After dropping out of school, I chose to join a girls' band.

Chihaya Aine looked nervous, her hands tightly gripping Nagasaki Motoyo's hands beside her, her fingers even trembling slightly with tension: "Motoyo, what should we do... I'm so nervous."

Nagasaki Motoyo glanced at her, her words tinged with a hint of teasing: "Haven't we already seen this many times before? Why are you still nervous now?"

Despite saying that, Su Shi gently patted Aine's shoulder with her other hand, trying her best to soothe her emotions.

"But this time is different!" Ai's voice was urgent, as if she was trying to find a reason for her nervousness, and her tone unconsciously rose a few decibels. "This is the result that determines whether we can enter the elimination round! And it's the Budokan! That's the ultimate goal for all the bands!"

“The knockout stage is only for the top 32,” Nagasaki Motoyo remained calm and gently comforted Aine beside her. “Didn’t we see yesterday that we’re basically in the top 20? We’ll definitely make it to the knockout stage, don’t worry.”

Ai Yin was still not completely relaxed, her brows furrowed slightly, and her voice carried a hint of anxiety: "But today is the group assignment! What if we get assigned to one of the really strong bands? Won't that reduce our chances of winning?"

In contrast to Aine's anxiety, the other four people in the room appeared quite calm, at least outwardly, and were not greatly affected, instead chatting easily about other topics.

"Xiaoyue, which bands would you like to be grouped with in the auditions?" Shiina Tatsuki casually asked Hinasaki beside her, her tone revealing a hint of curiosity.

Hinasaki thought for a moment, then calmly replied, "Hmm... Roselia, Ave Mujica, Ras, I guess."

"Huh?" Aine turned her head in surprise, her eyes filled with disbelief. "Aren't these teams very strong? Why do you want to be in a group with them?!"

Hinasaki smiled slightly, her expression calm: "Instead of waiting until the finals to face these strong teams head-on, it's better to clash with them now. That way, even if we lose, we'll have enough time to adjust our strategies and make changes. Facing them in advance is also a valuable learning opportunity for us."

“I see…” Ai Yin nodded thoughtfully. Although she was still a little worried, her anxiety subsided a bit after hearing Xiao Yue’s explanation.

Seeing this, Hinasaki asked in return, "What about Aine? Which bands do you want to be grouped with?"

Ai Yin was silent for a while, carefully recalling the list of the first 32 bands she had seen yesterday. After thinking it over carefully, she replied, "Hmm... if possible, I would like to be in a group with Pastel*Palettes, Afterglow, and Thornless.

"Hmm... Where's Lixi?" Xiaoyue didn't ask Aine why, because she could probably guess.

Pastel*Palettes is probably because of idol bands, while Afterglow is because of Yuu-oka's seniors, both thornless and thorny... probably because this is the band with the smallest skill gap among the ones they have been in?

Lixi was silent for a moment, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes, before slowly saying, "I hope to be in a group with Afterglow, Roselia, and Ave Mujica."

"Just as I expected~" Xiaoyue laughed, Lixi's answer was exactly what she had anticipated.

The others present couldn't help but chuckle; Lixi's love for Afterglow was already a well-known fact. Lixi looked away somewhat awkwardly, no longer responding, a faint blush creeping onto her face.

"What are you thinking, Su Shi Qu〈n武哟VIIba巴〆令轳？印?" Xiaoyue turned the topic to Nagasaki Su Shi.

“Morfonica, Ave Mujica, and Popipa, right?” Nagasaki Motoyo rattled off the names of three bands.

"Popipa?" Yue raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this, clearly somewhat surprised by the choice.

"Well, after all, we've had a lot of contact with Kasumi-senpai and the others backstage at Ring, so we're a fairly familiar team," Nagasaki Motoyo explained, her tone calm but revealing a sense of rationality.

"I see," Xiaoyue nodded, understanding Su Shi's choice. She then turned her gaze to Xiaodeng, who was sitting quietly to the side. "What about Xiaodeng? Which bands would you like to be grouped with?"

After thinking carefully for a while, Little Lamp slowly said, "Mujica, Popipa... and Hello, Happy World."

Her answer surprised Yue, a hint of astonishment flashing in her eyes. She hadn't expected Xiaodeng to choose these bands. She couldn't help but press, "Could you tell me why?"

Xiaodeng looked up and replied earnestly, "Because... Kasumi-senpai and Kokoro-senpai, they are both so dazzling, aren't they?"

Her tone was calm, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but this simple answer revealed a pure and sincere emotion.

Those who truly stand on the stage always possess a certain radiance that is impossible to ignore, and Xiaodeng was clearly deeply attracted by this radiance.

“Sparkling…” Yue repeated softly, a smile playing on her lips. “Yes, indeed, they are very sparkling. It’s a very Little Lantern-style answer.”

