Stop.

You, on the drums... Nakanishi. You rushed ahead a bit just now. You need to stay in tempo.

I'm sorry!

On the other hand, Sugawara on the sax. You're falling behind a little.

Understood.

Alright, let's try that again from the top.

Okay!

<Looks like Shiho's hard at work.>

<Yes. She's playing with a slightly different type of band compared to normal, one which includes saxophones and trumpets...>

<But she's doing an incredible job, like I thought she would.>

(Okay, the rhythm section is playing more in sync now. And the wind instruments are sounding good.)

(But...)

Stop.

Oh, I'm sorry...
Did I rush ahead again?

No, you stayed in rhythm just fine.

But we're still sorta all over the place.

Wait, really?

Yes, I think it has to do with how we each let notes ring and stuff.

We all have our own styles, so it'd be nice to pick a lead and stick with them in terms of accentuating, extending or cutting our notes.

(A song's feel can change a lot depending on how the notes are handled. But for this one, who can we have...?)

Pardon me.
I'm here to see how you're all doing.

I decided to tag along...

Oh... Hi, Kusanagi.

Hi. Umm... Is the band coming along, Hinomori?

Yeah, we're doing better than I expected. But I'm a little lost on how we should play this song.

The one where the protagonist sneaks out to go see the town... Can you tell us what sorts of emotions we should be trying to express here?

What sorts of emotions...?

This is when she discovers just how much she loves music after meeting the musicians, so it'd be great if you could express how happy and excited she is.

Happy and excited...

Then, we should try to add a bit of a spring. Follow Sugawara's lead, shorter sounds with a bit of emphasis.

Okay!

We'll try playing the prelude.
One, two, three...

Wow...!

(Their sound has a nice spring to it...
I can tell how excited Lulu is right now!)

Okay, that sounds much better.

But we still have room for improvement...

You guys on the trumpets sound a little choppy compared to everyone else. Conversely, guitars, you've got natural sustain, so you need to let go of the strings earlier—

Y-Yeah, you may be right, but do we really have to be that picky about this?

Oh...

Sorry, I just don't want to cut any corners.

Our songwriters put a huge amount of effort into these songs, so I want to give them the respect they deserve.

After all, we only get one chance to play them together like this. If there's anything at all we can do, I want to do it. No regrets.

I hope you can understand where I'm coming from here.

Hinomori...

You're right...
These kinds of opportunities don't come around often, so we should give it our best shot.

Thanks, you guys.

<I'm looking forward to their performance during the show.>

<Me too. I'm sure they're going to sound incredible.>

Let's see... We've got our paints, brushes, water and palettes... Yeah, that should be everything.

So, let's get started, shall we?
I need you all to paint following these lines.

Okay!

Okay☆
Okay!

<Oh, there's Ena...>

<Wow... She told us that they'd be painting on some big wooden boards, but those are gigantic.>

<And they're about to turn them into a town.>

<That's so cool...>

I'm gonna make this street yellow! Brushy-brush-brush♪

(Hehe. Emu's being bold as always.)

(How's Honami doing...?)

...

Brush carefully. Stay within the lines...

(Yeah, I had a feeling she'd be nervous...)

Honami.

Eep! Oh, Ena, it's you...

It's okay. Try to relax.
If you make a mistake, we can always fix it.

R-Right... Thank you very much.

But I don't want to ruin your wonderful drawings...

I want to get it right the first time.

Honami...

(That makes me really happy, but...)

Hello, Shinonome.
Hi, Emu, Mochizuki.

Oh! Hi, Nene!

Hey, can we help you?

Umm... I decided to go around to see if anyone needed help. I have some time on my hands right now.

Wow... This town is gorgeous...
Did you draw all these, Shinonome?

*Nod*
I'm glad you like what you're seeing.

Yes, this is incredible. It's exactly what I envisioned.

You've done a wonderful job of capturing the feeling of a town where musicians are able to sing and play whatever songs they like. I can feel freedom and excitement in the air.

Freedom and excitement...

If that's what you have in mind, then we may want to take a different approach.

Huh?

Instead of a blue sky, we might want to make it more colorful. Something like this...

We could have musical notes and five-line staves floating in the air like this. What do you think?

Wow...!

I really like it...!
This makes the town look even more fun.

Oh, I'm gonna draw some too!
Here's an eighth note with a big smiley face♪

Hehe. These notes are all smiling. That's so cute.

Hey, Honami...
Why don't you try drawing some?

What? Me?

Yeah. We're trying to add an air of freedom, and I think your drawings will do a great job of that.

Also...

We don't get to draw together like this very often, so I'd like to have as much fun as we can.

Yeah, me too!
I wanna draw lots and lots with you, Honami☆

Okay...!
I don't know how my drawings are going to turn out, but I'll try my best.

Then... I'll try drawing a treble clef here. Umm...

Wow...!
It looks like a really excited puppy!

Alright, in that case...
I'll throw in some effect lines here and...

Hinomori, Akiyama, I've finished putting in the basting stiches for the protagonist's dress. Can you two tell me what you think?

Oh, show us!

Wow! These frills are so adorable!
And this lace adds a nice accent! I really like it!

Yes, I also think it looks wonderful.
The subdued color gives it an air of sophistication. Kusanagi's going to look so good in it.

You think so? Thank goodness!
I went for a classy design because I knew the director would look awesome in it!

Director...?

Oh, I totally forgot! Class A made that film with Kusanagi as the director, right?

Yeah! I was also a costume designer for that, but I didn't get to make anything for her that time. So, I'm really glad that I do for this show.

Hehe. Then, that means I also need to put as much effort as I can into Kusanagi's costume.

So, Tachibana, I was thinking about embroidering her hair ribbon. Can we talk a little later about what sort of design would be best?

Pardon me.

Oh, Kusanagi!
The costumes are coming along really nicely!

They are? That's good to hear.

Hey, Kusanagi! Welcome!

Oh, Akiyama...

Nice timing!
We just finished putting in the basting stitches for your dress, so can you come try it on for us?

Huh? N-Now?

Yes, we need to see if it fits properly. Also, I really wanna see you in it!

Me too. Actually seeing you in it will help me come up with the right embroidery designs.

So, without further ado...
Let's head to the next classroom over♪

Huh? W-Wait, don't pull...!

Haha. Have fun!

Oh, I'm also done with this suit, so I'd like to see someone try it on.

In terms of the actor's height and build... Akiyama, can you lend me a hand?

Huh? Yeah, sure...

No, wait...
You don't like wearing these kinds of clothes, right?

(Oh...)

No, that's totally fine!
I just really like cute clothes is all. I don't have a problem with cool clothes. Thanks though!

Okay, that's good to hear!

Let's do our best to make this suit just as glamorous as the protagonist's dress!

Yeah!