How can my simulation be a real love?

She hummed a cheerful tune as she skillfully connected the overdrive and distortion effects to the speakers.

With a cat-like gaze full of curiosity, she casually glanced at the sheet music for "Guitar, Loneliness, and the Blue Planet," quickly memorized the rhythm and fingering, and then casually warmed up her fingers with a series of chords on the fretboard before revealing a smug chuckle.

Kazami gently stroked his keyboard, 'Elizabeth,' with both hands. In that instant, it felt as if a stimulating current surged through his arms along the keys. He felt an absolute affinity for the keyboard in front of him, as if he could play all the keys even with his eyes closed.

Why do I feel like I have a strange knack for it today?

Before he could even react, Lena's guitar had already roared out the intro melody...

Without hesitation, Kazami Mei immediately picked up the rhythm, gradually blending the soft and crisp keyboard sounds with the long and booming guitar sounds. The keyboard in her hands seemed different from before, and playing became very smooth and easy.

Long, slender fingers swiftly glided across the snow-white piano keys, a series of legato notes and rapid strumming of the guitar creating a surge of energy throughout the piece. The high-speed rhythm, like a constant sprint, made the melody resonate continuously in the small bedroom.

Yoro's eyes widened, a hint of excitement lurking within them.

She held the old guitar in her arms, her thoughts completely immersed in the ocean of music.

At this moment, the cat, now relaxed, seemed to have returned to a night many years ago, with her grandmother, whose hair was gray but who was still strong, beside her, teaching her every fingering of the guitar with a stern face but with incomparably gentle tenderness.

It was a joy and warmth that came from the bottom of my heart.

Perhaps, it will be just like it is now.

……

The next day, early morning.

Beside her was a Roland keyboard, 'Elizabeth,' casually placed, while an old ESP-Potbelly rested quietly on the keyboard. On the floor were some messy snack bags and scattered sheet music.

"...It's so heavy."

The alarm clock beside my ear was buzzing.

Kazami Mei rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache. He wondered if it was because he had been caught in the rain the night before and hadn't showered in time, but he felt inexplicably weak all over when he woke up this morning.

I also feel particularly heavy.

"wrong."

Sensing the problem, Kazami Mei suddenly turned around.

The cat, who should have been sleeping in his own bedroom, was now curled up in his arms, drooling. The already narrow sofa seemed even more crowded. The softness and faint fragrance emanating from the sofa began to stimulate his senses, prompting him to take a slow, deep breath.

"Calm down, it's probably just your imagination."

Kazami Mei slowly closed her eyes, then suddenly opened them again.

The cat had most of its body pressed down on him, and the heavy pressure seemed to tell him that what he was seeing was not an illusion.

Kazami Mei's phone started buzzing, and he immediately turned it on.

[Nijika Ijichi: @All members, it seems to have started raining outside. Apparently, they've changed their route to avoid the typhoon affecting Tokyo. Please be careful on your way here!]

[Kita Kita: It's already on its way!]

Upon seeing the message, Kazami Naruto quickly glanced out the window. Sure enough, it started raining heavily at an inopportune time. Judging from the weather, the rain would become even heavier after the typhoon arrived, so he immediately got ready to get up.

"Well?"

It seemed that Rakuna, whose 'pillow' had disappeared, rubbed her sleepy eyes and groggily made a cat-like stretching motion. As if noticing Kazami Mei quickly starting to pack up her keyboard, she gradually became more awake.

"Live?"

"Yes, but it rained heavily today."

Kazami Mei quickly put the keyboard into her instrument bag, while glancing at her Line messages one last time.

It seems that the torrential rain that suddenly started yesterday was a precursor to the typhoon. The typhoon, which suddenly changed its course, made the entire Shimokitazawa area feel like Tobirama Senju used the Great Waterfall Technique, with rain pouring down like it was free.

"Lena, are you not going to Starry today?"

"Go."

Lena shook her head gently, it seemed that she still wanted to see Kazami Naru's performance more than the typhoon.

