Lisa accepted the sheet music gently, carefully grasping it with both hands. It contained the precious song her bandmates wrote, that Yukina, Rinko, and Sayo worked together to complete. They wrote the guitar part and put the final touches on it the day before, writing it all down onto sheet music. Now, on the last full day of training camp, they would start to practice it.
Lisa looked over the song carefully, making note of the time and key signatures. There were a lot of sharps to keep track of for this one; she'd need to remember them. The tempo was fast as well, as expected of a Roselia song. At the top it said, in Yukina's handwriting, new song – bass.
As for the bass line, it matched the fast pace of the song. Though she hadn't played it yet, Lisa could tell that the bass would be a key part in building the energy of the piece. She read through it slowly, imagining the fingerings needed to hit each note. The lyrics were written below, underlined where she would sing.
Around the studio, her bandmates were also examining the music. They each had their sheet music in hand, eyes down on the new song. One of Ako's hands bobbed as she looked it over, toe tapping on the ground as well. Sayo's eyes were narrowed, already looking dissatisfied with what she saw. Rinko was picking up her piano case, while Yukina was still completely focused on the music.
The plan for the morning was to divide their time. First they would split up and learn their parts, then practice the song all together. Final adjustments would be made as a group, solidifying the music.
After lunch, if the song was ready, they would record it. That was a big if, but Lisa was confident that they would succeed. They'd worked hard all week to get to this point; they wouldn't falter at the last hurdle.
Lisa grabbed her bass so she could head upstairs, assuming that Ako would keep the studio since the drums were there. Rinko followed her up to the main part of the house, where they split to separate rooms. She assumed that Sayo and Yukina would be up soon.
Once again, Lisa found herself in a side room of the rental house. This was the same room she practiced in before, on the second day of training camp. It felt like weeks had passed since then, as the band performed for each other, rehearsed, and improved.
The last time Lisa set up in this room, she'd felt overwhelmed with emotion. Stress over the training camp, concern for Yukina, and worries about her own playing combined into a jumbled web that had occupied her mind. Lisa had strived to focus in spite of the conflict within, and prepared her piece to perform.
Today, as she placed a foldable music stand in almost the exact same spot, she felt completely different. Lisa set the sheet music on it slowly, making sure it wouldn't fall, then put a metronome on the stand with it. She took out her bass and tuned each string as she prepared to play.
She was ready to work on the new song, ready to lift the band even higher. Her relationships in the band, both positive and negative, were not going to impact her playing. After patching things up with Yukina, Lisa was certain of that.
As Lisa plucked the first few notes of the song, she felt calm, yet determined. This was the start of a new era. As Roselia's bassist, she would do her best to meet the challenge and help the band move forward.
The new song proved to have a few difficult passages, which Lisa initially played below tempo. She focused on different sections of the song, playing them steadily faster. As she suspected from reading the music, the bass line was prominent at points where the song built energy.
She changed a few of the notes as she worked, writing down the desired tweaks so she could talk to the others about them. She was sure they would have some suggestions of their own.
By the end of the designated time, Lisa had successfully played the song through a few times at tempo. There were a couple trouble spots that would need more work, but that was always the case. She'd focus on them during the whole group rehearsal and keep polishing her technique.
On her way back to the studio, Lisa passed by where Yukina was rehearsing. The door was firmly shut, but Lisa could still hear her. Even muffled, Yukina's singing sounded crisp.
Lisa glanced at her phone to confirm that she had the right time, then knocked on the door. The singing immediately stopped, followed a moment later by Yukina pulling the door open. Behind her, Lisa could see a music stand with multiple sheets of paper.
"Time to go back." Lisa said, tilting her head slightly in the direction of the stairs.
Yukina's eyes widened minutely, before returning to normal. She nodded once, without checking the time. "I'll be there in a minute." She turned away, going back to her music stand.
Lisa took a step away from the door, reaching the other wall of the narrow hallway, and waited. She watched Yukina's back as she gathered her papers.
