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

1

Akito

Listen

Alright, I think we have a decent idea of what kinds of songs we want to write for this.
2

Kotaro

Listen

Yeah! I'm gonna come up with something awesome!
3

Arata

Listen

Yes, we'll all be looking forward to hearing it.
4

Akito

Listen

You seem pretty calm...
5
Haha. But I'm also looking forward to hearing what your song will be like.
6

Tatsuya

Listen

Same with me. Tono, your songs are usually very easy to get into and your performances are usually a cut above the rest of ours.
7

Arata

Listen

Thank you.
I really appreciate you saying that.
8

Toya

Listen

When did you start writing your own songs, Tono?
9

Arata

Listen

When...? About four or five years ago...
But I started taking it seriously around three years ago when I was in the States.
10

Kohane

Listen

As in America...?!
11

Kotaro

Listen

Whoa! That's so cool!
12

Arata

Listen

Thank you, but I didn't do anything special, really. I simply got to listen to a lot of good tracks while I was there, and I was greatly influenced by them.
13

Toya

Listen

Good tracks...
14

Toya

Listen

Um, Tono... What do you believe to be the most ideal track?
15

Arata

Listen

Well...
I've been moved by many of them...
16

Arata

Listen

But I believe it's one that makes me think, “I couldn't put on a performance this good without this track,” while I'm singing it.
17

Kohane

Listen

It has to be that particular one?
18

Arata

Listen

Yes, how should I put it...? A song that not only moves the listener's heart, but also the performer's.
19

Arata

Listen

A song that compels me to sing it.
A song that makes me believe that it's the one.
20

Akito

Listen

You've got me curious if you're willing to say that much. What was that song called?
21

Arata

Listen

It doesn't have a title. It isn't available for others to hear either.
22

Arata

Listen

Maybe it's better for you all to just hear it...
23

Arata

Listen

Here, it's this song...

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

24

Toya

Listen

...!
25

Toya

Listen

(What is this? It's like... It's grabbed hold of my heart...)
26

Toya

Listen

(It's so liberating. Like I'm running free. But I also feel this kindness within the turbulence.)
27

Toya

Listen

(It's an incredible song...
If I could somehow write a song like this...)

Sound Effect: Play

28

Toya

Listen

Huh...?
29

Arata

Listen

Amazing, right?
30

Toya

Listen

Um, Tono... That song sounded like ended partway through...
31

Arata

Listen

Yes, that's because it's still unfortunately incomplete.
32

Akito

Listen

Who wrote it?
It almost sounded professional.
33

Arata

Listen

My partner.
34

Toya

Listen

Soma...?
35

Akito

Listen

Which is why it's still incomplete...
36

Arata

Listen

But it's good, no?
I'm glad I got to share it with all of you.
37

Toya

Listen

(It really was good...
I didn't realize Soma was capable of writing something like this...)

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

38
Man, I'm beat!
39

Kohane

Listen

You have been singing pretty hard since the morning, An.
40
Haha. Yeah, I sorta couldn't help it.
41
But this is no time for me to be saying that I'm tired, since I wanna give our next event everything I have!
42

Akito

Listen

And we'll need to start coming up with ideas for our next song.
43
Right. I'll let you know if any good ideas come to mind.
44

Kohane

Listen

Thanks, you two...!
I can't wait to hear what you come up with!
45

Akito

Listen

Whoa, it's already this late.
I've gotta get to work soon.
46
Oh, I forgot that I need to help my dad out!
47

Kohane

Listen

Yeah, we did practice for a pretty long time.
48
Haha. As much as I want to come up with ideas for our new song, it's gonna have to wait until I'm done closing up shop.
49

Akito

Listen

Yeah, I'll try giving it some thought on my way home from work.
50

Kohane

Listen

Um... Is there any way for me to help...?
51
Huh?
52

Kohane

Listen

I don't know how to write songs or make them sound beautiful like Aoyagi... But I still want to help you guys somehow.
53

Toya

Listen

Azusawa...
54

Akito

Listen

Don't worry about writing the song.
If anything, we need you to focus on how you're gonna perform.
55

