It took about three hours to check all the files on the USB Maestro had sent.
Of that, I'm pretty sure I wasted at least an hour trying not to laugh at the choreography videos.
But while it might be funny to me, I think the other girls would honestly find it bizarre. The audio had been completely removed from the dance videos, so at least there was no creaking sound, which made it less weird. But the hologram projection device also functioned as a communication tool, which meant the creaking would be audible.
...Maybe it was a good thing it was a hologram and not the real thing.
More importantly, the song Maestro had composed was... well, I'll be honest.
This feels so completely otaku... (TN: "씹덕" (ssipdeok) is Korean slang for a hardcore otaku, often used self-deprecatingly.)
There was no guide vocal, and looking at the attached lyrics, the otaku vibe was stronger than I could have ever imagined. Even the choreography.
The most absurd part was that the song, the lyrics, and the choreography were all, without exception, good.
Was this really Maestro's work? Was this a joke?
I couldn't help but feel bewildered, but regardless, the final product itself was satisfactory. I was confident that if our girls could just follow along, we could succeed.
It seemed Rio was planning to construct a new building from scratch, but since we couldn't just wait around, I decided to buy a martial arts dojo in D.U. that had recently gone bankrupt and use it as a temporary practice room.
Other than that, coordinating the members' schedules was already well underway.
For Hina, it was all her free time after her Prefect Team duties, which she had thanks to the ETO. (TN: The specific meaning of ETO is unclear, but it's likely an organization or framework established after the Eden Treaty.)
For Noa, it was all her time except for basic Seminar tasks and patent review work.
For me, it was all my free time outside of Tea Party duties, except for things like Sunday mass.
For Neru and Asuna, it was after school and weekends, unless they had to handle high-priority C&C business.
And for Haruna—who, despite my own part in it, could be called the root of all these events—it had been decided that she would devote all her after-school hours to practice.
Of course, I didn't expect anyone other than the highly responsible Hina and Noa to stick to this perfectly, but... as long as they kept up, I was willing to overlook a few deviations. I'd just have to make them make up for any missed practice on their own time.
If the plan went accordingly, we would finish preparations in just three months and begin getting ready for our debut, so it was hard to deny that we were pressed for time. The members hadn't gone through a trainee period to polish their fundamentals, so if this weren't the chaotic world of Kivotos, I might have thought it impossible and given up.
However, even if it was to resolve the situation, this was my proposal from the start, so I was determined to do my best. If I just worked that much harder, it would somehow work out.
So first, before gathering everyone for the first time, I needed to work on a guide vocal. Surely there was at least one music studio in D.U. that I could book.
***
[Ooh.]
"...Is it really done now?"
[Splendid, my Muse. It has come quite close to my vision. At this rate, with just a little more polishing during the recording process, a jewel will be born. Of course, that is assuming the gemstones you have chosen do not prove to be subpar during the cutting process.]
"That's good enough... Phew, recording without a break is no easy task. Anyway, I figured I'd need vocal training, but were my fundamentals really that terrible?"
[Terrible? You should not disparage it so. It is merely that you have left as a bud the potential that could bloom into something far greater and more magnificent.]
A rough summary of Maestro's words would be something like, 'Seriously, why is she using her talent like that?' I'm not a natural singer, so I get it.
In any case, the guide vocal recording took almost half a day, but it was finished one way or another. At this rate, it would be best to start practice tomorrow.
By the way, Maestro, what on earth did this guy do out in the world to be able to whip up such otaku songs and dances? An artist with suspiciously niche, subculture-oriented hobbies?
Or was he truly an artist who had mastered all fields to the point of realizing the "all arts converge" principle he claimed to believe in?
"Maestro, I'll schedule the first practice for sometime tomorrow. I'll give them a heads-up, but please try to understand if their reactions aren't great. Yes, they're all still young."
[The thoughts of ignoramuses are of no importance. It is merely that the sight of those who lack even a modicum of understanding for art shamelessly voicing their opinions is grating.]
"Yeah, yeah. See you tomorrow. Oh, and thanks for your help today."
[Did I not say there is no need for thanks, my Muse? This is merely the process of fulfilling a promise. It is not so grand an affair as to warrant your gratitude.]
After ending the call with Maestro, I invited all the group members to a group chatroom and sent a message asking if they were free tomorrow. Perhaps because I'd already told them we'd be starting practice soon, they all responded positively.
Neru was a little standoffish, but I trusted Asuna to talk her around and bring her along.
The S.S. Totally Serious☆Straight is setting sail!
***
"Yahoo—! It's been a while, Angel-nim! How long has it been?"
The temporary practice room still bore traces of its past as a martial arts dojo, aside from the mirrors installed on the walls. I had arrived first to see if anything needed fixing when I heard a voice so cheerful it seemed capable of draining the energy from everyone around.
"Ahaha, it's been a while, Asuna-chan! And welcome, Neru-chan!"
"Hah? What's with the friendly act— Hey, get off me! Who said you could hug me? I'll kill you!"
