VS★GOURMET – Flood of Customers (Chapter 8–12)
Chapter Index
Ch 8 - Ch 9 - Ch 10 - Ch 11 - Ch 12 - Translation Notes
Chapter 8
Season: Spring (2nd year of ES’s Establishment)
Several minutes later. At Chiaki and Mitsuru’s restaurant…
(While I got to swear my pledge with a lot of enthusiasm… There’s only a little bit of time remaining.)
(I have to give some real thought about what I could do to advance rapidly in the ranks tonight.)
…………
Despite the bold declaration of battle, you’ve got a long face, haven’t you, Morisawa-kun?
Whoa, glasses— I mean, Kunugi-sensei!?1 W-Welcome!
It’s a huge surprise to see Kunugi-sense~! What’re you here for?
What sort of question is that… I am one of the judges; naturally I would be observing the participants’ restaurants, no?
Let’s get to business; could I have the most popular pizza at your restaurant?
Ooh, then we recommend the vegetable-filled salad and teriyaki chicken half-&-half pizza…!
I’ll have that then.
Hm. Your disadvantageous experience of being ‘sent to the fields’… It seems to me that you’ve made that into your strength.
Yes, sir! I harvested these vegetables with all my might, so I wanted to make sure our customers enjoy eating them…
Your management policy to work laboriously in a steady manner… I must say, I hold quite a favorable impression towards it.
On top of that, you never give up no matter the situation — Surely that charm of yours is getting across to the other judges.
You are not mistaken in your hard work. Be more confident in yourself.
…Um—
Uheeh~…! Mitsuru-oniisan, may you please share with me somethin’ to drink?
Huh, Raika-chan? What’s wrong?
My throat feels parched after singin’ so much, but the kitchen is packed right now…! Please allow me a chance to rest a little…!
Thanks for your hard work! I got something prepped here, so go ahead and drink it! Make sure to take a nice break~♪
Uhyaa…! Thank ya very much, Mitsuru-oniisan!
Ahh, the water’s soooo tasty…♪
…Fufu. Tenma-kun’s eye for his surroundings has considerably improved after so much fostering.
It’s almost hard to believe that you’re such a problem child at school.2 It could simply be that I haven’t seen you interacting with juniors that many times, but…
Your endeavor to also properly support those younger than you as the student in the highest grade is simply wonderful.
Uwah—! Kunugi-sensee is being so kind that it’s gross somehow! Did you eat something weird at some point…?
…I take back what I said. It seems you’ve still got a lot of room for improvement on how to behave around your superiors.
Erm. May I ask who this person is? Is he an acquaintance of yours, Oniisans?
This is not our first meeting, though, Hojo-kun… Didn’t we meet at ES?
……?
Well, no matter. I’m a teacher at Yumenosaki Academy, the same school Tenma-kun goes to. My name is Kunugi Akiomi.
I work in the neutral organization in ES, called “P-Association”. I act as a judge in 4piece, but… Nice-kun has already introduced that to you all, no?3
…Oh, now I remember. Tenma-kun and Hojo-kun; the two of you were late on the first day, weren’t you.
Geh—!? So we did get caught! And I really thought we managed to get away with it too…!
It’s my fault that Mitsuru-oniisan was late! So if ya blame Mitsuru-oniisan, I’ll take the punishment instead…!
Setting Hojo-kun aside… Tenma-kun, you mustn’t forget that as long as you’re part of 4piece, you’re acknowledged as a student of Yumenosaki Academy by those around you as well.
Uuu… I’m gonna run away in secret once 4piece is over. I can definitely get away ‘cuz it’s me…!
I’ll look for a means of escape, so please allow me to help you. I’ll come up with a plan on what to do after you escape!
Please don’t work out a plan of escape right in front of me. Good grief…
In any case, if I were to evaluate you from the time the screening began until now — Then I believe that Morisawa-kun, Tenma-kun, and Hojo-kun have all been doing very well.
—However, that much is not powerful enough to turn the tables. Surely, you are all aware of this.
Yes… I’m aware that that’s exactly why we need some sort of strategy, but…
I act as a judge here, so I’m not in a position where I can poke my nose in and give advice, but… Well, this much should be permissible.
It appears Nice-kun’s also said a few words that lit a fire in a participant outside of the screening, anyway.4
—Take a closer look at your surroundings.