Kohane

Listen

What...?
56

Akito

Listen

You've improved a lot since just a little while ago, and now you can sing in a way that blows other people away.
57

Akito

Listen

But you still need experience.
In time, as you grow, you'll be able to support us even more.
58

Akito

Listen

So, you should focus on singing in a way that only you can.
59

Kohane

Listen

Shinonome...
60
Especially since we're gonna need you there if we really are gonna surpass RAD WEEKEND.
61
So, for now, you can leave the songwriting to us! How does that sound...?
62

Kohane

Listen

An...
63

Kohane

Listen

Okay, I understand...
64

Kohane

Listen

Thank you! I promise to do my best!
65

Toya

Listen

(I don't have time to be feeling lost either...)
66

Toya

Listen

(I need to do everything I can right now.)
The next day
Main Street

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

67

Toya

————♪
68

Toya

Listen

I can't seem to focus...
I should probably take a quick break.
69

Toya

Listen

(I know there isn't much use in me thinking about it, but I keep going back to what we discussed yesterday...)
70

Toya

Listen

(I still don't know how to compose a song that moves people's hearts. Not only that, we ended up having Akito and Shiraishi write the new one for our next event...)
71

Toya

Listen

(The only thing I'm able to do at this point is to make sure I sing in a way that does their song justice.)
72

Toya

Listen

(Which means, if I want to help them, I'll have to practice even more.)
73

Toya

Listen

But I definitely wasn't expecting the place where I usually practice to be undergoing construction. Practicing somewhere new honestly felt a bit strange.

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

74

Toya

Listen

But it was also a nice change of pace.
75

Toya

Listen

Hm...?
Isn't the hospital where Soma's staying just nearby?

Sound Effect: Play

76

Arata

Listen

Toya, would you mind visiting him again sometime? I'm sure you'll both enjoy talking to each other again.
77

Toya

Listen

Soma did say that he wanted to hear more about our next event. I think I'll pay him a visit.
Hospital

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

78

Soma

Listen

Wow, you're all gonna come up with new songs?! You guys just keep churning out great ideas!
79

Toya

Listen

Yes, we're trying to create more harmony, so to speak, and will be discussing how to create songs in a way which will help achieve that.
80

Soma

Listen

That sounds awesome!
By the way, what kind of theme did you guys choose?
81

Toya

Listen

“Silence & Action”.
82

Toya

Listen

We thought that if we're going to attempt to surpass RAD WEEKEND, we should sing the way Nagi did then...
83

Toya

Listen

We want to sing compelling songs that are able to light a fire inside of everybody's hearts in a split second.
84

Soma

Listen

Yeah, I get that. Nagi really was awesome when she sang the first song during RAD WEEKEND.
85

Soma

Listen

The second she began singing, not only did she turn the entire place on its head, she brought everyone together...!
86

Toya

Listen

Hehe. I can tell that witnessing it in person meant quite a lot to you...
87

Soma

Listen

Of course!
I'm never gonna forget how amazing that event was!
88

Soma

Listen

Which means you guys are probably gonna set everything on fire. Do you know who's gonna make the Vivid BAD SQUAD track?
89

Toya

Listen

That will be Akito and Shiraishi.
90

Soma

Listen

Wait, Aoyagi, you're not gonna write it? I was convinced that you would since you seem to know a ton about music.
91

Toya

Listen

Tono said something very similar.
However, I tend to compose based on music theory. As a result, I'm yet to achieve the effects I'm after.
92

Soma

Listen

Hang on. Don't tell me that you can put songs together entirely from scratch without any sampling. That's so cool!
93

Toya

Listen

No, I'm only able to do that because of my classical background. Sampling is unique to street music, and I still haven't been able to grasp all the ins and outs of it.
94

Toya

Listen

That's why I've been putting songs together from scratch, but I'm yet to find a sound that feels satisfying...
95

Soma

Listen

I see... Just for reference, Aoyagi, what sort of sound are you after?
96

Toya

Listen

Hmm... How do I describe it...?
97

Toya

Listen

Something with a good groove...
Or rather, something powerful that moves the listener's heart...

