Author Note: This is the start of a mini arc, which is blocked out for at least three chapters. Knowing how much fit in this chapter and how this fic has been going so far, it will almost certainly be longer than that.
For the last month, the bustle of Lisa's life continued as it had all year. She studied for all her courses as the first semester neared its end, worked hard at her part time job, practiced bass at home, went on a few dates with Ai, a young woman she met in class, and went to as many Roselia rehearsals as she could.
Though the band practiced the same amount as before, the rehearsals were starting to feel different. The band talked frequently about what they needed to do to try and hit their new goal. They made plans and rehearsed to achieve them. It was helping, if slowly.
Lisa also worked on another task, one she talked about with Yukina the day they set their new goal. She worked hard for the last month of the semester to get everything ready to go.
Roselia was going on a training camp.
Lisa scheduled it for the second week of summer break, after school let out. It was a win win situation. The band would get to spend some time together, they could get a lot of practice in, and hopefully they would improve their sound problems.
All of the members cleared their schedules and were on board, so Lisa made the arrangements as the date approached. It took a while, but she was able to locate a house outside of Tokyo to rent, one with a full music studio in the basement. It would be the perfect fit for the band. However, a house like that cost a lot of money to stay in. In order to pay for it, Lisa needed money from the band's account.
They didn't talk about it often, or do much with the money, but the band had slowly been accumulating yen for almost two years. After about a year of performing they released their first album, Anfang. Before the contest for future world FES they released their second, Wahl. A bank account was opened with Sayo as the cosigner, along with one of her parents. Ever since then, money had come in from the cd sales.
When Lisa called Sayo to ask how much they had, she learned that the band had more than enough to rent the house for a whole month, if they wanted to. Sayo sent Lisa a breakdown of when the cd sales were made, tracking the steady growth of the band. Seeing just how many people bought their albums warmed Lisa's heart; it was a nice reminder of just how many people the band already reached.
It motivated her even more to make these arrangements, so the band could continue repairing their sound.
With the money settled, Lisa booked the house. She made sure to ask for five futons to be available, so they could sleep in the same room. After that she set up the transportation. One of the train lines out of Tokyo passed right near the house, so she booked 5 tickets for that as well.
With all that set she only needed to wait until the end of the semester, which was easier said than done.
Lisa just had to make it through finals, so she could consider her first semester at university a success. University exams were an even larger percent of her grades than they had been in high school, which made them even more intimidating.
Lisa suggested to Ai that they study together for their shared class, which ended up being a more interesting experience than expected. Barely any studying got done, so after that Lisa spent her time studying alone. She thought about inviting Yukina over, just as friends of course, but each time she hesitated. They weren't studying the same things and besides, it had been harder to talk with Yukina lately. The band's troubles left her more sullen than usual, somehow even more distant. Lisa could feel an invisible rift slowly growing between them, beyond her control. She wasn't sure what to do about it; perhaps an answer would come to her at the training camp.
That wasn't what she was supposed to be focusing on right now. No, Lisa needed to study. So she did, in every spare moment she had as final exams approached. It was exhausting, but she knew it would be worth it.
All her effort paid off, since she passed her exams. Her next round of classes wouldn't start for a month, giving Lisa time to breathe for the first time in what felt like years.
After her last final, she finished the preparations for the training camp. Soon, she would be spending time with her band once again.
Ako practically bounced on the balls of her feet as she walked through the train station, unable to contain her excitement. The bag she pulled behind her, despite its weight, didn't slow her down. Today was the big day, when Roselia was going on their training camp. When Lisa told Ako about it, she was instantly super hyped for the trip. This could only help the band get even better.
The last time they went on a training camp was a couple years ago; Ako had often thought that they should go on another one. Or at least, that's what she told herself when Lisa brought up the idea.
After making sure it was alright with her parents, Ako marked the whole week on her calendar. She'd been counting down the days ever since.
The train left at 10:00 am, so Ako made sure to be there at 9:30. As she approached the wing of the station, she was easily able to spot the rest of her bandmates waiting near one of the entrances. Being taller now helped with that.
Ako waved one hand over her head as she approached, which drew the attention of Rinko. She raised one hand slightly and gave a half wave in return.
