Band Girl Drink Mixing Action

"An attempt to make my life less stagnant."

At this point, Qingchuan Xiang changed the subject again and suddenly asked, "Xiangzi, you should be familiar with my last name, right?"

Xiangzi nodded. For Xiangzi and the band members, the surname Qingchuan was most often heard of by a writer named Qingchuan Shu.

Although she's known as a writer, she's also accomplished a great deal in painting, music, and film, making her a recognized talent in the entertainment industry. You might occasionally see this talented woman listed in film and television productions, featured as a special guest on variety shows, as the organizer of art exhibitions, the composer of hit songs, and even in her own performances.

One thing that people in the circle like to talk about with great relish is that she has a daughter, Kiyokawa Xiang, who is as talented as her mother.

“In the past ten years or so, I have learned many things, including novels, dance, painting, and even programming and mathematics.

"They all had their own charm, and they were certainly fun at first. But soon I reached a level where I could be considered excellent in all of them, but I did it in less than a tenth of the time it took others to do them.

“It’s so simple that it becomes boring.

"I know that in fact, I have only achieved the excellence of an ordinary person in each aspect, and there are even higher levels above that, but I have a feeling that it is just a matter of spending a little more time.

“It seems like nothing I do makes any difference.”

Xiangzi listened to Qingchuan Xiang's arrogant words, but could only see calmness and composure on Qingchuan Xiang's face, as if, as she said, some kind of disease called genius was really bothering her.

"So, is this also the reason why you accepted the invitation to join the band?"

"Yes."

“It’s hard to understand…”

Qingchuan Xiang smiled, and his always casual and relaxed style now had another meaning in Xiangzi's eyes.

"But it's not that serious, because I still have things that bring me joy, and you probably already know what they are. Although this hobby is a bit unusual for ordinary people, it feels like fighting poison with poison using another abnormality."

Xiangzi slowly sorted out the overwhelming amount of information in his mind and gradually understood what the other party meant. Because of his withdrawal, the change that Qingchuan Xiang had longed to find disappeared along with the band, and instead, he needed to provide the other party with new "living water"...

"So you should understand now that this is really important to me, and I think it's enough to be considered an equal trade."

………………

In the end, Xiangzi chose to accept the deal. She needed this money to be enough for her to live and even to improve her job. However, Qingchuan Xiang was looking forward to adding more variables to her life.

The two of them each got what they needed. The two who were originally connected by the band, now the bond has become a need, but they seem to be one step closer than before.

"Well, I've sent you the address of the bookstore. It's my sister's bookstore after all, so you'll still need to go and interview her when the time comes."

Before he knew it, the rain outside had stopped, and Xiangzi's clothes had just dried. After changing back into his own clothes, Xiangzi was ready to leave, and Qingchuan Xiang walked Xiangzi to the entrance.

"There shouldn't be any problem with what you said. You have the ability. I believe you will get what you want."

"Thank you, Xiang." Xiangzi's face had a genuine smile for the first time in a long time. Being able to solve the problem of part-time work made her feel relieved.

"Besides the deal between us, I will also try my best to repay the favor you gave me today."

After watching Xiangzi walk out of the entrance hall and slowly disappear around the corner of the apartment corridor, Qingchuan Xiang closed the door and sighed softly.

So tired——

"I'm so surprised I could come up with an excuse that could fool Xiangzi so quickly..."

That's right, in order to convince Xiangzi to accept his help, Qingchuan Xiang could be said to have taken great pains to fabricate a half-true and half-false story in an instant.

It was true that she could feel other people's emotions from the water source. It was after drinking the cup of Darjeeling brewed by Xiangzi himself that Qingchuan Xiang truly confirmed that Xiangzi would not easily accept what she thought was "relief", so she lied.

The idea that her life was stagnant was half true and half false. While Qingchuan Xiang's talent did indeed make her lack interest in many things, there were still some areas she deeply loved, such as theater and making drinks. The joy these two things brought her was enough to satisfy her spiritual needs.

And the biggest lie is still the reason why Qingchuan Xiang wanted to make such a deal with Xiangzi, which he has always concealed...

