Green plums cannot become lovers.

Every week thereafter, An, Asuka, and Karen would meet in the park. Most of the time, a blue-haired guy would be there as a spectator, and occasionally a few other girls would join them.

At this time, when the mood strikes, they will hold a 'concert' in the park, with Ai's singing, Anza's bass, Miyazono's violin, and the pink-haired girl's increasingly decent guitar playing... Although it is not a particularly outstanding performance, the onlookers will never hesitate to applaud and encourage them.

At these moments, An and Asuka seem to see the future of their band.

They are currently unknown in this small park, with only a few elderly people and children in the surrounding area as their audience. However, he believes that they will definitely be able to step onto a bigger stage in the future.

Whenever An and Asuka think of this, a surge of pride wells up in their hearts.

But right now, the most important thing is to help the pink-haired girl get past her parents.

Volume 1: Chapter 105 A New Storm

The weather at the end of October already carried a lingering chill. When I woke up in the morning, the sky was overcast.

After glancing at the sleeping girls, An and Asuka decided not to wake them. He covered the breakfast he had prepared on the table and then prepared to leave.

He opened the door, and the cold wind blowing in made him shiver. After adjusting to the temperature dropping a few degrees, he finally carried his guitar out of the house.

The morning air carried the chill of the night.

When I arrived at the familiar park, it was only around eight o'clock. Apart from a few elderly people taking a leisurely stroll, there was no one else in the park.

"Anhe, you're here so early today too."

"Have you had breakfast? Grandma has two rice balls here, you can have them."

"Young people should be like you, going to bed early and waking up early, full of energy. My grandson is probably still in bed right now."

Upon seeing his arrival, the elderly people who were going about their business turned their attention to him, and said with kind smiles.

"Good morning, grandpas and grandmas."

An and Asuka greeted the elderly people respectfully, which made them smile.

He had known the elderly people in the neighborhood for a long time. Back then, he often brought Xiao Ai here to practice. The girl's singing and music attracted them to stop and listen, and they later became their long-term audience.

However, after resolving Xiao Ai's matter, he rarely came to this place until more than a month ago when it became the place where he and another girl made their appointment again.

After chatting with the elderly for a while, An and Asuka sat down on a chair and put their guitars aside, quietly waiting for the girl to arrive.

He had arranged to meet the girl at nine o'clock, but it was only eight-thirty now.

After waiting for a while, An and Asuka couldn't resist taking out their guitars and starting to strum them as they pleased.

Compared to playing a song in a proper and formal way, this kind of casual playing makes him feel more relaxed. He can play whatever comes to mind, whether it sounds good or not doesn't matter. No one will point out his mistakes, and no one will yell at him for no reason. He is free and at ease, like a real bird in flight.

Looking down at the strings, An and Asuka gently closed their eyes, immersing themselves in their own world.

His life was busy, and occasionally seeing someone like this was a kind of enjoyment for him.

He didn't know how much time had passed before An and Asuka stopped playing. He looked up and around; the old people had already gone home, and he was the only one left in the small park.

The sunlight was even brighter than before, shining through the clouds and illuminating the earth. Shaking her legs, which were a little sore and numb from maintaining one position for so long, An and Asuka checked their phones and realized it was almost ten o'clock, and the girl they were supposed to meet still hadn't arrived.

Could something have happened?

An and Asuka suddenly felt a little worried. They hadn't expected the girl to break her promise, since she had always kept her word and had never been late.

The bad thoughts that had just arisen were quickly dismissed by An and Asuka. He didn't want to imagine things to be so bad, thinking that the girl might have been delayed by something.

He waited for a while longer, until a group of children had all run over to play, but the girl still hadn't arrived.

"Big brother, today is my birthday, could you play us a piece of music?"

The speaker was a little girl with pigtails. Looking at her innocent appearance, An and Asuka temporarily put aside their worries and nodded with a smile.

"Okay, then I'll play you a happy birthday song."

"Yay, thank you big brother."

An and Asuka smiled and began to play skillfully. These children were also residents living around the small park, and he was quite familiar with them. In fact, he had heard similar requests several times before.

The melodious and cheerful music echoed in the small park. The little girl's eyes were bright, and the little ones next to her swayed their heads along with it.

Looking at their innocent and adorable appearance, An and Asuka suddenly stopped playing. Before the little ones could express their confusion, the music started again, and along with the music, the boy's clear voice echoed.

The little ones paused for a moment, then burst into song with happy faces.

The boy's voice was not yet mature, and the children's voices sounded even more innocent, but it was this interweaving of the two voices that allowed passersby to hear the hope and innocence contained within them.

Standing at the park entrance, watching the scene unfold not far away, *** did not choose to immediately go forward and disturb them.

Only after the singing stopped, the music faded, and the world returned to its desolate state did he begin to walk towards the smiling boy not far away.

To create a wonderful memory for the girl's birthday, An and Asuka played the birthday song three times in a row.

Birthdays should be celebrated with joy and happiness, not with arguments, dissatisfaction, anger, and venting. That's what a normal birthday should be like.

"Alright, is there any other music you'd like to hear?"

Since we're already waiting anyway, we might as well play a few more tunes for these young audience members.

"Really?" A group of children asked, their faces beaming with surprise.

"Of course."

"Then, I want to hear..."

A little boy stepped forward, about to say something, but was suddenly interrupted by a mature voice.

"You must be Anwa Asuka."

Hearing the question from the side, An and Asuka turned to look. A man was standing beside him at some point; he was tall and had a refined and gentle demeanor, exuding the aura of a mature man.

