"Is this the place?"
"It should be."
"This is the address, so it shouldn't be wrong."
Just as the girls were quietly discussing it outside the door, the front door suddenly opened.
After freezing for a moment, they all looked up at Sato in surprise.
Looking at the three girls in front of him, Sato smiled helplessly and shook his head.
"Don't stand outside talking. Come in first."
Hearing that, the girls blushed slightly and followed Sato inside.
"Excuse us!"
After changing into slippers at the entryway, they walked into the living room, where a little girl with silver-purple hair was quietly doing her homework. She sat with her tiny back perfectly straight, her expression serious as she carefully wrote each stroke in her notebook.
So cute!
The same thought flashed through Kousaka Honoka and the others' minds at the same time.
"Kanna-chan, why don't you do your homework in the other room?"
Kanna looked up calmly at Kousaka Honoka and the others, then hugged her homework and walked into the inner room.
"Have a seat."
Sato motioned for them to sit down first.
After sitting, Minami Kotori couldn't help glancing curiously in the direction Kanna had gone.
"Nohara-senpai, um... is she your little sister?"
"No, she's my upstairs neighbor's younger sister."
Without changing his expression, Sato gave a simple explanation before quickly changing the subject.
"Let's leave that aside and talk about the important things first."
The girls immediately straightened their posture and looked at him attentively.
Sato paused briefly, organized his thoughts, and began.
"Your group hasn't officially been formed yet, so I'll only talk about the basics. Right now, there are a few main areas you need to figure out."
"First, your group name. A good group name can attract more attention and leave a lasting impression on your audience."
"Second, dance training."
"Third, vocal training."
"Idols generally perform by singing and dancing, so both of those skills are essential."
"Fourth, songs."
"It's best if you have songs that belong to you. Original songs will help you gain more attention."
"Fifth, costumes."
"Distinctive outfits can also help attract more attention."
"..."
Counting them off on his fingers, Sato calmly explained everything they needed to prepare during the early stages.
Across from him on the sofa, Kousaka Honoka and the others listened with complete concentration.
To them, it felt as though a veil had suddenly been lifted. The road ahead, which had once seemed full of thorns and impossible to see through, had become clear and open.
Watching Sato speak in such a calm and organized manner, Sonoda Umi suddenly felt that her earlier concerns had been rather unfounded.
No matter what...
Compared to them, who knew almost nothing, Nohara-senpai clearly understood far more and had thought much further ahead.
Thinking of that, she couldn't help feeling ashamed of the small doubt she had harbored earlier.
...
Sato spoke for quite a while before finally stopping.
He added, "I've never actually studied this field before, so this is all I can think of for now. If you run into any problems later, just let me know. We'll figure them out together."
"I'll get you all some water. Please wait a moment."
Glancing at the completely empty table, he suddenly realized he hadn't even offered them anything to drink.
After saying that, he walked into the kitchen.
As soon as Sato left, Kousaka Honoka and the others instinctively looked at one another.
Honoka glanced toward the kitchen with her blue eyes before lowering her voice.
"Kotori, Umi, Nohara-senpai is amazing! I've been thinking about this for so long, and I never came up with even half... no, not even a third of what he just said!"
She spoke with admiration, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Looks like Akane-onee-san was right after all. Nohara-senpai really is amazing!
Minami Kotori also lowered her voice.
"Of course. Nohara-senpai has always been ranked first in his grade at Private Mixed High School."
"Huh? First in his grade? That's incredible!"
Honoka let out a small cry of surprise.
Since several schools were located close together, they often heard people and teachers mention one another's schools. Because of that, they all knew just how impressive it was to be ranked first at Private Mixed High School.
No, forget first place. Even being in the top ten was something they could only look up to!
Those were the kinds of geniuses who could get into the University of Tokyo!
While Honoka was still in shock, Sonoda Umi frowned as she noticed something odd.
A trace of suspicion appeared on her composed face as she looked at Kotori.
"Kotori, how do you know that?"
Kotori's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately became nervous.
"Th... that? We happened to run into each other on the street before and chatted for a bit."
She scratched her head with a sweet smile, trying to act cute and muddle her way through.
They had indeed chatted, and she had indeed learned that information during the conversation.
The only difference was that it had happened in the maid café, not out on the street.
Umi looked at Kotori suspiciously.
Something was definitely strange!
Kotori felt increasingly flustered, her eyes drifting away as she turned her head aside.
Seeing that only deepened Umi's suspicion.
Kotori's reaction was so strange. It wasn't as though this was something embarrassing.
After thinking for a moment, a startling possibility suddenly flashed through her mind.
Could Kotori possibly...
Just then, Sato walked out of the kitchen carrying a tray and placed the glasses of water in front of them.
"Does Sonoda-san have a question?"
He had noticed that the way Sonoda Umi was looking at him, or rather examining him, seemed rather unusual.
I can't jump to conclusions yet!
Umi silently reminded herself before gently shaking her head.
"N... no. It's nothing."
Why does this feel so strange?
Sato glanced at Umi in puzzlement, then sat down and continued.
"Now I'd like to ask about your current situation. Of the things I just mentioned, which ones can you already do?"
The girls looked at one another.
Then, all at once, they blushed and looked at him awkwardly.
Only Minami Kotori, her face bright red, timidly raised her hand and softly said to Sato,
"I know a little about clothing design."