Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 313 The wind on the stage blows the girl's bangs.
The van went over the speed bump, and the machinery in the trunk rattled a little louder.

Those were all the girls' treasures, and their gazes turned to the back row, except for Yamami Maki, who stared out the car window in a daze.

Should she inform Yuhua? She was still struggling with this question.

If I don't inform Yuka, and she finds out that Matsueda performed early and that her senior was also there, how am I supposed to explain that I didn't inform her?

The girl thought about it for a while, and finally decided to take out her phone. Just as she was about to send a message, Jun Matsue, who was sitting opposite her, spoke up.

"Doesn't Cai-chan often talk in your group? Should we tell them about today's performance?"

"Hmm," Miyamura Aya frowned as she thought, "How about we just call it a day?"

"If we rush into this performance and it doesn't go well, wouldn't it be awkward to call them over?"

"Let's treat this as a rehearsal! With this experience, the actual performance on the 10th will definitely be even more perfect!"

The girl looked up and asked the only audience member present for her opinion, "What do you think, Yamami-neechan?"

"Uh, are you asking me?" The senior's smile was a little hesitant. "...I think what Aya-chan said makes sense."

"Then it's decided!" Aya clapped her hands. "We won't tell Tomatsu-nee and the others this time."

Now she even had a reason to keep it a secret. Yami Maki breathed a sigh of relief, put away her phone, and looked at Matsueda Jun sitting in front of her.

Their gazes swayed along with the carriage, appearing and disappearing in the dim light filtering through the city.

The van arrived at the bustling neighborhood of Shimokitazawa in just ten minutes. Chikamatsu Livehouse is located on the basement floor of an old-fashioned shopping mall. You can see the inconspicuous entrance and Chikamatsu's logo by following the steps that extend down from the roadside.

The main entrance was very ordinary, no different from the security door of Jun Matsueda's apartment. The manager was a young man who was standing on the street waiting for the band to arrive. He saw Jun Matsueda as soon as he got out of the van.

"Good evening, Izumi-san and Matsue-san~" The shop manager greeted the two tallest members of the band. "I thought I wouldn't see you until July, thank you all for today!"

"It's alright," Izumi Mizuki said in her usual calm tone. "It's not like we're not going to pay appearance fees."

"Hahahaha." The young man laughed awkwardly. Even though he and the girl had known each other for a long time, he was still not used to her straightforward way of speaking.

"Your appearance fee will be paid after the performance." He waved to the van. "If you have any large equipment, use the back door; you can't get it in through the front."

Maki Yami carried the guitar, bass, and drum kit into the venue, along with effects pedals and various accessories. She watched her busy companions go up on stage to test the sound, and then go down to rest.

The ceiling in the underground space wasn't high, and considering the protruding part of the stage, Jun Matsueda was a little careful when he came off the stage—he almost hit the ceiling when he stood up with his drumsticks in hand.

"So, are all the preparations for the performance complete now?" Yami Maki asked, watching the boy put his drumsticks into his bag.

As the first band to open the show, all of their equipment was left on the stage, but Jun Matsue deliberately put away his drumsticks—they were a gift from his senior, and it would be troublesome if someone took them.

"It's basically done. We just need to check it again on stage to make sure no wires have been kicked off." Izumi Mizuki answered the girl's question, and Yami Maki then realized that there were other people present.

"If it's okay, then I'll be ready to let you go." The manager walked into the performance space. "It starts in half an hour. You guys can come over to the bar and have a few drinks."

Chikamatsu has the same setup as most small livehouses: the front is a bar-style reception area selling soft drinks and band-related merchandise, and the back is accessed through a short, dark corridor, without even a dressing room.

Instead of going to the bar, the girls stood behind the curtain on the side of the stage, watching as the shadowy figures representing the audience gradually filled the space below.

"There are quite a few people here." Jun Matsue looked around. Chikamatsu's side could only accommodate 150 people, and there were already 70 or 80 people standing below the stage.

“Chikamatsu is a well-established performance venue in Shimokitazawa, with a large audience,” Izumi Mizuki explained. “Many bands from all over the country have performed here.” “I want to go offstage!” Miyamura Aya’s eyes sparkled. “I want to try what it’s like to mingle in the audience!”

"Take that passage, don't just climb over the railing." Izumi Mizuki pointed to the passage on the side of the stage.

“I’ll go with you,” Jun Matsue said, looking at the senior student beside him. “I’ll also take her downstairs.”

"Huh?" Yamami Maki blinked. "Should I go down?"

"The view from the front of the stage is definitely better than standing on the side," the boy said with a smile.

Jun Matsueda walked ahead, clearing a path for the girls behind him. Aya Miyamura ran to the front desk to get a drink of water, while only Maki Yamami followed behind him.

"Right here," the girl whispered. She was now standing in the center of the audience. "Any further in, and the sound might be too loud."

The two stopped in their tracks. The stage lights were still dim, and the girl was surrounded by the slightly swaying shadows of the audience. The small space gradually warmed up as the breathing increased.

"Some people in the audience might be running and jumping around later, so please be careful, senior." Jun Matsue patiently reminded her, "Keep your belongings in your pockets, or they'll be hard to find if they fall out."

“Okay.” Yamami Maki nodded obediently and moved a little closer to the boy.

"Shall I go on stage first? It's almost time." Jun Matsue walked into the darkness behind him.

"Wait." The girl grabbed his clothes, her grip light but firm.

"Good luck, Songzhi! I'm really looking forward to your performance!"

Jun Matsue laughed, waved to her, and disappeared into the crowd.

The girl looked at the stage; under the dim lights, only the rounded outline of the drum kit could be seen, with a faint metallic sheen.

But in Yamami Maki's mind, it was very clear—it was the drum kit she picked out for Matsueda-san, one part by one, as the staff explained.

The hi-hat closes crisply, the snare drum has few overtones but a strong sense of resonance, and the 22-inch maple bass drum has a solid bass.
As she silently reminisced, the stage lights gradually brightened. Yamami Maki watched the girls walk onto the stage, with Matsueda Jun leading the way. The boy sat down in front of the drum kit and took out two treasured black drumsticks with a thorn pattern.

"The opening band has changed today?" she heard the whispers of the audience around her.

"It sounds like a new band?"

“They’re definitely a new band,” a female voice chimed in, “Such a handsome drummer! If they’d performed before, I would definitely remember them!”

Yamami Maki chuckled to herself. The sound system vibrated slightly as the equipment started up. The girls on stage exchanged glances and nodded.

The boy tapped the drumsticks three times, and the girl's slightly immature, ethereal voice and the strumming of the guitar rose up together, the lake-blue summer air permeating the underground space.

"That day I was wearing a blue floral dress and took off my sandals~"

As I stumbled past the stage by the roadside, drunk, I overheard people talking about you on stage—

Maki Yami watched as the boy on stage slammed his drumsticks down, the resounding cymbals creating a gust of wind that seemed to pull the audience to the city streets during a blues moment.

If you can feel the wind blowing, it means summer has arrived.

(End of this chapter)