Does gravity make me stronger?

Fortunately, this time, thanks to her strong musical sense honed through long-term practice, Goto Ichiri quickly caught up with the rhythm without any surprises, her fingers flowing and leaping smoothly across the strings.

At this moment, the joy of spring's renewal seemed to reside in the hands of these two, and the melody of "Spring Shadow" resonated throughout the entire livehouse.

...

Natsume Hakushika, 30 years old, has never been in a relationship, but is a successful female entrepreneur.

Although she lacks male admirers, she has enough money to buy anything she wants.

However, the appearance of a certain man changed everything.

One day, when she and her girlfriends went to a high-class host club for some fun, they met a newcomer who had just entered the industry.

The other person had long golden hair, a cold and aloof face, and a proud personality. Although she wasn't as eloquent as the old gigolo, her haughty demeanor immediately struck a chord with her.

She immediately felt that he was her Prince Charming.

Therefore, despite her sisters' objections, Natsume Hakuro resolutely decided to use the company car for personal purposes. After spending a few months together, she even handed over some of the company's management authority to him.

Confident in her own judgment, Bai Lu only knew that the other party's stage name was Dio Brando, and did not inquire about anything else.

As a result, within a few weeks, internal problems erupted like a flood.

When Bai Lu returned to the company from her business trip, she was surprised to be told that she had gone bankrupt.

The man had already vanished without a trace.

Bai Lu, who had inexplicably lost everything, wandered aimlessly through the streets and, without knowing when, appeared in front of a LiveHouse.

"RiNG?"

When Bai Lu saw the RiNG sign, her youthful high school days inevitably resurfaced from the depths of her memory.

Back then, she was also a girl in a band. Whenever she had free time, she would perform outdoors with her close friends. As for performing in a high-class place like a LiveHouse, they didn't even dare to dream of it at the time.

However, in recent years, several large livehouse performance halls, led by RiNG, have not only lowered the threshold for selecting bands to perform, but have even made students their most important target audience.

Evil, utterly evil!

Do you even treat your customers like royalty?

Watching the young women coming and going, each with a joyful and hopeful smile on their face, Bai Lu, who was already 30 years old and could only maintain her skin to a barely presentable state with expensive cosmetics every day, felt her heart wall shattered in an instant.

"These kids are clearly not very skilled, yet they get to enjoy such excellent resources. Is it just because they were born in a better era? They're just a bunch of ordinary people."

Even if burned to ashes, the white deer's mouth remains hard.

However, she had to admit that she was somewhat envious of these young students, and at the same time, she had developed a strong interest in RiNG.

Why don't we go in and take a look?

It sounded like a demon was whispering in her ear. Unable to control her curiosity, Bai Lu stepped into the gates of RiNG.

Having absolutely no knowledge of LiveHouses, she could only blindly follow the crowd after buying an admission ticket and arrive at a room that was only about 100 square meters in size.

"Isn't this a coffee shop? Why is everyone crowded here?"

Bai Lu was getting impatient because she hadn't entered the performance area yet. Looking ahead, she saw two young girls standing on either side of a small stage, each holding a guitar.

"What's going on? Why is there a band performing in a coffee shop?"

"It's not like you're a resident singer, performing outside of designated areas. Instead, you're showing off here. Isn't it just to attract attention?"

"I want to see which band's musicians are causing trouble here with such a big fuss. It's a complete waste of public resources!"

Bai Lu criticized them without any restraint, wishing she could pull the two people on the stage down on the spot. However, when the music started, she froze.

The deep electric guitar tone rises from soft to loud, the sounds of the two guitars complementing each other, creating a simple rhythm that keeps dancing and swirling in your ears.

Then, a catchy melody quickly brought the atmosphere to a climax.

At the same time, Bai Lu's hardened heart seemed to be touched by something, and she couldn't help but feel moved. Gradually, a feeling of emotion appeared on her numb face.

"Why is a duet of just two guitars so moving?"

It's emotion; they poured their emotions into it!

A few months ago, she wouldn't have given this kind of emo song a second glance.

But time has passed, and those who didn't understand the meaning of the song at first now are now part of the song themselves.

Bai Lu suddenly recalled the days after graduation when she struggled to make a living, and the time when she and her girlfriends spent lavishly at the male escort club after all the hardships.

"I'm sorry, Hikaru-chan, Mimi-chan, I shouldn't have trusted that gigolo. Men are all jerks, it was my fault, sob sob..."

Bai Lu's eyes gradually welled up with tears.

Although neither of the two people on stage sang, Bai Lu understood that the meaning behind the song was undoubtedly to express the struggle and loneliness in the artist's heart.

Damn it, isn't this talking about me?

Who wrote this piece? Did they spy on my life?

That feeling of sadness mixed with a glimmer of hope, of daring not to give up despite the torment of fate, of continuing to fight even when covered in wounds, is exactly like mine!

If she hadn't fallen on such a low point, she would have spent any amount of money to get to know the producer behind this song.

Of course, the two girls playing this piece right now are also quite good.

At least Bai Lu fully acknowledged their performance.

So she quietly squeezed to the front of the crowd, wanting to get a clear look at the two girls.

Chapter 56, Chapter 055: System: Just spoil her! (Second Update)

A wavering gaze, a weary heart.

'I am the only one in this world, all alone.'

Inside the café, Hachiman was still there, listening to the lyrics of "The Cat Girl's Heartfelt Words," his emotions fluctuating.

First, let's build up some armor. Hachiman thinks this is indeed a good song, or at least it's very pleasant to listen to.

