Girls' Wishing Tree

Ying held the phone and thought for a while, then dialed again.

This time, Deng answered the phone, but her voice was a little tired. "We've already dispersed today. Let's talk next time."

After saying that, she hung up the phone without giving Ying a chance to speak.

Ying held the phone, her eyes complicated. She took a deep breath and dialed Li Xi's number again.

Li Xi did not refuse to answer the phone, but her tone was not very good when she answered the phone: "Ying, you are running away comfortably, leaving the mess to us."

"Ah?" Ying was a little confused: "I am——"

"Anyway, I'm not in the training room right now. I've already come out." Li Xi interrupted, "But you're right, there's no point in continuing to train when you're in such a bad state. We've all dispersed."

Although he said this, Li Xi had tears in his eyes as he stood in the empty training room corridor.

Sure enough, whenever things didn't go as planned, the colder, more demanding Sakura would show up. She had experienced Sakura's warmth and her harshness, and no matter how she thought about it, she felt they were not the same person.

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

"We're not rehearsing now, we're just draining everyone's enthusiasm for the band Crychic!"

Ying's words seemed to still echo in her ears, but now Ying called again, and Li Xi didn't know how to respond for a moment. When she knew Ying was going to join Crychic, she was a little happy at first, and even thought about using music to heal Ying's mental trauma.

But the current result did not satisfy her. Coupled with the incident between Xiangzi and Deng, she felt very tired.

Ying's gentle voice came over: "I'm not mad at anyone, I'm not mad at anyone. I do have some complaints about this rehearsal. Everyone's performance was terrible. But it was wrong of me to just walk away. I should have stopped and talked to everyone for a while."

"Okay, let's talk about it next time." Li Xi hung up the phone in embarrassment.

She looked up and saw a band preparing to perform.

She didn't know the band, but she knew the bassist.

Hachiman Hailing stood two meters away from the other team members, wearing a shiny silver tights. She caught Li Xi's eye and nodded slightly. The two looked at each other, and Li Xi tried hard not to let his frustration show on his face too quickly.

Li Xi suddenly felt even more embarrassed. He carefully hid the drumsticks in his clothes and ran away from the LiveHouse.

Chapter 145 Spring, Sakura and Crychic:47, It's really unlucky

Sakura originally wanted to "cold handle" the matter for a few days, but she didn't expect someone to come to her door the next day - Nagasaki Suyo took a taxi to the shrine after school and ran all the way to the cherry tree.

The girl's bangs were originally parted in the middle, and the wind blew them evenly onto both sides of her sweaty forehead. Combined with her anxious face, she looked a little funny.

She didn't bring her bass, just her schoolbag. Perhaps because she had run a few steps, there were still some spots of mud on her shoes and socks.

"Sakura, you haven't replied to my message since you left yesterday. I was a little worried about you, so I came to the shrine to see you--" The moment she saw Sakura, Su Shi came over.

Ying raised a hand to interrupt Su Shi. "It's okay. I told you in the Crychic group. Didn't you see it? I'm just not satisfied with the state of yesterday's rehearsal. I don't have any opinions about anyone or Crychic."

As for why she didn't reply to Su Shi's message, she couldn't answer.

Can you still say something like "The messages you sent are so annoying and humble that I don't know how to reply"?

Su Shi's expression relaxed a little, and she rubbed the hem of her skirt lightly with her fingers: "Ying, I saw Xiangzi at school today. She promised to come to the next rehearsal. As long as Xiangzi is here, the six of us can definitely run the band well! Please!"

Ying sighed softly. "Sushi, why are you so anxious? I didn't say I was quitting the band. I was just unhappy with everyone's attitude during rehearsal from beginning to end yesterday. I know what kind of music everyone in Crychic is capable of. Do you think you were performing at your full potential yesterday? The people at PoppinParty told me that back when Space was still around, if you behaved like that in the practice room there, you would be scolded if the boss saw you."

