How can my simulation be a real love?

The nervous response to the unknown, challenges, or potential threats can be said to be an instinctive human trait.

"This performance isn't on STARRY. If you mess it up, I won't be there to clean up your mess."

As expected of the older sister whom Hongxia calls 'tsundere,' even at a time like this, she can't openly express her thoughts.

However, Kazami Mei could sense the meaning behind her words, and naturally accepted her somewhat 'awkward' good intentions.

"Don't worry, Sister Xingge. If we really mess up the performance later, I'll stand on the table to ease the tension."

"...Why does standing on a table ease the tension?"

Somewhat confused by the nonsense this kid was spouting, Ichiji Hoshika rolled her eyes slightly, waving her hand dismissively and coldly as if she were chasing away some plague.

"Go away! Stop chatting here and hurry up and change your clothes to get ready to go on stage."

"111."

Kazami Mei didn't hesitate and turned to go into the men's dressing room to change into her performance costume.

The costume features a striking color scheme of bright red and orange-yellow paired with pure white silk threads. Its simple design resembles a Western-style formal suit, and the 'End Band' pattern and large orange-red circular designs are quite fitting for the lively atmosphere of this summer festival.

The main designer was naturally Aine from ANONTOKER, and Kazami also consulted with the current idol, Hatsuka, before the performance costumes were made.

As a man, he changed his clothes very quickly. After he finished changing, we waited for quite a while before the rest of the band slowly came out of the dressing room.

"Ming Sang, look, look!"

Wearing a women's performance outfit, Kita Ikuyo spread her slender hands as if showing off. As she stepped forward, the pure white skirt spun gently, and her overflowing youth and vitality was like a butterfly fluttering in the floral skirt.

The young lady beside her yawned sleepily with an air of composure. She was tall and mature, and her cool demeanor gave her a completely different kind of charm and elegance.

It's so astringent, extremely astringent.

"Thank you for the treat. My dream for tonight is now fulfilled."

Kazami Mei took a deep breath as if sighing, and continued to look behind her.

Where are Hongxia and Boqi?

Upon hearing this, Kita Ikuyo slightly furrowed her delicate willow-leaf eyebrows and said in a slightly helpless tone, "Ichiri-chan said that wearing this kind of outfit on stage is just too scary. She didn't want to come out for a long time after putting it on. Nijika-senpai is inside trying to persuade her."

So, even now, is it really impossible to overcome this hurdle?

Kazami Mei, who was initially somewhat helpless, had anticipated this situation. Just as he was about to go in and comfort Pochi, Iji Chi Nijika, dressed in her performance costume, led the trembling Pochi out.

incredible.

"Amazing, Pochi actually came out on his own initiative."

Ms. Ryo, whose expression hadn't changed much before, raised an eyebrow in surprise. She had originally shared the same thought as Kazami Naruto, but who knew that this time it seemed like she had come out on her own initiative?

Even when Ichika Nijika came out, she nodded her little head in surprise. Just from her action, Kazami Mei could tell that it was really Pochi who came out on his own!

"Um... don't worry about my voice cracking!"

Even though the girl was trembling all over and pale, as if she would foam at the mouth and faint at any moment, she walked out from inside. Even though her eyes were timid and her body was weak, she still tried her best to raise her head and look at him.

Those deep blue eyes were hidden beneath the girl's long hair, but they couldn't conceal the seriousness and determination in her gaze.

She didn't want to do something she would regret at this time.

Just as Ming said—

No matter what happens, all you need to do is give it your all.

No matter the outcome, once a decision is made, there will be no regrets.

"Why do I suddenly feel a sense of relief?"

With mixed feelings in his heart, Kazami Mei couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. It seemed that he had really underestimated the strength of 'Guitar Hero'.

Goto Ichiri is the kind of hero who can truly stand up in times of crisis. Now he really has a subtle feeling of raising a child he has nurtured. He feels that even before he goes on stage, everyone can already gather around and say "Oh my god!"

……

Before we knew it, the distorted roar of the instruments on the main stage had reached our ears, and the ear-piercing guitar outro was accompanied by the thunderous cheers and shouts of the audience.

The fact that no other band had ever received such a high level of audience response speaks volumes about the success of this performance.

The already tense and uneasy band fell silent, and even the most energetic and optimistic Nijika Iji couldn't help but swallow hard in the atmosphere.

