There’s gonna be an extra update this week so we can get to the first dungeon ASAP. Really, the intro cutscene barely counts as an update.
Music: Daitama Observatory
Now that we’ve entered the realm of gameplay, we get dumped off in the Daitama Observatory.
There’s an audition of some kind going on, which probably explains the crowds. And hey, there’s Tsubasa hanging out at the back of the line.
Itsuki wanders in, but uh, he’s not the brightest bulb in the box. You’ll see.
Some kind of event, huh…? Wonder what’s taking Touma so long.
Oh?
So this is our introduction to “Topic”. It’s basically a bunch of texts that come in on your gamepad, mostly to flesh out some side conversations which absolutely could not have happened on the main screen, no sir.
[quote]
blargh sorry! running late! i seriously just got off the stage
sorry, man. gah, and i was the one who set this whole thing up, too
Don’t worry about it.
thanks man. sorry again!
oh btw, i saw someone who looked a lot like tsubasa in odaiba today. did she tell you anything about her plans?
Nope…
eh, it was probably someone else then. anyhow, i’ll be there as soon as i can, so just hang on a little more[/quote]
Guess I’ll just wander around a bit then…
From there, we’re actually thrown into gameplay. Our immediate goal is to go talk to Tsubasa, but for now let’s chat up the locals.
: I want to be just like Mamorin! I really, really wanna be like her!
: The Uta-loid Tiki’s made of dreams, not data! If she was just a fictional idol, she wouldn’t be this popular!
: If you pass this audition, then you might even be able to work together with Kiria, right?
: My friend’s auditioning too! I’m looking forward to seeing her!
Well, it seems like everyone else is pretty excited about this, let’s see what Tsubasa has to say.
Oh. Well, something tells me we weren’t supposed to see her here.
I thought that was you, Tsubasa.
I-I-I thought you were hanging out with Touma today!
He hasn’t shown up yet, so I figured I’d hang out for a while.
Urgh… Thanks, Touma…
Tsubasa…?
I, uh, well…
“Kiria”…? That was… that singer you really like, right?
Sigh I’ve been telling you to listen to her songs forever. How do you still not remember?
She’s one of the biggest female artists in Japan right now. You should really listen to her sometime, Itsuki!
I’ll… get around to it.
You promise?
Yeah, yeah.
Don’t “yeah, yeah” me… You’re just saying that to get me off your case.
Sigh Come on, Itsuki, we’ve been friends since we were kids. Can’t you take me seriously for once?
Tsubasa has some very expressive motions in her dialogue. It’s quite fitting for her character, and I suggest watching them in motion when you get a chance.
I mean, I’ll get you parfait if you want… I just don’t see why you’re trying to get ME excited about her.
It makes perfect sense! I just want to be able to talk about Kiria stuff with you.
I think that’s probably enough about her… So what exactly are you doing here in Daitama, again?
Uh, well, you know, just… things…
All applicants for the One of Millennium idol audition, please gather in the reception area.
Gaah! I-I, uh, just remembered there was something I had to do! So, uh… Gotta go! I’ll see you later!
Tsubasa?
Nope, this is definitely on the level. Nothing funny going on here.
Anyway, now that we’ve talked to Tsubasa the line has cleared out, so let’s go see what she’s trying so hard to hide.
As Itsuki walks past the mirror, we see that he’s being followed by a red ghost. I’m sure that nothing will ever come of this.
Music: Showtime!
Well, I suppose we know where the crowd went.
Which talented contestant will get the glory of victory and a shot at stardom!? Are… you… READY?
Yeeeeaaah!
And so am I! Why don’t we have our future idols come forward on stage?
Whoooo!
The other idols each take a turn on stage, but you can see how much attention Itsuki is paying.
This, however, is enough to snap him back into reality.
Heh heh…!
Aw, geez… I totally messed that up.
What’s Tsubasa doing onstage…?
Tsubasa seems to have a ghost following her as well, but like Itsuki’s, it vanishes almost as quickly as it appears.
I… I want to become an idol that can… make everyone happy!
Whoa…
Wooow. And just what motivated you to want to be that kind of idol? We’re just dying to know, aren’t we, folks?
We are!
Well… A while ago… I went through some hard times and got really depressed… Everyone was really worried about me, but that just ended up feeling more like a burden…
But… I had a friend that still talked with me like everything was normal - just like he always did. That cheered me up… and it helped me feel like I could smile again.
That’s why… I want to be able to help everyone smile, just like my friend did for me.
…
Huh…? Well, um…
Is it, maybe… something to do with your sister?
…!?
Your sister is the idol Ayaha Oribe, isn’t she?
Y-Yes… that’s true…
Well, why didn’t you say so!? This is very important information. So, tell us… what kind of sister was she?
She was always cheerful, a great singer… And most importantly… sh-she was a very kind person.
Buuut, five years ago… during that so-called “Mass Disappearance” your sister disappeared, didn’t she?
…
Isn’t the Mass Disappearance where all the performers and audience in a theater just disappeared?
At this point, even the crowd is starting to sense that something is up.
But here, now, HERE… We come to the most important question of all.
Tsubasa. For your incredible talent, I could let you see your beloved sister once again… How about it?
…
The truth is… I have called Ms. Ayaha Oribe to be our special guest today!
…Huh? Sh-She’s here!?
Music: Danger!
Well, this went south quickly. Not only was this whole thing a trap, Gojuin can summon whatever these red ghosts are.
Wh-What’s going on!? Nooo! Ugh… gah…
It’s a lot more obvious in motion, but these red ghosts are absorbing something from the crowd. A really cute touch is that once a crowd member has been drained, they lose their color and turn grey before they collapse.
Ah, now there’s a Proper Noun™. Just keep that in mind, we’ll get an explanation for that in a few updates.
Ah…! Tsubasa… Where’s Tsubasa…!?
Itsuki, despite being under attack himself, is at least trying to help.
His work seemingly done, Gojuin turns around and goes through the portal that has appeared behind him.
Tsubasa cries out for help…
…But she quickly gets taken through the portal as well.
And with the audience entirely drained, the red ghosts call it a day too.
Itsuki is suddenly glowing again, and like before it seems to counteract the Performa drain.
Well I suppose our next objective is pretty obvious, isn’t it? Next time we investigate this mysterious blue portal!