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

BangDream: Chapter Failed

Inside a family restaurant near the Budokan, the members of Mygo sat around a table in a heavy atmosphere that made it hard to breathe.

Everyone had their heads bowed, their eyes fixed on the tableware in front of them, but no one spoke. An invisible gloom seemed to hang over the entire table.

The waiter approached quietly, his expression cautious, and placed plates of steaming food on the table. With each plate he placed, he quickly withdrew his hand, as if he had touched something taboo, not daring to linger for even a second.

He glanced down at the people at the table and seemed to have never seen such a silent atmosphere before—it was unsettlingly quiet, as if all the sounds around him had been swallowed up by an invisible black hole.

"Your meal is ready." He said in a slightly trembling voice, then immediately turned around and hurried away, not daring to look back too much, for fear of being drawn in by the oppressive atmosphere, even feeling a bit suffocated when breathing.

The people at Mygo remained silent, and no one touched their chopsticks.

Only the steam from the food slowly rose in the air, but no one touched the food on the table, as if every bite was too heavy to swallow.

Hinasaki looked down at the dishes laid out on the table, steaming hot and fragrant. It was a feast, but she couldn't muster any appetite.

She frowned slightly, wanting to break the dull atmosphere, and even opened her mouth to say something, but the words stuck in her throat.

She looked at everyone, and couldn't help but recall the time when the band was first formed. Back then, their relationships weren't as close as they are now, and they weren't even called a "team" yet, but when problems arose, everyone would speak their minds directly.

There was no pretense, nor this suffocating silence.

"I have to do something," Hinasaki told herself silently. She took a deep breath and finally mustered the courage to speak: "I'm sorry... it's my fault."

Her voice trembled slightly, and she gripped the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands. "There was a part in the middle that I didn't play well, which caused us... to only get third place."

Her apology seemed to lift the curtain of silence. Sitting opposite her, Li Xi lowered her head and said softly, "No... actually, it was my fault for not fulfilling my responsibility. If I could have written a better piece, we wouldn't have lost." There was a hint of regret in her voice, and her hands unconsciously clenched.

“Actually… it’s also my fault,” Ai Yin suddenly raised her head, biting her lower lip in self-reproach, her voice trembling slightly, “If I had spent more time practicing on the guitar instead of just focusing on designing performance costumes, maybe we could have advanced.”

Su Shi also sighed, frowned slightly, and said in a low voice, "I have indeed been neglecting my practice lately... If I had worked harder, the outcome might not have been like this."

Xiao Deng lowered her head slightly, her voice tinged with disappointment: "If I could sing better... perhaps things would be different."

Lenai sat quietly to the side, unusually so, with a hint of sullenness on her face that didn't belong to her.

Seeing that everyone had finally spoken, Hinasaki secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although she still felt a little heavy-hearted, she felt a sense of comfort at this moment—at least, everyone was willing to break the silence.

“But… we still have a chance, don’t we?” Hinasaki continued, “Although we lost to Ave Mujica and Morfonica and only got third place, the third and fourth place winners in this elimination round will enter the revival round. If we can win the revival round, we still have a chance to enter the finals.”

Li hope raised her head slightly, "Yes... as long as we can try again."

Xiao Deng said to everyone, "Let's... try again together."

"Yes, we can do it!" Aine returned to normal.

The gloom on Su Shi and Le Nai's faces gradually dissipated.

Seeing that everyone gradually regained their fighting spirit, Hinasaki finally breathed a sigh of relief, a relaxed smile appearing on her face.

She glanced at the delicious food on the table and said, "However, while hard work is important, eating is just as important, isn't it?"

She laughed and patted the table. "Alright, everyone, let's fill our stomachs first!"

Her words easily broke the silence, and everyone realized that the table was already full of the food they had ordered. The aroma of fried eggs, steaming hot ramen, crispy fried chicken... and the matcha parfait that was almost melted.

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Hailing peeked out cautiously from behind the restaurant partition and saw that the Mygo members had finally broken their silence, which secretly relieved her.

She turned her head and said to Xiangzi in a low voice, "It looks like they've already come out."

Xiangzi let out a long breath and said with a smile, "That's good..."

Momoko, on the other hand, had an expression that said, "Relax. The people at Mygo aren't that fragile. They'll definitely get through this."

Yutenji Nyanmu looked at Shoko with an expression as if she had discovered something interesting.

