Part 1
One month before the solo show
Rental Meeting Room
Airi
Now, about today's meeting...
Airi
Saito gave me the final layout for the venue the other day, so I'd like to have a discussion about that.
Minori & Shizuku
Okay!
Haruka
Here, we can use this space.
Airi
Okay. Thanks, Haruka.
Shizuku
So... What's changed?
Airi
Where the equipment's going to be placed on the right and lefthand sides of the stage. It looks like they're going to be placed more towards the edges.
Minori
Oh, that means we'll be able to use almost all of the stage!
Haruka
And it'll make it easier for us to see everyone sitting in those sections.
Airi
Yeah, the equipment's pretty big too. I like the idea of moving them since they'd sorta dominate the show if you're sitting right next to them.
Airi
However, going forward with this means we're gonna need to rethink how we perform certain songs.
Minori
Wait, why?
Haruka
Oh, that's right... Our second song...
Shizuku
Our second song? Um... Oh, are you talking about the interlude...?
Minori
Huh? I still don't get it...
Airi
It's okay, Minori.
Lemme explain how things are gonna go when we're actually on stage.
Lemme explain how things are gonna go when we're actually on stage.
Airi
For our first song, we're gonna walk around as much of the stage as we can to get a good look at all of our fans' faces.
Airi
Do you remember where you're supposed to stand at the end, Minori?
Minori
Yes! Haruka and I are stage left, and you and Shizuku are stage right!
Airi
Correct. We'll stay in those positions and sing our second song until its interlude. Then, we'll walk out on stage to look at our fans, and meet back in the middle... Well, that was the plan...
Haruka
And there lies the problem.
Minori
Huh? So, this is the part you were talking about just now? About changing where the equipment is gonna be placed and how it'll affect the show?
Airi
Yeah, changing where they're placed will allow us to use more of the stage. You follow me there, right?
Minori
Y-Yeah...!
Airi
Because we'll get to use more of the stage, we'll have to physically travel greater distances.
Minori
Right, so...!
Hm? Hang on...
Hm? Hang on...
Minori
I vaguely remember us talking a while back about trying to travel as much as we possibly could for the second song's interlude...
Airi
Yes, we did.
Haruka
As a result of these changes, we can't move as much as we initially planned for this part anymore because otherwise we won't make it in time.
Minori
Wait, what?!
Minori
W-Wait! What if we ran instead of walking?! Wouldn't that solve the problem?
Shizuku
Yes, but it may end up taking away from the dance we'll be doing following the interlude.
Haruka
Yeah. Especially since our original goal was to conserve our energy, build up some anticipation and stun the audience by performing a fun and dynamic dance routine for them.
Minori
*Gasp*
Y-You're right...!!
Y-You're right...!!
Airi
...
Airi
This is one of the parts we really focused on and practiced a lot for...
Airi
However...
Airi
There's no guarantee that what we want to show is what our fans actually want to see.
Airi
Given those options, I'll always prioritize the enjoyment of our fans over our own objectives.
Minori
Th-Then...
Do we need to change the dance routine after the interlude?
Do we need to change the dance routine after the interlude?
Airi
That's the easiest solution...
But we need to keep the energy going for the second half of our show, so not changing it would be best.
But we need to keep the energy going for the second half of our show, so not changing it would be best.
Shizuku
I agree. So, why don't we try thinking about what else we can do?
Minori
Yeah! Like... Changing the way we move during the interlude, maybe?
Haruka
And seeing exactly how much more space we'll have based on where the equipment is going to be moved.
Airi
Then, we'll be able to measure how much more time we'll need to travel that extra distance.
Airi
I know!
What if we did this?
What if we did this?
Minori
Wait, you wanna extend the interlude?!
Airi
Yeah. I'm thinking that we can extend the song by looping a part of the interlude. That should give us the time we need to move around.
Airi
We'll need to test this to make sure it'll work, but it should be okay since it's not that big a change. Plus, it shouldn't affect the other parts of our show much.
Shizuku
Yes, and if this works, our dance routine should go just as we initially planned.
Haruka
It's actually pretty common to extend the interlude for a song to give everyone more time to engage with their fans during shows...
Haruka
And the fans usually end up enjoying these moments.
Airi
Then it's settled! I'll ask Saito right away to see if this idea will work.
Shizuku
Thank you, Airi.
Minori
Okay, lemme jot that down...
Haruka
What are you writing, Minori...?
Minori
Hehe. I'm writing down everything I learned during today's meeting!
Minori
We made these sorts of adjustments to the performance we did for the fan event, but I always seem to learn something new whenever we go through this process.
Airi
Hey, that's very studious of you.
Airi
And it's a good idea too since sudden changes can lead to causing a lot of people a lot of trouble...
Shizuku
But I'm sure our show will go well after holding discussions like this together.
Airi
Yeah.
Airi
And if it means putting smiles on all of our fans' faces, then we gotta do everything we can!
Minori, Haruka & Shizuku
Yeah!
Yes!
Yes!