A band simulator, but all girl-heavy!

Deng hesitated for a moment, then just muttered an apology muffledly.

Looking at the scene in front of her, Aine felt a headache for a moment. She rubbed her brows, which had been filled with anxiety and pressure since just now, and sighed heavily.

"Although I really want to know what happened, but! You two are not communicating well with each other now, right?"

Aine frowned slightly, her expression serious. “Even though I don’t know what the ‘previous dream’ you’re talking about is, I don’t think Aoi is the type to sulk by herself. Even if you’re really angry, you should talk to her and discuss your thoughts, right?”

Looking at the lamp that was drooping lower and lower, she couldn't help but say helplessly.

"Besides, Deng, you have your own ideas about wanting to participate in the music festival, right? Why don't you tell everyone?"

"……Um."

Deng's amber eyes looked at Aine blankly, but soon, encouraged by her words, she nodded vigorously and replied softly, "Because...if we can sing 'Spring Shadow' at the music festival, maybe Aoi will hear our feelings and come to talk to us."

"...I think you haven't forgotten what happened after we sang Kasuga Kage last time?"

Su Shi's blue eyes narrowed slightly, and a gloomy look appeared on his face.

"No, no."

Deng shook his head vigorously, just emphasizing his point, and didn't tell them what he was thinking.

For Deng, it was a secret that belonged only to her.

Because Xiao Kui said, "Spring Shadow" is Deng's love letter to everyone in Crychic, and of course, to Aoi as well. This is their song, a song that condenses all the beautiful memories of that spring.

Aoi was deeply hurt by the memories from the past, and there was no way for her to find her and have a heart-to-heart talk with her.

Therefore, only by singing with all her might and only by using the spring shadow that condenses all the memories and emotions can her feelings be conveyed.

Just as Xiangzi said, her singing is the cry from her heart.

Just like what Aoi said, her singing is the most precious thing in the world and what Aoi loves most.

Aoi will definitely understand...

64

Chapter 64: Jizo-dori Shopping Street Street Music Festival.

Crowds of people.

This is the only word that can be used to describe the Jizo-dori shopping street at present.

This day is not the main venue for the music festival. Every year on this day, the shopping street will hold a series of promotional activities or other store activity planning. Therefore, every time at this time, people will walk together on the streets of the shopping street as if they are attending a cherry blossom festival, enjoying the bustle before the arrival of Golden Week.

The music festival is part of the commemorative activities of Jizo-dori Shopping Street. The major livehouses, karaoke bars and musical instrument stores located here have jointly organized a street performance. They set up a simple stage in an open space on the pedestrian street for this purpose and invited some famous student bands. In addition, the almost free screening mechanism attracted a large number of students who love bands and students who are forming bands.

As it turned out, the event was very successful, as the flow of people on Jizo-dori today was almost as much as that on the streets during the Sumida River Fireworks Festival.

People gathered in pairs and groups of three or four in the pedestrian street, and even the street cafes were full of customers. The noise of the crowd and the occasional music drifting between the shops made up everything today, mixed with the spring breeze mixed with the fragrance of flowers.

Aoi sat on a bench near the stage, looking at the crowd from afar. All she could see were all kinds of costumes blending together and then scattered across each other, a dazzling sight.

Too many people.

Compared to their confidence in the performance, the ending band was completely surrounded by a suffocating tension. Not to mention Kita and Pochi, even Ryo couldn't help pacing back and forth, and only their expression remained calm.

Only Hong Xia was there handing drinks to everyone, with the ahoge on her head shaking back and forth, trying to encourage everyone and telling them that it was okay, that they had practiced well and that as long as they performed normally on stage there would be no mistakes.

But in fact, her slightly trembling hands have already exposed her true feelings. The reason why she stood here and tried her best to comfort everyone was simply because she was the organizer of the band and she believed that she should take on this responsibility.

To be honest, there was nothing strange about this. After all, Aoi herself was the same. Her palms had been sweating since a while ago, and it felt like a hot stone was pressing down on her chest, making her feel a little breathless. She could only try hard to suppress the heat waves rushing to her head.

The size of this stage was beyond their imagination. If they messed up, it would be a terrible scene to stand here and play their music to so many strangers.

But none of this matters anymore... What matters is that they are already here, waiting silently.

Aoi jumped lightly from the high chair and landed steadily on the ground. A faint smile appeared on her face, and she placed her fair little hands flat in front of them.

"Xiao Kui? What are you doing?"

