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Nico gulped down her beer then slammed the empty glass on the table. The bitter drink had never been her favorite as an idol, even after she’d turned of age, but as an idol manager, she’d come to appreciate it.“Stupid bosses. They want to sell dreams and hard work, but none of that actually matters to them if it isn’t bringing in cash right away,” Nico complained.“You’re in the music industry, huh? It does suck, doesn’t it. I hate all those wealth hoarding record execs, too,” said Chu2, who happened to be sitting at the bar next to the former idol.“Who wouldn’t? You can train up a bunch of idols to shine during their debut and… oh, a different group is popular right now. Can’t outshine them. Let’s delay the debut for a month or two. Maybe a year or two. Maybe forever.”“Hah, that’s just like them. If they find a way to make money, they want to keep that going forever. And if any innovation or change happens out of their control? It’s not something exciting and new, it’s a threat that needs to be stopped.”“Excuse me, but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. Have you ever thought about changing the music industry?” asked Lumina, who had been sitting close by.“Of course I have. Raise A Suilen will never stop fighting until we’re at the top, watching as the industry struggles to keep up with us,” Chu2 said.“I’ve been trying my best to make being an idol a good experience for the girls I work with, but even if I’ve been able to keep them safe, it’s been hard to get them the spotlight they deserve,” Nico said, “It feels like I can’t do much with my bosses trying to stop every move I make.”“Helping out idols-in-training is a worthy goal. So is disrupting the industry with a rise to stardom. But that’s all still limited, isn’t it? Have you ever thought about starting your own entertainment company?” Lumina asked.“I’m guessing you have,” Chu2 replied.“Yes. But if you want to succeed in taking on the music industry, you can’t do it alone. You need the right partners to do it with,” Lumina said.“I can understand that, but you’re saying the right partners are two drunks you saw bitching in a bar?” Chu2 asked skeptically.“One if you is a famous producer of a trending band and the other is a famous former idol. You two aren’t exactly unrecognizable,” said Lumina.“And who are you?” Nico asked.“I think I recognize her, too. Unless you’re just a cosplayer, aren’t you Lumina, that streamer and singer? I guess you’re trying to take your success and make a media empire of it,” said Chu2.“I suppose that’s one way of looking at it. As I said, though, I don’t plan to do any of that alone, and I’m serious about changing the industry. In addition to Unichord, I have friends in a lot of other music groups I want to work with. Everyone I know is focused on electronic music, though, so I wanted to work with the two of you for your expertise in other corners of the industry,” Lumina explained.“Hmm… you know what, I’m in. At this rate, making my own company is going to be the only way the girls I work with will actually get to debut as idols,” said Nico.“I guess it wouldn’t be bad to have someone else helping RAS with taking in the record companies,” Chu2 said, “And I guess no matter what RAS can achieve on our own, it won’t be a lasting impact if other bands can’t follow in our footsteps.”“Excellent. Then, let me order each of you a drink so we can toast to toppling the music industry,” Lumina said.The rest of the night passed with excited conversations. As Nico and Chu2 came up with increasingly absurd things that they could do once they were at the top of the industry, Lumina watched with a smile on her face.=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=The moment Chu2’s alarm went off, she regretted how late she’d stayed out last night. But the work she had to do didn’t care about her mistakes, so she forced herself to sit up despite how tired she was feeling.“Ugh,” Chu2 grumbled.“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep in a little today? It’s the weekend, after all,” Rei said from Chu2’s side.“It doesn’t matter what I want. I have things I need to do, so I can’t waste any more time on sleeping,” Chu2 replied.“I’ll get you some water, then. And an aspirin,” said Rei.“Thanks, Layer.”Chu2 kissed her girlfriend, then got out of bed. Once she’d sat at her desk, she opened her phone to quickly check the time and see if there were any missed calls or texts she needed to reply to. It turned out there was one, from an unknown number. Thankfully, Chu2 hadn’t gotten so drunk last night that she didn’t remember what happened, so she remembered the context for the text.“Is something wrong?” Rei asked when she saw Chu2 frowning at her phone.Rei handed Chu2 the water and medicine.