Roselia

Ever since leaving CiRCLE, they had been able to raise their stats normally by killing monsters. Shiko mainly increased her Intelligence. Her Physical stat had risen purely from long-term outdoor exercise.

Kita checked the ashes. "Nothing dropped."

Shiko had expected that. Ryo pressed a hand to the ground and sensed around. "There aren't any more of those monsters nearby."

Now that they had finished resting, Shiko turned around and prepared to reenter the hot-air balloon.

She was grabbed.

"Why do we still have to ride the hot-air balloon?" Kita shook her arm. "Now that it's safe, the scenery is so beautiful! Let's walk!"

"Huh?" Shiko looked toward the layers of mountain peaks in the distance.

They had walked so much before because it was inconvenient to attack while flying through the air. Now that they could ride in a hot-air balloon, why walk step by step?

"Think of it as a change of pace. You homebodies should properly experience the charm of nature!" Stimulated by the new scenery, Kita's sunshine energy began rapidly recovering!

"It's so tiring. I don't want to." Ryo already had one foot inside the basket.

Nijika pointed at the boxes piled high inside the balloon. "What about the luggage?"

"Ah... I..." Before Ichiri could offer an opinion, Shiko grabbed her. "Don't let this springtime go to waste, Ichiri!" Ichiri saw light shining in her eyes.

Ah. It was sunshine Shiko.

Kita crossed her arms and grinned smugly. "See? Even Wu-san says so!"

"What about the luggage?" Nijika repeated.

In the end, the hot-air balloon still flew low to carry the supplies. Only Shiko and Kita followed it energetically on the ground, occasionally stopping to take a couple of pictures.

Youth was wonderful. Nijika lounged beneath the balloon's shadow, watching the two of them play.

Shiko tripped in one spot and fell onto the grass. Before she could even get up, she raised her head and repeatedly apologized to a patch of empty air.

At that moment, it seemed as though invisible tourists were shoving past one another all around her. Couples and families dressed in finery crowded the walking path. In such a setting, Shiko no longer felt like admiring nature. Her pace slowed, and her gaze unconsciously lowered. Finally, Shiko stopped, expressionless, and waved toward the hot-air balloon. "Pick me up!"

Welcome back to the homebody family's fold, Little Shiko.

Though she did look a little pitiful.

"Hey—then I'll be the only one left down here—" Kita complained to Shiko. Shiko ignored her completely.

Despite her many complaints, Kita eventually returned to the hot-air balloon as well, and its speed immediately increased. The balloon's shadow swept over emerald meadows, sparkling streams, low shrubs, and dense coniferous forests.

"It's a forest—" Even in reality, they rarely saw such a pristine forest. It had only been half a day's journey, yet to them it felt like they had entered another world.

The high mountains had long since fallen behind them. Ahead stretched an endless green ocean. Rivers hid beneath the shade of the trees as they flew over the jungle.

The only pity was that there were still no traces of animals anywhere they looked.

The altitude continued to drop, and the wind blowing from above gradually grew warmer. Looking back in the direction they had come from, they realized it had been a plateau.

Below them, the river appeared and vanished between the conifers. The roar of rushing water could be heard. They followed the river downstream, and broadleaf plants gradually began appearing in the dense forest. Their proportion grew larger and larger until the river was completely covered by vast stretches of green.

"It feels like we're going home." After all, they were children of the plains. Though this forest differed somewhat from the one near their hometown, it was still more familiar than the plateau's wasteland. The sky seemed farther away, the wind gentler, and broad clouds appeared overhead. They weren't an ominous omen, merely ordinary white clouds.

The clouds turned golden. They witnessed their first sunset on the plains. It truly felt completely different from the plateau.

The journey continued for some time. The monsters on the plains were no different from those on the plateau, except that there were many more of them, along with some individuals that looked like plants. While leveling up, everyone searched for traces of Roselia.

They encountered rain for the first time. Natural rain. It wasn't heavy, but they didn't dare fly, so they spent the day sheltering in a cave.

The river passed over a cliff and formed a magnificent waterfall. At everyone's urging, Nijika gathered her courage and tried Water Erosion. Her [Physical] stat actually rose a little, delighting her so much that she ignored everyone's struggles and forced them all beneath the waterfall for a thorough rinse.

They encountered a huge tree that would have taken ten people holding hands to encircle. It turned out to be a monster in disguise, but Kita waved her hand grandly, and it posed no threat at all.

As they advanced, the river gradually grew larger, developing from a stream into a small river, then becoming a great river. Its current also lost its initial turbulence and gradually settled.

"I caught one! I told you there were fish in the river!" Kita yanked hard on the fishing rod. The thing in the river struggled desperately, and for a moment the two sides were evenly matched.

"Give me some room." Shiko helped, gripping the rod and pulling back with all her strength. At last, half of a monstrous fish flew into the air, struck Shiko's gun muzzle squarely, dissolved into ashes, and fell back into the river.

"It really was a monster." Shiko remained expressionless.

"I thought we'd have an extra dish for dinner..." Kita sounded disappointed.

