What kind of performance could be called perfect?
After pointing out Muse's shortcomings, Mai Sakurajima led her own team in practice as well. However:
"Is it just my imagination?" Once they began practicing, Sogo Doma rubbed his chin and said, "It feels like Mai... your sister's performance isn't as captivating as Muse's..."
Before he could finish, Nodoka Toyohama felt the corner of her eye twitch. She couldn't help it—she had reached the same conclusion. But that didn't mean there was anything wrong with her sister Mai's performance. Rather, there was a problem with "Nodoka Toyohama's" team. Only from an observer's perspective could she see that their group was actually inferior to school idols like Muse...
As for Mai...
"My sister... I mean, my younger sister did her best," Nodoka Toyohama said quietly. "After all, this is a contest between teams. All my sister could do was cooperate with them. Damn it..."
"Damn it~? Are you standing up for your sister?" Sogo Doma suddenly cut in, grinning wickedly. "There's an old saying: birds of a feather flock together. Since your sister is part of that team, doesn't that mean..."
Nodoka Toyohama: "..."
What did it mean? It meant she was at that level too! Damn it, he was mocking her, wasn't he...
"Don't misunderstand, I'm not mocking you..." As if he knew what she was thinking, Sogo Doma changed tack. "What I mean is that your sister is being dragged down to their level. On the other hand, now that you've gotten rid of the 'deadweight'..."
"What do you mean?" Nodoka Toyohama froze.
"Do you think it's possible..." Sogo Doma lowered his voice. "That the reason you think you can't compare to Mai is entirely because these teammates have been holding you back?"
"H-Holding me back?"
"That's right. Even Mai had