The next day
School SEKAI
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Saki
Yeah, I had trouble falling asleep last night because I was so anxious! A part of me was worried about how we'd do today after practicing so much...
Shiho
(But this will tell us where we are as a band. I have to think that the others are gonna play with everything they have, so...)
MEIKO
I think we're all looking forward to hearing you play as a band since it's been so long.
Saki
(I can feel all this anxiety and excitement whirling around inside me... It reminds me of the time when we first played as a band.)
Ichika
(I can't honestly say how well we're going to do... But I should just try to enjoy the moment and do everything I practiced.)
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Ichika
♪————! ♪————!!
Shiho
(Ichika's singing the high notes with so much power. Normally, her voice can sound thin in high keys, but she's belting it.)
Shiho
(The drums and keyboard are in perfect rhythm... They sound totally different from before...)
Ichika
————♪
Shiho
(There's no way that crowd's going to feel anything from our performance if we're this disparate...)
Shiho
(Plus, they've all gotten this good.
So, as long as we practice like we mean it until then...)
So, as long as we practice like we mean it until then...)
Sound Effect: Play
Rin
They've really been putting in the effort.
Ichi cut her finger after playing her guitar too much and I heard that Hona cracked one of her drumsticks!
Ichi cut her finger after playing her guitar too much and I heard that Hona cracked one of her drumsticks!
Shiho
(They're all giving it their best. No, they're doing better than that. These past couple of weeks, they've been doing absolutely everything they possibly could.)
Shiho
(Ichika, Saki, Honami...
Any one of them could've collapsed or fallen ill during these intense training sessions.)
Any one of them could've collapsed or fallen ill during these intense training sessions.)
Shiho
(We're not in a band and playing music for fun. We want others to be moved by the songs we play.)
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Rin
I'm guessing that you think you'll stand out if you play at 100% and fall out of sync with everyone...
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Shiho
At this rate, we won't be able to put on a good performance. So, I have to hold back. It's just what's best for us...
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Honami
I think it's fair to say that we all knew you'd be playing at a different level compared to us, Shiho.
Honami
That's why we agreed to do these training sessions. We wanted to catch up to you... However, in hindsight, we didn't have much of a chance to do that since you were practicing just as hard.
Saki
You looked like you were having so much fun playing your bass... I'm never gonna forget that sound.
Saki
And you produced the same sort of sound just now as we played. I felt that same excitement from before. So...
Saki
I think it's important to capture that excitement. I think it's what Leo/need really needs.
Saki
I mean, it's what we've been trying to translate into sound up to this point. That's why you shouldn't let that feeling go...
Ichika
For us to reach your level, Shiho, we'll probably have to spend less time eating and sleeping in order to practice.
Shiho
But that's easier said than done.
Until now, we've been practicing with everything we have without cutting any corners.
Until now, we've been practicing with everything we have without cutting any corners.
Shiho
But to ask you to do even more...
What if one of you collapses from exhaustion before our show...?
What if one of you collapses from exhaustion before our show...?
Saki
I don't care.
I'd rather have that happen than regret not practicing as hard as I could've.
I'd rather have that happen than regret not practicing as hard as I could've.
Honami
If we can't reach your level, Shiho, then it just means that we still have work to do. I don't think there's anything you can really do about that. However...
Honami
We promise to do everything we can to not make you worry, so please, don't take your foot off the accelerator.
Saki
Yeah, I promise too!
Yes, you're way ahead of us right now, Shiho, but just wait... We're gonna catch up to you in no time!
Yes, you're way ahead of us right now, Shiho, but just wait... We're gonna catch up to you in no time!
Saki
By the time the day of our show rolls around, we'll be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you...!
Saki
Then, we can run across the finish line hand in hand, like that race we did way back when!
Shiho
(Before we formed our band, when I asked for them to play a tough song, when I wasn't sure about actually going pro... Even now...)
Shiho
(This is just who they are...
I decided that I wanted to go pro with this band because they throw themselves at everything head-on.)
I decided that I wanted to go pro with this band because they throw themselves at everything head-on.)
Shiho
(Not anyone else.
I don't care how long it takes. I want the four of us to go pro together.)
I don't care how long it takes. I want the four of us to go pro together.)
Shiho
(And they're all doing their best to keep up with me. They don't want me to treat them with kid gloves.)
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Shiho
Even though you practiced as hard as you could up until today, I didn't have faith in you...
Shiho
I'm gonna play like I mean it.
So, let's make our next performance one to remember...
So, let's make our next performance one to remember...
Shiho
But we don't have time to individually practice playing our instruments. Moving forward, we're gonna need to play as much as we can as a band and push each other to do better.
Rin
The thing is, the other day...
When I thought I was assigned to Shih when it was actually your day, KAITO, I wasn't sure what to say after I heard the way she played...
When I thought I was assigned to Shih when it was actually your day, KAITO, I wasn't sure what to say after I heard the way she played...
Rin
I realized that Leo/need wouldn't really sound like Leo/need if Shih didn't play like she really meant it!
Rin
But I couldn't think of a good way to say that or any good solutions for that matter...
KAITO
I had a feeling that the girls would figure out a way without me saying anything...
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Ichika
I remember thinking before how beautiful your singing voice was, Rin, and how you sang high notes with so much power...
Ichika
It's like your voice could break through the ceiling. Can you teach me how to do that? This song we're working on now has some high parts and I want to get it right.
Ichika
Because if I don't, I probably won't feel too confident when I'm on stage. Plus...
Rin
(That's right. Ichi's been saying that she wants to figure out a way to reach Shih's level...)
Next Chapter: Everything We Have