Even if you're a corrupted magical girl, you still have to try to redeem yourself.

"Alright, alright, alright!" Helica quickly interrupted, "Aren't these all stereotypes too!"

Well, what Sakura Hanako said doesn't seem to have any major problems.

Suspended by wires, playing guitar with teeth, playing drums with three swords, throwing chocolate shells... it seems like people have done all of these in Yuuki Yuen's memory.

“Alright! I know what you’re thinking! So…” Helica quickly changed the subject, turning to the last person, Mizuno Yu.

Mizuno Yu raised her head aggressively, straightened her back, and seemed about to say something outrageous.

Although her remarks were indeed quite remarkable.

"This is also a novel experience, a mountain that needs to be conquered. If you don't cross it, you will live in its shadow for the rest of your life!"

I told you not to hang out with the lava lanterns, and now look what happened, you've caught it!

"Uh, so... fine then." Helica seemed to have given up on explaining, suddenly slapped her forehead, and then looked at Yuuki and the others with pleading eyes: "How about... you guys tell me?"

Upon hearing this, Yuuki Yukino immediately perked up.

Yuuki Yukino's biggest hobby is, of course, her love for girl bands.

Even Nishio Reki used the girl band character to almost explicitly reveal to Yuuki Yuuki the identity she needed to hide, which shows just how obsessed Yuuki Yuuki is with the girl band.

“Speaking of girl bands, I think…” Yuuki Yui took a deep breath, preparing to speak freely.

"Forget it, you'd better not say anything more," Helica interrupted quickly.

"Why! I haven't even told you how great the girls' band is yet!" Yuuki Yuuki's eyes widened, looking indignant.

“First of all, I asked about a band, not a girl band… although we’re definitely going to form a girl band.” Helica tapped the blackboard. “Secondly, this is the first time I’ve seen you with such a fervent expression, and I’m a little scared.”

"Huh? Me? Am I fanatic? How am I fanatic? I'm super calm, okay?" Yuuki looked around, as if seeking validation from the others.

However, everyone looked on with a knowing expression and nodded to Yuuki Yuuki.

"Hmm, Yuuki-senpai is a bit scary."

"Yes."

"I've never seen Xiaoyuan make such an expression before."

Yuuki Yukino suddenly deflated, slumped back down, and weakly lowered her head.

"Alright, alright, let's get back to the main topic." Helica clapped her hands again: "The main instruments and positions in a typical school band are nothing more than these few types. Let me give you a brief overview so you can get a basic idea."

"First, there's the guitar part. The guitar is divided into the lead guitar and the rhythm guitar. Generally, the guitar is the most important part, mainly responsible for playing, but it also has a solo part, providing a main melody for the whole band."

As Helica spoke, she drew a very cartoonish guitar shape on the blackboard, with two lines branching off from it. On one of the lines, she wrote a few keywords.

"Although the rhythm guitar is also a guitar, it is mainly responsible for ensemble playing, providing a basic chord framework for the whole band. It can be considered a complementary role."

As Helica spoke, she wrote other words under the guitar and explained as she wrote: "The bass plays the same role as the rhythm guitar, but the rhythm guitar is mainly responsible for playing arpeggios and chords to strengthen and supplement the main melody. It has a strong sense of rhythm and can increase the three-dimensionality of the whole piece and support the whole music."

"But the bass is different. The bass is also known as the bass guitar. Its range tends to be low-frequency, and its tone is thick and steady, which can provide stable low-frequency support for music."

"The bass player focuses more on playing the main low-pitched melody line, emphasizing the basic rhythm of the whole piece, and can also play a role in connecting other instruments. Although there are many jokes about the bass, it is absolutely wrong to underestimate the bass because of this."

Herica's words resonated with Yuuki Yuuki, causing him to nod in agreement as he listened.

Although Yuuki Enishi does have a slight prejudice against bass, a large part of it stems from Hanzawa Kuriko, who used a bass to cut herself, and a small part from the legendary bassist Nagasaki Motoyo of Tsuki no Mori.

