Transcript
Kasumi
Hello~!
Marina
Ah, welcome. I've been waiting.
Kasumi
Class just kept dragging on... Sorry, Marina-san!
Marina
It's no problem. Actually, I should be apologizing for calling you here on such short notice.
Kasumi
It's totally fine!
Marina
Hm? Where are the others?
Kasumi
I think they'll be here soon!
Saaya
G-geez, Kasumi... I told you, you were running too fast...
Tae
... Huff, huff, huff... We finally caught up...
Rimi
Huff, huff... Kasumi-chan, you took off as soon as we passed through the school gate. We had no idea what was happening.
Kasumi
But I had to since our meeting time with Marina-san was so close...! Wait... Where's Arisa?
Arisa
Huff, huff... Phew.
Arisa
K-Kasumi... You little-
Kasumi
Ah, Arisa's here! Arisa, you're late~!
Arisa
Y-you know I'm not a very good runner, and you sprint all the way here from school?! Without a break?! Are you trying to kill me?!
Kasumi
I just thought it wouldn't be fair to make Marina-san wait.
Arisa
Says the person who had a review session! We waited for you, you know!
Kasumi
Marina-san called us here~. We can't let her sit here waiting for us, can we?! She's always looking out for and taking care of us, isn't she?!
Arisa
Exactly, and if you didn't have to attend a review session, then we would have made it on time, as planned! Use your brain a little! This isn't how you're supposed to act!
Marina
Ufufu... Kasumi-chan is so full of energy, isn't she?
Arisa
Well, if you took that away, there'd be nothing left, so...
Kasumi
That's not true~! There'd be a lot left!
Arisa
Like what?
Kasumi
Uh-uhm... Like love? Or friendship... or something?
Arisa
What are you, a manga character?!
Saaya
Fufufu... Anyway, Marina-san. Did something happen for you to call us here?
Arisa
Don't tell me. Kasumi did something wrong again... Is that it?
Kasumi
Huh?! What?! I didn't do anything~! I swear, Marina-san!
Marina
You can relax, I didn't call you here for anything like that.
Kasumi
Phew... Thank goodness~. C'mon, Arisa~. Don't scare me like that~!
Marina
Actually, I have a favor to ask all of you, as the members of Poppin'Party.
Kasumi
A... favor? A favor from Marina-san is a favor we'll do! Lay it on us!
Arisa
Hold your horses! A little too quick to be making promises, don't you think?! Actually listen to what she has to say first!
Marina
Ufufu. So there's an event where people from live houses around the country gather.
Marina
Each live house will get a booth where they will be selling items, and the representatives for each live house will get on stage and put on a performance...
Tae
Ah, I think I might know that event. I believe it was called something like, "Rocking Star Festival"...
Marina
Yeah, that's the one! So you do know it.
Tae
I took part in the event when I was working my part-time job at SPACE. We sold a lot of towels, t-shirts, things like that at our booth.
Marina
I see. So I don't have to explain everything. Basically, I was thinking that I wanted Poppin'Party to give me a hand during that event.
Kasumi
Got it! Of course we'll do it! Right, you guys?!
Saaya
I'm pretty used to helping out with this kind of thing, having a family store and all. I think I'll be able to make things easier on you!
Marina
H-hold on a second! Certainly I'd like for you to help with the booth and sales and stuff, but the main thing I want you girls to do is something else.
Arisa
Huh? The main thing...? What... do you mean by that?
Marina
I was thinking that I'd like you all to be the representatives of CiRCLE and perform on stage at the event for me.
Kasumi
... What? Us... A performance... At the event?!
Rimi
On top of that... you want us to represent CiRCLE...?!
Marina
Mhm. There are plenty of bands that put on shows at this live house, but I wanted Poppin'Party to be the one to perform this time around.
Saaya
Wow... That's an even bigger responsibility than I thought.
Kasumi
U-us... Being the representatives of CiRCLE?! A-are you sure you want to choose us?
