A band simulator, but all girl-heavy!

That was Saotome Aoi, the red-haired girl I had met that day, and a few other unfamiliar girls.

This was a strange band, and except for the violinist, everything about it had nothing to do with her or that dream.

Is Aoi in a band, or is she in a band with someone else? Because her own self in this world didn't invite her to join Crychic, is she joining someone else's band?

This is normal, it's no big deal... Maybe Xiangzi should bless her and be happy for her. After all, Xiangzi doesn't plan to form a band again, so he doesn't care which band Aoi is in.

But why is my heart beating so fast?

Why did a sense of loss mixed with reluctance sweep through her body and mind?

Why--

"Please listen to "Hikaru Nako"!!"

Why is 'The Light' being played now?

She could still deceive herself, but she couldn't convince herself anymore.

The wails seemed uncontrollable, and along with her heavy breathing, a few heartbreaking syllables burst out, but she could only suppress the trembling corners of her eyes and mouth, endure the tears swirling in her eyes, and look at the scene on the stage.

She could hardly think about why Aoi remembered this song, the love song composed by her and written by Aoi.

She just thought that she had been telling herself all along that she had at least formed a wonderful band, and she had at least tasted many beautiful and happy memories in her dreams.

Because of the cruel reality, she had to bury the band's memories with her own hands and cruelly quit the band. Her original intention was not to destroy Crychic, but at that time, she didn't care much whether Crychic would disband.

With the trend of girl bands, how many student bands are formed on a whim every day, and how many student bands end up abruptly?

She just thought that at least that memory would be eternal, and those two songs would become memories as long-lasting as photos, serving as proof that she had once bathed in that spring sunshine.

She personally quit the band and ended it herself...

But only those two songs, only "Haruhi Ying" and "If the Light Could Bloom" - are their music, belonging to that spring, belonging to that bright, relaxed, dry and warm memory.

Even though the reality is so cruel, she can rely on those innocent memories to give herself some comfort and look forward to returning to such a time one day in the future.

but……

When the violin sound completely replaced the piano sound of the keyboard, when the red-haired heroine sang a song that was completely different from the lamp's, when those strange girls played similar but completely different music.

Xiangzi realized that this song no longer belonged to her, and that memory no longer had a place for her.

The song that she composed, wrote the melody, and arranged the instruments for no longer belonged to her.

Finally, she could no longer hold back her tears, which soaked her collar and blurred her vision. For a moment, she could hardly say anything. She could only cry continuously and suppress the wailing in her throat.

That was the song she and Xiaokui created...

That is--

Her light...

"...Aoi, you're smiling even happier than before."

Suddenly, Mu's voice came from his ear, drowning out the noisy voices around him, overwhelming the music on the stage, and clearly reaching Xiangzi's ears.

It was like a sharp fragment, completely cutting through her already fragile heart.

My heart is still beating, my breathing is still going on, and the memories are still lingering in my mind. But everything has turned to gray. That spring, that photo, that song, that smile, everything has been shattered.

Then, those crystal clear fragments flew apart, cutting her heart, splitting her soul, and leaving her covered in wounds.

There seemed to be tinnitus in her head, causing her to cover her head in pain, and she felt dizzy for a moment.

There was only one thought left in my mind.

I really want to forget all this...

72

Chapter 72 Aoi’s troubles.

A successful performance can be intoxicating both physically and mentally.

Those listeners who love music and are keen on live performances often receive higher praise from the audience off the stage than from the studio version. It is like watching famous foreign scenery through a screen. Although the picture quality is more exquisite and the sound is clearer, the wind mixed with the scent of grass and the sound of waves do not really touch the senses.

The same is true for band performances. Although there may be various accidents on the scene and the unadjusted singing and instrument sounds may have flaws, the notes, lights, and singing that come to you are incomparable to those CDs and players.

Here, the audience may not be able to distinguish the specific melody of the instruments due to the roar of the sound, but it is precisely because of this that they can use their eardrums to personally touch the notes flying from the musicians' instruments, and clearly receive the lead singer's slightly flawed but flexible cry.

Here, they are not separated by a screen, but are actually standing in the world of the audience, standing on the stage, standing under the same sky with the audience, and feeling the same breeze.

As long as the performance can activate the audience's minds, it will undoubtedly be a success.