Yukina folded her music stand, then turned back towards the door. She held her head high and strode through it, turning down the hallway without pausing. "Let's go." She said, leading the way back towards the studio. Lisa followed, lips curved up in a small smile. Despite everything that had changed, the way Yukina carried herself with confidence wasn't one of them.
After descending the stairs, they found the rest of the band already there. Lisa and Yukina joined them in setting up, and soon they began to rehearse the new song.
They played each section of the song separately, taking time between to discuss changes. Lisa offered her note suggestions, which were agreed upon by the others. They worked their way through each part, until they reached the end.
At that point, they decided to take a five-minute break. This was good, because Lisa really needed to stretch her fingers again. They sat down on the chairs they'd used a few days prior, chatting about the song.
"Do we have any ideas for the name?" Sayo asked, having brought her sheet music with her for the break.
"Hmm…" Ako scrunched up her forehead as she thought, bringing one hand to her chin. "How about Keep Going?" She referenced one of the lines in the song, which the four instrumentalists sang together.
Lisa considered it; it wasn't bad, but she was sure they could think of something better. "I think you're on the right track." She said, leaning over to peek at the lyrics on Sayo's music.
"Perhaps something more stylized, like Never-ending Passion." Rinko offered, morphing Ako's suggestion. It was certainly closer to the band's aesthetic.
Yukina muttered the new offer under her breath, mouth set in a firm line. Her eyes were locked somewhere in the distance as she thought; she didn't seem to like the idea.
"Is it passion?" Lisa asked, turning the words over in her mind. "Or something closer to pride?" That was what she felt as she progressed through the song earlier, pride in her playing and in what the band had achieved.
Yukina's eyes snapped to her, clear in the studio light. "It matches well, pride."
"Never-ending Pride?" Sayo's voice inflected up as if it were a question. They were getting closer.
Yukina shook her head. "How about Zeal of Proud." These words were in English, unlike the prior suggestions.
Lisa couldn't remember what zeal meant, but it had a cool sound to it. Most of their music had titles in English, so it made sense for this one to do the same.
Around her, her bandmates were nodding. They agreed that it was a good title, and that's what they'd call the song.
They got up a minute later, ready to resume rehearsal. Lisa erased the temporary title on her sheet music and replaced it with Zeal of Proud. She'd find out later from Yukina that it was actually spelled ZEAL of proud, but for now this was fine.
Roselia continued practicing their new song, playing it through many times and polishing it until it shined. It would show off their pride as they surged once again towards the peak.
Yukina fiddled with the controls once again, adjusting the balance of each microphone. She was alone on this side of the glass, with the rest of the band in the studio. Lisa kept coming out to help her with the technology, but recording the song was proving easier said than done.
After lunch, they decided to use the studio to record. Even if the song wasn't quite polished, this would give them a decent sounding baseline for it. It would also provide a good landmark, a way to track their progress from this point on.
They would start with the instruments together, then record the vocals using the instrument track. That would produce a good sounding song, but it meant that Yukina needed to run the recording for the first step.
Now she stood, grimacing down at the wide variety of knobs and slowly moving one of them two centimeters to the left. The last attempt had been close, if only she could get it just right.
"Okay, try again." She spoke into the microphone that let her voice be heard in the studio, and Lisa shot a thumbs up back.
The band had been playing the first thirty seconds of the song over and over again while Yukina tried to get the microphones balanced. They had already played it at least five times; Yukina wasn't counting. The combination of computer program and physical knobs was throwing her off, but hopefully this time it would work.
Once again she clicked the button to record as Ako counted them off, starting the song from the beginning. They stopped at the same place as before and Yukina clicked the button to end it. She then selected the new recording to play it, with the familiar sound filling the room. As it played, Sayo and Lisa came through the studio door.
"How is it?" Sayo asked, stopping next to her to look at the computer screen.
Yukina waited to respond, listening to the rest of the recording. It sounded better so far, not unbalanced like it had been before. A wave of relief swept over her, though she didn't let it show on her face.
"I think it's good now." Lisa had been listening too, with her eyes shut. "Great job Yukina!"
"Yes, this should work." Yukina brushed off the compliment and made a mental note of where each knob was, so she could put them back if something got bumped.