Marina
Absolutely! Honestly speaking, there are many bands who have higher quality performances than Poppin'Party, but there's something about your shows that just lifts the spirit.
Marina
So I thought we could have all those people in the audience listen to you perform and let them experience that liveliness for themselves!
Kasumi
Th-thank you so much! Hearing that makes me so happy!
Marina
So will you do it?
Tae
Yes! I want to perform there!
Saaya
... O-Tae?
Arisa
Y-you know... It's not that often O-Tae jumps on an opportunity so quickly.
Tae
When I took part in that event as a member of SPACE, I thought, "One day, I wanna play on that stage." That's how fun of a show it was.
Arisa
If O-Tae feels that strongly about it... I guess we can't say no...
Rimi
O-Tae-chan, let's do our very best!
Saaya
Which means you have your answer, doesn't it, Kasumi?
Kasumi
Mhm, looks like everyone's in agreement! Marina-san! We look forward to working with you~!
Marina
And I look forward to working with you girls too.
Transcript
Kasumi
Ah~, only one more week until the event, huh~? I'm getting kinda nervous~.
Marina
Your song turned out well though, don't you think? You'll be fine. No need to worry.
Rimi
Phew~... It's such a relief to hear you say that, Marina-san.
Saaya
I totally get that. It's like Marina-san's words have a certain weight to them.
Marina
Hey, cut it out~. My words have nothing of the sort!
Kasumi
Speaking of, Marina-san! You said we were going to be helping with sales at the booth during the event, right?
Marina
Mhm. It'd make a huge difference if you guys could lend a hand.
Marina
... Ah, that's right! The merch we'll be selling is down in the basement in storage.
Marina
Sorry to bother you with this, but could you bring that stuff up here? It's in a cardboard box. One of the employees is going to come pick it up later in the day.
Saaya
Merch...? You mean like stickers and badges, stuff like that?
Marina
There's that, towels, t-shirts... We've made a bunch of things in preparation for this event.
Kasumi
T-towels and t-shirts?! Awesome~!
Marina
I hat to ask, but do you mind?
Kasumi
Got it! To get to the basement storage, we pass by the stage, right?
Marina
That's right. Once you're in, you'll see the box on the right, toward the back. Thanks in advance!
Kasumi
Okay~! We'll be right back, then~!
Arisa
Cough... Cough! Ngh, it's kinda dusty in here...
Saaya
Pretty sure she said... you walk in, and it's to the right, toward the back...
Tae
Ah, maybe this is it? It has a note on it that says, "For Event".
Arisa
Nice. Alright, let's take it and get outta h-
Kasumi
Hey, hold on a sec'!
Arisa
What, Kasumi?! I'm not trying to spend my day surrounded by dust! Cough, couch!
Kasumi
But we never get to come here, right? We should try exploring a little bit!
Arisa
Exploring...? You really do have the brain of a manga character in there, don't you?
Kasumi
I know your basement is interesting and all, Arisa, but don't you think this place is too?! Look, like this wall! There are so many flyers and posters up!
Rimi
Wow, you're right! I guess these are all of the bands that have performed at CiRCLE up until now?
Saaya
Seeing it like this makes you realize just how many there are...
Saaya
You know... The fact that we're representing CiRCLE at this event could mean that we're also carrying, what one might call, its history on our shoulders.
Rimi
Yeah... It kind of makes you feel differently about things, doesn't it?
Tae
Hm? Guys, check this out. Someone left behind an electric guitar... And of all places, in here.
Arisa
Huh? Is it really strange that someone would put a guitar in storage here? CiRCLE does lend out instruments too.
Tae
That's not it. There are stickers on it and stuff, I think this is someone's personal guitar. It's pretty used, but it's also been well cared for.
Rimi
Yeah... It feels like someone really treasures it.
Kasumi
Maybe it was forgotten...? For now, let's just tell Marina-san.
Saaya
Alright. Everyone, find something to carry.
Kasumi
Yeah~! Let's go!