However, she definitely couldn't bring her guitar and effects pedals this time, so Lena decided to leave all her 'equipment' at home for the time being, which was quite rare for her to go out without her instruments. However, her light body made Kazami Naru very worried that she would be blown away by the typhoon.

"There's really nothing I can do to you..."

Kazami Mei slowly slung the keyboard over his shoulder, and the sudden weight of several dozen kilograms made him feel safe and secure.

In any case, he would absolutely not miss the band's final live performance.

……

It took almost two hours to get to STARRY, but I was still a bit wet when I arrived. The white shirt and black fur coat that the cat was wearing were also soaked, making all of Kazami Naru's hair dryer work yesterday go to waste.

"Ming, Ming-san! Dry yourself off..."

Boqi, who had arrived earlier, timidly handed him a clean white towel.

Thanks, Pochi!

Kazami turned her head and looked around. It seemed that there wasn't a single audience member in the entire STARRY.

Although Bochi and Hongxia told themselves on Line that they had made a lot of teru teru bozu (sunny dolls), it seems that the effects of teru teru bozu are indeed limited. At this point, it would be more appropriate to go underwater and look for the East Sea Dragon Palace.

It was clear that Pochi was very disappointed and uneasy. Her fingers were constantly pinching the hem of her skirt, and she was so nervous that she kept her head down and couldn't lift it up.

Perhaps because of the typhoon, Pochi's family was unable to come to see the performance.

From this perspective, even those who bought tickets are unlikely to make a special trip to come, especially since their band is the first to perform as a 'warm-up' band. It's hard to imagine what will happen then.

Upon noticing her like this, Ichiji Nijika smiled gently and encouraged her with a beautiful curve to her lips.

"Boqi-chan, it's all good! There are still many bands performing today, right? There will definitely be fans and guests from other bands coming. We've done everything we can, and now all that's left is to work hard to finish the rest of the shows."

Kazami Mei asked the gloomy-faced Iji Tomoka to take care of the cat for a bit, while she comforted Nijika and Pochi at the same time: "I've probably sold about 20 tickets, and there must be some people who came specifically to see our performance."

It's really unlucky to run into something like this on your first live performance.

However, if a band wants to continue, hardships are a necessary process.

At least with the great Nijika Mama around, Kazami Mei doesn't need to worry about everyone falling into a slump.

"Hongxia, keep it up!"

"Ah? Um..."

Just moments ago, Ichiji Nijika had been wearing an energetic and cheerful expression, but after Kazami Mei spoke to her, she instantly became somewhat timid. A hint of panic flashed in her bright red, jewel-like eyes, and her fair ear tips seemed to be tinged with crimson.

She was absolutely panicking!

Unlike Boqi, her panic wasn't due to worry about Live.

Despite encountering such bad luck during her debut performance, Nijika didn't care much. She believed that even if the debut performance failed in the end, she was confident that she could encourage everyone to cheer up and try again!

Ichiji Nijika, who was very knowledgeable about this, panicked the moment she saw Kazami Mei.

Even though she knew perfectly well that all those messy 'dreams' were just dreams, seeing him still made her blush and her heart race. She thought it was because she was shy.

But not only was my heart racing, my head felt incredibly hot.

Having such a dream, does it represent what's in my heart—

"Hongxia?"

Kazami noticed that Nijika's mother seemed a little strange today, and looked at her with concern.

"Eh!? I, I'm fine! I was just wondering why Ryo and Kita-chan haven't arrived yet..."

Ichiji Nijika waved her little hands repeatedly, instantly adjusting her mindset and returning to her original state.

Ming Sang almost found out, and she absolutely couldn't let anyone know about such an embarrassing thing!

Chapter Thirty-One: I'll Cover the Losses [5k]

Outside of STARRY, it was still pouring rain, and the rain was getting heavier and heavier as time went on.

In this sweltering summer, rain always falls abruptly. In the short time it takes to wait, the entire sky is already filled with layers of dark, rolling clouds, just like the rich and complex colors in Kazami Mei's painting "Summer Rain".

