How can my simulation be a real love?

He didn't seem particularly nervous, and simply gave casual answers to Shiina Tatsuki's questions.

"...Kazami, you're not nervous at all."

Hearing Kazami Mei's casual tone of retort, Shiina Tatsuki couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

The band members were all somewhat nervous and uneasy, because after writing all three songs for the performance, they only had less than half a month left to practice.

Even though I practice every day at RiNG, I still haven't been able to practice to my satisfaction until today, when the live performance started.

Everyone else was incredibly nervous, but only Kazami Mei was so relaxed. Shiina Tatsuki, who had been anxious because of a mistake in the drum rhythm during rehearsal, seemed to have her tension and panic dissipate somewhat.

“Ming-sang is right~ I also think the rehearsal went pretty well this time, so everyone doesn’t need to be too nervous.”

Nagasaki Motoyo gently clasped her hands together, and she began to use a gentle tone to help ease everyone's tension. However, Chihaya Aine remained restless, instinctively looking towards Kazami Naru—

"I can't take it anymore! I'm still incredibly nervous..."

"Chirp chirp~ Hurry up and share some of your ease with me!"

Chihaya Aine was still uttering coquettish words, and even tried to pounce on him to try and draw some power from Kazami Mei.

But as the girl approached, a faint, sweet fragrance emanated from her delicate body. Kazami Naruto immediately recalled the scene of the two embracing intimately during his last visit to the hospital, and his emotions began to fluctuate uncontrollably.

Having no other choice, Kazami Mei immediately shifted her attention, quickly turning her head to look in the direction of Takamatsu Akari.

During the rehearsal, Gao Songdeng, the lead singer, kept making mistakes. Feeling somewhat pessimistic, she couldn't help but shrink into a corner of the dressing room, looking extremely uneasy and pitiful.

"Deng, come sit here."

Kazami gently patted the seat next to her and chuckled as she spoke.

"Well……"

Takamatsu Tōdō paused for a moment, then slowly took a step.

Feeling somewhat insecure, she chose to join forces with Chihaya Aine, flanking Kazami Mei from both sides, which made Shiina Tatsuki, who was sitting alone next to her, look noticeably more complicated.

Everyone seems a bit nervous, but it's okay!

"After all, we've practiced together for so long, there's definitely no problem!"

Standing to the side, Nagasaki Motoyo reached out and gently stroked Takamatsu Akari's smooth gray hair. Her seemingly gentle gesture was actually calming everyone's emotions, which made Kazami Naru, who was holding a can of coffee, raise her eyes.

I must say, she truly lives up to her reputation as a gentle and tolerant 'band mom' like Ms. Su Shi.

Although she could never forget the idea of ​​reviving 'CRYCHIC', she would still try her best to comfort and help everyone at this time. As expected, Nagasaki Motoyo is just a very kind and soft-hearted woman at heart!

Even a little bit of cunning seems kind of cute on her.

Seeing this, Kazami Mei didn't waste her efforts and readily spoke up—

"We're just killing time anyway, how about we play some games to pass the time?"

"Huh? Playing games at a time like this? Kazami, you're too carefree."

Lixi, who felt somewhat uncomfortable sitting with his arms crossed, immediately stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

"Hmm, how about the King's Game?"

Chihaya Aine, who was immediately interested, spoke up excitedly.

"You got into the mood way too fast! And what 'King's Game'... did you think it was a social event?!"

Shiina Tatsuki, who had always been the one to make sarcastic remarks, suddenly felt a bit tired. Her unreliable teammates kept causing trouble, making her think about being a substitute and sitting on the bench even before she got to play.

The tension she had been maintaining was repeatedly broken, making it difficult for her to remain serious.

"...Speaking of which, I know a game, I think it's called [Miss Sachiko of Happiness]?"

"It's said that if everyone plays together, friends can stay together forever—"

As if recalling something, Nagasaki Motoyo suddenly spoke with a glimmer in her eyes. In fact, she had been interested in this kind of game that enhances friendship for a long time and had wanted to try it for a long time.

