After dropping out of school, I chose to join a girls' band.

"Ah... um..."

Even Aine was momentarily confused and could only blankly agree to Saya-senpai's request, walking into the front desk to act as a temporary waitress.

"A matcha parfait!"

A familiar voice came from behind her, and when Aine turned around, she saw Ryuna-chan, whom she hadn't seen for three days.

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Backstage, Riki looked at Yamabuki Saaya with some confusion, her voice tinged with doubt: "Saaya-senpai?"

Saya Yamabuki sighed and asked Tatsuki Shiina, "Tatsuki-chan, didn't you really notice that something's wrong with Aine?"

Lixi looked through the glass in the door again at Chihaya Aine, who was busily making matcha parfait for Rakuna.

Li Xi frowned and shook his head: "Compared to Ai Yin's condition yesterday, she is perfectly normal today. She is even better at arguing with me than before. I can't see anything wrong with her at all."

Saya Yamabuki frowned even more deeply, and her voice became serious: "Tachiki-chan... you should pay more attention to Aine's condition. Kasumi was in the same situation for a while before, and we didn't notice anything unusual at the time. In the end, Kasumi even lost her voice due to excessive pressure."

Shaya patted Riki's shoulders tightly, her eyes filled with worry and seriousness: "Anyway, Riki-chan, although I don't know what's wrong with you, you must pay close attention to Aine and Suze-chan's condition during this time, and don't wait until the problem gets serious before you deal with it."

Lixi's heart began to waver after hearing Sha Ling's words. She tried to re-examine Aine's behavior today from a new perspective and could indeed detect something unusual.

When Riki and Saya came out from backstage, they saw Aine awkwardly cleaning up the overflowing matcha-flavored ice cream next to the ice cream machine.

Her expression was a mixture of helplessness and embarrassment, clearly indicating that her attempt had failed.

(vi) VIII诌武紦陵丝令鷗} "Hey, hey, Riki, Renai wanted to eat matcha parfait just now, and I made one that was too big for her, and it all fell out."

Seeing Riki and Shaya come out, Aine rushed forward as if she had seen a savior and begged for help.

“Ai-yin…”

Li hope originally wanted to say, "Let's go to VI8 together to see the show," but the words got stuck in her throat and she couldn't say them.

"Lixi-chan, there aren't many people here right now, so why don't you go to the show with Aine?"

"A performance?" Upon hearing this word, Lena's eyes immediately lit up, her heterochromatic eyes sparkling with excitement. She looked up at Sha Ling with anticipation.

Saya noticed Rakuna's reaction and asked gently, "Rakuna-chan, are you going to see the performance too?"

Lena nodded vigorously and answered excitedly, "I want to go!"

"Then Lixi, why don't you take Lena with you?" Sha Ling suggested with a smile.

Lixi glanced at Lena's expectant face, then at Aine, and finally nodded. "Okay, Lena, Aine, let's go together."

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Inside the performance hall, soft lights shone on the audience. Ai looked left and right, her eyes full of curiosity and excitement, even more excited than Lena.

Looking at Ai Yin's excited expression, Li Xi asked with some confusion, "Why are you so excited?"

Aine turned her head, her eyes sparkling with emotion.

She exclaimed, "Of course! Although I've performed on stage before, this is the first time I've actually watched a performance from backstage. So this is what it feels like! It's completely different from performing on stage and watching from backstage."

As the lights gradually dimmed, it signaled that the musicians were ready and the performance was about to begin.

However, to everyone's surprise, a girl wearing an un-school-style top ran out from backstage, stood in front of the microphone, took a deep breath, and slowly spoke.

Looking at the girl on stage, Li hope wondered, "Is the lead singer doing MC work all by herself?"

"Um...we are..."

Renna's gaze quickly swept across the audience below, finally settling on a girl wearing a dress with a slogan on it.

We are... the Thornless Band!

"This... it's obviously a name that was just thought of on the spot... In comparison... Aine's taste in names is much better."

Shiina Tatsuki now probably understands why this band is said to be full of rock spirit; their very entrance and MC introduction made them stand out from the crowd.

"This spring... I suddenly started a band... Why did I form a band? Why did I sing..."

Nina paused for a moment and said apologetically, "Actually, I'm not too sure either."

"But I'm very happy... because this is the first time in my life that I've been so dedicated to doing something."

At this point, the other members of the band "Thorns and Thorns" finally came out from backstage.

Nina glanced at the other band members out of the corner of her eye and continued, "There is one song in my life that moves me the most. It's like that song gave me a push from behind."

Upon hearing this, Shiina Tatsuki finally revealed a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"So... I want to prove that the song is not wrong! I want to use that song to touch people's hearts and say to everyone, 'See, this song is amazing, right?'"

"Everyone must have similar thoughts, which is why everyone is working hard, even if they are afraid..."

"Rin-na! You talk too much, don't you?"

Li hope saw the bassist on stage mercilessly knock the lead singer, who was doing the MC, down with his butt.

Nina looked at the other band members somewhat embarrassedly, then looked at the drummer, An and Subaru.

"What a chaotic start... I don't care anymore!"

As the drumsticks gently struck, Nina's singing voice rang out in the performance hall.

--------

GBC's "Spiky or Not" (this name is really...) makes a cameo appearance and will probably have a few chapters in the BangDream competition later, but it won't be written as part of the main content.

