——♪ ——♪

(Wow... She's modulating her voice beautifully!

And the high notes she's been practicing

seem totally fine now...)

(I can't let her just leave me behind!)

——♪ ——♪

Whew... Great work today, Kohane!

You too, An. That was a good session!

You've pretty much mastered those high notes you were having trouble with the other day.

Hehe... I just followed your advice.

I also practiced a lot at home.

Oh, my dad walked in on me when I was practicing in my room too.

I thought he was going to complain about the noise, but he asked me to sing more so he could record me.

Hahaha! Oh, you're dad...

He just loves you so much!

It did make me feel really happy...

But your dad's like that too.

I can really tell just by your interactions

that you mean everything to him.

You think so? I mean, I'm grateful that he respects my decisions and lets me do what I really want...

Hehe. It's nice, isn't it?

Our families supporting our choices...

Yeah!

Hehe. Family, huh...?

Say, Kohane. You got some time?

Sure. Did you want to go to Weekend Garage?

Um, nah. Let's stay here...

I wanna talk more about family stuff.

Family stuff?

Yeah! We've gotten to know each other pretty well, but there's still a lot of other stuff we haven't talked about yet, you know?

So let's talk more about family stuff!

Sure, I'm curious too.

I see your dad all the time, but only heard you talk about your mom a little bit.

Okay, we can start with her!

Great! Umm... She's a teacher, right?

Yeah. I don't know if it's because of her job, but she's always pestered me about studying harder and says that knowledge is always worth having.

I get that it's good to know a lot of stuff about a wide range of subjects...

But how's anything about Edo or the Tokugawa Shogunate gonna help me? I feel like it's her fault that I ended up hating studying.

Hehe. I guess she was pretty tough on you.

Yeah. On the other hand, sometimes I feel like asking her if she really paid attention during home ec since she likes learning so much.

She says she always follows a recipe, but she usually ends up using too much seasoning or forgets to adjust the burner.

Oh, right. Cooking isn't her strong suit.

And you cook from time to time too, no?

Yeah. And I'll try to save some of mom's dishes from becoming complete failures when I can.

What about you, Kohane?

I think my mom's a pretty good cook.

She even used to bake cakes fairly often.

That's awesome!

But she doesn't make them anymore?

No. She's not just a homemaker anymore after taking up a part-time job when I started junior high.

She said I was grown-up enough for her not to worry about leaving me at home alone.

Hehe. I see...

Oh, and is she cool with snakes too?

You've had yours for a long time, right?

Haha, well... Not exactly.

She'd be happier with a dog or a cat...

You know, more normal pets...

But she's also a softie and has a hard time saying no to my dad.

Haha. That's so cute!

It is. Oh, this other time, when dad wanted to get a new camera...

Thanks for sticking around and telling me about your mom and dad! I really enjoyed your stories!

Thank you for telling me about your mom too!

Next time we should ask Shinonome and Aoyagi.

Neither of us have any siblings so...

Yeah, you're right! But I have a feeling Akito won't be very chatty.

Okay, I've gotta get back to the cafe to help out.

Yeah! See you tomorrow, An!

See you!

I'm back!

Oh, it's An! Welcome back!

Were you doing a show on Vivid Street?

No, I was just practicing with a teammate in the park today.

But it's unusual for you to come in through the front door during business hours. Why didn't you go through the back this time?

Hmm... Not really sure but...

I guess I just felt like it today.

Oh?

I'll go grab an apron!

Oh, one more thing.

Huh?

Welcome home.

Thanks, dad...!