Aoi: Here you go. Kei, you don't drink tea, so... just water, right?
Kei: Thank you. So you remembered.
Aoi: Ah, yeah, I mean...
Toma: No doubt about it, Kei's charisma aura hasn't faded one bit.
Aoi: It really hasn't...
Kei: Is that so?
Toma: Ah, man, even just sitting there it's like you've got a halo shining around you! Even if you quit being an idol, you just can't turn it off.
Kei: ... hah. It seems you haven't changed, either, Toma.
Toma: Well... mmm.
Kei: ...
Toma: ...
Kei: ... being like this really brings back the memories.
Kantaro: If you really think that...
Kei: Hm?
Kantaro: Then come on, let us hear it. Why you threw us away.
Kei: Threw you away...?
Kantaro: What else would you call it!? Just when we were finally about to really hit our stride as idols, you up and quit out of nowhere. Basically, you figured you couldn't go any further with us just weighing you down, so you gave up on us. Am I right?
Kei: ... huh?
Shogo: Kei, please just be honest with us. You quit VISTY because you got fed up with us, didn't you? I'm sure you felt it, too. At the time, we were leaning hard on your talent. VISTY's brilliance was really just your brilliance. Even though we all knew it in our hearts, none of us wanted to say it. We just let ourselves pretend that we were shining equally bright, and we took that for granted.
Kei: That's...
Aoi: We understand now. We'd say things like "Kei is just a natural prodigy" and "he's just on another level entirely", and we just kept hiding behind those excuses so we'd never have to try to shine on our own. Looking back on it, it's embarrassing...
Toma: And having to shoulder that weight would be a burden for anyone to carry, you know?
Shogo: So you don't have to hold back anymore. You can give it to us straight.
Kei: I never thought anything like that... not once. Not ever.
Shogo: Huh?
Toma: You didn't...?
Kei: No.
Aoi: But, wait...
Kantaro: Then what gives? Give us an explanation!
Kei: That's...
Rokuta: It's all my fault!!
VISTY: Huh?
Rokuta: It's my fault that Kei-chan left VISTY!
Kei: Rokuta... it's not your fault--
Itsuki: Kei. The truth is the truth. We don't want to try and shirk responsibility either.
Kei: But...
Itsuki: Ginsekai are connected to the Alter Trigger company. They are planning to use VISTY as expendable pawns for their illegal experimentation. Do you remember me saying as such the other day?
Kantaro: You mean that bogus conspiracy theory again?
Itsuki: I do not speak without precedent for what I am saying. I told you that that there is evidence, did I not?
Kantaro: Yeah, and I also remember that you refused to share any of it.
Itsuki: That is correct. That is because it is not something that I can speak freely of to simply anybody. ... it is an abominable history that is tightly intertwined with Rokuta's very being, as well as my own.
Kantaro: "History"?
Rokuta: Itsuki-nii and I both grew up in one of Alter Trigger's experimental facilities.
VISTY: Huh?
Rokuta: Test Subjects #5 and #6. Those were the names we were given. We were test subjects for phantometal research.
Kantaro: What are you talking about...?
Aoi: And what do you mean by experiments...?
Shogo and Toma: ...
Itsuki: I assume that you have heard about how, even after research on Phantometal was prohibited, the Alter Trigger company continued their research behind the scenes.
Shogo: Ah, yeah...
Toma: I'm pretty sure we saw that on the news, right? It came to light and the company was dissolved.
Itsuki: But even so, there are still many facts that were not revealed to the public. They were conducting experiments on human subjects in a secret facility, completely isolated from the outside world. And they conducted those experiments on orphaned children. In particular, they sought out and gathered children who demonstrated musical talent.
VISTY: ...
Itsuki: The children were wiped from family registries, their names erased, and they were instead called by a number.
VISTY: ...!
Aoi: That's... horrible.
Itsuki: Phantometal directly targets the traumas of the people who use it. The experiments were designed to test the limits of those effects. Those children had that horrific nightmare inflicted upon them time and time again through any means possible, from drug administration to electric shock therapy. Every single day, they were pushed to the limits of what their mind and bodies could handle. No matter how much they may have cried or screamed, it was unrelenting. One by one, their companions began to disappear. The experimentation destroyed them. Only very few survived-- myself and Rokuta among them. ... after the Alter Trigger company's misconduct was discovered and they were disbanded, we at last were given freedom. My understanding is that this information was not released to the public in order to protect the privacy and human rights of the former test subjects, but... I feel that it would be more accurate to say that the information was covered up due to pressure from some other parties. Alter Trigger has disappeared to somewhere unknown, taking the data they collated from the experimentation done to us.
VISTY: ...
Itsuki: We were able to run into Kei after we were released from the facility due to a very lucky coincidence.
