After dropping out of school, I chose to join a girls' band.

Hinasaki was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting this. Momoko, who was behind her, peeked out slightly, raised an eyebrow when she saw the figure outside the door, and muttered softly, "This is... a bit unexpected."

Hinasaki narrowed her eyes, looking at the staff member in front of her. She felt that the person's appearance was somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen them before.

After a moment's recollection, the scene of the last time he picked them up to see Senior Genmaki came to her mind—it was this very driver. She never expected to run into him again at the hotel.

Does the String Roll Group really need someone so omnipotent? The driver also has to handle competition-related matters?

Hinasaki glanced at Momoko, who was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, her expression saying, "I'll see what this is all about."

Turning her gaze away, Hinasaki adjusted her tone and tentatively asked, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

The staff member nodded slightly, his voice calm and methodical: "It's about the filming of Bang Dream's competition PV tomorrow. The organizers need each band to send a representative to attend the pre-filming discussion. I'm just letting you know."

Her tone was flat and professional.

"A PV shoot?" Hinasaki raised an eyebrow, her eyes quickly scanning the room. The Mygo members were clearly drawn to the conversation and looked curiously towards the doorway.

Xiaoyue hesitated for a moment, then turned to the staff, her tone gentle yet polite: "Okay, please wait a moment while I discuss it with everyone."

“No problem,” the staff member nodded, speaking calmly. “The discussion will be held in the conference room downstairs. I need to inform the other bands next. Mygo members can head over once they are ready.”

After saying that, she nodded slightly, took a step towards the door, and turned to leave.

————————————————————

After listening to Xiaoyue's account, Kiritani Touko stroked her chin and said:

After listening to Hinasaki's account, Touko Kiritani stroked her chin thoughtfully and said, "So... Shiro and the others must have gone to this meeting, right?"

Hinasaki Tsuki nodded and replied, "I think so."

"Judging from this, Xiangzi and the others will probably be there too?" Taozi asked casually, her tone relaxed.

However, she was thinking about something else. If Xiangzi really had to go to the meeting tonight, then the rehearsal would most likely be canceled. Wouldn't she be able to take the opportunity to go to the amusement park or food court downstairs from the hotel? As soon as this thought popped into her head, her mood lightened a bit.

Hinasaki thought for a moment and said naturally, "Hmm... but Sakura-san usually handles these kinds of things. Shoko-senpai always likes to leave administrative tasks to her."

Upon hearing this, Peach's smile froze slightly, and the relaxed mood she had just felt dissipated like a punctured balloon.

"That's true." She forced a nod, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn down slightly.

Hinasaki looked at everyone, cleared her throat, and asked with a hint of anticipation, "So... who would like to come with me to this meeting?"

In the end, Shiina Tatsuki sighed helplessly and said softly, "Satsuki, I'll go with you."

--------------

The elevator doors slowly opened, and Hinasaki and Riki stepped out. As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they were greeted by a huge floor plan.

Hinasaki squinted and examined the map closely, her fingertips tracing the markings on it. She made a quick estimate. "This conference room... is it that big?" she murmured in slight surprise. "It must be at least 600 square meters. That's outrageous."

Just then, another elevator door opened with a soft sound, and two familiar figures stepped out.

Kasumi Toyama walked with light steps and her signature bright smile on her face, while Arisa Ichigaya beside her dragged her feet with a habitually helpless expression on her face.

"Ah, good evening, Xiaoyue, Lixi!" Kasumi waved to the two of them, her tone as warm as ever. "You two have arrived in a long time!"

"Good evening, Kasumi-senpai, Arisaki-senpai." Shiina Tatsuki nodded slightly, her tone carrying her usual calm politeness.

Kasumi stopped, put her hands on her hips, and smiled brightly. "You guys got here so quickly! I thought I was early."

Ichigaya Arisa, standing a few steps behind, glanced at Kasumi with a hint of helplessness, then nodded as a greeting to the two of them, "Good evening, Tsukishiro, Riki."

"We just arrived not long ago," Hinasaki said with a smile, but a hint of scrutiny flashed in her eyes. "Kasumi-senpai, Arisaki-senpai, were you also called here for a meeting?"

"Okay!" Kasumi readily agreed, her tone light. "The organizers told us to choose a representative, and everyone nominated me, so I came with Arisa!"

"Do you know what to say, seniors?" Hinasaki Tsuki couldn't help but ask, her tone tinged with a hint of probing.

