Girls' Wishing Tree

The sooner you train your Light to become a lead singer, the sooner you can withdraw your Shining Points. Even if expanding your range of action is a long way off, you can still use them to draw some skills.

Takagi Sakura pointed to the training room. "Ritsuki, just call me Sakura. We have drums here, let's try it now. I'll play the guitar part. Deng, could you sing the vocals?"

This time it was Lixi's turn to be surprised.

She had seen Ying playing and singing this song on the overpass.

Deng is cute, but when it comes to singing, Deng is probably a complete beginner.

Why did Ying ask Deng to sing the vocal part?

Deng did not respond to Takagi Sakura's fiery invitation with his eyes.

"I can't sing." Her voice was so soft that Lixi and Ying could barely hear it.

"Just try singing along with the music score. I haven't heard Deng sing before. If you want to write lyrics, you have to sing them yourself. Only when you sing what you write can you feel it." Takagi Sakura continued to persuade.

"I can't sing...I can't sing."

Deng was a little embarrassed, so Takagi Sakura didn't continue - she really couldn't imagine what kind of person could make this girl who was like a little animal and liked to collect and play with stones become the lead singer.

Maybe the time has not come yet. Maybe I will figure it out later. VIII (Three) - Lingling Chives, right?

Takagi Sakura opened the training room: "Ritsuki, please follow the score once. Kawahara Momoka and Hikawa Hina will be here during the recording. We'll try to get the best results within a few takes."

Lixi didn't bring any drumsticks or cymbals. Although there were spare ones here, it would be less convenient to use them if they were not his own.

Li Xi, feeling a little nervous, sat in front of the drum set and looked at Takagi Sakura holding the guitar. For some reason, he thought of his sister again.

Is this how Shiina Maki responds to everyone's expectations on stage?

I'm sitting behind the drum kit, can I do that?

She recalled her time at the training center. The training center, recommended by her sister, Maki, boasted a "practical" approach to training musicians. Her bassist partner at the training center, Hachiman Kairei, was in the same grade as her, though not in the same school. Instead, she attended Hanasakigawa's junior high school.

The two of them were praised by the teacher for their cooperation many times, but Li Xi knew that Hailing received more praise and attention.

"Just hit the drumstick three times to start." Li Xi hadn't moved, so Takagi Sakura turned around and reminded her.

"Oh... okay... sorry." Li Xi stopped daydreaming, tapped the drumstick lightly three times, and began to play according to the score.

Sakura Takagi's guitar joined the ensemble at the right time, and she also performed the vocals.

Gao Songdeng, who was standing aside, listened to the entire song.

So cool.

Really awesome.

Whether it is the lyrics, music, performance or singing, they are like angels bringing music to the world.

Deng suddenly had the urge to sing like Sakura, but he quickly suppressed the idea with self-denial.

It’s easy to feel like you can’t do it.

Sakura Takagi didn't have the energy to pay attention to Deng. She was always paying attention to Li Xi who took the initiative to ask to join the ensemble.

Comparing it to the sheet music, there's nothing wrong with Li Xi's drumming. But in terms of performance, to be more precise, it's not as good as using a MIDI sound source.

She's playing with accurate beats for their own sake, completely devoid of any personal expression, as if hitting the wrong beat is some kind of punishment. Many people who don't understand music well assume that a drum and bass rhythm section is only qualified if they hit the beat accurately, but that's not the case. If accuracy is the only thing that matters, what drummer can outperform a drum machine?

The rhythm section also has emotional expressions, and most successful music requires the rhythm section to support the emotional background.

Chapter 54 Shrines, Festivals, and Monsters: 14. Blacklisted

If you connect a drum machine or use an audio source to make a track, no one would say that drums have no emotion.

But it's a bit funny to see a grown-up person sitting in front of a drum set and playing something that sounds similar to a drum machine.

Gao Muying turned around and wanted to say something, but seeing Li Xi's expectant eyes, she didn't want to say it too directly, so she had to change her approach: "You hit it very accurately, Li Xi, do you usually watch band live?"

Li Xi hasn't seen many bands live.

Although she likes music, she doesn't have a favorite band. Junior high school students have limited pocket money, and it is not suitable for Lixi to go to live shows in a "cast a wide net" manner.

The last time I saw a live performance was half a year ago when I used the free tickets my sister gave me to watch Yuqiu's wind band participate in a large-scale competition.

"Not much." Li Xi told the truth.

"Okay, I'll play the bass with you again." Takagi Sakura hung the guitar back on the wall, took down the bass and connected it to the speaker.

Li Xi didn't know what Gao Muying's intention was, but she still tapped the drumstick three times and started playing.

This time, Gao Muying did not sing the vocal part, but concentrated on playing the rhythm section with Li Xi. In order to get Li Xi's attention, she deliberately played the bass part with strong emotion.

Generally speaking, the drums and bass of the rhythm section complement each other, but this time, Sakura Takagi played the bass like a vine entwined with the drum beats, making the entire rhythm section appear a lot more "lively".

