Um, that should do it for today's preparations… I think…

Oooh, I have the worst news ever!

Whoa! …Geez, you startled me! What's the matter, Emma?

It's terrible! Mai, she…

What's happened to Mai?

I got this text from her, and she's saying that she's not confident about taking over the photo studio…

I'm a bit worried about going on my own so could you come too?

Sure, let's go together!

[Fade in/out.]

Huh?! You came all the way here just because of that?!

Gosh, I'm so sorry. I mean, it doesn't have anything to do with either of you, so…

Don't you say that!

Yeah! You've taken our pictures before, so it's not like it's none of our business.

And you seemed to be having so much fun when you were, Mai! What happened to all of that confidence?

I know I shouldn't be pushing you for answers like this, it's just…

Ahaha! It's fine, don't worry about it.

You know, I was prepared for the fact that it wasn't going to be easy to inherit the business. I steeled myself, knowing I'd have to overcome all kinds of hurdles.

I figured that if I worked hard, I'd be able to get through anything.

But maybe that won't always do the trick…

What do you mean by that?

Well, I found these pictures that made me think that maybe I can't compensate for everything with effort alone.

The pictures stored at this studio go waaay back, you know? I found these ones while I was organizing them. They were taken by my parents and grandparents over the years.

And I can tell at a glance that they're nothing like the ones I've been taking.

But I love the pictures you take, Mai! We used the ones you took of the School Idol Club to decorate the clubroom!

*Giggle* Thanks. Still, I think you'd understand what I meant if you saw the pictures yourself.

Would you mind taking a look? They're the pride and joy of the Natsukawa Photography Studio!

Mai…