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Vivid Street had been livelier lately.
An was the first to notice―with the amount of time she spent on Vivid Street, this was expected. Just a few months ago, the Vivid Street she had always known was transformed into a desolate town, the place eerily empty after the truth about Nagi was revealed. Now, the streets were once again bustling with life from both new and familiar faces singing at every corner.
Kohane pointed it out too, when they were taking a stroll around together in the golden glow of late afternoon sunlight. “Hasn't there been a lot of people singing around here recently?”
An nodded, prompting her to continue.
“A few days ago, someone came up to me and asked to shake my hand,” Kohane said, smiling and gesturing animatedly as she recounted the events of that day. “I was so surprised that I didn't know how to react!”
An laughed endearingly. Even as Vivid Street changed, Kohane always remained a reliable constant—her awkward and adorable partner that wasn't good at speaking to strangers. “That's exactly how I imagine you would act! My dear Kohane, all flustered as a stranger expresses their admiration for her,” An teased, throwing both arms around Kohane’s shoulders and pulling her in for a tight hug.
“Ah- An-chan?” Kohane yelped in surprise.
An let go and linked her arm with Kohane's instead. “It must be because you were so cool during RAD BLAST, Kohane!”
“Eh?” Kohane blushed, pink rapidly spreading across her nose and cheeks. “You were also really amazing, An-chan.”
As Kohane was distracted, An took the opportunity to dip her head and steal a bite of Kohane's strawberry crepe. Straightening back up, she grinned at Kohane's indignant expression. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly, “it tastes delicious though. Want some of mine?”
After shooting her a totally unthreatening glare, Kohane accepted the offered mango crepe. She chewed silently, cheeks puffed up like a hamster’s.
An watched her fondly at first, but her attention slowly drifted away to her own thoughts.
Now that they had surpassed RAD WEEKEND, they were one step closer to “standing on top of the world”. In order to achieve their new goal—An's own selfish wish to go beyond Nagi's dream—they would have to travel overseas. And that meant leaving Vivid Street behind. Leaving Nagi behind.
An's not ready for that. It felt wrong, like her gut had been twisted up in her body, squeezing painfully.
She should have known that it was inevitable, with Nagi gone, but it never occurred to her that she’d have to leave behind everything that meant so much to her when she first declared her wish, blinded by impulsiveness.
She hated it. She hated that she felt conflicted, that she was being held back by her own feelings, like her wrists and ankles were being chained by heavy metal shackles that she couldn't break free from, no matter how hard she tried. Everyone else was already moving towards their next goal, but she was still stuck here.
Her frustration must have been apparent in her expression, because Kohane was looking at her in concern. “An-chan, is everything alright?”
Out of instinct, An immediately plastered a smile on her face; one that didn't quite reach her eyes. “I’m fine-” she started to say, but she cut herself off before she could finish. Things are different now, she reminded herself. There's no need to pretend anymore . Her smile dropped. She sighed and shook her head. “Actually, I…”
An was interrupted by a shout.
“ It's not a stupid dream! ”
Yelling was not an uncommon occurrence in Vivid Street, but not from a child who sounded no older than ten. Alarmed, An and Kohane glanced at each other in unison and unanimously ran towards the noise, their conversation forgotten.
They turned a street corner and slowed to a stop, taking in the scene before them. There was a young girl clutching a mic hooked up to a stereo setup. Her face was scrunched up, looking ready to burst into tears any second. A few other kids were crowded around her, laughing. An frowned. They did not seem kind, and she prepared to step in.
“You want to surpass RAD BLAST?” one of the kids scoffed, not noticing An and Kohane’s arrival. “With singing like that, it’s basically impossible!”
An froze.
She felt justifiable anger rise up in her at the kid’s words, but something else overshadowed it, a long-familiar emotion welling up inside her, haunting her like a ghost.
Fear.
She had always had only good memories of the people in Vivid Street. Everyone―her parents, Nagi, Taiga, the record store owner, and even the older musicians―had always been so supportive, cheering her on from the start.
“I want to surpass RAD WEEKEND!” An announced over the screech of her chair against the floor tiles as she abruptly rose from her seat.
Ken chuckled as he set down a plate of sandwiches and a cup of juice in front of An, along with the rest of the food for their usual event after-party. “Is that so?”
An nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! Dad and Nagi-san and Taiga-san were so cool, it really was an awesome event.” Even now, an hour after the legendary event, An could still feel the excitement buzzing within her, as if the music’s beat was still pounding in her veins.
“If anyone can do it, it’s you, An,” Nagi spoke in the same affectionate tone, the same tenderness in her voice that she had used all these years, her laughter a soft tinkle. She patted An’s head, ruffling her hair. “So practise hard, okay?”
A warmth bloomed in An’s chest. She beamed, eyes alight with newfound determination. “I will!
“I promise, Nagi-san, one day I'll be good enough to put on an event even greater than yours!”
From that moment on, An kept her word and practised religiously every day at the same spot in Vivid Street. Even when Nagi left for the US without a word, she kept going. Some of the Vivid Street regulars would shout encouragement as they passed by, while other musicians would offer advice to improve her singing.
“You're doing great, An! Keep going!”
“I think you can try singing that part like this…Yes, that’s it!”
“You’ll surpass RAD WEEKEND in no time!”
They fueled her passion and drive for singing. With Vivid Street at her back, she could achieve anything.
She had to.
Everyone had been watching over her and protecting her for so long. Even when there were disagreements, they were all easily settled with a singing battle. She wanted the kid to feel the same warmth that enveloped her whenever she sang on Vivid Street.
So why couldn't she move? Why were her feet glued to the floor, refusing to budge? Why was she once again chained by those shackles that prevented her from moving forward?
Perhaps she was wrong. She just buried all the bad memories so that they wouldn't resurface. But now that she'd started to remember, they flooded back in relentless waves.
In truth, she had felt this helplessness once, when she was still grieving Nagi’s death.
Nagi once told her that her music’s sound could express her feelings better than words could, and An had mastered that a long time ago. Too well, in fact.
When she opened her mouth to sing, all that came out was a desperate sound containing every one of her current emotions.
Betrayal. Pain. Regret. Longing. They changed like flashes of lightning during a storm, sudden and brutal.
She missed her old self―her effortlessly cool and cheerful sound that came to her as if it was second nature. Now, each lyric forced its way past her lips, voice raw and jagged.
The song faded into the instrumental outro. An finally opened her eyes, chest heaving and breathing ragged. When she lifted a hand to her face, her fingers came away wet with tears, and she realised she was crying.
“Sorry,” An choked out as heavy silence descended. She wiped away the tear tracks on her cheeks with the back of her hand. “Sorry, that’s not the mood we were going for. Give me a second and we can try again-”
“Shiraishi,” Touya spoke gently, interrupting her tremoring voice. “You should let it out, because…” He trailed off, but all of them knew what he was going to say anyway.
Because it’s the only way you know how .
Akito added, “Take your time. We’ll wait.” Despite his stern appearance, An could see the worry etched into his frown.
Kohane spread her arms out wide in a silent offer for a hug. An stumbled forward and into Kohane’s familiar hold, clutching her like she was a lifeline. Kohane stroked her hair in soothing motions as fresh hot tears spilled from her eyes.
She’s angry; of course she was. She’s angry at Vivid Street, at Nagi. At herself.
Briefly, she felt ashamed. How could she feel that way about the people she treasured most in the world? That was a fleeting thought, a flicker of emotion that was quickly overtaken by intense rage. It was precisely because the people she loved lied to her for years, that even Nagi abandoned and turned her back on her. An thought of Vivid Street as her home, as family. Yet, they broke her trust.
She missed Nagi. She missed Nagi so much.
“I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye,” An mumbled into Kohane’s shoulder, her words additionally muffled by her crying. All this while, she had been naively chasing after Nagi’s shadow, merely a long-gone echo of the past.
It hurt.
“I know,” Kohane whispered sadly, resting a palm on her back. An swallowed back another sob, the rest of the words she wanted to say lodged in her throat, and burrowed herself further into Kohane’s comfort.
“An-chan.”
It was Kohane’s mellow voice that cut through the memory, bringing her back to reality and grounding her.
An gasped, her eyes flying open with a flinch. She felt the grip on her hand tighten in response.
“It’s okay, An-chan,” Kohane murmured quietly. “I’m here now.”
