(Huh? My body… feels light??)
What’s going on? I don’t feel gravity.
It’s like I’m floating, or perhaps enveloped in light.
Is this a dream? Then, slowly, my surroundings come into view. Wh-where am I…!
“Eh, no way! Is this a-Akasaka studio?!”
The set looked exactly the same as when I used to come here every week for a year!
“You’re Miwako Niizuma, aren’t you?”
A man in a suit approached me.
I recognized him!
“You’re… announcer Shi-! No way?! We co-starred when we were young.
I’m sure you’re some big shot producer or something now.”
“I am, but you could say I’m the agent behind this guise.”
“Huh? Whose?!”
He bowed deeply to me.
“Please accept my deepest condolences.”
“Huh? Did someone die?!”
“You did, Miwako Niizuma. Acute myocardial infarction.”
Whaaaaaat…
“Are you serious?!”
“You were at your closest, when did you take your last day off?”
“Um… three years ago?”
“That was 2461 days ago.”
“That long!!”
It makes sense that I died so suddenly.
“You must have regrets, about being an idol?”
“…Regrets, perhaps. I do have some thoughts, well, various ones.”
“So, would you care to play around a bit in this interlude before you embark on a new life?”
(Play around…?)
“What do you mean by that?”
“Those who have strong unfinished wishes can be reincarnated in another world.
In your case, since your age remains the same, it’s not reincarnation but ‘world transfer’.”
Another world, you say.
“What kind of world is it?”
“You know Babylbarz Towers, don’t you?”
“Yes, my ex-boyfriend made me play it.”
“It’s a world based on that.”
So, it’s a fantasy world.
“Who created it?”
“The creator of that world, one of the gods, if you will. That should be easy to understand.”
“What kind of god is he?”
“He’s someone who loves a certain idol game.”
An idol game, even if you say so…
“And you want me to…”
“Yes, in the game you played, you were a Bard, weren’t you?”
“Until I broke up with my ex-boyfriend.”
“We’d like you to be an idol in that world, just as you were then.”
“Can I do that?!”
“It depends on the summoner. A summoner is like the summoner in the game.”
I received a brief explanation of how things would work.
“So, in the game, no, in that world, there will be a place for idols to shine?”
“From the perspective of a Bard’s profession, it’ll naturally happen. We’d like to scout you for that world.”
“My benefits for accepting, besides being able to be an idol?”
“We’ll arrange various conveniences for you when you re-incarnate on Earth.”
I can reincarnate on Earth!
“What kind of conveniences?”
“Idols have advantages and disadvantages from birth, from the very start.
Of course, there are idols who rise from poverty with hunger, but conversely, we’ll put you in easy mode.”
So, I can become an idol easily.
“Can that be guaranteed?”
“Yes, we’ll make arrangements with the God of Earth. It’s practically done already.
Of course, when you reincarnate on Earth, your memories will be reset, but you’ll be able to be an idol again.”
…Honestly, when I did the adult idol thing,
I often thought that if I had seriously pursued being an idol since I was young,
I might have achieved more.
“If I refuse the offer and don’t accept this proposal?”
“You’ll reincarnate normally. We don’t know where or how you’ll be reborn,
but since we’ve reached out to you like this, we’ll send you back to Earth as a human. But that’s all.”
They don’t know what happens after that.
“Isn’t the world of Babylbarz Towers harsh?”
“We will ensure that you can be summoned by one of the top-tier summoners in the newly created world.
However, we don’t know the details. We can’t intervene beyond that, otherwise, it wouldn’t be fun.”
So, I’m just going along with a god’s game.
“What if I’m killed immediately by a monster?”
“Unless it’s intentional, we will keep our promise. Conversely, if you don’t take it seriously,
you’ll be reborn as a puppy or kitten from some random animal production on Earth rather than as a human.”
But if I seriously put in the effort, I can aim to be an idol again from the start…!
“Will my memories in the game world…”
“You’ll keep the ones you have now.”
“Will my strength and level carry over?”
“They will. Your Bard profession, skills, and items too.”
“Can I play freely?”
“No, you are merely a ‘summon.’ You are a summoned beast. You must obey the summoner.”
