Green plums cannot become lovers.

“I said, I want you to be the interviewer,” Akane Akasaka repeated.

“Wait, Sister Zhu Yin.” An and Asuka sat up straight. “I’m not in the idol department, and I have no experience as an interviewer. You want me to be an interviewer? Are you kidding me?”

“I’m not joking.” Akane blinked, looking completely innocent. “The person in charge of this recruitment suddenly took leave recently, and I can’t find a suitable replacement right away. After thinking about it, I think you’re the most suitable.”

"The most suitable? I don't even really know what an idol is."

"But you understand music. Idol auditions, in the end, are all about basic skills—singing, dancing, and watching. You can even lead a band, so how could sitting there and listening to a few preliminary contestants sing a song be difficult for you?"

Akane Akasaka said matter-of-factly, "Besides, it's not like you're the only one making all the decisions. There are other people interviewing you too. You just need to sit there, listen to some music, and give them a score."

An and Asuka fell silent.

He knew Akane Akasaka's way of doing things; she never put someone in a position without a reason. She always had her reasons for doing so, and those reasons were most likely not to cause him trouble, but because she genuinely believed he could do it.

But he still felt very resistant.

"Sister Zhu Yin, isn't this getting in through connections? I have neither qualifications nor experience. Won't it seem strange to others if I sit in that position?"

"What's so strange about it? You're a contracted creator with rouge en rouge, so it's perfectly legitimate for you to be sitting in the audition room for idol selection."

Akane Akasaka waved her hand, "Besides, who said anything about using connections? You don't know any of the people who signed up; you're just going to be a judge. If you insist on saying it's about using connections, then you're the one using connections for me, filling in for someone else who doesn't want to do the job."

An and Asuka looked at her for a long while before saying, "Just one?"

“It’s just one round.” Akane Kousaka nodded immediately. “You only need to attend the audition on the day of the preliminary round, and I’ll take care of the rest. Besides, think about it, maybe you can discover a few good talents there? It’s a good way to build up some connections for your future band in advance.”

"Don't add to my workload."

"Okay, okay, no need to add it."

An and Asuka were silent for a few seconds, then let out a long sigh.

"...Alright, just this once."

"Great!" Akane Akasaka immediately resumed her shrewd smile, pulled a document from her drawer and handed it to Anwa Asuka. "This is the interview process and scoring criteria. Take it back and take a look. Wednesday morning at nine o'clock, the large rehearsal hall on the third floor of the company. Don't be late."

An and Asuka took the document and glanced through it. It was filled with detailed scoring criteria, interview procedures, and important notes, and even included a list of interviewers. He looked at his name written in the "Music Judge" section and suddenly felt the weight on his shoulders increase.

He closed the file, looked up at Akane Akasaka, and said with a hint of helplessness, "Akane-nee, did you plan to have me do this from the very beginning?"

Akane Akane smiled without saying a word.

“I knew it.” An and Asuka put away their documents and stood up. “I’ll head back now. They’re still practicing downstairs.”

"Go ahead, go ahead." Akane Kousaka waved to him and smiled as she said goodbye.

Volume 1: Chapter 299 is about to begin

Although Akane Akasaka assigned them work they were completely unsuited for, An and Asuka didn't complain.

After all, he had promised to help the other person share the burden, and based on his understanding of Akane Akasaka, she wouldn't push someone with no experience into that position for no reason.

She always has her own considerations when doing things, but often she is too lazy to explain, or rather she feels that explaining is superfluous, and that the result will naturally explain everything once the matter is done.

An and Asuka knew that Akane Akasaka was using this method to gradually involve him in the company's affairs, both big and small.

She wasn't really lacking an interviewer; she wanted him to familiarize himself with how the music, entertainment, and film industries operated. For a band to establish itself in this industry, good music alone isn't enough; they also need to understand the rules of the game.

How to deal with the media, how to schedule performances, how to find your place in a competitive environment—these are things you can't learn from textbooks; you can only accumulate experience through practice.

However, he didn't have much time to think about that right now. The selection process could wait; tomorrow was the most important thing.

The Tokyo music event marked the first official appearance of Thornless in a true sense.

When he returned to the practice room, the girls had just finished a round of practice. Several of them were scattered in different corners of the rest area; some were drinking water, some were stretching their wrists, and some were staring blankly at the ceiling.

Anhe Mao was the first to notice him walk in. She leaned halfway out from the sofa and asked curiously, "Feiniao, what does Sister Zhuyin want with you?"

Her question drew the attention of the others. Serina Iza put down her water glass, Momoka Kawahara turned away from the guitar stand, and even Tomoka Ebizuka looked up from her phone screen.

"It's nothing, just some work-related stuff," An and Asuka said casually. "You two practice hard."