An and Asuka thought for a moment, but couldn't find any information about the other person in their memories, so they asked with some doubt, "May I ask who you are?"

"I am Hua Lian's father."

Upon hearing the man's reply, An and Asuka paused for a moment, then immediately put on a polite smile.

"Hello, Uncle." He stood up and greeted the man politely.

He already guessed what was going on. He waited for a long time but the girl didn't arrive. Instead, her father arrived. The meaning behind this was self-evident.

"Hmm, hello." The man nodded and said gently, "You played very well just now."

An and Asuka smiled and said, "Uncle, you flatter me. It's just some very simple music."

"You don't need to be modest. Although I don't know much about music, I can tell the difference between good and bad."

As the man spoke, he sat down next to An and Asuka, and continued, "Could you play me another piece?"

“Sure.” An and Asuka nodded, not surprised at all, and simply asked, “Uncle, what would you like to hear?”

"The Light of Fireflies".

Volume 1: Chapter 106 My Experiences

"..."

"what happened?"

"No, it's nothing."

An and Asuka shook their heads. They weren't surprised that the man wanted to hear them play, but they were surprised by the song the man had requested.

The light of fireflies.

"Sorry, little ones, I'll play for you again next time."

An and Asuka first apologized to the little guys in front of them, and although they felt a little regretful, they obediently said it was okay and then happily ran away.

Watching everyone's figures gradually disappear into the distance, An and Asuka finally placed their fingers on the strings, and then a piece of music with a slightly sad and farewell atmosphere began to play.

Listening to the music, the man couldn't help but close his eyes and slowly enjoy it, while An and Asuka also played earnestly.

The music is short, only two or three minutes long.

When the music ended, the man slowly opened his eyes, looked at the street not far away, and sighed, "It was truly a very good piece of music."

"Whether in terms of emotion or meaning, it surpasses many songs nowadays. I fell in love with it the first time I heard it."

“Yes.” An and Asuka nodded in agreement. After all, it was a classic that had stood the test of time, and no one would say it was unpleasant to listen to.

However, it was obvious that the man was implying something.

The thought had barely settled in An and Asuka's minds when, sure enough, the man beside them changed the subject.

"It's unbelievable that it came from two years ago, and from a fifth-grader."

As the man spoke, he turned to look at Anwa Asuka and asked in a calm voice, "Don't you find this unbelievable, Anwa-kun?"

The man's gaze wasn't scrutinizing or hostile; it was just a simple look that could exert immense pressure on the person.

Koan and Asuka, however, remained completely unaffected, simply smiling as they replied, "Really? I think it's perfectly normal."

"Is that normal? Well, it's normal for you to feel that way, after all, you're the composer of this song."

The man nodded noncommittally, but then asked, "Can you tell me how you wrote this meaningful song based on your fifth-grade elementary school experience?"

An and Asuka knew exactly what the other was thinking. He couldn't help but pluck a string, producing a series of crisp, rhythmic sounds. Only after the sound faded did he smile and say to the man.

"It's like this: because I thought of it, it appeared."

"..."

The man paused for a moment upon hearing this, then let out a sigh.

"You are a genius, I don't deny that, but even geniuses need accumulation and experience to create masterpieces worthy of their talent, and you..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear. Perhaps he was naturally reserved, or perhaps he didn't want to be too direct and hurt a young boy's feelings.

"I know what Uncle means."

To the man's surprise, the boy beside him took the initiative to dispel his reserve.

"My uncle probably thinks I'm too young and have no life experience to make a song like this."

"..."

The man remained silent, neither nodding nor shaking his head, appearing neutral but his true meaning was already obvious.

He truly couldn't believe that a boy with little life experience could write such a classic work.

But he did indeed compose this piece; before him, no one had ever written such a deeply moving song with such a simple melody.

He wanted to believe, but he couldn't believe, because he was really too young.

"Uncle, there's no need to worry so much."

An and Asuka chuckled softly, as if they had guessed what the man was thinking, without any hint of mockery.

"After all, I am very young, only thirteen years old even now."

As An and Asuka said this, they stroked the guitar in their hands and gently plucked the strings.

"But the world doesn't dictate that an eleven-year-old can't have their own life experiences, nor does it dictate that a thirty-year-old man must be strong, does it?"

"Eleven-year-olds have their own experiences, and thirty-year-olds have their own experiences. These two are not contradictory, and neither is more noble than the other."

"Perhaps in your uncle's eyes, an eleven-year-old is at the age of eating, drinking, playing, and being carefree. But for some children, eleven years old means they have to be strong."

The boy's voice grew softer and softer as he gazed at the rising sun slowly on the distant horizon, his tone becoming somewhat ethereal at the end.

"Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to survive in this wonderful world."

As the man listened to these words, his expression gradually became complicated. It was obvious that the boy's tone contained some kind of story, and his tone did not seem like he was pretending to be mature, but rather that he had truly experienced something in order to speak those words in such a slight, sad yet relieved tone at the end.

But he was just an eleven-year-old child. What kind of unforgettable experience could he possibly have?

He somewhat regretted that he hadn't done a thorough investigation before he came.

"Uncle, actually, 'The Light of Fireflies' has another name. Do you know what it is?"

The boy's voice rang out again, and this time it was clear and bright, pure and without any impurities.

"I don't know." The man shook his head subconsciously.

"Let's call it 'Auld Lang Syne'."

"Auld Lang Syne..."

Upon hearing this, the man murmured and repeated it. If the name 'Firefly' was reserved and subtle, then the name 'Auld Lang Syne' was straightforward and simple.

But both of them sounded surprisingly suitable.

Yes, it is a song that celebrates friendship.