Uneasy daily life

The boy, dressed in a very rock-and-roll style and wearing large sunglasses, stood at the entrance and swaggered into the performance hall, seemingly holding a bottle in his left hand.

Kita Ikuyo was completely bewildered: "Who are you... White Shadow?!"

Although I didn't recognize him, I did recognize him.

"Good question!"

He pressed the spray bottle twice with his left hand, spraying the unknown liquid onto his right hand with two hissing sounds.

As the boy moved forward, he ran his right hand over his head, and his hair suddenly became a little shinier.

"The throne of the band has been vacant, and from now on I will take its place!"

Bai Ying took off her sunglasses and shouted with great enthusiasm, "Hello, Captain Hongxia!"

“Wait a minute…” Ichiji Niinka couldn’t take it anymore, “I don’t remember any suspicious people in the band…”

"Hmm." Yamada Ryo looked him up and down expressionlessly, then nodded as if approving. "Hired."

"Huh? Ryo-senpai?! Ah, Goto-kun is going to melt in the trash can!"

Kita Ikuyo was looking around, too busy to keep up.

Yukino watched with a smile for a while, then looked away and greeted them: "Ya hello~ Yukino-chan, and Hana-chan."

"Yes, sister."

"Humph."

They came in together, but neither he nor Feng Bin attracted any attention.

White fungus does indeed have light-gathering properties.

There's a subtle sense of regret about Yukino Yukinoshita; her older sister really is in the Stars...

"I've heard what happened. The Brave Pro submitted his application, then backed down!" Bai Ying waved his arm vigorously. "Of course, that's understandable. After all, he'd be performing with his classmates and in the environment where he'd be living for the next two or three years. If something went wrong with the performance, it would definitely leave a lifelong shadow... Hmm? Why are Yamada-senpai's pupils suddenly vacant and his eyes gradually becoming blank? Did you do something amazing at the school festival?"

Yamada Ryo remained calm: "That's not true."

"stare--"

After observing for a moment, Bai Ying suddenly realized: "So it's a performance that's not exactly mainstream."

Yamada Ryo: "?!"

Kita Ikuyo exclaimed in astonishment, "Huh? How did you figure that out?!"

"Because it's some weird bassist?" Bai Ying coughed, and Yamada Ryo's distinctive, slightly aloof voice came out. "This is one of my favorite pieces, passionate yet not without its gentleness, solemn yet not without its joy. The fact that the audience didn't applaud or cheer means they're not good enough... That's right, it must be their fault, not mine..."

She bit her lower lip slightly, her voice strained and filled with unspoken grievance, making her self-justifying words sound exceptionally weak.

Kita Ikuyo was bewildered and subconsciously raised her hand to cover her nose—such a strange, Ryo-senpai voice!

"Ah-ah-ah-"

Yamada Ryo leaned back, letting out a gasp that was both shocking and not entirely surprising.

"STOP!!"

Ichi Nijika made a cross with her hands, loudly called for a stop, and put on her standard business smile: "This strange guest, the exhibition hall is not open yet, please do not enter without permission, thank you."

"I'm not here as a guest, I'm here to join in."

The white figure stood tall and proud, its voice booming as it declared, "Captain Hongxia! Do you think I'm rocking out?"

"All I saw was a strange prejudice against rock and roll..."

Ichi Nijika's eye twitched.

"Rock..."

Goto Ichiri, clinging to the edge of the trash can, emerged from it.

"Yeah, so rock and roll, so cool."

Does she have a problem with her taste?

A string of question marks appeared above the heads of the group.

Chapter 72 There is a skilled ventriloquist in Chiba

"Baijun, don't pollute the atmosphere here. If we keep listening to your nonsense, things will drag on until dark."

Yukino Yukinoshita frowned and said, "We overheard something outside the door just now. Was it about the Goto School's cultural festival? Could you tell us more details? We might be able to help."

"Is that even a question? Brave Pro felt that his daily life was so boring and simple, so he signed up for the cultural festival performance under the name of a band. After submitting the application form, he immediately regretted it and wanted to cover himself with black stockings and snatch the application form back from the executive committee member!"

