After touring the recording studio, Nijika quipped to Jhin, "Ever since you mentioned things like a storage space, I've completely lost my ability to be surprised by this."
"You'll get used to it," Jhin said, closing the recording studio door. "Do you want to call Bocchi-chan and the others over to take a look? I'm going to head back out to continue shoveling snow."
Nijika wasn't the type to comfortably watch someone else work for her. She quickly grabbed Jhin. "Hey, I'm coming with you."
"Aren't you tired?"
"Even if I'm tired, I can't just leave all the work to you."
"As expected of the Shimokitazawa Archangel. If it were Gabriel, she would've rushed me out the door to do her share of the work ages ago."
"The girls around you really do have all sorts of personalities..." Praised as the 'Shimokitazawa Archangel' by Jhin, Nijika felt a bit embarrassed. To hide her shyness, she pushed him from behind out of the villa. "You absolutely must not say that in front of others."
"Why?"
Nijika nudged Jhin's back with her small head. "I said no, so no! Ryo secretly laughed at me for ages over that nickname back then!"
"Alright... then what if I call you that when we're alone?"
"That's a no-go too. It's too weird! Who... who could stand being called an Archangel in private?"
"Satania, on the other hand, really enjoys being called a Great Demon."
Nijika recalled the chuunibyou red-haired girl who constantly brought up the word 'Demon' for no reason. Her mouth twitched. "Ah... that certainly fits her personality..."
During a break from his work, Jhin notified Ryo, Kita Ikuyo, and Hitori Gotoh, telling them to come find him after they finished their tasks.
Unexpectedly, the three of them arrived exceptionally early. When they came over together, Nijika and Jhin hadn't even finished the snow shoveling yet.
Jhin had no choice but to summon his substitute to activate a time stop, using power beyond the norm to finish the job.
Regardless, he couldn't let the girls wait too long.
The group arrived at the villa. Ryo and Kita Ikuyo circled the house twice, clicking their tongues in amazement. Hitori Gotoh didn't seem too surprised since she had heard Jhin mention it before; her acceptance rate for things beyond common sense was the fastest in the band.
"This is the recording studio. You guys haven't practiced in a long time either. Do you want to go in and warm up before shooting the MV?"
On the way over, Jhin had explained the collaboration between Kessoku Band and Shiraishi Yuzuki to them.
"Umm... how was I supposed to play the bass again?"
Ryo rested her face in her hands, pondering with a bitter expression. It looked like she had almost completely forgotten how to play the bass. It wasn't really her fault, though. There was simply too much to learn at the safety training camp; passing the safety knowledge assessment smoothly was already quite an accomplishment for her.
"Good thing there's still some time before the MV recording. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to show our faces on stage in this state." Nijika felt her condition wasn't much better than Ryo's. When she had picked up her drumsticks earlier, she surprisingly felt a sense of rustiness.
"Then let's use the rest of today to practice properly. Your tasks are finished anyway. There are drinks and snacks in the fridge, grab whatever you want to eat."
The four members of Kessoku Band picked up their respective instruments, slowly recalling the feeling of their past performances. Although not touching their instruments for over half a month left them somewhat rusty, their long-standing muscle memory was still there, and it didn't take them much time to get back into the groove.
Holding her drumsticks, Nijika struck the crash cymbals and drumheads with fluid grace. If she didn't know for a fact that she was currently in Antarctica, she might have even thought she was doing a routine practice session with her friends in the STARRY recording studio.
The layout of the recording studio was far too similar to STARRY. Jhin must have deliberately designed it this way.
Tapping her drumsticks twice, Nijika suggested, "Let's play through the songs from our album first."
"Let's just pick one randomly to check our condition. We haven't practiced in so long, we need to realign with each other."
"Ryo has a point. Kita, Bocchi-chan, which song do you choose?"
Hitori Gotoh and Kita Ikuyo gave their answer in unison: "'If I Could Be a Constellation'."
"Alright, then let's begin!"
Nijika lightly tapped her drumsticks and exchanged glances with the others. After confirming everyone was ready, she struck the first crisp beat.
To everyone's surprise, they couldn't find a single flaw in their first performance after more than half a month. Feeling a bit perplexed, the group continuously played the rest of their songs, but none of them sounded as good as "If I Could Be a Constellation".
The girls racked their brains but couldn't figure it out. Why was the performance of this specific song so outstanding?
The most perfect performance is achieved when band members can pour their own emotions into it, and "If I Could Be a Constellation" was originally a love song written by Hitori Gotoh for Jhin.
And right now in Kessoku Band, the lyricist herself was deeply in love with Jhin. Ryo was secretly getting used to indirectly kissing Jhin. Kita Ikuyo had confessed her feelings but maintained a friendly relationship. Due to a god's mistake, Nijika had even dreamed about her wedding with Jhin, leaving her with some underlying affection for him in her heart.
When everyone could pour their own feelings into this song during the performance, how could they possibly play it poorly?
Seeing them stop practicing, Jhin walked in. "Take a break and have some drinks. Experiencing an iced drink in Antarctica is pretty rare."
"By the way, there's something I need to tell you about the upcoming MV recording."
Jhin took out a palm-sized, oval-shaped object resembling a power bank from his pocket. "This is a portable thermostat. You'll each carry one in your pockets. It'll allow you to walk around outside in Antarctica wearing the same clothes you wear inside the base. The temperature around you will be locked at the most comfortable degree."
Kita Ikuyo widened her eyes, observing this unremarkable little gadget. "So you're saying we won't be afraid of the cold anymore?"
"You can put it that way."
"This has already exceeded the realm of science, hasn't it?"
"It's fine if you want to treat it as black technology. We'll be recording the MV outdoors, and you wouldn't be able to play normally while wearing gloves."
"What you're saying makes a lot of sense..."
"Oh right, Ryo. For this MV, I want to turn the songs from the band's album into a medley. I need you to handle that part."
Ryo nodded in agreement, then continued to toy with the portable thermostat in her hands.
"Kita, you'll be singing a duet with Shiraishi Yuzuki this time. Is that alright?"
"Rest assured, leave it to me."
After Jhin finished explaining the recording details, Hitori Gotoh slowly raised her hand. "U-um... Jhin, I... I want a reward!"
"Bocchi-chan is getting more and more straightforward. No problem!"
Ryo reached out her arm, blocking the couple with a serious little face. "Wait, isn't it a bit too biased to only give a reward to Bocchi-chan?"
"Eh? I don't really mind. Bocchi-chan is Jhin's girlfriend anyway, so it's normal to be a little biased, right?"
"No way. Our band is a single entity. If there's a reward, it must be given to everyone."
"Ah, I-I think Ryo has a point."
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