“Thanks, Layer. No, not as such. I stumbled into an opportunity last night, but… well, there’s no sense being vague about it. I met former idol Yazawa Nico last night and we were complaining about the music industry. The streamer Ichihoshi Lumina was there, too, and she invited us to form an entertainment company with her. She texted me about it to ask me to meet with her tomorrow, too, so it looks like she’s actually serious about it,” Chu2 explained.“And since you said this is an opportunity, I’m guessing you want to go forward with it,” Rei said.“Normally, yeah. If I’m serious about changing the world, something like this would let me make a much bigger impact. But it’s kind of shady that Lumina approached me when I was drunk. Still… it’s not like I signed any contracts last night, and we’ll be meeting in a café, so I don’t think Lumina can really pull anything if I just go to meet her. I just need to make sure I’m focused when I’m there. I… will need your support, though, Layer. Are you okay with starting a company with me?”“As a member of RAS, haven’t I already promised I’d be there to help you change the world. I’m sure everyone in RAS feels the same way. And then I promised to help you change the world a second time in my marriage vows. I can’t say I know much about running a company, but I’ll help you in any way I can be.”“Thanks. We’re going to be busy, then.”Rei laughed a little.“Chu2, with you, there’s no being more busy or less busy. You’re enough of a workaholic to find something you had to do for all your waking hours even if you were just a shift manager at the local Wc Donalds. As for me, I’ve kept my hours outside of RAS busy with contract gigs. I don’t think either of us will mind the money if I give those up, and I’ll be happy to help you with this instead of doing that,” Rei said.“Alright. Then let’s keep changing the world together,” Chu2 said.“Let’s. But before that, to show just how much I’m ready to support you… what do you want to eat for breakfast?”=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=When Nico woke up, her head was pounding. Thank God it was Saturday, and that Maki was already there with water and a painkiller.“I’ve told you before that how alcohol affects you depends on your mass, right? So someone as small as you really doesn’t need to be drinking as much as you do,” Maki said.“Ah, a scolding right when I get up. That’s my Maki-chan,” Nico snarked, “But you know what, going to the bar yesterday might have worked out. There was a lady who wants to start a new entertainment company, and she invited me to be her business partner.”“So… you’re just going to go start a company with a stranger you met at a bar once?”“Hey, she’s actually a famous singer… apparently. But I guess I can’t just quit and do something as risky as starting a business anyway. I have responsibilities now,” Nico said.“Why can’t you? I hate to hurt your giant ego, but it’s not like we need the money your job brings us. I’d have told you to quit your job and just be my housewife a long time ago if I didn’t know you’d find it unfulfilling. But you’re not fulfilled where you’re working now, anyway. And as for the girls you work with, I bet you think you’d be able to help them better with your own company, too.”“I do. It all seems like one of those impractical dreams that could never really come true, though.”“When have you ever let that stop you? I didn’t think we’d win the Love Live, and we did. And I wasn’t sure how you’d do as a professional idol, but you did that well, too. Making impractical dreams come true is your whole career, Nico. But, one thing – I want to meet this woman you’re starting a company with so I can make sure she has good intentions.”“I’m so glad I have my Maki looking after me, keeping anyone from deceiving me… except jolly old men in red suits, I guess.”“Hey! It’s been a few years since I believed in Santa.”“A lot less years than it is for anyone else your age, though. But that’s okay – it just makes you cuter. Anyway, it looks like that Lumina girl invited us to meet her at a café tomorrow, so let’s go together so I can show off my cute wife.”At that point, Maki decided to just shut her wife up with an angry kiss.=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=Lumina was not a being who was affected by alcohol, so she woke up early as usual. Rather than getting out of bed, she pulled out a laptop and sat up to get a little work done as she waited for Michiru to wake up.It was an hour or two before Lumina felt the arms around her waist squeeze a little tighter as her girlfriend stirred.“Good morning, shishou,” Michiru said, yawning and giving Lumina a kiss.“Morning, Michiru,” Lumina replied, “Are you going to keep calling me shishou even after we get married?”“Hmm… I guess I’ll need to come up with a pet name. Do you have any ideas?”“So ‘Lumina’ is out of the question, huh? Oh, by the way, speaking of our future, you know how I had that idea of starting an entertainment company?”“Oh, are we going to do it?”“Yup.