< Kick it up a notch | Story
Day of the event
Crawl Green
Crawl Green
Tatsuya
I guess it makes sense that she'd be apprehensive now that the moment's actually here...
Arata
Kohane-chan, are you okay?
Kohane
Ah...yes. I practiced a lot for today, so I'll be okay...!
Kohane
All that's left is to show the results of my practice on stage! I-I'll do my best...!
Akito
Oi, relax a little. The rest of you are good to go, right?
Toya
Yes, we're ready to go whenever.
Kotaro
Yeah, same! We're all set over here!
Akito
Let's huddle up——Kohane, you lead us today.
Kohane
Eh!? You want me to?
Akito
Yeah. It's a good chance, you can tell by looking at everybody's faces.
Akito
There's not a single person here who thinks that you can't do this.
Toya
That's true. You may be uneasy, but I'm sure you will overcome it.
Toya
We trust in you, Azusawa. Go up on that stage and hit the audience with everything you've got.
Kohane
Shinonome-kun, Aoyagi-kun...
An
...
An
——Hey, listen for a sec, Kohane.
An
I've told you this before but I can say it as many times as I need to. I seriously, honestly, love your singing, Kohane.
An
My heart races whenever I hear it, and it makes me wanna sing so much that I can hardly sit still——
Kohane
An-chan...
An
I believe in you, Kohane. So, let me listen to the best song you've got!
Kohane
...Yeah! Thank you, An-chan. And everyone else, too...
Kohane
Today, let's hype up everybody in our audience, Taiga-san and An-chan's dad included.
Kohane
Our third event "RISE", let's go!
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Audience Member
Hey, wait...isn't that Ken-san and Taiga-san!?
Audience Member
Eh? No way, why would the two of them be at a place like this...!
Taiga
Hoh. The crowd is looking pretty packed.
An's dad
You're right. This venue's pretty popular, but by how excited the audience is, that's not all there is to it.
An's dad
Well, looks like it's starting. First up is——
An's dad
...Hm, the little lady's by herself.
An's dad
——Taiga, what did you tell her?
Kohane
(...The mic is so cold. And...my heart is pounding in my ears...)
Kohane
(Having the entire event riding on my shoulders is so much scarier than I imagined it would be.)
Kohane
But——
Kohane
(...I'll be okay. Everybody believed in me and sent me out.)
Flashback
Luka
Then, Kohane-chan! Breathe in slowly, deep breaths~
End flashback
Kohane
(——I'll breathe in slowly, and take deep breaths...I'm gonna sing without worrying about failing.)
Kohane
(...Huh?)
Kohane
(The old lady in the front row...she's the one who helped me with the photos the other day.)
Kohane
(And that over there is the lady from the record store who helped me with my practice...I wonder if she came all this way just to see me?)
Kohane
(Ah, and the lady who gave us free crepes is here too. I remember how delicious it was, packed full of strawberries and cream.)
Kohane
(And in the middle, Taiga-san and An-chan's dad are there——they really came. They're both really tall, so they stand out a bit.)
Kohane
(...All of them, everybody here has been so kind to me.)
Audience Member
She hasn't started singing. I wonder if she's nervous?
Audience Member
I wonder what kinda song that girl's gonna sing?
Flashback
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Taiga
While you've got experience performing solo, performing solo at your own event is a different beast entirely.
Taiga
You should see for yourself what's different when you stand on stage alone.
End flashback
Kohane
(——I get it. These people aren't just here to listen to someone sing. They came all this way to listen to our song.
Kohane
(...They want to listen to us sing.)
Kohane
(Somehow...my chest feels so warm. I'm so happy...)
Kohane
(Not only that, this warm feeling——)
Kohane
(It's the same as before——)
Flashback
Miku
We guarantee it. We've watched you up until now, after all.
Kohane
Ah...
Kohane
(They've always been watching me...)
Kohane
(So it was like that...)
Miku
"Nice to meet you, Kohane. I'm the Miku of your SEKAI. Let's get along."
