Sleeping quietly

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After that, our noisy, chaotic days went on.

Then summer came.

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Kanata

I'm telling you, this phrase is way better!
It'll get the crowd fired up at lives!

Natsume

I don't care about getting the crowd fired up.
I care about the song's artistry.

Kanata

Ugh, why don't you get it...!?

Natsume

That's my line.
Perfect timing. Let's use that to settle this.

Kanata

Hey, nice~~ Guess we're on the same page there, at least.

Kanata

Natsume, let's do a jam session!

Houka

Um... Those two have already started jamming...
Is it okay to just leave them to it?

Nagi

Yeah, it's fine.
Once they get like that, they usually find a way to land.

Mahoro

Yeah, exactly. We're pretty used to it by now~
I guess this is just how we do things.

Kanata

Yes! Total victory!! The great Kanata is unstoppable~~!!

Natsume

I didn't lose! I haven't lost yet!

Kanata

Oh yeah?
Then shouldn't it be, "Please, let me jam with you again?"

Houka

...

Nagi

So, uh...
You said you were a Kanata fan, but... did that disappoint you?

Houka

No...

Houka

I think this hot-blooded side of Kanata-san is ever so lovely too♡

Mahoro & Nagi

Ahaha...
Aha...

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Autumn came, and then winter.

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Kanata

...

Natsume

What are we gonna do now...!? It's not even morning anymore—it's already noon!

Natsume

Who said we were here for a practice camp!?
All we did was talk and play games all night!

Nagi

Well... You were totally enjoying it too, Natsume-senpai.

Natsume

Ugh...

Houka

Mahoro-san, please wake up.

Mahoro

Mmm... Seconds, please...

Houka

My, how delightfully cliché.

Natsume

Mahoro! How long are you gonna keep sleeping!?

Mahoro

Huh? Ah!

Nagi

Haha. Still not a morning person, huh?

Kanata

Hehe... Ahaha~

Houka

Hm? Is something the matter, Kanata-san?

Kanata

Nah... I was just thinking how stupidly happy I am right now.
And that gave me a good idea.

Natsume

What? Wait, a phrase for a new song!?

Kanata

Nah. A band name.

Houka

A band name...?
You mean, not "Aqua Rapids?"

Kanata

That was just a placeholder.
I've been thinking... we need a real name!

Kanata

And... I just came up with a good one.

Mahoro

Mm... Sorry... What are we talking about again...?

Nagi

Kanata says she came up with our real band name.

Kanata

Yup. A seriously awesome one.

Kanata

millsage

Nagi

So... what's the meaning behind this "real" band name?

Kanata

Yeah, so this is...

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We laughed, had fun, and played lots of lives.
They were special, yet ordinary days.

The seasons kept turning. Before we knew it, we were in high school,
and it had been a little over one year since we formed the band.

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Mahoro

Hotaru Shiomi-chan?

Kanata

Yeah. I met her recently.
She's seriously amazing on piano, y'know.

Houka

For you to speak so highly of her, Kanata-san...
She must be truly remarkable.

Houka

I would love to meet her someday...
But of course, Kanata-san, you are still my number one♡

Kanata

Well... I dunno.
That girl might actually be better than me.

Nagi

Might?

Kanata

Yeah. I dunno why,
but she always holds something back when she plays.

Kanata

It sounds like she's in pain... or something.

Kanata

If she'd just go all out, she'd be absolutely unreal.

Natsume

Who knows? Maybe that's all she's actually got.

Kanata

Nah, I can tell.
Hotaru's the real deal when it comes to music.

Kanata

I mean, she's my apprentice, after all.

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Then came September of last year.

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Mahoro

Sorry!
It took me longer to get into my outfit than I thought...

Kanata

Took you long enough, Mahoro!
Look, the gym's packed!

Mahoro

! Wow... Th-This is crazy...!
Is the whole school here!?

Natsume

Hmph. Looks like our talent is finally getting the recognition it deserves.

Nagi

The final act on the cultural festival stage... Well, would you look at that.

Mahoro

This is so different from last year.
Our middle school festival was kind of a disaster.

Nagi

You could actually count the people in the audience.

Natsume

Thirteen.

Kanata

Haha, brutal, Natsume~
Even delicate little me took a serious hit back then...

Kanata

But! Now look at this full house!
And our outfits are perfect. How is that not hype!?

Mahoro

Yeah!

Houka

Hehe. Mahoro-san, your outfit seems to fit you just fine too.

Mahoro

Yeah...! This is amazing. It's so cool!
It feels like... like we're a real band!

