My daily life is getting weird because I am caught between being in a band and being an idol.

"No, no... It's just... it's just... I suddenly feel a little scared..."

"Huh?! This is just a rehearsal, and you're already starting to get scared? What are you going to do?"

Chaoyang lowered his voice and growled at her in a low voice.

"No, I had no choice... It seems like I'm only just realizing I have to play guitar in front of 500 people..."

“Your last performance, I watched it on TV and everything was fine, right? Before the incident.”

"Hmm... after all, it was just a fake shot."

"By the way, just think of it as playing it at the school's cultural festival. Didn't you say you once represented the student council and sang in front of the students?"

"The situation is different now than it was then!!!"

During her time as student council president in junior high, Ai's singing skills were still very basic; she almost performed on stage with only a naive sense of courage. When she performed a song and guitar piece at the cultural festival, she was convinced that she did a pretty good job. Although her skills were not yet mature, she was quite confident in her performance because she wasn't afraid of making a fool of herself.

However, the situation is completely different now. With geniuses like Hina Hikawa providing guidance, Aine realized the gap between herself and true masters. Despite significant progress, seeing her shortcomings made her afraid to perform on a larger stage, and her inner pressure increased dramatically. This caused her to exhibit unprecedented nervousness during rehearsals.

"It seems that Ano-chan's problem is more serious than Xiaocai's."

"What's wrong? What's wrong? Are you in trouble? Haha, Kiku-neechan is here~~"

Kikuri Hiroi staggered onto the stage, clutching a large bottle of liquor tightly in her hand, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. With her usual drunken expression, she grinned as she surveyed the members rehearsing, clearly unaware that her appearance had surprised the others.

"Hey! Who let this drunkard in? Wasn't she supposed to sober up in the bathroom and be let out just before it started?"

Upon seeing Kikuri Hiroi, all the staff members were on high alert, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Chaoyang was completely baffled. He had already inquired and learned that this guy was the most popular person here, and his performances were almost always sold out. Logically, he should be highly respected.

"This is our team leader, Kikuri Hiroi. She invited us to participate in the performance."

Chaoyang politely introduced himself to everyone.

Hiroi Kikuri just laughed it off.

"Don't be so serious, you threw it all away yourself~ Haha~ What happened, buddy?"

"There's nothing wrong, the members are just a little nervous."

"Ah~ that's easy to solve, a little drink will do the trick~ Here, have a sip~"

Hiroi Kikuri smiled and tried to hand the bottle to Aine.

Chaoyang got angry and smacked her on the head.

"Idiot! She's still a minor! And an idol at that! If it gets out that the idol drank before going on stage, we're doomed!"

After saying that, Chaoyang grabbed her wrist and hoisted her up without allowing her to resist.

"You should go to the Wake Up Bar first!"

They handed her over to the staff in the audience. Without a word, they took out duct tape and tied her to the chair. Hiroi struggled violently, but no one came to her rescue. Everyone seemed both helpless and amused, and ultimately, relieved.

"Phew... Alright, let's not waste everyone's time. It's okay if Aine makes a mistake. It's often a disaster scene, not to mention even the live performances organized by famous big projects, so there's nothing to be afraid of."

For example, Suzuhara Nozomi's motorcycle that I heard about in my past life... and Amane-chan...

"No, it's okay now. After that commotion, I feel a little better... Suddenly, it feels like even a drunkard can perform on stage, so I guess I really don't need to be afraid of anything."

Chaoyang didn't expect that Hiroi Kikuri would still play a role.

"Sorry for the delay! We can begin now."

Chaoyang borrowed the microphone, said this to the staff below the stage, and then immediately retreated to the sides of the stage.

"Then, please have the drummer start the sound check."

"Hey!"

Yamato Maya immediately gripped the drumsticks and replied loudly.

The staff immediately issued instructions.

"Let's start with the bass drum."

Upon hearing this, Maya began to tap slowly.

"OK~ Next up is the snare drum~..."

. .

"Ha, finally finished. I didn't expect rehearsals to be so tiring... No wonder the agency made us lip-sync... After all, we hadn't been in the industry for very long back then..."

"Huh? But I feel pretty relaxed~, Ano-chan, you're exaggerating."

Japanese cuisine remains unchanged; the way it's spoken carries a Versailles-like flavor.

Aine could only look at Hina with resentment and complain.

"The sauce for today's dish is far too unusual."

"It must be tough for people without talent. It seems like Ano-chan always gets twice the results for half the effort."

I have to say, Japanese girls talk a really rude and infuriating way.

Chaoyang's fists clenched a little as he listened.

“Ano’s learning speed is already quite fast. Many Japanese people who are not naturally gifted usually take at least a few months to master basic chord changes, simple strumming and rhythm. But Ano has been able to reach a performance level in less than a month, which is actually very fast.”

"Sigh~ So this is considered fast... Hmm? I seem to have had a similar conversation not long ago... Oh well~ If I don't remember, it's probably not important."

