"Two-hundred thousand?!" I yelled. I looked at Aya and asked her, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You might've gotten nervous."
"You know me well enough to know I wouldn't have."
"Still, it went pretty well. Even I didn't expect such a reception. I don't know if it'll be a blessing or a curse."
"Probably both," Tomokazu added. "There's no point in worrying about it, we'll dodge all punches thrown at us. Isn't that right, dear friend?"
"Yeah," I responded.
And to think all of this began because I needed something for my final project….
"Anyway," I continued. "Let's keep doing what we do best: music. Umi, you'll dance with the
"Now?" I asked. "I just got into bed.""The sooner the better," Aya replied.Breathing deeply, I sat up on the edge of the bed. The dim blue moonlight hit my feet through the window."What should we do?" I wondered."Well, I've had similar experiences in my previous jobs but not about individual people, obviously. They were controversies about the entire company.""And how did you handle them?""Pretty well, if I may say. If there was a chance, I gathered as much information as possible before the situation became public to build a public statement with that. If not, I'd take longer to do it. Late, but better than nothing.""Then why d
The following week was far from peaceful. We took advantage of the impunity window to host job interviews before leaving; the furniture I had ordered for the new office arrived—though there was no reason to arrange it; and the owner came by every day to remind us about the fees, only making the mood heavier. At least the girls didn't stop practicing and Umi had almost finished the last song before the bonus one. Aya, Tomokazu, and I discussed the few options we had the possibility to move into. We ruled out the buildings that didn't allow their space to be used as a business, leaving only four places, most of which were insanely expensive. There was no real option until an unexpected suggestion arose. Astra, Umi, Aya, and Tomokazu had left the studio for the day. Aki showered, while Sanae, Risa, and I sat on the chairs on the dance floor. Distracted by lookin
The old man carefully walked upstairs and stepped into his house; the building right next to ours. I stood still, unconcerned about the burning noon sun rays. The new glass door allowed me to see the girls standing behind it. They were going to have a thousand questions, so I finally stepped forward to go inside. They were speechless and so was I. Although I had planned the renovations, I hadn't seen them in person. "Everything looks so white and… empty," Astra said. "It's a miracle the renovation company did all of this on time," I replied. "We'll have to arrange everything by ourselves. Also, we saved money by not paying for that extra service." "It's so different," Risa continued, looking deeper into the hallway.
The following week was uneventful yet filled with progress. The girls practiced; Umi composed the last song and the bonus one, so they were now ready to be recorded; Aya, Tomokazu, and I planned more things for the album's release; and the second floor was renovated. Although the reception area, the art and sewing office, and the gym were going to be left for later, we finished setting up the dance and recording studios. The girls finally had a proper space to practice and Umi could record the last two songs. Help was always welcome, however. The new choreographer and sound engineer were hired, chosen with everyone's opinions in mind, and they were eager to give a good first impression. Aki and I walked through the glass door five minutes before twelve o'clock—the normal start time of our work schedule. Both the
"So, what conclusions have you come to?" I asked. "Satō, go first." "Yes," she replied. "The choreographies are cute and energetic enough. They tell the story of the songs nicely and the energy is well distributed between the sections of each song. The energy is also balanced among all the other songs overall and they aim at the same audience. However, they lack fundamental things like more dynamic movements, character, and collaboration." I stared at her. This is why we needed a professional. "And what are your suggestions?" I asked. "To revise them. As I said, they are good enough already, they just need some details." "How long will that take?"
The time finally came. Aya, Tomokazu, and I had prepared every single detail for the announcement of the album's release date. We updated our social media profiles with pictures and banners that had the release date—made by Jun—accompanied by a short phrase: Idols Are Back. The background of the images was pink and the letters were white. We then posted a short video—also made by Jun—showing short sequences of Japan based on antique pictures from the two thousands; the city, rural towns, beaches, and mountains. One of the sequences showed an idol group performing a show for two seconds, although with their faces out of frame. The final sequence showed the girls from the back, wearing the Blostars costume, facing a white void while pink leaves floated around them. After a couple of seconds, a pink leaf covered the screen and the same phrase from the banners ap
The show came to an end. I would've loved to give food to our guests, but that would've been too expensive and would've required more planning. Thankfully, they all seemed content to just head home after sharing their thoughts and saying goodbye. I made it home by midnight and fell dead on my bed. I woke up somewhat early, so I reviewed the notes Aya, Tomokazu, and I had made. Then, when it was time, I walked to HQ with Aki and checked the office before heading to the dance studio. We arrived to see Satō standing still in the middle of the room with her hands on her waist and the girls lying on the floor. They didn't react to me arriving at all and Satō giggled as she saw me. Before any word could be said, Aki joined the girls on the floor. "Are you okay?" I asked them. As the girls and Aya chatted with Kiku and ate, Miki, Tomokazu, Satō, and I moved all of the equipment from the vans into the storage room. Even though Butcher stood outside in front of the door, the small room was cramped with boxes and people. "Should we start assembling everything?" I asked Miki, not giving him even five seconds to breathe. "We could take it slowly, but we might run short on time if there's a problem." "Let's start now, then." "Can I help?" Satō asked. "I won't be doing much until the girls start to warm up anyway." "That'd be great," I replied. "I need five minutes," Tomokazu panted. "I'm not used to this much physical activity in such a short amount of I Became the Manager of the First Galactical Idols Showtime