Girls' Wishing Tree

"Not yet, but if you try to communicate with the gods, perhaps they will give you some guidance." Ying pointed to the cherry tree outside the window, took out an amulet and put it in Momoka's hand. "Take the amulet, say what you want to ask under the cherry tree, and think of the gods devoutly in your heart. Maybe you will get a response."

If Sakura had said that normally, Momoka would have just taken it as a joke.

But now, Momoka was willing to give it a try as Sakura said. Holding the amulet, as if holding onto some hope, she put on her shoes at the door of the training room and strode towards the cherry tree.

The cherry tree in winter does not have the dreamy atmosphere like the one in spring. It is just a tree in a "dormant" state.

The fallen leaves of late autumn have all been cleared away, but the spring breeze that will bring greenery to the new year has not yet arrived.

Momoka held the amulet in her hand and whispered in front of the dead tree, "God, please tell me, whose fault is this?"

Sakura, who was listening on the side, was stunned.

She didn't know whether Momoka was talking about DiamondDust or this new band.

But God, you should know.

Sakura looked at Momoka's increasingly frustrated look and knew she had to say something.

At this time, she could only bite the bullet and go ahead.

He opened the dialog box next to Taoxiang and typed a sentence into it with his mind.

[It’s not Momoka’s fault.]

Taoxiang heard the voice in her head and smiled with relief: "I understand, it's the world that's wrong."

What do you unserstand?

Sakura tried to understand Momoka's train of thought, but a feeling of powerlessness quietly arose in her.

"I will try to form a Live with them again, and then withdraw from their lives." Momoka turned around and looked back at Ying: "You will keep my secret as you kept Meowme a secret, right?"

Sakura tilted her head to the side and lowered her voice in her throat, "System, I want to see Momoka's options."

The system couldn't wait to throw out Taoxiang's option.

[Under your guidance, the girl embarked on the path of "forming a band." Please select the specific direction of guidance:]

[A. The girl will return to her hometown and form a one-person band, using a synthesizer to make music and release it online.]

[B. The girl will tour around the country and become a member of a professional band, working as a guitarist.]

[C. The girl will stay in Tokyo and work as a support musician and music producer for various bands for a long time.]

"I choose B." Ying made her choice without hesitation.

This was the only option that would keep Momoka in the band, but Sakura had no idea how the system would guide this option.

She even didn't know whether the band Taoxiang would join would be the current one.

Chapter 121 Spring, Sakura and Crychic: 23, Xiangzi's Invitation

Tsuki no Mori Girls' Academy.

Nagasaki Suyo put down her bass and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

She did it.

She finally performed the music score Ying gave her perfectly.

At this moment, she suddenly heard applause.

The soft light from outside the window shone through the yellowed glass onto Nagasaki Suye's face. She slowly raised her head, looked over the music stand, and saw a blue-haired girl with twin ponytails.

She tied her hair with a black ribbon and wore her school uniform, which made her look particularly decent. The sunlight also shone on this girl, as if she was covered with a halo.

She knew this person, a very popular girl in her grade.

Whether in terms of family background, appearance, or academic performance, this girl named Toyokawa Shoko can be said to be the best in her grade.

"Nagasaki-san, can you form a band with me? I'm Toyokawa Shoko, and I think your bass playing is amazing!" Toyokawa Shoko took two steps forward and extended a hand to Nagasaki Suyo. "Please, can you join me?"

There was some excitement in Su Shi's eyes that was hard to conceal.

In the "young lady school" of Yuezhisen, her situation is actually a little embarrassing.

The students come from well-off families, which means that it will be very difficult to integrate into the group.

Nagasaki Suyo had no shortage of money; her mother could always provide her with millions of yen in pocket money if she asked. However, in Tokyo, some things couldn't be solved with money—if you didn't have a prominent family background, some classmates would treat you with a polite but cold attitude.

As a result, Su Shi found it difficult to integrate into the circle of classmates at school.

If I could establish a good relationship with a real lady like Toyokawa Shoko...

Su Shi thought for a moment before responding, "Toyokawa-san, I'm honored to receive your invitation, but I can only join the band after the Sakura Festival."

"After the Sakura Festival...?" Toyokawa Shoko didn't understand what Nagasaki Suyo said.

"It's the Sakura Shrine that is very popular among students. During the cherry blossom season, a festival is held there. The shrine maiden invited me to join a makeshift band and perform at the Sakura Festival. I cherish this opportunity very much, so..." Su Shi bowed slightly to Xiangzi, speaking cautiously.

"Okay, the band just doesn't have all the members. I'm the keyboardist, Ruoye Mu is the guitarist, and you're the bassist. We'll just need to find a drummer and a lead singer. I'll ask someone I know to help find a drummer, and I'll also look for a lead singer." Toyokawa Shoko took out her phone and said, "Nagasaki-san, can you add me as a contact?"

