Eli lets go, and as Nozomi's hand hits dully against her thigh, she realizes -- oh, she forgot to keep her smile on. She quickly reinstates it, ignoring the natural urge to reach back for Eli's hand, just as a burst of applause comes from their audience of seven.

"Yes!" Umi beams. "Some fine-tuning is required, of course, but I could feel the emotion much more clearly now!"

"Yeah! Yeah, that was awesome!" Honoka offers an enthusiastic double thumbs-up, as Nico folds her arms over her chest with a self-satisfied smirk. "It was all thanks to Nico's advice, obviously!"

"They didn't even take your suggestion, though," Maki mutters coolly, looping a lock of hair around her finger.

"Be quiet!"

Nozomi lets out a small laugh, and then turns to look back at Eli, eyes searching. "It seems like we did a good job, huh?"