*Siiigh*

That's a pretty deep sigh there, Kasumi.

Well, yeah. We were just a club of five, and now we need ten members? I mean, I got caught up in the moment and said I'd do it, but… *Siiiiigh*

And the worst part of it is… *Sigh* The way how even when I'm sighing like this, I'm just so cute.

Ah, ahaha…

Hey, you thought I was weird just now, didn't you?

Huh? No, not at all. I was just thinking about how a school idol really needs confidence in her own appeal, like you just now.

I mean, no one's going to like you if you can't like yourself, right?

…You're a little strange, you know that?

Huh? I-I am?

Yeah. I mean, no one's ever told me that before.

We're a pair of weirdoes, then.

Ehehe. Well, let's put those weird brains to use! It's time for a strategy meeting!

All right, I've got no idea what pruned the club like this, so could you fill me in on the timeline?

Sure! Ask me anything!

[Fade in/out.]

But let me start from the beginning. The school idol club started with five members.

Setsuna Yuki, who I talked about earlier, and students from other schools…

…Kanata Konoe, Shizuku Osaka, and Emma Verde.

[Fade in/out.]

And me, Kasumi Nakasu, the rising rookie and cutest of the club.

Got it.

Kanata, Shizuko and Emma transferred to Nijigasaki from other schools just to join our school idol club.

So they were passionate enough to transfer schools.

Then…why?

Yeah, good question. I mean, I'm sure everyone was just as passionate as I am, but we kind of…fell apart midway?

You guys had a falling out?

Oh, well, not exactly. I think we all got along really well. There wasn't anyone I disliked or anything.

But the president said that Setsuna fractured the club, right?

Well, I had a teensy tiny bit of an issue with Setsuna, but it's not like I didn't like her, or like she did anything wrong.

And she did give me a lot of advice, you know? But sometimes, I kind of…disagreed, right? Thought something was off?

You mean her advice was wrong?

Well, not exactly, it's more like…it wasn't quite what I was after.

Setsuna's really amazing, though. She was a real leader, and I felt like I really wanted to follow her.

But looking back, I feel like we were all just…really different.

Remember how there was that club presentation fair?

Oh yeah, I remember that. Wait. Was the school idol club in it?

No, we weren't.

We wanted to put on a show as a group, of course. It was going to be our first ever show, so we were all so excited.

Only problem was, what we wanted to do was so all over the place we couldn't decide on anything.

Someone wanted to put in dialogue, another wanted animals on stage, someone else wanted it to be like a musical…

And that's when I realized that we weren't all on the same page. That's why we ended up on guard around each other.

Setsuna didn't bring everyone together?

I feel like Setsuna was the most on guard of all. She seemed really low-energy around us.

So the club just…faded away?

People stopped showing up. It really showed me that it takes more than lots of passion to get things done.

…But I think passion is really important. And I don't think Kanata, Shizuku or Emma have lost their passion for school idols, either.

So instead of looking for new members, we should check on our old members and see if they really don't want to come back.

I-I talked a pretty big game in front of the president yesterday, but…will they actually come back?

I wouldn't worry. I mean, you know more than anyone how passion for being a school idol doesn't go away easily, right?

Huh? Why me?

Well, you were protecting this empty club room because you love school idols, right? You were even practicing all alone…

P-Practicing alone?! I-I wasn't…

I can see how hard you've been working. Like from the bandages on your feet, for instance.

…You're a little too perceptive.

I think anyone would notice.

I have to wonder about that. Still, let's get going. It's not like we'll lose anything by talking to them.

Hey, Kasumi.

Yes?

Your ears are red.

No they're not! Now come on, I'll leave you behind if you don't hurry!