Toya's Room
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Toya
What do I need to do in order to create songs like the ones Soma does? How do I achieve that compelling sound...?
Toya
(Helping him has been a great learning experience. I feel like I've gained so many new skills.)
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Toya
(I thought I'd learned recently to understand my feelings better thanks to Akito and the others, but it seems there's still more for me to unpack.)
A few days later
Hospital
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Soma
Not really, but they really like reggae and jazz. It's usually being played at my house 24/7.
Soma
I guess it's only natural that I'd also get into music. That was a big influence, but I started out hooked on pop.
Toya
Oh, so you didn't immediately dive right into street music? To be fair, I'm the same...
Soma
I actually bought an instrument when I was still in elementary school. Unfortunately, on top of getting bored of things pretty easily, I had to teach myself how to play it. As a result, I didn't get very far with it.
Soma
That was around the time I decided to visit Vivid Street and just happened to catch RADder putting on a street performance.
Soma
Yeah, there were a ton of people watching too. I couldn't just walk by without stopping to see what was going on.
Soma
And their music was so different from anything I'd heard before. I was completely staggered by how exciting it was.
Toya
That must've been incredible...
I'm very envious of you. By the time I began visiting Vivid Street, Ken and his team weren't performing there anymore.
I'm very envious of you. By the time I began visiting Vivid Street, Ken and his team weren't performing there anymore.
Soma
Apparently, it was pretty rare for them to do street performances. Then, all these people began to gather, and they ended up calling it after just one song.
Soma
It wasn't just Ken and his team.
The other artists and watchers all made it a musical town...
The other artists and watchers all made it a musical town...
Soma
No, it was just me at first.
Tono and I became a team because of this thing that happened during music class.
Tono and I became a team because of this thing that happened during music class.
Soma
Yeah. Normally, most people don't like others hearing the way they sing. But he wasn't bothered by that at all.
Soma
Not only was he an amazing singer, he had so much presence and clearly knew what he was doing...!
Soma
That was when I thought, “I wanna pursue music with him!” So, I invited him to join me.
Toya
Also, I've been meaning to ask you this for some time now. What was it like being on a team with him?
Soma
We were just playing around and trying to have fun at first. Compared to you guys, Aoyagi, I can't really say that we were really all that serious.
Soma
I mean, he kept saying, “Soma, you should decide,” and didn't seem to want to put any effort into it.
Toya
(Team names... Akito picked the one for our old team, and Azusawa came up with the idea for our current one.)
Soma
I thought about it for like three days, and I arrived at an image of us running forward into the wind. And we became Gurney flap.
Toya
Yes, I've been feeling that while helping you write your song. It too seems to embody that sensation.
Soma
Thanks to Arata, we managed to really get our name out there just after we joined together.
Soma
You can't help but call him a genius.
He just has this way of getting the crowd's attention and never letting go.
He just has this way of getting the crowd's attention and never letting go.
Soma
Haha. Yeah, I bet. It's kinda hard to tell what he's thinking because he's so loosey-goosey at times, but singing next to him was just something else.
Toya
(I only got to see a video of it, but it was easy to tell that there was something special in the air...)
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Soma
By the time we got there, the floor at COL was totally packed and we couldn't make it to the front. So, we had to watch from somewhere in the back.
Soma
Then, Nagi came out on stage, but she didn't say anything for what felt like forever. Everyone began wondering what was going on.
Soma
She took a really deep breath...
And turned the place on its head the second she began singing.
And turned the place on its head the second she began singing.
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Soma
After she finished, I couldn't help but shout and cheer. Everybody at COL was the same way. The building literally shook from all the noise!
Soma
But Arata seemed totally unfazed by it.
Everyone else was going nuts, but he just stood there so quietly...
Everyone else was going nuts, but he just stood there so quietly...
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Soma
I tried calling his name, but he had this expression on his face that I'd never seen before. Not at school or when we were in town. He stared at the stage in complete silence.
Soma
It was the first time I'd seen Arata get so excited about something. I really couldn't believe it.
Toya
(However, Nagi and the others performed in a way that set everyone's hearts on fire... At least, that's what I thought...)
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Soma
RADder was so awesome.
Way better than when we saw them during that street performance.
Way better than when we saw them during that street performance.
Soma
They introduced me to this world and showed me the sorts of things that are possible with music. At the same time, that event made me want to find a way to surpass it.
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Soma
That night, we started taking things more seriously. It was like our path had become clear and we knew what we had to do.
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Soma
Hahaha. I mean, he wouldn't be here right now if he didn't feel that way, right? And tons more people were saying the same thing back then.
Soma
You'd hear people all over town saying, “That's gonna be me next!” Everybody everywhere was singing.
Soma
Of course. We decided that we needed to gain more experience. On stage or through street performances, we didn't care.
Soma
We couldn't care less about quality either. We were confident that we needed to sing until our throats wouldn't let us anymore.
Soma
Yeah, we were really motivated, but we went a bit overboard sometimes. Looking back, I'm sorta amazed at how much we practiced.
Soma
But I genuinely believed that I'd be able to surpass RAD WEEKEND with Arata by my side.
Soma
And he was absolutely off the hook whenever he got serious! I could feel all the right gears fitting into place as we sang.
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Toya
(The first time we sang with Shiraishi and Azusawa in SEKAI... I couldn't believe how well we sang together.)
Soma
We even learned how to write our own tracks, and Arata's performances just kept getting better and better.
Soma
We were both doing great and always got right back up after getting knocked down. We had a huge tailwind going for us. At least, that's what I thought...
Soma
We disbanded Gurney flap...
And now, Arata's doing the best he can for the both of us.
And now, Arata's doing the best he can for the both of us.
Soma
He returned after getting really good, and now he has you guys, Aoyagi! There's nothing for me to worry about!
Toya
(Now that I have more information, I think I'm starting to understand how Tono feels after Soma asked him to keep pursuing their dream alone.)
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Soma
That's all good.
If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I was supposed to help you learn more about this stuff.
If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I was supposed to help you learn more about this stuff.
Next Chapter: I Hope They Understand