Their restricted abilities are refreshed every week.

She looked at one of the ECHO keyboards, her face reflected on the shiny black lacquer surface. She suddenly realized that her thoughts were too arrogant, and now she had no right to speak to those girls.

I am so ugly.

"Really? Thank you so much!" The tall lead singer grabbed Toyokawa Shoko's hand, his gratitude evident in words.

"But I have one request. After this live, you must find your keyboard player and speak out everything in your heart all at once. Apologize if you need to, argue if you need to, and reconcile if you need to. Don't let the conflict escalate any further."

Toyokawa Shoko looked at her face reflected on the keyboard and felt pain in her heart. It really hurt. Everything was causing her pain. She could find images of her fate within her heart, all of them sleeping in a dark mirror. She had to bend over to see it clearly. In the mirror were the faces of all her band members.

Her own was included in it.

She never let go of her past self.

"Okay! Thanks to Miss Xiangzi, otherwise I really don't know what to do!" The lead singer bowed to the three people again.

"Toyokawa-san?" Shirakawa Haru was a little worried about Toyokawa Shoko's current mental state. From his perspective, it was not difficult to find that Toyokawa Shoko's inner emotions were as turbulent as the waves, but her expression was as cold and hard as ten thousand years of ice, just like the extreme opposition between water and fire.

"Huh... Sorry, President, I might have to disrupt our schedule." Shoko Toyokawa said in a low voice.

"Our schedule today is to sign the contract with Manager Matsuo and then have a nice meal. As for what you want to do now, just do it. Everything is up to you. Have fun."

Shirakawa Haru smiled, and Toyokawa Shoko thought this expression was dazzling.

"Then please keep an eye on me, President."

Toyokawa Shoko said in a low voice, this time she was speaking to herself.

Chapter 49: Toyokawa Shoko's Piano and Heart

The lighting in the ECHO basement is dim, and all the light sources are concentrated directly above the Live stage.

Shirakawa Haru sat on a chair in front of the stage, but he seemed to be hiding in the darkness. His eyes were like blazing sparks, like a lamp in the night, the eyes of the night, the eyes of the night watching.

At this time, several girls were standing on the Live stage, introducing each other and joking around.

This is an effective way to attract the audience's attention before the live officially begins. At the same time, if there are some troubles that the band is not ready for, it can also squeeze out some time to adjust.

"Ms. Toyokawa, I'm leaving it to you this time!" The lead singer of the band pleaded earnestly to Toyokawa Shoko. This was their band's first official live performance and they couldn't mess it up no matter what.

"I understand." Compared to the lead singer's sincere voice, Xiangzi's answer seemed much colder, but this did not mean that she did not value her performance. On the contrary, her heart was as scorching as the September sun in Tokyo at that moment.

"Your band's original songs aren't very difficult. I mastered them after just one simple play. Instead of worrying about whether I'll mess up your LIVE, I think you should think about whether you have the confidence to perform to the best of your ability on this stage."

Shoko Toyokawa's momentum soared as she stepped onto the stage. When she stepped off the stage, she was just a morning mushroom that did not know the new moon and full moon, nor a cicada that did not understand the spring and autumn seasons. However, as soon as she stepped onto the stage, she immediately spread her wings and became a Kunpeng that soared into the sky, splashing three thousand miles across the water.

Her hair is adorned with a wreath of fresh flowers, her dress is adorned with a variety of dried flowers, and her high bun and braided hair reveal a gentleness that contrasts with her fierce gaze. This extreme opposition creates two distinct temperaments that coexist within Toyokawa Shoko, creating a bottomless abyss in the eyes of the audience. You know you can't approach it, but its fatal attraction draws you in irresistibly.

She was clearly the keyboardist hired by the band's lead singer as a substitute, but as she sat in front of the keyboard, she attracted the attention of everyone present.

"Now, let's get started."

Just as the guitarist and bassist's witty chatter gradually came to an end, the female musicians on the stage looked at each other, and their feelings for each other quickly flowed in their eyes.

At first, the spotlights on the live stage began to move and flash, then the guitarist suddenly strummed the strings to lay the foundation of the rhythm, the bassist quickly plucked the bass to keep up with the rhythm and enrich the tone, the keyboard player's fingers crossed and flew like a butterfly among flowers, and when the lead singer's high-spirited and touching voice began to sound, the girls in the band had completely entered the state.

"You're amazing, Ms. Toyokawa." Manager Matsuo, who was sitting next to Shirakawa Haru, rarely saw such an outstanding keyboard player, so he didn't hesitate to praise her. "It's like a fire in a cold blizzard."

"It looks shaky, but it can always absorb the power of wind and snow to thrive, right?" Shirakawa Haru added what Manager Matsuo was about to say.

