Julia

Today's melody has a particularly beautiful resonance.

It's like a lone cactus flower blooming amidst a barren wasteland.

My music must have taken on that rugged tone while performing in the harsh environment of the surface.

I feel quite satisfied.

Now then, shall I play the next piece?

Ah... this piece!

I found this lying forgotten in the ruins, waiting for someone to play it.

The score which originally carried that composer's hopes and dreams crumbled away soon after,

but I was able to give a new home to those notes with this notebook.

If I hadn't done so...

This beauty might have remained lost forever, fallen into oblivion.

I wish to convey the joy of that moment of discovery to the one who composed it.

I will perform it with this joy in my heart.

Will it reach them, I wonder?

... No. I have a long journey yet to travel before I reach such an echelon.

Until then, I must keep improving.

If I continue forging ahead, one day I am sure to reach that stratum.

And when that day comes, I hope that my melodies will surge forth and reach them.

Let us leave our doubts and regrets behind, and move forward.

Ah...

So that piece was the last one.

Come to think of it, that was the most recent one I transcribed into this notebook.

There are still a few pages left, however.

Enough to fit at least one more composition.

It's a bit disappointing that I couldn't fill it entirely, but I cannot break my promise to Mentor.

I must visit the Ark once a month.

The wilderness is already bathed in a crepuscular glow.

It was also dusk when the Conductor first blessed the initial step of my journey.

This scenery reminds me of then.

... For the final piece, perhaps I'll play the melody that I want to convey the most.

I shall perform once more, while I recall that precise point in time.

??

!!

This is most vexing.

My mind cannot conjure up the images properly.

During my next visit to the Ark,

I will go see the Conductor.

Hmm...

I cannot give voice to the images which appear in my mind.

Is something missing?

Did you call for me, Conductor?

!!

While I've been wandering in search of my melody,

it seems I've ended up troubling you.

While I appreciate your offer for aid,

I am not sure how to respond to such an offer.

When I have ascertained how to proceed, I will reach out to you then.

Yes, Conductor?

Ah!

It seems the turbulent waves of my melody have crashed upon the tranquil shores of your heart.

Please, do not worry yourself so much.

I will do my best to mollify this tempestuous melody.

Carry on as you normally do, Conductor.

The melody itself seems to be in disarray.

Most likely because I have not found my own inner balance yet.

This direction doesn't seem right.

Perhaps it's this way?

Hmm... I might have misjudged.

Let me adjust my stance just a smidgen.

!!

I made a mistake!

To think I'd make such a blunder in front of the Conductor...

I must focus deeply on the spirit of this place, so I won't commit the same error again.

Inhale... and exhale...

Are you going out?

Oh!

You're setting off on a short jaunt to find new inspiration.

I shall accompany you.

Yes.

Today, I wish to walk in step with you, Conductor.

By witnessing your daily life,

I hope to imbue my soul with greater substance.

In doing this, I shall fill the last pages of my notebook.

Please, pay no heed to my presence.

Think of me as a butterfly flitting from flower to flower.

!!

Ah yes, I see it now. A minute flutter of a butterfly's wings can still cause a raging tempest.

My apologies.

Then, rather consider me a bee gathering nectar instead.

Then what?

Commander! Nice to see you.

Thanks for coming on such short notice.

It's nothing major,

but there is something I'd like you to look into.

...

Julia? What are you doing here?

You're not up to trouble again, are you?

A full lunar phase has passed since our last rendezvous. It is nice to see you again.

You can be at ease.

Today, I am simply following in the Conductor's steps.

Whenever I return to the Ark, if I follow the movement of the melody,

I always find Poli at the end of it.

Whenever we meet, she seems perpetually distressed.

We received a noise complaint about someone playing a violin.

Needless to say, I can take a guess as to who's at fault, but we still have to go through the proper procedures.

If the waves of my melody have overwhelmed you, it must mean I still lack the proper skill.

My inadequacy has troubled you, it seems.

I know it wasn't intentional.

Besides, having the Commander here today helps matters.

As I said, today my flow will follow the Conductor.

There will be no aimless wanderings like before, which were due to my being entranced by the movement of the melody.

That's a relief.

If things do go sideways, I'm counting on you, Commander.

