Hino has decided to help Lili and practice hard. Hino rescues Tsukimori from being cornered by two other music students by splashing them with water from a vase; however, the vase breaks and cuts her fingers. Tsukimori shows concern, though ostensibly because this will affect the overall performance of the concours, and not on Hino's behalf. Later Tsukimori and Tsuchiura get into an altercation over Hino and music. Tsukimori informs Tsuchiura disdainfully that general education students have no right to say anything about music. Afterwards, Hino was informed that she needs an accompanist for the first selection. Then, Hino discovers Tsuchiura playing the piano beautifully in a music shop. When Tsuchiura notices Hino, he becomes upset and makes Hino promise not to tell anybody about it.

Hino seeks a piano accompanist, which proves difficult because she is a general education student. She is wary of an offer by Azuma Yunoki to find her an accompanist. Eventually another girl offers to accompany her and she accepts. She visits the shop after practice, where the manager offers to show her a video recording of a young prodigy, who turns out to be Tsuchiura. She is amazed at his piano playing, and is overwhelmed with emotion, which makes her cry. She laments that as a violinist, she cannot play Chopin’s pieces. The manager manages to find the score, Chopin's Allegro, for the violin. She makes up her mind to play this in the concours. Later, Hino encounters Tsuchiura, and on her request, he plays for her. When she tells him about the video she saw, the feelings about his playing, and her regret that he no longer plays the piano in public, Tsuchiura becomes upset and leaves but then regrets it.

On the day of the first selection, Hino turns up dressed informally through her ignorance. Thankfully, Lili shows up in her dressing room and uses magic to provide her with a selection of dresses. At one point, Hihara enters without knocking and sees her wearing a nun's habit. However, Lili quickly switches her back to the school uniform and Hino attempts to pass it off as "seeing things". A teacher then directs Hihara away from the girls’ dressing room. Hino and Lili eventually choose a knee-length white dress. During the performance, Hino's accompanist ducks out, criticizing Hino's lack of commitment to music practice. Tsukimori arrives at the scene and defends Hino, while her accompanist runs away crying. Hino goes on without accompaniment; after a few notes, she is asked to leave the stage because all participants are required to have an accompaniment. Tsuchiura steps forward from the audience and takes the place of Hino's accompaniment. Tsuchiura tells Hino to forget their arguments, and the two take the stage. Hino plays Chopin's Tristesse, or "song of parting" but she feels that it is not an ending, but a beginning, during the performance; Tsuchiura admires Hino and her way of performing. Everybody, even the judges, remarks on how joyful and vibrant the piece sounds when Hino plays it. The concourse members, too, are overcome with emotion. Then Tsukimori goes on and gives a powerful performance. In the end, Hino comes last in the selection and Tsukimori comes first.