As a former member of C-group, I want to destroy mygo!

Shiina Riki's hand, hidden under the table, was gripping her thigh tightly, almost murderously, leaving red marks. She felt her breathing become erratic, but she couldn't catch it. She was only focused on watching the beautiful silver-haired girl showing off her skills on the field with incredibly complicated emotions.

Shock, surprise... but what filled Li Xi's eyes was the greatest and most intense resentment, an overwhelming sense of unwillingness.

Although the other person wasn't a drummer in the same niche as her, their dazzling bass skills meant that even if they debuted immediately, they would definitely have a promising future, and companies would rush to sign them right away.

And this bassist is actually a member of Yushin Kamiya's band...?

Such a professional-level expert would generally be a bit arrogant. Even if she didn't necessarily have to join a professional band, her teammates shouldn't be too much worse than her, otherwise they wouldn't attract such a professional-level contestant.

However, after a moment of silence, Lixi recalled that her memory of You was still stuck on the day Crychic disbanded a year ago.

On that day of torrential rain, in the stuffy practice room, unlike the others, Kamiya Yu was still practicing, from bass and guitar to drums.

However, although Yu tried her best to play a very cheerful tune to wash away everyone's heavy thoughts and uneasy atmosphere, she could only create a mediocre effect because of her worst skills in the team, and in the end, she could not salvage anything.

While Su Shi's description of her as "ninth-rate" was an exaggeration, it was true that if Su Shi's bass playing was only third-rate, then Yu's skill level in all instruments at that time was at most fourth-rate.

Even so, Li Xi still clearly remembered that no matter how fourth-rate it was, it was still the result he achieved in just over a month of practice from a complete novice!

Kamiya Yu is an undeniable genius, a fact confirmed by Shoko herself.

Su Shi's bass playing improved so quickly because she had a semi-professional cello background, which allowed her to seamlessly transition to bass, where she could inherit some of the cello's experience and techniques.

Kamiya Yu, on the other hand, is a true, pure genius.

Since Crychic disbanded, has his skill level... reached a point where he can be compared to professional players like Natsukawa Masuzu?!

The moment Shiina Ritsuki guessed this possibility, his face turned deathly pale.

Volume 1: Chapter 19, Section 19. Shiina Tatsuki's Memories, The Determination of the Past (4)

"Huh? Are you serious?"

Lixi remembered it very clearly.

It was the third day since Crychic was founded. The band only had five members, and even the lights hadn't dared to sing yet. Although Su Shi, Xiang Zi, and Mu were skilled enough, this deformed band still filled her with a sense of unease that was hard to shake off.

Shiina Tatsuki has always been a famous person.

But her fame never stemmed from her own efforts and abilities, but rather from the brilliance of her older sister, Maki Shiina.

That older sister, who was like the sun, was always brilliant and dazzling wherever she went, especially after she got involved with musical instruments. She showed a talent that was just as dazzling and brilliant even in this era of talented young female bands.

But no one will understand.

If one simply stands at a distance to observe and admire, one can indeed enjoy the sun's radiance. However, if one is brought close to the sun from the very beginning, or even bound so tightly that one cannot leave or move at all, and is forced to endure the intense heat emanating from Maki, the older sister, around the sun...

So, in the end, even if they aren't burned to pieces, they will ultimately only become the moon, bearing the sun's radiance.

Because her talent was too shallow and her brilliance too weak, when others looked over, all they could see in Shiina Tatsuki was her sister Maki's gaze, nothing else. It had always been like this, and there had never been a second exception.

No one knows how agonizing it is to have a genius older sister. Even when lying in bed late at night, Lixi's eyes are filled with visible resentment.

She has always aspired to surpass her sister, but in terms of pure musical talent, no matter how much she refuses to admit it, Lixi is well aware that she will probably never reach her sister's level in her lifetime, and can only look up at her from afar with no power to do so.

