Lodge Gym

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

1

Honami

Listen

Okay, is this a good spot for our instruments?
2

Saki

Listen

Yup. Drum on the left and the keyboard on the right!
3

Saki

Listen

But who would've known that this place had a keyboard and a drum kit!
4

Honami

Listen

Yes, it's a little old, but they seem like more than enough for us.
5

Kohane

Listen

Oh, I'll go grab some chairs and desks from one of the other classrooms. They might be nice to have while we're practicing...
6

Emu

Listen

I'll help you get them!

Sound Effect: Play

Lodge Classroom

Sound Effect: Play

7

Miku

Listen

<Hey, Emu. What are you up to right now?>
8

Emu

Listen

We're practicing for our presentation. My group decided to do a musical.
9

Miku

Listen

<Oh, that sounds like fun♪
Mind if I watch you practice?>
10

Emu

Listen

Yeah, of course.
I'd love it if you could see us perform!
11

Kohane's Voice

Listen

Emu, can you lend me a hand with this...?
12

Emu

Listen

Yeah! Coming!
13

Miku

Listen

<Anyway, good luck, Emu!>
14

Emu

Listen

Yup! Thanks, Miku☆
15

Emu

Listen

Honami, Saki, we're all ready over here!
16

Kohane

Listen

Is there anything you need help with?
17

Honami

Listen

We just about ready here too!
We checked over the sheet music and everything seems fine.
18

Saki

Listen

It's nice that we were able to just buy the sheet music on our phones♪
19

Kohane

Listen

Yes. We even got a hold of the song from that site, which I'm sure will be more than helpful while we practice it.
20

Emu

Listen

Okay, since we're all set, wanna start?
21

Saki

Listen

Oh, wait! One second!!
22

Kohane

Listen

Saki, what's wrong?
23

Saki

Listen

Um, Kohane, I have a request for you... Can you sing a song for us?! Just once!
24

Kohane

Listen

Y-You want me to sing...?
All by myself...?
25

Saki

Listen

Yes! I've already heard Emu sing during one of her shows.
26

Emu

Listen

Oh, I wanna hear you sing too!!
27

Honami

Listen

I'd like to as well... That is, if it's alright with you, Kohane. You don't have to if you don't want to.
28

Kohane

Listen

Thanks, Honami.
But it's okay. I will.
29

Kohane

Listen

How about I give you a sampling of one of the songs my team usually sings at events.
30

Kohane

Listen

...
31

Kohane

♪————

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

32

Emu

Listen

Whoa...!
Her voice is so pretty...!
33

Saki

Listen

Yeah. It's so clear and she's able to go across registers so effortlessly...
34

Kohane

————! ——♪
35

Honami

Listen

(Her voice is like Ichika's, but something about it is a little different...)
36

Honami

Listen

(It's cute, but also really cool...)
37

Honami

Listen

Thank you for doing that, Kohane! I couldn't stop listening the minute you started singing.

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

38

Kohane

Listen

R-Really...?
I hope I didn't sound weird.
39

Emu

Listen

No, you have such a pretty singing voice!
40

Saki

Listen

Yeah!
You made it feel like we were at a live house just now♪
41

Kohane

Listen

Th-Thank you... I was a little nervous, so I wasn't sure that I'd be able to sing the way I usually do...
42

Kohane

Listen

I also hardly ever sing for people that go to school with me... But I'm glad you liked it.
43

Honami

Listen

Okay, now that we've had a chance to hear Kohane sing, shall we try it once from the top? I'll count us in.
44

Saki

Listen

Thanks, Hona!
We'll be counting on you too, Ms. Emu!
45

Emu

Listen

Roger!
46

Honami

Listen

Here we go...
One, two, three, four...

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

47

Emu

——! ————♪
48

Kohane

♪————! ——!
49

Honami

Listen

(Emu as Dorothy and Kohane as Amy...)
50

Honami

Listen

(I have a good groove going too. So does Saki. As long as we stay in rhythm like this, we should...)
51

Kohane & Emu

——♪ ————♪
52

Honami

Listen

(Huh? That's strange. I don't think this is how BEST SUMMER is supposed to sound...)
53

Saki

Listen

(Something feels off. Almost like the music isn't syncing up with the song... Am I doing something wrong...?)
54

Kohane & Emu

♪——! ♪——
55

Kohane

Listen

(I can't put my finger on it, but it's like our voices don't match what Honami and Saki are playing at all.)
56

Emu

——♪ ————!
57

Emu

Listen

(Huh? This doesn't feel right...)
58

Emu

Listen

(But why? I'm not sure how to describe it, but this doesn't feel like a musical for some reason...!)
59

Honami

Listen

Um... Nice work, everyone.
60

Honami

Listen

What did you think, Emu?
61

Emu

Listen

Hmm... Hmmm...

