Hey, what did I say about not throwing the ball toward the street...?!

Hm? That sounds like... Tono?

Ah, Toya, perfect!

Mind picking up that ball there for me?

I was playing catch with these kids just now, but they aren't very good at throwing the ball and can't seem to get it to go straight.

That's not fair.

You're a terrible teacher.

Yeah, what he said!

Yes, but... Weren't you the ones who asked me to teach you while I was warming up for singing practice because you thought I was good at baseball?

I'm still not sure what's going on exactly, but you just need me to toss you this ball, yes...?

Hmm... How do I actually grip a baseball...? There's also quite a way between us, Tono, so I may need to throw this fairly hard...

Alright...

Tono, here it comes.

Okay.

Now...!

Huh...?

Hey, he was supposed to throw it back to us. Why'd he spike it into the ground?

No idea.

See you later, noobs!

Get better at throwing and teaching for next time, okay?

*Sigh*

I apologize for making you go through that, Toya...

Also, I didn't realize how unathletic you were...

Yes, ball sports in particular are my Achilles' heel since I haven't really played any before...

By the way, Tono, did you know those kids from before?

No, we met for the first time here just now. I believe they're local residents of Vivid Street.

I see.

It's nice that they get to grow up in a place like this...

From the time they're born, they get to live life while being exposed to all things related to music.

In that respect, your friend, An, comes to mind.

Yes, Akito's very envious of her.

Oh, speaking of which...

Do you like this city, Tono?

Hm?

So, I've been discussing with Akito and the others about what it means to “take a look at this city”, and we began wondering if those sorts of feelings were related in any way.

Ah, I see...

Do I like this city...?

I honestly can't say...

What...?

So much has happened while I've been here.

Like what I saw that night with Soma.

Or working on my singing every day like there was no tomorrow.

And things that I'd taken for granted but were taken away from me all of the sudden... So much has happened.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...

No, if anything, I should be apologizing. I'm sorry about the somber tone.

But I feel that it was also necessary for me to look back upon the past since this city has so much to do with it.

Most importantly, I was overseas and not actually here for quite some time.

To work on your singing, yes?

Yes. However, there was likely also a part of me that didn't want to be here.

(If I were in his shoes...)

(I'm not sure I could keep singing here in this city with Akito absent...)

And despite all that, Tono, you decided to return.

Yes. It was also nice to see that not much had changed when I did.

But...

I myself had changed a lot...because I needed to... And a part of me was uncomfortable with the fact that not much had changed around here.

When Taiga told me to “take a look at this city”, it honestly felt like he saw right through that and was telling me to get a grip on reality.

Really...?

What about you, Toya?

Do you like this city?

Huh...?

I opened up quite a bit to you, so would you mind doing the same for me?

Understood...

Yes, I like this city.

It became a place where I could belong when I had nowhere else to go, including my own home. I was even able to meet a partner I could share the same dream with.

This city and the people I've met here have accepted me when I had nothing because I have one thing in common with them... A love for music.

Akito and the others even began to accept me as a person as I sang with them.

So, this city means everything to me.

I see...

I think I know what you mean by feeling accepted by others.

I... We were the same way.

Hm? Toya? And Tono...?

What are you two doing here?

Oh, I was hoping that we could warm up together since we'd be practicing with everyone later...

Me too... We've been chatting for quite a while now, so let's get started.

I'm glad we could talk, Toya.

No, I should be thanking you.

What exactly were you two talking about just now...?

Hehe. Alright, let's start warming up.

Huh? Hey, don't just ignore me.

Hehe...