I headed to the closest place in Saitama I had marked on the map: the café Professor Fuku and I had eaten at the previous day. I stepped inside. It didn't have a proper spot to function as a stage, but the chairs and tables could be arranged to allow it.

I approached the counter, where two barista robots served the people.

"Good afternoon, sir. Do you wish to order?" the robot in front of me asked in a masculine voice.

"No, thanks. I'm looking for the manager. Are they here?"

"Our most sincere apologies if we made a mistake. You can tell us what happened and we'll fix it right away."

"Nothing happened. I have a business proposal and want to talk with them directly."

"Understood. I'll ask if he's available."

The robot and I stood still in silence for a few seconds before it talked again.

"He has agreed to meet with you. Please go through that door, then head left and knock on the first door on the right."

"Got it. Thanks."

"You are welcome."

I was able to open the door and step inside. It was a narrow hallway with a few doors. I followed the robot's instructions and walked to the left until I was in front of the first door. I knocked and a man answered,

"Come in."

I stepped into a small office. It had no windows and its decoration was minimalist. On the other side of the room, the manager sat at a desk with a computer. He looked around fifty.

"Hello. Please take a seat."

"Thank you."

He seems nice.

I walked to one of the two chairs in front of the desk and sat down.

"You look rather young to be making business proposals, kid. But that's no reason to reject someone. What is your offer?" he smiled.

I should refer to the group as a band, to avoid confusion.

"Sure. I'm the manager of a band and we are looking for a place to perform at. I've come to this café many times and I think it's a great place that fits perfectly for the group style."

"And what style is that?"

Good, he seems curious.

"Cute, colorful, and wholesome. It will give a nice mood to the customers."

"Interesting. You'll gain popularity and we'll get more customers."

"Exactly."

Looks like I got him.

"And how popular is this band? Are there any videos I can watch or social media I can read?"

"We haven't performed publicly yet. This will be the first time and it will be a great opportunity for us as well as for your business."

"Because?"

"You will be known as the café that gave us the opportunity to become famous."

His expression quickly turned into a frown.

Uh oh.

"If your band turns out to be bad, it will endanger the café's reputation. They won't trust us anymore. And I can't trust you blindly. I'm sorry, kid."

"Please, just give us one chance—"

"Believe me, I'd really like to give an entrepreneur the opportunity, but I can't this time. Let's not make this harder for us."

Upset for a moment, I calmed down. His expression showed compassion.

"Sure, I understand. Thank you for receiving me."

I stood up and turned around to walk to the door.

I was so close…

"Kid," the manager called. "Come back after your band has done a few performances. Make sure they are great."

"I will."

Disappointed, I walked out and exited the café. I wasn't going to let one failure get to me, so I headed to the next business a couple of minutes away. It was a bar, not very suitable for a cute band, but it looked like a nice place and it had a small stage. The majority of the people there looked around twenty-five, which I read was the average age of an idol fan.

I asked the bartender robot to see the manager, but it was more hesitant to ask than the barista robots. I managed to convince it after a few tries and I was allowed into the back. I knocked on the office's door and a man answered,

"Come in." He sounded less friendly than the previous manager.

I stepped inside. Before even closing the door, he continued speaking.

"What do you want?"

He hasn't even looked at me. He's looking at the computer.

"Good afternoon. I'm the manager of a band and we are looking for a place to perform at. It will be—"

"How popular is the band?"

He doesn't have good manners, huh?

"We haven't performed publicly yet—"

"I'm not interested. Have a nice day."

He still hasn't looked at me!

"Please, it will be a great opportunity—"

Menacingly, he finally looked at me. "I'm going to call security if you don't get out."

Tch. He's doing me a favor.

Responding with a frown, I walked out of the bar and headed to the next place. In short, the managers of the following ten businesses were as nice as the first manager or as disrespectful as the second one; there was no middle point. Some didn't even receive me.

Defeated, I returned to the dance studio with the girls. As soon as I opened the door, Astra ran towards me.

"Kaito, did you find a venue?!" she beamed.

"I didn't."

Her grin instantly vanished. "Sorry! I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

I sighed. "Astra, try not to apologize for everything, okay?"

"Sorry—I mean, okay. I'll try my best."

"Good. And don't worry, I'll find a place soon."

"I told you it was going to be hard," Sanae said as she approached us.

"Yeah, maybe I was a bit too naive. I always am. But I won't give up."

"That's the spirit," she smirked.

Risa approached. "Can I suggest a place?"

"Sure."

I didn't like the idea, but it was logical and probably the best chance we had.

Hesitant, I left the building and headed to the Trading District, where Kiku's café was. I stepped inside and she—standing behind the counter—immediately recognized me.

"Mr. Manager. What brings you here? Did the girls already break your heart?" she smirked.

This is why I didn't want to come.

"Kiku, can I ask you a favor?"

She seemed confused. "Sure. Unless it's about how to get the girls' hearts. I won't allow that."

"And I don't want that. We are looking for a place to perform at. I already asked many businesses. I must admit this one was far from the top of my list."

"I can see why they rejected you if that's how you treat them. Were they in Saitama?"

I nodded.

"Of course they won't let you perform, you're a nobody. And you don't like this district, so you didn't even think about the businesses here."

"I had marked a couple, but they were at the bottom of the list."

After a brief moment of silence, she continued, "Sure, you can perform here."

"Really?"

"I'm doing it for the girls."

"Thank you, Kiku! I could hug you right now."

"Get any closer and I'll kick your head off."

Lovely as always.

"I was kidding. Except for the thank you."

"I didn't know Mr. Erudite had a sense of humor."

She just changed my nickname.

"No problem," she continued. "But let me warn you, not many people come here anyway. And the ones that do aren't the easiest to please. Also, the place is not prepared for any kind of show at all."

That's good to hear…

"Are you up for the challenge? Do you think you'll be able to pull it off?"

"Of course. Don't you trust in your rude dames?"

She smirked. "Good answer. How are they, by the way? Have you been treating them nicely?"

"They seem very happy."

"They are fulfilling their dream; of course they are happy. You can't imagine how relieving it is for me. And probably for Butcher too. They haven't had the easiest of childhoods. But that's for them to tell you."

"Yeah. When can they perform?"

"Whenever you want."

"What is the most crowded day?"

"Sunday."

"Let's do it this Sunday, then. Can I hang a poster on the front window?"

"Go ahead. But I don't have any more signs. You'll have to use your own or print it."

"Got it. Kiku, thank you for the opportunity. Really. I assure you it's going to help your business as well. We'll attract many more customers, so be ready to get a lot of work."

"Now, now. Don't get sentimental on me. The girls trust you, so I trust your words, Mr. Manager."