My daily life is getting weird because I am caught between being in a band and being an idol.

Maruyama Aya could only add.

"...Um...I was mainly talking about you, Hina-chan..."

"Hmm, I see. I think I understand what's going on now."

Asahi glanced at her and knew that if the conversation continued like this, things would really fall apart. Hina couldn't understand what ordinary people thought; she had to see it for herself to understand.

"Japanese dish, please stay here for a moment."

He suddenly spoke, his tone gentle yet carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"The rest of you can go home today. Missing one day of practice won't make a difference."

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent for a moment.

Maya and Eve exchanged a glance and began to silently pack their things.

Maruyama Ayano hesitated for a moment, pursed her lips, as if she had something to say.

"Um... producer..."

She finally couldn't help but jog up to Chaoyang and whispered, her voice filled with nervousness and worry.

"Hina-chan didn't mean to make things difficult for everyone; she just... just didn't quite understand the consequences of her actions."

At this point, she lowered her eyes slightly and added in a low voice.

"Um...producer, please don't scold her, okay?"

Asahi looked up and saw Maruyama Aya's sincere and worried eyes. He couldn't help but smile and said gently.

"Don't worry, I won't scold her."

Hearing this, Maruyama Aya breathed a slight sigh of relief and then glanced back at Hina. Hina remained nonchalant, seemingly completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation.

"Please be careful on the road, everyone."

Chaoyang stood up and addressed the group.

Everyone nodded and walked out with mixed feelings.

The moment the door closed, only Asahi and Hina remained in the room.

Hina tilted her head curiously, looking at the rising sun.

"Hina, you'll be inseparable from me today."

"Huh? Where are we going?"

"Come with me to work."

"Work? Ugh? So boring! Working at the agency is so pointless, not fun at all~"

Hina immediately shook her head, showing a look of resistance.

Chaoyang spoke in an unquestionable manner.

“You absolutely have to come. This is the only way you can understand why everyone says you’re doing it the wrong way.”

Upon hearing this, Hina paused for a moment, then pouted slightly, clearly somewhat dissatisfied.

"GG... is it really that important?"

"Very important."

Chaoyang spoke firmly, his gaze fixed directly on her.

"Come with me, and you'll understand why your words cause pain to others."

Hina sat in the conference room, a pile of proposals submitted by employees laid out on the table. Asahi had tasked her with deciding which proposals would be approved and which needed modification.

"It's very simple, it's Japanese food, just decide according to your own feelings."

Chaoyang handed the task to her with a relaxed expression, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Hina picked up the first document with great interest, flipped through a few pages casually, and said with a frown.

"Hmm... this doesn't feel quite right! This plan is not good, it's not approved!"

"Eh... I see? Okay, then, it's not approved."

Then came the second, and the third.

"This one is no good either, it's too boring."

"Huh? This feeling is too bland, that won't do either!"

"Well... this looks rather ordinary, not interesting at all."

Asahi didn't stop them, but simply observed quietly from the sidelines, seemingly just letting the Japanese girl familiarize herself with the "work process."

However, the staff outside the meeting room were gradually falling into despair.

One by one, the proposals were rejected. The people who had excitedly submitted their documents returned to their seats, their faces filled with helplessness and pain.

"What's going on? That plan was clearly feasible..."

"Isn't this making things difficult for us? Starting everything from scratch?"

"Sigh... I have to work overtime again tonight, and I won't even see my kids at home..."

Although Hina couldn't hear the complaints outside, she vaguely sensed something was off in the air. As dusk settled, Asahi clapped his hands, announcing the mission complete.

"Okay, that's it for today."

"G? That's it? This is so boring."

Hina shook her head, looking completely indifferent.

"It's okay, you've already worked a full day. Let's go get something to eat."

The two had a simple dinner. Ri Cai was still as carefree as ever, chatting and sharing her thoughts.

"Producer, your job is really strange. All you have to do is say good or bad, it's so easy! Not at all~"

Chaoyang smiled without saying a word, silently sighing to himself.

After finishing their meal, Asahi pretended to continue chatting with Hina, and Hina didn't seem to mind spending time alone with Asahi.

As night approached, Chaoyang suddenly patted his pocket and said, feigning surprise.

"Oh no, I forgot my phone at the office. Come back with me."

"Hey? Are you going home so late?"

It was rare for Asahi to act coquettishly towards Hina.

"Please, you don't want me to lose my phone, do you?"

Back at the office, Hina was stunned by the unexpected sight.

The office area, which should have been quiet, was now brightly lit. The staff sat at their desks, looking tired and with vacant eyes. The sound of keyboards clicking could be heard intermittently. Occasionally, someone would look up and sigh, then lower their head again to continue revising documents.

"...Huh? Why isn't everyone going back?"

Hina's voice was filled with doubt, but no one responded to her, and a heavy atmosphere permeated the entire space.

Chaoyang put his hands in his pockets and said calmly.

"Because someone made their efforts futile."

"ah......?"

Hina stared blankly at the scene before her, her mind filled with the images of how she had rejected those proposals "on a whim" earlier that day, and the helpless and pained expressions on those people's faces.

