Alright, it's done...!

Hehe. Hona's curry really did the trick!
I was able to breeze through that because of the boost of energy it gave me!

Saki, I'm finished with my melody.
How are things coming on your end?

Oh, Ichi!
I just finished too!

Come on in so we can listen to them♪

Okay, sounds good.
In that case...

Hehe. I can't wait to hear what we each came up with!

I'm a little nervous since I kind of did whatever I wanted with it...

Don't worry!
I really love the melodies you come up with!

It's nice to actually hear someone say that.

Hehe♪ Alright, I'll go first!
You sit back and relax for now, Ichi!

Hehe. I'm looking forward to hearing what you came up with, Saki.

(I wonder how Ichi's gonna react.)

(Hehe. I feel really good about this melody since I thought I came up with the perfect thing to go with her chord progression!)

(It's a little different from what Leo/need has done before, and I was able to work in my message.)

(Plus, I made sure to really respect the feelings Ichi put into this song.)

(So, I'm sure she'll love...)

(H-Huh...?)

Um, Ichi...? How was it?

Oh, um...
It's pretty. I really like it.

But...

Um, Saki...?
Can I ask why you decided to go with this melody?

Why? So, uh... Remember how you said you wanted your song to remind people about who matters most to them and stuff?

So, I wanted people to remember the good times and bad times. The first time you met someone you really care about, or that one time you had a little fight...

I wanted it to be that kind of melody!

I see...
Which explains why it felt a bit sad.

Wait, was this not what you were looking for...?

Oh...

No, it wasn't...
It's not quite what I had in mind...

I was looking for something a little more positive since it's supposed to be a straightforward expression of my feelings...

Straightforward...

Okay, got it...!
Now that I know this wasn't quite what you were looking for, I'll try giving it a quick fix!

Sorry, Saki...
I should've explained what I meant a little better.

No, that's totally fine.
If anything, it's my fault for misunderstanding how you felt!

Anyway, uh... Can you show me what you made, Ichi?

Okay, I'll play it now.

Cool!

*Sigh*
(Swing and a miss...
But I had such a good feeling about it...)

(I guess I sorta let my own feelings take over. I need to be more careful about that.)

(But as long as the melody Ichi came up with ends up being good, we can start polishing it...)

(Wait, something's a bit off...)

(I'm not sure how to put it into words...)

Saki? Uhh...

Huh...?! S-Sorry.
I had to think about it for a second.

Was this also not what you were looking for...?

I tried my best to capture what you said earlier about moving forward despite any doubts you may have.

Yeah, it's just...

It's too pop compared to what I imagined.

Too pop...?

No, that's not a bad thing!
I like how you want the listener to feel a sense of optimism!

But this song isn't supposed to be all sunshine and puppy dogs. I wanted it to be about feeling real empathy for someone.

Empathy, huh...?
Okay, got it...

Sorry I misunderstood what you were going for, Saki.

No, that's okay.
Let's make our fixes and meet back up for another listen!

Okay! I'll be down in the living room.

Alright, see you in a bit!

*Sigh*

This is so hard...
I was so sure I got it right...

But I need to come up with a better melody...!
Because this song means a lot to us... To Leo/need...

So, I gotta take what Ichi wanted and...

No, this still doesn't feel quite right...

The melody sounds a lot more cheerful now, and I like how the tempo really picks up during the bridge, but...

Okay...

So, can you tell me what specifically doesn't feel right?

Umm...

I guess how it still feels kind of sad. I can't seem to get that out of my head...

Wait, really?
I thought I really tried to shy away from that...

I know...
But the first verse and chorus still feel that way to me.

I'm really sorry, Ichi...
But can you try going more minor with it?

I like how quick the tempo is, but this song's not supposed to be all that cheerful...

...

But won't that take away from your theme of trying to move forward?

N-No, I don't think so!

Also, a happy sound doesn't really go with my chord progression, so can you try holding back on that a bit more...?

...
Okay, let me give it another try.

...

Sorry, it's just...

I'm doing my best not to make it sound so cheerful, like you said...

But I guess I'm just not getting it...

Yeah...

...

Sorry, I'm trying to understand what you want this song to be about, but I'm sort of not sure what I'm doing wrong anymore...

It doesn't sound all that pop to me...

Ichi...

It's just, I believe this is the best way to get your message across, you know...?

I get what you mean...
And this melody's a great expression of who you are, Ichi.

But I still want it to really be about empathy and understanding, you know...?

The way it is now, it feels like someone's pushing me towards the finish line... And that doesn't really go with my chord progression.

...

(I don't understand...)

(No matter how many times we try, we can't seem to get on the same page...)

(I thought Ichi and I would immediately be able to figure out what each of us was thinking...)

Empathy...

That's what you want this song to be about, Saki?

...!

Yeah, it is.
So if you can make your melody reflect that!

If that's true, then I need to say something.

What...?

The first verse and chorus use too many minors, which makes the song feel really dark and gloomy.

There's no warmth. There's no source for your empathy...

B-But...!
If you make it too warm, then it's gonna be really superficial!

Superficial...?

*Nod*
I know it's easier to express feelings of fun and joy by using happy and cheerful sounds.

But I don't think you can really show empathy by doing just that.

Take us for example. We went through some rough stuff before understanding how we all felt. Only then were we able to feel that warmth. I mean, remember how happy we all were?

Yeah, I do...

(Am I not explaining things right...?)

(I mean, Ichi knows that pain. She's suffered like we all did.)

(So why...?)

Alright, for example... What if we went with this kind of sound instead?

It's not a big change from what you have now, but just a little darker...

I'm sorry, Saki.

But given the overarching theme, this just isn't going to work.

Wait, are you saying...?

A melody I came up with isn't going to work?

...!

No, that's not what I'm saying...!

It's just... Even if we do go with your idea, I don't think it's going to turn out well.

...!

...

...
Then I guess we should just scrap everything and start over from scratch.

What...?

Oh...

Sorry, I didn't mean to say that...

It's just... Nothing's really felt right to me either, you know?

I tried and tried to make mine sound the way you want, Ichi...

But it never feels like it's getting better.

...

This is a lot harder than I realized it would be...

Yeah...

Sorry, I'm going to go buy something to drink.

Oh...

Okay...

...

(Why is nothing going right...?)

(I was so sure that Ichi and I would be able to write an amazing song together...)

But if this keeps up, we might not even be able to finish it, let alone reach the next level...

(What do we do...?)

(Should we go apologize to Mr. Shindo and the others, and ask if I can write a song like I always do...?)

(But I don't know if I can write a next-level Leo/need song all on my own...)

(Also...)

I don't want things to end this way...

<Saki!>

Huh...?