How can my simulation be a real love?

"—Please listen to our original song, 'Never Forget'!"

Boom, boom, boom...

The moment the drumbeats sounded, the guitar's sharp roar pierced the night sky. The keyboard, which had been gently stroking the guitar surface in preparation, immediately joined the rhythmic drumbeats. The bass, following behind, acted like a stable and solid triangle, supporting the powerful booming of the lead guitar from behind.

The cheerful, bright, and energetic melody is the medal that adorn this piece.

The audience below the stage had not even recovered from the shock of the 'declaration of war' when they were caught off guard by the shocking combination of instruments, like a heavy musical punch hitting their brains.

From the very beginning, the guitar was going all out. The pink-clad girl's nimble fingertips struck the fretboard at high speed, as if she had practiced tens of thousands of times. The sharp whistling sound blended perfectly with the soft and clear sound of the keyboard, raising the level of the intro to a whole new level.

As the guitar outro stretched out, Kita Ikuyo, her forehead covered in a fine layer of sweat, suddenly looked up.

"ぜんぶ天気のせいでいいよ——"

The moment she opened her mouth, her amazing singing skills not only captivated all the audience members, but also made the other girls on stage turn their heads in unison. Kazami Mei even made eye contact with Iji Chi Nijika, who was not far away, and both of them could see surprise in each other's eyes.

Not to mention the other audience members, even the band members themselves didn't know that Kita had such singing skills.

"Waaaah~ Is Kita real or fake...?"

Chihaya Aine, standing on tiptoe in the audience, kept waving her orange glow stick. She was initially a little smug because Kazami Mei looked cool in her performance outfit.

But the moment she heard Kita Ikuyo speak, she felt a tingling sensation on her scalp.

She had personally attended the band's last live performance, but the difference between that and this one was just too great!

"That lead singer of the band that ended up, he couldn't even sing steadily during the last live performance..."

Standing next to Chihaya Aine, Shiina Tatsuki also spoke in disbelief.

She remembered that Chihaya Aine had said that the other person was a newbie who couldn't even play the guitar before, but in such a short time, she had shown such terrifying growth. Her steady and powerful singing skills were not much worse than those of a professional band.

She activated Wind Spirit Moon Shadow?

This isn't the Tiger Vanguard they're fighting, is it?

Unlike Aine and Riki, who were simply shocked, Akari, who was also a lead singer, gently pressed her right fist against her chest. She had never felt such a sense of crisis welling up in her heart before.

She was a member of CRYCHIC and had been in a band just a year ago, but now she has been easily overtaken and even surpassed by Kita-chan, a complete newcomer.

I need to work harder, otherwise—

As Kazami Mei stood on the stage, a smile gradually appeared on his face. At the beginning, he thought that the nervous Kita-san was the one who needed his attention the most, but he never expected that she would change so much.

Surprised, he became completely absorbed in playing the keyboard.

This is probably what Kita casually mentioned about "occasionally going to karaoke to practice." Who knows how many times she actually went to practice for this live performance?

"..."

As the song gradually climbs into the climax of the main melody, the already lighthearted song seems to be filled with the unique naivety and beauty of youth.

In a daze, one could almost see a girl in a sailor uniform leaping high into the azure sky covered by pure white clouds, her vibrant energy instantly captivating all the audience members present.

Standing in the center, Kita Ikuyo took a deep breath and started singing again, steadily continuing the melody.

Kita Ikuyo was always very scared because she knew she didn't have much musical talent.

Even if she practiced the guitar desperately, she could never reach Bochi's level. The moment she heard from Kazami Mei that everyone was going to be on the stage of the summer festival, she began to waver uncontrollably.

She was afraid that her level of skill would bring shame to the band, because both Boqi and Ming were very talented! But the lead singer was also an extremely important position; for people who didn't understand music, the lead singer was the one who judged the quality of a song.

Therefore, she absolutely cannot have any problems under any circumstances.

The song is over.

The girl with fiery red hair had glistening beads of sweat on her face. Overjoyed, she couldn't help but turn around to look at the other members behind her. After receiving approving glances from Nijigasaki and even Ryo, the girl's already radiant and beautiful face blossomed into the sweetest smile.

But when the girl's gaze finally landed on Kazami Naruto's face, his beautiful yellow-green eyes seemed to sparkle with light.

The girl's fair, snow-white cheeks flushed a mesmerizing rosy hue, as if illuminated by the sun, not only because of the increased temperature from her energetic singing, but also because of the boy's admiring gaze.

