Author Note: While I was away, Roselia's third band story was released. I read a summary, but it will not be influencing this fic in any way.
With only two members in the studio, the room was quiet. That suited Rinko just fine, as she needed to focus completely on the lyrics Yukina presented to her.
When Sayo told her that they would take the morning off practicing to work on writing a new song, Rinko had fully supported the idea. Now was the perfect time to do so, especially since they could record the song this week.
It turned out Yukina had rejected the board game last night to work on the lyrics, since she still needed to put the final touches on them. It was disappointing that she couldn't play, but when Lisa returned and eagerly joined, the mood turned around.
The other three band members were upstairs this morning, though Rinko didn't know what they were doing. They hadn't decided yet when she left, and she couldn't hear them from the studio. Sayo was going to help with the guitar parts once they had the base of the song done, which would probably be by tomorrow.
Now, with the band split up, it was time to create the song. When Yukina handed Rinko the lyrics, she admitted that she hadn't been able to complete them until last night. Right now, here at the training camp, was the only time she could've written them.
The title line for the song was blank. The lyrics spoke of the unification of the band, they way that they came together to seek the top. Each member had a line during the second half of the verse, leading to them all singing together. The lines of the chorus carried a similar message, looking up and towards the future.
They were great lyrics. Rinko's thoughts went to the song she'd been working on, playing the melody in her mind. She tried to slot the words in, but it wasn't going to work. That melody didn't quite fit these lyrics.
No, she would need to create something new.
Rinko looked up from the notebook, which was perched on a music stand behind her keyboard, eyes meeting Yukina's. The singer had been watching her read with steady golden eyes, waiting for her reaction.
"D-do you have a tempo in mind?" Rinko asked, not giving her judgement yet on the lyrics.
Yukina's forehead wrinkled as she thought of a reply. "On the faster side, I think over 180 would be best." Most of their music was around that tempo, so it made sense. It also matched what Rinko expected; she was right to set aside her other melody.
She leaned forward to click on the metronome that was part of her keyboard, turning the dial up to 180 beats per minute. Rinko reviewed the lyrics again as she listened to it, toe tapping in half time.
Yukina had her hands together in her lap, finger tapping lightly with each beat. Her eyes were narrowed as she focused.
Rinko let the metronome play for a couple minutes, turning over a few potential melodies in her mind. When she glanced back at Yukina, the vocalist had a distinct gleam in her eye. It seemed like she had an idea. Rinko clicked the metronome off.
"How about this, in 4/4 time." Yukina didn't wait, jumping right into presenting her idea. She sang a two measure phrase, much slower than the tempo they were just listening to. She sang in a major key signature, Rinko would need to ask exactly which one. It used a quarter note followed by half notes in the first measure, and then a syncopated rhythm in the second. The tune went up and down with each note, ending on a lower one.
Rinko played it on her keyboard, matching the notes Yukina sang as closely as she could. Yukina nodded, offering a tweak to one of the notes and clarifying the key signature. It sounded even better the second time.
"This could work... on the verses." Rinko handed the lyric sheet back to Yukina, and then played the tune slowly multiple times in a row. Yukina joined on the second set, singing the portion where the band members counted off. It lined up well, and with a few more tweaks it would be perfect.
The pair stopped, with Rinko grabbing her blank sheet music to jot the phrase down.
Next, they modified it to fit the earlier part of the verse. It wasn't quite as urgent, and didn't need as many half notes. After that came the melody of the chorus, which called for a new tune. It could use some of the same notes as the verse, but needed to do a lot more lifting.
They tried a few different melodic lines until they found one that worked and matched well with the verses. It conveyed the emotion of the lyrics as well, lifting the notes and the band higher.
With those three core aspects decided, the two split up for half an hour to work independently. Yukina needed to decide how she would sing the song, while Rinko prepared the first rough draft of the melody on sheet music.
Rinko worked carefully on her task, connecting the portions together. The second verse and bridge would still need more foundation, but they were off to a good start. Maybe Sayo would want to help with the bridge, beyond writing just the guitar part for it. She made a mental note to ask her.