"Oh—" Seeing that he didn't want to say more, An and Subaru didn't press him and lay back down on the sofa.

The others also looked away and went back to their own business.

The practice continued until 6 p.m., and An and Asuka stopped on time, unlike the previous days. The group packed up their instruments, restored the practice room to its original state, and then gathered at the door to disperse.

An and Asuka stood by the door and asked, "The music event is tomorrow, are you nervous?"

Upon hearing this, the girls exchanged glances and then shook their heads almost simultaneously.

"No."

"Really?" An and Asuka looked at their expressions.

"real!"

"Okay." He nodded. "Meet at the company at nine o'clock tomorrow. Don't be late."

After saying that, he didn't give any further instructions.

To be honest, none of these guys are the type to get nervous easily. An and Subaru are a given; from the day we met, she's always been a very easygoing person, the kind who'd take anything in stride.

Jingqin Rencai has a strong competitive spirit. She gets more excited on important occasions, like a taut string ready to be released.

Both Ebisuka Satoshi and RUPA are worldly-wise and have extensive social experience. And as for Kawara Momoka, needless to say, she's a professional gamer for two lifetimes and has seen it all.

Putting aside other aspects, this combination is definitely top-notch in terms of not being shy.

After agreeing on a time with the girls, An and Asuka left the company.

When he got home, Shizuka, Ai, and Marina had already prepared dinner. Warm yellow light shone through the window, looking especially cozy in the autumn twilight. He pushed open the door, and the aroma of food wafted out. The table was already set, and three smiling faces were waiting for him to sit down.

The dining table was as warm and inviting as ever. Shizuka served him a bowl of miso soup, Ai pushed a perfectly fried salmon in front of him, and Marina asked him if he was tired today while adding rice to his bowl.

Such ordinary yet heartwarming scenes always give him a sense of peace after a busy day.

An and Asuka felt a little apologetic for coming home late lately; they felt they hadn't been taking good care of their family.

He used to at least come home on time for dinner, and sometimes he would even come home early to help them prepare ingredients. But lately, because of the band's rehearsals, he's been leaving school earliest almost every day and doesn't get home until it's dark, so he's been spending significantly less time with them.

He put down his chopsticks and said earnestly, "I've been coming home late lately, thank you for your hard work."

Shizuka paused for a moment, then smiled and shook her head: "You're doing something serious, what's there to apologize for?"

“Yes, and we’ve been doing just fine while you were gone,” Marina said with a smile. “Don’t think too highly of yourself.”

Xiao Ai didn't say anything, but silently put a piece of braised pork into his bowl and smiled at him.

They are always so understanding. Even though their own time is being taken up, they still comfort him and tell him not to feel burdened.

He does get a little tired at night, but it's not the kind of tiredness that's unpleasant.

The next morning, An and Asuka got out of bed, supporting their backs.

The light filtering through the curtains was still dim; winter mornings are late, and he could hear sporadic bird calls and the occasional sound of passing cars outside. He glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table: 6:15.

As he was getting dressed and washing up, he heard noises coming from the kitchen. Marina was making bento boxes early in the morning. The crisp sound of spatulas clattering in the pots and pans drifted in through the crack in the door, mixed with the aroma of fried eggs.

He didn't disturb her. He quietly tidied himself up, changed into a dark gray coat, slung his bag over his shoulder, and changed his shoes in the entryway. Before leaving, he glanced back at the still-closed door at the end of the corridor, thought for a moment, and decided not to wake them.

It was almost eight o'clock when I arrived at the company.

The building was quiet. At this hour, most employees hadn't arrived yet, and the corridors were empty, save for the cleaning lady pushing her cleaning cart from room to room, her mop leaving wet arcs on the floor. An and Feiniao greeted the cleaning lady and then took the elevator.

He thought he would be the first to arrive, but when he pushed open the door to the practice room, he found that there were already people inside.

Momoka Kawara was sitting in the chair by the window, holding a guitar in her arms. She wasn't plugging in an amplifier; she was just gently plucking the strings with her fingers. The music sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet room, as pure as the first rays of sunlight on a winter morning.

"Momoka, so early." An and Asuka walked into the practice room and put their backpacks in the corner.

"Hmm." Momoka Kawara looked up at him, her hands still moving. "You too."

An and Asuka walked over to her, pulled up a chair, and sat down: "Were you practicing just now?"

"No." Momoka Kawahara shook her head, her fingers lightly gliding across the strings, producing a series of intermittent notes. "I'm just casually strumming a few notes to maintain my feel and prevent mistakes later."

“I don’t think we need to worry too much.” An and Asuka leaned back in their chairs and turned to look at her. “You’re absolutely right.”

Momoka Kawara's fingers paused on the strings for a moment.

"You trust me that much?"

