Chapter 62

We made it just in time.

This is a record of a certain interview... and it's a penalty game where, after the person reads the content aloud, the remaining two give their impressions!

Q1. Please introduce yourself to the camera!

Pencil: "Hello, everyone who's reading this on the release day and those who will read it someday! I'm Eien Amami, the exclusive model for 'Fluegel'!"

3: "Will this record remain for eternity...?"

Katsu: "The type that erodes your sanity when you read it..."

Pencil: "Well, I won't deny that my charm is on par with a grimoire."

3: "She's strong, this woman!"

Q2. What's the first thing you do in the morning?

Pencil: "Stretching, of course. I thoroughly loosen up my body to shake off sleepiness."

3: "What do you actually do?"

Pencil: "Wipe my face with a towel warmer."

Katsu: "Sounds like an old man, doesn't it?"

Pencil: "If you say that again, I'll spread your cross-dressing photos on my SNS and get 'Fluegel' to commission a photo book of Katsu's cross-dressing to the Cyber Brigade."

Katsu: "Can you stop with that 'we'll die together' stance?"

Q3. What's your favorite breakfast menu?

Pencil: "Toasted bread with blueberry jam, I guess."

3: "I can't believe this is the same person who said, 'Putting all three jams on a slice of toast to create a 'Fruit Mix Jam Dynamite Mountain Toast' will dominate the next era.'"

Pencil: "I actually think it's a thing, you know, like scooping jam with a spoon."

Katsu: "Wouldn't it be faster to eat it straight from the jar?"

Pencil: "It's about the aesthetic, Katsu."

3: "A pile of messy jam on toast sounds like a gross image, doesn't it?"

Q4. What's your favorite movie?

Pencil: "Heartfelt Sky."

3: "Doubt."

Katsu: "Lying isn't good."

Pencil: "It's not a lie! It's a work I like to some extent!"

Katsu: "What's your favorite movie?"

Pencil: "True Red to Zero."

3: "An R18G movie!!"

Katsu: "Isn't it a movie about blood loss and torture...?"

Pencil: "Well... it's just that... I can't really say the content that's suitable for a teen magazine..."

Q5. What song do you often sing at karaoke?

Pencil: "Missing Love."

3: "Are you going to lie for all the questions from here on?"

Pencil: "I'll say it."

Katsu: "Is it a lie, though?"

Pencil: "I don't even go to karaoke that often..."

3: "By the way, what did you sing recently?"

Pencil: "Schubert's 'Erlkönig.'"

3 and Katsu (laughing).

Q6. What's an essential item you always carry in your bag?

Pencil: "Cosmetics in general."

3: "It's unusual to mix truth with lies in your deck."

Pencil: "Life, Mr. Aggro Highlander, please be quiet."

3: "Huh??"

Katsu: "It's like a cicada deck."

3: "Let the world be eternally summer."

Katsu: "But cicadas die after a week even in summer, right...?"

3: "They go underground."

Q7. What do you want the most right now?

Pencil: "Maybe the new cosmetics, but they should arrive by tomorrow."

Pencil: "Actually, this interview was quite a while ago, so they've already arrived."

3: "I have a legendary bad game arriving the day after tomorrow."

Katsu: "Why do you think you can compete with cosmetics and a bad game?"

Pencil: "In Sanraku's case, it might make his skin look more plump, which is a bit annoying."

3: "It's one of the many Galactica Blades that were illegally dumped in an abandoned warehouse."

Katsu: "What, they were in circulation...?"

3: "A friend of mine."

Pencil: "You have some strange connections, Sanraku... not that I'm jealous or anything."

Q8. What do you often buy at convenience stores?

Pencil: "I buy yogurt quite frequently."

3: "You seem like the type to buy dried squid, beer, and instant noodles."

Pencil: "I'll spread your cross-dressing photos..."

Katsu: "You're using the 'old man deck,' Sanraku! Why is it affecting me?!"

Pencil: "But my friends are like this."

3: "Huh?"

Pencil: "The fact that they can maintain their figure makes me want to kill them sometimes, even if they're my best friends."

Katsu: "Should I call the police?"

3: "Unfortunately, they won't act on an attempted murder."

Q9. What's your treasure?

Pencil: "Probably the fan letters from fans, which I cherish."

3: "How many fan letters do you actually receive?"

Pencil: "The worst was 600 in a day."

Katsu: "Ah..."

Pencil: "I read them all, but it's a bit of a problem when they often include hair."

Katsu: "Ah... I see..."

Pencil: "The most shocking was a blood-stained fingernail."

3: "Ah..."

Katsu: "I understand...!!"

