And…that's what happened.

Wow, that's wild. Kaoruko's pretty tough to handle, huh?

I think that's an understatement. Even after all that, she had a big grin on her face as she asked me if I had fun.

I stayed away from the outdoors for a while because of that incident and was unable to collect insects to finish my summer break project. And then…

And then? What next?

She let a whole bunch of cicadas loose in my room.

She probably thought I felt lonely moping around alone, and this way I'd get to collect insects in a very exciting manner. Two birds with one stone.

She kept bragging about how she spent all morning catching those cicadas.

But it wasn't exciting. It was just loud and annoying. It took me the entire day to chase all the cicadas back outside.

Hahaha! That's Kaoruko for you!

That's ridiculous. Just unbelievable. It makes for a great story, though.

*Giggle* Sorry, I… I can't hold it back any longer! Ahahaha!

S-Sorry, it must've been a horrific experience for you but I can't… *Giggle*

Miss K is one unbelievable gal!

All that aside, we're here to talk about the stage effects, right? What did you think of the plan that I gave you the other day?

It's, um… I think it's a little too much for me.

What? No way.

I know you can handle it. I've been your friend forever, so I know what I'm talking about.

But I'm not sure about…flying on wires.

Oh, but it has so much oomph. I'd love to see you soaring about the stage! It'd be fantastic!

I gave it a try, but I'm not confident that I can sing properly while dangling in the air.

Up in the air, I lost all my strength and wasn't able to project my voice well enough. I think it's best for me to sing with both feet firmly on the ground.

If anyone can pull this off, it's you, Shioriko! I can picture you performing in mid-air so perfectly in my head!

Um… I think the live show will be fine without her flying around.

What we need is a performance plan that will let Shioriko express her feelings as effectively as possible.

Thank you.

What?! But my idea is amazing! Why won't you use it?

There's nothing wrong with your plan, it's just that I can't pull it off. I'm sorry, Lanzhu.

I don't have the ability to perform on the same level as you.

That's not true! We've been friends forever, so I know what you're capable of!

You're capable of doing just as I say. That's how I know the live show will be a resounding success if you just follow my directions!

No, that's not true. You're special in that you can do anything, but people all have different aptitudes.

So please, let me perform this show my way!

And leave me alone!

Wow. Where did that come from?

Oh…

So even you are going to tell me that I'm some special exception.

Um…

…

I just remembered that the preparations for the stage still aren't finished. I'll go do that, and the rest of you can think up a good plan for Shioriko's performance.

Bye-bye.

[Fade in/out.]

*Huff* *Puff* How was that?

That was awesome! The song, the choreography, the direction—I could feel your enthusiasm in all of it!

It was nowhere near my level, but I still thought that it was great!

It's not a competition, so just tell her how you really feel! You know, Shioriko, Kasumi here couldn't stop raving about your performance yesterday.

Yep. She said that it gave her shivers and everything.

Hey! I told you to keep that a secret!

*Giggle* Thank you, Kasumi. That makes me really happy to hear.

This live show is shaping up to be a successful one.

Yeah. Go show your sister what you've got, Shioriko!

You'll be shouting out what's in your heart, so I just know it'll get through to her!

Thank you, girls. There's only a little bit of time left until the live show, but I'll still need your help until then!

Hey, Mia? Do you know where Lanzhu is? I want to go over the lighting setup with her, but I haven't seen much of her lately.

Neither have I. She might be going around to the teachers to get permission for the live show. We're almost done with the prep work, after all.

Lanzhu is so amazing. She's always got tabs on everything and never misses a thing!

She's really confident even when speaking to the adults too.

If she was only more self-sufficient, she'd be perfect.

I could say the same for you, Mia.

Hey! I'm living in Japan all by myself, so I think I'm doing pretty well!