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

Since dropping out of Shengxiang last year, I've always felt something was wrong, but after careful analysis, I still couldn't find the reason. This time, I finally got a direction from Peach and Giraffe, but the final result of the analysis was still that there were not enough clues.

At this moment, Yue utterly loathed the giraffe, the riddle deer. It knew something but always kept it a secret. In its words, this was an unpredictable stage of fate, and it would not interfere with it.

"So annoying..."

Yue finally decided to give up thinking and got up to find some frozen drinks in the refrigerator to reduce the burden on her brain from thinking.

However, when she opened the refrigerator, she couldn't find anything to drink except some food ingredients.

"Let's go out and take a look... and clear our heads."

———————The dividing line for leaving the house—————————

After a short journey, Yue arrived at a convenience store near the station and skillfully selected the drink she needed from the freezer.

As she finished selecting her items and was about to pay, a slightly familiar figure pushed open the door and walked in, heading straight for the discount area.

"Toyokawa Shoko?"

The other person's overly familiar appearance and clothing made her recognize him at a glance.

Watching Xiangzi take away all three remaining bento boxes from the discounted bento section, Yue recalled the analysis she had given to Deng and Lixi that afternoon—it was highly likely that Xiangzi had chosen to leave the band because of some personal misfortune.

"Speaking of which, this area is mostly villa district, so there are fewer people scrambling for cheap bento boxes, which is why there are leftover discounted bento boxes."

"Could it be that I actually guessed right...?"

When Xiangzi finished shopping and went to the cashier to pay, Yue stood behind her, patted her on the shoulder, and the two looked at each other.

"Good evening, Toyokawa-kun."

Yue nodded slightly, just like Xiangzi did on the first day of school.

"Good evening... Good evening."

Xiangzi's movements became unnatural. At this moment, she really wanted to put down the goods and leave immediately, but she thought that other convenience stores probably didn't have discounted bento boxes anymore, and that her escape route had been blocked by Yue, so she had to give up the idea of ​​escaping.

Before the Stage Opening: Chapter Seven - Fans and Idols

"Toyokawa-kun, would you mind if we spoke in private for a moment?"

Patiently wait until Xiangzi finished paying the bill, then asked, "I'll open the moon and ask you."

Xiangzi looked at Yue standing at the entrance of the convenience store and knew that he probably couldn't avoid it, so he put on a normal social smile.

"Excuse me, what can I do for you?"

Xiangzi pondered the possibilities and possible responses.

The other person must have just met Deng and witnessed what happened on the day of the opening ceremony. If they ask about my previous relationship with Deng, I can just say we're friends.

However, she might also be the optimistic type, and if she wants me and Deng to reconcile, that would be more complicated...

Just as Xiangzi was rapidly brainstorming strategies for dealing with different situations, Yue's slightly excited voice broke her train of thought.

"Toyokawa-kun, could you please sign your autograph for me?"

"sign?"

Xiangzi tilted her head; Yue's unexpected remarks rendered all her prepared remarks useless.

"I'm a Crychic fan. I was so excited to see Takamatsu before, and I never thought I'd see Toyokawa again. This is amazing!"

Yue demonstrated her basic qualities as a former stage girl very well, using superb acting skills to disguise herself as a Crychic fan.

However, she was already a Crychic fan, so this could be considered a natural performance.

“crychic…”

When Xiangzi heard this familiar name, a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, as he recalled the scene of Yue walking with Deng earlier.

"I see... A Crychic fan? That's why you know my name?"

Xiangzi never expected that Crychic, who had only been active for a few months and had only one song, would have fans, and that he would even happen to meet them in real life.

"If they're just fans, then it's easy to handle."

Xiangzi took the pen and notepad that Yue handed him. These were things that Yue's agent had told her to carry with her at all times. He didn't expect them to come in handy at this time.

"Alright, sir... classmate? Can you tell me your name? It's not very polite to keep calling you 'classmate'."

Xiangzi returned the notepad with his signature, only to find that he didn't know the other person's name.

"Hinasaki, Class 1-A, thank you, Toyokawa-kun."

Yue accepted Xiangzi's autograph, her face showing anticipation.

"Toyokawa Shoko from Class 1-B, thank you for your kind words, Hinasaki-san."

When asking fans for autographs, didn't he mention that he was the keyboardist for Crychic during his self-introduction?

