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

“And I don’t know any classmates at school besides you right now, which is why I asked you if you were interested in the band.”

"I have no idea……"

The lamp truthfully revealed the confusion in her heart.

She did still have fantasies about the band, and the time she spent forming Crychic with everyone was the happiest time of her life.

But she didn't dare to form a band with anyone else, fearing that she would cause the band to fall apart again because of her.

Her inner confusion about the band affected other bands. She was afraid that seeing other bands perform would remind her of her time with Crychic and that she would yearn to form a band again.

"Really... It's okay, I don't really like other bands anyway."

The moon doesn't know how to read minds, but that doesn't stop her from seeing the lamp's current dilemma.

Seeing the whispers between Tsuki and Touka, the teacher on the stage finally couldn't hold back any longer. He cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the whole class, and said with a hint of displeasure, "Hinasaki, Takamatsu, you two, pay attention, class is still in session."

----------

When Yue got home that evening, she received the two band tickets delivered by the courier company on time.

The two tickets were wrapped in a thick envelope. Inside, the invitation was on a sheet of paper the same size as a letter, with text printed in beautiful copperplate ink, the delicate texture outlining elegant curves. The paper was as smooth as silk, and a faint rose scent lingered in the air.

The gold border is adorned with exquisite patterns, resembling a magnificent palace painting. Every stroke and line exudes a noble and elegant style, radiating a rich historical heritage.

When she saw the actual item, she realized that even though it was a girl band, there was something like an invitation.

"Morfonica? A special performance for freshmen? The location is Moon Forest? No wonder there are tickets required."

As a prestigious school for young ladies, Yue was well aware of the fame of Tsuki no Mori. When she dropped out of Seisho, her parents asked her if she wanted to go to Tsuki no Mori.

However, after learning about Tsukimori, she resolutely chose to refuse. Although her family could barely meet Tsukimori's standards, she would have to live according to the standards of a young lady in the future.

Even though she could portray a flawless young lady, playing the role for so many hours every day still left her feeling extremely exhausted. This exhaustion wasn't just physical; it was more of an inner exhaustion, a kind of spiritual weariness that couldn't be expressed in words.

Furthermore, she had recently heard that the principal of Tsuki no Mori was going to reorganize the forest, so she rejected her parents' suggestion without hesitation and chose Haneoka instead.

"If the performance venue is in the Moon Forest, it wouldn't be surprising to issue tickets that look like classical aristocratic invitations."

At the same time, she probably also realized why Minamoto Yuudachi didn't want to participate; not having time was probably just an excuse she made up.

Besides the parents of these young ladies attending, these special performances by elite girls' schools have another important purpose: to attract wealthy and influential families with school-aged children who are not students at the school. These families may be considering choosing a suitable school or have the intention to transfer their children.

Therefore, the school hopes to showcase the excellent educational and artistic atmosphere of Tsukinomori through this performance, allowing these families to gain a deeper understanding of the school and attracting more outstanding students and families to choose to join this prestigious institution.

Having figured this out, Yue's anticipation for the performance had plummeted to its lowest point.

After all, although Moon Forest is a noble school, it is not like Siegfried Music Academy, which is also a noble school but specializes in performing arts.

In the Moon Forest, although music courses are rich and diverse, there is a lack of dedicated band courses. Perhaps because of this, the students of the Moon Forest can never achieve the same level of musical success as the students of Siegfried, which makes them feel a little lonely and helpless.

To be honest, she was more impressed by the ensemble of Tsukimori. But this impression was not due to the school's musical atmosphere or teaching quality, but because Tsukimori School's renowned ensemble had repeatedly placed second in competitions, especially in the competition with Siegfried Academy, where Tsukimori's ensemble achieved second place for several consecutive years.

However, this cannot be blamed on Tsukinomori, after all, Siegfried is a music academy, so it is not surprising that he lost to them.