"That thing looked injured." Shiko recalled what she had seen. "It only had half its body left. It didn't look natural. Someone had beaten it into that state. We should be close to Roselia."

Hearing this, everyone immediately rose into the air and set up the telescope to search. They were already on a vast plain, with no mountains in sight. To the east lay a swamp, the river's upper reaches. A forest lay to the south. Everywhere else was open grassland, and in the distance the river joined another great river running northwest to southeast. No buildings could be seen along the banks.

"They don't necessarily have to be on the riverbank. Staying too close to the river risks flooding, and there are monsters in it." Shiko searched the area between the forest and the riverbank. There were edible fruits and timber in the forest, and water in the river. If it were her, she would build a base on the high ground between the two...

Smoke rose from the area she had focused on.

They were really there! The other side had spotted them and greeted them first! Excited, Kita set off fireworks in response. The hot-air balloon accelerated toward them.

They were about to meet Roselia! The band recognized by Miss Niiki and Miss Marina! Alongside her delight, Nijika felt a surge of nervousness.

What would Roselia do when faced with the girls who had failed to protect Miss Marina? She didn't want to face that scene. Yet she would personally deliver the news about CiRCLE as their captain. She had to fulfill her responsibility as captain...

Someone patted her shoulder.

She turned around and saw Shiko. "I'm more familiar with Roselia. I'll talk to them later." Shiko's gaze was calm.

Shiko? Nijika's first reaction was to refuse. Leaving aside Shiko's mental problems, she had never been good at dealing with strangers. Even if she really was more familiar with Roselia, still...

"Hey." Nijika looked into Shiko's eyes. "What if you have another episode halfway through?"

Shiko handed her a baseball bat. "Then hit me with it."

That would only make things worse... Nijika's mouth twitched as she accepted the bat. She would do her best to look after Shiko when the time came.

"Thank you."

The hot-air balloon slowly descended before several small log cabins.

Five girls in performance outfits stood in front of it.

Roselia

That evening, Miss Marina suddenly disappeared.

Everyone searched for her. They heard that even the Tsurumaki family's men in black had been mobilized, and Roselia temporarily put aside preparations for their live performance to help.

Yet there was no news for several days. Instead, everyone from Poppin'Party disappeared as well.

But the next day, Risa Imai learned where they had gone.

Because she—and all of Roselia—had disappeared too.

They arrived on a pristine plain. Aside from a Sky-Piercing Tower in the distance, there were no signs of human presence anywhere, only bizarre monsters wandering about. Fortunately, they had also gained superpowers, and resources nearby were reasonably abundant. They successfully established a base at the meeting point of several rivers.

Their terrain restricted the area they could explore. They found no trace of Miss Marina or Poppin'Party. Instead, they encountered one of Miss Marina's former bandmates. She taught Roselia how to build sturdy houses, sew clothes from leaves and fibers, identify edible fruit, and fight. Unfortunately, not long afterward, she bid them farewell and headed upstream.

A long time passed after that.

One day, Risa spotted a hot-air balloon drifting down from upstream.

"Yukina, look!"

What changes would the people coming from upstream bring?

Rinko lit a smoke signal. During this time, Ako eagerly cried, "I can finally wear this!" and brought out the performance outfits they had been wearing when they crossed over. Purple and black formed the base, with a gothic style. They had crossed over on the eve of their live performance. Afterward, they had been afraid to wear those outfits, carefully storing them indoors to keep them dust-free. Normally, they could only make do with clothing woven from leaves and vines.

Even Yukina revealed a rare smile.

The hot-air balloon slowly descended. They had just changed clothes and went out to welcome their guests.

Yukina stood at the very front, with Risa slightly behind her to the side. Sayo stood on the other side, while Rinko stood a little farther back with Ako beside her.

Five girls—gray, yellow, red, pink, and blue—climbed out of the hot-air balloon. Their clothes were plain, but clearly products of civilization, completely different from the leaves Roselia usually wore. Their complexions were also much rosier, and they looked well nourished.

Yet their spirits were even worse than Roselia's despite their lack of food and clothing, and they showed none of the joy of seeing their own kind. Risa suddenly felt an ominous premonition.

The gray-haired and yellow-haired girls stepped forward. The yellow-haired girl avoided their eyes, while the grimmer-looking gray-haired girl spoke first.

"We're Kessoku Band."

"We came to report... Miss Marina's last letter."

Ten people crowded into the tiny room. It was entirely made of wood, with a crude structure: sheets made from leaves served as bedding, and tables and chairs had been assembled from several logs. There was more, but Shiko had no heart to examine it. She almost couldn't look at the faces opposite her: Yukina Minato, Risa Imai, Sayo Hikawa, Rinko Shirokane, and Ako Udagawa. They listened to Shiko's report, stiff as wax figures.

"...That's all." She ended with a dry mouth.

"...This is the letter she left for you, along with these gifts." Nijika handed over a carefully preserved letter and a wooden box containing five glowing orbs. No one else moved. Only Yukina reached out to take them. Nijika could feel that her hands were trembling slightly.

