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

Yue nodded, hesitating whether she should continue speaking, since these were all just her guesses and she was still unsure of Su Shi's true intentions.

But when she connected the things Xiangzi told her with the strange expression that flashed across Su Shi's face when she first learned that they were going to reform the band, Yue felt that her guess was probably pretty accurate.

After hesitating for a moment, Yue finally decided to voice her guess, "Xiangzi, this is just my guess, and I can't guarantee its validity, but I feel it's necessary for me to tell you."

Ever since the topic of Nagasaki Motoyo was brought up, Shoko frowned, and a displeased expression appeared on her delicate smiling face. Clearly, she had probably guessed what Yue was going to say.

"It's alright, Yue, just tell me. After you mentioned Su Shi, I've roughly come up with some ideas."

After hearing Xiangzi's answer, Yue slowly said, "Nagasaki Motoyo is forming this band now, possibly to reunite Crychic. Aine and I are temporarily used as substitutes for you and Mutsu to keep Akari and Riki together."

Although Xiangzi had guessed what Nagasaki Motoyo had done, she still felt a nameless anger after hearing Yue say it.

Despite having everything she had lost—a wealthy family, ample free time, and the ability to talk to Akari and the others—Nagasaki Motoyo didn't cherish it at all.

The very thing she longed for was casually used by Su Shi as a bargaining chip to revive Crychic, who was impossible to be reborn. Thinking of this, Xiangzi's tone couldn't help but be filled with anger.

"What is Nagasaki Motoyo thinking?"

Seeing that Xiangzi was obviously a little angry, Yue quickly comforted her, "I don't know either, but this is just my guess. In fact, Su Shi may have really gotten over the shadow of Crychic's disbandment. Maybe she really just wants to form a new band."

Xiangzi picked up the glass of lemonade, which was worth two meals of her own, and took a big gulp. The strong sour taste flooded her mouth and took over her taste buds.

She initially wanted to spit it out, but then she thought that this bite might be her entire meal, so she forced it down and it took her a while to recover.

"If Yue's analysis is true, won't you be angry? Being used by Su Shi as a temporary substitute for me or something."

Yue shook her head, then nodded. "To be honest, I'm not too angry. After all, I already knew from Xiangzi that Su Shi wanted to rebuild Crychic, so I was mentally prepared when she invited me to join the band."

"To say she wasn't angry, I can't say she wasn't angry at all. I think Lixi probably knew what Su Shi was thinking. She just subconsciously ignored it when she saw Deng go on stage again. Deng, on the other hand, wanted to rebuild the band and experience the feeling of being with friends."

Yue paused here, and thinking about what she was about to say, her tone became slightly annoyed, "Then isn't Aine, who's left in the end, pitiful? As a sacrifice for the reconstruction of the band, Aine did nothing wrong, but in the end, she might be kicked out of the band because she wanted to reform Crychic."

Yue seemed to realize that her tone was inappropriate, and quickly took a sip of water. "Sorry, my tone was a bit off."

As an actress, controlling one's emotions should be a basic skill, but for some reason, she lost control of her emotions after thinking about how Aine was deceived by Sose.

Perhaps it's because Aine's silly, goofy yet sunny and cheerful appearance is a bit like a peach?

The thought popped into Yue's mind, but then she felt a wave of fear and quickly shook her head to banish it from her thoughts.

"No, no, no, what does it have to do with Momo? Why do I pay special attention to Aine just because she looks like Momo?"

Xiangzi comforted Yue about her earlier outburst, saying, "It's alright. Yue's ability to put herself in her friend's shoes is a very good quality."

"In short, everything at the moment is just my speculation, and Su Shi may not necessarily think the same way."

Yue originally wanted to end the conversation, but then suddenly remembered something and added to Xiangzi.

"But Xiangzi, you need to be careful lately? After the last time in the Moon Forest, Su Shi started to suspect that you were getting close to someone from Yuuka. Now, when she comes back to school to find us, she might also come to find you, Xiangzi."