She slightly curled the corners of her mouth, revealing an expression of enjoying the show, her eyes carrying a hint of mockery and malice, as if she were watching an interesting drama.

Peach, who was standing to the side, noticed Miaomeng's expression and couldn't help but shake her head with a smile. She thought to herself: If you had to describe her expression right now, it would be the standard look of a bystander, who seems to thrive on chaos.

"Oh my~ I was wondering why we suddenly had to hold a celebration banquet, and why we chose to hold it in a family restaurant. So it turns out that our Oblivionis is still missing the 'master' who abandoned her?" Meow Dream said.

Xiangzi turned slightly to the side, casually picked up the tempura in front of Miaomeng, and stuffed it directly into her mouth, his smile carrying a hint of coldness: "Miss Amoris, it's best to speak less while eating."

"Ugh!" Miao Meng was caught off guard by the sudden tempura, her face instantly turning red. She hurriedly grabbed the cup in front of her and gulped down two mouthfuls before she calmed down a little.

However, just as she swallowed it, Chu Hua frowned slightly and reminded her with a hint of embarrassment, "Um... Miss Miaomeng, this cup is mine."

"Eh?!" Miao Meng froze instantly, her hand holding the cup trembling. She looked at the cup awkwardly, a blush quickly rising to her face. "I-I'm sorry..."

She apologized softly, a thought flashing through her mind: "Oh no, I've indirectly kissed Hatsuka-chan now. What if her fans find out and come after me?"

Next to her, Wakaba Mutsu sat obediently, gently biting the straw and slowly sipping the mango juice in her hand, occasionally glancing up at the noisy crowd around her.

BangDream: Chapter Sixteen - A Peaceful Daily Life

Ai Yin deftly rolled out of bed on the 45th floor of the high-rise apartment, lightly stepped barefoot onto the floor, quickly picked up the clothes scattered last night, and skillfully changed her clothes.

As soon as she opened the door, the aroma of breakfast wafted out, waking Miss Aine's hungry stomach.

Drawn by the aroma, she walked towards the kitchen and saw Nagasaki Motoyo busy at work with her back to her. Motoyo was carefully spreading a thin layer of butter on toast. Aine gave a mischievous smile, tiptoed closer, and gently rested her chin on Motoyo's shoulder.

"Su Shishi! What did you eat this morning?" Ai Yin's voice was soft and sweet, with a hint of morning laziness.

Su Shi gently patted Aine's hand on her shoulder, her tone tinged with impatience: "Toast and fried eggs, go sit down, it'll be ready soon." Although her tone was slightly cold, Aine, who knew her well, noticed that the tips of her ears seemed to be slightly red.

Ai Yin's eyes lit up, her smile widening. She lingered beside Su Shi, refusing to leave. "Eh? Su Shi, you're kicking me out after just making breakfast? How heartless! It wasn't like this last night~"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Su Shi's face. Her lips twitched slightly, and a touch of shyness and annoyance appeared between her brows. She muttered under her breath, "What a... annoying person."

Before she could even utter a rebuttal, Ai Yin had already turned around, giggling as she slipped out and hurried towards the bathroom, playfully saying behind her, "Su Shishi looks so cute when she's shy!"

In the restroom, pink-haired Aine stood in front of the mirror, her fingers gently pressing against the light pink mark on her shoulder, her expression somewhat helpless. "Hmm... I hope I won't be discovered?" She leaned slightly forward, looking at herself in the mirror from left to right, her brows furrowed, but a hint of secret smugness shone in her eyes.

She is often teased as a "pink-haired big dog," but every night, it seems that the one who becomes "fierce" and bites people is Nagasaki Motoyo, who always has a gentle smile.

"Isn't Su Shishi the dog?" she muttered softly, a playful smile on her lips.

Thinking of Su Shi's usual gentle yet cunning nature, Aine suddenly pictured a brown fox in her mind—a clever and agile fox with a touch of cunning yet incredibly endearing, seemingly more fitting than "dog."

She couldn't help but smile, then lowered her head and continued brushing her teeth.

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Chihaya Aine sat at the dining table, a slight smile playing on her lips. Her gaze was fixed on the plate, but she seemed distracted and couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

"What are you laughing at?" Nagasaki Motoyo looked up, her eyes filled with confusion.

