After breakfast, they immediately began practicing their lines.

The school gradually filled with people, many of whom were busy setting up classrooms and clubs during the weekend. The chorus could always be heard in the courtyard, and the sound of instruments never ceased.

"Ichiki, pay attention to your lines. They're a bit awkward here."

"Yes!"

"Jiutiao, watch your tone. You're supposed to playfully tease the devil for being cheerful, not flirt with him."

"Nowadays, isn't romance popular in all TV shows and movies? What's wrong with adding a bit of that element?"

"What about the 'girl's' quest for the 'end of the world'? Why doesn't she just stay with the devil forever?"

"I'm not actually going to date the devil. It's enough to make the audience misunderstand and keep their eyes glued to the stage."

"We're not aiming for that in this play. It's been changed."

In the midst of everyone's noisy chatter (primarily between those two, as no one else would dare argue with Kiyono Lin), the day flew by in the blink of an eye.

"The quality is getting higher and higher, even though it's everyone's first time performing in a play," Xiaoquan Aonai remarked.

"It's only been a day of intensive training and the effect is immediately different, but gosh, it's exhausting," Ichiki Aoi said, twisting her waist to loosen up.

"There's still some time left before tonight's rehearsal, so everyone take a good rest," Kiyono Lin instructed. "Mr. Dubian, you're in charge of dinner."

"Behold, my undefeated prowess from countless culinary battles at Distant Moon Academy," Dubian Che said, hooking his index finger around his shirt collar.

"There he goes blathering again," Kiyono Lin said, as if it were the norm.

"Darling, I don't know what you're talking about, but your cooking skills are pretty average, right?" Jiutiao Meijie tightened the tie that Dubian Che had just loosened.

"I really did attend Distant Moon Academy!" Dubian Che exclaimed, still letting her fix his tie.

"What's Distant Moon Academy?" Xiaoquan Aonai asked.

"It's a prestigious culinary high school."

"I've never heard of it."

"That school is quite famous in Tokyo! It's very wealthy, covers an expansive area—the first time I visited, I walked until sunset before I could return to the dorm, and furthermore..."

"Mr. Xiaoquan," Kiyono Lin interrupted, directing her words to Xiaoquan Aonai who was listening intently, "Don't mind him. It's probably just another fictional academy from an anime."

"And the entrance requirements are extremely stringent," Dubian Che continued on his own. "Every student who graduates from there is a future star of the culinary world!"

With a gentle smile toward Kiyono Lin, Xiaoquan Aonai turned and curiously asked Dubian Che:

"After they graduate, do they exclusively serve young ladies like Jiutiao and Kiyono?"

"Err—seems not."

"Oh—," Ichiki Aoi looked at Dubian Che with a 'so after all that talk, it comes to this' expression.

"Like I said, they are stars of the future. They need a few more years of tempering. The main reason is that those two's standards are just too high."

"I've even eaten discounted supermarket bento," Kiyono Lin cut off Dubian Che directly. "Hurry up and cook."

"Roger that, Commander!"

After eating the fairly tasty fried rice and resting a while, the six of them made their way to the gym.

Walking through the corridors and looking out the windows, they could see that many open-air stalls had already been set up along the long path from the school gates to the school buildings.

The basketball club's cotton candy, the table tennis club's takoyaki, the track and field club's grilled sausages, the baseball club's candied apples—the sports clubs... should one say they were creative or that they were beyond redemption.

Rehearsing in the gym felt completely different from practicing in the club classroom.

Standing on stage and seeing the vast space that could seat all the teachers and students, a sense of nervousness inevitably arose.

"If you're getting nervous now, do you plan to perform a mime once the place fills up?"

"If you're afraid to speak in front of people, how are you going to act in a play? Start over."

Director Kiyono remained as stringent as ever.

In addition to rehearsing the play, they checked and practiced with the props and lighting.

After practicing until ten o'clock, they took showers, and then Mayi Asuka listened to music with headphones, Xiaoquan Aonai prepared lesson plans, while the other four did their weekend homework.

The scratching of pens on paper could be heard.

Occasionally, someone would flip through a textbook, and the fluttering sounds became the biggest disturbance in the club classroom.

Once the homework was done, the six of them shared the watermelon that Jiutiao Meijie had sent.

"So sweet!" Ichiki Aoi couldn't help but smile at the corners of her mouth as she ate.

"Let's buy some fireworks to bring back. It feels so much like summer," Xiaoquan Aonai suggested with a smile.

"Is the teacher going to buy us fireworks?" Ichiki Aoi immediately asked.

"It's late now, let's do it tomorrow," Xiaoquan Aonai thought for a moment. "After dinner tomorrow, I'll get them for you."

"That's awesome! Big sis, we can have fireworks!"

Mayi Asuka tilted her head and asked Kiyono Lin serenely, "Are we going to stay at school tomorrow night?"

"No need," Kiyono Lin, finishing a slice of watermelon, got up to wash her hands. "We'll dismiss at four o'clock."

"Ah..." Ichiki Aoi bit into the watermelon with a touch of disappointment, her lips painting a faint red ring.

The next day was the usual intensive training.

What was different from yesterday was the lunch break—Ayane Kumi, the Minister of the Wind Instrument Club, who was also preparing for the Cultural Festival at school, suddenly paid a visit.

"Please, have this," Dubian Che placed a glass of watermelon juice beside Ayane Kumi.

"Thank you, Mr. Dubian." Ayane Kumi lifted it with both hands and took a sip. "So refreshing, very nice!"

"Is there something you need?" Kiyono Lin was sitting by her window, a script filled with notes in hand.

"It's like this," Ayane Kumi set down her cup and spoke softly, "In October, we third-years will leave the club. Kiyono, you're the person who understands the Wind Instrument Club the best, so I wanted to ask if you have any recommendations for the new Minister?"

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