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

She pushed open the balcony door, leaned closer to take a closer look, and found a standard phantom thief mask next to the invitation, with a line of small print next to the mask: When the stars shine in the night, I will lead you to witness an even greater brilliance.

Yue frowned, her curiosity fully aroused. She slowly reached out and took the invitation down from the wall, carefully examining the small print. Various guesses flashed through her mind. She peeked out and looked around. All was quiet except for the night wind gently rustling the leaves. She squinted slightly, trying to find the phantom thief who sent the invitation in the darkness, but there was no one on the balcony.

She couldn't help but wonder how the other person had managed to do that.

As for who was behind this invitation, she didn't need to think to figure it out. The only people who could do something like this and recently said they wanted to invite them to a show were the members of Hello Happy World.

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Gao Songdeng sat at his desk, a notebook open in front of him, engrossed in writing lyrics.

As night deepened outside the window, a cool evening breeze gently blew in through the open window, bringing a refreshing feeling. Her pen danced across the paper, her thoughts immersed in composing melodies and lyrics.

Suddenly, a soft whooshing sound interrupted her thoughts. Before Takamatsu could react, she saw a dark shadow fly in through the window and land precisely on her desk.

She paused for a moment, then looked up at the window. Outside, all was quiet, as if everything that had just happened was just an illusion.

She looked down at the invitation that had suddenly appeared on the table, a puzzled expression on her face.

It's important to understand that Gao Songdeng's home isn't the kind on the first or second floor where someone could be thrown in using a parabola; she lives on a high floor, and there's practically no place to stand outside that window.

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On the other side, Aine and Riki were in the same situation. Aine was at home scrolling through her phone, watching the number of likes on her newly posted photo with Chu Hua skyrocket, when Xun's invitation arrived as scheduled, landing precisely on her bed.

Lixi had just delivered Xiaodeng home and hadn't even entered her house when she saw the invitation stuck on her door.

As for Ryuna-chan, Shifune Tsuzuki walked into Ryuna's room with the invitation that Kaoru had just left at her house and said, "Ryuna, here's an invitation for you."

Lena turned her head blankly, traces of unfinished matcha daifuku still on her face: "An invitation?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The banned band finally made its appearance, meow!

When the Stage Opens: Chapter 162 Ai Yin: I Feel My Worldview Collapse

In Yue's house, everyone sat around the coffee table in the living room. On the table were five black invitations, each printed with the mysterious phantom thief's mask. The atmosphere in the room was somewhat heavy. Everyone looked at each other, trying to find some clues from each other's expressions.

"So everyone received it?" Chihaya Aine broke the silence first, picking up one of the invitations with a look of confusion in her eyes.

"Yes, I was writing lyrics when this thing suddenly flew in through the window." Takamatsu nodded, a hint of unease in his eyes.

Shiina Tatsuki frowned, thinking for a moment, and said, "Me too, I just got home and saw this on the door."

Lena calmly replied, "My grandma gave it to me."

Hinasaki was the last to speak. Looking at the invitation, she recalled the scene: "I had just finished taking a shower when I heard a noise outside the window. I opened the window and saw this."

"What exactly is going on?" Ai Yin couldn't help but ask, her voice filled with a hint of doubt.

Yue looked at Aine speechlessly, but after thinking about it carefully, it was normal for Aine to find it strange since she knew nothing about Hello Happy World.

Chihaya Aine noticed that no one seemed to react to her remarks, and asked in confusion, "Doesn't anyone find this strange?"

Li hope shook her head. "That's the performance style of Senior Xin's band."

Looking at Rikki's knowing expression, Aine exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Rikki, you mean this invitation was sent to us by Shin-senpai Tsurumaki? Although Shin-senpai and the others said they were going to hold a performance, this way of sending out invitations is too strange."

Yue nodded, a subtle expression on her face, and said to Aine, "Aine, if you've ever seen the Hello Happy World performance, you'll understand why Riki and I are so sure."

"But..." Aine was still confused, "Isn't this method a bit too extreme?"

Yue chuckled lightly, "That's just how Hello Happy World is; they like to use all sorts of creativity and surprises to attract the audience's attention."

Li hope chimed in, "That's right, Senior Xin and the others always like to organize some strange but interesting activities, and this invitation is exactly in line with their style."

Seeing the two of them talking about things that were hard to understand, Aine turned her gaze to Takamatsu Akari, who was standing to the side, and asked, "Akari, don't you think this is strange?"

