541 - I Was Genderswapped and Reincarnated as a Villainess, but I’m Making this My Personal Yuri Game

April 14th, Sunday—today, all the band members had gathered at the Konoe Production Studio. It was the day before their concert and from tomorrow, they would perform for three consecutive days. Our band had been chosen for the inaugural concert of the small halls constructed in each department. Tomorrow, we'll play for the elementary department, the day after for the middle, and on the third day, for the high school department's small hall. For all three days, the afternoon classes in each department were completely canceled for the concert. It was a large-scale event where even parents who wished to attend could do so, resulting in a considerable audience size. Though the students of each department were required to attend, whether they wanted to or not, the rate of parental participation, from those who expressed interest in advance, seemed to be nearly one hundred percent. Moreover, that nearly one hundred percent referred to participation by both parents. Apparently, it's assured that some family will attend. Only a tiny fraction features one parent or grandparents, while most families would have both parents, and, in many cases, even grandparents or siblings—all participating together. Well, for noble families, such social gatherings were akin to their work. It was only natural to have at least one, preferably both parents attend these events, to socialize and be seen, and thus build connections. Still, it felt a bit strange that so many families would participate collectively, including even the grandparents and siblings. One could greet and make connections even if at least one parent attended, so the involvement of grandparents and siblings seemed unnecessary. Perhaps there's some significant event I'm unaware of, which could be the only reason for families to attend en masse. "It's finally tomorrow!" "Let's do our best!" "Yes, indeed. Let's not overthink it; let's just be ourselves." "Yes!" Everyone was filled with enthusiasm. I thought someone might get too anxious or nervous, but there was no sign of that. They all seemed confident and at ease, a testament to their capabilities. While I was still a little anxious, everyone in the group was remarkably composed. Maybe for them, this concert wasn't much different from their usual music recitals. Those who learned piano or violin naturally had experience from playing at such events. I wasn't familiar with such large-scale recitals, having learned music a different way, but for them, these events weren't unusual, hence there was no reason for nerves. "Impressive as always, Sakuya-sama!" "Indeed. Sakuya-chan's confidence keeps us all calm." "Just following Sakuya-chan fills us with confidence!" While heading towards their respective instruments, they exchanged encouragements. It was impressive how they could remain so composed and cheerful. I couldn't help but feel tense about what lay ahead, but their calmness was admirable. "Alright, let's do a complete rehearsal one last time!" "Yes!" When our instructor said this, everyone's expressions tightened. I couldn’t see all their faces sitting at the piano on the side, but even so, the confidence that permeated the room was palpable. "Approach this as if it's the real performance! Let's begin!" At the cue from the instructor, we started a rehearsal that was to mimic the actual performance. Even if someone made a mistake, we continued without stopping, just like in the real concert. We recovered seamlessly from any errors, ensuring the flow of the performance. A few made minor mistakes, but as a group, we managed to run through without major issues. "Well... I'd say it meets the passable mark." "Thank you!" Our instructor wasn't rigid enough to demand perfection. I would've received immediate criticism for even a single mistake, but he was lenient towards the other members, almost like a doting grandfather. "I'll provide feedback individually. Meanwhile, each of you should do a final check." "Yes!" And so, the instructor went around giving individualized advice. I couldn't hear exactly what was being said over the sound of others playing their instruments, but the atmosphere seemed friendly and positive. Finally, he came over to me. "Sakuya." "Yes!" I stood a little straighter, nerves kicking in as I anticipated his critique. "You made two mistakes in the rehearsal earlier." "Yes..." His hearing was unnaturally sharp. To pick up on my minor errors amid all that sound—he’s not human! I half-expected a stern lecture... "Sakuya, you are the heart of this band. A slip from you could disrupt the entire group. Your mood influences the entire band’s performance. You've done all you can up to this point. Be confident for tomorrow. Your recovery after today's mistakes was commendable. Keep that up from tomorrow onwards." "—Yes! Thank you!" He praised me. Maybe it's because he didn't want to destroy my confidence right before the actual performance, but receiving such words from him is rare. Perhaps I can say my grueling practice over the past year has finally borne fruit. "Hmm... Just testing out giving some praise, and this is the result... Tricky..." As he stroked his chin, he seemed to be smiling with his eyes narrowed. Surely, he was pleased with his pupil's growth. I'll do my best tomorrow! "Good work, everyone. It seems we're all set." "Hello, Konoe-sama." As everyone was doing their final checks after the rehearsal, the Konoe Mother entered the studio. Whether she had been listening from somewhere, I wasn't sure. We hadn't seen her before starting, so she might have arrived later, or perhaps she was listening secretly. "Say, Sakuya-chan, let's produce a DVD and BD of this concert. I bet they’ll sell tremendously well." "Konoe-sama... While it’s true that we are affiliated with Konoe Production, we haven't surrendered all the rights to our music or video content to them." "I understand... That's why I'm here asking, right? Please? Wouldn't it be great?" Sheesh... We did end up reluctantly joining Konoe Production, but that didn’t mean our music’s rights were theirs—the rights remained with the instructor and his apprentices. Moreover, they couldn’t just capture and distribute our footage without consent. In a