...One day ago...
From the day Chihaya Tetsuya assigned her the task, Shiina Taki's composing hadn't made any decent progress. Even when she managed to write a score, it was always hard to reach her ideal standard.
"Boring."
"Dull."
"Uninteresting."
As the reviewer, Raana's evaluations could be said to be incredibly harsh and brief.
At least in her eyes, all the songs Taki had composed couldn't compare to the first one she had been given as a standard for judgment—
"Raana, your choice of words is too rude."
Soyo first pushed the matcha parfait the waiter had just brought over to Raana, then turned her head to Taki and said:
"You too, Taki. You don't need to compare it to 'Haruhikage', do you?"
"...I have to."
Faced with Soyo's persuasion, Taki's reaction was extremely stubborn.
"If I can't produce a song on a similar level to 'Haruhikage', there's no way to bring out the emotion in Tomori's lyrics."
"Haaah..."
Soyo tilted her head, as if she half-understood, then took the lyrics Tomori had already finished. After carefully reading every word, she gently shook her head.
"...As I thought, I've never really understood Tomori's lyrics, even back then."
Whether it was the emotion that made Sakiko cry or the sincerity that Taki almost worshipped, Soyo felt nothing.
"But in the end, Taki, the song you want to make... is it for [CRYCHIC], or for this new band?"
"...What do you mean?"
Taki, who was gently pressing her temples with her fingers, frowned slightly.
"What does this have to do with [CRYCHIC]?"
"Otherwise, what exactly are you comparing it to?"
Soyo propped her chin on her hand, gazing at the pedestrians outside the café window as she spoke.
"An excuse like 'the quality of the song' might work on an amateur like Chihaya Tetsuya... but for us, using it as an excuse is really unnecessary... It's a completely subjective thing. Unless you personally have a very clear standard, it's not enough to be an objective reason for the entire band to be held back by you."
"..."
Although this statement was sharp and merciless, Taki understood Soyo's meaning perfectly.
"Then in your opinion, what was the quality of the songs I just made?"
"Nothing surprising, but they definitely wouldn't embarrass us if we performed them on stage."
At this, she turned her head again to Raana, who was focused on tackling the matcha parfait, and asked:
"Raana, if you had to play these songs on stage, would you be against it?"
"? No."
Raana said without looking up.
"They're just ordinary songs, after all."
"See? In reality, your composing skills have long reached the level where they're 'ready to be performed on stage'."
Soyo spread her hands.
"It's just that you're stubbornly unable to acknowledge it yourself... So, what level are you hoping for your songs to reach? Or rather... where do you think your songs fall short compared to 'Haruhikage'?"
"..."
Taki was silent for a long while after hearing this, before she finally said in a small voice:
"Probably... coordination. Because Sakiko... was always watching everyone, so her songs could bring out the best in each person and naturally make us into a whole. I can't do that."
Taki admitted frankly.
"I'm already giving my all just to not drag everyone else down. To be like her, able to showcase her own talent while also considering everyone's skill and thoughts... I can't do that."
"And here I was, wondering what you were going to say..."
After hearing Taki's words, Soyo let out a small sigh.
"In the end, aren't you just like me, unable to completely move on from [CRYCHIC]?"
"What do you mean?"
"This 'wholeness' and 'coordination' you're talking about, how much of it is just your own idealized feeling based on that memory?"
Soyo shook her head.
"Don't forget the time when we had just formed. Tomori couldn't sing properly, you were constantly scolding her out of anxiety, Mutsumi only focused on her own guitar, and I could only watch from the side, not knowing if I should intervene. Did we really have even a shred of wholeness or coordination back then?"
"...Eh."
Hearing this, Taki's eyes widened.
She suddenly realized that she only seemed to remember what happened after 'Haruhikage' succeeded at the live show, while naturally forgetting the time everyone went through before that—
"But that's normal. [CRYCHIC] is a beautiful and unforgettable memory for each of us. After it became the past, it's only natural to subconsciously want to idealize it."
Soyo said.
"That's why I asked you just now if you want to make a song for [CRYCHIC] or for this band. If it's a song for [CRYCHIC], then it doesn't matter how high you set the standard. But... if it's for this new band, I think it's fine to set the standard a little lower and for us to all start from scratch and find our footing together... Didn't that guy, Chihaya Tetsuya, say it too? The responsibility and the effort aren't yours alone, but the whole band's."
Then, Soyo took out her phone and opened a chat window—
"Take a look. This is the design sketch that guy drew for you... The three next to it are for everyone besides me. Even someone who knows nothing about clothes should be able to understand the meaning of the patterns, right?"
"..."
Taki looked at Soyo's phone screen, and when she compared the patterns of the entire band's outfits, she immediately understood what Soyo was trying to convey.
"...Our patterns... form a whole?"
"Exactly. And that's the message that guy wanted to convey to you through these outfits."
Soyo said as she put her phone away.
"Alright, I've said what I needed to say. You can go back to composing. Raana, want another one?"
"Yes!"
Raana, pushing away her empty glass, answered without hesitation. Seeing this, Taki couldn't help but ask with some surprise:
"You're actually spoiling her this much?"
"Hmph. It's only because the money for her parfaits will be billed to that guy."
Soyo huffed lightly.
"Even if it's just a little bit, I will absolutely get my revenge on him... Taki, do you want one?"
"I'll pass..."
At that moment, Taki felt the obstacle that had been blocking her heart had vanished. She just wanted to return to the studio immediately and start a new round of composing—
...Hm? Wait a minute?
"By the way... when did you exchange contact info with Chihaya-san?"
Taki suddenly remembered this slightly unusual fact.
"And he even sent you everyone's design sketches... Don't tell me you two have been talking privately?"
"Huh? No way! I would never talk to him privately!"
Soyo, who had been completely calm until now, suddenly slammed her hand on the table and stood up.
"I only contacted him to get reimbursed for Raana's parfaits! As for the design sketches... he sent them to me on his own accord!"
"...Why are you overreacting so much?"
"How am I overreacting?!"
"...Forget it. I'm just going to go compose."
Sensing that this topic would go nowhere, Taki immediately stood up.
"Stray cat, that's all for today's review. I'll show you the new song tomorrow, so make sure you show up."
"Okay."
Raana nodded, then went back to lazily sprawling on the table, waiting for her second parfait to arrive.
—7 days until the Live.