Joker's Band Game Story

Chapter Thirteen: Xiangzi still can't forget some things~

"sleepy……"

When everyone's eyes were on Yili, Liang couldn't help but say that she was very sleepy, and she fell asleep standing up in front of everyone.

"Is this...the band?"

Li Yaoling was surprised to find that everyone in the audience was so interesting, and for a moment she felt that the band was a little different from what she had imagined.

"Maybe... this is what rock and roll is all about."

In the end, Ren Amamiya could only attribute it all to the word "rock and roll," because rock and roll is just so peculiar.

But what Nijika just said made Ren Amamiya a little concerned: "Who is Pochi-chan?"

"Ah, it's a nickname for Goto-kun. Pochi-chan was quite happy when she heard it~"

"I see. So from now on, you'll be called Little Pochi."

Ren Amamiya lowered his head and thought for a few seconds before nodding a few times.

However, putting aside the matter of Little Boqi's first appearance, he turned to the others and asked, "Even though Little Boqi has run away, will the celebration still be held?"

"Ah, it feels like it's not the same if there's one less person to celebrate, and now that Liang is here, we probably can't continue to celebrate properly, right?"

Looking at Liang, who was already sleeping with snot bubbles coming out of her nose, Hongxia decided to postpone the celebration until tomorrow.

"Is Brother Lian coming tomorrow?"

"I won't go. I won't join your celebration."

Although he thought it might be interesting, Ren Amamiya decided not to disturb their fun, since the celebration would eventually be the end of their band's run.

Although it seems like the end of the band is really the end of it...

"Then we'll take our leave now."

Seeing that the children were alright, Liu Lin said goodbye to them and went home with Li Yaoling.

The band's first live performance has come to an end. Although they are still a little shy and confused, they are definitely moving in a good direction.

Before leaving, Ren Amamiya glanced at Shoko a couple more times. Although the last band's performance was over, the livehouse performances weren't completely over yet; there was still one last band performing.

Xiangzi was watching the performance on stage. Although the mask covered her expression, some emotions could be read from her eyes.

I felt a little resentful, a little sad, and a little... jealous.

Did I misjudge the situation?

Ren Amamiya didn't ask anything; he simply left silently with Yaoling Li.

It wasn't that he didn't want to care about Xiangzi's side, but he could sense that Xiangzi wasn't willing to talk about everything.

She also has her own pride. The only reason I was able to talk to her and bring her here was because she owed me money, which forced her to come here.

So Ren Amamiya really didn't know what she was thinking.

She must have had many thoughts in her mind, but she was unwilling to speak them out and instead silently endured them alone.

Perhaps I can ask her about it later? That's something for later, maybe it would be more appropriate to ask her when she's in a better mood? But right now... there's absolutely no way.

After being rebuffed by Li Xi, he began to reflect on his actions and dared not be so reckless again.

You should at least confirm the other person's thoughts several times before talking to them. If you rely entirely on your own ideas, then perhaps Xiangzi will run away like Lixi.

"This is really troublesome, girls."

Ren Amamiya couldn't help but sigh. Li Yaoling, walking beside him, blinked and asked, "What? Ren, you're saying girls are troublesome?"

"Oh, it's nothing, don't worry about it."

Ren Amamiya shook his head; he didn't continue talking about that.

He did not repeat his words, but Li Yaoling heard them clearly.

But she simply thought that Ren Amamiya was talking about Pochi-chan, so she comforted her from the side: "Although this is my first time meeting her too, little Pochi should have a lot of fun with the band, so don't worry."

"Ah."

Amamiya Ren didn't correct Li Yaoling's misunderstanding, but calmly hummed in agreement to express her thoughts.

We boarded the tram, and luckily, there were two empty seats available. So the two of us sat on the empty seats and waited to reach our destination.

"Actually... I'm thinking of giving it a try."

"Try?"

"Band, oh band."

Li Yaoling lowered her head, her toes unconsciously touching each other lightly: "Actually, I... am a little confused."

Amamiya didn't reply, but simply hummed softly to indicate that she was listening to what Amamiya was saying.

Li Yaoling spoke very slowly, perhaps because she needed to think things through, or perhaps simply because she was not good at speaking Japanese.

She slowly began to express her concerns—she was very confused.

She was confused about why she had come to Japan.

Generally speaking, people go abroad to study with a certain purpose in mind, at least with the idea of ​​completing their university studies.

But what happens after she finishes reading? What should she do next? Li Yaoling has no life plan.

She didn't know what she should do in the future, and she didn't even know why she came to Japan to study.

"It's ridiculous to say that... I came to Japan on my own initiative, but I don't know what to do..."

Li Yaoling's confusion is not uncommon; too many children don't know what their future should be like.

When I was little, at least my family would give me goals—to go to elementary school, middle school, and high school.

But what about after high school? University? Yes, you can go to university, but what major should you choose?