Rinko was able to finish the draft in the half hour designated, then prepared to play it with Yukina. They worked their way through the piece slowly, stopping every few measures to make corrections.
It was a good idea to write a new song; the band needed one. They would keep working until lunch, writing the rest of the melody and adding other instruments. The song was slowly coming together.
As she played, Rinko wondered what was going on upstairs.
Training camp was a great time to try new things. Ako truly believed that, from the bottom of her heart. So when Rinko and Yukina split off to work on a new song, that opened up a morning full of opportunities.
Though they couldn't go far from the house, there was still so much they could do! They could play games or go on an adventure. This house must have had some secrets it was hiding, if Ako only looked close enough to find them. They could also bake, or perhaps compose a song of their own. That would really surprise Rinko and Yukina.
As the other two members went down to the studio, Ako proposed these ideas to Lisa and Sayo. She was excited, regardless of which one was chosen.
The three were standing in a circle in the kitchen, near the main table.
"It's been a while since we baked together." Sayo lifted one hand to her chin as she considered the idea. "Not since last fall."
"Baking sounds like a great idea!" Lisa voiced her agreement. Both of them baked as a hobby, so it made sense that they would pick it.
Sayo frowned slightly. "It might help with the mood too." Her eyes flicked towards the stairs leading to the studio.
"Yeah…" Lisa sighed, smile slipping away as her voice trailing off.
Ako wasn't sure what they meant; the mood had been way better over the last couple days. "What should we make?" She wasn't that familiar with baking. Sure, she'd eaten many a baked good in her time, but she didn't have much experience making them. Despite that, she was eager to jump in and learn.
"How about cookies?" Sayo's attention snapped to Ako as she replied, taking her phone out of her pocket and looking down at the screen. "There's a new recipe I've been meaning to try." She tapped multiple times on the screen.
A moment later Ako's phone buzzed; Sayo had sent her the link. Lisa must've received it too, since she also looked at her phone. Ako opened the recipe and scrolled through it, skimming the ingredients list and directions. It was for sugar cookies, ones that could be cut into fun shapes.
"This looks doable." Lisa commented as she did the same. "We might need a few more ingredients."
Oh, that would be the adventure Ako was looking for. "Let's go shopping!" She raised one fist in the air.
"We should." Sayo stepped over to the fridge, opening it to look inside. "I'll make a list of what we still need." She started typing again on her phone.
Lisa stepped up next to her to peer inside. "We can make the frosting too, add confectioner's sugar to the list." Ako hadn't heard of that, but it had the words sugar in it, so it was probably tasty.
"Alright."
"Ooh, let's get some food dye too." Ako could already picture the cool cookies she'd make, in shape of bats or instruments. Colored frosting would make them even better.
Lisa shot back a thumbs up, stepping back from the fridge. She moved over to the cabinet, looking inside at the baking supplies available. Sayo followed a moment later. Ako didn't know what they were looking for, so she waited right where she was.
A minute later, and they seemed satisfied with what they saw. Sayo led the way out of the kitchen and back to the front door, where they put their shoes on and ventured out into the world.
The market was only a ten minute walk from the house, a journey Ako had made already a few times. The trio walked there with ease, making small talk about the weather.
They quickly gathered the needed items once inside, which included the confectioner's sugar, vanilla extract, and food dye, along with other ingredients.
Once they had bought everything, they walked back to the house. The bags were split between the three, with Ako carrying two of them.
Soon, they were re-entering the house and setting the ingredients down in the kitchen. Ako listened to see if she could hear the piano, since it had been a while since they got started downstairs, but the studio was too good at keeping sound in.
"We'll start with the cookie dough, then make the frosting while it chills." Lisa said, taking charge with her high-level baking knowledge. She washed her hands at the sink, which was probably a good idea. Sayo went next, followed by Ako.
"I'll start mixing dry ingredients." Sayo said after drying her hands. She took a large bowl out of the cupboard and settled on one of the counters.
"That means we have the wet ones." Lisa took a smaller bowl from the same cupboard, moving to a counter away from Sayo. "Ako, can you grab a spatula?" She pointed to one of the drawers on the other side of the kitchen.
