< Find A Way Out | Story
.png)
Running footsteps
Akito
*pant*...*pant*...
Akito
(...It's getting harder to breathe, and my legs are getting tired.)
Akito
(But...I can't let myself stop...)
Akito
*pant*...*pant*...
???
Yo, boy.
Akito
Eh, T-Taiga-san...!? Why are you here...?
Taiga
Why are you asking me that? This place is like my backyard, there's nothing strange about me being here.
Taiga
Enough about that, why're you so gloomy after your big win?
Akito
My big win...wait, were you watching all that?
Taiga
Yeah. I got to see something interesting while I was taking a walk.
Taiga
It was close, those guys weren't too bad at singing. But you ate em up in the end.
Akito
...You...think so?
Taiga
Here, go ahead and drink this. It's important to rehydrate. You'll break your body otherwise.
Akito
Ah...you're right. Thank you very much.
Akito
(...This guy's got a really strong gaze. It almost feels like he's looking straight through me.)
Akito
...I totally lost to those guys in the past. But today, I won.
Taiga
Yeah. That was a clean sweep.
Akito
You're...right. But...
Akito
——But I let myself relax, for just a moment...and I can't forgive myself for that...
Taiga
...Why can't you forgive yourself?
Akito
I guess you could say that the reason I was able to beat those guys this time around was because of my hard work, but...
Akito
——If I let myself feel satisfied with this, I can't move forward.
Taiga
Move forward, huh...
Akito
...Yes. The songs I heard at RAD WEEKEND were so awesome that my body still gets lit on fire thinking about it.
Akito
I have to be able to do that too. I can't allow myself to feel satisfied for even a second from something as lame as this.
Akito
My dream...our dream, it's somewhere much higher than this. That's why——
Taiga
I get it now...
Taiga
——You know what, you're a bit like Ken.
Akito
Huh...?
Taiga
He was the type to put a stupid amount of effort into everything, same as you.
Taiga
Well, it was cause he wanted to catch up to me, right?
Akito
Ken-san put in effort...?
Taiga
Yeah. He always looks like he's taking it easy, but I don't know anyone more crazy about music than he is.
Taiga
But it wasn't like that at the start. If anything, it was the opposite. Back when I met him in middle school, he was bad enough that I thought he might be the most boring guy on Earth.
Taiga
He managed to make everything look so easy, but he always looked so strangely detached. Like he was the only mature one there, and he didn't care for anything going on around him...
Taiga
That's what I couldn't stand about him.
Akito
(So the rumors that Ken-san and Taiga-san didn't get along weren't based on nothing...)
Taiga
...But it's not like that's all there was to it.
Taiga
I can only tell this story now, but in this town, I've always had my eye on him.
Akito
Eh...?
Taiga
I saw him pretty often, cause we were born and raised in the same town. Ken's a flexible kinda guy, so he got first place in academics and sports all the time.
Taiga
The only thing I could beat him at was music. ...But if he started pursuing that——somewhere in my heart, I thought I might lose at that, too.
Taiga
Even though I'd been singing here since I was just a brat, with enough feeling that I thought I could take the world, y'know?
Taiga
So back then, when I was singing on the street, Ken passed by me with the same bored look on his face as usual. It pissed me off.
Taiga
"You bastard——don't ignore me! Look over here! Is there anything in your life you're this serious about?" That's what I was thinking.
Taiga
Thinking of that, I sang with all my might.
Akito
(Taiga-san's full power, that even Touno couldn't hold a candle to...)
Akito
And then, what did Ken-san do?
Taiga
Yeah, it seemed to be pretty effective. Even I could see the fire igniting in that guy's eyes.
Taiga
I saw that cold gaze finally start to melt into something passionate.
Taiga
It seems like unless you take something completely seriously, you won't be able to resonate with a person's heart.
Akito
Take it seriously...
Taiga
Yeah. And after that, he started singing in this town too.
Taiga
When I saw Ken practising for the first time, it shocked me. It seemed like I'd accidentally stepped on the tail of a tiger.
Akito
Eh...? What does that mean?
Taiga
That guy, even while singing on the streets day and night, he was always looking so far ahead.
