Green plums cannot become lovers.

"Your performance will be on the secondary stage on the west side. Let me show you."

Normally, an unknown street band like them would only be able to get a small stage, but he managed to use his connections to secure a secondary stage for the girls.

The bigger the stage, the more audience members can see them.

Volume 1: Chapter 300 I Hate Girl Bands the Most

The park here has a large open space, and the stages are also quite far apart.

An and Asuka led the girls for about five minutes before arriving at the secondary stage located on the west side.

The autumn sun shone through the sparse clouds, casting soft light and shadow on the lawn. The air was filled with the dry scent of grass, and occasionally a few withered yellow leaves were blown by the wind, swirling past their feet.

The second stage is actually no different from the main stage, except for the size of the stage and the band's fame.

The main stage had a more professional sound system and more complex lighting setup, while the secondary stage was relatively simpler. However, for a band that had not yet officially debuted, this was already a pretty good opportunity to make their debut.

Famous bands perform on the main stage, attracting a large audience; while less well-known bands can only perform on the secondary stage or even a small stage, where the audience is sparse and there may be fewer people on stage than on the main stage.

At music festivals like this, smaller bands are basically there to support the larger ones. The organizers schedule them at different times so that the audience has something to watch between performances on the main stage, preventing the atmosphere from getting dull.

This is both a business consideration and an unfortunate reality. After all, no one will come to a music festival specifically for an unknown band; they're just passing by.

But this was nothing to An and Asuka.

His fame alone surpasses that of any well-known band here.

He doesn't need to compare himself to others, nor does he need to prove anything to anyone. "Thornless" is a band he personally created, and the band itself signifies a certain level of quality. As long as they can perform at their expected standard on stage, their reputation will naturally follow.

"That's where you'll be performing."

An and Asuka pointed ahead, "You'll be performing four short plays in total: this afternoon, tomorrow morning and afternoon, and the afternoon of the day after tomorrow. Don't forget."

This is the schedule he arranged for the group. Four shows over two and a half days may not sound like much, but for a band that hasn't fully adapted to a high-intensity performance schedule, this density is actually quite high.

Maintaining the same level of performance in every show, and giving your all in every performance, is a considerable test of physical and mental strength. But it is also the fastest way to increase popularity, allowing the largest audience to see their performances in the shortest amount of time, and building a reputation through their live performances.

The girls simply nodded solemnly upon hearing this. These arrangements had been discussed long ago, and they had no objections. Or rather, they knew from the beginning that there were no easy shortcuts to climbing the ranks in this industry.

The group arrived at the front of the stage, and the girls finally got a clear view of the entire stage.

This was a stage larger than any they had ever performed on before. Although it was a temporary structure with exposed joints in the steel frame and wooden planks, its overall scale and quality were undeniable.

The stage was wider than any stage they had ever seen in a livehouse. The stage was covered with a dark gray non-slip mat, and the speakers on both sides were neatly arranged. The microphone stand stood in the center of the stage, gleaming with a cold metallic light in the autumn sun.

It's hard not to feel excited no matter how you look at it.

In front of the stage was a large, flat lawn. The grass was still green, but the edges were beginning to turn yellow. Not far beyond the lawn was an artificial lake. The water shimmered in the afternoon light. The trees along the lake had drooping branches that were beginning to thin. Occasionally, one or two water birds would skim across the surface, creating ripples.

The scenery is delightful, and with the autumn sky being exceptionally high and clear, the entire site looks like a quiet oil painting.

At this moment, quite a few people had already gathered around. Some were chatting on the lawn, some were checking the program schedule, and a few young people carrying musical instruments were standing next to the stage, probably waiting for their turn to perform.

They were about to perform on such a stage, something they would never have dared to imagine before.

"Let me take you backstage," An and Asuka said, turning to the group.

"it is good."

The backstage area was also a temporary model room, with white wooden walls that were somewhat dazzling in the sunlight, and a simple waterproof tarpaulin covering the roof. A row of rooms, about ten in number, stretched out along the back of the stage, with labels bearing numbers and band names on the doors. These were presumably the dressing rooms for the bands performing on this stage.

Aside from the broadcasting studio and the staff's preparation room, there are about eight bands performing on this stage, including Thornless.

An and Asuka pushed open the corridor door and led them inside.

The backstage area was already quite noisy. Someone was tuning their instruments in a room, and intermittent guitar sounds drifted from behind the poorly soundproofed door. People were chatting in the hallway, their laughter mingling with the clanging of instruments.

