Joker's Band Game Story

He finished his apprenticeship around the time he was in the second year of junior high school. The professor had also retired and returned to his hometown due to health problems. Every year during the Spring Festival, he would prepare a gift for him.

Therefore, in Amamiya's view, it was a strange thing that Riki envied her, because the two of them had different starting progress.

“You always think I’m a genius, and maybe I am. But if you were to follow my path, you wouldn’t necessarily be much worse than me. I’ve been composing for six years, and by the time I graduated, I had already composed sixty or seventy pieces. You’ve been teaching yourself composition on your own, and you’ve only written three pieces so far, yet that’s already on par with what I learned in a year of formal training. I really don’t understand why you always put so much pressure on yourself, forcing yourself to eat three days’ worth of what others do in one day.”

Amamiya accepted the yakitori and drink from the waiter. He took a sip of his drink and, looking at the silent Ritsuki, continued, "And then there's Shoko. Her family background is different from yours. She also studied art from a young age and cultivated her musical literacy from childhood. When did you start learning drums? When did you start practicing arrangement? You're a newbie who's only been learning for a year, yet you want to surpass veterans like me and Shoko. Aren't you being a bit too arrogant?"

Amamiya spoke rather harshly at this moment, after all, he was elevating his own status. He and Shoko were both Ritsuki's 'seniors,' so he could naturally say some rather stern words to his juniors.

After all, in Japan, it is very common for seniors to criticize juniors, whether it is about age or work.

"You feel inferior because you can't fulfill your arrogance, aren't you being a bit too presumptuous?"

With her arms crossed, she looked at Riki, something that Amamiya had never been able to understand.

Lixi's view of things is too one-sided. She simply thinks that since the three are all the same age, it's wrong for her to be inferior to them. But she overlooks the fact that although they are all the same age, they have been learning music at different times.

That's why he's speaking frankly today, telling Lixi that she shouldn't do this.

"So I'm just supposed to accept the status quo without feeling guilty?"

Lixi clenched her fists. This time she couldn't hold back anymore and began to question Amamiya. Was she really going to give up for this?

Can't she try harder to catch up with them and surpass them?

Although she knew that it would be difficult for her to catch up with their talent, did Amamiya want her to give up?

slap~

Amamiya gently slapped Riki across the face. He didn't use much force, just a very light slap, but it felt like a wake-up call, telling her to stop obsessing over things.

"Why are you getting so hung up on this? Why are you acting like a diode? Do you think I'm telling you to give up this behavior?"

Amamiya was completely baffled; he couldn't understand why Riki was treating him with such a strange attitude.

Why put such a heavy burden on yourself if you're going to die without giving it your all?

"Having ambition is good, and striving for progress is right, but what are you working so hard for? What are you planning to do by neglecting your sleep and meals? I'm telling you that Xiangzi and I have been practicing for so long not to let you know you're not qualified to catch up, but to tell you not to be so impatient. You're trying to get rich quick, do you understand?!"

The hand that had just patted Lixi's face was now stroking Lixi's cheek. Amamiya's expression was serious; he had to lay this out in front of Lixi: "What we accomplished in five years, you can do in three, which proves your ability. You can catch up with my year-long coursework in a year of self-study, so what about two years later? Three years later? You'll catch up with me sooner or later, you'll surpass me sooner or later, and you'll surpass Xiangzi sooner or later. Your talent is even greater than you imagine, but don't be so impatient. 'The last mile is the hardest,' and you've only gone ten miles before getting impatient. Haste makes waste..."

Gently stroking Riki's face, Amamiya was affirming her talent and making her understand that she wasn't actually that bad.

But I also told her not to be so fixated on it, to relax a bit, and to let go of her worries.

"But...I...I can't catch up with my sister..."

"If you can't catch up, then catch up slowly. What's the use of being so impatient? I asked you before what the meaning of life is, right? Your answer was eating and sleeping. Let me tell you my understanding. My understanding is—living in the present."