Miku
We'll always be here. As long as your feelings are here too...okay?
Kohane
I...had it all along.
Kohane
(I thought I didn't have it. That's why I'd been thinking it'd be nice if I could have it someday, but that wasn't true.)
Kohane
(I didn't realize that there were already people who were so kind and so supportive, right by me all along...)
Kohane
...Everyone, thank you!
End flashback
Kohane
(It feels like the warmth that Miku-chan and the others helped me notice in SEKAI...)
Kohane
(In that case——)
Kohane
(I wanna respond to everybody's feelings——of wanting to listen to our song.)
Kohane
(I want these people to listen to my song!)
Kohane
♪————————!!
Toya
——Yes. She's doing well...!
Arata
She's singing even more freely than in practice. She's grabbing the audience's attention well, too.
Kohane
(What a mysterious feeling... All of the pressure I was feeling has vanished.)
Kohane
(And——)
Audience Member
Oh! It's sounding pretty good! The owner sure knows how to pick 'em!
Audience Member
That's amazing, she seems like a totally different person when she's singing!
Kohane
(...I can see everyone's faces clearly. They're all smiling happily.)
Audience Member
Kohane-chan, do your best!
Kohane
(I feel like I can project my voice more. If I do that, maybe my feelings will reach them even more——!)
Kohane
♪————!! ——————!!
An's Father
——She's got it. That addicting feeling of elation you get the moment you get up on stage and start singing. I can feel it in her song.
Taiga
Yeah. That's the scenery the little lady is seeing from up there.
Taiga
I was a little unreliable, but it seems like she's gotten the hang of what I taught her.
Taiga
She's making eye contact with everyone, and singing well.
Taiga
People's feelings are conveyed when their eyes meet. It's the same whether you're singing or talking.
Taiga
——Well, I figured she'd be able to pull this off from the start.
Taiga
Little lady, nice song!
Kohane
(Ah...Taiga-san just praised me...!)
Kohane
(...I'm so happy. My song is reaching them after all.)
Kohane
(The other audience members immediately jumped on board when they heard his loud cheering——)
Audience cheering
Kohane
(They're all cheering so loud, I can barely tell which voice is mine. They're all waving their hands in the air...)
Kohane
(In that case, I wanna respond even more!)
Kohane
(Because, I still haven't——!)
Flashback
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Miku
(Kohane. You can go even further, can't you?)
End flashback
Kohane
(——Yeah. I can do it.)
Kohane
(I can still go to the place from before——)
Kohane
(That place that Miku-chan and Luka-san took my hand and led me to, until I reach that place...!)
Kohane
♪———— ~ ~ ~ ~ !!
Taiga
...!?
Audience Member
...Amazing...
Taiga & An's Father
...
Taiga
(...This has gotta be a joke. What...am I looking at right now...!?)
Taiga
(Up there, that's...)
An's Father
...This song...she almost looks like——
An
...
An
...No way...
An
...She looks like Nagi-san...
Akito
...Are you serious...
Kotaro
...Y-You're right, she does look like Nagi-san, doesn't she...!?
Arata
...Th...That's amazing...
Toya
(——What in the world just happened...?)
Toya
(As I listen to her sing, it's as if my emotions are being shaken to the core...!)
Akito
(...My body's on fire. What is this song...!)
An
...
An
Kohane...
An
(...Kohane's so amazing.)
An
(But...)
An
...She really is so high up...
Kohane
♪————!
— Some time later —
Kohane
...*pant*, *pant*, *pant*
Kohane
(I see. Could it be——)
Kohane
(Is this why Taiga-san showed me this town..?)
Kohane
(The people that An-chan and Taiga-san connected me to——and Taiga-san and An-chan's dad, too.)
Kohane
(There are people that want to listen to my singing, and I want them to listen to me.)
Kohane
(This feeling is what's important for our songs...)
Kohane
Thank you very much for listening! There's still a lot left to look forward to, so please enjoy it to the end!
Kohane
Next is——EVER!