Taiga
Even when he sang so much his voice died, he'd just look frustrated and keep singing. Even when it was so hoarse you could barely hear it, he'd put his hand on his throat and force it out.
Akito
Ken-san practised like that...?
Taiga
Seems outta character, right? I was surprised too.
Taiga
Ken must've not known what to do when he finally found that passion. He didn't know what to do, but the flame had been lit, he didn't have a choice but to keep going.
Taiga
No matter what opponent he'd beat, he wouldn't be happy. It wasn't enough, he still had to do more, so he kept singing.
Taiga
From my point of a view, a win is a win, but.
Akito
...!
Taiga
But——when I saw that guy taking it seriously, it lit me up too.
Taiga
That overwhelming focus on aiming higher, even if it meant wearing himself down...I found it a little comforting.
Taiga
And before I even noticed, I was working with him.
Akito
...So that's what happened.
Taiga
Now that I look closer, your eyes look like Ken's. Especially during that live today——you looked just like Ken back then.
Akito
Huh, I did——
Taiga
Yeah. Eyes that are looking so far beyond the horizon that it hurts to look at. Ones belonging to someone so clumsy that they don't know how to live any other way.
Taiga
You know what? You might fill out into someone like him someday. The bar's pretty high, though.
Akito
...!
Stands
Taiga
Well then, seems I've held you hostage for long enough. Talking too long about the old days to a kid like you. My bad.
Akito
No...thank you very much for allowing me to listen to such a valuable story.
Taiga
Yeah.
Taiga
...Ah, that's right. By the way, I've heard something about you kids doing an event at Crawl Green next time.
Akito
Eh? Oh, no, we're still in the middle of negotiating, so it's not like we've got permission...
Taiga
Hey, c'mon, you've gotta be a little more pushy about something like that. Ken and I would've done the same.
Akito
No, please don't say something so ridiculous. It's an important event, so we have to do it properly...
Akito
Wait, how do you know about that, Taiga-san?
Taiga
I heard from the owner there that Arata approached him.
Taiga
From what I heard from that old man, your team's got a pretty good reputation for putting on good events.
Akito
Well...we're putting in serious effort to try and surpass RAD WEEKEND, so.
Akito
——We'll do anything to make that happen.
Taiga
...Gotcha. I'm curious to see how much conviction you have, if you're gonna say all that.
Taiga
——If that's how it is, maybe I'll take a look.
Akito
...Eh? You're gonna come watch...!?
Taiga
Sure. But only if you're doing it at Crawl Green. If that happens, make sure you save a ticket for me, yeah?
Akito
Of course! Um——
Akito
...We'll definitely make this the best event ever. We'll be waiting for you.
Walking footsteps receding
Akito
...
Flashback
Taiga
That guy, even while singing on the streets day and night, he was always looking so far ahead.
Taiga
Even when he sang so much his voice died, he'd just look frustrated and keep singing. Even when it was so hoarse you could barely hear it, he'd put his hand on his throat and force it out.
End flashback
Akito
...So Ken-san was like that too.
Akito
So that he could get where he wanted to, he put in so much effort——
Akito
I decided that was the only thing I could do, so I kept moving. But——
Flashback
Taiga
Now that I look closer, your eyes look like Ken's. Especially during that live today——you looked just like Ken back then.
Taiga
You know what? You might fill out into someone like him someday. The bar's pretty high, though.
Ken
The mind is something that wavers so easily. Is this as far as I can go? There's nothing beyond this point.
Ken
That's why, in those times, you have to trust your heart over your mind. You have to move forward to the rhythm of your heartbeat, and let your body follow.
Ken
Yeah. Even if you're feeling down, no matter how painful things get, if your body says it wants to keep singing——
Ken
When that happens, don't give up singing. If you wanna surpass your limits, that's your only option.
End flashback
Akito
(——I get it. That's why Ken-san said that to me back then.)
Akito
(Ken-san...he kept singing through the pain too——)
Akito
(That's how his singing voice was born. ...It's not like it was there from the start.)
Akito
(He's the same as me——)
Akito
(...I'm so glad, with this...)
Akito
(With this, I can believe in everything I've done so far, and keep moving forward.)
Akito
...I really am...so glad...