Mygo, the band legend of Tokyo handsome guy

Kikuri Hiroi swept the bass strings heavily, kicked over the effects pedal, and the notes of the guitar and bass flickered with a mocking dynamism!

As the drums roared, a crisp sound mingled with Kikuri Hiroi's deep, magnetic voice, causing everyone to cheer.

Needless to say, hundreds of audience members below the stage had already spontaneously waved their light sticks and cheered.

The lingering melody remained even after the performance ended.

Hiroi Kikuri exhaled, touched the hot bass case, turned around, and saw Narusawa Kaede opening his palm to Iwashita Shima. The stage light swept across his smugly upturned lips, reflecting a rainbow light on the bass strings.

Once again... he got me involved...

Kikuri Hiroi smiled and couldn't help but hum softly.

It's because of Naruzawa Kaede that I can confidently shout out lyrics like "I'm loser".

Out of the corner of her eye, she could also see Eliza Shimizu standing there, watching Narusawa Kaede and Iwashita Shima's interaction just like her.

When Shimizu Eliza saw Hiroi Kikuri looking at her, she returned her usual cheerful and sunny smile.

"Um..."

The members of SickHack were practically pushed backstage by a wave of rainbow light sticks. When they bowed at the end of the performance, the rose that Yuyuko Otsuki threw at them got stuck on the bass pickup, wobbling and poking Kikuri Hiroi's chin with each step.

Iwashita Shima's embrace came unexpectedly. Hiroi Kikuri had just touched the edge of the curtain when Iwashita Shima pulled her into her arms, her nose bumping against the second rivet of her costume.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Shima, is your chest made of iron?! I need to change into Eliza!"

"Shut up!"

With the bass speaker pressed against her back, Hiroi Kikuri noticed that Iwashita Shima's voice was trembling and her hands were shaking.

Shima, who is usually the most composed among them, is now showing the most excited side.

Shima Iwashita: "You just... rushed the third measure by 0.3 seconds, and what did you change in the second half...?"

"Ha..." Narusawa Kaede poked her head out from behind the prop box and teased Iwashita Shima, "Looks like it wasn't just Kiku who was nervous just now, was it? I have a shoulder to lean on, wanna take it?"

Iwashita Shima: "Shut up! I'm five or six years older than you, okay?! Call me 'older sister' properly!"

"I'm really going to cry this time, Shima-senpai~"

Eliza Shimizu handed over a handkerchief, and Iwashita Shima finally recovered. Hiroi Kikuri was then entangled by Otsuki Yuyuko, who rushed into the backstage area, and her shoulder was covered in Otsuki Yuyuko's tears and snot.

The middle school student, hiccuping from crying, was still clutching the selfie stick tightly. "I...I took three hundred consecutive shots...Ugh...the arc of Hiroi-sensei's hair flip...hiccup...and the synchronization rate with the rainbow light sticks is two hundred percent!"

There's no need to ask Xiaoyou how her performance was anymore; her excited expression at that moment was the best compliment to their performance.

"Ah, of course, there's also Shimizu-sensei and Iwashita-sensei!"

Mingze Feng looked on expectantly.

Yuuko Otsuki clutched her chest and quickly backed away, saying, "I'm so sorry! Actually, before we went on stage, the teachers told me to stay away from Narusawa-sensei..."

Mingze Feng: "Hey, don't talk bad about me to the fans!"

Hiroi Kikuri: "That's right, that's right, Yuu, remember to come next time..."

"Hiroi, you're not allowed to ask Yu for alcohol, understand?! You two are the ones who shouldn't lead the fans astray, and also..."

Iwashita Shima turned to Otsuki Yuuko and sighed, "See? Neither of these two, who seem to be in cahoots, are good people."

Eliza Shimizu nodded. "Although I really want to speak up for Kaede-chan, Shima is right after all."

"By the way—have you seen anyone from Morfornica? The pianos are all up there, where are they..." A staff member with cat-ear-like hair rushed in and then rushed out, and from the question, it seemed that the band for the next competition couldn't find anyone.

