Only one van arrived in front of HQ. The merchandise had been sent to the mall the day before, meaning we didn't need to take any extra equipment to the fan meeting.
The hacker controversy had died down a lot since it happened, so we didn't struggle to walk out of the building and get into the van. We were recurring customers for the van company, so they already knew what to expect. The driver also recognized us, which was a pleasant surprise for everyone.
Miki and Satō weren't needed for anything during the fan meeting, so I gave them the day off.
We reviewed the itinerary for the day as we drove to the mall, the same one where the restaurant we had performed at before was located. It took ten minutes to reach because of the traffic.
To avoid disturbing people not i
A sudden memory attacked my mind when the picture was taken. I opened it on my glasses to see a completely different face on him, the face of a girl; my ex-colleague. Chiharu?! Behind the transparent picture, the hacker deviously smirked at me. I could see it now; the way she spoke, her manners, her weird sense of humor, and the aggressiveness with which she tackled things. The hacker was Chiharu, using HoloForm and other technologies to appear to be a guy. "Looks like you saw a ghost," she smirked. "In fact, you actually did. Let me fix that for you." The picture on my glasses disappeared for a split second and appeared again, now with the guy's face in it instead of Chiharu's. I stood frozen. "Cat got your ton
The fan meeting ended without any more problems and the merchandise sold out long before that. Had it not been for the Chiharu and Aki's ex-classmate situations, it would've been a perfect day. They kept giving me headaches throughout the day and I was sure it was the same with Aki, who did an incredible job hiding any discomfort, despite the situation. We returned to HQ with less than an hour left of the shift, so I decided to call it an early day. Tomokazu went home first as usual, while the girls changed back into their regular clothes before leaving. Aya went home with Astra, and Butcher went home with Sanae and Risa. Aki, Umi, and I walked home together. We dropped Umi off at her apartment, and Aki and I headed to mine. She jumped onto the bed as soon as we entered. "Do you want to eat dinner?" I asked.
"I still can't believe you're giving me another exclusive!" Ceruty exulted. "Is that all we are for you? An exclusive?" Aki argued. She spoke to Ceruty through her glasses and let us hear her by turning on the speakers. Aki sat in front of me on the other side of my desk in the office, while Aya and Tomokazu sat at their desks. "Aki," I scowled. She glanced at me and her frown lightened. "Sorry." "It's fine," Ceruty replied. "I'm sure it's obvious I do this to be the center of attention, but you guys helped me a lot, so I'll do anything I can to help you back, even if it's not something that will attract attention." I doubt saying that will help Aki calm down.
The guy hologram stared forward with his eyes open wide and his jaw dropped. It took a couple of seconds for him to start rummaging around, probably trying to end the live stream. Aya waved her hand around in my peripheral vision. I looked at her and she frantically pointed at Aki. Only then did I realize what was happening. I signaled Aki to cut the call and she immediately did. She took her glasses off and put them aside on the desk. Meanwhile, the live stream kept going for a few more seconds. The hologram disappeared and the live stream ended not long after. Aki and I stared at each other, speechless. "What was that?" Aya asked. I took a moment to answer, "Ceruty was hacked." I stared at Aya and she stared back at me with a creepily-wide smile. In the background, the girls and Satō played around the green room, observing the installations and joking with each other. Meanwhile, Aya still stared at me. I had no other choice but to reply. "Yes?" I stammered. "Did you lie about the cost of the rent for this venue?" "No, I didn't. Are you asking because of the premium treatment we're receiving?" "Yes. It's also a very nice place. All of this feels like it should be more than fifty thousand terras." "Maybe because we're used to places that don't specialize in hosting events. This venue was made for concerts and the service is professional. Also, could you lower your voice? I don't want to stress thI Became the Manager of the First Galactical Idols True Backstage
We all stepped out of the green room and walked down the hallway. The girls wouldn't stop chit-chatting in excitement until we reached the intersection between the entrance and the stage. We turned right and they became completely silent. The light gradually dimmed as we continued our walk towards the backstage area. I glanced back over my shoulder to see their eyes move around frantically in all directions. We arrived backstage and climbed the stairs onto the platform, which had been almost cleared of all the boxes and tools. The girls ran past me—except for Umi—and their jaws dropped when they saw the empty court. The rest of us stood aside to let them enjoy the moment. Risa swept tears from her eyes and Sanae squeezed her as soon as she noticed it. Astra joined the hug a second later. Umi stood next to them an
The concert continued without issues until the second to last song: Starry Sunrise. Umi's microphone suddenly stopped working during her section of the song. Fortunately, Aki quickly realized what was happening and sang for her since they both had a similar vocal range. I approached Miki again. "What happened?" "I'm not sure, her microphone just stopped working. She probably doesn't hear us either." "There are more microphones, right?" "Yes, in that box," he answered and pointed at a box on the desk. I opened it and grabbed one of the three microphones. "The song will finish in two minutes, then the girls are going to give a short speech to introduce the last song. We'll swap at that moment." As always, the lecture room was empty when I stepped in. Only Professor Fuku sat at her desk in front of the whiteboard. She stared down at the hologram projecting out of the desk, yet her eyes stayed still. I stood next to her and called her, "Professor Fuku?" She jumped on her chair. "Miyahara! You shouldn't do that, you could've given me a heart attack." It had been a while since I had seen her eyes open that wide. "I'm sorry," I smiled. "Don't worry," she chuckled and stared at me. "You seem happier than usual." "Well, it's finally presentation day after almost four years." "Yeah…," she sighed and looked down at the desk, yet her smile remained. I Became the Manager of the First Galactical Idols Sound Changes III