Girl Band, Gravity Capture

Why are you looking for me at this time? Normally, my grandfather and father wouldn't have anything to do this late…

'Could it be that her hug with Xu Dou was discovered?'

'No, there are no security cameras on the balcony, and no one outside could have clearly seen what we were doing at that time...'

Suppressing her unease, Toyokawa Shoko slowly walked over and opened the door.

She tried her best to remain calm, and her voice remained normal.

"what happened?"

The maid lowered her head and bowed respectfully to her.

"It is Miss Ruoye who wishes to see you."

"...Ah, it's Mutsu."

Toyokawa Shoko immediately felt relieved, and her tone became much more relaxed.

"It's so late, and Mu still comes to see me. That's rare... Let her come here."

"As ordered."

The maid bowed again and left.

A moment later, a girl with light green hair and delicate features walked into the room with proper small steps.

"Mu, what do you want from me?"

Facing her close friend and bandmate, Mutsumi Wakaba, Shoko Toyokawa visibly relaxed. She closed the door, took his hand, and sat him on the edge of the bed, asking him questions affectionately.

Because Wakaba Mutsumi's family was very strict with their children, Toyokawa Shoko had hardly ever seen the girl visit her home in the evenings, which made her curious about the girl's purpose.

Is there anything you'd like to talk to me about?

"……Um."

Ruoye Mu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Xiangzi...do you like Xu Dou?"

After parting ways with Nagasaki Motoyo, Wakaba Mutsumi pondered this matter alone for a long time.

Su Shi probably couldn't tell, but as someone who had grown up with Toyokawa Shoko and possessed a strong ability to see through things, Wakaba Mutsu could sense that she did indeed harbor feelings for Minamoto Koto that went beyond those of a comrade.

Whether that feeling is love or not... a girl who has never been in love doesn't understand.

Therefore, she did not rashly tell Nagasaki Motoyo about her discovery, but kept it to herself until now, when she came to Toyokawa Shoko to verify it in person.

If Ye Mu is not good at embellishing his language and does not understand the so-called art of speaking, he cannot express his thoughts in a more tactful way, so he simply asks the question directly.

Upon hearing this, Toyokawa Shoko's shoulders twitched.

"Mu, how did you figure that out... Hmm, no, that's not right!"

The subconscious question was swallowed back by the girl. A blush of embarrassment and anger rose on Toyokawa Shoko's face. For a moment, she forgot about her demeanor as a young lady and hurriedly grabbed the shoulders of the girl beside her.

Pulling Wakaba Mutsu around, she turned to face her, their golden eyes meeting in a similar hue. Toyokawa Shoko tried to instill her thoughts in her, attempting to make her ignore the truth she had just blurted out.

"It's too strange to describe it as 'like'...! Between Xu Dou and me, it's a relationship of 'mutual trust and complete spiritual connection,' so calling it simply 'like' is not right!"

...Isn't that much more embarrassing than simply saying "I like you"?

Even though he can accept that the other person is someone whose soul is bound to his, and adds a bunch of embellishments to the relationship that sound cheesy to others, he refuses to frankly admit that he likes them... That's definitely Xiangzi's style.

However, if you strip away all the strange rhetoric and only understand the essence of her words—Wakaba Mutsu realized that Toyokawa Shoko really did like Minamoto Koto. And it wasn't just ordinary liking; she had poured a considerable amount of emotion into it.

Therefore, the girl hesitated about what she was about to say.

—Would it make Xiangzi sad to know that Su Shi actually liked Xu Dou before she did…?

However, keeping it a secret will only make it harder for people in the future to accept.

“…Xiangzi.”

Finally, she spoke softly.

Her delicate, inorganic face, like that of a doll, and her usually calm and quiet voice, were unusually tinged with tension.

"But... Su Shi also likes Xu Dou."

"..."

Toyokawa Shoko fell silent.

Just when Wakaba Mutsu thought that she would be surprised by this, and show a disappointed or indignant expression, and be saddened by her unfulfilled relationship.

Toyokawa Shoko suddenly laughed with relief.

"What... So Mu wanted to tell me this?"

Her gentle and cheerful voice was free of any forced or lonely tone.

"I already knew about this."

"……well?"

Ruoye Mu opened her eyes wide, her pale golden pupils gleaming with surprise.

Seeing her close friend's obvious confusion, Toyokawa Shoko smiled and patiently offered an explanation.

"As I just said, my relationship with Xu Dou cannot be simply described as liking someone. Even if Su Shi likes Xu Dou, she can never surpass my position."

Now that she's not in front of the boy, Toyokawa Shoko can show her confidence in their relationship without any reservations.

Wakaba Mu tilted his head.

She didn't know where Toyokawa Shoko's confidence came from, nor could she quite understand how much her feelings went beyond "like".

But at least one thing, Mu vaguely understood.

So...it's okay?

"Hmm, it's okay."

Thinking that Wakaba Mutsu was concerned about her feelings, Toyokawa Shoko smiled and nodded, indicating in a gentle voice that she was indeed not uncomfortable because of this matter.

"……Yeah."

It's ok.

Xiangzi said it's okay if he likes Xu Dou.

Moreover, she wasn't lying.

"Mu, why are you smiling?"

"……what."

Ruoye Mu raised her hand and touched the corner of her mouth, which she herself did not even know had curled up at some point.

Smoothing her lips with two fingers, Wakaba Mutsu lowered her eyes, her usual refined and indifferent expression returning. In a calm voice, devoid of any apparent abnormality yet carrying a strange undertone, she replied softly:

"I'm just happy for Xiangzi's idea."

