Music for the Silence

Everyone, Meeting!

"We need to make this live a success, don't we? Let's see what we can do," Ran agreed.

"So basically, Afterglow and Pastel＊Palettes will have their times switched. There shouldn't be any problems with the performances, right?" Tae asked.

"Right."

"Okay then. We'll just go over a few of the details, then we can split back up for band rehearsals," Sayo suggested, in which everyone agreed on.

"You're good at this organizing stuff, huh, Hikawa-senpai. I could learn a thing or two," Tomoe commented.

"Maybe it's because I'm on the student body. I'm just glad I can be of help."

"Huh... Well, I think it's great."

"Come on, you two. There's not much time to waste here. Hurry to rehearsal," Miu told them.

"Right!" Tomoe responded, heading straight inside the live house with Sayo in tow.

"We need to do our part, too," Marina told her staff members. "Okay, girls. Time to get to work!"

"Yeah!"

******

Time later, rehearsals were done, and the Outcasts were done manning the cafe and handling the customers. The latter group were all in the concert hall, waiting anxiously for the event show to start.

Meanwhile, in the dressing room, the band girls were getting pumped up for the show.

"The show's almost starting...! My heart's really starting to race!" Kasumi explained.

"There are a lot of people in the audience, too. Ooh, I'm getting nervous..." Rimi said.

"You'll be fine. All we need to do is share our feelings with everyone and share our smiles with everyone. It's as simple as that," Tae simply assured.

"Is that truly how it works?" Miu asked, in the dressing room with the rest of the Outcasts.

"Well, if that's what it takes to get her to calm down," Guren answered.

"Everyone, good luck!" Shizuka wrote on her sketchbook, in which a few saw.

"Sure thing. Thanks, Shizuka~" Lisa thanked.

Just when all seems to be going well, however, Marina suddenly barged into the room. "We have trouble!"

"Wah! That's a surprise!" Kasumi cried out.

"Marina-san? What's wrong?" Yukina asked.

"I just got in touch with Pastel*Palettes. They said they're stuck in a traffic and will be arriving a little later than expected."

This news shocked the girls. "Huh?!"

"Wait a second, they'll be that late?!" Ako repeated with a gasp.

"But we already have the setlist and timetable finalized now. Making any more changes will confuse things," Ran stated.

"Can we keep the crowd waiting a little longer?" Kanon asked.

"That's not possible. It's almost time for the live to start," Guren answered. "Even if we can keep them waiting, it's not like we can test their patience for long."

"Then what do we do?!" Arisa asked.

"How about we do a small performance?" Kokoro suggested. "Like juggling or backflips, or even some dancing!"

"K-Kokoro! It's not a good idea to do all of that!" Michelle told her.

"Besides, we can't afford to make any more sudden changes in our setlist," Yukina added.