A band simulator, but all girl-heavy!

Xiangzi didn't want to guess what happened during the time Xiaomu was away. She only felt exhausted all over her body and even in her heart. The pessimism of losing hope and love for everything penetrated into her heart from the outside in like a poison, making her unable to release her kindness and gentleness. Instead, she curled up into a ball of upright thorns.

She just frowned and stared at Xiao Mu in front of her with a cold and irritable look, and did not reach out to take the cup of black tea.

"...Mu, you also have memories of Saotome Aoi, right?"

Xiangzi looked straight into Xiaomu's eyes, his tone a little sharp.

Xiao Mu lowered his hand holding the cup of black tea in frustration. He did not answer this question, but he did not shake his head either. Instead, he slowly moved his golden eyes away and looked away evasively.

"Oh...it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. I don't care that much anymore."

Seeing Xiao Mu like this, Xiangzi just lowered his eyes and sighed heavily. If she had only heard Mu calling out Aoi's name somewhere else, she might have been surprised, wanted to know the truth of it all, and even felt excited and curious about this wonderful phenomenon for a while.

But after listening to the song "Light" and hearing Xiao Mu's words, all this no longer mattered.

To be more precise, all the beautiful memories in the dream had nothing to do with her, like a pair of sharp scissors that split everything in two, and could never be put together again.

"I should have noticed this kind of thing a long time ago. I won't feel sad about it. Don't look at me like that. Dreams are just dreams, aren't they?"

Xiao Mu didn't say anything, but Xiangzi could still see worry and concern in her eyes.

If it were her usual self, she might feel helpless and a little warm about Xiao Mu's concern, but at this moment, the positive and bright parts of her heart were like a bottle with a hole in it, all flowing out through the hole, leaving only those wet, painful and aggressive things.

She felt anger for a moment, a ridiculous anger, because she was stung by her friend's concerned look, which made her feel as if she was really hurt and heartbroken about this matter.

But what is equally ridiculous is that her heart is indeed broken, and she tries in vain to hide it, to pretend that nothing has happened, but she doesn't know who this clumsy performance is dedicated to, herself?

The angry expression that Xiangzi revealed for a moment gradually collapsed, like a flame that had been extinguished.

She didn't try to say anything else, but just sat there quietly, with her head lowered and not saying a word. Xiao Mu, like Xiangzi, stood there blankly, with a hint of loneliness written on her still inorganic pretty face, holding a cup of black tea that no one claimed.

The surroundings were filled with large-scale activities that were as lively as festivals. People were crowded in the streets and shops, and laughter and joy lingered in every inch of the air. The crowd at the music festival not far away was still cheering loudly, as if they were going to break through the sky.

And here for the two of them, it was like the doldrums on the sea, with only the silence of falling asleep.

Until the familiar music coming from not far away broke the oppressive silence.

That beautiful dreamlike spring, the spring phantom that appeared in her dreams countless times, with the sound of music, a unique flavor emerged and floated in her mind. It was as if when she opened her eyes again, she would see the Tsuki no Mori uniform on her body and the smiling members of Crychic.

Xiangzi's gaze gradually turned towards the stage, and the scene that came into her eyes completely tore everything in her mind apart, turning it into countless crystal fragments that floated away into the distance.

This final scene was like the last straw that broke the camel's back. It was as light as a feather and fell on Xiangzi's shoulders, but it also crushed the last bit of hope in her heart, shattering it beyond repair.

After "If You Could Shine", even "Spring Shadow" no longer belongs to Crychic, let alone her.

Those songs, all written by her, have now become treasures of the other two bands, leading them into the future. Only Xiangzi was left in the past, unable to find her home anywhere.

A doll forgotten by fate.

It turned out that not only was the dream a shattered fantasy, but everything about that spring was also severed from her.

Xiangzi did not cry, but trembled slightly to suppress the emotions that were about to explode in her heart. The corners of her eyes twitched, but her heart felt empty. Anger, sadness, and regret disappeared in an instant, as if their disappearance had taken away her heart that still yearned for beauty.

"Xiangzi..."

Xiao Mu's voice sounded again, and his eyes, filled with worry and concern, met Xiangzi's gaze. He carefully handed over the still warm black tea in his hand.

“…I don’t need it!”

Xiangzi slammed the cup of black tea in front of him away, his expression even slightly distorted due to the intense emotional changes.

The red teacup fell to the ground, and the warm liquid in the opened cup lid instantly spilled all over the ground, blending with the dust and soil, becoming turbid.

Mu just widened his eyes slightly, looked at the red teacup that fell to the ground, and did not try to speak again.

"Mu."

Xiangzi took a few deep breaths and regained his composure, but his eyes were blazing with what could be described as a dark fire. "I'm going home today. You should go home soon too."

"……Um."

Mu nodded slightly and watched Xiangzi get up and leave, disappearing into the crowd.

She was the only one left standing there, her eyes filled with helplessness and sadness.

84

Chapter 84 The target is the martial arts hall!

"Good evening everyone~~ Thank you so much for coming to the Jizo Music Festival today! And thank you for staying with us this late!"

