A band simulator, but all girl-heavy!

"band?"

Mu's pupils shrank slightly. "With whom?"

"Xiao Mu, you're such a fool~ Who else could it be? Is there anyone who can compare to the former crychic?"

Su Shi said with a smile, her eyes also on Xiao Mu, "I plan to go find Deng, Li Xi, and of course~ Xiao Mu too... and Xiang Zi... We can still be like before, like the old Crychic. Although Xiao Mu said that at the time, he actually wants to go back to Crychic, right?"

Mu seemed stunned and quickly shifted his gaze. There was a barely perceptible gloom on his face. He lowered his head and refused to look at Su Shi again.

Of course, Su Shi's question did not receive an answer from her. She did not try to speak, nor did she have any intention of answering.

Seeing her look, Su Shi did not show disappointment or anger, but just smiled and looked away, and continued,

"I'm planning on meeting Deng today. She seems to be in Yuqiu~ Xiaomu, do you want to come with me?"

The footsteps suddenly decreased by half.

Mu suddenly stopped where he was, with his head lowered, like a withered flower, silent in sadness and melancholy.

"I dont go."

After a moment, under Su Shi's puzzled gaze, Mu finally spoke.

In the corridor that had become somewhat dim after school, she raised her head slightly, and her pair of golden eyes seemed to be shining in the shadows, standing out conspicuously.

"I'm not going..."

In a moment of silence, Mu's voice emphasized for the second time.

"That's right. After all, Xiao Mu hasn't seen such a beautiful past or a bright future... It's understandable that he lacks confidence."

After a brief moment of surprise, Su Shi smiled again, walked forward and gently took Mu's hand, "It's okay, Xiao Mu, then please wait here for a while."

"What do you mean?"

Mu looked straight into Su Shi's eyes.

"It's very simple. Once I successfully gather everyone, I'll invite Xiao Mu back. You won't be able to refuse, right?"

Su Shi tilted her head with a smile, her tone full of self-righteous confidence.

After all, Xiao Mu is different, and so are everyone else.

They didn't know Xiao Kui, nor had they seen the charming miracles Xiao Kui had created in her dreams.

Only Su Shi can accomplish this task because she has Xiao Kui, which is something no one else has.

This dream was Xiaokui's gift to her... How to reunite the band, how to reconnect everyone, hadn't she completely demonstrated it in the dream? It was like a prediction of the future, showing her the most reasonable and likely scenario.

She was even willing to believe that part, or even all, of the dream was real.

She can see the lights when she goes to Yuqiu. She can make everyone return to the happy days of the past by just asking them to sit down and talk about their feelings.

She could no longer sit there and wait for death, enduring such loneliness and solitude like a crying and resentful woman.

She wants to take the initiative and use her own hands to pursue the things she is unwilling to let go of.

And——Xiao Kui

If the light is really there, and if the girl named Aine also appears, does that mean that her dream is actually predicting reality?

Does it mean that she really exists?

"Xiao Mu, shall we go?"

Su Shi's smile became brighter and brighter, even with a hint of extreme paranoia mixed in.

At her urging, Mu finally took another step, moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, nothing came out.

PS: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to everyone!

31: Su Shi blocking the door

The school bell had already rung, the classroom gradually became deserted, and the corridor was silent. Only the shouts of the sports club drifted in from time to time outside the window.

Gao Songdeng, carrying his schoolbag, walked alone through the corridor bathed in the afternoon sunset. When he passed by Class C of Grade 1, he subconsciously stopped and looked into the classroom with anticipation and nervousness.

The scene was just as he had imagined. There were only a few students left in the classroom. Coincidentally, a strange girl was sitting in Xiaokui's seat as he remembered her. She seemed to be chatting and laughing about something interesting with her friends.

Seeing this scene, Deng's eyes couldn't help but dim a little. He decisively looked away and left quickly.

Didn't show up today either.

Why didn't it appear?

So many things are exactly the same as the experiences in the dream, and so many things correspond to the dream, so why did the most important thing not appear?

In her dream, encouraged by Xiao Kui, she found Su Shi and Li Xi again, and formed a new band with the gentle and friendly Chihaya Aine. She completely walked out of the shadow of the past and headed towards a warm future she had never imagined.

