Comet Dragon, breaking into the gravity field

But her current identity confined her, forcing Nagasaki Suyo to stand on the stage and worry secretly.

In addition to Shiina Tatsuki who was sitting in the back seat, and Kaname Rakuna who was still unsatisfied, Chihaya Aine and Takamatsu Touma also noticed Naruse Ritsu and Toyokawa Shoko who was standing beside him.

There were a few beads of sweat on her face, but Chihaya Aine had no intention of wiping them off. She waved excitedly to Naruse Ritsu, as if to prove that her efforts had not been wasted.

This conspicuous action naturally didn't go unnoticed by the audience. Immediately, several girls nearby, who were presumably Chihaya Aine's classmates, raised their hands and cheered in response. Chihaya Aine, on the other hand, was stunned for a moment before she could only greet them again with an awkward and subtle expression.

As for Takamatsu Deng, her eyes had never moved since she noticed the two of them.

Noticing her gaze, Toyokawa Shoko asked sideways, "Is the light looking at you?"

"It should be 'look at us.'" Witnessing Deng's performance, Naruse Ritsu suddenly sighed, "Isn't this wonderful? Deng has the courage to sing the cry in her heart again, and she will never be alone again."

"..."

Recalling the resolute attitude she had shown when she first faced Gao Qixu's office, Lu Baqi Songdeng, when she transferred to Yuqiu, Toyokawa Shoko suddenly felt a little regretful. This regret turned into a blessing, and she waved her hand slightly in response.

"Hmm... this feeling of being a parent..."

"You're saying weird things again..."

Holding the empty drink cup, Wakaba Mutsu just looked at the two people beside him quietly, and then shifted his gaze to Takamatsu Deng who seemed to be preparing to say something on the stage.

Her premonition came true in an instant—Takamatsu Deng's slightly trembling voice came out from the microphone she was holding tightly in her hand.

"At that time, I felt that you were like the spring sunshine, bright and warm."

"I'm so sorry I didn't sing well, I'm sorry for your kindness, and I've torn everyone apart..."

Takamatsu Deng spoke out the nightmare that had haunted her since the past. Not only the people standing beside her on the stage but also the audience watching her from below, they all looked at her with surprise.

"I thought I would never form a band again, but someone was willing to pull me up again."

“So… even if this band doesn’t have a name, even if we lose our way in the future… I will keep moving forward.”

No one, on or off the stage, spoke. Even the most frivolous audience members would put aside their prejudice against this "unknown band" when they heard the girl express her feelings.

"It was only with your help that I had the opportunity to sing hard in the past... I'm not sure if I can form a band with you all forever in the future..."

"But... now seeing you guys cheering for me, U[亿尔悠久衤三二#(林七（四）吧 encouraging me——"

"I know all I can do is hold my chest high and sing with all my might!"

"Because—my songs are the cries of my heart!"

Just like the first cry of a newborn baby after coming into the world, seeing the transformation of the girl surrounded by lights on the stage, an indescribable joy filled Ritsu Narose's heart.

“That’s a beautiful way to put it…”

Seeing the expression on Toyokawa Shoko's face change from listening attentively to being moved beyond suppression, Naruse Ritsu just smiled faintly and didn't tease her anymore at this time.

However, as Gao Songdeng's last words, which almost made her shout hoarse, fell, a familiar yet unfamiliar melody suddenly sounded on the scene.

"This is 'Haruhi Shadow'..."

She had never expected them to choose this song as the second track, but Ritsu Narose no longer had time to think about why.

He saw clearly that before Toyokawa Shoko's eyes changed, her hands moved instinctively - slightly raised, as if she was about to play the music that carried her beautiful memories of the past.

But the next moment she realized the reality and the self-deception she had committed.

Turning to look at the girl beside him, Narushe Ritsu was about to say something when he heard Wakaba Mutsu's subtle whisper from the other side:

"It's not CRYCHIC's 'Haruhi no Kage'..."

Yes, if the original song symbolizes the warm sunshine of early spring, then this guitar version is more like late spring approaching summer.

But the question is, can you really say this to someone’s face?

There was no time to criticize her for her overly straightforward words. Ritsu Narose felt that he should say something. At least he couldn't just watch Shoko Toyokawa being washed away by the huge wave called "loss".

The warm spring sunshine that she had lit in the past could no longer shine on her now - this reality was too cruel for her.

I want to speak, but I don’t have the right reason: dry comfort is like adding fuel to the fire, and turning away cannot heal the wounds engraved in my heart.

When a peculiar vibration sound came from his pocket, Ritsu Narose's already struggling thoughts were further hampered by reality.

When he turned on the screen, Ritsu Narose saw news that made the situation he was facing even more chaotic.

This is a message from the ancient dragon, telling him that the challenges he will face are about to appear.

"You really know how to pick the right time..."

A feeling of irritability suddenly spread throughout his body, but Ritsu Narose could only suppress it temporarily and pay attention to the current mood of the blue-haired girl beside him.