Kasumi
Marina-san~! Where should we put this~?
Marina
Thank you. Let's see... Put it up against that wall so it doesn't get in the way.
Kasumi
Okay~, will do~! And~... there.
Marina
Pretty heavy, huh? You girls are life savers!
Kasumi
Hey hey, Marina-san! There was an electric guitar left in the basement. Did someone forget to take it with them by any chance?
Marina
Ah, you mean the one with the stickers on it?
Kasumi
Yeah, yeah! That's the one!
Marina
That's... actually my guitar.
Kasumi
What?! Your guitar?!
Marina
That's right. I had it at home for the longest time, but no way I could hook it up to an amp and play it there, right?
Marina
That's why I brought it here and left it in storage. Occasionally, when I feel the need to rock, I get a few chords in.
Kasumi
You play guitar, which means... Don't tell me... You were in a band too, Marina-san?! If you don't mind, I wanna hear everything about it!
Tae
I would too.
Marina
... Ahaha. Hey, there's no reason to bore you with the details. I'll share when the time comes.
Kasumi
Aww~! But I wanna know~!
Marina
Besides, it's not even that interesting.
Marina
... Now! Let's prepare for the event!
Kasumi
... Okay~. But you have to tell us one day~!
Marina
Ufufu. Understood. I will.
Transcript
Marina
Alright, it's finally time for the festival. Girls, let's make this day a good one!
Kasumi
So, uhhh, Marina-san... Th-this... is where the event will take place?!
Marina
Surprised at how big the venue is?
Kasumi
Of course I am! A place this huge is definitely not what we had in mind... Isn't that right, you guys?
Arisa
Y-yeah... I was thinking something maybe the size of the downtown festival...
Tae
I knew, having been here before and all.
Arisa
Might wanna fill us in on important details like that earlier, you know!
Saaya
So... What are we gonna do with the flyers? We already went through the trouble of making them...
Rimi
Yeah... The homemade feeling might stand out a bit too much in a place like this...
Marina
Wait, what's that? Are you saying that you girls made them yourselves?!
Kasumi
Back when we were preparing for the Girls Band Party, I'm pretty sure a certain someone told us that this is something we can't let adults do for us.
Saaya
So we decided to do a little preparation on our own and tried making our own flyers, but... they kinda don't mach the vibe of this place...
Marina
How did they come out? Can you show me?
Rimi
This is what we thought we'd use...
Marina
Whoa~, these are really good! You even have a quality photo, and with this colorful Poppin'Party logo, I think it's pretty cute!
Kasumi
You think so?!
Marina
Yep! In my opinion, you should absolutely distribute these! It's okay! Be confident!
Kasumi
O-okay! Got it!
Marina
Still, you were all doing this without me knowing, huh? That sure is nice to hear.
Saaya
Kasumi's the one who said we should do it to surprise you... Isn't that right?
Kasumi
Ehehe~.
Marina
Not to mention you made so many... This had to be a tough job.
Kasumi
We all met in Arisa's basement to make them! It was so much fun, like when we were preparing for the Culture Festival!
Tae
That makes sense since being with Kasumi is like having a Culture Festival every day.
Rimi
Wah~, I understand that feeling really well.
Arisa
Though, as a result, the culture festival girl herself has to attend review sessions every week.
Kasumi
Ungh...
Marina
Ufufu... Alright, then I suppose it's my turn to surprise you girls.
Kasumi
... Huh? Surprise... us? You have something up your sleeve too?
Marina
Right here! These are the boxes you all were carrying... Mind taking a look inside?
Arisa
Pretty sure you said we'd be selling this stuff from the booth, right? Uh, yeah... A towel... A t-shirt... Hm?!
Saaya
What's wrong, Arisa?
Arisa
L-look at this...!
Saaya
... Whoa! All of these have Poppin'Party logos on them! Check it out, Kasumi!
Kasumi
Wow...! You're right...!
Marina
Well? Surprised?
Kasumi
You bet! ... Wait! Does everything in here have our logo on it?!
