October 16th, Thursday.
Today was the weekly airing of the popular radio show "Who Did Yuu-chan Invite Today?" — and as usual, the next episode would be pre-recorded in advance to allow time for editing and promo teasers.
About the show itself…
"Who Did Yuu-chan Invite Today?" was hands down one of the most popular Thursday broadcasts.
Hosted by the voice actress Izumi Yuu, the show featured a different guest or group every week — ranging from voice actors, singers, manga artists, athletes, to rising bands like Kessoku Band.
Content-wise, it followed the usual radio format: reading fan letters, casual conversations, fun mini-games… Nothing revolutionary.
But what really made this show a hit wasn't just its format — it was the rotating guest lineup that brought fresh energy every week.
Of course, Izumi Yuu's brilliant hosting skills also played a huge part in its success.
In short: it was a top-tier program. Appearing on it was a major boost for any guest's exposure and credibility.
A few days ago, Yuusuke Niijima had filled Aoki Kei in on all of this over the phone and Kei had, in turn, passed the info to the girls of Kessoku Band so they could mentally prepare.
As for Aoki Kei himself…
He'd also done his homework mainly binge-listening to past episodes of "Who Did Yuu-chan Invite Today?" to get a feel for the vibe.
Fast forward to Thursday, October 16th.
After requesting leave from Hiratsuka-sensei in advance, Kei spent the morning quietly reading in his apartment.
Around 2 PM, he met up with the girls at their usual LiveHouse venue.
Since the recording was scheduled for 3 PM, and they didn't want to risk being late, the group quickly hopped on a train bound for the broadcasting studio in Shibuya.
They arrived a little early.
At the entrance, Kei explained their appointment, and a staffer quickly jogged upstairs to notify the team.
Shortly after, the staffer returned this time accompanied by a woman in her thirties with large black-rimmed glasses.
Kei recognized her thanks to Niijima's earlier briefing — it was Nagano Masami, the chief director of "Who Did Yuu-chan Invite Today?"
She had a warm and approachable personality.
The moment she saw the group, she eagerly stepped forward with a big smile none of the usual "big shot" director attitude.
"Hello, Aoki-sensei," she greeted warmly, shaking Kei's hand before turning to the girls behind him. "And hello to the rest of you, too. It's a pleasure to finally meet you all."
Kei returned her politeness with a brief nod and a few formal pleasantries of his own.
After some friendly small talk, Director Nagano smoothly got down to business:
"So, Aoki-sensei how about we start recording in about twenty minutes? You'll have some time to skim through the script beforehand, but it's fairly light most of the show will be off-the-cuff. That okay with you… and your bandmates?"
Everyone nodded in agreement, this had all been communicated ahead of time.
Nagano then quickly ran through the important reminders, handed out the scripts, and excused herself to attend to other matters.
After she left, the group waited in the prep room, chatting casually as they reviewed the short script.
———————————————————————
At 3:10 PM, they were led into the recording studio.
Inside, Izumi Yuu was already waiting for them.
After exchanging brief greetings, Kei and the girls were guided to their seats by the staff.
Curiously, Kei found himself seated in the middle of the group with the girls of Kessoku Band on either side, and Izumi Yuu positioned a bit farther away.
He couldn't tell if this arrangement was intentional or just coincidence, but something about being wedged between his bandmates gave him an ominous feeling…
But before he could dwell on it, the director called out, "All set? Then let's begin recording!"
No more time for second-guessing.
Thanks to the early prep time, they jumped straight into the show.
And it had to be said, Izumi Yuu's professionalism was next-level.
The moment the director gave the cue, she dove right in without missing a beat:
"Good evening, everyone! Welcome to this week's episode of 'Who Did Yuu-chan Invite Today?' I'm your host, Yuu-chan!"
"And today, I'm joined by none other than the super-genius band, the performers of 'Uchiage Hanabi' and 'Loser' — Kessoku Band!
Clap clap clap! They're still in high school, and they're already exploding in popularity!"
"Aah… back when I was their age, I was still daydreaming about my first crush… cough, anyway, not the point!