Chapter 45 The Coming First Performance

Xu Dou

"I found a community charity event that seems to be looking to invite some social groups to perform."

"I've contacted the event organizer. Because it's a small, internal event, most of the participants are residents of the community, and they're willing to accept a novice band like ours performing on stage."

"I'll send you the event's website and contact information."

The phone in my pocket buzzed with a notification.

Just after class, Yuan Xudou, who was sitting quietly at his desk organizing his notes, took out his phone and tapped it with his slender fingers, saving the message sent by Toyokawa Shoko.

He then clicked on the website the other party had mentioned and carefully checked it.

The page is well-designed and the content is quite detailed, unlike a poorly made webpage that's just a quick fix.

Next, based on the information on the website, he checked the size and address of the community and found that it was more like a high-end residential complex with exquisite decoration than an ordinary residential area.

The fact that they would accept a fledgling, unknown band like them to perform on stage... suggests that the Toyokawa family's influence is probably at play.

However, this was not something Yuan Xudou needed to consider. After confirming that the event was real, formal in form, and did not conflict with the schedules of the various members in terms of time and location, he returned to the LINE interface and replied to Toyokawa Shoko.

"I think it's okay."

"I'll post it in the group later to let everyone know."

The message was read as soon as it was sent.

Immediately afterwards, Toyokawa Shoko sent him a cat nodding emoji.

Unlike his usual dignified and elegant demeanor, where every word and action was meticulously crafted with aristocratic decorum, the girl he chatted with online was much more lively, frequently interspersing her conversations with trendy emojis.

However, in the band's public group chat, she still tagged everyone in a very serious tone and sent out the news.

Soon, everyone in the group responded in their own way to show that they had received the notification.

After thinking for a moment, Yuan Xudou's fingers twitched slightly, and he typed out a few lines of encouraging words.

"It's time to see the results of everyone's training."

"Don't worry about anything else; I'll handle the itinerary and negotiations."

"As long as we perform at our usual level on stage, we won't be inferior to any other band."

Let this performance be the beginning of CryCHIC's rise to fame.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the following days, the girls, driven by the pressure of the upcoming performance, began to prepare seriously.

Although theoretically they were just invited participants, and the event itself had other showcases and projects, in this era where bands are popular among teenagers, unknown teenage idols suddenly debut and become wildly famous, almost every year, most people in society pay more or less attention to the currently popular bands, and every year or even every month, professionals rank various bands in order of popularity, which often sparks online debates, it is undoubtedly the "era of teenage girl bands".

Even though it was a new band like CryCHIC that had only been formed for less than a month, the organizers still gave them a lot of attention and placed their performance relatively late, almost as the headliner.

In addition, their first performance would inevitably be recorded as proof of their first public appearance... Although even Shiina Tatsuki, who cared most about the band's performance, did not actively emphasize these things to put pressure on the members, that unspoken heavy pressure always silently accumulated in everyone's heart.

The rehearsal time was extended by almost half, and everyone temporarily put aside other songs and focused on practicing the song they planned to sing on stage.

Toyokawa Shoko, who usually greets people with a warm smile, no longer wears that sunny smile all the time. Instead, she begins to demand strictness and leadership from her superiors for every rehearsal.

Sometimes, Takamatsu would gently clutch his chest, standing blankly to the side, breathing slowly as if he were experiencing some chest tightness.

If Ye Mu occasionally sits in a daze in her chair, staring unblinkingly in a certain direction, like a delicate life-size doll sitting on a tall cabinet—but she is like this most of the time, so it's hard to say whether it's due to pressure or some other reason.

Shiina Tatsuki's anxiety was evident on the surface; she could often be seen frowning and unconsciously fiddling with the drumsticks in her hands.

Even Nagasaki Motoyo, who was least concerned about her performance, has restrained her behavior at Genjiro Touya's house these past few days and instead came to him for extra training with her bass.

As the only one unaffected by the oppressive atmosphere in the practice room, Gen Xudou maintained his composure and began to fulfill his duties, moving among the five people.

She promptly comforted Takamatsu Akari, who was feeling down, and taught her techniques for ignoring the gaze of others; she proactively stepped in to save the day when Shiina Tatsuki inadvertently made a accusation, preventing the team from feeling any more pressure; and she suppressed Toyokawa Shoko's occasional radical idea of ​​doing extra training, giving her a chance to relax and rest when appropriate.

He methodically suppressed the growing tension within the group, keeping it within a safe range, but had no intention of letting it disappear completely.

For a band aiming for a national stage like the Budokan, above-average resilience is essential. Learning to remain calm under appropriate pressure, and even unleash their potential through it, is a must-learn lesson for them.

His job is to keep this pressure within a range that will never get out of control, and to guide them to gradually adapt to it, experience it, and ultimately overcome it, turning it into a driving force for continued progress.

However, the first experience is always the most difficult. This was true for both the five girls and the boy.

Managing the atmosphere within a team doesn't sound easy, and it's even more difficult in practice. During this time, Yuan Xudou maximized his understanding of others' mindsets and his knowledge of the girls, dedicating most of his time each day to pondering and reflecting on their behavior, barely managing to do this well.

Fortunately, the most stressful period passed, and everyone realized the importance of mindset and began to adjust their own state spontaneously, allowing the boy to catch his breath and free up his hands to deal with the day's schedule.

Time flows by day by day, until the pen of time draws a bright red circle on the calendar woven by the years, officially marking the opening day as something both anticipated and feared.

Chapter 46 Let's do that together

As dawn broke, Nagasaki Motoyo, who rarely suffers from insomnia, got up early, dressed, washed up, took her bass guitar, and took the elevator to Genjiro Tou's door.