ours is the best park in Japan.”
“......” “Kurayama” was caught off-guard by this response.
“You hear that?” Seiya demanded aggressively. “Now, tuck tail and run.”
Idina did just that.
When Seiya revealed the truth about the man who had just left, Isuzu was furious. He was their hated enemy, after all. Nevertheless, tears filled her eyes as she said, “I don’t know why, but I feel relieved...”
“Do you? I’m knee-deep in regret, myself,” he whispered with a sigh. He’d thrown away his one sure chance at keeping the park alive. He couldn’t even imagine how hard the road ahead of them would be now. “But... and I don’t know why...” Seiya said, feeling suddenly refreshed. “For some reason, I’m really enjoying myself right now.”
Soon after, Seiya got a call from Moffle. Latifah had woken up and spoken with him, he said. She had regained her memory. She was the Latifah from their date the other day.
Seiya wasn’t especially surprised to hear it. Yeah, sounds about right, was the extent of his thoughts on the matter.
× × ×
Seiya’s first act the next day was to order a broken-down Sorcerer’s Hill attraction— needless to say, it was the merry-go-round—fixed. He didn’t know all the details yet, but apparently that merry-go-round had a history; it had been imported from France in the early days of the Showa period, and it was highly coveted by obsessives. Of course, the repairs would take such a huge chunk out of their budget, that just a few days ago, he would never have considered it.
The budget manager Ashe had grumbled about it, asking him, “are you serious?”
But of course he was serious. The money was no object. That merry-go-round was important; it was the park’s soul, in a way. Luckily, Mogute chief Taramo assured them they could restore it to its original beauty in only a week.
Dr. Obiza’s inspection revealed that Latifah had made a complete recovery. In fact, there was room for debate regarding the word “complete”— at the very least, she was herself again, but her health remained poor, suggesting exhaustion.
She was still asleep in her bedroom when Seiya came to visit her. The princess, sleeping peacefully in her canopy bed, was the true picture of innocence. Seiya sat down beside her and started speaking, in a half-joking tone. “You’re so greedy.”
Latifah didn’t respond. She just breathed quietly in the rhythms of sleep, her chest moving slightly up and down.
“Making me do all this, and insisting that I enjoy myself the whole time... Still, I think maybe I can do it. And... I don’t really know, but... I’m starting to see, vaguely... no, it’s not even to that point yet...”
She didn’t respond.
“...It’s just, yesterday, I think I managed to avoid the worst choice I could have made. ...The most boring choice, I guess. If I’d made a deal with those guys... you probably know this, but you’d never have made it back.”
Again, she didn’t respond.
“I’m kind of at all ends, here,” Seiya admitted. “Things aren’t going to turn out perfectly. But... that’s why I really do need you. You’re not powerless. Don’t devalue yourself anymore. ...Hey, Latifah. You hear me?”
Of course she can’t was the assumption he’d been making—so when when she finally opened her eyes, he was so shocked he almost fell out of his seat.
“Yes, I do,” she told him.
“......?!” Seiya was shocked.
“Forgive me,” Latifah apologized. “It was not my intention to feign sleep, of course...”
“H-How much did you hear
?”
“F-Forgive me, but... everything... Beginning with the part about my greed...”
“Forget I said that,” Seiya insisted.
“I fear that I cannot. However...” She giggled. “I do not know exactly what you meant, but... have I managed to be of use to you? It seemed as if... that was what you were saying.”
“Don’t tell anyone.”
“I would not dream of it.” Latifah smiled at him. It was a perfectly gorgeous smile. “And, as for my response...”
“Yes?” He immediately regretted bringing it up. Latifah didn’t know about the conversation they’d had in the shadow world. “It’s... well...”
“Yes?” she said hesitantly.
Seiya froze up. He was terrified. Petrified. In the end, he didn’t have an answer. Despite all that had happened, when he was here in front of her like this... “Ah, never mind. Forget it.”
“...Very well.” This response of hers had a slightly different tone than the others, but Seiya couldn’t hear it.
Brilliant Report
Subject: Excerpt of Articles
To: Kanie Seiya (cc: Sento Isuzu)
From: Head of Operations Tricen
Greetings. Tricen here. I have put together a collection of interviews held between various publications and our park employees. Please look them over.
(Note: Most of these are with magical realm newspapers and trade magazines rather than mortal media.) It appears that public opinion of our park on the upswing these days. I am forced to hunch forward in delight.
× × ×
[From Mapleburg Post, one of Maple Land’s leading national newspapers]
The General’s Revenge: Is the royal ager really making a comeback?
Following a miraculous turnaround in March of this year, the royal ager Amagi Brilliant Park is on a hot streak, chu.
Amagi Brilliant Park, after selling part of its land to mortal corporation Malmart and forging an exclusive contract with the legendary Mogute Clan in April, has been rapidly executing renovations and updates to major attendance gains, chu. The growth rate is over ten times that of the past year, and many mortal world ager and animus companies are taking note of Amagi Brilliant Park’s trajectory, chu.