"G-good morning." Rinko greeted Ako softly, her voice barely audible over the bustle of the station. Once Ako reached them, stopping to fill the circle they were standing in, she saw that they each had a bag like she did, along with their instruments. She didn't need to bring a drum set, since Lisa said there was one at the house.
"Morning!" Ako chirped back, grinning from ear to ear. She bounced on her knees, unable to stand still.
Sayo looked over, as she shuffled a few papers in her hands. "Good, you're here." She stepped towards Ako and offered one of the papers to her. "This is your ticket."
"Thanks!" Ako accepted the ticket carefully, taking a look once it was secure in her grasp. It marked the time the train left, as well as what stop they were getting off on. Overall, it was about a half hour train ride, which was longer than Ako usually rode. They didn't have reserved seats for the trip.
Ako put the ticket in her pocket, patting it once to make sure it was secure.
"I can't remember the last time I left the city." Lisa started a conversation, hand on her chin as if trying to think. "It's been ages."
"It has been a while, hasn't it." Sayo stepped back to her spot in the circle as she replied, shifting her guitar on her back.
"It'll be nice… to spend so much time together…" Rinko chimed in.
Ako agreed, and she nodded vigorously to show it. She even brought a few games that they could play in their downtime, when they had the chance.
Yukina's gold eyes moved between each of her bandmates as they spoke, but she remained silent. Ako wondered what was up with her.
"Once we get to the house, we'll plan the rest of the week." Sayo was looking at Lisa while she spoke, though the whole band would be involved in the process.
Lisa smiled with her usual cat grin. "Sounds good!"
There were still a few minutes until the train would board, so they talked about a couple other topics. Lisa and Sayo both made sure to bring extra strings, so they could replace them if one broke. Rinko was using her extra portable keyboard case, one that also could be carried like a backpack. Ako shared about the board games she brought, if they wanted to play them. Game time could even be added to the schedule they were going to make.
She was interrupted by a message from the overhead speakers, directing passengers of their train to begin boarding.
The members of the band had turned to walk onto the platform, when a low voice stopped them.
"Let's return to the peak." Yukina, who had been mostly silent so far, spoke quietly from the back. Ako heard her words clearly, despite the low volume. She turned back to look, along with the others.
Golden eyes were set with determination, a look Ako hadn't seen from Yukina in quite a long time. Her lips were set in a firm line, back straight. She swept forward between her band members, taking the lead out onto the train platform. Ako followed with a smile on her lips.
They walked across the platform and to the train, locating the car without reserved seats. Inside, they found that only about a quarter of the seats were full. It was easy to find a few empty rows for them to sit.
Each member stowed their bag overhead, which Ako was now tall enough to do all on her own, before sitting with their instrument in hand. Only Ako didn't have one, since she only brought the drumsticks. She claimed one of the window seats, with Rinko sitting down next to her.
Sayo and Lisa were behind them, with Yukina across the aisle from Sayo. When Ako turned to look back, Lisa had a map out and was showing something to Sayo. Yukina was leaning over to look at it as well.
Ako turned back to the front; if it was important she would see it later. For now, she had over half an hour to enjoy the train ride. She had that time to talk with Rinko, uninterrupted by their busy lives.
A few minutes later, as the train rolled out from the station, Ako used that time to its fullest.
The house Lisa rented was absolutely massive. That was Sayo's only thought as she looked up at the building. It was a two story western style house, with multiple windows on the front. Light blue siding covered the expansive walls. A long driveway extended from an attached garage, reaching past the sidewalk and down to the street. They were only a half hour outside of Tokyo, but it felt like a whole different region.
Sayo had worked with Lisa to pay for the rental, so she kind of knew what to expect. Unless Lisa told them the specifics, the others likely had no idea.
The members of Roselia walked slowly up that driveway, all eyes turned up at the building.
Sayo's guitar case was secured to her back, so her hands were free to carry her bag. Lisa moved ahead of the rest of the band, unlocking the front door.
"Here we are, our home for the next week." Lisa pulled the door open and gestured inside. She held the door as the band entered.
Sayo was the third one in, taking in the branching hallway and stairwell that led upstairs. The house appeared just as large on the inside, with a high ceiling in the entranceway. She slipped her shoes off before stepping away from the door.
