...

Hm? Is something bothering you, Shizuku...?

Oh, Airi...
I was just thinking about this upcoming Sunday.

You know, how we all agreed yesterday to take a break from our usual practice?

Yeah, you did.
Haruka even said she wants to go, so why's it bothering you now?

That's the thing...
I'm just not sure if Haruka will really be able to enjoy herself.

You're really saying this now?

Honestly, if you keep feeling this way, there's no way Haruka's gonna be able to have any fun.

I know, but...

I've been trying to come up with ways to help Haruka relax and have fun, but I have nothing so far...

Oh, that's what this is really about?
Well...

I doubt Haruka actually maintains her perfect idol persona 24/7.

Like... Oh, during the Sports Festival!

Even though she was super busy with committee stuff, she still had a good time with her classmates.

Oh, you're right. She even celebrated with her friends in the end after the big relay too...

See? She might be more of a normal girl than we think without us really knowing it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we just need to give her those kinds of opportunities to show it.

I see... Thank you, Airi.
I'm getting a much better picture now.

Oh, of course...
I should talk to Minori too.

Huh?

She spends the most amount of time with Haruka, no?

My guess is that talking to her may give me an even clearer picture.

Yeah, go for it.

But what about Haruka?
You gonna talk to her too?

No, not right now.
I'd rather not cause a fuss by making her think that there may be something wrong.

Okay, that should probably be fine then.

How about I go with you?
Knowing you, your conversation won't end in time for our next class.

Hehe. I appreciate it, Airi.

There she is! Minori!

Hm? Airi and Shizuku?
Do you need me for something?

Remember how we talked about going out together this Sunday? Airi and I were hoping to discuss something concerning it with you...

(But how do I explain this to her...)

(I shouldn't start by saying that I'm worried about Haruka, but I may not be able to learn how to have Haruka relax without saying so...)

Um... Well...

We're going out, but didn't really decide on where we'd go or what we'd do and stuff, right...?

So we'd like to pick your brain a little.

(Airi...!)

(Okay, okay. Just calm down for now.)

You wanted to go do some karaoke, shop and grab some dessert, right, Minori?

Yeah! I want to do cheers for you guys while you sing, and we can sing songs together that we usually don't!

As for shopping, I thought that it'd be fun to come up with new outfits for each other!

And dessert...
Hehe. That's just me wanting to have some sweets and chat like regular girls.

Hehe. I'd like that too. It sounds like fun.

Which do you think out of all those will Haruka enjoy doing the most?

Wait, Haruka...?

I mean, it's probably best if we find stuff that we can all enjoy, right?

Yes, I agree! Which one will be the most fun for Haruka?

Hmm... Okay...
I think sweets then...

Oh, but she can't have anything sugary right now, so she probably won't be able to have much.

That's right. She loves sweets!

She does! Oh, but the other day when we were heading home together...

We talked about how it's not always good to hold back like that, and we ended up getting some cream puffs together.

Then she decided to get two of pretty much everything!

Wait, seriously?!

No joke! Thankfully, two of everything meant one for each of us...

Geez, you had me going there for a second. I actually thought you meant she got that all for herself...

But she really loves sweets, doesn't she?

It goes way beyond that!
But I never realized Haruka had that side to her...

Oh, that reminds me...
You two went to Phoenix Wonderland together the other day too, no?

We did! Haruka and I had lots of fun together there too!

We went on a bunch of rides, met Phenny and even took some pictures with him!

Oh, Phenny!
Shii absolutely adores him!

Does that mean Haruka likes him too?

I think so. Probably because he looks so much like a penguin.

Oh, crap! Sorry, Minori, we gotta head back soon!

Thank you for your input! You've been a huge help!

You're very welcome! I'll see you again after school!

Phew... Made it...

We did, but I'm also glad that we took this opportunity to talk to her.

I believe we found just what Haruka needs to relax and enjoy herself.

Yeah. She wouldn't do something like ordering all those cream puffs otherwise.

Hehe. I'm feeling much more hopeful now.

Me too. Let's try out what we can this Sunday, okay?

Okay!