by Shouji Gatou
“Yes?” she inquired. “Do proceed.”
“Right... It’s a parade!” Seiya proclaimed at last with confidence.
“A parade?”
“Yeah, they’re a pretty standard feature in theme parks,” he explained. “You prepare big, gaudy floats strung up with lights and send them down the park streets. Beautiful music! Extravagant dancing!”
“Oh, it sounds wonderful!” Latifah brightened, clapping her hands together. “Once when I was very young, I saw a movie about that... I believe it was from Digimaland. A princess stood atop a shining float, wearing a beautiful dress, smiling and waving... I have always longed to be just like her.”
“...Oh, really?” Seiya asked. “But you’re a princess too, aren’t you?”
“Well, I suppose...” Latifah said with a wince. Right now, she was dressed in a coverall apron in the middle of a kitchen, and peeling potatoes. She loved it, of course, but she hardly felt like a princess in a parade.
“...? No, that’s not what I—”
“F-forgive me,” Latifah preempted him insistently. “I was too forward with my thoughts. Please, forget what I said.” After a moment to compose herself, she continued. “Ah... my personal feelings aside, I believe the parade is... a wonderful idea.”
The next day, at the planning meeting...
“...And that’s what Latifah had to say.” Seiya proclaimed to the various department heads. Moffle, Isuzu, and the others frowned, falling deep into thought.
“Moffu... Well, the parade idea’s a good one, fumo. You want to try it, Seiya?” Moffle asked.
Seiya nodded. “Yeah. The parade is a strong contender. The issue is the funding... but we can manage it with a little creative consideration, I think.” They were currently well-funded, thanks to the sale of the second park. They weren’t exactly rolling in dough, but they could afford to be a little extravagant when investing in their future.
“Then shall we proceed with the parade proposal?” Isuzu suggested. “We may need to rush things, but it might be possible to arrange before summer vacations begin...”
“Yeah, I think we can manage it.” He looked over those present and saw no signs of objection. He could say, “Let’s do it,” and move them right into the planning stages. But Seiya balked, wondering if he should say the other thing that was on his mind.
“Kanie-kun. What’s the matter?” Isuzu was still calling him by his surname during meetings, even though when it was just Moffle or others like him around, she had taken to calling him Seiya-kun.
“Ah. Well... I was thinking, maybe...”
“Fumo?”
“Could we put Latifah in the parade?” Seiya blurted out. “She’s got the look, and she certainly qualifies as a princess.
Moffle furrowed his brow. “Latifah? In front of a crowd, fumo?”
“Yeah... Is that not a good idea?”
“Moffu... Hmm. Well, I see what you’re getting at, but...”
Latifah was a really beautiful girl. When they’d shot the swimsuit PV, Latifah had held her own in popularity with Isuzu and Muse. They hadn’t brought out Latifah much since then, due to Moffle’s fervent objections. But they’d still gotten regular calls and emails from guests asking when they’d get to see “that blonde beauty” again.
“If she gets too popular, she might get busy, and she’s the kind of person that won’t say no to anyone. I just think it might get overwhelming for her, fumo.”
“I think it’d be all right as long as we manage her schedule,” Seiya disagreed.
“Moffu. Fair enough.”
“I think she feels a little bad about the croquettes being her only contribution to the park,” Seiya went on. “And... I was wondering if being in front of a cheering crowd of guests might be good for her, animus-wise.”
“You’re right about that,” Isuzu said. “Being in front of the guests as much as possible would be the best thing for her health.”
“Really? In that case...”
“But Latifah’s a VIP, fumo,” Moffle said with a scowl. “She’s the first princess of Maple Land. All kinds of bad guys have her number, fumo. Terrorists, the UPSR, the mafia...”
“True,” Isuzu agreed. “If the princess were captured, the ransom they could demand would be the equivalent of billions of yen.”
“What?!” Seiya was shocked, but Isuzu and Moffle continued on casually enough.