Rokuta: Kei-chan ran into us while I was playing a street piano.
Shogo: Something like that happened...?
Kei: Yes. I found Rokuta, and we decided that we would continue to live together. When they told me what had happened to them, my first thought was that there was absolutely no way I could continue doing music or doing phantom lives.
Shogo: ... so the reason you quit was...?
Kei: It's nobody else's fault. It was my own selfishness.
Kantaro: But... but if that's what it was, why didn't yo say anything!? If you'd just told us the truth, then--!
Kei: I couldn't.
Kantaro: Hah?
Kei: I couldn't make myself say it. You had wanted to keep making Stellas smile through phantom lives. I couldn't say something like that when you were all so earnestly chasing your dreams. If I had said it, then I was certain that VISTY wouldn't be able to continue existing. I couldn't bring myself to do that. I wanted to see VISTY continue to shine without a single thing clouding their brilliance. I feel the same way even now. I thought that if I were there, I would only dull VISTY's brilliance. That was my reasoning. But I see now that I was wrong. I've realized that.
Shogo: Kei...
Kei: ... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
VISTY: ...
Kantaro: What good does that do us now...?
Shogo: Kantaro...
Kantaro: ...but I'm right, aren't I? I get why you quit VISTY. I get that. But Kei, you told us to our faces that you'd never do a phantom live ever again. You left, and then you just turn around and make new friends and form 1Nm8? And after we finally got the courage to enter the Paradox Live, turns out, whoops, there you are too, and now you're going up against us! Why!? How could you do something like that? How can that be anything but a betrayal!?
Kei: ... it's true. I did betray everyone in the worst way that I possibly could. But I had no other choice, if I was going to put an end to phantom lives.
Aoi: How do you figure that...?
Kei: ...
Toma: I want to hear about that, too.
Shogo: Will you explain that to us?
Kei: ... when I told VISTY that I would never do phantom lives again, I truly meant what I said. The only thing I wanted was to live quietly with Rokuta and Itsuki, and I would have been happy with just that. But... one day, I found myself wondering if it was really okay to continue living like that.
VISTY: ...?
Kei: I thought that the world should never bear out any more children like Rokuta and Itsuki. The mere possiblity was unforgivable. I felt like I had to stop it from happening again, no matter the cost. And then I learned that there would be another Paradox Live held at CLUB paradox. I considered what I would be able to do. Then...

[flash back]

[sfx: typing]
Kei: If I don't do this, then nothing will change...
[sfx: door opening, footsteps]
Rokuta: [yawn] Kei-chan? [yawns again] Are you still up?
Kei: Rokuta...
Rokuta: Sorry. I know I was supposed to be taking care of Itsuki-nii, but I ended up falling asleep, too. Kei-chan, were you the one who put a blanket over me?
Kei: Yes. You seemed to be sound asleep...
Rokuta: Ah, I see! Well, thanks.
Kei: How is Itsuki?
Rokuta: I think he's probably fine now. I'm sure that come tomorrow he's gonna be feeling right as rain!
Kei: Does Itsuki get fevers like this often?
Rokuta: Ah, yeah. It's 'cause of his super memory, it's like his brain goes... it "overheats", I think is what he says? Anyway, he says it's just something that happens when he thinks really hard, so there's nothing to worry about.
Kei: I see. ... I suppose that is a side effect of the experimentation, too...
Rokuta: Huh? Are you browsing the internet, Kei-chan? You don't do that often. What'cha lookin' at?
Kei: --!
Rokuta: [reading] "Paradox Live -Road to Legend-"? That's like, a big phantom live competition, isn't it?
Kei: ... mm.
Rokuta: A registration form... Kei-chan, are you gonna try to join?
Kei: ... yes.
Rokuta: On your own?
Kei: ... yes.
Rokuta: Why?
Kei: Huh?
Rokuta: Didn't you say you were never going to use metal again? That you wouldn't do any phantom lives.
Kei: ...
Rokuta: You said that's why you quit being an idol.
Kei: ...
Rokuta: So what's up?
Kei: That's...
Itsuki: I'm curious to know as well.
Kei: Itsuki...!
Rokuta: Itsuki-nii! You're not resting, are you gonna be okay?
Itsuki: My fever is gone. I just got up to get some water, but...
[sfx: footsteps]
Itsuki: Don't stop the conversation that you were having on my account.
Kei: I understand.

Itsuki: I see. That's what's going on.
Kei: Yes. Simply trying to warn people against the dangers of the phantometal falls on deaf ears. The words of someone who isn't actually using phantometal won't ever move peoples' hearts. Even with the trap reactions that follow the performances, all of the artists take on that risk and throw themselves into phantom lives, trying to express their own dreams and their own ideals through their music. I was once the same.
