So, um...!

You guys were really, really amazing! I was so moved by your music...

Oh, thank you for listening.

Y-You're welcome!

Wait, no...!

Your performance was unbelievable and the songs you played really struck a chord with me... And, so, I...

I want you to teach me how to write songs like that!

My band's also trying to go pro, so would it be possible for you to give us some advice regarding that...?!

So you're also trying to debut with a big label...?

Yes, we are!

Which is why I want to learn how to write songs that move people's hearts like you, Saku!

I see...

Unfortunately, I'm not sure I can teach songwriting very well.

All I'm really doing is expressing how I feel.

Expressing how you feel...?

(I had the exact same idea.

But Saku's songs are way different...)

(Even though I went through the same process, my song didn't resonate with anyone in the crowd...)

(Is it because mine had a different theme? Saku's song felt pretty somber while mine was supposed to be bright and cheery...)

(Could that be why the crowd reacted so differently to our songs...? No, that doesn't seem like the answer...)

Is that all you'd like to ask me?

Oh...

U-Um, just one more question...!

What did you think of our songs, Saku...?

I thought they were cute.

*Gasp*

You did?!

But they didn't really strike a chord with me...

What...?

S-Saku, wait...

Your second song was okay.

However, your third one felt so empty.

It had a cute melody but that was it.

Hey, you don't have to be so...

Of course, every band has its own style and shouldn't be an issue as long as your bandmates are okay with it.

Besides, I'm sure there were people who enjoyed the music you played today.

But...

The kind of people who show up here probably won't find your style of music all that interesting.

So, if there's somewhere you already have a sort of home-field advantage, then you may want to just stick with that.

You really need to stop!

I'm so sorry, Leo/need!

We'll be going now!

Oh, okay...

See you later.

Saki...

They didn't feel anything...

That can't be true.

I really love your music, Saki.

Your songs always have this way of cheering me up...!

I also believe that your songs have been reaching people who we've been playing for at our usual live house.

Otherwise, I doubt that we'd have people calling themselves our fans.

...

This live house just might not be for us. At least, that's what I felt during our performance...

The atmosphere here and the audience were both very different.

Yeah. Still, being told that no one would be interested in our music did sort of hit a nerve.

Anyway, I really don't think we need to play here if this place just doesn't suit our style.

Should we really be okay with that...?

Huh...?

Oh, Shiho, I'm sorry...!

I get what you're trying to say, but...

If we do what you say and ignore what Saku said, I feel like we'd also be writing off how everyone else in the crowd felt.

Saki...

I wanna write a song that hits home with people at whatever live house we play...

Instead of running, we really should sit down and think about this...

Why didn't our music resonate with anybody here today...?

Well...

But we're probably not in a state where we can come up with the right answer, so I'm gonna start thinking about this again after I get home...!

And I'm gonna figure out how to write a song that gets these people's attention!

Saki...

In that case, we can also work on some other things.

Right...

Our songs aren't the only thing that we learned that we need to work on today.

anemone's performance was so good too. I have to figure out a way to improve my drumming skills.

I want to get better too.

I want to sing better and put on better performances...!

Yeah...

There's still plenty for us to work on.

But we can do a debrief about all this another day. We can discuss what we can all do then...

So for now, let's just make it our goal to put on a performance here next time that really reaches this crowd.

Shiho...!

Right!

Let's do our best to make that happen!

They really didn't feel anything...

Even though I wrote that song just for today's show and put a ton of thought into it...

(The crowds at the live houses we played at before all got into our music, so I was sure that my songs were reaching them...)

(But after hearing Saku sing...

I felt like there was no way the current me could write such a moving song.)

I mean, my songs don't really have the power to bring tears to anyone's eyes...

(But if I really work at it, can I do it?

Is it possible for me to write a song that really goes for your heart...?)

No, beating myself up about this won't get me anywhere.

I have to regroup and think calmly about this. For the sake of Leo/need!

Hang on. Saku seemed to think our second song was sorta okay...

(Oh, right. We worked really hard on that one for Hanano and her brother...)

Wait, is that it...? Was it “okay” because we wrote it for somebody else...?

(Come to think of it, our new song wasn't really for anyone in particular. It was really just a song about how excited I was about this show...)

Which means... I have to think more about who's actually listening to us play, right...? Is that the answer...?

Okay...

For my next song, I'm gonna try focusing more on that.

I have to think more about the people who I want to hear us play right now... I have to dig deep and think really hard!