Hotaru

...

Nagi

Natsume-senpai, can I borrow your tuner?

Natsume

Didn't you have a clip-on tuner...?

Nagi

I forgot it.

Natsume

Seriously? What kind of guitarist forgets their tuner?

Natsume

And mine's a tuner pedal, so no. It's already wired into my board.

Nagi

Fine. I'll use Mahoro's, then. Mahoro.

Mahoro

W-wait, I'm using mine too!

Hotaru

(Ugh... Our first real rehearsal is about to start... My heart won't stop pounding...!)

Houka

Are you nervous?

Hotaru

Eek?! H-Houka-san...!

Houka

Hehe. It is only practice. You needn't brace yourself quite so hard.

Hotaru

R-R-R-Right...!

Hotaru

(I memorized every song we're practicing today, just in case, but...)

Hotaru

(This is nothing like classical accompaniment... There's no way I wouldn't be nervous...!)

Hotaru

Is this really the right place for me to stand...? Am I in anyone's way...?

Mahoro

You're fine right there! Relax, Hotaru-chan. Deep breaths!

Mahoro

We're still easing back into things too. Let's all take it little by little!

Mahoro

We'll practice hard, then have snack time! What kind of snacks do you like, Hotaru-chan?

Hotaru

Huh? Um... I like egg boro cookies.

Mahoro

E-egg boro cookies?! Do we have any of those...?

Houka

Then let us take this at our own pace.

Hotaru

Y-Yes! At our own pace!

Natsume

Nagi, are you done tuning?

Nagi

All set.

Natsume

Hotaru, you too. You're ready, right?

Hotaru

Ah... I'll give this everything I've got! Thank you for having me!

Houka・Nagi・Natsume・Mahoro

...

Hotaru

Ngh... I-I'm sorry...!

Nagi

You're stiff as a board. Nothing like last time.

Mahoro

Mm, ahaha... Hard to believe you're the same person who went toe-to-toe with Natsume-chan.

Houka

Your technique itself is not the issue. And yet... somehow, the sound refuses to come together.

Hotaru

N-Next time, I'll listen more closely to everyone's sound...!

Hotaru

(I-I have to get this right! I'm a support player, so I have to support them properly...!)

Hotaru

(And I can't let my guard down. Not for a second. If I see those rainbow colors again, like when I was little...)

Hotaru

...!

Natsume

See? I told you. If rehearsal sounds like this, a live is still asking too much.

Hotaru

!

Hotaru

(At this rate, I'll ruin the live...!)

Hotaru

(But Mahoro-san said she wanted to play it...!)

Hotaru

One more time! Please... please let me try one more time!

Nagi

I don't mind, but... Mahoro?

Mahoro

Hmm...

Mahoro

All right, break time!

Hotaru

What!?

Mahoro

Hotaru-chan, come take a walk with me!

Hotaru

Wh-What?

Mahoro

Mmm~ What a nice breeze. The beach may be artificial, but it's still pretty, isn't it?

Hotaru

Ah, yes...

Hotaru

Um... Was it really okay? Stopping practice like that...

Mahoro

It's fine, it's fine. We needed to pick up some egg boro cookies anyway!

Hotaru

But...

Hotaru

(They're spending precious practice time on me...)

Mahoro

...

Mahoro

Hotaru-chan, you used to play with Kanata, right?

Hotaru

Huh...? Yes.

Mahoro

What was it like? Was it fun?

Hotaru

Um... I'm not sure if... "fun" is the right word.

Hotaru

I wanted to make music like Kanata-san's, but most of the time, all I could think was how far I still had to go.

Mahoro

What kind of music do you mean, like Kanata's?

Hotaru

Music that can make everyone happy...

Hotaru

After Kanata-san played, everyone in the audience would be smiling. They all looked so happy.

Mahoro

Hmm~ I see, I see.

Mahoro

At first, I thought you were just nervous. But you looked like you could barely breathe the whole time.

Mahoro

Then I remembered Kanata once saying you looked like playing was hurting you somehow, Hotaru-chan.

Hotaru

...! Did I look like I was in pain?

Mahoro

Well... sort of? In a faint, hard-to-explain way?

Hotaru

I'm sorry...

Mahoro

No, no, that's not something you need to apologize for. I didn't know what it was, but I figured there had to be a reason.

Hotaru

...

Hotaru

(The reason I can't face music head-on.)

Hotaru

(A bitter memory I never told my mother... or anyone.)

Hotaru

(I always thought I'd tell Kanata-san someday, but...)

Hotaru

When I was little... I used to see rainbow colors.

Mahoro

Rainbow colors...

Hotaru

When I played well, my mother and my teachers would smile... and then everything in front of me would start sparkling.

Hotaru

The notes would burst open, and it felt like the whole world was shining.

Hotaru

I loved that sight.

Hotaru

When I saw those rainbow colors, I could play well... and I won gold again and again.

