He glanced at the clock. It hadn't even been three hours since the previous group had left. Still, he gestured toward the booth while setting aside his current project. When that group finished, another followed. Then another.
One by one, groups came in to record their songs, watching as Reiji worked without pause.
By the time it reached 10 p.m., five groups had recorded. He had already finished mixing the first three songs, including the one from the day before, and was midway through the fourth when hunger finally caught up to him.
He stood slowly, his legs stiff and unsteady after sitting all day. Setting his headphones down on the chair, he grabbed his wallet from his bag and left the room. A vending machine stood nearby.
He walked up to it and scanned the options. A large bag of Vela Chips caught his eye, at a price of two dollars. At the very bottom sat several cans of coffee. He inserted five dollars, pressed the button for the chips, then studied the remaining coffee choices as the screen displayed his balance. He squat down and saw that there were four options.
"I heard from the others that the hazelnut flavour taste horrible." The gentle, almost floaty voice came from behind him, making Reiji flinch.
He turned quickly and found himself facing the girl he had seen in the elevator. Green hair framed her face, wooden horns rising softly from her head. She was dressed differently now, a cream-colored cardigan layered over a white blouse with a small purple bow, paired with a dark high-waisted skirt and a black corset lined with white stripes. Around her neck rested a dark choker, adorned with a tiny heart charm.
"What would you recommend then?" Reiji asked, standing up.
"Personally, I prefer tea over coffee," the woman replied with a slight smile before continuing, "May I ask why you're still here?"
"I have to finish the music, and I needed the recording room," he explained while looking over the remaining three flavours.
"What about you? I thought all the talents had already headed home." He reached for the taro-flavoured coffee.
"I had a 3D stream today, so I needed some equipment from the office," she said, watching as he picked up the can.
"Well, as much as I'd enjoy talking longer, I need to get back to work. It was nice talking to you, Ms...?" His tone lifted at the end, clearly unsure of her name.
"Fauna," she replied gently. "What's your name?"
"Reiji," he answered immediately, bowing slightly before turning toward the recording room.
"Wait—before you go..."
He paused.
"I just wanted to thank you for your hard work," Fauna said, her voice soft with concern. "And please don't push yourself too hard. If it becomes too much, that's okay. As long as you tried... this task you're doing.... I know it isn't easy."
Reiji turned back to her. Though his eyes were tired, there was a quiet fire burning behind them.
"I won't allow myself to fail," he said firmly. "The fans and the talents, people like you, have already put so much effort into making this event possible. I won't allow it to fail just because someone refused to take responsibility."
Fauna fell silent, struck by the determination in his voice.
After a moment, she hesitated before asking, "Um... have the others been treating you well?"
"They have, I think?" Reiji answered honestly, sounding slightly confused.
"That's good to hear..." She looked down at the floor. "Listen, um... Uuuuu..."
Reiji understood before she could finish. After hearing how every group asked him how they should sing, the situation was clear enough.
"I don't mind," he said gently. "I'm not here to force anyone into my style. I just want the fans to feel the effort you all put into entertaining them."
Fauna's eyes widened slightly. Most engineers they worked with demanded strict styles and endless retakes.
She smiled, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Then I can't wait to hear the final results. My group might come to record in three days."
"In that case, I suppose I'll see you then." Reiji glanced at the clock on the wall, it read 10:18 p.m.
"I should get back to work. Thank you for the talk, Ms. Fauna."
He headed toward the recording room. Fauna waved, and he returned the gesture before closing the door behind him.
He opened the chips, sat down, and got back to work.
He didn't sleep that night. By the time he was adding the final touches to the fifth song, another group of talents entered the studio.
Today was even busier than yesterday. When he checked his files, there were already five more recordings, and it was only the third day. With no time to eat properly, he changed his clothes, grabbed more coffee from the vending machine, and returned to mixing.
By morning, two more groups came to record. Reiji's stomach was finally giving up to hunger. Knowing chips wouldn't be enough, he contacted Yagoo to ask about a cafeteria.
