Thanks for the comments so far! They really made me get back into this story.
I thought it's time to check what's up on Sayo's end and, well, get the stuff ready for their concert. Somehow the next chapter with the show ended up pretty darn long, I just couldn't interrupt them!
XI
Sayo was still going over her last ensemble performance at the campus and she noticed a certain trend emerging. Her play transitioned to very expressive, and because of that she was at times taking over parts of the compositions she shouldn't have.
Even though the electric guitar remained older Hikawa twin's primary focus, she still played the acoustic one and lent her ability to fellow students on a number of mostly informal occasions. The recent year at the university has finally brought the change in the curriculum, meaning more specialization.
The program of her choice dealt with composing, but it was not something closely related to the band for initial two years. Sayo's plan, however, was to build a strong foundation. Strikingly, along with the shift in learning schedule came the moment for the acquired knowledge to already pay off.
She could already see Yukina waiting for her by the gate, and a few moments later both of them were walking towards each other. The vocalist was wearing her typical outfit consisting of a white shirt and a navy blue skirt. What was different was the hairdo, as she now more frequently leaned towards a side tail, which vocalist learned to arrange quite neatly.
Even though this was in contrast with Sayo's ever-unchanging attire, the guitarist didn't feel the need to invent a new look.
"Minato-san, I'm sorry for the wait. I was playing with a group at the university, and it took longer than expected." She apologized when they met near the entrance.
"Don't worry, I know how it can sometimes happen. How did it go?" Yukina looked relaxed.
"It didn't go as well as I would've wanted. I played certain phrases too loudly and even though the others were understanding; I wasn't satisfied with the way I played," Sayo described her mistakes calmly.
"I see. Do you think our new project and the general direction we took caused this? You have to play with more aggression than usual," singer inquired.
"It has crossed my mind. I played the acoustic guitar when we were creating the instrumentals for our songs," guitarist pondered.
"Our tracks already demanded energetic approach even at that stage. It was different from trying to blend in when a group is simply fiddling with ideas." Sayo was more angry than worried.
"I think it could very well be common for you and Rinko. The music of Roselia differs greatly from the one we learn to perform at music universities," Yukina stated with a hint of disillusionment.
"That's true, although… it's not exactly unexpected. For me, it's important that we gain a deeper understanding of music, and that could already have helped us improve." Sayo explained the way she felt.
"I know where you're coming from, and I agree. It serves as a foundation." Yukina's line made Sayo glad about their like-mindedness.
"Out of all of us, I suspect you have the greatest disparity between your role in the band, and your role in the group at the university," vocalist turned to Sayo.
"If you say that you can handle the difference, though, then I believe you, Sayo." Yukina spoke with conviction.
"Thank you." Guitarist appreciated the leader's trust. A light blush also appeared on her cheeks.
They left Kunitachi campus, and headed straight for the music shop the two still worked at. The conversation continued while they were making their way through the city. Yukina highlighted a problem young artists have with reproducing pieces written by others, and with very little care for actual composing or creative work.
It was also why Sayo chose the program she did, and was not unhappy at all seeing the classes become more directly helpful. When they reached the shop, they wanted to concentrate on the work, but the show was only a week away, so it wasn't an easy task.
Sayo was proud of the way she tackled composing the second track with Yukina and the latter seemingly wasn't as helpless when it came to tech anymore. On the other front, Rinko together with Ako finished costumes.
They only had enough time to have actual rehearsals during weekends, so it was invaluable that the gamers' duo completed their work before October. Rinko described the outfits as noticeably darker, but still in line with previous designs.
Sayo also noted that learning the songs while improving them was a challenging task, which seemed like it had added to the wear and tear.
Fortunately, "Lazuli Rose" was completed. They added the last layer of sound just before the previous weekend, so they could still have two full sessions with the tracks frozen. Yukina made the decision to have a last short training on Friday just before the event, which was taking place on coming Saturday.
It was difficult to arrange it, but she managed to squeeze the reservation just before closing time, mostly thanks to the clerk knowing her. When a moment in the day came when there were no customers in the shop, both went to the back of guitar section to chat for a bit.
"Do you think scouters are going to attend it, Minato-san?" Sayo wanted to know the singer's opinion.
"I don't care that much about them, but I'm sure that if everything goes well enough, it will create bigger opportunities for us, eventually carrying Roselia to where we want it to be." Yukina spoke with a somewhat nostalgic tone.
"By where we want it to be, you don't mean a single festival we attend?" She knew the answer.
"Of course not. We had ups and downs, and already had events we attended, so this should serve as a reminder for industry that we're serious." Yukina's honesty about her intentions was refreshing for Sayo to hear.
"Right. You changed your approach to these matters, haven't you, Minato-san?" Vocalist frowned almost unnoticeably.
"You're now willing to accept an outside offer and want to perform for crowds." Sayo decided she could be frank with her.
"That's true, but I'm immediately declining anything that changes our music. You realize I was like that and it won't change." Yukina suddenly appeared vivacious.
"As for performing for huge audiences… I thought about it a lot and I want our music to reach more people." She looked like someone yearning for a certain connection.
"Maintaining our integrity won't be easy, but I trust we can manage it." Sayo responded calmly.
"I also hope that your singing will move people coming to see us, like it has been the case in the past." Sayo read the mood and recalled Yukina's influence from the band's early days.
"That sounded a bit like you were talking about Roselia's final performance. There should still be a couple more to come, no?" Vocalist's face unexpectedly broke into a mischievous smile for a moment.
"Ah, I guess both of us can get too serious at times." Sayo's expression also became softer.
"I did mean that, though. You proved time and time again that you create something thrilling on the scene." Guitarist finished by backing up her praise.
