Okay, let's end things here for today.

Nice work, everyone.

Great job!

And it's sooo hot!

Hehe. You were really giving it 110% today, Saki.

I thought so too. You made it so much fun to drum to your beat.

Hehe. That's because it's so much to play like this with everyone♪

(But still, I fell way behind everyone today in some spots...)

(That means I need to practice even more...!)

Uh, Saki...

After practice the other day, did you stay behind to keep working on your part?

Huh? Yeah, I did.

Even when we don't have practice together, I still try to play my synth as much as I can. Why do you ask?

You just seemed a little tired is all. Are you sure you're feeling okay?

Yeah! I'm being careful like I said♪

I'm even taking fewer shifts at work because we're practicing so much.

That's good but try not to overdo it, okay? You're free to say so if things aren't alright.

I know♪ Thanks, Hona!

We're also sharing the phrases we came up with after this, right?

Right. I came up with some ideas, but how about the rest of you...?

I have a couple. It was more of a challenge than I expected...

Oh! Oh! Me next!

I came up with three!

That's amazing...!

I could only come up with one.

It's your first time, so one is more than plenty.

It'd be nice to have Miku and the others hear what we came up with too...

Sure... But I am a little worried about having everyone hear something I made myself, so I'm sort of glad we're doing this today.

Okay, and we can go in the same order as we did just now. I'll start.

That should be everything...

So what did everyone think...?

I really liked Ichi's second one!

The part when it switches to a minor key sounded so cool!

Me too. I thought it was cool too.

Really? Thanks.

Actually, I wasn't really sure what to do or where to go with that part...

Maybe you tried to include too many things like you weren't sure which you should say yes or no to...?

Oh, you might be right.

I listened to quite a few songs as references and did get overloaded a little...

I see...

Overall, I thought it sounded pretty good.

Okay... But I feel like if we're going to be playing it together, there are better options out there.

Should we try a different one then?

A different one...?

I had Shiho's first one as another candidate.

About that... It's based on a song by an artist I've been heavily influenced by...

It's sort of in the same boat as Ichika's. I'm not sure it's the best option for Leo/need...

Okay...

It just seems even more difficult after actually putting pen to paper and listening to everything.

It sounded alright when I was putting it together, but it's not what I thought it was anymore.

I agree... It's hard to say what's good or bad, so it doesn't feel right to make a judgment even after listening to everything.

Ugh... This is starting to make my head hurt...

It might be because we don't know exactly what kind of music we want to play yet.

The kind of music we want to play...

I never knew it was so hard to create a song from scratch...

My thoughts exactly.

Will we ever be able to...?

I think we will...!

As long as we're together, I'm sure we can! They say everybody goes through this in the beginning, right?

Who's “they”?

Huh? Uh, well... I forgot...

Oh, Saki...

It felt like the right thing to say.

That's our Saki for you.

Hehe...

But she's right. Nobody's expecting us to come up with something right off the bat, so there's no need to rush.

It's going to take time for us to figure things out, so let's just keep trying...

Someday, we will be able to compose our own songs.

Right!

Okay, see you tomorrow!

Hmm...

Our own original song.

What would work best...?

(Hey, hold on a second...)

(Right after we decided to form our band, I tried coming up with something and Ichi ended up really liking it...)

(That one part has a good flow to it too, and I'm glad we all got to play it together...)

(Wait, does this mean I can pull my weight by writing songs for us...?!)

(That's it! I might not be as good as everyone is when it comes to actually playing yet, so I can come up with music in the meantime!)

But what kind of music suits us best?! I can't figure that part out...!

I wish someone would give me a hint or something...

Hm? This song's...

Yeah, it is!

It's that song STANDOUT played during that show!

That's so cool... It's really them on the big screen... This song and video are so amazing too...!

If only we could come up with a song like that...

Wait, I know!

(Oh, here it is!

Just the CD I was looking for♪)

Saki...?

You came here too?

Oh, Shiho!

Are you getting something too?

Yeah. This band I like released a new single and I came to buy a copy...

And you, Saki?

That's a STANDOUT CD.

Hehe. Yup! I want to use it as a reference...

Oh, also!

Are there any albums by your favorite bands that you recommend?

Huh? Well...

How about this...?

It's a “best of” but it has songs from when they just debuted all the way up to their new stuff.

These three songs here are among my absolute favorites.

Really?

Yes. There was a time when I wasn't feeling too sure about myself, but listening to those songs made me feel so much better.

I never knew that...!

Then I'll get that too!

I really want to listen to it now since you're willing to say so much about it♪

Are you gonna use it as a reference too? That's awfully diligent of you...

Hehe. I want to learn about as much music as I can!

Huh? It's already this late...?!

I'm gonna be late for my shift!

Sorry, Shiho!

I'll see you tomorrow at school!

Hey, wait...!

She might be overdoing things again...

Hehe. I ended up getting two CDs. Now to check online for some videos♪

I'll start with STANDOUT!

STANDOUT songs have so much power behind them...

They really get the crowd going too, so that might be something I could try!

That one phrase had a nice flow to it, so I can sort of copy that and...

Okay, that should do it...

Let's keep listening to more songs and come up with more!

Phew. That makes six.

All these songs have given me so many good ideas...

What do I have left...?

Oh, that one song I heard during Tsukasa's show had a good melody to it too!

It might not work with a band like ours, but I can still learn something from it... Yeah!

Tsukasa!

What was that song you guys used during that one show...?