Just one glance and he came to the conclusion:

Neither he nor Shoko Toyokawa is suitable to stay here at this time.

136. Destruction is coming, the trumpets are sounding (two in one)

In the end, Shoko Toyokawa couldn't hold on until the end of the song.

Noticing that her emotions were about to explode, in order to leave a last bit of dignity for this self-respecting girl, Ritsu Narose took the initiative to take her to the bathroom outside the performance hall.

Even though he knew there was still trouble waiting for him, Naruse Ritsu still waited here for a long time. Seeing Toyokawa Shoko walk out of the bathroom with red eyes, he could only express his sympathy in his heart.

For Wakaba Mutsu, chasing Toyokawa Shoko was inappropriate - she knew very well that Toyokawa Shoko did not want her ugly appearance to be seen by people she knew.

Fortunately, Ritsu Narose's relationship with her was not that familiar, so he had a reason to take Shoko Toyokawa away from the scene where she was the only one who was out of place.

"Is this revenge against me..."

Hearing Toyokawa Shoko's dazed muttering, Naruse Ritsu sighed, "When revenge occurs, it will inevitably tear open old wounds within oneself. Therefore, only when the joy of revenge is greater than the pain of tearing open the wounds will the avenger feel pleasure."

Handing the unopened tissue in his pocket to the other party, he added: "I don't think any of them has any intention of revenge against you. Besides, they didn't even know you would come here tonight."

It was estimated that Toyokawa Shoko was not in the mood to talk to Su Shi and the others tonight, so Ritsu Narose simply took her out of the brightly lit livehouse and planned to send her to the station.

"Really... But I would rather this is Deng's revenge on me." When the wall of her heart that had been protecting herself was breached by external forces at the most vulnerable moment, Toyokawa Shoko rarely showed an expression that could be described as "weak."

When her defenses were completely removed, her ugly side was exposed to the other person, and Toyokawa Shoko was finally able to say what she had always wanted to say but could not say:

"At that time, I said some very harsh things to Deng. Even though I hadn't been coming to band practice, and I knew the possible consequences of leaving the band... I still blamed Deng when we parted."

"So I thought, if it's the lights taking revenge on me, then it's not a bad thing."

"You know Deng is not that kind of person, right?" Facing Toyokawa Shoko's words that sounded like a confession, Naruse Ritsu's tone seemed a little cold.

"Yeah, how could Deng be that kind of person." With a self-deprecating smile, Toyokawa Shoko raised her head, only to find that Naruse Ritsu, who had been walking in front of her, suddenly stopped.

In front of the two of them, there was another gray-haired girl she didn't recognize standing in the middle of the sidewalk, seemingly blocking their way.

The look she gave Ritsu Narose was particularly fierce, but when she saw Shoko Toyokawa standing next to him, her expression turned into a mixture of surprise and resentment.

"…an acquaintance of yours?"

"Yes, but it's also troublesome."

Sighing, Ritsu Narushe tried hard to think about how to deal with the troublesome matter before him.

At the same time, the girls who had just left the stage had to face the anger that Nagasaki Suyo had suppressed for a long time and finally broke out.

They cheered, they were intoxicated, but only she discovered the changes hidden in the darkness.

Nagasaki Suyo saw it clearly. She saw with her own eyes how Toyokawa Shoko changed from an expectant look to the look of lowering her head and leaving. She also saw how Naruse Ritsu greeted her, telling her to be at ease and not get excited.

But when she saw that the result of her silent endurance was the current situation, Nagasaki Suyo could no longer ignore the "great success" they talked about.

——"Why are you playing "Haruhi Shadow"!!!"

When she shouted this hysterically, all she saw was Chihaya Aine's confusion, Takamatsu Touma's fear, and Shiina Riki's annoyance at her for yelling and disturbing the atmosphere.

"You clearly know that Xiaoxiang is watching there, right?"

As if looking for allies, Nagasaki Motoyo looked at the two people who once belonged to [CRYCHIC] with expectant eyes.

The lead singer nodded silently, while the drummer said nonchalantly, "How could I possibly know? And even if she came, it has nothing to do with us, right?"

Unable to understand why the world in her eyes was so different from that of the other person, Nagasaki Suyo stared at the other person in a daze, and then left alone without saying a word.

Without paying attention to the distraught Nagasaki Suyo, Shiina Riki first looked around and then asked casually: "Where is the wild cat? Where did she run off to?"

"She seems to have disappeared as soon as she got off the stage... Let's go to the lounge first and ask Naruse-kun."

Touching the back of her head, Chihaya Aine was a little surprised by Nagasaki Soyo's reaction, but the joy of the successful performance that she wanted to share with others accounted for a greater proportion.

However, when they returned to the lounge, they could not see any trace of Kaname Rakuna and Nagasaki Suyo.

The cat's gear is still there, but Nagasaki Suyo has disappeared along with her bass and handbag.