After Yue's reminder, Xiangzi realized the possibility that he might be caught by Su Shi.

"Thank you for the reminder, Yue. I will pay more attention in the future."

--------

After paying their respective fares, Hinasaki Tsuki and Toyokawa Shoko parted ways. Tsuki, carrying her newly bought electronic keyboard, squeezed onto the train during rush hour.

Even without carrying the electronic keyboard, Yue's physical condition would not have caused any problems in the evening rush hour crowds.

However, with such a heavy burden suddenly added behind her, Yue felt somewhat powerless in the face of the rush hour crowds. Every time she arrived at a station, she was jostled and pushed by the flow of people getting on and off the train.

After finally getting through the bustling city center, the number of people in the car decreased. Yue tried to stretch her stiff body, but the tingling sensation in her feet caused her to fall backward before she could even take her first step.

"Oh no!"

Just as Yue was thinking that she was about to smash the instrument she had just bought before it had even been played once, a pair of hands supported her back.

A neutral female voice sounded behind Yue, "Are you alright?"

Yue reluctantly turned her head and saw a woman wearing a red off-shoulder top and a black leather jacket, with the ends of her shoulder-length short hair curled slightly upwards, and a pair of indifferent light green eyes staring at her.

Although Yue is not a lesbian, the moment she saw Hachiman Kairin, a thought flashed through her mind: this girl is the legendary lesbian saint.

"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

Hai Ling noticed that Yue was staring blankly at her and asked in confusion.

After Hailing asked her that question, Yue returned to normal and regained her footing in the crowd.

"It's nothing... thank you."

Yue looked at Hailing again and saw the bass bag she was carrying. Then she looked at the rivets on the black leather jacket.

"Heavy metal music?"

n亦亻尔OIII尔灵丝坝月 shared her first impression of Hailing, and although she tried to speak as quietly as possible, Hailing still heard her.

Are stereotypes acceptable?

Upon hearing Hailing's words, Yue felt a surge of shame and embarrassment. She didn't even know why she had said those words.

Fortunately, Hailing didn't pay much attention to Yue's stereotype just now. She looked at the instrument bag that Yue was carrying.

The black fabric backpack looked brand new, and the zipper was incredibly shiny. It was clear that if it wasn't a newly purchased musical instrument, then it must have been a new bag that was being replaced.

However, considering that the other party's bag still had a free gift label on the lower left corner, Hailing is more inclined to the latter guess.

"Are you new to the band? You should be careful about the safety of your instruments."

Yue knew the other person was referring to the time she almost fell and crushed the zither.

"The staff always helped me move my instruments before, this is the first time I've moved an instrument myself, I'll be more careful next time."

Was she unexpectedly a rich young lady?

After listening to Yue's words, Hai Ling looked at Yue again. Apart from her good looks and figure, she had absolutely no resemblance to the young lady of Yuezhi Forest that she had met before.

However, after recalling that the young lady of the String Scroll Group in her own school had even jumped directly from the third floor, she was no longer surprised by Yue's identity.

However, the Big B Mingba C Zero 9 Three Wine Sister Band... As a support musician among the thirty bands, Hachiman Umi-rei keenly realized that they were one of the target customer types she was serving.

"Really? I'm Hachiman Kairin. I'm currently a support bassist, kind of like a mercenary. You can contact me if you need anything, but you'll need to make an appointment one to two weeks in advance," Kairin introduced herself, while taking out her phone and showing the QR code for a social media app.

"Hahaha." Yue forced a smile. She was a little puzzled by Hai Ling's sudden attempt to exchange contact information. They had only met briefly on the tram and exchanged a few words, so why did Hai Ling suddenly want to add her as a friend?

Wait a minute... I feel like this plot development seems a bit familiar.

Yue suddenly remembered a Chinese e-novel she had accidentally come across some time ago. The female protagonist in the novel accidentally fell into the arms of a domineering CEO at work, which aroused his interest and led to various other stories.

