Main Street

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1

Toya

♪————!
2

Toya

Listen

(That person stopped by to listen again. I think they were at our event the other day too...)
3

Toya

Listen

(But I'm having trouble concentrating today. I can't help but look at everyone who's walking around...)
4

Toya

Listen

(And I'm not performing as well as normal. Did I stay up a little too late last night...?)
Aoyagi Household - Living Room

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5

Toya's Mother

Ah, Toya, there you are.
6

Toya

Listen

I'm back, Mom.
7

Toya

Listen

Hm? That CD...
8

Toya's Mother

Oh, it's a sample from the record company. Your father's been composing those songs for an orchestra.
9

Toya

Listen

He has...?
10

Toya

Listen

(Come to think of it, he's been cooped up in his room for a very long time now...)
11

Toya

Listen

(He's been composing...)
12

Toya

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Mom, would you mind if I borrowed that CD for a little bit...?
Toya's Room

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13

Toya

Listen

(Dad really is a great composer.)
14

Toya

Listen

(I'm involved with a different genre of music now, but I stand to learn a lot from the way he's gotten every piece of this orchestra to play in harmony.)
15

Toya

Listen

(And it's not just his attention to detail. This melody feels so sad. Just listening to it is making my heart sink.)
16

Toya

Listen

(Currently, Akito and Shiraishi are in charge of producing the music for Vivid BAD SQUAD.)

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17

Toya

Listen

(But I also want to write songs for us someday.)
18

Toya

Listen

(When Akito and I first formed BAD DOGS, he said how beautifully written my songs were. But that's not the kind of music I want to make...)
19

Toya

Listen

(I want to produce something that's exciting. Something powerful that can get everyone at a venue going...)
20

Toya

Listen

(The songs they write have the ability to do that. People feel compelled to watch and listen.)
21

Toya

Listen

While I...

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22

Toya

Listen

It doesn't sound bad overall, but there's something missing. I haven't captured that groove Akito and the others know how to achieve...
23

Toya

Listen

(I kept working on it after that, but couldn't get the results I was hoping for...)
24

Toya

Listen

After I get home today, I'll pick back up where I...
25

???

Listen

Toya, is that you...?
26

Toya

Listen

Huh...?
Hospital

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27

Arata

Listen

Soma, how are you?
28

Soma

Listen

Hey, Arata. Back again so soon?
I really appreciate you coming.
29

Soma

Listen

Huh...?
30

Toya

Listen

Pardon me, Soma.
31

Soma

Listen

Wh-What?! Aoyagi?! You're here too?!
32

Arata

Listen

Haha. I just happened to run into him as he was practicing and decided to invite him along. You're welcome.
33

Soma

Listen

What?! You're kidding, right?!
I hope he didn't cause you too much trouble, Aoyagi.
34

Toya

Listen

No, he even agreed to join me. As a result, we ended up having a very good practice. Much better than me just practicing by myself.
35

Toya

Listen

After that, Tono invited me along to see you, Soma. So, I decided to join him on his visit.
36

Soma

Listen

Really? Then, I'm glad...
37

Soma

Listen

Wait, that reminds me! You guys' last event was supposed to be off the hook! I'm really happy for all of you!
38

Arata

Listen

You're happy for us?
39

Soma

Listen

What? Of course I am!
I sorta couldn't believe it when I heard you'd be performing with other people, but I'm really glad that it went so well!
40

Soma

Listen

Aoyagi, thanks to you guys, Arata seems to have taken a step closer towards surpassing RAD WEEKEND. I really appreciate it!
41

Toya

Listen

Oh...
42

Toya

Listen

No, Tono was a huge help to us as well.
43

Soma

Listen

Haha. You hear that, Arata!
Isn't that awesome?!
44

Soma

Listen

And I'm really looking forward to your next event, so please make sure to tell me when you have a date set!
45

Toya

Listen

(To surpass RAD WEEKEND and meet Soma's expectations...)
46

Toya

Listen

(We'll have to practice even more for our next event...)
Shibuya Park

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47

An

♪————!!
48

Kohane

Listen

An's doing amazing...!
49

Toya

Listen

Yes, she's at a different level than normal today.
50

Arata

Listen

I have no idea what happened, but this is something else.
51

An

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52
(I love Aunt Nagi to death and have always looked up to her. But...)
53
(I know now that admiration alone won't be enough.)

