Like Mashiro wrote in her blog, the stage was good. All five of us. Standing up there, I caught a few moments when I looked sideways and thought, "hm, that's a face I don't usually see." More than a few times, actually.

But what I want to write about today is what came before that.

During rehearsal, I spent the whole time thinking about monitor balance. The venue was one we hadn't used before. The ceiling was lower than I expected, and I couldn't predict how the low end would bounce. Hinata's voice cuts through, so I pulled it back slightly. Shizuku's tends to get buried, so I pushed her forward. Aine's best range sits in the mids — I wanted those to land clearly. Ruka is steady enough that I didn't need to do much there.

That's what was running in my head the whole time before doors opened.

I went over it with the PA, walked onstage a few times myself to check by ear. The sound is different at center, at stage right, at stage left. You can't make it perfect everywhere, so you decide what to prioritize. This time, I aimed for the people standing in the middle.

During the show — even while singing my own parts — some part of my brain is always listening to everyone else. It's just a habit at this point. If someone's mic had an issue, I'd probably catch it first. This time, nothing happened. I was relieved.

There were a few moments when all five voices lined up cleanly.

When that happens mid-show, I forget, just for a second, that I'm also managing things. I think "that was good" and move into the next bar. As a producer and as a performer — that's when it feels the best.

That's probably why we do live shows.

As for being called "most reliable" in the talk corner — I'd rather not get into that. It's appreciated. It's also embarrassing.

After the show, while packing up the equipment, I listened back to part of the day's recording. I do that every time — to take notes for the next setup. But this time, I think I listened a little longer than usual.

Five people becoming one thing — it's different every time. Same song, same stage, it's still different every time. So next time too, I want to keep my ears open for it.

That's what that event was.

— Rei