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

Aoi shook her head, a warm smile on her face, her tone encouraging and supportive. "It's okay. Actually, I'm also very curious about what answer you're looking for, Yue." Her eyes sparkled with anticipation and excitement, clearly filled with curiosity about the mystery that was about to be revealed.

Although Aoi had a vague premonition that if she continued to investigate with Yue, they would inevitably stumble into a new stage again, she felt a strange excitement and anticipation. As stage girls, what they longed for most was the stage; it was an indescribable attraction that made them pursue it without hesitation.

"Good morning, senior. Yue and I will be leaving now." Aoi and Yue greeted the president, who was still reading, with a hint of politeness and urgency in their voices.

Hayami Ai looked up, waved goodbye to the two of them, and said, "Okay, you two go ahead. Xiaoyue, come back to Seisho to play again when you have time. I'll save you a spot in the student council."

After hearing the president's words, Yue quickened her pace.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————— ————————————————

Seisho Music Academy wasn't far from Hoshikō Dormitory, just a few blocks away. Yue followed Aoi inside, and along the way, familiar former classmates greeted her. Yue smiled in response, a wave of nostalgia and warmth washing over her.

The two finally arrived at the door of the room where Yurisaki Aoi and Kurosawa Momoko lived. Aoi gently pushed open the door, and Tsuki and Aoi walked in.

Yue glanced around the room, which she hadn't visited in over a year. The setting sun shone through the curtains, casting golden shadows on the floor. Several photographs hung on the wall, documenting their lives at the academy.

Momoko Kurosawa's bed was decorated with vibrant colors and energy. Several plush toys sat on the bedside table, and the bookshelf was filled with various miniature musical instruments and her favorite comic books. The sheets and blankets were brightly colored, full of life and energy, reflecting her cheerful and energetic personality.

Yuri Saki's bed was simple and tidy, with light-colored sheets and blankets that gave it a gentle and peaceful feel. On her desk were some tea sets and matcha powder, clearly from her recent studies of tea ceremony.

After scanning the entire room, Yue's gaze lingered on every corner. Bookshelves, under the bed, inside cabinets… she carefully examined every possible hiding place for musical instruments. However, she couldn't find anywhere in the entire room where Momoko Kurosawa could hide an instrument. Unless she planned to take two castanets or a triangle—small instruments—to perform on stage.

"This doesn't look like a place where musical instruments could be hidden, does it?" Yuri Aoi said with a puzzled look after Yue glanced around the familiar room.

Yue nodded, a look of anticipation on her face. She skillfully found a key on Taozi's table, then stepped out of the room and walked towards the end of the corridor.

Aoi followed behind Yue, watching her determined steps, her heart filled with doubt, and couldn't help but ask, "Yue, are we going to your old dormitory?"

The moon stopped in front of a dormitory door that hadn't been opened for a long time and nodded slightly. There were indeed single rooms in the Starlight Dormitory, but they were usually reserved for the top students and second-in-command. However, Momo had considered living with her, so she gave up on going to a single room.

The room in front of you was originally Tsuki Hinasaki's room, but it has been an empty room since Tsuki dropped out of school.

"Could it be?" Yuri Saki looked at the room where Tsukihara had originally been standing before her, her brows furrowing slightly, clearly also thinking of something.

If Momo had had the key to this room all along, it would indeed be possible to secretly smuggle musical instruments in. And if an instrument like an electric guitar is not connected to an amplifier but is practiced with monitoring headphones, very few people would notice if it were being used secretly in the dormitory room.

Yue nodded and continued to explain, "I had left a spare key with Taozi before. When I dropped out of school and returned the key, I originally wanted to go to Taozi to get the spare key back, but Taozi said that she had left this room as the top student. So, Taozi has always actually had a key to enter and exit this room."

After explaining, Yue skillfully took out the key she had just taken from Taozi's table, gently turned the doorknob, and pushed open the dormitory door that had not been opened for a long time. She returned to her former room, where the twilight light shone through the crack in the door, casting a warm golden glow.