3: "Are you guys okay...? Finding sympathy in such a job is dangerous, isn't it?"

Q10. What have you been obsessed with recently?

Pencil: "Recently, I've been into full-dive VR games. Of course, I have a different name and face... I might even have met some of you reading this...?"

3: "Even if you did, you'd definitely be in a victim-perpetrator relationship."

Katsu: "And you're using your real face."

Pencil: "I've created my character from scratch, and this is my true beauty!"

3: "You're actually quite good at character creation..."

Q11. What has made you feel the most accomplished?

Pencil: "Probably when my photo was displayed on a building's screen."

Katsu: "In Ikebukuro? I've been on there too."

3: "You suddenly started comparing."

Pencil: "How cute."

Katsu: "It's healthier than comparing with bad games."

3: "Most people don't get their photos displayed on screens, though."

Q12. What do you do for fun with your friends?

Pencil: "Probably full-dive VR games. Some of my friends don't even know my true identity, which is one of the great things about full-dive."

Katsu: "The difference between the mask and the real person is often hard to notice."

Pencil: "Do you think this is my true self without the mask?"

Katsu: "Huh?"

3: "Do you shed your skin regularly?"

Katsu: "Babuufff!!"

Pencil: "I was trying to be scary, but Sanraku...!!!"

Q13. Who do you admire?

Pencil: "Probably Cindy Juelia, the top model in America, my idol."

3: "That's the one who always looks dazzling, right?"

Katsu: "Your phrasing... but yeah, she's always shining in magazines and videos."

Pencil: "The fact that she can wear those gem-encrusted costumes like a cosplay and make them look natural makes her an incredibly strong character."

Q14. What's your favorite color?

Pencil: "Red."

3: "Is it a typo for 'akairo' (red)?"

Pencil: "No, it's 'aka' (red)."

Katsu: "You're not denying it, huh?"

Q15. What's your motto?

Pencil: "I don't compromise to shine the brightest."

Katsu: "Doubt."

3: "If you had to say, 'Everyone else die for me'?"

Pencil: "... 'Just self-destruct,' maybe."

3: "Does self-destruction count as shining?"

Katsu: "Well, it's more like burning... as an enemy character, she's incredibly shining."

Pencil: "But if everyone else self-destructs, I'll automatically be the one shining the brightest, right?"

3: "You'd say that, wouldn't you?"

Q16. If you had to represent yourself with one kanji, what would it be?

Pencil: "Hmm... one kanji... 'Beauty' seems too confident, so maybe 'Joy.' Modeling is fun!"

Pencil: "No, it's 'Beauty.'"

Katsu: "Stop beating up your past self."

Pencil: "What about you two?"

Katsu: "Hmm, 'Challenge,' I guess. I want to beat Sylvia."

3: "... Well, 'Joy,' I guess. My gaming life is fun."

Pencil: "Is it 'Raku' from 'Lacrow'...?"

3: "Stop it."

Q17. What would you do if you had a day off tomorrow?

Pencil: "Tomorrow? Tomorrow... I might try out the new cosmetics I mentioned earlier."

Katsu: "What did you do on the day of the interview?"

Pencil: "I went out for ramen and dumplings and came back."

3: "I get it, you end up reaching for different menus."

Katsu: "I can relate."

Pencil: "I didn't expect to get so much agreement over dumplings..."

Q18. What makes you go 'Kyun' in men?

Pencil: "Hmm... maybe when they're sweating?"

3: "From fear?"

Pencil: "Well, I'm not really that into men..."

Katsu: "If Eien Amami were to be exposed, the other person's life would be in danger."

3: (My sister would become a mob, so please don't...)

Pencil: "Why are you looking at me with such a pleading gaze, Sanraku?"

3: "Can you stay single for life?"

Pencil: "Then would you take me in, Sanraku?"

3: "No, for my own safety, I'd probably be stabbed to death by my family if I did."

Katsu: "What kind of situation is this...?"

Pencil: "I'm annoyed that you brushed it off with a straight face."

Q19. What's your ideal date?

Pencil: "I'd be happy if we could play games together."

3: "Dragging a virtual boyfriend to hell is too cruel."

Katsu: "You should apologize to your virtual boyfriend."

Pencil: "A real shield is more convenient than a virtual boyfriend."

Katsu: "Can you stop looking at me like that...!?"

3: "The revolution has come..."

Pencil: "Send me to the guillotine!"

Q20. If you were a man for a day, what would you do?

Pencil: "I'd like to run at full speed."

Pencil: "I was also curious about the assumption of being a man when I answered this question."

3: "What if you were a muscular guy?"

