Original subtitles

An "example"?

Yup! I went and recorded Mitsuka-senpai's reading during lunch break.

Mitsuka-senpai?

Isn't she the one who came first in Kyoto for announcing last year?

Oh, the one who went to nationals her first year?

Uh-huh, that's Mitsuka-senpai!

Here.

Have a listen.

Thanks.

"The next evening,"

"Gauche again returned home lugging his black cello case."

"He then gulped down some water"

"and exactly like the night before, started playing the cello with fervor."

You're right, she's good.

Yeah.

I use this as an example and copy her reading.

"The next evening,"

"Gauche again returned home lugging his black cello case."

"He then gulped down some water"

"and exactly like the night before, started playing the cello with fervor."

Did it sound wrong?

Well...

It sounded good, but it doesn't feel right to me.

I guess I don't see the point of getting better by copying someone.

Hey.

Would you say the same thing after losing at the tournament?

Huh?

Only six people get to go to nationals for recitation!

And we're only first-years!

If we want to improve in what limited time we have,

we can't be picky about how we do it!

I think Xiangling has a point.

Copying completely might be extreme,

but it's normal to practice based on an upperclassman's example.

Y-You think so?

Don't be so skeptical.

You should take what skills you can from the upperclassmen, Hana.

Ask them for advice on how you can improve!

Senpai!

Hmm?

Could you please teach Hana how she can improve her reading?

I-If you wouldn't mind!

Of course, I'd be happy to!

Then let's start by having you read it once.

Oh, s-sure.

"The next evening, Gauche again returned home lugging his black cello case."

"He then gulped down some water"

"and exactly like the night before, started playing—"

That's so cute!

Umm, what do you mean by "cute"?

All of it, of course!

Uh... okay...

You have a great voice. It's clear and easy to follow!

But it sounds like it's intended for a younger audience.

Your delivery is over the top.

Over the top?

Just for example,

if I told you to act and show that it's raining, what would you do?

Rain...

Fsshh, fsshh... Something like that?

You really are so cute!

It can be way more simple.

Huh?

Right?

See? Isn't Pokoko amazing?

It's the same for reading.

You can express emotions through subtle nuances in your words.

So, I think you should start by learning how to read with proper pronunciation,

and then think about how to deliver it afterwards.

Read with proper pronunciation...

Come on, try reading it again!

All right!

"The next evening, Gauche again returned home lugging his black cello case."

The "g" in "evening" is a soft "g."

But make sure the one in "Gauche" is hard.

"The next evening, Gauche again returned home lugging his black cello case."

The second "e" in "evening" is silent. Watch out for that.

"The next evening, Gauche again returned home lugging his black cello case."

Ooh, that sounds a lot better!

"The next evening, Gauche again returned home lugging his black cello case."

Hmm, I think the last one was better!

Your "evening" slipped back again.

Can you read it one more time?

A-All right.

Okay... the one I just did was wrong, but the third time was better...

The "g" in "Gauche" isn't soft,

so I pronounce it differently from the "g" in "evening."

And then...

"The next evening, Gauche again"...

Huh?

How did I read this before?

Hana.

You okay?

Here. Let's drink something sweet and take a breather.

Thank you.

Can't blame you for getting nervous,

getting blasted with advice like that

when the tournament's right around the corner.

Oh uh, I'm okay.

Pokoko's advice hit me hard, too.

Staying consistent every time you read something

is a skill that takes loads of practice,

and that's why Pokoko and Mitsuka are so amazing.

I gotta try harder so I can keep up.

I-I'll try harder, too!

Don't get too worked up.

I think you always try hard, Hana.

Anyway, I'm gonna go back, but you should stay and get some fresh air.

Okay...

If only I could be like Mizuki-senpai.

I wish I could get better at reading and make it to nationals along with her.

I don't think that's possible.

Okay, umm...

Oh.

I forgot I had removed my glasses earlier.

My name is Mitsuka Hiragidani.

I-It's nice to meet you!

I'm a first-year at Sumomogaoka, Hana Haruyama.

Umm, what isn't possible?

What do you think about Miss Usurai's reading?

Wh-What I think?

She always sounds so cool.

Her voice is wonderful and very clear cut.

I'm sure Mizuki-senpai will get to nationals!

I see you must really like Miss Usurai.

I-I do.

And so, you want to go to nationals with her?

Huh?

You really don't see, do you?

Or... perhaps you don't want to see.

Wh-What do you mean?

That you and Miss Usurai are rivals competing against each other.

There's no place for admiration in competition.

If you're serious about aiming for nationals,

you need the resolve to compete against your senpai.

Um, did you have that resolve from your first year, Hiragidani-senpai?

Of course.

Because I'm the star on the Lilac Girls' Academy team.

Now if you'll excuse me.

Do I have to want to win?

Victory is the only thing that quenches my thirst.

You don't want to win? That's a lie.

Traditional crafts such as pottery and dyed textiles

are featured at the Artisan Exhibition, which opened on the 16th in Maizuru City.

Natsue?

You've got a voice that sounds very cool.

But some parts sound a little mechanical,

so you might want to think about your listeners more when you're reading.

Thank you for that.

As long as you're here, why don't you try reading with someone from another school?

Uh?

Chiaki!

Over here!

Chiaki is me and Manaka's younger sister.

She came third in announcing last year,

But— so feel free to ask her anything.

I... I'm a third-year at Chizuru High, Chiaki Hayashi.