"But Xiaoxiang is not here——"

"It's not Xiangzi's fault. Did her absence affect your bass playing? The Red Ginger song isn't that difficult. I can't say who's better at keyboards, Zhi or Xiangzi, but there's definitely no difference on this piece. And what's the result? Each of you has become like a beginner on an instrument, and you're constantly distracted and dazed. What's the point of rehearsing like this?"

Su Shi stood there, not knowing how to respond.

Ying's expression softened slightly. "So, rather than rehearsing, it's more important for everyone to adjust their mindset. With six people in a band, and everyone being students, it's normal to be missing one or two people. Su Shi, you should take a few days to rest and adjust. Once everyone is adjusted, we can arrange training again."

Su Shi nodded.

Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief. She patted Su Shi's shoulder and said, "I'll be there when the time comes."

"Sakura, can we draw lots at the shrine?"

"I made a set of fortune sticks last time, but no one has drawn them yet. Do you want to try it?" Ying said, pointing to the back of the shrine.

"Please, Sakura." Su Shi bowed slightly to Sakura.

Ying walked to the back of the shrine and took out two fortune sticks she had custom-made. When she was tidying up the storage room, she took out all the old things used for drawing lots and looked at them. They were already a bit damaged and there was really no value in repairing them, so she wiped them clean and kept them as "old things that bless the shrine". She then turned around and custom-made a few fortune sticks online.

"Su Shi, you want to draw the Chinese style, but you don't know if it's the Japanese style?"

"Huh?" Su Shi looked at Ying, who was holding a lottery stick in each hand, and after a few seconds asked, "Is there any difference?"

"The Japanese style is the kind you see at other shrines, with numbers like Daikichi, Zhongkichi, and Suekikichi. The Chinese style is used differently. You first tell me whether you're asking for luck, marriage, health, or career, and I'll interpret the number based on your request."

"Japanese... Japanese style, right?"

"Please." Ying smiled and took out a lottery ticket box and asked Su Shi to shake it herself.

Su Shi bowed reverently to the shrine and shook the fortune stick a few times.

A wooden stick popped out, with the words "Very bad luck, level 31" written on it.

Ying and Su Shi frowned at the same time, but Ying still helped Su Shi get the fortune stick. Ying took the fortune stick and looked at it once, then folded it up and said, "Su Shi, how about I help you throw it onto the roof and throw away the bad luck."

Su Shi stretched out a hand to stop Ying: "Tell me what it is."

"This..." Ying hid the fortune behind her back: "This is just a joke, it doesn't count."

"Give it to me." Su Shi forcefully pried the stick out of Ying's hand and unfolded it with slightly trembling hands.

[The tides rise and fall, the clouds roll and unroll; everything in this world has its destiny. Treasured things, like flowing water, will eventually flow away. Trying to hold on to them only adds to sorrow; clinging to them only brings trouble. Only by letting go of obsessions can one find freedom.]

Su Shi was silent for half a minute, then suddenly raised his head: "I want the Chinese style!"

"Hmm...how about another time?" Ying hid the remaining lottery boxes behind her.

"No! I want to smoke!"

Ying sighed and took out the lottery box: "So what do you want to ask for?"

"Please ask for...home-fortune!" Su Shi originally wanted to say "family", but changed it halfway to the fortune that Ying had mentioned before.

I am a monster. If I draw lots in front of the big monster, maybe... it will actually work?

Su Shi shook the fortune stick holder a few times in a fit of anger and shook out a bamboo stick.

The bamboo stick reads "No. 57".

Ying tore off a piece of paper from the sign hanging on the wall according to the number.

[No. 57: A very bad fortune. The person's face has vanished, yet the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze. Most of all, the human world cannot hold on to them, their beauty leaves the mirror, the flowers leave the tree.]