Like I said, it's nothing major,

but have a gander at this.

We'll map out the route, like so...

...

Huh? What happened? The flow just stopped.

What a shame. I felt like I was so close to completion.

But perhaps this will lead to new inspiration.

I'll wait a little longer for it to come back to life.

For now, I shall go over the notes I've written down so far.

...

Hmm? Why are you both staring at me like that?

Yes, Conductor? What is it?

What do you mean?

??

!!

I didn't even realize I was playing the violin.

My apologies. I got so caught up in the flow of the melody again.

*Sigh*... I don't even have the energy to fight back anymore.

It's just that seeing you two working so harmoniously caused a pleasant melody to spring into my mind.

As I envisioned the ebb and flow of that melody in my head, I must have subconsciously started playing the violin.

If I immerse myself just a bit more, I feel like I might complete this melody.

But it seems I let my eagerness get the best of me, and I ended up disrupting your work.

In an act of repentance, I will temporarily put aside the act of imbuing my soul with greater substance.

Instead, I will patiently wait for your tasks to be completed.

Yes, Conductor?

*Sigh*... That's exactly what I thought you'd say.

!!

Oh!

Thank you, Conductor.

If I do as you suggest, give into the melody fully and follow it wherever it takes me,

I may create a melody more beautiful than ever.

It's as if I've been struck by a thunderbolt,

and that thunderbolt is you.

I will capture the emotions bound to that flash of inspiration.

She's off in her own world.

You're probably right.

There's no rush with this paperwork, by the way. We can finish the rest of it later.

Sure thing.

In the meantime, do whatever you can to support Julia.

I'll leave her to you.

Welcome back, Master and Miss.

Er... it's nice to be back...

Feel free to take any seat you like.

...

This is the first time I've ever been to this establishment,

but the staff spoke as if my spirit has been here before.

What kind of place is this?

Embarrassingly, yes.

I've dedicated my life to music.

Being here now, I feel like a penguin gazing upon a desert for the first time.

It's as if my mind has turned into a blank musical score.

Indeed.

If I have not reached something yet, I simply need to keep moving forward.

Besides, I decided to follow the Conductor's path today,

and so I will do as you do.

You mean to go with the flow.

However, I have yet to grasp the flow of this place.

The flow that exists in all things.

I'll follow it once I understand it.

All right, we're ready to order.

What will you have?

I'll have a refreshment

where the purest white dances alongside the most scorched black.

Uh...

I don't think I quite understand.

Oh, I see! Thanks for the help, Master.

Got it. Just a moment!

How was your latte, Miss?

I made it myself.

Hmm...

Is something the matter?

Ah, no! Not at all.

Forgive me. The drink is as beautiful as a dancing songstress.

However...

??

I wished to capture the emotions I felt while being here with the Conductor,

but those emotions have wandered off, and the notes have strayed from the path.

Yes.

I tried to make sense of the path and the flow of the Conductor here,

but I found it as difficult as playing a violin without a bow.

That is because the Maid Cafe is a contradiction.

Excuse me?

Have I done something wrong?

Certainly not.

Then I'm afraid I don't understand...

What I mean is that the very concept of a maid cafe is contradictory.

I still don't follow...

A cafe is supposed to be a place where customers are simply served a cup of coffee.

But here, everyone who visits is treated as a master.

That made me think.

Masters and a guest are like two opposite sides of a coin.

In this establishment, however, those two concepts become one.

It is a place

where these contradictory elements harmonize.

I have realized now the wellspring of the Conductor's inspiration.

He finds joy in such contradictions, and thus derives inspiration from them.

I wanted to capture the exhilaration, the power of that contradiction within my melody,

but encapsulating such a paradox is like trying to make coffee that is both hot and cold.

I have lost the path the notes were meant to take.

Uh...

I know she's speaking English, but I don't understand a word of what she's saying.

What do you mean?

That's right! I've never thought of any of our masters as simply customers!

!!

I think I understand.

This place is filled with pure, unadulterated joy.

You enjoy it, and so you are able to find inspiration here.

I simply need to give in and enjoy something which is simple in nature.

Wait! An excellent melody just came to me!

Thank you for taking me here, Conductor.

Thanks to you, I've added another nuance to my melody.

I feel like a brilliant piece is about to be born.