Marina
Yep, of course. Poppin'Party is representing CiRCLE during this event, after all.
Marina
Once you all decided you would take part in the event, I secretly put in the request for the order.
Rimi
So that's how you did it...
Kasumi
Marina-san! I want these!
Tae
Me too!
Arisa
Aren't you two a little bit overeager?! These are for sale! There's no way you can just keep them!
Marina
No, it's okay. I got enough extras for all of you.
Arisa
A-are you serious?! Yes!
Saaya
Fufufu... I must be imagining things. It looks like you were the most eager one out of all of us.
Arisa
Sh-shut up!
Marina
Ahahaha. You girls can look forward to all of your Poppin'Party merch later. I'll give them to you after the event.
All
Okay~!
Saaya
... Oh, Marina-san? There's still one more box left under the table though... What is it?
Marina
Ah! That's... just my stuff. It has nothing to do with the event. You can leave it there.
Saaya
Okay, gotcha.
Marina
Alright, girls! Let's make it a day to remember!
Transcript
Kasumi
Hello~, everyone! Come on over~! The CiRCLE booth is this way~!
Kasumi
H-hey, you guys~! Over here~! This is the booth to see~!
Kasumi
... No good. Even with all these people here, they just keep on walking right past us~... Hey, Arisa~! What do we do now~?!
Arisa
How should I know?!
Kasumi
C'mon, you should help bring people in too~!
Arisa
I-I have my job, over here... I have to be the salesperson! Th-they say you have to use the best person for each job, right?
Tae
Kasumi. In a place like this, addressing people as 'everyone' isn't gonna get you anywhere.
Kasumi
Huh? Really? Why's that?
Tae
If you do that while talking to a crowd of people, no one's gonna think you're talking to them, right? You have to look them right in the eye and talk to them directly.
Kasumi
Oh, I see. I never thought of it like that!
Kasumi
As expected, your experience is showing, O-Tae! I can really depend on you! Way more than I can depend on Arisa!
Arisa
Oh, shut up!
Tae
I'm gonna give it a go. Just watch me.
Kasumi
Ah, O-Tae? Where are you going?
Tae
... Ah, excuse me, miss? Would you take a moment to look at this towel?
Rimi
O-Tae-chan is... even more energetic than Kasumi-chan, isn't she...?
Saaya
Now that you mention it, she did say she wanted to take part in this event before. I guess she's even more enthusiastic because of that.
Tae
And this towel. You won't believe it. As you can see, it has our Poppin'Party logo on it. And I'm sure you're dying to know how much it is. Well~... Wow...!
Arisa
More like she's become the host of a shopping program! Are you sure thst's okay?
Marina
Ahahaha! Awesome~, Tae-chan! Keep up the good work!
Arisa
Seriously?!
Kasumi
I won't let O-Tae get the best of me!
Arisa
Whoa, now Kasumi's out there too!
Kasumi
Excuse me~! Do you have a moment?
Kasumi
Do you know the live house known as CiRCLE? They've been bringing together the most popular girl bands! If you'd like, please stop by our booth right over there!
Kasumi
Today we'll be performing for the event. Feel free to come check it out! Here's a flyer!
Kasumi
Ah! And you! Please come support our show~!
Arisa
Sh-she's certainly getting a lot of flyers out, but... isn't she pushing them just a bit too hard?
Saaya
Yeah, be too forceful and the attendees might feel like you're being rude...
Marina
No, I think that amount of energy is really good. I knew I had to have Kasumi-chan do that job!
Arisa
Marina-san... Don't you think you're a little too lenient with Kasumi?
Marina
No way. I think Poppin'Party's appeal is perfect for times like these.
Rimi
When you say 'times like these'... when exactly do you mean?
Marina
Well, it's like... How do I put this...?
Arisa
Uhm... Is that supposed to be a compliment?
Marina
It is, it is a compliment! And a huge one, at that. At least in my opinion.
Arisa
I see...