Nijika stood and waved to the members of Kessoku Band. "Let's go outside first." They fled as if escaping, leaving the oppressive atmosphere behind.

Only after they went outside did they realize how stiflingly hot the air inside the cabin had been. Kita suddenly crouched on the ground. "I... don't want to stay here."

As Kessoku Band, who had only escaped by luck after Miss Marina protected them at the cost of her life, what right did they have to seek a place with Miss Marina's proud band, Roselia?

"This is nothing but avoidance." Ryo showed no mercy.

"That's right. It is avoidance." Kita raised her head, but she didn't dare meet Ryo's eyes. "Ryo-senpai, are you really fine with this? Staying here as if you deserve it?"

"...The more people, the better."

"What?" Kita looked toward Shiko, who had spoken.

Shiko clenched her fists, tears glinting in her eyes. "If we want revenge, we need everyone's strength. We aren't enough on our own. So even if it's unbearable, we have to..."

Shiko pulled out paper and a pen. "At the very least, we should ask Roselia for autographs and a group photo first!"

Another Shiko suddenly appeared. Startled, everyone unconsciously burst out laughing. That single laugh made the atmosphere much lighter.

"The premise of thinking about that is that Roselia doesn't kick us out." Nijika put a hand on her hip. "Let's wait first."

"How could Roselia possibly kick us out? No one is that heartless to their fans." Shiko was deeply dissatisfied by Nijika's misunderstanding.

The wait lasted longer than expected. No one spoke. Ichiri quietly walked to the river to listen to the water, while everyone else wandered nearby. Ryo took her bass aside and played by herself. Only after a long while did she realize she had been playing HOPE, so she stopped. Kita crouched on the ground, burned a pile of grass into ash with flames, and played with it in her hands. Nijika watched the others. Noticing something wrong with the atmosphere, Shiko quietly asked Ichiri about it. Ichiri didn't know how to explain, and she couldn't lie either. In the end, Nijika managed to fool Shiko and get her to stay quiet for a while.

The door opened. Only Yukina came out.

Yukina had long purplish-silver hair and golden eyes. Her expression was perpetually stern, naturally commanding respect even when she wasn't angry. In music, everyone in BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! regarded her as an authority. To Roselia, she possessed the charisma of a monarch.

Nijika went to meet her.

"What have you decided?" Yukina asked directly.

Nijika looked at everyone and answered firmly, "We'll join forces with Roselia, find Poppin'Party, and avenge Miss Marina and Miss Niiki!"

Nothing could be read from Yukina's expression. She nodded. "Formal introductions can wait until dinner."

"Also, she is..." Yukina looked toward Shiko, whose bearing had become completely different from before.

Nijika's expression grew complicated. "Uh, her situation is rather special. It needs to be explained slowly."

"I see." Yukina examined Shiko carefully. "Then make yourselves at home in all the rooms here. We will have dinner at sunset."

Yukina returned to the door. Through the wooden door, she could already hear Ako crying. She closed her eyes briefly, exhaled, and stepped into the room.

Calling it a dinner party was generous. There were only wild vegetables and fruit gathered nearby, along with snacks such as cookies. The table was a large round one, but it hadn't been big enough for ten people, so they had to squeeze together. The two bands sat on opposite sides. Risa sat beside Shiko, and Nijika sat beside Yukina.

Shiko had recovered and quietly listened to Yukina speak.

"...That's the situation. Since Shiko can create vehicles, the river can no longer stop us. We will set out tomorrow to search for Poppin'Party." Yukina proposed the plan.

No one objected.

"Then let's introduce the members. We are Roselia."

"Guitarist, Sayo Hikawa." Sayo stood and gave everyone a slight bow. She was a girl with long, slightly wavy blue hair and green eyes, her bearing resembling Yukina's. "Please take care of me."

"Bassist, Risa Imai." Risa had brown hair and green eyes. Her expression was gentle as she greeted them with a smile.

"Drummer, Ako Udagawa." Ako wore her purple hair in spiral twin tails. Her naturally red eyes were even redder than usual, like a wilted kitten's. She only raised her head when she heard her name and nodded weakly.

"Keyboardist, Rinko Shirokane." The girl sitting beside Ako was Rinko, with long black hair and grayish-purple eyes. She gave Kessoku Band a slight nod before lowering her head to look after Ako.

"And our vocalist, Yukina Minato!" Risa imitated the introduction routine used by MCs and announced Yukina's name first, easing the atmosphere somewhat.

"We are Kessoku Band." Kita stood. "We haven't performed an official live in reality yet."

"Guitarist, Hitori Goto." Ichiri shifted uneasily closer to Shiko.

"Bassist, Ryo Yamada." Ryo merely nodded.

"Drummer, Nijika Ijichi." Nijika stood and bowed.

"Keyboardist, Shiko Wu." Shiko reacted a beat late and nodded.

"And guitarist and vocalist, Ikuyo Kita." Nijika's introduction only made Kita blush slightly. She bowed and sat down.