Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330662545387095/episodes/16817330668659634335
After Golden Week, a time spent practicing and composing, the days of commuting to campus are over.
The students are walking around the campus with a somewhat listless and relaxed look on their faces, as everyone is still in the holiday mood. In addition, the freshmen seemed to have left their freshman mood behind during the holidays, and their fresh and new atmosphere was already gone. Instead, they were making small, familiar noises, and had completely adjusted themselves to the university.
I had a lecture in the morning and now it was lunch break. In the afternoon, after one session of the lecture, students have free time after school. The good thing about university is that you can make your own time depending on your timetable.
Let’s finish eating before the afternoon classes start. With this in mind, I was about to head to the co-op when I heard a voice.
“Kobayakawa kun !”
A voice called out to me from behind. It was Misumi senpai. I could already tell just by her voice.
However, today’s voice is somewhat restless. When I turned around and looked at her, I saw that her expression was a little tense.
“Hello, Senpai.”
“Hello. Kobayakawa kun, do you have a little time now? Actually, I’ve finished the lyrics, so I’d like you to read them…”
“Are they done already?”
Senpai nodded deeply.
I was surprised. I was also thinking about it during the holidays, but I haven’t made much progress. I was impressed by her enthusiasm.
“Let’s see it right away !”
“Y-yes ! Of course…….”
Forgetting my hunger, I invited her to sit with me on a bench near by. Then I borrowed a light wavy notebook and opened it gently.
The curry poem was interspersed with countless words and phrases. They were either crossed out or underlined, forming the footprints of senpai’s trial-and-error efforts.
On the last page, there was a neat and tidy scrawl.
This is Misumi senpai’s lyrics?
I read the lyrics with a tightened feeling as if I was stepping into a sacred space. Making sure I understand each letter, word, and phrase.
…………………………..Hmmm?
But as I read on, I had a strange feeling of discomfort. What is this sweet, fluffy, floating lyric? Reading them made me feel like I was eating a whole cake in one gulp.
After reading it all, I closed the notebook with a light heartburn and took a breath.
“How was it?”
Misumi senpai asked me, perhaps worried about my silence.
But I didn’t answer. I could not.
Maybe it’s incomplete combustion or indigestion… Senpai’s lyrics didn’t resonate with me at all.
But we can’t move on if I stay silent. I had to say something.
“Erm…I was surprised because it was quite different from what I imagined. I was expecting the lyrics to be more simple and emotional.”
The lyrics written by Senpai are classified as so-called coming-of-age songs.
The lyrics are filled with scenes of girls enjoying their youth by indulging in gourmet food and sweets, polishing up their makeup, and nurturing love and friendship.
“Is it not good……?”
“I’m not saying that. It’s just…….”
“Just?”
“I’m a little doubtful whether these are lyrics that are typical of Senpai.”
The reason for the discomfort is that it’s too sweet and packed with fun things. If we were to compare it to a cake, it would be like adding a dollop of honey or chocolate in addition to sugar.
“What inspired you to write these lyrics?”
The reason for the tastelessness of the cake was that she could not imagine the taste of the finished product. I don’t think it’s possible for Senapi to write good lyrics if she gets an idea from something strange and has insufficient understanding and empathy to express it in words.
Now, what did Senpai imagine when she wrote the lyrics?
“This was inspired by….Ari chan.”
“Ari san?”
It’s quite unexpected. In Senpai’s eyes, does Ari san look like such a sweet girl?
No, there is another question.
“Why did you use Ari san as a motif?”
“Why? Because…..the vocalist of Nonoi is Ari chan…..so I thought it would be good to have lyrics that Ari chan is familiar with.”
“I see…… I’m going to make this very clear, but I don’t think you should be writing lyrics like that right now.”
“Eh ……?
Senpai’s eyes widened and her voice trailed off. The way I said it was no different than denying the lyrics. It was natural for her to be shocked.
I know how hard it is to have the lyrics you’ve worked so hard to come up with denied you. But I can’t help but say it.
“I know that it is the way of professionals to write lyrics with a motif in mind, but it is very difficult to analyze the subject matter and express it in words. In fact, you must have had a hard time with it.”
“Yes…… I was secretly observing Ari chan from the shadows, trying to get to know her better. Both at the university and outside the university.”
That’s stalking, isn’t it?
Aren’t you trying too hard, Senpai?
“Thanks to that, I thought I got to know Ari chan, but……is it still not good?”
“It’s not that, or rather, it doesn’t seem like Senpai. Also, was Ari san the kind of girl who was playing around like this?”
The song is based on the image of Ari san, but that doesn’t make sense to me.
The girl in the lyrics seems to be a conventional heroine from a girl’s comic book who jumps into sweets, love, and other things that seem to be popular with girls.
But in reality, Ari san is a unique person with a little more depth. During the entrance examinations, she sometimes cried timidly, and at other times she was inspired by her tremendous energy. She also gets depressed and distressed like a human being.
Because I know these points, it is difficult for me to accept it when someone says, [I wrote this with Ari chan in mind.] If it had not been Senpai, I would have been angry and said, [You should have observed her more carefully.]
“I didn’t understand the person well enough. Do I need to spend a little more time facing her?”
“You have a point, but I don’t think it’s necessary to narrow down the motif to Ari san. Why don’t you just write based on your inspiration?”
“Me?”
When I set a theme, I sometimes get tense and my creativity spins out of control.
In such a case, you should throw away the subject and just write as you feel inspired.
In other words, inspiration.
“Didn’t your curry poem come to you while you were cooking? An idea that suddenly came to mind while you were doing something is what makes you ‘you’. I wanted to read lyrics that were typical of you, so I suggested that you write the lyrics you intend to.”
What is Senpai-like?
If you ask me what I know about senpai, I am at a loss for an answer. To be honest, I can’t put it into words.
But when I read her poems, I intuitively felt that they were Misumi Shino’s style.
I wanted her to write the lyrics for the song.
“I understand……. I’ll think about it some more.
Senpai’s shoulders slumped a little, but she looked refreshed, as if something had been lifted from her, and she bailed and turned to leave.
I am sure she will be thinking about it for some time to come. This is creator’s trouble. I know what it’s like to be in it.
I wish I could be of some help.
And when I thought that. I felt my phone in my pocket tremble. I checked it and found a message on LINE.
I checked the contents and had a flash of inspiration.
I stood up and chased after Senpai.
“Senpai. Did you see the LINE?”
She looked back at me and checked her phone.
The message was a notification from the seminar leader. And the content of the message is
Due to urgent business, the seminar will be canceled today. The replacement will be notified later.
Something like that.
“Well, we’re free.”
“Right. This means that my entire afternoon schedule has been canceled. Do you have any classes after this?”
“Just one class in fifth period.”
“I see……. I know this is a lot to ask, but can you skip class?
“………..Excuse me?”
Senpai was perplexed by the out-of-the-box request. Of course, no one would just nod and agree if they suddenly asked you to skip class.
But I really want her to make time for me to skip class.
“What are we doing after that?”
Senpai asked the obvious question.
I, on the other hand ……
“Go on a journey with me !”
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