All right, no one's here yet.

I've still got some time before everyone gets here, but sometimes Honoka and Rin come early. Ugh, this is so nerve-wracking, every time!

Okay, I'm gonna get this all done before everyone shows up.

One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, then I step back here and turn…

Right foot forward, and… Ack! Whoops… Argh, again?! Why do I keep messing up here?

Am I off tempo? Hmm, maybe I'm going too fast. Maybe it'll go smoother if I take things a little slower around here.

All right, let's keep that in mind and try again. If I can't pull this part off, then I'll affect the other mem⁠–

*Sneeze*

!!

Ah…

Ko…! Ko-Ko-Ko-Ko-Ko-Ko…

Ko-ckadoodle-doo?

Why would I say that?! And why are you here so early, Kotori?! There's still…uh, 15 whole minutes until we're supposed to meet!

I figured I should try to show up early every now and then… More importantly, do you always show up early to practice?

Huh?! N-No! When you get to my level, you don't need to do any extra practice! You can dance without missing a single step by just following the regular regimen.

It's not like I came up with my own way to practice and I was secretly training to stay in perfect sync with everyone, okay? Nothing like that! So don't get the wrong idea!

You don't have to try to cover it up… If you want me to keep it a secret then my lips are sealed.

I'm not covering anything up! See, I wasn't practicing, it's just that… Uh… There was a b-bird!

A bird?

It was trying to court me with a dance, so I was refusing it with my own dance! You know what I'm talking about, right? Those kinda birds!

*Chuckle* I get it. You were dancing with a bird, right?

Right. Yeah, that's right! Good thing you get it.

Well, that was a wonderful little dance. Could you teach me how to refuse avian advances, too?

Huh?! W-Well, if you insist, then I can't refuse! Just make sure you keep up with me. No falling behind!