"And then there's the drum set, which everyone knows. Drum beats are the soul of a band. Besides the guitarist and lead singer, the drummer is the one who gets the most attention. Providing rhythm for the band and helping other members master the whole song are all the drummer's responsibilities."

"As for the keyboard, Yuuki Yuki already has it, so I won't go into too much detail. If you want to introduce it, Yuuki Yuki will do it..." Helica hadn't finished speaking when she remembered Yuuki Yuki's enthusiastic behavior just now, and immediately changed her mind: "Never mind, anyway, we already have a keyboardist!"

"If it's a school band, it usually consists of these four main instruments: guitar, bass, drums, and keyboard. There aren't usually any other variations. The most common variations are with the drums and keyboard; for example, some people might choose a shoulder-mounted keyboard. That's about it?"

Helica has said almost everything. Even if Yuuki Yukino herself were to explain it in more detail and in a clearer way, it might not be as easy to understand as what Helica said.

Although some bands also incorporate other instruments, such as the Tsukimori Lady band which features violins, or the domestic band in Yuuki Eri's past life memories which uses suonas.

But most bands only need the instruments that Helika mentioned.

After a few seconds of silence from Helica, a chorus of knowing voices filled the room.

"Well, anyway, you wouldn't understand if I just told you this! Let's be more direct!"

Helica tossed her hair and tossed away the piece of chalk that was now just a small piece.

The chalk traced a perfect parabola, struck the trash can in the corner of the activity room, and disappeared with a thud.

"If you want to understand the band better and dispel your prejudices against it, let's go see a live performance instead!"

Chapter Thirteen: Let's Buy Tickets First

After school.

There was a small corner that Yuuki Yuuki would often pass by but had no recollection of.

"Going down from here, you'll find one of Moonsea City's more famous live music venues. Although it's a bit out of the way, people who aren't familiar with band performances might not pay attention to it, but that's probably an advantage, right?"

Minato Nana pointed to an inconspicuous set of steps leading down into the snow, which, despite being in the middle of a snowy field, had been cleared exceptionally clean.

"Oh right, I haven't introduced it yet. A live house means a small music venue or a small music exhibition hall. It's a gathering place for music lovers. You'll understand once you go in and take a look."

"Yuki-senpai, Yuki-senpai, what's going on here? Who is this?" Sakura Hanako tiptoed up to Yuki Yuuki's side, nudged him with her elbow, and whispered in his ear.

Originally, it was Helica who suggested that everyone go to a live concert together. This would not only help those who knew nothing about bands to understand what a live concert was all about, but also let others know her preferences.

Suddenly, a complete stranger appeared in front of them and led them forward as their leader. Even the usually assertive Helica became completely obedient to her.

That's strange, really strange.

"Well... that's a long story."

Yuuki Yukina scratched her pink hair, her face full of "hahaha" expressions.

Herlica suggested that everyone go see a live performance, and Yuuki Yukino readily agreed.

It's more accurate to say this was an extremely lucky draw. Words alone cannot adequately describe the atmosphere created by the audience and the performers. Helica's decision was absolutely correct.

However, what happened next was slightly beyond Yuuki Enishi's expectations.

"Huh? Aren't you coming along?" Minato Nana was about to lead everyone in first when she turned around and saw Sakura Hanako whispering in Yuuki Yuuki's ear, so she stopped in her tracks.

“Manager, I think you should start with your self-introduction.” Yuuki Yuen raised her hand high.

Not only Sakura Hanako, but also Mizuno Yu and the socially awkward Hayashi Mustardo nodded to varying degrees.

Baqi and Nishio Reki are quite familiar with Minato Nana; they even worked at Minato Nana's shop a month ago. Tenrai Herika is even more likely to know a lot about the lead singer of her former idol band.

But it's different for others. Even though Sakura Hanako and Mizuno Yu had both sat in the shop before, it's perfectly normal that they couldn't remember what the owner looked like.

"That's true. Well, let me introduce myself briefly. My name is Minato Nana."

After Nana finished speaking, she waited expectantly for the others to react.

Surprise, delight, whatever it may be, Minato Nana is really looking forward to her resounding name shocking these ignorant girls.

The cold, hard reality shocked Minato Nana; the group of girls showed absolutely no reaction.

