Vivid Street

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1

Toya

Listen

Akito, wait...!
2

Akito

Listen

Toya, what is it? Did you run here?
3

Toya

Listen

Please, talk to me.
4

Akito

Listen

Talk? About what...?
5

Toya

Listen

About how you're overworking yourself, Akito.
6

Toya

Listen

I understand that you want to keep getting better to surpass RAD WEEKEND someday...
7

Toya

Listen

But you'll end up collapsing before that happens at this rate. All your effort would go to waste!
8

Akito

Listen

I'm doing this knowing the risks.
9

Toya

Listen

But...!
10

Akito

Listen

If all it took was practicing like we usually do, I would already be doing that.
11

Akito

Listen

But I won't be able to surpass RAD WEEKEND if I don't do this. I have to be able to handle anything that's thrown at me and do absolutely everything I can to make it happen.
12

Toya

Listen

What happened that night really is bothering you...
13

Toya

Listen

I don't believe what Tono said is true. You aren't the one that's holding us back...
14

Akito

Listen

...
15

Toya

Listen

You don't seem satisfied by that...
16

Toya

Listen

Then how about this? Let's say that at your current level, Akito, that you can't surpass RAD WEEKEND...
17

Toya

Listen

Doesn't that also mean we as a team still can't as well?
18

Toya

Listen

The first-rate performers Tono was talking about are still in the distant future. We all have to keep getting better to succeed.
19

Toya

Listen

Please, don't do this to yourself.
20

Toya

Listen

When I hit a wall that other time, you told me to let you help.
21

Toya

Listen

That applies to you too.
We're a team.
22

Akito

Listen

Toya...
23

Akito

Listen

(When I joined together with Toya, I started practicing like no other to make sure I didn't disappoint him.)
24

Akito

Listen

(I finally thought that I made it to a respectable level, and we even met An and Kohane. It felt like we were actually making progress towards our goal.)
25

Akito

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(But...)

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26

Arata

Listen

Your teammates are all more talented than you realize and they may even become first-rate performers in their own right in time.
27

Arata

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But it's too hard for me to believe that you'll be up there with them when that time comes.
28

Akito

Listen

...
29

Akito

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(I know exactly what he's talking about...)
30

Akito

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(I have to start working even harder if I actually want to surpass RAD WEEKEND with them.)
31

Akito

Listen

(For now, all I can do is work as hard as I did when I first met Toya...)

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32

Kohane

Listen

A-An! There they are!
33

Akito

Listen

The event's about to start.
We can talk later...
34

Toya

Listen

Akito...!

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Weekend Garage

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35
What on earth is going on with Akito?
36

Kohane

Listen

I'm really worried. He always seems so tired and won't tell us if he's actually been getting any rest...
37

Toya

Listen

...
38

Kohane

Listen

Oh, I know!
What if your dad tries to talk to him, An...?
39
We already tried that...
40
He just said thanks for giving him some advice and sort of just shrugged it off from what I gathered...
41

Toya

Listen

He wouldn't even listen to Ken?
What else can we do...?
42
If only we could learn why he's acting the way he is now, then we might be able to come up with something...
43

Kohane

Listen

Oh, wait... What if we tried asking everyone over there...?
Street SEKAI

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44
Alright, we're here!
Now, let's try to...
Huh? This song...
45

Kohane

Listen

Oh, this is nice...!
46

KAITO

Listen

There!
Something like that...
47

Rin

Listen

Wow, that's so cool!
Considering it's KAITO...!

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48

KAITO

Listen

What do mean considering it's me...?
49

MEIKO

Listen

He's right. You two need to be a little more appreciative of him since he taught you about how to use a sampler.
50

Toya

Listen

KAITO was playing that song...?
51

MEIKO

Listen

Oh, hello.
I didn't notice you there.
52

Kohane

Listen

No, please don't mind us!
We heard a really nice song playing and started wondering where it was coming from...
53

KAITO

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Really?
I'm glad you liked it so much.
54

Miku

Listen

But it's just three of you today?
Where's Akito...?
55

Toya

Listen

About that...
Do you have some time to talk?
Crase Cafe

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56

MEIKO

Listen

So that's why Akito hasn't been around lately...
57

Miku

Listen

I know he's the stoic and hard-working type, but trying to do this all on his own seems a bit much...
58

Len

Listen

Did losing do this to him?
59

Kohane

Listen

Shinonome always looks after us, but to go this far after losing one battle...
60

Toya

Listen

Exactly...
There may be something even bigger eating away at Akito right now.
61

KAITO

Listen

Hmm...
But what could that be?
62

Toya

Listen

The last time I spoke with him, he seemed very anxious...
63

Kohane

Listen

Anxious...?
64

Kohane

Listen

Oh...
65
Kohane, what's up?
66

Kohane

Listen

I can't say for sure, but maybe Shinonome is doing this because of you, Aoyagi...?
67

Toya

Listen

Me...?
68

Kohane

Listen

After you settled things with your father, you started getting better so fast, right...?
69

Kohane

Listen

Maybe he saw this as a sort of warning that told him to keep up, and it started making him anxious...?

