< STRAY BAD DOG | Story
Chapter 2: A Mysterious Big Shot
謎の実力者 (Nazo no jitsuryoku-sha)
謎の実力者 (Nazo no jitsuryoku-sha)
Character appearances:
Live House
— Some time later —
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Live House Exterior
An
Mmm~! We totally nailed it again today! It feels like all our hard work is paying off!
Akito
Yeah, no doubt 'cause of all that morning practice.
Kohane
Yeah! We’ve really gotten better at the stuff we’ve been practicing in rehearsal. I’m so happy.
Kohane
...Ah! I think I left my phone backstage! Sorry, I’m gonna go run and get it.
An
Really? I’ll come with and help you look for it, then. You two wait here!
Toya
Okay, got it.
Audience Member A
--Tonight’s event was insane! Especially Vivid BAD SQUAD, weren’t they way high-level?
Audience Member B
Totally! They’d be a real good match for that guy from earlier, don’t you think?
Akito
(...That guy?)
Audience Member B
He really was something, wasn’t he? I’ve never seen the crowd go wild like that before.
Audience Member A
Come to think of it, he said he was gonna put on an event to beat RAD WEEKEND, right…?
Audience Member B
RAD WEEKEND… you mean that super legendary event? I don’t know much about it besides the name, but everyone’s always saying that it’d be impossible.
Akito
(To beat RAD WEEKEND…?)
Akito
...Excuse me. Do you have a moment?
Audience Member A
Hm? Woah! You’re from Vivid BAD SQUAD…!
Akito
--Who’s this “guy” you’re talking about?
WEEKEND GARAGE
Akito
Touno Arata…huh.
Toya
It seems like he’s been doing a lot of events around here lately. He’s a good singer.
Toya
And it seems like he’s telling people that he’ll create an event even better than RAD WEEKEND, too.
An
Touno Arata…
Akito
...Surpassing RAD WEEKEND, huh? Turns out there’s folks besides us that’re aiming for that, too.
Akito
Bring it on. I’ll hear for myself just how he sings.
Kohane
S-Shinonome-kun, you’re kind of scary right now…!
Toya
Don’t worry about him, Azusawa. He makes faces like that pretty often.
Kohane
D-Does he now…?
An
---Ah! I remember!
An
That Arata guy, I feel like my dad’s talked about him before.
Akito
Ken-san did?
An
Yeah. I was in middle school, so it was around three years ago… Hey, Dad!
An's Father
Hm? Got an order?
An
It’s not that. Dad, didn’t you mention a guy called Touno Arata once, a long time ago?
An's Father
Touno Arata… Ahh, Arata, you mean.
An
Ah! So you do know him!?
An's Father
Yeah. Three years ago, he said he was going overseas to study and left, but it seems like he’s come back, huh?
Kohane
Overseas… That’s probably why we haven’t heard of him.
An
Hey, hey, what kinda guy is this Arata, then?
An's Father
He’s a good-natured kid. He was still in middle school when I first met him, but he’s got a good head on his shoulders, and he’s got a grasp on how to pump up a crowd.
An's Father
And, just like you guys, he’s got a passion for surpassing RAD WEEKEND.
Kohane
So he really does…
An's Father
Because of that, a lot of groups wanted to work with him, and even his partner--
Akito
Partner? He has a partner, you say?
An's Father
...He did. A long time ago.
An's Father
But… he’s back now, yeah. And to think he’s gotten that much more skilled since he left.
An's Father
I’m pretty interested in hearing how he sings now.
Akito
…That so?
Toya
Ken-san sees him as a capable person too, then.
An
I’m kinda getting curious about this guy! I wonder where he’s performing next?
Kohane
Hmm… Does he have any social media?
Kohane
…Ah! He doesn’t seem to have an account himself, but there’s a fan of his saying they’re going to see him next week! It looks like he’ll be at this nearby live house.
An
Really? Let’s all go check him out next week, then!
Akito
...Yeah, let’s do that. You guys leave your schedules open too.
Akito
(Touno Arata, huh...)
— Some time later —
Akito
Thanks again for the food, Ken-san.
Toya
Shiraishi, Azusawa, we’ll see you again tomorrow.
Kohane
Okay. Later Aoyagi-kun, Shinonome-kun.
An
See ya!
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Vivid Street
Akito
Hey, Toya.
Toya
Hm? What’s up?
Akito
Sing one song with me before we go home?
Akito
Today’s event was a real good one. I wanna make sure I remember this feelin’.
Toya
Yeah, me too.
Akito
Let’s go sing, then. Our usual spot should be fi…
Akito
...Hm? There’s a lot of people crowded around over there. Is there an event goin’ on somewhere?
Toya
Looks like it. They all look really excited, too...
Audience
I’m shocked! I never expected Arata to join in last-minute like that!
Audience
But, the guys he was up against today were pretty pathetic. If Arata sings last, he steals the whole show.
Akito
...Arata?
Audience
Ah! Here he comes!
Akito
So that’s him…
???
Good work~ ...oh, wow! There’s so many of you. Are you all waiting for someone?
Audience Member A
Oi, oi, it’s obviously you we’re waiting for!
Audience Member B
Hey, I’m doing an event at a friend’s place soon, wanna perform together? Everyone that's gonna be there is famous around these parts.
Arata
Oh, really? If that’s so, I might just have to join you.
Toya
So the one over there is Touno…He seems a little bit older than us.
Toya
He seems like a nice, capable person, just like Ken-san said.
Akito
Yeah, guess so…
Akito
(But, does he seriously think he can surpass RAD WEEKEND? He doesn’t seem all that enthusiastic about it…)
Akito
(...No, there’s no point in tryin’ to guess what he’s like based on appearances alone.)
Akito
(I’ll judge him after I’ve heard him sing.)
Akito
--Let’s go, Toya.
Toya
Huh?
Akito
If we don’t need to wait until next week, it’ll all shake out in our favor.
Akito
Why don’t we see what kinda guy he is with our own eyes?
Toya
Ah… Akito!