She placed both hands on Riki's face, preventing her from turning away and making her look directly at her, listening attentively to what she was saying: "Don't belittle yourself, don't demean yourself. You are Shiina Riki, not Shiina Maki. Maki is Maki, and you are you. Just be yourself. Other people's opinions are all blind and narrow-minded. You don't need to hurt yourself for these unimportant people. So what if you're not as good as your sister? Who says a younger sister has to be as good as her older sister? You may not be as good as your sister in some ways, but your sister is certainly not as good as you in others. No one is perfect; it's just that you haven't seen it, or you've subconsciously ignored it."

Amamiya forced Riki to obey him, wanting to give her encouragement, as she desperately needed it.

Her sense of inferiority stemmed from her lack of self-confidence and from her sister's excessive excellence.

But her sister is only better in music. What about in other areas?

Everyone is like a bucket with planks of varying lengths, possessing both strengths and weaknesses. Lixi's insistence on caring about others' opinions and trying to emulate their strengths in areas where she's less skilled is, frankly, just childish fussing. Why get so hung up on this?

Amamiya believes that what he said still applies: having aspirations is a good thing, but one should not pursue them blindly.

"Do you really understand me? Do you really understand Xiangzi? Do you really understand your sister? You're just daydreaming... You're just daydreaming about us based on other people's words and your own perspective, but you don't understand us at all, so relax, okay?"

Seeing the tears welling up in Riki's eyes, Amamiya smiled slightly again: "That's why I said, if you want to catch up with me, you'd better compose a hundred songs first. It took me two years to compose that many. How long do you plan to take? A year? Half a year? Or a month? Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Set a small goal first: compose a hundred songs in two years. I allow you to catch up with me, even surpass me, but the premise is that you must understand how to catch up and surpass me."

"Amemiya..."

Tears welled up in Riki's eyes. Looking into Amamiya's eyes and listening to his sincere words, she gradually choked up: "Can I really... really catch up with you?"

　yi 笼衣祁斯物⒐ 似（九）捌“能”.

Amamiya spoke with such conviction, nodding as he acknowledged, "I believe in this even more than you do. I believe in your talent, and I've always acknowledged it. So don't rush, take it slow. We'll take one step a day, you take two steps a day, and you'll catch up with us soon. Don't be shortsighted and think you can catch up quickly. What you lack is rest and relaxation; you need to learn to balance work and rest."

Amamiya got up and sat down next to Riki, placing the yakitori in front of him as well. "So let's start from the first step: eat well and sleep well. Didn't you and Akari promise to be in a band for life? You must stay healthy. Only then can you truly catch up with us. Run, search, challenge, dance, shout... You can shine like light, but you also need to learn to sleep. So eat your fill, and then sleep, understand?"

As he spoke, he reached out and wiped away the tears from the corners of Lixi's eyes: "Look at you crying like that."

"It's all your fault...it's all your fault..."

Lixi was already choked up; she hadn't received such sincere recognition in a long time. Only now did she belatedly realize that Amamiya had never denied her, but had always supported her, believed in her, and approved of her.

She belatedly realized how good Amamiya had always been to her, and that even though her attitude had always been the same, he still accepted her.

Seeing the recognition he received after composing "Ghost," even wanting to become the drummer for the song to record a CD, acknowledging his own talent for composing when listening to his own "Azure Sky Accompaniment," and looking appreciative of himself when singing and poetry were intertwined.

How could she... only realize Amamiya's true thoughts now...? She had always thought it was just Amamiya's pity as a genius, but actually...

That was just his genuine admiration as someone who had been through it all, seeing how capable the younger generation was.

She only noticed their ages, but overlooked their study time. When she finally cleared up the misunderstanding, the tears in her eyes wouldn't stop.

　"It's all your fault, Lian!"

Riki hugged Amamiya and burst into tears, then blamed herself for being so slow to react.

But she couldn't help but want to cry. Why didn't Amamiya complain at all? Why was he still willing to help her even though she had said such harsh words before?

Doesn't this make me look incredibly incompetent?

Amamiya gently rocked her body, patting Ritsuki's back as if soothing a child, letting her cry freely in her arms.

Let it all out. Release all your negative emotions, and you'll feel better once you've vented.

