“Wait… you want me to write the lyrics for the next Roselia song!?”
This is such a surprise…! Me? Write for Roselia…?
“Yes. You’ve shown immense improvement, Lisa. This is a request from all of us.”
Yukina was as frank as always, but her lips were pursed in a way that Lisa could almost feel her heart drop.
She glanced around the room between Yukina and her other band mates—precious friends that she had grown to love with her whole heart, and to whom she became so attached to through their time together. They were all nodding in agreement, while broadcasting their own unique smiles that Lisa had grown to cherish.
Do they really have that much faith in me?
Just the thought of this idea made Lisa’s head spin!—she was completely floored. Was she actually showing that much improvement in her lyric writing? She really didn’t think so— really, really didn’t think so. There was no way she had reached Yukina’s level yet!
“Yes, I think you’re more than ready.”
The stark faith Yukina was showing in Lisa’s skills filled her with joy—but also panic.. Could she really live up to such high expectations? Yukina would accept nothing but the absolute best, and Lisa was very unsure she could meet that just yet—...if ever at all, really.
Lisa just didn’t feel that she was like the other members of Roselia, really. I mean, she didn't stand out in the band at all—she doesn’t have impressive guitar skills like Sayo; she doesn’t have the exuberant energy Ako always brings; she doesn’t have Rinko’s delicate, but fierce determination; and she sure doesn’t have Yukina’s powerful voice.
She brought a different energy and aspect to Roselia, that of which she was proud of. But baking cookies and boiling coffee and keeping everyone’s spirits up didn’t make her a better bass player. She had fumbled with the idea of lyric writing for quite some time, but knew she had a lot of progress to make before she could ever be taken seriously. But she had to. She had to keep trying so she could be more useful.
“Imai-san, I know that look.”
Sayo interrupted Lisa’s thoughts with a stern look, paired with a serious tone of voice. She was so much different from how she used to be when the band had formed. Those same mannerisms used to strike fear in Lisa, because it was always directed at her clumsy mistakes. But now…
“You’re thinking about this too hard. You know we would not ask this of you if we did not think you were up to the task.”
“That’s right!” Ako chimed in.
“Roselia only aims for the best, and you are fully capable of bringing us the very best.”
Sayo’s soft smile radiated a joy that she had only recently begun to show. It was becoming increasingly difficult to not to smile back at her.
“Everyone…”
“So.” Yukina started, a smug grin on her face.
“What will it be, Lisa? Do you accept?”
Glancing at Yukina with the same smug grin on her own face, Lisa shook her head—dismissing all the anxious and negative thoughts that were spurring in her mind.
“Yes, I do! I’ll make you all proud, just you wait~!”
Time had passed by so quickly.
Before Lisa had realized it fully, night had fallen. It hit her like a truck—the realization that she hadn’t gotten anything written yet—much less had any idea what she even wanted to write! She had nearly fallen asleep at her desk...
Suddenly, a gust of wind rattled the windows in Lisa’s bedroom, which quickly roused her away from the self deprecating thoughts that had begun to overtake her mind.
You’ll never write anything good enough for Yukina’s standards; the band will resent you if you don’t measure up; they were just feigning nice to make you feel better anyway—
“Okay, enough of that!” Lisa scolded herself, balling her hands into fists.
Thinking negatively isn’t going to help me write! Maybe I can get some advice from someone…
With that idea in mind, Lisa reached for her phone that sat beside her on the desk. She opened her text messages, and hastily sent one to someone she thought might be able help her.
“Ran… I’m sure she’d be able to help me.” She whispered to herself.
Not even a few moments later, her phone buzzed with a reply! So fast…
‘You want to ask me what theme your lyrics should be…? I don’t know that I can help, Lisa-san.’ Is what the message read.
“Always so stubborn…”
‘well, what would be something that would really impress you, ran?’
The next reply didn’t come quite as fast, which Lisa assumed to be because Ran was thinking carefully of an answer.
‘I think… I’d want to hear something honest. Something that can’t be expressed except through music. If I can really feel the emotion behind a song, I think that’s… cool, I guess.’
“Something that can only be conveyed through music, huh…?” Lisa pondered, a small light going off in her head.
“I might just have the perfect idea~!” She exclaimed, to no one but herself.
‘thanks ran! you’ve helped a lot♪ i think i know what i’m going to write now~’’
Well I know what I want to write but… sigh.
Attempt after attempt; failure after failure; try after try; and still, Lisa could not find herself satisfied with a single line of writing. Maybe she was right—maybe she really couldn’t live up to the band’s expectations… None of this was anywhere near the level Yukina would accept.
...No, I have to keep going! I can’t give up!
Clenching the pencil in her hand, Lisa sat up in her chair and flipped her notebook to a new page.
I have to do this! For Roselia.