"The other bands' performances were really amazing..."

Kita-san spoke suddenly, her tone tinged with a touch of wistfulness.

The approaching official performance gradually revealed the true nature of everyone who seemed relaxed. It was their first time stepping onto such a formal stage and competing with other popular bands, and the pressure felt like a heavy mountain pressing down on them, making it hard to breathe.

"It's alright, Kita-chan!"

"We've been preparing for this live performance for a long time, haven't we? We didn't have any problems during rehearsals, so we're sure there won't be any issues once we're on stage!"

Once she realized what was happening, Ichiji Nijika was also actively waving her little fists, trying to ease everyone's tension with her encouragement, but it was clear that her encouragement wasn't particularly effective.

"Oh--"

Apart from Yamada Ryo, who remained expressionless, Kita-san merely echoed with a slightly stiff smile. Only Pochi, with his pale face, seemed to be the calmest one at the moment.

Just as Kazami Mei was about to say something, she suddenly heard the staff shouting in her ear—

"The band is done! Get ready to go on stage!"

"Yes!"

As the team leader, Ichi Nijika quickly responded.

Just as the girls stood up, a girl band dressed in black and gray punk-style performance outfits came off stage, with the brown-haired girl in the lead wearing a black beret.

After seeing the band finish and walk over, she confidently puffed out her flat chest.

"Thank you for your hard work, senior! The performance was fantastic!"

The sociable Kita-san couldn't help but greet her, but her sudden words made the brown-haired girl freeze.

"...Hmph! So-so! But you guys are unlucky this time, your performance just happens to be scheduled right after ours [SIDEROS]. Don't let the atmosphere we've worked so hard to get cool down later!"

The leader, Otsuki Yuuko, spoke coldly with her arms crossed over her chest. However, her slightly stiff tone and deliberately cold face seemed strange to Kazami Mei.

With her iconic twin tails and petite figure, Kazami Naruto could pretty much guess what she was going to say the moment he saw her.

"Senior, someone as outstanding as you must have many friends, right?"

When Kazami Mei encountered this kind of personality, she couldn't help but want to tease him, so she spoke up as soon as she thought of it.

To everyone's surprise, his words immediately caused the other person to shudder, their eyes widening as if struck on a sore spot. Then, as if to conceal something, they spoke with utmost seriousness—

"First, let's define what a friend is!"

puff……

After watching from the sidelines for a while, Ms. Ryo finally couldn't help but burst out laughing. Then, she pretended that nothing had happened and covered her mouth with her hand, but her teasing look with a hint of 'pity' dealt a second blow to Otsuki Yuuko.

"We're a band with 10,000 followers on Twitter!"

This caused the originally confident Otsuki Yuuko's eyes to tremble slightly, and she was so angry that tears began to well up in her eyes.

Seeing this, Yamada Ryo also found the other party quite interesting. She seemed to understand why Kazami Mei had spoken like that just now. Just as she was about to say something in response, Iji Chi Niji Natsumi immediately realized what was going on.

Bang!

Without a word, Miss Golden Flash rushed over and covered Yamada Ryo's mouth, determined not to let that scoundrel say anything. To prevent any accidents, she immediately comforted Otsuki Yuuko—

"Sorry, sorry! Otsuki-senpai, please don't take it too seriously. We will definitely do our best to complete the performance! We certainly won't let the atmosphere you've worked so hard to create go to waste!"

It wasn't that she was afraid of this smug and arrogant guy; it was just that Ichiji Nijika knew that the twin-tailed senior was definitely no match for Naruto and Ryo, those two cunning guys.

If we accidentally push her too far and she bursts into tears backstage, it will be difficult to handle the situation.

"Hmph... Hmph! If you mess this up, I'll definitely laugh at you!"

Yuuko Otsuki pursed her lips and uttered a harsh remark that sounded like a coquettish tantrum. Then, she turned and left with her brown twin tails swaying and tears welling up in her eyes. The other members of SIDEROS were already used to their leader's personality and quickly ran over to apologize to the group who had just finished the band performance.

"That girl is really interesting."

Yamada Ryo couldn't help but suppress a laugh and made a sarcastic remark. It was all thanks to Otsuki Yuuko's little incident that everyone's tense nerves were eased a bit.