Bai Ying raised her hand and applied some more hairspray to her hair, staring at her hand with some puzzlement: "Damn it, in anime, you can change your hairstyle by simply raising your hand and wiping your head, so why doesn't my hairspray work?"

"N-no!" The trash can shook, and a confessional voice drifted out, "I was just out of my mind and almost committed the crime of dismantling Mr. Box from the Student Council, Masai, Masai..."

"Oh, it was my misjudgment," Bai Ying said suddenly. "If it were someone from the student council who needed to hand the application form to them in person, Brave Pro definitely wouldn't have taken any action."

The trash can shook: "Gurgle—!"

"In other words, acting on impulse, then regretting it?" Yukino Yukinoshita pondered. "Without discussing it with the band members, acting on impulse, and then wanting to regret it after calming down and thinking it over..."

The trash can let out a mournful cry: "Ouch—!"

"Hey hey hey! It's alright! The band's been free lately, so performing at the school festival is a great opportunity!" Ichiji Nijika coughed twice, put her hands on her hips, and said in a proper, leader-like tone, "Anyway, we have no objections. Pochi-chan's decision is great. Let's aim for the school festival performance from now on!"

The trash can trembled violently, then fell silent, as if pink souls were drifting out.

Nijika Ichichi: "Huh?!"

"As expected of the captain, his mature and tolerant stance highlights the cowardice and weakness of the Brave Pro," Bai Ying said admiringly. "This strategy of retreating to advance, cornering the Brave Pro, appearing friendly on the surface while secretly pressing him, causing his troubles to grow and his Dao heart to shatter, is truly a brilliant plan without bloodshed!"

Yi Di Zhi Hong Xia: "?"

“Nijika…” Yamada Ryo said leisurely, “is a poison master.”

boom!

Ichi Nijika raised her hand and elbowed him: "Stop talking nonsense, come over here and think of a solution!"

"If Goto-san doesn't want to, you can explain the situation and withdraw your application, right?" Yukino Yukinoshita said calmly. "Kita-san and Goto-san go to the same school, right? Can you do it for her? The sooner this happens, the better. The longer it drags on, the more work the student council will have to deal with."

“That’s fine…” Kita Ikuyo tapped the trash can helplessly. “Goto-kun, are you really going to cancel your application?”

"Gurgle—uh—gurgle—ooh!"

As the trash can swayed from side to side, it emitted a series of chaotic and strange sounds, as if one could see two Goto Ichiri inside fiercely exchanging blows.

It's like the two main characters in a shonen manga are having a fateful showdown, using both verbal persuasion and slapping each other.

Goto Hanri: "Just admit it now! Do you want to embarrass yourself in front of the whole school?!"

Goto 0.5: "No way! Everyone in the band supports you, are you still going to run away?!"

Goto Hanri: "This isn't called running away, it's called force majeure! There are always some things in life that you just can't do!"

Goto 0.5: "What if I succeed? I'll definitely become a popular girl!"

Goto Hanri: "What if I embarrass myself during the performance? Like suddenly singing off-key, or fainting on stage... My life would be over, right? I'd have no other choice but to drop out of school!"

The white figure would sometimes stand to the left of the trash can, playing the role of Goto Hanri, and sometimes move to the right of the trash can, playing the role of Goto 0.5ri. The trash can would sway back and forth, making one wonder if it would split into two at any moment.

The others watched with subtle expressions. Yukino Yukinoshita silently raised her hand, threatening to stop the little theater. What if it drove him to a mental breakdown?

“I made a fool of myself on stage…” Yamada Ryo couldn’t help but recall the past, and a heavy look appeared on his usually expressionless face. “Speaking of which, every time I think of the cultural festival, I think of that obscure piece I played on stage, and the quiet atmosphere that felt like a wake-up call.”

"Guah——!"

The trash cans suffered another major blow.

“That must mean the others don’t have the ability to appreciate Ryo-senpai’s performance—” Kita Ikuyo habitually offered a compliment, then realized in a frenzy, “Don’t say things that discourage Goto-kun!”

"Huh?"

The white figure peeked out from the side and said, "Come on, you seem to really want Brave Pro to participate in the cultural festival performance?"

Kita Ikuyo was startled, her hands flailing frantically up, down, left, and right: "This...this is a rare opportunity...in short..."