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

98

Soma

Listen

Hmm... A song with a good groove, power and...
99

Toya

Listen

The silence I mentioned before is easy for me to envision in terms of a theme.
100

Toya

Listen

I'd probably try to string together a small number of notes in an elegant manner while keeping in mind the individual characteristics of each instrument being played.
101

Toya

Listen

However, I'm not sure how I'd go about producing a powerful and riveting sound that suits the latter half of our theme.
102

Toya

Listen

And I believe we're going to need a lot of that if we're going to surpass RAD WEEKEND. So, my current goal is to get a grasp on how to create that power.
103

Soma

Listen

Yeah, I totally get what you mean!
But how do you turn “action” into music?
104

Toya

Listen

Oh, I think that incomplete track of yours is very close to the right answer...
105

Soma

Listen

Wait, mine?
106

Toya

Listen

Yes. Tono shared it with us while we were discussing how we'll be making our new songs.
107

Toya

Listen

Your track sounded very liberating. It felt like I was running free.
108

Toya

Listen

There was kindness there, amid the powerful sound...
I was moved by how it was trying to take the listener by the hand.
109

Toya

Listen

I sort of began to admire what you'd made.
110

Soma

Listen

Come on, it's not that praiseworthy.
111

Toya

Listen

No, Tono even said, “It's an astounding track,” and how it compels him to want to sing it.
112

Soma

Listen

Arata said that?
113

Toya

Listen

Yes, and it seems to mean quite a lot to him. I'm very glad that I had an opportunity to listen to it.
114

Toya

Listen

...
115

Toya

Listen

Um, Soma...
116

Toya

Listen

How did you go about making that track? Would it be alright if I asked for some advice in terms of writing my own?
117

Toya

Listen

Because I...
I want to learn how to write moving songs like that.
118

Soma

Listen

Oh, advice about songwriting...?
119

Soma

Listen

Sorry, I'm afraid that I can't really help you there. Arata usually did all of the songwriting.

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

120

Toya

Listen

Wait, Tono said that you wrote that one...
121

Soma

Listen

Actually, we wrote it together...
122

Soma

Listen

Even though I like sampling sounds and coming up with fun phrases, I'm not all that good at putting them together and turning them into songs. That's Arata's job.
123

Soma

Listen

So, my songwriting skill set is incomplete. Aoyagi, I'm not sure I can teach you much.
124

Toya

Listen

I see...
I apologize for asking too much.
125

Toya

Listen

(That's unfortunate. I was sure that I'd be able to help the others if I learned how to achieve such a groove...)
126

Toya

Listen

(Regardless, for the sake of our next event, I need to keep trying.)
127

Toya

Listen

(I have to keep doing everything I can.)
128

Soma

Listen

You really are a hard worker, huh...?
129

Toya

Listen

What?
130

Soma

Listen

Okay, I'm not sure if this is gonna help you, Aoyagi, but I may be able to give you some advice about sampling sounds.
131

Toya

Listen

About sampling...?
132

Toya

Listen

(I have no idea if that's going to help, but if there's even a slight chance that it'll help me get close to my goal...)
133

Toya

Listen

Yes, I would like that very much.
134

Soma

Listen

You don't have to be so formal with me, but okay.
135

Soma

Listen

But it's also getting pretty late.
Mind if we pick this up another time?
136

Toya

Listen

Oh, you're right...
I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time.
137

Soma

Listen

Don't worry about that.
I'll be ready to teach you whenever, so stop by again when you're free, Aoyagi.
138

Toya

Listen

Thank you very much.
Then, I'll visit again after practice.
139

Soma

Listen

Sure thing. I'll be waiting.

Sound Effect: Play

140

Soma

Listen

I really didn't expect to offer him sampling lessons...
141

Soma

Listen

But teaching Aoyagi could help me learn to support Arata better...
142

Soma

Listen

Which means I also gotta do what I can right now.
Next Chapter: A Sampling Lesson!