Surroundings… As in, the other participating idols…?
Ah! I was thinking the same too! It’s like, the atmosphere doesn’t feel so good ‘cuz it’s like everyone’s just given up on the contest.
There are some idols that pledged their vows after Chia-chan-senpai, but I still saw plenty of others without any motivation!
Fufu, impressive as always. So you noticed already.
We’d definitely have a much more interesting program if everyone thought to take the challenge against Hiyori-senpai and Ritsu-chan-senpai, just like Chia-chan-senpai did!
That’s true, but… Can we truly re-invigorate the spirits of those idols who’ve already lost heart…?
Also, to be frank, making profit in our own restaurant comes first and foremost. I doubt I’d be able to catch up with the top rankers unless I do that, after all.
…You must come up with a method that makes you ‘profit’ by helping them.
Making profit by helping them…?
Although, Morisawa-kun, you admire heroes of justice — So perhaps you subconsciously perceive helping others as ‘an act of service without pay’.
Right. That’s enough meddling from me. That aside, will the pizza be done soon?
Ah, yes. Please wait, it’ll be ready in just a moment.
—Thank you for waiting! It’s hot, so please be careful!
Thank you very much. Right, let’s have a bite while it’s piping hot.
Hm… This is delicious; the vegetables and cheese perfectly complement each other.
Perhaps I’ll have half of it as takeout for the judges. I’m sure they’ll also say it’s delicious…♪
Chapter 9
Fifth day of the screening, at night. Chiaki and Mitsuru’s room…
Yaaawn…♪ Today was tiring too~
But even after all that, we still couldn’t catch up with Hiyori-senpai and Ritsu-chan-senpai.
Yeah. However, our names being listed in the top ranks means we still have a chance of recovery.
If we want to catch up with those two… Then we need to make profit through a strategy they can’t copy.
Mm~… But what are we supposed to do to make that work?
The hint is likely hidden within Kunugi-sensei’s words.
Actually, I think it’s exactly as he meant it.
What do you mean by “exactly as he meant it”?
The strategy is to be a helping hero for other restaurants.
In actuality, by cooperating in the same restaurant with Tenma-kun for a whole day, I got to appreciate the blessings of having more manpower.
Because you were in charge of serving the tables for our restaurant, I got to focus on my performance and cooking.
Thanks to that, I managed to excel at my duty perfectly — Or rather, I truly felt like I managed to do what I wanted to do to some extent.
It was a huge help for me, too! All I had to do was deliver the meals with all my power, so today was super easy on me!
I’m sure the same goes for the other participants. There’s no doubt that there are people who’d like to focus on advertising, as well as people who want to focus on cooking.
Everyone’s bound to have their own thing they’d like to do. Just like the current Ryuseitai—
Um, if I remember correctly, the current Ryuseitai changes leaders depending on the work, right?5
Yeah. If it’s a ninja-related job, then Sengoku would be leader, and if it’s a cooking show that uses vegetables, then Takamine would be leader.6
Everyone’s bound to have a desire to shine in their area of expertise in that same fashion.
Yet, people have to do everything here, from cooking to serving customers — so they’re unable to accomplish the things they actually want to do to a satisfying degree.
That’s why I’m thinking of becoming a helping hero for those idols struggling to make progress.
A plan like that is surely something that the two reigning control over the top, Sakuma and Tomoe, wouldn’t be able to imitate — Or more precisely, it isn’t a method they’d go with.
But how will you make ‘profit’ from that, Chia-chan-senpai? You can’t get money just by helping people, so…?
Yeah, that’s true. That’s why in exchange for helping out at their restaurant, I’ll ask for a tiny tip.
A tip…?
In short, I’ll have them employ me at their restaurant. I’ll be a hire-by-the-day helping hero!
…I don’t know if this plan will actually work. If everyone continues to be demoralized and fails to stand back up, I’ll likely crumble alongside them.
But we shouldn’t forget that every one of these idols has the guts to at least take on the challenge of this audition.
I believe that as long as they see there’s a chance to stand back up, they’ll face forward and keep their chin up once more!
A hero abandons no one. As long as you ask for it, they’ll come rushing to you no matter when and give you courage, right?