In terms of academic advancement, it can't compare to Haneoka; in music, it can't compare to Siegfried; and in terms of freedom, it can't compare to Hana-chan. Although Tsukimori has its own advantages, such as its rich cultural heritage and beautiful campus environment, it falls short in every aspect and cannot reach its best level in any one area.

This situation left a mediocre impression on Tsukinomori. In terms of academics, art, and lifestyle, it seemed unable to compare with other schools.

Looking at the school emblem of Tsukinomori on the invitation letter, Tsukinomori thought of Toyokawa Shoko, whom she had met at the convenience store the night before.

"But speaking of Tsukimori Girls' Academy... it seems that Shoko-san did indeed study at Tsukimori before."

Thinking of this, Xiangzi's words from yesterday came to mind.

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

When Xiangzi said those words yesterday, the struggling look on her face was unforgettable, as if she had unspeakable contradictions and hesitations deep in her heart.

Tsukito felt that Shoko was unlikely to go see Morfonica's performance. After all, returning to Tsukinomori might trigger her past memories of her school.

"Class 1-B... I'll ask her tomorrow. Maybe as a former student of Tsuki no Mori, Toyokawa-san is a fan of Morfonica. Otherwise, these two tickets will just be wasted."

--------

Note: Siegfried Music Academy, abbreviated as Siegfried Academy, comes from the world view of Retsuka Gurashi and is based on the Retsuka Gurashi mobile game. It made a brief appearance in the Retsuka Gurashi movie (where there was a scene in the subway where four schools were ranked). Our cat Rana's voice actress, Hina Aoki, played the young lady, Stella Takachiho, in Siegfried Academy Middle School.

Before the stage opening: Chapter Nine Xiangzi: I want to go!

Haneoka Girls' Academy, lunch break, outside Class 1-B.

Yue cautiously peeked into the classroom, but did not see the familiar twin-tailed girl.

"Excuse me, who are you looking for?"

A classmate saw Yue's head peeking out from the doorway and asked curiously.

"Do you know where Toyokawa-kun usually goes during lunch break?"

Unconsciously, Yue avoided asking people who might not know her. If she asked Xiangzi, she probably wouldn't be able to find anyone in the entire B class who knew who she was.

"Toyokawa-san? I really don't know where Toyokawa-san takes her lunch break. After all, Toyokawa-san doesn't seem to have many friends in the class. But you can go and see if she goes towards the band club. She always goes in that direction."

"The band? Okay, thank you."

"Shall we go check out the brass band next?"

As Yue walked, she pondered this question, but she soon realized that her thinking was unnecessary, because she had no idea where the brass band was.

Fortunately, it was lunch break time, and there were quite a few students eating in the courtyard. After asking a few unfamiliar students, she finally found the location of the band.

As soon as Yue arrived at the entrance of the orchestral section, she heard the sound of a piano coming from inside. The sound was soft and elegant, and every touch of the keys was so accurate and precise, like a gentle breeze brushing across the surface of a lake.

Yue gently pushed open the door and entered the room. Toyokawa Shoko was sitting at the piano, her fingers lightly touching the keys, as if an ancient spirit was accompanying the music.

When Xiangzi heard the faint sound of the door hinges, he stopped what he was doing, turned his head slightly, and looked at the moon in the doorway.

"It's nice to see you again, Toyokawa-kun..."

Yue waved and greeted them, smiling as she entered the room. But when Xiangzi saw Yue, her eyes suddenly became evasive, as if she were somewhat uncomfortable.

"Toyokawa-kun, your piano skills are amazing!"

Xiangzi forced a smile and replied, "Thank you, Hinasaki-kun."

Yue looked at Xiangzi with a hint of doubt, wondering why Xiangzi's mood had suddenly changed.

"Is Toyokawa-kun a member of the band?" Tsuki asked, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere.

Perhaps because Yue had already noticed Xiangzi buying discounted bento boxes, and because Yue was a fan of hers, Xiangzi's attitude towards her was relatively friendly.

"No, I just borrowed the piano from the brass band. Did Hinasaki come here today to join the wind band?"

