AYUMU: "Hey everyone! We found out why the event was canceled!"

AKI: "It turns out that the members who'd been on the Festival Committee for all of the other festivals are all going to graduate."

AYUMU: "And that would make running the festival at the usual size a bit too hard. So, they decided to just cancel it."

AI: "Ohh, I get it. Now we finally know why the Festival Committee decided to just cancel the event instead."

EMMA: "I'm sure they put a ton of thought into it, too."

KASUMI: "I think there had to have been people who opposed it as well, though!"

AYUMU: "The committee head must have been upset about it, too. I could hear the pain in her voice, too."

KARIN: "I'd thought the venue was the sole problem, but I'm glad we found out that wasn't everything."

RINA: "Wonder how it would feel to lose everyone you'd been working with for years?"

SETSUNA: "I can't imagine it, but it must be very discouraging."

SHIZUKU: "It probably can't be helped that all of the main committee members are graduating, but it's still a big problem."

KANATA: "Yeah, they're taking all their know-how with them."

AKI: "Apparently, they can make the event half its size and manage to have it as a regular live show instead of a school idol culture festival. But they said it wouldn't be the School Idol Festival anymore at that point.
If they can't preserve the size and ideals that their upperclassmen had maintained, they should just stop and go out with dignity. That's what they all decided, she said."

AYUMU: "I think the committee head negotiated a lot and tried her best, too. She sounded exhausted, so I couldn't really criticize her decision."

AI: "Ahhh! Then you mean all we can do is give up?! But that's just no fair!"

KARIN: "The committee did their best, but this is how things ended up. We can't pressure the poor girls any further."

EMMA: "I really wanted to be in the School Idol Festival."

SHIZUKU: "Me, too. I wanted to perform on the main stage."

AKI: "Is there seriously nothing we can do?"

AYUMU: "It would be pretty tough with just us, right?"

*RING*

AKI: "Oh? Honoka! What's up?"

HONOKA: "Good evening! Sorry to show up all of a sudden."

AKI: "Don't worry about it."

HONOKA: "So, I was just chatting with Chika a bit, and, well... There's something I want to talk to you and the Nijigasaki gang about. Can we get together this Saturday?"

AKI: "Huh? Oh, uh, sure. I'll let everyone know."

HONOKA: "Good to hear it! Well, see you on Saturday. Take care!"

I wonder what she wants to talk about?

-------------------------------------------

*MEANWHILE*

???: "The school's average final exam scores have fallen below last year's as a whole.
There are also seven clubs witb poorer results than last year.
Only the softball and fencing clubs had better results. Yet no one feels that this is urgent.
The clubs are selecting their regulars based on seniority.
Two of the current regulars would be far better in support roles instead of being players. Why doesn't anyone point that out?
The soccer club would make better use of its nembers if it made first-years regulars, too.
No one in the club can actually realize how talented she is.
There are too many missteps, and efficiency is poor. And high school is supposed to be the time in your life where you prepare yourself for the future.
At this rate, all of the efforts that Nijigasaki students put into their extra-curriculars will be for nothing. I can't just watch that happen.
A change is needed, and if nobody is going to do anything about it... I'll just have to bring it myself."