Marina
So c'mon! Don't let Kasumi-chan and Tae-chan win! Go out there and get some people interested!
Marina
Forget about what you think you're supposed to do! Just do it!
Saaya
... Alright, shall we go then?! We can't let those two show us up, now can we?!
Rimi
Mhm, you're right! Arisa-chan, will you come with us?
Arisa
... Whatever, fine... Alright, alright, I'm going...!
Kasumi
Marina-san, we're back~! We handed out lots and lots of flyers while we were out there~!
Marina
Mhm, I was watching you girls! Nice job!
Tae
We got a lot done since so many people came to us.
Arisa
More importantly, Kasumi. You were yelling really loudly the whole time. Is your throat okay?
Kasumi
It's absolutely fine! ... Cough! Yep! Throat is A-OK!
Saaya
Hey. It looks like they're about to start the performances on the main stage. Everyone seems to be moving that way.
Marina
Poppin'Party will be up first once they start with the afternoon slots. You still have a lot of time.
Marina
Since you're here, why don't you girls take a look around? You can check out the booths and the stage. I'll be okay on my own.
Kasumi
Wait, are you sure?!
Marina
Exchanging information with people from other live houses is another important aspect of taking part in this event. I'd say knock yourselves out.
Kasumi
Yay~! Thanks, Marina-san~!
Kasumi
So, you guys, which booth do you wanna go to?! There's one I'm really interested in! Let's go check it out! I'm pretty sure it was this way!
Saaya
Ah, Kasumi! No running inside.
Kasumi
I'm not~! I'm power walking~!
Arisa
Man, that girl really is a ball of energy... Well, shall we go?
Saaya, Rimi, Tae
Mhm!
Transcript
Kasumi
Wow~! You can just feel the energy coming from every booth!
Tae
There are more than the last time I came, and the number of attendees has increased too, so it feels much more lively than before.
Saaya
I figured as much. The excitement in this place is though the roof.
Kasumi
We really have to be grateful to Marina-san for giving us the opportunity to perform in a place like this!
Arisa
All of the morning performances are almost over. We should have known we wouldn't be able to see all of the booths. There are just too many.
Kasumi
Awww, but we're already here~. I want to see all of them~.
Saaya
We can leave the rest of the fun for later, after we perform, no?
Kasumi
Oh! You're right!
Rimi
You're really amazing though, Kasumi-chan. No matter which booth we go to, you get along with whoever's there right away...
Rimi
I should pay closer attention. I have to learn how to do that myself...
Saaya
That might be part of what Marina-san meant when she said to forget about what we think we're supposed to do...
Kasumi
... Huh? Wait... Who are you guys talking about?
Arisa
You! Marina-san just said this. You know, you really-
Kasumi
Oh, hey! There's a commemorative photo spot over there!
Arisa
That's exactly what she was talking about!
Kasumi
Wah~, it looks so fun! Let's go do that later, you guys!
Saaya
I see. So they have a picture of a live house in the background, and it makes you look like you're in the middle of a performance.
Tae
Hm? They have someone wearing a costume over there...
Kasumi
You're right! Actually, from behind, doesn't it look like Michelle?! Hey~! Look this way~!
Arisa
Watch your hand, will you?! Stop waving all of those flyers around...! Just how many do you have anyway? Geez...
Kasumi
I had to get all of these! Every single booth we went to had such a lovely flyer! I wanted them all!
Arisa
That's still too many! You're starting to look like a magician! "Pick a card, any card"...
Kasumi
But to balance it out, we handed out a lot of our own flyers too!
Arisa
I mean, yeah... We did pass out pretty much all of ours.
Saaya
We might have been better off making more. Who could've imagined that we would get through the entire stack of them before the morning was over?
Kasumi
Hehe~! That just means that they were that good, doesn't it?!
Rimi
I think so. It's a good thing we worked so hard to make them!
Announcer
The performances scheduled for the morning have now ended. We will have a one-hour intermission before continuing with the performances scheduled for the afternoon. Please look forward to it.