“I don’t know.” Ichigaya Arisa shook her head decisively. “Whether it was Rinrinko-senpai or Marina-senpai, their expressions were particularly… subtle when they asked about this.”

"Subtle?" Hinasaki frowned slightly, clearly confused by the adjective. "What does that mean?"

"Yeah, it's subtle." Arisa nodded again, as if confirming the accuracy of her word choice, then leaned forward slightly, trying to imitate a blank yet helpless expression, "That kind of... 'that's it' expression, you know?"

Hinasaki stared at Arisa's performance for a few seconds, her lips twitching: "Senpai, I think your explanation is more subtle."

Kasumi chimed in, "Arisaki's 'That's it' expression is a perfect replica! Hahaha!"

"Kasumi! Stop laughing so happily!" Ichigaya Arisa turned her head, her face flushed, her tone revealing annoyance and anger. "Besides, you don't even understand the situation yourself!"

"It's okay!" Kasumi remained relaxed, her smile as bright as a little sun. "Marina-senpai didn't tell us exactly what this PV is about, but she said—it will definitely be very kirakira, dokidoki!"

"That's exactly why I'm worried!" Arisa raised her hand and pressed her temples, her tone full of helplessness. "The Kirakira and Dokidoki you guys talk about are really difficult to deal with most of the time!"

Hinasaki stood to the side, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Kasumi and Arisa, listening to their banter that resembled a stand-up comedy routine, a subtle expression involuntarily appearing on her face.

--------------

"You guys! You're too slow!"

As soon as Hinasaki and her group pushed open the door to the conference room, they heard a slightly impatient voice. The owner of the voice was none other than Chuchu, the captain of RAISE A SUILEN, who stood in the center of the conference room with his arms crossed.

Her face was full of dissatisfaction, and the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, clearly trying to maintain her authority.

"Ah! Chuchu, long time no see!" Kasumi Toyama completely ignored the other's reproach and waved to her with a bright smile.

Chuchu was clearly caught off guard by Kasumi's reaction. Her initially aggressive stance froze, and the displeasure on her face softened slightly. She cleared her throat and awkwardly raised her chin. "Ah... um, long time no see."

The sudden softening of her tone contrasted sharply with her previous domineering demeanor. Hinasaki stood to the side, blinked slightly, and a word suddenly popped into her mind.

Female imp.

After thinking of that word and considering the other person's behavior just now, she almost couldn't help but laugh out loud, but she tried her best to maintain her composure.

She looked around the conference room and found that almost all the representatives from the various bands had arrived, and Kasumi was still talking with Chuchu.

Roselia's Hikawa Sayo and her younger sister Hikawa Hina sat together intimately. Hina was enthusiastically fiddling with her phone screen, occasionally leaning close to Sayo to show her something.

A few chairs away, Ran Mitake and Yukina sat side by side, but there was a subtle tension between them.

Aya Maruyama of pastel palettes was talking to Pareo.

Meanwhile, Shiro and Tsukushi, whom Kiritani Touko had previously mentioned as "missing," sat quietly in another corner, the atmosphere quite peaceful.

However, Hinasaki noticed something that puzzled her: the meeting room... seemed much smaller than it appeared on the diagram?

She frowned, her gaze sweeping over her surroundings. According to the diagram, the conference room on this floor should be spacious enough to accommodate hundreds of people, but the usable area of ​​the room in front of her was clearly less than half full.

What about the rest? Is it separated by some wall? Or does it have some other hidden purpose?

However, her question was soon answered.

"Is everyone here?" A clear and energetic voice rang out as Hello Happy World's Kokoro Tsurumaki pulled Misaki into the conference room, followed by a group of imposing men in black, their steps as synchronized as a secret agent squad from a movie.

Her ever-bright smile instantly became the focus of the entire room. Her gaze swept over the band members gathered in the conference room, and she said in a light tone, "Looks like everyone's here! Well then—let's begin our smiling performance meeting!"

The men in black behind Tsurumaki Shin stood still in unison. One of them took out a small remote control from his pocket and deftly pressed the button on the wall directly opposite the conference room.

"Click—"

Accompanied by a deep mechanical sound, the seemingly ordinary wall slowly sank down, revealing a room hidden behind it. The room was separated by glass and contained an exquisite miniature model of a martial arts dojo.

Lights shone down from above, perfectly showcasing every detail of the model, from the seating arrangement in the venue to the stage setup, making everything clear at a glance.