“Great! With you amazing you are, you’re definitely going to take over the world, shishou.”“I’ll leave that to Pumina – I’m just interested in the music industry. And we’re not going to be doing it by ourselves – I met a couple of famous musicians who’d make good partners.”“Oh, at the bar yesterday?”“Yup. I met Yazawa Nico and Tamade Chiyu.”“Oh, I think I’ve remixed one or two of Nico’s songs before. I don’t know Chiyu though… wait, isn’t that Chu2’s real name? She’s really good at what she does, but she seems a bit scary.”“Both of them will have strong opinions on what direction to take the company in, I’m sure. Anyway, I invited them to meet with me at a café tomorrow. I’m about 92% sure they’re both going to invite their partners, so will you come too, Michiru?”“Of course, shishou! We’re in this together. Whether it’s Unichord, life, or this new company thing.”“Unichord comes before life, huh? You sure are a dedicated girl. Anyway, we should plan a bit for meeting with them, but we do have a lot of time to do that, so…”Lumina pushed Michiru back down onto the bed and gave her a passionate kiss. =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=“Thank you for meeting with me today, everyone. I know that our first meeting wasn’t in a typical environment for business, but they say that lots of deals actually happen in the drinking parties after work, so maybe it’s more normal than we expect. I look forward to working with you and hope our collaboration will be productive,” Lumina greeted.“Yeah, it’s nice to meet you all, too,” Chu2 said impatiently, “Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to business. You said that you want us to be your partners. From what I know, you already have several wealthy friends, so I assume you’re not after us for the money, but I’m sure you have some expectations anyway. How much do you expect Yazawa-san and I to invest into this, and how much control will we have of the company you’re starting?”“Uh… we’re here to help musicians, right? It feels a bit wrong to talk about money before anything else,” Nico said.“Unfortunately, even if we want to chance the world, we still need to deal with he world as it is to do that,” said Chu2.“Sorry for Chu2’s… straightforwardness. Please understand it into her being invested this business succeeding,” said Rei.“That’s understandable. Don’t worry about Nico. She’s always been a dreamer with… not the best grasp or reality,” said Maki.“Hey!” Nico complained.“Having big dreams will be essential to changing the music industry but taking it on will take a good understanding of business as well,” Lumina placated, “I suppose it would be best to nail down the foundation of our business first, though.”“Uh… while you do that, why don’t I get everyone drinks?” Michiru suggested, feeling a bit lost.After some order taking, Michiru went to the café’s counter and the rest of the girls returned to their business.“So, you’re right that I didn’t call out to you two because I wanted money. I want to work with you two because each of you know about a music scene that I don’t know much about and because I think our criticisms of the music industry right now are aligned. I want this to be an even partnership, so I’d be happy to split ownership of the company evenly in three ways,” Lumina explained.“That sounds very generous, but I suppose it also shows you’re serious about this being a real partnership,” said Chu2, “But I’m also sure that you expect some kind of monetary contribution in exchange for that.”“I don’t have a specific number in mind, actually. Of course, the more money we have the more we can do, so I hope you’ll be able to help raise as much money for this. I also hope you’re alright with the amount of money you bring in not being connected to the ownership of the company. The one thing I do want to avoid is getting money from other investors that would want some control of our company,” Lumina said.“So you expect the six of us to come up with all the money for this business,” Maki said.“Not quite – I plan to visit those friends that Chu2 mentioned earlier to ask them to lend me some money. I know they’d be happy to help without asking for much in return, so while I’d want to pay them back, I wouldn’t need to give them any ownership of the company. If you can find people like that to work with, I think that would be great,” Lumina said.“I think I might know someone like that, though she might want to get involved a bit closer. She’s not a bad person, though, so it might be good to work with her,” Chu2 said.“You’re talking about Kokoro?” Rei asked.“Yeah,” said Chu2.“I’d appreciate it if you could get me in touch with her,” said Limina.“So, is that it for the money stuff? Can we move on now?” Nico asked.“From my side, I think so. We can talk more about it if we find people willing to invest in us, but for now, I think we need to go find those people,” said Lumina.