Hina couldn't recall ever criticizing Aine like this before, even her replies were very similar.

Aine herself also became a little confused.

I guess I don't get along well with Hina-chan after all... And actually, my fear hasn't disappeared. I only said that to put everyone at ease, sigh... I guess I'm not cut out to be an idol, even though I want to be in the spotlight... But there are so many things idols have to be careful about; one wrong step and you could fall into the abyss. And then there's Chisato-chan... and Hina, and I'm a rhythm guitarist myself. Thinking about it, I've just been a supporting character from the beginning... If it weren't for the lip-syncing incident, I probably would have given up already.

Aine was already having second thoughts. But giving up now would mean bearing too much of a bad reputation.

At this moment, Ai Yin looked at the rising sun beside her.

But what will the producer think...? He's helped me so much... Wouldn't it be heartless of me to quit?

"?"

Sensing the gaze, Chaoyang turned to look at Aine.

"No, it's nothing!"

Feeling guilty, Aine immediately shifted her gaze to the front of her body.

But Chaoyang knew that Aine wouldn't suddenly look at him for no reason.

If she doesn't have a crush on me, then she must have something she wants to tell me.

However, he didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble now, and he would discuss everything after the performance.

. .

"...Everyone, let's give you the best live performance!!!"

Backstage, the members of Pastel* formed a circle, and Aya Maruyama, the lead singer, gave them a final pep talk.

"Ok!"

"Ok!"

"it is good!"

Then, dressed in a gorgeous and adorable stage costume, she stood behind the curtain, waiting for it to be raised.

"...Um...Could you all let me do a short opening MC before the performance?"

After a moment of silence, Maruyama Aya suddenly spoke up.

"This...this won't do. The schedule has already been planned, and it might cause trouble for the bands that follow..."

Chisato was in a dilemma and wanted to stop Maruyama Aya.

But the Japanese girls started making a fuss.

"What does it matter? We can just have the producer apologize on our behalf later."

"This isn't what a producer does... Haha..."

Maruyama Aya first closed her eyes, then suddenly opened them.

"I just want to put an end to the past of Pastel*."

Hearing this, Chisato understood that she couldn't stop it, and she could more or less guess what Maruyama Aya wanted to say.

"Don't let it exceed 5 minutes..."

The area below the stage was already packed with people.

It was quite obvious that the audience was divided into two groups, with almost two-thirds coming for the sake of the event, but they didn't seem very friendly.

"An idol, what are they doing here?"

"This is rock and roll territory, do they even know what rock and roll is?"

These disdainful voices rose and fell, and even a few hiss were heard.

The sound was just the right volume to carry onto the stage.

The remaining people couldn't really be called Pastel* fans; they were mostly passersby attracted by Chaoyang's cross-dressing hype, and many were moved by their persistence in handing out flyers in the rain. They decided to come and see what was going on.

Suddenly the stage lights came on.

Even though a significant number of people disliked their idol, they all fell silent at this moment, and the scene instantly became quiet.

"..."

Maruyama Aya remained silent for a full half minute.

The jeers from the audience gradually rose, tinged with a hint of contempt.

"Was the idol scared to death?"

"Have a drink and relax!"

The sound was jarring, and many people began to shake their heads and laugh at the silence on stage.

Although I was scared and wanted to run away... but now I'm standing here...

"...Hello everyone, I'm Aya, the lead singer of Pastel*! Thank you so much for coming to see the show today. There are some things... I'd like to apologize to you all first."

Chisato's expression tightened, and the other members knew what Maruyama Aya wanted to say.

Ai-yin was somewhat shocked. Last time, Maruyama Aya was so weak she could barely walk, but this time she actually planned to expose her family's dirty laundry.

Wow, that's amazing... I... I absolutely can't let Xiaocai down! This time, I must hold on until the very end.

"We...didn't sing or play anything in our last performance. We lied to the audience...I sincerely apologize for that. I'm truly sorry! Today, I want to show you the real Pastel*...Please listen~ (Colorful Car Repair Song)"

Please tell me how I feel, like a bubble bursting?

Dreamin!

Yes?

"Yuyuko-senpai, they're an idol band, but they're pretty good!"

"Just so-so."

Yuyuko, sitting in the audience, watched the performance on stage intently.

The audience thought it was good, but some people were having some reservations.

"Could it be lip-syncing again...? This level is pretty high!"

Chapter 98 This is our true voice!

Secretly watching you from behind your favorite cup?

Pouring out (clang, clang)?

Cool (clang, clang)?

Under the stage lights, Pastel* was completely absorbed in her performance.

The boos and whispers from the audience gradually faded away, replaced by a tense anticipation of that moment, as if the entire room was holding its breath, waiting for some kind of confirmation.

Asahi stood on either side of the stage, gazing at their performance, and whispered to the shop manager, Ginjiro Yoshida, beside him.

"Thank you for your help. Let's get ready to begin."