Hinasaki paused, a thought flashing through her mind: I see, no wonder the meeting room always seemed to be half missing.

"How about it? Isn't it amazing!" Kokoro Tsurumaki turned around and pointed at the model, her tone full of pride and anticipation. "We'll use this to plan the smiling performance flow for the final stage. Isn't that super cute?"

"This... is just a model, right? Why is it placed so far away?" Minato Yuuki slowly stood up, crossed her arms, and a hint of doubt lingered in her calm eyes. Her tone was as calm as ever, but her gaze was fixed on the overly "luxurious" model in front of her.

"It's not just a model."

The man in black who had been standing to the side spoke up to explain.

"This room is equipped with the latest holographic projection technology from the String Scroll Group, along with an AI system. Simply put, it can quickly and completely present the actual effect on the model based on everyone's performance ideas."

BangDream: Chapter Twenty-Five - A Discussion of the Incredibly Colorful Performance

Late at night, only the soft light reflecting off the carpet in the corridor created an atmosphere of utter tranquility.

Hinasaki and Shiina Tatsuki dragged their weary steps back, their faces bearing indescribable expressions, as if they had just experienced something that could shatter their worldview.

"Ah, Xiaoyue? Lixi?" Gao Songdeng was the first to notice their unusual behavior. She put down her book and stood up, her eyes filled with worry. "What's wrong with you two?"

"Did something happen at the meeting?" Nagasaki Motoyo also sensed something was wrong. She crossed her arms and looked at the two of them with a slight frown.

Hinasaki didn't answer, but staggered to the bedside and collapsed onto the soft mattress as if all her strength had left her, her limbs spread out in a "T" shape.

She stared at the ceiling, her voice so weak it was as if half her soul had been ripped out, "How should I put it... I guess... my worldview has been shattered."

"What?!" Aine's interest was instantly piqued. She walked to the bedside, stared at Hinasaki with wide eyes, and asked with great curiosity, "Tell me quickly, what exactly happened in the meeting?!"

Li Xi quietly pulled up a chair and sat down, arms crossed, eyes downcast, looking so tired that she didn't even have the energy to complain.

“Honestly…” Hinasaki turned over, covering her face with her hands, her voice filled with complex emotions, “If I were to start writing my autobiography now, I wouldn’t know how to describe the meeting just now.”

"A meeting that makes you feel this way... it can't be some kind of fantasy, can it?" Su Shi said half-jokingly, but there was also a hint of caution in her tone.

“A fantasy?” Xiaoyue peeked out from between her fingers, her lips twitching. “No, Su Shi, you’ve underestimated this. It’s a combination of fantasy, sci-fi blockbuster, and surrealism… with a touch of Hello Happy World style mixed in.”

One sentence stunned everyone in the room. They exchanged glances, their confusion growing.

“Okay…” Xiaoyue sat up, rubbing her forehead.

She braced herself against the bed with her hands, seemingly still trying to compose herself.

"Alright... since you're all so eager to know." She raised her head, looked around at everyone, and said with a hint of helplessness in her eyes, "Well, we still have to start from the beginning."

Li Xi leaned back in his chair and added in a slightly somber tone, "You'd better be mentally prepared."

Their tone and expressions made Su Shi frown even more. "It sounds... outrageous?"

"Outrageous? Using 'outrageous' to describe it... might not be enough." Hinasaki muttered to herself, raising one hand and gesturing in the air, as if organizing the images in her mind.

———————The dividing line of memories———————

Misaki Okusawa, looking at the puzzled crowd, explained, "This room is equipped with the latest holographic projection technology from the Genmaki Group, along with an AI system. Simply put, it can quickly and completely present the actual effect on the model based on everyone's performance ideas."

A moment of silence fell over the meeting room, as if everyone was trying to grasp the meaning of the words. Then, Roselia's Yukina Minato spoke first, her tone tinged with inquiry: "Specifically... what does it mean?"

Misaki didn't answer directly, but nodded slightly and turned to walk towards the stage model in the center of the conference room. "Instead of explaining, let's just show it to everyone."

After she stopped, she turned to look at the crowd, a relaxed smile playing on her lips. "For example..." she paused, her tone rising, "I want a Michelle to appear on stage!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a beam of light suddenly appeared on the previously quiet stage model. A few seconds later, a furry image of Michelle materialized in the center of the model. It gently swayed its arms and even waved to the audience around it.