[IC] I Wanna Be the Best Monster-slaying Idol in the Galaxy! (Intro Chapter)

[Code: PIRULUK]

The Blue Knight turned to Yuki this time.

 

"What you can do to get stronger? Become the best idols you can be."

 

The Blue Knight chuckled.

 

"Easier said than done, I know. But that's all you can do. Your power comes from the support of the audience. The more hyped up they get, the more excited they get, the more power you will possess in this world. Normal battle training doesn't do anything to prepare for this place - the rules are too different. All you can do is to improve yourself as idols, and bring excitement and smiles to your crowd. If you can accomplish that, you'll be able to hold your own when the Knights next attack. The idol's job is to bring smiles and dreams to her audience. If you can keep that in mind, then you'll be fine."

[ElfCollaborator]

"I got one. We're not going to remember you anyway, if you're right about us forgetting everything the moment you kick it. What's stopping me from just walking away, right now, quitting being an idol and deciding not to potentially be wiped from existence? Because if you're right, I won't remember a damn thing the moment we exit this place."

Azusa seems cautious about this, as she picks up the knife, strolling towards the others.

Edited June 13, 2017 by ElfCollaborator

[Code: PIRULUK]

The Blue Knight turned to Azusa. Her helmet moved - she was laughing.

 

"Well, I'm afraid you won't forget me, or what I've said. My case is... slightly different from yours. I'm already dead. Have been for centuries. You lot are still very much alive, and so you are in danger. That's just the way it works, I guess. Trade-off for actually being alive.

 

As for your question, I'll repeat what I told this young lady, over here," She motioned to Lucinda. "If you decide to walk away, you'll never perform ever again. Not as an idol, not as a dancer, not as... well, any kind of performer. It's your choice. If you want to walk away and give up on being an idol forever, go ahead. But... I don't think you will. You have the aura of an idol. You may not know it yet - but you were born for this. You were born to perform. Make of that what you will."

[ElfCollaborator]

Azusa snorts, nodding solemnly.

"Well, I suppose I owe that much. You saved my ass, and where I'm from, loyalty counts more than anything. Fine. I'll stay and fight. These assholes won't know what hit 'em."

[Twinwolf]

"...Thank you, for saving us and for the advice. I'm sorry that it turned out like this for you." Yuri says, firstly. This blue knight person had saved their asses, but was dying (sorta) for it. They hadn't been strong enough. She took a deep breath.

 

"Is there anything that you think we should remember? Do you have a last wish that we can try to fulfill?" she asks.

[Code: PIRULUK]

The Blue Knight laughs again.

 

"My only wish was fulfilled long ago, by my own hands. As for what I think you should remember... well. Don't lose your way. In your mind, you have to be as one with your companions. Concerts are a collaborative effort, and only by working together, can you achieve the goal of a great performance. Don't be afraid. This is how you can get stronger. By strengthening your bonds with each other, by facing all challenges in your path, head on and without fear, you'll grow as idols and as people. And if you do, the next time They come, you'll be ready."

 

Her left arm and legs are completely gone, with the rest of her body dissolving.

 

"Crap. She's calling for what she's owed. Not good."

 

The Blue Knight holds out her remaining arm, 5 orbs of light appearing in her palm.

 

"This is my essence as an idol, split five ways. I'm giving it to you, so that she doesn't get her hands on it."

 

With that, the five balls fly out and enter each of the idols' chests, near their heart. They feel themselves suffused with warmth.

 

All Idols get an additional stat point in any one stat

 

As this occurs, her arm disappears. Then her helmet dissolves, revealing a beautiful lady with green eyes and silky, black hair. You recognise her instantly. Everyone's seen her picture at least once. As some of you suspected, she is the Miracle Idol, Stella Kiseki. She smiles at you.

 

"It was great meeting you, the new generation. My time is up. Now is the start of your era. I...sincerely hope that we do not meet again, though I am sure that we will."

 

With that, Kiseki vanishes completely, leaving the five of you alone.

