(I'm glad that we decided to visit an actual forest together to improve how we communicate ideas to one another...)

(Roughly seventy percent of Japan is covered in woodlands. Where would be best in terms of what we wish to accomplish...?)

(Alright, I'll try looking at a few maps during lunch.)

Hey, Toya, let's get some food... Huh?

Dude, where are you going?
Food's that way...

The library.
I'm hoping to find a suitable forest that we can visit.

So, sorry...
I won't be able to have lunch with you today.

O-Okay...

I mean, it's great that you're excited, but don't go too crazy, alright...?

It's not like we absolutely have to go either. If anything, we could just ask Taiga about the song he introduced to Kohane...

No, this is too good an opportunity to pass up, and I'd like to do everything I can for our team.

Even if we were to find a temporary solution, there's no guarantee that we won't encounter the same problem in the future. I'd like to be prepared for when that happens.

Would you be okay with that? Of course, I'll make sure that it doesn't interfere with our practice schedule.

Look, I'm not gonna stop you.
But have you ever gone on a trip like this by yourself?

No, I haven't.
I used to visit Vienna every year with my family, but I was never allowed to go explore on my own.

All I could do was see a view of the city or night sky from our hotel room window...

Even for contests and competitions, my mom would ferry me to and fro by car.

I still can't believe your family's like that...

Yes, well...
I understand very clearly now that I grew up in a very special environment.

Conversely, I haven't experienced many of the things that others consider “normal”...

Which is why I want to check off those boxes.

If that's the case, go knock yourself out...

Thanks, Akito.
Then, I'm off to the library.

(He never budges once he reaches this state. He always sees things through once he's made up his mind.)

Hey, Akito!
Having lunch with Toya again?

I was planning to, but he ran off to the library to look for a good forest or something.

What? He's actually serious about going?!

But I guess he sort of should if he really does want to go...

Still, woods and forests can be pretty dangerous depending on where you go. I'm a little worried about his safety.

Knowing him, I'm sure he'll look up everything he needs for it...

But you might be right to worry about his safety. You never know how dangerous some of these places are until you see it for yourself.

Hmm...

In that case, why don't we do this?

Yeah...?

(Hmm... I can't decide.)

(World Heritage Sites, like Shirakami-Sanchi and Yakushima, seem ideal since they contain virgin forests.)

(But it'll take an enormous amount of time to get to either...)

(While all the parks, mountains and forests around here have more or less become popular tourist attractions...)

Hey, Toya!
Mind if we pop in?

Sorry to catch you during break.

Shiraishi, Akito...
What brings you here?

About you going to visit an actual forest... Have you made a decision about where yet?

No, not quite?
I'm having trouble finding a suitable location.

Great!
We have an idea regarding that.

Why don't we all go together?

All of us?

You said you want to see a real forest so that we can grow as a team, right?

But you gotta understand that we don't all imagine the same thing when we think about a forest.

If you want us to share the same image, then we should all go together.

Yes, I see...

But I wouldn't want you to go if it means you have to sacrifice practices...

No, don't say that!
I actually think it'll be a great learning experience for all of us!

Not only that, you might be able to experience more than just the forest if we all go, right?

More than just the forest?

Yeah, like camping!

Camping? Come to think of it, I've never done that either...

I know that you're supposed to pitch a tent and make food using outdoor cookware, but...

Yeah, so why not go camping during our trip into the woods?

Akito even said that he knows a good spot.

You do?

There's this place that we went to as a family a long time ago because Dad wanted to draw somewhere quiet, and I remember there being a huge forest nearby.

Also, I'm pretty sure we can get there by train and bus in around two hours.

It's that close...?!

On top of that, my family used to go camping a bunch, so we have all the tents and outdoor gear that we could ever need.

So let's take this opportunity to go camping in the woods for a night! It'll be fun, and I'm sure this experience will help us with our song.

A night? As in we'll be sleeping there...?

Yeah! Going there and back all in one day would be pretty rough. I asked Kohane about this yesterday and she said she can go too!

Azusawa's also coming?

You heard her. I was worried that her dad wouldn't let her go since he's pretty protective of her, but I guess she managed to get through to him.

Yeah, he gave her the green light after she told him that we'd be going with her and that it'll be like a training camp where we can work on our singing.

So I'm really glad that we had a chance to meet him that one time!

I see...
I'm sorry for making you go through all this trouble.

Hey, like I said earlier, this isn't just about you...

The rest of us want to do everything we can to become a better team. We're all in this together.

Right...

If all of us going is the best way to grow as a team, then that definitely seems like the best option.

Thank you, Shiraishi, Akito.
I'm really looking forward to this.