While Tetsuya was still on the balcony discussing the matter of starting his own business with Soyo's mother, the topic in the living room had already evolved from that unforgettable live to the goal of a major debut—
"Eh? We already put on such an amazing live, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Anon rested her chin in her hands, speaking with a relaxed expression.
"Just from that one live, our account's followers reached five digits! Do normal rookie bands grow their fanbase that quickly?"
"...A normal rookie band wouldn't get to perform on the same stage as [Summer Zodiac], let alone have Misumi Uika as an opening act."
Faced with Anon's ever-inflating confidence, Soyo immediately poured a bucket of cold water on her.
"You should know full well how many of those five-digit followers are actually fans of [Summer Zodiac], right?"
"Urk, that's certainly true..."
Anon's relaxed expression turned into a forced smile.
"But in terms of performance quality alone, we did a pretty good job, didn't we!"
"...It's not enough."
Mutsumi gently shook her head.
"This live... cannot be replicated."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"Because the success of your live was built on novelty and surprise. Uika's MCing, the debut of the new outfits, the three-person vocal rotation arrangement. These elements, which exceeded the audience's expectations, all contributed to the live's success. And these surprise elements... cannot last."
Sakiko continued Mutsumi's thought.
"It might be a bit rude to say this, but for you right now, the success of this live... is not repeatable."
"...Come to think of it, the live wasn't as perfect as everyone says it was."
Taki, who had initially been excited by Anon's words, also calmed down immediately.
"I could clearly feel it when we were playing, our tempo was a little faster than in rehearsals. At first, everyone was following my drumbeat, but later on, for some reason, it turned into me chasing everyone with the beat. It was probably because the atmosphere in the venue was so high, so it seems like no one noticed..."
"That's the amazing thing about a live performance. Under the influence of the venue's atmosphere, many mistakes can be covered up, or even become part of the performance's effect."
As the person with the most stage experience present, Uika explained to everyone with a smile.
"But, that effect is limited to the live venue. Once it's put on video, viewers who can't feel the live atmosphere will only focus on the performance itself. At that point, all the mistakes and errors will be magnified proportionally. And you have to know, the people who watch the recordings online are the vast majority, compared to the live audience. So I suggest you don't misjudge your own abilities based on the atmosphere of this one live."
"Whoa... we're being torn to shreds."
Having received a string of sharp critiques, Anon shrunk her neck.
"I get it, I get it. We'll keep our feet on the ground and continue practicing..."
"Don't worry. Although there's still some distance to a major debut, your potential is absolutely guaranteed."
Uika said, glancing around at the members of [MyGO!!!!!].
"Each position has an irreplaceable uniqueness and importance. And most importantly, your band has two core members with incredibly high ceilings..."
"...You're talking about Tomori and Raana."
Soyo immediately realized who Uika was referring to.
"Tomori's lyrics and performance are the foundation of the band, while Raana guarantees the band's technical skill and musicality."
"Exactly!"
Uika snapped her fingers.
"Although your song with the three-person vocal rotation was certainly good, that's not the norm. If you want to go further on the path of being a band, the most important positions are the vocalist and the guitarist... So, Takamatsu-san."
"Ah, yes!"
Tomori, who had been listening intently, immediately looked up.
"Yes... what is it?"
"Although your performance at this live was passably good... as the vocalist, you can't just focus on singing your own songs. Interacting with the audience is also very important."
Uika said.
"You can't always rely on your rhythm guitarist and bassist to be the MCs. If your band wants to go further, you have to overcome your stage fright."
"I-I understand!"
Tomori nodded repeatedly.
"I'll practice hard!"
"As for the lead guitar, there's no problem there. Her technique is solid, and her performance state is great... but it would be better to reduce the amount of improvisation a little."
"...?"
Raana, who had been concentrating on eating snacks, tilted her head.
"Why?"
"Because it causes trouble for others!"
Taki couldn't help but interject.
"This is a band live, not your solo! You have no idea how hard Soyo and I have to work to keep up with your spontaneous improvisations!"
"Because it's fun."
Raana said without a hint of remorse, still chewing.
"I want to play more interesting music than the unchanging sheet music."
"You, you..."
Just as Taki was about to lecture her, Mutsumi suddenly spoke up.
"...In that case, we just need to leave a fixed solo time for the lead guitar. During her solo time, the guitarist can play however she wants. When she's had enough fun, she can come back and play with the band."
"Eh? Is that really okay?"
Taki couldn't help but look at Raana.
Raana tilted her head, then said:
"Don't know. Can try."
"Just 'can try'..."
But for this stray cat who had always done as she pleased, the fact that she was willing to try was already quite a feat.
As expected, guitarists have more common ground with each other than with other musicians...
"So, Uika, why are you so invested in this band, anyway?"
On the other side, Sakiko finally asked the question that had been on her mind since the day of the live.
"Besides supporting me, there must be other reasons, right?"
"...That's true."
After hearing Sakiko's question, Uika pondered for a moment before answering.
"Well, it's still just a rough idea for now, but... I do have my own plans."
Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, she revealed her still-unformed plan.
"At the May live, I want you all to perform as our backing band."
"And then... with all of us together, we'll stop Ai's 'self-destruction'."