"Do you hear the difference?" Takagi Sakura asked Li Xi immediately after finishing playing.

Of course, Li Xi could hear the difference. She had been training with Hachiman Kairei at the training center, and Kairei's bass wasn't as expressive, but rather emphasized supporting the high notes.

But what does this have to do with drums? Is it more about the difference in bassist style?

"Ying's guitar and bass are on the first release of the guitar and bass tracks respectively." Li Xi could only repeat himself.

Just as Takagi Sakura was about to explain it more clearly, she saw options appear next to Riki.

[Under your guidance, the girl realized that she needed to improve as a "band drummer." Please select the specific direction of guidance:]

[A. Pick up the shrine broom and play a drum beat on the girl's buttocks to let her understand what true rhythm is.]

[B. Lock the girl in a training room and play band live videos all day long to teach her how to be a drummer on stage.]

[C. Take out a metronome, wind it up, and place it in front of the girl. Ask her what the difference is between playing the drums so mechanically and using a metronome.]

These three options all seem a bit abnormal, and this is the first time the system has provided such guidance.

System, you don’t just want to watch me spank Shiina Riki, do you?

Takagi Sakura complained in her heart, but the system did not respond.

"A" is definitely not an option. Girls of this age have strong self-esteem. If you really beat her up, I don't know if she will have an "episode of enlightenment", but she will definitely hold a grudge.

Option "B" seems to be softer than option A, but the lights are still there. If Lixi is dragged to watch the band live for a whole day, the lights will not be able to be handled, and Lixi's family will also be worried.

Option "C" seems to have even greater problems. It directly compares Li Xi's drum to a metronome. If this pressure is applied, it is likely that it will not inspire Li Xi's competitive spirit and thirst for knowledge, but will instead cause harm to Li Xi.

Takagi Sakura dragged her feet and didn't make a choice. She just continued to say to Li Xi, "The guitar and bass are on different tracks, and the bass and drums are more closely integrated. In the composition of modern bands, bass and drums are called the rhythm section."

Li Xi certainly understood the concept of a rhythm section. The drums and bass were the stage for the high notes and vocals. Good drums and bass could make the band's most outstanding parts shine even brighter.

Li Xi nodded and waited for Gao Muying (Part 2) Lin Ba'er to continue.

"The rhythm section itself is not just to act as a metronome, reminding the lead singer and guitarists the BPM of the music, so that the co-musicians can remember the time value when they hear the drums. Your drum beats are too mechanical, precise but not elegant. The rhythm section in the band is not just to provide a sense of rhythm, but also to make its own musical expression. Not to mention adding fills and the like, at least it should provide a platform for the vocals and high-pitched instruments to take off in terms of dynamics and rhythm." At this point, Gao Muying looked at Li Xi with anticipation: "Do you understand what I mean?"

"Where emotions need to be expressed, should we... adjust the intensity?" Li Xi's hand holding the drumstick froze in mid-air, with some confusion in his eyes.

Language is always relatively abstract. Even if Takagi Sakura pointed out Riki's problem, Riki would not be able to understand it intuitively in a short period of time.

Gao Muying wanted to remind her again, but a system prompt suddenly appeared in her mind: "Host, please note that if you do not make a choice within the specified time, it will be regarded as the host giving up the option and the host's shining points will be deducted."

"Ah? Shining points deducted? How much? What will happen if it becomes a negative number?" Ying spoke to the system with her voice lowered in her throat.

"Three times the points earned by completing the option will be deducted. You can gain shining points by guiding the girl's life. If you refuse to guide, points will be deducted. If the host's points are negative after the deduction, the host will temporarily be unable to use any system functions that require points." The system's voice was emotionless.

"What will happen to the girl if she doesn't make a choice?" Points can be deducted into negative numbers, which means she has the space to not make a choice. At this time, she must clearly understand the consequences of not making a choice before she can proceed to the next step.

"The system will deduce future events based on the host's actions and the girl's personality. I must remind the host of two things: first, the options listed by the system are all possible developments; second, if you don't make a choice, the outcome may be even worse than the options listed."

Ying was still thinking when the system started a countdown reminder.

"I choose C." In this situation, Ying had no choice but to put a little pressure on Li Xi.

She picked up the mechanical metronome that SPACE had packed for her and wound it a few times.

The metronome made a "tick-tick" sound according to the set rhythm.

In Li Xi's eyes, Ying's expression was very serious. She didn't speak or make any movements for more than a minute. She just moved her throat slightly occasionally, but it was unclear what she was saying.

As Sakura began to move, a metronome was suddenly wound up and placed in front of her.

"What's the difference between playing the drums like this and using a metronome?" Ying felt a little embarrassed, but still said this.

Li Xi felt her head buzz and she jumped up from the drum stool. From her perspective, Ying, realizing her "teaching" was ineffective, took a metronome and deliberately put pressure on her.

"Tick-tick..." The mechanical sound of the metronome echoed in the training room.