Takamatsu Akari shook her head and said, "I think... this invitation method, just like the one used by the phantom thief, is pretty cool."

"Aine, why don't you search for Hello Happy World performances and take a look?" Yue felt that seeing is believing. Once Aine had seen a few Hello Happy World performances, she would understand why she and Riki were so indifferent.

"Let me see?" Ai Yin picked up her phone and typed "Hello Happy World" into the search bar. The first trending video that popped up was of Michelle holding a stringed heart and flying in the sky.

"???" Ai Yin felt like she had been hit on the head by Michelle. She rubbed her eyes and checked the scene in front of her again.

Aine's eyes widened in disbelief. "W-what's going on?"

She turned to look at Hinasaki and Shiina Ritsuki, who both looked calm, and then pointed to the video preview image on her phone, her fingers trembling slightly.

"You...you're just so calm?" Aine felt she couldn't accept this fact.

Unconvinced, she went to find Lena and Xiaodeng to confirm. Lena was lounging on the sofa with her eyes half-closed, seemingly uninterested in Aiyin's question. Xiaodeng glanced at her a few times and then said that she thought Michelle was very handsome.

Ai Yin felt as if she had entered a completely unfamiliar world. She looked at the video preview image on her phone screen again, which showed Michelle flying, flashing lights, and colorful fireworks.

"What's wrong with this world... Am I the only one who feels that something is wrong?" Aine clicked on the video with a sense of doubt.

In the video, Michelle is wearing her signature bear costume, complete with wings, and flames shooting from her feet like Iron Man, while she flies through the sky holding a string heart.

Judging from the angle from which the video was shot, it was probably uploaded by a content creator who lives in a high-rise apartment, and you can hear quite a few screams.

As everyone knows, videos cannot be edited. Chihaya Aine had been hoping that someone had posted a video with special effects when she was looking at the preview images outside, but now that she actually saw the video without any special effects, Aine's mouth dropped open in astonishment.

She stared at the screen, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief. Ai Yin finally couldn't help but exclaim, "This...this is too unbelievable! Mi Yi OD Yi Qi Su 5 Cu Shi Jiu Ge She Er can actually fly!"

Yue walked over to Aine, gently patted her shoulder, and comforted her, "Don't worry, after all, Michelle is a bear who brings smiles to everyone. By the way, according to the setting, Michelle actually has a younger sister."

Aine was puzzled by Yue's words. She turned to look at Yue, her eyes filled with confusion and surprise. "Why are you telling me this now? It can't be that Michelle's sister can fly like Iron Man, can it?"

Yue smiled slightly and shook her head, "It's nothing... I just wanted you to know."

After Chihaya Aine gradually accepted the fact that Hello Happy World was a performance full of her own style, everyone was finally able to start discussing the next topic.

"The invitation says she'll come to pick us up, but how exactly? Will Michelle carry us there in her arms?"

Ai Yin's voice carried a hint of uncertainty and anticipation. Clearly, the video of Michelle Fei that she had just seen had shattered her worldview, so much so that she still couldn't forget it.

Yue said somewhat uncertainly, "It shouldn't be... that exaggerated, right? Although Hello Happy World's performance style is indeed very unique, it's not really appropriate to use the Michelle armor on the street."

Lixi nodded in agreement.

After hearing what Yue said, Aine said, "Yue, Rikki, you guys also know that's the Michelle Armor! You guys find it strange too, right?"

"Tsk..."

After thinking for a while, Gao Songdeng said something that perfectly matched her imagination: "Maybe they will use some special means of transportation, such as a rainbow carriage or something."

When the Stage Opens: Chapter 163 HHW's Performance

In the end, the way we greeted "Hello Happy World" was both ordinary and extraordinary.

Looking at the ultra-long Lincoln sedan in front of her, Yue fell silent for a moment. The car was almost twice the length of a regular sedan, and its black paint gleamed in the sunlight.

Ai Yin's eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape, her face filled with astonishment. "This...this is the car they sent to pick us up?"

Lixi was equally stunned by the car. Her eyes widened slightly, and her lips twitched. "Hello Happy World always brings unexpected surprises."

Yue carefully examined the length of the vehicle, simulating the turning process in her mind, but no matter how she thought about it, the car didn't seem capable of turning smoothly. "Can this car really turn?"

Just as Yue was lamenting that her assessment of the Tsurumaki family's wealth had been somewhat inaccurate, the car door opened, and several women in black suits stepped out. Each of them was tall and straight, with serious expressions, resembling bodyguards, yet exuding an air of elegance and professionalism.