The torrential rain seemed to have enveloped the entire Shimokitazawa in a damp mist.

"Waaaah! It's raining so hard..."

Kita-san, who rushed into STARRY from outside, couldn't help but make a comment.

She had specially changed into waterproof sneakers before going out today, but her white socks still got wet from the rain, and the sticky feeling made her frown uncomfortably.

Behind her followed Ms. Yamada, whose mood hadn't changed much. Judging from their slightly damp skirts and water-stained shoes, it was clear that their journey had been quite difficult.

As soon as Kita entered the store, he subconsciously glanced around.

"There don't seem to be many customers today. My friends all said they can't come..."

Seeing that there were hardly any guests in the entire LiveHouse, she became even more disappointed.

Kita's depressed mood was slightly relieved when he saw Kazami Naru in the distance. It seemed that just seeing Naru-san made him feel much more at ease.

For some reason, Kita Ikuyo suddenly missed him a lot yesterday.

The memory of that 'dream' seemed to resurface in her mind, causing her considerable distress for a long time. She even lost her appetite and experienced mild insomnia last night...

However, seeing Ming again today immediately improved my mood.

Of course, it would be even better if we could absorb some of the energy from the embrace!

“Hey, that child…”

Kita Ikuyo suddenly noticed Iji Tomoka in the corner, chatting with a girl.

The girl had short, snow-white hair and a delicate, adorable appearance, like a cat. She was holding a cup of light green matcha parfait, which she was sipping slowly.

The look of pure enjoyment on her little face is so captivating it's almost irresistible.

This kid, how could he come to a LiveHouse so early in this weather?

"You've worked hard, hurry up and wipe yourselves off."

Kazami Mei immediately handed Kita Ikuyo a towel, a gesture that instantly brightened Kita Ikuyo's eyes.

But Yamada Ryo, who had no expression, seemed to be one step ahead. With a very clever move, she moved closer to Kita and took over the 'important' position almost right under Kita's nose.

Kita Ikuyo, who was just moments before overjoyed, instantly turned into a pitiful, bitter-looking person.

"The air is so stuffy, I'm starting to feel sleepy."

Yamada Ryo casually wiped his hands with a white towel, but did not choose to take it directly.

She gently raised her head and looked at Kazami Naruto with a blank expression.

A strange light seemed to flash in her calm, pale golden eyes. She slowly brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, gently revealing the snow-white earlobe hidden beneath her azure hair. Light beads of sweat mixed with rain appeared on her soft neck.

Yamada Ryo's lips curled slightly upwards as he spoke slowly in a casual tone—

"Ming, help me wipe this."

Where to wipe it? Depending on the location, we might need to think about it carefully.

Kazami Mei, holding a towel, almost went up to help, but he suddenly felt several piercing gazes from around him. This chilling feeling made him stop instinctively.

Turning my head, I could no longer find the source of those gazes.

"Liang, don't always bother Ming-sang!"

For some reason, Ichiki Nijika felt a little flustered.

She proactively stepped forward to stop Miss Ryo's increasingly inappropriate intimate behavior, taking the snow-white towel from her hand and directly wiping the water droplets from Miss Ryo's head in place of Kazami Naruto.

Eh?

"Hongxia is unusually gentle today, something's not right."

Yamada Ryo stared at Iji Chikatsu Natsumi with some suspicion.

Her casual remark made the blonde girl wiping her hair tremble, while Kita Ikuyo blinked in surprise and casually said, "I think Nijika-senpai is the same as before."

"Different."

Yamada Ryo responded expressionlessly.

Those pale golden eyes, which seemed to see through everything, were now fixed on the gradually stiffening expression on Hongxia's face.

“If it were any other time, Hongxia would have thrown the towel at my face and told me to wipe it myself, but today she was so gentle and took the initiative to wipe my face. It’s so strange.”

"I would never normally do that!" Ichiji Nijika said, her face slightly flushed.