AKI: "All righty then, practice time! Another day, another 110-percent effort!
Wait, what are you girls doing?"

AYUMU: "We're looking through this."

AKI: "That's...the notebook I've been using to keep track of your practices."

Wait WHAT?!

AYUMU: "Yup. The club hasn't even been around for that long, but looking through this sure does take me back."

AI: "You've been keeping really detailed notes on us, huh?"

AKI: "Yeah, you'll probably see a dramatic increase in quality after I met Aqours."

I have Dia to thank for that. I'm so grateful that she let me see the notes she takes during Aqours' training sessions.

SHIZUKU: "Not only have you written what was covered in our lessons each day, but you have also been analyzing all of our traits, strengths, and weaknesses. You are incredible, Senpai!"

RINA: "Every page is chock-full of notes."

EMMA: "You might know me better than I know myself."

KARIN: "You've been so observant of us. You're incredibly perceptive."

I've heard that all my life. Though this might be one of the rare times that I feel it's a compliment.

KANATA: "You even made note if every time we made your heart skip a beat or get emotional. Seeing it all written out like this is a bit embarrassing, actually."

Tell me about it...

KASUMI: "So I suppose this means you're a big fan of mine then, huh?"

AKI: *Laugh* "You know I am!"

KASUMI: "Really?!"

AKI: "But not just of you. I'm a huge fan of everyone in this club."

KASUMI: "Senpai, did you really have to say it? Hmph, this sucks."

AKI: "But what made you all want to look through my practice notes all of a sudden? Are you girls upset with the practice regimen I've come up with?"

AYUMU: "That's not it at all! It's just that there are so many notes here, ever since the day the club was founded. So we just thought maybe we could use them as a reference..."

AI: "I know he's super sharp, but you can't expect him to understand if you can't get to the point."

AKI: "Uh, so... What are you using them as a reference for?"

SETSUNA: "I can't stop thinking of how Aqours looked while dancing in Uchiura this weekend. It's simply burned into my mind."

SHIZUKU: "The fact that μ's were so determined to catch up with Aqours left a deep impression on me."

KASUMI: "They were so amazing, even the legendary μ's was feelin' a bit left behind."

μ's...catching up with Aqours? That's new, it just shows us how determined Aqours are to be the ones to dethrone μ's and hand them their first defeat.

Maybe μ's aren't the group we should be the most worried about when the Festival's contest happens...

KANATA: "Compared to μ's and Aqours, we're total nobodies."

AKI: "Aqours and μ's might be amazing, but all of you have individual traits that stand up to theirs. You girls are just gonna keep growing more and more from here on out."

AI: "Yeah, I know. All we can do is make whatever progress we can each day, right?"

RINA: "There's no way we can expect to just suddenly level up."

EMMA: "Yeah. It wouldn't be fair to Aqours and μ's if we got to their level without too much struggle."

AYUMU: "It's normal to want to reach the same heights though. You shouldn't ever lose sight of that feeling. Right?"

AKI: "Of course!"

AYUMU: "I've always felt like I wanted to better myself, but it was more like a dream than anything else. Something that wasn't really tangible.
But now that I have had the chance to work with you all and see everyone's efforts up close, I realized that we just have to work hard to get to that level."

KASUMI: "So then, we all started wondering what draws people to us so we decided to check out your notebook!"

SETSUNA: "We figured that we might be able to get an objective view of our appeal if we perused the notes you write about us every day."

AI: "But when we actually flipped it open, we were shocked by all of the words crammed into each page."

RINA: "The love is intense."

EMMA: "Yeah. We're so lucky to have you always thinking of us like this."

KANATA: "Thank you for always looking after us, protecting us, supporting us, and cheering us on more than anybody else out there."

KARIN: "And sorry for all the trouble we cause you too."

AKI: "C-C'mon girls, where's all this coming from? It's really not that big of a deal.
If you love something, you want to see it succeed. That's just common sense. I'm cheering you girls on because I want to. I don't think of it as trouble at all."

SETSUNA: "We really are blessed to have you around."

RINA: "This club probably wouldn't even exist if it weren't for you... Rina-chan Board says, 'Terrifying!'"

KARIN: "Thanks for protecting the club and bringing us all together."

AKI: "I just said, you don't need to thank me... Geez, you're making me blush here."

KASUMI: "Hold up, everyone! You know I'M the one who protected this club, right?"

EMMA: *Giggle* "You did stay back to man the fort for us. Thank you, Kasumi!"

KANATA: "Way to remind us for the thousandth time."

KASUMI: "And now we have permission from Mifune to keep practicing too!"

AI: "I guess good things really DO come in small packages. Isn't that right, Kasukasu?"

KASUMI: "My name's not Kasukasu! And I'm not little!"

KARIN: *Giggle* "Isn't this great?"

SETSUNA: "After we went to Numazu, we were able to reaffirm what we needed to work towards for the School Idol Festival."

AYUMU: "Exactly. We're gonna put together a performance worthy of sharing the stage with μ's and Aqours. That's our new goal!"

SHIZUKU: "So we are counting on your continued support!"

AKI: "You don't have to tell me twice! The joint solo live show will be your first time ever performing on the same stage as the μ's and Aqours members. So now, today, and every day forward, let's work our tails off and make everyone's dreams come true!"

EVERYONE: "Yeah!"

When I first joined this club and became its manager, I thought to myself...

If I could support people who chase theit dreams, that would start something for myself as well.

That's the feeling I got at least.

I don't fully understand what my path is yet, but it takes a sharp turn through the School Idol Festival.

I want to become an idol producer, one who doesn't think of his girls as assets. One who believes wholeheartedly in them and will always be their number one supporter.

How that story will be written, I don't know. But I thank God every day that I saw μ's and Aqours' joint live show in Akihabara.

A/N: So... A certain Nijigasaki anime got announced for next month.

Meanwhile in an alternate universe, this was how it went...