Li Xi wanted to have a big quarrel with Ying, but when she saw Gao Muying with a bass on her body, her "momentum" disappeared. Gao Muying was not tall and her appearance was not the type of majestic, but when she stood there, she had an aura that made Li Xi have no courage to question.

The anger that was suppressed turned into tears flowing out of the eyes.

"That's terrible!" Li Xi threw out these words and fled from the training room.

Deng glanced at Sakura Takagi, helped Li Xi pick up her schoolbag, and ran out behind her.

Takagi Sakura didn't expect that this sentence would have such a strong impact that the young drummer Li Xi dropped his drumsticks and ran out.

[You have created a wonderful memory for Lixi that she will never forget even if she is burned to ashes. She will never beat a drum like a metronome again. The host receives 800 shining points and a random intermediate skill draw.]

[Host obtains skill: Pancake Making (Intermediate).]

[When you show up at the snack street with a cart, whether you're making multi-grain pancakes or jianbingguozi (a type of jianbing), you're the coolest guy there.]

[New mission: Persuade Riki to return to the recording studio for "One Flower of the World" as a drummer. Success will reward you with 500 Shining Points. Failure will cause Riki Shiina to give up music.]

"System, isn't that too much?" Takagi Sakura didn't expect that putting pressure on Lixi would cause such great harm to her. If she wasn't persuaded to come back, she might even give up music.

[The host chose the most powerful option. The system has issued a task, giving the host a chance to remedy the situation.] The system gave a prompt.

"System, you are such an emotionless, cold-blooded villain!" Takagi Sakura listened to the footsteps of Li Xi and Deng gradually fading away, and hurriedly put the bass on the music stand. She ran out without even turning off the speakers, jumped down the stairs in two steps, and ran to the street outside the shrine as fast as she could.

Vehicles and pedestrians were coming and going on the street, and the two girls were no longer visible.

Neither Tachibana Shiina nor Touma Takamatsu saw it.

Takagi Sakura could only chase in the direction they came from, hoping to rely on her own physical strength to find the escaped Li Xi.

If she had known this would happen, even if she hadn't done this task, she wouldn't have compared Lixi to a metronome.

There was no Lixi on the street, no lights, only the indifference of pedestrians towards her.

It’s not that no one cast their eyes on Takagi Sakura who was looking around while running, but they would quickly look away.

Gao Muying took out her phone and sent a message to Li Xi: [I'm sorry, Ling. Mengba Shanlin, can we talk about it? I spoke without thinking.]

Have read.

[I didn't do that on purpose, I just wanted to make Lixi's performance more emotional.]

The other party refuses to receive your message.

Chapter 55: Shrines, Festivals, and Monsters: 15. Finding Li Xi

Shiina Riki ran away in embarrassment.

This was clearly the first time she had met someone who resonated with her, someone who even her sister recognized, and someone who could touch her heart...

However, she said her playing was like a metronome.

My sister is good at wind instruments, so let's ignore them and try to gain recognition from others in percussion instruments.

Since childhood, her older sister has been a shadow hanging over her head. The drum set is her attempt to escape from her "older sister's" shadow.

When I was in elementary school, my sister's teacher would always tell her how excellent her grades were. After I started learning wind instruments like her, she became an even more difficult mountain to overcome.

When my sister was in junior high school at Haneda Girls' Academy, she was the leader of the wind band. She led the Haneda wind band to defeat strong opponents such as Kitauji Junior High School and won the national gold medal. Later, she joined the regional orchestra as a student.

Whether in school or learning wind instruments, everyone unconsciously regarded her as a degraded version of Shiina Maki, and she was also surrounded by this "inferiority complex." A month after her sister won the gold medal, she gave up brass instruments and switched to drums.

Although the drum training institution was recommended by her sister, when learning percussion instruments, at least she and Hachiman Kailing formed a rhythm group, which allowed her to temporarily get rid of Shiina Maki's "suppression".

When she heard Sakura Takagi singing and playing the guitar on the overpass, the gloom in the sky seemed to dissipate instantly, and she also plucked up the courage to say that she wanted to play the drums for the song.

In the shrine's training room, she played the drums carefully, afraid of making a mistake and losing this precious opportunity. She didn't even bother to look at her best friend, Takamatsu Deng.

"What's the difference between you playing the drums like this and using a metronome?"

Lies don't hurt, the truth is the sharpest knife. This statement shattered her seemingly hard shell. Her drumming was indeed too focused on "precision," obsessed with "no mistakes," without considering what she wanted to express musically and how to express it.

Because Shiina Maki never makes mistakes when playing, she is afraid that if she makes a mistake, she will not be as good as Maki.

She still remembers Takagi Sakura's song: "Small flowers, big flowers, together, No. 1, special, only one (Whether the flower is big or small, it's just an individual difference. It doesn't matter if you're not No. 1, you're special, only one)."

Even if it is OnlyOne, I want to get more recognition.

The light did not catch up with her.

Ying didn't chase after her and just grabbed her.