Episode 14 - Step by Stage! ~ I Can't Believe I'm the Leader of a Dance Circle! ~...

Episode 14 "Growing Expectations, Impatience, and a Miraculous Rock Part Reorganization!"

1. the mode just before the festival heats up even more

　The university campus was filled with the kind of excitement that only a school festival can generate. Signs for bake sales and posters of stage programs filled the corridors.
"We only have about 10 more days, not two more weeks ....... ......
　I lead circle activities as a leader.Koharu SakuraiIn the morning between homerooms, I look at my schedule book. In the morning, in between homerooms, I glance at my schedule book and see that it is filled with plans and tasks. My heart is racing with a mixture of impatience and anticipation.

　In this mood, I visited the dance circle practice room after school, where the members were beginning to gather.yaoqin (4-stringed Chinese lute), ,cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), ,flight, ,true reasonThe participants in the first group and the novice group were all stretching restlessly.
He said, "All right, guys!　Today we want to find out the final form of the rock part and we also want to go through each part. Let's make good use of our practice time!"
　When I raise my voice, a spirited "Oh! the spirited response of "Oh! However, each of them must have mixed feelings in their hearts.

Makoto's ankle, a miracle recovery?

　In the past few days, **Makoto Sato** has been cleared by her doctor for rehabilitation and has begun to move her leg, albeit cautiously. The pain from the sprain seems to have subsided considerably, and he has gradually begun to show signs of taking steps.
Yesterday, I went to the hospital and they said, 'You're recovering well. Depending on my rehabilitation, I may be able to make it to the show!"
　When Makoto speaks vividly, people around her say, "Oh! and everyone around her was excited. The rock part of the group was especially excited, saying, "Makoto's presence makes all the difference, doesn't it! and looked at them expectantly.

　However, he is not completely back to normal yet. It is not clear whether he can do the big jumps and hard rotations he did before the training camp, and there is still only 10 days left until the day of the competition. Makoto himself repeats, "I can't do anything reckless yet.
　So Shizuku and I decided to "keep the basic Plan B (Sho & Saki are the main players), but try to participate partially where Makoto can move energetically" - so to speak **"Plan C "** in earnest. Shizuku decided to try **"Plan C "** in earnest.

3. three rock parts! First trial operation

　Time to practice the rock part as soon as possible. **Sho Ohtaniand beginner groups.Saki Nakamura** begins to dance in the center. Makoto is in the back of the group, watching the action and gradually joining the formation toward the chorus.
Five, six, seven, eight!"
　Sho and Saki exchanged introductory choreography, to which Makoto quickly joined in from the side. Makoto stepped into the scene without overdoing it, but her sharpness was still there, and the "heat" in her movements was back.

　After dancing for a while, Makoto steps one step higher in the final chorus. The jump was still low, but it conveyed the "character" of the song. Sho was excited, saying, "Oh, Makoto, that's amazing! and Saki was happy as well, saying, "You're really powerful, senpai! Saki was also happy.

　When the music stops after the practice, the members around them applaud and mouth off their impressions.
Each of the three of them has a different groove to them, and they're all very funny! Sho's comical, Saki's serious, and Makoto's power all mixed together!"
It might somehow have a different appeal than the old Makoto one-man rock part: ......!"

　Makoto chuckled, a little out of breath. 'I'm not completely pain-free yet, but it's still fun ...... when I can move! Her eyes light up. Just by looking at her expression, I feel a surge of excitement.

4. a lot of work on costumes, lighting, and final adjustments

　Meanwhile, **Mayu Suzuki** is busy making final checks for the festival stage as the costume and accessories supervisor.
'I may be a little short on stock of hair ornaments for the K-Pop part! If you want to buy more, you'll have to pay for shipping. ......"
'Paint on the arms for the disco part, you want to use it even if the darkening is short, right? But depending on the color of the lighting, it might not stand out. ......"

　I'm not going to go along with Mayu who is flabbergasted.flightand several beginner groups. Trial and error continued as they searched for accessories on the Internet and tried dimming the lights in the circle room.
　I want to make sure that the audience gets a sense of the production, and not just a self-aggrandizement!"
　Seeing Mayu's enthusiasm, I want to help somehow, but I myself can't keep my hands off the rock part and overall coordination.
"Yeah, Mayu can put it all together for you at ......! Give me a shout if you need any help!"
　When I said this, Mayu said, "Okay, I'll do my best! I'll do my best for one more step!" and a big smile on her face.

5. additional contact with sound staff, temporary testing in practice room

　A few days later,Rika AoyamaA senior gave me some additional information about "backstage volume testing. He said that when the stage crew brings the equipment into the on-campus equipment room the week before the festival, if there is enough room, it may be possible to do a short test.
"It's not a full-scale rehearsal, but there may be a chance to play part of the medley in a similar volume environment to that of the day: ......! But I'm told I can't make any promises."
　Rika-senpai said apologetically, but as far as we are concerned, if there is even the slightest chance of success, we would like to ask for it. Sho also snorted, "I'd like to give it a try, even if it's just a "one chance"! Sho also sniffs, "I'd like to try it, even if it's just a 'one chance'!

　Thus, with less than 10 days to go until the main festival,Acoustic rehearsal timeThe team chases after small hopes to somehow make up for the almost complete lack of Even in the practice room, they bring in equipment and continue to conduct a series of temporary tests.

6. unexpected rival declarations of the novice group?

　A male member of the beginners' group, **Takuya Sasaki**, who heard a rumor that the rock part of the group was about to settle on a "three-person team," seems to be strangely excited.
I'm going to stand out even more in the disco part!"
　Apparently, inspired by Saki's "rock part as the center," she felt a strong desire to "make an impact on stage too! I want to make an impact on stage, too!