Sixth day of 4piece, at midday. As they announce the day’s meal…
“—The sixth day of Gourmet District’s screening is about to begin. There are only two days left of the screening, today included.”
“For tomorrow, the final day’s screening… there will be something special for it, so after today’s results announcement, we will have Nice-kun announce the news, as well as the meal theme of the day.”
“Right, it’s time to announce today’s meal. Today’s meal will be—”
“‘Noodles’. Let’s begin with the purchasing of ingredients.”
(—Purchasing, huh. Even the intense scramble for ingredients from the early days has become so sluggish now.)
(The motivated idols have gone off to get their ingredients, but there are also some who are just walking slowly towards it.)
(I’d also like to rush and buy my own ingredients, but… The person I should be calling out to right now is this participant here, whose head is hanging low.)
(Alright! Time to set the plan in motion…!)
—Hey there! Would you like a helping hand?
Chapter 10
Several hours later. After the screening of the sixth day…
“Thank you for your hard work, everyone. I got to savor all your delicious meals today, too.”
“I hope to see Nice meals again tomorrow. I’d love you all to satisfy my heart and taste buds!”
Chia-chan-senpai, I hope it went well! You must’ve been hard at work~! (waves)
Chiaki-oniisan looked super busy today, after all!
Ahh, Tenma-kun, Hojo-kun, I hope it all went well for you both, too!
And also, to everyone who fought together with me; thank you for your hard work!
Today’s efforts won’t go to waste. It’ll surely act as a step forward to victory tomorrow. Let’s keep up this pace and do our best on the final day, too…!
“Fufu. The bloodthirsty atmosphere that overwhelmed the venue up until yesterday has brightened up a lot throughout today.”
“Absolutely Nice, indeed! By the looks of it, I think we won’t have to worry about disappointing our special customers when we welcome them on the final day…♪”
Who’re these ‘special customers’ for the final day…?
“Fufu. I’ll save the fun for the end. For now, let’s look back on the battle in Gourmet District thus far.”
“Gourmet District’s screening is as follows — A ‘Restaurant Management Competition’, where the one who obtains the most profit wins.”
“And the two people who seized the reins of this contest from day one to day five were Tomoe-kun and Sakuma-kun.”
“Tomoe-kun’s pride and true overwhelming marketing power, Sakuma-kun’s distinct characteristics in his creative meals — as well as the rational management tactics that they both share — allowed no other participant a chance to catch up.”
“First, allow me to bestow upon you two a Nice for dominating Gourmet District consistently through the use of your strengths.”
Mhm, mhm, a well-deserved appraisal!
It doesn’t feel bad to get praised…♪
“However, while Tomoe-kun and Sakuma-kun stand out conspicuously, there are still plenty of other idols that we mustn’t forget exist.”
“They, too, are key figures who’ve dominated the flow outside of Gourmet District, you know…?”
…? What do you mean by outside of Gourmet District?
“Fufu. This audition you are all participating in is no mere audition.”
“The 4piece audition is a highly popular program, making real waves on TV right now.”
“The sixth day’s screening will also be edited after this, and broadcasted as soon as possible, just like the other days were. All your endeavors have been reaching the fans at practically real-time.”
“And in order to support all of you and your efforts, tomorrow’s Gourmet District will be prospering like never seen before!”
“For the seventh day’s screening, the ones you will be serving are not gourmands. It shall be all your fans, who will come to cheer for you!”
Ohh? So the special customers are the fans of all of us idols.
Oohh…! I never imagined that they’d come to visit Gourmet District…! I’ll have to pour all the more efforts into serving and entertaining them…☆
Mhm! If all our fans are coming over to hang out, then I gotta make this place even more super duper hype and fun!
Fufu. This is a fairly advantageous situation for me.
If you’ll be inviting fans from the outside, then that means performing as an idol will be a lot more essential than cooking for the final day.
And if so, then my victory is all the more guaranteed!
Yeah, as Hiyohiyo says, the idols who’ve always been well-known will likely have an even bigger advantage, huh…
“Fufu. I can see that you’re all already racking your brains for a strategy for the final day.”
“Tomorrow, all your fans who have been looking forward to meeting you will likely crowd the venue. We estimate an unparalleled amount of customers compared to the gourmands we’ve had up to now.”