Of course she could do that! Ako stepped around the other two to reach the drawer, opening it to look for the desired object. Surprisingly, there were a few different colored spatulas to choose from, but she settled on a black one. At the other counter, Sayo was very carefully measuring the flour.
When Ako got back to Lisa, her friend had already gathered a few of the wet ingredients. "That's perfect." She said, eyeing the spatula Ako clenched in one fist. "I'll add ingredients while you stir."
"Sounds good!" Ako stepped in front of the bowl as Lisa moved to the side, plunging her spatula down inside it. There already was an egg cracked at the bottom, so Ako began to stir it. Each time her spatula scaped the side, she imagined the echo of a cymbal hit.
As she stirred, Lisa dropped in more ingredients. The vanilla was easy to mix in, while the butter was tougher. Ako kept at it, stirring the mixture firmly. This wasn't so hard; she could totally do this! Soon, it had reached a consistent texture.
Lisa had been standing aside, and she leaned over the bowl to take a look. "Looks great Ako!" She then turned to Sayo. "Are the dry ingredients ready?"
There was a bit of white dust in Sayo's hair, clinging to the ends of it. She was dumping one last teaspoon of powder into her mixture. "Just finished." She picked the large bowl up, bringing it over the Lisa and Ako.
"Let's combine them." Lisa gestured for Ako to pass her the spatula, which she did as she stepped back from the bowl. With apparent ease, Lisa lifted the smaller bowl and poured the contents into the larger one. She then stuck the spatula inside and began to stir. Sayo took the smaller bowl to wash, while Ako moved closer to peer at the mixture.
"It already looks great." Ako commented.
"They're gonna be delicious." Lisa stirred carefully, mixing the ingredients together. The dough was thick and clung to the spatula.
When Sayo finished washing the bowl, she looked in the cupboard again. Ako hopped over to see if she needed any help. Sayo emerged with a box of wax paper, which she unrolled onto one of the counters. "We'll need two." She said, tearing the first piece off and offering it to Ako.
Ako held it tightly as Sayo tore another one off, and soon both were ready. It was good timing, since Lisa was just about done mixing the dough. They brought the paper over to her counter, since the bowl was harder to move. Sayo gained a rolling pin along the way.
Ako marveled at how in sync Sayo and Lisa were in the kitchen. She knew they had baked together before, but it was still amazing to watch them work together.
"Ako, have you rolled dough before?" Lisa asked as she took the sheet of wax paper from the teen, spreading it on the table.
"Nope." Ako replied honestly. She was eager to try.
"No better time to learn." Lisa scooped some of the dough out with her hands, placing it on the wax paper. She only took about half of it out, before taking the second sheet from Sayo. It was placed on top of the dough, leaving it pressed between the two. "Sayo'll guide you, she's an expert."
Sayo's cheeks dusted pink at that, but she didn't comment on it. "Let's get started then." She handed the rolling pin to Ako, showing her how to hold it on both sides. "Don't press too hard. We're aiming for one quarter inch, not completely flat."
Ako grit her teeth in determination as she lowered the rolling pin down onto the dough pile. She slowly rolled over the top of it, carefully pushing it down.
"You can push a little harder." Sayo was right by her side, watching her every move.
Ako did as instructed, applying more pressure to the dough. The rolling pin moved over it smoothly, steadily making it flatter and flatter. It was easy with the wax paper, since the pin couldn't stick to the dough. She rolled rhythmically, two beats up and two beats back. A rhythm formed in her mind, around the movement of the pin.
Once she thought it was close, she stopped. Ako leaned over to look at the thickness, trying to decide if this was one quarter inch. She had no idea; it was super hard to tell.
Sayo had leaned down on the other side, checking the same thing. "A little more." She said as her final judgement.
With just a few more sweeps of the rolling pin, the first half was done. Ako beamed as she lifted the rolling pin off, marveling at what they'd made. Behind her, Lisa had appeared with a baking sheet. She placed the tray next to it, removed the top wax paper layer, then flipped it expertly onto the tray. Once Lisa took the tray away, it was time to roll the rest of the dough.
"I'll do the second half." Sayo said as she started scooping the remaining dough onto the paper. "If you don't mind washing the bowl."