It is a fortune made up of two lines of poetry. The first line means that things and people have changed, leaving only a sense of melancholy, while the second line means that the things cherished in the world will be as hard to retain as fallen flowers.

No matter how you look at it, it doesn't look good, and it basically means the same thing as the fortune slip.

"Ying, what does it mean?" Su Shi asked impatiently.

"No...it doesn't mean anything." Ying handed the fortune slip to Su Shi: "It's similar to the last one. I don't want to talk nonsense."

Su Shi opened the translation software, scanned the signature, and then fell silent.

When she spoke again, her voice was trembling. "Crychic... Is there really no other way for Crychic?"

"Didn't you call Xiangzi back? Were you thinking about Crychic when you drew the lot?" Ying was surprised - the lot was so heavy, Ying thought she was praying for the future of her family.

"Yes, Xiangzi is back, and everything will be fine. Crychic was founded by Xiangzi, and as long as she comes back, everyone will return to normal. Ying, can you help me hang these two lots on the cherry tree? This way, my luck should change, right?" Hearing Xiangzi's name, Su Shi's obviously depressed mood recovered a little.

"Let me throw it onto the roof for you. It will be just as useful. The fortune stick is just a prediction. As long as you work hard, it won't be that bad." Ying swung her arm and threw the balled fortune stick onto the roof.

She didn't want to have such a thing hanging on her branches - it was too unlucky.

Chapter 146 Spring, Sakura and Crychic:48, Cat's Invitation

Crychic hadn't scheduled any training for several days, so Sakura could only maintain the operation and construction of the shrine while keeping an eye on Momoka and her group who were out at the music festival.

She used her social media to promote Taoxiang and the others, and the festival organizers publicly expressed their gratitude.

But that's all she can do. The problems within the band still have to be solved by the band members themselves, just like the problems of Crychic still have to be faced by Xiangzi, the founder of Crychic.

Sometimes, it’s like “Speak of the devil and he appears.”

Just as Sakura was thinking about Crychic, Crychic's lead singer, Touma Takamatsu, appeared at the shrine.

The lamp looked a little tired. The first thing it did when it arrived under the cherry tree was to put its hands together and pray to "God".

Her voice was so soft that Ying, who was standing far away, couldn't hear it clearly. She had to move closer, but she saw the increasingly obvious confusion in Deng's eyes.

"My Lord God... I really want to become a human..." This time, Sakura finally heard what Deng said clearly.

But this sentence was a bit too shocking for Sakura.

You are not human, what are you?

Could it be a slug or a slime monster?

If you are not clear-headed, at least take a piss and look at yourself!

Of course, she couldn't possibly irritate Deng with such a sharp expression, so she used a dialogue box to speak to Deng as "God," saying, "Deng, you are undoubtedly a human being."

Deng shook his head slightly. "I don't understand human emotions... Singing is a very happy thing, and forming a band with everyone is also a very happy thing, but..."

This time, Sakura didn't use a dialog box, but directly said, "Combining two happy things doesn't necessarily lead to good results. For example, performing at the school festival is a good thing, and finally having constipation relieved is also a good thing. But if constipation is relieved during a school festival performance, it's a bit bad, right?"

Deng's eyes widened. "So my student life at this school is over, right? Sakura, how did you come up with such a...wonderful metaphor?"

"My Lord God, seeing that you are so depressed, let me save your smile - smile." Ying stretched out her two index fingers and pushed up the corners of her mouth that were just pressed down by the lamp.

Sakura's fingers were slightly warm as they pressed against her face, which had turned cold from the wind.

"How about participating in the BangDream competition?" Ying suggested, "A lot of bands sign up for the BangDream competition, right? It doesn't require a high score; it just gives the band a goal. If Deng proposes it, everyone will agree."

Deng didn't say anything, his expression was a little depressed, and the corners of his mouth slowly drooped.

After communicating with Deng so many times, Sakura has almost figured out Deng's personality - Deng is waiting for a reply from "God".

