*Sigh*
I'm exhausted...

Hi, Kohane!

You've really been battling against them every day. How have things been going? Have you managed to win yet?

No, I still haven't won against anybody...

And today...

I have to win against even more people now...

I see...
That's quite the predicament...

But I can't lie. I really envy your situation.

I mean, you're facing off against active pros who performed at RAD WEEKEND. I wish I could battle against them.

Yeah, I know things are tough... But you're definitely gonna come out stronger once it's all said and done.

I agree.
Just keep doing your best to hang in there, Kohane.

Th-Thank you, everyone.

I promise to keep doing my best to win and catch up to all of you.

Shinonome, you trained one-on-one with An's dad and ignited the entire neighborhood all by yourself.

Aoyagi, you took all our feelings and turned them into that amazing song.

And your task is so hard, An.
But you're doing your absolute best to complete it.

Which is why I also need to complete mine...!

Yeah...
You're right.

But I still haven't finished mine yet, so I'll be trying just as hard as you.

Right...!
Let's do our best together, An!

*Sigh*

(I still couldn't win today...)

(What am I supposed to do...?
On top of me needing to build more stamina, even my singing skills still leave a lot to be desired...)

(I... I just have to keep doing everything I possibly can to get better...)

(To do what RADder did that time.)

(No, my singing has to surpass that. It needs to resonate even more...)

Huh...?
A message? But it's so late...

From An?

I need you to battle against me.

Right here. Right now.

What...?

(I lost...)

(But I sang with everything I had.
I did better than I ever had while training.)

(And yet, I...)

...

This is so frustrating.

(And I know I'm supposed to use that feeling to propel myself forward.)

(But that doesn't make it less frustrating.)

(I still can't sing like the way they do.)

(I still can't throw absolutely everything I have into my singing.)

(Not only that...)

I...was really hoping that I could get her excited.

(An has this way of singing that makes my heart race...)

(But I... I still haven't been able to do the same for her.)

(I want to get her excited.
I want to surprise her. I want her to smile and laugh.)

(That's the way I want to sing.
Which is why...)

I have to become stronger...!

♪————————!!

(More...! More...!)

(More excitement! More than what An achieved that time...!)

♪————————————————~~~~!!

...

Alright, you got me.
I can't top that.

You win.

...!
Thank you very much!

♪————————————————~~~~!!

♪———!! ————!! ————!!

...

(No! You can't give up...!)

(If you do, then no one is going to hear you!)

♪————!! ————!! ————!!

...
Now I see why Taiga took you under his wing.

Well done.
You win.

You're batting like one for five now, right?
I can't believe how fast you're improving...

I'm starting to understand how you and Taiga feel. I like how she's able to respond so quickly.

It's been so long since I last sang this hard. You're one tough girl.

Huff... Huff... Huff... Huff...

(That's eleven...)

(Just one more to go...!!)

(Looks like she's figured it out.
Her head seems much clearer now. She can focus on each song without anything getting in the way.)

(And we have An to thank for what she did the other day. She's become such a good partner.)

(You have just one to go, Kohane.)

Alright, I'm the final boss.
You can go first.

Get ready!
Our leader's racked up the most wins against RADder!

I'm ready!

♪——————————————————————!!

Huff... Huff... Huff... Huff...

(I can't win...
He's too strong...)

(No...)

(I have to focus.)

(I have to move forward!)

(I can do it...)

(I can sing like them! I know I can!)

♪——————————————————!!!!

(...!
This feels like...!)

♪——————————————————————~~~!!

Ken, stop the music.

Huh?

What you just did... I can't do anything against that.

You blew my mind to pieces.
The last time this happened was during that night...

Wait, does that mean...?

You pass.

...!!

I felt it too just now.
Like being struck by a bolt of lightning.

That's easily the best I've ever heard you sing.

Of course, you're still pretty rough around the edges, but now you have the power to create the moment we talked about.

So, that concludes your first task.

Oh...

Thank you very much...!!

You did it! Nice work!

