Tokyo: The evil god doesn't want to be the top star

Chapter 437: Taking the Passive as the Active
"Ahem, that..."

Looking up, Xia Fan was stunned by the undisguised ambiguity in the girl's eyes...

"Uncle Higashino hasn't informed Company B about the chorus at the Kanda Festival yet, so it's not a good idea to go there and rehearse without thinking."

"Besides, the area around the Be Company building is full of paparazzi and fans, so it's very troublesome to get in and out."

"A friend just happened to recommend this place, and the price is not expensive, so I just came to give it a try."

Then, he spoke out the speech he had prepared long ago in a tone of voice.

But what Xia Fan didn't say was that the one who paid for this luxurious practice room today was naturally not him, but Lesson 9...

The purpose of inviting Xing Minghua here was not to rehearse, but to further test the "Mirror outside the Cloud" in her body and get clues about the "Sky in the Mirror".

"Very good, as expected of Mr. Xia Fan, you turned passivity into initiative... The fake shyness is very natural, and successfully induced 'Yunwaijing' to actively communicate and weaken its defenses."

"To avoid arousing suspicion, please start practicing as planned and wait for the right time to test him again."

Aoi Jinguji's peaceful words came from the earphones.

Audio and video equipment had been secretly placed in various places in the practice room. Every move of the two was watched by Aoi Jinguji and Yui Aiba who were waiting in the surveillance car outside...

"Well, the practice room reservation time is limited, so let's start rehearsing now."

Thinking of this, Xia Fan calmed down instantly.

"I just adjusted the sound equipment, you can try it."

Handing the microphone to Hoshina Hanami, he spread out the music score on the stand and prepared to practice seriously.

"Xia Jun tuned it, so of course I'm relieved... I've already warmed up my voice, so I can start anytime..."

"I was too busy getting out of the hospital to practice yesterday. I'm worried that the lyrics and music will become unfamiliar to me. You have to guide me carefully."

Xing Minghua moved her stool and moved closer to the music stand, almost leaning on Xia Fan.

"Well, then, let's sing it a few times first, and then we can work out the details."

"This time, we'll use an accompaniment without backing tracks, and sing one section per person according to the words in the chorus..."

After taking a sip of water and suppressing his accelerated heartbeat, Xia Fan pressed the play button for the music.

The elegant and gentle prelude of "Light up the Fireworks" sounded in the practice room, making people feel as if they were at the seaside, and their restless emotions were calmed down.

"To this day I can still remember the coastline I looked out at that day."

"The words carved on the beach, and your back."

"What did the surging waves sweep away as they passed by my feet..."

Following the melody, Hoshina Hanami's eyes became blurry and she began to sing softly.

"No...it's different..."

Looking at the singing girl, Xia Fan's eyes were extremely complicated.

I vaguely remember that the two of them sang side by side like this last time when they were recording a DEMO at Bethesda.

But this time, Hoshina Hanami's singing had less of the shyness of a girl in love and more of a lonely and cold feeling than before.

It's like a bright beach in summer, turning into bone-chilling cold waves in winter.

"Natsu-kun? What did you just say was different?"

Xia Fan came back to his senses only after someone shook his arm.

"Why are you staring at me? It's your turn to sing..."

Hoshina Hanami was standing very close to him, looking at him with her head tilted and a sweet smile on her face.

"Mr. Xia Fan, please be careful. The target seems to be suspicious."

Jinguji Aoi's reminder rang in his ears, and Xia Fan noticed the doubt in the other person's eyes. "I mean, Hanami's singing is different from before, much better, so I was stunned for a moment!"

"Sorry, I'll go through this part again..."

He quickly played the melody back and explained it in praise.

"Hehe, I said it the other day. I'm not the same Hanami anymore. My singing skills are much better now, right?"

As if receiving great praise, Hoshina Hanami squinted and smiled, and all her doubts disappeared.

"How many times can I watch the same fireworks with you?"

"What can I do in the face of your smile..."

After calming down, Xia Fan entered the chorus and sang his part.

But when I thought about it, the Hoshina Hanami who was listening with a smile in front of me was no longer the girl I was familiar with...

When I think about it, I am not sure if I can see the real her again...

The complex emotions that he had been suppressing since Hoshina Hanami entered the room, uncontrollably poured out into the song.

"Good... sounds good..."

Hoshina Hanami, who was listening attentively nearby, covered her mouth in surprise.

As the "original creator" of the song, Xia Fan's singing of "Light up the Fireworks" was already above standard due to his "absolute mastery" of the song.

In addition, the complex emotions deep in the heart are transmitted to people's hearts by [Whisper of Demons], making the singing naturally more moving.

"But... why... is there so much heart-breaking emotion hidden in Xia Jun's singing?"

"Just like...just like when I was...in that place..."

As the song progressed, tears quietly fell from the corners of Hoshina Hanami's eyes...

Because, in Xia Fan's voice, she heard a strong reluctance, a desire to hold on to something, and a fear of regret.

"Hanami? It's your turn for the chorus... why are you crying?"

After singing his part, Xia Fan turned his head and found that the girl leaning on him was in tears and even forgot to sing along with the chorus.

"It's all because Xia Jun's singing was so touching that I couldn't help myself..."

"Don't worry, I'm no longer the crybaby Hoshina Hanami who couldn't control her emotions."

"Next, I will adopt a professional attitude and practice seriously!"

Wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her little finger, Hoshina Hanami started singing again with a serious look on her face...

……

Outside the practice room building, in a quiet alley, a van was parked quietly.

Inside the carriage, the densely packed displays were clearly showing from a variety of angles Xia Fan and Hoshina Hanami, who were cuddling together in the practice room practicing singing.

"Master Xia Fan's singing voice... such sincere emotions... but also hidden sadness and melancholy..."

"It makes me want to go right now and comfort him..."

Aiba Yui's face flushed and her eyes were filled with longing as she stared at Xia Fan on the screen. The intermittent and moving singing of the two of them was echoing in the special monitoring headphones on her head.

"Why, even though I saw him with another woman, I was more excited than usual?"

"No, hold on... We are still on a mission, and Lord Xia Fan still needs my support. I can't just give up like this..."

Although her hands were seriously tapping the keyboard and switching the surveillance cameras, her slender legs had already been turned inward and twisting restlessly.

(End of this chapter)