“Still, if that’s what Latifah wants, I’d like to give it to her, fumo.”
“Indeed. But a parade would require greater security than even what we offer at Maple Castle.”
“Yes. That’s the trouble, fumo...” Moffle folded his arms and sank into thought. He scowled, then nodded a few times as if convincing himself of something. And then— “All right, let’s do it, fumo!” he declared.
“Are you sure?” Seiya asked.
“Moffu. I’ve got some connections, fumo, and I can call in a few favors from my old battle comrades.”
“Hmm...” “I’ll do my part as well,” Isuzu promised. “I shall see to it that the princess participates safely in the parade.”
Moffle and Isuzu both stood tall, radiating confidence and decisiveness.
“No matter what enemy appears...”
“...We’ll be prepared to meet them, fumo.” they declared.
“I see. I’ll leave it up to you guys, then.” Seiya said in relief.
The park’s cheerful theme song played as an unadorned armored car rolled down the main avenue of Sorcerer’s Hill. The car moved heavily and slowly, marked by aluminum composite armor, the roaring of a crusty diesel engine, and an armor-plated underframe. It was strong enough to withstand anti-tank mines and IED explosions, and had enough horsepower to get them to a safe area if needed. Decorative lighting was kept to a minimum; it would waste electricity, and make the VIP inside more of a target.
From within that heavily armored car, sweating, Latifah waved, timidly. It was probably almost impossible for the guests outside to see her, of course. Her armored car was sandwiched on either side by two new-generation Humvees. Machine gun barrels peeked out from bulletproof glass turrets, their shooters’ eyes glinting as they scanned the scene for targets. Cast members walked beside the car on foot, armed with M4 carbines and FN Minimis. If someone dangerous was spotted among the guests, he could be instantly neutralized with a wall of fire.
“This isn’t exactly what we discussed...” Seiya whispered, crestfallen.
“What are you talking about, fumo? These are the security levels necessary to keep Latifah safe, fumo.”
“I agree,” Isuzu said. “We never know what dangerous elements could be mixed in with our cast.”
“But I don’t think even the Pope has security like this...” Seiya pointed out, but Moffle and Isuzu remained unfazed.
“Oh? That is a sign that the Pope is not as important as the princess, then.”
“That goes for the POTUS, too, fumo.”
“Oh, for the love of...” Seiya groaned.
“What are you groaning about, fumo?”
“Never mind,” Seiya said. “Anyway, how did you find the budget for all those military vehicles?”
“It’s all rentals, fumo. It’s just a trial run, after all.”
Today’s parade was a trial run: a one-time-only parade on a weeknight, which would serve as a proof of concept. They would apply what they learned tonight to shape future parade attempts.
Seiya was glad it was only a trial, of course—the guests were predictably disturbed by the military parade. Children cringed, mothers scowled... Some of the fathers seemed pleased, but even they were few in number.
And so, amidst a strangely somber mood, the first Night Parade (Trial Run) came to an end. No harm came to Latifah (naturally) and the park people applauded happily when it was over.
Seiya nodded reluctantly in response, but when he thought about Latifah’s feelings, it was hard to stay positive; she probably wanted to wave to the crowd, beaming, like that Digimalan
d princess. She couldn’t have wanted this. She must be despondent, Seiya thought. He came out into Maple Castle’s rooftop garden with a leaden feeling in his stomach.
But... “Kanie-sama?!” Latifah’s mood seemed surprisingly buoyant.. “Oh, the parade was just wonderful! I was so thrilled to be able to wave to the guests! They did sound a bit taken aback, but... ah, surely it was just the hesitance of meeting someone they had never met before.”
I doubt that’s the reason... Seiya thought.
“Oh, but that feeling of everyone enjoying themselves...!” Latifah gushed. “I have never felt so happy before!”