There was a reaction, but it wasn't the kind of reaction Nana Minato wanted to see.

"Hello, Miss Minato."

"It's nice to meet you, thank you for your help!"

"Y-you, you! Hello! Nice to meet you! Please take care of me."

Minato Nana's eyebrows drooped. She looked at the three people who were greeting her seriously, then at the other three who were not unfamiliar with Yuuki Yuki and herself, and finally at Yuuki Yuki. She waved to Yuuki Yuki with a serious expression, signaling her to come over.

Yuuki Yukino quickened her pace, passing Sakura Hanako and moving to Minato Nana at the front of the group.

Minato Nana pulled Yuuki Yuuki close, turned her back to her, and whispered in Yuuki Yuuki's ear, "Have none of them heard of me at all?"

"Not only have I never heard of the shopkeeper's name, but I know absolutely nothing about the band either." Yuuki Yuen smiled wryly and brought her lips closer. "Otherwise, why would I need the shopkeeper's help?"

“Okay, I understand.” Minato Nana nodded in deep agreement, then turned back to face the others.

"Let me briefly introduce myself. My name is Minato Nana."

"Manager, you've already said that," Yuuki Yuen whispered a reminder.

"Don't interrupt!" Minato Nana said calmly, not forgetting to secretly nudge Yuuki Yukina with her elbow.

Then, as if nothing had happened, Minato Nana continued, "I am the manager of the coffee shop where Yuuki Yukino is currently working. Before I started running the coffee shop, I was the lead singer of a band. That's why Yuuki Yukino asked me to take everyone to see the live show."

"I was just asking the manager if there were any live houses suitable for our situation, and also asking the manager for leave. I didn't say I wanted the manager to come along," Yuuki Yuen corrected quietly.

"You want to take time off, watch a show, and then leave me alone in the shop? There's no such thing as a free lunch, right?" Minato Nana smiled gently, making Yuuki Yuuki feel once again that the relationship between her and Minato Nana had gone beyond a normal employer-employee relationship, which might not be a good thing.

Although the die was cast, Yuuki Yukino still whispered a reminder: "What about your shop?"

"We're temporarily closed today, no problem." Minato Nana patted Yuuki Yuuki's shoulder familiarly and pulled her close.

If anyone else did this, someone would definitely be jealous, but when it was done by Minato Nana, it gave off an indescribable sense of credibility.

It's not just a matter of age and relationship, but also the natural, approachable aura that Nana Minato exudes.

Even though it was practically the first time they met, Minato Nana gave others the feeling that she was easy to get along with.

"Ahem, back to the main topic. Yesterday, when Yuuki was working, she told me about your situation." Minato Nana coughed lightly twice: "It's a bit difficult to reach the level of being able to perform on stage in a month, but it's not impossible."

"Even if I talk about too many technical things here, you probably won't understand them. It's better to see for yourself. If the band really doesn't resonate with you, forcing it won't necessarily result in a satisfactory outcome."

When Minato Nana said this, those who didn't know her were somewhat surprised.

Are you trying to persuade others to give up right from the start?

Although Minato Nana didn't mean ice that way, it was still quite bold of her to say such things in front of the band members that Helica had worked so hard to assemble.

So far, everyone is still completely in the dark. Even though they have agreed to help Helica, they know in their hearts that this matter is not so simple.

Making a hasty retreat seems like a bad choice from both a moral and logical standpoint, but it is indeed a reasonable warning.

Helica probably won't feel happy.

Look at Helica's expression...

Helica was actually nodding in complete agreement?!

“That’s right, Ms. Minato is absolutely right. Music is something you can’t force. If everyone really isn’t interested, that’s fine too. I’m not talking about anything else! I’m serious. In short, you can’t go wrong by listening to Ms. Minato.”

How come Helica is so obedient to him? Just who is this mysterious coffee shop manager that Yuuki En brought here?

……

Minato Nana's opening remarks were much shorter than Helica's in the Nijisanji activity room. She probably just mentioned things like not to disturb other guests, that you can leave if you are not satisfied, and that you should report if you are not feeling well—things that everyone knows but might not think of.