The little incident didn't affect the atmosphere between SickHack and one of their little fans. Hiroi Kikuri pulled the bass tape and found that it was back to its original length.

Shima Iwashita was tidying up the effects pedal circuitry, her hair still adorned with gold leaf that had fallen from the stage. A spotlight shone through the gaps in the curtain, illuminating the scattered picks on the floor.

At one moment, Kikuri Hiroi mistakenly thought that a star had slipped into the room. Perhaps the echo of the universe still lingered on the stage at this moment, and the waves they played would eventually become part of that echo.

Hiroi Kikuri suddenly felt a bit cold; she had sweated quite a bit on stage earlier.

“I said…” Hiroi Kikuri poked Iwashita Shima’s waist, “Do you still have any hand warmers?”

"The left pocket of the hoodie," Iwashita Shima said without turning her head. "Stick it on yourself."

Hiroi Kikuri pulled out a bag, tore the packaging in half, and amidst the rustling sounds, she laughed to herself and hiccuped.

It turns out that applause without the numbing effect of alcohol actually makes your stomach bubble and gurgle, like marbles of soda rolling out of a vending machine.

Hiroi Kikuri shuffled over to Narusawa Kaede, held up the heat pack, and looked as proud as a princess meeting a proud knight or a victorious rooster.

"Can you help me stick it on..."

Yuuko Otsuki was gesturing excitedly, begging for an autograph. Eliza Shimizu had already pulled out five different colored markers and sketched the faces of several people on the support board with just a few strokes.

Eliza Shimizu looked up and happened to see Narusawa Kaede massaging Hiroi Kikuri's shoulder. She puffed out her cheeks and deliberately drew cross-eyed Narusawa Kaede in the chibi version.

When Naruzawa Kaede finally helped Hiroi Kikuri put on the heat pack, warmth gradually rose up on her back, as if she had touched a small patch of comforting spring.

Hiroi Kikuri chuckled, her open mouth revealing her delicate canine teeth.

He was laughing like a fool.

Mingze Feng stroked her hair while finding a lollipop among the prepared materials and popping it into her mouth.

The candy feels sticky when it touches the tip of your tongue, but it quickly melts into a sweet taste.

"Hmph..."

Hiroi Kikuri's eyes narrowed as she smiled.

Seeing her smile, Mingze Feng also felt joyful.

The sound of several people talking could be heard coming from the corridor. They must be the band for the next match; they should have arrived long ago.

I remembered that a shop assistant came looking for me earlier, so maybe something happened.

"This is terrifying! Erzhu led us completely in the opposite direction!"

"Touko, Tsukushi already feels very guilty."

"Hey everyone, stop arguing! It's all my fault for looking at the map upside down..."

"Mashiro, it's not your fault."

As the voices came from the other end of the corridor, one, two, three, four... six people. Mingze Feng had seen their performance videos before, but this group only had five members, right?

They were dressed in gorgeous clothes, their costumes clearly made of expensive gold. Their hair colors varied, but they were all lively and beautiful.

Several of them carried guitars, basses, and even violins. The girl called Tsukushi had long purple hair, but she didn't bring any instruments. Another girl, Mashiro, also didn't bring any instruments.

And... following behind the group was a girl with long, light blue hair that reached her waist. She wore a lace mask and was known as 'oblivions'.

"Come on~"

"grateful--"

As always, Shima Iwashita served as the band's vocalist, and according to tradition, the band that left the stage encouraged the band that came on stage next.

oblivions nodded slightly in response.

The narrow passage meant the group almost brushed past each other. As Oblivions passed by Mingze Feng, he covered his face with his hair and quickened his pace.

No, or should she be called Toyokawa Shoko?

Did you think you could hide behind me and no one would recognize you? Or is that thin lace mask somehow useful?

With blue hair, golden eyes, and a height of 1.6 meters, Mingze Feng could even recall the smooth, white skin beneath his performance costume with his eyes closed.

Mingze Feng's gaze lingered on the last person in the group, on the extra sixth person, Toyokawa Shoko.

How did she end up here? And is her head down because she doesn't want her identity to be discovered?