At this moment, Kita Ikuyo truly shone on the stage.

Kazami Naruto suddenly held his breath; in that instant, he was completely captivated by Kita-san.

"thank you all!"

Kita Ikuyo, who was just spouting nonsense on stage, now seemed deflated.

He thanked the audience while panting heavily, his polite bowing posture contrasting sharply with his previous words, which immediately drew deafening shouts and applause from the audience.

This time, the cheers were even more enthusiastic than those for SIDEROS.

Holding a chocolate banana in her hand, Hachiman Kairin was also clapping softly, but her unchanging calm face formed a stark contrast with the lively audience around her.

As one of the audience members who saw the band's debut performance, Hachiman Kairin was able to most directly feel the growth of these girls.

She had thought that only Kazami Akira and the guitarist would truly stand out after the band ended, but she never expected that all five of them could cooperate so well this time. Her gaze couldn't help but fall on the keyboardist on stage, who looked smug, his emerald green eyes seeming to gleam with a meaningful light.

"..."

From below the stage, Wakaba Mutsu looked up at the stage in a daze. Since she hadn't brought the band's light stick, she could only take out a cucumber from her bag to make do.

As for Nagasaki Motoyo beside her, she quietly stared in Kita Ikuyo's direction, her slightly furrowed brows seeming to carry a special meaning.

For a band, the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction from an immersive and exhilarating performance from beginning to end is something that cannot be experienced through extraordinary material means. This kind of exhilaration is something that cannot be truly felt unless one experiences it firsthand.

To paraphrase Shinji Matou, it would be like this:

"It's a hundred times better than XX."

The performance of just one song left everyone somewhat exhausted, but fortunately, the bands performing at this summer festival live only had time for one song, and the remaining short time was mostly used for the band members to introduce themselves.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Kita didn't forget to promote the band. She looked up and said in a cheerful voice, "Next is the time to introduce the band members. First up is bassist Ryo-senpai!"

As Ms. Kita's light and sweet voice faded, Ms. Ryo, standing on the side of the stage, began to strum the bass strings with a cool expression. Her cool bass solo at the beginning made everyone realize that the guitar could also make this sound, which drew a lot of applause and cheers.

"And then there's the drummer! Nijika-senpai!"

Ichi Nijika waved her drumsticks with great energy, and the rhythmic and deafening drumbeats made the atmosphere even more exciting. She casually hit a 4th with her brand-new drumsticks and then turned her gaze to Kazami Mei beside her.

"Keyboardist, ring!"

Being suddenly introduced made Kazami Mei a little embarrassed, but she still indulged Kita-san's enthusiastic and gentle manner, and casually typed a smooth and gorgeous arpeggio on the keyboard with her ten fingers, which looked very impressive.

"Finally, the guitarist, Pochi!"

When it was finally time to introduce Boqi, she just stood there frozen in place.

With a stiff expression and pale face, she was nothing like the cold-faced guitarist she had been at the beginning. Her mind was a bit confused, and she couldn't help but look at Kazami Naruto behind her, as if she wanted to get some advice from him.

Kazami Mei naturally guessed what Pochi meant, so he deliberately rubbed his hand in the air on the keyboard as a hint.

I understand... Ming-sang wants me to show off my skills!

But since he had already performed a simple solo guitar solo, Boqi, whose mind was racing, clearly realized that he needed to be a little more innovative!

So, while her brain cells were dying from constant thinking, she took a deep breath and opened her mouth wide.

呲呲呲!

Then, in full view of everyone, he played a guitar solo using Senbai's teeth.

Kazami Naru: ?

……

“My name is Goto Ichiri, I’m sixteen years old. I live in Morio-cho…”

"Your home isn't there, is it? Wake up!"

Kazami Mei reached out and gently patted Pochi's fair and smooth face, but even after doing so, she still rolled her eyes and appeared to be unconscious.

She fainted on stage and was carried back by Kazami Mei and Nijika. However, it seems that although she has returned, her soul is still on stage.

There's really nothing we can do about it.

After all, the entire venue fell eerily silent immediately after she finished her heavy metal solo with her teeth. Such a huge contrast was like a hellish ordeal for someone as socially awkward as Ichiri Goto.

"Pfft... Boqi's performance was so funny, I wonder if anyone filmed it?"

"Maybe we'll see rumors about the 'pink-haired, toothy monster' on Twitter tomorrow, and I feel like the band's account will get a huge boost in followers."

