Using a Mysterious Spellbook Ended Up Creating a Slave Harem - Chapter 26

 The 5th Sistema Solare Grand Festival

On the television screen, a massive group of women danced and sang in unison. The deep, rumbling roars and frantic cheers of the bastards supporting them echoed loudly from the speakers. Eventually, as their song drew to a close, the roaring cheers surged even louder before gradually settling into a relative quiet.

"The song you just heard was 'Galactic Light is Eternal'!" 

"Wow, hearing that track performed by every single member of Sistema Solare truly cements it as an absolute masterpiece, doesn't it?" 

"Rinarin!! I love you!!" 

"Tomomi-chan!! Look over here!!"

Even as the middle-aged male announcer and an actress in her late twenties carried on their conversation as the masters of ceremonies, passionate cheers for the individual members continued to reverberate through the venue.

"Well then, the time has finally come." 

"Yes, this highly anticipated season has arrived once again this year." 

"Without further ado..." 

""The 5th Sistema Solare Grand Festival is officially underway!""

A grand, sweeping background track began to play as a torrential downpour of multicolored confetti and paper streamers filled the air. Yuzuha and her middle school friend were supposed to be right there in the middle of that very venue.

Watching the live broadcast on the television in my living room, my mind drifted back to yesterday's events. Specifically, what happened after I finished thoroughly devouring Yuzuha and Iroha finally returned home. It was at that moment that I realized I had completely misunderstood who was actually going to the Grand Festival. I had assumed it was Yuzuha and Iroha, but in reality, it was Yuzuha and her friend from middle school, and that friend was scheduled to arrive here this afternoon. Furthermore, after the festival concluded, Iroha was going to pick them up by car, and they would all spend the night at Iroha's apartment. They weren't scheduled to head home until tomorrow afternoon. I had figured that even if today was out of the question, I could still enjoy lining Iroha and Yuzuha up together first thing tomorrow morning, but with a friend in the mix, that was entirely out of the question. It was a shame, but enjoying a sister sandwich would have to wait for another occasion.

While I was mulling over these thoughts, the Grand Festival progressed steadily, and the popularity poll announcements had already reached the ranks of the top thirties. Ever since turning Erika into a crest slave, I had studied up on Sistema Solare and become quite knowledgeable, but none of the members within this particular ranking bracket caught my eye.

They were certainly beautiful girls by conventional standards, but compared to the five women I had already successfully enslaved, they failed to stir my appetite. It seemed that unless a member ranked high enough to hold an official title, there simply weren't any women who made me genuinely want to turn them into crest slaves.

"Alright. With that, we have concluded the announcements up to the twenty-second place in the popularity poll!" 

"From the twenty-first place onward, we have the seven girls who will be assigned to the Seventh Satellite." 

"Yes. But before we move on to that, there is one very important thing we absolutely cannot forget, right?" 

"Of course! It happens every year, so even at my age, there's no way I'd forget it." 

"Then let us introduce them!" 

"This year's newest additions—the members of our 7th generation!"

A group of eight girls ranging from middle school to high school age lined up across the stage. While their self-introductions and casual banter with the MCs played out, I focused my full attention on evaluating their facial features.

"...It's a shame, but I guess this year is a bit of a bad harvest...?"

Watching the television, I let out a rather impolite thought out loud. Online analyses had suggested that because the top-tier popular members like Rina and Tomomi Uchikawa were simply too dominant, beautiful girls who possessed supreme confidence in their looks were increasingly trending toward joining other rival idol groups instead.

Thinking to myself that the idol industry must be a tough world, I continued watching as the popularity poll announcements resumed. Once the seven members of the Seventh Satellite were wrapped up and the broadcast transitioned to announcing the five members of the Dwarf Planet tier, I found myself leaning forward in my seat.

"The twelfth place finisher in the popularity poll for the 5th Sistema Solare Grand Festival is...?!" 

"Twelfth place goes to...!" 

"From the 6th generation, Nozomi Nanasawa!" 

"Ohhhhhh!!" 

"Nozomin! Congratulations!!"

At that moment, a member who had only debuted last year and was participating in her very first popularity poll was announced as twelfth place—landing her a spot in the group's de facto second string, the "Dwarf Planet" tier.

Nozomi Nanasawa. She was a third-year middle schooler, and according to her official profile, she stood at 156 cm tall with measurements of B80-W56-H77, making her a solid C-cup. Even by my standards, she was an exceptional beauty, easily ranking on the same level as the Soejima sisters. Furthermore, she happened to be the pampered daughter of the Nanasawa Group, one of the most massive corporate conglomerates in our country. As far as the current lineup of Sistema Solare was concerned, she was the girl I wanted to turn into a crest slave most, second only to Tomomi Uchikawa.

"Twelfth place in your very first popularity poll, securing a spot right in the Dwarf Planet tier?!" 

