(I have to apologize to Kohane... Properly too...)

Hey...

Hm, Akito?

You're early today.

School finished early so...

Okay.

I should say thank you, for yesterday...

Thank you... For what?

You opened my eyes to the fact I was holding Kohane back by being so overprotective.

So, I want to say thank you for that.

Meh, it wasn't a big deal.

Stop acting so cool and just accept my thanks.

Honestly, I'm nervous about telling her how I thought she needed my guidance and protection...

...

But this is something I have to do if we're gonna stick together. Even if she gets angry with me...

If I don't have the courage to do this, it'll mean I don't deserve to share the stage with her.

Shiraishi...

I think we have the potential to outshine RAD WEEKEND, but I have to apologize to Kohane and patch things up with her before we can do that...

Uh, huh...

You two are pretty early...

Or are we the late ones...?

No, we got here ahead of time.

Kohane!

Huh?

I'm so sorry about yesterday!!

And the things I said about covering for you... I've been so overprotective this whole time!

Akito made me realize that I wasn't treating you fairly, like an equal...

...

I used to perform solo with the goal of surpassing RAD WEEKEND in mind.

For the longest time, I couldn't find anyone who I thought had it in them to join me on this path... Until you came along.

You're an awesome singer, Kohane. I want to keep performing with you and realize that dream.

I believe all of this, even now. Especially now!

When you weren't sure about something, you leaned on me and asked me for advice...

That made me really happy.

And I didn't want that to end...

But it ended with yesterday happening...

I failed you as your partner.

I should've believed in you more and helped you grow...

An...

But... I want us to be together, Kohane!

I want us to perform together! I want to be your partner!

I want you to believe in us too!

Because I really believe in you, Kohane!

So please, will you sing with me on that stage again?

An, of course...

You don't have to blame yourself for yesterday. It's a fact that I just wasn't able to sing until the very end.

It wasn't right for me to be so reliant on you too, but I didn't know what to do now.

I talked to different friends about it and they all assured me that I'll improve as long as I work at it. That I'll eventually be able to pull my own weight.

But I want to go beyond that. I want to be a fully-fledged member of this group, who proudly sings with you, An.

And I want the four of us to realize our dream together.

Kohane...

If I got the crowd as fired up as the rest of you did at the event yesterday...

I'm sure we would've had the best performance there!

It might take me some time before I stop falling behind or slipping up...

But I want nothing more than to keep singing with you, An!

Yeah... Yeah!

Thanks, Kohane!

W-Wait, An?!

I wasn't prepared for a hug...!

I'm so happy, I couldn't help it...!

See.

Told you they'd sort it out.

Indeed, you were right...

Wait, did you say something to her?

I gave her some advice as a teammate. That's all...

So which event should we go for next?

I brought a few flyers.

Oh, there are so many to choose from...

And they all look awesome!

I don't know which one to pick.

Then how about... This one?

An outdoor gig at Miyamasuzaka next month?

An outdoor gig... This one draws a big crowd and features really good groups too.

And performing outside could be nice for a change.

Sounds like everyone's in!

I'll sign us up.

Now that we know what we're doing, let's start preparing for it!

Yeah!

Oh, everyone. Would you mind if Rin and Len joined your practice sessions?

They've been telling me how much they'd really like to sing with you.

Sure, no problem!

Thank you. They should be here soon with Miku.

Oh, right...

Hey, Kohane...

If I miss a cue at the next event...

Could you cover for me?

An...

Sure, I can do that!

Thanks, partner! I'm countin' on ya!

(Hehe. They're becoming a good team.)

(Something tells me that they'll make their dreams come true too.)