Ep 18. Hearts Come Together

Kosei and Kaori's upcoming performance had their friends excitedly making plans to attend. Tsubaki, who once had feelings for Kosei, had come to terms that someone else had swept him off his feet and was now focusing on her own cello performance. When Kosei had asked her to enter a competition with him, she initially declined. However, after being motivated by her new crush, Ryota, she ultimately decided to enter. Before the competition, Kosei and Kaori both had to face their own personal battles. Kosei still couldn't seem to shake off his self-doubt and anxiety while Kaori had her own health issues to deal with.

As the day of the competition approached, each of their friends wholeheartedly cheered them on, mirroring their own personal journeys to reach this point. Nagi had been confronting her own ideals of how music should be played, Emi had been learning how to control her emotions to better communicate them in her music, and Takeshi had been striving to surpass Kosei once and for all.

Despite having to deal with the consequences of her health condition, Kaori's drive and passion led her to play with all of her heart. Meanwhile, Kosei's former teacher, Saki, saved him from his spiral of self-doubt by reminding him of the love for the music that brought them all together. With his newfound purpose, Kosei likewise poured his own heart into his performance.

In this episode, the characters' journeys towards true passion and healing culminated in a touching and moving musical performance.