"I'm on it!" Once the dough was all out, Ako took the bowl over to the sink. It really was a large bowl, but she shouldn't have too much trouble cleaning it.
By the time she was done, the front of her shirt was drenched and the second set of dough was ready. Lisa transferred it to a second baking sheet to put in the fridge with the other one.
"In an hour, we can cut them into shapes." Lisa declared as she shut the fridge. "Let's do the frosting for now."
"What colors are we making?" Sayo asked, taking the food dye they'd bought out of the bag.
"Black and white for sure." Ako wanted to make sure of it, so she could make cool bat cookies and a piano for Rinko.
"Blue and red too, if you're alright with making four." Lisa directed her words at Sayo.
"That's fine, we'll just divide it before we add the food dye." Sayo retrieved the small bowl, the one Ako stirred the wet ingredients in before.
They soon had prepared all four colors of frosting, which Ako just had to sample to see if they tasted the same. Unsurprisingly, they did.
The cookie dough had chilled long enough by that point, so they cut it into shapes and then put it in the oven.
Ako watched through the tiny window as the cookies baked, eager to frost them. She was even more excited to see Rinko and Yukina's reactions when they received them.
She hoped the song writing was going well downstairs.
Lisa carried the small bag carefully in her hand. The plastic was clear, showing the handmade goods inside.
Making cookies earlier had been a fantastic idea, exactly what Lisa needed. The recipe Sayo found was a good one; she would make some after training camp to give to Ai. That was a thought for later though.
For now, she had hoped that the band resyncing would improve Yukina's mood, but so far it hadn't been going that well. Over the last few days Yukina was still hard to talk to, even as the band thrived. They'd talked about music, of course, but outside of that it almost felt like Yukina was avoiding her. Even during rehearsal that afternoon, Yukina hardly looked her way. Perhaps she was still worried about the band, about what would happen after the training camp.
Tonight, with these cookies, Lisa hoped to change that. If Yukina refused to talk with her, the cookies were her way in. Even if their relationship wasn't going to evolve, she would never allow their friendship to fall apart.
This led Lisa to where she was now, standing in the hallway of the rented house. Yukina had excused herself from the room a few minutes before, taking her headphones and notebook out to the main part of the house. Lisa watched her go, before deciding to follow. She took the bag of cookies with her, the ones she decorated specifically for Yukina.
As Lisa lurked in the hallway, watching Yukina as she sat at the main kitchen table, she felt hesitation creeping into her mind. Doubt, one of her worst enemies, whispered in her ear. Was it right to keep forcing Yukina to talk to her if she didn't want to? It had to be her fault too, that their relationship was declining. Was this really for the best?
No, she shouldn't think like that. Lisa snapped herself out of it, shaking her head firmly. Yukina valued their friendship as much as she did; she knew that. Even with everything that had changed, she was doing the right thing by trying to preserve it.
With that in mind, Lisa stepped out of the hallway and into the kitchen. Yukina had her eyes on her notebook, headphones over her ears. She was reading something as she listened, following along with her finger. It must've been the new song. Lisa sat across from her at the table and held the cookie bag out of sight underneath it. Yukina's eyes slowly came up from the paper, locking on Lisa's.
For a moment, Lisa just looked at her. Yukina, her best friend in the world, was holding her gaze with a mildly confused look. Her eyebrows came together slowly, silently asking a question.
"Do you have a minute?" Lisa asked rather than explaining, internally cringing at how awkward of a question that was.
Yukina nodded, lifting her headphones over her ears and setting them on the table. "Is something wrong?" Her voice was level.
"No, um, not really." That wasn't quite the truth, but Lisa didn't want to continue the conversation down that path. "I just, wanted to talk to you."
Yukina broke eye contact, looking at a spot over Lisa's shoulder. "I see." She said unhelpfully. She had closed herself off, as she so often did.
Lisa was undeterred. "How did song writing go today?"
"Rinko is very talented." Was what Yukina said in reply, now directing her gaze back down to the notebook. She didn't elaborate.
"Of course!" Lisa provided the energy for both of them. "She's Roselia's pianist after all."
