Kuroe Mayu didn’t appear in any of the photos of the Agata Festival because she was behind the camera, where she prefers to be. As they practice for prefectural auditions, she’s similarly concerned that she’s “in the way,” filling up a euph slot better suited to someone who’s been with Kitauji this whole time.
As Kanade notes in her Kanade way, Mayu seems to be presuming she’d be good enough to beat the others. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Mayu was from the midwest: all niceties and passive aggression. Kumiko plays the good president, telling Mayu that she needn’t worry: a band going for national gold will pick the best players, same as it ever was.
Kumiko wishes to avoid unpleasantness in the past when auditions were thrown so certain people were in and out. After school she happens to run into her old friend Azusa, and they get to talking about the future. Azusa agrees that Reina is an “ultra-rare character” for mapping out her future so precisely. As for her, she wants to stick with music for now, unsure if she’ll be able to go pro.
For her, quitting music cold turkey is unthinkable, and for what it’s worth, she can’t see Kumiko doing that either. Kumiko had been comparing her lack of future plans to Reina’s and felt them distressingly lacking, but in reality there’s a middle ground between having a general sense of where one wants to go and what they’ll ultimately end up doing. In this way, Azusa gives Kumiko some comfort from her future blues.
Before you know it, the auditions arrive, and while these are only the first of three for the three competitions, Kumiko neither wants to lose to Mayu nor beat a Mayu who didn’t give it her all. When Mayu goes in before her and starts to play, it’s obvious Mayu isn’t throwing her audition. Kumiko is not only relieved, but also motivated to give it her all.
When the positions are announced by Michie-sensei, Kumiko, Kanade, and Mayu learn that all three of them are in, while Kumiko will be performing the soli with Reina as they’d hoped. The only other big twist is that tuba newbie Kamaya Suzume beats out her second-year senpai Satsuki for a tuba spot.
Satsuki takes the loss in stride, but her friend Mirei goes to bat for her sake, voicing her dissatisfaction to Kumiko. Mirei does not resort to histrionics or excessive drama, but is firm and respectful. Kumiko takes a couple breaths, enters President Mode, and explains that Taki-sensei chose Suzume for a reason, and they should trust him.
Mirei stands down, but also issues a mild warning that the younger members don’t “revere” Taki-sensei to the extent of the third years. She’s also taken aback when Kumiko thanks her, but Kumiko is glad that an underclassman came to her with her concerns, and urges her to do so again if anything is bothering her.
It’s yet another instance of Kumiko, despite still lacking the confidence she’d like, actually being pretty damn good at this president business. Creating an environment where anyone can come to her with their concerns or grievances bodes well for the long-term emotional and musical growth of the band, even if there are two more rounds of auditions she must get through.
For now, she and Reina have what they want, and Reina couldn’t be cuter as she congratulates Kumiko for making it through the auditions with a playful spin and smile. No doubt Reina’s adorable exuberance reminds Kumiko why she does all this and why it’s worth it.
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