Individual songs were actually fine—especially since the character designs had been established before composing.
Cao Qian Ju felt each one suited its recipient perfectly.
But…
Individual songs were individual songs.
Group songs were group songs.
They couldn’t be lumped together.
Cao Qian Ju didn’t have any particular musical literacy, yet she still felt a sense of dissonance toward the song that was about to become their debut track.
On its own, the song was good.
When Cao Qian Ju first heard the demo through her earphones, her eyes had lit up.
She thought the melody was catchy—definitely a high-quality, solid piece.
She even felt that if this song were given to any formal group or singer out there, the result would be excellent.
It preserved the classic, uplifting style of idols without being overly saccharine or extreme.
Its main selling point was safety.
But when Chu Yong said this was the first song for all five of them—their debut song—
Cao Qian Ju sat below, listening to this sunny track, while recalling the time they’d spent in the practice room.
The faces of those five flashed through her mind in sequence.
Each one had too distinct a personality—excessively so, you could even say.
At least in Cao Qian Ju’s rich college social circle, she’d rarely encountered so many strong-willed, almost mismatched people gathered together.
She also felt that signing up on a whim hadn’t been a bad decision.
But still… she felt that whenever she recalled those five faces while listening to this sunny, upbeat song—
Why did it feel like encountering a puzzle piece that just wouldn’t fit, a missing corner?
No matter how hard she pushed, no matter how she changed her angle of understanding, no matter how she tried to deduce the process from the result that “everyone is an idol,” there was always a strange feeling.
Especially when her mind’s eye conjured the ever-so-slightly listless face of Center, Kunomi Umi.
The mental jigsaw, with her eyes closed and the song playing, suddenly shattered like glass in a loud crash.
Then everything went dark, and no room for imagination remained.
It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with Kunomi Umi herself—but that intense sense of wrongness was like a fishbone stuck in the throat.
Anyone other than her would feel the same.
Cao Qian Ju had privately mentioned this to Chu Yong, but after discussing it, they couldn’t find an answer.
Chu Yong had tried several songs, considering everyone’s style.
She hadn’t chosen an overly upbeat, traditional idol song.
Instead, she picked a catchy, rhythmic track.
That was the best solution Chu Yong could think of at the time.
If the dissonance persisted no matter what, they’d have to rely on recent trends and the song’s own quality to attract listeners.
At the dessert shop, Kunomi Umi listened to Cao Qian Ju’s venting, quietly pondered for a while, and finally spoke in a low voice.
“It really does… have a strange feeling that’s hard to put into words.”
Cao Qian Ju rested her cheek on one hand and let out a helpless sigh.
“You think so too?”
“Mm…”
After all, the members of this group had personalities that were far too unique.
A group song.
What exactly made a true “group”?
Back when Cao Qian Ju watched those sparkling idols on TV shows and concerts, she had simply thought they looked beautiful and moved in perfect sync on stage, everything blending naturally.
Her shallow understanding of idol groups back then was nothing more than “putting all the pretty, talented people together.”
But now that it was happening to her, she realized it wasn’t that simple at all.
There was also a helpless feeling of being lost in the situation.
The group’s members were set.
They often took practice classes together, chatted about the future in the rest room at noon, and their relationships were great—no arguments or conflicts.
These five were already physically a group.
So why couldn’t they come together mentally and musically?
Just as Cao Qian Ju was tangled in confusion, Umimi lifted her head and met Cao Qian Ju’s eyes for the first time.
She spoke slowly, trying hard not to stammer.
Her fingers tightly gripped the skirt on her knees.
“It’s the lyrics… they feel like they’ve been forcibly stitched together.”
Cao Qian Ju blinked, then sat up straight.
“To account for each member’s traits, some styles were added, but those fragments are too stiff to blend naturally. In the end, to avoid being jarring or causing friction, the whole song had to compromise toward mediocrity.”
Cao Qian Ju was a bit surprised.
This was the first time Kunomi Umi had spoken such a long, complete sentence in front of her.
Her sensitivity to words turned some of Cao Qian Ju’s doubts into articulate thoughts.
Exactly—she was a mouthpiece.
Cao Qian Ju gestured with her hands.
“I feel like each person is vivid in my mind, but cramming us five into this song just doesn’t work. It’s like—what style should we actually go for? Nothing seems right, but there’s no better choice.”
Hearing Cao Qian Ju’s words, Kunomi Umi’s eyes dimmed again.
She silently lowered her head.
She knew that as the center, she should be doing better, but in this situation, she felt powerless.
The center—it wasn’t just the most eye-catching position; it also had to link everyone together.
But the inarticulate Umimi found it hard to take the initiative.
Even though she had resolved to change, it wasn’t something she could do overnight.
And what exactly was “style”?
Whether it was the five of them or their respective character designs, next month after the filming, recording would begin.
The samples and lyrics had already been sent to each member.
Umimi had been practicing at home recently.
What should the five, who had already become a team, do now?
The dessert shop was filled with a deeply troubled atmosphere.
This time, even Miho, who had been entirely focused on attacking her cake, stopped her fork.
The three of them—now even including Miho—sighed in unison.
“It’s so hard~”
After sighing together, they were both surprised and delighted by their mutual understanding, and exchanged smiles.
Cao Qian Ju lightly clapped her hands.
“Alright, let’s not overthink it. Let’s enjoy dessert first. After the real-person debut, there will be recordings, small-scale offline events, and maybe even live streams at night. Once we’re spinning nonstop, we won’t have this leisure.”
Upon hearing that her introverted sister would have so many outdoor activities, Umimi’s eyes lit up.
After all, she wasn’t the one personally participating.
It might help improve her sister’s shyness, and maybe her sister would blow up and become a celebrity.
As for the sister in question, hearing about so much work reality nearly made her faint.
“Ugh…”