Mygo, you guys seem to be getting a bit heavy-hearted.

It might be a bit clumsy, but it's the best solution Yanming could come up with.

...Xiangzi looked like he was about to break down.

He needed to help the girl recover somewhat before he could proceed with the next stage of her psychotherapy.

"It's just a house... Yanming-kun, what were you thinking when you said that?"

"Same as you." Yanming's answer was quick and clear, without any hesitation, as if he had arrived at the answer without thinking.

This answer struck a chord with Xiangzi, or more precisely, with the weak-willed Xiangzi who once considered Crychic his second home.

"...They're different, aren't they?"

Xiangzi wasn't questioning Yanming's answer, but rather her own.

The self that decides to cut ties with the past

The young lady of Tsukimori, the heir to the Toyokawa family, and... the keyboardist of Crychic.

But can she really let go of her vulnerable side?

Originally, this sentence shouldn't have been a question, but upon seeing the other members of the band again, Xiangzi couldn't help but waver.

As she left the rehearsal room, she repeatedly questioned herself:

"Has anything I've done so far been right, even just once?"

The doubts that Toyokawa Shoko had been having echoed in her mind, never ceasing.

"Whether something is right or wrong shouldn't be judged from just one perspective." Yanming noticed Xiangzi's body starting to tremble violently again, hesitated for a moment, and then sat even closer.

The guy who takes advantage of someone's misfortune is scum, but he was already an irredeemable bastard, no better than that.

"Since you've given it your all just by taking action, then no matter what the outcome is, the biggest responsibility no longer lies with you, Xiaoxiang... I can see that you're the kind of person who would go to the depths of hell for what you believe in, and I used to be one too."

“…In the past?” Xiangzi subconsciously leaned closer to Yanming, who was radiating warmth, and finally rested his head on Yanming’s shoulder.

She began to believe that Yanming was the one who could understand her heart.

Otherwise, why hasn't she shown any impatience with me yet... It can't be because she's taken a liking to me; she's not that narcissistic.

“Yes, in the past… But, when I was trying to prove myself through self-destruction, there were always a few people willing to hold me back.” Yanming touched his vocal cords, which were damaged by overuse, and smiled. “Xiao Xiang, you may not be able to tell, but I used to be a well-known guitarist and lead singer, although I haven’t practiced for a year.”

"Yanming-kun...does he also have his own band?" Xiangzi couldn't believe it. Could there really be such a coincidence?

Yanming answered the question casually, and at least his words did not reveal any frustration: "Yes, but it has already disbanded. 'All good things must come to an end.' This is something everyone has to go through. If you can get through it, it means you have taken another step towards maturity. But those who are immersed in the past will one day be killed by the memories that catch up with them and die in depression."

"Becoming an adult is so difficult, even more difficult than becoming a human being..." Xiangzi lowered his head, lost in thought.

Yanming nodded in agreement, saying, "For various reasons, what we love can't become a hobby, and close friends can't become old friends. Instead, birds that initially yearn for the blue sky end up as puppets under the theater curtain... It's really frustrating."

"Ugh, it's really annoying to see stockings... oh." Xiangzi was stunned after saying that.

How could she have blurted that out?!

Chapter Eleven: Don't Be Afraid of Being Forgotten

A sudden surge of shame made Xiangzi temporarily forget his sadness. The girl let out a mournful cry, covering her face with her hands, which were already flushed red.

But Yanming didn't tease her about it.

"Xiao Xiang, are you feeling any better?"

The change in address occurred in this ordinary, gradual process, and no one questioned it.

Xiangzi slowly lowered his hand from his face as Yanming showed concern. Although it was still a little red, the redness had subsided.

The girl's shame came quickly and went quickly, like a fleeting shadow that was hard to find in spring, vanishing in an instant at the end of spring, like a dream, and then returning to the ordinary.

"Hmm, I feel much better... Thank you for comforting me, Yanming... Jun."

"Just call me Yanming." Yanming seemed to sense something and spoke softly, receiving a reply as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"……I see."

Surprisingly, this child has a rather timid personality after the outermost layer of disguise is peeled away.

However, is it too early to label one's true self as weak simply because of this, and to hide it without regard for others' opinions?

Yanming asked, "Xiao Xiang, would you like to hear about me?"

Before today, their interactions were limited to superficial matters and mundane details of daily life. This was also the first time Yanming had the idea of ​​telling others about his past.

"I'm sorry, maybe I'm just being presumptuous..."

"I want to hear it." Xiangzi was afraid that his voice was too soft and Yanming wouldn't hear him, so he raised his voice and repeated, "I want to hear it."

Just as Yanming didn't know Xiangzi well enough, Xiangzi also knew very little about Yanming, only that he was a good person who liked to stand up for the weak and was a little stubborn. That was all.

The young man had no idea about his past life, what he had experienced, or what he had suffered.

Xiangzi seemed to have returned to the mindset he had on the day he met Gao Songdeng: wanting to understand, wanting to connect, and feeling curious.

"Then I'll just say something casually..." Yanming lowered his head, looking into Xiangzi's amber eyes, and said, "I just mentioned that I used to have a band, remember?"

"Yeah." Xiangzi nodded.

"Rather than calling it a band, I actually considered that band my home a long time ago. The other members of the band are my family. Because my situation is special and different from theirs, the others also take care of me like a younger brother."

"If that's the case, then why did they disband?"

