Part 1

Miyamasuzaka

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1

Shiho

That was good.

2

Ramen Shop Owner

Thanks!

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3

Shiho

Phew...

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4

Shiho

(I knew that place's soy sauce ramen was good, but the pork bone broth was a nice surprise.)

5

Shiho

(They even seem to have miso ramen on the menu, so I might try that after work next time.)

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6

???

Bananas with chocolate again?
But this crepe shop has so many other options...

7

???

Yeah, but this is what I like.

8

Shiho

Hm...?

9

Shiho

Those voices...

10

Shiho

Oh...

11

Iori

Also, you're always getting that cinnamon apple one.

12

Mio

Because that's one of the few that don't come with whipped cream.

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13

Shiho

Iori, Mio...

14

Iori

Oh...

15

Mio

Good evening, Hinomori.

16

Shiho

Good evening.
Talk about a coincidence. We ran into each other at the live house just the other day.

17

Iori

Yeah, you're right.
After acting all cool and saying we'd see you during our next show too.

18

Iori

Are you heading back from work?

19

Shiho

Yes. I was just about to start heading home after stopping by that ramen shop over there for dinner.

20

Iori

We just wrapped up a meeting at the record company. We're aching for some sugar since we've been thinking about this and that.

21

Iori

How about a crepe for dessert?
On me, to celebrate your big debut.

22

Mio

Hehe. You're starting to sound like her senior, Iori.

23

Iori

That's because I am.
We did make our debut before them.

24

Shiho

True.

25

Shiho

Then, if you don't mind buying your junior a crepe.

26

Shiho, Mio & Iori

Let's eat.

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27

Shiho

This is good...

28

Iori

I know, right?

29

Iori

This chain's got stores all over, but the one in Shibuya really is the best.

30

Shiho

Did you go around and check?

31

Iori

Not exactly.
But I have been able to go to a lot of them...

32

Mio

I remember you having them basically every day until not too long ago.

33

Shiho

Huh? Every day?

34

Iori

Hey, you're making it sound like I'm some sort of pig.

35

Iori

The song we were working on at the time was giving us a lot of trouble. So, I started having these to reduce my stress and get the sugar I needed...

36

Shiho

I didn't realize you could hit a wall like that, Iori...

37

Iori

It happens.

38

Iori

But that particular song ended up becoming a pain because of our record company's demands.

39

Shiho

Oh...

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40

Iori

Until now, you've been able to pursue music the way you want, right? You've decided when to write new songs and put on shows.

41

Iori

But you can't do that as pros.
In the eyes of record companies, we're their business partners.

42

Shiho

You're talking about having to work as stipulated in whatever agreements we sign?

43

Iori

More to the point, you have to constantly think about becoming more profitable.

44

Shiho

(I was under the impression that STANDOUT has been doing pretty well since they debuted...)

45

Shiho

(But I guess a lot happens behind the music.)

46

Shiho

Umm... I don't know if this is okay for me to ask, but how did you go about producing this new song you just mentioned...?

47

Iori

Hm? Oh, that was all thanks to Mio.
She got really mad at me.

48

Shiho

What? Her? Getting mad at you?

49

Iori

Yeah. She said that I shouldn't write a half-baked song while pouting about what the company told us to do. That if I had a problem, I should channel those feelings into our new song.

50

Mio

I-I didn't say it like that!

51

Iori

But that's basically what you said.

52

Iori

I thought I was doing what people wanted from us as pros, but the lyrics I wrote definitely told a different story.

53

Iori

Mio's words opened the floodgates when it came to editing it.

54

Iori

Honestly, she started to really irritate me, but I was also happy about her getting on my case.

55

Iori

Because we were both taking a hard look at our music as members of STANDOUT. As equals.

56

Shiho

And I wouldn't expect any less from you guys...

57

Iori

You jealous?

58

Shiho

No...
I can say the same for us.

59

Iori

Hehe. That's what I like to hear.

60

Shiho

Thank you for the crepe.
And I really enjoyed our conversation.

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61

Iori

You're welcome.

62

Iori

We're both still just getting on our feet as professional bands, but let's keep pushing each other to become better.

63

Iori

Through our music.

64

Shiho

Yes, let's. And I hope the next time we meet is on stage.