Shiina Riki snorted coldly, not intending to dwell on his temper. However, Chihaya Aine, who was several levels ahead of Shiina Riki in terms of interpersonal communication, couldn't stand by and watch the band's atmosphere slide to the other side.

Perhaps it was her kind nature, or perhaps it was the margin of victory (as she thought) that gave her the confidence to go find Nagasaki Soyo, who was in a bad mood. After saying hello to the other two, Chihaya Aine ran out of the lounge to look for the missing bassist and competitor.

Soon, she saw Nagasaki Suyo carrying a bass and another unfamiliar girl at the entrance of the second-floor studio.

The long platinum hair that looked like a work of art was dazzling under the light and it was impossible to look at it for too long, so one could only focus on the girl's smiling face and notice the calm aura she exuded.

To use an exaggerated metaphor, she feels like a goddess in mythology, high above, who tests mortals. She admires and sheds tears for the noble qualities displayed by mortals, completely forgetting that the pain they endure is released by her in the name of "trial."

Therefore, after being stopped by her, Nagasaki Suyo now had only a strong sense of uneasiness lingering in her mind.

She could see that beneath the other man's masterful smile, there was a deeper jealousy and the curiosity of a child trying to pour boiling water into an ant nest.

It was an inhuman look.

The other party did not say her name or ask her any questions - the platinum-haired girl was observing her from beginning to end, like tourists commenting on the appearance of works of art in an exhibition hall.

Fortunately, this suffocating pressure did not last long.

Because the other party had already shifted his attention to Chihaya Aine who was chasing after him.

"Hmm~ Another one..."

Her voice was kind and gentle, like a familiar neighbor in the same town greeting you. At the same time, it was like a nun in some games, gazing at you with a gentle and tolerant gaze while listening to you confess the sins in your heart.

Chihaya Aine's instinct prompted her to stare at the girl in the dress as if she were facing a great enemy, but what she didn't expect was that after seeing her, the other party suddenly looked at her with a strange look, as if the sky had fallen.

"This smell...why do you smell like him!"

"Eh?"

Unexpectedly, the girl who had just been so well-dressed suddenly changed to an irritable tone that was inconsistent with her image. Chihaya Aine, who couldn't understand what the "taste" meant, could only look at her with even more confusion.

In just a few minutes, she felt as if she had walked from a livehouse to a math class, and she was faced with questions that she could not understand for the moment.

Nagasaki Motoyo first looked at the other person with a puzzled look, then she seemed to realize something and stared at Chihaya Aine fiercely with the look of a thieving cat.

Under the baptism of such gazes, Chihaya Aine finally understood what the so-called "taste" meant - and then she remembered the "smell theory" that Naruse Ritsu once told her.

Feeling guilty, she didn't dare to confront Nagasaki Suyo directly, so Chihaya Aine focused her attention on the girl in front of her, who was acquainted with Naruse Ritsu. Seeing her pair of silently burning red-gold eyes, she knew the girl's identity.

"It seems that you are the partner he has chosen?" Her tone was frivolous, but it sounded playful under her beautiful voice.

The blunt words interrupted Chihaya Aine's original train of thought, making her feel embarrassed, especially with Nagasaki Motoyo watching beside her.

But Nagasaki Suyo mistook her silence as a ploy to "take the initiative", so the brown-haired girl spoke in an unyielding tone, declaring that she also had the same genuine identity and had certain claims over Naruse Ritsu.

"Oh, is he so bold~" She covered her mouth with her hands in a pretentious manner, but there was no surprise in her eyes that matched her tone.

"Since you are all his partners, have you ever seen what he really looks like?"

The words full of profound meaning were thrown out by her in a nonchalant manner, which made Chihaya Aine feel unhappy as if she was being looked down upon.

And when she fell for the other party's extremely crude provocation and told him how she played with Ritsu Narose's tail, she looked at the other party's slightly frowned brows and sinister smile on his face with a smug look on her face.

"Really? But if that's all, it's not enough~"

This condescending tone was really infuriating. Not only Chihaya Aine, who was always kind to others, but also Nagasaki Suyo, who was originally planning to leave, was attracted by her hatred as well.

"I'm curious if you'll still like him to this degree after seeing his true appearance~"

"Are you provoking?"

The pride brought by her love for her beloved overwhelmed the pressure she felt when facing the ancient dragon, and after seeing Nagasaki Suyo's unpretentious words, the platinum-haired girl's smile became even more prosperous.

"Yes, I was provoking her." She admitted what she had done openly, because the two people in front of her would never pose any threat to her.

That's why she took this roundabout way that wouldn't anger the other ancient dragon, allowing them to mentally give up and surrender.

"If you can maintain your current attitude after seeing it with your own eyes... I'll probably look upon you with a higher regard~"

Having undergone countless trials and completed her transformation, the Tianhui Dragon challenges humans to a trial in order to evaluate these creatures, whom she considers to be of little value.

She was confident that she could win without bloodshed, just as she had used words to incite the Nergigante to fight against the object of her desire, thereby laying the groundwork for today's farce.