Uneasy daily life

Ichi Nijika felt that the team was difficult to lead.

"Ah, Haruno-nee's guitar is playing..." Goto Ichiri muttered softly. Ichi Nijika quickly peeked at the stage, feeling strange. Turns out, it was Pochi-chan who was really listening to the performance.

Variation! Yukino Yukinoshita stopped singing, her fingers rapidly and erratically strumming the strings. She swayed slightly and began a guitar solo. Amidst the close and noisy beats, the original rhythm smoothly transitioned to another song. The sound of the suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument) lost its melody and fell silent for a moment.

When the solo ended, Yukinoshita Haruno leaned over the microphone and smoothly began to sing another song.

"Life is like a gaping maw, chewing up joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness."

"Idle gossips flutter past my ears, and time itself becomes murky."

"I come and go, carrying the trams on the tracks."

"Today was another day of feeling drowsy and confused."

"Time to sleep—I was suddenly in pain when I woke up."

The somber lyrics and negative tone sound more like listless, numb talking than singing.

Dedicating the day to work, paying the interest of life, the cycle repeats day after day, making each day feel like a dream. Time doesn't rush, time doesn't slow, it just begins and ends in a daze.

Office workers yawn on their way home from get off work, gazing at the fading night sky. They return home, briefly soothe their fatigue, and then, glancing at the time, remember they should go to sleep. The moment they lie down, they suddenly realize they're awake, their minds racing with a jumble of thoughts and worries.

"Ugh, this is so annoying, I'll talk about it tomorrow."

Yukino Yukinoshita sang "The Salaryman's Song" while playing the guitar. Even those who didn't understand the music could still hear the negativity in the melody and lyrics. She kept swiping her fingers, turned her body to the side, and looked back at the white figure with his back to the audience, giving him a playful look—shouldn't you be playing something cheerful?

Bai Ying understood, then sneered, turned around with his flute in hand, suddenly sat down cross-legged, and quickly adjusted his expression to a solemn and dignified one.

"Namo Amitabha Night..."

Every word and phrase of the Buddha's teachings became a sutra.

A single thought, a pause, and enlightenment is revealed.

A sigh, a life.

The office worker, trapped by the rising and setting of the sun and the vicissitudes of life, seemed unable to reach retirement or resolve life's troubles. He suddenly died at his workstation; his death came so abruptly that his family could only find a photo of him from his student days to use as his funeral portrait.

In the mourning hall, scriptures were recited, and photos of office workers during their most vibrant student days were imprinted on the most improbable black and white. Family members bowed their heads in silent mourning, and the recitation, word by word, was not only to soothe the soul of the deceased but also to comfort the grief of the living.

The guitar is no match for the suona, nor for the Rebirth Mantra.

"Hey, hey, hey, what kind of contrarian approach is this?"

Yukinoshita Haruno interrupted the performance, both amused and annoyed.

“All sentient beings are like bubbles, empty dreams, empty awakenings, and empty realizations. Do not be too sad, benefactor, you still have to go to work tomorrow,” Master Bai said kindly.

Yukino Yukinoshita responded with an "Oh," and then asked, "Doesn't the master go to work?"

"I'm on it right now, aren't I?"

Master Bai slapped his thigh, whisked his horsetail whisk, stood up, and said smugly, "Look at my skill level, am I qualified to be the lead singer?"

"No way! What kind of cultural festival plays funeral music or chants sutras for the dead?" Yukinoshita Haruno suddenly realized. "You're not planning to perform a ritual to help me pass on to the afterlife, are you? Then you can be the lead singer yourself, aren't you?"

Bai Ying waved his hand and laughed: "Look at what you're saying, you're not dead yet, are you?"

"You really haven't given up on your ambition." Yukinoshita Haruno bluntly asked the audience, "What do you think—should he be the lead singer or should I be the lead singer?"

The white figure confidently put her hands on her hips.

