Part 1

Shibuya Park

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

1

Ichika

Listen

Oh, Kusanagi...!

Sound Effect: Play

2

Nene

Listen

You're here early.
Did I make you wait?
3

Ichika

Listen

No, I actually just got here like five minutes ago.
4

Ichika

Listen

I ended up coming early because we haven't practiced together in a little while. I was really excited.
5

Nene

Listen

Hehe. Me too.
6

Nene

Listen

That reminds me. There's something I've been wanting to tell you.
7

Ichika

Listen

Tell me?
8

Nene

Listen

Congratulations on your debut CD!
I bought a copy.
9

Ichika

Listen

Oh...
10

Ichika

Listen

*Nod*
Thanks...!
11

Ichika

Listen

So, what did you think...?
How was our song...?
12

Nene

Listen

Really good!
13

Nene

Listen

On one hand, it suited your band's style. But on the other, the music and lyrics felt refreshingly different!
14

Nene

Listen

The way it began with the chorus got me so excited. Plus, the lyrics and melody really struck a chord with me...!
15

Nene

Listen

I loved how gentle and empathetic it was.
16

Nene

Listen

But it also seemed like it was designed to cheer up or encourage the listener. Because of that, I basically kept it on loop while I practiced...
17

Nene

Listen

Oh... S-Sorry...
It's probably pretty rude of me to declare this and that. I mean, you're the ones who wrote it...
18

Ichika

Listen

That's okay.
Actually, I was hoping to hear all your thoughts about it.
19

Ichika

Listen

I've been wondering if we succeeded in delivering our message.
20

Ichika

Listen

(I'm so glad that she understood what we were trying to do...)
21

Ichika

Listen

(And since Kusanagi's listened to it so many times, I think I'll take this opportunity to ask her about...)
22

Ichika

Listen

So, Kusanagi, if possible, could you tell me about anything you noticed in terms of my singing...?
23

Ichika

Listen

I want to learn from my mistakes, so please don't be shy.
24

Nene

Listen

Anything I noticed...?
25

Nene

Listen

Nothing really comes to mind...
26

Ichika

Listen

Wait, really...?
27

Nene

Listen

Yeah. Does this mean there's something that's been bothering you...?
28

Ichika

Listen

The thing is...
29

Nene

Listen

I see...
And you ended up doing multiple takes because you weren't happy with the way you were singing.

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

30

Ichika

Listen

*Nod*
31

Ichika

Listen

I was able to give it everything I had during our final take, but I still feel like I could've done better...
32

Nene

Listen

Hmm... They may've edited things here and there before actually having the CDs made...
33

Nene

Listen

But anyway, I really liked the way you sounded, Hoshino.
34

Ichika

Listen

Kusanagi...
35

Nene

Listen

Would you mind telling me more about the things you think you could've done better or that didn't go as well as you'd hoped?
36

Nene

Listen

I don't know if I'll actually be able to give you good advice, but we can at least try thinking what to do next time.
37

Ichika

Listen

...!
38

Ichika

Listen

Thank you so much, Kusanagi!
I really appreciate it.
39

Nene

Listen

Of course!
40

Ichika

Listen

Let's see... First, in terms of things that didn't go so well, I couldn't stop thinking about how my voice was looping back into the headphones I was wearing...
41

Ichika

Listen

I did my best to sing like I always do, but I got lost several times.
42

Ichika

Listen

So, I can't help but wonder how I sounded compared to when we've been performing live...
43

Nene

Listen

Hmm...
44

Nene

Listen

Now that you mention it, while listening to your CD, I got the feeling that you were trying really hard.
45

Ichika

Listen

Trying really hard...?
46

Nene

Listen

I mean, it's probably normal for someone to want to put maximum effort into their debut song...
47

Nene

Listen

But during your shows, you always sound like you're having a lot of fun since you want the audience to really enjoy themselves.
48

Nene

Listen

I'm wondering if that's the mental gap you were having so much trouble bridging.
49

Ichika

Listen

Yeah...
You might be right.
50

Ichika

Listen

I'd become so obsessed with trying to sing like “normal” that I sort of stopped having fun...
51

Ichika

Listen

Oh, I almost forgot. Things weren't normal because they had us play together, but I had to sing separately by myself...
52

Ichika

Listen

Thanks for taking the time to discuss this with me, Kusanagi.

BGM: --:-- / --:-- Play

53

Ichika

Listen

I think I have a slightly better understanding of what went wrong.
54

Nene

Listen

Really? I'm glad I could help.
55

Ichika

Listen

I don't know when we'll be recording our next song, but I'll do my best to apply what we just talked about.