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

Unless their band can create unparalleled music through songwriting and composition, breaking the blockade of established bands and snatching audiences from them, or they use multiple performances like Popipa did to gain votes.

Moreover, last year was the first BangDream competition, and although there were quite a few participating teams, the number of girl bands emerging this year under the influence of the BangDream competition has almost doubled compared to last year.

Thinking of this, Hachiman Kairin frowned, as if she had considered a possibility.

She asked, "Has the format of the BangDream competition been changed this year?"

Sankaku Hatsuka nodded and said, "Based on the number of bands counted by each Live House this year, if we continue with last year's plan, the competition between bands will be too fierce. Therefore, the competition committee is considering adding an elimination round to the preliminary rounds."

Hachiman Kairin nodded thoughtfully. "I see."

When the performance begins: Chapter 155 Su Mu in the Moon Forest

At Tsukimori Girls' Academy, Wakaba Mutsumi stood in the center of the garden, holding a slender watering can and slowly watering the flowerpots in front of her. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on her arm.

Water flowed slowly from the spray bottle, the fine streams shimmering in the sunlight. She carefully controlled the amount of water, ensuring that every leaf and every inch of soil was evenly moistened. The water dripped onto the leaves, making a soft rustling sound, then slid down the veins, nourishing the soil below.

Her gaze was gentle as she looked at the flowerpot in front of her. The cucumber vines inside had already climbed up the trellis, and tiny cucumber fruits were peeking out from among the green leaves. The fruits were still very small, only about the size of a thumb, but you could already see what they would look like in the future.

She gently parted the leaves, carefully observing the growth of these small fruits, a rare satisfied smile appearing on her usually calm face.

She looked up, gently wiping the sweat from her forehead. Her gaze passed over the garden and through the second-floor glass, where she saw a familiar figure.

“Su Shi…” Ruoye Mu murmured to herself.

Ever since that day she visited the Su family's house, Nagasaki Sue, who had always been very kind to her at school, suddenly stopped talking to her. The two haven't exchanged a single word since that day.

Nagasaki Motoyo seemed to notice Wakaba Mutsu's gaze and looked down towards the garden. Their eyes met in mid-air.

The gentleness and concern in Su Shi's eyes were gone, replaced by indifference and detachment. She frowned slightly, then looked away and turned away from the window.

Ruo Yemu felt a sense of loss; her heart felt heavy and suffocating, as if something was blocking it.

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Nagasaki Motoyo was in a pretty good mood today, or rather, she had been in a pretty good mood ever since she won that revue match against Shiina Tatsuki.

After all, according to the agreement made before, Lixi and the others would no longer bother her, so now she could focus on trying to salvage the situation with Crychic.

This morning when she contacted Momoko Kurosawa, the other party said that all the people who needed to go on stage had been prepared, and all that was left was for them to take the stage one by one.

As Nagasaki Motoyo was the class's social butterfly, her absence caused great concern among her classmates, who all came forward to inquire about her situation.

This also gave her the opportunity to intentionally distance herself from Wakaba Mutsu, since the two of them had probably already thoroughly discussed things at her house.

Nagasaki Motoyo doesn't know how to deal with Wakaba Mutsu, unlike the other five bandmates who she rarely sees in her daily life.

Nagasaki Motoyo and Wakaba Mutsu were in the same class and saw each other all the time. In addition, she often saw Wakaba Mutsu together at school.

It wouldn't work if she deliberately distanced herself too obviously from Ruoye Mu at school. After all, it's a school for young ladies. Small cliques are possible, but bullying is absolutely out of the question.

Based on this, Suze has now returned to her previous small group in the brass band and has gradually reduced her communication with Wakaba Mutsu.

However, as a school for young ladies, Moon Forest students may not excel academically, but they all possess some ability to read people's minds due to the influence of their families. This is especially true for someone like Suze, who doesn't even try to hide her true feelings.

Having just finished lunch during the lunch break, Nagasaki Motoyo and her friends from the brass band were chatting in the hallway.

Through the glass in the corridor, Nagasaki Motoyo saw Wakaba Mutsumi watering the plants in the gardening area downstairs. She frowned. "Speaking of which... why does Mutsumi like those cucumbers so much?"

Many students at Moon Forest are actually interested in gardening, but most of them grow and cultivate flowering plants. There are relatively few students like Wakaba Mutsumi who grow cucumbers.

Before Su Shi could figure out the answer to this question, a classmate from the brass band next to her asked, "Hey, Su Shi, did you and Ruoye have a fight?"

"Huh? Why would you ask that?"

Upon hearing the question, Nagasaki Motoyo immediately put on her face mask, revealing a formulaic business smile, making her expression as friendly as possible, and answered the question in a "sweet voice."

The classmate thought of Su Shi and said, "Because Su Shi, don't you usually have lunch with Ruoye at noon?"

