Does gravity make me stronger?

"sorry..."

Aine blushed and apologized.

"Aine, focus on your performance," Nagasaki Motoyo said sternly, unable to bear watching any longer.

"it is good..."

After waiting for a while, the previous band left the stage, and the staff preparing to hand over the spotlight called out to the five girls behind them: "It's your turn, substitute band."

When it comes to LiveHouses, the first thing that comes to mind is dazzling neon lights, a stage made of cheap metal pipes, and a huge LED screen.

As soon as Ai Yin stepped onto the stage, she was struck by the overwhelming trendy vibe.

The audience members were of all kinds, some dressed in formal uniforms, some in pretty floral dresses, but most were dressed in hip-hop style, which was quite in line with the current trend of bands.

Also.

Thanks to the previous band's brilliant performance, the audience's emotions had already been stirred up. If they were a more established band, they would likely have been able to take this opportunity to push the atmosphere of the LiveHouse to a climax.

Unfortunately...

They were just a third-rate band, and they even got to perform by piggybacking on other people's opportunities.

Gao Songdeng put down the miscellaneous items in his hands and stared blankly at the dozens of audience members below the stage, feeling his head buzzing for a moment.

Although they wanted the band to fail, they didn't want them to go bankrupt. Nagasaki Motoyo spoke up at that moment: "Hello everyone, we're a substitute band..."

While greeting the audience, my gaze kept wandering downwards, and after searching for a while, it finally landed on the upper right corner of the audience area.

There stood an ordinary-looking boy, dressed in a black shirt and black casual trousers.

It's Hikigaya-kun!

Nagasaki Motoyo's voice became much more lively during her introduction, but half a second later, her gaze suddenly fell on the girl standing next to Hachiman, her eyes widened abruptly, and even her voice became listless.

With her delicate face, flowing long hair, and gentle smile, wasn't that girl the very person he had been longing for—Xiangzi?

Why did they get together?

She had considered the possibility of Hachiman and Shoko appearing together at a LiveHouse, since they were classmates and had some prior contact.

But when the two were exchanging pleasantries offstage, without even glancing at the stage, Nagasaki Motoyo felt a pang of pain in her heart, as if someone were squeezing it.

No, wake up...

Nagasaki Motoyo took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

Hachiman was just there to watch the performance, and his encounter with Shoko was probably just an accident; there's no evidence that they had arranged to come together.

Within a few breaths, Nagasaki Motoyo returned to her usual calm, and even her teammates didn't notice anything unusual.

But no matter what, the atmosphere within the team is somewhat strange.

Their first song unfolded in this atmosphere.

Shiina Tatsuki's drumbeats opened the song, while Nagasaki Motoyo kept a close eye on the guitar on the other side.

Aiyin, it's your turn. Don't let me down.

Whenever she looks forward to something like this, something unexpected is bound to happen.

"Zizi~"

The guitar's tone blended seamlessly with the drumbeats, as if it were a perfect match.

This also drew the attention of the other teammates, with Shiina Tatsuki being the most surprised.

"Aiyin?"

Without stopping his own performance, Shiina Tatsuki simply paid his respects to Aine.

Aine, who had been constantly running away and making mistakes, actually caught up with the rhythm?

What can I say, woman!

It seems this performance is destined to be a success, and now the lights will never leave me again!

Thinking about all this, Shiina Tatsuki, whose eyes were gradually brightening, increased the force of her drumming...

"Oops."

Nagasaki Motoyo keenly realized that Aine's guitar skills had far exceeded her expectations. Just a few weeks ago, the girl couldn't even figure out the chords, but now she was strumming the strings with utmost concentration, her forehead covered in glistening beads of sweat.

Alas, now we can only hope that the song of the lamp will have some problems...

Fortunately, the second layer of protection finally came into effect.

"I..."

The sound couldn't be transmitted at all.

Located at the very front of the stage, where he should have been the focus of the performance, Takamatsu Todoroki was unable to make a sound for a long time.

Seeing this, Nagasaki Motoyo's lips curled into a triumphant smile.

Plans are in place!

Hurry up and speak up, everyone's still watching me...

Gao Songdeng cried out in his heart, but the more he struggled, the more the gloom in his heart, like a swamp, relentlessly pursued him, dragging him into it step by step.

"Sing..."

I'm sorry, Aine-chan.

I'm sorry, Su Shi, Li hope, and Le Nai.

I'm sorry, Hachiman...

In the boundless darkness, Takamatsu suddenly caught a ray of dawn!

A familiar figure flashed by in the audience area.

"It's Xiangzi!"

Toyokawa Shoko's resolute gaze was like a ray of sunshine, shining into Takamatsu Akari's heart and dispelling the gloom.

And she began to sing again.

"You've already tried hard enough?"

What?!

