One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. Keep your arms up.

O-Okay!

One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. Looking good. Keep it up.

Got it!

One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four.

[Fade in/out.]

I was the one who recommended Ayumu, so this may be strange for me to say, but…

I have caused disappointment again. Everyone was practicing with all of their might for the club introductions live show, but now Ayumu is the only one who can perform.

Shioriko, have you looked at everyone's faces? I don't think anyone's disappointed.

Huh?

[Fade in/out.]

Okay, that's enough. Let's take a ten-minute break.

*Pant* *Pant*

I know you're still catching your breath, but make sure to stay hydrated. Here, drink up.

Thank you. *Pant* *Pant*

You should wipe off your sweat, too.

Thank you, Rina.

I have honeyed lemon slices. Do you want some? It's important to get your amino acids.

Sure, I'll have one then. Thank you.

Ayumu, Kasumi, and I will be in charge of your costume for this performance!

I'm the one making it, so it'll be suuuper cute. Please look forward to it! I'll do whatever I can to support you!

Kasukasu, I know you think of Ayumu as a rival, so I'm really surprised.

Hey! I think you need to take a closer look, because I'm not the kind of person you think I am.

Are you saying there's more than meets the Ai? Eye had no eye-dea! *Laugh*

That isn't funny. Also, don't call me Kasukasu!

Thank you all so much for giving me this opportunity. I'll work extra, extra hard!

I can't wait to see you in action. Don't push yourself too hard, though, okay? It's easy to injure yourself if you overdo it.

Oh, if that happens, I can take your place!

So you ARE aiming for her spot!

N-No, I'm not! I just thought Ayumu would have peace of mind and really be able to go all out if she knew she had a stand-in just in case of an emergency.

Sure, sure, we believe you.

Hey, I'm telling the truth!

*Laugh* Sorry, sorry.

Please don't tease me!

*Laugh* If anything happens, I'll be counting on you, Kasumi.

Leave it to me!

No, no, I'll be the one to perform if that time comes. I will use my charms to captivate those prospective students.

If that's what it's about, I can share my love for school idols and tell the students how wonderful school idols are.

I love school idols just as much as you do.

*Giggle* We're having the same argument as before.

Oh, look at that. Well, unfortunately, this isn't our time to shine. Ayumu will see this through for us from start to finish.

Yes, that's right.

Yep, especially since I have all this support from you all. It'll definitely go great!

We'll be counting on you!

Oh, I know! I'll bring you my favorite body pillow tomorrow so you can sleep really well at night. Um, so this pillow is…

[Fade in/out.]

See? Do they seem sad and disappointed to you?

Perhaps they're just trying not to appear that way on the surface.

You think so?

I think that is often the case. However, not for them… At the very least, I do not think it is possible to fake those smiles.

I do not understand. Everyone other than Ayumu failed, so how can they happily help out like that? Don't they feel disappointed and frustrated?

I'm sure they're a little disappointed. And even though they're friends, they're also rivals, so I'm sure they feel frustrated as well.

Then…

But they're not going to see this as a failure. I definitely wouldn't, if I were in their place.

But Ayumu was the only one who got her wish. That is an undeniable fact.

Yeah, but there are still things they can be happy about and enjoy.

Even if something seems like a waste of time, that doesn't mean everything about it is useless. That's what it's like when you're a school idol.

School idols… I still do not understand them.

I mean, you thought they were useless up to now. It won't suddenly all make sense to you. I just hope you feel something when you watch them.

Feel something?