Rekindle the Flame - 8: The Flame Rekindled

A few hours later

Weekend Garage

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1

Kotaro

...and you battled against one of those twins?!

2

Kotaro

Talk about a heavy morning workout...

3

Akito

You done?

4

Kohane

Still, they really were shrouded in mystery. I mean, they even seemed to know about Nagi...

5

Kotaro

Wait, they did?

6

Toya

Yes. Before they left, they said that they're the ones who are going to see what lies beyond her dream...

7

Kotaro

Wait, what...?!
Does that mean they know Ken or Taiga or someone?

8

Akito

No idea. But...

9

Akito

They definitely have what it takes to be able to say that.

10

An

Yeah...
I'm not about to forget the way he sang.

11

An

I could tell that they're ready to do anything to stand on top of the world.

12

Toya

I agree...

13

Akito

Oh, while we're on the subject...

14

Akito

Remember the rumor we heard at the live house yesterday about twin singers?

15

Kohane

Wait, the ones who've been performing at all those high-level live houses...?

16

Toya

...!
Akito, you're not saying...

17

Akito

Yeah, it was apparently those two.

18

Akito

They went around to all the live houses that we performed at while we trained.

19

An

Really...?!
Yeah, they sounded amazing...

20

An

But, wait a second... How did those two know which live houses we performed at?

21

An

And why would they do that in the first place?

22

Akito

I know as much as you do.

23

Toya

This only raises further questions...

24

Kohane

Yeah...
All we know at the moment is that they live in the US, right...?

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25

Slade

So, we'll be waiting for you in the states!

26

Akito

The US, huh...?

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27

Kohane

Huh? A message? From who...?

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28

Kohane

What?

29

An

What's wrong, Kohane?

30

Kohane

It's from Taiga...!

31

An

Wait, Uncle Taiga? He hardly ever messages people! What'd he say?

32

Kohane

Umm... Huh?

33

Kohane

<I have some spare tickets for our upcoming event. Interested in coming?>

34

An

An event...? But Uncle Taiga's overseas right now...

35

Kohane

Yeah, so...

36

Kohane

He's asking if we want to visit the US.

37

An

Th-The US...?!

38

Kotaro

As in the United States...? Of America?!

39

Kohane

*Nod*
He and Ken are apparently going to be performing in New York.

40

Kohane

So, umm... H-How should we reply?
We'll need to ask our parents, and I doubt we'll be allowed to go by ourselves—

41

Akito

I'm going.

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42

An

Huh...?

43

Akito

This is the USA we're talking about. I'm going.

44

Toya

Akito...

45

Kotaro

Y-You serious?!
We're talking about the other side of the world!

46

Akito

Yeah, I know.
But I...

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47

Akito

I wanna see the world.

48

Kotaro

The world...

49

Akito

That's right.

50

Akito

The guy I heard sing today was incredible...

51

Akito

His technical skills and raw talent were both on another level...

52

Akito

And most of all, he brought a ton of energy.

53

Akito

You guys have all probably noticed how I've lost some of my passion ever since RAD BLAST...

54

Akito

Surpassing RAD WEEKEND...
A part of me became convinced that I'd ever feel as motivated about anything else. I'm so disappointed in myself...

55

Toya

But that's—

56

Akito

It's fine. It's the truth.

57

Akito

But hearing that guy sing made me realize the world really is a big place. I'm sure there are more people like him out there...

58

Akito

And I wanna meet them.

59

Akito

Once I start seeing more of this gigantic world, I might find something that makes me feel as driven as I did about surpassing RAD WEEKEND... No, even more than that.

60

Akito

Which is why I wanna see the world.

61

Toya

Right.

62

Toya

The world is a big place.
I'm sure that there are plenty of things left to discover and sights we're yet to see.

63

An

Yeah!
Then, let's go to Uncle Taiga's event and see the world!

64

Kohane

Yeah, I wanna go too!

65

Akito

You guys...

66

Toya

Let's go, Akito.
To see a big, brand-new world. The four of us. Together.

67

Akito

Yeah!

68

Akito

(I still have no idea what the future has in store for us...)

69

Akito

(Going to the US might not actually change anything.)

70

Akito

(But still...)

71

Akito

(I'm gonna keep moving forward. As far as I can.)

72

Akito

(Because the thing that rekindles the flame inside of me might be out there...)

73

Akito

(I'll find it. Even if it means traveling to the ends of the earth!)