Late at night, within the consciousness space.
"The background music for the 'Red' chapter can be divided into two sections with three variations. When Ruby Rose faces the pack of shadow wolves, we'll use a variation of the original music. As she walks from the forest into the abandoned rose garden, the song should be mournful and desolate—that will be the first variation. When she confronts the shadow wolves, it shifts into a brisk, rhythmic percussion piece as the second variation."
"The third variation should be placed when Ruby Rose meets the giant wolf Sif. That's also the part where I need to reconstruct the background music."
"What type of background music should it be? More intense percussion? Fearless vocals? Grand, epic music in the style of Hiroyuki Sawano?"
In the setting, Sif and Ruby Rose have known each other since childhood. Ruby Rose is killing her own kin… so those types of songs wouldn't be the most suitable."
"A clearer reference for the background music would be that of the game 'Dark Souls'—vast, magnificent, yet imbued with an indelible sorrow. The solemnity of classical music would elevate the entire animated short to a whole new level!"
"Snap!" Kamiyā Yuu snapped his fingers, and in the blank void of the consciousness space, tens of thousands of forest garden graveyard scenes were constructed in an instant. Within every graveyard stood a gothic girl clad in red robes, facing from afar a ferocious, bloodthirsty black giant wolf. When Kamiyā Yuu closed his eyes, these countless scenes began to move in unison beneath the same bright moon. The characters in each scene had subtle differences in their movements, and every scene carried a different background score.
Constructing such complex scenes simultaneously within the consciousness space placed an enormous burden on Kamiyā Yuu's mind. Sustaining it for three minutes would exhaust him to the same degree as spending ten hours in the consciousness space normally. Slowly, he closed his eyes and immersed his awareness in the shared sensations of these tens of thousands of battle scenes, experiencing the different emotions brought by each background track. He had no intention of wasting this precious time.
Solemn classical masterpieces, obscure and intense internet accompaniments, or flawed compositions he had edited using music software from his previous world—the feast of music echoed within Kamiyā Yuu's mind. With the extraordinary perceptive ability granted by the consciousness space, he keenly captured every change in each note, searching among countless variations for the one he believed best suited the scene.
"A classical instrumental ensemble!"
"Perhaps it could be paired with ethereal female vocals—ahh, ahh, ahh—something like that. Many games and anime from my previous world used similar techniques to enhance the sorrowful and solemn atmosphere of a scene."
"The accompaniment must be sorrowful yet dignified. When the music ends, it should feel like a rose quietly fading away, not making a dramatic exit. That means the ending should gradually soften and fade. Under these conditions, the most suitable main melody would be an ensemble—or perhaps violin-based."
Countless classical compositions are intertwined within the consciousness space, thousands upon thousands of instrument sounds colliding and tangling together. What should have been magnificent symphonies were twisted into chaos, surpassing mere unpleasantness—calling it a sonic weapon wouldn't be an exaggeration. Kamiyā Yuu's consciousness drifted through it all, yet within his mind, every strand of music remained crystal clear. If each melody were an invisible thread, then these tens of thousands of performances formed a chaotic ball of yarn.
Entangled, intertwined—no discernible beginning, no identifiable end.
But what Kamiyā Yuu heard was entirely different. Within this world of his consciousness, he perceived the transformations produced by the interplay of these countless instrument sounds—more intense than chemical reactions, more unpredictable than any formula. Only he could find the answer within this realm of awareness.
Gradually, the cacophony began to subside. The tangled mass slowly loosened as unnecessary strands were cut away, leaving only the threads Kamiyā Yuu deemed suitable, which he then twisted together. The disorderly sounds faded along a strange resonance, like countless streams converging into a great river, whose roaring current drowned out the faint trickle of its tributaries.
"Found it!"
Floating in the sky of the consciousness space, Kamiyā Yuu opened his weary eyes. What he had found was not the most beautiful, nor the most grand or awe-inspiring piece—but it was the one that best matched his vision of the 'Red' chapter.
"Although there are still quite a few flaws to polish, for now I'll name this piece 'Crescent Rose.' It's also the name of the giant scythe Ruby Rose wields."
"'Red Like Roses' and 'Crescent Rose'… now, the final shortcoming of the 'Red' chapter is gone. My own version of 'RWBY' 'Red' chapter in this world is finally, at least in theory, complete." 'Red Like Roses' was originally the theme song of the 'RWBY' promotional trailer.
······
Over the next several days, Kamiyā Yuu devoted all his time in the consciousness space to constructing and refining the background music. The real world offered him almost no help in this regard, so he spent all his spare time there working on programming instead, significantly shortening the workload for the MAYA 3D modeling software.
At present, the main functions of the MAYA 3D modeling software have already taken shape. What remained was to write the practical auxiliary programs. Kamiyā Yuu estimated that in just over a week, this 3D modeling software would appear in this world in a mature and perfected state.
"Rustle~!"
Kamiyā Yuu carefully folded the original drawing papers on his desk, his eyes brimming with unconcealed excitement and satisfaction. The detailed composition of 'Crescent Rose,' the classical ensemble piece used as background music, had finally been finalized. On this sheet of paper were written the musical scores for the 'Red' chapter's theme song 'Red Like Roses' and the latter half's background piece 'Crescent Rose.' Before producing the 'Red' animated short, he still needed to find a music studio to perform these two pieces.
"Kamiyā-kun, what's the matter? You look quite happy."
A gentle voice came from behind him. At some point, Uehara Etsuki had appeared at his back, dressed in a solemn black kimono. Her long black hair draped over it, blending seamlessly with its pure dark hue, creating a solemn yet strangely enchanting beauty.
Startled from his focus on writing the music, Kamiyā Yuu quickly stood and turned around, awkwardly explaining, "Ah~ I just finished a personal project. Is it really that obvious?"
"About the same as a scientist who's just completed a major experiment," Uehara Etsuki replied calmly, her tone teasing, though it was hard to tell whether she was joking or being serious.
"Kamiyā-kun, if you have time after work, could you come to my office?"
Since Kamiyā Yuu had completed the storyboard draft entrusted to him by Fujiwara Tora, Uehara Etsuki had given him a week off from original art assignments. As a result, he hadn't been visiting her office as frequently during this period.
"Mm, I understand."
After receiving his confirmation, Uehara Etsuki gave a graceful, slight bow before leaving.
Kamiyā Yuu could vaguely guess why she had asked him to come to her office. After more than a week, the Ruby Rose character design he had entrusted to her was finally complete. He was filled with anticipation—just what kind of astonishing work would emerge from the unrivaled master of Japanese Gothic art in this world?