　ディスコパートでの中心は翔だが、拓也はアクロバットまでいかないまでも軽いトリックを研究中とのこと。「俺も何か新技を披露したい」などと言い出し、真琴に「無茶すんなよ！」と突っ込まれる場面も。
　ふと私は、「こういう前向きな競争が初心者組の活性化に繋がるんだな」と感じる。合宿前は自信なさげだった拓也まで、ここまでやる気を出してくれるのは嬉しい限りだ。

7. 三人体制でのロックパート、全体通し練習！

　そして迎えた週末。文化祭前の全体通し練習が行われることになった。これはほぼ本番に近い形で、メドレーを最初から最後まで踊り、衣装・フォーメーション・音響（練習室レベル）を総チェックする重要な日だ。
　集まったメンバーは20人以上。初心者組も全員そろい、合宿を思い出すような熱量に包まれている。
「それじゃあ、ロックパート→クールパート→K-POPパート→ディスコパート、最後に集合ポーズ。通しでいくよ！」
　私がノートパソコンの再生ボタンを押すと、スタジオにロックのイントロが鳴り響く。

　First.翔＆咲が掛け合いをしながら踊り出し、途中で真琴が合流する“三人体制”。真琴は足首をかばいつつもしっかり動き、やはり“熱量”が段違いに上がった。咲も「先輩に負けない！」という気迫が見え、翔はコミカルと男らしさを巧みに混ぜながらリズムを刻む。
　「おお……なんか凄い！」
　見守る初心者組やシズクたちが口をそろえてつぶやく。個性の違う3人が絶妙なバランスで混じり合っていて、新鮮なインパクトがある。

　クールパートではシズクを中心に、カウントバッチリのシャープな動き。K-POPパートは真由と初心者女子が可愛く舞い踊り、ディスコパートでは翔、拓也ら男子組が華やかなノリで引っ張る。
　最後の集合ポーズまで息が途切れず、全体の一体感を感じられる仕上がりだ。踊り終わるとスタジオは拍手と笑い、そして達成感に包まれた。

　「すごい、だいぶ完成度上がったね！」
　私が興奮気味に言うと、真由が「これで本番の音響と照明が合えば最高だよね……」と期待を込めた声を出す。シズクは「細かいズレはあるけど、合宿前に比べたら見違えるほど」と冷静に評価。初心者組はハイタッチし合い、翔は汗を拭きながら「ひっさびさにこんなに踊った！」と笑っている。

　そして、真琴は少しばかり息を切らしながらも、「足、痛みはちょっとあるけど、踊れるレベルだ。あとは本番までにどれだけ慣れるかだな……」とほっとした表情を見せた。

8. トラブルの種、足りないステージ裏スタッフ？

　全体通し練習の後、ふとRika Aoyama先輩から連絡が入る。「ステージ裏で人手が足りないらしく、運営スタッフをサークルから一人出してほしい、と実行委員会が言ってる」とのこと。
「えー、出演者なのに裏方スタッフまでやらなきゃいけないの？」
　私が困惑していると、先輩は申し訳なさそうに声を落とす。
「ステージ出演団体が多すぎて、裏方が回らなくなってるんだって。よかったらサークル内で誰か手が空いてる人いないかな……？」

　しかし、うちはロック・クール・K-POP・ディスコとほぼ全メンバーが出演するし、初心者組も含めて踊らない人がいない。ただ、OBやOGが手伝いに来てくれるわけでもなく、難しい状況だ。
「どうしよう……せっかく通し練習がうまくいったのに、裏方の人手が足りないからなんて理由でステージの準備に支障が出るのは嫌だし」
　私は悩みつつも、一旦サークルLINEで事情を説明し、誰か協力できる人を募ることにした。すると、意外なことに咲が名乗りをあげた。

咲：私、ロックパートと他のパートの間には休憩時間あるし、出番の合間なら少しだけ裏方に回ることもできるかもです！
小春：え、大丈夫？ せっかく初心者組センターやってるのに負担じゃない？
咲：いえ、ステージを成功させたい気持ちは同じなので……何とか頑張ります！

　頼もしさに感動する反面、彼女に負担をかけすぎかも、と心配もある。しかし現実的に“踊らない人”がいない以上、咲の申し出を受けるしかないかもしれない。

epilogue

　こうして、いろいろな問題が浮上しつつも、ロックパートの三人体制のメドレーはほぼ形になり、サークル内のムードは最高潮に近い。足首を回復させた真琴が再びエースの輝きを放ち始め、翔・咲との化学反応で新しいロックパートが誕生した。初心者組やディスコパートも負けじと気合十分。

　しかし、まだ実際のステージでのリハーサル時間は短いまま、裏方スタッフも不足気味でトラブルが起こるかもしれない。衣装や照明が万全に機能するかも不透明だ。
　何より、1か月前は足首を痛めていた真琴が本当に本番でフルパワーを出せるかどうか――ギリギリまでわからない。本人がどこまで頑張るのか、そして周りがどうフォローするのか。期待と不安が入り混じり、メンバーそれぞれの想いが高まっていく。

　文化祭まで、あと10日。
　最終的な形がようやく見え始めたとはいえ、何が起こるかわからないのがステージの怖さでもある。私はリーダーとして、最後まで気を抜かずに仲間を見守り、調整し、そして自分自身も踊りの完成度を上げる必要がある。
「もう、一人で全部なんて抱えきれないよ……でも、みんながいるから大丈夫、きっと！」
　そう自分に言い聞かせつつ、あふれる不安を抱えながらも、私は踏み出す。ステージに近づくための残り10日、最高のステップを刻むために――。