 

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Then the sounds of the crowd and the audio start to come back, and the crowd starts moving again. The colour returns to the world, and you find yourselves back in your original dresses, onstage, right after your disastrous performance. The crew backstage ushers you off, leading you right into the waiting space cruiser. The whole way, you're dazed and disoriented by the entire experience, and are not given the time to recollect your thoughts as the crew pushes you past the waiting journalists and into your cruiser's cockpit. When you finally do come to your senses, you are already on the cruiser, with a flight course charted for the Alpha system.

 

As you sit in the lounge, dazed, a floating, heart-shaped robot drifts into the center of the ring of sofas upon which you are seated. Its two white eyes - set against the pink of its exterior - blink rapidly, and it spins around excitedly.

 

"Hello, hello, hello. I am the Artificial Intelligence unit who will be accompanying you on this great journey. Since your agency had no money to afford to sustain a human manager, they opted for me, instead. The more environmentally-friendly, non-resource-hungry AI companion manager. I will be managing your schedules, your meals, and attending to any other needs that are within my capabilities to address. My official designation is the LUV1764 model 3A Type-QuickBanter, but you may call me QB for short."

 

QB twirls around a bit, then a holographic window appears in front of it.

 

"Now then, these are the job auditions that you've received."

 

Job Openings

Idol wanted for commemoration of a newly opened sweets shop - 1 Slot. Pay: 30,000 yen.

Short-Term Sales Assistants required for duration of annual system-wide electronics fair - 2 Slots. Pay: 30,000 yen

Seeking a short-term temporary librarian! Duties include sorting the books and providing catalogue services for users! - 1 Slot. No Pay.

 

"Well, not a lot of jobs, huh..."

 

If QB had a mouth, it might have frowned.

 

"Oh well, every job is a job worth doing, I say! Moving on, your popularity rating after that last concert have... come... hm. Perhaps it's better if - gah! No! I can't lie! Good AIs can't lie, and I'm a good AI!"

 

Another screen opens up in front of QB.

 

Popularity

Lucinda's Popularity has fallen by 60!

Ayaka's Popularity has fallen by 40!

Azusa's Popularity has fallen by 50!

Yuki's Popularity has fallen by 50!

Yuri's Popularity has fallen by 50!

 

"A-A-Anyway, on to happier news. Money! Money makes everyone happy, right?! We've tabulated our profits for that last concert, and we've also disbursed your share of it into your bank accounts! Which were technically opened under our name, but don't worry about it!"

 

Finances

Total Revenue: 20,000,000 yen

Total Profits: 5,000,000 yen

 

Each Idol receives 100,000 yen!

 

Ship Funds: 4,500,000 yen

 

"Anyway, that's all for now, so I'll-"

 

QB abruptly stops talking. It spins midair for a while, then flashes golden.

 

"Presence of Miracle Essence confirmed. Unlocking Miracle functions."

 

QB quivers a bit, then turns completely white, but with pink eyes. Then it speaks again.

 

"All of you have the Miracle Essence in you. I'm not actually sure what that means, but it's in my programming to tell you that you now have access to the Miracle Draw function. I can reach into the realm of the collective unconscious and synthesise items I find there for you. I have no control over what actually comes out, but from what my logs tell me, the conceptual forms of various dresses can be found just floating in the void, so it's possible to synthesise those. Unfortunately, my programming also compels me to incur a cost, because one should not lightly fool around with with collective unconscious. In any case, if you wish to try synthesising an item through Miracle Draw, simply tell me - it will cost 10,000 yen per attempt. However, I am allowed to give you each one free attempt, so just tell me when you want to try."

 

QB hovers around for a bit.

 

"Other Miracle Functions have yet to be released. It seems you do not fulfill the qualifications. Well then, with that, I bid you ladies a good day. You may find me on the bridge, if required."

 

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Preparation Phase 1 - Each Player has 2 actions

 

Available Actions:

 

> Take a Job (1 Action): Take a job from the following list.

 

Idol wanted for commemoration of a newly opened sweets shop - 1 Slot. Pay: 30,000 yen.

