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L-let me introduce myself properly...!

Starting today, I'll be working with millsage. My name is Hotaru Shiomi!
And I'll be playing piano!

I'll give it everything I've got, so... I'm looking forward to playing with you all!

Glad to have you.
Looking forward to it.

Yaaay~♪ Clap, clap~

So... why are we at a Café? Aren't we practicing?

Now, now. It is a welcome party, after all. Surely there is no harm in that.

Here you are, Hotaru-san. Please have a look at the menu.

Thank you!

Wait... were you already calling Shiomi-san by her first name?

Well. Support member or not,
we will be in the same band together now.

Doesn't it feel warmer that way?
Wouldn't you agree, Hotaru-san? ♡

Yes! Please call me whatever you like!

Now, down to business.
If I'm coming back, then I'm not going easy on band stuff either.

We've gotta write new songs too... Hotaru!

Y-Yes!

I'm expecting you to pull your weight too. Got it?

As soon as I've got a demo, I'll send it straight to you, middle of the night or not.
You listen to it and arrange it.

Arrange it...?

Right.

That's what Kanata used to do, right?

If you're gonna call yourself Kanata's apprentice,
then you're doing what she did.

That's what an apprentice is supposed to do, right?

Talk about old-fashioned.

You said something?

Nope.

Hey, you two should stop it now, okay?

Hehe, you two get along well♪

I-I'll do my best!

Hotaru

(I'm so glad... Natsume-san actually
decided to come back to the band.)

Hotaru

(When they told me to convince her and settle things through music,
I had no idea what I was supposed to do...)

Hotaru

(But... those sessions were actually kind of fun.)

Hotaru

(We clashed with everything we had...
and still, I didn't see any rainbow colors...)

Hotaru

(Maybe... I could only see them when I was a child...?)

Hotaru

(No, I can't assume that. I still don't know
why I see those rainbow colors, so I have to keep being careful...!)

Mahoro

This almost doesn't feel real.

Mahoro

Just the other day, it was only the three of us playing live, barely holding it together...
and talking about disbanding...

Hotaru & Nagi & Natsume & Houka

...

Mahoro

And now here we are, all together again...
talking about the band... It's all because of you, Hotaru-chan.

Hotaru

N-no, not at all...!
I'll work even harder so I can help more!

Mahoro

Yeah... I'll do my best too.

Houka

Yes♪
Let us all move forward together once more.

Mahoro

This really is... our last chance...

Nagi

?

Houka

In any case, that settles one problem♪
Which leaves...

Mahoro

...

Natsume

Huh? What, is something up with Mahoro?

Nagi

About Mahoro's part...
could you make it a little easier?

Nagi

Now that she's doubling as a vocalist, that part's a little much
to play while singing...

Mahoro

Um! Could we maybe
talk about that later?

Natsume

Huh? Yeah, sure.

Nagi

Mahoro...?

Mahoro

Come on, this is Hotaru-chan's welcome party!
Heavy band talk isn't exactly fun, you know~?

Nagi

You think...?

Hotaru

Um, if that's the case, please don't worry about me!
It's important to millsage, right?

Mahoro

It is, but... Oh!
Why don't you ask us something instead, Hotaru-chan?

Hotaru

S-something I want to ask...? Oh!

Hotaru

It's about this keychain...
I found it by the piano in the garage.

Mahoro

...! This was Kanata's.

Houka

She was quite fond of Nikopan-chan, wasn't she?

Hotaru

So it really was hers...
I'm sorry I held on to it for so long. Here, I'll give it back.

Mahoro

No, thank you for finding it.
I thought we'd returned all of Kanata's things back then...

Nagi & Natsume & Houka

...

Mahoro

I'll make sure it gets back to Kanata's family.

Hotaru

Yes... Please do.

Mahoro

Sorry, my phone's ringing.
I'll step out for a moment.

Natsume

I'm getting water.
Hotaru, you're coming with me.

Hotaru

Huh? Oh, yes!

Nagi

Wow. Putting her to work already?

Natsume

I can't carry water for five people by myself, can I?!

Hotaru

I'll help!

Houka

Hehe. Hotaru-san and Natsume-san
may turn out to be a surprisingly good pair.

Nagi

Maybe...

Nagi

Hey, Houka... what are you after?

Houka

Hm? Whatever do you mean?

Nagi

Don't play dumb. I know your motivation for the band dropped
after what happened with Kanata.

Nagi

And I remember you were the one who first brought up disbanding.
But ever since Shiomi-san showed up, you're suddenly all fired up.

Nagi

So... what are you planning?

Houka

My, what a dreadful way to put it.

Houka

I merely saw a possibility.

Nagi

The possibility of bringing the band back?
Or something else?

Houka

Really, you are terribly suspicious.

Houka

I did not want millsage to disband,
so I took action with Shiomi-san's help. That is all.

Houka

You do keep a very close eye on things, Nagi-san.
I understand why you end up thinking more than most, but...

Houka

If you think so much that you only keep standing still,
does that not become terribly dull?

Nagi & Houka

...

Natsume

Hey, first-years.
Don't show off how badly you get along in front of the new girl.

Houka

My, badly? Not at all.

Nagi

We're just messing around. That's all.

Natsume

Sure you are.

Hotaru

I brought the water!
Nagi-san, Houka-san, here you go!

Houka

My, thank you very much♡

Nagi

Thanks...

Natsume

*Sigh*...

Mahoro

E-everyone!!

Nagi

? What's wrong? You're in a hurry.

Mahoro

A live show! We got an offer to play a live show!

Mahoro

A live house we played at ages ago
asked if we wanted to join a band battle show a month from now!

Nagi

Huh? Why all of a sudden?

Mahoro

Well... until pretty recently, I was thinking about where we should hold our final live.
So I'd been contacting a bunch of live houses.

Mahoro

They reached out to say they had an open slot,
and when I told them what's going on with millsage now, they suggested this.

Houka

If it is a month from now, I imagine we could make it work, couldn't we?

Mahoro

Right?! They went out of their way to invite us,
and the timing couldn't be better!

Mahoro

This is our chance! We have to take it!

Natsume

Hold on. Just because Hotaru can play
doesn't mean we've even rehearsed as a band yet, you know?

Natsume

Playing together is a whole different thing.

Mahoro

I-I know that, but...

Nagi

Mahoro... are you rushing this?

Mahoro

N-no, I'm not...

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Kanata

It's happiness I wanna share,
more than we could ever hold in both hands.

Kanata

Hey, Mahoro.
Truth is, I...

Mahoro

Huh...?

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Mahoro

No, really. I'm not.

Mahoro

I just thought... it might help if we had something soon to aim for.

Mahoro

And I think it's a step millsage has to take someday
if we're going to move forward... so maybe it's worth trying.

Nagi

I mean... that's true.

Houka

Everything is experience, after all.
I do think it may be worth trying. What do you think, Hotaru-san?

Hotaru

A live...

Hotaru

(My first live house stage...
nothing like the competitions I'm used to.)

Hotaru

(I'd be lying... if I said I wasn't nervous, but...)

Hotaru

I... I'll do it.

Hotaru

(If it's for millsage...!)

Hotaru

I want to play that live!