Stealing Spree

Inside the recording room, aside from me and Director Iwanami, two other staff members were waiting for us. One was a man in charge of the control panel that would aid and record the performance. And the other was a woman who was probably in charge of maintaining the equipment inside the recording booth.

The director introduced me to them and I learned that along with Chisato-nee-san, they're her trusted personnel whenever she's in charge of overseeing a recording.

Since they were quite busy preparing for Yue and the other girls' arrival, I only bothered them a little.

After taking a proper look around the interior, I comfortably took a seat behind.

Naturally, I also took off my disguise which still had a bit of Chisato-nee-san's fragrant scent.

Uh. It's not that I'm uncomfortable with it. It's just... not needed anymore, right?

Anyway, I wasn't that worried whether those people staking out figured out my identity or not. Because in the first place, they came here after confirming that a guy was among the people Yue brought in.

Even though this disguising attempt could also be considered as Yue's side answering their suspicion, the result would actually be similar if I used my own method.

Yue only had to maintain her stance of being vague about it and letting her fans come to a conclusion themselves.

As for the Director's assurance later, she probably already put some measures to keep things under control.

I mean, this place wouldn't last if they couldn't even protect their talents' privacy. Whatever goes in this studio will never leak in the public, unless someone makes it their mission to spread it.

Five minutes later, Kaoru-san arrived with Yue and my girls. Chisato-nee-san remained in that rehearsal room as per their plan to create the illusion that I didn't come here to watch the recording.

Yua sat down next to me while the three girls were guided by the other staff inside, helping with the recording equipment.

Kaoru-san stayed close to the door, possibly guarding it.

As for the Director, she held onto the microphone on the control panel which could directly relay her voice through the headset the girls were wearing inside the booth after they finished setting up inside.

That's how she could quickly direct them when they started the recording. The room would be filled with the music and their voices, after all.

"Alright. Can you hear me?" She started.

Yue and the other two nodded and smiled. There's not a hint of nervousness from the three of them. No one would think that the other two were going to do this for the first time in their life.

Miho was already used to playing on top of the stage but that was during competitions and not a recording session.

As for Akane, the girl just really had this inherent confidence within her. Other than when dealing with me, she was seldom flustered at anything else.

Director Iwanami conversed with them a few more times, possibly trying to stabilize their condition.

When she deemed it enough, she approvingly nodded and gave the order to start.

"As promised. Perform the song from start to finish. Let me hear your raw emotion and convert it to a song that can tug our heartstrings."

Director then tapped the shoulder of the male staff seated in front of the control panel who immediately pushed some buttons, flipped some switches and adjusted those sound panels.

Since they didn't need another accompaniment, the first sound came from Miho whose hands started dancing on top of the keyboard, executing the melody she created.

Director Iwanami straightened her back and crossed her arms as she earnestly watched and listened to their performance.

Likewise, I found myself fully engrossed in the melody and their voices that perfectly meld with it.

The same as last night when they sang the song for me, I found myself in two... No. Three separate places where the three girls are waiting for me.

It was like a surreal experience, making the song come alive in reality.

Yue. Akane and Miho.

But that’s not all, halfway through it, the three places expanded further reminding me that the song isn’t just about them but everyone connected to me.

Yeah. They truly put their all into making this song specifically for me.

And yep. It contains not just Akane and Yue's stories with me. Miho, through the melody she created, was also conveying our story.

I see.

I understand now why they picked such a title.

A Picture of Us.

Unlike Yue's previous songs which could evoke different emotions and memories from those who listen to them, this one was different.

They painted three different canvasses of aesthetic scenes and yet they meld together into one photo that was depicting all of us together.

And it's not just the three of them, every woman I deemed important was in it. And they're all flashing their bright and beautiful smiles...

--

I had no idea how long I stayed in a trance but when my mind returned to reality, I could feel my lips stretched from side to side and my chest thumping loudly.

Yua, who was closest to me, was already leaning her head on my shoulder with her eyes closed.

I looked up and saw the other four people on this side of the room seemingly frozen in silence.

However, it's not that they appeared shocked at the power brought by the song the girls performed. They're simply still lost in the dream space that was created from it.

As for the girls beyond the clear glass, they're all staring at me, their eyes filled with affection pierced through it.

Their shoulders and chest were heaving up and down as though they'd given it their all to deliver the song the way they wanted it to be.

Yes. It's quite different from how they rehearsed it earlier... And I must say, they truly took my advice to heart which transformed it into this masterpiece.

Knock knock!

Around half a minute later, the succeeding silence after Yue and the other two finished their performance was disturbed by the knock on the door.

And thanks to that, the four adults that were frozen finally regained their wits.

The man immediately flipped off a switch, perhaps stopping the recording.

The woman who helped the three weakly fell to one of the seats behind.

Kaoru-san's gaze went back and forth from the three of them to me.

And lastly, Director Iwanami let out a long exhalation before she gave a resounding clap.

"I have no words except magnificent. You three... I don't think we need a retake or adjustments anymore. Well done!"

The director doled out her praises before walking to the door and opening it.

And there, Chisato-nee-san, who should be slacking off in the other room, walked in.

The air around her was different than earlier.

It's like she was listening to the song all along. Furthermore, rather than a staff... I could somehow sense that her authority here was higher than Director Iwanami herself.

She patted the director's shoulder and then gave the three girls who looked like they expected her to come a thumbs up before walking over to me.

Taking the seat on my other side, she then mischievously pulled on my earlobe before pushing her lips close to it.

"Cousin, you love all of them, don't you? I heard and pictured all of it in that song.”