Yukina didn't respond, instead fidgeting with the corner of her notebook.
Lisa watched her, took in every little motion. A minute passed, the tension in the air only growing. Usually they could sit in comfortable silence, but today neither was comfortable. Lisa had too much she needed to say. She just had to bring herself to say it.
"Is that all?" Yukina asked the question without looking up, her tone cold. Despite the chill to her words, there was a hint of insecurity. It pushed Lisa forward.
"No, it isn't." Lisa took a deep breath to center herself, her hand tightening on the bag. "You know I'm here for you, right? Don't push me away." She fought to keep her voice steady, to not let loose the emotions boiling beneath the surface. Gold eyes came back to hers, smoldering with unreadable sentiment. "Whether Roselia continues or not, I'll stay by your side. No matter what happens, I will always be your friend." That was a line full of mixed feelings. It hurt, to again admit that they would never be more than friends. It was also a relief, to finally express some of how she felt to Yukina.
Yukina's expression flashed to something Lisa couldn't quite place as she processed the words, mouth opening as if to speak. She inhaled, then exhaled without saying anything. Then, as if realizing something, Yukina's expression snapped back to composed. It took her a few more seconds to reply. "I'm sorry I've been short with you." She practically muttered; it was rare for her to apologize. Lisa's heart throbbed in her chest. "I'll remember that. I'm your friend too."
That was all Lisa wanted. She felt tears welling up in her eyes with relief, but quickly rubbed them away with her free hand. Yukina looked alarmed and moved to stand, but Lisa waved for her to stay seated. She was so endearing when she tried to help. "I'm glad." Lisa said, again wiping one forming tear.
"Do you need a tissue? I'll get one." Yukina offered, speaking faster than usual.
Lisa shook her head, already recovering. "No, I'm fine now." It was still a lie, but much less of one than what she said before. The plastic bag crinkled between her fingers, reminding her of its presence. She still needed to give it to her. "I almost forgot; these are for you." Lisa lifted the bag of cookies, reaching across the table to hold them out to Yukina.
Yukina's golden eyes widened with surprise as she reached up to accept the bag. "Thank you." She replied politely, tugging at the ribbon to open the plastic. Lisa could hear her inhale sharply when she saw what was inside.
These cookies were in the shape of small blue roses, with careful frosting work to match. The lines were done in black so that it was clear exactly what they were supposed to be. It had been a test of her frosting skills, but she thought they turned out well. Lisa made them while Ako and Sayo made tiny keyboard cookies.
Yukina's expression softened as she carefully took one out of the bag, setting it on the table to get a better look at it. "I love them, they're almost too good to eat." She raised one eyebrow with the second half.
Lisa laughed at that, unable to resist Yukina's jokes. "You'd better eat them." She chuckled, drawing a smile from Yukina.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Yukina picked her headphones up from where they rested on the table. "Do you want to listen to the new song demo?"
That was an easy one. "Yes, for sure." Lisa reached over to take the headphones, slipping them over her head. With a slight tug to extend them, they fit easily over her ears. Yukina moved over the lyrics as well, so Lisa could follow along. "Do you have a title yet?" Lisa asked before Yukina could start the music, noticing that there wasn't one at the top of the page.
"No, not yet." Yukina replied, then hit a button on her phone. The piano track played in Lisa's ears, along with Yukina's singing. It sounded slow, likely not at tempo. Even at the lower tempo, it carried a high level of energy.
Yukina's voice sounded strong, carrying the song from start to finish. Lisa had always loved her singing, loved watching her perform. She'd always loved her, though she was trying to avoid that thought.
For now, as the song finished in her ears and Yukina slowly ate one of the blue rose cookies, they would continue to be best friends. They would continue to play in Roselia together.
For now, that was enough.
End note: I listened to a metronome again for this.
I have decided on a total chapter count, since I now know how many more training camp chapters there will be and how many chapters are planned after that. If I need to change it I will, but 30 is the anticipated final chapter count.
This chapter, and the mini arc as a whole, got away from me in a big way. Two more chapters then we're back to our regularly scheduled programming. I hope you are still enjoying it, and thanks for reading!