As Chiaki Shinichi forges ahead with his new career as resident conductor of the Roux-Marlet Orchestra, the distance between him and Nodame grows as he moves to a new place to concentrate on his music, leaving her behind. The increasing contrast between Chiaki’s rapid ascent to new heights in his career, and Nodame’s continual struggle for progress as a “mere” Conservatoire student only makes the strain in their relationship even more apparent. With their romance fraying at the seams even as it is getting more intimate, it will take a crisis for them to reevaluate what is most important, and music to realize what they mean to each other.