Kasumi
Wah! They said they've gone through all the morning slots!
Tae
Which means our turn is coming up soon!
Kasumi
Time went by kinda fast while we were checking out the booths!
Saaya
Alright, why don't we go meet up with Marina-san? Uhm... Where was the CiRCLE booth again?
Arisa
I'm sure it was to the right after you enter, so... Over there, no?
Saaya
Ah, before that, mind if I stop by the trash can? I wanna throw out this bottle.
Kasumi
Ah, Saaya~, I'll go with you~!
Kasumi
Uhh, the trash can is...
Kasumi
... Huh_ Th-this... is...
Saaya
Hm? Kasumi? What's wrong?
Arisa
Hello? Kasumi? Why are you dragging your feet? Hurry up, so we can meet up with Marina-san... Hm? Kasumi? What happened?
Kasumi
Look... Inside this trash can...
Saaya
In here...? Ah!
Rimi
The flyers we made...
Kasumi
Wh-why...? Why would someone do something so mean?
Saaya
... Kasumi.
Kasumi
I mean, we poured our hearts into making these! And yet...!
Kasumi
And yet... we end up finding them in a place like this?! It's so messed up!
Saaya
M-mhm. I understand how you feel, Kasumi. I do. But look how many people there are here... I'm sure some of them just wanted to lighten their load...
Kasumi
Still, it's like saying they don't care about who we are, right?
Kasumi
That's just cruel...
Tae
Hey, Kasumi... I get where you're coming from, but... you know this happens at live houses all the time, right? I worked part-time at one, so I know.
Kasumi
... O-Tae?
Tae
You'd see the flyers of bands that people didn't know balled up and littered all over the place...
Tae
However, once those bands started becoming popular, those flyers would be gone in the blink of an eye. That's why...
Tae
We just have to make them take another look at us using our music. Let's make them regret ever throwing them out!
Kasumi
Use our music... to make them take another look...
Arisa
O-O-Tae... Sometimes, you have an incredibly sharp tongue...
Kasumi
... Eheh. I see. Yeah. If they didn't want to know about us before, we just have to make them take another look...
Kasumi
... Mhm. Let's take what's great about Poppin'Party... and share it with the world!
Transcript
Saaya
Marina-san, we're back~.
Marina
Oh, hey there! How was it? Did you get to stop by a lot of booths?
Saaya
Yep. We got to see a good number of them, thanks to you... Right, Kasumi?
Kasumi
... And you know what happened, Marina-san?!
Marina
Oh, I see. That's quite something... You girls did go through the trouble of making the flyers by hand, after all...
Kasumi
Man, did that throw me for a loop! But after hearing what O-Tae had to say, I realized we have to work hard! I guess you can say it got me fired up instead!
Marina
Yeah! And that's what makes you Kasumi-chan!
Kasumi
I will absolutely, po-si-tive-ly, sing a song that will make everyone take another look at us!
Marina
Great! Not to mention, the song you girls made is a really good one! Hearing you perform is gonna make them all come running to get a flyer!
Rimi
Ah, about that...
Marina
Hm? What happened?
Rimi
We actually handed out all of our flyers during the morning. There's not a single one left...
Marina
Ah, really...? Okay then... In that case...
Kasumi
No need to worry! We're gonna burn Poppin'Party into their memories! Right, guys?!
Saaya
Exactly right!
Rimi
Let's do our best!
Arisa
Yeah!
Tae
... Huh? What?
Arisa
Pay attention!
Kasumi
Hey! Why don't we all get into a huddle then?!
Saaya
A huddle? Ahhh... That might be good! Maybe the pre-game feeling will hype us up!
Arisa
Alright, we'll gather here... K-k-kinda like this.
Kasumi
A-Arisa's taking charge!
Arisa
no one's taking charge! Besides, just doing this much shouldn't be a big deal!
Kasumi
Okay, guys! Wrap your arms around each other... Ah! That's right! Marina-san! Join the circle!