Choosing someone who plays funeral music and chants sutras for the deceased as the lead singer is quite stressful for the audience outside the play.

But some people don't.

"Big brother, sing!"

A young pink-haired boy, already displaying the air of a grown man, shouted.

"Alright! Let me sing, do you hear me..."

The white figure immediately turned to Yukinoshita and said.

"Sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!"

The pink-haired girl added a sentence.

"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" is a widely circulated song around the world, known for its catchy tune, and naturally, it is a children's song.

The white figure's expression stiffened dramatically. She turned her head, raised her eyebrows, and stared at the little pink-haired girl in astonishment.

“This song is meant for you to sing.” Yukinoshita Haruno quickly stepped aside, her fingers already strumming a few notes on the guitar. She said seriously, “Let me accompany you!”

Bai Ying took a deep breath and leaned forward to look at the pink-haired girl in the audience: "Little girl, let's make a deal—have you ever heard of heavy metal death music?"

The pink-haired girl blinked. "This music sounds really cool, doesn't it?"

"But I still want to hear Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!"

Have you ever heard the Japanese national anthem?

"I've never heard of it—but I still want to hear Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!"

"I think this little girl is as beautiful as a flower, and she will definitely grow up to be a beautiful and mature young woman. Isn't it a bit too childish for her to listen to Little Star?"

"That's who I am, so I still want to listen to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!"

"Ha! I think you have a really bad heart!"

Bai Ying snorted, returned to the center of the stage, and waved her hand: "Musicians, start playing!"

A simple melody flickers on the guitar strings.

Bai Ying coughed, then suddenly looked up and stared angrily into the distance. His face was taut with strong lines, and his body stood upright like a spear. His powerful and passionate voice seemed to be shouting for an advance.

"Twinkle, twinkle! Little star, twinkle—! The sky is full of little stars!"

The marching column was bustling and noisy, walking on the star-studded grassland. The rousing songs washed away the fatigue of the journey and awakened a surge of passion.

Even the guitar music was forced to stray from the rhythm of the song, managing to improvise a few elements of military grandeur.

The audience, listening to the soul-cleansing song, found it hard to keep up with the constantly changing rhythm. At least the previous funeral music could be connected to the mantra for rebirth, but which version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star was this?

The little pink-haired girl was quite boisterous, clapping her hands excitedly and clapping vigorously.

……

……

"Is that your sister?"

Backstage, Bai Ying looked at Goto Ichiri, who had come to apologize, with considerable surprise: "Is your family some kind of family of heroes?"

“Niri is just more mischievous and outgoing…” Goto Ichiri explained, “She is definitely braver than me. When Nijika and Kita came to visit before, she wasn’t shy at all… Ah, everyone had a great time chatting, just like a family…”

I felt like a stranger in my own home.

Goto Ichiri recalls that painful visit from her friend and begins to dehydrate and shrink.

"Poch-chan! It's our turn—let's all do our best!"

Nijika Ichi quickly pulled Ichiri Goto into the band to cheer him on.

Bai Ying nodded and said, "That's right, let's cheer each other on..."

"Go away, go away, go away! We're a proper band, not a comedy troupe..." Ijichi Nijika shooed away the troublemakers, looked around, and declared with a commanding air, "Ready to go!"

Okay, getting ready...

Goto Ichiri, holding his guitar which had been with him for many years, suddenly calmed down.

It's okay. I've been training like crazy lately, and I'm invincible now!

I've performed at fireworks displays, so what's a little tapping in front of family and classmates... it'll be fine!

Ah!

Chapter 82 This shout will cost you your eardrums!

"Hello everyone! We are the End Band! Nice to meet you all!"

On the stage, Bai Ying waved her hands, her smile hearty.

Offstage, the little pink-haired girl, perched on her father's shoulders, innocently asked, "Why is it big brother again?"

This voiced the thoughts of the audience—Why is it you again?!