Despite nothing she wrote matching her vision, Lisa kept writing. She tore through page after page of her notebook, determined to keep going until she was able to articulate her feelings into beautiful, extravagant prose.
Hours had gone by and passed with the blink of an eye—so quickly that Lisa had completely lost track of time. After hours and hours had gone by though, her focus broke with an abrupt halt..
She had received an unexpected phone call while scribbling down ideas for her next attempt—to which she almost didn’t answer, in fear that it would break her rhythm and concentration. But she decided to answer it, anyway.
“Lisa-nee!!”
It was Ako, who seemed to screech into the phone—such a shrill yell pierced Lisa’s eardrums, but she didn’t mind! It was Ako’s excitement and energy that always warmed her heart, regardless of life’s circumstances.
“I hope I didn’t wake you up, but you haven’t answered any of my text messages so I got worried…”
Messages? I don’t remember getting any messages? Was I really that focused…?
“Ah, sorry sorry! You don’t need to worry about me, Ako.” Lisa reassured her.
“I’m just in the midst of writing… I must have been so concentrated I didn’t hear my phone go off.”
“B-but… Lisa-nee… it’s 1 in the morning!” Ako stammered.
Eh!?
“R-Really!? Ahaha… I must have lost track of time too.” She confessed.
“Hmmm.” Ako mumbled.
“Don’t push yourself too hard, okay? I’m gonna check up on you tomorrow, so answer your texts!! You got it!?”
Lisa giggled. She was incredibly grateful—as well a bit embarrassed—to have Ako so diligently checking up on her. Tomoe was so lucky to have such a wonderful little sister.
“Alright, alright. I’ll do my best for you then, Ako! I won’t let you down!”
A giggle erupted on the other end of the phone before the line started beeping, indicating Ako had hung up.
Lisa clicked the side lock of her phone, setting it back down again before glancing down at the notebook paper in front of her.
“Right.” Lisa stated, her determination reignited.
“I can’t let Ako down. I have to make progress tonight!”
Filled with determination once again—this time from such an adorable drummer—Lisa set off in an uninterrupted concentration once again. This time, she focused less on writing things down quickly, and spent more time thinking about the words she would write.
...Yet still, she couldn’t find the right words. Nothing she was coming up with was what she wanted to convey. It was too simple and playful. It needed to be more intense! More serious! More powerful!
Lisa sighed, rubbing her tired eyes. They had begun to burn from staying up so late... She wasn’t going to get anything done in her current state, so she decided to go to sleep and start fresh the next day.
I hope I’m not overly tired at school...
Groaaaaaaaaan.
“Lisa? You look exhausted.”
Gruuuumble…
It was the next day already, and morning came so fast. Lisa had woken up late—greatly suffering from her lack of sleep. She had to rush to school that morning, barely making it to homeroom on time. Maybe staying up so late writing wasn’t such a good idea after all, huh?
It was finally lunch break, but Lisa unfortunately felt even more exhaustion take over her body when she started to rest and nourish herself.
“I’m just a little sleepy…” She groaned, yawning into her palm.
“I lost track of time when I was writing.”
“How late exactly were you up last night?” A concerned Yukina asked.
“Your light was still on when I went to sleep, and you’ve been yawning all morning.”
Lisa laughed nervously instead of giving a reply, unable to form a proper excuse—...that would be believable, anyway.
“Hm. I see.” Yukina answered curtly.
She crossed her arms after putting her bento down beside her, and glared at Lisa—with the all too familiar intensity she knew how to show.
“You’re overworking yourself again, aren’t you?”
Dammit…
“I-It’s not that, I was just so focused I lost track of time! My adrenaline was pumping, you know?”
It’s not like that was a lie—that definitely happened—but Lisa decided to leave out the part about her continuing to work even after she was knocked out of her trance. Just omitted a teeeeeny tiny detail. Yeah.
“Do you really expect me to believe that?”
Yukina’s stern face was no match for Lisa. She sighed heavily after such a statement—because let’s be real!—that was a statement, and not a question.
She admitted her defeat, whining at the loss with a mouth full of rice.
“What’s troubling you, then?” Yukina asked, her voice more gentle now that Lisa had admitted her failing.
“You’re struggling, but why? You’ve never had a hard time with the lyrics you’ve written lately.”
Lisa averted her eye contact with Yukina, instead casting her eyes down at the ground beside her feet. She rested her bento in her lap while doing so.
“Because it has to be perfect. I have to give this my all—I won’t allow anything short of perfection!” Lisa exclaimed, a boldness in her voice that she rarely expressed.
Yukina smiled.
It was just like Lisa to overthink something like this so much—she should have seen it coming, really. Maybe she shouldn’t have put so much pressure on her—...wait. No. What she shouldn’t have done is to leave Lisa with such a large task before laying out her expectations.
“Lisa.” She started.