Nagi

Aha. We were already a band, weren't we?

Mahoro

W-We were! But that's not what I mean!

Mahoro

Um, how do I put it... Right!

Mahoro

Right now, I feel like my whole life is about to begin!

Kanata

...!

Kanata

Haha, nice.
Until we step off this stage, the five of us are the main characters.

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Kanata

Let's scream our lungs out!

Kanata

And let 'em hear us say, "We're right here!"

Mahoro

Yeah...!

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Kanata

Yo, everybody! Thanks for coming!
Enjoying the festival? Yeah, of course you are!

Kanata

Now let me introduce... the best bandmates I could ever ask for!

Kanata

On guitar, Natsume Izawa!

Kanata

And our other guitarist, Nagi Kotohira!

Kanata

On bass, Mahoro Hamasaki!

Kanata

On drums, Houka Izumi!

Kanata

And last but not least!
On keyboard and vocals, Kanata Sawami!

Kanata

Together, the five of us are millsage!
Now let's get the music started!

Kanata

Let's make this a night no one ever forgets!

That was the last time... the five of us ever played live together.

And then, just a few weeks later...

On a clear autumn day,

Kanata quietly passed away.

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Mahoro

...

Natsume

Why...? Why...!?

Natsume

We were just... getting started...!
This was supposed to be just the beginning...!

Natsume

You have to... take responsibility for this...!!

Houka

...

Houka

That’s right.

Houka

I'm... I am angry.
After making me fall so deeply for all of this, how could you disappear?

Houka

That is far too cruel.

Houka

But... But...

Houka

I'm still... so very sad.

Nagi

Hey... Kanata.

Nagi

Why did you keep quiet about how much time you had left?

Nagi

Since the day we formed the band...? That's just...!

Nagi

We could've handled this... so much better...!

Nagi

You idiot. Seriously...!

Mahoro

What do I do...

Mahoro

I...

Mahoro

What am I supposed to do...?

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Mahoro

That was six months ago.

Mahoro

After that... we all talked it over.
About what to do with millsage.

Mahoro

We knew it wouldn't really be millsage's music
without Kanata...

Mahoro

Even so... I was the one who asked everyone
to keep the band going.

Hotaru

So... that's what happened.

Hotaru

My feelings are still... all over the place.

Hotaru

But if I hadn't come here today, I...
would've gone on never knowing the truth.

Hotaru

So... thank you,
for telling me all of this.

Mahoro

No... I'm the one
who should be thanking you for coming.

Mahoro

I'm glad I got to tell you... before it all ends.

Hotaru

Huh...?

Mahoro

...

Nagi

millsage. We've decided to disband.

Hotaru

What...!?

Nagi

After Kanata's funeral,
Natsume-senpai... our lead guitarist, stopped coming around.

Nagi

She said, "There's no point without Kanata," and "I don't want to play."

Houka

She even began keeping her distance... from us.

Mahoro

I think she's hurting so much...
I am too... We all are...

Mahoro

We can't make her stay by our side when she's hurting so much, can we?

Hotaru

...

Nagi

So for the time being, the three of us decided
we'd do what we could, but...

Houka

The truth is, the music we made as a five-piece is
simply hard to perform as a trio.

Houka

Mahoro-san, in particular, ended up carrying far too much of that weight.

Mahoro

...

Houka

So the three of us talked about
whether continuing like this was truly the right thing to do.

Nagi

The band... If there's a way to keep it alive, I want to.

Nagi

But if that means making Mahoro push herself past her limits...
then that isn't right.

Houka

Yes. And our audience's response
is no longer what it was when there were five of us.

Houka

I think it's important
to preserve our memories as something beautiful, too.

Hotaru

So... that's why you're disbanding...

Mahoro

Yeah... that's right.

Hotaru

No...

Hotaru

Kanata-san told me... millsage was her treasure...!

Nagi & Houka & Mahoro

...

Hotaru

...!

Hotaru

(I can't.)

Hotaru

(Someone like me... has no right to step in.)

Hotaru

(I don't know anything
about this band... or any of them...)

Hotaru

I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said anything...

Mahoro

No... Thank you, Hotaru-chan.

Mahoro

I'd love for you to come see our last live, if you can.

Mahoro

Oh, we haven't picked a date or anything yet, though.

Hotaru

I see...

Mahoro

Hotaru-chan... Thank you for caring enough about Kanata to cry for her...

Hotaru

(But...)

Hotaru

(Is this really... how it should end...?)