“It would be better to go ahead and set up a building in D.U. if we want to have everything ready aside from the office, practice room, and studio. This part will require some additional initial investment… should we split the costs?”
“No, Millennium will bear that burden. Unless something goes wrong mid-way, this project is set to move forward under Millennium’s direction from start to finish. Since we’re looking only at next year’s results, if the next student council president doesn’t intend to continue this, then the building will ultimately have to be sold. And if shares are split in that process, it will just complicate things.”
“That is true… Hmm, if Millennium bears the cost, it will be quite a lot.”
“Mika, worrying about the budget of Millennium, which is now considered one of the top three academies in the area, seems quite pointless.”
…Looking back, Nagisa was right.
With incidents happening every day in the Autonomous District and the student council president leading the charge, Gehenna shows no signs of declining. And thanks to the rich girls, Trinity has money overflowing.
Worrying about money for Millennium, which can be grouped together with those two, doesn’t make sense at all. I must have temporarily lost my mind.
“Hmm, what was it? I’ve already found a talent to handle the production right away.”
“…Huh? When?”
“Aha ha. There’s such a person. Yes, a very talented one.”
…It’s a bit of a stretch to call it a person, but anyway, we do have one. The wooden doll from Gematria is our producer.
With Maestro bragging so confidently about taking apart my Shinpi, he wouldn’t possibly put out something unsatisfactory. If that ever happens, I’m definitely going to get angry.
“Regardless, we will start practicing in December. The debut will be at the beginning of the new school year next year.”
In reality, everything depends on how well the other members follow along. At the very least, I know there isn’t an issue with any of their singing abilities. Even Neru, who I was a bit worried about, is said by Asuna to be quite decent at singing, and as for the rap I expected from Neru, Asuna does it even better.
Hmm, Asuna rapping like a lively golden retriever. That could be an amazing gap moe element…
One of the most effective ways to gather popularity is through a distinctive character that leads to a clear charm. If Asuna takes on the rap, it will already create a unique character on its own.
The dancing part might pose some problems, but that’s only limited to Noa and Haruna. For now, there are no clumsy dancers among Hina, me, Neru, and Asuna. And as long as no one’s clumsy, covering up won’t be an issue.
Talent? Any dance with predetermined moves can be learned through practice. I know this from my own experience; I once practiced dancing like crazy just for a school festival.
The fan service side seems to worry about Neru and Hina, but with Neru, it’s clear that fans will attach themselves simply by being her usual self…
As for Hina, hmm… hmm…
“What could be Hina-chan’s charm point?”
“…Mika, is it really okay for you to ask that, of all people?”
“I’d prefer if you just didn’t ask me. I don’t think my opinion would be of much help in that regard.”
“No, no, the reason I’m asking is because… my perspective isn’t very objective on this part.”
How can I not see Hina’s advantages? If I start listing her charm points, compliments would flood like a river on a day of heavy rain and never stop.
“I’m starting to feel a bit jealous.”
“Heueng? Nagisa-chan is so cute☆”
“…What exactly are you trying to do here, flirting with someone who took the trouble to come visit? What’s this all about?”
“Aha ha, I’m sorry. By the way, Rion-chan, this is a sandwich I made myself. Would you like to try it?”
As I pointed to the sandwich on the bottom tier of the three-tier tray, Rion, staring at me with an expressionless face, slowly nodded and picked one up.
The reaction was… nonexistent. Given that it’s Rion, it felt expected, but honestly, what exceptional flavor could there be in a sandwich? It might even be reasonable for her to not react at all.
When I asked Nagisa again about Hina’s charm points… something that could be considered charming from an idol perspective, I got an answer similar to what I had in mind.
“Showing a strong and unwavering appearance to the public. If the strongest student council president in Gehenna’s history shows a vulnerable side, that might just become her charm point. Am I right in my assumption?”
“Yeah, that’s ultimately the key.”
In fact, the reason for the survival of this bizarre and almost dysfunctional romantic relationship is the communication. Keeping secrets to a minimum, if there are complaints or desires, they should be voiced openly without hesitation.
