A band simulator, but all girl-heavy!

Did she kill Aoi?

She was the only one left in the corridor, kneeling helplessly on the ground with her frail body, tears streaming from her eyes like a dam bursting, and she couldn't hold them back even though she was grabbing her cheeks with all her might.

No, it shouldn't be like this.

It shouldn't be like this...

Everything is a dream, if only, just wake up.

Yes, just wake up.

As long as she wakes up, she can still see Xiaokui.

Chihaya Aine fled back home.

She didn't know when she came back or how she came back. She only knew that when she regained consciousness, she was back in the room. The curtains were closed and it was pitch black all around. She was curled up in the quilt, shivering uncontrollably.

She did not confirm the news of Aoi's death, nor did she plan to attend Aoi's memorial service.

She just tried hard to hold back her tears, closed her eyes with all her strength, and tried to force herself into a dream.

It's all a dream.

If she fell asleep now, when she woke up, she would realize she had just accidentally fallen asleep in the practice room, her pillow probably on Xiao Kui's thigh. Le Na would ask Su Shi for Matcha Buffet, Deng would be pondering the lyrics, and Li Xi would be looking at Deng tenderly. This was how reality should be.

She would sit up and act coquettishly with everyone, hug Xiaokui's waist, rub Kui's towering chest, and then say that she had a nightmare.

At this time, Aoi would probably ask, "What kind of nightmare is it?"

And Aine just smiled sweetly and replied "I forgot everything~"

Then everything will be back on track.

They will continue to perform live, laugh, and work out together, continuing their ordinary yet happy daily lives. They will continue to form a band like this until they are old. When all the members have gray hair, they will return to Lake Motosu, look at Mount Fuji, and say with emotion:

"Life is so short..."

But that didn't happen.

When she woke up here, what she saw was a dark ceiling.

She saw the closed curtains, the dark room, and the pillow wet with her tears.

It turns out it wasn’t a dream.

what.

So, Aoi—

It's really gone.

Chihaya Aine sat on the bed, but she was no longer crying. She just sat there quietly, looking at the dark room expressionlessly, her face as calm and lifeless as a puppet.

If this isn't a dream...

Does that mean she really killed Aoi?

Because of her inexplicable possessiveness, the beautiful and gentle Aoi is no longer in this world.

She thought of Xiaokui, those happy days, and that rainy night.

It's her fault.

But, we can't dwell on it anymore.

She'd figured it out, hadn't she? It was obvious that if she just admitted her mistake and apologized, sincerely saying sorry, and apologizing, everything would be solved.

She wants to apologize to Xiaokui...

She must find Xiaokui to apologize.

she……

You have to be responsible for Aoi's death.

Finally, Chihaya Aine made a decision.

She took out the things she had prepared long ago, walked quietly to the bathroom, and waited for the bathtub to be filled with warm water.

The hot spring that day involuntarily emerged in her mind, the drifting white mist, the warm hot spring, and Aoi's beautiful figure with a light pink glow.

Hot springs...

So missed.

Can I take a hot spring bath with Aoi again?

Her hands trembled as she slowly sat down in the warm bathtub. She looked up at the ceiling and in a trance she saw the starry sky above Mount Fuji.

Xiaokui.

This time, Chihaya Aine won't run away anymore.

Please wait a moment...

wait for me.

Say sorry to you in person.

1

Chapter 1 Extra If Line: Will this train eventually reach the other side of the galaxy?

"...My life is definitely a little off... I can't become human."

Weightlessness and trance enveloped the girl, as if she were entangled with silk threads, like a cocoon that could transform her into a human.

Her eyes were red and swollen, and it seemed that the tears that had been collected throughout her life no longer needed to be suppressed.

"sunflower……"

Gao Songdeng no longer remembers what he did when he heard the news of Xiao Kui's death.

Now, her mind was blank, she sat at home alone, and she didn't remember how she was sent back home from school... But she would never forget the news she heard when she followed Aine.

"Xiao Kui..."

The trembling voice repeated that name again and again, silently repeating the person who would never come back.

Why did she leave? Is it my fault...

Should she form a band? Why does it always end like this at the happiest, most beautiful, and warmest moments?

It was the same with Xiangzi that time, and it’s the same this time too…

No, this time it's different.

Xiangzi is still alive and well. Every day after school, he can see her light blue hair swaying around the corner of the corridor and hear her elegant piano music near the music room.

Compared to this ending, Deng would rather Aoi hated the band and herself, and never participated in band training again, and treated her coldly.

Instead of watching Aoi's photo being printed on the portrait, that brilliant smile has become a cold, frozen picture without any warmth through the frame.