In this situation, the only possibility for her to overtake her sister is to make the band she is involved in reach a higher level and achieve greater success than her sister. If she can do that, even if it is not a true victory for her, it will at least be more satisfying than being completely suppressed by her sister Maki in every aspect from beginning to end.

But what exactly does this mean?

The presence of a cowardly lead singer like Gao Songdeng, who didn't even dare to sing, was already enough to drag the band down. It was only because he was assured by Xiangzi, the strongest member of the band, that he was a "lyric-writing genius" from the beginning that Lixi was only slightly displeased and barely tolerated him.

And now, less than two days later, Toyokawa Shoko has sent over another "new member"—someone who can't even write lyrics and has never touched a musical instrument? Huh?

"Let's not even talk about the fact that we don't lack any musicians at all. Even if we did, we wouldn't need some good-for-nothing young master to gild our resumes, would we? This isn't a dumping ground!"

Seeing the boy, who seemed to be around their age and named Kamiya Yu, being called in by Toyokawa Shoko, Ritsuki frowned and instinctively retorted. Having Takamatsu Akira was already a headache enough; now she had to add another dragging her down? With this bunch of idiots around, when would the band ever get back on track?

However, faced with Riki's clear opposition, Nagasaki Motoyo, who prioritized stability above all else, immediately stepped forward to avoid a major conflict and said, "Eh~ that's a bit much, Riki-chan."

Li Xi, however, scoffed at this without giving any face: "If you want me to apologize, I don't care, as long as this young master can keep his distance."

She arrogantly crossed her arms over her chest, giving the man named Kamiya Yu a slightly disdainful look.

Even when she expressed her dissatisfaction with the lamp's inability to sing, Li Xi's aggression had never been this strong. Her obvious unwillingness to back down caused the entire practice room to freeze in shock.

Her intense xenophobia left Nagasaki Motoyo at a loss for what to do, while Takamatsu Akari, who was already somewhat timid, shrank back slightly, clearly frightened by Shiina Tatsuki's attitude and scolding.

However, even though Li Xi was as formidable as a hedgehog standing on its quills, Xiangzi didn't back down at all. She calmly and logically explained:

"Lixi, having two guitarists in a band is often beneficial and harmless. I understand how you feel, but please don't worry. Although Youjun is still a complete novice, he is actually a genius no less than Deng, and a genius in every way!"

Shoko Toyokawa smiled confidently and addressed Riki's concerns with targeted persuasion.

However, what neither Su Shi nor anyone else noticed was that before smiling and comforting Li Xi, Toyokawa Shoko, a young lady whose upbringing and manners were always incredibly pure and gentle, had her amber-colored innocent and romantic eyes, which had never shown the slightest negative emotion, actually flicker with a rare skepticism because of Li Xi's accusations against Kamiya Yu.

However, this antagonism was only reluctantly brought to a halt after seeing Kamiya Yu's calm and composed attitude, even when his most painful corner was touched, he remained gentle and showed no anger.

At this moment, Shiina Tatsuki's attention was completely drawn to the word "genius" uttered by Lu Fengchuan Xiangzi.

At first, she became suspicious. Are geniuses these days mass-produced? Where do so many geniuses spring from the cracks in rocks? Subconsciously, she began to doubt, but soon, Lixi dismissed this guess.

A kind-hearted young lady like Xiangzi would never tell such a lie.

However, even if it were Toyokawa Shoko, it's possible that she exaggerated to some extent in order to get them to accept Kamiya Yu, since she clearly cares about this boy a lot.

So... perhaps Kamiya Yu really does have some talent?

Thinking this, Shiina Tatsuki could only look around and see Toyokawa Shoko and Nagasaki Motoyo who were supporting him, Takamatsu Akari and Wakaba Mutsumi who abstained, and himself who was opposing him.

Continuing to persist might only lead to the worst possible outcome. If Kamiya Yu is truly capable of being cultivated, then it's not unacceptable.