Even regarding the relationship between Nagisa and Hina, they can at least be called friends. Because it’s a relationship both parties consented to, neither wants to act out of line. As a result, Nagisa now understands Hina well enough.
“Honestly, it’s hard to predict how much practice we’ll get amid everyone’s daily lives, but if we treat the practice itself like homework and come prepared… the problem will be aligning schedules to gather for lessons. Yes.”
Given that we lack a significant amount of practice, I estimate we can manage two albums if everyone cooperates fully. Realistically speaking, if we manage to hit it big with just one, we’ll be lucky.
Ah, is that why the theoretical maximum was so high? If we set the activity period for one album at about half a year…
Even then, that’s an abnormal figure. I can’t believe it until I see the results with my own eyes.
“Ah, just to clarify, if I engage in activities for free, and you take on unlimited advertising deals, would you be angry?”
“…I wouldn’t do that. Additionally, if the free activities surpass a profit threshold, I was planning on giving some form of compensation. This is to manage productivity and morale.”
“Aha ha! I’m relieved to hear that. I’ll look into strategies to maximize the members’ character and the resulting charm once we start practicing more seriously. Yes, in that context, I’m counting on you, President Rion.”
“…Yeah.”
By the way, while Millennium finds a building or erects a new one, we need somewhere to practice. Should I deliberately choose a bit shabby place as our practice room to inject some determination…?
“Then, have we roughly covered everything regarding this matter?”
“Yes. Here’s the contract I prepared in advance. Take a look.”
Rion handed over two contracts. One for the three who will receive standard compensation and another for the three slaves who will be on unpaid work as a penalty.
Wow, they actually have a clause for compensating slaves too. That’s a bit touching. Rion is indeed a good girl…
“…According to the clause that states to deduct compensation based on personal issues, it means that no matter how successful it is, Mika and Hina will ultimately receive nothing. I think we should draw the line on personal issues before the commencement of activities, what do you think?”
“…Yeah, I think that clause should be modified.”
“Wow—oh…?”
No, Rion, give me back my feelings. Just how much have I trusted you…
As our conversation continued, realizing both the sandwiches and scones were all gone, I sliced the tiramisu from the top tier and placed some on each plate. Truth be told, I wanted to get a little closer personally with Rion, hoping she wouldn’t go astray later; but it wasn’t easy to break the ice.
“Speaking of which, Mika. I want to ask your opinion on something.”
“…Huh? What is it?”
“Which of these do you think is better?”
Rion presented me with two schematics that resembled design plans.
What in the world, does she want my opinion just because I praised her design once back then? I might lose my mind.
“Both seem quite good, so I’m not sure. It’s hard to pick just one. Hmm…”
Once I gave her some lip service, I could feel Nagisa looking at me as if asking if I was in my right mind. Nagisa, my aesthetic sense is quite normal! If you look at it like that, it might crush my feelings…
What exactly is this quadrupedal AMAS? Is it some kind of AT-AT? It’s supposed to be a small model anyway. What kind of design is this intending to showcase?
“This one might be a bit more practical? This quadrupedal model… Well, if it’s a structure for mobility, then it seems better to change the legs’ shape. As is, it looks like mobility won’t be great, and I’m just not sure what the advantage is.”
I pointed to the one more similar to the AMAS that I knew, relying on just a single wheel for mobility, and spoke to Rion. Honestly, while the quadrupedal model has its romantic appeal… its practical value is lacking. Plus, its appearance is way too clunky.
It would be better if it mimicked a beast’s legs instead, but who knows if Rion’s avant-garde nature would allow that.
“That’s a reasonable opinion. I see. I’ll have to think about how to change the leg structure.”
No, Rion, weren’t you originally not the type to take others’ opinions seriously? Just how far are you willing to go in accommodating my thoughts?
No way… Could it be that because I praised that AMAS design, she feels a one-sided closeness toward me?
“Oh, if you have any ideas, would you mind sharing?”
…That does seem to be the case.
Shouldn’t I have just told Rion that her sense of aesthetics is utterly hopeless? But then again, no matter how it comes about, establishing a rapport is worth valuing, right? So I found myself in internal conflict.
If my sense of aesthetics ends up being criticized together with Rion’s later on, I might go completely mad out of injustice…
