Hello, Shioriko? It's Ayumu. Do you have some time to talk?

Uehara, good evening. What is it?

Is this about your practice schedule again? I thought I explained to you before that I'm no expert, so my advice is bound to be off-base…

Oh, no, I didn't call to ask about that. Well, I do want to discuss the practice schedule with you, but not right now. Um… Well…

I see… So you're calling to discuss a certain someone.

What? How did you know?!

Uehara… You really do lack a little self-awareness. Whenever you want to discuss something that isn't school idols, it always has to do with that person.

Do… Do I really talk about her that much?

Yes. I know you two are close childhood friends.

*Laugh* …This is so embarrassing.

So what are you calling to discuss? If you want to ask her out somewhere, it's better to just be straight about it than keep hinting.

N-No, that's not it!

I'm just joking. You're fun to tease.

What? Shioriko, you actually joke around?

I am capable of it, yes. However, I did perhaps tease you too much. I'm sorry. Tell me why you called.

Umm… So you know how she works harder than anyone, whether it's the school tour or getting volunteers? Well, actually, she's always doing her best for us in everything.

That's true. She really helped us out during the school tour.

Which is why I wanted to give her a present to thank her for everything that she does.

That's a nice idea. I'm sure she'll love that.

So I was trying to think of what to get her, and I really couldn't decide… So I wanted to ask you to help me think of something. I bet we can give her a gift she'll love.

Well, I really think she'll love anything you give her, but all right. She's helped me out too, so let me assist you.

Great! Do you want to go shopping this weekend then? As long as you don't have any volunteer work to do, of course.

I'm free on Saturday. Is that all right with you?

Yeah! Thank you, Shioriko!

No problem. I'm grateful that you've given me an opportunity to express my gratitude to her as well. See you Saturday, then.

I'm looking forward to it!

[Fade in/out.]

Sorry to make you wait! Were you here long?

No, not at all. It's still a few minutes before the time we agreed upon.

Still, you were already here.

I mean… I don't meet up with people a lot… I just ended up arriving earlier than expected after hurrying so I wouldn't make you wait. Don't worry about it.

What?! If you got here too early, then send me a message so I can hurry over! Next time you definitely have to do that!

N-Next time? All right, I understand.

Good! And let me just say again, thank you for agreeing to go shopping with me today.

You don't need to thank me. I want to do something for her too, to show her how grateful I am.

Um, so after we hung up I racked my brain thinking of what to get, but in the end I just couldn't come up with anything good…

Let's start by just browsing around. I'm sure we'll get a clearer picture as we go.

Y-Yeah, you're right!

Then let's go.

[Fade in/out.]

Oh! Those matching keychains are so cute! But there are only two, so if I gave her one that would look like it was a gift from only me, even though you're helping me today.

There's caricatures, too. Hey, what do you think of a caricature?

A caricature…

Oh, and these necklaces are adorable too! Shioriko, what do you think of this one? Oh, but I'd want her to always wear it…

That would be difficult, seeing as how wearing unnecessary accessories and jewelry is against school policy.

You're right… And I'd be sad if it got confiscated, so I guess that's out. Hmm, I really just can't decide!

*Giggle*

H-Hey, don't laugh at me!

I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. You really do love her, don't you?

I adore her. We've been together ever since we were kids… And she's my number one source of motivation when it comes to being a school idol.

Your number one source of motivation?

Yeah. She's the one who puts the School Idol Club above all else.

All of us are really important to her, and when she became club president she promised she'd always be our biggest fan.

So I want to live up to the faith she has in us. I don't want to betray her expectations. That keeps me going no matter how rough a practice gets.

The two of you certainly share a deep bond.

*Giggle* So Shioriko, what kind of present do you think would be good?

Hmm… For a gift that conveys gratitude, I would go with an assortment of fancy seaweed or a luxury towel set. Something like towels definitely wouldn't go to waste.

*Giggle* A gift basket of towels? That's kinda old-fashioned.

W-Well, maybe… Okay, then what about an assortment of vegetable juices to show that we value her health?

*Laugh* That's still the same type of thing! But I do like getting juice in gift baskets.

The only thing is that a juice assortment would be heavy and hard to carry…

I am realizing how tough it is to pick out a good present…

Oh, I know! What about a gift of her favorite item?

Favorite item… Oh! Notebooks for her practice notes!

Exactly! Doesn't she always have one with her during your practices?

She writes really detailed notes about our practices in that notebook. She said it's almost all full, so she could use a new one.

But is a notebook too cheap of a gift?

I don't think the cost matters for something like this. That said, I do understand your concerns.

How about we have everyone in the club write messages to her on the first page?

Ooh! That's a really good idea! Yeah, let's do that!

[Fade in/out.]

Thank you so much for helping me out today, Shioriko!

I'm just glad I was able to contribute.

Thanks to you, we're going to give her the best present ever! I'm really glad I asked you to come.

Now all I have to do is focus on the School Idol Festival!

We've got all the volunteers we need, we've got your support, so now we just have to work hard. We'll definitely make this a success, so I hope you enjoy it too, Shioriko.

Hmm, yes. I do hope it succeeds.