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

Yue had clearly developed some immunity. She gently pushed away the approaching peach with her fingers. "Come on, don't I know you? Rather than saying I lied to you, it's more accurate to say that your scriptwriting skills have indeed improved a lot. I didn't even notice any flaws at first."

"Tsk." Seeing that her coquettish tactics had failed, Peach's expression returned to normal as if she had just changed her face.

She pouted slightly, somewhat unwillingly, and said, "Honestly, Yue-chan, you're getting harder and harder to deal with."

Yue smiled, picked up the water glass on the table, took a small sip, and considered her next words. She put down the glass, her gaze becoming firm. "Now that we've been open and honest, it's time to discuss the specifics."

Peach nodded, her expression becoming serious. She crossed her hands on her knees, leaned forward slightly, and looked intently at Yue. "Alright, where should we begin?"

Yue said, "Why don't you start by telling me your original plan? If you really want to be open and honest with me, then tell me your original plan."

Peach gave a knowing look, "Didn't I already say it? My initial plan was to go on stage with you, Yue. My goal has never changed."

Yue felt ashamed after hearing Taozi's words. She hadn't expected that after going through so much trouble, the answer she finally got was one she already knew.

Upon closer reflection, it seems that this is indeed the case. Before I and Momoko started the Revue under the Tokyo Tower, the other party just wanted to pull me back to perform Starlight together.

Before that, she would only go into the underground stage when watching band performances. After she and Momo severed the ties of that wish, she never went into the underground stage again when watching performances.

Momoko continued, "It's a pity that I can't perform Starlight with you, but I'm very satisfied to be able to perform on stage with you, even as your rival."

Yue couldn't help but sigh at the process of arriving at this answer: "This really is the shortest shortcut—the long way around is the best way..."

Although she had already found the answers to most of the questions, there was still one question that Yue hadn't figured out: "Then what was Nagasaki Motoyo's purpose?"

“Su Shi…” Upon hearing Su Shi’s name, Momoko Kurosawa’s face showed a slight embarrassment. Her eyes flickered, as if she was recalling something. She unconsciously bit her lower lip, her fingers gently fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, her tone tinged with helplessness, “Initially, it was to prevent Su Shi from bothering Xiangzi and affecting the formation of our band.”

Peach paused, her embarrassment deepening. She lowered her head, avoiding Yue's gaze, and lightly traced lines on the table with her finger. "Later... later we realized we'd gone a bit too far, and it seems she doesn't intend to return to your band."

Her voice grew softer and softer, as if she were finding it difficult to speak, and the expression on her face became even more complicated.

Looking at Taozi's appearance, Yue frowned slightly. Although she had already guessed the answer, she still felt helpless and disappointed after hearing it with her own ears.

Momoko then raised her head and forced an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Tsuki-chan, things really didn't turn out this way."

"Sigh..." Seeing the apologetic look on Momo's face, Yue didn't know what to say. After all, Su Shi's initial intention was not to stay in this band for long.

Even if Su Shi hadn't quit during the performance that day, she would have chosen to quit later when she learned that Xiangzi was going to form a band with Chu Hua. It's just that this conflict has surfaced earlier than expected.

However, despite saying that, Yue still felt somewhat uneasy about letting Momo off so easily. Her gaze gradually sharpened, occasionally sweeping over Momo as she pondered to herself. Momo, sitting opposite her, seemed somewhat uneasy, stealing glances at Yue's expression from time to time, her fingers unconsciously clenching the hem of her clothes.

Suddenly, Yue had a brilliant idea, a sly glint in her eyes. She knew that if she were to impose any punishment, given Taozi's personality, she would likely find it turned into a reward.

A playful smile crept across her face. She leaned forward slightly, rested her chin on her hand, and looked directly at Peach, deliberately drawing out her words, "Peach, since you feel sorry, you have to do something to make up for my feelings."

Peach paused, a hint of doubt and nervousness flashing in her eyes. She asked cautiously, "Moon-chan, what do you want me to do?"

When the Stage Opens: Chapter 171 What Happened That Night (Mistaken)?

