Tokyo: To reiterate, this is not a dating system.

After 8 p.m. every day, the area around this old apartment building becomes quiet.

It seems out of place in the bustling metropolis of Tokyo.

Inside the room, Genji Aoyama was facing a message from Saki Izumo, unsure how to reply.

My fingertips tapped and deleted on the keyboard, and then Izumo Saki called.

The continuous vibration broke the unusually quiet atmosphere, and Genji Aoyama answered the phone.

"Hey, Aoyama-kun."

Unlike her usual lively self, Aoyama Genji could even detect a rare seriousness in her voice.

Is she really planning to let him join the band?

Genji Aoyama couldn't help but think this way.

I glanced at her status again.

Also normal.

"Yes, I'm here," he replied.

"Heh heh, I just watched the video that Aoyama-kun sent me and learned a little bit. Want to listen?"

Unfortunately, he couldn't maintain his serious demeanor, and the moment he opened his mouth again, he reverted to the Izumo Saki he knew before.

It's a fast-paced, rapid-fire speech pattern.

"I feel like this piece suits me perfectly!" she exclaimed, then added, "Let me play it for Aoyama-kun!"

As if he had been prepared before making the call, Genji Aoyama heard a series of continuous strumming.

"They've already been practicing secretly."

Genji Aoyama chuckled, then reclined in his chair, gently closing his eyes, and held his phone to his ear: "Please."

The bass line in "The World's Number One Princess" is extremely complete.

Listening to the bass part of this piece alone, you wouldn't even think of it as accompaniment, but rather as a protagonist with an extremely distinct personality, overflowing with energy, and even a bit of a chatterbox.

This is exactly like Saki Izumo.

Genji Aoyama harbored a faint sense of anticipation.

After the third deep breath.

The other end of the receiver produced an extremely low but resonant sound.

It's like clearing your throat in a low voice before singing, conveying a feeling of tension and excitement.

Then the real show begins—the bass strings are swept rapidly, producing a "sizzling" friction sound, with a slightly rough texture, so that the bass is no longer a dull hum, but instead has the sharpness of an electric guitar.

The dense musical notes flowed into Genji Aoyama's ears.

The princess, who sounded like a chatterbox but was actually quite arrogant, was giving him orders.

When the song reached its climax, the technique changed again, with Saki Izumo performing a lot of fast runs and glissando.

Aoyama Genji could already make the connection to her finger technique—

Slender, white fingers moved up and down the neck of the violin, creating a rapid, fluid bass note.

At this moment, the sound of the strings becomes extremely lively, even somewhat arrogant, and this contrast brings great satisfaction.

As the last note faded away.

Silence returned to my ears, followed by the gentle sound of the night breeze flowing in from outside the window.

This is not an abrupt ending, but rather a deliberate omission that leaves the reader wanting more.

If we consider the song, it's roughly like a princess who, after listing a long string of capricious demands, puts her hands on her hips, looks at you triumphantly, and waits for your response.

"Saki is very serious."

Genji Aoyama recalled the tone of Saki Izumo's voice when the call was first connected.

"What's the feedback? I'm waiting for Aoyama-kun to praise me!"

"It sounds great."

"Hmm—it feels like I'm just giving Saki a perfunctory answer!"

Although it was a phone call, an image appeared in Aoyama Genji's mind: Izumo Saki's cheeks were slightly puffed out, she looked very angry, but there was nine parts cuteness in her anger.

"Without sheet music, just by listening, Saki was able to replicate most of the bass line in such a short time. She's a genius."

Before Aoyama Genji could finish speaking, Izumo Saki's voice came again.

"Oh, right, you said you'd give me bass lessons, so... please, Mr. Aoyama!"

"Let's talk about this when we get to the band," Genji Aoyama said with a smile.

A more cheerful laugh came from the other end of the phone.

"Eh—Aoyama-kun agreed to join?"

"Just to clarify, I don't join; I only check it out occasionally—"

Let me reiterate: Genji Aoyama has no interest in bands, and even less interest in bands composed entirely of pretty girls!

"Yay!"

The two chatted for a little while longer before hanging up.

Genji Aoyama lay back in his chair, lost in deep thought.

Although Izumo Saki is full of energy, her personality issues caused by her illness make it difficult for her to maintain a passion for anything.

But she had to do it, keep doing it, repeating it over and over again, to release excess energy and relieve stress.

The reason Aoyama Genji returned today was not only to release his work, but also to moderately control the time the two of them spent together.

If desire remains excessive for a prolonged period, it may worsen Saki Izumo's condition.

It's definitely time to find a project that Izumo Saki can use to expend her energy, starting a band... that might be a good idea.

At the very least, we shouldn't waste all our energy on him.

Ok.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Aoyama Genji turned on his phone screen.

He then opened several other platforms to check the publication status of his work—

T-Station remains unchanged, only interested in handsome men from Omotesando or musical works.