“Gourmet District is a straightforward ‘profit’ contest. Unlike Prince Castle, your ‘competition score’ will also have a massive gap depending on your profits.”
“While Tomoe-kun and Sakuma-kun are tremendously in the lead right now, who knows what will happen in tomorrow’s results?”
“In the final screening of Gourmet District, how will you all approach servicing your fans? How will you make profit out of it? A dramatic turning of tables is still plausible!”
…That seems to be the end of the details for the final day.
All our fans will be our customers… What a happy surprise! ☆
I’m gonna entertain every one of my fans by dashing with all my might again tomorrow~!
Sorry, but I don’t plan on giving you a chance to turn the tables, you know?
Nice-P may have mentioned a dramatic turning of tables or what-have-you, but… I’ll have you know, I excel most at delivering love to all my fans.
This match is mine already…♪ Ahh, such fine weather!
You seem to be even more enthusiastic than ever, Tomoe.
But we still don’t know the outcome of this contest. I don’t plan on taking back what I said yesterday!
I will win against you. Let’s make it a fight none of us will regret tomorrow! Tomoe, Sakuma, Tenma-kun!
…Mm? Why are you suddenly thrusting your fist out?
C’mon, this is the sort of thing you do when faced with a decisive battle! We’ll bump fists and vow to exert our wholehearted efforts!
Ah! I do that a lot in my club, too! Of course I’ll vow to exert my wholehearted efforts!
Well, I suppose I don’t mind joining along if it’s something as simple as that?
Thank you, you two! C’mon, Tomoe, join us!
Sigh… I’m glad Jun-kun isn’t closeby. If he was here right now, this would’ve surely turned into another suffocating moment.
But, well, I’m in that sort of mood right now too, so — I’ll accept this and vow to exert my wholehearted efforts…♪
Yeah! Let’s fight with all our might on the final day of 4piece…☆
Chapter 11
Next day. The final day of 4piece, Gourmet District…
I-Incredible. Even before the gates open, I can hear a commotion, like one before a live show…!
Just as I heard from Chiaki-san at the hotel yesterday, it seems that our fans truly have come to the venue.
Uu~? Mayomayo Onii-san, may I ask if I’m wearin’ this outfit properly?
It feels so jumbled up, and I’m anxious about whether I really am puttin’ it on right…!
Ufufu…♪ It looks absolutely adorable on you, Raika-san!
Ahh, but let me tighten the strings on your chest a little bit more…♪
Thank ya very much…♪ Ehihi, I’m so blessed to have the opportunity to wear such a fancy outfit…♪
Oh! That’s Ayase, isn’t it!? You’ve finally come back from the fields!
Indeed. It’s the final day, so I’ve also been driven out of the fields…
Mayo-chan-senpai, welcome back~! I was waiting for you~!
Someone, waiting for the return of the likes of me…! I’m so deeply moved with emotionnnn…! I thought my existence had been erased entirely from people’s memories at this point…!
It’s true that I tend to forget stuff, but I’m not stupid enough to even forget Mayo-chan-senpai, y’know! Hmph, hmph!
Ahh, no, I didn’t mean it that way—
Fufu. Even on the final day, the air all of you bring out doesn’t change, does it? I’ve grown used to it by now, but… Let’s end this properly, at least for the last day, shall we?
So I just peeked at the outside from the avenue, and a pretty massive amount of customers are here.
There were so many that I don’t even know if they’ll all fit inside Gourmet District.
It was hard to tell as a participant, but it looks like this show’s been garnering a ton of attention even from the general public~
Ooh, so you’re telling me that that many customers are anticipating our cooking and performances…
We’ll have to meet all their expectations to best of our ability today…☆
Well, I think most of them are anticipating what we’ve got to offer, yeah…
But on the other hand, it looks like there’s a group of fans outside who’re excited over some strange dance.
Strange dance? Was someone dancing in the venue? But I don’t remember seeing that…
They called it the “Vegetable Dance” or something… I couldn’t really pick up the lyrics, though.
Vegetable Dance…?
Is that perhaps the dance we did in the fields…?
Ehihi. I can sing the Vegetable Dance song even now, actually…♪
Crispy lettuce and bright red tomatoes~♪
Yep, that’s the one. The song’s way too same-y that it’s almost baffling…
I kept hearing it on repeat, so it’s now weirdly stuck in my head too.