Hotaru

But... because of that, I ended up hurting the other kids who were learning piano with me.

Hotaru

So I tried not to see those colors ever again...

Mahoro

...

Hotaru

If my piano... ever makes someone sad...

Hotaru

I think that's what I've been afraid of all this time.

Mahoro

I see... Thank you for telling me.

Mahoro

Yeah... I see... I see...

Hotaru

...?

Mahoro

I... I'm no good at this! I tried acting like a big sister and asking, but I can't give you any advice at all!

Mahoro

I'm sorry, Hotaru-chaaan...!

Hotaru

N-no, not at all! Just having you listen is enough!

Mahoro

Thank you... You're so kind... Rainbow colors... rainbow colors, huh?

Mahoro

That kind of sounds like the "zone" athletes talk about, doesn't it?

Hotaru

I don't really understand it myself... Just that I see it sometimes.

Mahoro

Hmm... Is it really such a bad thing, though?

Hotaru

Huh...?

Mahoro

I mean, I don't actually know what those rainbow colors are like, but...

Mahoro

If something feels that beautiful to you, it seems like such a waste to shut it away.

Mahoro

I don't have any special skill I can brag about, let alone anything like talent, so...

Mahoro

It sounds almost like a gift from god. I might even be a little jealous.

Hotaru

...

Mahoro

Besides! If we're talking about wild performances, Kanata already gave us plenty of practice!

Mahoro

In both good and bad ways, I mean.

Hotaru

Hehe...

Mahoro

In a band, maybe it won't bother anyone as much as you think.

Hotaru

In a band...

Mahoro

Exactly! If one of your members can play something amazing, that's only ever a plus!

Hotaru

...!

Hotaru

(I never thought of it that way.)

Hotaru

(That the rainbow colors might actually help someone...)

Hotaru

(If that's really true... then I...)

Mahoro

Oh, it's from Nagi-chan. "Are you about done with your walk?" ...she says.

Mahoro

Ahaha, maybe we wandered a little too far. Let's head back.

Hotaru

Yes!

Mahoro

—♪

Hotaru

...!

Hotaru

(I'm starting to get used to band practice, even if it's just a little...!)

Hotaru

(This is a kind of music unlike competitions or accompaniment.)

Hotaru

(Every sound has its own personality.)

Hotaru

(Houka-san's drum...)

Hotaru

(Her form is beautiful, and her rhythm is always so precise... but every now and then, I can see something burning underneath.)

Hotaru

(Nagi-san's guitar...)

Hotaru

(She holds back one step, then slips right into whatever space needs filling.)

Hotaru

(Natsume-san's guitar...)

Hotaru

(Cool, always at full power. Like it's shouting, "Look at me!")

Hotaru

(Mahoro-san's bass and voice...)

Hotaru

(Unadorned music, honest and direct.)

Hotaru

(Balancing both still looks really hard, but... Mahoro-san is working so hard.)

Hotaru

...

Hotaru

(What Kanata-san told me back then...)

Hotaru

(When she called it a treasure.)

Hotaru

(I think... I'm starting to understand it, just a little.)

Hotaru

(Not playing alone, but taking someone's hand...)

Hotaru

(And playing toward the same place.)

Hotaru

(This... feels so nice.)

Hotaru

...♪

Houka・Nagi・Natsume・Mahoro

!!

Hotaru

(Wait... just now...?!)

Hotaru

(There's no mistaking it... This view... It's the rainbow colors...!)

Hotaru

(I haven't seen them for years... So why now...?!)

Natsume

Hotaru...!

Hotaru

! O-Okay!

Hotaru

(What do I do? What if this becomes like back then again...)

Natsume

See? You can do it!

Hotaru

Huh...?

Natsume

Play like that from the start! You're finally starting to sound like yourself!

Nagi

Senpai, how about praising her normally? Like, "That was good."

Hotaru

Wait...?

Hotaru

Was that... good...?

Houka

Yes. It was truly splendid♡

Nagi

It was really good.

Houka

And, Hotaru-san. Did you notice that? Just now, you...

Hotaru

Huh?

Houka

Nothing... never mind. It really was wonderful. Wasn't it, Mahoro-san?

Mahoro

...

Nagi

Mahoro?

Mahoro

Huh...? Oh. Yeah!

Mahoro

That sounded amazing! Let's keep that going, okay?

Hotaru

...! Yes!

Hotaru

(Thank goodness...!)

Hotaru

(Maybe Mahoro-san was right after all!)

Hotaru

(If we're a band, being different colors can still be okay!)

Hotaru

I see... So it's okay.

Natsume

All right, let's do that again before you forget how it felt!

Nagi

We've already been going for an hour straight.

Houka

My, how Spartan.

Natsume

Enough, first-years! Just get in position! Hotaru, you too!

Hotaru

Y-Yes!

Mahoro

...

Mahoro

Hotaru-chan really is amazing...