Outside the live house
1
Ichika
Those two that are arguing... Aren't they...?
2
???
Ugh... I'm done talking to you!!
3
???
Hanano!!
4
???
...!
I-I'm so sorry!
5
Ichika
Wait...!
6
???
Hanano!
We're not done talk... Wah!
7
Honami
Watch out! That car's going to...!
8
Driver
What did you do that for?! Are you nuts?!
9
???
I-I'm sorry!
Ow...
10
Ichika
Are you okay?!
11
???
Oh, sorry about that... But I'm okay.
I just scraped my elbow a little by trying to dodge that car...
12
???
Wait, aren't you from Leo/need...?!
13
Saki
Oh no! Your elbow!
The blood is seeping through your clothes too!
14
Ichika
Wh-What do we do...?!
We need to treat you somehow...!
15
???
No, that's okay!
I don't want to be any more of a bother...
16
Honami
No, you won't be a bother.
Let's just get you cleaned up first...
17
Honami
Shiho, does the live house have a first aid kit? We'd only need a couple of things to properly treat him.
18
Shiho
Yeah, there should be one.
I'll go get it now.
19
Saki
That and... We should find a place for him to sit! Know any good spots nearby?
20
Ichika
Oh, let's try the park!
Can you stand?
21
???
Th-Thank you very much...
Shibuya Park
22
Honami
There...
All cleaned up.
23
???
Thank you.
I really appreciate it.
24
Honami
Nothing broke as far as I could tell, but it still might be a good idea to have someone at the hospital look at it...
25
???
Okay.
26
Yota
Um... You're Leo/need, right?
It's nice to meet you. My name's Yota Yoshizaki. I'm always at your shows and really enjoy hearing you play.
27
Ichika
Oh... Th-Thank you...
28
Yota
You're all probably really tired after finishing that show... So, thank you all very much.
29
Honami
No, it's okay.
You don't need to thank us.
30
Saki
Yeah!
Honestly, we should be the ones thanking you two for always coming to see our shows!
31
Yota
Huh?
For always... Wait, you recognize us?
32
Ichika
Yes. You two are always at the front, right?
33
Ichika
You both always look like you're really enjoying yourselves, so it was hard not to notice.
34
Yota
I never would've guessed...
35
Yota
I can't believe you remembered who we are. My little sister's going to be ecstatic when she hears that Leo/need knows who we are...
36
Yota
Um... I know that this is asking a lot...
37
Yota
But if my little sister comes and sees your next show, would you mind talking to her for me...?
38
Yota
She's still in junior high, so I'd really like it if she's with someone she knows when she goes to the live house...
39
Shiho
Wait, what are you saying...?
You're always with her...
40
Yota
The thing is...
I won't be able to go to any more shows.
41
Ichika
What? Why not...?
42
Yota
I'm trying to stay away from her...
43
Ichika
Did something happen between you two?
44
Yota
Our parents got divorced...
45
Ichika
What?
46
Yota
I-I'm sorry...!
I know it's a personal matter and not something I should be discussing with others...
47
Yota
But Hanano and I have been living away from each other ever since the divorce was finalized last year...
48
Honami
I see...
49
Yota
Yes, but...
We're both worried about each other's home lives, so we've been meeting a few times per month like this.
50
Yota
That was when we learned about your band...
51
Yota
The divorce left Hanano in a really bad place, but she's been much happier ever since she started attending your shows.
52
Yota
Apparently, your music speaks to her by saying, “You're not alone. Let's get through this together.” Oh, needless to say, I'm a big fan too...
53
Saki
You are...?!
Hehe. Thank you so much!
We're really glad to hear that!
54
Yota
Same here.
Especially since Hanano's been having so much fun going to your shows.
55
Ichika
That explains why you two are always at the front.
56
Ichika
(But they like hanging out with each other despite having to live apart... How does that lead to him not wanting to meet anymore...?)
57
Yota
For a while, we didn't have any problems seeing each other...
58
Yota
But about six months ago, our dad remarried and wound up starting a new family...
59
Shiho
A new family...?
60
Yota
Hanano began to think that she didn't belong at home anymore and asked me if we could start meeting more often...
61
Honami
That's so rough...
62
Yota
It really is. I'm sure they're not bad people or anything, but Hanano just doesn't feel comfortable knowing that she's living with strangers...
63
Yota
Initially, I thought I could keep an eye on her while she adjusted to her new life.
64
Yota
But as time passed, we began seeing each other more often...
65
Shiho
...
66
Yota
And just the other day, after I suggested that she spent more time with her new family, she said, “I don't need my new family because I have you, Yota.”
67
Yota
That was when I realized that she won't try to get along with her new family as long as her old one's around... Including me...
68
Saki
But...
69
Yota
I want to help support Hanano, but realistically, I can't be there for her forever...
70
Yota
In terms of what's best for her future, I feel like she needs to learn to get along with her new family.
71
Yota
Which is why...
Today, I said, “We need to stop meeting like this.”
72
Ichika
Is that why...?
73
???
You big dummy...!!
74
Yota
I was just trying to ask her to get to know her new family better, but I guess it didn't come out right...
75
Ichika
(They ended up fighting because they couldn't tell each other how they really feel...)
76
Ichika
(That's so...)
77
Ichika
(That's so sad...)
78
Yota
Anyway, thank you for helping me out the way you did today. Also, sorry for making you listening to my life story even though it's our first time meeting.
79
Yota
So... Good luck with your shows.
I'll come back once things have settled down.
80
Yota
Now, if you'll excuse me.
81
Ichika
W-Wait...!
82
Yota
Huh...?
83
Ichika
Um, so...
I know you two ended up arguing today...
84
Ichika
But I hope you and your sister find a solution because it's awful seeing you two get torn from each other like this...
85
Yota
Right. Thank you...
I'll try talking things over with her again.
86
Yota
Once we've come to an agreement, I'll make sure to never see her...
87
Yota
Never see her... Again...
88
Ichika
...
89
Yota
Sorry, I should get going...
Thank you all again for what you've done.
90
Ichika
Oh...
91
Shiho
He's willing to not see her for the sake of her future... He seems to really care about his sister...
92
Saki
Yeah, but...
He seemed really sad too...
93
Honami
Isn't there anything we can do for them...?
94
Shiho
But this is someone's family we're talking about. I'm not sure we're in a position to say anything...
95
Ichika
So... There's nothing we can do...?
Next Chapter: What We Can Do