The Vivid Old Tale - 4: Grown-Up Stuff

Vivid Street

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1

Little An

Awesome!
I got three at once!

2

Nagi

Grr...!
No matter how many times I play these arcade shooters, I can never get used to them...!

3

An's Father

*Sigh*

4

An's Father

Alright, it's starting to get dark, so let's head back once those two are done playing their game.

5

Taiga

Sounds good.
But I'm still amazed by how much energy An has after practicing all morning.

6

Nagi

Wait, An, don't take that weapon!

7

Little An

You snooze, you lose!
I'm gonna take the health pack too.

8

Nagi

No, I needed that health pack!

9

Nagi

Drats, I lost again...

10

Nagi

An, one more time!
I can't leave after that!

11

Little An

You really hate losing, huh, Aunt Nagi? But I like how you're not afraid to stand back up♪

12

Nagi

Guh... That smirk... Just who exactly are you taking after?

13

An's Father

Well, Nagi, you probably.

14

Nagi

Oops... She's copying me?

15

Taiga

By the way, I'm pretty good at this game.

16

Nagi

Shut it!
I still want another go!
I'll change characters this time and...

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17

Live House Staff

E-Excuse me...!
Do you all have a moment to talk?

18

Nagi

Hm? Oh, you're Kimura from “Ultramarine”. You seem startled. What's wrong?

19

Live House Staff

The thing is, we've run into a bit of trouble...

20

An's Father

Trouble?

21

Little An

...?

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22

Little An

(Hmm...
They all look really serious...)

23

Little An

(This might take a while...)

24

Taiga

Yeah, that's not good...

25

Nagi

If that's the case, I'll head over.
You two stay here with An.

26

Little An

What...?!
You're leaving, Aunt Nagi?!

27

Nagi

Don't worry, An...
We'll get to play again soon.

28

Little An

But I wanna play again now...

29

Nagi

Hehe. I know, dear.
I don't like leaving after losing either.

30

Nagi

But right now, someone from the live house we usually perform at needs my help, so I want to be there for them...

31

Nagi

You'd try to help someone if you saw that they were in need, right, An?

32

Little An

Yeah...!

33

Nagi

Hehe. That's what I like to hear!
And it's very cool of you, An!

34

Nagi

So, I'll be off...
Let's play again tomorrow, An!

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35

Little An

Oh...
There she goes...

The next day

Nonogi Park

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36

Nagi

Check this out!
From downtown!

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37

Little An

Whoa! That was awesome!
You made that shot from so far away...!

38

Nagi

Hehe. I am pretty good at basketball.
Wanna give it a try, An?

39

Little An

Yeah!
Can I have the ball?

40

Nagi

First, why don't you try aiming for the backboard behind the rim? Point your toes forward and relax as you hold the ball up...

Kamiyama Street

41

Little An

That was great!
I didn't realize basketball was so much fun!

42

Little An

Oh, Aunt Nagi, Uncle Taiga!
Wanna have dinner at our place?

43

Taiga

Oh, at your place? Are you sure?

44

An's Father

Yeah, we got some steaks as thanks from the team we helped out the other day and was thinking about grilling them up.

45

Nagi

Really?! Well, if you don't mind!

46

Little An

Yay!
Mommy's really good at grilling steaks too!

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47

Little An

Huh...?

48

Little An

They're constructing a really big building here! What's it gonna be?

49

Nagi

Oh, this sign might tell us.
Let's see... It says it's going to be for “Kamiyama High School.”

50

Little An

Really?! This is gonna be a school?!
It'd be kinda fun to go exploring♪

51

An's Father

An, construction sites aren't exactly safe places, so don't get too close.

52

Little An

Okay.

53

Nagi

I'm not sure you meant that at all.
These sorts of places can be pretty dangerous, so please be careful, alright?

54

Little An

I know!
It's just... I'm a little curious.

55

Taiga

That reminds me of how we used to sneak into school at night and stuff.

56

Little An

Wait, you did?

57

Nagi

T-Taiga!
Now's really not the time!

58

An's Father

If anything, we were sort of forced to sneak in... If only Nagi hadn't...

59

Little An

Hadn't what? Aunt Nagi, did you do something bad? Why did you guys have to sneak in?

60

Nagi

No, I can't tell you that!

61

Little An

Aww... Why not...?

62

Nagi

I'll tell you when you're a little older!
More importantly, look! We're almost home!

63

Little An

Yeah!

64

Little An

(Once we get home, we're gonna have steaks, practice singing, play games... I can't wait!)

65

Young Musician

Oh, um...!
Pardon me for being so sudden, but do you all have a moment?

66

An's Father

Hm?

67

Nagi

Oh, I remember you. We met at that one event the other day... “Riot Party”, right? Weren't there four of you?

68

Young Musician

*Gasp*
Yes, that's us!
I can't believe you remembered us!

69

Young Musician

I know this coming straight out of left field... But the thing is, RADder, we need your help...

70

Taiga

Conversations that start like this usually don't end well in my experience...

71

An's Father

But for now, can you tell us what's going on?

72

Young Musician

We were going to sign with this one label, but we noticed today that some conflicts might arise in terms of who owns what based on what we saw in the fine print...

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73

Young Musician

We expressed our concern because it didn't seem right, and they responded by telling us to decide whether or not to sign by the end of today.

74

Young Musician

Then, I heard from some people around here that RADder's probably good at dealing with these sorts of situations... Would you mind if I asked for your opinions...?

75

Nagi

By the end of today...?
Geez, talk about being callous.

76

Taiga

Yeah, if this label's gonna stick it to you that much, why sign with them at all?

77

Young Musician

We thought that as well...
But one of my teammates is going to quit if we don't land a deal this year...

78

Nagi

I see...
If that's the case, Taiga, let's hear what he has to say.

79

Taiga

Ken's our best negotiator...
But we're better at handling things then they go south.

80

Nagi

You're making me sound like some kind of ruffian. Still, I don't mind helping.

81

An's Father

Sorry, guys. I really appreciate it...

82

Little An

You guys are going, Aunt Nagi...?

83

Nagi

...

84

Nagi

I'm sorry, An.
I really want to hang out with you, but I need to go for a bit...

85

Nagi

We can have some yummy steaks together in the future sometime...

86

Little An

Okay...

87

Nagi

Alright, wish us luck!

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88

Little An

Oh...

89

Little An

(She left again...)

90

An's Father

Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get to play again soon. I know. Why don't we do some singing practice together when we get back...?

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91

Little An

Huh? Really?

92

An's Father

Yes, really. We can practice as much as you like.

93

Little An

*Gasp*
Woohoo!!

Next Chapter: Streets Of Missed Encounters