A/N: I wished that there was a short version of I Peace that I could use to embed alongside this chapter, but then again it's not like FFnet allows embeds in fics here...
Keiwa put his phone on his side as a tune started playing from the speaker. He started to dance in front of the mirror the way his dance coordinator had taught him a few days ago. Even if his own voice started to sing along to the tune playing from his phone, Keiwa just continued to dance as he tried to perfectly replicate the choreography that he was being taught prior.
It really started to sink in, him doing this whole idol thing... and trying his best to excel in it. Prior to this, Keiwa used to dance by himself and occasionally sang at the karaoke booth to let off some steam. He never thought that he'd one day have someone actually write a song for him and perform on stage in front of many people.
However... he didn't quite understand why Ace decided to give him this particular concept for his current idol image right now. 'A fresh youth who dreamed of world peace'... Considering his current standing compared to the other contestants, he didn't really feel like he actually suited that kind of innocent image. But Ace seemed to disagree. Yet surprisingly, Sara also had the same opinion... pointing out that he used to talk about protecting world peace and becoming a 'great' adult when he was younger.
Was it because of his name? Because it rhymed with the phrase for 'world peace'? Though to be fair, he's not sure that he could really embody that kind of image in himself. Not confidently... at least.
Well, at least Sara had stopped bugging him about tying his luck on another job interview anymore...
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He got on a bus to head to the agency, even when the manager said that Ace was not there at the moment. But since he had accepted this whole idol thing, he might as well commit himself to it.
"Ah... I missed it again," Keiwa turned his attention towards a pair of siblings sitting near him, as a young boy was holding out a phone while his sister tried to make him feel better. He could barely see the game that the kid was playing. It's one of those online games that also incorporates the Gacha system in its game. In which your 'luck' in getting good items actually depended on some random set of numbers.
Perhaps it's a good thing that Ace got him into this idol business. Or else, he might just end up wasting his time (and money) to get that illusionary 'jackpot'...
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Without warning, the bus suddenly gave a jerk and everywhere around him was shaking! What is this... is it an earthquake?
Just as he was trying to make sense of everything, Keiwa suddenly was hit with a sense of weightlessness as the bus he was in fell into a huge hole...
xxx
The next moment he woke up, he found himself, the bus driver and the two siblings he saw earlier being stranded at some strange place—which was strange in itself, since weren't they supposed to have fallen from a hole earlier? And how did they even get out of the bus... let alone still be alive?
Keiwa glanced up towards the sky as he thought he saw a strange hole start opening up from the sky and something falling towards where they were and—the others were talking about checking it out as Keiwa followed them silently.
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Just as Tsumuri barely explained to them about their current situation, Neon hurriedly rushed towards him.
"Hey, hey, hey... look over there—!" she pointed out as Ace turned his head towards the direction she was pointing. And to his surprise, he saw Keiwa alongside a few other civilians as the four people hurried over towards them from the other side.
"Ace... what's going on—?" Keiwa started to ask before suddenly he noticed how a few other people who wore the same attire as Ace (alongside a lady in a black and white dress) started to stare at him oddly. That's strange... why were these people looking at him as if they knew him?
But before he could ask anything else, Neon started asking them what had happened to them as the bus driver started retelling how the ground started cracking open and the bus they were on fell into a hole and they ended up at this strange place. And as the driver continued to speak, Keiwa finally took notice of the 'vines' around his neck—and why was it he couldn't take them off?
xxx
The lady in black and white started explaining that they were the 'civilians' that the 'players' had to protect and each of them was paired with the person closest to them. Keiwa had wanted to go to Ace's side at first but he immediately noticed that the small boy from earlier was already standing next to Ace. The boy's sister ended up being paired to Neon—and while the driver tried to go to Neon as well, a Yankee-looking young man dragged the chubby driver to join them. And Keiwa found himself being paired with an elderly man, which probably didn't look too good for him.
Well, it's not like he could really complain about this situation.
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Ace smiled awkwardly at the small boy next to him, as the boy seemed excited to be paired with him... unaware of the danger that they may encounter after this. And he turned his attention towards Keiwa as he silently worried about the other man. This was the second time Keiwa ended up being dragged into a DGP round, he couldn't help feeling that something was a bit off about that coincidence. And considering Keiwa's awful luck to be paired with Keilow of all people, he might end up needing to watch over the old guy as well in order to keep Keiwa safe. Keiwa should be quite puzzled as well right now. Since he no longer remembered what happened during the past DGP, yet mostly everyone here knows him.
He probably needed to give a proper explanation to Keiwa later—or could it be possible for him to somehow get Keiwa to rejoin the game again? That was probably the best choice for them to take at the moment, but well...
He'll figure it out eventually later...