She would remember those words for the rest of her life, even in her dreams, and would never forget a single word of them until her death.

When she felt guilty and inferior because of her singing, and worried that her singing would cause the band to break up, someone told her with the warmest smile in the world: "The singing of the lamp is the most precious thing."

Although she still worried that she wasn't singing well and that Xiangzi might have quit the band because she had messed up, she was no longer held back by the fear of the end.

She also wanted to tell Su Shi and Li Xi what was in her heart, just like she did in her dream, and tell them that she wanted to go back to the past, and still wanted to form a band and sing happily with everyone like before.

but...

Deng's eyes gradually dimmed, and he gently opened the door of the astronomy department, facing the empty and silent room alone.

However, Aoi and Aine were not there.

If they didn't show up, how could I prove that things would go as I dreamed? How could I prove that I could really form a band again as I dreamed?

She still... lacks the courage.

But the person in the world who could give her the most courage did not show up.

Deng pulled out a chair, sat in front of the table, and took out the notebook he used to record lyrics. He looked lonely, but started writing and drawing on the new page very seriously.

Among those bizarre written fantasies, there were many scattered accounts of things in Deng's dreams, including some words expressing gratitude to Kui like poems.

Your smile is so warm.

【When I opened my eyes, it disappeared. 】

.....

Below these "poems" is a simple portrait of someone drawn by Deng with his rich imagination and good artistic talent.

The unique lines of colored pencils outline the girl's beige hair and emerald green eyes. Although the drawing is not too detailed, Deng still uses an extremely exquisite technique to depict the bright and dazzling smile on the girl's face.

Below the portrait, the name 'Aoi' was written in kana.

As long as Aoi is here, everything will be fine.

As long as Aoi is there, she can do anything.

The determination in Deng's expression was gradually replaced by a hint of loneliness. She stared at the portrait for a few seconds before reluctantly closing the notebook and carefully writing down the activities of the Astronomy Department.

After finishing all this alone, she closed the door of the Astronomy Department and left the teaching building, passing through the 'windows of light' in the corridor illuminated by the setting sun.

At this time, the sun had gradually sunk into the horizon, burning like a huge fireball at the end of the sky, igniting wisps of clouds hanging on the horizon. Pieces of red clouds and orange sky occupied half of the sky, dyeing the eyes of the lamp a crimson color.

She stared blankly at the sunset in the sky, paying no attention to the surrounding situation. She kept moving forward in a daze until she was stopped by a familiar call.

"lamp!"

Deng opened his eyes slightly, stopped immediately, and turned his head to look towards the source of the sound.

What came into view was Nagasaki Suyo, who had been standing silently in front of the school gate of Ueyama, waiting for who knows how long.

Unlike the previous few days, Su Shi did not look so calm and composed at this time. His blue eyes were slightly narrowed as if he was suppressing his excitement, and the expression on his face was always filled with relief and anxiety.

At this moment, she seemed to have finally waited for the last train that had been late. Unable to suppress her emotions, she walked forward and gently held Deng's hands. A joyful smile appeared on her face again, and she kept repeating,

"Great, great... I finally got you."

"Su Shi...why is he..."

Deng was a little confused. Although she had met Su Shi a few days ago, she had never revealed which school she went to. She definitely didn't have the courage to contact any of them until she mustered up the courage.

But why did she see Su Shi at the door, and the other party looked like he had been waiting here for a long time?

"Because I want to see the lights."

Su Shi sincerely held Deng's hands and looked into her eyes with hope. "Although I was rejected last time, I still don't want to give up just like that, nor do I want to give up the band just like that... Deng, are you willing to talk to me?"

The moment she heard these words, the rain and words that Xiangzi said on the day he quit the team instantly made her feel cold to the bone, making her almost subconsciously want to break free from Su Shi's arms and turn around and flee.

But then, another picture gradually emerged, replacing Xiangzi's resolute and indifferent expression.

That is the smile of sunflower - a smile more charming than any other flower in the world and warmer than any ray of sunshine in the world.

But, without Xiaokui, is she really qualified?

The lamp fell into silence, with its head slightly lowered, constantly struggling and struggling, trying to get an answer for itself.