Many families give their children the power of choice, but how can children who have never been given the opportunity to make choices and have no plans for the future know what to study? They can only choose their majors in a daze and then enter society.

Li Yaoling chose to escape here, opting to study abroad instead of pursuing any of her majors.

Her academic performance was average, and she could only attend a second-tier university in China. But with so many schools to choose from, she didn't know where to go or what major to select.

It just so happened that some people in her family were talking about going abroad, so she came to Japan.

Because she was curious about Japan, she wanted to see what it was like.

She's come to Japan, and her curiosity has been satisfied, but what's next? She still doesn't know what to do in the future.

"But at least... at least I feel that music makes me happy, but, but..."

Li Yaoling lowered her head again, still confused: "But if I were to play in a band, would I really be good at it?"

"Let's try it."

Ren Amamiya casually said, "Since you've thought about it, then just try it. If it doesn't work, then forget it. If it does, then continue. There's no need to overthink it."

Even though the other person was older than him, Ren Amamiya still reached out and patted her head, like an adult comforting a child: "I can't help you with your confusion, but if it's just about the band, you can give it a try. There's no rule that says forming a band means you have to be a commercial band, or that you have to perform live. The band only ended because they wanted to perform, and because Nijika's older sister owns a livehouse, that's why they performed. Normally, their performance wouldn't be good enough for them to perform live."

"Is this so..."

"If you want to form a band, then go for it. If you really don't know where to start... you can try playing games first."

"game?"

Hearing what Ren Amamiya said, Li Yaoling looked up at him with a bit of confusion, listening to him talk about the Goddess Band's recording.

Although gaming helmets can cost a lot of money, there are shops where you can pay to use them, just like internet cafes.

　Furthermore, if you really want to play in a band, buying any instrument will cost around 200,000 yen. Of course, you can buy cheaper ones, but the quality...

After dropping Li Yaoling off at her doorstep, Amamiya Ren returned home alone. Lying on his bed, he picked up his phone to see if anyone had sent him a message, but he soon noticed one that caught his attention.

It was sent by Miaomeng; it's a screen recording of her playing drums.

Mentioning Nekomu reminded Ren Amamiya of his previous visit to Nekomu's house.

Miao Meng's house was smaller than she had imagined, and her family did not appear to be wealthy.

What concerned him even more was Miaomeng's drum kit—it was an electronic drum kit.

Unlike regular drums, electronic drums require electricity to produce sound, just like a computer needs headphones or speakers to make a sound.

However, since the first day's practice focused on mastering the rhythm, he didn't pay attention to the drum. But as the practice progressed, he discovered a problem.

This drum... looks rather cheap.

She chose a Roland electronic drum kit, most likely secondhand, since this model is discontinued. Moreover, it's a plastic drum kit, and compared to another type of electronic drum kit with a mesh top, the feedback from a plastic drum kit is significantly worse, and it's very different from a real drum kit. Playing this drum kit for a long time will definitely feel quite uncomfortable when switching to a real drum kit.

Just like when you switch to a different screen size on your phone, it feels very uncomfortable to use.

If you can keep using this kind of drum... that would be amazing.

Ren Amamiya watched silently as the other person intently played the drums. When she looked at her again, a hint of amazement flashed in Ren Amamiya's eyes.

Meow Dream's talent... is truly amazing. Having dexterity in both hands is an incredibly formidable ability, allowing her to excel in various fields.

Most people are left-handed or right-handed, and only have one dominant hand. But Miao Meng is skilled and dexterous with both hands. Among the many instruments in the band, the drum is the most suitable for her.

But it's easy to imagine how difficult it is for a girl to become a drummer. It's the instrument that requires the most strength, and she would get very tired if she played it too much.

Last time, when I asked her to post a video, she posted an edited version. Ren Amamiya was certain that she had edited the video after recording it, but he still insisted that she post the original video.

Because he wanted to see her entire workout routine, not just a portion of it, to prevent her from playing tricks by only sending the completed parts and cutting out the rest or not sending it at all.

But the video is indeed quite astonishing, lasting two and a half hours.

She was a slice-of-life on Sunday, and she exercised for at least two hours on Monday and Tuesday. Her hard work was also seen by Ren Amamiya.

If she can stick with it for a week... then teach her properly.

Ren Amamiya turned off his phone screen, lay on the bed, and closed his eyes as he thought.

A child who isn't wealthy is working hard at drumming; she has both talent and dedication, so it shouldn't be wasted. Such a promising talent should be wholeheartedly educated and taught how to do it.

Moreover, her actions reminded Ren Amamiya of his teammates from his past life. One of them was similar; his talent was average, but he was very hardworking and serious, spending a lot of time training diligently every day.

Unfortunately, in middle age, he was unable to continue performing due to various illnesses, becoming the first member of the band to leave. His excessive diligence and lack of formal instruction led to the escalation of his chronic illnesses, which eventually manifested, preventing him from playing music again.