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70
Why would he think that?
71

Kohane

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That's what I'm not sure about...
72

Kohane

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I think he wants to be able to help us, especially the person that's always next to him...
73

Toya

Listen

I see...
74

Toya

Listen

I was under the impression that after that incident with my father, I finally reached his level...
75

Miku

Listen

You may not be the only person on his mind, Toya...
76

Miku

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You've all improved so much since you became a team.
77

Kohane

Listen

We have...?
78
Thanks, Miku!
79

Toya

Listen

...
80

Toya

Listen

Akito wanting to keep getting better along with his teammates seems natural...
81

Toya

Listen

But...
82

Toya

Listen

I wish he'd talk to us and lean on us more. Is that too much to ask...?
83

KAITO

Listen

Hmm...
It could be...
84
Huh?
85

KAITO

Listen

I mean, isn't that what it means to be a team?
86

KAITO

Listen

When things aren't going well, you cheer each other up, and you make each other better when things are going your way.
87

KAITO

Listen

At the same time, it's not a good idea to constantly rely on everyone else, right?
88

KAITO

Listen

But now may be the time when you need to reach out to him, especially since you're all chasing after the same dream.
89

Toya

Listen

Reach out to him...?

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90

Akito

Listen

Great job, Toya.
91

Toya

Listen

I see...
92

Toya

Listen

We need to help him as his teammates. I need to support him as his partner...

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93

Toya

Listen

So that we can keep growing together...
94
Yeah, sounds good.
Thanks for your help, KAITO.
95
It's time to go, you two!
96
Okay, we're back.
Let's get a hold of Akito and...

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97

Musician

Listen

Hey! Is Toya here?!
98

Toya

Listen

Oh...
99
Wait, you! That guy from before...!
100
Sorry... What was your name?
101

Kotaro

Listen

Kotaro Mita!
But that's not why I'm here...!
102

Kotaro

Listen

I'm supposed to be in this event with Akito today, but something's wrong with him...

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103

Toya

Listen

With Akito?
What's going on?
104

Kotaro

Listen

We're doing a battle event today, but this other guy, Arata Tono, just decided to crash it. Akito looked like he'd just snapped or something...
105

Kotaro

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I don't know how to put it into words, but it's like he's his old self again, you know...?
106

Toya

Listen

His old self...?
What do you mean?
107

Kotaro

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You know? When you guys just became the BAD DOGS? I mean, seriously...
108

Toya

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Please, continue. Tell us everything you know.
109

Kotaro

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Y-Yeah...
110

Kotaro

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You guys had it pretty rough back then, right? The older musicians were picking on you, and even the crowd was always getting in your face...
111

Toya

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Yes, I remember...
112
Even you guys had to deal with that?
113

Toya

Listen

We did. But that was also when we were desperately doing everything we could to get better. Akito in particular had this aura about him, even during practice...
114

Toya

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He worked so hard on trying to make it as a performer and surpass “that night”. I struggled to keep up with him.
115
Yeah, I can totally see that...
116

Kohane

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Shinonome has a really good work ethic so...
117

Toya

Listen

But what does that have to do with what's happening now?
118

Kotaro

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Maybe that's how it looked to you, Toya, but not to us. That went way beyond what the rest of us called “hard-working”...
119

Kotaro

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He kept at it, even when you weren't there. Day and night, regardless if he could even physically sing.
120

Toya

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What...?
121

Kotaro

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I couldn't get much out of him then, but I think he was trying to keep up with you...
122

Toya

Listen

With me...?
123

Kotaro

Listen

Yeah, you have a classical music background, so your musical intuition is through the roof. He probably felt that someone way beyond him just came onto the scene...
124

Kotaro

Listen

Other people have even been saying that Akito is living off his partner's talents...
125
You're kidding! That's awful!
126

Toya

Listen

...

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127

Akito

Listen

I'm the one that's holding us back.
128

Toya

Listen

No, that's not true.
Akito, you've...
129

Akito

Listen

It is true. I know better than anyone else...
130

Toya

Listen

Akito...
131

Toya

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Thank you for telling us, Mita.
Do you know where Akito is now?
132

Kotaro

Listen

He's... He's at that live house... BROWN!
133

Toya

Listen

Got it...!

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134
Wait, Toya...!
We're going too, Kohane!
135

Kohane

Listen

Yeah!

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Next Chapter: Revenge