But it didn't move him.

It's mainly because of the lyrics.

The opening of "Spring Shadows" is rather formulaic, consisting of the protagonist's monologue expressing his inner loneliness.

After that, someone rescued the protagonist from his loneliness, which led the protagonist to develop feelings of almost worship towards that person.

Next comes the protagonist's almost fanatical longing for the rescuer, hoping to keep the other person by his side forever. In a sense, "Spring Shadow" is a song, but in reality, it is a love letter.

This intense, even somewhat heavy, emotion was something Hachiman could not accept.

Making unwarranted expectations, imposing ideals on the other person, assuming you can understand them, and ultimately being disappointed.

This is Hachiman's perspective on the protagonist's story.

only...

For some reason, every time Hachiman wanted to get up and leave, he couldn't bear to. "Kasuga Kage" seemed to have a magical power, constantly trapping him here.

It was as if it were telling him to listen a little longer, a second, a minute, until the end of time.

So, Hachiman began to reflect on whether he had misunderstood the song.

With that thought, he took a deep breath and stopped worrying about the meaning of the music.

That said, this was the first time Hachiman had heard Goto Ichiri play guitar with someone else. Unlike the time at the Starry Night Concert Hall, Goto Ichiri was clearly in better form today.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Ichiri Goto has overcome his inability to cooperate with others; rather, it's because the other guitarist is simply too strong.

Well, of course, Hachiman didn't mean that the other two members of the band played badly, just that they weren't that outstanding.

Under the guidance of this cat-girl whose name is unknown, Goto Ichiri seems to have grasped a bit of the knack.

Hachiman rested his chin on one hand, and as he listened, a fatherly smile appeared on his face.

"Isn't this great?"

however.

An unexpected situation occurred.

"There's a performance over there, shall we go check it out?"

"It sounds so good!"

"I've never seen that pink-haired girl before. Is she a newcomer? She's so amazing!"

People were drawn to the duet, stopping to listen. As the café became more crowded, Goto Ichiri's piano playing began to rise and fall slightly.

'So many people... being watched by so many people, if I play something wrong, wouldn't that be social death?!'

At first, one or two listeners were fine, but as the number of people increased, Goto Ichiri's mindset changed.

She kept forcing herself to concentrate, making sure that every note was played well, and before she knew it, fine beads of sweat had appeared on her forehead.

However, the immense pressure made her mind somewhat hazy, and the more she tried to adjust, the less she grasped each syllable.

Halfway through the piece, Goto Ichiri's eyes dimmed, and her already fragile heart, along with the music, began to teeter on the brink of collapse...

"What's wrong?" the cat-like girl asked, concerned.

Not only her, but Bai Lu, who had already squeezed to the front of the audience and was carefully listening to the duet, also noticed something was amiss.

That girl looked very nervous.

She probably doesn't have much stage experience, so with so many people around, she probably won't be able to hold her nerve.

But don't give up! You play so well!

Goto Ichiri buried her head in her chest, and the rhythm of her strumming became increasingly chaotic. Whenever she tried to listen to the sound coming from the guitar to get the rhythm back on track, her brain was completely occupied by a buzzing sound.

This is what real social anxiety is like, unlike those online who pretend to be depressed but are actually engaging in fraudulent behavior to gain sympathy.

Goto Ichiri definitely felt the gazes of the crowd gradually forming a heavy net, enveloping her and making it hard for her to breathe.

I thought that after working part-time at Fanxing, my performance would improve, but why...?

Gradually, tears welled up in Goto Ichiri's eyes, and he prepared to give up the performance.

11-> 31

Even without the gravity readings, Hachiman could tell that Goto Ichiri was acting strangely.

Out of concern for his classmate, Hachiman should stop this performance full of unexpected events, but it would be a pity to end it like this, since Goto Ichiri had been enjoying the ensemble so much.

Of course, this is just Hachiman's own idea. What does Goto Ichiri think?

So he looked at Goto Ichiri and then heard the struggle in her heart.

'I'm so scared. I know I won't be able to play anything good like this. I can't breathe. It's so painful.'

'But...I want to become more confident, and I don't want to keep being a burden to everyone.'

Silly child, no one said you're a burden to everyone...

At least, not for me.

Undoubtedly, Goto Ichiri is a lonely socially awkward person, just like her nickname, Pochi-chan, which represents being all alone.

However, that was before the band ended. Now, Boqi-chan has so many friends and is no longer the lonely little girl she used to be.

Hachiman still owes Goto Ichiri a favor, and after thinking it over, it's time to repay it.

Since Pochi wants to change, then go ahead and make the changes. I'll take care of the rest!

Thinking this, Hachiman summoned the system interface in his mind and then glanced at the progress bar of Kasumi-tsuki.

[Usable times: 1 time, Targets: 3 people, Duration: 10 minutes]

After this period of energy accumulation, the effect of "Mirror Flower, Water Moon" has been enhanced once again.

Of course, the increase wasn't as dramatic as the one that happened to Motoyo Nagasaki.

Moreover, ten minutes is more than enough time.

As expected, Sister Su Shi is the chosen one of this version!

Beside him, Goto Ichiri was gradually overwhelmed by the atmosphere around him. He pursed his lips with difficulty, closed his eyes, and pressed his left hand tightly against the piano surface.

Even if it's just for one more second, just a little longer, the song will end soon.

That way, at least we won't disappoint Hikigaya and Kita.

But I'm so afraid I won't be able to keep going...