"By the way, it's so nice to run into you, Toyokawa-kun. May I ask when Crychic's next performance is? I asked Takamatsu-kun before, and she said everyone is still waiting for Shoko-kun to come back. Did something happen between you two?"

After a moment's thought, Yue told a carefully crafted lie, but thanks to her current persona as a Crychic fan, Xiangzi didn't doubt her words.

"!"

"Is the lamp... still waiting for me?"

When Xiangzi heard Yue's lie, his previously formulaic social smile vanished instantly.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but seeing Yue's expectant eyes, she pursed her lips, trying to say something several times, but in the end, she only managed to utter one sentence.

"I'm sorry, Hinasaki-san, I can't give you an answer to this question either."

"Really... It's okay... Even if Crychic temporarily suspends its activities, I will continue to support Crychic."

Xiangzi saw the obvious disappointment on Yue's face, then she put on a forced expression, clenched the plastic bag in her hand again, lowered her head, and squeezed out a sentence.

"Hinasaki-san, I'm sorry, I have to catch the train, so I'll have to go now."

"Okay... okay, see you at school later, Toyokawa-kun."

Yue watched Xiangzi walk towards the tram station, her initial reluctance gradually fading into a troubled expression.

Thinking of Xiangzi's hesitant and struggling expression just now, Yue became more and more certain that her guess was probably true.

"So it really is still a family matter?"

——————The dividing line of the second day——————

"Good morning, light!"

"...Good morning, Tsuki-chan."

The next morning, Yue greeted the lamp as usual.

Looking at the autographed photo on her phone, Yue had no intention of telling Deng what had happened the night before.

Given that reconciliation is now virtually impossible, she felt it was better for both of them to remain unaware.

"Ding Dong"

A new message popped up on my phone. (The last part appears to be a string of characters and doesn't translate directly.)

"Xili?" 』

The person who sent the message was named Yuan Yuli, her former classmate at Seisho, and a true young lady from a wealthy family.

"I have two tickets to a band's performance here, but I don't have time to go right now. Do you want them?"

"I'm not particularly interested in bands... so why would you consider giving it to me?"

"Because you're the most free in the month, your daily life should be much easier than Shengxiang's after you transfer to a regular high school, right?"

Yue could easily imagine the expression on Yuan Xili's face when she typed those words.

"Don't underestimate the importance of getting into high school! I'm very busy too!"

The image of Mr. Bai's angry emoji was attached to the post.

Yuan Yudachi replied with a scared emoji and continued.

"Anyway, I've already mailed out the two tickets, and they should arrive at your house in the next few days. You can decide what to do with them then."

"...You've already mailed it, why are you asking me?"

"Because the performance is tomorrow, if I don't send them out quickly and wait for your reply, the two tickets will most likely not arrive until the performance is over."

"..."

Before Yue could reply, the classroom door was pushed open, and the teacher's voice rang out in the classroom along with the class bell.

"Ahem, class is about to begin. Everyone, please return to your seats."

On the platform, the teacher was explaining mathematical knowledge on the blackboard, while Yue quietly turned around and whispered something to the lamp.

After reviewing her interpersonal relationships, she realized that apart from her friends in Sweet Pleas and Shengxiang's classmates, she only seemed to know Deng and Lixi outside of the entertainment industry.

Even if you include Xiangzi, who only spoke a few words yesterday, there are only three people. Thinking about this, Yue felt that there might be something wrong with her high school life.

In the end, she could only try to extend an invitation to Deng, "Deng, are you still interested in the band?"

"band?"

Before the stage opens: Chapter Eight, Morfonica?

"Lights, are you still interested in the band?"

Deng hadn't expected Yue to ask her that question.

She didn't know how to answer Yue. She didn't know why the other person would ask this question. She was afraid of disappointing her again and losing her friend again.

She was afraid that she would turn back into a pill bug from a butterfly once again.

"The light? Is it alright?"

"...It's nothing, Yue. Why would you ask that question?"

Although they were in class and both were speaking in hushed tones, Yue still noticed the fear in Deng's voice.

Yue then realized that her question seemed to have some problems, which caused the lamp to misunderstand.

"Sorry, sorry, I asked the wrong question. I actually wanted to ask if you would like to go to a live show. My friend gave me two tickets."