A band simulator, but all girl-heavy!

191

Chapter 191: Unwilling to accept.

"Okay~ Everyone, thank you for your hard work. Today's review meeting ends here! Thank you for participating. Everyone who participated was very kind~"

Soon, as the last band walked off the stage, the PA and the store manager concluded their discussion and conversation at the review meeting, which concluded with the PA's sweet voice, "We'll announce today's results shortly. Please wait a moment!"

All the bands gathered here at this moment, gathering in groups of three or four, staring intently in the direction of the store manager, looking forward to today's results.

But in fact, there were only two bands who were particularly nervous and anxious. The other bands had already given up and laid low in the fierce battle between the two sides. They didn't feel that they had any chance of winning at all, and they just wanted to see which of the two bands would win in the end.

"...We should win, right?"

An He Subaru clutched the hem of his skirt tightly with both hands. Although he had clearly attended a martial arts gym before in his memory, facing such a small occasion, Subaru was still so nervous that he was sweating profusely and wrinkled his uniform.

"You've said this at least five times... Didn't you decide this before?"

Xiaozhi glanced at her with a look of impatience, and reminded her sternly, "Remember? You're only here to prove your resolve, and you have to accept the outcome no matter what."

"But, but we've competed in a martial arts arena before. Isn't it strange that we can't even win on a small stage like this?"

Subaru muttered anxiously, his brows furrowed almost to the point of twisting together.

Like Su Shi, she did not tell anyone about the conflict with the other party that day. After all, it was caused by her impulse. But precisely because of this, she had to pay attention to the win or loss this time. Because if she lost this review meeting, all her big words at that time would be shattered. Not only would she lose face, but she would also not know how to face Aoi.

We can’t lose, even if we lose we can’t lose to that band from Nagasaki Suyo.

Subaru thought so, and gripped the hem of his skirt even tighter.

"That being said..."

Nina also looked at the stage with a somewhat nervous expression. She also glanced at Subaru suspiciously and muttered softly, "Come to think of it, since you know we participated in the Budokan, why are you still so nervous...?"

"I'm nervous because I've participated before!"

Subaru retorted frantically.

"Calm down and just listen to the results."

Taoxiang sighed helplessly and interrupted their conversation, "And... to add, I did attend the martial arts hall in my dream."

"Say that again! This isn't just a dream!"

Renai puffed up her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

"Come to think of it~ Didn't you all want to go talk to Aoi just now?"

Rupa smiled at the people who were still bickering, gently pointed at Aoi who was still huddled with the band, and said in a teasing tone, "Why is no one mentioning this now~"

"I, I'm waiting for the results!"

Rencai glared at him angrily and argued firmly, "You can go to Aoi with peace of mind and confidence after you know the outcome of the victory!"

"Actually, even if you don't know the outcome, you can still go with confidence..."

Subaru sighed helplessly, but there was also a hint of retreat and fear in his expression.

"Then why don't you go, Subaru?"

Xiaozhi asked with a frown.

"I, I also want to wait for the results."

A cold sweat ran down Subaru's face, and he answered in a gloomy voice after a long while.

"Pfft, what a bunch of cowards!"

Taoxiang couldn't help laughing as she listened, her face full of sarcasm.

"If you're so brave, why didn't Miss Momoka go?!"

Rencai asked angrily, like a kitten with its fur standing on end.

"That's what I'm saying! If Taoxiang also said something about waiting for the results, I would definitely despise you!"

Subaru kept agreeing and gave Momoka a thumbs-up.

"How is that possible? I don't care about that kind of thing. Besides, I've already done what I need to do today."

Taoxiang had a faint smile on her face. "There's nothing to regret. As for chatting together... there will be plenty of opportunities. Now is not the right occasion."

"Excuse……"

The two children had the same contemptuous expression on their faces and started muttering in unison.

At the same time, Xingge and Miss PA finally walked slowly onto the stage, interrupting the somewhat noisy scene with their voices, and looking around at all the bands present for the review meeting.

"First of all, thank you all for participating. Every one of you coming here is meaningful. There is no good or bad band. As long as you are willing to stand on the stage and play the music you love, you are a qualified band."

Xingge cleared his throat and, facing the crowd of unfamiliar faces, gave a simple opening statement in a calm tone, "So no matter what the outcome, don't doubt your own abilities. Every band performing today has their own merits. We just need a warm-up band to conclude our solo live performance."

The whispers in the audience stopped completely, and everyone's eyes were focused on her, waiting intently for her to announce the target.

Xingge just sighed lightly, and after saying this, he remained silent as if he had nothing to say. He just looked at everyone present quietly, and paused for a few seconds before speaking again.

"Well then... I'd like to announce that the opening band for this independent live performance is—"

Her eyes moved back and forth between each band, as if she was inspecting soldiers. She stared at each girl in the band who looked nervous and uneasy, and couldn't help but curl her lips.

