A band simulator, but all girl-heavy!

Aoi fell into deep thought.

She no longer dared to click on the option to increase Su Shi's favorability, and she also wanted to be very vigilant about other people's options to increase their favorability.

Therefore, at this time, she chose the almost wasteful option without thinking too much, which was the one with the lowest favorability among all the members.

Shiina Tachibana.

Although Crychic and Mygo are both there and have enough roles to play, it is too difficult to increase their favorability, so far Aoi has not unlocked any of her special plots.

Moreover, the feeling that Riki gives to Aoi is very normal, and even if his favorability is high, it will probably not produce the same effect as Su Shi.

Probably not?

88

Chapter 88 Starlight.

The bonfire is almost out.

Most of the others had already gone to bed, and the previously noisy environment suddenly became silent, leaving only Shiina Riki looking up at Mount Fuji in the distance and the brilliant night sky above the Jade Fan Mountain.

Lake Motosu is very quiet at night. It is so quiet that apart from the sound of burning firewood, the only sounds are the faint chirping of insects and the calls of unknown night birds. Even the sound of Lake Motosu floating gently in the evening breeze becomes very clear.

Mount Fuji stands quietly in the distance, and together with the starry sky above, it is projected onto the clear lake surface, as if this gorgeous starry sky has opened an entrance on the ground. As long as you jump into the beautiful lake, you can embark on a romantic journey to the Milky Way.

Li Xi's delicate brows, which were always tightly furrowed, were now relaxed, and her exquisite face no longer had that serious and unnerving expression. Instead, it was filled with appreciation for romance and beautiful things, as well as a kind of melancholy.

She was still immersed in the starry sky world that Deng had just described to everyone. The bright stars in the western sky that were about to sink into the horizon were Pollux and Capella of Gemini and Auriga, respectively. They were the last corner of the winter diamond.

Leo in the east has gradually risen to the zenith, and Spica and Arcturus draw a beautiful curve in the night sky.

It was as if the lights of the Milky Way were twinkling, and the sight of the starlight, far brighter than that of Tokyo, gave her the illusion that it was sinking ever closer, engulfing the entire night sky with its dreamy brilliance. But once her eyes touched the darkness of the night sky against the starry backdrop, she felt the starry sky gradually receding, as if an invisible hand were pushing the sky further and further away...

In fact, before she met Deng, she had never learned about astronomy and had rarely looked up at the stars, but today, for some reason, she really wanted to take a good look at the starry sky and see the scenery that Deng had always cherished in his eyes.

At this moment, the starry sky filled her sight, but she couldn't tell what she felt in her heart. She just felt that under this night sky, she didn't seem to need to be so stubborn and strong anymore, and could be an innocent little girl again.

rustle.

Suddenly, he heard soft footsteps walking on the muddy ground by the lake behind him. Li Xi's originally gentle expression immediately tensed, as if he had retracted into his armor again, and slowly turned his head.

The person who came was Saotome Aoi.

Due to the huge temperature difference between day and night in the wild, she had put on a loose red down jacket, with only a cute red face showing from the hat. She held a soft blanket in her hand and slowly walked to Lixi and sat on the moon chair.

"what happened?"

Li Xi raised his eyebrows slightly, glanced at Aoi, and planned to go back to the tent and sleep if there was nothing else to talk about.

Of course, she didn't hate Aoi, but she didn't know how to deal with this girl who was as sunny and cheerful as a sunflower. They had almost never been alone since they met, and Li Xi had never thought about how to be alone with her.

"Here's a blanket. Lake Motosu must be cold at night, right?"

Aoi smiled at her and handed her the blanket. The dim starlight and the flickering bonfire could only illuminate one side of her face, making her look as romantic as a work of art.

"……Thanks."

Li Xi opened his mouth, but found that he didn't know what to say, so he just took the blanket, thanked her, and wrapped it gently around himself. He glanced at Aoi embarrassedly, then turned his gaze back to the starry sky.

"Pfft~"

At this moment, an inappropriate sound of suppressed laughter came from beside me.

Li Xi turned around somewhat puzzledly and looked at Aoi who was laughing with her hands covering her mouth. Although she didn't say anything, her face was full of "What are you laughing at?"

"I was just thinking, this is how Li Xi feels when he's alone."

