Street SEKAI
Akito
You think Kohane's not gonna want to be your partner...?
An
Yeah...
An
I know for certain that Kohane wants to be my partner and won't just leave like that...
An
But for some reason, a part of me has been so confused lately...
An
She just keeps getting better and better, while whatever I'm feeling keeps getting worse and worse.
An
Any idea why...?
Miku
...
Miku
Um, An...?
Can I ask you something?
Can I ask you something?
An
Sure, Miku. What's up...?
Miku
What do you want to be to Kohane?
An
Huh? What do you mean?
Miku
Please, just try to answer.
An
I... I want to be the best partner I can for Kohane...
Miku
Why?
An
Why...?
An
When I heard her sing that day...
Kohane
...——♪
An
!!
An
My heart wouldn't stop pounding...
An
Kohane even told me that she felt the same way after hearing me sing.
An
I was so happy when she said that, and made my decision right there!
An
That she's the only one who can be my partner...
Akito
...
An
She's my first partner and I care about her a lot...
An
I want to care for her more than anyone else... I want to be someone she can respect and be proud of...
An
Oh...
Miku
That very well may be it...
Miku
Since you want to be someone she can “respect and be proud of”, An, you want her to like and be excited by the way you sing.
Miku
But...
Akito
You're worried about not being able to do that if Kohane keeps improving at her current rate, right...?
An
I mean...
An
(Wait, huh...?)
An
(Kohane's so amazing...
I want to tell her that she did awesome...)
I want to tell her that she did awesome...)
An
(But why? Why is it that I can't get myself to just tell her that...?)
An
...
An
You might be right...
An
As happy as I was about how awesome Kohane sang, a part of me felt so much anxiety over it...
An
What if Kohane becomes so good that I'm not able to hold a candle to her anymore...? That question flashed across my mind after her performance...
An
I really don't like where my mind's been wandering...
An
Especially since Kohane decided to chase after the same dream as me.
An
Me feeling this way is like...
Akito
I think it's only natural for you to feel this way...
An
Huh?
Akito
You sang all by yourself until just recently, right...?
Akito
Hey, Ken.
An's Father
Hey, Akito, Toya.
An's Father
Is it true that you just did your first event?
Akito
We're still just getting started, but yeah, this was an important first step for us.
Toya
We definitely need to practice more and work on staying in sync.
An's Father
And I'm sure you'll do just fine if you keep at it. For now, have a seat and relax.
Akito
Thank you very much.
An
Hey!
An
Welcome back, Akito!
It's like you're one of the regulars now.
It's like you're one of the regulars now.
Akito
Hey, Shiraishi. Yeah, I'm back again.
Toya
And who might this be, Akito...?
Akito
Ken's daughter, An Shiraishi.
Toya
Ken's... Yes, I see.
I need to give you a proper greeting then.
I need to give you a proper greeting then.
An
Wait, this guy next to you... Is he...?
Akito
Yeah, he's my partner.
We decided to form a team together.
We decided to form a team together.
An
Whoa, really?!
Congrats, you guys!
Congrats, you guys!
Toya
My name is Toya Aoyagi.
It's nice to meet you.
It's nice to meet you.
An
Nice to meet you too! I'm An Shiraishi! And we're all friends here so you don't have to be all formal with me.
An
So you finally found a good partner, huh? You did say that you've been wanting to form a team like Dad's...
Akito
Yeah, and that might actually be possible with Toya here.
An
Hehe. That's great!
A partner, huh...?
A partner, huh...?
An
I wish I had one...
Toya
Huh?
An
Oh, more customers!
Sorry, I should probably get back to work.
Sorry, I should probably get back to work.
An
Sit back, relax and have fun, you guys!
Toya
Thank you, we will...
Toya
Is she a singer too, Akito?
Akito
Yeah, and no one our age comes close to her level. Some professional musicians have even begun keeping an eye on her...
Toya
Really...?
Then, it'd be nice to hear how she is sometime.
Then, it'd be nice to hear how she is sometime.
Toya
Is she not on a team?
Akito
Nope... She says she's looking for one and a bunch of people have already asked her...
Akito
(It'd be great if she can find someone she respects and respects her back, but that's easier said than done.)
Akito
(It might even be next to impossible at her level...)
Customer
Have you found a good partner yet, An?
An
No, not yet...
It's taking longer than I expected...
It's taking longer than I expected...
An
But I have a feeling that we're gonna be singing together forever once I do!
An
We'll practice a bunch and do a lot of performances together, while maybe having a few fights along the way...
An
And then, we're gonna put on an event that's so good, it surpasses Dad's!
Miku
I see...
Miku
Kohane's really the one you were looking for all this time.
Akito
Which is why I think it's natural for you to be scared of her not being your partner anymore...
Akito
Based on what I know, I seriously doubt that's ever going to happen, but I can't say that possibility's zero...
An
Yeah...
An
But I still don't know what to do about how I feel about all of this...
Akito
You just gotta keep going...
An
Huh...?
Akito
At the very least, you want Kohane to keep being your partner, right?
An
Yeah...
Akito
That means you gotta keep climbing with her. You gotta practice and work hard to keep up with her.
An
Akito...
Akito
It's almost time...
Akito
We might have to answer some awkward questions if we end up running late.
An
Okay, let's go...
Miku
An...
An
Sure, Miku. What's up...?
Miku
Good luck...
An
Thanks...
Shibuya Park
Kohane
An! Shinonome!
You're here early.
You're here early.
An
Uh, yeah...
Just a tad.
Just a tad.
Toya
Sorry if we kept you waiting. We can start warming up now.
Akito
Don't worry about it.
We haven't even started yet, so it's all good.
We haven't even started yet, so it's all good.
Kohane
Okay.
Oh, also...
Oh, also...
Kohane
I'll be practicing with Taiga tomorrow morning.
An
Oh...
Kohane
I managed to find Taiga hanging around Vivid Street after that and swapped contact info with him.
An
That's great...!
An
Good for you, Kohane!
But if he asks you to do anything weird, tell me right away! I'll set him straight if that happens!
But if he asks you to do anything weird, tell me right away! I'll set him straight if that happens!
Kohane
Hehe. Thanks, An, I will!
Toya
Hm...?
Akito, is something bothering you?
Akito, is something bothering you?
Akito
No, it's nothing... I was just thinking about our next song.
Akito
Anyway, let's start warming up.
Ready...?
Ready...?
An
Yeah, let's get started...!
Next Chapter: All To Keep Moving Forward