Aspiring to be a girl in a band

Su Shi could only grit her teeth and silently grieve.

Arakawa Kirika gave Suze a cold look, put her finger to her lips in a "shh" gesture, and warned her with her eyes not to make any more noise.

Volume 1: Chapter 106 The Devil's Mercy

"What...do you want from me...I'm very busy right now."

Xiangzi's tone on the other end of the phone sounded a bit guilty, clearly indicating that he had been secretly taking a break from work to answer the call, hence his flustered demeanor.

At the same time, Xiangzi was also very scared.

She was afraid that Arakawa Kirika would do what she did last time, demanding that she stop working and rush to Arakawa Kirika's side immediately.

Therefore, at this moment, Xiangzi was talking to Arakawa Kirika with complicated feelings.

"Don't worry, it won't take you long."

Arakawa Kirika's tone softened somewhat, and she thoughtfully turned on the speakerphone so that everyone present could clearly hear Shoko's voice.

"But... I have a few friends who recently formed a band and they want me to give them my opinion on their performance. But I'm not a professional, so I can only ask you for advice."

Arakawa Kirika's tone always carried an undisguised sense of pleasure.

Everyone in the practice room held their breath, because the person talking to Arakawa Kirika was their shared white moonlight.

Only the cat reacted and came over, because she wasn't very familiar with Xiangzi's voice, so it took her a while to realize that it was the voice of the person she had seen in that big house that day.

Xiangzi was silent for a while on the day of the phone call, whether he was dealing with work or simply stunned was unknown.

After a while, she asked hesitantly.

"You...you still have friends?"

puff……

Upon hearing Xiangzi's words...

Lixi was the first to break down.

She sat behind the drum set, covering her mouth tightly, trying hard to suppress her laughter.

This was the first time Lixi had felt happy since Xiangzi left the team.

Li hope was very happy to see someone dare to speak out against Arakawa Kirika, since she herself always dared not speak out against her anger.

"Lixi...stop laughing..."

Su Shi, who was standing nearby, quickly reminded Li hope in a whisper.

Firstly, she was still worried about Riki's safety. If she really angered Arakawa Kirika... Riki, from an ordinary family, couldn't withstand Arakawa Kirika's wrath.

Secondly, she also felt a bit of blame towards Lixi, because Lixi's abrupt laughter had disturbed Su Shi, who was preparing to listen carefully to Xiangzi's voice.

"Hmm? There's something strange coming from here. Is your... friend right next to you?"

Xiangzi's voice continued to come.

"Well, almost."

"Then... what do you want me to do?"

Xiangzi asked again.

"It's very simple. Next, they will perform a short piece, and then you can give your evaluation. Of course, don't worry about me, and don't go easy on them because of me. What they want is honest and sharp commentary."

"Who...who would show mercy because of you..."

Xiangzi on the other end of the phone immediately refuted certain elements of Arakawa Kirika's words.

After refuting the argument, Xiangzi's attitude softened again.

"Okay... try to be as fast as possible."

After Xiangzi agreed, Arakawa Kirika placed her phone on the floor of the practice room.

Then she began directing the people in front of her to take their positions.

"...Should we perform in front of Xiangzi...?"

The lamp's mood changes most noticeably.

Although Xiangzi wasn't by her side, the thought that Xiangzi would hear her singing still bothered her.

The lamp unconsciously tensed up.

On the contrary, Aine didn't feel much pressure.

Because... she had already performed it countless times in front of Mutsu, Shoko, and Arakawa Kirika last weekend.

Although her performance at the time was appalling.

But no matter what, she had been trained by Mu for several days and had made some progress, so she was no longer afraid of performing.

For Aine.

Since we've already reached the bottom, whichever way we go, it's all going uphill, so it doesn't really matter.

The other person who was nervous was clearly Su Shi.

What she was worried about was not her own skill level.

But... once Xiangzi hears their new band's terrible performance, how will he... view them?

As for Lixi... his face was full of fighting spirit.

She was not afraid to perform in front of Xiangzi.

At this moment, Lixi thought of Xiangzi, who had revised her sheet music during the Crychic era.

Lixi admired Xiangzi in that way, which is why she took the initiative to learn music arrangement. Although she always seemed indifferent to Xiangzi's departure from the team.

But... she always thought that there was a chance to prove herself in front of Xiangzi.

And now, that opportunity is right in front of us.

Lixi thought of her outstanding older sister again.

Her older sister was far too perfect, so perfect that she was like a mountain weighing down on Lixi.

Lixi... wants to become excellent, and wants to get as close as possible to her older sister.

So... at this moment, Lixi's eyes were undoubtedly filled with fighting spirit. She took a deep breath and then gripped the drumsticks tightly in her hand.

The band members stood in their respective positions.

Lena, on the other hand, felt no pressure at all, and even swayed her body with joy. For a cat, playing music is all that makes her happy.

"Ready...3...2...1".

Lixi crossed the drumsticks in front of him and then tapped them twice lightly.

This gesture also signals the start of the performance.

"Wait a minute."

At this moment, Arakawa Kirika maliciously interrupted Riki.

Li hope paused for a moment, but didn't say anything.

Arakawa Kirika spoke into the phone again.

Are you listening?

"Um... I'm still here."

After confirming that Xiangzi hadn't hung up, Arakawa Kirika signaled to Riki that they could begin now.

This feeling of being interrupted after making a concerted effort... made Lixi very unhappy, but she didn't say much and started preparing again.

……

The song ended.

What to say.

Arakawa Kirika thought of a little story.

There was once a person who loved extreme sports and built a bridge 1000 meters above the ground.

Although it's called a "bridge," it's actually just a steel cable that can only be stood on one leg.

The challenger, despite taking precautions, attempted to cross the bridge dozens of times but failed each time.

After all, walking a tightrope at such a high altitude is, in every sense, a challenge to the limits of the human body.

Fortunately, the protective gear on his body saved his life.

Just when everyone thought he was going to give up.

The challenger suddenly proposed to try again.

For this final challenge, he removed all his protection.

In the end, he successfully reached the other side.

The immense pressure of being on the brink of life and death, the feeling that there was absolutely no way out, forced him to succeed.

Why did this story suddenly come to mind?

Arakawa Kirika smiled.

Because what unfolded before her was very much like the spirit reflected in that story.

After learning that the concert was heard by her former love, Miss Xiangzi.

Almost everyone in the band unleashed a level of performance far exceeding their usual abilities.

In layman's terms... Arakawa Kirika thought their performance was quite good.

"How about it."

Arakawa Kirika picked up her phone and asked Shoko.

There was another silence on the other end of the phone; it was clear that Xiangzi was considering his words.

"The lead guitar is a bit...too noisy. While it's good for band members to have distinct personalities, for the sake of the band's overall cohesion, the lead guitarist should tone it down a bit. Technically, it's impeccable, and the intervals are very stable. It's truly excellent."

"Hum~"