“Hm?” Lisa mumbled, still fixing her gaze downward.
Yukina shook her head. “The expectations I have for you are different than usual.”
Smiling upon seeing Lisa’s confused face that had lifted up just slightly, she continued. “All I want from you is to enjoy yourself. I want to sing a song from your heart, Lisa.”
“Yukina…” Lisa trailed off, fully sitting back up and gazing at Yukina with splendour.
Such a warm, tender expression… and a string of words that pierced Lisa’s heart like an arrow.
“I’m sure you’ve decided what you want to write about, haven’t you?” Yukina inquired.
Lisa nodded, her gaze still fixed on Yukina.
“Then write the way you normally would. Your words always have such honest feelings attached to them…”
She paused, as if to linger on how best to articulate her thoughts. “That honesty would be fresh for Roselia. No matter what, we will all be proud to hear what you come up with.”
Yukina scratched the back of her head. “I should have made this more clear from the beginning. I apologize for causing you undue stress.”
This time, it was Lisa that smiled. There really wasn’t anything more beautiful to her than Yukina. She had watched her grow so much since forming Roselia. Seeing her blossom into a person that was truly content and more honest with her feelings—it made Lisa so proud, and so happy that Yukina finally found joy and contentment.
Her heart pattered so rapidly in elation.
“Thank you, Yukina. I’m going to start new when when I get home!”
She paused, coming to a sudden realization. “Ah, well…”
“Hm? What?” Yukina asked, cocking her head.
“M-Maybe after I get some sleep, first!”
Lisa hadn’t planned to nap as long as she did, but, well… perhaps it was well needed.
She slept past the alarm she set, hitting the snooze button continuously until she just shut it off completely. She didn’t do it on purpose or anything! The sleepy side of her that was awake to do that just refused to!!
“Rest more sleeping beauty…” is probably what she said.
...Oh wait, no, that was what Ako sent me when I told her I was going to take a nap—
Regardless! After rubbing her eyes and shaking off the grogginess she awoke with by splashing her face with cold water, Lisa sat down to write again. But this time!— this time she’d write something she could be proud of.
“All I want from you is to enjoy yourself.”
With those precious words echoing in the back of her mind, Lisa gripped a pencil between her fingers and began to write.
Though she was not able to finish that same day, her progress was steady, and increased with every day that passed. It started with small scribbles of ideas at first, but eventually became intricately woven with finer details. From bulleted ideas; to quotes; to lines; to detailed paragraphs; to small pieces of prose; and finally…
...to a finished piece.
A piece that was interwoven with intense emotion, honesty, and writing she was finally able to be proud of.
Though it took her a few days—a few days where Lisa had definitely lost track of the time again—she had done so during a time she wouldn’t finish at 1 in the goddamn morning. She had gotten plenty of rest, stayed hydrated, and focused all of her attention to translating her feelings into lyrics. They were simple—but just as the advice both Ran and Yukina gave her—they were honest.
Lisa immediately texted the worried Ako after piecing together to finishing touches. She had called just before beginning to write that night as a way to check in, trying to ease her worries. It was kind of a ritual for the last few days! In order to ensure that she wouldn’t miss Ako’s messages or become distracted while writing, Lisa offered to ease Ako’s concerns by checking in with her herself. She didn’t want to make Ako worry, so she messaged her as much as she was able—to reassure her that all was well.
Hell, all was wonderful.
“I’m so happy for you, Lisa-nee! You should show Yukina-san right away—” Ako babbled, her voice reaching a high octave.
“She actually messaged me after school to tell me how excited she is to see what you write— Oh shoot!” She halted her words, a sense of distress at her last words.
“I wasn’t supposed to tell you that! Don’t let Yukina-san know I said anything—“
Lisa giggled, amused at how Ako began rambling at the realization she said something she shouldn’t have. “Don’t worry Ako, your secret is safe with me!”
Lisa paused, glancing outside of her window momentarily.
“I’ll call Yukina right away.”
Yukina wasted no time inviting Lisa over to showcase her work.
Lisa shuffled up the stairs after Yukina, following her into her room. The two sat comfortably on the bed together, with their shoulders grazing against each other from their close proximity together.
Yukina had a hard time hiding her excitement, which Lisa found incredibly endearing.
...And also cute.
“Here.” Lisa stated, handing Yukina a piece of paper.
“I didn’t bother rewriting it more neatly yet, so if you can’t read something—”
Yukina snatched the paper right from Lisa’s hands, not even acknowledging her words. Her eyes glanced over the page from top to bottom, paying strict attention to every single detail on the paper.
Lisa’s usual, feminine handwriting was not anywhere to be seen, possibly in an attempt to write down her words and ideas quicker. She did, however, scribble small sketches of various shapes of flowers and hearts throughout the margins—it was very Lisa-like.