On Nico Nico Douga and YouTube, the number of plays is climbing at a rapid pace, and a considerable number of anime and manga fans are starting to pay attention to the song.

The audience was not only looking forward to the song, but also their attention was drawn to the virtual image of Hatsune Yuko.

High-frequency words that can be seen include, but are not limited to, "Hatsune Yuuko", "DD", "D-ed", "single-fan", "looking forward to the new song release"...

The initial results have been achieved; now it's up to the professional operations team.

Genji Aoyama thought of Haruka Minatsuki.

I don't know what progress their companies have made.

LINE has not replied yet.

Genji Aoyama was about to make a call when he just clicked on the dial pad.

Haruka Minatsuki called.

"Good evening, Genji-kun." The voice on the phone sounded tired, and you could vaguely hear the sound of papers being turned over.

"Good evening, did you see the video I sent, Haruka-san?"

"Hmm... I just saw it, and it's even better than I imagined. It's very nice to listen to, and the style is also very cute. After listening to it with the lyrics, I can't help but want to act cute."

"Miss Haruka, you should have confidence in me," Aoyama Genji paused, "By the way, how's the company doing?"

"Haruka said she wanted to act cute, but Genji was only thinking about company matters, so Haruka was unhappy~"

Haruka Minatsuki's voice was reproachful, just like a little girl being coquettish.

breathe--

Genji Aoyama took a deep breath.

It was quiet on both sides; you could hear each other breathing clearly.

Laughter came from the other end of the line. Haruka Minatsuki said, "Besides school matters, I've been dealing with these things lately, and I'll continue for the next few days. I hope to get them sorted out before Golden Week."

"Thank you for your hard work, Haruka-san."

Aoyama Genji did not say this aloud.

Is it just hard work?

Genji Aoyama walked to the small balcony and looked up at the night view outside.

After the rain, the sky cleared, and a hazy night enveloped Tokyo. A night breeze flowed, and through the thin clouds that had not yet dispersed, a smoky crescent moon hung quietly in the sky.

Haruka Minatsuki neither hung up the phone nor urged him, but occasionally the sound of pages turning could be heard from the other end of the line.

An emotion compelled Genji Aoyama to say something.

But he didn't know what to say.

"What does Genji want to say?" Minatsuki Haruka suddenly asked.

"I don't like it, no, I should say I can't do it with a clear conscience, which means that I have been accepting Haruka-san's one-sided devotion all along."

This is probably how Genji Aoyama feels right now.

Obscure and difficult to explain.

It cannot even be fully expressed in words.

Receiving no response, Genji Aoyama added:

"If there's anything you'd like me to do, or anything I can do to help, please let me know."

"Hmm..." The voice sounded like it came from someone deep in thought, then Haruka seemed to realize something and laughed happily, "It seems there's nothing for Aoyama-kun to do. But..."

"What?" asked Genji Aoyama.

"I want to go out for a walk, just for a short while."

"...Okay, send me your apartment address, I'll come find you now."

"Then Genji-kun, come to the school to find me."

I originally planned to take a taxi to Aoyama Genji, but in the end I had to use my commuter pass.

The night breeze blowing from Tahara-cho toward Hongo 3-chome was slightly damp as Aoyama Genji arrived at the school gate.

Under the streetlights, Haruka Minatsuki was standing at the school gate waiting for him.

Genji Aoyama walked up to Haruka Minatsuki, the faint fragrance of magnolia blossoms brushing past his nose.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said.

"It didn't take long; it was perfectly bearable."

Haruka Minatsuki's gaze was fixed on his hair.

"It must have been blown around by the wind; the wind is quite noisy today."

Genji Aoyama chuckled, then reached out and ruffled his hair, which had been ruffled by the night wind.

The two walked aimlessly along the sidewalk after the rain.

"It's so late, why is Haruka still at school?" Genji Aoyama turned his head to look at Haruka Minazuki beside him.

"Hmm... all sorts of things."

When she said this, you could hear some weariness in Minatsuki Haruka's voice.

"Thanks for your hard work."

After thinking about it, Genji Aoyama still said those words.

"A little."

Haruka Minatsuki smiled gently: "There are things I want to do too, not just things for Genji-kun."

"In short, you should still make sure to get plenty of rest."

The two walked along the almost deserted street for a while longer.

"Ah—" As if she had discovered something, Haruka Minatsuki suddenly exclaimed softly, then laughed, "The park with nice scenery that Genji-kun mentioned last time!"

Genji Aoyama looked over.

It was the same small cherry blossom park they had visited before, located by the roadside, where the cherry blossoms had already faded.

After a rain, the air is filled with the fragrance of earth and grass, and under the yellowish streetlights, you can see water droplets dangling precariously from the bottom of the cherry blossom leaves.

"I'm looking forward to the Golden Week holiday and Genji's reply."

Haruka Minatsuki stood under the tree and said.