“Hold on. I also want to ask… what’s your revolutionary business plan that you’re going to use to revolutionize the industry? What have you figured out that’ll let us make a profit without forcing the artists we’re supporting to be profitable?” Chu2 asked.“Do we need to make a profit? Isn’t the point of not having any shareholders so we don’t have to do that?”“For someone… independently wealthy like you, maybe not, but I want to be able to give Layer and I a comfortable life. We’ll need a good business plan to win over most investors, too. And without the company being profitable, it’ll only last as long as whatever funding we manage to get lasts. Best case scenario, our existence will be at the whim of some charitable billionaire,” said Chu2.“That’s right. I don’t think any of us needs this to turn a huge profit, and I don’t mind supporting you through a few unprofitable years, but you can’t just have an infinite money pit,” said Maki.“Sustainability is important, financial and otherwise. As to our business model, I was thinking of something like a cooperative. Like any other record companies, we’ll use our resources to give our artists opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have. We can help them with things like recording, giving them a practice space, and helping them arrange lives. In exchange, we’ll take some portion of their profits. The big difference would be, rather than forcing our artists to do certain things or make specific kinds of music, we’d let them decide how they use our resources,” Lumina explained.“So… you’re basically expecting the profitable artists will subsidize the unprofitable ones. I’m sure there are some bands that are fine with that, but it doesn’t seem like a sustainable business model to me,” said Chu2.“We’d have to show the big artists that the opportunities they could get with being with us are worth the cost. Part of that would be the freedom we’d give them. I’m hoping another part of that can opportunities to talk and collab with other artists we work with. I’m sure some of the electronic music groups I know will be happy to join with us, and a big part of why I wanted to bring you two on is that I think you have those sorts of contacts, too,” said Lumina.“Scouting talents is definitely something I can do. I’ll get in touch with whoever I know, and find some people I don’t know yet,” said Nico.“We know a lot of people in the local girl’s band scene, so we’ll help with that, too,” said Rei.“Great. Then I think we have what we need to take our first steps,” said Lumina.“I got the drinks,” Michiru said, struggling to balance a tray as she walked back to the table, “Who got the hot chocolate?”Business out of the way, the conversation could finally turn to the girls’ dreams for the future.
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As soon as Chu2 got back home from the meeting with Lumina, she went to her computer and started writing an email.“Hm? Getting started with your new company’s business right away, I see,” Rei said, looking over Chu2’ s shoulder, “You must be excited.”“I… well, yes, I am,” Chu2 admitted, “But more importantly than that, business requires you to act fast and take the opportunities that come your way sometimes. For example, remember Pareo talking about how Pastel Palettes was forced to disband by their company’s new boss? They’ll be a good group to get on board, and to make sure we can do that, I need to act fast. Also, the quicker we get this whole thing off the ground, the quicker we’ll be able to act on new opportunities that come our way.”“I see. So you’re getting in touch with Pasu Pare first?” Rei asked.“Yes. After that, I’ll send an email to Okusawa Misaki asking if the Tsurumaki corporation can invest in us,” Chu2 said.“Are you reaching out to anyone else? I’m sure Lock would love it if you asked Popipa to join us. I’d love to work with Tae, too,” said Rei.“At some point, I’d like to, but first, I want to make sure we have some groups working with us that can put us on stable financial ground. Now that you mention it, though, I do need to tell the rest of RAS about this venture, as well,” said Chu2.“Ah. Well, I’m here if you need any help,” Rei said.Leaving the emails and business to Chu2, Rei grabbed her bass so she could practice while her girlfriend worked. After she was done with her first email, Chu2 unplugged her laptop.“Layer, um… how about we move to the couch?” Chu2 asked shyly.“That’s sounds great,” Rei replied.Chu2 brought her laptop while Rei brought her bass. The couple found a position that allowed them to maintain contact while still letting them accomplish their tasks. It wasn’t exactly what most people would call relaxing, but this was what domestic bliss looked like for Chu2 and Rei.Letting the final notes of a song ring out, Rei took another peek at what Chu2 was writing. It was addressed to Yukina.“You’re going to try to bring in Roselia?” Rei asked.