Su Shi felt her heart beating faster - the use of mobile phones is prohibited in Tsuki no Mori. Taking out a mobile phone in front of classmates is itself a "joint violation of school rules", but for a junior high school girl, this represents a kind of trust.

The two quickly exchanged contact information. This brief encounter made it difficult for Su Shi to suppress his excitement until school was over.

After school, Su Shi happened to have no club activities today, so she carried her bass and took the tram directly to the shrine.

The bass was longer than the guitar, and the sight of Su Shi carrying it on her back created a stark contrast. The straps of the bass bag dug slightly into her shoulders, and with each step she took, the bass vibrated in unison with a part of her body.

Sweat stuck some of Su Shi's hair to her face. She supported herself on her knees with her hands, and white mist came out of her slightly opened mouth.

However, Sakura's voice made her quickly assume an elegant demeanor.

"Su Shi, are you still going all the way here? Just send me the recording."

"No, no. It has to be done live so that it can reach Sakura's ears." Su Shi used her fingers to straighten her hair. Her expression looked calm, but the rise and fall of her chest was still much faster than normal breathing.

Sakura held out her hand, "Let me help you with the bass."

This was an ESP bass guitar bag. When Ying took it, she asked, "This brand of bass isn't cheap, is it?"

Su Shi followed behind Ying, rubbing her hair gently with her fingers: "The musical instrument will be used for a long time, so spending a little more money is not too bad."

Ying tried to make Su Shi relax: "How's the song I gave you going?"

Sushi took off her shoes and entered the rehearsal room, unzipping her bass bag. "It shouldn't be a problem. Sakura, give it a listen."

She connected the bass to the speakers and took out the printed sheet music and placed it on the music stand. The sheet music was already wrinkled, and it was obvious that Su Shi had been practicing very hard these past few days.

The afternoon sun streamed through the window, catching the metal components of the bass, its reflection complementing the sunset hue of the instrument itself. Sushi's fingers gently plucked the strings, producing deep, powerful notes. Her silhouette, elongated in the sunlight, cast a shadow over the wooden wall, creating a gentle feeling both visually and audibly.

The bass speaker vibrated slightly as she played, and the low-frequency reverberations echoed throughout the room. The girl stared at the sheet music intently, her brows slightly furrowed, and occasionally swayed her body to the beat, as if trying to make the notes softer.

An idea popped into Sakura's mind.

Maybe Su Shi and Miao Meng would have a good compatibility.

Miao Meng's drum sounds are actually very inspiring. If Su Shi's gentle bass like a veil is covered on it, the rhythm group will have a surging sense of power.

At least, Su Shi's performance was acceptable to her.

"Okay, I really didn't expect Su Shi to be able to do this." Ying applauded Su Shi sincerely: "I'll add you to the band. Currently, this temporary band only has three people. You can make an appointment with the drummer and come to the shrine to practice together. During the official performance, there will be four people on stage, plus a violinist, that is Miyazono Kaoru I told you about last time."

"Then during rehearsal...what about the violin?" Su Shi asked.

"It doesn't matter. During rehearsal, I'll play the violin. If the violin and pipa need to play at the same time, I can record one instrument at a time." Ying answered confidently.

"Ying, you're amazing." Su Shi gave Ying a thumbs up. "By the way, a classmate invited me to join a band today, saying that she thought my bass sound was great. I agreed to join her band after the Sakura Festival."

It's definitely a good thing that someone is willing to invite Su Shi to play in a band together. Although Ying has not had much contact with Su Shi, she has already felt that her personality is a bit too serious, coupled with her mysterious options...

If someone could get her to play in a band and make her more cheerful, at least things wouldn't go in a bad direction.

PS: 80,000 words were completed in February. I've been incredibly busy lately, so March will have a similar update rhythm to February, with at least one update per day, and if possible, a little more, aiming to finish 80,000-90,000 words.

Chapter 122 Spring, Sakura and Crychic:24, Sakura Elf

An apartment in Tokyo.

Miao Meng curled up on the sofa in the apartment and felt a chill running through her bones.

It’s not entirely because of the winter temperature, but also because of the number of her fans.

As a beauty influencer, she felt she had hit a plateau. She had posted several videos that she thought were well-made, but the results were less than ideal: low click-through rates and a slight drop in followers.

The comment section of the video is not very friendly either.

[My first time watching Miao Meng's videos, they were amazing, but after watching them again, there wasn't much new to offer. It's almost time to quit.]

[Ever since Miao Meng joined the band, have the makeup videos been a bit perfunctory? The band also doesn't seem to be having fun. Rumor has it that she was kicked out?]

