A certain girl’s confession

I love princesses.

So adorable and so miserable.

Yet always fated to be chosen by the prince.

Some of them are tomboys, some of them shy.

Some of them gentle, some of them a little mean, but that’s all fine.

There’s a little bit of flexibility in those areas.

The only requirement is that they’re all loved.

The singular, absolute condition for a princess.

But the more I talk about this, the more I realize that the convenience of ‘being loved’ only exists in the realm of fantasy.

Reality has no place for unconditional love.

It’s like a flower that teases us with beautiful illusions, but does not exist anywhere in reality.

And romance between men and women is nothing but a mirage.

Something that remains an illusion no matter how much you clamor after it.

“Unconditional love” might sound pretty as an Akitsu phrase, but even the love of parents isn’t given out equally.

There are calculations behind every single human interaction.

What, you don’t think that’s true?

To be clear, I don’t exactly hate humans or anything.

This is just my understanding of the world.

Nothing wrong with that, right?

A girl that doesn’t expect too much of love, Munakata Sayori.

This is the story of me becoming a princess.

As someone who understands the rules more than anyone else, and how to bend them to my advantage.

Hmm? Did I have any problems in my family?

Hahaha, who are you?

What a strange Noh music member.

Let’s be real, being the second child amongst three children blows.

My oldest sister gets all the love for being born first, and just when I thought I’d have my turn, my youngest sister is born and steals away all attention to herself.

But I’m not a good-for-nothing who can only twiddle their thumbs and watch.

“You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, must be because you’re the oldest, huh?” “Everybody fawns upon you, must be nice to be the youngest.” People have said all sorts of wildly different things about me.

Isn’t that funny?

Do you know what this means?

It doesn’t mean that they’re stupid - well, I guess they are - but that I’m able to play the part that people want to see the most!

Maybe I have a talent for acting.

I’ve played Snow White once as a child, and everybody loved it!

But I didn’t pursue a career in theater. I chose to become an idol instead.

Well, they’re both performing arts, I guess.

But I believe that in modern Akitsu society, idols come the closest to being princesses.

And I think I can play the role of an idol that everyone is looking for, better than anyone else.

So I want you to love me. I want you to give me all your attention. I want you to make Sayo your princess.

I don’t need unconditional love.

Even if something like that doesn’t exist, I will grasp it with my own power - the fantastical flower of simply being loved.

And I’ll show no mercy to those who get in my way.

You know, I don’t normally leave myself open like this. But for some reason, you make me want to tell you everything.

What sort of hypnosis is this?

Well, if you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine by me.

I’m not gonna tell you my thoughts on the reformed SAKURA HiME either!

But I guess if you insist…then maybe I can…you know…just like, tell you a little bit about it?

First, I’m going to make the current members quit.

I’m not going to go into any details on how, that would be…uncouth.

Then I’ll find some girls who can shine on their own, but won’t take away my spotlight. They’ll serve to elevate my position as the centerpiece.

And I’m going to flesh out our world view a little bit.

For example, I could pretend that our idol unit is a kingdom, and we can refer to our fans as citizens.

Oh right, and I’d really like some unique terminology too.

There’s actually an upcoming event hosted in LEON MALL, and it’s quite the crazy event!

It’s a new kind of festival meant to show off regional specialties, with exhibitions featuring local products from all over Akitsu, hands-on experience with traditional crafts, as well as performances from local idol groups!

Doesn’t that sound fun?

I’m gonna make sakura shrimp sell like hot cakes!

This must be God's message to me, telling me to become a national princess!

Make sure you come too.

Hmm, let me reword it.

Make sure you sankin-koutai, alright?

How was that? Did you like that bit of flavor?

I am a princess after all.

Hehehe!