The gaze kept wandering, and finally slowly stopped on the people in the thorn group, and blinked at them.

"Mygo Band!"

However, what came out of his mouth was the name of another band.

The applause broke out enthusiastically as Xingge finished his announcement. Many bands smiled in congratulations, looking at Mygo who was standing aside with an expression of bewilderment and disbelief. Only a few members of the Ci Tuan stood there like statues, just blinking blankly, as if they had not expected this possibility at all.

They lost?

Lost to...that Mygo?

But why?

The expression on Rencai's face changed from surprise to disbelief, then from disbelief to suspicion, and finally from suspicion to full of unwillingness and dissatisfaction.

"Let me explain in advance, today is the screening for the opening band, not the auditions for the Tokyo Dome or the Red and White Song Festival."

Xingge seemed to have anticipated Rencai's reaction and explained before she could do anything impulsive.

"I would like to express my sincere gratitude and apologies to the other bands. They are all excellent, but I still hope that everyone understands that this is only a review of the opening band. What we need is a band that can lead the atmosphere in advance without stealing the limelight from the main band."

As she spoke, she glanced at Taoxiang, who still had a smile on her face, and seemed to click her tongue in displeasure.

"After comprehensive consideration, Mygo is the most suitable band for the next independent live, and the playing style is also suitable for ending the band. I hope everyone can understand this decision."

No one expressed any objection.

Only most of the members of the Thorn Group had expressions of complete unwillingness and astonishment, while Taoxiang, who should have been the first to lead the protest, just smiled as if it was natural and muttered jokingly.

"That Ijichi-senpai... he's treating us like weirdos trying to pick a fight with kids."

1

Chapter 1 is probably Aine’s personal reply: The sun rises in London.

The sky over London was always covered with dark clouds.

The humid air of the temperate maritime climate made it rain frequently. The "grey foggy city" I'd once read about in books still seemed to describe this city. On rainy days, gray clouds would cover the sky like a giant lid, unable to penetrate the sun, and she certainly couldn't escape.

She was trapped under this gray sky, like a prisoner staring at the cold gray walls of a prison.

She didn't like it here... No, that wasn't right. Perhaps it wasn't that she disliked England, or London, but simply that she didn't like her current state of life. This once magnificent city, a record of Europe's glorious history, was now eclipsed by the dark clouds. Everything was no longer beautiful, charming, or joyful.

Ever since she came to London to study, all her expectations of foreign countries and London have gradually faded away. The unfamiliar environment, the language barrier, and the difficult course progress are all biting away at Ain's courage.

She obviously has good English grades, can understand daily communication, and the social skills she has practiced countless times in her mind are quite perfect...but whenever she really faces the need to communicate, her mind goes blank, she just stands there like a fool, stammering, and even when she takes the initiative to talk to others, she feels inferior and uneasy about her heavy Japanese accent.

Every bit of scenery here was incredibly unfamiliar. It was completely different from the journey she had taken from Tokyo to Kyoto. Not only could she not see the familiar street scenes, but even the Japanese people and the cultural atmosphere of East Asia that she was familiar with were rarely seen. It was like she had come to a completely unfamiliar world.

When she was sad and upset, she couldn't even eat the familiar sushi she wanted, and could only stare at the British food in the school cafeteria and worry, as if it was mocking her that not only her mind could not adapt to London, but even her stomach could not adapt.

Her heart was like the weather in London, covered by the gray air. Whenever she curled up on the small bed in her dormitory, digesting those gloomy emotions alone, she always thought, if only she had not run to London to show off.

I really want to go home.

After all, it was impossible to continue her studies in such an environment, right? She couldn't adapt to the life and pace here. If things continued like this, there would be no way for things to improve. Everything would only get worse... Aine kept hypnotizing herself like this, finding all kinds of reasons and excuses for her escape, and even vaguely began to plan such a weak plan.

But on that day, on that gray and overcast day, her world lit up as if a curtain had been drawn.

It was just an ordinary day of studying here. She sat in the classroom as usual, listening to the ambient sounds of her classmates' conversations, but she seemed to be out of the picture, just looking at the scenery outside the window alone.

Then, today's teacher slowly walked in with the handouts in his arms. It was the same as always, the same sky, the same boring day, but the only difference was that there was a beautiful figure following him.

She was a young woman with flowing beige hair and emerald eyes, her soft, East Asian face incredibly familiar in this unfamiliar environment. A faint ray of sunlight, shining through the dark clouds and through the window onto the podium and her body, made her look incredibly like a goddess in transformation, so dazzling and so captivating.

At the first sight of the girl, Ai Yi felt that his eyes were completely attracted by her.

