Hm...

Kohane...

Mhm...

Kohaneee...

Huh...? Minori...?

Oh, sorry! You were sleeping so soundly that I felt bad waking you!

No, that's okay. Thanks for doing it.

I had trouble falling asleep after practice yesterday. I managed to get through classes today, but...

Haha. You ran out of gas just now.

Yeah...

Wait... Oh no! What time is it now...?!

*Sigh*

Thank goodness. I still have time...

I promised to meet with An and the others after school today. Thank you for waking me, Minori. I should be able to make it in time now.

Hehe. That's good to hear!

(But I still have some time until we're supposed to meet. What should I do until then...?)

(I don't want to fall asleep again like I just did, so maybe I should head over to Weekend Garage now...)

(Then, I should let the others know that...)

Huh...?

An sent me a message. I wonder why...

What...?!

Oh, there she is! Kohane!

Hi, An!

I was so surprised when you said you were waiting by the gate!

Haha. Sorry.

Toya said that he still has some library committee stuff to take care of. Akito's gonna wait for him, and we're gonna meet at Crawl Green.

Oh, okay... But we have a lot of time on our hands. We're not supposed to meet until 6:30...

Yeah, about that...

I was hoping to hang out with you for a bit before we headed over to Crawl Green.

Hang out? With me?

Yeah, because you've been practicing nonstop lately.

So, I've been trying to come up with ways to help you somehow.

Which is how I landed on trying to give you a little break. We can hang out, talk, laugh and have fun together!

I was hoping that Akito and Toya would also be here, but I guess it was short notice then... So it'll be just us today!

An...

Hey, you have bags under your eyes...! You didn't stay out super late again, did you?!

Huh? No, I've stopped doing that!

I don't want my dad to worry, so I'm avoiding staying out late now.

But I have been staying up late trying to get a clearer picture in my head of what I want to do like Taiga said...

Oh... S-Sorry, An!

I can't help but want to practice...

Oh, you... But I totally understand how you feel. I sometimes get these sudden urges to practice too.

Like when I'm listening to Dad's CDs...

That feeling just starts welling up inside of me.

Hehe. That's so like you, An...

Anyway, where do you want to go today...?

I've already come up with a plan!

There's somewhere I really wanna check out today!

Oh, didn't this clothing store just open up recently?

Yeah! They seem to have cute stuff that you'd probably look really good in, so let's check it out!

Kohane, you've gotta try that on with this one-shoulder dress! I bet you're gonna look amazing in it!

O-Okay!

A-An... The thing is... I found something that I think would look really good on you...

What?! You found something for me?! That's so sweet of you! Lemme see!

It was over... Oh, here it is!

It's this jacket...

Hey, it's adorable! And super fluffy!

Oh, there's even one in a different color that might look really good on you! We could try wearing matching outfits with them sometime!

*Gasp*

Yeah!

Man, we walked a ton.

Let's sit for a bit longer and head to our next...

M-Mhm...

Kohane...?

Oh, she fell asleep...

I kinda don't want to wake her since she stayed up so late last night. I'll let her rest a little longer.

Mhm... An...

Oh, she's leaning on me...

There, there. You're such an amazingly hard worker, Kohane... Hehe...

...

Just how high is Kohane's ceiling...?

Every time she sings, she makes my heart race and it's the greatest feeling in the world... And I'm sure she's gonna knock everyone's socks off during our next event.

I wanna hear her sing more.

And I...

...

I... No, us... Akito, Toya...

We're going to put on the best event ever.

So, Kohane, you don't need to worry about anything.

Sorry for falling asleep on you like that, An... I had a lot of fun today. I really did. So thanks for inviting me out!

No, thanks for joining me.

I actually wanted to hang out with you a little more, but we need to head over to Crawl Green soon...

Hey, An! Welcome back.

Huh? Hey, it's you!

I didn't know opened up another shop here.

Things didn't exactly work out when I tried to do business on Main Street... Anyway, that girl next to you...

Um... Long time no see.

Hey, you're An's partner! Kohane, right? Alright, as a special treat, you can both have something on the house.

What? Are you sure...?

Yeah, totally. I mean, An always gives me the best service whenever I go over to Ken's place, so I owe them this much!

Woohoo! In that case...

What do you want, Kohane?

I'm gonna get one with bananas and chocolate.

Then, I'll get...

Hey, An! How's it going?

You coming back from school?

Yeah, I was just...

Wait, what about your shop? Are you taking a break right now?

I'm sold out for the afternoon! More importantly, I heard from the owner of Crawl Green that you and your friends are putting on an event! Is that true?

What?! He's actually giving you guys a shot?! That's incredible! Our little An's finally getting her chance to perform there...!

I still remember when Ken and his team performed there. I wanted to sing there way back when, but I never got a chance to...

Speaking of which, An, you're about the same age as when Ken and his team performed there all those years ago.

Yeah, I heard that too!

Which means we need to do better than they did back then...!

Hahaha! I like your spirit!

I promise to go see you guys perform!

Really?! Thanks so much!

Also, are you singing today?

Today? No, we just stopped by to hang out. Right, Kohane?

R-Right.

Oh, that's too bad.

I was sort of hoping to hear you sing since it's been a little bit.

That's sweet of you, but we have to be somewhere pretty...

Oh, we still have some time, so I think we can sing for a little bit. I kind of want to hear you sing too, An.

What?! You too, Kohane?

Alright, I guess I don't have much of a choice now...

An's gonna sing for us?!

Then, I'm gonna listen too.

Just one song, okay?

Get ready!

♪——! ——! ——!

(An really is such a cool person...)

Whew...

Okay, that's all I have time for today!

Thanks, An!

That was awesome!

(Huh...? Where did all these people come from...?)

(That's incredible... They must've all gathered while An was singing just now...)

I remember when you were still so little. You've really come a long way.

Haha. Of course I have. Honestly, how long ago are you talking about?

(...?

Huh...?)

(Why did what they said just now sound so familiar...?)

Oh...

(Right...

That old lady said something similar about Taiga.)

(An and Taiga were both born and raised in this city...)

(Everyone here watched over them and showered them with warmth as they grew up.)

(The idea of all these nice people rooting for you as you try to make your dreams come true... It's so heartwarming.)

(And if I...)

(It'd be really nice if I were to also make those kinds of connections.)

Alright, everyone, settle down!

An, here's your crepe with bananas and chocolate!

Whoa! So much whipped cream! Your crepes always look amazing!

And here's yours Kohane! Strawberries with whipped cream! Good luck with your event!

Th-Thank you very much! We promise to do our best!

Akito! Toya!

Sorry about that! Thanks for waiting!

It's okay. We actually just got here a second ago. We thought you'd already be here.

Oh, okay.

I guess the library committee kept you busy.

Yes, there was quite a bit to do, but I managed to leave when things settled down a bit. After that, Akito and I...

Yeah, we decided to sing down by Main Street for a bit. I didn't feel like just hanging out around town...

Oh...? Does that mean you're nervous about meeting the owner? Is it because of what he said about you?

(Oh, that's right...

Shinonome has some history with this place...)

Enough with that already.

Let's head in and talk business.

Yeah.

Okay.