“Because I have a lot of friends,” Bai Ying said persuasively on stage. “Kid, when you’re in the game, connections matter. The more friends you have, the more paths you have. Look at me, after I built good relationships with them, I could naturally get involved in every performance, so I had the most screen time and became the lead…”

The pink-haired girl suddenly realized: "Like the classmates who freeload snacks at school?"

Bai Ying corrected, "Hey! It should be called win-win cooperation!"

The little pink-haired boy said longingly, "I also want to come up here for a win-win cooperation."

"A real talent!" Bai Ying turned to Goto Ichiri and gave him a thumbs up. "Your sister has the potential to become a superstar!"

Goto Ichiri tried her best to avoid looking at the familiar faces in the audience, and replied with a dry laugh, "Ah, hehehe..."

"Don't let the temporary recorder steal the spotlight!" Ichiji Nijika felt she had to take the lead. She tapped the drum kit with her drumsticks, cleared her throat, and said, "Everyone, just ignore this guy—"

"Her name is Ijichi Nijika, and she's a sister-complex character."

The tone was furtive, but the voice was loud and clear.

Ichi Niji glared fiercely at the white figure, who turned her head and whistled to the side.

The pink-haired girl asked curiously, "What is a sister complex? Is Rainbow Girl a sister complex?"

Bai Ying cleared her throat, and the voice of Ijichi Nijika came out. She also accurately locked onto Ijichi Seika in the front row of the audience.

Something feels off...

Before Ichiko could react, her younger sister's sweet, melodious voice rang out: "Onee-chan! Dasiki!"

There were two people on and off the stage; one clenched his fist, and the other clenched his fist as well.

"That's called a sister complex." The white-haired girl looked at the little pink-haired girl again. "Got it?"

"Oh—then I'm not a sister-complex, I'm a mom-and-dad complex."

The pink-haired girl pondered for a moment, then uttered a naive remark.

puff--!

Goto Ichiri was seriously injured.

Seeing that his eldest daughter was about to give up, Goto's father quickly put his younger daughter off his neck. Goto's mother smiled at her, successfully silencing any further shocking remarks the little pink-haired girl might make.

"This Yamada Ryo is currently in an amazing composition block, but fortunately the lyricist is also in an amazing block. Whoever is stuck the longest will be embarrassed, it's not a big problem. As for the other two guitarists, their classmates should know them well. Those who know them can introduce them to those who don't, so I won't introduce them."

Bai Ying felt there was nothing missing, turned to look at Ichichi Nijika behind the drum set, snapped her feet together, and gave a crooked military salute: "Reporting, leader! Personnel assembled! Ready to advance at any time!"

Previously, Ichi Nijika pondered how to form a band and how to make it successful.

Before a performance, many well-known bands often have their members engage in lighthearted banter, jokes, and witty remarks to warm up the atmosphere.

In response, renowned veteran musician (who calls himself) Yamada Ryo expressed his disdain, believing that bands need to rely on their talent to become popular, and that audiences will only buy tickets because of a band's excellent performance, so there is no need for warm-up acts or similar activities.

The two even argued about it.

Now, Ichi Nijika thinks she's right.

Band members! Band spirit! Band members should focus solely on making music!

"Ahem! Well then, thank you... I mean, the performance is about to begin!"

Ichi Nijika almost blurted out "thank you for watching the performance," but she quickly changed her mind, picked up her drumsticks and struck them together to start the beat!

very quiet.

Goto Ichiri played the guitar, shocked at how quiet he felt. His heartbeat and breathing were normal, and his fingers plucked the strings instinctively.

Although I still don't dare to look directly at the stage like everyone else, I've made a huge improvement by daring to let the lights shine on my face, haven't I? Like, I could fly!

"The so-called youthful years don't apply to me."

"Even so, I know that this is a once-in-a-lifetime moment."

"It contains a dreamlike quality."

"I will never forget it."

"Until the day I die."