Hong Xia asked doubtfully.

"Come on, I heard this will really help boost morale!"

Aoi wore her usual smile, as if the light in her body had never dimmed, and was always so dazzling. "I think everyone is almost melting with nervousness! If we don't do something now, we will have trouble going on stage!"

"Xiao Kui...you're still very calm at this time. Aren't you nervous?"

Kita's voice was trembling, but he still smiled because of Aoi's words and put his hand on top of hers in a very cooperative manner.

"I'm nervous."

Aoi said with a smile, "But there is more to it, and you are looking forward to it, right?"

"expect?"

Hongxia raised an eyebrow and put her hand on Kita's.

"Everyone has practiced so hard, trained so diligently. Every time we play together smoothly, we feel so happy. If we can just stand here and play the song well for the audience, what kind of joy will we gain..."

Aoi's emerald green eyes met Hong Xia's gaze, and she playfully winked at her with her right eye.

"That's right, it's okay. Don't be so nervous, everyone. After investigation, people nowadays are very tolerant of bands composed of beautiful high school girls."

Ryoya placed his hand on it, still chattering, "Even if you forget the lyrics or sing out of tune, you'll still be praised. After all, this isn't a large-scale music festival review, so you won't get into trouble, don't worry."

After he finished these words which were obviously meant to comfort himself, everyone involuntarily turned their attention to little Pochi standing beside him.

This pink wild snake lady seemed to have some difficulty adapting to the environment from the moment she arrived at the scene. She became extremely shriveled due to being exposed to the atmosphere of so many people. She seemed to have lost her color and her whole body turned gray and slumped on the bench, as if she would turn into snow-white ash if touched.

After being stared at by everyone, her entire face was on the verge of collapse, constantly distorting and changing like an electronic screen. Before she could explode, she whispered in pain, "I need to go to the bathroom..."

"No, are you okay? Goto-kun?"

Kita looked at Ichiri's staggering back, as if he was drunk, with some worry.

"I'm going to the bathroom too. Everyone, please have a good rest first~"

Kui smiled, withdrew her hand, and hurriedly chased after Yili's back.

Although it was a very lively event, the restrooms near the stage and lounge area were obviously much emptier. In the entire outer hall area, the only figure was little Pochi stumbling towards the trash can.

Her condition was even worse than Kui had imagined, because when Kui got closer, she found that she was clinging to the edge of the trash can and retching. Her little face was ashen and looked like she was about to die. There was even a faint trace of pale soul coming out of her little mouth.

"One, one mile?!"

Aoi was startled and quickly ran over to help up the little Pochi who was about to dive into the trash can. She also caught the soul that had floated out and stuffed it back in. "Are you okay...?"

"It's... it's okay... it's just that my socially introverted personality and the environment are rejecting each other. It's no big deal, haha, hahaha..."

Little Pochi was talking nonsense and trembling in Aoi's arms.

This situation is probably understandable. In this world line, Pochi doesn't have the protection of Mango Mask, nor the baptism of his first live performance. He has to face a performance that is several times more grand than Hiroi's street impromptu performance. It is understandable that he would have such a reaction.

After all, although she has tried working in a livehouse, she is still a socially anxious person who dares not look people in the eye when talking, and even hesitates for dozens of minutes when entering an unfamiliar store.

Soon, this social phobia will stand on the stage, facing the gaze of countless people, and play his music for everyone.

It’s also thanks to Pochi that he didn’t even have the courage to escape, otherwise he would have turned into a brave deserter long ago, paying tribute to the escaped guitarist of Shimokitazawa in the original world line.

It is obviously no longer important to think about whether it makes sense for her to guide everyone to participate in this music festival. The most important thing is that she is the one who should take responsibility.

"Yili, come on, give me your hand."

Aoi's voice suddenly became much gentler, and she gently held Pochi's hand. In her puzzled and timid eyes, she gently wrapped Pochi's hand up and down with both hands.

"Xiao Kui...?"

Little Pochi finally recovered from the look of being blown away by the wind, and looked at his tightly clasped hands with a bit of panic and embarrassment.

"Do you believe me?"

Aoi asked softly.

"I... Of course I believe it...!"

"You know what? I think we'll be a huge success today, with lots of applause and cheers. And the band will stand out at the street music festival."

"Is this... Xiaokui's encouragement?"

Little Pochi was stunned for a moment, and raised his head blankly to look at Aoi in front of him. He didn't even react when he saw her looking into those beautiful emerald green eyes.

