Tune In to the Midnight Heart (真夜中ハートチューン)

Whew!

It's getting real hot out here. I'll do one more song and call it a day.

What?

I want AKP48!

The crowd's clearly gotten bigger after sports day.

There's a real chance that she'll beat yours truly in terms of popularity.

That said,

Ever since I met you

she's no closer to putting on a street performance.

Is she actually writing any songs?

My heart's been pounding

Hmm?

And it just won't stop

Who's that girl?

It's kind of bothering me

Good mornings, bye-byes...

What's wrong?

Forgot her lyrics?

Probably broke a guitar string.

Sorry, that's all for today. See you next time.

Aww...

Pardon me.

Can I talk to you for a second?

Hello? Can you not hear me?

Hey!

I'm Yamabuki, and you?

Okay, okay, I'm sorry for ignoring you! So don't do it!

I'm glad you can see me.

I was afraid I'd died and become a ghost.

Why did you ignore me?

Because you seemed annoying.

Rest assured, for I am anything but. In fact, allow me to list ten reasons why.

S-So you are annoying!

I just wanted to ask you why you seemed so put off back there.

Is there something you didn't like about Inohana's show?

Well, what do you think?

About her show, I mean.

I think she's doing pretty well.

She has her finger on the pulse of what songs are popular,

and she's good at copying the originals' singing styles.

But... she does seem to get self-conscious.

You know what that means?

It's the songs that are popular, not her. Anybody else could cover them.

She wasn't like this before...

Are you a friend of hers?

Happy now?

Not really.

Let me ask you a couple more questions.

How are you so fast? That's freaky!

KARAOKE

I need to work on my original songs.

LYRICS 1 FOR CONCERTS - NEW SONGS - LYRICS 2 FOR CONCERTS

NEW SONGS

KARAOKE HOUSE

SCORING MODE EX LOADING!

Maybe I should actually tell Yamabuki-kun that this might be too hard for me.

I've brought your melon soda.

Huh? I didn't order that, though?

What, you don't want it?

In that case, I'll help myself.

How did you know I'd be here?

Your old friend told me. I actually know her, too.

You know Aiko?!

Oh, so her name is Aiko?

She was quite the handful. She wouldn't even give me her name.

I took his bait...

She looked really bored as she watched your show,

so I had a little chat with her.

What did she say?

Your expression tells me you already have a good idea.

Yeah...

Aiko hates me for only doing covers of popular songs.

Because she loved the songs I wrote.

Then just perform original songs at your shows.

Don't wanna.

Why not...

I'm not telling you. It's something I'm embarrassed about.

But that's a problem. I have a duty to turn you into a pro.

What must I do to get you to tell me?

This is a karaoke room.

You gotta sing.

Karaoke battle.

SCORING MODE EX

I'll tell you if you do better than me.

Singing battle versus an aspiring singer? You really don't intend to tell me!

I accept your challenge, however.

I'll go first, then.

Wait, wait.

I demand a handicap.

You'll sing a song that I pick.

It's one you sang in your show yesterday. No objections there, right?

Yeah, that's fine by me.

However, you also have to do the dance.

Wha?

LOVE YOU!!

What? Why?

Like I said, it's a handicap.

Go on. It's about to start.

Huh? Wait, what?

Ever since I met you

My heart's been pounding

And it just won't stop

Victory is mine.

I thought so during your show, too.

You get self-conscious and give off that "I only do this because I have to" vibe,

hoping we'll read through your lines.

That defensive behavior must be what angered your friend...

Ever since I met you

My heart's been pounding

And it just won't stop

It's kind of bothering me

Good mornings, bye-byes,

And even the mundane nights

Make me think of you

I wanna say "You've grown a little taller"

"We use the same notebook"

"Thank you for the other day" and more

But I still can't bring myself to

Whenever I hear your voice, my vision gets all sparkly

I can't seem to get you off my mind

There's something I wanna tell you eye-to-eye

Th-This girl!

She's way fiercer than I thought!

It's how I feel

I'm in love with you

Y-You...

S-So how exactly am I self-conscious, again?

I've brought your hot tea with honey.

I'm so sorry for interrupting!

IT'S HOT, SO PLEASE BE CAREFUL

95.925 / NATIONAL AVERAGE: 84.836 YOU'RE AN AMAZING SINGER.

Yeah, that should do it.

Wh-What?

That's trouble.

It's do or die.

I'll bet it all on this song!

I hope you have your medicine ready.

Yours truly has a beautiful voice.

It might intoxicate you, so watch out.

A BUS WON'T TAKE US TO THE MOON

A BUS WON'T TAKE US TO THE MOON

I'm not a special person

I'm well aware of that

I thought so when we did that show together in the spring,

That's why, whenever we talk

and it's the same now.

He's not that good at singing.

I give you the cold shoulder

But... This song...

75.129 / NATIONAL AVERAGE: 82.172 YOUR VIBRATO SOUNDS LIKE A DOG WITH A CRUSHED THROAT, BRO.

The machine has to be malfunctioning!

This score's unacceptable for a Yamabuki!

A 20-point gap, huh?

W-Wait! 20 points is basically the margin of error!

Why did you sing that song?

Hey, can I ask you one last thing?

What?

The band logo on your shirt.

Do you like that band?

Oh, this? Yeah, I like 'em.

It's the band Rikka loved.

Listen, Arisu!

I found this amazing band!

They're not that well-known, but they're called...

Hugg Notes? I loved them.

A certain someone recommended them to me.

Fine.

I'll tell you why I don't sing original songs.

Are you sure? I lost!

I said whoever does better wins.

The scores don't matter. Your song was better.

Yes!

Man, you really hate losing.

Stuff happened in my past,

and now I can't sing my original songs in front of people.

Elaborate.

I'm scared.

Of the looks people give me when they judge me or think I'm a letdown.

Covers are much easier because I can hide behind other people's music.

How cowardly, right?

I see. She's scared of the audience's judgmental eyes?

A straightforward trauma, and a critical one.

If it's not resolved at once, she has no future.

I've been trying to write a new song,

but remembering those eyes stops me dead in my tracks.

It's affecting her songwriting, too.

What should I do?

Right. We'll just have to do this the Yamabuki way.

You're scared of having eyes on you?

I used to be that way, too.

You know that's my tea, right?

I had to take part in numerous extracurricular activities.

Presentations and speeches were part of that.

The piercing gaze of the audience is something I know all too well.

How did you get over your fear?

Even if you can't write a new song,

you still have your old ones, right?

Huh? I guess?

Then it's clear what we must do.

We'll do an "Inohana Rikka Original Songs School Concert."