"Thank you so much! Honestly, I never in my wildest dreams imagined this could happen!"

"Eventually, I'll order Rina and Erika to bring this girl to me too..."

Gazing at her as she was interviewed by the MC, I envisioned the future, causing the member in my crotch to expand significantly. I could only pray that she belonged to the Rina faction or stood independent, rather than aligning with the Tomomi faction.

When the eleventh place was announced next, the name of a current first-string Sistema Solare member was called out. Effectively suffering a demotion from the first string to the second string, she desperately fought back tears while answering her interview questions. Where there were girls shedding tears of absolute joy, there were also women displaying tears of sorrow and bitter regret. Vividly showcasing the cutthroat cruelty of the idol world through a live broadcast, the Grand Festival marched onward.

"—san will take on the title of Ceres. And our twelfth-place finisher, Nozomi Nanasawa-san, will be given the title of Haumea." 

"……Well now, that concludes our announcements all the way up to tenth place." 

"Yes! And now, the moment we've all been waiting for—the announcement of the nine elite members who will make up the first string, Sistema Solare!" 

"……But before we get to that!" 

"Let's have our current Sistema Solare members treat us to a song!"

"Performing their hit track, 'HOPE SUNRISE'!"

At this point, the nine members currently making up the first-string "Sistema Solare" performed their song. For the woman who had just dropped to eleventh place in the popularity poll moments earlier, this would mark her absolute final performance as an active member of the first string.

The member who had just been dropped down to the Dwarf Planet tier fought back her tears as she sang. Thinking to myself that having to perform under such brutal conditions made the entertainment industry a truly terrifying place, I watched the nine beautiful women finish their piece.

The exact moment the song concluded, the other members immediately rushed over to the eleventh-place woman, who was now openly crying. Watching the scene of everyone gathering to encourage and comfort her, the MCs and the fans packed into the venue appeared to be deeply moved.

"……My, what an incredibly touching moment." 

"Yes! You can truly see the profound depth of the bond shared between these comrades." 

"Hang in there!!" 

"We're always supporting you!!"

To me, knowing the inner workings of the group through Erika and the others, the entire display looked like nothing more than a cheap farce. As if leading the performance, Rina and Tomomi Uchikawa flanked the crying girl on either side, snuggling close and whispering words of comfort.

"They look so close you'd never guess they actually despise each other. I guess that's a true professional for you..."

While I was admiring their acting skills, the time finally came for the top rankings to be announced. According to the predictions I had researched beforehand, the consensus for this year looked something like this: First of all, first place was practically guaranteed to go to Rina; the only real point of interest was how massive of a lead she would establish over second place. Second place was almost universally expected to be held by Tomomi Uchikawa, with everyone assuming the top two slots would remain an exact carbon copy of last year. While predictions for third place and below varied wildly from person to person, word had it that Erika's popularity had been spiking significantly as of late. Rumor had it that her sex appeal had drastically increased, and her facial expressions had become remarkably captivating. Tracing back the timeline, it seemed to perfectly coincide with around the time she became my crest slave, meaning there might very well be a direct connection. In any case, it was a factual reality that the number of people predicting Erika to take third place had surged.

"Without further ado, let us move on to the announcement for ninth place!" 

"Woooow!" 

"Ohhhhh!"

The announcements for the top tier continued to unfold, sending the crowd's fervor into absolute overdrive. I kept my eyes glued to the television screen, feeling a wave of nervous tension wash over me as I waited to see exactly where Erika would land.

"The third place finisher in the popularity poll for the 5th Sistema Solare Grand Festival is...?!" 

"Third place goes to...!" 

"From the 2nd generation, holding the title of Iupiter—Erika Wakisaka!!" 

"Erika-chan!!" 

"Congratulations on third place!!"

Having finished in fifth place last year with a previous historical best of fourth, Erika successfully broke into the top three for the very first time in her career. Witnessing the result, a radiant, full-faced smile bloomed across her face as she waved enthusiastically toward the fans in the venue and the television cameras.

"Congratulations, Erika-chan!" 

"Yes! Thank you so much!" 

"You've officially surpassed your previous peak of fourth place in the 3rd festival to claim third place?!" 

"Honestly, I was under the impression that my ranking would only continue to decline from here on out."

Having maintained a single-digit ranking ever since her very first popularity poll, Erika appeared to handle the interview with complete and effortless poise. After stating that she intended to continue her gravure modeling work moving forward—eliciting a massive roar of approval from the venue—the program transitioned to the final two slots.

"Alright! At long last, only two members remain!" 

"We're already down to just second and first place. Time flies so fast!" 

"Now then, the second place finisher in the popularity poll for the 5th Sistema Solare Grand Festival is...?!" 

"Second place goes to...!" 

"From the 3rd generation, holding the title of Terra—Tomomi Uchikawa!!" 

"Whoaaaa!!" 

"Tomo-chan!!"