Yamada Ryo, standing beside him, covered his mouth and laughed unrestrainedly.

But this comment seemed to penetrate the constraints of time and space and enter Boqi's consciousness, causing her, who was already distraught, to convulse and even begin to foam at the mouth. When she looked again, she had even stopped breathing.

"Little Pochi, is he dead?!"

“How inhumane!”

With Kita and Nijika's sarcastic remarks coming from beside them, the tension before going on stage had completely vanished.

All that remained was the heartfelt excitement and joy of everyone. This performance, which was in no way inferior to other bands, allowed everyone to completely release the emotions they had been holding back for so long.

"You guys played alright this time! But how dare you say that on stage... Next time we'll completely steal the show! Just you wait and see—"

As if she had been deliberately waiting backstage for the band to finish and come out, Otsuki Yuuko, still wearing her black performance outfit, pointed her index finger at Kita-san, who was still a little dazed, with a look of resentment on her face.

"We won't lose, School Idol!"

"It's SIDEROS!"

Seeing Kazami Mei's serious expression as he mispronounced the name, Ootsuki Yuuko, already filled with resentment, angrily corrected him. This guy has such a handsome face, but his personality is so awful!

Enraged, she threw down a harsh remark and ran away again, leaving behind only a few girls who couldn't help but smile at each other.

"Today's performance was fantastic! I didn't expect the audience's cheers to be so loud..."

Kita Ikuyo, still holding her guitar, still felt a little unreal; the excitement of the performance she had just been immersed in made her heart pound.

"It's probably because Yu Dai sings really well."

"Hehe~ Thank you, Senior Liang!"

Yamada Ryo's casual reply, delivered with an air of nonchalance, instantly put Kita Ikuyo in a very good mood.

If it were the old Ikuyo Kita who heard Ryo Yamada praise her like that, she might have been so happy that she couldn't sleep for several nights.

But right now, Miss Kita was more concerned about Kazami Mei's thoughts. Looking at her clenched fists, she couldn't help but raise her bright, gentle yellow-green eyes, softly pursing her thin cherry lips as she cautiously spoke—

"Ming-sang... what do you think?"

What else could he do? He almost smashed the keyboard on stage just now.

However, seeing Kita-san's expectant and joyful eyes, even Kazami Mei, who wasn't exactly frank, only smiled faintly and said with a very serious expression, "Yuyo, you worked so hard in your training before, and you sang very well this time."

"..."

Suddenly being called by her name, Kita Ikuyo's body trembled slightly, and her two slender, fair hands clasped together in front of her.

Even though the red-haired girl was just keeping her head down and silent, Hongxia, who was about the same height as her, could clearly see her cheeks, which were burning red like a steamer.

I don't know if it was because the performance was too intense and my vision was playing tricks on me, but I felt like I could see little red flowers popping up on her head.

"Ming, I want to eat at JOJO Garden at the victory celebration banquet."

"You're really going all out! That kind of shop is no good!"

Ijichi Nijika angrily tapped Yamada Ryo on the forehead. Taking advantage of Kazami Mei's promise to "treat her to yakiniku" (grilled meat), she went to eat Wagyu beef yakiniku.

If she were to actually eat that meal, Kazami would probably be begging on the streets tomorrow, or even be taken care of by some rich young lady!

"Let's eat, it's just a JOJO meal."

Kazami Mei raised her head slightly with a calm expression. Her confident words made Ryo, who casually mentioned 'JOJO Garden', raise an eyebrow.

She knew that Kazami Mei had to work part-time to make a living, so how could she possibly have the money to treat them to Wagyu beef barbecue?

Could it be that she's really being kept by some rich heiress?

In fact, Kazami Mei's confidence stemmed from the fact that she had been earning a lot of money recently. Because she was busy with band activities every day, she had no time to go out and spend money on food and entertainment, thus saving a lot of unnecessary expenses.

The high wages earned from working at the coffee shop combined with the salary from being a 'mercenary' with Hachiman Kairin resulted in a considerable amount of savings over the summer.

Wagyu beef? Eat it!

18

Chapter 18 Springtime Blossoms (JPG)

Since the celebration banquet would not begin until after the Summer Fireworks Festival, Kazami Mei took the opportunity to send a message to Chihaya Aine, preparing to invite the 'Design Director' to the celebration banquet as a token of her gratitude.

The meeting place the two agreed upon was below the plaque of a nearby temple fair.