The group walked through Hanamachi, with Sato leading the way using the map on his phone while everyone else looked around curiously at their surroundings.
This was Chiba City's equivalent of Akihabara. Large anime posters covered the buildings on both sides of the street, and some were so risqué that they made people blush just looking at them.
Mio happened to catch sight of one and immediately lowered her head, her face turning red.
Kotobuki Tsumugi, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. The young lady's eyes were wide with wonder as she looked around, as if she had stepped into a whole new world.
"Wow! Yui, look over there! The manga you lent me last time has a new volume out!"
"Ah! You're right!"
"Let's go buy it!"
"Yeah! Yeah!"
Suddenly, Ritsu and Yui stared excitedly toward a bookstore, their eyes sparkling.
Unfortunately, before either of them could rush over, Mio caught them.
With a cold expression, the long-haired beauty said,
"We came here today for something important, not to play."
Nakano Azusa watched the scene nervously. After swallowing, she cautiously turned to Sato.
"Senpai, what exactly did we come here to do today?"
Yesterday, Yui-senpai had been so mysterious and hadn't told her anything, but she had managed to catch a few words from everyone's conversation.
Sato looked away from the spectacle and smiled at her.
"To record."
Just as I thought!
Azusa's guess was confirmed. Since both of her parents worked in the music industry, she knew a little about how these things worked.
If they had come all the way here, they had to be using a professional recording studio.
But why would they need a professional studio?
Could it be...
The senpai are making an album?!
Amazing!
At that moment, Nakano Azusa's eyes sparkled with admiration.
...
The recording studio Sato had booked was hidden away, and even he had never been there before.
However, it had been recommended by Yamanaka Sawako. Apparently the owner, or rather, the owner was a woman, knew her and had also been a member of the Light Music Club in the past.
"Our faculty advisor used to be in the Light Music Club too?"
Nakano Azusa looked surprised.
Ritsu shrugged.
"That's what Sawa-chan said herself. But whenever we asked about it, she refused to tell us anything."
Sato led everyone to the third floor of a commercial building. His eyes suddenly stopped on one of the storefronts, and he came to a halt.
This was a shopping complex in Hanamachi. Nearly every floor was packed with all kinds of specialty stores, maid cafés, used game shops, even fortune-telling parlors.
In short, everything here radiated an unmistakably chuunibyou atmosphere.
"We're here."
"We're here already?"
The girls crowded around Sato and craned their necks to look inside.
Unfortunately, the windows were covered with privacy film, making it nearly impossible to see in unless someone pressed their face against the glass.
Just then, the door opened.
A young woman stepped outside and looked at them curiously.
For a moment, both sides simply stared at each other.
Finally, after giving them a once-over, the woman's eyes lit up.
"Private High's Light Music Club?"
The members of the Light Music Club, who had been hiding behind Sato, all breathed a sigh of relief.
Ritsu stepped forward curiously.
"Are you the Light Music Club senpai?"
The young woman smiled and nodded.
"That's right. My name is Kibe Sakura. Just call me Kibe-senpai."
"Hello, Kibe-senpai!"
"No need to be so formal."
Kibe Sakura smiled as she looked around at everyone before finally stopping at Sato.
"So you're Nohara Sato?"
"Yes."
"Heh, you're quite a handsome guy. If our Light Music Club had someone as handsome as you back then, Sawako probably wouldn't still be single now. Hahaha!"
Kibe Sakura looked at Sato thoughtfully, then suddenly burst into laughter at whatever had crossed her mind.
Everyone exchanged puzzled glances.
Sato gave her a curious look. He couldn't help wondering about Yamanaka Sawako's past, but he hadn't forgotten why they had come.
"We'll be in your care today, Senpai."
"Come with me. I'll do my best to help."
"But why do you need a professional recording studio? Are you making your own album?"
As she spoke, Kibe Sakura pushed open the door and led everyone inside.
Sato smiled.
"We wanted to earn some spending money, so we accepted a commission."
"Huh? That's impressive."
Kibe Sakura couldn't help being amazed.
Back in their day, they had only played around for fun. Just getting a chance to perform live had made them happy for ages.
Now these juniors were already taking on paid commissions.
It really made her feel embarrassed as a senior.
The studio was much deeper inside than anyone had expected. It seemed to have been created by connecting multiple rooms together.
Along the way, Ritsu and the others curiously looked around at everything.
Finally, they stopped in front of one of the recording rooms.
"Alright, this is the studio. Sawako said you're recording one instrumental track and one song, right?"
"Yes."
"Then we're a little short on time. I've already prepared the instruments, so let's record the instrumental first."
Kibe Sakura thought for a moment, frowned slightly, and immediately began directing everyone with practiced efficiency.
"Azusa."
"Yes!"
Nakano Azusa quickly pulled her attention away from the surroundings and answered.
Sato smiled at her.
"We're heading in now. Next time, we'll bring you in with us. For now, just watch and learn."
Azusa opened her mouth in surprise.
"I... I can too?"
"Of course. You're a member of the Light Music Club now. This time, just observe and learn."
"Yes!"
Azusa answered loudly, her anticipation mixing with nervousness.
The group entered the recording studio.
Sato noticed that, aside from their excitement, everyone looked a little nervous. Fortunately, it was all within manageable limits.
Everyone except Mio.
Mio kept her lips tightly pressed together. Whenever she faced something like this, she always got nervous.
"Are you really that nervous?"
Sato walked over and asked.
Mio took a deep breath before nodding dejectedly.
No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't calm herself down.
"I see..."
Sato thought for a moment.
Then, looking into Mio's puzzled eyes, he suddenly reached out and took her hand.
In that instant, Mio froze.
She could only feel her hand being firmly wrapped in his, an astonishing warmth flowing from his palm.
The girl stared blankly at Sato. Her heart pounded in her chest, just like the lyrics she had once written.
But before that shy feeling could fully rise within her, Sato suddenly let go.
The embarrassment immediately receded like the tide, leaving behind an unexpected sense of emptiness.
Then Sato's voice reached her.
"Are you still nervous?"
Mio came back to her senses and blinked in confusion.
Somehow...
She really wasn't as nervous anymore.
So she shook her head.
Seeing that, Sato smiled.
"That's good."
It seemed his method of fighting poison with poison had worked rather well.
After saying that, he turned and walked back to his place.
Meanwhile, Mio stood there blankly, staring at the hand he had just held, lost in thought.