Sayo was working in her room on a new composition, as she often did these days. What had changed was the purpose of her creation.

Unlike her usual compositions, Sayo wasn't writing this one for homework. Instead, it was for a more personal reason.

It started when she wanted to branch out from what they were working on for school. While she had improved at conveying emotion through her compositions, she wondered if she could do even better. The pieces she composed for school were good, but in the end the motivation behind them had just been for a grade.

They weren't genuine and there was still something missing. At least, Sayo felt like there was. So, she sat down to try and compose, to create from her heart.

As expected, it was proving to be quite difficult.

At first Sayo strummed aimlessly on her guitar, seeking a melody or strong chord progression. That wasn't really working; nothing she played felt right. She felt aimless, like she wasn't making any progress.

Perhaps she needed some inspiration, something to base her music on. Most of Roselia's music was composed that way. Yukina created lyrics to represent the band and Rinko built melodies around them.

Thinking of the band sent a wave of irritation through Sayo, causing her to frown. She'd been trying and failing to put their behavior out of her mind. Her bandmates, particularly Yukina and Lisa, had been insufferable lately.

They had been dancing around their feelings since before Sayo met them, but recently it started to impact practice. Just recently Yukina had been too distracted to sing properly, so Sayo decided to help her out.

Of course, Yukina blew off her advice. Sayo wasn't sure why she bothered.

Lisa too had been acting strangely. Sayo had never known her to date or do anything other than what was best for the band. It was clearly hurting Yukina; Sayo didn't understand how Lisa couldn't see it.

The two of them really needed to talk through their feelings.

The notes from Sayo's guitar had strayed low, creating a darker sound. She stopped playing and shook her head, this wasn't the kind of song she wanted to compose.

Sayo refocused and searched for a new train of thought, something happier. Her hands shifted to a lighter sound as she thought about her other friends, Tsugumi in particular.

She had visited the Hazawa café last week and spent some time talking to Tsugumi. After some light banter about how they rarely saw each other these days, Sayo had promised to hang out sometime. She wasn't sure when that would be, but she would make sure it happened.

Sometimes there was music playing in the café, loud enough to be heard but soft enough to not disturb the guests. Typically it was songs from the 80's or 90's, ones Sayo wasn't familiar with. She didn't usually listen to it, but she still noticed it.

It suited the café well, but perhaps other music could work too.

Sayo wondered, if the café was a location in a video game, what kind of music would play there? Perhaps that would be something worth composing.

Her hands played a light melodic line, already way ahead of her thought process. The café would have a peaceful song, something that lifted the heart. That's how Sayo felt when she went there.

She continued to play, molding the melody to match that image. It took a while, but slowly she developed a tune. The more she played it, the surer she was in the melodic line.

Sayo played it through a few times and tweaked the notes, smiling as she pictured the café in her mind.

She went to her computer, which was already open at her desk, to write down the melody in the composition software. Once all the notes were in, she stepped away to keep playing.

Sayo kept working on the song for the next couple hours, adding a lead in chord progression and refining the tune. This topic proved to be strong inspiration for her.

After putting the final touches on the composition, Sayo decided to record it so she could listen to it. She set up her phone on her desk, turned the amp up, and hit record.

As Sayo played, glancing at the sheet music for reference, she imbued the performance with as much light as she could. She played it enthusiastically and with certainty.

When she finished, Sayo immediately clicked the recording to listen. She closed her eyes as the music played from the phone speaker. The café appeared in her mind as she listened, with Tsugumi in the center of it. She smiled brightly in the image, matching the mood of the music.

The composition still wasn't perfect, of course, but it accomplished what Sayo set out to do.

As the song finished, Sayo couldn't help but smile. She emailed a copy of the video to herself so she could save it with the sheet music.

As she dragged the file into the folder, she wondered if she should do more with it. Sayo hadn't wanted to share her previous compositions with anyone, but this one was different. Should she send it to Tsugumi?

Immediately, that thought warmed Sayo's cheeks. That would be far too embarrassing, she could never do it. What if Tsugumi didn't like it, or thought Sayo was overstepping by making it. Even if she did like it, the thought of letting her hear it sent butterflies fluttering in Sayo's stomach. She wasn't sure why, since she was happy with how the song turned out.

It didn't really make sense, but her hesitation was firm and off-putting.

No, she shouldn't share it.

Despite that thought, Sayo opened the video in an editing program. She exported the video as an MP3 and emailed it back to her phone.

Just in case.


With two whole hours available until band practice, Sayo had no doubts about what she wanted to do with her time.