Let's hear from today's guests Kessoku Band, would you all please introduce yourselves?"
With a bright and cheerful demeanor, she wrapped up her self-introduction and smoothly passed the conversation over to the members of Kessoku Band.
Starting from the far left, it was Nijika, followed by Kita, Aoki Kei, Ryo, and finally Bocchi-chan, each taking turns introducing themselves.
Everyone's introductions went fairly smoothly—though Bocchi-chan, due to nerves, stumbled over her words a little.
Perhaps worried that this might be an issue, Izumi Yuu glanced over at the director after Bocchi-chan's turn, her eyes silently asking, "Was that okay?"
But the director, finding Bocchi-chan's nervousness rather endearing, simply gave her a straightforward thumbs-up.
The recording continued without interruption.
Once the group had finished introducing themselves, Izumi Yuu picked the conversation back up.
"Ah~ Such energetic young folks. I'm jealous… By the way, this is probably your first time doing a radio show like this, right? How does it feel?"
"Hmm… how does it feel…" Aoki thought for a moment before answering, "Since it's our first time, we really don't know much, but just being given the opportunity to be here is already a joy."
"I'm glad you're enjoying it~" Izumi Yuu nodded with a cheerful "mm-mm-mm," before turning toward the other girls. "And what about you all? How are you feeling?"
Nijika, Kita, and Bocchi-chan each gave their own answers—nothing too different from what Aoki Kei had said.
Then, it was Yamada Ryo's turn.
After a brief pause, she blinked slowly and replied in her usual flat, emotionless tone, "As for how I feel… I wasn't all that keen on participating, honestly. But then suki-san said that if I did—"
Before she could finish, Aoki Kei quickly cut her off.
"Idiot! You can't say that on stage!"
Lowering his voice slightly, Aoki then turned toward the director.
"Sorry about that, Director Nagano. We'll need to cut that part, right? Sorry for the trouble."
Director Nagano, who wasn't currently in frame, stifled a laugh and waved his hand as if to say, "No worries, it's fine."
The recording continued.
Having just narrowly dodged an awkward moment, the conversation shifted gears.
Izumi Yuu paused for a second, then picked things back up again.
Since no one had called "cut" or made any gestures indicating a retake would be necessary, she just went with the flow and smoothly continued the segment.
"Alright, alright~ I get the feeling Yamada-san was about to say something she really shouldn't have... Anyway, let's move on to our first segment!"
"Listener Mail!"
"Every Monday, our show 'Who Did Yuu-chan Invite Today?' opens its inbox for listener letters related to the current episode! We'll be reading five letters today.
Let me start with the first one—"
Clapping her hands together, Izumi Yuu reached over and took an unopened envelope from a staff member.
Since the staff had already pre-selected the letters, even Izumi Yuu herself didn't know what was inside.
She tore the envelope open, unfolded the letter, and gave it a quick glance.
After scanning it briefly, she hesitated for a moment and muttered under her breath, "Is this one really okay to read?" She blinked, then continued aloud:
"This one's from Tokyo, from someone calling themselves 'I'm Aoki's Little Dog.'"
She paused, frowning.
"Please, choose better nicknames… Reading that out loud is kind of embarrassing!"
Then she moved on to the actual content of the letter:
'First off, congratulations to everyone in Kessoku Band for being on the radio! I really love your music and every single song Aoki has composed. I'm a huge fan of suki-san too!'
Izumi Yuu paused perfectly for dramatic effect, glancing at Aoki Kei.
Aoki Kei gave a small nod and replied with a simple, "Thank you."
Izumi Yuu continued reading:
'I won't ramble on and waste everyone's time, so I'll get straight to the point—'
"…Ah, this question…"
She glanced at Aoki Kei again as if to confirm something, then hesitated for several seconds.
After what felt like a moment of bracing herself, Izumi Yuu finally read on:
'Aoki, as the only male member of Kessoku Band, is there anyone among the girls you're especially conscious of? I've been dying to know, so please answer!
I'll keep supporting you no matter what!'