Everyone's attention finally settled on Yao Lena, who was lying obediently on the sofa. She was curled up like a lazy cat, her eyes slightly closed, seemingly still enjoying the tranquility of the afternoon.

"Hmm?" Seemingly noticing everyone's gaze, Lena slowly opened her eyes, raising her head with a somewhat confused expression. "What's wrong? Are we starting practice?"

Xiaoyue smiled and explained, "No, Renai-chan. We're discussing which bands we want to be grouped with in the elimination rounds. Do you have any ideas?"

Lena blinked, as if pondering something. After a moment, her answer remained true to her unique style: "Hmm... bread! Cat Strange Emu Cold Three-Seven Master Scar and Moon!"

"Bread? Cats and the moon?" Everyone was a little confused for a moment.

Li hope sighed helplessly: "Stray cat...you should explain yourself more clearly."

"That's a very Rana-esque answer," Aine chuckled, covering her mouth, clearly used to Rana's erratic thinking.

Xiaoyue wasn't stumped by Rakuna's answer; instead, she began to think seriously: "Hmm... bread, it should refer to Saya-senpai, right? After all, her family owns a bakery. Cat... does that mean Ras? But Roselia would be fine too, right? Rakuna hasn't spoken to Chuchu yet, has she? Moon... it should refer to Ave Mujica."

"Ah! It's here!" Ai Yin said, looking at the lottery notification message that suddenly popped up on her phone.

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The last volume, meow qwq

BangDream: Chapter Two Lottery Results!

"Ah! The results of the draw are in!" Chihaya Aine exclaimed excitedly as she stared at her phone screen, her eyes wide with tension.

"Hurry up, open it and take a look!" Upon hearing this, Shiina Tatsuki immediately came over, her hands involuntarily grabbing Aine's shoulders and gently shaking her body, her eyes flashing with eagerness.

"Which group are we in? Who are our opponents?" Hinasaki also seemed anxious, and almost instantly moved closer to Aine, staring at the phone screen with Riki, their faces filled with tension and anticipation.

"I want to see too!" Kaoru Nai excitedly joined them, craning her neck to see the screen clearly, her eyes full of curiosity and excitement.

Seeing that everyone was gathered together, Aine's hands were almost unable to move because of the crowd. Nagasaki Motoyo saw this and reminded her, "Don't rush, let Aine watch properly, don't shake her anymore."

Surrounded by several people, Ai Yin's hands trembled slightly. She swallowed helplessly, trying to calm herself down and holding her breath: "Okay, okay, don't be in such a hurry, let me see clearly... I'm opening it!"

Her fingertip lightly swiped across the screen, and everyone's eyes instantly focused on the pop-up lottery results.

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"Xiao Xiang, will the lottery results be out today?" Having just finished the morning rehearsal, Mikasa Hatsuka looked at Toyokawa Shoko, who was wiping the sweat from her face, with a hint of anticipation in her voice.

Shoko Toyokawa calmly put down the towel, nodded slightly, and said in a measured tone, "Yes, Ms. Sakura will come and tell us the result later."

Chu Hua nodded thoughtfully after hearing this, but before she could say anything, Yutenji Nyanmu rushed in like a gust of wind, her voice filled with barely suppressed excitement: "Chu Hua, Xiang Zi! What are you still doing here?"

Chu Hua was taken aback by what she heard. She looked up at Miao Meng with a blank expression and asked, "Huh? Is there something we missed?" As she spoke, she took out her phone and checked Ave Mujica's group chat. She found that there were indeed no other arrangements made this morning.

Meowm was so anxious she almost jumped up and down, saying in a flash, "This morning is the draw for the Bang Dream competition, Meowm!"

After she finished speaking, she noticed that Chu Hua and Xiang Zi were both just looking at her quietly, without any sense of urgency in their eyes, as if they were waiting for her to explain further.

"Meow?" Meow Dream looked at their calm demeanor and finally couldn't help but mutter, "Aren't you guys excited at all? Shouldn't we be watching the lottery results together at such a crucial moment!"

Xiangzi shrugged calmly, wiped away the last drop of sweat, and replied with a smile, "Being nervous won't change the outcome. The important thing is to practice the new song well."

Chu Hua chuckled softly, her tone slightly mischievous: "Don't worry, the result is inevitable anyway, just wait for Ms. Sakura to let us know."

Seeing that the two remained so calm, Miao Meng's eyes flashed with a hint of helplessness. She simply stepped forward, grabbed one of them with each hand, and decisively pulled them outside: "Come on, come on! I've already notified Mu Zi, Hai Zi, and Tao Zi. We all agreed to watch the lottery together this morning!"

Misaki Hatsuka stumbled slightly as Nyanko pulled her along, then shook her head with a helpless smile and turned to look at Toyokawa Shoko: "Looks like... we can't refuse, can we? Shoko, shall we go see it together?"