U-Um, is there anything you wanted to ask?

I didn't in particular, but Ms. Monaka just decided to call you over.

O-Oh, I see.

I'm sorry about my sister.

Maybe you want to ask Miss Hiragidani from Lilac instead of me.

No, that's not necessary.

Miss Hiragidani...

Do you think she's on a break?

She may be over at the recitation workshop.

Huh?

Lilac has a tradition of using an upperclassman's reading as an example,

but apparently Miss Botanboko really hates the idea of being an example.

So, I hear Miss Hiragidani does the recitation examples as well.

How do you know all this?

Our president Nishino is telling anyone who'll listen.

Nishino...

He's generally harmless enough,

but he can be surprisingly reliable when it matters...

Are you perhaps into him?

H-How could you tell?

It was pretty obvious.

But... my crush won't go anywhere.

Because Nishino has a crush on Miss Minohara.

I totally understand how that feels!

Huh?

Resolve, huh?

Hmm?

Hakoyama-senpai?

What are you doing here?

I needed to get away from Nishino.

It's nice that he's friendly and all,

but he talks without listening and it's exhausting.

Ah...

I was text ranting that I wanted to go home early,

when Toga said he'd come meet up!

Huh.

I hope that today's joint practice session

helped you learn not just technical skills, but a whole lot more.

The Kyoto preliminaries are imminent.

Please do your best so you won't have any regrets.

Right!

Let's both do our best.

Both at the tournament, as well as...

Right.

Anne!

L-Let's both do our best.

W-Well, I should get going.

Huh?

G-Goodbye!

Hey!

Are you kidding me?

Listen.

I'm going to work hard, just watch.

I won't lose.

Me neither.

Misaki, let's go!

Coming!

See you.

You. What are you doing here?

Us guys were talking about getting some ramen together.

Ooh look, the whole gang's here.

Then we might as well do that thing!

What thing?

Well, before a tournament, we gotta go pray to the gods!

Time to climb a mountain, pronto!

I just came out to eat ramen.

Mr. Kichijoji totally lied about having something else to do, didn't he?

He's such a buzzkill when it comes to stuff like this.

I'm pretty sure he just didn't want to climb these stairs.

Why does it have to take so long to the shrine?

It's about forty minutes one-way, so look lively!

So, the workshop. How did the announcing one go?

Don't you worry, it was fruitful in more ways than one.

I resolved the issue I had as well, in a way.

You, Akiyama?

This was my first time participating in a club event,

so I guess it was... eye-opening.

And fun.

That's great!

So...

Why's Haruyama acting all weird?

You all go on ahead.

Hana?

Yesh?!

Did something happen at the workshop?

No, it's not a big deal.

S-Sorry.

Can I tell you after all, actually?

Hiragidani-senpai told me only a select few can get to nationals,

so I need the resolve to compete against my upperclassmen.

Maybe I didn't want to realize.

I wanted us all to get to nationals together, and that's all I had in mind.

But I see now that if one of us gets to nationals,

that might also mean someone else won't.

Well yeah, of course.

So... it's true.

Look, orange blossoms.

"Cometh the fifth month, fragrance of orange blossoms wafting through the air"

"Calls to mind the perfumed sleeves of that someone I once knew"

The fifth month is actually June in modern times.

It means the scent of orange blossoms finally flowering in June

smells like the sleeves of someone you used to know well.

In the old days, they used incense to scent kimono,

so a familiar fragrance calling a particular person to mind wasn't unusual at all.

I understand how you feel, Hana.

I had to come to terms with it a year ago, too.

Huh?

Last year, when Mizuki was the only one to go on to nationals,

it was hard to take, to be honest.

I had been in broadcasting for longer,

and my feelings were a mess of wanting to cheer her on but also hating that I lost.

Senpai...

Run, Melos!

That was a contest selection for that year's NHK Cup.

Not long after the Kyoto preliminaries, we studied that in class.

When I opened my textbook,

I just heard her in my head.

"There's a person waiting for me. "

"Without a sliver of doubt, silently expecting that I'll come through."

"Someone believes in me."

"So, my life does not matter in the slightest."

"Dying later in remorse won't do any good."

"I must live up to my good friend's trust."

"Nothing else matters right now."

"Run, Melos!"

I think great reading is kind of like the scent of orange blossoms.

The text becomes tied to that reading and gets stored in the back of the listener's mind.

Mizuki had innate talent. From the very start.

When I realized that, I worked through my convoluted feelings

and knew I'd found my resolve.

Does that mean you don't mind losing to Mizuki-senpai?

No.

It's true that Mizuki's reading is wonderful.

But you know, my reading is wonderful in its own way.

I don't think my reading is at all lacking compared to hers.

You learn to love it. Your own way of reading.

And the material you choose.

Even if they compare you to others,

however you do as a result, it doesn't matter.

You just have to believe that your reading is the very best you have to offer.

I think that's what it means to have resolve.

We made it!

Yeah.

Umm!

Mizuki-senpai, I...

Huh?

I'm going to find my resolve!

Sure.

Please let our broadcasting club make it to nationals!

Great! Now we're all set!

Uhh...

Huh?

I bought these at Mr. Kichijoji's request.

Wow...

Why the one for entrance exams?

This was the closest thing they had.

We should be careful not to lose these.

This is the perfect time for a group photo!

Natsue, come in closer.

What?

Senpai, get in here.

Uhhh?!

'Kay, ready?

Say cheese!