A karaoke place was a good idea since it'd have let us sing without causing a disturbance, but...

Why are they closed today?!

For electrical maintenance it looks like.

Talk about bad timing...

Wait, is this because my luck's so terrible...?!

Don't worry, Minori, I'm sure this is just happenstance.

So why don't we just try a different karaoke place? There should be several more around here.

But it's Sunday, so most places are gonna be packed. See all the people waiting to get into those ones? That's why I was betting on my usual hole-in-the-wall...

The rehearsal studios are probably all full too. Plus, it's almost time for...

Oh... H-Hello, everyone!

Hasegawa's here!

Thank you all for waiting!

I-I've been looking forward to today!

Allow us to thank you again for meeting us like this, Hasegawa. Unfortunately, you may've come all this way for...

Huh?

I see... That is unfortunate.

Again, we're sorry for making you go through all this trouble.

No, I live just right there, so it's okay! Really!

*Sigh*

I woke up really early today to warm up my voice too...

Oh, you. But we don't have much of a choice, huh? Let's just figure out another time to do this and...

Um...

Well... If it's okay with all of you, would you like to come over to my place?

Huh? Your place?

Yes...!

I should have enough equipment to make it possible for me to check your vocal ranges.

Still, are you sure...

Won't the rest of your family be there too?

They should be out today.

But my room may seem a bit cramped if that's alright...

(As idols, I feel like we should avoid going over to the house of someone we just met...)

Well, if it's okay with all of you, I'd like to accept her invitation... What do you say?

Of course. Thanks, Hasegawa. We really appreciate your kind offer!

Thank you!

You're welcome...!

S-Step right in...

Um, I know it's cramped, but please sit wherever you like.

Thanks for having us!

Wow, you do have a lot of equipment here!

This looks like a soundproof rug too. It's almost like we're in an actual studio.

I-It's nothing special, really... They're just things I bought with what I'd been saving...

Anyway... Wh-Why don't we start checking your vocal ranges?

Okay!!

Whew... I'm exhausted...

Nice work, Minori.

Here, have some water.

Thanks, Haruka...

Argh... I couldn't sing low at all...

But you were able to sing really high, Hanasato.

In your case, Hinomori, your voice had this clarity that made it sound like you were whispering. And Momoi, your midrange packed such a powerful punch...

Haru... Kiritani, you have this dignifying aura about you. I was really impressed by all of you.

Having these different qualities means we could conceivably sing a wide variety of songs.

Hehe. Yes, we could.

And I promise to write songs that bring out the best of all of your voices!

Thank you!

We really appreciate it, Hasegawa!

But I'm still really amazed by how you can come up with melodies in a snap! That's on top of matching it to how high our voices can go too!

She's right. Your musical knowledge seems to span so many genres. Not only do you do bright and cheerful well, but you also have so many other tools in your bag...

Th-Thank you.

I'm still nothing special, but I have been doing this for a little while now...

I see. That sort of explains why you seem so skilled. By the way, how long have you been doing this?

Oh, I started playing with this app on my parents' tablet when I was in elementary school...

But I didn't actually start writing any songs until I started junior high.

That was actually because of you, Kiritani.

Wait, me?

I began doing this because I thought it'd be fun to write or compose whatever came to mind, but I struggled to find any success.

I ended up telling myself that this is probably the best I can do since I was just playing around...

That was also around the time I started junior high. On top of having trouble making any new friends, this one bully started picking on me...

Um...

But you, Kiritani, and ASRUN helped me think, “Something good might happen tomorrow, so make sure to go to school!”

That was when they began playing ASRUN songs during lunch. This other person in my group from class got really excited and we immediately became friends.

Then, I started talking with more people about ASRUN and I even began sharing the songs I made with them. Including the bully...

Thank goodness...

Hehe... You and ASRUN's music really saved me that time, Kiritani.

After that, I began learning more about songwriting and composing. All to spread hope to others the way ASRUN did with me...

So I decided that I also want to write songs that can give someone hope...

Hasegawa...

(I'm speechless...)

(The hope I gave someone grew and is trying to spread hope to others now...)

H-Hasegawa...!

Huh? Wah! Y-Yes, Hanasato?!

I know exactly how you feel, Hasegawa!

Haruka and the others always found ways to cheer me up whenever I wasn't feeling great! That's why I also want to give back...!

Hasegawa...

We promise to really put our hearts into your song and sing in a way that does it justice.

So let's keep spreading hope together...!

*Gasp*

Okay!

I... I absolutely promise to write a song that's worthy of your very first solo show! So thank you all very much!

Of course!

<Oh, about this part... Would it be alright if I changed how it sounds? As it stands, it feels a bit dark and not very MMJ, you know?>

Yes, I agree.

We'd rather it be a brighter melody.

<How do you feel about the lyrics?

Which do you think is better? The first or second?>

I like the first one!

The second one sounds wonderful!

Huh...?

Hmmmm...!

I can't decide! They're both so good!

Hehe. This is going to determine how our song sounds, so we'll want to think about this carefully.

<Haha. Please take as much time as you like...!>

(We should be getting the demo for our song soon.)

(Once we know what our song sounds like, we'll need to start working on the choreography on top of getting everything else ready for our show...)

(Hehe. We have so much on our plate. It won't be easy, but we can just take it one step at a time.)

Good morning.

Huh...?