"Uh?"
Even with the chaos of Grand Live preparations, training never stops.
Rice-chan and Thank You-san were now running side by side, and their progress was undeniable.
"But… my abilities are improving more than I expected."
Training doesn't yield dramatic results overnight. It's the daily grind—the small, consistent efforts—that build real growth.
Still, the gains in January were impressive. Not explosive, but steady. Like dust gathering into something substantial.
"Rice, Thank You."
"What?"
"What's wrong?"
"I've been feeling really good lately. Any idea why?"
"Uh-uh."
"Oh! I've been singing a lot during Grand Live practice. Maybe that's helping?"
"Oh, Rice might have that too. Singing your own songs is fun."
"I see…"
An unexpected byproduct, perhaps?
"So I investigated immediately."
"Viola, you work fast."
"Not as fast as Hello-san."
I brought training data to Light Hello. I'd been tracking performance among Grand Live participants.
"Singing and dancing improved mood and tone. Increased lung capacity boosted training efficiency by an average of 16%."
"Hey, that's pretty effective."
"Yes. It's quite impressive."
There were only about ten samples, so it wasn't conclusive. But the positive impact on Rice-chan and Thank You-san was clear.
"The more types of singing and dancing practiced, the greater the effect."
This was good advertising material. If used wisely, it could attract more participants.
"So… maybe we can use this to involve the working generation in future events?"
"I'll use it well."
"Viola and Hello look suspicious…"
Rude much. This was a legitimate survey result after all!
The trick was to present it in a way that nudged people toward participation—without outright manipulation.
"But then we'll want to increase the variety of songs and dances."
"It also helps differentiate Grand Live from the Twinkle Series. I don't know anything about costs, though. But that's Hello-san's domain."
"It's fine! I've already thought of an intermediary business for writing and composing original songs!"
Her ability to think and execute is bottomless.
I just hope she doesn't collapse from overwork.
As we uncovered new benefits of the Grand Live, the date drew near.
Sunday, the first week of December.
The stage was almost set.