Season 1 Act 9

## Synopsis

Team Otori continues to work hard in preparation for the Ayanagi Festival. Although they are exhausted, they are determined to give their best performance. They are interrupted by Otori, who brings with him a pack of orange juice and tells them to take a break. Without realizing they have to shake the can first, the boys drink it straight down. When Otori tells them, Hoshitani comes up with the idea of shaking his own body instead and the others follow his lead. Watching them in confusion, Otori soon laughs as he finds their actions kind of foolish. He then copies them, admitting to them that he is also a fool and that there's nothing wrong with their actions. Finally, he tells to keep up the good work and leaves.

As Otori walks down the hallway, he remembers how the Kao Council told him about their decision to cancel Team Otori's performance at the festival. The other members left first, leaving Hiragi and Otori alone. Hiragi warns Otori that he should not run away like he did back then. Otori asks him if he is telling him to leave the boys behind, and Hiragi tells him that his efforts will not be wasted. Hiragi wonders if the two were fated to end up like the way they are now ever since that day, remembering a piece of memory from the past.

It turns out that Otori and Hiragi are twin brothers and Hiragi used to be Otori Tsubasa. When they were younger, Otori and Hiragi were happily dancing in the backyard of their house when their grandfather Hiragi Sougen arrived. He told Hiragi that he will be the next heir to the family and that he has to part with his family. Otori ran after the leaving car, shouting to Hiragi that they will definitely play together again. In order to become the rightful heir to the family, Hiragi went through harsh training everyday and often felt alone.

High school came along and Hiragi auditioned for the Musical Department. While looking at the results for the teams, he was suddenly reunited with Otori. Otori tells him that they ended up on the same team and they find out they will be under the guidance of Tsukigami Haruto, a genius actor. Hiragi is shocked that Otori doesn't know who Haruto is, but Otori is happier about the two of them being able to play again. Remembering their promise, Hiragi realizes that Otori hasn't changed at all, and Otori tries to tell him he hasn't either.

The practice sessions begin and the team becomes exhausted from the harsh training. Haruto reminds them that they need to get through the debut performance and cannot give up. Otori then asks if they could add their own arrangement to the "Ayanagi Showtime", but Akatsuki objects in taking a risk, believing that they should follow the expectations. The others agree with his statement and when Otori looks to Hiragi for support, he sides with Akatsuki as well. Later on, Hiragi asks Otori if he objects their opinion, but Otori tells him that he only wants to dance more freely. Their debut performance is successful, but Otori doesn't rejoice, seeing the cruelty of the elimination. Finding the auditions pointless, Otori requests his leave from the team. Understanding his reasons, Haurto tells Otori that he is fine the way he is and to never give up. Upon hearing their conversation, Hiragi furiously questions what he means by quitting. Otori tells him that he cannot play with the school's rules, and that as are brothers, Hiragi must have thought that way too. Instead, Hiragi shouts at him to stop acting like a big brother at such a time and wonders why Otori is being so selfish. Otori tells him that his feelings about dancing with Hiragi have never changed, but Hiragi lashes out at him. Because he bears the burden of being the next heir to the Hiragi family, he has to aim for the top and follow the rules; as a result, he can't follow Otori's ways. Knowing he cannot become what Hiragi is now, Otori gives him an apologetic look before leaving. Hiragi watches in shock, thinking that Otori is going to leave him alone again.

Back in the present, Hiragi goes to play the piano and Otori enters the room he's in. Otori asks Hiragi if he still remembers their time together as a team, particularly when Haruto bought them orange juice, but a lecture would always come after it. Otori says that he finally understands how Haruto felt back then. Hiragi asks if he has anything else to say, causing Otori to look at him in sadness and thank Hiragi for protecting him until now. Hiragi stands up, asking Otori that if he knew, then why did he stay quiet. Otori reminds him that he had never asked for the protection, that Hiragi was being too serious. Hiragi tries to tell him that they are responsible for the academy's future, but Otori only questions if they should continue even if it meant taking away their underclassmen's dreams - one of his reasons for leaving the council. Hiragi finally admits that he never forgot their promise, and Otori assures him that they can play together whenever they want. Otori calls him "Tsubasa", and Hiragi is once again reminded of the time he was left behind. The two then perform their song about how they long for each other, but their futures can never cross.

Finding Hoshitani at the outdoor stage, Otori asks him what he's doing, noticing how he wasn't dancing the choreography for the festival performance. Hoshitani ends up telling him about his admired high schooler. Otori decides to give him advice and when Hoshitani repeats the dance, it gives off a completely different feeling than before. Excited, Hoshitani tells Otori that he also respects him and is glad to be in Team Otori. Hoshitani then excuses himself for cleaning duty, and Otori looks at the raining sky, saying in his mind to Hiragi that he wants the boys to come to like the taste of the orange juice.

The pouring rain continues, and pinned on the announcement board is a notice: "Due to the withdrawal of Otori Itsuki from the Kao Council, Team Otori is now a regular team."

## Characters in order of Appearance

* Otori Itsuki
* Tengenji Kakeru
* Tsukigami Kaito
* Kuga Shu
* Nayuki Toru
* Hoshitani Yuta
* Yuzuriha Christian Lion
* Sazanami Sakuya
* Hiragi Tsubasa
* Akatsuki Kyoji
* Hiragi Sougen
* Tsukigami Haruto

## Insert Songs

* **Stand By Dreams** *by Otori Itsuki & Hiragi Tsubasa*

## Trivia

* The name of Otori and Hiragi's grandfather, Hiragi Sougen (柊 宗厳), is revealed during in episode 9's ending credits. It is never mentioned anywhere else.
* Both of Otori and Hiragi's parents are seen. However, neither of them speak nor are given names.
* During the first television broadcast:
	+ Hiragi and Akatsuki host the preview of the next episode (Act 10).
* During the second television broadcast:
	+ Tsukigami and Inumine host the CC before this episode starts (accompanied 4-koma comic drawn by Aokita Ren).