But Aoi just shook her head with that warm and pure smile, and told her gently in a clear voice.

"No, this is a prophecy."

65

Chapter 65 My hero will bring flowers and victory.

Ichiri Goto had never been so glad that he had opened a 'Guitar Hero' account.

If she didn't have the Guitar Hero account, she wouldn't have caught Xiaokui's attention, wouldn't have been invited by Xiaokui to join the band, and wouldn't have broken the situation of being alone at home for so long.

If it weren't for Guitar Hero, she wouldn't have met Xiao Kui.

Because it was this incredible girl who took her hand and took her a step forward, a step she had racked her brains to never take. It was this girl who smiled and told her, "You are my guitar hero."

It was this girl who held her hand tightly and predicted that today's performance would be a great success.

She is not a magician, nor is she a magical girl with the ability to speak, but her words have a mysterious power. Although there is no guarantee, they are powerful, which temporarily calmed the anxiety in little Pochi's heart.

"...Xiao Kui...is really amazing."

Little Pochi felt her hands were still shaking. When she heard the noisy voices outside, she couldn't help but feel as if her heart was being tightly grasped by a hand. She was in great pain. "At a time like this... I'm not nervous at all..."

The gap between them was so exaggerated that Xiao Boqi even felt that this was all just a dream. Otherwise, why would such a perfect person come to him and form a band with a dark guy like him?

"No, I'm nervous too."

Aoi shook her head slightly, and suddenly took Pochi's hand, guiding her to place the clenched hand gently against her soft cheek.

The touch was soft and elastic, with a gentle warmth that gently soaked through little Pochi's palm and spread to every corner of her body.

At that moment, she admitted that all her nervousness disappeared, replaced by a sudden surge of burning heat in her head.

"Xiao, Xiao Xiao Xiao Xiao Xiao Kui?!"

Little Pochi let out a very strange cry, and his whole body was instantly scared into a stick figure style, and the square-shaped hair accessories on his head were almost scared off.

"Is it hot?"

Aoi just smiled softly, still guiding Pochi's hand to put it on her face. A faint blush appeared on her fair cheeks, and a pair of emerald eyes flashed with the fresh golden green of sunlight through the leaves. She smiled and looked at him gently, like the surface of an emerald lake, rippling with ripples.

"Ah, ah! Ah...mm."

Little Pochi nodded stupidly, like a puppet with a broken vocal organ.

"I feel the same as Yili and everyone else. I'm also very nervous."

Aoi said, a hint of teasing flashed across her smile, "If you don't believe me, why don't you put it against my chest and listen to my heartbeat? It's beating very fast."

"No, no no no no, no need--!"

"Well, okay... Anyway, I believe in my own efforts, and I believe in everyone's efforts."

"Eh?"

After hearing this, Little Pochi gradually calmed down and just stared blankly at Aoi in front of him.

"Yili, do you remember our practice these days?"

Aoi said slowly, "Kita practiced hard even though his fingers were rubbed raw. Ichiri gradually became brave enough to look everyone in the eye during ensemble practice. The two seniors were also willing to spend their free time and stay in the studio with us for half a day. All of this was for today."

Every time they practice, every time they play together, and every time they play the guitar, they can feel the joy of progress surrounding them. Although the practice time during this period is not particularly long, the heavy sense of achievement is not false.

They are standing here just to prove themselves.

"I was actually quite scared seeing so many people. When I thought about how their eyes might be focused on me, waiting to laugh at any possible mistake I made, I couldn't help but tremble..."

Aoi continued to murmur, her voice as light and gentle as the breeze outside the window, "But I also know very well that this kind of thinking is unnecessary, because the audience didn't come with the intention of laughing at me or expecting me to fail. They came expecting to hear excellent performances, to hear music that resonated with them. They are willing to have expectations of me and want to believe in us..."

"We're not bad. Kita's singing is powerful, Nijigasaki is very reliable and solid, and Ryo was already a qualified bassist before joining us. As for you, Ichiri, you're a guitar hero."

"You've earned recognition from tens of thousands of people online, and every time you perform, you receive countless compliments. Your guitar playing is superb, and you're a true guitar hero. But today is different... Today is the most special one."

The words, along with the breeze, blew the pink hair on Pochi's cheek, reached her ears and echoed in her mind.

It was as if the only thing left in the world was Aoi's smile and her clear and gentle voice.

"Today, you are the guitar hero that belongs only to the End Band and only to me."