Take a Picture and Slowly Tap Tap Tap

Ramona
Are you done practicing?

Towa
Yeah. I had more fun than I thought I would, but I'm tired now, and I want to go home and refresh myself.

Lilja
Hikari's going home soon.

Hikari
Yeah! It was fun! Thanks for teaching me, Towa-chan!

Towa
No, I’m not the one who taught you about Ongeki-

Towa
Oh well.

Ramona
Okay, let's call it a day then.

Towa
I've got a pretty good idea of how to play Ongeki now. I think I should work on the set songs...

Towa
This tournament is based on set songs. The winner is the person with the highest technical score in the set songs presented by the organisers...

Towa
Then I should work on getting better at them.

Towa
It's really unreasonable to expect me to be able to win a music game tournament by next weekend...

Towa
(Well, I want a gaming pad, so even if I don't win it's not the end of the world...)

Towa
But I have to get second place, right? I'll have to start practicing tomorrow...

Towa
Aim for second place~!

Towa
Ah! I made a mistake in the same place again! How many times has that been? I can't get the lever to the left here!?

Towa
But then I got nervous and started to get a weird habit with the rhythm in front... Can't my arms get a bit longer? Or maybe I could grow a third arm.

Towa
Wait a second...I can get this lever to the right... No, but then I won't be able to reach the side button in time...

Lilja
Good morning, Towa.

Towa
Good morning... Oh, it's Lilja. What's up? It's after school, so it's not good morning.

Lilja
I came to see how you were doing.

Lilja
How are you doing? Can you win?

Towa
You make it sound so easy...

Towa
It would be a problem if I could win so easily.

Lilja
So you can't?

Towa
I didn't say that.

Towa
Let's take a break for now.

Lilja
Do you want some soda?

Towa
Oh, thanks. That's thoughtful.

Lilja
You've been making the same mistake for a while now.

Towa
...You're really observant.

Lilja
If you're going to make the same mistake, you should try something different. Hikari said it's no good doing the same muscle training all the time.

Towa
I think that training and playing music games are different...

Towa
The set songs have already been decided, so it's more efficient to perfect them, right?

Lilja
Set songs?

Towa
You've asked me to do this, and you haven't done any research at all... That’s actually quite refreshing...

Towa
In this tournament, the songs to be performed in the tournament and the final have been decided, and the person who is best at those songs will win.

Towa
So I’m just trying to get better at them.

Towa
Obviously, my opponent will be practicing the set song too. So I don't have time to practice other songs.

Lilja
Hmm. Are the other players that strong?

Towa
I don't know. I don't know who's entered.

Towa
Ah, but I wonder if you can see the rankings online?

Lilja
Why don't you take a look?

Towa
I'd look even without being told.

Towa
...Um, this is the national ranking...and by store...

Lilja
How about it?

Towa
There's one person who's clearly the strongest. How do I read this?

Towa
...DragonM...?

Lilja
Is he good?

Towa
...He's definitely better than me.

Towa
If he enters the tournament, we'll lose.

Lilja
That would be a problem. Towa. You have to win.

Towa
Even if you say that...

Towa
The moves earlier were too fast, and no matter how many times I tried, my hands couldn't keep up.

Lilja
Then just slow down the speed.

Towa
The speed?

Towa
(Well, you can also slow down the commands in fighting games and get used to the movements, so se has a point, right...?)

Towa
...

Towa
(Even rhythm games are games, so if I try the methods I use in other games, maybe there's a chance...?)

Towa
(I'll record a play video, watch the replay, fix the parts where my movements were bad, reduce unnecessary inputs, compare them with the pro's movements...)

Towa
Lilja!

Lilja
What is it?

Towa
Hey, record a video!

Towa
That's right, I was just standing there uselessly and I wasn't keeping up.

Towa
So, before that...

Towa
Lilja, go back a bit in the video.

Lilja
Your skin is beautiful, it's a waste to only show your hands.

Towa
It's fine, I'm just going to watch myself play. Come on, hurry up.

Towa
So, if I press the right button, hit the lever immediately, and then the left button will be free, so I can get the side button with the left button and tap tap tap...

Towa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down. Play it back slowly.

Lilja
...Selfish.

Towa
You want me to win, don't you? Come on, hurry up. I think I can do it now.

Lilja
Mm...