MEIKO...!

Wh-What are you doing here...?

<Honami and Shiho told me that you and Ichika were working on a song together.>

<I came to see how you were doing...>

<And I take it things haven't been going well.>

...

MEIKO, I...

<I see. Which led to you and Ichika butting heads...>

Yeah...

I... I really don't know what we're supposed to do now...

<Right...>

<Why don't you two come take a little break over in SEKAI, Saki?>

Huh? But our song...

<Yes, that's important. But it's also important to get a breath of fresh air when you're feeling stuck, remember?>

<I'll be waiting over there.
Come on over once Ichika returns, okay?>

Oh...

O-Okay...

<Don't worry, Saki.>

Huh...?

<I know you don't like arguing with Ichika...>

<But you're in a band together.
There are going to be times when you conflict with one another.>

<But think about all those other times you bumped heads. You always came to an understanding in the end, right...?>

<So, I wouldn't worry too much about this.>

MEIKO...

You're right...
Thank you for saying that.

Oh...

Sorry, Saki, I'm back...

Huh? MEIKO...?

<Ah, she's back.
Now, shall we?>

Oh, welcome, you two.

We heard the news.
You're holding a songwriting camp?

How are things going?

Oh, uhh...

...

Would you mind if we heard what you've come up with so far?

What...?

Yes, I'd also like to give what you have a listen.

But we're still...
We're still not happy with what we have...

A work in progress is just fine.
We want to hear what you two have created.

...

Then...

I see.
So these are the songs you came up with.

Yes... I came up with the chord progression for the first one, and Saki the melody. The opposite applies to the second...

...

I think they're both very good.

What...?

I agree.
They're wonderful expressions of both of your thoughts and feelings.

R-Really...?

But don't they feel all over the place...?

Yes, there is that...
You can kind of tell what each of you wants out of these songs.

But I actually think they're good the way they are.

Y-You do...?

...

But if neither of you is satisfied, then improvements are going to be necessary...

So, Ichika.
Can you tell me what you envisioned when you came up with your chord progression?

Oh...

Umm... I was trying to write a cheerful song that would clearly express how I felt.

I see. Which explains why yours is very straightforward. Just like you, Ichika.

Th-Thank you.

...

Next, Saki, how did you arrive on this melody?

I wanted to make it so people can move forward despite any doubts or pain they're feeling...

I see...
That explains why it sounds a little sad.

Hehe. The kind touch fits you very well, Saki.

...!

This sort of reminds me of when you girls first got back together...

Oh...!

Exactly...! That's what I was going for...!

I mean, we were all separated initially, but we talked through our troubles and managed to find a way to move forward together.

And then, Ichi said that she wanted to remind people about who matters most to them...

Which immediately reminded me of us when we first got back together.

Oh...

(I had no idea...)

Yes, that's really nice...

Then, does that mean you want to make it feel like you've overcome that past pain and are running towards a bright future...?

Running towards a bright future...?

Oh, right...
We worked super duper hard to become pros!

But my melody doesn't really cover that.

In that case, I might try giving it a slightly happier sound. One that serves as a reminder of our determination.

That should go a lot better with Ichi's chord progression too.

...!

Yes, I'll be looking forward to listening to it once it's finished.

Okay, I'll see what I can do!

Oh, while we're at it, for the next verse...

(Saki seems like she's having so much fun...)

(She can't stop coming up with new ideas...
Wait, is this because...?)

(Is that why Miku and the others have been able to give such constructive criticism? Are they being more open-minded about all this?)

(I thought we were having a nice exchange of ideas, but...)

...