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

Isn't it just that the sound I just produced during the random strumming process is quite lame? For a newbie like me... no, for someone like me who knows nothing at all, this is completely normal!

"Nothing...nothing...hehehe, it's just..."

He was speechless and said it was nothing. He must be making fun of me.

"...Well."

However, seeing her smile as happily as usual, it's not unacceptable to have something like this happen occasionally. In short, if it can be like this, I have nothing to worry about.

"Well, it looks like you can practice well."

I said this and prepared to return the guitar to her.

"No need to come down." When she saw me trying to return the guitar to her, she stopped me and said, "I don't plan to practice today."

"...You can't hang it around my neck, you could put the guitar away."

"No, no, no, of course you still have to practice." She said something again that I couldn't understand.

"....What's the meaning?"

"You're a member of our club after all, right? So isn't it normal for you to practice?"

"...Huh?" Wait, she means...

"Let me teach you how to play the electric guitar today," she said with a hearty laugh. "This is my first time teaching someone, but it probably won't be difficult."

"No...but...why? Why are you suddenly talking about this? I'm not responsible for writing lyrics..."

"But didn't you feel happy when you played it just now?"

“…”

"Even though the sound I played was completely unorganized and unpleasant, I was completely enjoying it, wasn't I?" The smile on her handsome face gradually faded, and her eyes became completely serious. In other words... she was speaking from the heart. "So I wasn't just laughing because of the crappy sound just now."

Not...just?

"Seeing you relax and play, trying to imitate me and get the song right, suddenly reminded me of my own childhood... But back then, there wasn't a guitar. I would just stand in front of the mirror with a broom, imagining myself playing amazing music like the guitarists in those bands on TV. Even though it looked childish, I didn't think it was shameful."

"..."

I don't know what I'm feeling right now. I haven't had the experience of holding a broom, nor do I have the dream of becoming a guitarist... But the moment she conveyed her words to me, I seemed to understand something.

"Now it seems that finding enough people to form a band is probably impossible, but I don't want to stand on the stage alone."

"...which means..."

"There are two guitarists in a band, one is responsible for the lead and the other is responsible for the key rhythm."

“…Gu.”

I seemed to have realized something and couldn't help but get nervous.

"Usually, the rhythm guitarist doubles as the lead vocalist... but there are some things I have to sing myself. So, there will definitely be a lot to prepare and practice. So, I have one more thing to ask of you."

"..."

To be honest, I don't hate it.

Although I've gradually started to decline requests, it's only for trivial matters. For her, this is the first and most important step. If I could, I'd love to do something for her... and simply writing lyrics is definitely not enough.

"Can you play rhythm guitar and take some of the pressure off me?"

It was a request like the first time, but different.

Now that things have come to this, it seems there is no other choice.

No, if I ask myself honestly, haven't I been waiting for this opportunity?

Watching her passionately playing, I couldn't help but imagine that same movement in myself. When I watched her fingers swiftly move across the strings, my hand, which was clearly writing lyrics, would also inevitably touch the notebook.

I don't know when I started to want to imitate her, to be like her, to stand on the stage handsomely and receive the applause of others.

So, this wasn't just her request.

"...if you think I'm qualified."

Even if I don't have it, I will strive for that qualification.

"I will definitely do my best to help you."

The answer, of course, is the same as last time.

"...Thanks."

The only difference from last time was that she said something to me that she had never said to me before.

"...Why are you thanking me? This isn't a big deal, is it?"

It was because of this that I suddenly felt uneasy in my heart.

"Ah... well, you always tell others that, so I might have learned it without realizing it... Yeah, that's it."

"..." I always feel it's suspicious.

"Since that's settled, let's get started with today's lesson." She said as she walked towards me, "The first lesson will teach you simple things... Should we teach you to recognize music notation first... or should we teach you chords first? Ah, I started by playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, so how about teaching you this first... No, that's not right..."

I was already stuck before I even started teaching...

It seems that it will take a long time to learn it.

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

In the end, I ended up learning fingering first yesterday. She said the key to a rhythm guitarist's performance is stability and a relatively monotonous rhythm, so the quick way to learn is to familiarize yourself with fingering first, then chords... Of course, that's just what she said.

"That's what I said..."

But after finishing my homework yesterday, I wanted to review what I learned today, but I found that I didn’t have a guitar at home.

"Looks like I'll have to spend money to buy one..."

