Joker's Band Game Story

I knew it! How could she possibly get up early to make herself breakfast? Just like me, she loses track of time when she's busy making music, and by the time she realizes it's already past midnight.

"Why did you suddenly switch to eating bento boxes?"

"I suddenly realized that nutrition is quite important."

"?"

Li Xi was a little confused. She just watched Hai Ling pick up her chopsticks and prepare to eat. Hai Ling noticed that Li Xi hadn't left, so she looked up and asked, "Want to eat together?"

"Need not."

Lixi left, while Hailing lowered her head and continued eating her bento.

She chose to buy a bento box because of something she heard Amamiya mention yesterday during their conversation: if she only ate things like eggs, she wouldn't get enough nutrition, and without it, she wouldn't be able to defeat the robust Amamiya.

Although she won a game yesterday, she wasn't satisfied, so she's going to make a change and start preparing delicious meals.

As for the weight gain that I'm concerned about... I'll lose weight! Besides, Amamiya also said that he doesn't really like girls who are too thin; a little bit chubby is fine.

But I can't get too fat. I have to supervise myself, control my diet, and not end up like my mom.

Hai Ling felt helpless when she thought about her mother's figure. Her mother's usual claim that she could eat anything and not gain weight was just her last act of stubbornness. In reality, her body would give a very honest answer as to whether she could eat anything and not gain weight.

But it was precisely because she was pushing herself too hard that her micronutrient intake was consistently insufficient. If this continued for a long time, various problems would arise when she reached her twenties or even thirties. That's why Amamiya made her eat three meals a day properly.

Perhaps this is what her boyfriend wanted?

To be honest, Hailin was unusually obedient to Amamiya's requests, just like a big dog.

As she chewed the food in her mouth, Hailing felt as if she had eaten something terrifying.

The bento box was so delicious...

Sitting behind Hailing, Chuhua looked at Hailing with a puzzled expression. She felt that Hailing seemed different from usual today.

Yes, the changes are huge, really huge. Why is that?

With a slight frown, Chu Hua ate her meal while thinking about Hai Ling's situation. She didn't want to see Hai Ling change too much. She was a member of the band, and if the band changed, there might be even bigger problems.

But... there shouldn't be any major problems, right?

Chu Hua couldn't help but think about other things, propping her face up with her hand.

Xiangzi...

Her mind involuntarily recalled Xiangzi's appearance.

She liked Xiangzi so much, she wanted Xiangzi, she wanted to... hold the now down-on-his-luck Xiangzi in her arms.

After all, she was so, so... obsessed with it.

Xiangzi, who was having lunch in Yuqiu, had no idea what kind of weirdos the members of his band were.

She is still patiently working hard to make her band even better.

Only in this way can she have a better life and make things better for herself and her father.

As for the Toyokawa family... Reimu knew nothing about it.

"I will forget all of this."

As he gently pondered those words, Xiangzi couldn't help but clench his fists.

As for whether she will forget all of this... it is clear that she will find it very difficult to forget.

(PS: Regarding the character setting of Hatsuka's feelings for Shoko, I personally think the setting itself is acceptable, but the presentation is really poor. Therefore, this story will be adjusted accordingly, and Hatsuka's twisted nature will be explained, corrected, and improved later. Also, regarding Hatsune... the twin aspect seems rather uninteresting to me. Let's wait and see how it goes in episode 12 on Thursday. If it doesn't reveal anything, then this story will later establish Hatsuka as the child of Hatsune's real name, and there won't be a sister named 'Hatsuka'. As for why Hatsune had to be given the identity of an illegitimate daughter... besides it better fitting the setting of why she is so close to Shoko, giving her this identity gives Shoko more reasons to confront his grandfather. Correction, growth, and rebellion—that's what metal rock should be all about.)

