A few days later
Practice Area
Yuka
I'm looking forward to putting on a great show with all of you. It'll only be for a short time, but thank you for having me!
Nene
(I get to perform alongside Ms. Kazamatsuri... Who knows when or if I'll have this kind of opportunity again.)
BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play
Amemiya
Next, we'll be doing the opening singing scene. Kazamatsuri, Kusanagi, please get ready.
Nene & Yuka
“————♪ ————♪”
Yuka
The others and I are thinking about going out for dinner after practice, Nene. Would you like to join us...?
Sound Effect: Play
BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play
Sound Effect: Play
Yuka
Yes! We still haven't had a chance to catch up after not seeing each other for so long.
Yuka
The show doesn't open for quite a while, so you should give yourself a chance to relax.
Several dozen minutes later
Park Cafe
BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play
Yuka
I even used to come here with Amemiya.
I remember us having heated discussions about which effects and such would make a song really stand out.
I remember us having heated discussions about which effects and such would make a song really stand out.
Nene
Interesting. I'm having a hard time imagining you and Mr. Amemiya arguing like that...
Yuka
Really? We used to a lot.
He obsesses over the smallest things, you know? I ended up getting worked up often.
He obsesses over the smallest things, you know? I ended up getting worked up often.
Yuka
Remember that conversation we had about me introducing you to Amemiya's troupe? That day, we chose to meet at a cafe not dissimilar to this one.
Nene
While I was looking for a new troupe to join, I just happened to run into you during one of your stays in Japan. And you took the time to listen to what I was going through...
Sound Effect: Play
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Nene
Even today, I was called out on all the mistakes I made while singing and moving around.
Nene
But... Even though things are hard for me right now, I want to make my dream come true.
Nene
I want to show my friends that I can keep going on my own. And I don't want them to hog all the glory. That's what's driving me.
Nene
The thing is, Rui, Tsukasa and Emu have all made huge progress towards making their own dreams come true...
Nene
No matter how hard I work... No matter how much progress I make, the gap between me and my friends keeps on increasing.
Nene
And I'll have to work two or three times harder than them if I want my dream to come true...!
Yuka
Yes, in terms of setting out into the world, Nene, you may be right. You're still probably missing a few things.
Yuka
But I don't believe that your skill level is so low that you need to work this much harder than everyone else...
Yuka
I have to think that the others in your troupe feel the same way. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been asked to play the lead.
Yuka
No matter how much praise or reassurance others provide, you never think you're doing enough.
Yuka
I know that feeling. When I first started performing overseas, I went through the same thing...
Yuka
Even after I'd become better and started winning big roles, I kept running circles in my head thinking that I was still missing something crucial.
Yuka
Really. Then it dawned on me...
As important as it was to keep pushing myself to become better...
As important as it was to keep pushing myself to become better...
Yuka
I remember thinking about the people I trusted the most and imagining what they would say if they saw me perform...
Yuka
I figured that if they would say I was doing just fine, then I shouldn't be quite so hard on myself.
Sound Effect: Play
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Yuka
It feels like it's been so long since I saw you actually smile, Nene. And that smile is as adorable as I remember it!
Nene
(I don't want the others from Wonderlands×Showtime to get too far ahead of me, but they're also the ones who are keeping me going.)
Nene
(If they saw me now, I'm sure they'd talk about just how much I've grown and improved...)
Nene
(That doesn't mean I can leave my shortcomings as they are. But at the same time...)
Next Chapter: A Stage Full of Smiles