"In order to get the job done again, they had to start from scratch."

"But...but..."

Hina was a little flustered. She wanted to refute, but couldn't find any reason to do so.

"Speaking of which..."

Chaoyang's soft voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Your father is also a wage earner, right? I wonder if he sometimes comes home very late with a tired smile on his face? It's possible that many times, he's just trying to finish a document that has no problems at all, but just because someone above casually said something was wrong, he has to start all over again."

The rising sun smiled slightly.

"Actually, the difference between their proposals and those of others isn't that significant. If anyone had just loosened their stance, these people could have gone home early tonight and spent quality time with their families. And you? You rejected all their efforts simply because you didn't like the idea."

Hina lowered her head, clenched her fists, and spoke in a trembling voice.

"I...I don't know...I didn't mean to..."

The rising sun seemed to provide further explanation.

"The same thing happened during filming yesterday. Everyone there, all the staff and the production crew, were just there to complete their tasks. Everyone has their own responsibilities and goals; they didn't gather together to hear the truth. But your words made all their efforts futile. Filming was forced to stop, the shops were dissatisfied, and they even incurred extra financial and time costs. And what about you? In your eyes, you were just simply expressing your true feelings."

Hina lowered her head, her lips trembling slightly.

Chaoyang leaned down slightly, his tone carrying a gentle smile, yet leaving no room for argument.

"It's a pity, Hina. Most adults living in this world can't always honestly express their feelings. People need to learn to appreciate the efforts of others and understand the hard work they put in, even if that hard work isn't perfect. So-called idols shouldn't be 'self-centered' and only look at others from their own perspective. Instead, they should understand the other person's true needs, make precise contributions, and bring value to others."

Chaoyang paused for a moment, patted her shoulder, and continued speaking.

“I know your intentions were never bad. It’s just that your world is too naive. Hina, you are dazzling on stage, but as a member of a group, or as an influential idol, your words and decisions can impose unimaginable burdens on others. Even if you are no longer an idol, you can probably achieve a good position in any industry. But for those in high positions, every word and every decision can change the fate of countless people. Some people may even lose sleep over your words, or have their life trajectory completely altered.”

Hina, who had been deep in thought because of Asahi's words, looked up again with a puzzled expression.

"But... if the producer does this... then can't we do it too? If it's just about fulfilling a responsibility, then anyone can do it, right?"

"How could that be...? The weight of what each person says varies from person to person. If you're simply trying to explore the meaning of the actions themselves, that's even more wrong. The essence of your actions is work. Work, literally speaking, is engaging in purposeful and planned labor or tasks to achieve certain results, goals, or values. Hina, what results, goals, or values ​​do you think the other party sought from you when they were recording the show that day?... You're someone who likes to think things through... You should be able to figure it out very easily."

With Chaoyang's explanation, the Japanese dishes finally...

"Hmm... I feel like I vaguely understand... I think I get it, but I also think I don't..."

"Hehe, it's okay."

Asahi smiled and continued, "I just want Hina to understand why everyone is angry. Hina, if you don't want to change, that's fine. We just won't assign you similar tasks in the future. It's not that difficult. Rather, I would feel quite sad if Hina were forced to change. After all, I really like Hina-chan too."

Asahi's tone remained relaxed, with his usual teasing, but Hina was stunned.

The usually carefree and nonchalant Hina suddenly blushed slightly. She hurriedly looked away, unable to meet the rising sun's gaze. Her eyes, which usually sparkled with a playful spirit, revealed a rare hint of confusion and helplessness.

"......Why......"

She murmured softly, as if talking to herself, or perhaps confirming something with the rising sun.

"Strange... Producer, why... why did my heart skip a beat when you said that?"

As she spoke, she raised her hand and gently pressed it against her chest, trying to calm her heart, which had suddenly started racing for some reason.

But the more I tried to calm myself down, the more the image of Asahi's earnest and gentle expression, and her words, "I also really like Rina-chan," kept replaying in my mind.

Hina was unaware that she had been influenced by Asahi's charm; otherwise, the carefree Hina would never have become like this.

"Hina?"

Seeing that she had suddenly fallen silent, Chaoyang leaned closer, somewhat puzzled.

"Are you alright? Did today's events wear you out? You should go home now."

Hina nodded, then picked up her bag and left the office.

As soon as Hina's figure disappeared from the office entrance, Asahi let out a breath, raised his hand and clapped his hands loudly, the sound ringing out crisply in the office.

"Alright! Everyone, thank you for your hard work!"

He announced loudly, a relieved smile on his face.

"The performance today went well, thank you all for your cooperation! Everyone will be paid triple wages, calculated hourly, with overtime pay calculated separately!"

The employees, who had been working overtime with long faces, instantly felt relieved upon hearing this and stopped what they were doing.

Some people stretched, some leaned back in their chairs, and some even stood up dramatically and made a victory sign.

"President, that expression you were making just now was so tiring, I could barely keep it up!"

An employee rubbed his face and complained.

"Your arrangements this time are quite complicated."

"Haha, you've worked hard! Everyone, get home early!"

Chaoyang laughed loudly as he spoke.