In this chapter, we meet the protagonist of the story, Sebastian, who has just arrived in Los Angeles. He's been invited to perform at a festival in Osaka, Japan, and he's excited about the opportunity. He tells us that the festival is a "battle of the bands" , which is a kind of music competition where bands compete against each other to see who can play the most popular song. The protagonist doesn't really know what to make of the festival, but he does know that it's going to be a lot of fun. He also knows that his mother will be there, so he wants to make sure she's safe. Sebastian and his friend, Kent, decide to hide out in a nearby park.