The show came to an end. I would've loved to give food to our guests, but that would've been too expensive and would've required more planning. Thankfully, they all seemed content to just head home after sharing their thoughts and saying goodbye.

I made it home by midnight and fell dead on my bed. I woke up somewhat early, so I reviewed the notes Aya, Tomokazu, and I had made. Then, when it was time, I walked to HQ with Aki and checked the office before heading to the dance studio.

We arrived to see Satō standing still in the middle of the room with her hands on her waist and the girls lying on the floor. They didn't react to me arriving at all and Satō giggled as she saw me. Before any word could be said, Aki joined the girls on the floor.

"Are you okay?" I asked them.

"Dead," Umi answered.

"Can't move," Sanae added.

"I can't believe I was about to puke yesterday," Astra giggled.

I sighed. "This is why we need a gym. Alright, at least sit up while I talk to you."

Among groans and grumbles, the five of them slowly sat up on the floor to see me. I continued speaking.

"I didn't want to take more of your time last night, that's why I didn't ask a lot of questions. We have time now, so tell me every single thought you've got. Astra just said she was about to puke; does that apply to all of you?"

Only Aki and Umi raised their hands.

"As I said, this only shows that we need a gym as soon as possible. Sadly, we only have four days left, so I can only ask you to exercise on your own. The gym will be a top priority when we can afford it. What else did you learn last night? Did you get nervous?"

"Of course we did," Aki answered, "but we are masters at hiding it."

"Not all of us," Astra giggled.

"There's one thing, though," Umi interrupted. "I started to struggle to dance and sing at the same time after the fifth song."

Aki nodded. "It became harder to keep my breathing steady."

"Me too," Astra added.

It puzzled me that Sanae and Risa said nothing.

"Sanae, Risa, what about you?" I asked them.

They both shook their heads.

"It's exhausting, but we're used to it," Sanae answered.

"Right, you used to practice every day before I met you. Haven't you practiced dancing and singing at the same time?" I asked Satō.

"We have, but not for long periods of time," she answered. "I did notice that Sanae and Risa were already in great shape when I arrived. The other girls will take longer to get to that point."

"I see," I replied. "Please set that as a priority for the coming days."

"Will do."

"Those were my major concerns regarding the girls. In my opinion, the show was great, although I still need to discuss it with Aya and Tomokazu. The rest is technical stuff."

The girls barely showed any kind of reaction still.

"I know you're tired, but get to work as soon as you can," I said.

"Yes…," they replied, already dead although the day had just started.

I shook my head with a smile. "We'll review the recordings of the show today, so look forward to that. Also; Sanae, Risa, can you come for a second?"

An emotion finally appeared on their faces when I called them. They slowly stood up and walked with me into the hallway.

"Did you see them?" I asked.

"Who?" Sanae asked back.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Your parents."

"We didn't."

"That's because they were in disguise."

"We supposed that," Risa giggled.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sanae wondered.

"It wouldn't have made any difference, would it?"

"No, not really."

"I hope you still gave it your all for them."

"Of course we did."

"Good. That's all, get back to work."

"Yes!" they replied and walked back into the dance studio.

Instead of heading back to the office, I stepped into the gym, where Miki and Butcher were disassembling the stage we had built. I approached them.

"How's everything going?" I asked.

"Slowly but surely," Miki answered. He took apart the lights and speakers over the platform, while Butcher disassembled the lights on the ceiling.

"I just came to tell you that we'll review the recordings later today. There isn't anything major, just small details, like the lighting. To be your first time as a stage technician, you did pretty well."

"Thank you," he smiled.

"You did well too, Butcher. Even though the crowd was people we knew, you still kept an eye on them at all times as you walked around and guarded the door. Obviously, you'll be standing next to the stage in a real performance and not walking everywhere."

"You were watching me?" he asked.

I nodded. "We needed to make sure everyone was doing their part."

"That's a nice surprise," he smirked. "Thanks for the tips."

I smiled. "Miki, I'll call you to review the recordings. Butcher, go to your usual spot at the entrance once you're done here."

"Understood," Miki replied.

"You got it," Butcher added.

About to leave, I turned around. "I almost forgot. Miki, is the album uploaded already?"

"It will be today."

"Great."

Finally, my trip through HQ was done and I headed back to the office. Work was far from over, however. Aya, Tomokazu, and I discussed the notes we had taken and made more plans around them. To end the day, we called everyone to the office to review the recordings of the show.

The following days were filled with more administrative tasks. I registered the copyright of all the songs and the album and made sure that the final art made by Jun met our expectations; as usual, it did. The profile pictures and banners were ready to be uploaded to our social media and the cover of the album was ready as well.

Before we knew it, the day of the release had come. We arrived at HQ as usual and waited for the vans we had rented to arrive. Since we were several people and needed to transport quite a lot of equipment, we rented two vans.

Even though we had only announced the show three days prior, reporters and paparazzi crowded around in front of HQ.

Once the vans arrived, Miki, Butcher, and Tomokazu began to carry the equipment into them. They struggled a little to go back and forth between the building and the street, but it was manageable.

They finished half an hour later. Butcher first made sure that everyone aside from me and the girls had made it safely into one of the vans. Again, there wasn't much activity from the reporters and paparazzi.

Butcher returned to the building.

"Are you ready?" he asked us.

The girls nodded.

Although Butcher was against the idea, I convinced him to let me follow behind them to make the walk safer.

Butcher walked out first and, once Astra stepped out behind him first, the blinding flashes of the cameras began. We could barely walk as the reporters pushed each other to be able to ask their trap questions.

Luckily, we got into the van without problems and the chauffeur accelerated away. The other van followed close behind.

"Why is it like this still?" Umi wondered. "It's been a month since it happened."

"I'd like to say it's because they want to know more about the album, but no. Mr. Okazaki and Mariko have shown no signs of life for a month and they think we know more than them."

"Can't they leave them alone?" Sanae questioned.

"They won't for a long while," I replied. "You can look at it coldly if you want. It's free advertising."

She glared at me for a second before looking away. Risa giggled, sitting beside her.

Since Kiku's café was only two streets away, it didn't even take a minute to arrive. We drove past it to see another sea of reporters and paparazzi camped out in front of it. However, it was a nice surprise to see an organized queue as well.

The vans parked next to the back door of the café. More reporters and paparazzi waited for us there, but it was nothing compared to the front. We all rushed inside before more arrived and Miki, Butcher, and Tomokazu began to bring the equipment into the storage room.

As soon as we stepped inside, Kiku welcomed us. She squeezed Sanae and Risa and hugged the other girls as well.

"I missed you all so much," Kiku smiled.

"We missed you too," Sanae grinned.

"Me too," I joked. "Where's my hug?"

She stared at me for a second and ignored me.

"Are you ready to make everyone's jaws drop?" Kiku asked the girls.

"Yes!" they burst, except for Umi.