Joker's Band Game Story

what about me?

I just want to find my place, but why...?

Why do you keep hindering me, Ren Amamiya?

There seemed to be a raging fire in his empty eyes, but the fire was so black, as if it wanted to devour everything.

She stood on the overpass, watching the cars below for a long time, until the sky turned pitch black. After a long while, she finally came to her senses.

I glanced at the time on my phone; it was already 7 p.m.

She unlocked her screen, opened her contacts, and scrolled down until she quickly found a name.

'Sinner'

And not long ago...

"Really? Lighting isn't planning on participating in the live performance?"

Ren Amamiya stroked his chin as he listened to Aine mention the upcoming live performance.

If the lead singer, Deng, is unwilling to participate, then the problem will indeed become very serious.

As someone who was also going to participate in this event, Ren Amamiya was indeed very concerned about it, since it would be quite awkward for Aine's nameless team to not appear.

Gently tapping his knees, Ren Amamiya sat cross-legged, pondering how to solve this problem.

What are your thoughts on this live performance?

Ren Amamiya felt that she needed to understand Aine's own thoughts first.

He couldn't solve the problem of the light's electromagnetic waves, but there was someone who could—Aine.

Ai Yin's close relationship with Deng is definitely not simply because they are in the same class; if that were the case, Deng would have many friends by now.

So it must be for other reasons, such as... Aine's understanding nature.

If Aine were willing, she should be able to turn the lights back on; as an outsider, Ren Amamiya can't really help with that.

All he could offer was some advice, nothing more.

"This live performance..."

Ai Yin sat cross-legged beside me, looking down at the guitar in her hands: "Actually... I didn't really want to participate in this live performance. The schedule is too tight, with less than two weeks. I have no idea what to do."

In just two weeks, someone with almost no guitar experience can go from being able to perform on stage – you can imagine how difficult that is.

She is not a naive person, or rather, she is very genuine. She knows her own level and her limits, so she knows when to give up instead of gritting her teeth and charging forward.

So if Ren Amamiya weren't around, she would definitely want to give up...

But Ren Amamiya assured her there would be no problem, so...

"I think I can go on stage."

Aine patted her chest in response to Ren Amamiya's answer.

Although her answer was somewhat irrelevant, Ren Amamiya could tell that she wanted to participate in the live performance.

after all……

"I've already put so much effort into this live performance, so I might as well make it a success."

Now that she had started, she naturally intended to continue.

Her past trip to London had taught her that she couldn't adapt to everything on her own, and she would never have agreed to this live performance if no one was willing to lend a hand.

But this time... is an exception. With Ren Amamiya's help, she will definitely succeed.

"After all, you said it yourself, I'm sure I can do it."

For some reason, Aine believed Ren Amamiya's words so much.

Perhaps it was because the other person was a professional expert? Or perhaps it was because their answer was so frank and confident?

So she was also inspired by Ren Amamiya's confidence, and she also believed that she could successfully go on stage and play the guitar.

She believed it, and she was convinced of it.

"Since you're both willing, why don't you have a good talk with Deng? You might be able to help him understand these things."

Ren Amamiya's answer gave Aine confidence, and she nodded, believing Ren Amamiya's words.

So Aine picked up her guitar at that moment: "Then let's start practicing!"

"Okay, but before that, I think I should have you practice some finger exercises."

"Finger exercises?"

"That's right, your hands haven't gotten used to playing the guitar for long periods of time, so you need to warm up properly first, otherwise your fingers will continue to get injured."

Ren Amamiya pointed out her weakness in her fingers. Indeed, her fingers were still very delicate and not yet accustomed to playing the guitar.

"It's not just to prevent further injury to your hands, but also to protect your fingers. You wouldn't want thick calluses on your fingertips, would you?"

Ren Amamiya's words immediately made Aine shake her head. Of course she didn't want that. How could the fingertips, such an important and sensitive area for a girl, be treated like that?

She put her guitar aside and began to listen attentively to Ren Amamiya's explanation of finger exercises.

Proper warm-up can prevent injuries during exercise. For the fingers, playing the guitar is a form of exercise, so proper warm-up is necessary.

Ren Amamiya is used to performing, so practicing for less than two hours without warming up isn't a big problem. But Aine is different; she absolutely needs to warm up.