Aoi's smile was sincere and clear, just like the Lake Motosu in front of her.

"what?"

Li Xi looked at Aoi in confusion, "What do you mean I feel this way when I'm alone?"

"How should I put it, a little nervous?"

"Huh?! Are you here to talk nonsense?"

"Sorry, sorry~ Then I won't say that!"

Aoi quickly raised her hands in surrender and explained with a smile, "It's just that I've never been alone with Li Xi before, so it feels quite new."

"...Alas, I have to get up early tomorrow. I'm going back to sleep."

Li Xi parted her lips, and a word came to her lips but she swallowed it back. In the end, she just left with a few words that disappointed her and was about to get up and leave.

But before that, a small hand gently grabbed her sleeve, stopping her from leaving, causing Li Xi to frown and turn around to glare at the girl beside him.

However, she couldn't open her mouth to accuse anyone, because for a moment she mistakenly thought that what she saw were two stars covered in the night sky.

But those were Aoi's eyes, clear, crystal, and clean. The emerald green pupils, like Lake Motosu, encompassed the entire night sky, staring at her quietly, dotted with light.

"Will you chat with me for a while? Okay?"

The girl's voice drifted gently, like a gust of evening breeze filled with starlight.

Lixi didn't say anything, but she didn't try to leave either. She just sighed and sat back down in the camp chair.

"Lixi and Deng must have a very good relationship, right?"

Aoi asked with a smile, holding her cheeks with both hands.

"Huh? Is that even a question?"

Li Xi frowned, "Did you ask me to stay just to ask this?"

"I'm just a little curious. I've heard about Crychic from Sushi and Dengkou more than once, and I'm also quite curious about what Lixi said about your band's past."

"What's there to be curious about? It's already disbanded, right?"

"But a band that everyone remembers so fondly is worth remembering even if it breaks up, isn't it?"

Aoi smiled and said, "Even though, I am sometimes quite uneasy..."

"Are you also uneasy?"

Li Xi's words came out almost without thinking, and by the time she regretted it, it was too late.

Although she is not very good at getting along with people other than Deng, in her mind, Aoi is very similar to Xiangzi and her sister, a person with dazzling brilliance, great cohesion, and almost omnipotent in music.

In front of Aoi, she even felt inferior, facing the same inferiority complex as her sister and Xiangzi. After all, Aoi did what she couldn't do, Aoi brought the lamp back, Aoi could make the lamp smile again and be willing to sing again, but she couldn't do it.

In her eyes, people like Aoi would not have the same worries and anxieties as her. They were the exclusive domain of people like her who lacked talent.

"Yes, I often wonder... Which is better, this new band I'm forming or Crychic? Do you like the old band better? Did I make you happy? It's troublesome, right?"

A hint of loneliness gradually covered Aoi's face. "Deng and Su Shi have both had a good chat with me, but Li Xi, you are so reliable and strong, I have never found an opportunity to talk to you in private."

"...you mean comparing the current bands to Crychic?"

"It's not like that. It's not that troublesome. I just want to know, Li Xi, are you feeling happy now?"

Aoi looked at Li Xi with only a faint smile on her face, but her eyes were surprisingly clear.

There were three starry skies under the night sky. One was above their heads, hanging above Mount Fuji; one fell into Lake Motosu, sending the starlight straight into the depths of the earth; and the last one was in front of Li Xi, in those emerald green eyes.

Looking at those eyes, Li Xi found that he had no way of saying "no".

"...Well, I'm quite happy. Or rather, is this matter really that important?"

She turned her face away, no longer looking into Aoi's eyes. "The band is at a critical moment now. You swore an oath to Deng, so stop letting your thoughts wander."

"It's important precisely because of the oath you took."

Aoi shook her head slightly. "But, maybe I'm too impatient... I just want to get to know each of you better. Although a lifetime can be used to slowly get along, I still want to leave more memories of harmony between everyone."

The bonfire had gone out, but the starlight was still burning brightly, and Aoi's voice was carried by the evening breeze.

"I want to do more, at least to live up to the promise I made to everyone. If we're going to be in a band together for life, then it's normal for everyone to realize their dreams during this time, right?"

Aoi's eyes met Riki's now-fleeting gaze once again, stars twinkling in hers.

"Tell me, Lixi, what is your dream?"

89

Chapter 89 Let’s create more memories.

