Green plums cannot become lovers.

The others watched quietly, and no one said a word.

Momoka Kawahara was the last to finish watching.

She read the score from beginning to end, then turned back to the first page, and then read it from the first page to the end again. After reading it twice, she looked up and her gaze fell on the boy.

She wanted to say something, but when she opened her mouth, she found that she didn't know what to say.

It was just one night.

They had just finished discussing the direction of the musical style last night, and this morning he produced a complete song.

This is not the kind of perfunctory, template-based completion, but a work in which every melody, every chord, and every rhythmic change has been carefully polished.

Even the lyrics were written; the sentences seemed to have been ripped from someone's heart, carrying a genuine and undisguised warmth.

"The so-called answers are probably just superficial everyday life."

She silently recited the lyrics, and suddenly felt something stuck in her throat.

She thought of those days in the past.

Those nights spent sitting in the dimly lit practice room, unsure of where to go the next day. Those nights standing on stage, looking at the sparse audience, feeling an emptiness in my heart. Those nights after the band broke up, walking home alone with my guitar on my back through the streets late at night.

During those days, she was constantly searching for answers.

At this moment, looking at the sheet music in her hand, she suddenly felt that perhaps the answer was not far away, but right here, in this bright practice room, and in the people around her.

"what happened?"

An and Asuka noticed her gaze and looked up from their phones.

"Is it poorly written?"

"Do not."

Momoka Kawara shook her head, her voice a little hoarse.

"It's so well written, I can hardly believe it was written for us."

An and Asuka glanced at her, then put down their phones.

"Then play it well, until you yourselves are satisfied."

Kawara Momoka nodded vigorously.

They don't need the teenagers to remind them; they will definitely perform this piece perfectly.

Volume 1: Chapter 297

The reason why An and Asuka went to such lengths to help these girls, besides the fact that An and Subaru were their younger sisters, was also for another very important reason.

He had high hopes for the band.

Therefore, he developed a sense of appreciation for talent.

From the moment he first heard them play, he keenly sensed that there was something very special about this band.

It wasn't skill or talent, but something else that truly moved him about them... a kind of unwavering dedication to pouring emotion into their voices, a resilience that allows them to get back up no matter how many times they fall.

Each of them has something about them that makes it hard to look away.

That's why he went all out.

Because he believed that given time, they would definitely shine.

He genuinely wanted to keep these girls in Rouge En Rouge, so that there would be one less competitor outside.

The deeper he went into this industry, the clearer one thing became.

Good bands are a scarce resource, and bands that become famous are even rarer. Signing them at this stage would be a sure-fire investment for the agency.

However, his initial plan was to recruit both those with and without thorns, and then leave the rest to Sister Zhu Yin. He was only responsible for making the connections; the subsequent training, management, and resource allocation were the work of professional agents, and he, a high school student, shouldn't interfere too much.

However, to his surprise, Akane Akasaka entrusted him with full responsibility for these five girls.

"Sister Zhu Yin, are you serious?"

An and Asuka sat on the sofa in Akane's office, holding a cup of tea they hadn't taken a sip of, their expressions somewhat complicated.

Behind the large desk opposite him, Akane Akasaka was resting her chin on her hand, smiling at him. Today she was wearing a dark red knitted sweater, her long hair draped over her shoulders, making her look both languid and shrewd.

This guy comes to her place almost every day now, and stays for at least one or two hours each time, so it's good that she can find him something to do.

“Of course.” She blinked. “When have I ever lied to you?”

“But I have no experience in this area.” An and Asuka put down their teacups and explained seriously, “I can do lyrics, compose music, and arrange music. I can also try to do recording and production, but I don’t understand the management stuff at all. I’m afraid that if you leave them to me, I will delay their career.”

"You'll get it with practice." Akane Akasaka waved her hand dismissively, as if the problems he mentioned weren't problems at all. "Besides, you're all the same age, so there's no barrier between you. Besides, they all seem to like you a lot."

"There's no necessary connection between the two, is there?" An and Asuka said, somewhat speechless.