"After all, you are very reliable."

“Reliable…” Kawara Momoka held the word in her mouth for a while, as if tasting a flavor she had never had before.

She lowered her eyes, her fingers began to move again, and she played a simple C chord. The sound of the piano echoed in the empty practice room. "This is the first time I've been praised like this by someone else."

"Isn't that a very apt assessment?"

"Absolutely not, I'm not reliable at all."

Momoka Kawahara placed the guitar on her lap, lowered her head slightly, and looked at the strings. Her voice was soft, but there was something indescribable in her tone. It wasn't self-deprecation, nor was it humility; it was more like stating a fact she had long accepted.

She's not reliable. If she were, she wouldn't have abandoned her friends and left her band at that time. She was the one who said she wanted to be in a band for life, but in the end, she was the one who left.

Her close friends followed her relentlessly, but she let them down.

She has not regretted that decision to this day, but she also does not intend to rationalize it. She made that choice and must bear all the consequences, including the self-assessment that "I am unreliable."

"It seems you have some misunderstandings about yourself." An and Asuka's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey, isn't that what I should be saying?" Momoka Kawahara looked up and smiled helplessly. "You're the one who misunderstood me, so why are you turning around and accusing me?"

"I'm just describing what I saw in you."

An and Asuka didn't laugh, but spoke seriously, "In my eyes, you are indeed very reliable. Whether it's your attitude when practicing the piano, the way you keep everyone in the rhythm in the band, or the sense of propriety in your words and actions, all of these make me feel that you are a reliable person."

Of course, he didn't draw conclusions based on just a few days of interaction. Anwa Subaru and Iori Serina had told him about each other before. The Kawahara Momoka they mentioned was a somewhat strange and persistent but very reliable adult.

Kawara Momoka opened her mouth as if to say something, but swallowed the words back.

She lowered her head and began plucking the strings again, this time without stopping.

After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice softer than before, as if talking to herself: "You really are..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but she didn't continue to refute it either. She simply hugged her guitar, lowered her head, and her fingers slowly traced the strings, playing a melody she had written a few days ago but hadn't yet decided whether to use.

An and Asuka didn't continue speaking. He listened to the melody for a while, silently memorized a few notes, and then stood up to check the equipment he needed to bring that day.

Less than half an hour later, the other four girls arrived one after another.

The first one to rush in was RUPA. She was wearing a bright orange hoodie today, and she looked like a moving ray of sunshine. As soon as she entered, she shouted "Good morning!" Her voice was so loud that Momoka Kawahara, who was adjusting her tone, trembled and produced an abrupt overtone.

"Keep your voice down." Ebizuka Tomo followed her into the room, frowning as he said, "You're going to shake this building down."

"Oh, it's okay. Anyway, today is the official event, so let everyone feel our energy in advance!"

RUPA smiled and didn't seem to care at all.

Jingqin Rencai was the third to arrive. When she came in, her expression was quite calm, but An and Feibiao noticed that she was wearing a new pair of shoes today, probably specially prepared for this day.

She walked to the middle of the practice room, glanced at herself in the mirror on the wall, straightened her collar, took a breath, and slowly exhaled.

An and Subaru arrived last, carrying a paper bag containing several rice balls bought from a convenience store. Seeing that everyone was there, she smiled and placed the bag on the table: "I bought these for you, in case anyone hadn't had breakfast."

"Wow, Subaru, this is great!" Jingqinrencai was the first to rush over.

As the group gathered around the table to distribute rice balls, An and Asuka stood to the side, watching them frolic and silently going over the day's schedule in their minds: time, venue, equipment, song order, and backup plans.

After confirming everything was correct, he picked up his backpack and said, "We'll get ready to leave after we finish eating."

"it is good--"

The voices of the five people overlapped in the practice room, carrying the scent of rice ball crumbs and sunshine.

The music festival was held in a park in Shinagawa Ward. Although it wasn't a particularly large event, many bands participated, including several well-known ones.

Therefore, even though there were still several hours until the music festival started, the park entrance was already packed with people.

An and Asuka got off the car through the side gate with several girls and entered the park through a special passage.

Upon entering the activity area of ​​the park, the group was immediately struck by its sheer size. It was the first time for most of them to visit such a place. Several stages had already been set up in the center of the grass.

"This area can currently accommodate a maximum of 50,000 people."

When An and Asuka told them this, they were all almost scared to tears.

Even though Momoka Kawaharaki was a professional Kayamaji Ryuuichi, she had never stepped onto a stage with tens of thousands of people.

She had always dreamed of performing on a bigger and better stage with her teammates, and now that goal is actually about to come true.

The only problem is that everyone who said they would be together with me is no longer by my side.

"This music festival has five stages: one main stage, two secondary stages, and two small stages."