*THE NEXT DAY*
*DIVER CITY TOKYO PLAZA - ODAIBA - TOKYO*
RINA: "I've never seen this many people before."
AKI: "Not at one of our events. I know μ's and Aqours are experiencing a recent upswing thanks to their promo videos.
Maybe we are too?"
SHIZUKU: "Kind of makes you nervous, doesn't it?"
SHIORIKO: "Shizuku, tension is said to be a kind of physical defense response. The pressure point to relax a tense body is...
Hm? Wait, where was it again?"
KASUMI: "Come on, it's here! Right here! Shioko and Shizuko, you're too nervous! It's going to be oookaaay!"
AYUMU: "You know, I was approached by a girl who said this was her first time coming to see us perform. She told me that she had watched our promo video."
KARIN: "She said that the video inspired her. And that she came to cheer on the school where everyone is a school idol."
AKI: "..."
EMMA: "It makes me happy to hear that somebody said such things."
KANATA: "We conveyed our feelings to her, huh?"
LANZHU: "Then Lanzhu will give her the gift of a performance so unforgettable, it'll keep her working hard for the next 100 years!"
AI: "I'm feeling so powerful! Everyone, let's keep our fire going today too!"
SETSUNA: "Okay! Let's shout out our love!"
AKI: "All right everyone, it's almost time. Let's do this!"
...
*ONE LIVE SHOW LATER*
AKI: "..."
KARIN: "I've gotta say, that's the best feeling I've ever had singing."
SETSUNA: "Everyone was so excited. I could feel it."
AKI: "..."
AI: "Oh! What about the Basketball Club's game?!"
SHIORIKO: "I've got a message from Uzuki. Let's see...
It looks like the Basketball Club has just finished the second period of their game."
LANZHU: "So we'll still make it?!"
AI: "We'll make it! The game is exactly half-over. Let's get going!"
AKI: "You...all go on ahead. I've got something to discuss with the management staff."
...
*GYMNASIUM - NIJIGASAKI HIGH SCHOOL - ODAIBA - TOKYO*
KASUMI: *Huff* *Puff* "I-I can't...run...anymore..."
SETSUNA: "How's the game going?!"
AI: "There are three minutes left in the fourth period, and the scores are 72 to 82."
EMMA: "They're losing by ten points."
AI: "It's okay. I know they can recover from their ten-point deficit in the three minutes left!
Everyone, cheer as loudly as you can!"
LANZHU: "You can do iiiiiiit!"
MIA: "Nice! They're pulling it back!"
AI: "You can do it, you can do it! All your hard work is paying off! Go, go, go!"
...
*AFTER THE GAME*
AI: "Captain Rio! Congratulations on winning the championship!"
RIO: "Thank you for cheering us on. We heard all of your voices. Well, most of them."
AI: "That last shot was so thrilling! What an incredible moment! Your team is incredible!"
RIO: "Yeah. Like you guys, we're unbeatable and the best of friends."
LANZHU: "Hey, your expression's gone all soft. Even though you're always on alert."
RIO: "Ahaha. You're pretty perceptive. I'm just really relieved... I feel as though I've been set free.
Our generation has never won a championship, even though we are considered to be national-level players. So before I knew it, my determination to do it this time turned into pressure.
Then it became a viscous cycle that I couldn't get out of for the longest time."
SETSUNA: "Captain Hasegawa..."
RIO: "But that feeling changed when I participated in that promo video shoot.
We weren't just the Basketball Club. We were school idols. And if there's something I've learned from watching all of you, a school idol always tries her best for her fans.
I know thanks to that video we had a lot of new fans here today, and we didn't want to let them down.
Knowing that we're now school idols alongside the rest of Nijigasaki makes us feel connected with everyone in the school. Knowing that, I felt better."
RINA: "Being connected with everyone brings out your courage. I really understand that feeling."
RIO: "We all watched the video together before the game. Then, the cheers that we always felt pressured to not disappoint turned into something that gave us a boost.
Nijigasaki's school idols are popular and never give up. To know that we are part of them made us give one hundred percent of our abilities.
This is all thanks to you letting us perform in the promo video and showcasing our team to the country.
Thank you."
AYUMU: "That's not true. Today's results are because of all your hard work! We can't wait to see you play at the nationals!"
RIO: "Thanks. I'll turn those high hopes into strength and take on all the teams all over the country. Then I'll tie it to what lies ahead in my future.
If you see your Club President, be sure to give him my gratitude. We couldn't have made it this far if it wasn't for him."