An focused on Kohane―the sound of her unwavering voice, the warmth emanating from her hand, an anchor to the real world. She sucked in a shuddering breath, then exhaled. Gradually, the tension drained out of her body and her vision cleared.
She squeezed Kohane's hand, wordlessly conveying her gratitude. She glanced briefly at the bickering kids and her step faltered.
“Oi, stop it!” an all-too-familiar voice shouted.
A moment later, Akito appeared from the opposite corner of the alleyway like an action-movie hero, Touya following a beat behind.
Akito marched up to the mean kids, towering over them intimidatingly. “Don’t look down on others and make fun of their dreams, got it?” he warned, glaring at them.
The kids were not even fazed by his threats. Rather, they were not listening. They stared up at Akito reverently. Even the girl had stopped crying, jaw-dropped after being led slightly further away by Touya.
“You’re Shinonome Akito from Vivid BAD SQUAD,” one kid said, tone awed.
Akito’s brows furrowed, his menacing aura dissipating in an instant. “Yeah? What about it?”
Relief washed over An―the situation was resolved. Kohane tugged on her arm, regaining her attention. Their gazes met and Kohane held it with an unimaginable tenderness. She smiled and reached forward to take one of An’s hands, bringing it up to grasp between her own and gently lead her forward, towards the rest.
This time, the kids noticed their approach. One of them yelled excitedly, “It’s Azusawa-san and Shiraishi-san!”
An recognised the look in their eyes; it was the same one she had idolising RADder as a child―staring at them like they were the world’s eighth natural wonder, simultaneously so close yet unreachable. Being on the receiving end of it was starting to make her feel like a big-shot celebrity. Actually, they were probably of celebrity status in Vivid Street now because of how large of an event RAD BLAST became.
An understood now. It was easier to forget, but even the painful memories were important to her. Despite everything that had happened, she still loved Vivid Street. She wanted to take everyone’s kindness and inspire the next generation, just like they had done for her.
“Hey!” An knelt down in front of the girl so they were at the same eye level and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Um,” the girl stammered, actively avoiding eye contact, “Um, I’m Nariko.”
An smiled. “Okay, Nariko. You have to practise hard if you want to surpass RAD BLAST, alright? I know you can do it,” she echoed Nagi's words from a few years prior as something in her chest constricted.
“And you three,” she said seriously, turning around to face the other kids, “Vivid Street is a place where everyone is treated with respect, no matter their background or skill. Understood?”
They hung their heads regretfully and nodded solemnly. One of them shuffled forward, looking guilty. “We’re sorry for just now, Nariko. We shouldn't have said such mean things to you. Let’s team up to surpass RAD BLAST?”
Nariko brightened, regaining the hopeful light in her eyes. “Okay!”
Something in An’s heart settled as she watched the four of them, feeling at ease. Maybe Vivid Street would be fine without her. Nagi’s legacy, their legacy, would continue to live on through future generations as the very heart of this town.
Suddenly, Nariko let out a gasp as something blurred past them. “It’s Vivi!”
The kids crowded around to coo at the stray cat. “Doesn't it only come to watch those that sing well?”
Another kid added, “It must have sensed that Vivid BAD SQUAD is here!”
“Then, why don’t we sing a little bit?” Kohane suggested to the cheers of the kids. “We can show them it won’t be easy to surpass RAD BLAST.”
“That’s a good idea, Azusawa,” Touya agreed, looking to Akito pointedly for his opinion.
Akito rolled his eyes and huffed, “Fine.”
An laughed and returned to latching onto Kohane’s arm. “Honestly! Even though we have a break today, we still ended up here singing together.”
Touya tapped the stereo, starting up the music. An made eye contact with each of them, and they looked back at her in turn. Akito, with understanding solidarity. Touya, with kind acceptance. And Kohane, with trust and confidence and the belief that they’ll always be partners. Like they were telling her, ‘we’re with you every step of the way, so let’s keep moving forward’.
An felt a lot lighter now―the weighted shackles that had tied her down before had vanished. She'll come back to Vivid Street after their success, to the place where she belonged.
She opened her mouth to unleash a fiery storm in the form of her singing. She was certain of it―she would go to the place where Nagi couldn't reach. I’ll be going on ahead, Nagi-san.
An thought she imagined it, the soft whisper carried by the passing breeze, brushing past her ear like a gentle caress and replying, “I'll be waiting.”