Marina
... Huh? Me? You're okay... with me joining?
Kasumi
Of course! Isn't that obvious?! Think about it! We're here today as representatives of CiRCLE! There's no point if you're not a part of it!
Marina
Wow, that fills my heart with joy... I suppose I should take advantage of this opportunity then.
Kasumi
You go here! Between me and O-Tae!
Marina
Alright, coming in~... W-wow~, this really takes me back! It's like I'm a high schooler all over again...
Arisa
M-Marina-san, uhm... You're, like, ridiculously excited, aren't you?
Marina
Well, it's just been so long...! Hey, did you guys notice? When you huddle, you form a circle, and we're the representatives of CiRCLE.
Kasumi
You're right! I didn't even realize!
Arisa
That's great, Kasumi. Now if the word huddle comes up on the next vocab test, you might not have to go to a review session.
Kasumi
Ugh, Arisa~! Don't talk about that at a time like this~!
Saaya
C'mon, you two. No bickering while we're in a huddle. People are starting to stare.
Kasumi
Y-yeah, youre right...! Okay... Marina-san, you lead the cheer! Give it everything you've got!
Marina
M-me?!
All
Yes, please~!
Marina
... A-alright, I will... It's kind of embarrassing with everyone looking at me, but... I'm just gonna put my blinders on and give it my best shot, okay?
Marina
... Ahem!
Marina
Now then, Poppin'Party! It's go hard or go home! Get pumped and rock the roof off this place!
All
Popipa! Pipopa! Popipapa! Pipopa~!
Kasumi
Hello, everyone~! Our name is Poppin'Party, and we're here to represent the live house known as CiRCLE!
Kasumi
... Whoa~. Doesn't the crowd look so big when you're on stage, Arisa?!
Arisa
K-Kasumi, what are you doing?! You can't just start talking to me up here!
Kasumi
Huh? I can't talk to you?
Kasumi
Alrighty then! Marina-san~! I want to thank you so much for bringing us to perform in this kind of show~!
Tae
Me too! I've wanted to perform on this stage for so long! Thank you, Marina-san!
Arisa
Hello, you guys! Talking to someone who's not on stage is even worse! Really, can you two do what you're supposed to do for once?!
Kasumi
It's fine, Arisa~! I really wanted to show that I'm grateful!
Kasumi
Okay, everyone! Listen up, 'cause we're about to play a song we wrote for this very show!
Transcript
Kasumi
Marina-san, we finished~!
Marina
Welcome back! Nicely done, girls! You were so amazing out there!
Kasumi
We were?! Hooray~!
Kasumi
You know! The sound! I felt like it was going far far far~ away, up into the ceiling! I had goosebumps the whole time I was singing!
Saaya
I totally get what you mean! That's a live house event for you! They put so much effort into the acoustics around here! You can tell!
Arisa
Th-that's for sure... It was pretty insane... Even my legs were shaking...
Rimi
Not to mention the number of people in the audience! I thought my heart was going to explode!
Marina
It sure didn't look like you were nervous though. Especially Tae-chan. You looked like you were smiling and having fun the whole time.
Tae
That's because I was! I just felt so happy about being able to perform on that stage!
Marina
And it was easy to tell that you were... Ah, I get it. Uh huh, so that's what it is...
Arisa
What happened, Marina-san? Looks like a lightbulb just went off in your head...
Marina
I was just thinking that maybe... the reason people enjoy themselves when listening to your music is that you five have the time of your life when you're playing.
Marina
Just as I always thought, music is... something that you need to enjoy! Thanks to you all, that fact was made clear to me, yet again.
Marina
Thank you!
Kasumi
Thank us?! We should be the ones thanking you! It was because of you that we were able to perform in such an amazing place!
Marina
... So, I shared with you girls a little bit before, right? About my past and playing in a band?
Kasumi
Ah, yeah! I was so excited to hear about that!