“I figured I should at least try. I don’t have a lot of hope we’ll be able to peel them away from their current agency, but they’re one of the most successful bands we know. And even if I find Minato Yukina infuriating at times, I also respect her,” Chu2 replied.“I see. I hope everything goes well,” said Rei.“I’m sure it won’t go badly at least. The people we’re reaching out to are… at the very least friendly acquaintances of ours. The worst thing I can see them doing is saying no, and that doesn’t put us in a worse position than we started in,” said Chu2.Chu2 returned to writing, enjoying the sound of Rei’s playing.=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=Despite it being a weekend, Misaki had replied right away. She’d asked Chu2 to meet her at a family restaurant, so Chu2 and Rei hadn’t had to work too hard to get ready and head out of the house.“Chu2-san, Rei-san, ‘sup. Thanks for meeting with me on such short notice. I didn’t have anything going on today, so I figured I might as well get this out of the way before Kokoro comes up with something crazy,” Misaki greeted, “So, what exactly is this company you’re trying to make and what do you want from the Tsurumaki family?”“No, I should thank you for your prompt … whatever, I think we’d both prefer to get right to the point, right? I happened to run into former idol Yazawa Nico and streamer Ichihoshi Lumina at a bar. Since we all have several issues with the way the music industry currently works, we wanted to make a company that could do something about it by giving artists an alternative. Of course, that will take money, so I was hoping the Tsurumaki corporation would be willing to give us a loan to help us get started,” Chu2 replied.“I see. That sounds like a noble goal and one that Kokoro would support. So, why didn’t you just go to her? I’m sure she’d give you whatever you wanted,” said Misaki.“I’m sure Kokoro would love to support us, but I’m also sure she’d want to get more involved. To make sure this venture is working towards its goal, I don’t want to give up too much control of the company. Also… to be honest, Kokoro is a little hard for me to work with,” Chu2 admitted.“You don’t have to mince words, Kokoro is hard to deal with. I have to do it every day. And she would want to get more involved…” Misaki said.Misaki took a moment to think.“If you want to maintain careful control of your company, I’m sure you have some kind of plan you’re working towards. How exactly is your company going to be different from others?” Misaki asked.“Where a lot of record labels and entertainment companies try and control their talents and make them do specific things, we’d give our artists the freedom to work like they want, at their own pace. In exchange for a reasonable share of the money they make, we’d provide them with the sort of services, such as help securing recording studios, venues, and connections that they’d have trouble getting on their own. Essentially, we’d be operating similar to a cooperative,” Rei explained.“If you’re going to run it like a cooperative, then shouldn’t the ownership be divided among the artists that work for you? Why should your company have central leadership at all?” Misaki asked.“You’ll find that revolutions in history, even when they were meant for egalitarian aims, had leaders and heroes. A lot of people have trouble taking action without someone else acting first. Furthermore, it’s hard to get people to all agree on something, and a group of people is hard to predict. It’s easier to ensure the survival of our company and that it’s properly working towards its goal if there is a small group of leaders calling the shots,” Chu2 said.“But on the other hand, if you or your business partners had the inclination, you could take whatever the company had built and turn it to increasing your own fortunes instead. Or even destroy the company,” Misaki pointed out, “Why should I trust you?”“Even when she was young and… not quite as considerate as she is now, I’ve never known Chu2 to be anything less than completely honest about her intentions. She has a good eye for people, too,” said Rei, “Though… I am dating her, so I’m not exactly unbiased.”Misaki nodded.“Honestly, I trust you, too. I can’t say I know you very well, but not even the people who hate you call you deceptive. I would like to meet your business partners at some point, though,” said Misaki, “In any case, I think I can give you some money. Maybe not as much as you originally wanted, but also without you needing to pay it back. You can take it as a gift. Also, I’d like Hello Happy World to join your label.”“Hello Happy doesn’t really need the support, though, does it?” Rei asked.“It doesn’t,” Misaki agreed, “In fact, we already have all the stuff you said you want to give artists. Recording studios, venues for holding lives, connections, we have more than we can use on our own. And Kokoro would be more than willing to share them – making new friends and seeing new smiles is enough in exchange for her. By joining your company, we could give you a big boost.”