Anyway, that's all of us...

Now, I'll introduce Uncle Taiga to all of you guys!

Akito, you already know who he is because of RAD WEEKEND, but Kohane and Toya are still sort of in the dark.

Right.
All you gotta do, An, is tell them how great I am!

Wait, you haven't had any yet, have you?

Hehe.

Again, Uncle Taiga helped put on RAD WEEKEND and also performed in it...

But you know, “made it” might be a better way to put it since he helped get the word out...

I see...

Yeah, we had a lot going on then, but we really wanted to get everyone worth their salt and put on an event with them.

And after that, you went to the United States to sing, right?

In America?

Toya, remember that song I told you about? The one by “WALKER”.

That's Taiga.

...!
It is...?!

WALKER?

Yes, a world-famous artist.
Their music videos are very popular online...

Really?
Let's see... 500 million views?!

Hey, not bad.
But we're still far from the top.

Th-That's incredible...!

But what were you doing singing at that live house today?

The owner's an old friend and I went over to see them. I just happened to run into Arata there.

Considering how I always wear sunglasses and probably don't look the way I used to, he spotted me pretty quickly...

And he said he wanted to battle, so I ended up singing.

Haha. You haven't changed at all!
Never one to back down from a challenge, huh?

Luckily, Nagi was usually there to keep you out of trouble...

By the way, how is Nagi?
She went over to the U.S. with you, right?

Who's Nagi?

Oh, Nagi Kotaki. She's Uncle Taiga's little sister.

She, Uncle Taiga and Dad used to be on the same team.

Yeah, they performed in RAD WEEKEND together too. I'll probably never forget the way they all sang.

I know, right?!
Her voice was unbelievable too!

Anyway, how's she doing?

Yeah, she's good. Still the same...

She's probably doing a street show right now.

...

...?

What about you guys? How have things been...?

Huh?

Is it still your goal to surpass RAD WEEKEND?

...!

...

(There it is...)

(But I guess anyone would feel a little anxious after seeing that performance...)

(Based on that, no person in their right mind should be able to reply to a question like that so fast...)

Yeah, of course!

We're definitely going to surpass RAD WEEKEND!

(But I guess you just gotta be tough sometimes.)

...

Hah hah hah!! You haven't changed at all either, An!!

Haha! See?

And how about you...?

Me?

...!

You said so before too.
About surpassing RAD WEEKEND.

How are things now?

I, um...!

To be honest, I was completely overwhelmed by your performance and the thought of how RAD WEEKEND must've been full of unbelievable singers...

But my goal hasn't changed...

I still believe that we're going to surpass RAD WEEKEND!

I see...

Oh, that's right. You talked to her about that the other day...

I still sort of can't believe that you were the one she was talking about, Uncle Taiga.

Yeah, the way she sang really caught my attention.

It did...?!
Well, that's because Kohane's an amazing singer! It's hard not to pay attention to her, you know?

A-Again, thank you very much for that time! I was able to realize something really important because of your advice during our last event.

(When I saw her that time...)

...

Is something bothering you?

You said that you wanted to get better. Do you still feel the same way?

Y-Yes...!
I still want to get better at singing!

Okay.
Then, wanna give it a try with me?

Huh?
Give what a try?

Well, singing, of course.

...

Wh-What do you mean?
You're not planning on...?

Relax, An.
I'm not trying to take her away from you.

Think of it as training.

Training?

From what I understand, your friend here wants to catch up to you guys as quickly as she can, An.

And I'm curious to find out just how far she can go if she's given that chance.

...!

(A lot of people have asked Uncle Taiga to teach them how to sing, but he always turned them down...)

I, um... So...

I'm sorry.
I actually stopped practicing on my own to focus more on working together as a team.

Okay. Well, I'll be around for a little while longer if you ever change your mind.

Anyway, I should probably get going soon.

Oh, you're leaving already?

Like I said, I've got other stuff to take care of.

You really haven't changed one bit.

Just enjoying my fifteen minutes.
Anyway, Ken, thanks for having me.

Oh, he's gone...

Training, huh...?

I'm guessing he asked you because of what he saw during that last event, Kohane.

Right. Azusawa's performance was spectacular, to say the least.

...

But the Taiga Kotaki chose you.

I... Uh, well...

Don't sound scared. He essentially went out of his way to tell you that you're worthy of being taught. You should be more proud.

R-Right...!
Thanks, Shinonome.

But are you really going to turn him down, Azusawa?

Huh?

Yes, practicing as a team is definitely important, but he's a legend. There's no telling when you'll have another chance like this.

Yeah...

He said that he's going to be around for a while, but who knows how long that is? You should still probably ask him for one lesson.

R-Right...
Plus, our next event is coming up...

Um, An...?

Huh?

What do you think?
Should I try asking him...?

Well...

(No, it's happening again...
That feeling in my chest is getting worse...)

(Why is this happening...?)