You sounded so amazing just now.

Th-Thank you all very much...!!

But...

Hm? What's wrong?

Umm... I'm not sure that I have a good grasp of what I just did...

Which is why I'm going to keep practicing. In order to learn how to sing like that at will.

Yeah, good plan.
If you can master what you just did, then you guys will have a way better chance of surpassing RAD WEEKEND.

We're counting on you, girl.

We wanna see the moment when Nagi's dream becomes a reality. We promise to be there when it happens.

Right!!

Thank you all very much for taking all this time out of your busy schedules to help me like this...!!

Yeah, good luck!
Do your best!

I promised An that I'd watch her practice after this, but you're free to use this place if you want to keep practicing.

Mind watching her for a bit, Granny?

Alright, I can do that.
But I'm booting her if she stays too late.

Th-Thank you very much...!
I really appreciate it.

Anyway, I need to get going—

Oh, before you do, I'd like to ask you a question...

Hm? A question?

About my second task.

You said that you'd tell me once I've completed my first. So, I was wondering...

U-Umm...

My original plan was to tell you once you'd completed your first task...

But I've decided to tell you on the day of.

Huh? The day of the event?

That's right. For now, don't think about it. Just keep practicing and focus on mastering what you did just now.

And don't forget to be yourself when you sing...

Be myself...?

Anyway, I really need to get going. So do all of you.

See you later.

We're counting on you!

Oh... Thank you very much!
Please take care of yourselves, everyone!

♪————————!!

(I really want to know what my second task involves...)

(But for now, I need to focus on mastering what I just did.)

(I have to figure out how I'm going to create that moment on my own. So that we can surpass RAD WEEKEND...)

♪————————!!

...!
*Cough*

Hey, you're going to lose your voice if you keep singing so much.

Oh...!
Hello, ma'am...

Here, drink this.

Huh? This looks like... Is this hot water?

Yes, with some honey and ginger.
It'll be good for your throat.

I used to make this so often for Nagi...
That girl also had a habit of practicing too hard and losing her voice.

She did...?

Anyway, make sure you drink it while it's still hot.

Right...! Thank you very much!

...

Still, you've really become quite the singer. You have me doing double takes.

Th-Thank you...

Hm? You don't seem all that happy despite the compliment.

I-I'm sorry... I wasn't trying to be rude...

I'm just worried whether I'll really be able to blast a hole in that moment like he said...

Hm?

Everyone congratulated me today on passing and the way I sang...

But I still don't have a good understanding of what I did. So, I'm worried about what's going to happen when we do this for real...

I see.

I believe you have more than what it takes to succeed.

If there's anything missing still, I'd say...

You need to take a look at yourself.

At myself...?

That's right.
Or more specifically, you need to find your “ego”.

My ego...?

Yes, since the ones with the biggest egos always end up becoming the best singers.

Huh?

I've hosted and gone to a lot of different events in my time.

Some were horrible, while others I'm never going to forget for as long as I live.

That includes RAD WEEKEND.

Unfortunately, the ones who come up with events like that tend to be pretty self-centered.

Self-centered...?

Yes. To be fair, some were kind, honest and polite on the outside like you. But I'd usually find out that they're egotistical down to the core.

They never listen to anyone else and try to get their way, even if it means causing others around them a lot of trouble... They're always a handful.

But they're the ones who'll do whatever it takes to change the status quo, like you're trying to blast a hole in that moment. People like Nagi.

And that's what makes events like the one she put on unforgettable. The way she pushed herself to the absolute limit as she sang...

Ma'am...?

And so, if you feel that you're still missing something, that's what I think you should start looking for.

Your ego, that is.

My ego...

Does wanting to surpass RAD WEEKEND count as having an ego...?

I don't know.
Everyone's different. You can't just tell someone else who they are.

That being said, I think your case is relatively simple. You just need something plain and simple that drives you forward.

A thing that you want to do no matter the cost, no matter how much trouble you cause.

I believe something like that is what fuels a person's ego.

...