Scenario:Aqours Second-Years - Heartfelt Lyrics

Heartfelt Lyrics

Chika, You, and Riko attempt to come up with lyrics for a new song to perform at the school idol event, with the help of the crew and Nihilith. They begin to feel discouraged over their lack of ideas, but Nihilith inspires them with a love story, prompting Chika to ask her to try writing lyrics of her own.

---

Chika: Hmm...

Riko & You: ...

Lyria: This is pretty hard...

Vyrn: When you write a new song, where are you even supposed to start?

The girls of Aqours have decided to participate in a song and dance event being held by the School Idol Committee.

But try as they might, so far they haven't had any luck coming up with lyrics for a new song to perform.

Chika: Man... The lyrics just aren't coming to me.

You: U-umm... What if we try... deciding on a theme first?

Riko: G-good idea... After that maybe we can try... thinking up a phrase of the melody to help us brainstorm...

Chika: A theme, huh... I wonder what sort of theme the people in this world would enjoy?

You & Riko: ...

While Chika goes about business as usual, You and Riko fidget nervously.

They are unable to concentrate on Chika's words, as their attention is focused on another figure in their presence.

Chika: Nihilith, do you have any ideas?

Nihilith: Huh? I'm not really good at things like that... Since I'm a primal beast and all...

You & Riko: ...

You: Hey, Chika...

Riko: Um, why is she here?

Chika: Huh? Don't you think it's important to get as many opinions as we can from people who live in this world?

Riko: So that's why you asked Lyria to summon her...

Lyria: Hehe. Well, Nihilith was interested in helping too. Isn't that right?

Nihilith: Maybe a little...

You: I-I see...

Chika: All right, let's start by coming up with a theme! Why don't we all say the keywords that pop into our heads?

You: Okay... Umm... Ships!

Riko: Walls... Actually, scratch that.

Lyria: Food...

Vyrn: I'll go with apples.

Chika: Hehe. Then I'll say mikans! What about you, Nihilith?

Nihilith: Nothingness...

Vyrn: That's pretty dark.

Nihilith: Well, what did you expect from the primal beast of nihility?

Chika: Actually, Hanamaru came up with the exact same idea before. Hmm, let's keep thinking...

But no matter how many ideas the girls throw out, they can't seem to settle on anything.

Io: Say, aren't songs about love pretty popular? How about going with something like that?

Chika: Love, huh... I tried writing a love song in the past, but it didn't go very smoothly.

Chika: None of us have any experience with love, so it's hard to get a concrete image in our minds.

Lyria: An image of love? Like... something bittersweet?

Io: I've heard it tastes like strawberries. That doesn't sound like something you'd use in lyrics though.

You: Love... Youth... Uniforms?

Riko: Aida... Fur Elise... Liebestraume...

They all offer their own interpretations of love, until finally Nihilith chimes in.

Nihilith: Heroes.

Chika: Huh? Heroes?

Nihilith: W-well... It has to do with something that happened in the past...

Chika: Hang on, Nihilith... Are you trying to say...

You: You've been in love before?

Nihilith: Yes...

All Three: Oooh!

Chika: What was it like? Would you mind telling us about it?

Nihilith: It's a pretty long story. Is that okay?

Chika: You bet!

Chika clutches her notebook and leans forward in anticipation.

Nihilith: I was never particularly talented or had anything I was really interested in... I just fought to survive.

Nihilith: But there was one young man who called me brave, and that finally gave meaning to my battles. I was so happy.

Nihilith: It was a strange feeling... He was always on my mind.

Nihilith: Whenever I thought of him, my heart leapt.

Nihilith: And whenever I was talking to someone else, all I wanted was to be talking to him instead.

Chika: Wow...

Riko: Um, what was he like?

Nihilith: He was just an ordinary guy. There wasn't really anything special about him.

You: So what happened to him?

Io: You three are really eating this up.

Chika: Haha... Well, it's interesting hearing about something we've never experienced.

