Hiko was curious about what they were chatting about and whether they were talking behind his back.
However, he saw that they had already finished their practice and were now sitting on the ground in a circle, chatting about something.
If he went over like this, at least two or three of them would see him walk by.
It was clearly impossible to approach them unnoticed.
Hiko controlled his steps, walking silently toward the five.
"Where are you all going later?" Niino asked the others, her back facing Hiko.
Arisa also had her back to him.
Ai, Takamine, and Watanabe noticed Hiko when he walked in.
When they saw him, Hiko made a shushing gesture, putting his index finger to his lips, hoping they wouldn't alert Arisa and Niino.
"I have something to do later, so I have to go back first." Ai felt that she had just told the four members of B-Komachi that morning not to gossip behind people's backs, especially not about Hiko, so even without reminding them, they wouldn't be that foolish, would they?
After all, since her warning earlier, they hadn't brought up Hiko again.
Takamine noticed Hiko's arrival and his gesture but stayed silent.
Watanabe also saw him, but she tried to drop a hint: "Today's practice is over. Do you think Saito-sensei will come here?"
"That guy? He's been resting all day. How could he show up at this time?" Arisa replied without thinking. "Yesterday, practice was already over by now, wouldn't he know? He doesn't have any other work, nor does he need to work overtime, so there's no way he'd come to the company at this hour."
Niino listened to Arisa's reasoning and nodded in agreement. "That's right, he must be slacking off. It's only the second day after he became our coach, and he's already disappeared…"
"Exactly! That guy is so hateful." Arisa thought about how Hiko had humiliated her under the guise of training. She then said, "..."
"Cough, cough…" Ai coughed twice. She noticed that after Watanabe mentioned Hiko, Niino and Arisa had started talking about him again.
Worried that they'd speak ill of him and be overheard, she coughed twice more, trying to stop them.
"Ai, are you feeling unwell?" Niino still didn't catch the hint.
Arisa, sensing that something was off about Ai, turned her head slightly.
And when she did, she saw him standing right behind her—so suddenly that it nearly gave her a heart attack.
"Saito-sensei… how did you get here?" Arisa stammered, reaching out to tug Niino's sleeve.
"Are you trying to trick me into looking back? Am I that easy to fool?" Niino said without turning, thinking Arisa was teasing her.
But as Arisa kept tugging on her sleeve, she began to sense that it might be real, so she turned around-
"Whoa! How are you here!?" Niino exclaimed when she saw Hiko standing just two or three steps behind her, guilt flashing across her face.
"I just finished some other work and wanted to see if you were practicing seriously today," Hiko said, shaking his head with visible dissatisfaction.
"Niino, Arisa, show me the results of your practice today," Hiko ordered.
'This guy really is just like Ai said…' Arisa thought, not surprised by his tone.
"Why don't you test us all together?" Niino asked.
"Just do as I say. Don't ask so many questions," Hiko said firmly.
"Petty," Niino muttered under her breath.
But this time, she didn't object. She walked to the open area, took a deep breath, and recalled the movements.
Arisa joined her.
Both began performing the dance moves Hiko had taught them.
Hiko silently noted down every mistake.
Once they finished, he commented, "Your movements are too stiff and not standardized. Many of them are distorted."
After speaking, he demonstrated the errors he'd observed, showing the correct form with precise posture, and then instructed, "The movement should be like this."
"Understood…" Arisa and Niino didn't complain, silently memorizing Hiko's demonstration.
"The mirrors in the dance studio are there for you to check your form. Use them more. The movements I designed aren't meant to be copied exactly. If you discover better ones during practice, you can modify them, after all, you're the ones performing."
After guiding them for a while, Hiko said, "Alright, I'm not here to tutor you right now. Just keep practicing."
"Ai has secured a performance opportunity for you. In the next two days, we'll be scouting suitable venues. So, do you plan to take promotional photos now, or wait until your performance outfits are ready and wear them for the shoot?" Hiko stated one of the reasons for his visit.
Whether they believed Ai had actually secured that opportunity, well, that was up to them.
"Why does Ai have so much power?" Niino asked without thinking.
Ever since Ai became the leader, she'd felt like Ai's authority had grown.
And she had heard before that Hiko had taken Ai to visit company employees with small gifts.
Hiko paused to think.
If he answered poorly, the foundation he had built for Ai would crumble.
Takamine noticed his frown and sensed his hesitation.
If his answer upset anyone, the group's unity might fracture.
She didn't want that, so she quickly spoke up, "Maybe that's just how it is for leaders. Before, you might've thought the leader didn't have much authority because the president hadn't announced the position yet. Now that Ai's officially the leader, it just feels like she has more power."
Hiko thought her explanation was excellent and nodded in agreement.
"Is that so?" Niino said, still skeptical but not pushing further.
"Should we wait until the performance outfits are ready before taking photos?" Watanabe interjected at the right time to change the subject. "Uniform costumes would look better for promotion, wouldn't they?"
"If you all wear your performance outfits for the promotional photos, the effect will definitely be better than if you each wear different clothes," Hiko said with a nod. "However, on the day of the shoot, each of you should still prepare three sets of clothes, just in case."
"Three sets including the performance outfit?" Niino asked.
"No," Hiko replied.
"Then I agree with Watanabe," Niino said after his answer.
Hiko looked at the other three.
"I also agree with Watanabe," Arisa said when she noticed his gaze.
"Same," Takamine added.
Finally, Hiko turned to Hoshino Ai.