"No, I came to see you, Toyokawa-kun."

Yue shook her head and explained. (Spirit-*-M*//E@n/g_First^Release)

"I?"

Xiangzi raised his eyebrows in confusion and frowned slightly.

"Toyokawa-san, you went to Tsukimori Girls' Academy for junior high school, right? I saw Tsukimori's school uniform in the Crychic rehearsal video before."

Xiangzi felt very unhappy. Yue mentioned two things from her past that she didn't want to face: Crychic and Tsuki no Mori. Even though the other party probably didn't mean any harm, her tone couldn't help but carry a hint of anger.

"That's right, I did attend Tsukinomori Middle School. May I ask why Hinasaki-san is asking this?" Her voice carried a hint of coldness, as if she was trying to hide her inner unease and dissatisfaction.

"So, Toyokawa-kun, you must also know about Morfonica?"

Upon hearing "morfonica," Xiangzi's initial displeasure gradually dissipated.

"Morfonica? Why bring up this name all of a sudden? I think most students at Tsukimori should know this band."

Yue took out the two exquisite concert invitations from her pocket.

"Toyokawa-kun, I have two invitations here to participate in the Tsuki no Mori welcome program. The main performance will be a live performance by Morfonica."

Yue noticed that Xiangzi displayed very complex emotions after she showed him the two invitations.

On one hand, Xiangzi didn't want to miss Morfonica's live performance, but on the other hand, she thought that if she returned to Tsuki no Mori, it would inevitably evoke too many unspeakable memories, and she might even encounter the person she currently couldn't deal with.

This conflicting feeling put Xiangzi in a difficult position, as she weighed the pros and cons of staying versus leaving.

In the end, his love for Morfonica prevailed, and Shoko began to think about how to sneak into the Moon Forest without being discovered.

She looked around and found inspiration in a mask painting hanging on the wall.

"Maybe I can dress up a little..." she murmured to herself, her eyes sparkling.

If she puts on a mask and changes into inconspicuous clothes, Su Shi probably won't recognize her.

Although the plan was somewhat risky, Xiangzi felt she could do it, and she began to plan her cross-dressing scheme.

"Toyokawa-kun? Are you alright?" Yue's voice interrupted Xiangzi's thoughts.

Xiangzi paused subconsciously for a moment, then replied, "Ah—I'm fine."

Yue's sudden question caught Xiangzi off guard, and she couldn't help but answer in the tone of a young lady from her heyday.

This reaction made her feel a little embarrassed, and she tried to remain calm and not appear too flustered.

"Pfft, sorry, sorry. I didn't expect Toyokawa-kun to have such a cute side." Yue covered her mouth to hide her smile, but her eyes couldn't stop smiling.

"Hinasaki-san!" Shoko scolded angrily.

"I'm so sorry, although I knew before that you were the young lady of Tsukimori, this is the first time I've heard Toyokawa-kun's tone like this. It feels like you're closer to the Toyokawa Shoko I remember," Tsukimori explained with a smile, a hint of pleasure in her eyes.

Upon hearing Yue's words, Xiangzi couldn't help but lower his head, his mind filled with memories of the time he had spent at Crychic.

At that time, she was still an innocent and romantic young lady, full of passion and dreams for music.

"I still can't completely sever ties with my past, weak self..." She sighed inwardly, a trace of reluctance and inner conflict still lingering in her heart.

"Alright, alright, lunch break is almost over. Toyokawa-kun, do you want to go to Morfonica's performance tonight?" Yue glanced at her phone and realized that the short lunch break was about to end. She asked Xiangzi this question one last time.

Xiangzi looked at the two tickets in Yue's hand, and a sense of hesitation welled up in his heart.

She knew this was a rare opportunity, but she was also worried that she would get even more caught up in the memories and be unable to pull herself out.

However, at that moment, she made a decision.

“I…I’m going!” Xiangzi raised his head and gave his answer.

Before the stage opens: Chapter Ten: Xiangzi's Transformation