“...Right.” Now that he thought about it, this was about right for Latifah. Maybe he should figure out a way to work out the security measures to keep her in the parade. “Hmm... then we’ll be happy to have you again.”
“Forever and ever!” Latifah said, with a smile that shone like the sun.
Afterword
These days, I do most of my writing in a cafe. My house is too full of temptations like games and plamodels to get any work done, but when I’m in a cafe, I end up wasting a lot of time messing around with my smartphone.
I’m sure others have pointed this out before, but a smartphone is really a demonic invention. It’s worse than a kotatsu! They’re so versatile that on days when I’m not in the groove, I pretty much spend the whole day at the cafe messing around on my smartphone... That’s really bad, so I bought a more simple model and started leaving my smartphone at home. It’s the bare-bones kind for old people that only does calls and emails. Since then, things have proceeded smoothly.
Robbed of any other outlet, I’m forced to focus on the manuscript in front of me. Incredible! Though it makes me realize how much time I’ve lost to those demon machines in the past...
Well, let’s talk about each episode.
Adachi Eiko is Not an Adult
It’s more a story about bad fathers than it is about Eiko.
I hadn’t thought about making the ABC girls into an idol unit when I first established them back in volume two, but it’s ended up that way, so I might keep expanding on that.
I had to record some commentary for the anime, so I’ve experienced that feeling of speaking excitedly into the microphone, only to be met by silence. It’s a thing voice actors deal with a lot, I guess, but maybe it comes naturally when you’re a pro.
Anyway, this concludes the series of using the park’s part-timer trio to help us get to know the “three stooges.” We’re reaching the part where I’ll have to start advancing the story of Latifah’s curse and the attendance issue. Now, how the hell am I going to do that?
Also, the music producer for the anime, Mr. Ishikawa, taught me a whole lot about CD production. Thank you very much!
After the Iron Phore
I wrote this short farcical story because I hadn’t written much about the four elemental spirits yet.
Aside from Muse, who’s been around since the first volume, I mainly thought them up for the anime. I didn’t understand their personalities very well myself.
But after volume four, I wrote some anime original episode scripts, and lately I’m feeling like I’m getting the hang of them. They’re very charming and I’ve come to like them.
Sylphie has been solidified as a weirdo in my mind, even though she speaks normally during Tricen’s PV episode... I’m sure you’ll think it’s lazy of me, but I don’t care. Even Golgo talked a lot in the earlier volumes! I have an idea of what Isuzu’s transformed form as a two-heads-tall kappa looks like, but I bet there’s no demand for it so there probably won’t be an illustration (even though I’d want to see it!)
Reality Bites
This is the story about the difficulties of being a headliner, I guess. It’s on the heavy side, but it’s all about Moffle’s troubles. It’s not about me at all! I swear!
I’d like to do more stories about the guests’ interactions with the cast.
Night Parade (Trial Run)
We haven’t seen much of Latifah lately, so I wanted to depict a bit about her everyday activities. There’s only so much she’s allowed to do, which makes it rather hard to write about her.
Lately I’ve been thinking about coming up with a pretext for her to end up at Seiya’s school, and that might be fun. Really, I just want to see her in a uniform!
And it’s around this volume’s release that the anime is expected to start (if no terrorists decide to bomb an amusement park, that is...). It’s a fun show! I hope you’ll watch it!
There’s all kind of content coming together, including a comic adaptation and side stories. Honestly, there’s so much that I can’t really keep track anymore! There might be a booklet included here, or it might be written on the site, so go check it out! (Responsibility shifted!)
Anyway, bye!
September 2014, Shouji Gatou
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Copyright
Amagi Brilliant Park: Volume 5
by Shouji Gatou
Translated by Elizabeth Ellis
Edited by Dana Allen
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © Shouji Gatou, Yuka Nakajima 2014
Illustrations by Yuka Nakajima
First published in Japan in 2014 by KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo
English translation rights arranged with KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.
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The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
Ebook edition 1.0: May 2019