Let's see... However, if Kamiya Yu is actually not talented enough, or if she dislikes him, then even if it goes against her initial idea of ​​making a name for herself in this band, Shiina Tatsuki will definitely quit Crychic!

Volume 20: Chapter 20. The Annoying Genius, Li Xi's Inferiority

Kamiya Yu is an undeniable genius, a fact that Shiina Tatsuki felt deeply on the day he joined the team.

Originally, they were trying to find a way to cure Takamatsu Akari's inability to sing that day, but because of Kamiya Yu's backdoor entry into the band, in a fit of anger, Riki insisted on practicing for a day first, so that Takamatsu Akari could see what the so-called band was all about before singing.

However, this was merely her excuse, while her true purpose was undisguised and known to the world.

The so-called practice was nothing more than her disliking Kamiya Yu, deliberately making everyone's instruments resound in a chorus to silently intimidate Kamiya Yu and give him an excuse to show him his power.

Li Xi believed that this seemingly smiling and easy-going boy would surely understand that he was the one who had gotten the better deal, yet he acted as if he were very generous and didn't care about her hostility. Did he think that this would make her stop disliking this kind of rich young master who got in through connections? That was just wishful thinking.

Since she likes to pretend so much, let's see how long this young master who got in through connections can keep up the act. She doesn't believe that Kamiya Yu can still maintain this fake smile when faced with such blatant exclusion and targeting. If the other party were to take the initiative to get angry and confront her, a veteran teammate, even Nagasaki Motoyo might not necessarily stand on Shoko's side.

With these impure thoughts in mind, and filled with anger, Lixi was surprised to find that in this ensemble performance, the melody she played on the drums was surprisingly fuller than ever before!

At that moment, Riki's chest heaved with joy, filled with both surprise and delight. She looked at Kamiya Yu with an expression full of pressure, believing that her drumming at that moment was powerful enough to conquer.

However, contrary to her expectations, the other party actually clapped and praised her with genuine enthusiasm after hearing her unrestrained drumming.

Although at least eight out of his ten compliments were simply praise of Xiangzi, he surprisingly didn't reciprocate her obvious hostility with the same malice. Instead, after the band members dispersed to practice in their own areas, he seemed thoughtful for a moment before approaching her and saying, as if deliberately trying to befriend her:

"As a bandmate, can you teach me how to play drums, Lixi?"

"Huh?!" Shiina Tatsuki immediately frowned. She couldn't understand why the other party had made this move, and she was also disgusted that the other party called her by her first name: "Who's that familiar with you?!"

Even after being treated so badly time and time again, Kamiya Yu didn't show the slightest impatience. Instead, he remained very patient and said softly, "Because we're bandmates."

He looked directly at the impatient Lixi and said sincerely, word by word, "Even if you don't like me now, since I've become a member of this band, I hope we can get along well. Even if it's not possible now, it's always possible in the future."

“As long as Crychic exists, we will meet every day. Since we can’t change that fact, why don’t we try to get to know each other? Lixi? Do you want to hate me when you’re old?”

Upon hearing this, Shiina Riki immediately raised an eyebrow and subconsciously retorted, "Huh? I'm not going to see you forever!"

Kamiya Yu shook his head slightly, and for the first time since they met, he spoke to Ritsuki with a confrontational tone: "Maybe?"

As he spoke, he turned his head and looked toward where Toyokawa Shoko was.

Caught off guard by his gaze, Xiangzi had no time to hide her worried and concerned eyes, which were always watching the situation closely and ready to intervene if Lixi were to start a fight. Immediately, her pretty face flushed slightly, and she quickly walked to Deng's side, pretending to be chatting with Deng and acting as if she knew nothing about what was happening.

"...Ha, you really dare to say that." Shiina Tatsuki's face darkened. Did these two have any seriousness or righteousness towards the band? The band wasn't a place for couples to flirt!

Both angry and disgusted, Li Xi finally said coldly, "Hedgehog {;4摺∽⌒代购※｜：⒐〔”０【☆⒋⒏＇"⒋￡⒉＿'⒐０⒌Fine, if you really dare, then come on?"