As the hostess' voice was full of energy, the audience below the stage applauded her in unison.

It was getting dark at this time. The sky was cloudless today and clear, almost transparent. Therefore, the belt of Venus on the horizon looked like a ball of orange fire, dyeing half of the sky extremely bright.

The duration of the music festival obviously exceeded everyone's expectations. Due to the large number of participating bands, it lasted from morning to evening. Even Dizangtong's other planned activities had already ended before they could barely finish.

This music festival, which mainly consists of non-professional school students, is undoubtedly a success. Although all the participating bands are campus bands composed of high school or even junior high school students, given the success of the girl band trend, today's student bands are more and more competitive, and their level is even comparable to that of professionals.

The planners originally only hoped to win a good reputation with mostly amateur bands and a small number of high-quality student bands. This is also the reason for offering unlimited registration. Even bands with poor quality can perform on stage. As long as the number base increases, there will always be excellent bands appearing.

According to the original forecast, as time goes by, the flow of people attracted by the shopping street activities will become less and less, and the audience will continue to decrease, but unexpectedly, today's performance was so outstanding that there were still many audiences left until the end.

"Today's performance was fantastic! After the audience's votes, we've selected the six bands that performed the best! They'll be giving away free season passes to the Jizo-dori Livehouse and karaoke bar!"

The host clapped his hands softly and announced loudly, "Now, let's announce the results! The sixth-place band is 'Try to Study Hard Band,' an all-high school band from the Shinjuku area..."

"Second place! 'Ikebukuro Student Band' performed three songs. The lead singer's voice was full of heartfelt power, and the musicians also performed very well. They received the second most votes, just two votes away from first place."

"As for first place, it's naturally the gorgeous band that pulled off a colorful full combo with zero mistakes at the music festival. End Band!!!"

The lead singer's voice is pleasant and clear, full of power and explosiveness. The band atmosphere is relaxed and pleasant, and the members perform perfectly. In addition, the band's unique violin configuration and original repertoire also left the deepest impression on the audience.

Founded within this month, without having held a single performance, they chose to perform at a large music festival for the first time. Many people foresaw the birth of a "super-fast genius band" in the future.

During the interview phase representing the band, as soon as they came on stage, they could hear the cheers of the audience who were reluctant to leave even before the show ended, and many people were shouting their names.

"Welcome to the end of the band~~"

The gentle and kind voice of the host echoed near the stage. After the performance, the band members walked onto the stage one after another, gently waving and greeting the audience below.

"Although it's rude, this year's results are really surprising. There are many experienced bands whose members are all in their third year of high school registered for this music festival, but the most outstanding one is your new band!"

The hostess smiled and handed the microphone to Hongxia. "Excuse me, Ichichi-san, I heard that all the members, except for bassist Yamada Ryo, are newcomers with no band experience. Is this true?"

Hong Xia stole a subtle glance at the smirking Aoi, a hint of doubt flickering in her eyes, but she quickly replied, "Yes, that's right! But because my family runs a livehouse, and my sister has performance experience, I started playing musical instruments at a very young age. So I guess I can't be considered a newcomer, right?"

"Even that's incredible! So, the band just formed a short time ago and has never performed publicly, not even on the streets, yet they came straight to the festival?"

"Ahahaha...yes!"

"Your courage is commendable! But your strength is indeed obvious to all! By the way, Ijichi-kun, you are the band's founder and also the captain, right?"

The hostess inquired curiously, "Why was there such a big decision to participate in the music festival when it was just established?"

"Ah, about this matter."

Hong Xia smiled faintly and pulled Kui, who was standing by and watching the show, to her side. She began to explain, "Although I'm the band's founder, to be honest, I'm still very conservative about the band's future plans. We originally had no plans to participate in music festivals. The only plan was to hold a small performance in a livehouse. It was Xiao Kui who actually came up with this idea."

"I see! Saotome-san, could you please answer this question?"

The host's attention was almost immediately drawn to her. She pointed the microphone at the surprised Aoi and asked with a smile.

"Ah! Okay~ Hello everyone, I'm Saotome Aoi!"

Aoi quickly waved towards the audience, a bright smile on her face, and quickly settled into business mode. "Actually, I didn't think much of it at first. I just... I just felt really happy playing in a band, and I wanted the band to last longer, and I wanted everyone's music to be heard by more people."

These words are actually her true feelings.

Originally, she was just influenced by the band simulator and had a great interest and passion for having fun playing in a band. As for joining a professional band, it was only because the band wanted to go further and had no choice but to go that way.

At first, it was all about paving the way for 'playing in a band for life'.

She finally understood why the simulator always talked about life. It would be too sad to part ways like this after meeting like-minded bandmates who got along well with her.

And, most importantly... after standing on the stage, she has completely fallen in love with the feeling of performing.

Every pair of hands and eyes off the stage were gazing at them, listening to the music they played as one, cheering for their performance, and being moved by their singing. In the process, they passed on pure emotion to every audience member off the stage.

She liked people to laugh because of her, and now so many people were cheering for her.

