Uneasy daily life

Chapter Seventy-Four: Xiuhua High School Cultural Festival

"Hey, hey hey..."

A faint, whimpering laugh drifted from the beverage counter, as if something was whispering inside, occasionally causing the counter door to tremble slightly.

A national treasure, a cosmic beauty, a top-tier and popular guitar superstar, and a highly educated idol—her real life is so fulfilling and busy that she doesn't have time to post videos…

The boasts may be false, but the joy they bring is real.

In reality, I am hesitant and lack the courage to start. I cause trouble for the band, and I can't even speak properly. When faced with difficulties, I just hide in the trash can. I even find myself troublesome.

Online, I have 30,000 followers! They cheer for me, they applaud me! I am so powerful that I can do anything!

That's right. Even if I'm unpopular in real life, withdrawn and gloomy, and don't know who to talk to when I suddenly want to, it doesn't matter. There are many people online who care about me...

Look, someone said I'm the best guitarist!

"hey-hey……"

Goto Ichiri's face was radiant, and he felt full of energy. An idea popped into his mind unconsciously.

A wide, open road appeared before my eyes, yet I still looked towards that thorny path.

People who are used to being chosen lack the ability to choose; they are filled with confusion about choices and fearful of making them.

Since I'm so popular online and so many people praise me, participating in a cultural festival shouldn't be a problem, right?

Goto Ichiri gradually expanded.

Bai Ying is just my substitute. How can she play the guitar with her mouth while performing on stage...? Hmm? That seems more impressive than me simply playing the guitar, right?!

Goto Ichiri returned to normal life.

Ding dong.

A notification sound came from her phone, and Goto Ichiri quickly looked down to see that the comments section was discussing the cultural festival.

[Guitar fan: My school is holding a cultural festival soon. I wish I had the skills of this uploader! I could definitely become a big star at the festival and get priority in choosing a partner!]

[Guitar fan: You must have been a popular figure on campus when you were in school! I'm so envious!]

Goto Ichiri's lips curled into a wild smile as he typed, reading through the text once, gathering his thoughts, and then typing again.

[Guitar Hero: Yes, my band and I had a great performance at the cultural festival. There were a lot of audience members, and the atmosphere was very lively.]

[Guitar fan: That's amazing!]

"Hey, hey hey..."

Goto Ichiri scratched his head, came to his senses, and clenched his fist.

That's right! I'm so amazing, participating in the cultural festival is no problem at all—let me take another look at the words praising myself!

[Guitar Prodigy: The uploader looks like a student, right? It's the time of year when various high schools hold their cultural festivals. Has the uploader's school already held one?]

[Guitar Hero: I participated before.]

Yes, I've participated in it in my imagination, and it was a great success.

[Guitar prodigy: Was he just pretending he participated?]

Sigh—we've been found out?!

[Guitar fan: You hater! I think you're trying to pry into the uploader's personal information and have ulterior motives. The internet is not a lawless place. I'm reporting you!]

[Guitar fans: With the uploader's skills, wouldn't it be a shame not to showcase them at the cultural festival?]

[Guitar fans: Good luck at this year's cultural festival! Guitar hero!]

[Guitar Hero: Thank you for your support.]

Confidence surged up!

That's right, it's just a cultural festival performance, isn't it just about playing the guitar in front of the whole school? Let's do it!

Goto Ichiri clenched his fist and pounded his chest. No problem, definitely no problem!

He wouldn't embarrass himself on stage, become the laughingstock of the whole school, drop out of high school, live a reclusive life, become a popular guitarist, make a fortune and live a carefree life, be interviewed as a successful person, and laugh off his embarrassing high school experiences...

"Hehe...hmm?"

Isn't this so pessimistic that they're afraid to even try?!

Ughhhhh! Struggling! Struggling in agony!

Bang bang bang!

A beam of light suddenly shone in, illuminating Goto Ichiri, who was kowtowing inside the cabinet.

A group of people, some squatting and some standing, gathered around the cabinet door to watch.

"Pochi-chan, are you alright?" Ichiji Nijika asked with some concern.

Kita Ikuyo quickly offered a suggestion: "If all else fails, I'll go to the student council and ask them to withdraw your application..."

Goto Ichiri was tempted; it seemed like there was another path she could choose, one that wouldn't lead to a tumultuous life.

"Brave Warrior Pro..."

The white figure suddenly shifted left and right, squeezing past Ichiji Nijika and Kita Ikuyo, and looked down at Goto Ichiri in the cabinet, his deep, solid voice full of pressure: "Have you thought about it?"

Goto Ichiri swallowed hard: "W-what?"

“When you become a big star and appear on talk shows, and the host asks you how you spent your student days—” Bai Ying’s eyes flashed with a sharp light, “wouldn’t you want to answer ‘I participated in the school’s cultural festival performance’?!”

Okay, that seems to be the case! Even if the performance goes wrong, it can still be used as a topic of conversation among 'successful people'! Yes, no matter how the performance goes, we can laugh it off later!

Goto Ichiri crawled out of the closet, pushed past the white figure, closed his eyes, and rushed to Ijichi Nijika, shouting, "Captain Nijika! Cultural Festival! Let me go!"

"Uh, okay!"

Ichika Nijika was a little confused. Why did Pochi-chan suddenly have confidence again? Was it because of that short sentence from Shiro-kage?