When the Stage Opens: Chapter 137 The Former Room

Yue clearly remembered that when she left the Starlight Dormitory, she had emptied her room, leaving only basic furniture. Therefore, the instrument that was clearly a guitar placed there must have been put there by Ms. Kurosawa Momoko.

Yue walked up to the guitar, her gaze lingering on it, a knowing smile appearing on her face. "It seems the answer is quite obvious."

Aoi stood to the side, her gaze shifting between the guitar and the moon, her face filled with surprise and confusion. Her brow furrowed slightly, clearly finding the discovery unbelievable. "When exactly?"

Yuri Saki, Momoko's roommate, never expected that Momoko would secretly hide musical instruments here. She had seen Momoko every night before, so it couldn't be that Momoko only practiced for the one or two hours when she went to the student council.

Yuri Aoi continued expressing her doubts, "Even if I practiced here during the time I was in the student council, it shouldn't be enough time to reach the level required to join a band." Her voice was tinged with confusion and bewilderment, and her brows furrowed slightly, making her appear somewhat lost.

Yue shook her head and said, "It seems that Aoi, your understanding of Momoko's genius level is still not quite enough."

Yuri Saki looked at Yue with some doubt, her mind filled with images of Momo sleeping in class, her terrible grades, and her terrible cooking skills. She couldn't help but imagine, how could Momo, who seemed like a complete idiot in every way except for her acting, possibly be a genius?

"Although Peach is the top student, she still seems to be some distance from being a genius."

Yue and Momo have always had a relationship similar to that of competitors, and recently this relationship has shown a tendency to gradually evolve into an adversarial one.

But it must be said that, apart from Momoko herself... no... Yue probably understands the other's existence even better than Momoko herself.

Yue smiled slightly, her eyes sparkling with warmth and understanding. She sighed softly, then said, "Taozi only got involved in drama in junior high, almost until she was about to enter the second year." Her voice carried a hint of amazement and admiration, clearly showing a deep understanding of Taozi's talent.

Upon hearing this, Aoi's eyes revealed a hint of surprise and disbelief. Her mouth opened slightly, clearly shocked by the fact. "She only started getting involved in drama in the second year of junior high? How could she..." Her voice was filled with doubt and shock, clearly finding it difficult to comprehend.

Although Yuri Saki does hold a position in the student council, that doesn't mean she would go through her roommate's enrollment records for no reason, nor would she casually ask Momo about her past. That's why she knew nothing about this matter.

Yue nodded and continued, "In just over two years, Taozi was able to enter Seisho with the third-highest score. In less than a year, she became the top student and began studying stage composition. It can be said that apart from cooking, the things she didn't do well were probably just things she didn't want to learn."

She gave a self-deprecating smile. "Although stage girls are known for their indomitable spirit, Momoko's terrifying talent is truly daunting and makes it difficult to even muster the desire to challenge her."

After Yue said that, Momoko truly realized how terrifying Kurosawa Momoko was. Usually, she felt that there wasn't much difference between them because Kurosawa Momoko was comparing her three years of acting experience with her nearly ten years of acting career.

Aoi's brows furrowed deeply, her mouth slightly open, as if she were processing the news she had just heard. Her gaze darted around the room, seemingly searching for any clue that could explain everything. Her hand unconsciously went to her forehead, and she rubbed her temples as if suffering a headache, an expression of disbelief on her face.

"Is Peach... really that amazing?" she murmured to herself, her voice tinged with helplessness and confusion. A hint of bewilderment flickered in her eyes, clearly indicating that she was beginning to doubt her own long-held beliefs.

Ignoring the somewhat bewildered Yuri Aoi, Tsuki entered the room.

The table was very clean, with only some guitar-related books and a few slightly messy sheet music pieces on it.

The score is full of revisions, suggesting that the composer was quite hesitant when writing it.