Another classmate chimed in, "And Su Shi, you haven't spoken to Ruoye for several days."

Student C continued, "Was it something that happened when Ruoye and the student council president visited you, Su Shi, a while ago? It seems like you haven't been talking to Ruoye since then."

Su Shi maintained a forced, formulaic smile. If it were Aine or the others, they probably wouldn't have asked such a direct question.

However, the students of Tsukimori seem to be very interested in the changing relationship between Momo and Wakaba Mutsu. It's unclear whether this is because daily life in Tsukimori is too monotonous or because of some "traditions" of the noble girls' school.

"That's not true~" Su Shi explained to the students in front of her in her slightly "smooth" business voice, "It's just that I haven't been able to find anything to talk about with Ruoye lately, so this is why I'm acting like this."

"Can't find a topic to talk about? Speaking of which, Su Shi, what do you usually talk about with Ruoye? I've talked to Ruoye before, and I really feel like we can't find anything to talk about."

"Yes, yes, I tried to chat with Wakaba when we were on duty together before, but I usually had to say several sentences before she would give a simple reply. It felt really difficult to have a conversation with Wakaba."

"Looking at it this way, it's really amazing that Suze-chan was able to chat with Wakaba-san for so long before. It's normal that she can't find common ground with each other for the time being."

Seeing that everyone's attention was slowly shifting away from her, Su Shi breathed a sigh of relief and turned her head to look at Ruoye Mutsu below once again.

Quite coincidentally, as if sensing her gaze, Wakaba Mutsu looked up and looked in this direction, and their eyes met in the air.

Seeing the girl below with an expression as if she wanted to say something, Su Shi's expression flashed coldly for a moment. Then she withdrew her gaze, looked at the other classmates in front of her, put on the mask again, and revealed a hypocritical smile.

When the performance begins: Chapter 156 Gao Songdeng's First Visit to Meteor Hall

Hinasaki and Chihaya Aine skillfully led Takamatsu Akari to Ryuseido.

They entered the courtyard, the gravel path beneath their feet making a soft rustling sound. Grandma Arisa, who was sweeping the yard, looked up and saw Aine and Tsuki, a kind smile spreading across her face. "Oh dear~ Aine and Tsuki, you've come again, and you've brought a new face with you." Grandma Arisa stopped sweeping and looked at them gently.

Chihaya Aine smiled and replied, "Grandma, we brought a new friend today. This is Akari, the lead singer of our band." As she spoke, she pushed Akari Takamatsu out from behind her and gently pushed her to the front.

Takamatsu Akari stood somewhat awkwardly in front of Grandma Arisa, bowing her head and saying softly, "Excuse me..."

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Aine, Grandma said to Rakuna, "Arisaki hasn't returned yet. Aine, why don't you go to the underground warehouse and wait for them?"

"Then we'll head down now. Sorry to bother you."

As Yue spoke, she, Aine, and Xiaodeng headed towards the underground warehouse of Meteor Hall.

Xiaodeng sat on the sofa, curiously looking around, while Aiyin was fiddling with the tip of her hair, deep in thought.

"Hey, Xiaoyue, Aine, why do you think most people prefer to put recording studios and practice rooms underground?"

"The performance halls of Circle and Galaxy that I visited before were all underground, as were Xiaoyue's recording studio and the secret warehouse of Popipa seniors."

There's another part that Aine didn't mention: the audition stage seems to be located underground, but since Kodama doesn't know this yet, she didn't say it outright.

Yue was slightly speechless at Aine's sudden question, but after thinking for a while, she suggested a possibility: "Maybe it's because it's cheaper underground? And if it's surrounded by soil, it will also help with sound insulation."

"Hmm...is that so?" Although what Yue said made some sense, Aine felt that it was still not explained well enough.

Fortunately, Kasumi Toyama's voice came from the stairs, interrupting Aine's further thoughts: "Ah! Akari, Aine, Tsukiko, you've arrived."

Looking up, Yue saw Kasumi Toyama, Arisa Ichigaya, Kokoro Tsurumaru, Misaki Okuzawa, and Ritsuki Shiina, who was holding Rana's collar behind her, coming down the stairs one after another.

It seems they came together after school at Hanasakigawa Girls' Academy.

However, Tsuki was very curious as to why Shin-senpai Tsurumaki and Misaki Okuzawa came together. It couldn't have been a coincidence, could it?

Genmaki's gaze immediately fell on Takamatsu Akari, whose face was devoid of a smile. She walked up to Akari, flashed a bright smile, and said to her with sparkling energy and curiosity, "Akari! Why don't you smile?"

Takamatsu Akari clearly hadn't encountered a character like Genmaki Shin before. Faced with this sudden question, her eyes darted away, and she seemed somewhat at a loss. She lowered her head slightly, her fingers nervously twisting together, her lips pressed into a straight line, unsure how to respond.

