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

"Tsk... Of course! This is a martial arts dojo, how could I not be excited!" Shiina Riki curled the corners of his mouth, his eyes also burning with fighting spirit, unable to hide the excitement on his face.

Lena tilted her head slightly, her heterochromatic yellow and blue eyes fixed on the building in front of her, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly: "I'm so happy to be able to hold a live show here."

Hinasaki looked at everyone with a welcoming smile on her face, then gazed at the martial arts hall and murmured, "Yes, the martial arts hall... it really is exciting."

Gao Song Deng hugged her notebook tightly, gazing at the solemn building with a hint of joy in her eyes as her dream came true.

She turned her head, her clear voice carrying both gentleness and determination, "Everyone... let's go to the Budokan to perform together."

Just as the Mygo members were about to enter the Budokan for a closer look, a lively female voice came from not far away, full of surprise and enthusiasm.

"Ah! It's everyone from Mygo!" Kasumi Toyama waved excitedly with a bright smile and jogged towards them through the crowd.

The Mygo members looked up at the sound and saw Kasumi running over with her signature bright smile, followed by the other members of Popipa.

"Kasumi-senpai, are you here to prepare for rehearsal today?" Hinasaki asked curiously, her gaze falling on the instruments carried by the Popipa members.

Kasumi Toyama smiled and nodded, excitedly explaining, "Yes, our group's performance is tomorrow. The competition organizers asked us to tune our instruments today and also to confirm the performance order and effect."

"Can we watch from the sidelines?" Ai Yin's eyes sparkled with anticipation, her tone full of eagerness.

Kasumi nodded readily, agreeing without even thinking, "Of course!"

"Kasumi!" Ichigaya Arisa, standing to the side, hurriedly reminded her, a hint of nervousness on her face. "Shouldn't we ask the organizers about this first?"

"Eh... I'm not going to get kicked out because of this, am I?" Rimi looked around anxiously after hearing Arisa's words.

"Relax, Arisa." Tae smiled and reassured Arisa and Rimi, gently patting their shoulders. "It's just a rehearsal, there won't be any problems."

"Would you like some cookies? I just brought them from the store, they're still a little warm." Sha Ling, who had been quietly standing to the side, smiled and opened the small box in her hand, inside which were neatly arranged fragrant handmade cookies.

She handed the cookies to the Mygo group, and their sweet aroma filled the air.

"It's delicious!" Lena ran over as soon as she smelled it.

"Delicious, thank you, such a lovely girl," Lena praised Shaya after taking a bite of the cookie.

"Haha, Rakuna's way of praising people is really unique." Obviously, Saya was already used to Rakuna.

"Lena, you should be a little more respectful when you speak to your seniors." Li hope frowned slightly, gently tugged at Lena's sleeve, and said with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"It's okay, it's okay, Renai is cute just the way she is." Saya smiled and waved her hand, clearly not caring about Renai's straightforwardness at all, but instead finding her innocence amusing.

"Thank you." Takamatsu also picked up a cookie, took a small bite, and a satisfied smile appeared on her lips.

"Saya-senpai, your products are so delicious!" Chihaya Aine said excitedly while swallowing the cookie in her hand. "Could you teach me how to make them at home? I want to try making them myself!"

Seeing Aine so directly asking about "trade secrets," Su Shi sighed softly and reminded her, "Aine, isn't this a bit inappropriate..."

Sha Ling smiled slightly after hearing this, her tone gentle and playful, "Then when will Xiao Aiyin come to my house for a part-time job and I'll teach you? I think with Xiao Aiyin's image to help, our business will definitely prosper even more."

"Really? Saya-senpai, love me!"

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

"I never expected... that Miss Miaomeng would actually come to the martial arts hall!" Miss Miaomeng exclaimed excitedly in a low voice, her phone almost constantly clicking as she excitedly took pictures of the interior of the martial arts hall, not missing a single detail.