Seeing her behavior, Su Shi sighed helplessly and spoke softly to comfort her.

"It's okay... Deng, I'm not asking you to make a decision right now. I just want to have a good talk with you. Can you give me this chance?"

Deng was slightly startled, then slowly raised her head and looked into Su Shi's eyes. Su Shi smiled at her and continued, "It's precisely because everyone is unwilling to talk and reveal their thoughts that they've parted ways... I think we must listen carefully to everyone's voices in order to truly solve the problem."

"Su Shi...who else did you invite?"

Deng finally spoke, his voice trembling slightly.

"And Lixi~ Let's go to RING together. She must want to hear Deng's ideas, and so do I."

Su Shi smiled and said, "...it won't take up too much of the lights. Just sit with your old friends, okay?"

32: This is the Relaxed Girls Band

At the same time, in the Shimokitazawa area of ​​Setagaya Ward, Saotome Aoi was walking on a street illuminated by the sunlight that was gradually becoming brighter in color, carrying her violin case on her back.

Beside her, there were two girls who were also wearing the uniform of Shimokitazawa High School. They were chatting about trivial matters and various insignificant fun things in a relaxed tone.

One of them has a golden ponytail and a signature aho-humored hair on her head that looks like golden potato wedges. She is lively and enthusiastic, as dazzling as the gentle afternoon sun. The other one has dark blue shoulder-length hair, is taciturn, and has more gloomy beautiful facial features, as deep and romantic as the starry sky at night.

As for their names, one is called Ijichi Hongka and the other is called Yamada Ryo, both are sophomores at Shimokitazawa High School.

He is one of the two protagonists in the girl band comic-adapted animation "Lonely Rock" that became popular a few years ago. He served as the drummer and bassist in the protagonist band "The End Band" respectively, and can be said to be the original member of this band.

Only after meeting the two of them did Aoi finally breathe a sigh of relief. In fact, she'd even had a faint suspicion—was Shimokitazawa High School merely a name from the anime, and not actually the world of Lonely Rock? If that was the case, what was the point of traveling all the way from Chiyoda to Setagaya?

So, she began to look for Hong Xia and Liang more actively in the school, and even brought her own musical instrument like Pochi in the original book. However, not only was it ineffective, but she also seemed to be targeted by the school's wind band.

As they were about to finish a busy day without any results, Aoi ran into Nijika who was wandering around the club's notice board. She seemed to be struggling over whether to go to the school to recruit band members and was looking for the light music club on the notice board, but to no avail.

So, Aoi seized this opportunity and, using the excuse of looking for a club, quickly established a good relationship with Hongxia's mother, who was already warm and friendly. After revealing that she also wanted to form a band, she was introduced to Liang by Hongxia as she is now.

At this point, they seemed to be planning to discuss band matters while deciding where to go for some fun in the remaining time.

"Today just so happens my sister's shop is busy with equipment repairs and doesn't need a part-time job. Meeting Xiaokui is also perfect! Let me tell you, Liang, today is definitely my lucky day!"

Hongxia seemed very happy to meet Aoi, the uninvited 'newcomer in the band', and the ahoge on her head kept shaking.

"That's what you said before you lost 1,000 yen yesterday."

Liang just glanced at her calmly.

"What's the point of tearing down my stage? Just think of it as trading a thousand yen for a new member of the band. That's a good deal, right?"

Hong Xia smiled and said, "By the way, Xiao Kui, are you a violinist? It's rare to play violin in a band... Do you really want to join? We're a rock band, okay?"

"It's not like there's no precedent for violinists joining rock bands."

Liang said, his emotionless golden eyes looking at Aoi, "However, the arrangement is indeed more difficult than that of a traditional rock band."

"Is it okay? I can play keyboard, too."

Xiao Kui asked hesitantly.

"It's okay, it's okay. We can discuss the musical instruments next time we get together."

Hong Xia waved her hand gently and said in a relaxed tone, "Now, to celebrate finding a new member, where should we go for a stroll?"

"Ginza."

"turn down!"

"Then you can go to Shinjuku, Shibuya, or even Toshima. There are a lot of livehouses and music stores nearby."