Cadenza [BINI Mikha X OC]

Chapter 4: After Training

"One... two... three... four and stop."

"Okay, fantastic dancing as always, girls," one of the staff members remarked. "There are fewer mistakes, so we are right on track to prepare for the concert in two weeks."

The Bini members were all panting from the recent dance routine. Though they were exhausted, they felt grateful for the progress they were making with their new choreographies.

"You really can't underestimate singing and dancing simultaneously, even after all that training," Aiah said while catching her breath.

"Tell me about it," Maloi replied kindly.

"Okay girls, we'll have a short meeting in a few minutes," a man called Sir Z announced. "Take your water break and let's meet in the TV room."

Most of the girls dispersed, leaving Aiah and Mikha in the training hall.

"Did you get any rest last night?" Aiah asked after finishing her drink from her water bottle.

"Huh? Oh, a little bit. Netflix got to me last night," Mikha replied.

"Anime or K-drama?"

"K-drama. It was that new show about college students."

"Ohhh... sounds interesting."

"The story's quite good. It's a romantic comedy, but there are some really good dramatic tones in the middle episodes."

"Speaking of which, college. Ever wonder what it would be like?" Aiah asked as she turned to Mikha.

"I... I haven't really thought about it."

"You'll be finishing Senior High School this year, right?"

Most of the Bini members were homeschooled, but some like Maloi and Colet attended schools and finished Senior High School. The only one to enter college so far was Aiah, who was currently in her third year.

"Yeah," Mikha replied. "I haven't really thought about college. There isn't much time to think about the future with the schedule we have."

Aiah agreed with Mikha's sentiments. "True. It's even more difficult juggling academics with training."

"I want to take a break soon," Aiah added.

Mikha shared the same feeling. "I know how you feel. Though, we might have some free time after the next concert."

"I guess Gwen's happy that we'll be performing in Bicol, huh?"

"She said she's going to show us around to eat kinalas."

"Ohhh. That sounds exciting."

Mikha chuckled. She felt both excited and nervous. They were slowly touring the entire Philippines, and eventually, they would be touring the world.

"Hey, Ate Aiah! Mikha! We should get going for the meeting!" Colet shouted.

"Oh yeah. Come on, let's go, Mikha!" Aiah said as she stood and took Mikha's hand, leading her toward the door.

The TV room was located on the third floor, adjacent to the changing room. It housed a large television screen meant for watching and analyzing different media content such as music videos, performance tapes, and studio recordings. Chairs were arranged neatly inside the room, with a table on the side. Sitting at one of the tables was Sir Z, preparing what seemed to be a stack of papers.

"Hello girls, to start off, let me congratulate you on today's training," Sir Z stated as he clapped for the job well done.

"Now, let us delve into the announcements."

"As you know, we have been in the process of hiring different musicians to be part of the music group for your gigs and concerts."

Maloi raised a hand to ask a question. Sir Z pointed to her.

"Sir Z, what happened to the previous music team?"

"Ah yes. Unfortunately, there have been some issues regarding their personal lives. They decided to resign because of these issues."

"..." Maloi was silent for a moment, but eventually responded with, "I see. That is unfortunate."

"It is. Anyhow, Martin, one of our sound producers and recording experts, has found our lead guitarist for the group."

Curiosity filled the room as the girls wondered who it was. Although, one of them already knew.

"Will we get to meet them?" Stacey asked.

"They might be in the studio from time to time, so maybe you can meet them," Sir Z answered.

"How about the other members of the music group?" Aiah asked.

"We are still searching. Hopefully, we'll be able to find them in time for the concert in two weeks."

The next concert. This was the next announcement Sir Z mentioned, focusing more on the details regarding the location, lodgings, and the schedule of the performances.

After more announcements, the meeting concluded. The remainder of the meeting involved discussions on future collaborations. The Bini members soon prepared to leave the building.

In the locker room, Mikha was packing her bag as she decided to leave for the day. She was the only one left, still thinking about what had happened today. It was pretty uneventful, but she was glad for the company of Maloi, Aiah, and the others. Just another day, Mikha thought to herself.

As she packed her bag, she made her way to the door. As she exited, however, she bumped into someone, causing her to fall down. Did I bump into someone? Mikha wondered. Who would still be here at this hour? If it's the new guy, that would be a pretty cliché way to meet.

And lo and behold, a hand reached out to her, "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

As Mikha opened her eyes, she saw a guy with wavy hair, wearing a white jacket. It was indeed the guy she saw earlier.

I was only joking, how cruel of a joke does the world want to play on me, Mikha thought.

She reached for Jon's hand as he helped her back up.

"I'm really sorry," Jon said, "I was a bit lost trying to find the cafeteria."

"It's fine. I should have seen where I was going as I exited the room."

"Again, I'm really sorry."

"So... did you have any luck finding it?"

"Finding what?"

"...the cafeteria?"

"Oh right! Still no luck."

"Perhaps, I can show you the way then."

"Really? That would be great, um, miss... sorry, can I ask for your name?" Jon asked. Mikha was a bit surprised at the question, at the fact that Jon didn't know who she was, until...

"I'm just kidding. Thank you for showing me the way, Ms. Mikha."

"Oh... you like to play jokes, don't you?" Mikha said with a raised eyebrow.

Jon immediately realized that he might have offended her with his earlier statement. "Oh... crap. Sorry, I didn't mean for tha-" before he could finish his sentence, Mikha began chuckling, then laughing.

Jon foolishly realized he had fallen for it. "I didn't know the great Ms. Mikha Lim was capable of such jokes."

As Mikha's laughter began to subside, she answered, "I'm so sorry. I just had to make a comeback, y'know?"

"So, they say," Jon agreed. "So, you still want to show me to the cafeteria? I'll treat you as a way of apologizing."

"Hmmm... that sounds nice. Sure, let's go," Mikha replied as she happily led Jon to the cafeteria.