Rokuta: You were, Kei-chan?
Kei: If I wish to put an end to phantom lives and sever the chain that traps people within this tragic fate... then I have no choice but to use that power -- that demonic power that captivates people -- myself. If I don't use it myself while also showing that I am willing to cast it aside, I will not be able to turn anyone's hearts. And so...
Rokuta: Do you really intend to fight on your own?
Kei: Huh?
Rokuta: I won't let you.
Kei: Rokuta...
Rokuta: Kei-chan, you're trying to fight on your own, carrying all of our weight on your shoulders.
Kei: It's fine. As long as it's music, I'll have no trouble.
Rokuta: That's not what I mean!! I mean if you're going to do it, then we're going too!! Right, Itsuki-nii!?
Itsuki: Correct. You will hear no argument from me. It is too great a burden for one person to carry.
Kei: What... do you mean by that?
Rokuta: He means you're not gonna do it alone! Kei-chan. It was the same way at the facility. A single kid can't fight alone. They'd just break down and disappear. But I was able to hold on because Itsuki-nii was there. I managed to live without breaking down.
Itsuki: It was the same for me as well. Rokuta was the one who first called me by the name Itsuki.^[1] It's because of that that I was able to find my bearings in the vast sea of my memory. As "Itsuki", I was able to hold onto myself.
Rokuta: So, Kei-chan, that's why we're gonna fight, too!
Kei: But you...
Itsuki: You are concerned about what might happen to us if we use phantometal again, considering how we are already experiencing the side effects, correct? I assure you, there is no need to concern yourself with that. If that was all it took to break us... we would have been broken long ago.
Kei: ...
Rokuta: Right!! And I'm super strong, after all!
Itsuki: Kei. If we were to let you fight alone, I do not think that I would be able to feel at ease with that.
Rokuta: And besides that, Kei-chan, you of all people can't just quit doing music. Your music makes people happy. That's right, isn't it? The music you taught me led us to you. Don't you think even that much is already a miracle?
Kei: ...!
Rokuta: I'm not gonna lie, it is kinda scary thinking about using the metal again. But! But... if you fight, Kei-chan, then I'm gonna fight, too. I definitely, absolutely, one hundred percent won't let you do this alone!
Kei: ... Rokuta...
Itsuki: Phantom lives are a musical movement that is currently taking the world by storm. Half-measures are not going to be enough to slow its momentum. Somebody needs to speak up on a stage where all eyes are on them. For people like us, who otherwise have no power... Kei, the music that you make is our only weapon.
Kei: ... my... our sound.
Rokuta: Let's do it, Kei-chan!
Kei: Yes, let's. With our sound... we'll change the world.

[flashback ends]

Kei: I may be contradicting myself. And I may be mistaken. But nonetheless, I made the choice to stay. To realize my dreams and my ideals, this is my decision. There is nobody to place the blame on but me.
VISTY: ...
Shogo: ... I see. So that's what happened.
Aoi: That can't have been an easy choice, Kei.
Toma: We weren't aware of any of that...
Kei: Are you... not mad at me?
Kantaro: I'm still mad. Or, I guess, I was mad. But it's fine, it's whatever. Being mad all the time is really exhausting.
Kei: ...
Rokuta: ...!
Itsuki: ...
Shogo: But Kei, I have one last thing I want to ask.
Kei: What is it?
Shogo: What did VISTY mean to you, Kei?
Kei: ...
Shogo: Was the time you spent with us--
Kei: It was fun. Very much so.
VISTY: --!
Kei: At first, I had only become an idol because I wanted to try to find Rokuta, my younger brother who had gone missing. I thought perhaps that if I became famous enough, he might be able to find me, no matter where he had gone.
VISTY: ...
Kei: I was different from all of you, who had wanted to become idols purely for the goal of being idols. So I felt as though I had to draw a line in the sand. I felt that I shouldn't enjoy myself, nor be happy like everyone else was. I decided that I should not have let myself become friends with anyone else. Because I wasn't truly one of you.
Shogo: But that's...
Kei: Mm. But, I couldn't make myself do it. The very moment that I got on stage with everyone else, those thoughts vanished in an instant. The vibes that everyone shared, the Stellas' cheers, the smiles on everyone's faces... I was so happy. The entire world shone bright.
VISTY: ...
Kei: I was always being given energy by VISTY's music and how kind everyone was. It taught me to enjoy music again. Those four sparkling stars were so bright and beautiful that it left me dazzled.
Toma: No, no, no way, you're the one who's dazzling, Kei, you know? We were just reflecting your light, if anything.
Aoi: That's right. If you hadn't been there, VISTY would never have made it as far as we did.