Someone else stood at the doorway, a cigarette dangling from their lips, casually tapping drumsticks against the doorframe. The various sounds mingled together, creating a vibrant yet chaotic atmosphere, imbued with the restlessness unique to live music.

An and Asuka led the girls to the door of a lounge at the end of the corridor. A printed sign was pasted on the door, with the words "thorny or thornless" written on it. The handwriting was clear, and the ink was still fresh.

"This is where you will rest."

An and Asuka pushed open the door and stepped aside to make way for each other. "Of course, if you find it noisy, you can stay in a hotel or go home to rest. Anyway, it's in the same city, so it's very convenient to come and go."

Many of the bands here are from out of town, coming from Nagoya, Osaka, or even further south. They only choose to rest here after their performances because they have nowhere else to stay. But for local Tokyo bands, they can easily go home, sleep, and come back later.

"Oh—" Several girls peeked inside and let out a long sigh.

"Let's go in and take a look."

An and Asuka went in first, followed by the girls who filed in one after another.

The lounge wasn't very big, probably only about fifteen or sixteen square meters. But it was more than enough for a band to take a short break. There was a bunk bed against the wall, covered with clean white sheets.

On the other side was an old sofa, the leather surface cracked, but it was still quite soft to sit on. In the corner was a simple folding table, on which sat a microwave oven and several disposable cups, and some toiletries were piled up in the corner.

The organizers were quite considerate; at least they didn't leave the musicians without a place to wipe their faces.

"There's a microwave!" Anhe Subaru was the first to spot the highlight, quickly walked over, squatted down, and examined it closely. "It can heat up bento boxes."

"Is all you care about is food?" Ebizuka Tomo stood at the door, looked around the room, and seemed fairly satisfied.

"Food is the most important thing for people."

Jing Qinren walked to the bedside and sat down, testing the firmness of the mattress. Then she leaned back, lay on the bed, and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

RUPA leaned against the doorframe, quietly surveying the room's layout. Momoka Kawara stood by the window, glancing out through the small window. Outside, she could see the artificial lake, its surface shimmering and reflecting the azure autumn sky.

"The scenery is beautiful."

After touring the dressing room, the group returned to the corridor. An and Asuka were about to lead them to the side of the stage to see the specific movement and equipment interfaces when someone approached them.

He was a boy with dyed blond hair, who looked to be around twenty years old.

His hair was styled in a flamboyant manner, stiffened with hairspray, and he wore a silver earring. He walked with a deliberately relaxed gait, his chin slightly raised, exuding an aura of "I'm not someone to mess with."

Upon seeing the group of people, some with thorns and some without, he paused for a moment, then stopped abruptly in front of them.

"Are you guys all barbed or barbed? I've looked at your band information."

His tone carried an undisguised disdain. His gaze swept over the five girls in front of him, a slight smirk playing on his lips, before he uttered the words that no one had expected:

"An all-female band, huh? I hate all-female bands the most."

The air in the corridor seemed to have been paused.

The girls looked at each other, exchanging confused glances. They didn't recognize the blond-haired guy at all, and had no idea when or where they had offended him.

Making such an opening statement in this context, even in the rock scene where provocation is the norm, seems too abrupt.

But given such a blatant disrespect, they couldn't simply pretend they hadn't heard it.

Jing Qinrencai was the first to step forward. She took a step forward, puffed out her chest, and then raised an index finger at the blond-haired man in front of her.

“We don’t care what you think,” she said in a soft but clear voice, with an undeniable certainty. “Don’t be so self-conscious.”

She retorted without hesitation.

When Huang Mao heard what she said, he was stunned for a moment, but then his expression returned to its usual smug look.

After scoffing, his gaze became even more disdainful, as if he had found a more powerful point of attack.

"I heard you're still a band that hasn't debuted yet,"

He put his hands in his pockets, tilted his head, and looked them over. "A band that hasn't even released an album can participate in such a big music festival? I wonder what kind of deal they made behind the scenes."

This was even more offensive than before. The malice in his tone was almost undisguised, as if he were deliberately trying to provoke a conflict.

At that moment, An and Asuka stepped out from behind the girls.

He didn't rush to speak, but calmly walked to Jing Qinrencai's side, looked at the blond-haired man in front of him, and asked:

"What deal?"

Yellow Hair clearly hadn't expected anyone to pick up on that line. He instinctively turned his head, preparing to repeat the prepared speech he'd just prepared—

"What other kind of deal could it be? It must be..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

His eyes widened slightly at first, then his expression changed from arrogance to astonishment, and then from astonishment to a complex and indescribable look.