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54
(If we're gonna surpass RAD WEEKEND...
I'm gonna have to surpass Aunt Nagi...!)
55

An

♪————! ♪————!!
56

Akito

Listen

The way she's singing...
57

Toya

Listen

Yes, this power. It's like we're watching Nagi from that video of RAD WEEKEND.
58

Akito

Listen

Yeah, she seems to mean a lot to An. But we're not about to let her have all the fun...
59

Akito & Toya

♪————! ♪————!!
60

Kohane

Listen

(They all sound amazing. But I...!)
61

Kohane

Listen

(I want to sing like...
No, I want to sing even better...!)
62

Kohane

♪————~~!!
63

Kotaro

Listen

How's this possible...?
They just keep getting better and better.
64

Arata

Listen

Let's continue as well.

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65
W-Wow...! That felt awesome!
66

Toya

Listen

Yes, it did... You did a good job of pulling us forward, Shiraishi. We sang much better than usual as a result.
67

Tatsuya

Listen

How is it that you guys are able to constantly keep getting better?
68

Kohane

Listen

Th-Thank you very much.
I hope we can keep this up going into our next event.
69

Kotaro

Listen

Yeah, let's keep doing everything we can!
70

Kotaro

Listen

But for now, let's take a break...
I feel like I'm running on fumes now.
71

Akito

Listen

Alright, fine.
Let's get in a quick cooldown.

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72

Toya

Listen

Ahh... This water tastes delicious...
73

Arata

Listen

Oh, Toya, did you come here to buy a drink as well?
74

Toya

Listen

Ah, Tono, nice work out there.

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75

Arata

Listen

Yes, likewise.
If we keep this up, our next event should do very well.
76

Toya

Listen

I agree. Everyone seems very excited about it. It'd be great to maintain the momentum we've created.

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77

Arata

Listen

Oh, before I forget.
Thank you for joining me the other day, Toya.
78

Toya

Listen

No, I actually need to apologize for leaving early that time.
79

Arata

Listen

Nonsense. I appreciate you coming along despite having plans.
80

Arata

Listen

He was still giddy even after you'd left. He even said, “I'm glad you're here, but I'm even happier that Toya came.”
81

Toya

Listen

I had fun as well.
In particular, I enjoyed hearing about all the teams that were performing before I got started.
82

Toya

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The story about the crowd not being able to all fit inside of RED during their grand opening after they invited RUST was very funny. I didn't realize that it had such a rich history.
83

Arata

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Haha. He used to tell me those kinds of stories all the time since he's loved music for as long as I can remember.
84

Arata

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So, Toya, would you mind visiting him again sometime? I'm sure you'll both enjoy talking to each other again.
85

Toya

Listen

Yes, I'd like that.
It'd be great to talk with him again.
86
Oh, there you guys are. Welcome back.
87

Arata

Listen

Sorry for the delay.
Hold on... Why are you all gathered up like this?
88

Kohane

Listen

We ended up talking a little bit about our event during our break...
89

Kohane

Listen

And we decided that we want to try something new as a way to get a step closer towards surpassing RAD WEEKEND.
90

Toya

Listen

Something new?
91

Akito

Listen

Yeah. We got a good response during our last event. But we didn't get anywhere close to RAD WEEKEND's atmosphere.

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92

Akito

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Which means we have to keep thinking about how to actually achieve that.
93

Toya

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Right...
I remember us discussing this last time.
94

Toya

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(That was when we decided to ask Shiraishi more about Nagi.)
95

Kotaro

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Hmm... I get that we're still missing a few pieces, but getting closer to that atmosphere... I'm pretty stumped...
96

Arata

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It's a tricky one...
I thought the same thing as the rest of you after our last event.
97

Arata

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And I arrived at this idea...
98

Arata

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What if we all wrote new songs based on a single theme for our next event?
99

Kotaro

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What?! New songs...?
You know that we only have a month left, right?
100
So, why new songs?
101

Arata

Listen

We were clearly able to create some synergy during our last event. Just like when we practiced together just now.
102

Arata

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However, we haven't yet managed to achieve that sort of “harmony” that RAD WEEKEND had.
103

Arata

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So, I thought it'd be good for us to try coming up with songs that revolve around the same theme. Then we just might be able to attain our goal.
104

Tatsuya

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I see... In terms of what we're trying to do, that seems like a good idea.
105

Akito

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Yeah. It's not gonna be easy since we'll be practicing harder as the event approaches, and we'd be working on new songs... But I think it's worth a try.
106

Kotaro

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I agree...
Alright, I'm in!
107

Toya

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But what's our theme going to be?
108

Arata

Listen

Right...
Something concrete that we can all work with would be ideal.
109

Kohane

Listen

Something we can all work with...?
110
That'll help us surpass RAD WEEKEND...?