Marina
It's been quite some time since we broke up, but we were pretty serious about wanting to become a professional band. We were a group of five girls, just like Poppin'Party.
Saaya
Oh wow, interesting...
Marina
So we all gave it everything we had and practiced our hearts out... We even had a decent number of fans, and we played at several different live houses.
Marina
If we perform well, someone will discover our talent... All we needed to do is perform well and we'll make the big leagues... We all truly believed that...
Marina
Think about it. You read all those dreamlike stories, right? Interviews with famous musicians who were scouted while playing on the sidewalk... Things like that.
Marina
Fufu... Now that I think about it, we were all still pretty naive, huh? Thinking that one day the same thing could happen to us... We believed that for so long.
Kasumi
Marina-san...
Marina
But in the end, no one discovered us... No one came to talk to us...
Marina
And during that time, our band members drifted farther and farther apart... People no longer held on to the flyers for our shows...
Marina
Now I understand though. I know why things ended up that way. I mean, the very people who were putting on the show weren't even having fun... How could the people watching ever enjoy something like that?
Marina
I bet having someone discover you is amazing. So amazing, it'd practically have to be a miracle! I finally understood that... Once I was no longer in a band.
Marina
That's why I work at a live house. I want to create the chance for those kids who are serious about their music, and are eagerly hoping for their big break, to be discovered...
Marina
I want to make CiRCLE into a place where that sort of thing is possible...
Marina
That's why I think you girls were absolutely amazing today! You were able to pull off everything my band was never able to accomplish!
Marina
The spirit it takes to face anyone head on. The power to put people in a positive mood with your performances... I'm certain that you girls left an impression on someone today!
Kasumi
M-Marina-san... Thank you so much!
Marina
... Ah, I-I'm sorry! Here I am putting a damper on the big moment you worked so hard for! That's why I said I didn't want to bore you with the details.
Kasumi
You didn't! I'm happy I got to hear that story! Thanks for sharing with us!
Arisa, Tae, Rimi, Saaya
Thank you!
Marina
... M-more importantly, the event is still not over, you know! You're gonna wanna save those tears for later!
Kasumi
... Y-yeah, you're right! Got it! I'm not out of energy yet!
Marina
I imagine with how great your performance was, we'll be seeing a lot of visitors! I'm counting on you girls!
All
Okay!
Kasumi
... Ah! If only we knew about this earlier! We could have waited until after the performance to hand out our flyers!
Arisa
Y-you can say that again... Hm? Were we completely out?
Saaya
Yeah, we gave them all away...
Arisa
Aw man...
Marina
... Fufu. In that case, it might be time for our trump card.
Kasumi
Huh? Trump card?
Marina
Under the table... Can you open that box?
Rimi
... This one? You said this was your stuff, right?
Marina
Don't worry, just open it.
Rimi
O-okay... Hm? Is this...?
Marina
These are the Poppin'Party flyers I made for today's event!
Kasumi
Wah~! Look, look, Arisa! They're so cute!
Arisa
You can really tell this is the work of a pro...
Marina
Wait, really? I personally thought the flyers you all made were better, so I left these in the box...
Saaya
Fufu... Marina-san, you're so sweet.
Marina
Hm? Why's that?
Saaya
I'm guessing... that after you saw that we made our flyers by hand, you wanted ot be considerate and hid these, right?
Marina
N-no! I really thought that yours were better, I swear...!
Tae
Okay then, Marina-san! I'm gonna go hand these out!
Tae
... Ah, excuse me, miss! Do you have a moment? You just have to look at this flyer... You won't believe it...!
Kasumi
Ah, O-Tae~! I'm coming with you~! Wait for me~!
Saaya
Fufufu... We can't let them show us up! Arisa! Rimi-rin! Come on!
Rimi
Mhm! I'm going to stop by a bunch of different booths this time!
Arisa
... Sigh, no choice, I guess! Hey! Guys, wait up~!
Marina
Ahahaha. Go get 'em, Poppin'Party! Don't worry about what other people think! Just hand 'em all out!
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