Short-Term Sales Assistants required for duration of annual system-wide electronics fair - 2 Slots. Pay: 30,000 yen

Seeking a short-term temporary librarian! Duties include sorting the books and providing catalogue services for users! - 1 Slot. No Pay.

 

> Rehearse an Appeal (1 Action): Rehearse 1 Appeal from your repertoire; it will be much easier to perform that Appeal in your next performance.

 

> Hang out in the city (1 Action): Any number of you can go out into the city together. There, you can go catch a movie, go to a cafe, visit a museum/cultural center, sing Karaoke, or go shopping.

 

> Job Hunt (1 Action): Scour the classifieds for any work that you might be eligible for, even though it was not explicitly offered to you. You may pay 150,000 yen to hire a headhunter who will increase your chances of landing a job, and may provide access to rarer jobs.

 

> Training (1 Action): You may spend an action to do some form of training to improve a stat of your choice - note that this may not result in an immediate stat increase.

 

> Research (1 Action): Do some research about the system you're going to perform in. May or may not produce useful results.

 

> Talk to your fellow idols (Free Action): Have a chat. You may only gain 10 bond per prep phase from conversations that use this option.

 

> Try your hand at the Miracle Pull (Free Action): Have QB synthesise an item from the Miracle Pull.

 

Miracle Pull

Do you feel lucky? You have a chance to get Rare, Premium Rare and even Star Premium Rare Dresses from this special function! All you need to do is pay the cost, and QB will pull an item out of the collective unconscious for you! Maybe you could even get a SUPER SUPER RARE, one-of-a-kind item! What are you waiting for? First pull's free!

 

Promotion: 2x the chance to synthesise a Pop-type item!

 

Pricing:

First Attempt is Free!

1 attempt - 10,000 yen

5 + 1 attempts - 50,000 yen (at least one PR or higher item guaranteed!)

 

[Twinwolf]

Yuri, once the AI leaves, clears her throat. "...While I know we should prepare, I think we should probably talk about what happened, before we do anything. Does anyone have a problem with that?"

[Chevaleresse]

Ayaka, if she was being totally honest, still kind of wanted to lay down and cry. Not that she'd say it out loud; an idol should be a bit more collected, a bit more cool than that. The other girl - she was part of a pair of sisters - brought up what had just happened, which didn't exactly help this desire. "Ah, um, yes, it is probably a good idea to do so." She tried to fix her face into an impassive mask; the result looked more. . . angry? Like someone doing a particularly hammy rendition of an imperious queen. Except it was less intimidating and more comical coming from a girl who was only four and a half feet tall. 

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"You don't have to act tough you know." Yuki giggled at the girl's attempt at hiding her feelings. She put on an act so often herself that reading through this other girl was easy. But this time around Yuki gave her genuine face. "I think we are all scared. Our world just got turned upside down, and worse than that our debut sucked. And sucked hard." She sighed. There was no excuse for that, she should have worked harder. She had her chance and blew it, and she wouldn't forgive herself for a while. "As I said before, I'm going to keep performing. Even if I am putting my life in danger, I think my life is performing... I can't see myself doing anything else. So everyone else who is also staying we will just have to fight as well as perform." Yuk turned to Yuri with a challenging look. "I know full well you aren't quitting either sis, so you'll have to keep up with me on the battlefield." And then a thought passed through her mind. "Oh! I don't know anyone's names! Maybe we should introduce ourselves! I'm Yuki, Yuki Akiyama I come from Home! It's a pleasure to meet you all!" 

[Twinwolf]

Yuri grinned - Yuki was still Yuki, even with all this. "Well, I have to - Mom asked me to keep you safe after all, and plenty of idols have gotten past a bad debut." she said. She was pissed at herself as well - but she would only use it as motivation to try harder. "I'm Yuri, Yuki's twin sister. Nice to meet you all." Well, a proper introduction would probably be fine before they discussed the more... odd things, to put it lightly. Could hardly talk to each other without knowing names.

