Come on, guys, keep up! Iwaki, don't forget about proper breathing. Inhale through your nose every three steps and exhale through your mouth every two steps.
Haruma
Ugh… Phew… Uh-huh!
Kanae
Iwai, keep your back straighter and don't tense your shoulders.
Takao
Phew, okay!
Kanae
Akabane-san, keep the rhythm and breathe with your diaphragm.
Norita
Aha!~ It turns out it's not that hard. The hardest part was waking up at 5 a.m.
Kanae
If you keep talking, you'll run out of breath faster. Focus on the rhythm and your breathing, straighten up, and stop swinging your shoulders.
You need to learn how to breathe properly, otherwise you won't be able to move and sing at the same time. This is the most important foundation for idols.
Haruma
Pheeew! I can't take it anymore!!...
Haruma
*flop*
Takao
Haruma-kun!!
Norita
Oh, down by one~
Kanae
Ugh, what am I supposed to do with you guys... Akabane, Iwai, take a short break!
Haruma
Phew… Haa…
Kanae
You okay, Iwaki? Want some water?
Haruma
Yeah…
Kanae
After a breather, two more laps, but a bit slower.
Everyone
Ughhh!...
───── studio ─────
───── студия ─────
Vocal Coach
Since today is your first lesson, Ecliptic, let's test your skills and identify the weak points we'll need to work on in future sessions.
Vocal Coach
Try singing this song all together, and then we'll work on your individual parts.
*~♫~*
Everyone
La-la-la~ ♪♪♪
Vocal Coach
Alright, alright. Your voices blend well enough, but your vocal technique still needs work. Let's go one by one now. Hayashi-kun, would you like to start?
Kanae
Only if no one else wants to volunteer?
Everyone
...
Kanae
Oh, alright then.
Kanae
La~la~la~♪♪♪
Vocal Coach
Wonderful! Fantastic! Just what I expected from a pro! Now, who wants to go next?
Takao
If no one minds, I can go.
Haruma
Come on, Takao, show us what you've got!~
Takao
La-la-la~♪♪♪
Vocal Coach
Ooh! Not bad! You have a lovely, gentle voice, Iwai-kun, but we'll need to work on your breath support! Aaa~nd, moving on, Akabane-san?
Norita
What, no more asking who wants to go first?? Oh well, fine.
Norita
La-La-La!~♪♪
Vocal Coach
Hmm, alright, Akabane-san! Unlike Iwai, your voice is stronger and more resonant, so we should work on your melody and intonation here.
Vocal Coach
And finally, Iwaki-san!~ I never thought I'd get the chance to work with the son of a famous actress!
Haruma
Ha-ha, I'm looking forward to working with you too~
Haruma
What is this "chance to work with the son of a famous actress" business? Can't you just call me by my name like everyone else? It's the same thing everywhere.
Haruma
la-la-la-♪
Vocal Coach
…
Vocal Coach
W-wonderful!! Almost brilliant!!! You'll need to work on your breath control and melody, but you have such a wonderful voice, just as expected!
Haruma
Does he think I'm an idiot or something? I hate to admit it, but it's obvious that I need to work on my singing.
Norita
Heh~ Is the coach afraid to tell a celebrity's son the truth to his face?~
Norita
Yeah, Haruma, you've still got a lot to learn~
Haruma
Look who's talking!
Takao
Them again…
Kanae
Alright, alright, you both still have a lot of work to do. You can compare your success once you've debuted.
───── dance studio ─────
───── танцевальная студия ─────
Dance Instructor
Yo-yo-yo~ So many beautiful faces~ Ecliptics, are you ready to rock?~
Takao
Haruma
Yeah!~
Norita
W-well, kinda…
Kanae
...
Dance instructor
Let's start with some easy moves!~ Follow along with me! And one, and two, and three, and four!!
Haruma
And one!
Takao
And two!
Kanae
And three.
Norita
And-d four…
Dance instructor
No, no, no! Akabane-san! Today we're doing modern, not robot dancing! Let's take it from the top! Go!
Haruma
And one!
Takao
And two!
Kanae
And three.
Norita
and... four- UGH! *thud*
Dance Instructor
Oh no! Akabane-san, did you twist your ankle?!