Sayo stepped back from the computer. "Perfect, let's get started." She walked back to the studio door, with Lisa following behind. They shut the door behind them and retook their spots in the band. They exchanged a few words with the others, though Yukina couldn't hear what they were saying.
Once they were ready, Sayo signaled to Yukina.
She signaled back, then started recording as the band began to play. This time they played the whole song, from start to finish. Yukina listened closely to each part, to the way her band came together. The quality of this performance, of a song they just started learning today and had not mastered, was already more unified than their stage at the summer festival.
Yukina let the music wash over her, as she watched her band play through the glass. She found the song name they chose fitting, as it matched her pride in the band and in their music.
When they reached the end of the song, she ended the recording correctly.
Yukina waited a moment before playing it, since her bandmates were putting down their instruments. They all came through the studio door, crowding around to listen to their song. Yukina played the recording, and they listened to it all the way through.
The audio balance was still good, which was a relief. Each instrument could be heard clearly, none overpowering the others. If they wanted to rerecord it, all Yukina would need to do is start and stop the program.
After listening to it a couple times, they did want to rerecord it. Each band member had a different reason, but they all wanted to try again. Yukina had no reason to oppose them; they had the rest of the day to make this song perfect.
It took about an hour worth of recordings until they were satisfied. Yukina approved of the final take as well, happy with how the song had developed.
Then, it was her turn to record. They would start with the main vocals, then do the other solos and group vocals last. By doing so, they could layer Yukina's voice in first.
She set up one microphone in the studio, with the rest of the band out in the booth. Wired earphones ran to the wall, where the recording they just finished would play in her ears.
When the music began, Yukina sang directly into the microphone.
She sang the lyrics with the passion she felt while writing them, with the pride she felt in her band. She hoped that this new song would help lift the band higher, as its lyrics promised.
Yukina recorded her part many times, adjusting her technique with each subsequent attempt. She matched the energy of the band, which was captured perfectly earlier.
This song was the first step of their next journey.
Ako pulled her bag behind her as she trailed at the back of the group. Her bag had all the same stuff in it as before, but it had been a lot harder to zip shut for the trip home. Tomoe made it look easy when she showed her how to put the game boxes in. Oh well, as long as it closed then it was fine.
Earlier that morning, Ako had said goodbye to the rental house. She bid farewell to the drum set, the room where they slept, and the kitchen where they baked together. She had only been there a week, but it had been a good temporary home.
It had been a long week, full of playing and other band activities. By the time they finished recording the song yesterday, the whole band had been exhausted. Even though Ako wanted to stay longer, she also knew it was time to go home. They packed up and left the next morning, leaving a nice thank you note and plate of cookies for the owner.
Now the band was traveling through the train station, where they would catch the train home.
Since this station was just one stop on the line, rather than the starting point, they needed to be on the platform at exactly the right time. Once on board, the train would take them all the way back into the city. Ako hoped to sit on the other side of the train, so she could see a whole new view.
On the way home, she also planned to listen to the new song. Yukina had sent out a copy of the file to every band member, which Ako eagerly saved to her phone's song archive.
The train came right on time, so Ako followed her bandmates on. They were able to find a few rows together, where they could sit near each other.
Once they were settled, Ako followed through on her goal. She plugged her earbuds in and listened to Zeal of Proud, absorbing the song as the scenery flashed by. Her own drum work played in her ears, layered together with the rest of the band.
While the band had achieved much in the last week, this song also directed them towards the future. She wasn't sure exactly what would come next. They would continue to work towards their goal, of course, but Ako wasn't sure what that would look like.
As she listened to the verse, to the voices of each of her bandmates, Ako wasn't worried. She knew Roselia could take on whatever challenge came their way.
End Note: Yes, I have stolen Zeal of proud. Google has informed me that it is in F# major, which contains F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, and E#. This would've killed me when I played strings. I used to mark the sharps and flats in the music so I wouldn't have to remember them.
We have reached the end of the training camp, with regular chapters to resume until the end of the fic. In the end training camp was about 20k words, which is probably too long to call it a mini arc. There are only 6 chapters left to go!