"Isn't it fine, Leader? C'mon, hugs, hugs~♪"
"It's not fine at all! Hey, are you trying to settle the score from last time?!"
Neru, finally escaping from my arms, glared at me and said as much. Hey, we're here to practice...
The problem was, Neru's reactions were so good that teasing her was just too much fun.
"Little one, didn't that end with this unni's victory? What's this talk about an unsettled score?"
"Hah????? Did you just finish talking? Let's go, right now. I'll crush you for real."
"Ahaha. If you want to take me on, I'm more than happy to oblige."
Come to think of it, fighting Neru had definitely been fun. Recalling that memory... you know, another round might not be so bad after all.
"That's enough. Stand down. This is a venue to take responsibility for our mistakes. Fighting each other in a place like this is not advisable."
Just then, Hina, the third to arrive, put a stop to the situation. Neru, who looked like she was about to pick a fight with Hina too, blinded by rage, glanced back and forth between us and clicked her tongue.
"Tch. Unbelievable. Birds of a feather flock together, I see..." (TN: The Korean proverb used is "가재는 게 편이다" (gajaeneun ge pyeonida), which literally means "the crayfish sides with the crab.")
"..."
"Ah, I get it! I get it, so stop staring. The two of you ganging up on me and looking at me like I'm a kid is pissing me off!"
Neru grumbled and plopped down on the floor. But for someone who claimed to be pissed off, her expression didn't look all that bad.
"Ah, you were all here already. Hello, everyone."
The last to arrive, Noa, gave a small wave and greeted everyone. Haruna, who was walking beside her, smiled sweetly, naturally approached me, and immediately tried to kiss my cheek.
When I gently raised a hand to stop her, she grabbed my hand without a change in her expression, pressed her lips to it, and sent me a bewitching eye-smile.
"Mika, if you have no intention of stopping me, why don't you just get on your knees and beg Nagisa?"
"...Do you think Nagisa-chan would accept you even then?"
"No, she'd be dead set against it."
"Ahaha..."
By the way, how did Haruna and Noa become such close friends? It was truly a mystery, but knowing the backstory, it was somewhat understandable.
After the summer festival, the gourmet column the two of them wrote gained explosive popularity within Millennium, and starting in the fall, they linked up with Chronos to officially serialize it.
The column combined Haruna's elegant critiques and occasional harsh, incisive remarks with Noa's abstract yet intriguing descriptions.
The answer became clear when you imagined the two of them taking time out of their schedules to go restaurant-hopping to write it.
Just a trip or two together can deepen a friendship, so if they were regularly going around to find good restaurants, it was impossible for them not to become close. Plus, for some reason, Noa was in the position of cheering on Haruna's love.
At this point, shouldn't I just pass the title of Vice President of the Gourmet Research Society to Noa instead of me?
No, wait, I'm not even the vice president. What am I saying? My brain has been taken over by those Gourmet Research Society folks...!
"Now that everyone's here, I'll just give the necessary explanations. The preparation period has already been communicated, so we'll skip that... First, there won't be a training camp or anything like that. Except for Haruna-chan, everyone here is busy with their own work."
"...Oh my. If you put it that way, Mika-ssi, even I can't help but feel a little hurt."
"Haruna-chan, how many restaurants did you blow up last month?"
"...About three, I believe? But if you hear me out, Mika-ssi, you'll understand. Noa-ssi even agreed with me on one of them."
"Noa-chan agreed? Hmph... Alright, let's hear it."
"First, the ramen shop I blew up had a cockroach in the kitchen. I visited that place with Noa-ssi. At the second place, a sushi restaurant, the person who called himself a chef didn't wash his hands at all..."
"...Th-That's enough. I get it. I'll acknowledge it, so can we please get back to the main topic?"
"Fufu. I knew you would understand."
Haruna's actions last month were ruled innocent for reasons that even Hina and I had to nod at. I hadn't heard the third reason, but I trusted that she, who was somehow becoming more and more like a person of common sense, wouldn't have done it for a trivial reason.
"Anyway, we're starting practice today. We've already confirmed everyone's available schedules, so I'd appreciate it if you could stick to that as much as possible. It would be great if you could practice on your own time if you feel you're lacking, but I won't blame you if you don't."
This was something we had already discussed, but it was important, so I decided to mention it again.
"Well then, let's listen to the song I received."
I operated the laptop where I had already plugged in the USB and let the girls listen to the title track Maestro had sent.
About four minutes passed.
"...Mika, I really hope you tell me this is all a joke right now."
"Mika-ssi, why don't we just ditch this and go to a curry specialty restaurant I've been looking into...?"
"..."
While Hina and Haruna were aghast, and even Noa had frozen like a statue with a smile on her face...
"Wow~! This looks fun! What's the, what's the choreography? No, I want to hear the next song! By the way, is that you singing the guide vocal, Angel-nim? Awesome! What's with that voice!"
...next to Asuna, who was the only one chattering excitedly, a small volcano finally erupted.
"Dammit!!! How the hell are we supposed to sing something like this in front of people!!!"
Well, what can I say? Who told you to throw the first punch back then?
***