Mygo, the band legend of Tokyo handsome guy

Oh no, you woman....

[Hide another 100,000 yuan in banknotes in the bass... Feng, that big idiot, doesn't even know to save money for the family]

"..."

Really.

Women are truly contradictory creatures.

Naruzawa Kaede felt as if Hiroi Kikuri had figured out his temperament.

Beside her, Shimizu Eliza tilted her head and quietly watched as Narusawa Kaede observed the dazed Hiroi Kikuri.

The air suddenly became quiet. Yamada Ryo looked up, then lowered his head and continued eating.

The group seemed to be in a daze, and Iwashita Shima, watching the scene, slowly covered her head with her hand.

It seems she might really be about to become an outsider.

Headache.

Hiroi Kikuri blinked: "Why is everyone so quiet? Let's split the money."

Chapter Thirty-Four: It's Time to Rediscover Our Original Aspirations

As per tradition, half of the funds went to the band, and the other half went into everyone's pockets, split equally. The band belonged to everyone, and after receiving the money, everyone naturally had their own lives to live.

If there's anything the band's money is used for, it's upgrading equipment and putting on live shows. Playing in someone else's livehouse means having to be mindful of the audience's expectations for performance times; it's nowhere near as exciting as renting your own venue to hold concerts and collect tickets.

The only disagreement between Narusawa Kaede and Hiroi Kikuri regarding holding a live performance was where to do it.

Anyone who frequently organizes concerts knows that the best-selling items after a concert are the derivative works shops outside the venue. These shops are handled by the artist's management company, marketed as official merchandise, and sold for several times or even dozens of times the cost.

Selling tickets for 2,000 people only costs 2 million yuan, but renting a venue for 2,000 people would cost over 1 million yuan.

Shima Iwashita shifted her seat and sat down next to Ryo Yamada. She didn't want to chat with Kikuri Hiroi for the time being. This fan, whom she had met before, was at least not a complete stranger. Considering the relationship between Kaede Narusawa and them, they might see each other often in the future.

After only a few polite words, Iwashita Shima realized that Yamada Ryo didn't like to talk.

Ryosuke Yamada is taciturn; perhaps that's just introversion. Kikuri Hiroi is also often quiet.

Iwashita Shima thought to herself: Maybe Narusawa Kaede just likes introverted girls. The energetic girl Shimizu Eliza is the opposite example. No wonder she still looks like she can't get him.

After a satisfying meal, the atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant. Eliza Shimizu was quietly scrolling through her phone, while Kaede Narusawa and Kikuri Hiroi were arguing about where to hold the live performance.

Iwashita Shima chatted with Yamada Ryo for a few more minutes.

From her recent situation to her musical instruments, and then to the bass she had seen Yamada Ryo recite, Yamada Ryo's mood visibly sombered when she mentioned the bass.

Yamada Ryo simply raised his head, glanced at the arguing scene, then pursed his lips and said casually, "I'm not playing anymore."

It seems like something's on your mind.

Unfortunately, Iwashita Shima did not have the ability to see into people's hearts.

Otherwise, perhaps we could find out what Yamada Ryo is thinking right now.

.......

Yamada Ryo sighed inwardly. He could no longer figure out the way he came, and there were more and more things he couldn't understand. It was as if a layer of fog had been shrouded around him, and when he reached out, all he saw was confusion.

Three philosophical questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?

Iwashita Shima was already used to the atmosphere within the team.

Yamada Ryo genuinely felt... no need to think she was similar, she was indeed an outsider.

[Where to next...?]

Narusawa Kaede had been keeping an eye on Yamada Ryo and noticed her unusual behavior quite quickly. Yamada Ryo's thoughts remained chaotic and disorganized.

[If...if you were in a basement, back to back, touching each other with rhythm, would you be afraid of the cold, lonely echo of playing alone in an empty room?]

"cold......"

Mingze Feng took her hand, kneading the flesh of her palm as he softly asked, "Want to play bass with me tonight?"

Yamada Ryo shook his head.

Just like in the internet cafe, when she said she wouldn't play, she meant she wouldn't play.

Yamada Ryo suddenly looked up and asked softly, "By the way... what do you guys do for music?"

"We'll charge admission." Hiroi Kikuri replied without hesitation, still calculating the bill on her fingers.

One million! That's a million! They spent months preparing before and after the New Year, participating in unconfirmed events to finally get a million. They could recoup that amount from just one day's live show tickets.

Hiroi Kikuri said, "How much derivative works can bring in a million? It's definitely more profitable to sell tickets."

Hearing her answer, Mingze Feng was stunned for a moment.

Is their purpose in getting together to play music to sell tickets?

“You’ve misunderstood…” Yamada Ryo was speechless, but didn’t want to argue with Hiroi Kikuri. She turned her gaze back to Narusawa Kaede and spoke again, “I’m talking about the purpose of doing all this, our life’s goal, ultimately, what is life for?”

"Life... ah..."

The last time I heard this question was when Toyokawa Shoko was constantly talking about fate. So, is Yamada Ryo's current problem still the confusion of a young girl?

Mingze Feng began to think seriously.

It seems... recently, or more precisely, after the unconfirmed end of last time, I said goodbye to Toyokawa Shoko.

The team started to become more profit-driven, making money faster and faster, pursuing profit at an increasingly rapid pace...

Of course, this is not to say that it is wrong.

However, this doesn't seem to be what I originally intended.

Naruzawa Kaede glanced at Hiroi Kikuri, then turned her gaze to Yamada Ryo.

