Kono Oto Tomare! 2nd Season

Satowa...

Good...

I was looking for you... hoping that you'd still be around here.

I heard your performance.

I'm sorry...

What I did to you...

...can never be undone.

It left a deep scar in your heart.

I know very well that it cannot be forgiven.

So I don't have the right to say this to you now... but...

...would you give me one more chance... to properly face you?

S-So did my feelings...

...reach you this time?

Did I... do it right this time...?

Did they really reach--

Hozuki...!

I'm so happy for you!

You idiot!

Hey, Kota!

Seriously, Kota! Why did you have to jump out like that?!

I'm sorry, Hozy... for ruining your long-awaited reunion with your mom!

No, not at all...

Rather, I feel embarrassed.

On top of having you look for her, you saw me like that.

I'm sorry.

--What're you saying! It's not embarrassing at all!

--U-Um, Hiro... --What're you saying! It's not embarrassing at all!

--How lively... --U-Um, Hiro... --What're you saying! It's not embarrassing at all!

You really do resemble Hozuki.

If I remember correctly, you played the 17-string...?

Um, I'm Kudo.

I see... So you're the one...

Well, you and the other boy played the 17-string wonderfully.

Thank you for supporting my daughter.

Well...

It's more like she's been leading us all this time... Ma'am.

Leading and supporting are two different things, right?

No wonder she cherishes this club as well as all of you.

Thanks.

Oh, I'm so happy for her.

Yep, yep.

Well, all that running and crying has made me parched.

Chika! We'll play rock-paper-scissors to decide who'll get us drinks!

O-Okay.

Grand Master.

Akira...

Thank you for bringing me here.

Well, I'm sorry for taking you by force.

Okay, guys. Ready?!

--Rock, paper, scissors! One, two, three! One, two, three!

--The kids in this club are just as you said. --Rock, paper, scissors! One, two, three! One, two, three!

They are.

Damn! I suck at rock-paper-scissors for some reason.

Whoa!

Wh-What're you doing?! How long have you been standing there?!

Hey, what're you looking at?!

What?! I'm not really looking at anything!

I just came to buy some drinks.

I bet you think you outdid us.

Hm?

To see you're relaxing and buying drinks like that...

You must think that you guys are first place.

And you don't think you're first?

Being in sync meant everything to me... to us.

Bing in sync was supreme and beautiful...

That's what music meant to us.

But then...

I heard you guys' performance.

Now I feel like all that focus on just being in sync... seems stupid.

What're you saying?

"Just being in sync"?

It's not like that at all.

You guys played perfectly with that speed, with that many people.

I genuinely thought that was pretty cool.

But... we're still gonna win.

I-I said...

...you were not worthy to play the koto with Satowa.

I take it back.

It pains me to say it...

I don't even want to admit it...!

But your performance today was... really good!

Damn straight!

He ticks me off! Don't people normally say "thanks" in this situation?!

We will announce the results and hold the closing ceremony now.

We request that the participating schools return to the hall.

Thank you all for your performance today.

This year, we heard so many good performances

that we thought this was nationals.

It made us judges very happy. But at the same time,

it made it unprecedently difficult for us to judge.

Well... only one school can go to nationals, right?

Himesaka, Hakuto, and Tokise...

They are all good enough to have a shot in nationals.

But if we have to choose one school...

...I feel Tokise... might be the one after all.

Their skill level is most satisfactory, and more than anything,

I've never been so moved

by a performance from high school students before, to be honest.

I was purely moved and thought, "How wonderful music is."

I disagree.

People these days really only play modern pieces.

It's true that they have beautiful melodies and easy to understand motifs,

so it's easy for them to remain in your heart.

But it's not that hard to play that kind of piece.

I recommend Hakuto.

They should get high marks for their selection of piece and performance.

What do you think, Mr. Wada?

Well... I was moved the most by Tokise, too.

But considering that this is a competition, I'd choose Himesaka.

Their skills and ability to be perfectly in sync, I think, is worthy of first place.

Mr. Matsunaga. What's your opinion?

If it were possible, we would want everyone to go nationals.

We seriously thought so.

However, things like competitions are cruel.

We have to assign a rank to all of your hard work and the resulting performances.

We have to choose one school that can go to nationals.

Well then, I'm now going to announce that school.

I think this school is the only choice.

They were clearly in a different league...

...in terms of what we call music.

I do get what Ms. Midoriyama means, too.

But their excellent performance wasn't due to the fact that

it was the kind of piece that people like to hear.

A truly wonderful performance can go beyond experts

and reach those who don't know much about koto.

Its heart can reach even those who speak a different language

and live in a different culture.

I think we should properly shine a light on a performance like that.

The 32nd Kanagawa Qualifier for Japan High School Music Competition.

The school that receives first place and goes to nationals is...

...Kanagawa Prefectural Tokise High School.

All right!

Whoooa! Seriously?!

Really?! Seriously?!

H-Hozy! We're first place...?!

I-Is it true?!

Is it true?!

Yes!

-Isaki! They did it!

--Nationals! They're going to nationals! --Isaki! They did it!

This is incredible...

Really...?!

Nationals...?!

It didn't... end here...

We can keep on going...!

Chika! We did it!

Kudo!

We're all going to nationals!

"Congrats!"

Hey, guys! Good job!

Isaki! Tetsuki!

Mashiro!

Congrats on winning! You guys are amazing!

It really was a good performance!

You see that, Isaki? Just like you told me, we snatched the ticket to--

Attaboy!