Xiangzi found it strange. Didn't this sound good? Why did it end up like this?

“I abandoned them. When I announced my withdrawal, I didn’t even have the courage to see them. I just sent a message in the group chat and then ran away on my own. I haven’t contacted them since… Later, I saw their disbandment announcement on the platform.”

Yanming's words portrayed him as a despicable person who had betrayed others, but Xiangzi knew that there was never a farewell without a word; there was only unspeakable bitterness.

It was precisely because she cherished that relationship and didn't want to destroy or change it that she couldn't confide in anyone, and that's why she had to run away in such a sorry state.

Xiangzi said firmly, "Yanming, you are not that kind of person, absolutely not."

There must be some reason for this, just like her leaving Crychic, it was all out of necessity.

Xiangzi believed him.

A person who can comfort themselves from their own perspective even when they know nothing is definitely not a tyrant or a villain who would disregard the feelings of others and arbitrarily break up a group!

"Please tell me..." Xiangzi was about to ask further when he met Yanming's gaze.

Those dark pupils were like roadside weeds, everywhere you looked, hard to describe with adjectives like elegant or romantic...

Xiangzi understood the other person in an instant: "Is it like me... that you can't say it out loud? Even to people you're not close to?"

Yanming did not deny it: "I can't tell you the specific reason... at least I can't tell anyone right now, but I can tell you, Xiaoxiang, the reason I ran away was that I didn't want to see them looking sad for me."

Many promising beginnings do not necessarily lead to the endings that everyone hopes for; that's a clichéd script only found in third-rate novels. Reality, on the other hand, more often celebrates the imperfections of life.

“I will be sad, but I will not regret it, because after the brief regret of parting, everyone will embark on a new path. The end of the band is not the end of their lives, but a new beginning. Even if I, Yanming, am not on the road ahead, there will be new companions. One goes and another comes... the old pain will soon be left behind.”

The other members of the band each had their own families and lives, and their situations were vastly different from mine.

Yanming ran away because he didn't want his actions to affect them; it was that simple.

It's complicated to explain, but it can actually be summarized in just one sentence.

"...Starting over? Is that really possible...?"

Yanming suddenly chuckled, startling Xiangzi: "Look at what you're saying. The disbandment of the band doesn't mean everyone is dead. Why do you have to think of it as so serious? Maybe, after leaving me, everyone will quickly find someone more suitable to replace me... Anyway, all I can do is sincerely pray that things will go smoothly."

"..."

"If I were to answer Xiaoxiang's question, my answer would be—it's definitely possible. Don't underestimate the resilience and stubbornness of our kind." Yanming reached out and gently pressed his palm onto Xiangzi's soaked hair until the girl's body stopped trembling.

"But Yanming, I don't want to be replaced..." Xiangzi couldn't imagine that when Deng and everyone else were playing music, the keyboardist accompanying them wouldn't be her.

cry is the sound of screaming or wailing.

Chic is elegance

However, now, I can't do any of those things.

Perhaps the fate of this band was sealed the day it was formed...

The so-called community of shared destiny... is just a nice-sounding phrase.

“Then let’s find a way to create a new home. Someone has to create one.” Yanming’s voice was unwavering and sounded so convincing. “Don’t be afraid of being forgotten. The memories you cherish will naturally be remembered by others.”

"……what."

Are we not afraid of being forgotten?

Entrust your memories to your companions who shared the experience.

Oh, I didn't know... that's how it could be done.

【Name: Toyokawa Shoko】

[Current Intimacy Level: Friends (61)]

Chapter Twelve: Notes on Spring Days

……

Ten minutes later, Yanming sat on the sofa in a daze.

The sound of running water could be heard coming from the bathroom.

Xiangzi said she didn't want to go back yet, but Yanming couldn't let her stay there soaking wet; catching a cold would be a real hassle in this country.

So he simply borrowed a clean shirt and capri pants from her, and also took apart a towel.

"He even said he'd pay me... This kid doesn't even want to take advantage of the smallest thing." Yanming was somewhat amused and exasperated.

This little octopus is really quite awkward.

[That's just Miss Xiangzi's personality. She considers you a friend, so she doesn't want you to suffer any loss.]

"You've become knowledgeable again? Why didn't you say a word when I was giving someone a talk therapy session?"

【●﹏●】

【...Haha, I...】

"Don't change the subject."

【...Host, you're so naughty.】

However, there is indeed something very important, as you can see.

The system highlighted several lines of information that Yanming had ignored.

[Task completion rate increased]

Current completion rate: 50%

[Phase-based rewards are being distributed]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Toyokawa Shoko's Original Cotton Suit (White)]

[Task completion rate increased]

[Phase-based rewards are being distributed]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained the lyrics to "Spring Shadow (crychic)"]

Current completion rate: 70%

【…】

[Task completion rate increased]

[Current completion rate: 99% → 100%]

[Rewards for completing the task are being distributed]

[System loading, please wait.]

At the bottom of the system panel is a progress bar that is moving slowly. It has only gone through about two-thirds of the way since it started loading, and it looks like it will take a little longer to finish loading.

Putting aside the ambiguous Xiangzi cotton suit, Yanming became somewhat interested in another reward.

"Spring Day Shadow Lyrics? What's that? Is Crychic the lyricist's stage name?" This idea was quickly dismissed when the reward was distributed.

Yanming removed the triangle and two hemispheres that had floated down from mid-air and covered his face, and examined the light green notebook in his hand.