I pulled out my phone and checked the time. It was almost time to head home for the day, and she still hadn't shown up yet.

I sighed and pocketed my phone. Shinohara was in class today, but she was called home to take care of her siblings right after class. She promised to be back in time to practice, but she hadn't shown up yet.

Harada shuffled over to me with a tired look in his eyes. I guess it was time to call it a day.

"That's it for today, everyone." I stood up and looked around at everyone. "We'll end a few minutes early. Remember that we start doing rehearsals two weeks from now, so try to keep your schedules free after next weekend. See you tomorrow, everyone."

Everyone started packing up to leave. Kokowa and Ishida gave me some information on the materials we'd need to buy for the costumes before they headed out. I sat at the front of the room as the rest of the club shuffled out. Eventually, the only people left were me and Shig.

Shig adjusted his glasses as he approached me, a frown on his face. "It's hard to practice without the leading lady. Did you get a call from Shinohara explaining her absence?"

I shrugged. "She said she had to take care of her family, but she made it sound like she'd be able to make the meeting. I guess things were too busy for her at home."

"Let's hope she doesn't force a recast. We'll need her focused during rehearsal to keep her from making a fool of herself."

I was thinking of a way to respond to that when the clubroom door slid open. I turned to see a panting Shinohara leaning on the door.

"Sorry… I'm… late…"

Shinohara sounded like she had just run all the way from her house to make it here. I looked up at the clubroom clock to see that she technically made it in time for the last minute of the club meeting.

Shig frowned at her, crossing his arms. "Everyone else has already left."

"S-sorry… my dad… said he'd be back… early… but… he was late… couldn't leave the others… alone…"

I rubbed my forehead and walked over to Shinohara, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Catch your breath, Shinohara. You're going to pass out if you push yourself too hard."

She nodded and slid down the door until she was seated on the floor. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out her script. "Hey, is it alright if I use the clubroom as long as I'm here?…"

Part of me was still annoyed that Shinohara didn't call to say she was going to take longer than expected. But when I thought of how much effort Shinohara made to get here to practice and how much work she needed to play her role properly, I decided it was only fair I stuck around to help her out.

"Alright. I can stick around for a bit longer as long as you keep things productive." I offered Shinohara a hand and helped her stand before looking to Shig. "You can go ahead without me, Shig."

Shig frowned in thought for a moment before he shrugged off his bag onto a desk. "I'll remain as well. I was hoping to get some practice in with Shinohara before the rehearsals started."

I nodded and smiled. "Alright! Let's get started, then!"

I got seated in a desk at the back of the room while Shinohara and Shig looked over their scripts. I noticed that Shinohara kept her script in hand when they started practicing lines, while Shig was confident enough to put his script aside.

The two of them went over most of their lines, with Shig stopping Shinohara every few lines to give her advice. She still wasn't a very good actor, but she seemed to trying really hard to improve. She still spoke the lines in the wrong tone or while exaggerating her body movements, but she didn't forget to act out the lines as Ori rather than as herself anymore.

After a few hours passed I waited for Shinohara to get a line she was working on right before standing and clapping for her.

"You're getting there, Shinohara! You're almost ready for the rehearsals now."

Shinohara raised her free hand to play with her non-existant hair curls and rubbed the back of her neck when she found nothing there. "I still need a lot more work to get this right…"

I patted her on the shoulder and smiled. "We'll get you there, Shinohara. For now, we should head home. It's late."

Shinohara nodded slowly and went to put her script away. Shig walked over to me and sighed. "She's not improving quickly enough."

I looked at Shinohara to make sure she didn't hear Shig's comment before responding. "What do you suggest we do?"

Shig adjusted his glasses. "Ordinarily I'd suggest a recast, but no one else wanted this role. So we'll have to find a way to motivate her to work harder."

"I think she's already working pretty hard… it's just that she doesn't always have time to come to the meetings."

Shig frowned and was about to respond when Shinohara cleared her throat and waved at us. "See you two later…"

I waved back and smiled at Shinohara, wondering what to do. Shig stared at Shinohara for a moment before walking over to her, pulling out his phone.

"If you can't make it to meetings, let me know and I'll come over to practice with you. That way you can watch over your siblings while still getting some practice in."

Shinohara's eyes widened and she fumbled for her phone. "R-really? Thanks! That'll be a huge help!"

While they exchanged numbers, Shinohara traded the serious look she had arrived with for a wide smile. It made me happy to see her smile… she's been really stressed out with all the training she's been going through lately. For the moment, she looked like the old Shinohara.

After Shinohara left, Shig and I cleaned up the clubroom and locked it up for the night. I nudged Shig in the side as we walked out of the school. "Pretty smooth, Shig. You have her phone number now."

Shig sighed and touched his forehead. "Mayu, this is the only way we're going to be ready for the festival at this rate."

"Suuuuure, Shig." I stuck my tongue out at him. I had hoped my teasing would at least get a blush, but I guess he didn't have time to think of the potential implications of inviting himself to Shinohara's house.

"You're reading too much into this, Mayu."

"Maybe." I decided to drop the subject. Shig was apparently in no-fun mode. "Anyway, be sure to let me know if your measurements changed so I can make your costume properly."

"I'll update you when I have those taken again." Shig waved as we reached the school gates. "See you tomorrow, Mayu."

"Bye, Shig!" I waved back.

As I walked home, I smiled when I remembered the relieved look on Shinohara's face as Shig offered to help her practice at home. With Shig helping her, we might just be able to be ready before the festival.