Sailing Ceremony – Prologue
Season: ES 2nd Year, Summer (July)
Three days after the Four Sky Kings’ live show. While having a sneak peek of the idol-oriented Mega Sphere…
Ahahaha! ☆ What is this!? It’s miiindblowi~ng!
How’s it floating in the air!? A total mystery! So sci-fi!
Don’t mess about too much, Akehoshi. This is still technically part of our work.
We’re in Mega Sphere, where the new program “Mega Stream” will be held. We were invited to have a look around the place in advance. What if you fool around so much that you end up getting lost?
That’s when you come pick me up at the lost child center, Hokke~!
Why would there be a lost child center in Mega Sphere? This isn’t a department store.
Where’s your enthusiasm, jeez~! Anywho, how about we go to the bow of the ship? I just gotta know what’s over there~♪
…Good grief. You’re the same as always even high up in the sky.
You do realize an iron mass is floating in the air, right? What if you fall off?
I don’t think that could actually happen, Hidaka-kun~ Plus, seeing an airship this massive is totally going to light up a young boy’s heart!
Look over here, Ukki~! Come to the bow! The view is amazing!
Whoaa, you’re right…!
Now close your eyes…♪ (Holds Makoto from behind)
I’m flying…! (Spreads his arms wide open)
What is this, the Titanic?
Woahwoah, you guys are playing with fire! What if you fall off the ship!? You know we’re high up in the sky, right!?
Ahaha, there’s a thick glass wall, so it’s fiiine! ☆
Yeah, yeah! It’s such a shame that I couldn’t get to feel the wind blowing…!
C’mon, Sally~, c’mon over! Don’t worry! It’s fine to lean against the glass~♪
Quit it! You’ll make my heart stop!
Sigh… You seriously left that sense of fear somewhere, man~ I mean, you jumped off a helicopter onto ES building’s rooftop before.1
You’re so reckless that I’m terrified you’ll get yourself seriously injured one day, y’know?
Exactly. If you get injured by something stupid, you won’t be able to participate in the Mega Stream.
Sally~’s fine, but I don’t wanna be told that by Hokke~, m’kaaay~ You called Mega Sphere an “iron mass” of all things.
Anyway, this, uh, “Mega Phone”? Does anyone know how to use it?
If memory serves me right, that’s the device that works even in higher altitudes where the signal’s bad, right? As I understand it, it’s like a rental smartphone specialized for use in Mega Sphere.
On the other hand, we can’t use our own smartphones here, so that’s inconvenient.
Since we had to travel up here by helicopter, I downloaded a few manga beforehand, but… Phone calls and text messaging seem like a dud.
Although, that being said… “Mega Phone” and “Sphere Ring”, huh…
I can barely comprehend what those mean, and it doesn’t really feel real to me.
Like, what the heck do they mean by “Transform”? This isn’t some sentai show.
I bet Chi~chan-senpai’d be happy about that, though.
Ahh, I was wondering what it was vaguely reminding me of… Right, sentais and transformations are Morisawa-senpai’s exclusive specialties, yeah?
In reality, it’s just stage production to look like a transformation. Based on what I saw in the Four Sky Kings’ live show, it doesn’t seem like anything changed about their physical ability.2
Well, yeah. That’s why those aspects aren’t as much of a surprise as Mega Sphere itself, or like, I feel as though they’re easier to accept.
Fufu. Mega Phone feels like a cutting-edge type of smartphone, so it’s pretty easy to understand.
I’m interested in nerdy gadget stuff, so I’m just itching to try it out.
It might be fun to try disassembling it, too. If I can discover some sort of security hole, I might be able to get hold of top-secret info~♪
Is it just me, or is that “young boy’s heart” going outta control now?
Well, either way, I don’t get the sense that the general practices we do will work here. The new program doesn’t seem to be about singing and dancing as idols typically would, either.
I hope it’s at least something that extends back to our idol jobs, though.
I don’t think we’re going to fight a monster villain out of nowhere, but… What on earth will they make us do here…?
“—Welcome, my friends! Are you enjoying yourselves in Mega Sphere?”
“You don’t get to see something like this in your daily life, so I’m sure you’re all awestruck by the Nice view from above!”
Mmh, a video started playing on the Mega Phone…?
I guess this Mega Phone also serves as a tool to relay us info?
Let’s all be a little more quiet, you two. It sounds like NiceP’s gonna talk about something important.
“—Right. It’s time for the main topic.”
“To all my friends gathered here with me. Starting today, I’ll have you all live-stream.”
“Mega Sphere has just taken off for departure, and we will not be returning back to the ground for a month.”
“That is what ‘Mega Stream’ is about: the program that will stream everything there is to do with idols. This is our brand new challenge to face.”
“Mega Sphere has all kinds of establishments set up, split into five areas: Residential, Entertainment, Business, Sports, Stage.”
“Although, it’s still under development, so only the Residential and Stage areas are complete.”
“To begin, I’ve assigned rooms by unit, so please do use it as you please.”
“Nobody told you you’d be staying over? Fufu, I can tell what you’re saying even if I can’t hear any of you.”
“This shouldn’t come as a surprise, really. After all, Mega Stream has already begun.”
“My friends, for the duration of a month, you will be living together in Mega Sphere!”
“Every single event that occurs here will be recorded and streamed to the whole world—”
“That is the ultimate reality show known as ‘Mega Stream’…☆”
So we’re confined to this place for a month…!?
EHHHHHHHHH…!?
What about all our work starting tomorrow!?
Translation Notes
- ↑ Referring to EP:Link; Subaru’s CG even shows it.
- ↑ Referring to the prequel story of Mega Sphere arc, Metamorphose, which showed how the Four Sky Kings were formed.