But she never expected that her words would almost choke Kazami Naruto, who was drinking coffee.

He absolutely does not want to go to Tian Shen Elementary School!

"You guys are almost ready to go on stage!"

Rinko Maji, dressed in a RiNG staff uniform, suddenly pushed open the door to the lounge.

Her words, spoken with a hint of a smile, were like the last straw for a drowning person, causing the somewhat restless Kazami Mei to immediately stand up. At that moment, Ryuna, who was holding a guitar, also squeezed in from next to Rinrinko.

"Huh! It's that fast?!"

Chihaya Aine, who had just relaxed, immediately became flustered again, but she was obviously much better than before when she was tense.

So she mentally prepared herself a little, and the pink-haired girl obediently picked up her guitar and walked out. Shiina Ritsuki also gripped her drumsticks tightly and took a deep breath.

Takamatsu Akira gently clenched his fist and pressed it against his chest, then swallowed hard.

"Alright, get ready to go on stage."

Seeing Takamatsu Akari's worried yet nervous expression, Kazami Mei chuckled and gently brushed the gray strands of hair behind her ear.

The girl felt the familiar and incredibly gentle movements, and slowly raised her slightly dim amber eyes. At this moment, she felt as if her whole body was bathed in sunlight, warm and comfortable, and her cooled heart felt as if it had been ignited.

"Don't worry, at worst I'll have Shiina sing with you later."

"All you need to do is sing out the 'voice' in your heart with all your might, and unreservedly express your emotions!"

Takamatsu had to slightly raise her head to see the curve of Kazemi's lips. Her deep, gentle black eyes seemed to be veiled by sunlight, and the corners of her slightly narrowed eyes seemed to contain a smile from the bottom of her heart.

It felt somewhat familiar to her.

Once upon a time, a beautiful and gentle azure butterfly pulled her out of her daze amidst a sea of ​​vibrant flowers. But because of its own obsolescence, this butterfly, like spring gradually departing, flew far away into the sky.

She was completely lost in the endless layers of mist—

It wasn't until a dazzling 'guiding light' suddenly appeared before her eyes, like the dawn in the forest, that she regained the courage to move forward after being lost and isolated, and that she truly changed.

She gradually learned not to rely on the tenderness of others.

Even if I feel lost, as long as he's by my side...

"Yes! I will...try my best!"

Gao Songdeng gripped the black microphone with both of his small hands and nodded vigorously.

In fact, she had already changed.

No matter what happens, she will hold his hand tightly!

"I can rest assured that."

Seeing that the little lamp's eyes gradually became serious and focused, Kazami Mei finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Before everyone went on stage, it felt like soldiers were about to go into battle, each holding an instrument as a 'weapon'. Everyone was holding a guitar or a bass, and even Shiina Tatsuki, who was a drummer, was holding a drumstick.

Only he, the keyboardist, didn't have to bring anything; he could only walk onto the stage with nothing in his pocket.

If all else fails, his next order of braised chicken rice will seem less odd.

Standing behind, Nagasaki Motoyo watched Kazami Naru's retreating figure as she ascended the iron staircase, a complex emotion flashing in her deep blue, gentle eyes.

Holding the bass guitar in her arms, she slowly turned to look at Takamatsu Akari, a gentle glint in her eyes as she spoke—

"Little lamp."

"No matter how this live performance goes, we will definitely continue to form a band."

This was to comfort Gao Songdeng, and perhaps also to comfort herself.

"Well……"

Upon hearing this, Takamatsu Tomohisa blinked in a slightly bewildered manner.

Sensitive to emotions, she seemed to sense something from the complex look in Nagasaki Motoyo's eyes, but she still gripped the microphone tightly with both hands, and her amber eyes, which were gradually overcoming their fear, showed a hint of determination.

"I want to be in a band with everyone for the rest of my life—"

"With Suze-chan, Riki-chan, Rakuna-chan, Aine-chan... and Naruto too!"

18

Chapter Eighteen: I will have no regrets.

"That's right..."

