[sfx: door creaking open]
[sfx: footsteps]
Chisei: Man, this place hasn't changed a bit.
Haruomi: Well. Apparently there's been multiple attempts to get in talks to renovate the place, but the owner's refused to budge and keeps it the way it is because of how important it is to the history of phantom lives. They opened it up for us today as a special favor.
Chisei: Ah, this really takes me back. Ah. Check it, our signatures are still up on the wall.
Haruomi: They're pretty faded now, huh.
Chisei: ... I see. Our little trip ends at the place where we started out-- the place Buraikan started.
Haruomi: Not that we were even named that yet at the time.
Chisei: Hah! Yeah, you're right. And the first time we even performed here, I practically had to bodily drag you onto the stage.
Haruomi: You really were incredibly pushy.
Chisei: Hey, I wouldn't have had to be if you hadn't been so stubborn. ... [laughs] I still remember it, y'know. Everything that happened that day.

[flashback begins]
[sfx: crickets, footsteps]
Chisei: Hm... the place oughta be somewhere around here? "Raimentei"... his family runs a Chinese restaurant or something? ... ah! There it is!
[sfx: Chisei approaching]
Chisei: Ah? The shutters are down. ... "Sorry, we're closed"? Well, whatever. There's still lights on upstairs.
[sfx: Chisei knocking on the shutters]
Chisei: Hey!! Shura!! You there!? Come out!!
[sfx: Chisei knocking on the shutters continues]
Chisei: I came because I heard you were here! I wanna talk to you about something! C'mon, say something!
[sfx: crickets]
Chisei: Hm? ... so he's pretending he's not home?
[sfx: approaching footsteps]
Neighbor: Hey, young man, do you have business of some sort at Shingu-san's place?
[sfx: footsteps]
Chisei: "Shingu"? I came to see a guy, goes by the name of Shura.
Neighbor: "Shura"? There's nobody here by that name.
Chisei: Ah, well, it's kind of like... an alias he uses. The guy I'm talking about is probably the son of the guy who owns this place.
Neighbor: You mean Haruomi-chan?
Chisei: Haruomi-chan? ... ah, yeah! I've got something I wanna talk about with Haruomi-chan.
Chisei: [to himself] So his name's Shingu Haruomi?
Neighbor: I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think you came all this way just to bark up the wrong tree.
Chisei: Huh?
Neighbor: Ever since his father died, he's been holed up in there. Even we barely see hide or hair of him these days.
Chisei: Ah...
Neighbor: The shop's been closed up for a long time, too. But I guess it's hard to really blame him, after what happened. You ain't the first person to come looking for him, but they all ended up turning back without seeing him.
Chisei: Is that so? Well, I think I've got this under control.
[sfx: Chisei banging on the shutters resumes]
Chisei: Oi!! Haruomi-chan!! I know you're in there! Get out here!!
Neighbor: Hey, young man--!
[sfx: Knocking interrupted by--]
Haruomi: [opening a window] Knock it off! You're disturbing the neighbors!
Chisei: Took you long enough!
Haruomi: You've got the wrong man. There's nobody named Shura here. Get lost.
Chisei: I'd know that voice anywhere! You're Shura.
Haruomi: ...
Chisei: I listened to your music. It's fucking amazing, dude. It knocked me flat on my ass. So, I'm here to team up wi--
Haruomi: Get lost. I'm not Shura anymore. I quit music. So give up.
[sfx: window slam]
Chisei: Hm.
Neighbor: Well, that's a shame, young man.
Chisei: Huh? How do you figure?
Neighbor: Well, I mean...?
Chisei: This game is just getting started.

[flashback ends]

Chisei: Man, you really gave me a hard time hunting you down. All I had to go on was the name "Shura". You up and vanished from the music scene, and called it quits for good. And just when I finally found a thread to pull at through a connection I had, then I had to deal with your nasty attitude.
Haruomi: ...
Chisei: But, well! [chuckles] I always get what I want in the end. That's just the kinda guy I am~.
Haruomi: You certainly don't know when to quit.
Chisei: But that's just how much I had my heart set on you. It was a long battle, for sure. But finally you cracked and let me into the store.
Haruomi: ... it took ten days.

[flashback begins]

[sfx: crickets]
Chisei: [taking a drag of a cigarette] So today's another bust, huh.
[sfx: store shutters opening]
Haruomi: Oi.
Chisei: Huh?
Haruomi: Day after day you keep sitting outside the store from morning until night. What kind of harassment are you trying to pull here?
Chisei: Hey man, I'm just minding my own business and smoking a cigarette. Take a look, I'm not even leaving my cigarette butts around.
Haruomi: [annoyed tongue click]
Chisei: Oh, yeah. It's kind of a pain in the ass to keep coming all the way out here, so I think starting tomorrow I'll get a tent and just set up camp right here. How about that?
Haruomi: ...
Chisei: Just so you know. I'm not leaving until you hear me out.
Haruomi: ... ... [sigh] Get in here.
Chisei: Hah! Sweet~.

[sfx: running water, faucet being turned off, glass being set down]
Haruomi: So? What do you want to talk about?
Chisei: Tap water...?
Haruomi: If you got a problem with it then don't drink it.
Chisei: Well, at least you're being a little hospitable. [drinking the water, setting the glass down] So, I heard this store's been closed up for a while, but...
Haruomi: You got a problem with that?
Chisei: But despite that... there's not a speck of dust anywhere in this place. You the one cleaning it up?
Haruomi: ... get to the point.
Chisei: [sighs] Well, let me introduce myself, at least. Name's Kuzuryu Chisei. I used to be the star basketball player in the pro leagues. But now... [laughs] I'm a rapper.
Haruomi: And?
Chisei: You already know, don't you? Shura, I want you to make music, together with me.
Haruomi: And I already told you. There's no one named Shura here.
Chisei: Is he really gone, though?
Haruomi: ...
Chisei: Shura, I fell in love with your music. From the very first moment I heard it, I was hooked. It's the only thing that's ever made my life feel real.
Haruomi: How selfish.
Chisei: Sure is! But that's what falling in love with anything is like, isn't it?
Haruomi: ...
Chisei: I'll stand beside you. I know I've got the strength to do it. I won't let you regret it.
Haruomi: ... you need to leave.
Chisei: Huh?
Haruomi: You're all the same. And I keep telling all of you that I've quit. I'm done with music. That's final.
Chisei: Why?
Haruomi: [snorts]
Chisei: No, really. Why?
Haruomi: ...
Chisei: I don't give a shit what everyone else said. I'm the one who gets it. That beat is the beating of your heart. If it stops, then you die. That's what that sound is.
Haruomi: ...
Chisei: And that's the sound that I fell in love with. I've never felt this way about anything or anyone else before.
Haruomi: ... don't make it weird.
Chisei: I mean it. Shura, I can't imagine doing this with anyone but you. If I can't do it, then I'd rather be dead.
Haruomi: --!! [slamming hands on the table] Don't just talk about dying so fucking flippantly!!
Chisei: --!
Haruomi: [breathing heavily] ...
Chisei: ... sorry, my bad. But seriously, why'd you quit? Because right now, you look like a wreck. Like an empty shell that's moving around without a heartbeat.
Haruomi: ...! [opening his mouth to speak]
[sfx: door sliding open]
Man: Huh? I thought it was weird that you were open, but, am I interrupting something...?