I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

“…”

At the time, I had no idea why or what was driving me. I had no interest in this kind of thing, and I didn't think it had anything to do with me...but I still accepted her proposal.

..............

"Now it seems that I was able to accept her proposal because of the reluctance hidden in my heart."

"Uh...hmm?"

Why did the topic suddenly jump here? Shouldn't we continue talking about that aspect we like?

"Ah... Sorry, I think the subject has jumped a bit."

"No, it's okay..."

Anyway, everything will become clear in the end. Being a little confused now will allow me to focus on thinking.

"What I just mentioned is just the conclusion I came to later. Although I couldn't help but say it in advance, I still want to explain it point by point from the beginning."

"...Well..."

I don't have any opinion.

"Well, I didn't realize what I was thinking at the time, but I still followed her suggestion and went with her to the music club, which was about to be abolished at the time."

.............

I took a quick look inside from the window and saw that there was basically nothing inside. It was covered in dust and looked like no one had used it for a long time... By the way, can this activity room really be used casually?

"Don't stand there and watch. Come in quickly."

She said as she opened the door.

"Um...how did you..."

"This? I explained my purpose when I reported today, and I got the key." She showed me the key in her hand, "If you don't mind, help me pack it up."

"..."

I didn't refuse.

Rather, even if she asked me to clean alone, I would do it. Well, should I say I'm used to being ordered around, or maybe I just want to prove I'm still useful... If the request is just this small, I won't refuse it.

"Oh~ Although I already had a hunch, this activity room seems to be bigger than the others..." She looked to the side, completely ignoring the broom in her hand, "Well, this is where I'll put the drum set..." As she spoke, she marked out an area in the dusty area, and this action caused a lot of dust to fly up.

"Hey, hey, you have to sprinkle water first! It will make the dust... ahem! fly up..."

"Ahem... I see... Ahem, sorry..."

"Anyway, let's get out first..."

........

"Oh... What the heck, Shi-kun, you're really amazing."

"It's Mo Xiaozhi."

In order to prevent her from doing stupid things like what she just did, I cleaned a chair for her to sit on while I mopped the floor bit by bit.

However, even if this guy was willing to sit still, he would still keep talking.

"Do you usually do housework at home?"

"Yeah..." I responded unhappily.

"Do you like it?"

"...Who would like it?" It's because I was forced by my parents.

"Really? I saw you sweeping the sanitation area this morning, and at noon as well. But your name wasn't on the duty roster at all... I thought you volunteered to help out because you enjoyed the labor."

"...Well, you could say that."

"Oh, that's great... That's great~ It should be nice to get along with classmates like this."

"......"

"Even though you speak softly and have long hair that makes it seem like you have no eyes, giving off a gloomy vibe, I can still sense that you're a good person... Hey? Why are you turning around again? Are you leaving?"

I'm nervous...

"...I'll go...rinse the mop. It's already pretty dirty, and mopping it any further won't do any good."

But it's rare that someone is willing to pay so much attention to me, so how can I lose my temper at will?

"Oh, is that so? What? I thought I'd pissed you off again." The tension on her face was only for a moment, and now she had regained her carefree expression. "Well, it looks like we're almost done with work now, and it's almost time to start the work I need to prepare."

"...Please don't mess around..."

I'm a little worried that she might get into some other trouble while I'm away.

"It's okay, it's okay. You'll be surprised when you come back~" she said, waving at me. "Don't come back so soon."

"...Is there anyone who speaks like that..."

. . . . .

"Uh oh, are you back?"

What on earth is going on? I find it hard to accept the current situation in the activity room.

"I just found it in the cabinet over there. It looks like it can still be used."

A rather large speaker had appeared in the previously empty space, its power cord already plugged into a wall outlet. But what caught my attention most was the person in front of me... holding a guitar-like object decorated with red flames, but unlike the wooden guitars I remembered...

"This is an electric guitar, and the sound is usually very low." As she spoke, she plucked the strings, making a sound that I could hardly hear.

"But... just plug this in..." Before he could finish his words, the speaker suddenly burst into a shrill sound.

"Woooooooo!" "Ouch!"

We couldn't help but cover our ears.

"Oh, I forgot I can't plug it in after it's powered on..."

Yet she laughed happily, and I had no idea what was making her laugh.

"How can I forget something like this?"

I couldn't help but complain loudly.

"Oh, sorry, sorry~ Let me tell you something as an apology." She suddenly came over with a serious expression.