Riko: Did he corner you romantically against a wall?

Nihilith: No. The feelings were one-sided.

Nihilith: He often talked to me about a special girl who everyone called a hero. She was strong and brave and always shining...

Nihilith: I tried a lot of new things, hoping to shine like her so he would look at me in the same way.

Nihilith: Like fighting with a sword.

Nihilith: And with a spear. And magic too. It felt like I had finally found a dream to pursue.

Nihilith: Hehehe... But I never imagined he'd actually meet the girl and start a relationship with her.

Nihilith: I began to hate them both, along with myself, and in the end I just tossed it all aside.

Chika: You wanted to shine so badly...

You: But you weren't able to convey your feelings to the guy you loved...

Riko: So you gave up on everything?

Nihilith: Heh... I was desperate. All I wanted was the chance to deliver even a single blow to that so-called hero.

Nihilith: I was a complete fool. I was childish and stupid. I just wasn't thinking.

Vyrn: So what happened to the hero in the end?

Nihilith: The mission I was given never led to a confrontation with her. So I have no idea what their fates ultimately entailed.

Nihilith: Thanks for listening to my story. I guess I've always wanted to talk to someone about it. But back then I couldn't afford to show any weakness.

Nihilith: Ah, I see. Maybe I was given this power because I wanted someone to understand how I felt.

Nihilith: I ended up taking it out on others. I'm such an idiot.

Chika: ...

Chika: Hey, Nihilith... Why don't you try your hand at writing lyrics?

Nihilith: Huh?

Heartfelt Lyrics: Scene 2

Chika encourages Nihilith to use her words to make the audience happy, but the primal beast doesn't feel up to the task. You and Riko assure her that if she pours her feelings into her lyrics, they are sure to have an impact on someone. Nihilith starts to show interest, and Chika convinces her to give it a try.

---

Vyrn: You want Nihilith to write lyrics? Where'd that come from?

Chika: She can put the feelings she always wanted to share into words, and we'll sing them. Let's make that our song for the event.

Chika: Nihilith, how would you like to make everyone happy using your very own words?

Nihilith: Me? Make everyone happy? But everything I say is dark and depressing. I'm the primal beast of nihility, remember?

You: Hmm... But you know...

You: If you poured your love for that person into your lyrics, I think there are people out there who would relate to your feelings, Nihilith.

Riko: You said you once tried to shine, right?

Riko: If you write out the emotions you felt when you were working toward a goal, it might give someone out there the extra push they need.

Chika: What do you think, Nihilith? Wanna give it a try?

You: Chika's ideas usually turn out to be pretty amazing.

Riko: You mean like the one that led us to where we are now?

You: Yeah. Hehe.

Nihilith: ...

Lyria: Nihilith is curious. I can sense it.

Nihilith: What!

Chika: Yay! Then you ought to give it a shot, Nihilith! You'll never know unless you try!

Nihilith: All right.

Chika opens the notebook and begins to copy down Nihilith's words.

Chika: I wanted to be special in order to make him look my way.

Chika: So I took up a sword, and that gave me strength.

Chika: Yeah, that's great! I can feel the excitement that comes with starting something new!

Nihilith: But a sword and spear weren't enough to cut a path for myself.

Nihilith: In the end I wasn't able to convey my feelings to anyone.

Nihilith: It's no use. At this rate I'll never be able to encourage anyone.

Io: Hmm... Writing lyrics is harder than I thought.

Nihilith: I feel bad for making you do all this for my sake.

Chika: Hehe. But I really want to see the kind of lyrics you write.

Nihilith: You're so full of optimism.

Chika: You're the one who reached out to me back then, remember?

Chika: That made me really happy. It showed you were at least a little bit interested in joining us.

Nihilith: Yeah...

Chika: You were shy at first, but now you're here writing lyrics with us.

Chika: So I want to do everything I can to help make this song real.