When The End finished their last song, the entire festival venue was overwhelmed by deafening applause and cheers. Initially, many in the audience had questioned whether it was okay to put violins in rock music. But now, this has become their greatest strength, making The End the most impressive band of the day.

"This is the last song ~ 'Re:Re:'! Thank you very much ~ We are the end of the band!"

After two songs, just a few minutes, Kita seemed to have completely adapted to the stage. Even though she was out of breath, she still had the brightest smile on her face and waved goodbye to all the audience who were cheering for them.

The applause never stopped, weighing down on them like a mountain, yet they felt so relaxed that all the tension and pressure before the performance disappeared as if it had never existed, and was replaced by only joy and excitement.

This emotion, filled with joy and a sense of accomplishment, finally burst out after they left the stage area and walked into the rest area behind the stage.

"Xiao Kui~!!!"

The cheers were gradually forgotten by them. Kita instantly turned into a red missile, swooping down on Aoi and happily hugging her slender arms. If it weren't for the guitar and violin getting in the way, she might have already hugged Aoi's soft body tightly.

"The best~!!! The band was the best! The performance was the best! Everyone was the best! Xiaokui, you are the best~!!!"

Kita's joy was almost uncontrollable. Her lovely facial features, curved eyebrows and the smile on her open mouth, every inch of her face showed her mood.

The hard training in the past, the experience of having their fingers cut by the strings, and the nervousness that almost overwhelmed them before going on stage, all seemed to have turned into beautiful memories under the victory at this moment, becoming a sweet prelude to this memory.

This feeling was probably shared by all of them. Their hearts were still pounding, and the fatigue that they had not felt on the stage before came over them like a tide. Their chests were filled with a warm current, as if their bodies had just realized what they had done.

In this performance, everyone performed at their best and achieved the most perfect effect, so just two songs almost exhausted their physical strength.

Little Pochi was probably the one who reacted most intensely. She raised her little hands slightly, parted her lips, and was about to say something, but immediately covered her mouth and nose, rushed to the trash can beside her, and gasped for breath.

"Pochi-chan!? Are you okay?!"

Hongxia was startled and rushed over to support Pochi, whose face was ashen.

"No, it's okay... Guuuu..."

Little Pochi raised his thumb tremblingly. Although he looked like a terminally ill patient, he still had an excited smile on his face and tried hard to calm his breathing.

The feeling on stage almost changed the worldview she had built up so far.

It turns out that standing on the stage and playing the guitar is not that difficult, it turns out that being watched by so many people is not a disaster, and it turns out that being the focus of everyone's attention is so fascinating.

For the first time in her lonely life, she felt so shining, just like in her dreams and fantasies, accepting everyone's cheers and applause.

At this moment, what filled her heart was no longer fear and tension, but irrepressible joy and excitement, as well as confidence in the performance.

The current reaction is all because the body has not yet adapted to such actions. The pressure still remains in the body's memory, and it is just a belated outburst at this moment.

"It seems that it violates the character setting so much that it caused the body to reject it."

Liang gently wiped the sweat from her cheeks with a handkerchief. Although her expression still looked calm and composed, the slightly upturned corners of her mouth betrayed her mood.

The victory of this show is crucial for everyone who ended the band.

"Today's success is also thanks to Xiao Kui. Honestly, it still feels a bit surreal right now... We're a student band that just got together not that long ago and whose abilities aren't particularly outstanding, yet we've received such an enthusiastic response."

Hongxia's cheeks flushed red as she helped Pochi sit down on a chair nearby. With a dazzling and gentle smile like an angel on her face, she gave Aoi a thumbs up and said, "If it weren't for Aoi, we might still be just starting out in the recording studio."

If it weren't for Aoi's radical plan, they wouldn't be participating in today's music festival, and training would probably be much easier, but they would also lose the opportunity to feel the joy and excitement of today.

The band will eventually gain recognition on stage and bring redemption to those who can resonate with their music.

".Xiao Kui?"

Everyone was in the same relaxed and happy mood, but Pochi, who had gradually calmed down, finally noticed something wrong.

After coming down from the stage, Aoi became a little absent-minded, and the smile on her face had lost its previous pure radiance and warmth.

It was the same at this time. Although Aoi was smiling under the praise of Hongxia and Kita, once others changed the subject, she would restrain her smile, and a hint of sadness and uneasiness would flash in her eyes.