“It would be. And I know Kokoro is an unreasonably generous girl, but… is it really fine for us to take all that?” Chu2 asked.“We won’t be giving them to you. Those things will still belong to Kokoro. It’s just that you’ll be able to use them as long as we’re partnered. Consider it a reason to stay honest,” said Misaki.“That sounds fine. More than fine. Honestly, your band partnering with our company would be more than enough, but I’m not going to reject charity right now, so we’ll accept whatever you want to give us. Just give me a little time to come up with the contracts,” said Chu2.“Maybe you can leave that to us as well, if you’re okay with putting your trust in us. The Tsurumaki family has great lawyers, and I’m sure that’s a resource your company could benefit from as well,” said Misaki.“I… will have to read the contracts over, but that would be a big help,” Chu2 said.“You know, you seem like a pro at handling stuff like this,” Rei said.“Doing business with friends I trust like you two is easy. You’re not out to get me. Being engaged with Kokoro, I have to deal with much worse, and much more often. Sometimes, it feels like the suits think I’m the Tsurumaki heiress instead of Kokoro.”“Given how Kokoro does business, I’m sure that you might as well be,” said Chu2.Chu2, Misaki, and Rei shook hands, confirming their deal.As Chu2 and Rei left the family restaurant, Chu2 checked her phone.“Hm, it seems that Pasu Pare replied, too. They want to meet up tonight as well,” said Chu2.“I guess you were right about speed. Things are coming together pretty quickly,” said Rei.Chu2 and Rei held hands as they started towards Chisato’s house. It seemed both of them would be very busy for a while, but that suited them just fine.=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=The (former) members of Pastel Palettes seemed to want to meet as soon as possible, so Chu2 didn’t have the chance to bring Pareo into the fold. It would have to be a surprise, the producer supposed.When Chu2 and Rei got to Chisato’s house, they found that the rest of Pasu Pare was already there.“Good evening. Thank you for reaching out to use,” Chisato greeted.“Good evening. Given you’re all here, I’m guessing that you’re not done being idols together just yet. Or being a band, at least,” said Chu2.“Yup. It wasn’t boppin’ at all how they forced us to quit the band just because we’re a bit older now. And our fans didn’t think it was very boppin’ either,” said Hina.“What exactly happened? I heard Pareo complaining about it, but I don’t think the details were made public,” Rei asked.“Idols don’t tend to last very long. Usually, it’s something you do for a little while when you’re young, and if you’re good enough, you can transition to some other job in entertainment when you grow up. 25 year old idols aren’t unheard of, but there aren’t many of them – but we were still working hard as idols, and we still had plenty of fans watching us. Because of that, the agency was happy to let us continue,” Chisato started.“But our agency was sold to a new owner recently, and he’s a lot more… by the book. He decided that we were too old to be idols anymore and forced us to graduate. Aya-chan, Chisato-chan, and Maya-chan were all very brave – even though they were offered other jobs at the agency, we all decided to quit,” said Eve.“You were brave, too, Eve! You gave up your modeling job. And it was a lot riskier for you since your visa to Japan was based on it,” said Aya.“Do you need a new sponsor, then? I’ll see what I can do,” said Chu2.“I, uh… solved that problem by marrying Eve,” said Maya.“Oh. Well, in any case, it does sound like you’re all free agents. Would you consider joining us?” Chu2 asked.“That’s why we asked you to meet us. But there is one thing you should know. As Hina said, our fans are unhappy with the agency right now. Unhappy enough that the agency reached out to us to offer to reform Pasu Pare,” said Chisato, “I’m not saying this as a negotiation tactic or anything, I just want to inform you. I’ll make it clear – we’re not considering their offer right now.”“We were, for a little bit. Before you reached out to us. We all loved playing together, and Pasu Pare is important to all of us. It was tempting to go back and pretend none of this ever happened,” said Maya.“We agreed that we can’t though. We couldn’t really trust the agency anymore. When we got your email, it was a big relief. We can be idols again, but without having to work with that new owner,” said Aya.“That’s not to say we don’t need to discuss the details of this carefully, though,” said Chisato.“Of course. What do you need from us for you two join us?” Chu2 asked.“Well, for one thing, the rights to whatever new name we come up with, and the ability to leave without any penalty,” Chisato said.