A complex expression flashed across Nagasaki Motoyo's face. Her fingertips, gripping the bass, turned slightly white from the excessive force. Before Takamatsu Akari could react, she quickly resumed her usual elegant and gentle smile.

However, a subtle, almost imperceptible sadness suddenly appeared in his eyes.

"Alright, Little Lamp, let's hurry up and get on stage!"

"Well, um..."

Gao Songdeng simply nodded seriously, then slowly walked onto the stage, clutching his notebook in one arm.

Kazami Mei was already standing next to the keyboard. When she saw her coming, she nodded slightly. This caused a glint to flash in Takamatsu Akari's alluring eyes, and she nodded vigorously in response.

As the searchlights suddenly came on, the entire stage was illuminated by a bright, dazzling pure white light.

Kazami Mei also took this opportunity to see the sparse audience below the stage. At a glance, there were only about a dozen people in front of the stage, which was somewhat similar to the live performance of the band that ended.

As a new band, their debut live performance was only responsible for warming up the crowd at the beginning. Without any popularity, they naturally wouldn't get much attention. But even these few scattered audience members were more than enough for everyone at the moment.

The next thing to see is how many 'claw marks' can be left in this performance.

call……

Standing on the stage, Takamatsu took a deep breath. After a long absence, she felt her body was still a little stiff, and her fingers holding the microphone were trembling slightly.

But the thought of Kazami Mei watching her back made her try her best to raise her eyes and look directly at the audience.

When Gao Songdeng saw a beautiful figure in azure blue, his expression instantly changed.

"Well……"

Xiangzi?

Why here?

Takamatsu Akari, who had been prepared to give her all in her performance, suddenly lost her composure when she saw Toyokawa Shoko appear among the audience.

She gripped the mesh microphone tightly with both hands, her eyes beginning to flicker.

Shoko Toyokawa, who decided to accept the invitation, was wearing her familiar white dress. She was standing in a corner of the live performance, whispering something to Mutsumi Wakaba next to her. She only turned her head slowly to look at the stage when she saw the lights come on.

His gaze lingered briefly on the faces of the others before slowly turning to Kazami Naruto, who was standing on his right.

As luck would have it, Kazami also spotted Toyokawa Shoko standing in the corner. A slight smile appeared on his lips as he raised an eyebrow at her, as if he were quietly greeting her.

This somewhat playful gesture made even the previously stiff-faced Toyokawa Shoko unable to maintain her composure.

"Really, why does Ming keep looking this way at me?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Wakaba Mutsu glanced at Toyokawa Shoko beside her, and a hint of something unusual seemed to appear on her otherwise expressionless face.

Nagasaki Motoyo seemed to have been searching for Toyokawa Shoko's figure after taking the stage. Her eyes lit up when she saw that bright blue hair in the corner, and her hand holding the bass began to tremble slightly.

His azure eyes also revealed an undisguised surprise and excitement.

Nagasaki Motoyo hadn't seen Shoko for a very long time, and she was extremely worried about Shoko, who had lost contact with her.

Sure enough, Xiangzi was still willing to come!

If we let her listen to the songs that everyone worked so hard to play, she will surely recall that unforgettable and wonderful time. Then, if everyone sits down and has a good talk, they will surely be able to clear up their differences and understand each other again!

CRYCHIC can come back because we are all in the same boat!

"Destiny, community..."

But the moment Nagasaki Motoyo thought of the phrase 'community of shared future', her heart seemed to tighten slightly, as if it were not her own.

She subconsciously looked in the direction of Kazami Naruto and found him standing in front of that familiar and warm Roland keyboard, his face calmly bathed in the pure white light.

He suddenly noticed Nagasaki Motoyo's unwavering gaze and immediately felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

Why aren't you looking at Xiao Xiang? Why are you looking at me?

However, Kazami Mei didn't have time to think about that. He noticed that the lead singer, Takamatsu Akira, who was standing at the front, seemed a little dazed. He guessed that she was at a loss because she suddenly saw Toyokawa Shoko, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, in the audience.

He immediately whispered a reminder to her: "Light!"