Toyokawa Shoko glanced at Hatsuka, who was being dragged along by Meowmon, then looked at Meowmon's resolute back, and sighed softly, clearly having given up resisting.

She reluctantly put down the towel in her hand and said softly, "...Okay."

Under Miaomeng's forceful pull, Xiangzi and Chuhua had no choice but to follow her toward the conference room.

Under Yutenji Nyanmu's somewhat forceful tugging, Toyokawa Shoko and Misumi Hatsuka had no choice but to follow her towards the conference room. Nyanmu walked briskly, her face beaming with barely suppressed excitement, while the two behind her looked rather helpless.

When they arrived at the conference room door, Miaomeng pushed it open without hesitation, and with a hint of smugness, announced loudly, "I brought Xiangzi and Chuzi with me!"

Hearing the commotion, Hachiman Kairin immediately turned around, her gaze falling on them: "You're here?"

Ms. Wakaba Mutsu's gaze fell directly on Shoko, "Sho."

"Xiangzi and Chuhua, please sit down quickly, it's about to start," Taozi said to the two of them.

As soon as Toyokawa Shoko entered the conference room, her gaze fell on a corner of the room, and sure enough, she saw Sakura Sakura sitting there.

She sighed softly, a helpless expression on her face: "As expected..."

Mikasa spotted Sakura Sakura immediately, then flashed her signature bright smile, waved, and said in a cheerful tone, "Sakura-san is here too!"

Xiangzi shook his head helplessly, knowing that since Sakura Sakura was already here, he had no choice but to see the results of today's draw.

--------------

"Hoo..." In Hinasaki's home, everyone's eyes were fixed on the screen of their mobile phones.

"The first team has been selected..." Ai Yin gently swiped her finger across the screen, and the result finally appeared before everyone's eyes.

"There are Popipa and Pastel Palettes in there." People whispered among themselves as they looked at the lottery results on the screen, and the discussion gradually spread.

"Is Kasumi-senpai going to have a head-on showdown with Maruyama Aya-senpai?" Hinasaki looked intently at the screen.

“Their musical styles are all leaning towards lively Japanese rock,” Hinasaki said in a low voice, her voice carrying a hint of hesitation and analysis. “It’s really hard to say what the outcome of the competition will be.”

"The results of the second group's draw are out..." Chihaya Aine stared at her phone screen, her brows furrowed slightly, and slowly read aloud, "There are... Roselia and Afterglow."

As soon as she finished speaking, Hinasaki breathed a sigh of relief, and her tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

Although she had jokingly said before that she wanted to challenge Roselia, she was still a little apprehensive about actually having them face off.

"Me, playing Roselia? Can I win?"

For some reason, this sentence popped into Hinasaki's mind.

“We also know bands like Hello, Happy World, RAS, Morfonica, Ave Mujica… and Thornless and Thornless,” she murmured to herself, her eyes flashing with complex emotions.

At that moment, Chihaya Aine swiped her finger across the screen again and suddenly exclaimed, "The results for the third group are out too!"

Everyone tensed up instantly, their eyes fixed on Ai Yin's phone screen once again.

Ai Yin took a deep breath and slowly read out the results of the third group's draw: "Mygo, Morfonica, Ave Mujica... and thornless and thornless..."

The room fell silent instantly as everyone processed this unexpected result. Ai Yin's voice was unusually calm, as if she hadn't fully recovered yet. Then she looked up at everyone, a hint of surprise on her face: "This group... a lot of them are bands we know."

Hinasaki's gaze followed her words onto the screen, her heart churning with complex emotions.

"Am I going to have to face off against Momoko again?" Hinasaki thought to herself as she looked at the lottery results on the screen.

BangDream: Chapter 3 - Visiting the Budokan

"Budokan! Budokan!" Chihaya Aine's voice trembled almost as she looked up, her eyes sparkling with excitement, like a child seeing the amusement park of her dreams. She ran to the entrance of the Budokan, opened her arms, and looked up at the towering gate, as if she wanted to take in the entire magnificent building.

"Oh my god, we're really here!" she exclaimed, pacing lightly in place and jumping up and down a few times. Her pink hair swayed gently with her movements, and she seemed to be enveloped in an aura of joy.

"Alright, alright, Aine, calm down a bit." Nagasaki Motoyo watched Aine's state from the side and tried to calm down this "excited, glowing pink-haired dog."

But her voice seemed completely unable to quell Ai Yin's excitement; instead, it sounded like a faint call in the wind.

Aine's gaze remained fixed on the martial arts hall, her face beaming with uncontrollable joy.

“Su Shishi, and everyone else—aren’t you excited? This is a martial arts gym!” She turned around impatiently, her gaze sweeping over the Mygo group behind her.