typical talent agency, they'd probably seize all image rights the moment you sign, but our agreement was different. "Of course, it’s not okay... If you keep pushing this, we might have to reconsider our contract..." "Wait, wait! We don't have to sell them! You see, I just want them for myself! Like before, just make a limited edition for stakeholders! Only a hundred copies! What do you think? They’ll be non-commercial and distributed solely to the interested parties. Isn’t that alright?" "Well..." Hmm... When it's put that way, a part of me thinks it'd be nice to have something as a keepsake. Though having it mass-produced and sold to strangers would be problematic, having a tangible memory with everyone feels appealing. As embarrassing as it is, if we're performing a concert, the embarrassment is already there... "You guys would love to have the concert footage as a memory, right? It'd be wonderful to have it packaged beautifully and distributed among everyone, wouldn't it?" "Yes! I'd love that!" "Me too!" The fifth-graders swiftly fell for Konoe Mother's words, and as the idea of a limited, non-commercial distribution for acquaintances sank in, even my classmates were swept up in agreement. They're giving in far too easily to Konoe Mother. She's the last person you should trust... Yet, now that everyone seemed on board, it was too late for me alone to object. Gradually, they all warmed up to the idea of having memories captured in another DVD/BD set, just like before. "Now, Sakuya-chan. It seems everyone is eager to have this memory set. Surely you can agree to it too, right?" "......Fine. I understand..." She got me... This is exactly why dealing with Konoe Mother is troublesome. She approaches things methodically, catering to both the nice and not-so-nice aspects. Ultimately, she’s relentless in achieving her goals, a mix of persistence and occasional flexibility that’s vexing. "Well, it’s not all bad, Sakuya-chan." "That's right. It means everything will be properly managed!" "That's... true..." I nodded in response to Satsuki and Azami’s words. Being part of Konoe Production meant they also managed our rights. To be specific, for example, if we weren't affiliated with a production, anyone could film our concert and share it without much consequence. Although there were portrait rights, no one's been penalized for sharing videos from children's concerts or recitals. However, since we're associated and the production holds the rights, unauthorized recordings or distribution can indeed lead to legal action. For an ordinary person, such a video might not be considered a 'product,' limiting claims to privacy rights. However, for talent affiliated with an agency, it’s a 'product' with attached rights and profits. Considering these factors, joining Konoe Production hasn’t been entirely disadvantageous. Previously, even when attempts were made to release pirated data, people from Konoe handled them promptly, and they will similarly manage the upcoming concert. Before admission, they’ll ensure no cameras are brought in, and anyone seen recording during the performance will be escorted out immediately. Even if someone manages to record successfully, the people at Konoe will detect any attempt to disseminate the footage and take proper action. "Exactly! So leave the filming and editing of tomorrow’s footage to us! We’ll make a fantastic set!" "Whoa!" While everyone applauded happily, I remained somewhat reluctant. But it’s already been decided that Konoe Production will handle the set production. They promised not to let it leak, and they've efficiently managed prior footage. At this point, there's no choice but to trust them. "Let's move on to the final checks then!" "Alright!" Although the rehearsal had ended, everyone was relentless in doing final checks until they were satisfied. --- Monday morning involved regular classes. But we were exempted from the fourth-period class. While the concert was in the afternoon, attending the fourth-period class and then heading straight to the concert after lunch wasn’t feasible. Considering preparations, it wouldn’t have been unreasonable to be excused all morning. "I'm starting to feel a little nervous." "Yeah, me too..." Since we were excused from the fourth period, we decided to have an early lunch. It wasn’t ideal to eat just before the concert, so we opted for a light meal. Skipping a meal given the concert runs all afternoon wasn’t an option. But overeating right before wouldn’t help either, so an early light meal seemed best. "Be confident, everyone. Just perform as you always do in practice." Though everyone appeared confident during yesterday's final rehearsal, the impending real performance was making them understandably anxious. Even if I'm not entirely confident myself, as an adult male mentally, I needed to encourage and boost everyone's spirits... "Right!" "Yeah, let’s do our best!" "Just like we always do!" "Let’s go!" "Yeah!" They quickly regained their confident expressions and let out a cheer. They truly are amazing. If I were the same age in my past life, I’d surely be trembling with nerves at the thought of performing before such a large audience. Despite my past life experience helping me stay relatively calm, I can't project confidence like they do. Perhaps it's the invincibility of youth at play. Children often believe they can do anything, facing all challenges with full confidence. Adults, on the other hand, gauge their limits based on experiences and draw boundaries, deciding upon a perceived measure of their capabilities. Yet as kids, they might continue onward without self-imposed limits, reaching further than they imagine. Watching everyone, I felt like I had received a dose of courage and confidence myself. Normally, as the mentally adult figure, I should be the one leading everyone... but here we are turned upside down. Still... "Thank you, everyone... Now that we've come this far, let's make sure we succeed!" "Yes!" As we prepared for the inaugural small hall concert series, starting today for three consecutive days, we knew there was no looking back. --- **Navigation** - Previous Chapter - Next Chapter - Table of Contents - Bookmark - Write a Review To use the bookmark feature, please log in. 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