<...>

<Okay, it's done...>

<It is?

Thank goodness. That means we can upload it.>

<Thank you, Yuki...>

<I doubt I would've been able to do this without you. It encapsulates what I was hoping to express now thanks to you.>

<I see...

I'm glad I could help.>

<Can I ask you something, K?>

<Huh? S-Sure, go ahead...>

<What were you trying to express with this song?>

<Hmm...

That's hard to explain...>

<A blank sense of despair...?>

<Blank...?>

<Yes, you mentioned how this song needed to feel more stagnant. That may be the best way to look at this.>

<Not a harsh sense of despair, but something more silent and gradual...>

<Does that answer your question...?>

<I see...>

<I'll take care of encoding and uploading it.>

<Thank you for staying up so late to work on this, Yuki.>

<Thank you as well.

Please let me know when the draft for your next song is ready.>

...

(I'm glad I made this song with her...)

(It's as if K's able to illuminate this deep, dark despair just through sheer will.)

(I didn't get any answers in terms of what I actually like or who I really am...)

(But someday...)

Okay, it's uploaded...

(I really like how Yuki mixed this...)

(But she has ways to go when it comes to music theory since she only started doing this just recently...)

(And yet, she unquestionably has a talent for grasping a song's theme and finding ways to improve it.)

(Because she also seems to know “that feeling”.)

(She understands what it's like to be alone in the depths of despair.)

(Which means if Yuki and I keep working together, maybe someday...)

(K's music will...)

(I just might be able to...)

<Save me.>

<Compose a song that can save someone.>

<Whoa, I didn't realize that's what you two were like back then!>

<I remember hearing bits and pieces of that story a while back, but it means so much more now. You two really thought a lot about each other, huh?>

<It's been so long since then too...>

<It has.>

<I never would've imagined us becoming this close back then...>

<Me neither. After that, Amia and Enanan joined us, and we even got to meet Miku and everyone else when we started visiting SEKAI...>

<We've had our ups and downs, but I'm really glad that we're able to talk to each other like this now...>

<...>

(Mafuyu just smiled a little...)

(She and Kanade must feel the same way...)

<Thank you for telling us that story...>

<Hehe. I'd like to thank you as well. It was interesting to hear.>

<Yes, it was.>

(Oh, I don't think I've ever seen Miku this happy before...)

(She must care about them so much.)

<So Ena and Mizuki joined after you two had been making music together for some time?>

<Yes. After I started working with Yuki, Enanan and Amia uploaded a music video based on one of our songs...>

<I couldn't believe that you contacted me directly that time, K.>

<Same. My jaw dropped when you reached out to me.>

<Can you tell us about what Ena and Mizuki were like when they first joined?>

<When they first joined...?>

<I'd like to know as well.

Would you mind telling us?>

<Seriously? You sure you wanna hear about that?>

<You're not gonna believe how prickly Enanan was back then. I mean really prickly.>

<Is Mizuki telling the truth, Ena...?>

<A-Amia...!

Don't give Miku the wrong idea!>

<What do you mean? I'm telling the truth, aren't I?>

<So, Kanade...

Care to tell us more?>

<Hehe. Well...

As much as I'd like to...>

<It's a very long story, so we may want to save it for another time.>

<I agree. It'll be morning soon.>

<What?! Crap, it's already 6:00 am!

And the sun's already coming up...>

<What's that, Enanan? You forgot about what you were doing because you were too interested in their story?>

<Shut up, Amia!

How much did you actually get done?!>

<Unfortunately for you, I finished over an hour ago!>

<Oh, K! I uploaded the post-edit video data to the shared folder. Mind taking a look later when you're free?>

<Thank you, I will.>

<Ugh... I hate people who can multitask...>

<You know what? I'm stuck between colors right now, so I'm gonna go to bed now...>

<Yeah, I think I'll log off too.

How about you, Yuki?>

<I need to stay up.

My mom's going to be up soon.>

<Try to sneak in some quick naps when you can during the day, alright...?>

<I'll try...>

<I think I'll take one now.

I'll probably be back on soon after.>

<I guess that's it for today.

Why don't we head back to SEKAI?>

<Okay. That was fun.>

<Night, Miku, Luka...>

<See you tomorrow.>

<I'll be going too...>

<K...>

<Hm? Yes?>

<...>

<That time, when you invited me to come work with you...>

<I'm glad I accepted.>

<...!>

<Anyway, bye.>

<Okay... Bye.>

I see...

(That despair we both felt still hasn't completely vanished...)

(But...)

(We've all come such a long way since then...)

Which is why...

I want to keep composing.

I want to compose a song that can save Mafuyu someday... I want to compose a song that can save everyone.