Don’t tell me that… the activities in the fields were also closely filmed and broadcasted in the program…?
Uu… That is the only possible conclusion here, yes…
…………
Which means, every action I took in the fields was also broadcasteddddd!?
Such a disgraceful sight being exposed on national television—… I-It’s too awfuuuullll!!
Sound of a thud
Uwoahh, Mayomayo Onii-san! Please get a hold of yourself…!?
“—Everyone from the second venue, Gourmet District! The time for the screening has come!”
“Fufu. The fans are outside the venue now, and their voices brimming with anticipation can be heard even from here…♪”
“Now then. It’s time to announce the final meal theme of the day.”
“The final theme is — ‘Freestyle’!”
“With your own methods to maximize your charm, go and grab both your fans’ hearts and appetites!”
“This will be the very final round. Make sure to pour your utmost efforts without any regret!”
“Right, let the screening begin!”
Kyaho~y! ☆ If it’s fine to make anything, then I’m gonna make bread~!
I’ll also accompany you, Mitsuru-oniisan! Woosh…♪
Sound of footsteps
Woah!? Those two are impressive as always. A flying start from the get-go…☆
Ohh? If anything goes, then I guess I’ll make a dessert, since I’m best at that.
Not only are there are a lot of female customers, but Knights’ forte will always be making sweets, so~ I have to deliver a sweet dream to all the princesses…♪
Since they came all the way here just to see me, I have to make sure I serve them the absolute highest quality of food…♪
Chiaki-kun, I’m not planning on losing to you, got it…?
Yeah! I don’t plan on losing to you either! I’m going to monopolize all the hearts of the fans who’ve come to see us, just you wait!
Time passes…
Sorry I kept you waiting; here you go. It’s Sakuma Ritsu’s special deluxe: fruity wobbly dessert~…♪
As I said during the audition — It may look pretty peculiar on the outside, but the taste is a one-of-a-kind, so try it out~♪
In fact, I could even feed you with an “Aahn~”, if you want…? Ahaha, that was just a joke…♪
I’ve got a lot of customers queuing up, so that’s it for the fanservice. Thanks for visiting today, I really appreciate it.
To everyone lining up for my sweets, I’m really sorry that I’m taking so long to serve you~ I still have a whole lot of dessert left, so wait a bit, okay…?
(Looks like they’re spreading pictures of my dessert on social media, just as I had planned.)
(It seems like there’s even a crowd of people who came over after getting drawn in by how unusual my food looks, so…)
(My restaurant’s flourishing all thanks to that.)
(The only thing is, I think I kinda messed up with the dessert I chose to make…)
(This kind of sweet takes quite a bit of time to finish making. I end up taking a long time to serve food because of it, and so my ratio of customers being served isn’t really good either.)
(But well, at this point, I don’t think I really care about profit anymore.)
(After all, I get to watch everyone enjoy eating my sweets from closeby. Just that alone is plenty enough to fill me up…♪)
“♪~♪~♪”
(This is amazin’. Such a huge number of people are listenin’ to my song…!)
(Ehihi. I’m so happy somehow. Every time I sing, my heart gets all warm and fuzzy…)
(I never felt this way when I was singin’ on the streets… What makes it so different right now…?)
(Difficult things like that are beyond my understandin’. That’s why, I’ll just keep singin’ while enjoying this pleasant feelin’…♪)
(If I keep doin’ that, I’m sure Mitsuru-oniisan’s bread will also get sold in loads…♪)
Amazing, amazing! Thanks to Raika-chan’s singing, so many people are coming to my restaurant!
I shouldn’t stay still either! Time to dash, dash, daaash…!
Sorry to keep you all waiting!
Here you go, my special deluxe sandwich~!
So, is it tasty? Ahaha, I’m so glad to hear it~!
Mm, mhm, mhm? You came to the venue today to cheer me on?
Wow, so you also found out about this audition program ‘cuz of my commercial!
Wahaha~ I’m suuuper happy to hear that! This is the best audition ever, like I said in the commercial! ☆
Since you’re here, make sure to enjoy the other restaurant’s food too! See ya~!
(Ehehe. I’m really sooo happy that lots of customers came to the venue!)
(After all, this many people being here means that’s just how much attention the audition got, right?)