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

62

Emu

Listen

It's really hard for me to describe, but it's like we weren't doing a musical...
63

Honami

Listen

You thought so too...?
I felt the same way. Something didn't feel quite right.
64

Saki

Listen

Yeah, me too...!
I did everything the sheet music said, but it's like I was doing something wrong for some reason.
65

Kohane

Listen

No, Saki, you didn't do anything wrong...! I felt that I wasn't singing right either, as if I was the one doing something wrong.
66

Honami

Listen

Yes, I see...
Yet based on what I heard, you were pitch-perfect, Kohane.
67

Emu

Listen

I... I think I know what's wrong! I get that it's important not to make mistakes, but we might be focusing on that too much!
68

Emu

Listen

Musicals need to be more fun or more emotional, you know? We should focus more on bringing those emotions to the surface just before the climax.
69

Saki

Listen

Bring those emotions to the surface...?
70

Kohane

Listen

Um... I think staying in character is gonna be really important here. It's a musical, so we aren't just acting. We have to sing from our hearts.
71

Kohane

Listen

Whenever I perform at a live house, I usually make small changes to the way I sing to match what the crowd wants to see. Is that sort of what you're talking about...?
72

Emu

Listen

Yeah, that!
73

Emu

Listen

We can't just go up there and sing. We have to sing as Amy and Dorothy while working with the music, I think?
74

Saki

Listen

Sing as Amy and Dorothy...
75

Honami

Listen

Not missing a beat while the rhythm keeps changing... That almost sounds like freeform jazz.
76

Honami

Listen

That may be a bit challenging, but I'd like to give it a try. Thank you for your insight, Emu.
77

Emu

Listen

Hehe. You're super welcome!
78

Honami

Listen

Shall we try that once more while keeping Emu's advice in mind?
79

Kohane & Saki

Listen

Yeah!
80

Honami

Listen

Okay, I'll count us in again.
One, two, three, four.

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

81

Emu

Listen

That was amazing!
It's really starting to feel like a musical now!
82

Kohane

Listen

Thank goodness...! But I still feel like we could sync up with Honami and Saki better. I never realized it was so hard to sing while in character.
83

Honami

Listen

Yes, we're singing and playing much better, but we're still not quite there yet.
84

Saki

Listen

Yeah. But we're making good progress. For now, let's maintain this pace and just keep trying!
85

Emu

Listen

Yup! Let's make this a super wonderhoy performance!

Sound Effect: Play

86

Saki

Listen

Hm? What?! We've already spent an hour doing this?! We need to clean up soon before the other groups get here...!
87

Honami

Listen

Oh, you're right...!
We should hurry.
88

Emu

Listen

I wish we could practice more...
89

Saki

Listen

Me too. There just wasn't enough time...
90

Honami

Listen

Right...
I suppose we can all try to think of ways to get better in a short amount of time.
91

Emu

Listen

Yeah, let's do that☆
I'll go get the next group while I do.
92

Kohane

Listen

Oh, okay...!
Thanks, Emu!
Beach
93

Emu

Listen

(Hnng...
I can't find the right words to describe it to them...)

Sound Effect: Play

94

Miku

Listen

<Is everything okay, Emu?>
95

Emu

Listen

Y-Yeah, I'm okay.
Sorry about that. I wish we could've done better for you.
96

Miku

Listen

<No, don't say that! I had fun, so chin up, Emu.>

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

97

Miku

Listen

<No one ever gets it right the first time. You practice lots and lots for your shows too, don't you?>
98

Emu

Listen

Miku...
99

Miku

Listen

<So there's no need to worry or feel rushed. You practiced a lot today too, so you should get a good night's rest and try again tomorrow!>
100

Miku

Listen

<Is what KAITO told me one time☆>
101

Emu

Listen

Wow, KAITO really does know what to say in these kinds of situations!
102

Emu

Listen

Thanks for everything today, Miku.
I'm sure things will go better tomorrow...
103

Emu

Listen

So will you come and watch us practice again?
104

Miku

Listen

<Of course!
I'll be cheering you on, Emu♪>
105

Emu

Listen

Thanks, Miku.
Next Chapter: More Freely