(PS2: Just in case, I'm adding some extra armor. I only said the premise was acceptable, not that the plot was perfect. Premise is premise, presentation is presentation. The story outline seems fine to me; it can be done this way. I also sensed from Lao Jiang's analysis that if the presentation is done well, it's not a big problem. Anime isn't reality after all; if you present it well, everyone can accept it. But if what he presented was a pile of crap, then it deserves to be criticized, criticized to the extreme. This show was indeed so bad that I watched the later parts just for fun. I could accept any premise he gave, because if what he presented was a pile of crap, then no matter how reasonable the premise was, it was still crap, and no matter how unreasonable it was, it was still crap.)

Chapter Nineteen Stage Performance

“Leave all your anxiety and regret here. Once you step onto the stage, the only person you can trust is yourself. ‘Enjoy the performance’? I won’t say such high-sounding words, after all, we’re all in the same boat.”

With less than a week to go before their performance at the Budokan, this is their penultimate show. After three weeks of building momentum, their fame has grown tremendously, and tickets for their live performances are now extremely difficult to obtain.

Even so, some people had already taken their seats in the VIP section, waiting to enjoy this luxurious two-hour feast.

"Your company is really generous. I didn't expect you to go to so much for Ave Mujica."

Sitting in the VIP section, Ren Amamiya couldn't help but say to the person next to her, who smiled and replied with narrowed eyes, "After all, they have the Toyokawa family behind them. As a family with considerable influence in the agency, the Toyokawa family can make anyone famous if they want to. Besides, compared to mere pretty faces, they have real talent, don't they? Who wouldn't like to promote someone with connections and influence?"

Because they have the ability, there's no need to worry about them being unworthy of their positions. Because they have connections, there's no need to concern themselves with the problems that will arise once they gain fame. Promoting this kind of person is indeed the easiest option.

"Really? But I think you're quite capable too, Akechi-kun."

Amamiya turned his gaze to the person beside him, someone he had only recently met—Akechi Goro.

Despite being just a high school student like myself, he managed to become a high-ranking executive in the agency. As the link between the Toyokawa family and the band Ave Mujica, he was particularly aware of many things.

So he was ordered to come and find Ren Amamiya, as instructed by the Toyokawa family.

"Really? I think it's alright. There are so many talented people in Tokyo, like you, Amamiya-kun, who are a true genius."

Goro Akechi remained unmoved by Amamiya's praise; his smile remained as refreshing as ever. It was clear that despite his young age, he had already honed his skills to a considerable degree in the workplace, making Amamiya realize that he was definitely not an ordinary person.

If someone can achieve this at seventeen, how strong will their future prospects be?

"Furthermore, according to the Toyokawa family, in my opinion, winning over Amamiya-kun would be better than worse for the agency. Weren't the previous collaborations with our agency all quite good?"

"It's very good, but one thing is one thing."

"Really? Sumimi works, but Ave Mujica doesn't?"

Akechi's further comments only made Ren Amamiya shake his head slightly: "Ave Mujica is not an idol group, but a band. They have their own lyrics and compositions, and I shouldn't interfere too much."

"But obviously, they are just a group of immature kids. They are too obsessed with doing everything themselves. So, as adults, we should also help them clean up the mess and prevent them from making mistakes that could ruin the band, right?"

Even though the two of them were only one year older than the five people backstage who were preparing to go on stage, they acted as if they were 'adults'.

But they do indeed have the qualifications. One of them is a company executive, and the other is a famous songwriter. In the music industry, they are the senior members of the band. It's normal for seniors to take care of juniors.

"That's true."

Amamiya didn't refuse too much, because the clues he knew about Mujica's situation were indeed not optimistic.

On the one hand, Xiangzi was unreliable, and on the other hand, he was somewhat worried about Hailing.

Xiangzi's plan to establish Mujica was probably conceived long ago, and now it has finally been implemented, so the initial plan was quite good, even perfect. However, the subsequent plans couldn't keep up with the perfection of the beginning, giving it a somewhat anticlimactic feel.

Then he had to find a way to help Xiangzi solve this small problem, after all, that was his personality; he would do his best to help those around him when they encountered trouble.