No, without you guiding me,

I wouldn't have realized such a joyous place existed.

Following you here was the right choice.

Soon, I'll be able to fill up this notebook.

Yes, that's right.

I've managed to add a subtle new shade of color to the melody within me, but my goal is to fill it in completely.

In order for that to happen, I must depend on you.

I'm sorry that I couldn't follow what you were saying, Miss,

and couldn't be much help...

Do not worry. I have already received enough help.

You have become my muse, Cocoa. It is as if a window has been opened to my soul, and a fresh breeze is blowing in.

You mean I was helpful?

Absolutely. I will return here again to feel the flow of this place.

I wish you peace until then.

Okay, take care, Master! Take care, Miss!

How was it, you ask?

The reason I first decided to seek you out was

to regain the inspirational imagery I received from you.

Today, as I accompanied you, I was able to fill in many parts of myself.

Even more than I had hoped for.

Thanks to you, Conductor, it was an exceedingly fulfilling day.

I can't thank you enough, Conductor.

Today was profoundly nourishing to my soul in many ways.

In places that are bastions of safety and peace,

I gained inspiration about the balance between responsibility and freedom.

In locales overflowing with the joy of serving others,

I could feel the melody inherent in pure enjoyment.

Being with you, Conductor, made my soul more vibrant.

Completing the last part of my notebook won't be difficult now, as I can fill in the rest with my own story.

I don't see it taking any longer than a few days, in fact.

Once again, my greatest thanks to you, Conductor.

Well.

...

However, there is still something missing.

Would you promise me something, Conductor?

If you can do that for me, the completion of my story will not be far off.

Thank you for your kindness.

Please take a look at this.

During my journey across the surface, I've discovered untold musical scores.

The notes that almost perished in those damaged music sheets and were nearly lost to time have found a new home in this notebook.

In doing this, I could make it so the souls of those who came before us aren't forgotten.

But my rapacity got the best of me.

I wanted to include my own soul within this notebook, along with the souls of those who have passed.

Conductor...

I want to be remembered.

And I want that to be accomplished through my music.

Just like how the compositions in this notebook carry on the memory of their composers.

I am still not quite at that level,

but after spending time with you today,

I earnestly wish that my music at least reaches you.

So, to that end, I have a favor to ask of you.

When this notebook is complete, I would like you to have it.

As proof that my story reached you. As a testament that you remember it, and remember me.

No, you've helped me enough.

To want anything more would be the epitome of avarice.

Please, don't feel that way.

Once the music I've begun to create today with you is completed,

it will connect us, always.

Thank you.

After I finish the last page of this notebook,

you will be my very first audience.

My first audience.

Conductor! You came.

Thank you for accepting my invitation.

I've composed an immensely satisfying end to it, thanks to you.

The harmonious intermingling of both my soul and yours.

Together, they create a piece that can stand proudly alongside those songs from the surface and those notes of the past.

But even after pouring everything I have into this piece, it still feels as if I've merely caught a fleeting glimpse of their distant silhouettes.

It makes me a little worried about what lies ahead.

What do you mean?

... It's fascinating.

Simply hearing you say that

makes all of my worries dissipate, as if they were a mirage.

You're right. There is no need to worry.

I simply need to walk the path those before me took, even if I do it slowly.

Well then, let us take the first step together, you and I, connected through music.

This is a piece which I composed while thinking of you.

I'm honored for you to be the first to hear it.

Thank you for listening, Conductor.

I'm glad!

I knew you would be receptive to it.

It is as you said.

At first, I intended to compose a piece solely about you,

but after spending the day together, I couldn't help but desire more.

I wanted to insert myself within the melody along with you.

... I'm so relieved to have completed my notebook, and to have done it with a melody of my own invention.

Through this song, I feel connected to you, Conductor.

Therefore, I would like to give you the original copy of this completed notebook.

As proof that my story has reached you,

and that we are now connected.

I vowed to dedicate my life to music.

But when it comes to you, Conductor...

I would gladly give half my life to you.

... Perhaps even more than that.

But such a thing would be like attempting to lasso the clouds. An impossible wish.

So I will be content with giving you this.

If you remember me through this notebook, whose pages contain my story, my very soul,

then I will always be by your side.