I always wanted to hype this audition up with all I’ve got! I’m so glad it was a success!
To be honest, the stuff this audition’s asking for is pretty tricky. I thought even I’d be able to manage it if it was the typical screening for singing and dancing.
I dunno about the customers watching the program, but ever since the meals of the day thing started, the air felt so heavy with so many gloomy faces around, and, like…
I don’t blame the idols for worrying and grumbling when they started to feel like it’s similar to an exam! But also, if it’s like that, it won’t be any fun at all!
Of course, I could just think about how to make it fun for myself, but it’s still gonna be boring if I’m the only one who finds it fun!
That’s why for the rest of this, I wanna make sure everyone who came here enjoys themselves—
And then, for everyone watching, I wanna make this into a program they’ll be glad they watched until the very end…!
When I get to see everyone’s smiles, I’m able to work hard forever~♪
Chapter 12
—Hello everyone! Thank you for coming to my restaurant today; I’m very grateful to see you here!
To all of you who took the time out of your day to come to this venue, I shall personally provide you special service…♪
I’ve purchased many high quality ingredients today, you see! My food has to be luxuriously gorgeous so that I may properly deliver my love to all of you!
Come, come, eat all you want…♪
There’s no need to hold back. I’d be overjoyed if you would accept my love to your heart’s content. That would be such fine weather…☆
Fufu. What an extravagant day today, full of happiness!
My fans, I promise you that I’ll satisfy every one of your hearts with my food, filled to the brim with my love and affection…♪ That would truly be the finest weather…♪
(If it’s for their sakes, I wouldn’t mind my pockets of money running dry.)
(After all, profit practically means nothing to me compared to the blessing of spreading joy and happiness to all my fans. ♪)
(—That being said. Today’s leading role doesn’t seem to be me in any way.)
(Most of the fans crowding this venue have their sights on him, after all…?)
—Bam…! The burning heart Morisawa Chiaki has finally arrived…☆
Thanks for coming to my restaurant today, everyone! My menu for today is exactly what you’ve all been hoping for — Chinese food packed full of vegetables!
I especially recommend the—…
Uuu…
S-Sorry. It seems I was still a little unprepared. Please give me a bit of time…!
(whispering) I’m Takamine…I’m Takamine…!
Oh, what’s up, what’s wrong? I hear a call for the Vegetable Dance from all sides!
Alright, I’ve got no choice. In that case, let’s dance to the song together, everyone…!
Come on, all together now — It’s time for the Vegetable Dance! Let’s go! ☆
“Crispy lettuce and bright red tomatoes~♪”
(The Vegetable Dance was made up on the spur of the moment in the fields, so I never imagined it would be a record-breaking, massive hit outside…)
(It wasn't my intention in the slightest, not even the tiniest bit, but… Thanks to it, my restaurant is flourishing immensely.)
(To the point that there’s even people who came all the way to this venue just because they “want to eat my eggplant”!)
But why only the eggplant…! Shoot! As you’d expect from my arch-enemy! It torments me until the very end…!
Heave-ho… Chiaki-san, I brought over an additional batch of vegetables.
Ooh! Thank you, Ayase! Because of your help, I’ve been having a much easier time!
No, no. If the vegetables I harvested have been coming to good use, then there’s nothing that could make me happier.
Besides, I wanted to express my gratitude to Chiaki-san for helping me on the first day…
No, it’s me who’s been immensely helped by you!
Plus, you don’t need to thank me for something as simple as that, y’know? I did it because I wanted to do it, after all!
Ufufu…♪ I just knew you’d say that, Chiaki-san.
If that’s the case, then the reason I’m helping you right now is also simply because I wanted to do it, you know…♪
Haha, I can’t really say anything further if that’s your comeback, huh?
But you know, it isn’t good to devote yourself solely to working behind-the-scenes. Aren’t you also participating in this audition, Ayase?
Pardon? What do you mean by that—…?
—Everyone! A special guest has arrived! Would you believe it!? It’s Ayase Mayoi, the one who granted me the opportunity to overcome eggplants back in the fields!
Eeek!? W-W-W-What are you doing, Chiaki-san!? I can’t do something so sudden…!?
A huge crowd of fans came rushing to this venue, y’know? So naturally, there’s bound to be Ayase’s fans mixed in there, too!