Manager Matsuo was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect that the young man next to him could grasp his thoughts so clearly.

Could it be that he had seen Ms. Toyokawa perform on stage before?

Yes, that makes sense, after all, they are both top students from the same school.

"This is the first time I've seen Toyokawa-san on stage. I've only ever heard her play Beethoven's 'Moonlight' outside the piano room before." Shirakawa Haru once again saw through Manager Matsuo's thoughts. "Let's not talk about that for now. Let's continue to enjoy their performance."

This is what you asked me to do, Xiangzi.

Shirakawa Haru recalled what Xiangzi had said to her just now.

She asked him to take good care of her, and he agreed.

The guitar and bass work together seamlessly, the rhythm reaches its climax in a circular and gradual manner, and the electric guitar's overly high and unstable pitch is perfectly picked up by the dull echo of the bass. The two girls are like the five lines on the music score, and the notes are the instruments in their hands.

Unlike other bands, the guitarists and bassists of this band did not use picks but chose to play directly with their hands. They had thick calluses on their hands, which were a testament to their hard work for today. Although they destroyed the beauty of their fingers, they made it easier for them to control the instruments.

The singing voice gushed out from the lead singer's thin lips. It was a part of her life, her life force. Now that she could stand on the stage of this live performance, the support of this life force was indispensable. Therefore, her voice was so catchy and full of melody.

Shoko Toyokawa's life was always filled with the piano. Even when she felt most helpless, overwhelmed, and at her wit's end, she never gave up on the piano, but quietly practiced solo in her studio. Her technique allowed the keyboard's timbre to radiate to an unparalleled degree. Though pre-recorded, the tones in her hands transformed like a rainbow after rain, imbued with new life.

After the band had halfway through its original music, the interlude arrived.

After obtaining the lead singer's consent, Shoko Toyokawa repeated her showy improvisation over and over again. The rhythm of the notes was intoxicating, as if a corner of the keyboard was opened, and what flowed out was not notes but Dionysus's wine.

Tremolo, glissando, jumps, chords, trills...

Toyokawa Shoko's improvisation is even better than the main song and the chorus.

"She's a true genius, Mr. Shirakawa!" Manager Matsuo couldn't contain himself after hearing Toyokawa Shoko's impromptu performance. "If someone like her doesn't play the piano, she's wasting her life and God's gift. Ms. Toyokawa was born for the stage!"

"Shoko is a genius." Shirakawa Haru looked at Toyokawa Shoko on the stage and found that her forehead was full of tears, and even her braided hair was slightly scattered because of the intense playing. He suddenly thought with interest that if Shoko was using a grand piano instead of a keyboard at this moment, he might be able to light a cigarette on the piano strings like 1900 in "The Legend of ".

At least enough to melt one popsicle.

Xiangzi sang the notes with unrestrained abandon on the live stage. Her attire reminded her of classical European sculptures, and she was the classical goddess Flora. Her beauty was breathtaking. The dim basement was filled with the scent of sweat, perfume, and all sorts of other heady and dizzying odors. Only then did she understand why the stage here was so small and the space so dim.

The small basement felt like a muddy world, its space so cramped that everyone felt like a hedgehog trapped in a muddy pit. The fiery, frenzied atmosphere was like a march, constantly pushing the space toward the center, causing the hedgehogs to embrace each other, their spikes piercing each other's bodies.

Although it was painful, it also ignited passion. Even if sweat was an expression of emotion, pain was the proof of the excitement of the soul.

It was the interlude of another song, and this part was performed by the guitarist and bassist together, giving Xiangzi the opportunity to take a break.

My heart is about to explode. Where's Shirakawa Haru? She should be watching me from down there, right? Toyokawa Shoko thought. The live performance was so intense, it almost suffocated her. She tried to find Shirakawa Haru in the audience, but failed. Almost all the light in the basement was concentrated on the live stage. This arrangement of light sources enhances the stage's visual focus, but it prevents those standing on the stage from seeing what's happening in the audience.

For a moment she suddenly became a little anxious, even her fingers were moving unconsciously, and she almost hit the keyboard. Suddenly, Toyokawa Shoko's heart calmed down. Even though she didn't see Shirakawa Haru in the audience, she knew that he must be looking at her at this moment.

This idea seemed to appear naturally in Toyokawa Shoko's mind without any logical thinking... Perhaps there is an internal logic behind it, but she can't find it yet.

Then she'd just keep playing. She'd come to the live stage to play. She wanted to enjoy the lights, the cheers, the fervent atmosphere and praise that would burn her to the bone. Wasn't this the whole point of being on stage? Others gazed at her with eyes filled with envy or honor, like a grand coronation ceremony.