Otherwise, if the band had problems, it wouldn't just be Xiangzi who would be affected, but all five of them, and coincidentally, Amamiya knew all five of them.

The performance began amidst their discussion. Before the curtain was even drawn, the singing could already be heard.

But it wasn't rock and roll; it was folk, specifically traditional British folk—Greensleeves.

"Ah, my love, you have wronged me, cruelly abandoning me."

As the song began, the curtain rose, and the lights shone on the center of the stage. At this moment, Chu Hua, who was sitting on the steps, was wearing a mask and singing a folk song loudly. To Amamiya, the folk song seemed to have a deeper meaning.

"My love for you is so long-lasting, and I am filled with joy and happiness because of your presence."

This performance narrates the world view of Mujica. As they approach the Budokan, they are naturally making a final push to attract new fans, so they brought the original settings from the game back to the stage and presented the storyline of the game in the form of a musical.

Chu Hua plays a doll who has been abandoned by others, but she is unaware of this and enters a masquerade ball illuminated by a waning moon.

The moon, swallowed by shadow, will be reborn, and the sorrowful dolls will regain a short life. It will be on this day of the waning moon that the dolls will reunite, and the abandoned women will gather together for warmth.

　When Miyako first met the other four, viewers were able to gradually piece together the worldview as Xiangzi and the others chatted with each other.

What do you think of this design?

Offstage, Goro Akechi couldn't help but ask Ren Amamiya next to him, who simply touched the mask on his face: "It's quite novel. It can indeed attract attention and quickly gain a fan base through this gimmick."

That's right, masks. Today is a masquerade party, so naturally all audience members must wear their own masks. If you don't have a mask, the theater will provide one.

Amamiya wore his own mask, shaped like a white bird with black eye sockets. In contrast, Goro Akechi's mask was far more extravagant; he wore a tengu mask.

Tengu are monsters in both China and Japan, and the Tengu mask of Akechi is a typical Japanese monster with a red face, long nose, and wings on its back, making it a truly terrifying creature.

I don't know why he chose such a mask.

"Indeed, a catchy gimmick and strong acting skills can quickly attract and retain fans. Their success is a combination of many factors, so it's no wonder they don't become popular."

Mingzhi couldn't help but sigh with admiration as he watched the three performers on stage, marveling at their success and ease.

Such smooth sailing could not have been achieved simply by saying "using connections".

"But maintaining success is far more difficult than achieving it. Whether they can continue is another matter entirely."

"Don't you think they have a good chance?"

"A little bit."

Akechi didn't deny his statement. He glanced at Amamiya and asked, "And what about you? What's your opinion?"

"I hope they succeed."

"I don't think it's a good idea either."

The two's discussion did not interfere with the performance on stage. At this time, the five people were already standing next to the instruments that had been placed there, and the spotlights shone on them one by one.

"Now, in preparation for the masquerade ball, I give you a temporary name: Mortis!"

"I am fearless in the face of death."

Mortis stood beside the guitar and responded softly.

Undeterred by death, she wore a chrysanthemum-patterned mask that covered almost her entire face, with her bangs obscuring the few parts of her forehead that weren't covered, making her the person with the most obscured face among the five.

"Timoris!" "I am fearless."

Timorise placed the bass on herself, and the spider lily pattern on her face looked so fantastical. She and Mortis were the only two people who covered their mouths with masks, and she looked quite cool at that moment. Her form-fitting stage costume showed off her beautiful figure, leaving many girls stunned.

“Amoris!” “I am fearless in love.”

Amouris sat down at the drum set. She was the only performer wearing red stockings, a color that's usually difficult to pull off, but her mature sexiness made it look effortlessly chic, not out of place. The orchid pattern on her face testified to her affection.

“Oblivionis, I am fearless of forgetting.”

Of all the people, it was the longest name. Obrivionis lifted her skirt with both hands and bowed to the crowd. The gladiolus on her mask also testified to her obsession.

Finally, she looked at the last new doll who had joined the group and shouted to her, "Doloris!"