What is Shiina Riki's dream?

She found herself at a loss for answer. It was as if she was being asked a question that she thought was so simple it couldn't be simpler. But when she opened her mouth, she found her mind was empty, as if her body had fallen into an infinite vortex. The answer seemed to be right at her lips, but she just couldn't say it.

What is her dream?

To become someone like her sister? She has always lived in her sister's shadow, and she is not as good as her sister in everything she does. The reason she has always worked so hard is to prove that she can surpass her sister. It seems that there is nothing wrong with this.

But what about Deng? Someone as clumsy as her, unsure of how to interact with others, was saved by Deng's heartfelt singing. Ever since the song "Spring Shadow," she'd vowed to always watch Deng sing, to let more people hear her voice. If her dream was to always watch Deng sing with all her might, that was fine too.

But are these really her dreams?

She originally hoped to prove her strength through Crychic, but eventually they parted ways inexplicably and lost the opportunity to stand on the same stage with Deng again. Having lost both dreams at the same time, she was even confused for a time and thought she could no longer realize her dream, let alone see Deng again.

Now, it's all coming back.

In Lixi's opinion, Aoi's worries and anxieties are insignificant, even a little inexplicable. As long as Aoi doesn't suddenly quit the band like Xiangzi one day, then everyone who has made a "life declaration" is definitely far better than Crychic in the past.

The reason is simple. A band that only stays in the past and no longer exists can never compare to a band that is still moving forward and creating countless memories.

So what? How should she answer this question?

Normally, she would probably be too lazy to answer this simple question, or just find a random excuse to get away with it. But at this moment, in this situation, she felt as if she was infected by some mysterious power, and she couldn't speak it out easily.

Li Xi is not good at dealing with Aoi, just like she was not very good at dealing with Xiangzi before. She can't even give a good answer to such a question.

"...You won't let this go without an answer, will you?"

Looking at Aoi's bright and lively eyes, Li Xi sighed softly, turned his head, and looked again at the surface of Lake Motosu where the starry sky and Mount Fuji were reflected.

Aoi didn't make a sound to disturb her, but just raised her head quietly, looked at the starry sky, and waited for Li Xi's reply.

"I... have a sister. You should have heard about this, right?"

Lixi's voice gradually became less volatile, softer than her usual forceful tone. Instead, it sounded like a little girl recounting a summer day from her childhood. "She was a member of the Haneda wind band and had achieved excellent results in similar competitions. So, people often compared her to me. Otherwise, everyone just remembered me as 'Maki's sister.'"

"That sounds like it would be very troublesome."

"Yeah... yeah. So I thought, if I can prove myself in a band, then maybe I can prove that if my sister can do it, I can do it too, and prove that I'm just as good as her. That's why I've been in a band all this time."

"Is this Lixi's dream?"

Aoi turned her head slightly and blinked softly with her emerald green eyes.

"...I don't know. Now I feel like the thoughts deep in my heart are not as strong as before."

Li Xi sighed lightly, "Maybe I don't really have any dreams. Is this answer disappointing?"

"That's it."

Aoi's expression remained unchanged. She simply stared calmly at the night sky and asked softly, "So, is Li Xi satisfied with the current band?"

"Do you really have to ask so many troublesome questions? If you must, I'd say everyone's taking it too easy these days, and you're also overly indulgent towards outsiders and wild cats."

Li Xi frowned slightly and muttered in an unhappy tone.

"So, Li Xi is not very satisfied?"

Aoi tilted her head.

"what?!"

Li Xi's expression instantly became surprised, and he almost panicked and said, "I never said that!"

“That’s satisfaction~”

Aoi had a teasing smile on her face.

"I'm talking to you...!"

Li Xi rubbed his temples, almost unable to bear it any longer. He took a long breath and stammered as if compromising, "... well... there's nothing I'm dissatisfied with."

Being able to stand in the same band with Deng again and hear Deng's singing is already great news for Li Xi, not to mention that Aoi's existence makes her see the potential of this band. If they keep moving forward, maybe one day they will really surpass her sister.

What does she have to complain about?

Moreover, all those originally impetuous, uneasy, nervous and stressed thoughts gradually faded away during this trip to Yamanashi, as if they were drifting into the Aokigahara forest and towards the towering Mount Fuji with the breeze.