I really want to continue staying on the stage.

Just as the sounds of guitar and bass rang out again, Shoko Toyokawa suddenly realized her true feelings.

If her dream is to fly, then the piano is the Icarus's wings that make her dream come true.

But now, because she was too close to the sun, her lush wax wings had already melted.

Shoko Toyokawa suddenly realized that she had fallen into the abyss. The gloomy atmosphere around her was like heavy sea water, which kept making her fall. She vaguely realized something that made her feel scared, that is, the cheers of the audience did not belong to her, but to the band standing on the stage.

She doesn't belong to the band, she's alone and isolated.

So heavy, my fingers suddenly felt so heavy. Toyokawa Shoko thought that she was like a sick person, lying alone in that small coffin room, her head was dizzy, but there was no one to rely on.

Even the keyboard seemed unpressable. It was like you were having a nightmare. You knew it was just a dream, but the savage monster in the dream still made you tremble subconsciously. You didn't know what was happening to your body, but this was the most real reflection of your heart. To defeat the monster in your dream, you had to find a key, then open it, delve into your heart, and seek strength from the image of fate sleeping in a mirror.

Toyokawa Shoko saw Shirakawa Haru in that mirror.

She didn't know what was so special about Shirakawa Haru, but he seemed to have left many footprints in her heart.

The first time we met, the first time I used Alice's Candy Crush on him, but I ended up crying for him. I was even happy the whole morning because he won a prize for the popsicle he bought for me.

It was so painful that I couldn't breathe.

But just before she completely lost her strength, she saw Shirakawa Haru standing up. He shouted to her with a voice that drowned out his breathing, cheers, and the melody of all the instruments on the stage, "Come on, Toyokawa Shoko!"

Maybe he didn't actually shout out loud, he just opened his mouth and moved his lips silently, or maybe he really used such a loud shout to help himself who was anxious and shaky at the moment, but she definitely saw his gentle smile.

Then, suddenly, a beam of golden sunlight shone through the deep sea, a slanting blaze from the sun. And then, bewildered and helpless, like a child, I finally found something to grasp, something to escape the suffocating depths. And now, I could flap my wings once again and fly above the surface of the sea.

Perhaps the piano is not its own Icarus's feather, it is just a wax wing, the closer it gets to the sunlight, the faster it melts, until it falls into the sea again.

The one who could truly be called her "Feather of Ikaros" should be the boy whom she both admired and somewhat disliked.

Her fingers were once again filled with strength, and beautiful music flowed from the keyboard. The programmed sounds could flow and shimmer freely according to her own will. Shoko Toyokawa's fingers gently touched the keyboard, weaving sounds as vibrant and rhythmic as the waves of the ocean.

The ebb and flow.

The ending note of the loop was the trembling of her heart.

She knew that even if she didn't belong on this stage, even if the audience wasn't cheering for her, there was always someone who praised her. Even if she couldn't see him, even if she couldn't hear him, she knew he was always there.

The song becomes intense again, and the sound of the keyboard rises high with the lead singer's high-spirited voice, and then suddenly drops, like a peak and a valley, and then rises again.

Xiangzi felt that her bones and flesh were constantly colliding with the keyboard, but she could not stop, not until she bled or was shattered into pieces. She wanted to finish this song, finish this Live, and use this as a new starting point to find a way to return to the stage again!

Xiangzi's eyes met with the band members around her. She realized that her unstable state just now had been noticed by them, and the band's lead singer even gave her a worried look.

So she immediately responded with a firm smile. After receiving Xiangzi's determined smile, the girls in the band felt relieved and focused all their attention on controlling the band's rhythm and performance.

"Shoko is amazing, isn't she?" Shirakawa Haru said, looking at the store manager Matsuo beside him. After seeing Shoko's energetic performance, the store manager fell silent. "As long as she has a little strength, the cocoon made of silk thread will not be able to trap her."

"It's amazing, especially the music she puts her life into. It's really remarkable."

Manager Matsuo didn't know how many times he had praised Miss Toyokawa today. He always felt that no matter what kind of praise he used, it would not match Miss Toyokawa's performance.

"Actually, I was not optimistic about Ms. Toyokawa's performance at first." Manager Matsuo suddenly said, which conflicted with his previous opinion.

"I'm not optimistic either." Shirakawa Haru didn't hide it and said it directly to the store manager Matsuo.

Manager Matsuo did not respond to Shirakawa Haru's words, but pointed to the door of the basement.

Shirakawa Haru looked in the direction of Manager Matsuo's finger, and there he saw the keyboardist who had escaped before and originally belonged to this band.

She was looking at the stage with tears in her eyes.