The teacher clapped his hands gently, making sure he had everyone's attention, and then said to the crowd below:

"Good morning, everyone. Today I'd like to introduce you to a transfer student from Japan, Aoi Saotome. Saotome-san, could you please introduce yourself?"

The girl nodded gently, the smile on her face was gentle and soft, just like a cloud that was baked by the sun and turned into snowflakes. She lifted the hem of her skirt slightly and performed a lady's salute with an elegant and calm manner. Her movements were standard and noble, matched with her inherent temperament, as if she really was a young lady who walked out of a castle.

"Hello everyone! My name is Aoi Saotome, and I'm from Tokyo, Japan. My hobbies are music, afternoon tea, and photography! My favorite band is Queen, and my favorite tea is Darjeeling black tea! In the future, I hope to learn and improve together with everyone. It would be even better if we could form a lifelong band together."

Unlike Aine's self-introduction, this Saotome Aoi spoke very fluently and had almost no accent, and even sounded a bit like a London accent.

Her fluent spoken English, elegant temperament, beautiful appearance, and friendly conversation all won her warm applause and welcome from the students below the stage.

"Chihaya-san, you and Saotome-san are from the same country and city, so please take care of her."

The teacher's words seemed to be the beginning of the lightening up of Aine's life in London. Aoi was naturally arranged to sit next to her. Just watching the incredible girl slowly approaching, Aine felt that her dark life was gradually seeping into the sunlight.

At this moment, the dark clouds outside the window gradually dissipated, the sunlight pierced through the clouds, and the Tyndall effect appeared, with one beam of light after another like a ladder descending on the streets of London.

"Takahashi~Chihaya-san."

Saotome, who was sitting next to Aine, smiled at her, but she didn't say it in English. Instead, she said in Japanese, which made her feel very familiar. "Thank you for your guidance in the future!"

On this day, sunny days returned to London and she met Saotome Aoi, and her gloomy life in London changed.

The most noticeable improvement is social.

As soon as the get out of class was over, many curious classmates gathered around Aoi's desk, eager to ask her all kinds of questions - this was also normal, everyone was always curious about people from foreign countries. In fact, Aine had received such treatment when she first came, but she couldn't answer them and was not very good at answering questions, so over time no one talked to her.

In reality, most of these classmates were kind people, and they didn't isolate Aine. They just didn't know how to talk to her, thinking she hadn't mastered English yet. But seeing this, Aine still felt very unhappy, because she also wanted to have a good chat with Aoi. She was her compatriot, and seeing Japanese people in a foreign country, even if they weren't acquaintances, would make you feel a strong sense of intimacy, like a family member you'd never met before, and from then on, you felt a sense of belonging.

But Aoi was surrounded by people, and there was no place for her. Perhaps she could only watch from afar as usual...

"It's true! Even now, people in Japan still wear kimonos to celebrate the New Year."

Suddenly, the voice was much closer to her. Aine raised her eyes slightly and immediately saw Aoi, who was sitting next to her, winking at her gently and saying in a friendly voice, "If you don't believe me, you can go ask Chihaya-san, okay?"

"Is this true, Chihaya-san?"

The other students looked at her curiously, as if it was the first time since she had been a background figure for so long that so many people noticed that she was not just a ghost in the classroom.

"Yes, yes! I wore it when I was a kid~"

Aine scratched her cheek and replied sheepishly.

It's not that she doesn't know English, but most of the time she is nervous and can't use her oral skills well. But under Youkui's gaze, she feels a little relieved, and the courage that she usually doesn't dare to try finally gradually rises in her heart.

This day was probably very important to Aine. Under Aoi's guidance, she joined everyone's conversation. Although the focus of the topic was Aoi, that gentle compatriot always asked Aine some simple questions, deliberately pulling her into the conversation.

For the first time, she felt that communicating with these British classmates wasn't that difficult after all...

For the first time, she felt that life here wasn't so depressing or painful...

Through Aoi's emerald green eyes and her smile that was as pure as the warm Atlantic Ocean, she seemed to see the light.

In this country known as the place where the sun never sets, she found the real sun.

192

Chapter 192: Free and Easy.

Compared to the shock and disbelief on the other side, Mygo was simply caught off guard by the sudden victory. Even Aine could feel that the stage effects of this performance were not up to par with the level of the Ci Tuan.

When the performance ended and they were waiting for the results, they were just waiting for the announcement of failure with a gloomy mood, without considering any other possibility.

Except for Lenai, everyone seemed to be overwhelmed by a sense of frustration - even if they tried their best and gave their all, they still failed to reap any results and could only watch themselves lose this important opportunity.

The next independent live will be that unfamiliar band standing on the same stage with Aoi. Maybe they will use that opportunity to get closer to Aoi's band, especially the drummer from Ci Tuan who claims to be Aoi's childhood friend. There is no doubt that she has won a great victory this time.