After seeing Xiangzi off, Qingchuan Xiang casually poured herself another glass of water and drank it, trying to persuade Xiangzi that she was thirsty again, then turned and walked to another room next to her own room.

The upbringing Xiangzi received since childhood made her never enter unauthorized rooms when in someone else's home. This is something that Xiangzi would not change even in her current down-and-out state. Qingchuan Xiang judged this way, so she was so confident that Xiangzi would not break into this room that was not convenient for outsiders to see while she was taking a shower.

"But now it seems that, apart from his family's etiquette education, his overly strong self-esteem seems to be the biggest part of Xiangzi's emotional character..."

"There is still some error in judgment."

Pushing the door and entering this mysterious room, what appears behind the door seems to be just an ordinary study with a movable whiteboard placed on one side of the room.

On the whiteboard, just like the way a detective organizes clues in a case, there are many photos of people that Qingchuan Xiang has recently come into contact with.

Teachers, classmates, live house staff... Some of the photos are individual parts cut out from group photos, some were taken under the pretext of taking photos, and some do not look like normal shooting angles at first glance.

Under each person's photo is Qingchuan Xiang's impression of these people, details of their daily behavior, and how to get along with them "normally".

Among all the photos, the other five members of CRYCHIC occupied the most space in the middle.

"The entry is being updated..." Qingchuan Xiang took out a pen and paper and modified the previous content based on the information he discovered today about Xiangzi's personality and emotions that he had never known before.

After completing the modification, Qingchuan Xiang looked at the entire "clue wall" again and nodded.

Observe, learn, and then disguise. Today, Qingchuan Xiang is also trying to understand more emotions and how to become a human being.

Chapter 06 A wave of unrest

After updating his impression of Toyokawa Shoko's personality, Qingchuan Xiang glanced through his "database" with satisfaction, and finally his gaze returned to the five CRYCHIC members in the middle.

He possesses a rather unique ability to sense other people's emotions through water, but instead of this, he almost lacks the ability to empathize through ordinary means.

This had caused Qingchuan Xiang a lot of trouble in his life. The most obvious one was that he had difficulty in judging the emotions of the people around him, which led him to respond incorrectly, destroying the interpersonal relationships around him and causing him to be ostracized.

Qingchuan Xiang reached out and stroked the photo on the whiteboard, but now he had a method that was uniquely suitable for him to disguise himself as a normal person in the crowd.

Relying on his own talents, Qingchuan Xiang began to observe, speculate and summarize the behavior of people around him, just like an artificial intelligence trained by large amounts of data.

First, collect a person's objective data: height and weight, academic performance, hobbies, family situation... know everything about him. These data are often important evidence for inferring personal character traits.

Then, we observe the target's subjective behavior when interacting with people around them. Do they laugh out loud or get angry when being joked about? What's their reaction to receiving a confession?

Finally, organize and summarize all the collected data to come up with your own understanding of the person's personality traits and develop a targeted approach to interacting with them. Then, verify your conclusions through actual interpersonal interactions. If the interaction goes smoothly, everyone is happy. If it fails, because of the extensive preparation, you often avoid making major mistakes at once, and revising your approach can repair the relationship.

Qingchuan Xiang knew that this was only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution. She was simply imitating the behavior but could not tell what emotions were behind the behavior.

The only thing to be thankful for is that Qingchuan Xiang is not an emotionless monster. She also has joy, anger, sorrow and resentment. It’s just like face blindness that she cannot distinguish and receive the emotions shown by others.

After Qingchuan Xiang had learned this from almost everyone around her, she confidently believed that she could guess other people's emotions just by observing their actions and expressions, and as a result, she gradually integrated into the people around her in junior high school.

Then, Qingchuan Xiang encountered his own Waterloo - CRYCHIC.

Qingchuan Xiang looked at the photos of the five people in front of him and sighed helplessly for a moment.

Nagasaki Suyo appears to be a very gentle person, caring for her bandmates like a mother, but in many of her actions, Kiyokawa Xiang feels that Suyo's care is too strong. There is also a very obvious "false voice" in her voice. Could this mean that Suyo is pretending something?

Takamatsu Deng, a little girl who is as cute as a small animal, is also easily frightened like a small animal. She usually speaks in a weak voice, is very electric, and always gets lost in her own world.