“That all is easy enough, and I was going to do that anyway, but what I mean is, what kind of support does your band need? Generally, the way our company will operate is that we’d give bands access to our resources and then let them do what they want rather than telling them to do specific things. But I know that’s not how Pasu Pare has worked up till now, and I’m guessing there’s a reason you didn’t just become an indie band. So what do you need us to do to let you be a band? Do you need a salary? A manager?” Chu2 asked.“Hm, I think it would be pretty zappin’ do whatever we want,” said Hina.“Hold on a moment, Hina. We’re not used to finding our own opportunities and scheduling our own shows. We don’t even write most of our own music. I’m sure we can learn how to do all that, but not right away. We’ll need a lot of support at first, and it sounds like that might be hard for your new company. So why reach out to us?” Maya asked.“It’s true that the main point of our company would be to give groups more independence and freedom to act on their own, but part of why we’d expect a group to give up some of their profits to join us is opening doors that they can’t by themselves,” Rei said.“…And if we join you, you’d be able to use some of the connections we made as Pasu Pare. I can see why those would be worth enough for you to give us some special treatment when you’re just getting started,” said Chisato, “So let me turn this around. What can you do for us that wouldn’t jeopardize your company or its ideals.”“Well… one of my business partners is former idol Yazawa Nico. She was working as an idol manager, too. As the company grows, it might be hard for her to give you her personal attention, but at least at the start, I think she’d be happy to support you. She seems enthusiastic about helping idols out, at least,” said Chu2, “I’ll reach out to her.”“That does sound promising, and it would be useful to learn to manage our own band eventually,” said Chisato, “The name Yazawa Nico sounds familiar, too. I’ll have to do some research.”“Eh, how could you not know her as an idol yourself, Chisato-chan? Nico was a member of maybe the most famous school idol unit there is, μ’s. And she’s one of the few Love Live winners who managed to also succeed as a professional idol,” said Aya, “If she’s involved, then I think we’re in good hands. I’m in!”“You seem very sure, Aya-chan. Yosh, then I’m sure, too!” said Eve.Chisato sighed.“Well, I guess we’re in. I’ll still be looking over the contract carefully. And I’d really appreciate it if you could find us enough work to keep us fed,” said Chisato.“Of course. For us to succeed, you need to succeed, too,” said Chu2.With that, Chu2’s new company had already achieved another success.=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=Chu2’s invitation to Roselia was not met with success. Yukina made it clear at the beginning of her reply that Roselia would continue to work with their current agency. But Yukina had also expressed support of Chu2’s dream and asked the producer to meet her to give her thoughts and advice.When she was younger, Chu2 would no doubt have taken the whole thing as an insult. She’d declare war against Roselia’s agency and refused to listen to a word from Yukina’s mouth.Part of Chu2 still felt that way, but she forced it to the back of her mind. She was mature enough now to know that Yukina’s rejection wasn’t a rejection of Chu2. It likely wasn’t even a rejection of Chu2’s company in specific and rather the result of Roselia’s current circumstances. And Yukina was a successful professional musician, so her advice was likely valuable. Even if it turned out to be bad, Chu2 had nothing to lose by hearing it, so she agreed to meet up.Yukina had asked Chu2 to come to the park. When she got there, the producer saw why – Yukina was completely focused on a couple of stray kittens playing with each other. Chu2 didn’t have the energy to call her out on it, so instead, she just sat down on the bench beside the singer.“Minato Yukina. You said you had some advice for me. But if it’s okay, I’d like to start by asking you a question instead – what would I have had to offer Roselia for you to join our company?” Chu2 asked.Yukina was a bit startled by Chu2 but quickly regained her composure.“It’s not a matter of what you offered us. Roselia is already contracted to a label that has helped us grow and succeed, and we want to be loyal to them,” Yukina said.Like Chu2 thought, Yukina didn’t think anything was wrong with her company. Roselia’s reasons were honorable, though the producer found them naïve.“That’s respectable, but companies are rarely as loyal as you are. Didn’t… didn’t you say that your father had issues with that?” Chu2 asked, hoping Yukina wouldn’t find the topic to sensitive.