Hehe...
I'll need to do my best again today.
Hm? Oh, Kohane, you're here pretty early.
Hi, Shinonome! I didn't realize you were already here.
Yeah, I was just having a quick practice with Ken.
By the way... You seem to be in an oddly good mood.
Huh? Y-You think so?
Yes, it certainly seems that way at first glance. Did something good happen?
Y-Yes...
I ran into the owner of Crawl Green just now and...
(I left early in order to get in some practice this morning, but I got here a lot earlier than I was expecting...)
(I know I shouldn't impose, but I'll see if I can use Weekend Garage...)
(Shinonome and Aoyagi both did their parts, so I want to make sure their efforts don't go to waste...!)
Hm? You're...
Huh?
Oh...!
You're the owner of Crawl Green!
I wasn't expecting to run into you here.
Yes, me neither.
Umm, it's been a little while.
Yes, it has.
But more importantly...
Would you mind telling Shinonome that he put on a very nice performance the other day?
...!
He really lit up the place that day.
It's hard to believe that he'd improved so much after not seeing him for a little while...
Your team just keeps finding new ways to surprise everyone.
Thank you for saying that.
But... We've got even bigger surprises in store!
Oh...?
We've made the commitment to surpass RAD WEEKEND, and we're practicing accordingly.
So, just wait...
I see. That's good to hear.
I'm so glad An chose you to be her partner.
Huh?
I know we're not in any position to be saying this, but we've always seen her as family...
As family...?
When she was struggling to find a suitable partner, I kept hoping that someone good would eventually come along.
Which is why I'm glad you appeared.
You're strong, honest, an incredible singer and a pillar of support for An as she chases her dream.
So, Azusawa, thank you for becoming her partner.
Oh... U-Umm...
(What do I say...?
I wasn't expecting to hear such kind words...)
(I wasn't expecting to... But I feel so happy...)
I-I'm...
I'm also glad that I got to become An's partner.
Meeting An led to me having my own dream to pursue. It also allowed me to meet everyone on Vivid Street.
So, I really can't thank her enough...
That's wonderful to hear.
You and the owner talked about all that?
Yeah. Being thanked like that caught me off guard a little, but it also made me really happy.
To be fair, I understand how he feels.
Before meeting you, An had to endure quite a lot in her search for a good partner...
Right. She was so talented that she could show up most other teams all on her own.
I see...
Which means she's always been really amazing at what she does.
However, as a result, she ended up struggling to find a compatible partner...
She struggled so much that all the locals began helping her look for one. They'd tip her off about any good singers they heard about.
I can't lie. After a while, it started feeling like we were looking for her future spouse.
Hehe. I can see how it'd turn into that.
(She searched all over the place for a suitable partner, and she ended up choosing me...)
(Plus, all the locals have started saying that they're glad she did.)
(So, I need to keep doing my best...)
(And show that I'm proud to be An's partner...!)