So, Ying could only continue to use the dialog box: "Humans shine in their respective fields because of the diversity of their hobbies. Doing what you like is the colorful beauty of humanity."

Deng heard the voice from his heart, then he clenched a fist and placed it on his chest, letting out a long sigh: "Thank you, I understand."

Before Takagi Sakura could ask Deng what she understood, Deng borrowed the training room's coffee table. She sat at it, her fingers gently caressing the edge of her green notebook, her gaze fixed on the page spread out before her as she meticulously wrote the lyrics. Her handwriting was delicate and childish, a reflection of the complex inner world of a high school girl.

Ying stood not far away, watching Deng writing the lyrics seriously. Perhaps for Deng, expressing himself with a pen was more appropriate than expressing himself with his mouth.

Just then, the door to the training room opened, and Lenai walked in, dragging her guitar and pedals with her usual expression—she looked like a cat that had found something interesting.

Lenai glanced at the light and ignored her, instead walking directly to the guitar amp and connecting his equipment.

Ying leaned over to Lena and turned off the socket connected to the guitar amp. "Lena, use the speaker and headphones for a while today. Deng is writing lyrics."

Lenai tilted her head and glanced at Sakura, "I want Live."

"No problem, turn on the speakers later and I'll accompany you on the bass." Sakura thought that Le Na was a little dissatisfied because she couldn't take over the speakers.

"Not this Live." Lenai whispered as he adjusted his guitar, "It's a Live with an audience. I want to form a band with Sakura and perform Live in a band."

Sakura was stunned for a moment. She hadn't expected Lenai to suddenly make such a request. She turned her head and glanced at Deng, only to find that Deng's brows were slightly furrowed, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

"Well..." Sakura was a little embarrassed. She knew that Deng might not want to hear news that was not favorable to Crychic, but at the same time she didn't want to disappoint Lenai's invitation.

Crychic was currently in a precarious situation, and Lena and herself had a deep bond, having been connected to some extent since Space's acquisition. Until now, the shrine had almost become Lena's second home.

Both Rakuna and Deng were Sakura's favorite children, and she really didn't know which side she should "favor".

"It's okay." Deng suddenly said, "Ying, I know Crychic is too small a stage for you."

Ying was stunned. She hadn't expected Deng to say it so directly. Just as she was about to explain further, Deng had already closed his notebook and stood up.

"I have to go now." Deng whispered, a hint of reluctance in his voice: "I hope Sakura doesn't quit Crychic. We can... do both."

Watching Deng leave, Ying felt a little uneasy. She knew she needed to have a good talk with Lenai, and at the same time, she had to find a way to help Deng out of his predicament.

"Rika Asahi has become the band's guitarist. The relevant tasks have been completed and she has been rewarded with 1200 Shining Points. The current Shining Points are 13703." The system's prompt sound suddenly rang.

It then occurred to Sakura that she hadn't been in touch with anyone from RAS for a while.

It seems that after Momoka left, Asahi Rikka has integrated well into the band, and CHU^2 also fits the description of a "pressure cooker producer".

The system's predictions were indeed accurate. It seemed that Crychic's collapse was indeed inevitable.

When Taoxiang's band and Miaomeng had a conflict of opinion, Miaomeng finally chose to withdraw and replaced the drummer with Hongxia. The band has always stumbled and started again. If someone in Crychic was replaced, would the same effect be achieved?

When this thought came to her mind, she was shocked herself - the experience Crychic had given her was actually not negative in any sense.

It was indeed a bit excessive to think about disbanding the team directly, but once the thought came to mind, it was not so easy to suppress it.

First of all, let's rule out removing Deng. Deng is the lyricist and lead singer of the band. If he is replaced, the style of Crychic will be very different.

Next, excluding the possibility of removing Lixi, finding a young drummer who knows some music theory is indeed a very difficult task, and Deng and Lixi have a very good relationship.