“Generally, I guess you’d be right. Like you said, my father wasn’t able to satisfy both himself and the company he worked for. Even we have plenty of friction with our agency,” Yukina said, “But… Well, I think one think that’s the same between you and I, and Roselia and Raise A Suilen. It’s that we’re uncompromising.”“So wouldn’t it be easier for you to work without a bunch of bean counters pressuring you?” Chu2 asked.“Maybe in some ways. But I don’t think you kept RAS independent because it was the easy way to do things. You did it because you felt that was the best way to achieve your dreams, even though you’ve had to fight against big companies with plenty of funds trying to push you around. Roselia made a different decision. None of us knew much about the music industry or how it worked, so we decided that the best way for us to grow was by working with an agency,” Yukina said.“So you agreed to a loss of control in exchange for help becoming successful,” Chu2 said.“Somewhat. But like I said, Roselia won’t compromise, just like RAS. If the agency’s instructions go against our ideals, we tell them no. And they’ve been willing to listen to us. That’s why I want to be loyal to our agency,” Yukina said.“I see. And… if you stopped listening to you?” Chu2 asked.“Then we’ll hope your invitation to us is still open,” said Yukina.“Alright. So, what’s that advice you have for me?” Chu2 asked.“I saw in your email that you’d scouted Pastel Palettes and reached out to members of Hello Happy World. Have you contacted Poppin’ Party and Afterglow?” Yukina asked.“While those are exactly the sorts of bands I hope this company can support someday, I don’t think we’re there yet. Right now, I’m looking for bands that can bring in some money to give the company stable financial footing,” said Chu2.“That’s understandable. But I think that’s why bands like Popipa and Afterglow would be perfect partners for you right now. It’s true that they’re not as financially successful as Roselia or Raise A Suilen, but whatever success they’ve had, they’ve had it without any kind of outside funding,” said Yukina.“So… you’re saying they don’t need much support in the first place,” said Chu2.“Exactly. Professional bands like Pasu Pare and Roselia depend on the money we make as a band to survive, and while I’m sure you’d love to be able to support all your musicians enough that they can just focus on music if they want to, Popipa and Afterglow don’t need that,” Yukina said, “You’d have to accept them not dedicating as much time to music as we do, but if the point of your company is to give artists freedom, you’d have to accept that from someone at some point anyway.”“I see. You make a good point. And even if they’re not as big as some other bands, Poppin’ Party and Afterglow both have their fans and connections. They’d still be a draw to our company. I’ll reach out to them. Thank you, Minato Yukina,” Chu2 said.“It’s no trouble at all. Good luck,” said Yukina, “Oh, and… I’m not sure how you feel about working with one of those big music companies that you dislike so much, but Roselia would be happy to collaborate with you. We’ll push our agency to make it happen if you want it to.”“We’d have to get careful not to get pushed around, but… that sounds excellent. Let’s keep in touch,” Chu2 said.Even if things hadn’t gone exactly as Chu2 would have wanted them to, they had definitely gone well nonetheless.=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=“And so, that’s where we are so far,” Chu2 said to her band members, “It’s out of the scope of Raise A Suilen, but are you willing to support me with this.”“Of course, Chu2-sama! Where you go, we’ll follow,” Pareo promised.“We said we’d change the world with you, didn’t we?” added Masuki.“You know, Layer said that, too,” Chu2 said.“It means that you did a good job choosing the right band members. We’re in this together,” Rei said.“Yup! And we’re already excited about this, too,” said Rokka.“I’m definitely excited to see Pasu Pare together again,” said Pareo.“You said you wanted to invite Popipa and Afterglow, too, right? When are you planning on talking to them,” asked Rokka.“Actually, I was going to have you and Layer reach out to Poppin’ Party and Masking reach out to Afterglow since I know you’re friendly with some of them,” said Chu2.“Got it. I’ll talk to Tomoe the next time I see her, then. Oh, and you said your next meeting with your business partners was the upcoming weekend, right? Do you want us there with you?” Masuki asked.“Hmm… I’m not sure if you need to be there, but it would be nice to introduce you all to Nico and Lumina. On the other hand, having lots of people there could also get in the way of doing what business needs to be done. I’ll reach out to them and ask them what they think,” said Chu2.Chu2 was proud of her band. Each and every member was an incredible, hardworking, ambitious woman. They’d grown so much together. And now, they all seemed ready to grow RAS into something even grander.