"Woah!" Ako's voice echoed through the space. "This is so cool!" She was already at the end of the hallway.
"Do we need something this large?" Yukina was part way down the hall.
Lisa shut the front door behind them. "Wait until you see the basement." She replied, not really answering Yukina's question. Sayo already knew what was down there, but it seemed like Lisa wanted it to be a surprise.
"The basement?" Yukina echoed back the words as a question, with one eyebrow arched.
"You'll see." Lisa winked.
Yukina's expression remained unchanged, but she seemed to accept that she wasn't going to get any further explanation. The group moved away from the door and into the rest of the house, splitting up to look around the first floor.
Sayo found herself in the kitchen, which was a large open space. It was even big enough that the five of them could cook in it at once. There was a large table in it, with enough seats for six people. She kept moving past it, looking in other rooms on the first floor. Sayo passed by the stairs that led down, but stayed on the first floor for now.
She found Rinko in one of the side rooms, placing her bag and keyboard on the carpet. There was a pile of futons in the corner, designating this as where they would sleep. A few other bags had already been left in the room. Sayo followed suit, setting her belongings along the wall.
Sayo followed Rinko back out of the room, continuing to look around. They ended up back in the kitchen, where Yukina and Lisa were leaning against the counter. Ako appeared a moment later.
"Ready to see the basement?" Lisa asked, eyes glinting mischievously.
"Yes!" Ako pumped one fist in the air. Yukina just nodded in reply.
Lisa led the band to the stairs, flicking the lights on dramatically before she descended. There was a door at the bottom, which she pushed open.
When Sayo reached the bottom, she stepped out into the basement. The space in front of her was partitioned into two rooms, with large windows between them. The first room, where they entered in, had desks, computers, and a sound panel along the shared wall. A door led to the other side.
Through the glass, Sayo could see a complete drum set. There was also a large microphone hanging from the ceiling, near the windows.
This must've been the music studio that was part of the rental. There was more technology down here than Sayo expected. She looked over at Yukina, curious about her reaction. Yukina's expression was still calm, but a hint of excitement gleamed in her eyes.
"When you said it had plenty of room for practice, this was not what I anticipated." Sayo commented dryly, earning a chuckle from Lisa in response.
Rinko proceeded through the door to the other side, marveling at the space.
"You were right about the basement." Yukina said bluntly, moving towards the computers. "Can we record in here?" Ah, that was a good question. It had been a long time since they recorded any music, since it was hard to get studio time when they were all available. Their lack of new songs contributed to that too, though Sayo didn't like to think about that.
"We can." Lisa joined her by the computer, hitting a button to boot it up. "The entire studio is ours for the week."
Yukina looked satisfied with that answer. "We should make sure to use it." Sayo agreed; with a studio available there was a lot that they could do. They wouldn't have time to mix tracks properly, but they could record while they were here and polish the recordings later.
Of course, to do that they would need something to record.
Sayo made a mental note for now, to bring up as part of making the schedule. She stepped away from the pair to head to the other room, where Ako had joined Rinko. The two stood near the drum set, admiring the different drums on it.
"This will be… great for rehearsal." Rinko commented as Sayo approached.
Sayo nodded. "Yes, we can even record here." She shared what she heard from Lisa.
Rinko's eyes widened slightly, while Ako grinned. "We'll make something full of magic." Ako declared, sweeping one arm over her face. Rinko nodded in agreement.
The band stayed down in the studio for a few more minutes, looking at what else was available before heading back upstairs.
It was getting close to lunch time, so the group decided to split up. Sayo, Lisa, and Yukina stayed to work on the schedule while Ako and Rinko walked to the nearby market to get some ingredients. They made a quick list of what they needed, before heading out.
Sayo took a seat at the table in the kitchen, taking out her phone to mark things on the shared calendar. Their arrival and departure dates were already on it.
Lisa sat across from Sayo, while Yukina took the seat to Sayo's right. That struck her as unusual, as the pair would usually sit together. They hadn't sat together on the train either. Sayo suspected that this was another symptom of whatever was going on with them. She didn't add it to the calendar, but it was on her list for the week.
"We should focus on rehearsing tomorrow." Yukina got the ball rolling, starting the scheduling conversation.
Sayo was looking forward to what the week would bring.