What am I not remembering...?

Hmm... I dunno...

It'd be nice if I still have something from back then to jog my memory.

How about my correspondence notebook from school...? No, that only had the really important stuff in it, and my messages from back then have probably disappeared by now...

Didn't I write stuff down somewhere?

Aren't there any memos or...

Wait, I remember now!

I kept a little journal back then!

Originally, the doctor told me to write down how I was feeling each day to keep an eye on my symptoms...

Let's see. It should be around here...

Oh? Aha!

I'd totally forgotten about this, but this really takes me back. I'm pretty sure it's full of some really embarrassing stuff too...

When did those memories take place...? I wanna say it was May during my last year of junior high...

Why am I like this...?

Ever since I was little...

I've been in and out of hospitals all throughout elementary school and junior high...

I wasn't allowed to do anything “strenuous” even when I could go out and have fun, so that meant travelling was out of the question...

And as much as I try to study...

There's no way I can catch up since I'm always stuck in a hospital room.

Even after working really hard to get into Miya Girls like the others...

I thought I could finally be with them and have lots of fun...!

...

Why...?

Why am I so different?

I wanted to go on the school trip like anyone else.

And be in a club... And stop by to get something while we complained about how exhausted we all were...!

That's why I took all those shots... That's why I took all those awful tests... They hurt so much...

But I haven't gotten any better...

Tsukasa, Mom, Dad... I'm just a burden to everyone...!

I hate this...

I hate this so much...

Why me...? Why am I like this...?

Seriously... Why...?

I just don't get it...

Am I gonna be like this forever...?

Stuck in some hospital room... All alone... And not even be able to go to high school...

No... I don't want that...

I don't wanna be all alone...!

Now I understand...

I get why this song hasn't been going so well...

I was doing my best to not remember the worst parts of what I went through...

Because it would've been too painful...

Plus...

Because talking about it would make everyone really sad...

A part of me must've been afraid of my song making anyone feel like that after listening to it...

(But...)

(Saku's song went even further.)

(It dealt with what I was too scared of thinking about... It talked about that pain and sadness...)

I have to write this...

I have to turn my feelings into music...!

Okay, the first verse can go like this. It'll sound like everyone's having fun during a long holiday... Except me...

No, wait...

That's right...

Ichi was there for me that time.

(No, it wasn't just her...

Tsukasa, Mom, Dad...)

Even Hona and Shiho were there for me too when I was so sad and in so much pain... They always understood...

Like they were saying, “We're right here. We're not leaving you behind.”

That felt so warm...

And it made me feel so happy.

Which is probably why I was okay in the end...

Okay, I'm gonna put everything into this song. The good and the bad. The happy and the sad.

I know I'm dealing with a complex mix of emotions, but I've gotta dig deep...

I have to recall more...

The darker thoughts that lay beyond the loneliness I felt...

And I'll turn it all into sound...!

*Sigh*

It's finally starting to take shape...

What?! It's five in the morning...?!

I gotta get in some sleep before school...!

But...

I'd have to wait until after school and band practice to continue working on this song...

Okay, I'm gonna keep going...

If I stop now, I'll lose this momentum, so I'll just write as much as I can until I absolutely have to go to school.

And put everything I feel into it...!

Hey, everyone!

Oh, Saki, there you...

Th-Those bags under your eyes...!

She came to school after pulling an all-nighter. Apparently, she decided to stay up after getting an idea for her song...

Hehe...

Are you sure you're okay, Saki?

It's nice to see that you're working so hard on your song, but I'm not sure pulling an all-nighter is really worth it...

I'm totally fine!

We have tomorrow off, so I can sleep until noon♪

Also, I absolutely wanna play this new song during our next show!

During our next show...?

We don't even know when we'll be playing, do we?

I was planning on bringing that up today, but I was thinking about scheduling it about a month from now...

Hey, that's awesome!

A month means we'll have a ton of time to practice our new song!

Mind if I ask how much progress you've made on your song...?

In reality, it's only about half done...

But I have a really good idea of what I wanna do in my head!

I just have to work what's in my head into my song, so it should be done sometime today!

Today...?!

Wait, Saki, you haven't had any sleep, right?

Do you really need to hurry this much...?

But in terms of our schedule, we might need her to since we need to practice it...

We wouldn't have to for our usual stuff, but what Saki's writing now sort of differs from what we usually play as Leo/need.

And since we'll be performing it on stage, I'm guessing we'll have to work on it a lot.

Shiho...

S-Sure, I understand what you're trying to say...

...

B-But I'm okay with that!

It doesn't matter if our show's one or two months away. I'm gonna finish our new song today.

What do you mean?

My goal right now is to turn what I'm feeling right now into music...

I'm afraid that I'll lose my grasp on this image I have in my head if I wait any longer...

So I'll keep at it until tomorrow!

Once it's done, we'll practice it lots and really make it resonate with everyone at that live house!

D-Don't you guys agree?!

If that's what you want to do, you have my support...

Honami...

To be honest, I don't want you to push yourself too hard, but I can't stop you now since your mind seems to already be made up.

Also, I believe this is what's best for us. For Leo/need...

*Gasp*

Hona...!

What do you think, Shiho...?

Alright, let's do it...

However, in return, Saki, if you start not feeling great at all, you have to take a break. Also, ask us if you ever need any help.

If you can promise me that, then I won't stop you...

O-Okay...!

I promise!

Thank you all so much...!

I'm gonna try my best!