Standing to the side, Yue felt a pang of unease seeing Xiaodeng's predicament. She knew Genmaki's personality, but she hadn't expected her to ask such a direct question.

For a moment, Yue didn't know how to help Xiaodeng out of the predicament, so she could only stand aside and watch them helplessly.

Riki noticed Takamatsu's predicament and wanted to help, but Okusawa Misaki had already taken action before she could.

Misaki was initially hesitant to let Kokoro join tonight's event alone, so she came along as well.

Seeing this, she immediately stepped forward and said, "Alright, alright, Shin, can't you see that Takamatsu Akari is very troubled? Let's sit down and talk about it slowly."

Genmaki Kokoro clearly listens to her Misaki very much. Upon hearing Misaki's words, she immediately sat obediently to the side, still wearing a bright smile on her face, but no longer asking Kotori questions so directly.

Arisa Ichigaya also took out disposable paper cups from the storage space under the stairs and carefully poured everyone the drinks she had just brought down.

Yue glanced at the number of cups on the table in front of her, a hint of curiosity and doubt flashing in her eyes. She looked up and asked, "Where are the others from Popipa?"

Upon hearing Yue's question, Ichigaya Arisa smiled and answered, "Ah, Satomi and Saya said they were going to buy some things first and would be a little late. Tae seems to have said she would come after finishing her part-time job."

Yue nodded to indicate that she understood. She picked up the cup in front of her, took a small sip, and felt the cool liquid slide through her mouth, relieving the summer heat.

Then she looked at the small lamp beside her and saw that the other person seemed to be gradually relaxing, and the expression on their face was no longer so tense.

Seeing that everyone was seated, Ichigaya Arisa spoke first, "Alright, now that everyone is here, let's talk about the problems you've encountered. Akari, Riki mentioned earlier that she had some questions she needed to ask, could you elaborate?"

Deng nodded, took a deep breath, organized her thoughts, and began to explain, "I want to know, what is the purpose of Popipa and HHW forming the band?"

Upon hearing Kodama's words, Kasumi's face lit up with an excited smile. She patted her chest and said energetically, "Of course, it's for kirakira, dokidoki on stage!"

Hearing her lead singer's words, Ichigaya Arisa covered her face in exasperation and sighed deeply. On the way here, she had specifically told Toyama Kasumi to think things through carefully before speaking. Even though she already knew what Koharu wanted to ask, she still managed to come up with these incomprehensible words.

"Sigh, let me explain..." Just as she was about to act as a translator and explain Kasumi's language to everyone, Takamatsu Akari nodded and said seriously, "Hmm...I see."

“???” Ichigaya Arisa’s face showed a shocked expression. She turned to look at Takamatsu Akari and saw the serious look in the other’s eyes. She probably really understood what Kasumi had just said.

“???” Ichigaya Arisa’s face showed a shocked expression. She turned to look at Takamatsu Akari and saw the serious look in the other’s eyes. She probably really understood what Kasumi had just said.

"Kirin, do you really understand what Kasumi means?" Ichigaya Arisa couldn't help but ask Takamatsu Akari, her tone tinged with disbelief.

When the performance begins: Chapter 157 Every band has its own troubles

Takamatsu Akari was somewhat puzzled by Ichigaya Arisa-senpai's reaction, and said with a questioning tone, "Hmm... should I not have understood?"

Ichigaya Arisa covered her face and said resentfully, "No... it's nothing, I was just wondering what my worries were back then?"

Tsuki nodded and said, "As expected, Kasumi-senpai also enjoys the feeling of shining on stage."

Shiina Tatsuki then added, "Hmm... it fits Kasumi-senpai's answer perfectly, but it also fits poppin'Party very well."

"Huh???" Ichigaya Arisa exclaimed in the same way as Shiina Tatsuki. She never expected that three people could understand Kasumi's language in one night.

No, to be precise, depending on the situation, Chihaya Aine was probably able to understand Kasumi's words. In the end, it seemed that only Rakuna didn't understand?

Upon hearing everyone's replies, Kasumi Toyama's eyes seemed to sparkle: "Oh!! Tsukishiro, Riki, Akari, do you also like the feeling of 'kirakira, dokidoki' on stage?"

Xiaodeng lowered her head and pondered, then shook her head again: "Although I can understand what Kasumi-senpai said, it doesn't seem to align with our band's goals."

The obedient Kokoro, upon hearing Kodama's reply, leaned forward and said, "Kodama, would you like to hear about hhw's target?"

A bright smile spread across Kokoro's face as she excitedly declared, "Our goal at hhw is to bring happiness and smiles to everyone! Whether on stage or in life, we hope to bring joy and happiness to everyone!"

Xiao Deng listened to Senior Xin's words and a thoughtful expression appeared on her face. She said softly, "To bring joy and happiness to everyone..."