————♪ ————♪

Your new song's so cool.

Yeah! I liked your other song, but this one's starting to sound really amazing too☆

How you all feel is evident based on the way you're playing too. I can't help but smile.

I'll have to keep doing my best to keep up.

What?! But you were here 'till really late last night, Miku-P! You're really gonna practice more?!

Oh, Miku, is that true?

So diligent...

R-Rin, you didn't have to blurt it out like that...

Huh? Why not?
I just think your work ethic is amazing and you look really cool when you're really focused like that♪

Th-Thank you...

Hehe. Way to go, Miku.
To be fair, the girls are no slouches either.

Yes, not only that...

They don't seem happy with what they currently have.

I'm still not completely solid during the chorus. My voice keeps going in and out it seems...

Yeah, it still doesn't sound quite right. We could tone it down a little, but that might also make it sound dull. I'm really not sure what to do at this point.

Hmm... We'll just have to keep making small adjustments, like how the song sounds during and around the chorus.

Right. It'd be nice if we could do that...

But it's getting pretty late.
Let's save that for tomorrow.

Oh, you're right...
Are you free later after you get home, Saki?

I'd like to make some changes to the lyrics and want someone to bounce ideas off of if you don't mind.

Yeah, of course!
I'll call you once I get home!

Don't work too hard, okay?

We'll be fine, Shiho!
I mean, it's my melody that needs work. I want to have everything ready for next time!

And I'll be there with her.
I already feel pretty bad about how much you've been working with us one-on-one...

Okay, I understand...
Good luck.

Honami, do we need to talk about our schedule?

...

Honami...?

Hona?

Huh? Oh... I-I'm sorry...
My mind must've wandered...!

Is everything okay...?
You've sort of been acting like this all day.

Well...

Is something bothering you?

It's nothing, really.

If you say so...

Sorry, I didn't mean to make you all worry.

...

Um, Shiho...?
Can we talk after practice?

With me? Sure...

Bye, everyone!

Okay, bye.
See you tomorrow.

So, what's up?

Um, well...

Remember how I saw you calling someone the other day? You seemed really worried about something and it's been on my mind since...

Oh, that...?

If it's something you didn't want anyone else to know about, sorry.

But I'd like to work with you and find a way to help if something really is bothering you...

Thanks...

...

Shiho...?

I kept this from the rest of you so that you could focus on practicing our new song...

But it's affecting practice now, so I guess I don't really have a choice.

Please, tell me...

Just don't tell Ichika or anyone else, alright...?

We have to sell a certain number of tickets for our next show...

Tickets...?

Normally, bands that play at live houses have to sell tickets in order to be allowed to actually perform in a show.

Oh...

Until now, the manager and the owner have been giving us a free pass.

Three times in total now.

But I know how hard it is to operate a live house like that, and I felt bad about how we were being given special treatment.

I see...
I'm sorry. I had no idea.

Why are you apologizing?
It's my fault for not saying anything.

Oh, wait...
If we have to sell tickets, then that means...

Is that what you were doing, Shiho?

Yeah...

That explains why you seemed so deflated...

...

By the way, Shiho, how has it been selling tickets?

We still have to sell more...

I thought so...

But you don't need to worry.
They'll all be sold in time for our show.

But...

Shiho, I understand that you don't want me to tell Ichika or anyone else about this, but wouldn't it be better to share the load...?

Wouldn't it be a lot easier than having to do this all on your own?

I'm actually trying to avoid that...

We're still working on our new song, right? Based on what I saw today, it's going to take a few more days to hammer everything out.

And if we have to start selling tickets to play in shows, we won't have enough time to create, practice and finish any new songs.

So for now, I want all of you to keep working on our new song. You can leave selling tickets to me.

Shiho...

No, we'd be asking too much of you.

We can keep making adjustments to the schedule. And if the others are too busy, I can help you. So, please...

You need to keep practicing too, Honami. You don't have to worry so much about me...

Don't worry...?

I want our next show to be better than our last. Ichika and Saki made these amazing songs for us, so I also want us to really know how to play them.

And I'm doing this for us and Leo/need. Please, just let me handle it.

No, I don't want you to...

It's okay.
I'll be fine.

I'll see you later.

No...!

She's gone...

(It's true that the rest of us have to practice much more than her, but we're already cutting it so close...)

(Shiho may be right in saying that we should focus on practicing...)

(But...)

Is this really the right way to go...?