It doesn't matter even if Aoi no longer smiles at her or treats her gently. At least Deng will know that they still exist under the same starry sky. In the future, somewhere she doesn't know, Aoi will still smile at others and speak those gentle and healing words to others.

Instead of being like now, everything that belongs to Aoi in this world is only concentrated in that cold photo.

"Sure enough, someone like me... shouldn't form a band."

In the cold room, the girl with cold hands and feet hugged herself and buried her face deeply in her knees.

The sound of her talking to herself was drowned out in the dark room, and through the darkness, the voices of her parents outside the door did not reach the girl's ears.

Yes, it has been like this since childhood. Gao Songdeng has never been suitable for such dry, warm, clear and comfortable stories.

Her stories are always cold, damp and dim, like a watermelon worm curled up under a stone, afraid of the light.

"Becoming human...is truly just a luxury."

"I have never changed, I have never grown..."

"I just continue to stray from this world..."

The unspeakable words in her heart and the low mutterings in her mouth intertwined together, and the vortex of emotions was swallowing everything...as if it was tearing her apart, turning her body into shattered pieces.

The girl didn't notice that she was crying, nor did she notice that her school uniform was wet.

"Is it my fault... didn't we agree..."

"Together for a lifetime..."

The locked door kept everything out. The sounds of my parents calling and knocking on the door stopped at some point, and the sunlight outside the window faded away at some point.

But a little starlight shone in from outside the room.

Star……

She propped herself up from the bed and gradually recalled the starry sky she saw at the foot of Mount Fuji in Yamanashi Prefecture.

The happiness at that time was like the clear water of Lake Motosu, clearly reflected in her heart. How happy and warm it was, as if all the good things in her life were condensed in that moment.

Amidst the beautiful scenery, she sat under a brilliant starry sky, and when she turned around, she saw that her most important friends were around her.

Aoi sat beside him, tilting her head slightly, her delicate and beautiful cheeks bathed in starlight, looking incredibly dreamy.

Just now, Deng had a dream.

She dreamed that she suddenly arrived at Ikebukuro Station, but there was no one in the once bustling station. There were only two familiar figures standing there, waving at her with a smile.

It was Aoi and Aine.

Above the platform, a brilliant starry sky covered the sky, with countless stars twinkling. A tram was quietly parked on the track, waiting for the three passengers.

【Light, let’s go together. 】

She saw Aoi reaching out her hand to her, a charming smile on her face, and the dreamy starry sky reflected in her eyes.

So she boarded the tram, walked into the carriage with the two of them, sat on the seats, talked and laughed, waiting for the train to depart.

Gradually, as the carriage slowly swayed, the tram began to move forward, but its destination was not the familiar Tokyo, but it flew to the bright starry sky, running among the stars. It seemed as if the surroundings were within reach, and there were charming stars everywhere.

This is a train traveling on the Milky Way, with its destination being the other side of the Milky Way.

The three of them journeyed through the dreamy scenery, passing through the vibrant spring constellation Bootes, the dazzling Summer Triangle, admiring the blazing fire of Alpha Scorpii, watching the magnificent myths of the autumn constellations, and passing through the sparkling winter diamond...

Just like that, under the starlight, she woke up unknowingly, and when she looked up, she saw the dim night sky of Tokyo.

The Milky Way Train...

Aoi and Aine.

Deng barely managed to keep his body awake after not eating for a day, rubbed his eyes, and opened the door.

"——Xiao Deng! That's great, you finally came out of the house. We were all worried about you."

The hug from her parents was as warm as ever, but the girl just stood there blankly and nodded at them.

"…Sorry, I'm fine."

As well-behaved as ever, as calm as ever, Deng listened quietly to his parents' words of comfort, without a trace of sadness in his eyes.

"I want to go for a walk."

His calm eyes met his parents' worried gazes, but strangely, there wasn't even a hint of his usual timidity.

"Then...Xiao Deng, at least eat dinner first?"

"...Mom, I want to come back and eat...I want to go look at the stars."

The request was the same as usual. My child likes stars and likes to go to the planetarium to watch shows. It is neither far nor near from Takamatsu's home, about one kilometer away.

The couple hesitated for a moment, but still agreed to their child's idea. Gao Songdeng's calm face showed no emotion, not even the slightest bit of happiness she usually had. She simply returned to her room, put on her shoes, and went out.

"I'm going."

……

"Today's show ends here. There are steps inside the venue, please be careful."

The end of the show was announced as usual, but the lights were still on.

In the heavy chest, self-blame and tears all piled up together—

The stars always shine in those almost fixed positions in the sky...but neither the promise nor Xiaokui will come back, forever.

My body is getting heavier and heavier, and I have no strength left. My promises seem to be gradually breaking.