"Hey, stop talking nonsense." Akane Kousaka leaned forward and tapped the table lightly twice. "Didn't you say you were going to help me? Then help me train them properly."

“That’s not what I meant.” An and Asuka sighed helplessly.

When he said he would help, he meant taking care of her life at her studio, not putting a band in his place to be her babysitter.

"Hmm, I don't care."

Akane Akasaka leaned back in her chair, her arms crossed over her chest, her smile as bright as a sunflower blooming in late autumn.

The office was silent for three seconds.

An and Asuka finally gave in. He lowered his head, picked up the cup of tea that was almost cold, took a sip, and then nodded.

"...Okay, I can do it, but you have to promise me that if anything goes wrong later, you can't blame me."

"Don't worry, I'm the most responsible person."

An and Asuka glanced at her but didn't reply.

Akane Akane's smile brightened even more when she saw that he had agreed.

She added in a relaxed tone, "And you don't need to be as meticulous as a professional; you just need to get along well with them."

"Getting along? Umbrella? Is it li??g?ne? 侕逝9疤?咝?"

"Yes, getting along."

Akane Akasaka stood up, walked around the table to the window, and looked at the gray-blue sky outside. "For a band of this age, the worst thing isn't writing bad songs or lacking technical skill—the worst thing is losing their morale. You need to keep them on their toes, and I'll have Sakura Matsutsuki assist you with everything else."

An and Asuka were silent for a moment before sighing and saying, "I'll try my best."

"Not just try, definitely."

Akane Akane turned around, looked into his eyes, and spoke with a rare seriousness in her tone.

"Feiniao, I have a good eye for people. These girls are destined for fame."

Jiulingliu? Dead willow? Qi??rba Yueyi

Fortunately, these girls were very serious about both practice and study, so An and Asuka didn't need to spend too much energy on them.

He simply handed them the sheet music, arranged the rehearsal schedule, and occasionally stood by to listen during their performances, offering suggestions for adjustments on minor details. The rest of the time, he hardly had to worry about anything.

They would automatically arrive at the practice room early, automatically tidy up the equipment after practice, and sit down to discuss things instead of arguing when they disagreed.

This group of people doesn't need a teacher; all they need is an open door and a pointed path.

In just one week, they had already practiced "The Empty Box" quite well.

"Alright, everyone, let's take a break."

After the practice session ended, An and Asuka called a halt to their performance. The girls' performance was quite good; for a newly formed band, this was a remarkable achievement.

The girls breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

Jing Qinren put down the microphone, shook her slightly sore shoulders, and stepped down from the microphone stand. She had been singing with great passion, almost shouting the last chorus. Her voice was a little hoarse, but her face was glowing, clearly indicating that she had thoroughly enjoyed the performance.

The girls left the practice room and went to the rest area outside to relax.

Jing Qinrencai plopped down on the sofa, leaning back and sinking into the soft cushions with a comfortable sigh. An He Mao chose another sofa, burying his face in his arms, leaving only one eye showing.

They've completely made this place their home.

An and Asuka didn't say anything about it; the rest area was meant for resting, after all. He found a sofa in the corner, took out his phone, and opened the music event search page.

I had only been looking at it for a short while when the sofa cushion next to me suddenly sank down.

Jing Qinrencai climbed up from the sofa at some point and slipped over to sit down next to him.

She carried a faint smell of sweat, mixed with the lingering scent of instrument cleaning agent in the air, but the distance didn't feel uncomfortable.

After spending a week together, the girl who was initially a bit reserved in his presence has now completely opened up. She is no longer as cautious as she was at the beginning, and she no longer mentally rehearses her words before speaking.

"Ah, that feels so good."

Jing Qinren lay sprawled on the sofa like a dead fish, her head resting on the cushions, her eyes staring at the ceiling. A week ago, she wouldn't have dared to imagine such a life.

The practice room is large and luxurious, with a spacious and bright rest area, professional equipment, and free tea and snacks—it's nothing like the old, damp, cramped, and moldy practice room we used to live in.

And all of this was because of the boy beside her.

