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1

Naruse's Voice

<♪————!!!>
2

Honami

Listen

Free Cluster really draws you right into their world...
3

Ichika

Listen

Yeah...
You can tell that they put a lot of thought into how they're going to get the audience's attention right from the beginning.
4

Ichika

Listen

We usually start by talking to them and stuff, but jumping right in to kick things off seems like a good way to create momentum...
5

Shiho

Listen

Yeah, I like how they're using a backlight to make it hard to see them and create a mysterious atmosphere.
6

Saki

Listen

Definitely...!
It must be meant to make everyone wonder what kind of show they're about to witness!
7

Saki

Listen

What effects would work the best for us...?
8

Shindo

Listen

I see... You'd like to change the lighting plan to grab the crowd's attention?
9

Honami

Listen

Yes. For example, when we play star trail, we'd like to have only the spotlights on through the second verse, and turn everything else on right at the start of the chorus.
10

Saki

Listen

If we bring the lights up in the stands too, it'll make everyone feel like they're connected, and build a lot of forward momentum too!
11

Shindo

Listen

I like it...
Let me know if you have any other ideas like this. I'll bring them up at the show meeting to see what we can make happen.
12

Ichika

Listen

Thank you!
We actually summarized everything in this notebook...
13

Honami

Listen

After making those adjustments, we're playing much more in unison now!
14

Ichika

Listen

Yeah, but I'm thinking so much about how I'm playing that I'm struggling to think about our performance as a whole...
15

Shiho

Listen

Then, let's take a video and see how we're really doing.
16

Shiho

Listen

Also, I wanna see if we can create a better flow, so let's start again from the top.
17

Ichika

Listen

Okay.
Then, here we go!
18

Ichika

♪——! ♪————!
A few days later
Live House

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19

Ichika

Listen

Thank you!

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20

Naruse

Listen

Yes, you've improved quite a lot.

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21

Saki

Listen

W-We have...?!
22

Naruse

Listen

Yes, I could tell that you were all working towards a specific goal.
23

Naruse

Listen

Your playing, crowd interaction and showmanship have all been touched up. Compared to the first time, I felt a much greater sense of excitement.
24

Shiho

Listen

We couldn't have done this without you, Ms. Naruse. Thank you for being such a great coach.
25

Naruse

Listen

Haha. I'm honestly not sure how much actual coaching I really did.
26

Shiho

Listen

No, you helped us make a crucial realization.
27

Shiho

Listen

After hearing your honest opinion, we were able to take a hard look at ourselves and change our thought process...
28

Shiho

Listen

We realized just how much effort professional musicians put into their shows.
29

Shiho

Listen

And how much energy and time they spend to bring their music to the world.
30

Naruse

Listen

Yes, it takes a lot.
31

Shiho

Listen

We know that we still need to make a lot of improvements before the show. So...
32

Shiho

Listen

We look forward to your continued support.
33

Naruse

Listen

Hehe. I like that hungry look in your eye.
34

Naruse

Listen

Of course, I'll keep giving you all as much help as I can. The better you do, the easier it'll be for us, after all.
35

Naruse

Listen

But you're right. You still have a lot of work left ahead of you. So, start again from the top for me.
36

Shiho

Listen

Okay!
A few hours later

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37

Naruse

Listen

Why don't we take a break here?
You all look a bit worn out.
38

Ichika

Listen

Okay, thank you...
39

Naruse

Listen

Good job sticking it out, everyone.

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40

Naruse

Listen

Oh, that's my agency...
Sorry, I need to take this.
41

Honami

Listen

Of course.

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42

Saki

Listen

*Sigh*
My brain and body are both totally wiped out...!

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43

Shiho

Listen

We're gonna be playing at a big arena, so we'll need to exaggerate a lot in order to make sure everyone can see what we're doing.
44

Ichika

Listen

Still, thanks to Ms. Naruse, our playing and performances have definitely improved.
45

Shiho

Listen

Yeah. And we've got plenty of concrete points to improve on, so let's keep on polishing until the show.
46

Saki

Listen

Yeah! Everyone's gonna be totally blown away by the new and improved Leo/need!
47

Saki

Listen

Oh, that reminds me!
Are we gonna be announced as the opening act soon?!
48

Shiho

Listen

I totally forgot. They're making the announcement on social media today, right?
49

Saki

Listen

Let's see... Free Cluster's official account... Found it!

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50

Saki

Listen

Check it out!
It says, “Opening Act: Leo/need,” right here...!
51

Honami

Listen

Wow, look at that...!
52

Ichika

Listen

We really get to open for Free Cluster...
53

Shiho

Listen

Yeah, this is pretty cool.
54

Saki

Listen

Oh, look here!
Some people have already posted comments! This person said, “Woohoo!”
55

Saki

Listen

Hehe. That means we gotta make sure they have a ton of fun!
56

Ichika

Listen

Yeah, and...
57

Ichika

Listen

Oh...
58

Shiho

Listen

What's wrong?
59

Ichika

Listen

Umm... Look at this comment...
60

Saki

Listen

Huh? Lemme see...
61

Saki

Listen

Oh...
62

Comment

“They've gotta get a better band. This gives Free Cluster a bad name.”
Next Chapter: As Professionals