Chapter 50 Wild Dog·Dream·Need to Take One Step Closer

Several girls in the band were still playing fiercely on the live stage. The bass suddenly hit the stage like a meteorite from outer space, freezing the melody. The harmony formed by the guitar and keyboard was a wave that pushed the atmosphere on the stage to its peak.

Every girl was covered in sweat, but at this moment they were glowing, as if several suns had suddenly appeared in the dim basement!

Shoko Toyokawa's body swayed to the rhythm of the song, her bun and braid falling loose. During a lull in the music, she tossed her hair back, casually tying it into a high ponytail with a hair tie in her mouth. Her back was straight, and her ponytail danced. The stage setting created a hazy glow, and everything seemed like a dream. Shoko Toyokawa was the blurring of fantasy and reality.

"What a pity, Miss Toyokawa hasn't had an easy time lately, has she?" The live performance was about to end, but at this moment, Manager Matsuo suddenly spoke and said something somewhat puzzling.

His words are like when you just get out of your warm bed on a winter night and open the door to your family who are away. The cold wind blows and you can't help but get goose bumps all over your body, which only disappear when you lie back in bed.

"Xiangzi's life is indeed very difficult. As the vice president of the student union at Hinomori Academy, her daily life is like a spinning top. If she stops, she will be whipped to continue spinning. But she doesn't cry miserably. Instead, she grits her teeth and perseveres."

Shirakawa Haru suddenly found a secret compartment on the back of the chair in front of her. When she opened it, there were all kinds of cheering sticks inside. Some were flashing, some were fluorescent, some were like long light tubes, and some would clap like your palms when you waved them.

He picked up the two largest cheering sticks and waved them vigorously as if they were two flags.

He looked into Toyokawa Shoko's eyes, making sure that she saw him at that moment and would continue to see him until the end of the live show.

"That's how Xiangzi was when I first met her."

Shirakawa Haru watched Shoko radiate on the live stage and realized that this was her true self. He still remembered their first encounter on a sunny day, when he, as the student council president, was interviewing Shoko. Back then, Shoko seemed more like a wild beast than a well-educated, well-mannered, and elegant young lady.

Her eyes were sharp and aggressive, but the depths of her amber pupils revealed her inner confusion. She wanted to hide her injured parts, but the bloody side would occasionally turn outward, bleeding profusely.

Shirakawa Haru had only seen this kind of look in the wild dogs that gathered at the village entrance to fight.

At that time, he was visiting a student he sponsored in the mountains. When passing by a village, he saw a group of wild dogs besieging a lone wild dog, as if they were fighting for territory.

During the fight, the lone stray dog was bitten to pieces, a large piece of fur on its head was torn off, and even one of its hind legs was bitten off. Its eyes were bloodshot, and emotions of madness and self-destruction were constantly impacting it. Shirakawa Haru saw the belief of wanting to survive in its eyes.

It eventually defeated an entire pack of wild dogs and drove them all away.

After the battle, it licked its severed hind leg alone and searched the trash can at the village entrance for food. Its dark eyes and flies crawling all over its body indicated that it was nearing death, perhaps having already ended its life when it defeated the wild dogs.

What drives its body now is probably the desire to struggle and survive no matter what, even if it is ugly.

It died in the end.

Shirakawa Haru thought that this was the feeling that Toyokawa Shoko gave her at that time. If she didn't help her, she would fight and get injured like the wild dog at the village entrance, and then die in obscurity under an earthen wall that no one knew about.

He wanted to help her.

Because of her helplessness, because of the emotions revealed in her eyes.

Toyokawa Shoko's eyes told Shirakawa Haru that she didn't trust anyone, and she believed that even if she was alone, she could still survive in this cruel world.

So he told her, Toyokawa Shoko, you have been admitted as a special student. Shirakawa Haru saw her astonishment, her joy, shame and disgust, and at that time he knew that Toyokawa Shoko was a very troublesome girl.

Her face seemed like a series of music scores. Sometimes she was stubborn and unyielding, driven forward by her self-esteem; sometimes she was exhausted, with a completely meaningless smile on her face; and sometimes she was like a wild dog, baring her teeth and subconsciously wagging her tail at those who wanted to help her.

It is hard to figure out which Toyokawa Shoko is the real her.

But only at this moment, there is no doubt that Shoko Toyokawa standing on the stage is definitely the truest self in her heart.

"Hmm, are you feeling suffocated by the weight of reality?" Manager Matsuo pulled a cheering stick from the back of his chair and waved it vigorously, his cheers nearly drowning out the entire audience. "When Ms. Toyokawa first met you, Mr. Shirakawa, it must have been the luckiest moment of her life."