She hadn't been to the Hazawa café in two weeks now, as she'd been bogged down with even more schoolwork than the first half of the semester. Sayo still spent some time texting Tsugumi, mostly catching up and chatting casually, but it wasn't the same as seeing her.

The guitar recording on Sayo's phone lived in the back of her mind since she recorded it. She almost texted it to Tsugumi during the week, almost hit the button to send it to her. She stopped herself. In the end she deleted it from the message, still not sure if she really wanted to share it.

It hung over her as she entered the café. Tsugumi greeted her with an enthusiastic wave, but she didn't have time to chat. It was busy today, with most of the tables occupied. Tsugumi was moving from table to table, completely composed despite how many customers there were.

Sayo took a seat at one of the few empty tables. She leaned her guitar on the table and took out one of her composition theory books while she waited; she wasn't in a hurry. Sayo read slowly, half watching Tsugumi move in her peripheral vision.

"Hi Sayo-san!" Tsugumi stopped by her table, wearing her usual apron and bright smile. "What would you like today?"

"Good afternoon." Sayo closed her book as she replied. "Just a cup of black tea, please." It would be a good choice for drinking slowly.

"You got it!"

Tsugumi vanished back to the kitchen, returning a moment later with a cup, pot of hot water, and selection of tea bags on a tray. She set it down on the table, before Sayo selected one and started to make her tea.

"It's busy here today." Sayo commented as she poured the hot water.

Tsugumi nodded, leaving the tray on the table for a minute. "It's been like this all week." She was still smiling, beaming at the bustling café. "I've been trying different types of advertising."

Oh, Sayo did remember seeing an advertisement for the café online recently. She hadn't realized that Tsugumi was the one creating them. "It's definitely working. You're doing a great job."

Sayo hardly believed it possible, but Tsugumi's smile somehow grew larger. "Thank you!" Perhaps Sayo's point of view was biased, but Tsugumi almost seemed to glow. Her eyes practically sparkled. Sayo's heart didn't usually beat this fast, or if did she didn't notice it. She felt an impulse to do something, say something, but she wasn't sure what.

Then, as quickly as the moment came, it passed. Tsugumi's attention was snagged by another patron, pulling her to the other side of the café.

Sayo took a deep breath to center herself, going back to her book. She finished steeping her tea as she read, then drank it slowly.

For a while, Sayo stayed at the café. She exchanged words occasionally with Tsugumi when the teen had a few moments free. Tsugumi shared that she'd been working on advertising for the last couple months, starting with local newspapers. It wasn't until she went with targeted ads online that she saw these levels of success.

It was a good idea; Sayo wondered if they could sell Roselia cd's that way too. She'd run it by Yukina later.

After an hour had passed, the crowd in the café started to thin out. It was getting later in the afternoon, farther away from the typical teatime and closer to dinner. Sayo had about half an hour until she needed to leave, so she could be early to practice.

"How's Roselia been doing?" Tsugumi had more time to talk with less patrons in the café. She was standing near Sayo's table, turned so that she could keep an eye on the other tables.

Sayo decided to focus on the whole band in her answer, instead of her frustrations with her bandmates. "Not bad. We've been trying to practice more often; it's been hard since midterms." It was hard before then too, but Sayo didn't mention that.

"I can imagine." Tsugumi was frowning slightly. Sayo wondered what she was thinking about.

"I'm headed there next." Sayo replied, gesturing to where her guitar still leaned on the table.

Tsugumi glanced at it, then back at Sayo. The corner of her lips lifted as she spoke. "Do you have any performances coming up? I'd love to come watch!"

Now Sayo was the one frowning. The band hadn't performed all semester, with all of their classes and schedule conflicts it hadn't worked out. It left an uneasy feeling in her gut. "There's nothing planned right now, but I'll let you know."

"I'll look forward to it!"

The bell on the door signaled the entrance of another customer, drawing Tsugumi away. Sayo watched her go, shaking off her feelings from the prior conversation.

She had to leave soon, to be early enough to band practice. There was one section she needed to practice ahead of time. Sayo probably had time to share a few more words with Tsugumi before she left.

Sayo remembered the composition, that she had loaded onto her phone. As she watched Tsugumi interact with the new customer, she again wondered if she should share it with her.

Hadn't it been written for the café? Didn't she write it with Tsugumi in mind? If she was going to get better at compositions, she needed to be more comfortable with sharing her creations.

With Tsugumi here, less than ten meters away, it was easier for Sayo to make a decision.

When Tsugumi returned, after bringing a pastry and drink to the other customer, Sayo pulled her phone out. "I've been working on a new composition; would you like to hear it?" She asked, giving Tsugumi the chance to say no.

