A few days later
Kanade's Room
1
Ena
<Alright, this seems like a good place for me to stop today!>
2
Mizuki
<Yeah, I think I'll stop here too.
I have work tomorrow, and it's been a little while since I last went.>
3
Kanade
<Okay. Thank you for your hard work, everyone.>
4
Mizuki
<Later♪>
5
Mafuyu
Are you going to keep working, Kanade...?
6
Kanade
Yes, I'd like to make a little more progress while I can.
7
Mafuyu
Okay. Good night...
8
Kanade
Good night, Mafuyu.
9
Kanade
Phew...
10
Kanade
Oh, a message...?
11
Kanade
(No, it's just a newsletter. I thought it was...)
12
Kanade
(I still haven't heard back from her...)
13
Kanade
I hope Tenma's okay...
14
Saki
I'm going to take another hard look at what I think makes you really shine, Kanade!
15
Saki
That might be the key to figuring out what I'm missing!
16
Kanade
(What if she's really struggling to find the answer?)
17
Kanade
(I said that I'd help her until the end, but I haven't been able to do anything for her...)
18
Kanade
This isn't good. I can't focus on my work at all...
19
Kanade
Maybe I should take a short break in SEKAI...
Empty SEKAI
Lake
20
Kanade
Huh...?
21
Kanade
(There's someone over by the water...)
22
Kanade
Rin...?
23
Rin
Kanade? When did you get here...?
24
Kanade
Just now. I came to take a short break.
25
Rin
Your timing couldn't have been better.
26
Kanade
Huh?
27
Rin
...
28
Rin
Is my brooch crooked at all...?
29
Rin
I tried using the water as a mirror, but I couldn't really tell...
30
Kanade
Umm... It looks straight to me.
31
Rin
Okay. That's good to hear.
32
Kanade
Your brooch is very pretty.
33
Rin
Mizuki found it at a shop, thought it would look good on me and decided to bring it over.
34
Rin
And I felt like wearing it today...
35
Kanade
I see. Mizuki would be so happy to hear that.
36
Rin
Yeah...
37
Rin
Do you wear any jewelry like this, Kanade?
38
Kanade
Huh?
39
Rin
Mizuki and the others said that you were modeling for someone.
40
Rin
Did you put on any jewelry during your shoot?
41
Kanade
Yes. Brooches, necklaces and a variety of other things.
42
Kanade
...
43
Rin
Is something wrong?
44
Kanade
Oh, no...
Nothing too serious. It's just...
45
Kanade
Things haven't been going so well.
46
Rin
Really...?
47
Kanade
*Nod*
We did our shoot the other day...
48
Kanade
Tenma said that I possess the sort of radiance she's looking for...
49
Kanade
But we weren't able to fully capture that in any of the pictures we took. And that's bothering her...
50
Rin
Radiance...?
51
Kanade
*Nod*
She said she's going to take another hard look at what that means to her.
52
Kanade
But I also understand that feeling that your piece is incomplete because you're missing something.
53
Kanade
I was hoping to help her somehow, but I really don't know what to do...
54
Rin
I see.
55
Kanade
*Nod*
What would you do in this sort of situation, Rin...?
56
Rin
You can't expect me to immediately answer that question...
57
Kanade
Yes, of course. I'm sorry...
58
Rin
I wouldn't know what to do either...
59
Rin
This is like the opposite of how things usually go.
60
Kanade
The opposite...?
61
Rin
Yeah. Whenever you have trouble reaching someone with a song or don't know what you're trying to express to them...
62
Rin
You try to get to know that person, right?
63
Kanade
Oh...
64
Kanade
You're right...
When I first decided to try to compose a song that could save Mafuyu...
65
Kanade
I started by taking a closer look at what she was thinking and feeling...
66
Kanade
I did overstep a few times as a result...
67
Kanade
But I was also able to learn more about what's really going on with Mafuyu. I figured out what I wanted to do and channeled it into my songs...
68
Rin
Well, if you don't know, then you should go find out...
69
Rin
That can change things a lot, right?
70
Kanade
Rin...
71
Kanade
I see your point. This is sort of the opposite of how things usually go.
72
Kanade
Then...
73
Kanade
(I don't know if this will help Tenma find the right answer.)
74
Kanade
(But if I can give her even the smallest hint...)
75
Kanade
I really appreciate it, Rin.
76
Kanade
I think I know what to do now thanks to you.
77
Rin
Okay.
78
Rin
Let me know if the picture turns out. I wanna see...
79
Kanade
Okay.
I'll bring it by once it's ready.
80
Rin
I'll be waiting...
Next Chapter: Let's Talk More