If he hadn't shown up at that livehouse that day, she would probably still be in that dimly lit practice room, practicing her vocals in front of that cracked mirror, unsure of where to go next.

"Flying Bird, what are you looking at?"

After exhaling, Izayoi turned her head and saw the boy next to her staring at his phone, so she asked curiously.

After they became more familiar, she started calling the boy by his name, just like An and Subaru did. At first, she felt a little embarrassed, as if she wasn't qualified. But after calling him a few times, she realized he didn't mind, so it became more and more natural for her to call him that.

"I'm looking for any music events you can participate in," An and Asuka replied, their eyes never leaving the screen.

Now that they've chosen to go professional, they can't remain unknown as before. Signing a contract is just the first step; the next step is to increase their exposure. In this industry, even the best wine needs advertising; no matter how good your song is, it's meaningless if no one hears it.

So their next step is to appear in front of the public more often and let more people know about the band.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Izayoi Nina immediately became interested. She jumped up from her sofa and naturally moved closer to An and Asuka, looking down at the phone screen in his hand.

Their shoulders were almost touching. Her hair fell down, brushing against the back of An and Asuka's hand holding the phone, carrying a faint scent of shampoo. The posture was somewhat ambiguous, but she seemed completely unaware of it, her eyes sparkling as she focused intently on the activity list on the screen.

This scene was quickly noticed by An and Subaru.

She had been resting with her eyes closed, leaning on the sofa armrest, when she opened one eye and saw the scene over there, and then opened the other eye as well. She pouted, got up from the sofa, picked up the glass of juice she hadn't finished, and sat down on the other side of An and Asuka.

She didn't say anything, but just sat down and glanced at the direction of the celery.

This jealous-like behavior left the remaining three people somewhat helpless.

RUPA held her teacup, concealing a smile from her lips. Ebizuka Tomo lowered her head and took a sip of coffee, pretending not to see anything, but her ears twitched, clearly eavesdropping. Even Kawara Momoka couldn't help but smile.

However, their attention was quickly drawn to what An and Asuka had just said.

Musical events.

In other words, they are going to step onto a real stage, not a livehouse stage with only a few dozen audience members, but a formal stage for a wider audience.

But isn't this a bit too early?

"Asuka, isn't it a bit too early for us to go on stage?"

An and Subaru voiced the questions that had been on their minds on behalf of their teammates. Her tone held no doubt, but rather a cautious concern.

She knew they were improving quickly, but she also knew how cruel the outside world was. If they performed poorly too early, the bad impression they left could last a long time.

An and Asuka replied, "It's getting late. You're capable of standing on this stage now. And I won't choose any difficult activities for you."

As he spoke, he sent screenshots of several events he had selected to the band's group chat for everyone to see.

"I chose three activities this time."

He held up his phone so that all five people could see what was on the screen, and then explained it to them one by one.

"The first one is in Chiba next door, an exchange event for young bands around your age. There are no restrictions on musical style, and the entry requirements are not high."

However, based on information from previous years, this event seems to have some pre-determined elements. Those who attended say that while it's ostensibly an exchange program, the winner is actually already decided, and the atmosphere isn't particularly good.

"The second one is a music festival in Kyoto, which is much larger than the first one. There are no age or musical style restrictions for the bands, so there is a lot of freedom. But the problem is that it's a mixed bag, and the quality of the audience can't be guaranteed. Also, it's a bit far from us, and the cost of travel and accommodation is not low."

"The third is a new artist debut event in Tokyo. It's very close to us, and the timing is right on your next day off. The organizers will invite some media and industry professionals to attend, so the exposure is the highest of the three. However, the competition in Tokyo is very fierce. There are many bands that apply, and the number of selected spots is limited. Moreover, the other bands on the same stage are also quite good."

After An and Feibiao finished speaking, they put their phones on the table and let the others see the details for themselves.

The five girls huddled together, heads down, watching the event information, time and location, and past recap videos on the screen. They occasionally whispered to each other, exchanging their opinions.

After watching for a while, the girls looked up, their eyes showing a thoughtful expression.