"Xiao Kui, are you feeling unwell?"

Kita finally noticed Aoi's abnormality and looked at her worriedly.

"Eh? No, I'm feeling really excited right now."

Aoi blinked gently, her eyes as bright as ever, and gave Kita and everyone else a playful smile. "Thanks to everyone's hard work! Today's performance was a complete success. We also need to think about how to celebrate the celebration party tonight!"

"Oh~! By the way, my sister said she's nearby. Didn't she say she wouldn't come to the show today...?"

Hong Xia suggested, "Let my sister treat us to a celebration party!"

"That izakaya is nice. I like the yakitori set menu there."

Liang said almost without hesitation.

For a moment, the band was once again filled with the joy of victory, and the relaxed and happy atmosphere filled everyone's smiling faces.

"Sorry~ Let's chat for a while, I'm going to the bathroom."

After chatting for a while, Aoi suddenly stood up with a faint smile on her face, waved to the others, and left the rest area where they were.

After Kui left completely, the few of them fell into silence tacitly. They looked at each other, but no one chose to speak first.

"...Xiao Kui, she seems to be worried."

Finally, the first person to break the silence appeared. Little Pochi, unlike his usual socially anxious self, who preferred to play little dramas in his head, spoke anxiously, "After coming down from the stage, she seemed to be thinking about something other than just being happy..."

“Could it be because of that song?”

Kita asked with a worried look on his face, "Xiao Kui said that song was written by her and a friend, right? Is there any hidden secret behind this..."

"We asked her about this, but Xiaokui just kept saying that it was just a friend from her music class who gave her some pointers, and that she wrote this song simply because she was having a bout of chuunibyou."

Hongxia shrugged, a look of helplessness on her face.

"I think I can probably guess some of the reasons."

Liang gently put down the bottle of mineral water he had just taken a sip of. His rather androgynous, handsome face displayed a maturity and composure rarely seen among his peers. "Aoi didn't show any stage fright during the performance, and her instrumental skills were also impeccable. In my opinion, she definitely has performance experience."

"Eh? Did Xiaokui also participate in performances before?"

Kita was a little surprised.

"More than that, he might have even formed a band."

Liang shook his head, a subtle sympathy lingering in his golden eyes. "When Xiaokui mentioned that song, the look in her eyes was like she was missing something."

There is no need to say anything more about what follows, because these teenage girls who are always good at thinking and fantasizing can easily fill the gaps that follow.

Aoi had formed a band and wrote this song with her bandmates. Then due to some things, the band disbanded and she handed the song over to the band Ending.

73

Chapter 73 Wasn’t it agreed that this was just a game?

This song was created for the band's performance, for standing on the stage and spreading faith to the audience.

Yamada Ryo had already noticed this when he saw the music score of this song. The arrangement and instrument configuration of "If You Can Shine" are very clear and complete. The person responsible for composing it definitely has talent and skills far beyond ordinary people. It is definitely not like what Aoi said, that he just wrote a song on a whim because of his second-year syndrome.

Although Aoi does have the skills to write lyrics and compose music, and her level is not bad, she does not give the impression of being the composer of this song, nor does she reach the level that this composition should have.

Liang told them his guess, and at the same time, he used these almost conclusive details to tell them that this was almost no longer a guess, but a fact that had happened.

"Xiao Kui never mentioned this to us..."

Kita's expression was a little sad and worried. After all, it was Aoi who had been guiding them forward all this time, and it was Aoi who had been using her smile to soothe their stress and support everyone in moving forward.

But such a gentle and almost perfect person, such a person who gave them help and salvation, has a dark hole in his heart that he is unwilling to tell anyone.

"Xiao Kui probably has her own reasons, right? Liang was also very depressed when he left his original band, right?"

Hongxia smiled helplessly and looked at Yamada Ryo, who still had an expressionless face beside her. "I remember she was deeply shocked and even decided to put down her instrument and stop playing in the band."

"Eh?! Is there such a thing?"

Kita was obviously surprised.

"Then...Xiao Kui, is it the same?"

Little Pochi raised his head slightly and asked cautiously, "I left the band, but I don't want that song to die. But singing it would also hurt my former bandmates..."

"I don't know~ But, there are some things in the heart that we shouldn't force someone to say until they're willing to say it, okay?"