He put the phone down while it was still ringing and continued mixing the songs. He had left it on loudspeaker, so when Yagoo answered, his voice filled the room.
"Hey, how's it coming along?" Yagoo asked.
"It's coming along..." Reiji took off his headphones and let them rest around his neck. "Is there a cafeteria in the building?"
"Oh, right. I'm sorry, I forgot to mention it," Yagoo replied, sounding genuinely apologetic. "It should be on the third floor."
"Alright, thank you." Reiji ended the call and grabbed his wallet from the table.
He entered the elevator, pressed the button for the third floor, then leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. Even a few seconds of rest felt better than nothing. The gentle hum of the elevator lulled him into a light doze.
The chime snapped him awake.
When the doors opened, he stepped out and scanned the floor until he spotted the serving counter. He headed toward it, then slowed when he noticed a vending machine off to the side. He stopped, turned back, and approached it.
A cup noodle vending machine.
Reiji stood there with his arms crossed, debating. A bento would take time to prepare, but cup noodles only needed hot water. After a few seconds, he made his choice.
He scanned the options, found his favourite flavour, and checked the price. Three dollars. He pulled out a ten-dollar bill, fed it into the machine, and pressed the button three times. The cups dropped down, followed by a single dollar in change.
He picked them up, glanced around again, and spotted the hot water station. While the water heated, he checked the time on his phone. Three minutes later, he poured hot water into all three cups.
When Reiji returned to the recording room, he heard voices.
He opened the door to find another group waiting for him.
"Oh, there he is," one of the girls with short blue hair said into her phone. "Yeah, Yagoo, he just got back."
Reiji set the cup noodles on the table. "Sorry, I went to grab food. Let's start recording."
He reached for his headphones, but someone spoke up before he could put them on.
"No, it's okay," said the girl with long dark purple hair streaked with blonde. "You can eat first."
"It's fine," Reiji replied with a soft, reassuring smile.
The blonde-haired girl still looked concerned. "Are you sure?"
"Don't worry," he said as he slipped the headphones on. "I can eat while mixing later."
In the blink of an eye, the recording room filled with half-drunk cups of coffee. The cup noodles Reiji had bought were eaten slowly, often forgotten entirely as his focus stayed locked on the audio in front of him. By the sixth day, however, his pace had noticeably slowed. His eyelids felt unbearably heavy, his thoughts dull and dragging.
All the groups had already finished recording. He should have been working on the final batch by now.
Instead, he was stuck on the thirteenth song, staring at the screen, replaying the same section over and over, trying to decide what kind of electric guitar track would fit the vocals without drowning them out. When he finally found one that felt right, his fingers hovered over the controls.
Then his vision blurred.
Before he could even input the track, his eyes closed completely. His body slumped forward, and he collapsed onto the console. Just before slipping into deeper sleep, he vaguely heard the door open, along with a muffled voice that sounded unmistakably like Fauna's.
When he woke up, voices filled the room.
Reiji slowly opened his eyes and immediately realized something was wrong. The ceiling above him wasn't the familiar one from the recording room. He turned his head and saw Yagoo standing nearby, Fauna beside him, quietly speaking.
As Reiji tried to sit up, a sharp pain pulsed through his head. Both of them noticed at once. Fauna moved quickly to his side.
"Hey, stay lying down," she said gently, one hand hovering near his shoulder, ready to steady him.
"Where am I...?" Reiji muttered, pressing his fingers to his temple. "What time is it?"
"You're in the employee lounge area," Yagoo replied.
"What time is it?" Reiji asked again, more urgently.
"It's six p.m.," Fauna answered softly. "You've been asleep for nine hours."
Reiji tried to stand, but Fauna pushed him back down with surprising ease. He blinked in shock as his body obeyed before his mind could protest.
"Where do you think you're going?" she asked, her tone firm despite its calmness.
"I need to finish mixing the songs," Reiji said stubbornly.
"No, you don't," Fauna replied, crossing her arms. "You collapsed right before my group was about to record."
"I'm behind schedule," Reiji argued, rubbing his forehead where she had flicked him earlier. "I can't afford to stop now."