Xiangzi stood aside and this time did not speak up to stop Miaomeng from filming, mainly because she herself could not help but look around.

In just a few months since her debut, Ave Mujica has stepped onto the Budokan stage, a dream for countless people, thanks to the popularity of the Bang Dream competition.

This resume, for any girl band, is undoubtedly a legendary experience.

"They've arrived." Sakura Sakura pushed open the door, smiling as she led Hailin and Wakaba Mutsu out of the lounge to greet Nyanmu and Shoko.

Inside the room behind them, Momoko Kurosawa and Hatsuka Mikami were sitting on the sofa. When they saw them come in, they immediately stood up, waved to them enthusiastically, and smiled excitedly.

Sakura Sakura tidied up the documents in her hand and said with a hint of joy, "I've already contacted the competition organizer, and we can watch the other groups' performances in the next few days."

"The first day should be the competition between popipa and Pastel*Palettes. I looked at the other bands in this group and none of them are particularly competitive. Even if they enter the revival group with us, it's not a big deal."

She opened the file, tapped a page lightly, and continued, "The first day's competition is a showdown between Popipa and Pastel. I've done some research on the other bands in this group, and so far, their competitiveness seems relatively average. If they make it into the revival group, they won't pose much of a threat to us."

She handed the documents to Xiangzi and added in a slightly more relaxed tone, "So, we can relax a little tomorrow and focus on enjoying the performance without being too nervous."

Xiangzi took the document, his gaze falling on the information. He nodded thoughtfully, but how much he actually absorbed was anyone's guess.

BangDream: Chapter 4 - Popipa's Rehearsal

"Okay, can the lighting effects follow this plan?" Momoko Kurosawa handed the tablet to the staff, which displayed a carefully choreographed lighting plan and a preview video.

Her gaze was focused and confident, clearly indicating she had a thorough understanding of the plan. The staff member took the tablet, carefully watched the video, a hint of approval in their eyes, and then nodded.

"Yes, absolutely no problem." He confirmed, handing the tablet back to Peach with an understanding smile. "The details of the plan are very clear, and we will ensure that the results will meet our expectations."

Peach nodded slightly, breathed a sigh of relief, looked at the staff, and a satisfied smile appeared on her lips: "Then I'll trouble you."

After confirming the stage effects, Peach was about to turn around when she suddenly heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Momoko! You're here!" Hinasaki and Shiina Ritsuki waved their arms and walked towards her excitedly.

Momoko Kurosawa paused slightly, her eyes darting away for a moment before she composed herself and greeted him with a gentle smile.

"Xiaoyue, Lixi, are you also here early to check out the martial arts gym? Where is the rest of you?"

She asked lightly, trying to hide the slight unease in her heart.

This was the first time she had faced the two of them since returning from Rishang Mountain. To be honest, she was still a little uncomfortable facing Xiaoyue and Lixi together.

"Well, the others should be watching Popipa's rehearsal up front. We thought we'd go backstage first,"

Hinasaki explained with a smile, her gaze quickly sweeping around the area with a hint of curiosity.

"Ah... Xiaoyue, you've never performed at the Budokan before, have you?" Momoko asked with a smile, noticing Xiaoyue's curious gaze.

"Yeah, neither Sweat Pleats nor Seisho Academy had the chance to perform at the Budokan before."

Xiaoyue's eyes sparkled, a faint smile played on her lips, and her voice was filled with excitement and anticipation, "I never thought that one day I would be able to stand here and perform."

Her gaze involuntarily swept across the vast space of the Budokan, as if she could feel the resonance of future music and cheers from this empty stage. Every detail felt incredibly precious to her, as if at this moment, the whole world had become clearly visible.

“After all, this is the Budokan,” Momoko added with a smile. “It’s a dream stage for any Japanese musician.”

“However…” Momoko’s gaze shifted to behind Hinasaki Tsuki, where Shiina Tatsuki stood quietly, her silent presence seemingly contrasting with the clamor of the Budokan.