You: There's no use trying to get out of it, Nihilith. Once Chika gets like this, there's no stopping her.

Nihilith: I'm aware.

Riko: Let's get back to work on the lyrics. We don't have much time left before the concert.

And so they continue writing lyrics until long after the sun sets.

Heartfelt Lyrics: Scene 3

Chika awakens in her room to find mysterious lyrics written in her notebook, and as she reads them, a familiar yet dreamlike scene pops into her mind. Sensing that someone had poured their feelings into the clumsily written phrases, she works to transform them into proper lyrics.

---

The writing session ends up lasting well into the night.

You: Zzz...

Riko: Snore...

Io: Mm...

A few of the girls end up falling asleep, exhausted from racking their brains.

Nihilith: I was nothing before, but you showed me what it means to shine.

Chika: Hehe. This is turning into a really nice song.

Nihilith: I took up sword and spear to chase after you. I was so happy out there learning how to shine...
Does that sound all right?

Chika: Hehe. We can adjust the lyrics later to fit the tempo of the song.

Nihilith: Okay.

Chika: I'm so happy... It's fun writing lyrics with you, Nihilith... Hehe.

Lyria: Yawn... I'm sorry... I'm getting sleepy...

Chika: Yeah. Me too.

Nihilith: I'm sure you're exhausted from focusing on this for so long.

Chika: Hehe... Nah, I'm used to it...

Lyria: Zzz...

Nihilith: Lyria's asleep, so I'm sure it's only a matter of time until I disappear. I guess that's it for today...

Chika: Yeah...

Surrendering herself to the sweet release of sleep, Chika closes her eyes.

Nihilith: Good night, Chika.

Chika: G'night... We'll finish this tomorrow...

Chika: Zzz...

Nihilith: ...

On the verge of disappearing, Nihilith suddenly receives a flash of inspiration and begins writing feverishly.

Nihilith: I was always looking down...

Nihilith: But you showed me what it's like to shine and reached out toward me.

Nihilith: I only wish—

Nihilith vanishes, leaving the sentence half-written. The pen clatters onto the table.

Chika: Mm... I fell asleep in the clubroom again...

Chika: Urgh... What am I gonna do about the lyrics for our next song?

Having fallen asleep with pen in hand, Chika sits up and looks down at the notebook where her head had been resting.

Chika: Huh?

On the page are words that she has no memory of writing.

Chika: I was nothing before, but you showed me what it means to shine.

Chika: I took up sword and spear to chase after you. I was so happy out there learning how to shine...

Chika: Sword? Huh? I guess I wrote this when I was still half asleep.

Chika scans the page with an uncertain expression on her face.

Chika: Meeting you allowed me to discover something new.

Chika: No... What is this feeling?

Chika reads every word in the notebook from start to finish, over and over again.

She devours each and every line, as though trying to understand something.

And as she reads, the lyrics begin to paint an image of an audience in her mind.

She hears a burst of applause as the song comes to an end, resounding from a sea of bright smiles.

???: Hehe. So, Nihilith, how did it feel hearing us sing the lyrics you—

???: I think I was even more nervous watching from the sidelines than—

Familiar voices echo faintly in her mind. Chika wonders if the scene she is imagining was part of the dream she just had.

Chika: I feel like these lyrics would be sure to touch the hearts of an audience.

Deep in thought, Chika takes up her pen and begins to write.

She works to transform the clumsily written phrases into proper lyrics, taking care not to lose any meaning along the way.

Chika: But, hm...

Chika: I was always looking down, but you showed me what it's like to shine and reached out toward me. I only wish I had met you sooner.

Chika: I wonder who this is talking about. You? Riko? I don't think that's right...

Chika: There's a lot I don't know, but I can at least tell that someone's feelings were poured into these lyrics.

Chika: I hope we can turn this into a song. I'll talk to Riko about it.

Chika continues to write even long after the sun sets, determined to do the mysterious lyrics justice.