Once she started reading the words though, Yukina couldn’t focus on anything but. She was in genuine awe of how much power and meaning were nestled into the entirety of Lisa’s prose—it was so unreal.
“Lisa… these lyrics…” Yukina stammered, attempting to articulate her own words that were failing her.
Lisa sighed, bracing herself for possible criticism. “Are they no good…? I’ll write better ones, I swear—”
Yukina shook her head. “No, they’re… incredible. I can feel so much emotion behind them.”
Lisa’s eyes widened after hearing such praise from Yukina, unable to believe her words truly had such impact. “You really think so?”
“Yes.” Yukina stated plainly, tucking a small tuft of hair behind her ear.
“Though I have a question.”
“What is it…?” Lisa asked, a slight unease creeping into her voice.
“Is there someone you had in mind when writing this? There’s just so much power and feeling woven into them.”
Yukina paused, pointing at the paper she still held in her hands—her finger rested on a line that resonated with her.
My favourite person, my dazzling tanzanite in the night sky
Lisa’s face flushed, but she tried not to show it.
She was hoping Yukina wouldn’t draw too much attention to that line in the chorus, but it was glaringly obvious where she drew such inspiration from.
“This line—who, or what—is this directed towards, Lisa?” Yukina asked, a fierce curiosity burning in her eyes.
“Th-That’s…” Lisa stammered. She tried to keep her cool, but was soon met with the stark realization that wasn’t going to happen.
“...It’s about you, Yukina.”
Yukina immediately found herself paralyzed at Lisa’s answer, unable to form any words in the moment. She could only look at Lisa with bright eyes—embarrassed that she was the subject of such affection.
The embarrassment wasn’t due to her discomfort—as a matter of fact, nothing could be further from the truth. She was just… so flattered that such powerful emotion laid dormant in Lisa’s heart. And it was all for her.
Seeing Yukina’s stunned reaction, Lisa tried to break the tension between them. “I’m sorry if that was too forward…”
She laughed, a nervous flicker escaping her giggles.
“N-No, not at all!” Yukina stated, her voice started to crack.
“It’s just…” She trailed off.
“Just?” Lisa asked, worry overtaking her.
“I don’t know if I would be comfortable singing lyrics meant for me…” Yukina admitted, averting her gaze from Lisa.
“Oh.” Lisa replied, similarity averting her own gaze from Yukina.
“I didn’t think of that, huh? I’m sorry.”
“Hm.” Yukina replied, closing her eyes. She rested her index finger and thumb on her chin in thought.
She opened her eyes to look at Lisa, ready to offer a suggestion. “Perhaps a compromise is in order.”
“A compromise?”
“Yes.” Yukina answered, her lips pursed.
“Would you mind if we work the lyrics to be sung as a duet?”
Yukina was so proud of herself for coming up with such an idea.
“A duet…” Lisa repeated. Her head starting to spin at just the thought.
A duet… with Yukina… How romantic…!
“You wouldn’t mind that, would you?”
Lisa smiled, showing off her teeth in a radiant grin. “I’d be more than happy to…! Yukinaaaaa!”
Lisa exclaimed before wrapping her arms around Yukina in a tight hug.
Startled, Yukina felt her face heat up. Lisa was always so affectionate… a Lisa trait that she had down to very much love and appreciate. She placed a hand on the back of Lisa’s head to reciprocate the affection, and sighed into the nape of her neck.
“It would make me very happy to sing a duet with you. I—”
Yukina cut herself off, frustrated that she was having such a hard time wording her feelings.
“Hm?” Lisa inquired.
“What is it?”
Yukina squirmed in her position, gripping the back of Lisa’s head more tightly. “I… I love you, Lisa. I can’t thank you enough. For everything.”
“Yukina…!” Lisa replied, her once worried face now glowing—though in such a position couldn’t see it.
“I know I don’t say it very often. I’m sorry.” Yukina apologized, releasing her hold on Lisa to lock her gaze on her eyes instead. She rested her hands in Lisa’s chest.
“But I really do love you.”
She paused after the confession, shuffling her feet, but maintained her steadfast gaze. “
I wish I could express how much I appreciate your presence, but I’m not very good at these kinds of words…”
Still smiling, Lisa squeezed the hold she still held Yukina in. “It’s okay, Yukina—don’t worry so much! I love you, too.”
After her reassuring reply, Lisa leaned her head closer to plant a small kiss on Yukina’s soft cheek. She squeezed her even tighter! Hoping that this was not too much…
She received her reply not in words, but in the embrace of Yukina’s arms that gently wrapped around her. She kissed Lisa’s cheek to return the defection, while managing to maintain her posture.
Lisa was only able to smile, reveling in the warmth of Yukina’s touch. She never wanted to let go of her; she never wanted to leave Yukina alone ever again. She simply wished to make her as happy as she was able…
...And she was so elated that she had that day.