Although I don’t know how much it will cost exactly, fortunately I still have my New Year’s money... I should be able to buy a guitar of medium quality... or even better quality.

With this in mind, I came to the music club.

"Sorry, the teacher called me again..."

"Oh, you came just in time~"

She was indeed holding a guitar in her arms, but it was not the one decorated with flame patterns. Instead, it was brown and looked shiny.

"What...is this?"

"As you can see, it's a guitar."

"Of course I know it's a guitar... Is this new?"

"Yeah," she said, checking where her fingers were and adjusting the strings. "That's why I'm tuning it."

"...Is it tuned like this?"

"Well...don't talk." He looked extremely serious, concentrating on distinguishing the sounds.

"...Hmm...Okay, now it's done."

After continuous debugging, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why are you standing there? Come here and get your guitar."

"....well?"

"What are you saying? Now's not the time to be dazed." She said as she handed me the brand new guitar in her hand. "Time is very important to us now. We can't waste even a second."

"...But...."

This must cost a lot of money, right? If I don't give her the money, I'll definitely feel uneasy.

"Don't worry about it. I'll get it back as soon as you're done."

"Hey... is that so?"

"Of course." She couldn't help but laugh. "Didn't I tell you? I'm not that rich."

"..."

Well, it seems that in her eyes, I am just a guy who always caters to her temperament... No wonder she has such an idea. After all, the probability of liking someone just because she says she likes him is not high.

"Stop daydreaming and come to class!"

As I was saying this, I felt something hit my forehead.

"...Where did you get the chalk?"

"It's none of your business, just come here quickly!" An expression of impatience gradually appeared on her face.

"Okay, okay..."

Well, I'll be able to explain it properly one day.

When the waves surge

"Well...it's just my personal guess." When we were almost across the street, I turned to Mo Xiaozhi, who had been a little embarrassed from the beginning, and said, "You don't have the budget to eat out, do you?"

"Eh? Well... that's probably only one of the reasons. I never thought about eating out, so I didn't bring any money."

He scratched his cheek a little embarrassedly.

"Another aspect is that I can't stay out for too long, otherwise my parents might worry."

“…That’s right.”

After all, he looks very weak in terms of size, so it's normal for his family to worry about his safety... And recently it seems that a group of people with unusual tastes have emerged. I really don't know whether their remarks are just jokes or they are sincere.

"It's okay, I'll treat you to a meal."

"Wow, that's really embarrassing, isn't it? I didn't intend to do this... so..."

It looked like he was planning to decline politely.

"If you're truly sorry, consider this my return gift. You were going to tell me about your past, weren't you? So this is all I can offer in return."

"Well... if that's the case..."

"Since we've already decided, let's pick a restaurant we like." There are quite a few places to dine nearby.

"Then I won't be polite."

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

“Now all we have to do is wait for our order to be delivered.”

I checked the bill and sat down opposite Mo Xiaozhi, and we looked at each other.

"Oh... I seem to have the impression that you've already treated me once, Shaji-kun. It was probably last winter, right? You were with some other people then."

"Now that you mention it, I remember." It seems he was with Ye Hui and Lin Yuchuan, right? Mo Xiaozhi happened to be there, so he simply dragged him along.

"How's your relationship with both of them now?"

"...Relationship? What else can it be? Of course we're still classmates..."

"Of course I know we're classmates... I mean... well, the friendship and stuff, whether it's deepened or something like that." He explained rather helplessly.

"Ah... You seem to me to be nothing but false friendship and shaky bonds."

This was a joke, of course.

"It won't be that serious, right?"

"Of course not. I was just talking nonsense." He admitted it immediately.

"Hmm...this joke is not funny."

"...Well."

I just don't really want to answer...because I don't know the answer at all.

"By the way, you're still on topic, right?" I naturally shifted the conversation back to him. "I remember you mentioned joining the music club, and then you suddenly lamented the difference between ideals and reality... Is there any connection between the two?"

Why else would they be mentioned together? Even if it’s to expand the topic, it will be more or less related to what was mentioned before... For example, it’s similar to the idiom chain. Although the first word seems to have nothing to do with the third and fourth words, the connection still exists.

"Contact... that's nothing. Rather, we're the lucky ones." As if a pleasant memory had been touched upon, a happy expression crossed his face. "I thought the music club was just the two of us supporting each other, and when we were reduced to performing on stage together, someone suddenly joined our club. He said he'd practiced piano for a while and wanted to try the electronic keyboard."

"...That's really timely."