As Yue took out her phone, she glanced at Hailing again and noticed that Hailing's eyes didn't have the three parts amusement, three parts disdain, and four parts indifference described in Chinese novels. Instead, they seemed to only show the kind of joy that a wage slave would show when their monthly salary arrives.

"etc!"

Yue thought about Hai Ling's identity again—a mercenary bassist. Yue's focus was not on the mercenary aspect, but rather on Hai Ling's identity as a bassist.

Just now, she suddenly realized that if Su Shi wanted to use her and Aine as temporary members, then it wouldn't be a problem for her to find a substitute for Su Shi instead.

However, this doesn't seem to be good for Deng. Su Shi had promised Deng that they would be in a band for life, and it seems a bit unfair to Deng to make Plan B for Su Shi to leave first.

It's decided! We promise that as long as Suze doesn't use the team-breaking weapon first, Yue will not use the mercenary Hachiman Hailin.

Thinking of this, Yue's hands moved faster. She and Hailing added each other as friends and introduced herself to Hailing with a smile.

"Hachiman-kun, I'm Hinasaki Tsuki, nice to meet you."

Hai Ling looked at Yue's smile and couldn't understand why she was suddenly laughing when she hadn't done anything.

"Just call me Hailing. If you need anything, just contact me on your phone in advance."

When the performance begins: Chapter Ten - The Urban Legend That the Bassist Will End the Band

After overcoming numerous difficulties, Yue finally returned home carrying the musical instrument she had just bought.

"Waaaah! My beloved bed!"

Yue collapsed onto her small bed at home, her body supported by the soft mattress. She let out a comfortable sound; she was still a little tired from carrying the heavy musical instrument all night.

The soft and comfortable bed provided Yue with ample relaxation at this moment. If she hadn't yet taken a bath, she would have already planned to fall into a deep sleep on the bed.

Yue lay in bed, took out her phone, and scrolled through her contacts. She realized that she seemed to have added a lot of friends who weren't in her class after transferring schools. She had only added classmates when she was at Shengxiang, but now she had added several other people, including Hailing, someone she knew nothing about.

Could it be that bands can really help people make friends? As Yue pondered this question, she started a chat in the band group chat that Ai Yin had created on her phone.

"Hey everyone, are you free tomorrow? Can we come to Ring and continue our discussion about the band?"

Even through the screen, Yue could imagine Aine saying those words.

The moon's hand (deleted) fins tapped lightly on the screen, and soon responded with a voice.

"I have no problem."

Su Shi's reply followed immediately.

"I have time too~"

“I have no problem.” Lamp’s answer was very characteristic of hers.

"If the lamp is going, I want to go too." This was clearly something Li hope would say.

"Everyone, let's meet at Ring tomorrow, see you there!"

After seeing that everyone had stopped talking, Yue tossed her phone aside to charge, stood up, and prepared to go to the shower. She was going to get some rest early today.

The warm water gently caressed Yue's fair skin, like a warm embrace, washing away the day's fatigue little by little. The water droplets danced on her skin, bringing a warm sensation, and seemed to be gently massaging her body, making her feel incredibly relaxed.

Yue emerged from the shower, wrapped in a soft bath towel.

She gently wiped the water droplets from her hair with a towel, each strand being gently wiped, the water droplets sliding down her body and leaving a damp trace in the air.

After taking a shower, Yue felt refreshed, as if all the fatigue from before had been washed away with the water.

"Is it only a little past seven? Isn't it a bit early to go to bed?"

Just as Yue was debating whether to practice her newly bought instrument or go straight to bed, there was a knock at the door.

"Tsuki-chan, Tsuki-chan! Open the door!"

Momoko Kurosawa's familiar voice came from outside the door.

Alright... no need to worry about it now, her plans to practice or sleep are probably ruined.

"Wait a moment," Yue called out towards the door, then went inside to change into her pajamas before opening the door for Taozi.

A bead of sweat clung to Peach's face, and she was slightly out of breath, revealing the marks of a vigorous workout she had just endured. A few stray strands of hair remained on her forehead, suggesting she had rushed all the way from the tram station.