Love Live!: SHATTER [PART 9]

THE SIGNS:

*SCHOOL IDOL CLUBROOM - NIJIGASAKI HIGH SCHOOL - ODAIBA - TOKYO*

Today was supposed to be a day for celebration, but I feel as though a dark cloud has been cast.

Though the skies are blue, our minds are not the same. Not only to have learned the news of Setsuna's impending retirement, but to also have learned that she has been struggling with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy... HCM...

It means that when she has given it her all as a school idol, she has felt pain in her chest... And to please her fans, she has pushed through that pain to put on the phenomenal and flashy performances she has been known for, for two years now...

At the Rainbow Hearts Tourney, three performances were enough to burn her out, leaving her open for Lanzhu to sweep the victory. I can't imagine the pain she must have been experiencing, all because I pushed her to try and beat the Clique.

Not only that, but MY idea of crashing Liella!'s Diver City show is what caused Setsuna to get hurt by Hitomi Shiga. As much as I want to feel animosity towards her, I can't... Because that's not what Setsuna wants.

What she DOES want is to go out with a bang, on the best exit possible at the School Idol Festival.

Even so... Three performances were taxing on Setsuna's body enough. While at the Main Stage contest, she'll have to perform FIVE TIMES.

The only one with any position to change that would be me, the School Idol Festival's Chairman. As much as I would want to shorten the number of performances to three, it won't be fair on the other groups.

Plus it will feed into Kanon Shibuya's theory of me being a nepotistic Chairman who only does things to sway things in my group's favor.

That's who I am as a Producer.

But not who I am as a Chairman.

At the School Idol Festival, I want an even playing field just as much as she does. Because when we wipe the smile off of her face I want there to be NO EXCUSES whatsoever.

Because that seems to be all that Liella! are good for today... Excuses for their own shortcomings. Excuses as to why they couldn't defeat Sunny Passion or win Love Live! Yet DiverDiva did it on THEIR HOME TURF on their first try!

Saying that you want it more, or that you worked hard for it is not an excuse. Because NOBODY goes into a school idol competition without WANTING it, without WORKING for it!

But no, Liella! think that they're an exception to that! They think that the world revolves around them like they're superstars. So they had to rely on a major corporation to rig things in their favor.

And that pisses me off!

...I'm sorry.

I'm really on edge today after the news. The slightest of things can irritate me in this state. But more than anything I'm angry at myself for not seeing the signs...

They were all there.

...