Sayo knew that Tsugumi wasn't the kind of person who would do that. "Of course."

Sayo opened her texts with Tsugumi and selected the song to send it. "I wrote it with the café in mind." She said as she hit the send button, letting the composition leave her sole control.

"That's great, I'll listen to it after my shift." Tsugumi tapped her pocket, where her phone had just buzzed.

"Thank you." Sayo wasn't sure why she was thanking her, to settle her nerves perhaps. She put her phone away and took out her wallet. It was time to get going.

After paying, Sayo exchanged a goodbye with Tsugumi and left the café. She went to practice, trying not to worry about what Tsugumi thought of her composition.

It wasn't until later, in the middle of practice, that she found out.

Right in the middle of Neo Aspect, Sayo's phone buzzed multiple times in a row. Her heart rate spiked as it did, but she stayed composed and finished the song before checking it. She ignored the way Yukina's eyes narrowed as she pulled her phone out. As expected, the texts were from Tsugumi.

"The song is amazing!" A few heart emojis followed the message. "Sayo-san I love it!" Another text had immediately followed. "It matches the café perfectly!" There was a minute long gap before the fourth message. "Sorry about sending multiple messages, I got way too excited. I really like it, thank you for sharing it with me!" Sayo felt warm as she read through the messages, trying not to let it show on her face.

Sayo typed back quickly, before Yukina could murder her with her eyes. "I appreciate you listening to it. Thank you for your feedback." Not a great text, but it was the best she could manage at the moment.

In the end, Sayo was glad she decided to share it.


One week later, Sayo found herself back at the Hazawa café. She wanted to come more often, so she did. She still needed to plan hangout time with Tsugumi.

It was busy again today, even busier than last time. Tsugumi still found time to talk with Sayo though, even if they were just short exchanges.

When there was a lull in how busy it was, they had a longer time to talk.

"About your composition from last week." Tsugumi's cheeks carried a pink tint as she made eye contact with Sayo. "I couldn't stop listening to it."

"Oh." Sayo blinked a few times, struggling to process that information.

"The more I listened to it, the more I thought, well…" Tsugumi seemed to be struggling to find the right words. She pulled out her phone, tapping on it a few times. Sayo's phone buzzed in her pocket.

Sayo furrowed her eyebrows as she pulled out her phone, seeing that Tsugumi had sent her a message. When she opened it, she saw that there was an audio file attached. She glanced back up at Tsugumi, asking a question with just her eyes.

"I thought, it would just be perfect with the piano." Tsugumi said, her cheeks shifting from pink to red. She looked cute like this, though honestly Sayo thought she always did. Sayo didn't really understand what she meant by what she just said. "Please listen."

That would be the easiest way to find out. Sayo pulled her earbuds out of her pocket and plugged them into her phone, placing them in her ears.

Then she hit play.

The start of the song was the same as Sayo remembered it. The guitar played a familiar chord progression, the start of Sayo's most recent composition.

After a few seconds, a piano joined in. It started low, playing beneath the chords, before coming up and blending with the melody. Sayo's eyes widened as she listened, hardly breathing as the music washed over her. It had still needed work before, but now it felt perfect.

In the corner of her eye she could see that Tsugumi had her hands together, watching with worried eyes as Sayo listened.

The song was short, and before Sayo could so much as think it was over. She looked up from her phone at Tsugumi, who seemed to be holding her breath.

"I love it." Sayo said without hesitation. Tsugumi exhaled in relief, a smile returning to her lips. "You wrote this?" It had only been a week, and Tsugumi had somehow composed the piano part and added it to the recording. Sayo couldn't help but be impressed.

Tsugumi nodded, finally allowing her hands to fall apart. "I couldn't get it out of my mind."

Sayo hit the button to play it again, listening even more closely to the way the piano part complimented the guitar. "It's wonderful." She wished she had better words to describe the way it made her feel, receiving the song like this, Tsugumi adding to her creation like this. Her heart was pounding again.

Even though that hadn't been what Sayo intended, they made this together.

"I was wondering," Tsugumi sounded nervous again. "Do you think I could use it in my advertisements?" She still looked right at Sayo, determination evident in her gaze.

Oh, that was a good idea. A good piece of music made a big difference in advertisements, and it would help bring more patrons to the café. This song would work especially well, since it represented the image of the café. It represented Tsugumi, her strength, her warmth, and her kindness.

As Sayo's eyes were locked with Tsugumi's, that feeling she had before, that she wanted to do or say something, was back again. Perhaps Sayo was starting to understand it.

"Please do."