If he was a fully armed soldier ready to fire just now, he now looks like an unlucky guy who suddenly finds his gun pointed at his own people.

He stood there, his mouth slightly open and then closed, before finally managing to squeeze out two words:

"Birds..."

His voice was no longer flippant and disdainful. Those two words carried a completely different emotion... surprise, disbelief, and even a hint of panic.

The corridor was quiet for two or three seconds.

Looking at the young man before her, An and Asuka already guessed what had happened.

It was obvious that this was one of his fans. Normally, he would at least offer a basic smile and politeness to his fans, but at this moment he just stared at them coldly, his face devoid of any other expression.

What did you mean by what you just said?

The young man's confidence instantly vanished. Despite looking several years older than An and Asuka, he didn't even dare to meet their gazes. His mouth opened and closed several times before he stammered out a few words: "I...I didn't mean that..."

"What does 'not' mean?"

An and Asuka had no intention of letting him off the hook; their tone was calm yet menacing. Sweat began to bead on the young man's forehead; the whole host of provocative lines he had prepared were now completely spitting out.

"I...I just wanted to issue a challenge to them..."

"Is it necessary to issue a challenge in a way that looks down on and insults people?"

The young man was completely speechless. He was speechless after being shut down by An and Asuka's words. He stood there, caught in a dilemma, so embarrassed that he wished he could disappear into the ground.

By this time, a number of people had already gathered in the corridor.

At first, everyone was just watching the show, since these kinds of minor conflicts are common in the music festival scene. It's not uncommon for people to exchange a few harsh words, or even look down on and insult each other. No one would take it too seriously.

But when they saw the figure standing opposite the blond youth, everyone's expression changed.

"It's a bird!"

Someone shouted first, and the crowd immediately stirred.

Some people took a few quick steps forward, some covered their mouths in shock, and others subconsciously took out their phones to take pictures, but then hesitated and put them down, thinking it was inappropriate.

Of the eight bands present, at least six were fans of this young man.

Some of them practiced his compositions repeatedly in their rented rooms with their guitars, some watched every single one of his live streams late at night, and some had their passion for music rekindled because of him.

And at this moment, their idol was standing right in front of them, in an inconspicuous temporary corridor, separated by a sweaty, blond-haired young man.

The air in the corridor was quiet for a moment, then it seemed to ignite as whispers and gazes rushed in simultaneously.

Volume 1: Chapter 301 Respect

An and Asuka did not intend to use their power to intimidate others.

He has never been the kind of person who likes to bully others by taking advantage of his fame. The longer he stays in the music industry, the more he understands one thing—what truly deserves respect is not who has a bigger name or higher status, but whose music can touch people's hearts more.

He has seen too many seniors who boss newcomers around because of their seniority and status, and too many newcomers who become arrogant because of a little bit of fame. He doesn't like either of these types of people.

But today's situation is different.

It was this blond guy who came to provoke us first. For no reason, without any justification, just because he saw the words "all-female band," he went up to people and said things like "I hate all-female bands the most," and made all sorts of innuendos.

If the other person simply didn't want to watch their performance, they could have simply walked away; no one is forcing them to like every band. But he insisted on coming over to humiliate them in person, which isn't a matter of personal preference; it's blatant harassment.

An and Asuka had no choice but to step forward.

After all, he's now the leader of these five girls. He brought them to this music festival, he secured this performance opportunity for them, and he personally told them that he would be their support.

He couldn't just stand by and watch them be bullied, especially when the other party attacked them with such unreasonable malice. If he couldn't even handle a situation like this, how could he expect them to trust him?

He took half a step forward, stood in front of the blond-haired man, and calmly looked into his eyes.

What's the name of your band?

His tone was calm, without any anger or blame, as if he were asking an ordinary question.

But it was precisely this calmness that made Huang Mao's face turn several shades paler.

He wasn't stupid, so he knew perfectly well what kind of influence this young man, who looked a few years younger than him, held in the industry.

That's more than just a young musician who's popular online. Behind the name "Flying Bird" lies solid work and influence—something even major record labels take seriously. Their status and fame far surpass what small bands like theirs, still struggling at the bottom, can achieve.

An and Asuka suddenly asked his name. What did he want to do?

The answer is almost obvious: if Asuka says just one word, their band will be removed from the festival's lineup.

This isn't a complicated matter. At a music festival of this caliber, the organizers wouldn't risk offending a top figure in the industry for an unknown band. A single phone call, or a word to the person in charge, could turn their entire trip to Tokyo into a complete joke.