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

After swallowing the last bite of his rice ball, Xiangzi asked, "Why is Yue eating on the rooftop? Didn't she go to the Astronomy Department with Deng?"

"Xiangzi is quite observant."

Yue sat down next to Xiangzi and opened her lunchbox. The food inside was not particularly lavish; it was simply plain rice, a few vegetables, and a fried pork chop.

This is the simplest and most convenient bento I can make in the mornings without affecting my time to go to school or sleep in.

"Even though I've never spoken to Akari, she knows that Akari is a member of the Astronomy Department, and she also knows that I usually have lunch with Akari at the Astronomy Department."

As Yue spoke, she picked up a piece of fried pork chop and put it in her mouth. After taking a bite, she immediately felt the rich aroma and tender texture.

The fried pork chop is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The golden and crispy outer skin wraps around tender and juicy pork. With one bite, the meat is tender and juicy, and the juices flow in your mouth, making it irresistible.

Shoko Toyokawa, standing nearby, smelled the aroma wafting over. A hint of longing flashed in her eyes, her gaze sometimes fixed on the fried pork cutlet, and sometimes on other places.

She swallowed hard and then said, "Deng is very popular at school, so it's normal that I know she's in the astronomy club."

"Is she tsundere? She should be really concerned about Touka, right? The legends about Touka are all about a cute girl who loves collecting all sorts of stones, but there's no mention of the Astronomy Club."

Seeing that Xiangzi clearly wanted to eat her bento but was too proud to say so, Yue took the initiative to pick up a piece of fried pork cutlet and said to her, "Xiangzi, please try my fried pork cutlet. I don't think it's very good. I hope you can give me some suggestions for improvement after you taste it."

Yue had already offered him the stairs; if it were anyone else, Xiangzi would have immediately turned his back and left.

But Xiangzi didn't know why, he didn't actually feel that much restraint or inferiority in front of Yue.

Perhaps it's because the other person hasn't seen their past self.

Xiangzi could only comfort himself with this reason, and then he took a bite of the fried pork chop that Yue handed him with a clear conscience.

After a couple of simple chews, the aroma of the fried pork chop filled his mouth, and a feeling of happiness filled his entire oral cavity.

Xiangzi praised without reservation: "Mmm, delicious!"

Yue smiled and said, "Xiangzi, I'm glad you like it."

"Did Yue come to see me today because of something?"

After eating the food Yue had given her, Xiangzi immediately asked Yue what she wanted. After all, they had previously kept to themselves at school, so if Yue had come back to see her now, she must have something to tell her.

"Hopefully, it's not that Nagasaki Motoyo has some new idea."

Xiangzi is now afraid that Yue will tell her again what Nagasaki Sue is planning to do. Sue has been staking out Haneoka's entrance every few days for some time now, which has caused her a lot of trouble.

Yue shook her head.

"Not yet, Su Shi and she have been busy forming a band recently."

"Xiangzi, have you ever considered that it would be a waste to leave your talent and skills unused like this?"

Xiangzi frowned, she (two) bell|+pa five<another wine three li u kick couldn't guess what the moon meant.

"You're not trying to persuade me to join a band, are you? Does a band need two keyboardists?"

"What do you mean? Yue, do you want me to join the band too?"

Xiangzi's tone unconsciously turned sour.

"I do have that idea, but not about joining our band."

Xiangzi frowned, waiting for Yue's next words.

"Sumi, has Xiangzi looked into this?"

“Sumi?” Xiangzi’s mind was filled with the image of her childhood blonde playmate. Ever since the other girl came to Tokyo and told her that she wanted to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, Xiangzi had encouraged Hatsuka.

Xiangzi realized that he hadn't spoken to Chuhua for a year. This was partly due to changes in his family, and partly because Xiangzi didn't really know how to face Chuhua.

"I have some understanding of it."

Xiangzi did not reveal that he knew Chuhua, but Yue's next words made Xiangzi uneasy.

“Since Xiangzi knows a bit about this, it’s easier for me to explain. Sumimi’s company is planning to form a five-member band around Chu Hua, with the goal of making money as a commercial band.”

When Xiangzi heard the words "making money" and "band" linked together, a look of disgust flashed across his face.

Yue noticed the fleeting expression on Xiangzi's face and secretly felt that the matter might fall through, but since she had already brought it up, Yue decided to finish talking about it.

"The band is currently considering recruiting some female high school students. Their leader happens to be my former manager. She originally wanted to ask me if I was interested, but after learning that I had already joined the band, she asked me to help find some talented students."

Xiangzi now understood what Yue meant: "So, Yue-kun, are you trying to ask me if I have any interest in this area?"

Yue nodded. "I think Xiangzi's talent should be showcased on stage. Xiangzi should shine on stage."

"Am I really okay now?"

For Xiangzi, Yue's invitation was indeed a good opportunity. He left Crychic partly because of changes in his family and partly because he had to earn money to support his family in his spare time and no longer had time to spend on the band.

However, joining a commercial band would greatly alleviate his financial pressure and allow him to return to the stage he longed for, not to mention that the band's lead singer was none other than his childhood friend, Mitsumi Hatsuka.

However, accepting this invitation meant that he would have to be subordinate to others and follow the arrangements and commands of various companies, which was somewhat different from the band he had hoped for.

If she accepted the offer, she might become a puppet, which was not what she wanted.