When the Stage Opens: Chapter 108 Rock and Roll and the Stage

The lights suddenly dimmed, and the noise in the entire venue vanished instantly. The entire performance hall was so quiet that you could almost hear everyone's heartbeat. The spotlight on the stage shone on lead singer Renna. She lowered her head slightly, gathering her strength, and then suddenly raised her head, and her melodious singing voice rang out.

After a simple intro and a cappella singing, drummer An and Subaru begin to play the rhythm, followed closely by bassist's low notes, and guitarist's musical melody flows like clouds and water in all directions.

In the audience, Aine watched the performance on stage with unwavering eyes. Even Shiina Tatsuki, a person with strict requirements, had to admit that the band's name seemed random and their entrance was somewhat chaotic.

But this rock-and-roll-inspired approach complements their band's performance perfectly.

As the song reached its climax, Nina's voice became even more passionate, each note seemingly burning, conveying her inner emotions.

The audience members raised their glow sticks and waved them in time with the rhythm, turning the entire performance hall into a sea of ​​stars.

Lena was also deeply moved by the music, a sly smile like a cat appearing on her lips. "An interesting woman!"

The performance on stage continued, with the band members fully immersed in the music, each note seemingly telling their story.

Renna's singing grew louder and louder, as if she wanted to release all the emotions in her heart. Her gaze was firm and ardent, as if she was declaring her determination to the whole world.

As Aine watched Nina singing loudly on stage, she could vaguely sense black and red particles emanating from her body.

"Is this... Shining?"

She always felt that if it were sparkly, the color might be a bit too strange.

However, she did gain a general understanding of what this so-called brilliance was.

"I refuse to believe that love is an emotion, and I'm driven to madness," Nina's voice became unusually firm as the last lyric fell.

The audience was stunned, erupting in thunderous applause and cheers, their enthusiasm reaching its peak.

Lixi originally thought that was the end of it, but Renna, the lead singer on stage, surprised her with her words.

"Lupa, Satoshi... Subaru... Momoka... I... I'm not going to cram school..."

"???"

Lixi took another closer look at the person's age. Judging from his appearance, he should be at most a college student. Now, to openly make such remarks after a stage performance... similar to dropping out of school... is just too rock and roll. It's not good for the audience.

--------------

"Really... to make such remarks, it has a very bad influence on the audience..."

As Li hope left the studio and returned to her job, she couldn't help but complain.

"Haha... There's nothing I can do about it... You're bound to run into some of these girl rock bands."

Rinrinko didn't seem to care much about these things. Although Ring was a newly opened live house, she had encountered some rock bands before.

Ai-yin comforted Riki from the side.

"Well, Lixi-chan, there's no need to be so angry. Besides, the lead singer said he wasn't going to cram school, so maybe he really just meant he wasn't going to cram school."

"Besides, their songs are really good." A hint of appreciation flickered in Ai's eyes. "I think they shine on stage."

Li hope sighed helplessly, "Sigh, maybe I'm worrying too much. I just feel that such remarks are inappropriate."

After saying that, she glanced at Yao Le Nai, who was eating her second matcha parfait of the day, and her general meaning was that there was someone here who was easily influenced.

----------------

Since Lixi's workday had not yet ended, Aiyin said goodbye and left after chatting with Lixi for a few minutes.

Aine stepped off the tram and strolled home. The cool night breeze brushed against her cheeks, bringing a refreshing feeling. She walked slowly along the familiar streets, the streetlights on both sides softly illuminating her path. As she strolled, she reflected on the performance she had seen that day.

"Although I roughly know what the moon's so-called 'shining' is... do I really have that kind of 'shining'?" Aine murmured to herself, her voice drifting away on the night breeze.

Aine, who had never seen a performance from the audience before, finally understood what brilliance meant today, but now she was wondering... whether she herself possessed that kind of brilliance.

As the saying goes, those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly. Even the insecure Aine couldn't judge her own abilities.

However, Aine soon stopped dwelling on the matter, because she vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

Although her home is not in the city center, it is not even eight o'clock yet. There should be some people on this street normally, so why is there not a single person today?

She stopped and looked around. The buildings on both sides of the street looked somewhat eerie under the dim streetlights. With each step she took, the path beneath her feet seemed to remind her that something was wrong.

"Is it...I can't have stumbled into some urban legend?" Ai-yin muttered to herself, her voice trembling slightly with nervousness.

Although she had talked about telling ghost stories during the previous training camp and said she wasn't afraid at all, she was still very scared in the face of this real atmosphere of terror.

"Upon closer inspection... this isn't the way I usually take home at all..." Aine carefully observed her surroundings and realized that she hadn't started on the way home in the first place.

She looked around, hoping to find some familiar signs, but every building seemed unfamiliar.

After searching around without finding any familiar buildings, Aine comforted herself, "It's probably... I just got off at the wrong station..."

She took out her phone to check her location, only to find that the signal was very weak and the map navigation was not working properly, which made her even more uneasy.

"Maybe it would be better to go back to the station..." she said softly, turning to head back the way she came.

However, as she began to walk back, she found that the surrounding scenery seemed even more unfamiliar, and the buildings and views on both sides seemed completely different from when she came.