Haruma
...pff.
Takao
Haruma-kun, don't...
Haruma
Pfft, hahaha!!
Yeah, Akabane-san, you still have a lot to learn~
Norita
Hey, knock it off, you little brat!!
Kanae
Hmm, considering your build, I didn't expect dancing to be a problem, Akabane-san...
Norita
Whaaaat???! Considering my build?! HEH!! Is he trying to say I've got a great body?~ Well, yeah, obviously! All that time at the gym wasn't for nothing!~
Everyone has weaknesses... don't they?
Kanae
…True, but we need to get rid of them before the debut.
Norita
Of course~
Haruma
Is he trying to suck up to Kanae?
───── dormitory ─────
───── общежитие ─────
Haruma
Haaaaaa~ I'm exhausted!…
*flop*
Takao
Phew, I agree. These workouts were way more intense than what I'm used to…
*flop*
Norita
Ugh, I'm starving… We haven't had anything but water since breakfast.
*flop*
Takao
There isn't much left in the fridge; I'm not sure it'll be enough for the four of us.
Haruma
For three.
Takao
Oh, right... I didn't even notice.
Norita
Huh?! When did Kanae disappear? Emi-chan brought us here together! By the way, where is Emi-chan? She said she was going to stop by.
Takao
Maybe they stayed outside to talk about something?...
Norita
Something not meant for our ears? Hmm...
Haruma
Mr. Chef, how about you show off your incredible culinary talent and whip us up a snack? Please?~
Norita
Heee~ So you're finally ready to admit my superior skills?
Haruma
Akabane-san, if you call your unique robotic moves and tripping over your own feet "superiority," then I'm afraid this group won't last very long.
Hahaha, yeah, dinner yesterday was delicious. Besides, I don't think our leader would approve if we ordered takeout.
Takao
He didn't look too thrilled about what we ate yesterday, either. Idol diets are way too strict sometimes. Sigh, looks like I'll have to give up a lot of things.
Haruma
He just doesn't know about my unique talent — eating without gaining weight~ Perfect for my trips in search of new delicious desserts~
Takao
Haha, Haruma-kun, for your own sake, you'd better not mention that in front of him.
Norita
Fine, kid, I'm starving too. Either way, I'm going to have to cook something.
Haruma
Kyaaaa. Akabane-san, thank you.
Takao
Thank you, Akabane-san, is there anything I can help you with?
Norita
Huh? Oh no, I'll whip up an omelet quickly, and we can eat it with the leftover meat from yesterday.
Takao
Alright then, but let me know if you need anything.
Norita
Sure~
Norita
When Takao is quiet, if you don't look too closely, you could actually mistake him for a girl. Even his polite way of speaking.
The complete opposite of that little... what was his name, Haruma? He only pays compliments when he wants something! Oh well, maybe he'll feel guilty once he realizes how kindly I'm feeding them!
───── dormitory ─────
───── общежитие ─────
Emi
Heave-ho! Phew~ I bought a bit too much. But then again, there are four of them.
Kanae
Futami-san, let me help you with that.
Emi
Ah!? Hayashi-san!? I told you to head back to the dorms first while I parked the car.
Kanae
I just wanted to get some fresh air.
Emi
...
You’ve got something on your mind, don’t you?
Kanae
*sigh*
I’m just trying to understand why you put together such a strange group. I get the feeling that some people here aren't even trying to become serious idols.
Emi
And you’d be right, unfortunately… I asked myself the same thing when I first started getting to know Ecliptic better.
Emi
I understand what you mean. But they—or rather, you all—have potential. And I want to lead you to success.
So this time, I’ll do everything in my power to make it work!
Kanae
This time?
!
Emi
Hmm? Why did he react like that—
Oh no, that car… Not him…
Kanae
Oh, Manager Ishida. Excuse me, Futami-san, I need to step away for a moment.
Emi
Damn it! That old geezer only knows how to show up at the worst time and ruin everything!
Emi
Hayashi-san! Please don't leave yet, I still need to discuss some work matters with you!!!
Ugh, he's gone… That old man is crazy for showing up here almost every day.
I don't know how Kanae hasn't lost his mind yet under such total control.
───── in the car ─────
───── в машине ─────
Kanae
Good evening, Manager Ishida.