Wakaba Mu, it wasn't that he was difficult to understand, but he lacked sufficient interaction with Qingchuan Xiang. He was quiet and expressionless, like a doll, despite having such a delicate and lovely face. He was also the person Qingchuan Xiang was most unsure how to communicate with. He could only maintain a moderate distance from Mu based on past experience, not seeking to achieve anything but avoiding any mistakes.

Shiina Riki is the easiest to understand in this episode. She holds herself to very high standards, which in turn puts pressure on those around her. However, as long as you have a certain level of skill and listen to her, you'll be able to get along well. The only question is why she maintains such high standards, but Kiyokawa Xiang doesn't think it's difficult to answer this question, believing that she just hasn't collected enough data.

As for the last character, Toyokawa Shoko, let's be honest. She was a very straightforward person before. Her upbringing made her dignified and elegant, but also had a pure and innocent passion for popular things. She was gentle and sincere to others...

Then today, Xiangzi showed an almost completely different side of himself in front of him, fragile, helpless, yet extremely protective of himself.

It completely overturned all my previous observations and speculations...

Were these five people setting me a graduation test to understand humanity? Just when I was confident I could perfectly blend into any group, I suddenly got myself into trouble.

Are feelings really that complicated? Just dealing with Xiangzi just now gave Qingchuan Xiang a headache. Obviously, speaking directly could solve most of the problems.

"It's as if all my achievements over the years are a joke..." Qingchuan Xiang turned around unhappily, walked back to his room, picked up a can of soda from the bar, and drank it to vent his anger.

Sweet water mixed with a lot of bubbles poured into the mouth. The bursting bubbles brought a slightly stimulating taste, and the tongue was instantly washed over by the water with a lot of sugar.

Sugar and bubbles! A simple, quick, and direct way to get happy!

With the help of soda, Qingchuan Xiang instantly put aside his previous troubles and cheered up again. Then he saw the teapot and teacup that he and Xiangzi had used to make tea before, and recalled the cup of tea that Xiangzi had made for him last time.

Although he declared a great defeat today, he also accidentally knew part of Xiangzi's current emotions through that cup of Darjeeling. This was not a specious guess based on reasoning, but a real answer.

As long as I reconsider this conclusion into my own model, maybe I can deduce Xiangzi's complete emotional pattern.

I haven't lost yet, I just encountered a few exceptions!

Picking up the teapot and teacup, Qingchuan Xiang prepared to clean them, otherwise the next time he brewed a different tea, the flavor might be mixed. Maybe he should buy a few more teapots? One teapot for each tea...

Qingchuan Xiang was thinking about something and was about to get up when suddenly his cell phone rang. It was the message alert tone of Line.

News at this time? Qingchuan Xiang didn't take out his phone to see who sent it. Instead, he thought for a moment and guessed that the other party was most likely Nagasaki Suyo.

After all, when they were in CRYCHIC before, Qingchuan Xiang thought that she was the one who was most enthusiastic about the band's activities. No, to be precise, it was the members of the band that Su Shi cared more about.

Therefore, at this point in time, the most likely person is Su Shi, who came to Xiangzi to ask if he had come to see her after Xiangzi announced his withdrawal from the team.

After Qingchuan Xiang made a judgment, he took out his mobile phone, and sure enough, it was Su Shi.

"Hehe, it turns out my efforts are effective. My ability to infer can still be used effectively in most cases."

Qingchuan Xiang praised himself a few times. You know, he almost cried when he found out that there was a big problem with the action pattern he had been practicing. It’s okay to praise himself a few words to strengthen his confidence!

But now, a problem is placed in front of Kiyokawa Xiang. Xiangzi's temperament changed drastically after he left the band. It is hard to say whether Nagasaki Suyo, who cares most about the band members, will also have some huge changes after encountering this incident.

I should think carefully about how to deal with interpersonal relationships that are no longer stable.

Chapter 07 Haha, go away!

【Su Shi: Xiao Xiang, have you seen Xiangzi? 】

After seeing the message sent by Su Shi on the message notification interface of his mobile phone, Qingchuan Xiang did not rush to click on Line to avoid Su Shi finding out that the message he sent had been read.