Kei: Mm... I don't think that's true. You're able to work that hard in order to make someone else happy. I don't think there's anything in the world that shines more beautifully than that.
VISTY: ...
Shogo: Kei...
Kei: I truly treasure the time that I spent with VISTY. Everyone taught me things that I wouldn't have been able to understand or see on my own. ... I wasn't able to say this at the time, but... Shogo, Toma, Aoi, Kantaro. For being by my side... thank you so much.
VISTY: ...
Kantaro: ... you can't just say stuff like how we're the dazzling ones. Come on, Kei. Even now you're just cranking up that charismatic aura to full blast, aren't you?
Toma: No kidding, right?
Aoi: But... I'm really happy to hear that.
Shogo: Yeah.
Itsuki: Not to interrupt this nice moment that you are having, but...
VISTY: Hm?
Itsuki: I think it is time that we return to the subject at hand.
Kantaro: "The subject at hand"...?
Itsuki: The matter of your meeting with the man from Ginsekai the other day. That is what we came here to discuss with you in the first place.
VISTY: Ah...
Toma: Yeahhhh, about that...
Itsuki: Hm?
Aoi: I'm so sorry... we were planning to bring it up earlier, but...
Shogo: We already turned down the offer.
Itsuki: Huh?
Kei: --!
Rokuta: YOU DID!?
Toma: [clapping his hands together] Sorry! It's kind of like, the atmosphere wasn't quite right, so we kind of missed our chance to say it, you know...?
Aoi: Because Kantaro got really mad.
Kantaro: Hey, why are you blaming me!? Everyone else was ticked off, too, right!?
Itsuki: Could you please explain?
Shogo: It's true that there was a lot about the offer from Ginsekai that was appealing, but... we just got a bad feeling from it, you know?
Itsuki: Hah?
Shogo: It was what that guy said to us, something like, "why don't you accept the support of the Ginsekai company and take revenge on the people who betrayed you?".
Kei: Ah...
Toma: And it's like, how big of rubes do you take us for? How many times do we gotta say that we're not keeping VISTY alive to try and get back at Kei?
Aoi: We're idols in order to become the people we want to be, and to make our Stellas happy. Insinuating we're motivated by anything else is super insulting!
Kantaro: And besides that, it's super tacky to try and put someone else down to try and sell your own product.
1Nm8: ...
Kei: Um... then...
Itsuki: So it seems that we had, perhaps, misjudged the situation somewhat...
Shogo: We're sorry for making you guys worry.
Itsuki: ...
Rokuta: What a relief~!!
Kantaro: And, uh, sorry for coming down so hard on you the other day, Rokuta...
Rokuta: Nah, nah, I'm glad you said something! If you hadn't, then I don't think I'd have realized how everyone felt.
[sfx: Rumbling]
Rokuta: Huh?
Kantaro: Eh... what was that sound just now...!?
Rokuta: Oh. Sorry. That was my stomach.
Kei: Rokuta, are you hungry?
Rokuta: Ummmmm, yeah, maybe...!
Aoi: That reminds me-- I've been thinking, but since we're all here, why don't we eat together?
Kantaro: Huh?
Itsuki: Would that be okay?
Toma: We're okay with it~!
Aoi: Sounds like a plan, then!
Rokuta: Hooray~!!!
Kantaro: Let's do pizza, then! Since we've got so many different people, that way everyone can get something they like.
Aoi: Good idea. I'll open up the app now. Do we have coupons for this, I wonder...?
Toma: We've got a copy of the menu right here, too!
[sfx: paper rustling]
Kantaro: I want seafood!
Toma: I'll be getting mine with pineapple.
Itsuki: I see... so they offer the option to divide a single pizza into quadrants for four different toppings on the same pizza... how ingenious.
Shogo: Kei, can I talk to you for a second?
Kei: Mm.
[sfx: footsteps]
Rokuta: [in the background] OH!!! THEY HAVE KARAAGE TOO!!
Aoi: [in the background] Yes. Let's get plenty of sides, too.
Shogo: Kei, I just wanted to say again. Thank you for telling us the truth.
Kei: No need to thank me. I'm glad, too, that I had the chance to talk to everyone.
[both laugh a little]
Shogo: What you said earlier made me really happy, Kei. But... we're done chasing after you.
Kei: Mm.
Shogo: From now on, we're equal rivals.
Kei: Mm.
Shogo: We're going to give this next battle everything we've got. We can't afford to lose. For the sake of VISTY's future, and for all of our Stellas.
Kei: I have no intention of losing, either. There is a future that I want to reach together with Itsuki and Rokuta.
Shogo: Heh. You're on, then.
Kei: Yes.
[sfx: fistbump]