(Thank goodness we were able to book the live house where Shiho works...)

(Today, I'll fill out the equipment application form for us to submit next week. Also...)

Hm? Oh, Honami's already here.

Hey, she's right! You're here super early! We even came ahead of schedule too!

Oh, I was hoping to get some things done before practice... I was actually downstairs before, but they said I could head in a little early.

I see.
Oh, are those the forms we need to hand in to the live house...?

Yes.
I don't help produce our songs or anything, so I thought this was the least I could do for us.

Oh... Thanks, Honami. We really appreciate it. Also, please ask us if you ever feel that you need help with anything...

Thank you, but I should be fine now since you and the others have agreed to handle our advertisements on social media.

Still, Hona, you always seem to come through for us in these sorts of situations! It's like, you're so efficient...!

Yeah, since you're awful at this kind of stuff.

Urgh...! I-I'm not that awful!
I just have to spend a little more time than others thinking about how to do it...

Isn't that the definition of not being good at something...?

Y-You think so?!

Hehe.
It's okay, Saki. With a little practice, I'm sure you'd get used to doing this.

Hona!
Yeah, you're right! It's all about getting used to doing it!

Well, for now I'd rather you focus on getting used to playing eight songs back to back.

So, let's start practicing.

Okay!

Huff... Huff...

This also happened yesterday, Ichika, but your voice falls off at our fifth song. Try to hang in there.

Okay, I'll try...!

*Groan*
It's so much harder to play during the second half...

I know what you mean...
My arms are starting to feel sore.

Yeah, you have the most physical job out of all of us. Drumming's like a full-body workout!

Haha. I'm not unathletic or anything, but drumming for this long is a different story...

Still, I need to keep trying...

Huff... Huff...

We've improved a little since yesterday, but we're still struggling to play at an acceptable level during the second half...

As important as it is to play like we mean it, we should probably start thinking about how to pace ourselves...

This is turning into some kind of sport...

Let's try again after a short break.
Do you all have something to drink? Or shall I go get some?

Thanks, Honami.
But I brought one, so I'm okay for now.

Same here.
So, let's pick this back up in fifteen minutes...

Okay...

Huh?
Someone's getting a call.

Oh, it's from work...
Yes, this is Hinomori.

The form for renting equipment?
One of my bandmates is working on that now...

Wait, you need it today...?

They're gonna rent out some equipment for a show at an outdoor venue, so they have to know what we need in advance...

Honami, do you think you can have that form ready by the end of today...?

Um, yes. I had it mostly done this morning, but I still need about another thirty minutes to finish it...

Okay...
Sorry, we're gonna need you to work on that today...

No, that's fine.
I'll work on it now.

Thanks...
Then, I'll go hand it in later tonight. See you then.

Sorry for making you rush like this. I know we still have to practice...

Oh, is there a way to split the work between us? We'll help out!

Hehe. It really isn't that much work, so it's okay for you all to focus on practicing.

Still, we'd prefer to practice with you...

Then, Ichi, why don't we work on our new song in the meantime?

Good idea...
This was meant to be a chance for us to practice together, but we also have other things to take care of...

Honami, I'll draw up the stage diagram that we need to submit. Can I ask you to handle the rest?

Oh, okay...!

(Having to do all this paperwork is already affecting our practice...)

(I need to wrap this up so we can go back to practicing together...!)

Oh no...!
The company we asked to print out our fliers last time is gone!

What? Wait, the one we asked for Shibuya Festa? They had such reasonable prices and did a really nice job...

Yeah...
I was hoping that we could ask them again since the quality was good, but we're gonna need to find a different company now...

Also, we need to burn some CDs to sell during our show. I'll ask Tsukasa if I can borrow his computer and...

Oh, what should we do about the cover art...?

...

Is something wrong, Ichika?

I'm in charge of advertising, so I've been trying to find the best way to do that...

Other bands have online applications for reservations and accounts with pictures of them getting ready all set up.
I thought it'd be nice if we could do that...

But that means we'll have to come up with designs and text for all those things.

Yes, you're right...

Oh, it's from Shiho.
She said, “We're having a meeting with the sound and lighting tech, so please be there”...

Oh, that's right... You mentioned before that we should talk things through with them to make it easier to sing.

Yeah. Preparing for our solo show is really rewarding, but there's just so much we have to consider...

...

Stop...!
The same part. Again.

O-Okay...!

Here we go...!
One, two, three, four...

No.
We're totally out of focus.

*Sob*
I thought I still was focused...

I can't lie... I'm a bit exhausted...

Between working on our song, practicing, and preparing for our solo show... My mind's having trouble keeping up.

Yeah, I get that...

Actually, about that...

Huh? What's up, Hona?

What if I took care of all the paperwork and such for our solo show?

What?

Ichika, Saki, you two write songs for us. Shiho, you lead our practices.

But I can't contribute in that way, so this seems like how I'll be able to help us as a band...

That's really nice of you, but you're already doing a lot for us, Honami...

Yeah! You put schedules together for us, book the studio every time and have basically become our treasurer...

You handled all the paperwork for us and are even taking care of the equipment this time around. We can't ask you to do more...

Plus, if you end up cutting back too much on practice, it'll be all for naught.

Because the drummer's the cornerstone of any band.

But...

No, you're right...

Don't worry about us.
We promise to get our song ready and handle everything else.

Yeah.
Anyway, we'll take it from the top in five minutes... Get ready.

Okay!

(They're right. It's not good for a single band member to carry more than they have to...)

(Still...)

(Is this really the right way to go...?)

(They all want our solo show to go well, and are doing their best to make that happen. But...)

(It feels like practice isn't going well because we're trying too hard at everything...)

Okay, see you all later...

Bye... See you tomorrow...

*Nod*
See you tomorrow.

Please be mindful of cars.
It's easy to become careless when you're as exhausted as we are.

Yeah, you're right...
Thanks, we'll be careful.

Our practice didn't end up going all that well today...

No, it didn't...
I think preparing for our solo show is taking too much out of us...

Yeah, I had a feeling...

Are we practicing more than we need to...? But we have a new song on the way and don't have much time left...

Oh...

Shiho, your brow is all wrinkled.

Huh? Oh...
Y-You don't need to point that out to me.

It's proof that you're working yourself too hard...
I know you're worried about time, but for now, let's get some rest and try again tomorrow.

Yeah, you might be right...

Thanks, Honami.
See you tomorrow.

Okay. Bye bye, Shiho.

(If only I could support everyone better... Then we'd be able to focus during practice.)

(No...
Blaming myself won't solve anything. I can't be fretting so much.)

(Still...)

(I want us to be able to focus more on practicing, but we can't let all these other things fall by the wayside...)

Isn't there a better way...?