Edited June 14, 2017 by Twinwolf

[Chevaleresse]

"Wuh - I'm not acting! Why would you even say that?" The girl gave a comically exaggerated frown to match the expression she was wearing, before reverting to her "neutral" expression. "Anyway, I'm Yoshida Ayaka. We're going to be working together a lot, so you can call me Ayaka." She nodded, for no readily apparent reason. 

[ElfCollaborator]

 

"You can call me Azusa. Azusa Kumon."

Azusa is suddenly there, all but imposing upon the relatively dwarfed group of idol girls, her arms folded. A confident expression is painted on her face.

"Well, I'll be honest. I'm here for the money; y'know how it is, sending money back to mom so she can live comfortably and all. I ain't the kind o' girl to like singing and dancing and prancing around the stage and all that. Still, that lady saved our asses. I at least owe it to her to stick around and help you guys."

[Twinwolf]

Seeing as the fifth member had left when she wasn't looking, Yuri decides to move on with the conversation. "I... don't know how to put this. I'll be honest, what happened was terrifying." she glanced at the girl who was pretending she was not bothered. "Only reason I wasn't totally panicking was because I had to protect Yuki. Just to confirm - we are going to have to do that in the future. Quite a bit, from the sounds of it - nobody's going to be judging anyone for leaving. And nobody's going to be judging anyone for being afraid." she said. She put her hand on Yuki's.

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"I can protect myself you know..." Yuki pouted. "I wasn't panicking because I was trying to protect you! And it was sort of cool..." 

[ElfCollaborator]

"Good grief. It's okay to be scared in yer first fight. It's not like we're all some badass kids from some anime who know how to fight from birth, right?"

[Chevaleresse]

"I-I just said I wasn't scared. . ." Her expression didn't exactly inspire confidence in that statement. "Even if it was weird and crazy and I thought we were all going to die and the show was so bad I wanted to die until someone actually started to kill us and I realized I didn't want to die and-" Ayaka cut herself off with a sniffle. "A-anyway, what are we going to do? I don't know if we can even survive another one of those without Stella around." The idol looked like she was about to break down into tears right there.

[ElfCollaborator]

"Why, we kick their asses. Seems clear-cut to me."

[Twinwolf]

Yuri doesn't press on the 'you are clearly scared' front - that'd probably just make her cry. "Well, from what Stella said... if we perform well, we get stronger. So all we have to do, is perform well, and we'll be fine. Now then..." she pats Yuki's hand, before standing and walking over to Ayaka. She knew this look. She'd helped with it enough before - so she did what she thought would work and gave Ayaka a hug because it certainly looked like she needed it. 

[Chevaleresse]

Ayaka got halfway into an indignant noise before it turned into outright sobbing. She hugged Yuri with all her strength - despite having just met the other girl - pressing her face into the other girl's dress. "I was so scared! I was already so nervous about the concert and then I fell over and everything I was afraid would happen did! And then we almost died! I don't understand anything that's happening right now. . . I just wanted to be a famous idol . . ." 

[ElfCollaborator]

Azusa sighs, crossing her arms. She wasn't one for this sappy bullshit.

"Good grief."

[Twinwolf]

Yuri just patted the crying girl, letting her cry herself out. "That's right, let it go... it's fine... we were all afraid..." she muttered, "We'll get through this, I'm sure of it..." 

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"No need to be rude Azusa-Chan." Yuki said calmly. "Everyone is different with how they deal with stress. Just let them hug it out." She smiled looking at them. Her sister was kind to reassure the other girl. "There's not much else we can do, let's fight it out and do our best! We'll need to take jobs and practice and get better. I think I want to try that sweets job. It sounds well... Sweet!" 

[ElfCollaborator]

"Doesn't mean I can't find it kinda sappy. Still, it's kinda cute. Not that I like that or anything."

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

Yuki giggled. "Everyone likes cute things, it's impossible not to. That's why I'm aiming to be the cutest thing there is, that way it will be impossible not to like me!"

[Chevaleresse]

Ayaka's sniffles slowly subside. One last big one sounds as she pulls her face off of Yuki's shoulder. "S-sorry. Um, Stella said that we need to become better idols, right? I'm going to go practice some so I don't. . . you know. Does anyone want to come with me?"