Humming a lullaby softly, Amamiya wasn't in a hurry, just waiting for Riki to finish her outburst.

However, he also failed to notice one thing: he seemed to be accumulating even more debt.

Chapter Fifty: Red Ginger and New Tokyo

After venting his emotions, Riki moved away from Amamiya.

She was wiping her eyes with a tissue, looking weak and lacking her usual assertiveness.

Her cheeks still had a lingering blush, whether from crying or from embarrassment, it was hard to tell.

Amamiya was very considerate and let her compose herself. She was different from Sōse; her personality didn't allow her to seek dependence. She had always been independent and self-reliant.

Even so, proper rest is still necessary, which is why she vented in Amamiya's arms, letting go of her inhibitions and releasing the emotions she had been suppressing.

"Thank you."

Lixi turned to the side, looking very embarrassed, deliberately turning her back to Amamiya, probably because she didn't want him to see her like this.

Amamiya just smiled and sat down next to her to start eating: "Eat quickly, or it will get cold."

After wiping her face with a tissue, Lixi turned back to eat.

She looked adorable with her head down, seemingly embarrassed by her earlier behavior.

But she still started eating the yakitori in front of her.

It wasn't cold, just not as hot anymore. It didn't taste as good as I'd hoped.

But... she inexplicably felt a little happy.

It seems to be because of the recognition, or because the truth has been discovered.

She discovered that Xiangzi and Amamiya weren't as scary as she had imagined. But what about her older sister? She also had things she wasn't good at, but were good at.

Everyone has their own strengths, that's undeniable and innate, and no matter how much she struggles with it, she can't change that.

She can pursue her goals, but she shouldn't push herself too hard. That's her weakness; she doesn't know how to rest. She's always working herself to the bone, but that kind of life can't be won through sheer willpower.

Amamiya had a thorough talk with her this time, making her realize that she had been fighting against the person she was fantasizing about, so how could she possibly win?

She was just a high school student, and underage children can indeed easily go astray sometimes, but this time Amamiya brought her back on the right track.

She still has so many things to do. She has made a promise with the members of mygo to be in a band for life. How can she let herself be crushed at such a young age?

"Alright, continue to pursue your life's purpose. It's time to go to sleep after you've finished eating."

As they stepped out of the yakitori shop, Amamiya stretched and patted Ritsuki on the back to help her walk. "Goodbye then, remember to go home and get some rest."

"understood."

Hearing Amamiya's words, Riki pouted slightly. She didn't argue back, but instead obediently walked back.

"Do you need me to give you a ride?"

"No, no need!"

Amamiya watched as Riki walked stiffly towards her home and felt something was off. Why was she so embarrassed?

But it doesn't matter anymore. Since she said she didn't need it, then it should be fine.

So Amamiya went home to rest, completely unaware of what happened to Riki after she got home.

"Cousin, cousin, why are you at home?!"

Li Xi pushed the door open and went inside, only to find Shiina Yumi on the sofa in the living room.

Noticing that Lixi had returned home, Youmei couldn't help but smile: "What, aren't you happy to welcome your cousin?"

"That's not true."

Qi {<鸸彡令司九!起（三）孝立希 seemed to be fleeing in panic, wanting to go straight to the second floor, but Yumei noticed a detail: "You cried?"

"no!"

Lixi ran even faster, and in a flash, she was up to the second floor. Seeing Lixi like this, Youmei also got up and slowly walked up to the second floor.

She got along well with Riki and Maki, so she often came over to hang out. Precisely because of their good relationship, Riki's behavior, which seemed very rude to outsiders, was really nothing to her.

But she was still quite curious about what interesting thing Lixi had encountered this time, so she followed her and knocked on Lixi's door: "Lixi~ open the door~"

"Cousin, go chat with my sister. I want to rest today."

"Hey~ You want to rest at eight o'clock? You're resting really early~"

I glanced at the time; it's only 8 PM. She's already resting? What's wrong with Lixi now? "Could she have been bullied outside? Is she having sex in bed right now?"

"No!"

"Really not?"