Ren Amamiya then spent about twenty minutes teaching her how to soothe her fingers before starting today's lesson.

Aine is learning very quickly, or rather, she is progressing very quickly in playing the piece "Kasuga Kage".

She was able to play the whole piece, albeit haltingly.

This is a significant improvement. Although it's not yet fully proficient, it's already quite impressive. If you keep at it, you'll be able to master the Kasuga Shadow Dancer this week.

With her new song coming out next week, she's sure to shine on stage.

"That concludes today's practice. Don't forget to use finger exercises to relax your fingers properly."

"Okay! Thank you, Teacher Lian!"

Aine's ideas about how to address Ren Amamiya are really unpredictable; now she's even calling him "teacher" directly.

Ren Amamiya simply smiled twice before packing his things and leaving Aine's house.

As for whether Aine will secretly practice again later... well, that's anyone's guess.

But at least she's trying, and that's enough.

She didn't give up because of her short-lived enthusiasm, but continued to work hard and persevere.

It seems that bonds are quite important to her, and her bond with the lantern will surely help her solve the lantern's problem.

Ren Amamiya, who was on his way home on the tram, received a phone call.

The bassist of Crychic? Nagasaki Sosei? Why would she call me?

Although he was a little confused, Ren Amamiya answered the call anyway. He put the phone to his ear and asked, "Hello?"

I'd like to meet you.

"Now?"

"That's right, now."

"Okay...where are you?"

Ren Amamiya was surprised that Sōse wanted to see her. She didn't know Sōse well, so why did she want to see her?

Several possibilities suddenly popped into his mind, but since there were too many and they were mutually exclusive, he didn't think too much about it. It was just a meeting, and he was still willing to do it.

"I'm in Ikebukuro."

"Okay~ So where do you plan to meet?"

"RiNG's QU々!? N児? Ball ba no slip 氿 〡 dope pipit at the door."

"it is good."

Since he hadn't gotten off the tram yet, Ren Amamiya agreed to let him ride one more stop ahead.

When he arrived at the entrance of RiNG, Sosei was already waiting for him there.

"RiNG's coffee shop should be closing by now, where do you plan to talk?"

Ren Amamiya stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at Sōse, who was staring at him with determination and... a look that seemed to be breaking down.

"How long do you intend to stop getting in my way?"

Sosei's abrupt statement puzzled Ren Amamiya, but he quickly guessed what had happened.

"What do you mean?"

He didn't answer directly, but instead answered the question with a question.

He did a lot, both directly and indirectly, to prevent Shuangshi from rebuilding Crychic.

He didn't know how much Shuangshi actually knew, so he asked her a question to see what she thought.

"You told Lixi my thoughts, you helped Aine stop my actions, you even let Wildcat join this band, how long are you going to stop me!"

At this moment, Sosei could no longer hold back. She stopped using the strained voice she had been using and started speaking to people in her natural voice, almost like a roar, as she questioned Amamiya Ren.

But this made Ren Amamiya find it a little funny; he hadn't expected Sōse to have become like this.

Is crychic? Is it really that important?

When did I stop you?

Ren Amamiya calmly replied that he never felt he had stopped Sōse.

He was just reminding Riki, helping Aine, and playing with Rana, so how did he stop her?

She was simply doing the wrong things all along, and when she realized she couldn't move forward, she blamed it all on Ren Amamiya.

"Then why...why!"

"Isn't your plan to rebuild Crychic? Did I stop you from rebuilding it? Aren't Lixi and Deng on your team? Or... do you think I stopped Xiangzi from returning to Crychic?"

Ren Amamiya's eyes narrowed when she saw Sōse, and her gaze towards Ren Amamiya grew increasingly fierce: "Why do you know this name!"

"Why can't I know her name? Judging from your reaction... you didn't manage to bring her back, did you? To be honest, I don't care what kind of band you are. If Aine wants to grow, I'll help her; if Lena wants to play, I'll play along; if Riki wants the band to do well this time, I'll tell her how. I've never opposed your reformation of Crychic. You're still not satisfied with the current situation, it's just that Toyokawa Shoko hasn't returned to the band yet, right? Well, let me tell you a fact."