The following week was uneventful yet filled with progress. The girls practiced; Umi composed the last song and the bonus one, so they were now ready to be recorded; Aya, Tomokazu, and I planned more things for the album's release; and the second floor was renovated.

Although the reception area, the art and sewing office, and the gym were going to be left for later, we finished setting up the dance and recording studios. The girls finally had a proper space to practice and Umi could record the last two songs.

Help was always welcome, however. The new choreographer and sound engineer were hired, chosen with everyone's opinions in mind, and they were eager to give a good first impression.

Aki and I walked through the glass door five minutes before twelve o'clock—the normal start time of our work schedule. Both the choreographer and the sound engineer sat on the sofa in the reception area. I glanced at them and they jumped up and bowed.

Aki tapped my shoulder before heading upstairs. I approached the choreographer and the sound engineer and bowed.

"Good afternoon. You're here early," I smiled.

"Good afternoon," the choreographer greeted back. "We're both just eager to start working," she giggled.

The sound engineer nodded. "It's a miracle to have such an opportunity right after finishing uni."

"True that," I replied. "Just remember what I told you. As good as this is, it could also vanish in a blink. That's why everyone's going to work hard to keep the dream alive. We all believe in it. Yourselves included, right?"

"Yes!" they both exulted.

"Great. I'm just arriving, so I need to prepare. I'll call you in five minutes. Please wait here."

They nodded and I walked away. Keeping this level of energy is going to be hard, but it's not a bad thing.

I stepped into the office and sat down to check some stuff on my glasses. Aya and Tomokazu arrived at the office only a couple of minutes later.

"They're already here," Aya said to me.

"I know," I replied. "I'm waiting until twelve to give them a tour and introduce them to everyone."

"They both look even more beautiful in person," Tomokazu added.

Aya and I merely glanced at him.

"Did you say hello to the girls?" Aya asked me.

"Not yet. I will when I introduce them."

The clock quickly hit twelve o'clock. I stepped out into the hallway to wave at the choreographer and sound engineer, signaling them to come. They approached and we entered the office.

"This is the CEO and marketing office," I said. "You won't be working here, but you can come any time if you have questions or just want to chat with us. This is Aya Miyahara, the PR manager, and Tomokazu Nagata, the marketing manager."

They both bowed, although Tomokazu made it fancier by placing his arm on his abdomen. I let out a quiet sigh.

"Aya, Tomokazu, this is Natsumi Satō, the new choreographer, and Kenji Miki, the new sound engineer."

They bowed.

"I look forward to working with you," Miki said.

"Same," Satō added.

"It's a pleasure to work with you as well," Tomokazu replied.

"I share the sentiment," Aya smiled.

"Great," I said. "I'll show you the facilities. Please follow me."

I walked out and stepped into the empty art and sewing office. Miki and Satō walked close behind me.

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"This is going to be an office in the near future," I said. "But the reason I'm showing it to you is to tell you that there's a bathroom here. You'll be working upstairs, however, and there's another bathroom. Let's go."

We headed upstairs and arrived in the small hallway. I quickly showed them the bathroom before entering the recording studio, recently completed.

"This is the recording studio," I said. "Miki, this is where you'll work ninety-nine percent of the time."

"Understood," Miki smiled.

"Any questions?"

He nodded. "I haven't been told who I'll be working with. I'm a sound engineer—a good one if I must say—but I'm no composer. I was taught a few things about it, but I'm not specialized in that. Don't get me wrong, I can always learn if needed," he stuttered.

"I like your attitude," I replied. "Yes, you'll be working with someone else. We're heading there, actually."

We stepped out and walked to the dance studio. I knocked on the door before opening it and entering.

"Good afternoon, Kaito," Astra greeted me.

"Good afternoon, everyone," I replied.

The girls promptly noticed Miki and Satō standing behind me.

"Girls, these are the new people you'll be working with," I continued. "This is Kenji Miki, the sound engineer, and Natsumi Satō, the choreographer. Miki, Satō, the girls here are Astra, Umi, Risa, Sanae, and Aki: the five members of Blostars," I introduced them as I pointed at them.

Everyone bowed, except for Satō, whose eyes sparkled as she stared at the girls. She came back to reason a couple of seconds later and bowed as well.

"Girls, you'll be working closely with Satō daily, so make sure to treat her well and give your best. Satō, I hope you can—"

"Yes, I'm eager to start!" Satō burst with her fingers entangled beneath her chin.

The girls giggled and I smirked.

"Miki, you'll be working with Umi in the recording studio," I continued. "But before that, please follow me to the office, both of you. I want to tell you a few things before you start working."

They nodded and followed me to the CEO and marketing office. There were no more chairs for them, so I stood with them.

"As of now, there are nine completed songs, including choreography and recordings. The album is going to have ten songs plus a bonus one, making a total of eleven, meaning there are only two remaining. However, your first task will be to review the existing songs. Satō."

Her posture stiffened as soon as I called her.

"Ask the girls to show you the choreographies of all the songs, then tell Umi to go to the recording studio after they are done."

"Got it," she replied.

"Miki, give a listen to the songs then work with Umi to understand them better."

"Understood," he replied.

"You'll both tell me your thoughts tomorrow morning. I want to be able to decide on an announcement and a release date for the album. You can start working now."

"Yes!" they both exulted and bowed before leaving.

I took a deep breath.

"You're already struggling?" Aya smirked. "It's only two new hires. It's only going to get harder and harder."

"I know, I know," I sighed and sat down on my chair.

"Have you made a decision about Jun?" Tomokazu asked.

"Can't you give me a minute to breathe?"

"As the proverb says; blink and you'll miss the opportunity, dear friend."

I glanced at him. "I'll ask him, but I'm sure he wants to finish his degree."

"I told you there's nothing wrong with him working under short contracts," Aya said.

"There's more paperwork for me, and he doesn't have as much time as he would have if he worked full time."

"It's your decision."

I stared at Jun's contact for a minute before calling him. In short, he rejected the offer for the reason I expected, but he was willing to continue working with us and promised to use all of his free time to finish faster.

Even if Jun wasn't going to work in the art and sewing office, Aki would use it to make the costumes, and she was an artist as well. However, I would do my best to refrain from giving her any extra job unless absolutely necessary. Nonetheless, Jun could come to the office if he wanted to.

What remained of the afternoon flew by with the many plans and paperwork I had to do. Everyone said goodbye. Sanae and Risa invited me to eat dinner at their new home when Butcher arrived to pick them up, but I had to reject the invitation because I still hadn't finished my homework.

I walked Aki to her apartment before heading to the Business Administration lecture. Professor Fuku hadn't arrived yet, so I had enough time to finish the homework assignment. I told her about the new hires when she arrived and she seemed just as excited as I had expected.

The lecture ended and so did the day.

Aki and I arrived at HQ—headquarters—with five minutes to spare. Satō and Miki already waited in the reception area. They stood up to greet us and I told them to wait until twelve o'clock again.

Only a few seconds passed after the clock hit twelve o'clock when they knocked on the glass door. I let them in.

"So, what conclusions have you come to?" I asked.