"It's nothing!" Ai Yin hurriedly shook her head, almost subconsciously suppressing the smile on her face, and lowered her head to take a bite of toast to hide it, but a secret joy had already risen in her heart.

"I absolutely cannot let Su Shishi know what I was thinking just now!" Miss Aiyin stole a glance at the pair of probing eyes opposite her.

Su Shi raised an eyebrow and shook her head gently, seemingly used to Ai Yin's "unprovoked silly smiles." She put down her utensils, sighed softly, and said as if helplessly, "Let's eat. We have to practice later, so we don't have much time for you to smile like that."

"Okay, okay!" Ai Yin replied, continuing to munch on her toast while secretly glancing at Su Shi's face. She noticed a barely perceptible smile playing at the corners of Su Shi's lips.

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"crunch-"

The sound of the door opening echoed in the quiet rehearsal room, and Chihaya Aine and Nagasaki Motoyo rushed in, panting, their hands on their knees.

"Sorry... haha... I'm late." Ai Yin said breathlessly, her cheeks slightly flushed, clearly having run all the way here.

"Too slow!" Shiina Riki, standing opposite them, scolded them before they could even stand still, her brows furrowed and her fingers tapping impatiently on her watch.

"If you're late again next time, then..." She was about to continue when she caught sight of Ai Yin giving her a fawning smile, and her words trailed off.

Hinasaki, standing to the side, crossed her arms and watched the scene with a smile in her eyes: "It feels like it's been a long time since I've seen Riki angry."

"I'm sorry, Lixi!" Su Shi hurriedly explained, a hint of apology appearing on her face. "My mother suddenly came back when I was leaving today... so I was in a bit of a rush."

Li hope pursed her lips, and looking at Su Shi's slightly flustered appearance, the anger that flashed in her eyes gradually dissipated.

Hinasaki couldn't help but smile, and slowly walked over to pat them on the shoulder, "Alright, alright, now that we're here, let's start from the beginning today."

"Shall we start? Practice?" Lena, who had been quietly eating candy the whole time, put down her candy, carefully wiped her fingertips, then picked up her guitar, her eyes shining with eager anticipation.

“Yes, the livehouse has arranged the elimination rounds for us today, so we can book all the remaining time.” Li Xi said, a serious look in her eyes. She had already walked to the drum, gripped the drumsticks, and looked at Su Shi and Ai Yin.

"You two get ready quickly, we're about to begin."

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"Den-"

A piercing guitar blast suddenly broke the harmony of the rehearsal room.

The pick in Aine's hand snapped in two with a soft "crack," and the pieces fell to the floor. She looked slightly stunned.

"Ah...sorry, the pick broke." She looked up somewhat awkwardly and explained carefully, her eyes filled with apology.

Lixi frowned as he watched the performance come to a halt, put down his drumsticks, and sighed helplessly.

She glanced down at her watch and realized she had been practicing for an hour. She relaxed a bit, put down the drumsticks, and stretched her stiff wrists.

Seeing the state of II Lin and Wu Lengjiu-IX, Hinasaki Tsuki immediately took over the conversation, smiling and saying, "Then let's take this opportunity to rest for a bit."

"Ah... the spare pick is gone too!" Aine rummaged through her backpack, then looked up and exclaimed in frustration, her eyes quickly scanning the room before landing on Ryuna first. "Ryuna-chan, do you have any more? Can I borrow them for a bit?"

Lena shook her head without looking up, still chewing on candy: "Sorry, I'm out too."

“Then Su Shishi!” Ai Yin immediately turned to Su Shishi, her eyes filled with hope.

“I basically don’t use this at all,” Su Shi said helplessly.

"Then I'll go ask Ms. Rinrinko! Does she have any?" Aine grabbed her phone, turned around, and jogged out of the rehearsal room.

The door closed softly with a "click," and the rehearsal room returned to silence for a moment.

Xiao Deng sat on a chair to the side, drinking water in big gulps, her forehead slightly glistening with sweat.

She let out a soft sigh of relief; clearly, the long practice session had taken a toll on the lead singer.

Yue slowly walked to Lixi's side: "Want to go for a walk with me?"

Li hope originally wanted to refuse, but the words were stopped by Yue's earnest and warm eyes.

"There are some things I'd like to discuss with you, Lixi."

She paused for a moment, then finally nodded, a knowing look in her eyes. "Okay, let's go."