"Yeah, Hirosue Hichika is my older sister."
After hanging up the phone with the recording engineer regarding the schedule adjustment, I asked Airi Hirosue, "Could it be...?" and she nodded, her eyes wide with surprise as if she were the one caught off guard.
By the way, a recording engineer is the person who sets up the microphones and provides assistance during the recording process—essentially handling almost everything other than the actual performance.
In this recording pack, it seems Hichika-san will even handle the mixing.
"Everything really comes full circle, doesn't it..."
As I was marvelling at the coincidence, Sako let out a sigh with eyes showing about 0.1 millimeters of exasperation. "Anyway."
"Did Ichikawa-san's overdubbing go well?"
"Oh, right, right! Airi-san's story was so interesting that I ended up putting it aside!"
"Ahaha, that's true."
The black-haired sisters were laughing nonchalantly, even though it was about their own work.
"Want to give it a listen? It's really good."
Led by Ichikawa, who had a bit of a smug look on her face, we went back into the studio and listened to Taira-chan's audio source.
"This is great...!"
While Azuma, Sako, and I let out voices of admiration—
"Hmm, this is interesting...!"
The one whose eyes were sparkling the most was Hirosue.
"Tsubame, you... good job on this...!"
"Guddo jobu."
It wasn't that she didn't understand the meaning, but apparently thinking it was a rare way of putting it, the little Ichikawa muttered a repetition beside her.
"Is it really? I thought so too! Is it good? It's good, right! Is it the best? It's the best!!"
Whether she was happy to be praised or not, Taira-chan's responses alternated between humble expressions and boasting about her achievement.
"Well then, let's use the idea of using the boombox for the actual recording too! Tsubame, that's amazing."
"Ehehe, I'm so happy...!"
As the master and disciple were having their Yuri-Tsuba moment,
"Ah, you should probably tell Hichika about that in advance. There might be things Hichika needs to prepare on her end."
Hirosue gave us some advice.
"Oh, true. I'll call her before the actual day. Thanks."
Even so, Hirosue seems to be the type who calls her older sister by her name. Between her and my own sister, I wonder if there are surprisingly few people who normally call their siblings 'Onii-chan' or 'Onee-chan'.
"I'm the only one who says Onii-chan... Is that weird...?"
Azuma, who seemed to be thinking the same thing, was pondering with a "Hmm..."
"Anyway, you guys are lucky to have Hichika record for you."
"Is your sister also an excellent person after all?"
"Yeah. Well, rather than 'also', Hichika recorded our tracks. I gave my input, but Hichika did the mixing too."
"Is that so...!"
That means we'll be recorded by the same person who did that track I heard yesterday...!
"As for the performance itself, I asked Hichika's friends, who are studio musicians, to do it."
"So that's how it was."
A studio musician is a musician who doesn't belong to a specific band but supports various musicians. If you think of a solo artist and the people playing behind them, most of them are studio musicians.
"I mean, right! That's why I came here. If I don't work with high schoolers, I can't enter Seishun Rebellion!"
Hirosue, who seemed to have remembered her purpose, raised her voice excitedly, leaning forward.
"Ah, that's right."
"It's not 'that's right'! So, when is your recording scheduled for?"
"It's the weekend after next, but why?"
When I recalled the content of the phone call and told her, Hirosue crossed her arms and let out a huff. The way this person moves is so 2D-like.
"I see. If you'll accept this deal, I'll have my session on the same day."
"No, but that's our free voucher..."
"I'll obviously pay for the extra time. Who do you think I am?"
"Eh, are you rich?"
"I'm not rich! My YouTube isn't even monetized!"
For some reason, Hirosue glared at me threateningly with a 'Grr' expression.
"It's not that, I'm saying I can take care of my own business! Recording takes a surprising amount of time just to set up and pack away the mics. Like two hours for both."
"Two hours!?"
"Yes. But that time is also included in the recording time. In other words, it costs the same as when you're actually recording. So, if the people playing are the same, it's cheaper and faster to do it together rather than on separate days."
She leaned her face close to mine and held up her index finger.
"It's precisely because I'm not rich that I'm proposing this."
"I see..."
"Are you impressed?"
Hirosue had a triumphant look. No, it's the first time I've ever heard someone say 'Are you impressed' (omisore) in the real world. It was heartwarming to realize how much of Hirosue's vocabulary is derived from 2D media.
"So, yeah... Think about it by next Monday. Even then, it should be plenty of time for Takuto-san and the bassist-senpai. Once you've decided, come to Class 1-5. I'm always there."
"A-Ah. Got it, I'll decide by then."
I nodded, flinching at the mysterious trust and evaluation. I mean, you're always there? You have the presence of a final boss.
"Make sure you come, okay? If you don't, it's the death penalty!"
...It was heartwarming to realize how much of Hirosue's vocabulary is derived from 2D media. (For the second time.)