Vol 1 Chapter 34 – My First Video Editing【Vol 1 – Turning Point】

Morning came, and I was finally freed from the glove. Though “freed” is a bit of an exaggeration since I was still restrained for most of the day, it wasn’t so bad. That was because Michiru-san spoiled me so much.

“Does your hand hurt?”

After holding it all day, my muscles might have stiffened if I hadn’t been able to move them freely inside the glove.

“It doesn’t hurt at all!”

I realized then that I should rely on Michiru-san even more. If I stop being so dependent, she’ll just punish me with the glove again.

But I can’t say I mind being punished a little—it’s kind of strange.

“Great… So, can I do the ‘No Hands’ thing again sometimes?”

The viewers have dubbed today’s act a “play,” and they even decided to name the play “No Hands.”
They claim that, given my height of 138 cm and the way my voice sounds, my hands are less like hands and more like “No Hands.”

“Yeah!”

Next time I get a chance to do “No Hands,” there’s something I really want to try—I want to rely on Michiru—no, Mama—even more.

Then I did my morning SNS check, tweeted a “good morning,” and ate breakfast. It felt a little refreshing to do it all on my own.

The morning was spent studying songs. But the task of memorizing popular songs is over. From now on, I’ll find my own way to sing the songs I’ve learned.

Honestly, I want to practice more. Songs hold the composer’s emotions, and it isn’t easy to fully understand them just by copying the surface. I prefer to express them with all I’ve got.

But today was different.

“Hey, try singing a bit.”

“Okay! The floating sky, its fading colors…”

I’m recording a cover video of “Asa ni Kakeru” by ASAGAERI today. Many people say my guitar playing is unique. For “Asa ni Kakeru,” I play notes with my left hand while tapping the side of the guitar body with my right. If I tap too close to the sound hole, the resonance overpowers the drum-like effect.

Adjusting the camera is important. It must be set so my face isn’t visible and the entire guitar is always in view. Michiru-san is helping me with that.

“Hmm, zoom out a little more.”

The reason my face is kept off-camera is that I plan to debut it alongside the release of KidsMonMo.

“Okay.”

Michiru-san even brought a proper camera with interchangeable lenses. Supposedly, by turning the lens, you can zoom in and out. I really have no idea why she got so excited about that high-end equipment—but her mysterious excitement has turned out to be unexpectedly useful.

“Alright, let’s go for the real take! Ready?”

“Absolutely!”

“Here we go! 3…2…1…”

Without a word, Michiru-san squeezed my hand. In sync, I began to sing.

“The floating sky, its fading colors…”

I think “Asa ni Kakeru” is a pretty difficult song to perform. It’s challenging both musically and as a performance. Yet I’ve faced even tougher songs—like MalumDiva and the pieces Teikuni sent me. Still, the rhythm is the toughest part of any song I sing.

Overall, it’s a formidable challenge that demands excellence in every element.

But that’s exactly why singing is so much fun.

“Cut! You were amazing!”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Michiru-san has never once told me I was bad—I’m only ever praised.

And when Michiru-san says I did well, it always turns out to be a success, so I trust her words completely.

“Thanks! Yes!”

And sure enough, my success this time turned out to be something completely unexpected.

After we finished recording the video, I had to work on syncing the audio with the video.

Since sound quality is crucial for a singing video, we turned off the camera’s microphone and recorded the audio separately with a condenser microphone. Although, apparently, Michiru-san’s camera doesn’t even have a built-in mic…

First, I checked the audio track. A condenser microphone is known for its sensitivity, so every sound in the room was captured clearly.

Both my singing and guitar playing were just passable. They weren’t bad at all, but there’s still plenty of room for more expression.

I feel a bit apologetic—I’m completely absorbed with recording the CD I plan to submit for the summer market.

“Yeah! It’s absolutely professional-level!”

When Michiru-san checked the audio, she said with a radiant smile,

“Is that so? I’m kind of embarrassed.”

Because, in my eyes, this song is still unfinished.

After reviewing the audio, I sent it to Ryu-san. When it comes to sound and its nuances, I still can’t compare to Ryu-san—he can compose and mix, and I hope to be like him someday.

Until I get the audio back, I’ll practice the song Teikuni sent me. This song doesn’t even have a title yet. It’s such a great song—I wish it had a name already.

Once I got the audio back, I synchronized it with the video and posted the cover. Syncing the video was simple, just matching the timing, but it was undeniably my first time editing a video.

From now on, I want to study a lot—mixing, video editing, and more. Someday, I hope I can stand alongside Michiru-san and Ryu-san.