Exactly as everyone had predicted, second place went to Tomomi Uchikawa. However, leaving aside the girl currently undergoing her interview, a distinct wave of restless whispering sweeping through the spectator seats was clearly audible even through the television audio. Apparently, the root cause of the commotion was the actual vote count displayed on the screen at the back of the stage. Her total number of votes was practically identical to Erika's in third place; the margin was so razor-thin that a mere handful of votes could have flipped second and third place entirely.

Granted, Tomomi Uchikawa had indeed grown her total vote count compared to last year, but Erika's rate of growth had simply been astronomical. Faced with such an unexpected turn of events, her interview wound up feeling somewhat lacking in focus.

"And now, all that remains is the announcement for our first place finisher..." 

"The total number of votes cast rose significantly once again this year." 

"Yes! The popularity of Sistema Solare just keeps climbing higher and higher! This year's number one is...!!" 

"……Well, I'm sure every single one of you already knows exactly who it is, but…… without further ado, let us make the announcement." 

"The first place finisher in the popularity poll for the 5th Sistema Solare Grand Festival is...?!" 

"First place goes to...!" 

"Of course, it's none other than this person! From the 5th generation, holding the title of Sol—Rina Takechi!!!" 

"Rina-chwaaaan!!!" 

"Rinaaaa!!!" 

"Uwoooooh!!!"

The sheer volume of the fanatical shrieks and deep roars echoing through the venue registered as pure, deafening noise even through the television speakers. It made me worry a bit about how Yuzuha and her friend were holding up in the middle of that crazy crowd.

"Achieving the group's very first consecutive championship! Congratulations!" 

"Thank you very much. This is entirely thanks to the incredible support of all my fans." 

"Just look at this! Your final vote count is absolutely staggering?!"

"Yes, I am incredibly grateful for everyone's support." 

"……Would you care to share a brief word with the fans here in the venue and those watching from home?" 

"Yes. Thank you all so much for always supporting me. Please continue to show your love for Sistema Solare moving forward."

"Our first place popularity poll winner, Rina Takechi-san! Thank you very much!" 

"Thank you so much!"

The exact moment the interview concluded, Rina offered a deep, polite bow. The rest of the members promptly swarmed around her to shower her with words of congratulations. Simultaneously, the two MCs began weaving their closing remarks to wrap up the broadcast.

"Well, the curtain is finally getting ready to close on the 5th Sistema Solare Grand Festival." 

"To everyone here in the venue and everyone watching from home, we certainly hope you thoroughly enjoyed the show." 

"It's always sad to say goodbye, but the time has officially come to bring things to an end." "Until next time, everyone." 

"Let us meet again at next year's 6th Sistema Solare Grand Festival!" 

""Goodbye, everyone!""

Alongside the MCs' final words, the screen cut to a shot of Rina standing directly in the center, flanked by Tomomi Uchikawa and Erika on either side as the three of us waved to the camera. While the completely oblivious fans in the spectator seats continued to scream and throw a massive ruckus, the program officially reached its end.

"Putting on such a great show when they absolutely despise each other must be exhausting..."

The next time I met up with the two of them, I resolved to treat them to an absolute mountain of pleasure as a reward for their hard work. While turning over various ideas of what exactly I wanted to do to them in my head, I pressed the power button on the television remote.

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 Author's Note:

(A quick reference guide, though it doesn't seem to have much practical use)

• 1st Place in Popularity Poll: Sol

• 2nd Place in Popularity Poll: Terra

• 3rd to 9th Place: Mercurius, Venus, Mars, Iupiter, Saturnus, Uranus, Neptunus

The nine members holding these positions make up the core group name "Sistema Solare" and represent the first string.

• 10th to 14th Place: Pluto, Eris, Ceres, Makemake, Haumea

The five members holding these positions make up the group name "Dwarf Planet" and represent the second string.

• 15th to 21st Place: Moon, Ganymede, Titan, Callisto, Io, Europa, Triton

The seven members holding these positions make up the group name "Seventh Satellite" and represent the third string.

• 22nd Place and Below: Includes the 7th generation additions, totaling roughly forty girls. They hold no official titles and are treated as trainees.

Rules Regarding Titles:

• The titles for 1st and 2nd place (Sol and Terra) are permanently fixed to those positions.

• For all other positions, a member retains the title they were originally assigned upon entering the designated bracket.

  • Example: Because Erika finished in sixth place during her very first popularity poll, she was given the title of Iupiter. As long as she remains anywhere within the 3rd to 9th place bracket, her title will remain Iupiter regardless of whether she fluctuates between 3rd or 9th.

  • If she manages to climb to 1st or 2nd place, her title will shift to Sol or Terra.

  • If she drops below 10th place, she will be assigned whatever title happens to be vacant due to graduations, promotions, or demotions.

  • If she plummets to 22nd place or below, she loses her title entirely.