He instinctively wanted to give a polite, perfunctory compliment to brush it off. But then, seeing the girl's serious expression, he swallowed the words he had intended to say and fell into thought.
Offering some polite words would certainly be the easiest way and the least likely to offend anyone, but he and the girl before him were only nodding acquaintances. There didn't seem to be a need to care too much about that.
So, he reorganized his thoughts and said:
"You sang it beautifully, but the quality of this song—especially when compared to the previous one, 'ai oboetai'—feels a bit mediocre."
"I think one problem is that the song doesn't seem to have a particularly catchy part. Although it's fine while listening, it doesn't leave a lasting impression or make people want to replay it in their minds afterward."
"A catchy part?"
The girl looked thoughtful upon hearing this.
However, seeing that the girl seemed to be taking his suggestions to heart, Akira began to worry instead.
After all, he didn't have any professional knowledge of music; the so-called problems he pointed out were entirely based on subjective feelings. If she really took him seriously and he ended up leading her astray, that would be a disaster.
As expected, being polite and perfunctory would have been much simpler.
But at this point, he could only continue by asking:
"By the way, may I ask why you wanted to know what others think?"
"Eh? That..."
The girl was a bit surprised; this was the first time anyone had asked her such a question.
After pondering for a moment, she said with a hint of distress in her tone:
"Actually, I also feel that this song isn't good enough yet, but I can't figure out where the problem lies. So I wanted to hear other people's thoughts. Maybe I can find the problems I can't see through this method."
"I see."
Akira understood.
This was indeed a type of problem that creators often encountered. The reasons were complex: for example, cognitive numbness caused by being too familiar with the work, or having high standards but lacking the ability to meet them, or encountering a situation like 'Gestalt collapse,' and so on.
In his previous life, he was a struggling web novel author. Although he was a failure, he could still be considered a creator of sorts, so he had encountered similar problems before.
Back to the topic.
"If that's the case, I think you can try looking at it from a different perspective."
"A different perspective?"
Seeing the girl's confused gaze, he gave an example:
"Like painting. Sometimes, because you've been staring at the painting in front of you for too long, your eyes become numb. You can't clearly perceive if there's a problem with what you've painted. After looking at it for a long time, you might even develop a sense of 'unfamiliarity' with the entire painting."
"In such times, you can turn the whole painting upside down. This makes the image look unfamiliar again, which helps avoid visual numbness and allows you to find problems you couldn't detect before."
"Or you can temporarily put down the brush and do other things to relax your mind and body. Coming back to look at it the next day or even a few days later can also prevent the aforementioned issues."
This was a method taught by the art club's advisor in the Original Owner's memory. However, the Original Owner seemed to have rarely encountered such problems because he rarely made mistakes when he painted.
Damn, is this the world of geniuses?
"I see...!"
The girl was enlightened. Seeing this, he thought for a moment and added:
"And even if you're seeking advice, I think it would be better to ask professionals who understand the music field, right?"
"For instance, personally, I don't actually know much about professional music knowledge, nor do I have much experience. So my views might be completely wrong."
Perhaps among other passersby, there were people who could give useful advice, but the probability was simply too low.
In contrast, although the advice given by professionals in the field might not always be reliable, the probability was certainly much higher than that of the general public.
—I understand."
After a while, once she had fully digested Akira's words, the girl seemed to have figured something out. Her previously tense spirit relaxed slightly, and a smile unconsciously played on her lips.
"Thank you for saying all this. I think I have some ideas about what to do next."
"Uh, you're welcome."
The smiling girl gave off a different feeling than her usual cold demeanor; she seemed like an elegant young lady.
Then, the girl before him said somewhat shyly:
"Um, my name is Shimizu Rin. May I know your name?"
Akira was slightly taken aback, then nodded: "I'm Akira. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Akira. Nice to meet you."