A big moment like this doesn’t come by often! We’ve got to show all your incredible efforts to everyone…!
Chiaki-san…
You truly are bright just like the sun, aren’t you? You’re a passionate person who provides sunlight indiscriminately, even to a social outcast like myself.9
On top of the shock of being separated from Hiiro-san, the audition ended without me participating properly, but… I truly feel glad to have been a part of it.
After all, I was able to discover a new side of myself that enjoys field work — and spend my time with everyone…
Those are irreplaceable experiences I would have never been able to savor if I were not here…♪
“♪~♪~♪”
Haha, I expect nothing less from Ayase, the inventor of the Vegetable Dance!
Alright. While Ayase dances to the song, I’ll prepare the food—
Whaaat—!? We’re all out of eggplants!?
I thought we had such an aggravati— Abundantly large amount of them, how could they run out this fast…!?
Ah, you’re right. I’ll arrange an addition immediately.
Thank you! I never imagined the eggplants would be this popular…! It’s absolutely unbelievable…!
Mm? Anzu, you also came to see how it’s going!? Welcome!
Fufu, things are extremely lively here, unlike that other time, right? It’s so much fun, I don’t even know what to do with myself!
…Everyone in Ryuseitai was also promoting me on social media each in their own way?
So that’s how it was… I did think it was a little odd how successful my restaurant got through the Vegetable Dance alone.
Nagumo, Sengoku, Takamine, Kanata! The four of you were aiding me from the shadows all this time, weren’t you!?
I’m so deeply moved! Friendship and hard work truly never betray me…☆
All that’s left to perfect this is to seize victory. With how things are going, turning the tables shouldn’t be hard at all!
Chiaki-kun. You seem to be in very good shape, don’t you?
Tomoe? Why would you be here…?
Fufu. It looks like your restaurant is flourishing the most out of everyone today, no?
Surrounded by so many fans, supported by everyone in your unit…
You may be the most loved idol in this venue today.
I admit it, Chiaki-kun. That’s exactly what makes you worthy to be my rival…☆
However, I won’t let you take first place just like that!
“♪~♪~♪”
Tomoe…! Are you planning to invite all the fans I can’t serve in time to your restaurant!?
(He’s a cunning guy. But that just shows how much Tomoe seriously intends to win, as well.)
I’ll take on that challenge…! I’ll be the one to seize victory in 4piece!
“♪~♪~♪”
Translation Notes
- ↑ Chiaki calls Akiomi “megane” (glasses). Chiaki has said something like this before to Akiomi, in an old exchange from the first main story, in 2015-16. Chiaki yells at Akiomi urusai zo megane (Shut up, glasses). Here’s a short translation of the exchange.
- ↑ In Mitsuru’s first year, Akiomi would scold Mitsuru for various things like his running around, and then Mitsuru attempts to run away from him, and so on and so forth.
- ↑ The explanation in question is when Nice-P was speaking to the participants before Mitsuru and Raika arrived. He introduced the judges to everyone during that time. The full scene is shown in VS★PRINCESS, but was cut short in this story.
- ↑ Referring to VS★PRINCESS, when Nice-P has a heartfelt talk with Esu that motivates him to give the audition another shot.
- ↑ By the end of Supervillain, Ryuseitai decide to take turns being the leader (Happens just before the 2nd year of ES’s establishment). One of the leader rotations is shown in Tropical, with Midori as the leader, and another leader rotation is shown in Stella Maris, with Kanata as the leader. As for Chiaki’s leader rotation, it happens in Parallel World.
- ↑ Upon becoming a unit of all leaders, Ryuseitai’s unit title changed from “Heroes Burning With Passion☆” to “Heroes Who Shine Their Own Individuality☆” to reflect the change in direction.
- ↑ As shown in Flood of Customers 3, Chiaki transforms into Midori to overcome eggplants. An explanation of why this works for Chiaki can be found in this translation note I wrote.
- ↑ Usually prepared as mapo tofu (see here), but there is a mapo eggplant variant as well, see a recipe here.
- ↑ As an interesting note, “social outcast” in Japanese is hikagemono (日陰者), lit. shade/shadow person. It refers to a person who hides or is hidden from the world, or someone who's unable to step out into society.