Ishida
Kanae. Back from practice already? That was quick.
Kanae
We had introductory classes today, so we finished early…
Ishida
Is that so? I actually thought maybe things were going so well for you that you didn't even need to train, ha-ha.
Kanae
Does he want to prove that we have problems that badly?
Of course, we still have a lot of work to do, but everyone has good potential and they are working hard.
How I wish I could say that with complete sincerity… But reality is far from what’s being said...
Ishida
You could say that about all idol trainees, Kanae, but do they all turn into diamonds? Exactly.
I agreed to go along with your selfish whim this time, so you can't let them drag you down with them either.
Otherwise, they’ll simply sink without you. Do you understand?
Kanae
...
Of course. Like I said from the very beginning - I can handle it.
Ishida
Mm… Anyway, here is your schedule for next week… Right here and here… The recording of…
Kanae
...
I can handle it…
───── dormitory ─────
───── общежитие ─────
*door lock clicks*
Emi
Phew…
Hm? Akabane-san, are you already cooking something? Sorry for the delay, but I bought you some more groceries for the next few days.
Norita
Oh! Emi-san, we were just talking about where you and Hayashi-san disappeared to. I'll unpack the bags, thanks. Isn't he with you?
Emi
I thought he might calm down after he started living with Kanae, but that was naive of me.
Hayashi-san is... outside talking about work. He said he'd be back soon.
Norita
Hmmmm, well, nothing to be done about it~ It's just a shame he can't eat with us because of his diet. You know, it would have helped the group bond and all that~
Emi
Are you shitting me right now? He's talking about group bonding while barely holding back a goofy grin??? You just want Kanae to try your cooking and compliment it!!
Emi
There are plenty of other ways to build group chemistry, Akabane-san~ During practice, for example~ Besides, your schedule is packed almost every day, so I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities~
Norita
Ugh, sure…
Emi
Alright, I have to go, I still have some unfinished business. I'll pick you up tomorrow at 8, so be ready.
Norita
Emi-san, you're not even staying for dinner? Don't leave me alone with these kids until Kanae gets back!~
Emi
Bye-bye, Akabane-san!~
*door clicks*
Norita
Aaah…
Hey kids, dinner’s ready, come and get it!
Haruma
Whoa, that was fast, let’s see~
Takao
Mmm, this smell is just making my stomach growl even more~
───── after dinner ─────
───── после ужина ─────
Norita
Haaah~ I finally feel human again, though now I just want to sleep…
Haruma
My legs are still aching…
Takao
With this schedule, my stamina is at its limit.
Everyone
*long sigh*
Norita
I want to go rest, but you know, it’ll be a bit sad if Kanae comes back and has to eat dinner alone…
Takao
You're right, Akabane-san. Him cooking separately already takes time away from our group bonding. Having dinner at the same table is the bare minimum we should try to maintain.
Haruma
What if he just went out to dinner somewhere on his own? You know, some fancy restaurant that serves a ridiculously small portion of steamed vegetables, a perfectly cooked egg, and a bit of lightly boiled chicken. Didn't he eat something like that yesterday?
Norita
Don't say that, just the thought makes me sad. He could just make that for himself here.
Takao
It's unlikely he'd do that; I guess the conversation about work just went on longer than expected—after all, he's a popular idol outside our group.
Norita
"Popular" is an understatement, he's one of the top-tier—
Kanae
Oh, you're all here, even better.
Norita
H-Hayashi-san, welcome back!
Kanae
Glad you've already had dinner.
Haruma
Mhm~ You wouldn't believe it, but Akabane-san made us a pretty decent snack!
Takao
"Decent" is an understatement, it's delicious~
Norita
Come on, come on—were you really that hungry? I just threw something together quickly using leftovers.
Haruma
The way Kanae scanned the kitchen…
Takao
Please don’t judge us, we were just so hungry…
Kanae
Haa~h. You have ten minutes to change, then we’re heading out for an evening run.
Everyone
Another practice session?!
Norita
I thought we were done for today… what a bummer.
Haruma
T-Takao-kun… will you catch me if I fall?...
Takao
W-we’ll try not to fall, you can do it, Haruma-kun!... Ugh…