"What a fickle woman." Bai Ying sighed, then smoothed her hair and said in a booming voice, "Now there's a perfect solution—Captain Hongxia, let me join the End Band and perform in place of Hero Pro at the Cultural Festival!"

Ichi Nijika had a headache and instinctively wanted to ask someone for help.

"Is this your purpose, Shiraki?" Yukino Yukinoshita asked subtly.

Yukinoshita Haruno clapped her hands: "Great, great, I think that's a wonderful suggestion."

Feng Bin and Hua asked in surprise, "You jerk, when did you learn to play the guitar?"

"I can learn it now." Bai Ying waved her hand. "I'll learn it after I finish learning it."

Nijika Ichi couldn't help but retort, "Are you preparing for next year's cultural festival performance?"

"No, no, no, I only need to know which song to perform and how to play it on the guitar. The rest is just copying and improvising."

Bai Ying, without batting an eye, uttered a taboo word that would make any musician's blood pressure drop: "It doesn't look difficult at all."

"Fine! Then I'll test your skills!" Ichiji Nijika angrily pulled out her phone, tapped a few times, and then showed the screen. "You'll have to replicate Guitar Hero's performance!"

The guitarist on the screen is playing alone, and judging from the comments and views, he is clearly of a very high standard, with a total of 30,000 fans.

The guitar, the pink tracksuit, the subtle aura that emanates even without seeing her face...

Yukino Yukinoshita and Haruno Yukinoshita glanced strangely at the trash can, then strangely at the other three members of the band.

"You played very well." Feng Bin and Hua listened attentively and exclaimed in surprise, "Your skill level is even better than some of the guitarists we've worked with. You must be a professional musician."

Hehe, professional, hehehe...

A faint, eerie laugh echoed from the trash can.

"You're playing a popular hit song. Are you trying to gain popularity and fans so you can debut online?" Feng Bin and Hua sighed helplessly as they listened. "I've listened to this song hundreds of times."

Hidden agenda! That greedy musician who only knows how to play popular hits! He should try uploading more of his original compositions...

Something unsettling was wriggling inside the trash can.

"No, Guitar Hero occasionally uploads some original songs," said Nijika Ichichi. "However, Guitar Hero hasn't been updated in a long time."

Yamada Ryo nodded: "Yes, rather than trying to gain popularity and fans, it feels more like he got bored with the vulgar audience of popular trends, so he chose to quit the internet."

Huh? I really haven't updated in a long time. I've had to find time to teach guitar to Kita, work part-time, and perform at shows... Ah—! How long has it been since my last update?! Have I lost followers? Has everyone forgotten about me? Have I lost my last refuge?!

The trash can emitted a silent, piercing scream.

boom!

Don't project yourself onto them!

Nijika Ichichi gave her childhood friend a sharp elbow: "So, are you confident you can replicate Guitar Hero's performance?"

"No problem—9528, bring the guitar!"

"Hi hi~" Yukinoshita Haruno smiled and picked up the guitar, turning around to call out, "Hoshika-chan, open the door for the backstage area, please."

Ichika Hoshika tossed her a key: "Can't you at least be a little more polite with your address?!"

Yukino raised an eyebrow and said, "Aunt Hoshika?"

"Fuck off!"

After a brief incident, the group and a trash can arrived at the backstage preparation area.

Bai Ying hangs the guitar on his body, and whether he's holding the guitar or casually strumming the strings and making noise, it's like he's holding a welding torch with the posture of holding a pen.

"Come on, let me see your guitar performance, which doesn't seem difficult at all!"

The band ended with the three members united in their hatred of the enemy—what does it mean to say something doesn't seem difficult? Of course, it doesn't seem difficult just by looking at it!

The other three were a little suspicious. Could it be that Bai Ying really could play the guitar?

The trash can had no idea.

"Heh heh, just you wait and see!"

Bai Ying held the guitar firmly.

Ichi Nijika asked curiously, "Wait a minute, why are you facing away from us?"

"To show contempt."

Although it felt a bit strange, the guitar started playing. At first, it sounded slightly awkward and unfamiliar, but after a very obvious change, the sound quickly stabilized and became exceptionally smooth and loud.