Thinking the plan had succeeded, Nagasaki Motoyo was already in high spirits, but she never expected things to go wrong at this crucial moment.

How could they possibly turn things around?

A path never before imagined!

Gao Songdeng sang more and more smoothly, as if she had applied lubricant, and there was none of her usual slight social anxiety.

This is outrageous!

As the music ended, Nagasaki Motoyo closed her eyes, her heart filled with mixed emotions, and looked ahead with complicated feelings.

Although Gao Songdeng sang, the audience wasn't really moved by the performance mistakes.

but.

I don't know where that shouting came from.

"Lanna-chan, keep it up! Your performance was amazing, I'll always support you!"

Nagasaki Motoyo looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young woman standing in front of the stage. She was wearing a very flamboyant baseball uniform and denim shorts, and her makeup was very exquisite. She didn't look like a casual audience member.

That's because you want to be a dedicated fan of Renai?

Before joining their band, Yao Le Nai had been wandering around RiNG, and it's only natural that she would have accumulated a certain number of fans with her superb guitar skills.

Nagasaki Motoyo didn't care about this.

But the other person's next words caused her heart to stop.

"Could you play 'Haruhi Kage' one more time? I'd do anything just to hear 'Haruhi Kage'!"

This shout acted as a fuse, igniting the enthusiasm of a large section of the audience. It's likely that many of them were fans who had become fans of the band after watching Ichiri Goto's performance.

"Yes, I came here to hear Kasuga Kage. I still remember the last performance vividly!"

"Spring Shadow, I'd rather die than hear it again!!!"

"Hey?"

Completely bewildered, Nagasaki Motoyo paused for a moment, then grabbed the microphone to reprimand the unreasonable audience below.

Beside her, Yoro Nai, who had been silent all along, suddenly straightened the guitar.

"Buzz~" The sound of the guitar strings being plucked was deafening.

A bad feeling crept into my heart.

No, Xiangzi is still here!

The members of the Aine and Shiina bands, who were unaware of the deeper meaning, and the Takamatsu band, who understood the meaning but were even more eager to sing this sacred song in front of Shoko, all made their preparations.

However, Nagasaki Motoyo was too late to stop it; the prelude to Kasuga Kage had already begun.

"Wait a moment!"

Nagasaki Motoyo's panicked voice was drowned out by the band's accompaniment.

Chapter 89, 088, Second line: Secretly crossing the Chencang pass, Toyokawa Shoko

Back in the audience.

The piece titled "Walking with the Azure Sky" has come to an end.

Hidden behind the crowd, Xiangzi scrutinized Hachiman's profile and tentatively asked, "Hachiman-kun, isn't the music really good? So, would you like to come to a live concert with me again sometime?"

"Ah, um, I didn't expect Takamatsu to have such a powerful singing voice."

He wasn't a professional music critic; he could only judge the quality of a piece based on his most basic auditory perception.

The song that Gao Songdeng just sang wasn't fancy, but it was beautiful and a sound that would make your ears happy.

"But let's talk about live performances later, hahaha..."

Hachiman's clumsy excuse made Shoko puff out her cheeks in anger, letting out a muffled groan, but she didn't sound unhappy at all; instead, she sounded more like a girlfriend being affectionate.

"Hachiman, one day I'll make you fall in love with music!"

"..."

More interesting to Hachiman than the music itself was the diverse characters on stage, especially Nagasaki Motoyo, the bassist, who remained unfazed even when the performance was on the verge of collapse.

Hachiman knew that she was more convinced than anyone else that Takamatsu Akari could overcome her inner fears on her own.

Team member Su Shi looks like she has a big heart, hat off to her!

Hachiman sighed inwardly, completely unaware that on the other side of the audience area, band fans led by Natsume Hakushi were about to transform into Haru-chan and prepare to wreak havoc on the stage.

"I'm willing to do anything as long as I can play 'Spring Shadow'!"

A thunderous shout that shook the heavens and the earth resonated with everyone.

All eyes turned to him, and under their watchful gazes, Natsume Hakushiro, without any restraint, shouted at the top of his lungs, "Kasuga Kage, I'd die for that, even if it meant death!!!"

The first to react was Wakaba Mutsu, a girl who was more rational than others, and immediately heard the almost pleading voice from ahead.

Next was Xiangzi. When he heard the familiar song title, his heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly looked ahead.

Why is it a spring day shadow?

This was a thought that came to Hachiman subconsciously, but after seeing the source of the sound, the answer became clear.

"That person... I think his name is something like Bai Lu, he's really a fanatic."

Hachiman muttered to himself, neither confirming nor denying the fans' desire for musicians to play hit songs.

but.

Xiangzi's behavior made him somewhat uneasy.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, it's just a little low blood sugar." Xiangzi rubbed his forehead, his face slightly pale.

"Really? Then why don't we go and rest in a corner for a bit?"