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111
I know. During RAD WEEKEND...
112

Arata

Listen

Huh?
113
It was super quiet until Aunt Nagi kicked off RAD WEEKEND with her song. The place went completely nuts after that, and it was seriously the best...
114
So, I think we should try to find a way to do the same thing that she did and become the spark that lights the fire!
115
So, in terms of a theme...
How does “Silence & Action” sound?
116

Arata

Listen

Yes, I like it. I still remember that moment as well. She turned the entire venue on its head the second she began singing.

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117

Tatsuya

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We don't have any objections either. I don't think I'm ever going to forget what happened during that split second.
118

Akito

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Alright, sounds like we're in agreement.
119

Akito

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Also, if we're gonna write songs based on this theme, we'll probably want to talk to each along the way, right?
120

Arata

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Yes, it'll be good to see how we're each doing and make sure we don't overlap anywhere.
121
And we'll be able to give each other ideas that could make our song better, right?
122

Tatsuya

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Yeah, let's go with that.
So, who's actually going to be making these tracks?
123
Uhh... For EVER, Tatsuya, that's you... Arata, Kotaro and...
124

Tatsuya

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You and Akito for Vivid BAD SQUAD, yes?
125
Yup. I started learning from Aunt Nagi and my dad way back.
126

Akito

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After witnessing RAD WEEKEND, I thought that I should learn how to make my own tracks.
127

Akito

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Since we became a team of four, An or I have been making demos depending on who comes up with the idea for one first. If it turns out to be good, we run with it.
128

Arata

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I see... I wasn't expecting to hear that.
129

Arata

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I was under the impression that Toya would be able to write something very nice for our event. No offense to you, Kohane, since you're still relatively new to all this.
130

Toya

Listen

Me...?
131

Toya

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Yes, I can compose music...
But I've never been happy with the songs I produce.
132

Arata

Listen

Really? Never?
133

Toya

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Yes. No matter how hard I try, I have a very hard time imagining Akito, Shiraishi or Azusawa singing my songs.
134

Toya

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A part of it likely has to do with me still not understanding the ins and outs of street music culture.
135

Akito

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But we usually have no complaints about the tracks you come up with Toya. They're usually pretty solid.

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136
Yeah. We only get to hear them every so often, but you always produce quality stuff.
137
At the same time, I sorta get what you mean...
138

Toya

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...
139

Toya

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(If our theme is going to be “Silence & Action”, focusing on the latter will be important. The moment when things come to life. However, that does not happen without the former.)
140

Toya

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(I hate to admit it, but while I may be able to compose something for one half, but I'm not sure about including both...)
141

Toya

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(I thought I'd broken free of my shell when it came to singing, but its effects still linger...)
142

Akito

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You really don't need to stress so much, dude. We wouldn't be talking about this right now if it were an easy problem to solve.
143

Akito

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So, Toya, you should just keep trying until you feel satisfied. I'll be looking forward to singing a song written by you.
144

Toya

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Thank you, Akito...
145

Akito

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Anyway, about our new song...
146
Yeah... I won't be able to write anything until an idea hits me, so I can't really say that I'll be able to get it done by next month...
147

Akito

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Unlike our usual routine, we only have a month to write it and get it right.
148

Akito

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Which probably means I'll have to take any ideas that you get, An, and turn them into music.
149
Okay, you can leave the ideas to me!
150

Arata

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I'd like it if we could discuss what kinds of songs we'll all be making. Just general thoughts, nothing concrete.
151

Kotaro

Listen

Alright, let's have a quick discussion!
152

Toya

Listen

(I'd like to help write our song if possible, but...)

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153

Toya

Listen

(How do I recreate what happened then...? That incredible sensation...)
Next Chapter: An Incomplete Track