Yue walked to the table and gently stroked the surface. Her gaze wandered between the books and sheet music, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

She gently picked up one of the guitar books, flipped through a few pages, and carefully examined the contents. The pages were densely covered with notes and annotations.

She put down the book, gently picked up one of the musical scores, and carefully examined its contents.

Several sections of the sheet music were crossed out with black pen, leaving obvious traces of correction. The crossed-out sections were blurry, but Yue could still vaguely see the notes and markings underneath through the ink.

Her fingers lightly traced the smeared areas, her brow furrowing slightly as she tried to discern the hidden passages.

"These altered parts are basically only a few notes off. Would a normal creator be so concerned?" she pondered silently, a hint of confusion and bewilderment in her eyes.

Realizing this, Yue's gaze became even more focused and sharp. She gently tapped the sheet music with her fingertips, as if trying to find an answer. "If this wasn't a normal composition... then it must be a transcription? Whose sheet music is this?"

Her brows were furrowed, and her eyes flashed with a thoughtful light.

She gently placed the sheet music on the table, her fingers gliding over the altered notes, trying to find some clues. She softly hummed the notes on the sheet music, but no matter how hard she tried, whether before or after the alterations, she couldn't recall any similar melody.

However, she didn't pay much attention to it. After all, in this era of big girl bands, there are still quite a few bands that can write their own songs. She can't possibly listen to every single band's song.

After hearing the tune hummed by Tsukimi, Yuri Saki commented, "This melody sounds a bit like heavy metal?"

Upon hearing Yurisaki Aoi's words, Yue's eyes lit up immediately. "Aoi, do you recognize this piece of music?"

She shook her head, a hint of guilt in her eyes, and said, "No, I'm not particularly interested in heavy metal music, or rather, I wasn't particularly interested in girl bands until yesterday."

When the Stage Begins: Chapter 138 The All-Powerful Way to Apologize

At the entrance of the Starlight Dormitory, a gentle evening breeze carried a touch of coolness. The setting sun was about to sink, casting its last rays. Yue said to Yurisaki Aoi, who had come to see her off, "Peach, please keep an eye on things here, Aoi. I'll keep an eye on the band as well." Her voice carried a hint of weariness and helplessness, and her eyes revealed a trace of worry.

Yuri Aoi nodded, a complicated expression on her face. After hesitating for a moment, she finally mustered up the courage to ask Yue, "Yue, did you and Momoko have a fight?"

As a friend of both Tsuki and Momoko, and having served in the student council for so long, it would be problematic if she couldn't see the differences between them.

Yue paused for a moment, scratched her cheek with her fingers, and looked at Kui with a slightly evasive gaze, saying, "Am I that obvious?" Her voice carried a hint of embarrassment and confusion, as if she was trying to hide her unease.

Yuri Aoi nodded and said, "Momoko hasn't mentioned your name for almost a month, and you've been deliberately avoiding her since you came back. It's all very suspicious."

"Is that so... Is it that obvious?" A hint of melancholy appeared on Yue's face. Her gaze lowered slightly, revealing a trace of loneliness and helplessness in her eyes.

Yue was silent for a moment, then stepped forward and grabbed Aoi's shoulder. "Aoi, I need you to keep my return a secret, especially from Momoko." Her voice was urgent and pleading, clearly indicating that she didn't want Momoko to know.

Yuri Aoi looked at Tsuki's sincere and earnest eyes and nodded. "Although I can keep your secret, what about your relationship with Momoko? Are you planning to break up with her?" Her eyes revealed a hint of concern and worry, clearly showing her concern for the relationship between the friends.

Yue gently bit her lip, her eyes lowered as she pondered. Her brows furrowed slightly, clearly considering how to handle her relationship with Taozi.

After a moment of silence, she sighed softly, her voice carrying a hint of helplessness and determination, "Anyway... I will deal with my relationship with Taozi after careful consideration."