She wants to remember this feeling and let her bandmates go higher with her, to a higher stage, so that more people can listen to their music.

"But! After feeling so happy at today's performance... I've made up my mind!"

Before the host could speak, Aoi shouted in a high-pitched voice, "Our goal is Budokan Live!!!"

After she finished speaking, the entire venue was silent for about a second. Even the members of the band who were leaving were staring at Aoi blankly, not realizing that she would publicly make such a statement.

Then, the entire audience was engulfed by a torrent of cheers.

The talented student band that became a popular band at the music festival during their debut performance and made the "Budokan Declaration" during a Victory interview are stories full of stories and amazing deeds that are often talked about with great relish.

"Oh~!! What an impressive declaration! Maybe we all witnessed history today."

The host smiled calmly and sighed softly.

85

Chapter 85 Aoi is the woman who can become my mother!

"Cheers~"

The girls held the glasses filled with juice high in their hands and gently clinked them together, making a crisp sound. The sweet liquid inside swayed, and through the color of the juice, the joyful smiles on everyone's faces were blurred.

The scenery outside the window was still dark, and the quiet Tama River could be seen in the distance across several blocks lit with warm street lights.

The band, along with Ijichi Hoshige who "happened" to be passing by the event today, and the PA lady from the Starry store, a total of seven people gathered at an izakaya near Sangenjayaji Station in Setagaya Ward. Ms. Hoshige, who "just happened to have some spare money and wanted to treat everyone", booked the entire place to celebrate the perfect and grand success of today's music festival.

"By the way, don't you guys need to drink?"

Hong Xia held the juice in her hand and glanced curiously at her sister, whose face always had an expression of 'I'm unhappy', and Ms. Pa, who was sitting beside her with a gloomy mood. "We are minors, so we can't drink yet. You don't have to accompany us, right?"

"Just think of it as blending into the atmosphere of you kids today. It's okay."

Ijichi Xingge tried to put on a serious expression, but the six people present could see that her brows were relaxed, the corners of her mouth were raised, her whole body was in a state of refreshment and joy, and even her voice sounded much more cheerful than usual.

"The manager seems to be in a good mood today. She said she was afraid she'd be too happy and drink too much, so she didn't order any drinks."

The PA lady held her chin with one hand, a teasing smile on her face. "You guys are really amazing. The store manager was so moved when she was recording the video... It hurts!"

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll fire you."

Xingge retracted her elbow that had hit Ms. PA's arm and said calmly, "But, well, you did a really good job."

"Sister actually praised us! Pochi Pochi, we're not dreaming, right? Right?"

Hongxia was stunned for a moment, then with a surprised expression she grabbed the shoulders of little Pochi beside her and shook him hard.

"You deserve this kind of result, right? Honestly... I thought you were just joking, but I didn't expect..."

Xingge raised the corners of her mouth and slightly closed her eyes. She didn't continue talking. Instead, she looked at Kui who was showing off her potato wedges beside her and said with emotion, "But you really dare to say that, martial arts hall or something..."

"Eh? Ah~ I, I was just saying that~ We're all winners, so we have to have a goal that sounds impressive... right?"

Aoi smiled sheepishly, then quietly licked the grease on her fingers. After all, she wasn't at home, so there was no need for the eldest lady's style...right now, right?

"It's incredible that we were able to perform so well today..."

Little Pochi stared blankly at the table full of snacks, still seemingly still dazed by the grand occasion of the music festival.

"Just tell me. No one can really see the future now, but we've decided to form a band for a long, long time, okay?"

Aoi reached out and poked Pochi's soft cheek, then said with a smile, "Life is so long, we always need a long-term goal! Let's all move towards this goal, shall we?"

"Well said~!! I support Xiao Kui~!"

After this series of events, Kita has completely changed from being encouraged by Ryo-senpai to being fully affirmed by Aoi Bot, and agreeing with Aoi's words with a happy face.

As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something important and quickly pulled her phone from her pocket. She mumbled to herself as she searched for her social media accounts and excitedly said to everyone, "That's right! Today's events are already a hot topic online, right? People are discussing it on X and YTB!"

Her screen was showing topics like '#Jizangdori Music Festival' and '#EndBand'. Many people who attended the festival were impressed by the high quality of the band's performance. The EndBand and the song "If You Can Shine" became popular in the Tokyo band circle.

Although it is not known to the entire Internet overnight, the band has now gained some fame in the Tokyo music circle.

"It seems my original plan was on the right track. Since the show has become an instant success, the next step is to sell a lot of merchandise and then release tickets for the handshake meeting..."

Yamada Ryo reached out and touched his smooth chin. His feminine androgynous face was full of seriousness and solemnity. "Well, the road to a wealthy band is beckoning us."

"Isn't Ryo-senpai's character a rock girl with a strong personality...?"

A question mark appeared above Xiduo's head. Hongxia, who was standing beside her, patted her shoulder comfortingly and advised her earnestly, "It's not too late to recognize this person now, Xiduo."

While others were chatting and laughing, Pochi, who had taken out his phone to check today's hot topics on the Internet, opened his eyes wide in surprise and stammered for a long time before speaking.