Fauna crouched down in front of him, so they were eye to eye. Her expression softened, but her gaze was unwavering.
"Were you the one who ran away from their responsibility?" she asked quietly. "Were you the one who confidently said you could handle this alone three months ago?"
Reiji stayed silent.
She continued, her voice still gentle, but resolute. "No. So don't hurt yourself trying to rush everything. You said you wanted fans to feel the effort we put into this, right? Tell me, how do you think the mixes would sound if you're exhausted and not thinking clearly?"
The room fell silent.
After a moment, Yagoo cleared his throat. "Reiji, the event is still one week away. If you can't be the best version of yourself right now... then wouldn't you end up the same as the engineer we hired before you?"
Fauna glanced at Yagoo, then back at Reiji. "You know he's right."
Reiji exhaled slowly, the tension finally draining from his shoulders. "...Alright. I'll rest," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."
"Please don't apologize," Yagoo said at once. "I understand how much pressure you're under."
Fauna tilted her head, curiosity flickering across her expression. she asked softly. "Why are you trying to do something that's impossible to do?"
Reiji lay back down, staring at the ceiling for a moment before responding. "...It's a bit personal."
"Well, I won't force you to share it," Fauna said gently. "But I am forcing you to rest. You can work on the songs again tomorrow." She stood up, rubbing her legs slightly after squatting for so long.
"I'm gonna get some sleep then," Reiji muttered.
He closed his eyes, and before long, he drifted back into sleep.
When morning came, Reiji wasn't woken by his alarm like usual. Instead, when he reached into his pocket and checked his phone, he froze. It was 11:00 a.m.
He sat up slowly, immediately noticing the difference. His body felt light, no heaviness in his limbs, no dull ache behind his eyes. He blinked a few times, fully awake, and sat there in silence.
It reminded him of when he was a kid, when sleep actually felt good.
Now, with a job he was deeply passionate about, he had grown used to sleeping late and waking early just to keep working on mixes. Standing up, he exited the lounge and began searching for the elevator. It took him a while; he still wasn't familiar with this part of the building. but once he found it, he stepped inside and pressed the button for the third floor.
This time, he didn't fall asleep.
When the doors opened, he walked out immediately and headed straight for the cafeteria. He passed the vending machines without a second glance and ordered a bento instead. After paying, he returned to the recording room.
He sat down, opened the bento, and began to eat. He powered on his computers, letting out a small sigh of relief when he saw that none of his progress had been touched.
There was still a lot left to mix. As he ate, he slipped back into his rhythm, slow, steady, focused.
"Getting some rest really does wonders, doesn't it?" The sudden voice pulled him out of his trance. Reiji looked to the side.
Standing by the door was Ceres Fauna, along with four other members.
"Ms. Fauna..." Reiji said.
"So this is the sound engineer," the short red-haired girl said loudly.
"Hopefully he can make my voice sound perfect," the tall blue-haired woman added gracefully, chin raised. "Though I am already perfect, so I doubt he'll need to do much."
Reiji stared at her blankly. "I'm muting you."
The blue-haired woman stopped dead in her tracks, returning his stare. "...What?"
"You know, Kronii," the tanned girl chimed in, "I think he should mute you."
Fauna giggled softly at her genmates' antics. "I'm glad to see you have a sense of humour, Reiji. Can we record right now? Today and yesterday are the only times my genmates and I are all free together."
"Go ahead," Reiji said, already opening the recording application.
"Wait..." the woman in the brown hoodie suddenly spoke up. "What were the lyrics again?"
The entire room went silent.
The tanned girl immediately rummaged through her bag and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Here, Mumei."
They entered the booth soon after, and once the recording was finished, they lingered in the recording room for a while, mostly because Fauna still seemed worried that Reiji hadn't rested enough.
Reiji set Fauna's group aside for the moment and returned to working on the other songs. The girls watched as the screens shifted from track to track, one after another. They could see how focused he was, how carefully he worked. And for the first time in a long while, they felt relieved. They finally hired the right person.
The girls left the room, giving Reiji space to work.