"I'm sorry, this matter... I need to think about it."

Xiangzi was ultimately unable to give Yue an answer, something Yue had long anticipated.

Yue told Xiangzi that there was no need to worry: "There's nothing to apologize for. I was just asking for her on her behalf."

Xiangzi shook his head, denying Yue's statement: "No, Yue was thinking of me no matter what. It's just that I'm still a bit conflicted right now. I feel I've let Yue down and I still need to apologize."

--------

In the afternoon class, Yue sat in the classroom, nodding her head repeatedly, showing her agreement with the teacher's explanation of English knowledge.

She felt drowsy, trying not to be hypnotized by her English teacher's distinctive accent.

Yue decided to think about other things to ease her sleepiness.

"I suppose I've settled the matter she asked me to handle, but I don't know what Xiangzi will decide."

Judging from Xiangzi's expression, she seems somewhat interested, but the degree of freedom might be a bit lacking. Perhaps Xiangzi is worried about that?

As someone who has been through it all, Yue knows firsthand how terrifying it is to join such a commercial operation team. Once you become famous, if the higher-ups need you to monetize quickly, they will send you on national tours one after another, while also handling a huge number of business orders, keeping you busy from the moment you open your eyes until you go to bed at night.

Of course, she learned all of this from her agent. Most of the members of the Sweet Pleas she joined were students, and they hadn't openly exploited students like that yet; basic educational guarantees were still provided.

"Buzz~"

Yue noticed her phone vibrating in her desk. She wondered who could be sending her messages during class time. The only adult who could do that was already on her blacklist and hadn't been released yet.

Yue glanced at the English teacher who was writing a pair of clauses she couldn't understand on the blackboard. After confirming that the teacher wasn't paying attention to her actions, Yue carefully reached under the desk, gently picked up her phone, and tried to make no sound. She lightly touched the screen to activate the message notification.

"Triangle Emergence?"

Yue looked at the person who sent the message with a puzzled expression. The only contact she had with this person was when she signed her name for her before...

No, I was just asking my agent to help me get their autograph yesterday.

Unlock the phone, and detailed information comes into view.

"Senior Yue, could you please unblock Sakura-nee?"

"Okay, that's not surprising now."

After seeing the message, Yue felt that everything suddenly became clear. It was her shameful manager, Sakura Sakura, who had Hatsuka send her a message asking her to unblock her.

Just after Yue unblocked Sakura, she discovered that she had received a lot of messages from her.

Yue glanced at the package and it seemed that Yue was going to treat her to high-end sushi today, and that she would also bring Chu Hua along to freeload. She needed to prepare her wallet in advance.

"Is that all? It's just a meal, why are you in such a hurry? We need to eat the next day."

Yue expressed her bewilderment at Sakura's hasty actions.

"The main thing is that timing is everything. Today, Sumi happened to be filming a video near a high-end sushi restaurant, and since we thought we might as well take advantage of the opportunity, we decided to eat there together."

Miss Sakura then added a simple and honest smiley face, but Yue always felt that this emoji was very annoying.

"It seems like I'm the one treating, didn't you even consider whether I had the time?"

"It's okay, I can pay first, and you can transfer the money to me later."

Yue replied helplessly, "How shameless!"

"Thank you for the compliment. Chu Hua and I will wait for you here then~"

Sakura Sakura sent a shop address to Yue's phone, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"Luckily, there's no practice today, but I'm worried about my wallet."

Although Yue believed that Miss Sakura probably wouldn't eat too much, it was still a high-end sushi restaurant, and her small wallet might not be able to handle even a small amount of food.

Not to mention that he had just bought a musical instrument and was now treating her to a meal, which would only add fuel to the fire for his already struggling family.

"I need to find a way to make some money. If I keep spending like this, my savings will run out sooner or later."

While pondering ways to make money, Yue remembered Hachiman Kairin, the bass mercenary she had met on the bus: "Maybe I should find some bands to work part-time to earn some extra cash?"

When the stage begins: Chapter Twenty-Six: Former Manager Sakura Sakura

Fortunately, the bell rang soon after class, and Yue temporarily put the idea of ​​making extra money as a mercenary out of her mind.

"I'm sorry, I can't attend the Astronomy Department's event today either."

Yue said to Aine and Tou.

Aine asked curiously, "Eh? Is there something going on with you today, Tsuki-chan?"

"You can't exactly say you're going to meet your idols..."

Yue believed that once she brought it up, Aine would definitely ask if she could come along.

Yue decided to tell a little lie: "Well, it's to fulfill what I promised Aine last time."

Aine was very excited after hearing what Tsuki said: "Really? That's great! Is Hatsuka-chan going? Can I go with you?"

Listening to the encrypted call between the two, Tatsuki tilted her head and asked, "Did Tsuki and Aine make some kind of agreement?"

Aine enthusiastically explained to Akari, "Hey Akari, do you know what? Tsuki-chan actually knows Hatsuka and even promised to bring me Hatsuka's autograph."

Even though she wasn't a fan of celebrities, after hearing Aine's explanation, several small question marks resurfaced in her mind. She asked, puzzled, "Hatsuka? Who's that?"

Aine exclaimed in surprise when she heard that the lamp didn't recognize Hatsuka: "Eh?!?!?!"

"Little Lantern doesn't recognize Chuka? What about Mana? What about Sumi?"