Miss Oblivions, who was at the back of the group, only breathed a sigh of relief after disappearing behind the curtain, remembering what had just happened.

He probably didn't recognize her, right? Toyokawa Shoko breathed a sigh of relief.

How could he not recognize her! Toyokawa Shoko became angry.

The thought of that person made Toyokawa Shoko seem to transform back into a sixteen-year-old girl, acting unreasonably, though she wasn't truly angry.

Instead, he found himself laughing at his own contradictory thoughts.

“oblivions-san…” Morfonica’s bassist, the energetic and trendy girl Kiritani Touko, came to her side and asked in a low voice, “That person just now, he kept staring at you—where did you order the mask? I have a feeling he’s going to be a big hit.”

"I just bought it on a whim."

Shoko Toyokawa said, "The performance is about to begin. Let's talk about it after the performance."

Toruko Kiritani stared at her mask, and after a second or two exclaimed in surprise, "You smiled?!"

Did you laugh...?

It's probably because they realized they'd been discovered.

"Hehe...yes, I couldn't help but laugh."

"Touko, get in position—" Tsukushi Futaba urged, and Touko Kiritani could only return to her position first.

"The performance is about to begin..."

Miss Oblivions took a deep breath; now was not the time to think about such things. She stepped out, walked to the piano, and sat down.

The sight of a genuine grand piano here surprised Toyokawa Shoko, even though she had been informed beforehand.

He forced the noise of the band and the lingering image of Narusawa Kaede touching Hiroi Kikuri's hair to the back of his mind.

Well, Toyokawa Shoko realized that she still hated alcoholics.

As the applause from the audience gradually subsided.

“Mofornica, LEVEL5 -judgelight-” the band leader said.

As she pressed the piano keys, Toyokawa Shoko recalled the scene when she arrived half a day earlier.

...half a day ago...

Inside the Ring building, on the third floor, is practice room B-2.

Shoko Toyokawa, dragging her suitcase, got lost while looking at the map. Eventually, she found the place with the help of a young female shop assistant named Kasumi Toyama, who was a long-time employee.

The young shop assistant, sporting a hairstyle resembling cat ears, bid farewell with a bright, sunny smile, saying, "That's it. We can't really get there, but anyway, good luck!"

Toyokawa Shoko nodded and continued walking forward, still able to hear conversations behind her.

Several shop assistants gathered around Kasumi Toyama. They seemed to know each other well and started discussing the major events that had happened at Ring in the past two days.

"So, they're going to Morfonica's place after all. Are they finally adding the piano to the list after the violin?"

"I heard it's just one piece of music that requires piano accompaniment."

"They suddenly wanted to change the song, so the competition rules for all the participants changed. That's the power of sponsors!"

"Grandma Tsuzuki is furious right now. Yesterday she suddenly demanded a change of program, suddenly said she wanted to add a pianist, and even brought out the principal pianist from this competition. A piano? A grand piano! She actually brought one out. It's just..."

"Is this what you mean by 'playing house, young lady'?"

"You have a piano and a violin, why not add a trumpet and a saxophone to form an orchestra?"

"Sponsors always have special privileges, okay, okay, stop talking..."

Shoko Toyokawa touched the mask on her face, and with each press of her fingertips, the sound of a piano seemed to echo in her ears. She gently closed her eyes, a hint of melancholy in her voice.

Is this a game of house for a young lady?

Ah......

That's a perfect description.

I used to be like that too, back then... after my mother passed away, I formed a band by myself.

That was the band they formed on a whim after seeing Morfonica perform.

Crychic.

"what..."

When the Toyokawa family first left, they still harbored the illusion that they could support everything. Even after leaving the Toyokawa family, the eldest daughter still dreamed of being able to shoulder the responsibilities of a band and the lives of a father and daughter.

In the end, it was all for nothing.

It wasn't until she pulled her scoundrel father out of the police station and from a pile of empty bottles that Toyokawa Shoko realized it was all just a game of make-believe by the former Toyokawa young lady.

On that particular day, Toyokawa Shoko even heard a muffled sound, as if the taut string in her head had finally snapped.

Now that things have come to this, shall I act out this childish game for you?