…It’s like the relationship between an idol and a manager, or rather, a producer.
“Alright, I’ll try it for now.”
“That’s wonderful. We were looking for a real idol.”
“Even so, I’m at the very bottom of the idol world.”
There are things like underground idols these days, but still.
“But you released a CD, didn’t you? From a major label.”
“That was, well…”
“You’re a legitimate idol. Well then, shall we go?”
“Yes, to the world of Babylbarz Towers, right?”
“First, to the prepared waiting room.”
When I left the studio, there was a door that looked like a waiting room at an Akasaka TV station.
*Wanderer Girls – Miwako Niizuma – Waiting Room*
It was posted on the door…
“If you go through here, it’s a simulated town. Please wait there for now.
There’s a senior inside.”
“Eh, a Wanderer Girl senior?”
“No, a senior in the other world. Of course, she’s Japanese. You can ask her yourself when you meet her.”
I put my hand on the doorknob.
“…I’m going in. Thank you, Mr. Shi-.”
“I am not the person herself, but go ahead and fulfill your unfinished business. Have a good trip.”
“Yes! Miwako Niizuma, I’m going! Eeeeeeeh… WANDERER!!”
And so, I passed through the door, and waiting for me there was…!!
“Hello. Welcome to another world. I’m Iwamoto.”
“I’m MAINA! Yay! Hello, welcome, check it out!”
“Hello. Hait, from the voice actor agency Beta Eight.”
And with that, I…
“Nice to meet you all. I am Miwako Niizuma, the fourth generation member of the Wanderer Girls. Please take care of me!”
A new, or rather, an additional stage… begins.
====================
“And that’s how I ended up here!”
We heard the story from Ms. Niizuma.
By the way, the Guild Master sensed the mood and left when the story began.
Instead, Anju summoned other Otherworlders for us.
“Ugh, even as an idol, it was tough.”
“Still, the fact that you could become an ‘idol’ at all is amazing.”
“It’s rare to become an idol after becoming an adult, though actresses and talents are different.”
Clarice asked the three of them.
“Did the three of you know about Ms. Niizuma before meeting her here?”
Idols are famous, after all.
“We knew of the Wanderer Girls. They produced a very famous actress.”
“I didn’t know, but I saw their MV in my apartment. Yes, I saw it. My thoughts on it are ended.”
“Their late-night program also broadcast anime inside, so many people probably saw it incidentally.”
So, they knew the name of what is like an Adventurer Party here.
Nina tilted her head slightly and asked Ms. Niizuma.
“So, ultimately, it was a popularity poll, ranking 13th out of 12 people?”
“Yes, it was a viewer poll to decide positions on the CD jacket and MV.
After recording, a member who withdrew due to circumstances appeared, and a new member replaced her and also recorded.”
So that’s why there are 13 votes for a 12-person party.
“I see, so you came in last place.”
“Yes, 12th place had 2086 votes, and I, in last place, had 840 votes.”
“You lost to a member who disappeared?”
“I lost to a member who joined with only 4 days left to vote!”
She really wasn’t popular at all.
“The mystery is solved! Good luck for now!”
“Yes, Producer Anju!”
“I’ll prepare a place for you to sing, but you have to walk there on your own two feet.”
“Yes, together!”
That’s an unusual thing for Anju to say.
I don’t mean she’s not walking because she’s floating or anything.
“…Is the conversation over?”
“Ah, Guild Master, thank you for your consideration.”
“I heard about the Otherworlder, but I thought it was better not to pry too much… But more importantly.”
The schedule for the Singer Festival was distributed.
“There’s a preliminary round first. We can nominate you for the main event, what do you say?”
“…Niizuma.”
“Yes, I want to participate! Thank you very much!!”
“That’s her decision.”
“Understood. I’ll go get the application form.”
“Ah, me too~~”
It seems MAINA wants to participate too.
“Mr. Iwamoto.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Please don’t do any more of that ‘radio wave singing’ with Ms. Niizuma and MAINA.”
“Haha, honestly, even the Creator of this world told me on the phone, ‘You should stop that.'”
“Right?”
Good, in many ways.
