The location is the central grand plaza of the royal city.
Yes, itās a big square in the center of the city, facing the royal palace, the temple, and so on.
Since this is a major event that opened its doors not only to the nobility but also to the commoners, thereās no way it can be held within a building.
And I heard thereās no charge for it.
Apparently, itās not a money-making event, but a festivalā¦ A kind of music festā¦ sort of.
Thatās why thereās no barrier between nobles and commoners, or so I heard.
Certainly, not all musicians are aristocrats.
Commoners normally donāt have the luxury of practicing music from a young age, though, so it seems that most musicians are the third son of a noble family or even younger.
So itās most likely that one of the purposes of this event is to find diamonds in the rough among music-loving commoners and turn them into patrons.
Thatās why some of the commoners are putting their lives on the line for this concert.
ā¦Thatās heavyā¦
But we, the Society, will take it easy.
The purpose is just for advertising and publicity stunts, not to win prizes or anything like that.
If we can unveil the juvenile group and show them to the public that they are healthy and happyā¦ also to their parentsā¦ thatās good enough.
So thereās no need to worry about mistakes or anything.
Thanks to this policy, we were able to enjoy our practice.
Compared to the difficulty of aiming for no mistakes, if you donāt mind making a few ones, the amount of practice and difficulty would be greatly reduced. I donāt want to give the younger children a hard time for this.
If you were forced to practice hard and painful exercises, you will start to dislike the things youād normally like.
Well, itās almost time for the big day, the big show for everyone!
******
The venue was a temporary stage built in the wide plaza.
A large crowd surrounded it.
While the public remained standing, the nobles were sitting in chairs in an isolated area.
Of course, that area was surrounded by guards, and each nobleman had an escort on his side.
No matter how much of a festival it was, the event was well organized. Nobles have a lot of enemies, you know. Both domestically and internationallyā¦
Weāre in the back of the line. But not exactly last.
The first, last, and other delicious slots were taken by the children of powerful nobles or musicians who were patronized by those aristocrats.
Yes, the order wasnāt drawn by lot or anything, but the organizers decided on their own.
Still, no one complained about it.
Itās just a matter of course that the nobles were given priority in everything, and the fact that not only the nobles but also the commoners were allowed to participate in this concert makes it an honor for the commoners to be treated with respect and appreciation.
And although we donāt have any patrons or connections to the organizers, well, thatās fine.
Because they were called saints and were extremely popular among both the nobility and the commoners, they were assigned to the fourth from the last, which was a very good position, although not the best position (the first or the last).
Oh right, we are in two teams, so itās āfourth and fifth from lastā to be exact.
I applied for two teams because I had to make them separate teams, or else, we would only have time for one team, but they were able to put them next to each other in the order I requested.
Otherwise, we would have to set up and put away the instruments twice, and it would take a long time to prepare and wait. The families of the members who came to see the show also had to be there the whole timeā¦
Iām sure they would like to pull out of the venue together as soon as the kids are done, throw a celebration party with the kids to praise them, and take this opportunity to get to know the parents of the other members of the group.
ā¦Of course, itās not just a friendship party as parents, but a sales activity as āParents Of Society Membersā and connections and influence as aristocratsā¦
Ah, the greetings from the organizers, their advertisements, and the request for donations are over.
Then the instruments of the top batters are brought in, and the concert finally begins.
******
Umumuā¦ā¦
The performances and songs of the other participants were, what can I sayā¦ classic?
Well, of course, this would be the case, since this was the era where āclassical musicā was currently in the works.
The sound was not very profound due to the instruments, the number of musicians in the group, and the poor acoustics of the outdoor setting, but, well, given the poor conditions, everyone did a pretty good job.
Perhaps because of the lack of daily entertainment, or perhaps because they can enjoy aristocratic entertainment for free, they were a big hit with the masses.
ā¦ā¦Certainly, it has a lot of musical and performance technical excellence that I think the classical enthusiasts of this world would enjoy.
But, aside from the members of the Society, the kids in the juvenile group were getting boredā¦
And the song we have practiced and will perform today is not a classic oneā¦
******
And the turn of the performance progresses, and soon it will be the Societyās turn.
Starting with the main group, to be followed by the juvenile group.
When the juvenile group enters, the main group needs to provide a lot of assistance and support, so if we havenāt finished our own performance, we might get distracted by a lot of things and make unexpected mistakes.
It would be sad for the children if it was their mistake, but very frustrating if the senior helpers caused it. Therefore, we cannot change this order.
The two previous teams were finished.
As the team in front of us was getting ready, we were doing final checks on our instruments. It wonāt be long nowā¦ā¦
āAll right, letās get ready!ā (Mitsuha)
The performance of the previous team was over, and the preparation to exit from the stage began.
At the same time, we started bringing in our equipment and setting them up!
This area had been prepped and all went smoothly.
ā¦ā¦I acted as the MC, introduced our group, then the Society group started playing after the introduction!
The song was a classical masterpiece of the earth.
I made them listen to some songs without video and made them vote on the song to be played. Then, the members, except me, figured out the music by ear and practiced it.
Naturally, since this would be the first time it was released in this world, the audience assumed that one of us composed this piece.
Therefore, even if the performance technique was a little poor, the excellence of the music was enough to make up for it.
ā¦ā¦And, unsurprisingly, it was a smashing hit! Applause and cheers roared!
Well, regardless of the performance, our Society was very popular, to begin with.
Itās only natural that we were able to see such a reaction, and this was the kind of response we deserved.
Yes! All right, the PR effect was outstanding!
Next up, finally my big favorite, the main event of the day, the little girlsā¦ no, no, the debut of the juvenile group!
The instruments and the main group members didnāt pull out, instead, they quickly moved to the back of the stage, leaving the center to the front portion of the stage open.
Then, I announced that the main groupās performance had ended and that it was the turn of the next group, the Society Juvenile Groupā¦ And I also explained that the reason why the main group didnāt get off the stage was to support the juvenile group.
āWell then, a round of applause for the Society Juvenile Group debut!!ā (Mitsuha)
At the sound of my voice, the members of the juvenile group rushed to the center of the stage.
They all wear matching cute frilly outfits with nekomimi headbands and tails!
The costumes, of course, were the work of that certain cosplay store manager, who poured her heart and soul into them.
As expected, there were so many that she didnāt have enough hands, so she asked for support from her peersā¦
The children of the juvenile group performed a lively dance to the pop music that started to flow, which was upbeat and full of energy. Itās a song from a famous Japanese anime showā¦