In music anime, band girls won't be alone.

"It's impossible for him to keep wearing the mango box after going on stage, right?"

"How should we perform like this?"

With a heavy heart, Goto Ichiri slumped over her desk for four class periods.

During the lunch break, she took her guitar and hid in the storage room on the top floor. She sat in a corner, playing the guitar and singing songs she had written for herself to ease her heavy mood.

About half an hour later, the door to the storage room was pushed open. Goto Ichiri immediately tensed up, hid the guitar behind his back, and huddled up in a ball, not daring to look in the direction of the door.

"Goto-san?"

came a familiar voice.

Goto Ichiri looked up and saw Shirakawa Sawa standing at the door, looking at her with a mixture of confusion and surprise on his face.

"That...I..."

Goto Ichiri looked away, stammering, trying to find a reason to explain why she was there, but she couldn't think of one for the time being.

When they were in class that morning, Shirakawa noticed that the other person's mood was not quite right, and there was a hint of disappointment in them.

However, he did not ask.

It was his turn to clean today, and the teacher had just asked him to come to the storage room on the top floor to get the cleaning tools. He didn't expect to run into Goto Ichiri here.

He noticed a stool that was particularly clean, so he went over and sat down. Then he looked at the girl huddled in the corner, his gaze gentle.

"Goto-kun, you seem to be in a bad mood today."

Is something not going well with the band?

Is there anything I can do to help?

Goto Ichiri touched the guitar behind him, then nodded.

"Ah~ I, I'm a little too nervous. When I'm on stage and see the eyes of the people in the audience, I unconsciously tense up, can't listen to the beat, and can't keep up with the rhythm..."

"Although I could barely manage to do it by stuffing myself into a box during rehearsals, it definitely wouldn't work for a normal performance..."

A look of understanding appeared on Shirakawa Ze's face.

"Does Goto-san have no prior stage performance experience?"

The girl nodded.

He went on to say,

"That will indeed be quite difficult at first."

“I heard you playing the guitar so well outside the door just now. I thought you were a professional who used to perform on stage often.”

Goto Ichiri smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

"No, no, I only started playing guitar in the first year of junior high school, and I taught myself entirely."

A look of admiration appeared in Shirakawa Sawa's eyes.

"Is it that great?"

"Is Goto-kun the legendary genius?"

"I never imagined that I would be in the same class as a guitar prodigy, and even sit next to me!"

"I was wondering why I felt like I had divine assistance when practicing guitar lately. Now it seems that it must be because of Goto's genius aura!"

This string of praise made Goto Ichiri feel a little giddy, as if she were standing on a glittering stage, receiving a deafening roar of cheers from the audience.

"Hehe...hehehe...there's nothing there..."

Goto Ichiri scratched the back of his head, his lips curving into a wide smile, his mood improving considerably.

Shirakawa Sawa continued.

"Since rehearsals can be completed simply by putting the box on, it shows that Goto's technical skills are more than sufficient."

"The problem we're facing now is that things are a bit tense."

He looked into the girl's eyes.

"Goto-kun, look me in the eyes. If you were on stage and saw me in the audience, would you be nervous?"

Goto Ichiri looked at Shirakawa Sawa and shook his head.

"If... it's Shirakawa-kun, I don't think I'll be nervous."

"Because we're quite familiar with it."

Shirakawa clapped his hands.

"That's right, you won't be nervous once you get used to it."

"You treat people this way, and you treat things the same way."

"You're nervous not only because of the new audience, but also because of the new partners and the new stage."

"It cannot be solved by simply attributing it to the audience."

“In that case, I think you can get to know your partners and the stage you are about to step onto first.”

"I believe that once you are familiar with these two points, you will feel much better when facing the audience."

Goto Ichiri's eyes lit up, feeling as if her mind had been opened up, and her confidence followed.

She looked at Shirakawa Ze, her pure eyes sparkling with joy.

"Okay! I'll try again!"

"Thank you, Shirakawa-kun!"

Shirakawa Ze smiled and waved his hand.

"You're welcome. Your previous efforts and current strength are destined to make you shine on stage."

After he finished speaking, he got up to get the cleaning tools he needed and then left.

Goto Ichiri looked in the direction Shirakawa Sawa had left, her eyes filled with anticipation for the future.

Volume 1: Chapter 28 Xiao Xiang, Don't Go! (Bonus Chapter)

Because of band activities after school, Yamada Ryo didn't have time, so he sent Shirakawa Sawa a chart of fingerings for Dm and Em chords and told him to find time to practice.

So after school, Shirakawa went straight to the public music room to practice.

After practicing for a while, Shirakawa Sawa felt like someone was watching him. He turned his head and saw Toyokawa Shoko sitting near the back door, watching him.

"good evening."

Shirakawa Sawa smiled and greeted him.

A smile appeared on Toyokawa Shoko's face, her eyes softening.

"Judging from your appearance, are you a beginner in guitar?"

The boy nodded.

Aren't you going to practice the piano today?

Toyokawa Shoko stood up, walked to the piano,

"Start now."

After sitting down, she took out a sheet music book from her bag, placed it on the music stand, glanced at it, and then her hands began to dance across the keys.

Unlike the previous two times he heard the piano music, this time Shirakawa felt that the music was full of joy, and even created some imagery, like a lost traveler who, after experiencing all kinds of twists and turns, found a companion to rely on.

Unconsciously, his fingers began to tap on his leg, keeping time with the music. His mood lightened a bit because of the music, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Shoko Toyokawa would occasionally turn her head to look at him, and after seeing his eyes and expression, she was certain that he had once again felt the words she had expressed in the music.

Her mood unconsciously became even more cheerful, and the rhythm of her fingers began to become lighter and more lively.

When the first piece ended, Toyokawa Shoko felt that her emotions had not been fully expressed, so she played another piece.

After she finished playing, she turned to look at Shirakawa Ze and saw his bright eyes looking at her with joy. She felt incredibly happy and even more energetic when she went to work later.

"Perhaps this is the only time in my life right now that I feel happy."

Toyokawa Shoko put away the sheet music, closed the keycaps, and then stood up to look at Shirakawa Sawa.

"Excuse me, I'm going back now."

Shirakawa Sawa also put away his guitar.

"I'm about to leave too, let's go together."

The girl nodded, and then the two walked out of the classroom together.

The sun was already setting in the west, and fiery clouds raged across the horizon.

Although they hadn't introduced themselves to each other yet, it didn't stop them from chatting and laughing as they walked toward the school gate.

Perhaps because she was too relaxed, or perhaps because her attention was entirely on Shirakawa Sawa, Toyokawa Shoko didn't look towards the school gate and naturally didn't notice the hem of Tsukimori's school uniform peeking out from the side of the gate...

As the two reached the school gate, preparing to say goodbye, a trembling voice filled with disbelief appeared.

"Xiao Xiang?!"

The two stopped talking and looked in the same direction, seeing Nagasaki Motoyo standing by the school gate, covering her mouth and looking shocked.

Toyokawa Shoko's pupils dilated slightly, the smile on her face froze instantly, then vanished completely. She turned and walked away quickly to the other side.

Nagasaki Motoyo immediately followed.

"Xiao Xiang, don't go!"

"wait for me a while!"

"Can we sit down and talk this over?"

"Xiao Xiang! o(╥﹏╥)o"