i present to u all: "Aftershave"

The Afterglow girls are all gathered around on Tomoe’s living room sofa, except for Moca. It's as night as can be.

“Moca, you’re blocking the only light in here. Hurry up and put the movie on.”

Moca snickers and turns away from the TV to face the girls. “Okaaaay, Ran. This movie is called ‘Night of the Dudebro 7: Entrails Hang Loose, Man.’” She turns away and with TV remote, hovers over the play button below the film synopsis. “Legends say it’s so terrifying, that your adrenaline will force your testosterone into overdrive. You wake up the next day with a full beard and body hair galoooooore.”

Tomoe laughs. She quiets down after observing that no-one else is laughing. Tsugumi’s mouth wobbles as she tries to speak. “I’m sure we’ll be fine, girls… Let’s just… stay close while we watch it, right?”

Himari sacrifices her coolness by agreeing out loud. Everyone else just huddles up, and Moca joins them after pressing play.

Not long after, the movie’s gruesome intro sets things off as the girls are glued to the sofa, cuddled into one big ball.

“Wooooaaaaaah bro, your mom is totally smokin’… but, like, it looks like she’s about to smoke us, dude!” Swing. Chop.

Ran screams at the top of her lungs, her first of many for this long night.

The next day, Afterglow comes into CiRCLE. With music gear in tow, they walk past a collectively wide-eyed Roselia.

“M-Mitake-san? You have a b—"

“Don’t wanna talk about it,” says Ran, before her and her crew vanish into their studio room for practice.

“…I see. As a form of artistic commentary, they’re challenging gender narratives.” Yukina turns to face her band. “I like it. Perhaps Roselia could stand to push the envelope, as well.”