Aoi stepped forward and gently took Yue's hand. "Yue, if you need any help, you can come to me anytime."

----------

Yue lay on her own bed, the soft mattress behind her. She should have felt relaxed in this comfortable environment, but instead, she felt an immense pressure.

Her brows were furrowed, and her eyes flickered with complex emotions.

"Although I've already said it... I still don't know how to face Peach..." she thought to herself, her voice low and full of worry.

She tossed and turned in bed, making the once neat sheets and duvet cover full of wrinkles.

Her movements seemed anxious, as if she was trying to get rid of her inner turmoil. Her hair, which she had just washed and dried, was now a bit messy from rubbing it.

"Peach... what was her mindset when she came to see me?" This thought popped into Yue's mind, and a trace of confusion and bewilderment flashed in her eyes.

"What should I do..." Yue murmured to herself, her voice filled with helplessness and confusion.

The night outside the window deepened, and the faint moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting a tranquil glow within the room. However, this peaceful night could not soothe the turmoil in Yue's heart. Her mind was filled with chaotic thoughts, as if searching for a glimmer of light in endless darkness.

Her gaze wandered around the room, finally settling on a photograph on the bedside table.

That was a group photo taken when she went back to watch the Seisho Festival. In the photo, Momo was very affectionately close to her, with a bright and warm smile.

"Can I really... go back to the way things were with Momoko?" Yue asked herself softly.

---------

Meanwhile, Momoko Kurosawa, who was being watched by Hinasaki and Yurisaki Aoi, went to Sakura Sakura's office after school. After briefly inquiring about the band, she sat alone on the sofa and looked at her phone screen saver.

She sighed softly, thinking to herself, "Xiaoyue's energy is completely insufficient... but if I go to Xiaoyue now, I feel like I'll get beaten up..." Her brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of frustration and helplessness appeared in her eyes.

Sakura Sakura looked at Momoko Kurosawa, who was sitting there staring blankly at the photo she had taken with the moon earlier, and teased her.

She stood up, walked over to Taozi, and gently patted her shoulder. "Speaking of which, you and Xiaoyue have had a falling out, right? Do you need me to give you some clues to help you win Xiaoyue back?"

The hint of sarcasm in her voice made Peach feel that something was off.

Momoko Kurosawa was interrupted by the sudden voice and looked up in confusion. She shifted her gaze from the photo on her phone screen to Sakura Sakura's face, her eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation. "Do you think there's any way to appease Satsuki?"

A few question marks appeared on Peach's face. In all the time she had spent with Yue, she had never seen Yue show any particular interest in anything.

Therefore, she was also very curious about what methods Sakura Sakura had to quickly quell Hinasaki's anger.

Based on her understanding of Hinasaki, she thought of a few methods she might use.

For example, she might consider taking Yue out for a big meal, but Yue usually won't accept the invitation if she's in a bad mood. Not to mention, if she were to send Yue an invitation now, she would probably be rejected on the spot, or even dragged into an underground theater for a revelation.

Sakura Sakura nodded, but a lewd smile, like that of an old man, appeared on her beautiful, mature face. "I've used this many times before. No matter what conflict I have with Yue, as long as I use that move, it can be resolved."

If it were the usual Momoko Kurosawa, she would definitely be able to discern the secret hidden behind Sakura Sakura's malicious and lewd smile.

But now, whether it was because she lacked Xiaoyue's energy or because she was too eager to see Hinasaki, Momoko Kurosawa did not notice the secret hidden behind Sakura Sakura's malicious smile.

Momoko Kurosawa stared intently at Sakura Sakura, asking with a hint of disbelief, "Is there really such a thing as this? Sakura, you're not lying to me, are you?"

When the Stage Opens: Chapter 139 The Publicity Effect of Women's Relationships

Seeing that Momoko Kurosawa had taken the bait, Sakura Sakura smiled slightly, a hint of cunning and smugness in her eyes.