After chatting with Fujimiya Konomi for a while, Sato hesitated before sending a few words of greeting to Kasumigaoka Utaha as well.
Outside the window, the sky had completely darkened, and lights from distant homes twinkled in the night.
Sitting quietly at his desk, Sato gazed out at the world beyond the window for a moment. Then a notification sounded from the computer in front of him.
Kosaka Akane?
He raised an eyebrow at the flashing profile icon and clicked it with the mouse.
Kosaka Akane: "Miyabi-sensei, the game is finished. When will the music be ready? We'd like to begin promotion."
Miyabi: "Has the voice casting been completed?"
Kosaka Akane: "We're still holding auditions. That little girlfriend of yours signed up too."
Little girlfriend?
Sato froze for a moment. Fujimiya Konomi's face flashed through his mind, but after thinking it over, he dismissed the idea.
A moment later, another figure appeared in his thoughts.
Miyabi: "You mean Aoyama Nanami?"
Kosaka Akane: "Yep!"
Sato was momentarily speechless, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Miyabi: "Kosaka-sensei, don't say things like that. She's not my girlfriend. Don't ruin someone else's reputation for no reason."
Far away, inside an upscale apartment standing prominently among the city's concrete jungle, Kosaka Akane sat on the balcony, looking at the compact laptop on the small round table before her. Smiling with interest, she lightly tapped away at the keyboard with her slender fingers.
Kosaka Akane: "She's not? Then who is your girlfriend?"
Miyabi: "That has nothing to do with you."
Miyabi: "But why did she apply? Did you invite her?"
Kosaka Akane: "Mm. I thought of it when I went to watch your anime dubbing session last time."
Kosaka Akane: "Our company will need voice talent in the future as we expand into more fields. I thought she had potential, so I kept her contact information."
I see.
Sato nodded in understanding.
But then he remembered Aoyama Nanami's personality.
She was an earnest and serious girl.
So... was this really suitable for her?
After all, Yosuga no Sora had both an all-ages version and an adults-only version. If she were voicing the game, she'd definitely have to record dialogue for both versions.
And if he remembered correctly...
The adults-only version contained some rather... special voice work.
Things like "Ah... ah..."
So there was no way she'd make it.
In his mind, Sato had already declared Aoyama Nanami's audition a complete failure.
Miyabi: "The music should be ready by this weekend at the earliest. If it's a bit slower, then next weekend."
Kosaka Akane: "Sounds good. I'll happen to be in your area in a couple of days for some business. I'll bring the sample with me then."
Miyabi: "Alright."
After ending the conversation with Kosaka Akane, Sato fell into thought.
Coming here on business?
...
After the new semester began, every club had one week to recruit new members. Before anyone realized it, the Light Music Club had already let two days slip by.
Still, it wasn't too late.
Aside from students who had already decided which club to join from the start, most people would spend a few days looking around before choosing something that interested them.
By Wednesday after school, the competition had reached its most intense stage.
The area around the club building was packed with clubs recruiting new members. It was livelier than ever.
Literature Club Recruiting!
Soccer Club! Hayama Hayato is personally here to recruit!
Come join the Choir Club!
Study Club! Studying makes your mom happy!
...
On both sides of the road leading from the school buildings to the club building, clubs lined up everywhere, eagerly trying to recruit freshmen.
The private high school had forty or fifty different clubs in total. Seeing so many gathered together was an event in itself.
Other than the cultural festival and the sports festival, this was practically the liveliest time of the entire school year.
Passing by after classes, Sato couldn't help being amazed.
"There are way too many people..."
And...
Why are they all so fast?!
Classes had only just ended, hadn't they?
First come, first served?
Are they all targeting the cute first-years?
Thinking that, Sato unconsciously quickened his pace and hurried upstairs.
As he arrived outside the Light Music Club, he could hear lively voices coming from inside.
He walked up to the door and grasped the handle.
Then an anxious voice suddenly called out from behind him.
"Wait! Senpai!"
Hurried footsteps approached from behind.
Sato turned around and saw Hirasawa Ui rushing toward him, panic written all over her face.
But his hand had already pulled the doorknob.
He couldn't stop the motion.
Click.
Ui froze in place.
As she looked at Sato, her expression gradually became blank.
At the same time, every sound inside the room vanished.
The room fell into complete silence.
What's going on?
Confused, Sato turned to look inside.
The next second...
Click.
Without changing his expression, he calmly closed the door again and covered his ears.
"AHHHHHHH!!!"
A piercing scream erupted from inside the Light Music Club.
Even the bustling recruitment activities downstairs came to a halt.
Countless students looked toward the club building in astonishment.
...
"I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"
Hirasawa Ui repeatedly bowed to everyone, her face bright red. She looked so flustered she was on the verge of tears.
Sato deliberately sat some distance away to spare everyone further embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Yukinoshita Yukino, seated in front of him, narrowed her phoenix-like eyes and looked at him with an oddly unreadable expression, making him increasingly uncomfortable.
"H-Haha... it's fine. This wasn't Ui's fault."
Even Ritsu had lost her usual carefree attitude. Her cheeks were slightly flushed as she tried to comfort Ui, though her gaze couldn't help drifting toward Sato.
"I refuse to take the blame for this."
Sato spoke calmly.
He could take responsibility for plenty of things.
Just not this one.
Who could have guessed you'd all be changing clothes inside the clubroom?
As the thought crossed his mind, the scene he had just witnessed flashed through his head again, and his expression became subtly awkward.
"I'm sorry. If I hadn't gone to the restroom, none of this would've happened."
Ui wiped away her tears, full of guilt.
Before going to the restroom, she'd asked a friend to watch the entrance to the stairs.
But just as Sato came upstairs, Ui happened to be coming back from the restroom. The moment her friend saw her return, she let her guard down for an instant.
That was all it took for Sato, jogging up the stairs, to make it all the way to the clubroom.