Never mind, anyway—

"Then let's work hard to prepare for the cultural festival performance!"

"Oh--"

"Let's work hard together!"

"Gurgle... Hmm!"

"I will handle it!"

“…” Ijichi Nijika turned to look at the white figure, “If Pochi-chan is playing the guitar, then you don’t need to go on stage and play the guitar with your mouth, right?”

Bai Ying asked curiously, "Why not? I can still use my mouth to play the drum."

Ichi Nijika: "Then what should I do?"

"Well..." Bai Ying snapped his fingers, his hands seemingly holding something, waving them around with a powerful flourish, "How about performing a scene as Li Yuanba, the number one hero under heaven?"

"Huh?" Ichiji Niji Natsumi was puzzled. "What Li Yuanba?"

"The one who wields double hammers." The white-clad figure coughed twice, his voice clear and resonant. He shook his head, raised his hand, and clapped it in the air, as if speaking and singing, "His face is like that of a child, thin and sallow, his arms possess the strength of four elephants, unmatched by anyone. He rides a precious horse named Yamada Ryo, and wields a pair of golden drum-shaped hammers..."

"a ha ha ha……"

Ichiji Nijika pulled out two drumsticks from behind her back and said with a smile, "You mean this?"

Bai Ying raised his hand and grabbed the broom: "I have long heard of the martial arts reputation of Zhi Yuanba in this place. Bai Fengxian is not convinced and wishes to learn a thing or two from him."

"You should be willing to pay for the damage if you break something."

At the ticket booth, Ichiji Hoshika raised her head and shouted, ending the contest between the number one wind instrument player of the Sui and Tang Dynasties and the number one wind instrument player of the Three Kingdoms.

"You jerk, if you're so free, why don't you use your mouth as a bass?"

Yukino Yukinoshita casually interjected, "Could Kita help me apply for a performance at your school's cultural festival?"

Kita Ikuyo was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and said, "Sure, our school isn't very strict, so Haruno-nee can also participate in the cultural festival."

"Two shows? That's no problem."

Bai Ying, clenching her fist with enthusiasm, exclaimed, "Let's hold a fun cultural festival!"

You're not a student at our school!

Kita Ikuyo hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping herself... but having already promised Haruno-nee, it was a bit strange to specifically refuse Shirokage.

Yamada Ryo remained quietly detached, shaking his head slightly—there are differences even among those with social anxiety.

"My high school is also holding a cultural festival soon," Yukino Yukinoshita asked Ikuyo Kita. "May I visit your high school's cultural festival?"

Kita Ikuyo nodded and said, "Okay."

Toyohama Kazuka asked, "When is your school's cultural festival?"

"Next week."

"Hmm, I happen to be free, so take me with you!" Toyohama Kazuka suggested. "I can also perform a song and dance!"

Kita Ikuyo nodded: "Okay, okay."

My high school wasn't even a prestigious one, so why does everyone want to come here?

"If Yukino-chan wants to come too, would you like to perform with your sister?" Yukinoshita Haruno asked with interest. "Yukino-chan's best skill is the piano, right? Give Father a call, he'll definitely be happy to bring the piano to the venue for you."

"Not interested in."

Yukino Yukinoshita said calmly, "I just wanted to learn from the experiences of other schools' cultural festivals. I'll pass on the performance."

Yukino raised an eyebrow in surprise, just as she was about to observe and ponder it carefully, but Yukino had already walked away without making a sound and stood next to Ichiri Goto, her bright eyes quietly watching Ichiri Goto.

"?"

Goto Ichiri, with a weak gaze, is easily melted.

“You…” Yukino Yukinoshita said subtly, “Goto-kun, please never go near suspicious places like host clubs in the future.”

Goto Ichiri: "Huh?"

"Be careful and stay away from scams like pyramid schemes."

"what?!"

"Also... in short, take a look at the words that praise you."

"Uh?"

The incredibly talented younger sister of the amazing Haruno-nee suddenly said some inexplicable things.

Even after a day's work ended and Ichiri Goto returned home, she still couldn't quite understand those seemingly inexplicable words of advice.

"Grandma, I'm back..."

Goto Ichiri patted his back as he returned home, when he was suddenly startled.

Does Yukino Yukinoshita dislike me?!

"Welcome back—ah! Mom, my sister's squatting in the corner again, emitting cold air!"

The pink-haired little girl with two small braids on either side called out in a clear voice.

"Mom is cooking and can't help, Erli, cheer your sister on."

A slightly amused response came from the kitchen.

The little girl ran up to her older sister and patted her shoulder with her chubby little hand: "Hey! How are you feeling, sister?"

"Ugh... I'm sure Erli wouldn't hate her older sister, right?"

"My sister is so troublesome."

"puff--!"

Children speak without restraint, children speak without restraint...

Thanks to his sister's heart-wrenching words, Goto Ichiri barely recovered his spirits and announced to his family at the dinner table that he would be participating in the cultural festival performance.

Goto's mother: "Ah...it shouldn't be a fantasy that participated, right?"

"Nah!"

Goto's father: "If you regret it, Dad will talk to the teacher for you. Don't be afraid, Ichiri, there's nothing shameful about it."

"I don't regret it at all, I submitted all the application forms myself!"