Sensing the lingering unease and anxiety in everyone's hearts, Kazami Mei, who was already prepared, couldn't help but chuckle softly and spoke in a slightly flippant tone—

"Did you hear that?"

"If you don't want to be laughed at by that smug twin-tailed girl, then show her a better performance at the live show!"

This time, Kazami Mei didn't encourage everyone as usual, nor did she say anything gentle like "It doesn't matter if we fail."

At this moment, he was just like Otsuki Yuuko, with a face full of confidence and pride, as if he never thought that everyone's performance would fail from the very beginning.

"Ming-san, it's not very nice to say that about Senior..."

Although Ms. Kita said those words, there was no hint of reproach on her face. She simply gripped the black mesh microphone in her hand tightly, as naturally as when she had been taking Pochi to karaoke for training every day recently.

"Can you treat me to barbecue at the victory celebration banquet?"

Holding the bass, Yamada Ryo silently wiped the corner of his mouth, a playful smile seemingly spreading across his beautiful golden eyes that had been rippling with emotion.

However, this time, Kazami Mei didn't respond with his usual cold laugh. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and spoke calmly—

"It's just grilled meat... It'll get cold. You know what to do, right?"

"We must defeat them!"

The moment the words left her lips, Miss Liang's eyes sharpened. Her aura, as she held the bass, seemed to swell under some unknown influence, and the beauty mark at the corner of her eye added even more chill to her already cold and beautiful face.

Kita Ikuyo, who had never seen Yamada Ryo in such a state, leaned back in amazement while holding the combat power detector.

Combat strength: 530,000!

What an astonishing number!

Seeing her friends around her getting serious, Hongxia, feeling a little excited, quietly hugged the brand-new drumsticks to her chest. She suddenly noticed that Fengjianming was staring at her with a meaningful look.

The other person's gaze gave her a sudden surge of courage.

"That's true, we're not inferior to them in any way!"

Everyone in the band was working hard for this live performance. Even though an instinctive sense of tension lingered in their hearts, this slight tension became the force that kept everyone focused. The surging heartbeat and slightly trembling body made her feel somewhat excited.

Only Pochi didn't reveal her thoughts; she simply smiled gently, like a peony, and she was even prepared to 'sing a solo' on stage to turn the tide.

But as long as Ming was by her side, even though she was so weak, she could keep looking forward without any worries.

With no worries, she only needs to focus on playing the guitar!

"Then, come up on stage!"

17

Chapter Seventeen: This isn't Tiger Vanguard either?

This live performance was clearly different from all the previous live performances.

The moment Kita Ikuyo opened the curtain and walked onto the stage with her guitar, a wave of audience appeared before her from all directions. This was a stark contrast to when STARRY had only performed for a maximum of a few dozen people. The impact of a performance with hundreds or even thousands of people was quite significant.

Amidst the cacophony of voices from the audience, Kita Ikuyo involuntarily pressed down on the six steel strings of the guitar with her knuckles, her slender fingers turning a bluish-white from the excessive force.

Just as she was sweating and starting to daydream, she suddenly heard the vibrating sound of fingers slamming on an electronic keyboard behind her.

Boom!

Kazami Mei's slender fingers moved swiftly and smoothly across the keyboard, and within a few seconds, several consecutive electronic keyboard solos were displayed. Such an exaggerated opening made the originally noisy environment eerily quiet.

This caused Kita-san, who had turned her head, to suddenly stop feeling nervous.

The girl gradually realized what was happening, and her right hand holding the microphone trembled slightly.

"We are the [End Band] active in Shimokitazawa!!!"

"Although we're still relatively new... we don't believe we're any worse than other bands on stage! In fact, even though we've only been together for two months, we're confident we're just as good as anyone else!!!"

The red-haired girl's somewhat sharp shout made Nijika, who was about to play the drums, tremble slightly. She really didn't expect that the lively and cheerful Kita-san would say such confident words on this stage, which was almost like a declaration of war against the other bands!

However, Kazami Mei doesn't dislike him.

Rather, this is what you call 'rock and roll'!

Whether it was Ms. Ryo or Goto Ichiri, who was a little hesitant to raise her head, they couldn't help but smile the moment they heard those words. Ms. Ryo, in particular, who was a bassist, couldn't help but gently tug at the strings.

The action, seemingly intended to provoke a fight, caused a deep and penetrating bass sound to hum.