in for 4, hold for 2, out for 6

Haruka cast a sidelong glance at Airi's digital watch, squinting to make out the numbers as the sun glinted off the black screen. She knew she should've been paying attention, and she was trying, putting all the thought she could manage into the choreography they were struggling to develop... but she couldn't get her mind off Minori.

It hadn't been long since Minori had walked out of rehearsal, but Haruka grew more and more concerned with every passing second that she didn't reappear. Clearly, Shizuku and Airi didn't share her worries. Shizuku was sitting up against a wall, scrolling on her phone with a mindless expression, while Airi chugged her bottle of water, tapping the rhythm to their practice track against her knee with her free hand. It wasn't like Minori was missing anything— they'd called a break just a few moments after she'd left, deciding everyone could probably use a breather— but Haruka knew Minori, and Haruka knew Minori hated to miss even a second of rehearsal, even if all they were doing was sitting idly on Instagram and commenting on the weather.

"I'm gonna be right back," Haruka said, trying her hardest to appear cool and confident as she pushed herself up off the ground against the wall. "Continue without me if you want."

"You think she's alright?" Airi asked, squinting after Haruka as the door back into the school swung shut behind her. She quickly glanced at Shizuku, who hadn't even looked up from her phone. "Should we be concerned?"

"Probably not," Shizuku shrugged. "She probably just needs to go to the bathroom or something."

"I mean, I guess," Airi replied, "but it's pretty unprofessional to just up and leave like that. And now we're down to two members anyway so it's not like we can even do anything."

Shizuku giggled, finally setting her phone down to properly study her nails. "She's probably following Minori," she said, cocking her head meaningfully at Airi. "You know."

"Yeah," Airi grumbled. "I wish they'd take this a bit more seriously. They shouldn't go off like that unless something's actually wrong. This is roof practice, not speed dating."

"Oh, come on," Shizuku scoffed. "Minori takes idoling more seriously than all three of us combined, and I don't think Haruka has ever taken an off day in her life. They're fine."

"Haruka's been watching the clock since Minori left, though," Airi complained. She loved that Shizuku was always so positive— Shizuku's optimism was one of the main things Airi admired about her— but sometimes it was inconvenient if only because there was nobody to act judgmental with. "And it might just be the QT girl in me talking, but I hate clockwatchers." She shuddered, remembering the way their manager had shouted at them if he caught them so much as glancing at the time, berating them for lacking dedication and enthusiasm, loudly wondering aloud how such passionless girls had gotten into such a high-end agency. "Ugh."

"I don't know..." Shizuku murmured, staring critically at the door, almost looking like she was liable to get up and leave, too. "Don't you think it's maybe a little concerning that Minori ran away like that?"

Airi considered it. Minori had seemed as peppy as ever at the beginning of rehearsal, leading everyone in a warmup and chattering excitedly about an upcoming event (or something like that; truthfully, Airi had zoned out after only a few sentences). She hadn't seemed sick or particularly tired, and she was walking fine when she left, so there wasn't any sign of injury. "She's probably fine," Airi concluded. "I bet she went in to refill her water and got distracted by the wall art or something. And plus we've only been a unit for a month or so. Maybe we're only just now noticing she's a flake."

"If you say so," Shizuku shrugged, pretty sure Airi had no clue what she was talking about, but not too keen on the idea of contradicting her and pissing her off. "I guess we get an extended water break while we wait."