Pencil: "Muscular... I guess... bodybuilder?"

Katsu: "Bodybuilder..."

Pencil: "But I think there's a desire to pose as a bodybuilder, regardless of gender."

3: "Hahaha, that's ridiculous (it exists)."

Katsu: "That's a harsh joke (it exists)."

Q21. What do you tend to collect?

Pencil: "Lipsticks, I guess. I want to collect all the different colors."

3: "It's like arranging memory cards with recorded screams of victims by date..."

Katsu: "Psychopath?"

Pencil: "Honestly, I can't really tell the difference in screams."

3: "Stop declaring that you're used to hearing screams."

Pencil: "Actually, Katsu, you're probably the same, right? You're tired of hearing high-pitched screams..."

Katsu: "I understand."

3: "I don't..."

Q22. If you were to change your hairstyle, what would it be?

Pencil: "I change my hairstyle quite often... but sometimes I want to change my hair color a bit."

Pencil: "By the way, do you guys, Sanraku and Katsu, change your hairstyles often?"

Katsu: "Not really."

3: "Me neither. I leave it all to the local barber."

Pencil: "Sanraku, you seem to take really poor care of your hair."

3: "I do use conditioner, though."

Pencil: "What about a hair dryer?"

3: "I let it air dry."

Pencil (sigh).

Q23. Can you tell us about your usual hair care routine?

Pencil: "Probably just treatments and brushing..."

Pencil: "Get rid of bed head, die, disappear from this world."

Katsu: "Curses."

3: "You're too realistic about it."

Q24. What's your catchphrase?

Pencil: "Hmm... 'Hey, everyone!' or something like that."

3: "Uhehe... human blood is delicious!"

Pencil: "Hey, cut it out."

Katsu: "Why is the sound of human organs being crushed so fruity?"

Pencil: "You know..."

3 and Katsu: "Both of those are lines you said."

Pencil: "No way!!?!!?"

Q25. If you could go back to your teenage years, what would you do?

Pencil: "Hmm. I live without regrets, so there's nothing in particular."

3: "You do seem to have no regrets."

Katsu: "If I could go back to my teenage years... I can't really think of anything."

Pencil: "It might be more effective to ask this when you're 30 or 40."

3: "It's still ongoing for us..."

Pencil: "Live without regrets, young people!"

3: "You've lived seven years longer than me, I see."

Pencil: "..."

3: "I'm sorry."

Katsu: "That's a face you can't show on TV..."

Q26. What are you challenging yourself with now?

Pencil: "I'd like to try a sport, maybe soccer?"

3: "In real life, knocking out the referee won't get your red card revoked."

Pencil: "Don't use the standards of a bad game, Sanraku."

Katsu: "We once played a game where we ended up tackling the goalkeeper and referee."

3: "It's a mixed martial arts game disguised as soccer."

Q27. What do you do when you're feeling down?

Pencil: "Eat and sleep!"

Pencil: "I call in two cannon fodder to ruin multiplayer games out of spite."

3: "Calling in pro gamers to ruin multiplayer games is a bourgeois thing to do when you think about it."

Katsu: "Well, ruining it just means winning..."

Pencil: "And seeing Sanraku die in a ridiculous way makes me feel better knowing there's always someone worse off."

3: "Oh, a fight? I'll buy it?"

Pencil: "Can you afford that level of poverty? If you're struggling, I'll sell it to you."

3: "You're on, you bastard!"

Katsu: "Stay, stay, I'll give you a bone."

Pencil and 3: "Woof woof!!"

Katsu: "Ah, you're into that..."

Q28. How can someone become as beautiful as Eien-sama?

Pencil: "Have confidence in yourself! You'll shine much more than being pessimistic! It's a privilege that anyone, male or female, can use!!"

Katsu: "Isn't that overconfidence?"

Pencil: "There's no upper limit to confidence, and I don't hold back with myself!!"

3: "..."

Katsu: "..."

3: "You're thinking, 'I said that well,' right?"

Pencil: "You're not supposed to say that kind of thing!!"

Q29. What does a fan mean to Eien-sama?

Pencil: "A precious treasure."

Pencil: "Nothing else to add."

3: "Next question, then."

Q30. Please smile for the camera!

Pencil: "Sure! (smiling)"

Pencil: "(smiling)"

Pencil: "I hope you're grateful that only two of you get to see this smile."

3: "Ah, sure."

Katsu: "Yeah, sure."

Pencil: "You don't understand the value of this..."

3: "Well, you do that kind of smile that can't be shown in public all the time."

Katsu: "Like a creepy laugh, you know."

Pencil: "You guys!!"