"Hmm? What?"

"Actually... as long as it's like this." She put the guitar hanging on her chest close to her mouth, "Speak loudly, the speakers can still pick it up~" "Yes~"

"You don't need to tell me that..."

Sound originates from the vibration of objects, and if I scream loudly and cause the strings to vibrate, then of course my voice will be transmitted to the speakers... No way! Why would I care about this?

"But these are all child's play~"

She took a few steps back as she spoke, adopting a serious demeanor. And then I noticed... a different kind of glint flickered in her eyes.

“This is how you greet the audience!”

"Buzz!"

First, there was a deliberately prolonged lingering vibration, followed by the rapid, rushing of an unknown melody. I say "rushing" because, upon hearing it, I couldn't help but imagine the rapid, yet rhythmic, movement of footsteps. Then, the melody gradually slowed, and the long notes from before reappeared. It wasn't as melodious as a piano, nor as steady as a piano... If anything, it was filled with a vibrant, frivolous feeling.

The ending was clean and neat, as if the sound was cut off by something, and the lingering sound that was expected to appear was not revealed at all.

“…”

Wow... so amazing. Even though I don't know much about her, I can still feel that her level must be above the average person.

"This is how a guitarist introduces himself... If I had to put it bluntly, it's like a jam session... Of course, whether it's a drummer, keyboardist, or rhythm guitarist, they all do this. After all, they all have to introduce themselves after a performance..."

"Wait... you mean..."

"Hmm?" She looked at me puzzledly. "What's wrong?"

"Um...you don't want to form a band, do you?"

In this school...

"Yes." She admitted calmly, "Didn't I say that at the beginning?"

"Well..."

Does this guy really understand the situation?

"And you have to join this club too." She pointed at me and said, with an expression that clearly showed that she had made up her mind.

"...What?"

Between the ripples

"The music club is about to be abolished? Doesn't that mean there are basically no people left?"

"Yeah, to be exact, there are only two of us." He explained to me, "Because most people are not interested in this, and although the teacher didn't explicitly say it, he still wants us to put more energy into studying."

"...It's even stricter than high school." I couldn't help but compare it with my current learning environment.

"After all, it's the third year of junior high, so of course I have to prepare for further studies. If I move up to the third year of high school, I'm afraid I won't even be allowed to join clubs anymore."

"Is it that serious..."

But if you think about it carefully, Senior Su is an example. After he entered the third grade, he rarely appeared in the club.

"But in my opinion, those who work hard to learn do so because they don't have any goals, so they just study."

“…Well.” Although I always feel that saying this is a bit too much.

"If there is, it's just about continuing my studies and getting into university, as my parents want. But what do I really want to do?"

"..."

"After that, I asked many people what they wanted to do next. Their answers were almost always, 'Get into high school,' or 'Get into a good university.' When I asked them what they wanted to do after graduating from university, they were at a loss for words, and would evade the question with, 'We'll talk about it later.'"

"......"

“If we’re going to set a goal, why not set it a little further out?”

I can't admit that his idea is correct. Because I myself can't agree with it... People's ambitions are inherently different. They can be like everyone else, or they can be different. But this doesn't mean that my ambitions are greater than others.

No matter what, people who work hard will always work hard.

But what can a person who doesn’t work hard do even if he has ideals that are different from others? Will he take action to make them come true?

"I say..." I don't know if it will make him angry, "What exactly do you want to do?"

"Me... I think... Oops~" He was about to say something, but then he realized it and changed his words, "I almost forgot. This needs to be explained in chronological order."

"..."

Is it necessary to go through so much trouble...

Chapter 7 [Memories] Between the Ripples

"...You want me to join?"

I suspected that I had heard it wrong, so I plucked up the courage to confirm with her.

"Yes, that's right. If you want to apply to join the company, I have it here..." She said and was about to take it out of her schoolbag.

"Wait! Wait a moment..." I quickly stopped her.

"What's wrong? Did you forget to bring a pen... Mr. Zhi, you are really careless. Luckily I have one here." As she spoke, she groped towards the other side of her schoolbag.

"It's Mo Xiaozhi. And it's not because I didn't bring a pen..." I called her again... Doesn't she even listen to what others say?

"What's that reason? Can't you write? You're already in junior high school..."

"of course not."

It's impossible to think about it using common sense.

"Then just sign the application."

"Well...I can't sign it yet..."

"Why? Is your hand hurt? Let me see." She said and turned her gaze to my right hand.