Did he think that by showing weakness and offering to become her student, he could appease her anger? What a joke! She was originally worried about how to deal with this man, but now that he dared to come up to his death, she had no choice but to kindly grant his wish!

They've all been learning drumming under her tutelage, so how could she not give them a bit more intensity?

The man in front of him seemed completely unaware of the hell that awaited him, and smiled as he said, "Then please take care of me, Teacher Lixi?"

"……Ah."

That day, it was so dark that not only Su Shi, Mutsu, and Tou, but even Toyokawa Shoko had to leave the practice room and go home because of their tutoring issues. In the end, only the two of them were left practicing drums intensely.

At that time, Kamiya Yu did not have his own drum set. The drum sounds coming from the practice room were from two different people taking turns playing on the same drum set. First, Riki personally demonstrated and explained, and then Riki would stand up and step aside so that Kamiya Yu could take his turn and clumsily play according to Riki's demonstration and explanation.

Although she loathed the man, Shiina Tatsuki always maintained a serious attitude when it came to music. She would never let her personal likes and dislikes tarnish the beauty of the drum kit. Since she had agreed to teach him, she was truly teaching him seriously.

However, when faced with an incompetent newcomer, it's understandable that one might get so frustrated by their numerous mistakes that one ends up scolding them harshly. This is a perfectly reasonable behavior that even Xiangzi couldn't find an excuse to stop.

Long before she even started teaching, Lixi had already figured out how she would make Kamiya Yu, that jerk who looked down on the band, experience firsthand what the drummer's temper was like!

However, as night fell that day, even though Toyokawa Shoko was no longer there to stand in her way and side with her man... all of Shiina Tatsuki's original plans were still frozen in the planning stage and vanished completely.

Volume 1: Chapter 21. 21. Li Xi: I'm here to quit Crychic.

"Really are……"

At first, Shiina Tatsuki really did scold him. After all, for her, the noise when Kamiya Yu first tried playing the drums was completely unbearable, and she was not a professional teacher at all, so she naturally didn't have that much patience.

But Li Xi never imagined that those first few lines would be her final words.

No one could remain unmoved by the speed of Kamiya Yu's progress... Even though he himself didn't know what his performance represented, Riki, after being stunned into numbness, could easily understand that Kamiya Yu's progress in just one day was almost equivalent to her level in a month.

While talented people tend to make remarkable progress in their early years, shining much brighter than later, Kamiya Yu's situation is simply too outrageous.

With such talent, not to mention Shiina Tatsuki, even a professional like Shoko would inevitably be left far behind in the end. This is a completely foreseeable future.

"...This band isn't right for you."

Bathed in the moonlight streaming through the window, Li Xi, with her eyes lowered, seemed to have no other thoughts. The only thing left was a bitter and sour feeling of resentment, or perhaps not even resentment, but simply defeat.

Even when facing her older sister Maki, Shoko, or those two geniuses, Ritsuki had never felt this sense of defeat, this inability to catch up. Her eyes were now utterly blank, devoid of her usual fierce determination and strength. She simply leaned dejectedly against the wall, muttering blankly, "This band isn't right for you..."

Upon hearing this, Kamiya Yu, who was rubbing his wrists which were sore from overly intense practice, was taken aback: "Why do you say that?"

"We won't be able to catch up with you."

At this moment, Li Xi's voice was as low as Takasatsu Teng's, which greatly displeased her, and a unique vulnerability surrounded her. She murmured with a bitter smile, "One day, one month... then what have these three years meant to me?"

Her fragile murmur was so soft that Kamiya Yu couldn't hear it at all, so he leaned closer and finally heard Riki's words:

"First it was the lamp, then me, Su Shi, Mu, and finally Xiangzi... You'll leave everyone behind. This band is a complete mess..."

Even after hearing all this, Kamiya Yu still asked again, "Why?"