Hmm, I remember now, my original intention was to play with women... oops, it was to provide everyone with a warm home.

Because I have been lonely, I crave love; because I have hurt others, I don't want anyone else to get hurt; because I have received help, I want to help others.

Yamada Ryo's confusion can be attributed to the principle that learning without thinking is futile, and thinking without learning is dangerous. Life goals have become more diverse in modern times, and this diversity of choices has led to confusion in many people's thinking, which is particularly evident in the Japanese education system.

In the near term, it's career choice; in the long term, it's life planning—both are things worth careful consideration and making choices about.

The standard for making all choices, and the question that it ultimately raises, is the purpose of life.

"To sell tickets."

After saying that, Kikuri Hiroi stopped counting on her fingers and nodded very seriously to confirm.

Yamada Ryo asked, "Then what's the point of selling tickets?"

Without hesitation, Hiroi Kikuri said, "We'll move to a bigger house, and I can spend all my time with Kaede... uh, I mean, playing bass... right, Kaede~"

Hiroi Kikuri winked and looked over.

Naruzawa Kaede rolled her eyes at her. Hiroi Kikuri still couldn't keep her mouth shut, blurting out everything. The two did indeed play bass together that night, but Hiroi Kikuri was the bassist.

Seeing that Hiroi Kikuri was about to say something, Narusawa Kaede quickly stuffed a slice of lemon into her mouth.

"The ticket sellers aren't going to throw alcohol into the audience and cause an explosion."

Hiroi Kikuri wanted to answer, so she subconsciously chewed, and a sour taste shot from her mouth straight to the top of her head, causing her whole face to contort.

"Bah, bah, bah -"

"It's tough. That's life. Many questions can't be answered simply by thinking. I was wrong this time..."

"Hiroi! Aside from selling tickets, don't you have anything else to say?"

"Sigh—this topic is rather embarrassing..."

Kikuri Hiroi drawled, "We're not in our chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) years anymore, so it's hard to talk about dreams."

As Naruzawa Kaede's gaze shifted, Shimizu Eliza shook her phone.

"I've only bought three hundred skins for my daughters. You ask me about the meaning of life? That would be misleading."

—Spending money on in-game purchases is so fast.

Chapter Thirty-Five: "Ordinary" and "Taken for Granted"

What, then, is life?

To live in this world is to experience life. Everyone has different possessions, and the world means different things to each person. The wealth of one's family, the education level of one's parents... the only thing that people have in common is probably the act of making choices itself.

There's a saying: "A prodigal son who returns is more precious than gold." While it might sound like a defense of scoundrels, this saying actually tells everyone the importance of making the right choices.

Life is a series of choices we make. The choices we make directly determine the kind of life we ​​lead.

Of course, letting others make choices for you is also a choice. When a person realizes that someone else has made a choice for them, it's often too late to change anything.

Therefore, we can know this.

The meaning of life is the purpose of the choices we make.

In other words, why do I do this? Is it for money, for love, or for my moral code and principles?

Humans combined these foods together and created words like "ordinary" and "taken for granted."

Therefore, the question of the meaning of life.

In other words, it's asking about what's ordinary and what's taken for granted.

Then.

What exactly are "ordinary" and "taken for granted"?

What exactly are the ordinary and the taken-for-granted?

A confused young girl asks about the meaning of life.

What must her eyes be like?

Naruzawa Kaede felt...

Perhaps it is the lingering warmth of the sun's shadow that brings the bitter tears of spring as it gradually fades away.

This is the look in Yamada Ryo's eyes right now.

The girl stared blankly at him, as if she had been thoroughly messed up. Her unfocused gaze made Mingze Feng feel that she wasn't looking at him, but rather at something behind him; her vacant eyes seemed to have lost their own thoughts, like a college student proving a multivariable integral.

Hiroi Kikuri patted Narusawa Kaede on the back.

Then, Mingze Feng felt a push from behind.

Do what you want to do first, and I'll explain it to Shima and Eliza.

Even without looking at the words beside her, Mingze Feng knew what she meant.

Today was an exception. Usually, the atmosphere within Sickhack is relaxed and comfortable, especially during meals. When everyone has eaten and drunk their fill and is chatting casually, it's around the time when Kikuto Hiroi is slightly tipsy.

Wherever Kikusato Hiroi is, the atmosphere is bound to be great.

Slightly tipsy, Hiroi Kikuri... may act in an exaggerated way, but she also possesses a genuine quality that makes people genuinely envious.

Yamada Ryo's breathing quickened for a moment.

Yes, it's envy.

Letting Naruzawa Kaede take her hand, she subconsciously turned around and saw Hiroi Kikuri chatting and joking between the other two people in the room.

In a daze, I seemed to see the club activities department.

It wasn't her club that nobody came to.

It's the earlier one.

That band, she tried, but... she couldn't fit in and was kicked out. Although Yamada Ryo officially submitted her resignation first, it was obvious to everyone.

Yamada Ryo couldn't stand being there and was kicked out by the atmosphere.

Yes, that's right. For middle school girls, being ordinary means conforming to the atmosphere, and conforming to the atmosphere means being ordinary.

This ordinariness is suffocating, almost drowning. Each girl unknowingly becomes another's jailer. The band members' unconscious giggles, their evasive glances, and their feigned indifference, as if no one knows.

Some people think that Yamada Ryo is an eyesore just sitting there.

Yamada Ryo just wanted to laugh.