The iDOLM@STER S1 E24

## Plot

The producer will recover, but he has to stay off his feet, and won't be allowed visitors for the time being. Haruka was chosen as the lead for the musical, due to channeling her feelings into her performance. She asks Ritsuko if she can take a break from her work for awhile. She still feels upset and guilty about what happened to the producer. She wants to focus on the New Year show, and says at this rate, it'll be a wreck. She wants everyone to practice together, since she thinks this could be the last show they do together, but Miki tells her that she's being selfish. She's the lead, so if she doesn't show up for practice, no one else will be able to practice either. Miki let it go because her acting was amazing. Because she wasn't acting. Haruka says she'll apologize to the staff and work three times as hard once the show is over. Miki says she's acting weird, and asks her if she's happy that she became an idol. They decide to give her time off, because she seems confused. The other girls are worried about her, and wonder if she's okay. Various people tell them that if they're working separately all the time, it makes sense that they wouldn't know how the others were doing. But they're doing so well individually, they don't have to cling to 765 Pro's name. Haruka wonders why she wanted to become an idol. While running errands for her mom, she runs into Jupiter. Touma invites her to see their show. He's glad they jumped to a different label, even if it means they can't book big places. He admits that they learned a lot about unity from 765 Pro. Chihaya visits the producer in the hospital. She doesn't know what to do. She tells him a story about a family, clearly about her own life, and how they all see each other as a second family. They were always together, and got along so well. When someone tripped, everyone else helped them up. Before they knew it though, the family split apart and became distant. The person who always helped them up first, Haruka, worried so much about them all by herself. But everyone is so far apart, they can't reach out their hands to her. If they do it now, maybe they can still come back together. But Chihaya doesn't know if it's the right thing to do, or if it's something she's capable of all by herself. She wasn't able to build a good relationship with her own family, so she can't be confident in herself. The producer says she must really love that second family of hers. She says they're very precious to her, and the producer tells her that she'll be fine. He's sure everyone else feels the same way she does. That's just how families are. She believes in everyone. If you're family, then you need to tell each other the important things. She tells Ritsuko that she has a request. Everyone except Miki is able to make it to group practice. Chihaya was able to negotiate with Takagi. The others wanted to come all this time, but it never occurred to them to ask someone else for advice. Chihaya wants to tell them all something about Haruka, and each other. Haruka notices some girls at a playground, and they recognize her. They all sing together. Some of them start fighting, and she tells them to just have fun. She realizes that they're like kid versions of herself and her friends. She remembers that the reason she wanted to be an idol was to have fun singing songs with everyone. Things that seemed obvious just a little while ago have become harder to remember now that they all have their own work. Each step they take as an idol is important though, and their range of work increases. They'll inevitably begin to drift apart, and Chihaya thinks that's why Haruka didn't tell them. She wanted things to change, but she also wanted things to stay the same. The girls feel bad that they didn't notice something was wrong sooner. Chihaya says she didn't just make this request for Haruka, but for everyone. When she was on the verge of losing music, everyone reached out their hands to her. She sees everyone at 765 Pro as her new family. Aw! It might be their job that work comes first, but she doesn't want to give this up. Miki and Ritsuko suddenly show up. They tell everyone that Miki was offered the solo MC position for Are We Live?!'s successor program. She turned it down though, because she thought she'd lose her way. Yes! Character development! Sorry, it's just been awhile since I've seen that. Haruka wanted everyone to have fun singing and dancing together, but then she worried that no one else wanted to, and thought it would weigh everyone down. She sees an advertisement with all the other girls for their New Year concert. They tell Haruka that they're sorry they kept her waiting so long, and that they're all waiting for her together at their usual place, the office. She meets up with all of them outside the building, and they welcome her home.