Qingchuan Xiang's brain was working rapidly. Xiangzi definitely didn't want others to know her situation. Since she had reached a mutually beneficial deal with Xiangzi, it was reasonable for her to cover up her whereabouts for Xiangzi.

What does Sushi think? Judging from Xiangzi's previous behavior, Xiangzi probably didn't even give Sushi a perfunctory excuse. What Sushi wants to know most now is why Xiangzi left the group and whether it is still possible to win him back and keep CRYCHIC running.

Qingchuan Xiang, who believed that he knew the most information at the moment, first confirmed one thing: CRYCHIC could no longer return.

Although several members of CRYCHIC either have strong enough strength or excellent enough talent, they have always been carrying out activities with a playful attitude.

Xiangzi no longer has the money to continue playing house with the band. And letting CRYCHIC become a debut band as a career? That's unlikely, either. The other members simply aren't prepared for it.

After all, it was just a small fight between a few junior high school students, but what Xiangzi faced was the heavy pressure of life.

So, I guess I have to keep Xiangzi's story a secret. No matter how much Sushi values the band members, if there's no news for a long time, she'll probably let it go eventually.

Besides, CRYCHIC only had Xiangzi quit; including me, there were still five members. Keyboards weren't essential to a band. If things really didn't work out, I could just practice keyboard temporarily. It wouldn't take long to reach a level that could replace Xiangzi.

"Shh-"

The sound of rushing water came from the cell phone - it was the ringtone set by Qingchuan Xiang.

He actually called directly.

I originally wanted to wash the tea set first before replying to the Line message, but Su Shi was so anxious. Logically, if the message is unread, shouldn’t you think that the other party is busy or has no time?

Putting down the tea set, Qingchuan Xiang picked up the mobile phone, deliberately paused for a few seconds to pretend that he was taking time out of his rush to answer the call, and then answered Su Shi's call.

"Ah, Xiaoxiang, you finally replied! Did you meet Xiangzi?"

An anxious voice came from the other end of the phone. To Qingchuan Xiang, Su Shi's obviously controlled tone sounded even more unstable.

"As for Xiangzi, I just saw her take a taxi and leave."

"What... Did Xiangzi say anything?"

"She said she wants to quit CRYCHIC." Qingchuan Xiang replied slowly, intending to help Xiangzi make up a reasonable reason for quitting the group. Perhaps this would be able to better appease Su Shi. It would be best if Su Shi could understand that CRYCHIC was irreparable and not let her have too many thoughts about it.

"Xiangzi also told me that he quit the band this time because of family pressure, not because of our problems."

"Eh?" Su Shi's voice became noticeably lower.

Using the family, especially a big family like Toyokawa, as an excuse immediately blocked the follow-up of "Can the problem of Xiangzi's withdrawal from the group be solved with everyone's help?" It can also put the blame for Xiangzi directly on the family and maintain the image that Xiangzi lost due to his tough withdrawal from the group.

And he wasn't lying either. Xiangzi did quit the group because of the problems with the Toyokawa family.

Hearing that Su Shi's voice gradually died down and that she seemed to be lost in thought, Qingchuan Xiang was ready to comfort Su Shi and persuade her to shift her attention to the other members of the band...

"Xiang, can we talk face to face about what's going on?"

Su Shi asked first.

"Okay, it's still hard to explain over the phone. Are you still in RiNG? I'll come find you there." Qingchuan Xiang was not surprised to be suddenly called offline for a face-to-face meeting. Some things would be more credible if said in person.

"Okay, I'll wait for you here. Xiaoxiang, should you just order a drink as usual?"

"Yeah, thank you Sushi."

After hanging up the phone, Qingchuan Xiang quickly rinsed and wiped the tea set and left home for the second time today.

The air after the heavy rain was filled with a unique fragrance of earth. Puddles of various sizes were scattered across the brick cracks and depressions on the roadside. When Qingchuan Xiang passed by, his reflection was reflected in the water surface, and then quickly passed by, leaving only a circle of ripples.

Heavy rain makes Qingchuan Xiang excited, and the humid environment after the rain just makes Xiang feel joyful.

In such an environment, Qingchuan Xiang was quite optimistic about the conversation with Su Shi.