How can my simulation be a real love?

Kazami Mei looked in the direction of the sound and found that Pochi, who had been calm just moments before, was now standing still, and the 'thump thump thump' sound seemed to be coming from her direction.

She hadn't shown any nervousness just moments before, but now she looked like she was about to have her soul leave her body.

No, it's not that my coming here will cause problems, is it?

"Ming, Mingsang..."

Just as Kazami Mei was about to make a comment, she faintly heard Kita-san's muttering voice in her ear.

Kita Ikuyo, with her head down today, looked somewhat different from her usual cheerful and lively self. Her ears were slightly red as she looked up at Kazami Mei, a sight that made Kazami Mei feel inexplicably uneasy.

"What's wrong, Yu Dai?"

After hesitating for a moment, the red-haired girl gently clenched her small fist.

"I absolutely... absolutely will sing this song 'Forget Me Not' well!"

After all, it's practically a piece of music written for her.

"So I hope that after the performance, you can..."

Kita-san, her face flushed with embarrassment, swayed gently with her bright red side ponytail. The love energy she released the moment she raised her eyes was so intense that it almost burned Goto Ichiri, who had just come to his senses, to a crisp.

Not to mention Kazami Naruto, who was facing her energy up close at this moment. In less than an instant, he was completely overwhelmed by Kita's youthful and cute shyness.

Just as Kazami Mei was starting to get inexplicably nervous, Kita Ikuyo, who was clenching her little fists, didn't finish her sentence. A hint of a smile flickered in her eyes.

Before Kazami Mei could even ask, Kita-san slowly loosened her clenched fist, revealing a bright and beautiful smile, and spoke softly with a touch of playfulness—

"Well, I'll tell you later."

It's too early to say.

"Then, I'm going to do it!"

Kita Ikuyo raised her eyes, filled with determination, and hugged the guitar in her hands with a little more force.

This time, we can't afford to lose!

After saying that, she hugged her guitar tightly and walked towards the stage as if fleeing. This made Iji Chini Natsuya and Yamada Ryo exchange a glance. After greeting Kazami Mei, they also pulled Pochi onto the stage, leaving Kazami Mei standing there with a hint of helplessness in her eyes.

I really didn't expect Kita-san to be so powerful now.

Holding the bass, Yamada Ryo looked at Kita-san under the curtain with a subtle gaze. His usual lazy tone became somewhat ambiguous at this moment: "Yuyo, you almost made a flag just now."

"Huh? What do you mean..."

Kita-san blinked.

"You've probably read the story of the hero who fights the dragon, right? People who say things like, 'When I return from this battle, I'm going to go back to my hometown and get married,' before setting off to defeat the dragon often end up failing."

"Idiot Ryo, don't say such unlucky things now!!"

Holding a drumstick, Ichiji Nijika squinted her cat-like eyes and complained to the scumbag woman in front of her, which made Kita Ikuyo, who had just been flustered because of what she said, smile.

She then took a deep breath and looked at the microphone in front of her, feeling a surge of power throughout her body.

"Ming is watching from below the stage; we absolutely cannot let him lose face!"

The moment Ichika Nijika uttered those words, Pochi nodded vigorously.

As the red curtain fell before my eyes, I could almost see countless particles and dust under pure white light, and the booming guitar riffs made the air vibrate like electricity.

……

"Hey, over here!"

Kazami Naruto, who had just come out from backstage, immediately heard a familiar voice in his ears.

He turned his head and saw a beautiful figure with blue hair and pigtails standing in the right corner of the auditorium. Without hesitation, he squeezed through the crowd and finally reached her side.

It was really not easy to squeeze through; luckily, he had developed the instinct to prevent elbows while fighting for lunchboxes.

"Xiangzi, I didn't expect you to be here to watch a show too?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed in the eyes of the girl with light blue pigtails, but she still pretended to be nonchalant and said casually, "I just heard that 'The End Band' is going to perform here. After all, you are in charge of composing for this band, and I just happened to have nothing to do, so I thought I'd come and check it out."

Anyway, I didn't come here to see Mygo, did I?

Kazami Mei, of course, knew what Daisho-sensei was thinking, but he just smiled and didn't expose him directly.

"Did you just go backstage?"

"I went to check on them briefly, and I'll go back to see Deng and the others later."

Compared to the band Ending, who are currently in excellent form, Kazami Naru is actually more worried about the situation on Mygo's side.

Not to mention the lamp that always needs him by her side to relax, he also doesn't know if Miss Aine, who is always worried, can keep her composure now, so he should go and check on her in person later.

"...Is this so?"

Toyokawa Shoko simply nodded slightly, lost in thought but saying nothing more.

Soon the red and gold curtain on the stage was lifted, and the Ending Band, which was somewhat famous on Twitter, caused a wave of cheers as soon as they appeared. Kita Ikuyo on stage also took a deep breath.

This long-lost feeling of standing on the stage filled her with excitement.

The girl's gaze subtly drifted towards Kazami Mei in the crowd. A hint of determination flashed in her eyes, and her fingers gripping the microphone trembled slightly. The red-haired girl spoke confidently—

"Hello everyone! We are the band that has finished our activities in Shimokitazawa!"

"I want this stage to become a shared memory for us!"

After uttering this 'declaration,' the red-haired girl on the stage turned her gaze to a distant corner.

Chihaya Aine, with her long cherry-pink hair, felt a little hesitant to back away from Kita Ikuyo's gaze, but seemingly thinking of something, she held on tightly and chose to meet Kita Ikuyo's eyes without any evasion or fear.

The gazes between the two revealed no sharpness, but subtly conveyed a resolute determination infused with emotion.