[Those short videos of Miao Meng joining the band were more interesting than her makeup videos. Why is she not doing it anymore?]

Of course, there are comments of encouragement and support, but the number of likes is not high.

As a content creator, she inevitably felt anxious when her fans denied her content.

Suddenly, a message popped up on Miao Meng's phone: [Miao Meng, I've added the bassist I found to the temporary band group. Her style should be a good match for you. You can arrange a time to rehearse together.]

Miao Meng immediately replied to Ying: [Okay, did Hiroi Kikuri-senpai agree?]

[No, it's a girl named Nagasaki Suyo. Her bass style would suit you very well.]

"Nagasaki...Sushi?" Miao Meng frowned and "searched" in his mind, but had no impression of this name at all.

As a streamer, her "surfing" intensity is quite high. Those who haven't heard of it are either "small bottoms" or have never debuted at all.

To be on the safe side, Miao Meng searched the name on a search engine.

"NagasakiSoyo..." Miao Meng clicked the "Search" button, and the results were either people with the surname Nagasaki or people named Soyo. She turned to the second page and found a regional theater actor in his forties named NagasakiSoyo. Obviously, this would not be Miao Meng's temporary teammate.

With the last bit of hope, she turned the page again and saw the name again in the performance announcement of the Tsuki no Mori student orchestra. She was a double bass player in the orchestra.

The double bass also plays the bass part, so if you can play the double bass, then playing bass shouldn't be too far off. But Miao Meng wants more fame and popularity, and teaming up with Nagasaki Suyo would hardly bring any benefits in that regard.

[Is she... a student from Tsukinomori Girls' Academy? Isn't that a little too immature?]

Miao Meng expressed her dissatisfaction in a somewhat subtle way.

[You can try it first. The two of you should be a perfect rhythm pairing. Come by, I'll film a joint interview with you. My interviews aren't limited to guitarists these days, so your role as both host and musician would be perfect for a transitional episode.]

After seeing the message from Ying, Miao Meng clicked on Ying's PosTube homepage, looked at the number of views of the previous guitarist interviews, and then she became... greedy.

In terms of click-through rate, one interview episode is equivalent to 20 episodes of my own beauty program. From this perspective, bringing in a lesser-known bassist isn't such a difficult thing to accept.

"Okay, I'll work hard with Ms. Nagasaki for the Sakura Festival performance." Miao Meng changed her previous statement, put down her phone, walked to the sink, turned on the faucet and let out some cold water, then rubbed her face with her hands.

She raised her head and looked at the mirror in front of her. Her fatigue was somewhat dispelled, but she looked even more embarrassed.

Sakura, who had just finished chatting with Miao Meng, let her consciousness return to the cherry tree.

At this time when most people are active, the probability of Miyazono Kaoru being here is very high.

Sakura had also asked the system why, after rescuing her, Kaoru Miyazono's consciousness had appeared beside her. The system couldn't give a particularly detailed answer to this question, simply stating that Sakura had somehow interfered with her, and so she became the protector of her weakened soul.

Seeing Sakura appear, Xun's expression suddenly brightened up, and the sound of the piano became more cheerful.

"Sakura! I've already practiced the piece you gave me! It's a really well-written piece! How are you finding the musicians for the rhythm section?"

"Almost. The drummer and bassist we found now both perform well. I'll introduce them to you when the time comes." Ying leaned over and stood only a few meters away from Xun.

Their eyes met, and Sakura saw anticipation in Kaoru's.

It's a good thing to have expectations.

Xun's current situation meant she had very little time to interact with people. Without this expectation, she would become suffocated.

"Sakura Festival, I will prepare a good enough performance for you." Sakura smiled, like a blooming cherry blossom.

"Sometimes I feel like you are the spirit of cherry blossoms." Xun looked at Sakura's face: "Even in winter, seeing you is like seeing the arrival of spring first."

"I feel embarrassed when you praise me like that." Sakura pinched the hem of Chihaya's dress with her fingers, feeling a little guilty. "What Sakura Fairy? I'm just a shrine maiden serving the gods."

"It's just a metaphor. In the past, I was someone who didn't believe in miracles. I was so sick that I couldn't stand up, my hair faded, and I couldn't control my fingers. I prayed for a miracle again and again, but it never happened."

Xun lowered her head, as if recalling something she didn't want to recall, but strangely, she didn't look sad or regretful.

It's like a storyteller telling someone else's story.

"...I prepared for the worst and spent a month making Kousei think that I didn't like him, but...true love can't be hidden."

"At the most desperate moment, my prayers were answered by God."

"Sakura, you know that God is always kind..."

Xun talked for half an hour before he smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, I accidentally said too much."