"It's quite a coincidence that we're performing in the same group as Mygo and you guys."

Upon hearing this, Shiina Riki slightly raised his head, and for a moment, the air seemed to freeze when he met Momo's gaze.

"I never expected to meet you on stage so soon," she replied softly.

Hinasaki Tsuki vaguely sensed an electric arc, like something out of a manga, appearing between their gazes.

However, from her perspective, the ultimate winner should be Lixi, since she was standing on the left.

"Then let's meet on stage then." Peach smiled lightly, her eyes revealing a challenging edge as she locked onto Lixi.

Li hope raised an eyebrow slightly, a confident smile curving his lips, a determined glint in his eyes. "Yes, this time we will settle the score."

The atmosphere between the two froze instantly, as if time itself had stopped for a moment because of this declaration of duel.

Hinasaki stood between them, silently lowering her head, her gaze unconsciously avoiding their eyes. She felt a subtle awkwardness, as if she were placed between two strong magnetic fields, making her an insignificant presence.

"Why... are you ignoring me..." Hinasaki murmured almost in a low voice, so soft that the two of them could barely hear it.

She lowered her head slightly, her gaze wandering as she secretly glanced at Taozi and Lixi standing on either side of her.

Seeing the tense atmosphere between the two, which was almost enough to cut through the air, Hinasaki couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness.

She subconsciously tightened her shoulders slightly, as if trying to detach herself from this invisible duel and minimize her presence in this clash of auras.

She took a small step back, her body instinctively shifting to the side, trying to retreat to a safe distance.

The memory of being "besieged" by the two of them was still vividly etched in her mind.

----------

"Wherever I want to go"

Wherever you want to go (Wherever you want to go)

この手を里さないから (I will never let go)

里さないから(Never let go)”

After Poppin'Party's performance on stage ended, the rousing music still lingered in the air. The Mygo members in the audience immediately stood up and applauded Poppin'Party enthusiastically.

"Kasumi-senpai! The live rehearsal was a great success!" Aine said to Kasumi Toyama on stage.

Kasumi stood in the center of the stage, took a moment to catch her breath, and smiled even more brightly upon hearing Aine's voice.

Her bright eyes sparkled as she waved to Aine in the audience, "Isn't it super kirakira, dokidoki!"

"Yes! Popipa seniors' performance was dazzling!" Takamatsu Akari nodded.

"Kasumi, I think this part needs a little modification," Ichigaya Arisa called out to Toyama Kasumi.

Hearing the voice, Kasumi was slightly taken aback, then turned around and gave an apologetic smile: "Ah, sorry, I'll go over there for a bit."

She nodded slightly to the Mygo group, indicating that she needed to leave temporarily.

Then, she quickly turned around and ran towards where Arisa was with light steps.

"Arisaki, what's wrong?" Kasumi Toyama's voice was soft, with a hint of coquettishness, as if she didn't care at all about the working atmosphere.

She gently pounced on Ichigaya Arisa's side, lowered her head slightly, and rubbed against her shoulder tenderly, like a cat relying on its owner's warmth.

Arisa Ichigaya stopped what she was doing and turned her head slightly to look at Kasumi.

Her eyes held a hint of helplessness, mixed with a suppressed chuckle: "Kasumi, you're doing this again..."

Before she could finish speaking, she felt Kasumi gently brush her forehead against hers, the warm touch making her pause involuntarily.

Arisa was taken aback by her actions and tone, her face flushed slightly, but she still tried to remain calm and pointed to the schedule on the side of the stage: "I think the position of appearance can still be adjusted."

Kasumi smiled slightly, a mischievous glint in her eyes: "Okay, then it's up to you, Arisaki~"

"Huh? Shouldn't this be a topic for everyone to discuss?"

"It's okay, I believe you can do it, Saki!"

"I don't want this kind of complete trust from you right now."

"The Popipa seniors have such a good relationship."