"Please listen to our band's original song—'Forget Me Not'!"

12

Chapter Twelve: Your belief is your magic.

Forget-me-not?

A strange look flashed in Chihaya Aine's eyes upon hearing this word.

Why does the name of the band's new original song sound like a ballad? But before she could react, the electric guitar on stage started playing a long and soothing intro, and the gentle, melodious tune made the girl raise an eyebrow.

"I never expected Mingming to write such a soothing piece for the End Band..."

"That's not true at all~"

Chihaya Aine had just uttered her exclamation when she was suddenly interrupted by a sweet and gentle voice.

A mature young woman with long, brown hair reaching her waist was standing beside her. A gentle, elegant smile appeared on her already beautiful and soft face.

She seemed to radiate an all-encompassing aura, yet her fingers gripped her wrist tightly, leaving white marks on her delicate skin from the pressure.

"Soyorin? When did you arrive..."

Seeing Ms. Su Shi's gentle smile across from her, even the strong-willed Ms. Aine's eyes flashed with a strange light.

After all, it had been a long time since she had seen Su Shi smile like that in front of her.

"Just now? I was thinking that the band should start playing soon after they finish playing~ Riki-chan also sent a message in the group, right? She should have already met up with Ryuna-chan and Kodama by now."

"After the band's performance ends, it'll probably be our turn to go on stage too~"

When asked, Nagasaki Motoyo simply answered slowly and deliberately.

But this gentle Miss Suyo, who was so kind in both 'listening' and 'seeing', gave Chihaya Aine a strange feeling at this moment, as if there was some other emotion hidden beneath the smile on her face that she did not know.

Simply put, Su Shi is giving her goosebumps all over her body.

That's strange, what's going on?!

The Nagasaki Motoyo in front of her even gave Chihaya Aine the same feeling she had when she first met her!

But ever since Aine realized her 'true nature' and cold side, the fact that she showed that kind of smile and gentle smile again made Chihaya Aine feel inexplicably scared.

Because it's a completely forced smile!

"That, that..."

"Soyorin? What did you mean when you said 'that's not how it is'?"

Ai Yin's cautious words caused Miss Su Shi's smile to freeze slightly. Her long, slender fingers pressed lightly together, and after a moment's thought, her gentle tone became even lower and more somber.

"I just suddenly felt...wouldn't it be more suitable to play this song on a keyboard?"

"Huh? A keyboard?"

Chihaya Aine blinked, looking confused, clearly not quite understanding what she meant.

But Nagasaki Motoyo didn't care how Chihaya Aine would respond; her gentle and beautiful smile had already made her azure eyes squint into crescent moons.

Just as Chihaya Aine had 'premonition', Ms. Suze's inner emotions were completely opposite to her outward appearance, and the overflowing negative emotions made her extremely anxious.

She was very angry.

Even when Shoko interrupted her when she was alone with Kazami Mei, Nagasaki Motoyo hadn't felt such a strong emotional fluctuation. Especially when Kita Ikuyo said, "This is our original song," her already suppressed anger burned fiercely as if it were about to explode.

Because no one knew this piece better than her.

"..."

Because this was a piece of music that Ming composed for her himself, it was something that belonged only to her!

Motoyo Nagasaki never expected that she would hear that familiar melody again, but in the performance of another band!

This intense frustration and anger made her want to just go over and end the band, then rush up to Kazami Naruto and ask him why he gave his music to someone else.

But she quickly managed to calm down.

After all, aside from the so-called 'irritability,' what I felt was more of an indescribable and inexplicable bitterness.

Ultimately, it's her own fault.

"If only I could have started earlier..."

The girl's mutterings made Chihaya Aine frown, so she couldn't help but ask her, "Soyorin, what did you just say?"

"There's nothing here~ Instead of worrying about that, let's hurry to the backstage preparation room. I think Riki-chan and Kodama should be here by now, right?"

Nagasaki Motoyo still wore the same faint smile as before.

But the words beneath that sweet smile gradually became more and more mundane.

"That's true..."

Although Chihaya Aine felt a little strange about Nagasaki Motoyo's unusual behavior, she didn't have time to think about it too much right now.

After all, as the band's performance ended and the music began, Kita Ikuyo on stage displayed her powerful and steady vocals, and the almost seamless drumbeats combined with the electric guitar kept increasing the pressure on her.

No wonder the End Band defeated other well-known bands at the Summer Festival. How could their skills have improved so much in such a short time?

Chihaya Aine, her heart gradually filled with tension and trepidation, pursed her pale pink lips.

With her talent for self-motivation, she would never have the thought of backing down at this time. Even with a formidable opponent in front of her, she absolutely could not be afraid in the slightest. After all, the 'bet' this time was not something to be taken lightly.

"I have to win, I absolutely have to win..."

anyway.

……

Wow, that's amazing! I never expected Kita's guitar skills to improve so much.

Holding a guitar, Goto Ichiri's pick flew up and down the strings, while Kita Ikuyo's steady and powerful vocals filled the air.

Even though it's just the prelude to a more relaxed mood, she doesn't even need to breathe. Her rhythm and breath control are incredibly steady!

Behind them came the powerful and precise drumbeats of Ichiji Nijika; the band members were so familiar with the song that they could play it automatically from muscle memory.

Even if Hongxia closes her eyes now, she can still steadily grasp every rhythmic point of this song, and the bass's penetrating low notes create the foundation for the performance.

"..."

Soon, it will be my solo match.

With a serious expression, Goto Ichiri's left hand was constantly changing chords on the fretboard.

As the lead guitarist, she had to carry the melody of the entire song alone when the keyboard was not available. The heaviest burden of the entire performance rested on her petite and lonely body.