After quite a bit of putting it off, I've finally gotten to writing a somewhat slice-of-life-ish Roselia's story and getting this done was a lot of fun. I already have a lot of material, but I'm figuring out how to fit it together. Anyway, this is a work-in-progress, but I'll try to upload new chapters regularly if I get the chance. Still a beginner here, so hopefully you'll enjoy it even a little!
I
She was looking at the article for a while and her expression did not change even in the slightest, however it wasn't the case that there was no reaction. She felt irritation at the beginning, which turned into disappointment later on. Disappointment with how she proceeded with things recently. Yukina knew that, as a musician, you need to take what they write about you with a grain of salt, especially if the paper's journalist simply wants to heat the atmosphere up with their scribble. Even if that was the case just then, there was something about the text that made her wonder. Sayo, who sat at the other side of the table, broke the silence:
"Minato-san, are you that concerned with such bunch of hogwash?" Roselia's guitarist said in a rather depreciating tone.
"I'm not overly concerned yet. I do know, however, that he might've gotten one thing right." The reply was calm and on the slow side, well thought out.
"By that thing, do you mean our deficiencies in technique during the encore songs, when our performance loses the focus that we normally are able to maintain throughout the show?" Sayo reacted in an ever-so-slightly worried manner.
"No, I don't think there's much to be said about the encore. We might get less focused during that time, but this is hardly avoidable. We need all the strength we can get for the main act. I was thinking more about our repertoire," Yukina put the thoughts clarifying in her mind into words.
"Is that really the case?" Sayo was visibly surprised and unusually short of words.
"I'm convinced it is, we have a strong setlist, but we haven't brought anything new to the table for almost a year now and since we're still relatively young as a band, we need something… different to gain more recognition," she didn't really intend to hide the hesitation.
"Um, something different? You have to be more concrete," Sayo inquired.
"I was thinking about a new song, a new outfit could be an idea too," Yukina started in a quieter voice, "a song that would be different from the ones which we already perform live," she replied with a sense of uncertainty.
"So that is what you meant, after all. I don't know if a song detached from our usual style, so to say, is a move in the right direction."
Yukina expected a remark of that kind.
"It isn't set in stone. It's something I thought about and haven't given shape to just yet. Keep in mind, though, that if we just do the same things over and over, we might be unable to use our creativity later on," Roselia's vocalist made it clear that she wanted some kind of change.
"Well, I won't deny that," Sayo didn't sound very convinced, but seemingly kept doubts to herself.
Yukina shoved the magazine into her bag and finished the meal she has ordered. The conversation continued a bit, but the two wanted to avoid topics centered around the band, so it wasn't going very smoothly and soon after Sayo finished her dish, they took the drinks and left the family restaurant. The coffee she has ordered tasted fantastically and didn't need extra sugar because of the caramel syrup added in, so Yukina happily finished it while half-consciously working on the idea that was just born in her mind.
In the midst of their walk, Sayo asked her if she did in fact want go to a local library, like she mentioned before their dinner at the restaurant, and she confirmed. Older Hikawa twin was reluctant to say she was still going to buy supplies for the shortcake she was supposed to prepare with Hina later on that day. Yukina reassured her that it was okay since she wanted to search for something, which would presumably make it uninteresting for Sayo to accompany her. The two the parted ways in front of the library and Roselia's vocalist walked in, although without much energy.
The library was spacious and well arranged with departments clearly highlighted, and had a rather skilled staff to organize the stands and keep the order within them. It had a digital catalog which was available online, but one could also make use of the local collection. The place wasn't overly crowded, as the summer break has just started, so one wouldn't expect middle and high school kids frantically looking for material to finish their projects and assignments on time yet. Yukina was a member for a few years now and the clerk immediately recognized her. On rare occasions she was even allowed to visit and go about her business without showing anything, although she didn't like it that much.
"Ah, Yukina-chan, studying again?" the lady sitting by the desk near the entrance, Sumire, smiled at her and Yukina couldn't help but to reciprocate, even if very slightly.
"Um, I don't think I'll pick something for learning this time," she replied gently.
"Alright, you do need to take a break once upon a time!" Sumire said cheerfully, still beaming.
After this little chit-chat, she wandered in and put her bag on the chair by the desk in her favorite part, somewhat in the back on the second floor, and then started to look for the usual departments. She was rummaging through the history of music section, but without a specific title or author in mind, just reading bits and pieces. Sumire said she was probably winding down after a tougher period at the university, but she felt it wasn't as simple this time around. Nonetheless, she could use a bit of variety. Yukina climbed the stairs, and after some searching, found a little poetry volume on the shelf on the third floor. She quickly went back to the place she left her bag at, pulled out a notebook, a pen and a bottle of water and began reading.
It was an interesting lecture, albeit a difficult one. She normally would not indulge herself in reading a book of this kind, as that can easily be seen as a distraction from the music, after all. Yukina tried to treat this differently on that day and use it as an aid in writing lyrics. She went through about one third of the volume and paid attention to remarks of the author, as well as the interpretations, however, she only had a few sentences of her own written down, and wasn't satisfied looking at them.
The issue was not the lack of motivation, but rather inability to pinpoint the style and mood she wanted to go with. How far would she want to reach out of her comfort zone? How far from those comfort zones of other Roselia members, before they start to doubt whatever she would try to force? Yukina thought about her father and the song of his that she held so dear, but knew that asking him for help would be an easy way out.
It was getting late — people have started to leave the library and the reading space. Soon enough she would've been one of the few ones left. She started packing things, as she felt it served no purpose to drag this unnecessarily. An idea to ask one of the fellow musicians for assistance ran through her mind and an image of a certain someone popped up.
No, I would only distract her from what she needs to do now and make her worry for no reason. I should be the one helping her out and not a person who burdens her for once.
Yukina picked up her bag, cleaned the desk and walked up the stairs to put the poetry volume back. While she was leaving the library, she took out her cellphone and started scrolling through the contact list.
I'm going to call Lisa tomorrow, but I don't think she needs to know about my plans for Roselia now, since I will tell everyone eventually. It's not that I like the thought of hiding something from her like this, but I want her to rely on me. Maybe what I'm doing is wrong, but I'm going to do it anyway.
She saw Sumire just getting up to do her usual rounds at the end of the day and gave a hint of a smile. Minoshima grinned in return and showed a fighting gesture, motivating Yukina and perhaps sensing her uneasiness today. She was grateful for that, because she needed that little sign of reassurance, even if the other person didn't really know the specifics. She rushed towards her usual station, hoping to still be back at her apartment before it gets completely dark. The chances seemed bleak, however, looking at the sun turning more and more crimson.
Just then, a group of high school kids, walking on the other side of the street, caught her attention. It was a rather serene sight in a way. Among them, one of the girls was carrying a guitar case and was showing something on the phone to the other one, while passionately explaining it at the same time. The two of them seemed like they were in the middle of a heated conversation. Somehow, it reminded Yukina of unending back-and-forths between Kasumi and Arisa from Poppin' Party, a band which formed around the same time as her own. The differences in their styles were obvious, but there was one thing that stood out. The sheer joy of exchanging ideas about music, about songs and experimentation. As she approached the station, she wondered whether she ever felt that kind of happiness when she was singing on the scene.