I settled the fine of two-hundred-thousand terras over the following week, leaving eight-hundred-thousand more for whatever I wanted. As easy as it could've been to spend everything at once, exponential growth would've only added difficulty to an already hard challenge. Instead, I planned a bit more than I used to plan.

After the undesired break, I called every employee of GIMA—Galactical Idols Management Agency—to the dance studio, including the members of Blostars. As usual, we met at noon. They stared at me as we stood on the dance floor. Everyone had a slight smile on their face, including me. After glancing back at them, I took a deep breath to begin my speech.

"I think it goes without saying that this vacation was unexpected, to say the least. Aya and Tomokazu had just been hired; having this happen didn't help the already steep learning curve. But I'm sure they are going to give it their all."

Arms crossed, Aya smirked. Tomokazu winked, giving me a thumbs up.

"Perfect," I continued. "As for the girls, I know you've been practicing on your own. Since it was sort of a vacation, you did anything you wanted. I thank you for keeping your form and your spirits up, but we are back at work now. Please don't overstress yourselves by working outside of work hours. You need to remain healthy in order to be at your peak at all times."

Aki smirked and Astra grinned. Risa smiled and Sanae kept a focused stare. Umi had been looking at me with an illegible gaze since we arrived, just as usual.

"Umi," I called. Her eyebrows swiftly rose. "Although you didn't message me even once this entire last week, I assume that you worked on more songs, didn't you?"

"No," she scowled.

The follow-up I had planned to say vanished from my mind. I stared at her at a loss of words.

"I'm kidding," she smirked. "Yes, I worked on a few new songs."

Everyone laughed. Although she made me look bad for a second, I appreciated seeing her that cheerful. After recovering from her joke, I continued my speech.

"Alright. Before reviewing the new songs, I'd like to tell everyone about the next steps for GIMA and Blostars. First of all, I don't want to announce our return just yet. Instead, I want to finish our first album."

The girls' smiles disappeared as they glanced at each other.

"Is there a problem?" I wondered.

"Isn't it too soon to have a complete album?" Sanae asked.

I looked down at the floor before answering, "I know I've said that we should take things slowly, but we can't afford to take them too slowly. Fortunately, Umi makes songs incredibly fast. We already have six songs and she's about to show us more. How many songs should an album have?"

"It depends on the artist," Umi responded. "But they usually have around ten, plus maybe a couple of bonus tracks."

"I hadn't thought about those," I replied. "Should we include some?"

"We could, but I don't know what the rest think."

"I'm fine with whatever you choose," Aki said.

Sanae, Risa, and Astra nodded.

"Let's include one," I continued. "How many are you going to show us now, Umi?"

"Two."

"Meaning we need three more songs. At your pace, they should be done in the following two weeks. I'd add two more weeks to make the choreography, refine the songs, and prepare the marketing. Does that sound good?"

"Sure," Umi answered.

"You're the boss. We'll follow the deadlines you set in the end," Aya added.

"I know, but I want to hear everyone's opinion," I replied. "On that note, I'm thinking about hiring two more people."

"Can we not afford more than two?" Astra asked.

"We can, but it would be dumb since we don't have a steady income yet. And it's near impossible to predict what it could be in the future, so I want to save half of the money. That's also why I won't raise your salaries yet."

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Understood!" Astra grinned.

"About the jobs, I know Aki wants her costumes to be seen by the galaxy and Umi wants her songs to be listened to, so I'll look for a choreographer and a sound engineer. It would be ideal to have specialized costume designers and songwriters, but that will be in the distant future."

Aki and Umi smirked.

"I didn't know this side of you, Kaito," Tomokazu said. "Assertive, confident, charismatic…. Who knew you could become even more attractive?"

Aki glanced at him.

"Well, I want to take this as seriously as possible. I already knew what I was getting into, but what happened last week made me comprehend it better. So, let's get to work."

I asked Aya to update Blostars' social media without posting anything yet and Tomokazu resumed his work on planning the marketing for the album's release. Both of them still needed to get to know the group, so they listened to the new songs with us.

After working non-stop during the day, everyone headed home. Butcher picked up Sanae and Risa, and Astra and Umi headed out together, as did Aya and Tomokazu. I waited for them to leave the studio and Aki waited for me. We stepped out and took the elevator down to the ground floor. About to leave the building, I stopped in front of the giant screen at the entrance and looked through the available units.

"Kaito?" Aki wondered.

"I didn't find the time to tell everyone about it after starting to work, but the third step is to get an office. We need separate workplaces not to distract each other. Luckily, the unit next to the dance studio is available."

"Wonderful. You think of everything."

"I try to, but I always feel like I'm forgetting something."

"To give me a kiss on the cheek?"

I smirked. "That's one thing."

Not even a minute later, I had rented the unit. I approached Aki to kiss her but she suddenly turned her head around to make me kiss her on the lips. After smiling at each other, we walked together to the university.

Ever since the news came out last week, people on the street began to stare at all of us. Some with a curious glance and others with a piercing gaze. Although I was getting used to it, it was impossible not to overthink things.

Aki kept walking to her apartment when we arrived at the university and I stayed for the Business Administration lecture. Fun and instructive as usual, it ended and everyone stepped out of the classroom, except for Professor Fuku and me. I approached her at her desk.

"How are you, Miyahara?"

"Better now that we've gotten back to work."

"I'm glad to hear that. Last week was a crazy one, huh?"

"Crazy doesn't even get close. I must confess that I couldn't avoid thinking about bad things."

"Like?"

"People hating us. Failing to keep the company afloat. Going bankrupt. Not being able to graduate."

"You don't have to worry about that."

"What do you mean?"

"Since the degree is about to disappear, everyone will graduate. As long as they don't make it obvious that they are avoiding lectures and homework."

"Seriously?"

She nodded. "I'm surprised no one has asked about it. Anyway, about the other things you mentioned, they are real risks that you should always be careful of, but don't let them get to your head. Your previous business almost went bankrupt, so I understand why it is harder for you to keep your mind clear."

"Maybe. I promise I'm giving it my best."

"Good. Remember that you can ask me for help anytime."

As the conversation halted, Aki arrived at the door of the classroom.

"Here you are."

"Aki? Why are you here?" Professor Fuku wondered.

"Is it wrong?"

"No, I'm just surprised. I can't recall the last time you came to my classroom."

"True. I came to tell you that Mom and Dad want to go out for dinner with you."

"Really? They just made my day. I'm starving and I'm feeling too lazy to cook tonight. I'll go get changed. See you tomorrow, Miyahara."

Jogging, she stepped out of the classroom.

"Her mood genuinely lifted with that," I said.

"She's a bit of a glutton. It's impressive that she can keep such a nice figure. I'm even a little jealous."

"But you have a nice figure too."

"Yes, but I need a diet to keep it. Anyway, I should go tell my parents that Aunt Fuku is getting ready."

"How are they? Have they changed their minds?"

"Not really. But they finally accepted that I won't quit, so they stopped bothering me with it. For now."

"Good. What about our relationship?"

"They say it's alright, but they are clearly troubled about it. I'm sure they will be okay with it when they notice how happy I am."

She leaned forward to kiss me on the cheek and winked.

"Don't worry about it. Bye-bye."

Smirking, I headed back to my apartment and took a well-deserved shower after a productive day. I lay on my bed for a while before going to the kitchen. I took a box of cereal out of a cabinet when the bell rang. I checked the camera of the door in my glasses and saw Aki sticking her tongue out at it.