♪————!

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

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

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

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

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

Toya, is that you...?

Huh...?

Soma, how are you?

Hey, Arata. Back again so soon?

I really appreciate you coming.

Huh...?

Pardon me, Soma.

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

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

What?! You're kidding, right?!

I hope he didn't cause you too much trouble, Aoyagi.

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.

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

Really? Then, I'm glad...

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

You're happy for us?

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!

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

Oh...

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

Haha. You hear that, Arata!

Isn't that awesome?!

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

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

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

♪————!!

An's doing amazing...!

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

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

♪————! ♪————!

(I love Aunt Nagi to death and have always looked up to her. But...)

(I know now that admiration alone won't be enough.)

(If we're gonna surpass RAD WEEKEND...

I'm gonna have to surpass Aunt Nagi...!)

♪————! ♪————!!

The way she's singing...

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

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

♪————! ♪————!!

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

(I want to sing like...

No, I want to sing even better...!)

♪————~~!!

How's this possible...?

They just keep getting better and better.

Let's continue as well.

W-Wow...! That felt awesome!

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

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

Th-Thank you very much.

I hope we can keep this up going into our next event.

Yeah, let's keep doing everything we can!

But for now, let's take a break...

I feel like I'm running on fumes now.

Alright, fine.

Let's get in a quick cooldown.

Ahh... This water tastes delicious...

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

Ah, Tono, nice work out there.

Yes, likewise.

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

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

Oh, before I forget.

Thank you for joining me the other day, Toya.

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

Nonsense. I appreciate you coming along despite having plans.

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.”

I had fun as well.

In particular, I enjoyed hearing about all the teams that were performing before I got started.

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.

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.

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

Yes, I'd like that.

It'd be great to talk with him again.

Oh, there you guys are. Welcome back.

Sorry for the delay.

Hold on... Why are you all gathered up like this?

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

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

Something new?

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

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

Right...

I remember us discussing this last time.

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

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

It's a tricky one...

I thought the same thing as the rest of you after our last event.

And I arrived at this idea...

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

What?! New songs...?

You know that we only have a month left, right?

So, why new songs?

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

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

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.

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

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.

I agree...

Alright, I'm in!

But what's our theme going to be?

Right...

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

Something we can all work with...?

That'll help us surpass RAD WEEKEND...?

I know. During RAD WEEKEND...

Huh?

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...

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!

So, in terms of a theme...

How does “Silence & Action” sound?

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

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

Alright, sounds like we're in agreement.

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

Yes, it'll be good to see how we're each doing and make sure we don't overlap anywhere.

And we'll be able to give each other ideas that could make our song better, right?

Yeah, let's go with that.

So, who's actually going to be making these tracks?

Uhh... For EVER, Tatsuya, that's you... Arata, Kotaro and...

You and Akito for Vivid BAD SQUAD, yes?

Yup. I started learning from Aunt Nagi and my dad way back.

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

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.

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

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.

Me...?

Yes, I can compose music...

But I've never been happy with the songs I produce.

Really? Never?

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

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

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

Yeah. We only get to hear them every so often, but you always produce quality stuff.

At the same time, I sorta get what you mean...

...

(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.)

(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...)

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

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.

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

Thank you, Akito...

Anyway, about our new song...

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...

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

Which probably means I'll have to take any ideas that you get, An, and turn them into music.

Okay, you can leave the ideas to me!

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

Alright, let's have a quick discussion!

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

(How do I recreate what happened then...? That incredible sensation...)