Yukina thanked her, while also reminding, apparently to both, that they cannot overdo the flattery as it can quickly lead to being complacent. Sayo agreed in principle, although a few years were enough for them to establish a good understanding of each other's abilities, and sometimes they just gave credit where it was due.
The two eventually had to go back to their normal posts at the shop, so they couldn't continue talking for longer. Roselia's guitarist was using the time not spent answering customers' questions or handling their requests, to think about their new additions to repertoire and how they developed.
The method to do it from the ground-up has proven involved and difficult, but Sayo enjoyed the final songs a lot. "Erased Past" was the first one, and consequently the one to have been refined more. The overall level of energy was somewhat lower there with vocals and the bass taking the spotlight.
She liked how tough it was to play more controlled there, while still maintaining power when needed. For the second song, Sayo had to learn to coordinate and support Lisa better, to create intense, overdriven guitar sound for the whole song.
Yukina pushed the volume as much as she felt was possible without losing coherence, as emotions she wanted to convey in "Lazuli Rose" were equally strong. Thanks to the pace, Sayo had the opportunity to show off her technique she worked so hard to attain.
Her fingers were sometimes in pain after the practice, but she took care not to injure herself. Being unable to play because of overtraining was out of the question, when there was no time for recovery. There was, however, a regret Sayo dwelled over while answering a customer's question.
The schedule got tight for everyone, and working at a music shop made it very hard to meet with Tsugumi. She wasn't even able to bake as much at home, and could only exchange messages and recipes with her. Yukina noticed Sayo was out of it and found a moment to talk to her.
"You are normally very concentrated at work, are you already at the venue?" Vocalist asked with concern.
"No, it's not that. I was… trying to think of a way to organize time for my hobby." Sayo responded after a short pause.
"I realized it will only be possible after the show, but our concert simply comes first, so I'm completely fine with it." She was still hesitant to talk about her other interest.
"If you say so. Lisa told me, with utmost confidence, that all members of Roselia are okay with making some tough choices."
"She wasn't wrong about you, Sayo, and I appreciate it." Yukina sounded soft, although the guitarist liked that she doesn't charge ahead blindly.
Mutual respect they shared was built over the course of dozens of rehearsals, and was supported by the fact that, even initially, the two liked each other's approach to music. Sayo tried to stay focused on the job for the remainder of the shift and not let any worries interfere.
At that point, it was not much use thinking about what could still be done about the event. Thanks to the good atmosphere, she managed to stay on track. Even though they didn't work full-time, it was already dark outside when they were leaving.
The air also felt chilly, so both of them had to wear warmer clothes, with Yukina picking a white blazer jacket and Sayo settling for a light gray coat. After making sure the shop is locked, they walked a bit with two boys working there, before going their way.
One of them wanted to attend their performance, as he lived near the venue and didn't mind hearing a few promising rock bands put on a show. Sayo noticed how Yukina wasn't sure how to respond, but in the end she did acknowledge that Roselia has to prove its worth.
In spite of the stage not being the most splendid, after a period of relative inactivity, they had to resume from there. After splitting from their coworkers, the stoic duo was making its way to Ikejiri, to have some well-deserved rest after another busy Friday.
The apartments they rented were small and not comfortable for hosting guests, nonetheless it was the only choice they saw, not wanting to burden their families too much. Once Yukina and Sayo were on the train, the former mentioned Rinko and her dedication a bit out of the blue.
Band's keyboardist was busy with outfits' preparation and had to skip a lot of piano practice to get all the tasks in order. She was attending university at the same time, so Ako was staying over and helping her a couple times.
Rinko once even referred to the feeling of having her around so often as similar to that of having a little sister, back during one of the chats Roselia members had over the course of past frantic weeks. Ako didn't quite know how to react.
Setting up those online meet-ups was the only way all five of them could discuss songs and changes to the tracks on weekdays. That subject brought up by the vocalist, however, reminded Sayo of an important person.
"I have to admit, I envy them, in a way. I only saw Hina once in those last two months," Sayo noted with a melancholic voice.
"You don't live that close to your family, right? Not being able to meet as often as earlier must be rough, although you two are still on good terms, I think?" Yukina tried to inch the conversation closer to fond memories.
"We are, fortunately. It already feels like it has been a long time since we had an argument. We can call each other, of course, and that keeps our bond firm," Sayo explained.
"What is Hina currently working on? Did she remain in the agency after Pastel Palettes disbanded?" Hearing the question, guitarist thought she didn't mind talking about her sister.
"She did, for a while. Hina was unhappy, and was working on some lesser projects, like minor appearances in unnoticed shows." She tried to relay Hina's feelings.
"She did not have many chances to play."
"Ultimately, she switched agencies very recently, and the new one caters to voice actors, but doesn't shy away from performers, apparently," Sayo added.
"Oh, you haven't told me about that before. From the tone of your voice, I presume it was a good decision, but time will probably tell." Yukina was careful in her judgment.
"That's true. Despite that, I am quite hopeful; she sounded excited about trying voice actress' work the last time we talked. It's new for her." Sayo spoke about her sister with pride.
"Glad to hear that." Yukina likely noticed the expression.
They had a short walk after leaving the train before going separate ways. Singer revealed to her how coming back to a cramped apartment alone, late in the evening, was not enjoyable for her as of late.
The vocalist of Roselia always appeared collected and extremely focused on music and singing in particular, so it was hard for Sayo to imagine her wanting to live with someone. On the other hand, she only got to know her once they started the band. She never knew if Yukina was different in the past.
The very same thing could be said about her from the perspective of others in the band. Sayo strolled for a short while, with occasional wind blows making her tuck her chin more into the warm coat. Ultimately, Sayo arrived at the doorstep of her apartment, but she didn't unlock the door immediately. Instead, she took the phone and messaged a fellow guitarist.