The leader of the group of women in black glanced at them and nodded, confirming their identities. Her voice was calm and polite: "You must be Ms. Hinasaki, Ms. Chihaya Aine, Ms. Takamatsu Akari, Ms. Shiina Tatsuki, and Ms. Kaname Rakuna."

Yue nodded and said, "Yes, that's us."

The man in black gestured for everyone to come in and get into the car: "Miss Xin has sent us to invite you to the stage."

Ai Yin couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Isn't this a bit too formal? Is Senior Shin planning something big?"

Yue patted Aine on the shoulder, gesturing for her to get in the car. "Let's go take a look first."

As everyone boarded the vehicle, they were stunned by its luxurious interior. The interior was exquisitely decorated, with soft leather seats, sparkling crystal chandeliers, and a small bar stocked with various drinks and snacks.

Aside from the lack of a toilet and kitchen, this place is practically a small living room.

"Now I have a general idea of ​​what the inside of such a long car looks like."

"Hmm, do you have matcha parfait?" Lena asked, looking at the refrigerator in the corner.

“Of course, Miss Xin said we should take good care of you.” The man in black nodded and took a cup of matcha parfait from the car refrigerator, handing it to Yao Lenai.

"I'm starting!" Kaoru's face lit up with joy when she saw her favorite matcha parfait.

The car was driving smoothly on the road, and the scenery outside the window was rushing by. Yue couldn't help but ask curiously, "Excuse me, where exactly is our destination?"

The man in black smiled slightly, maintaining his air of mystery, "Miss Xin wishes to give you a surprise, so please be patient."

After driving smoothly for about twenty minutes, the car slowly came to a stop. The man in black turned around and said, "Everyone, we've arrived."

As the man in black outside opened the car door, Yue was the first to get out, followed by Takamatsu Akari, Shiina Tatsuki, Chihaya Aine, and Kaname Rakuna.

As soon as they got out of the car, they were stunned by the sight before them.

A massive cruise ship came into view, its lights gleaming, the "Hello Happy World" logo emblazoned on its hull, making it particularly eye-catching. Colorful light strips surrounded the ship, shimmering as if glowing with vibrant colors in the night. The words "Hello Happy World" were prominently displayed on the ship's side.

"Wow...this is too exaggerated!" Chihaya Aine's eyes widened, her mouth agape in astonishment.

The man in black nodded and explained with a smile, "This is Miss Xin's private yacht, the Smile. Today's performance will be held aboard it."

Yue felt her worldview being challenged once again. She had already been overestimating the wealth of the Tsurumaki family when she saw the enormous car behind her, until she heard the man in black introduce it as Tsurumaki Shin's private "yacht".

Such a large ship should be called a cruise ship by any measure, yet the Tsurumaki family treats it as a yacht... and it's Tsurumaki Shin's private property, not the Tsurumaki family's.

She silently wondered if she had ever offended Shin Tsurumaki before, and whether she would be sunk into Tokyo Bay because of touching her in the past.

The woman in black led everyone towards the cruise ship's boarding gate, where the crew members were already waiting. Upon their arrival, they all smiled warmly. "Welcome, everyone. Please follow me," said a uniformed crew member.

The group followed the crew onto the cruise ship, and the moment they stepped onto the deck, they were once again awestruck by the sight before them.

The deck was decorated like a giant stage, surrounded by lights and sound equipment, with a huge "Hello Happy World" sign on the central stage.

Yue pointed to the huge stage on the deck in front of her and said, "Is this the venue for the performance later?"

The man in black shook his head. "The specific location is underground. Please move downstairs."

After speaking, the man in black led everyone towards the interior entrance of the cruise ship. The entrance was decorated with exquisite gold carvings, making it look exceptionally luxurious. Pushing open the heavy wooden door, a spacious corridor came into view. The walls on both sides were covered with various famous paintings and works of art, and the floor was covered with a thick red carpet, which felt very soft and comfortable with every step.

The man in black pushed open the door, revealing a huge hall. A massive crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, its light refracting through the crystals to create a dazzling array of colors, illuminating the entire hall as brightly as day.

The hall floor was covered with an exquisite carpet, embroidered with various intricate patterns and designs, exuding an air of great elegance. The surrounding walls were adorned with a variety of beautiful murals and decorative items, each piece radiating a rich artistic atmosphere.

Chihaya Aine pointed to a corner on one side of the stage and said with surprise, "Tsuki, there's a piano here too!"