Gao Songdeng stared at the notebook in front of her, her brows slightly furrowed, her fingers lightly tracing the densely packed lyrics on the pages. She felt as if her emotions were trapped in an invisible cage, wanting to express them but always feeling powerless.

"It still doesn't work..." she murmured softly, her voice tinged with helplessness and frustration, her eyes revealing a faint worry.

Several sheets of paper covered with lyrics were scattered on the table, each bearing the marks of her repeated reflection and revisions.

Some of the papers had been crumpled at the edges and covered with marks of deletions and alterations, making them look particularly messy.

She slowly closed the notebook, the indescribable emotion in her heart like an invisible barrier between her and the lyrics.

She understood that although the song expressed her truest feelings, it still fell short of conveying them to Nagasaki Motoyo.

Shiina Tatsuki shared the same thoughts as Takamatsu Akari. She sat in front of her computer, hands on the keyboard, her eyes fixed intently on the music software on the screen. Her brow was furrowed, and her eyes revealed a hint of frustration and unease.

The screen displayed her latest revised piece of music, but she always felt that the notes were not arranged perfectly and could not convey the emotions in Xiaodeng's lyrics.

She recalled yesterday's rehearsal, every detail of which kept replaying in her mind.

Despite everyone's best efforts, the music still sounded a bit off, as if some key element was missing. Li Xi tried to make constant modifications, but no matter how she adjusted it, the effect was still unsatisfactory.

"The rhythm in this part is still too monotonous," she muttered to herself, gently tapping the keyboard, trying to change the rhythm of the melody.

She lengthened some notes and shortened others, and tried to add new elements to the chords. However, no matter how she changed them, the music still sounded stiff, lacking fluidity and emotion.

She sighed, leaned back slightly in her chair, closed her eyes, and tried to calm her thoughts.

The countless tracks and notes displayed on the music software seemed to dance in her mind, but they still couldn't find a perfect way to combine them.

“It still doesn’t work…” Li hope murmured, his tone revealing a hint of weariness and helplessness.

She recalled the melody of the first version of the piece, her initial inspiration, which, though imperfect, was full of her most genuine emotions.

She tried countless revisions, but she could never remove the bass part, or rather, no matter which version she removed, it never sounded as good as the first one.

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The next morning, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains into Hinasaki Tsuki's room. Momoko Kurosawa dragged her weary steps out of Tsuki's room. Her eyes were filled with weariness, slightly puffy, and had noticeable dark circles. Her hair was somewhat disheveled, clearly not carefully styled.

She stretched listlessly, yawned, and looked utterly dejected. Her long conversation with Yue last night had left her with almost no rest. She went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face, trying to clear her head, but it had little effect.

Momoko put on her school uniform, her movements somewhat mechanical. She gently pushed open the door to her room, and as she stepped out, she stopped and looked back at Hinasaki, who was still fast asleep in bed.

Yue was lying peacefully on the bed, her soft breathing indicating she was sound asleep. The soft bed felt exceptionally comfortable, and a faint smile graced her face, as if she were experiencing some kind of joy even in her dreams.

Because of the morning exercise at Shengxiang Music Academy, they need to be at school by 6 a.m. So every time she comes to Yue's house, she has to get up very early the next day to catch the first tram, otherwise she will miss the morning exercise and get a scolding from the teacher.

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Two hours later, Hinasaki sat on the train to Haneoka, holding her schoolbag, her head resting against the window, yawning repeatedly.

When she woke up in the morning, she found it was much later than usual. She hurriedly got ready and went out. Now, sitting on the tram, she felt sleepy as the tram swayed slightly.

Yue struggled to open her eyes, gazing at the scenery rushing past the window, but her vision was blurry and her mind a jumble. She gently rubbed her temples, trying to clear her head. However, no matter how hard she tried, drowsiness washed over her like a tide.

"Really, we chatted too late last night..." Yue muttered to herself, a hint of helplessness in her voice.

She knew today would be a tough day, but she could only grit her teeth and persevere. She adjusted her posture, trying to make herself more comfortable, and closed her eyes for a short rest, hoping to regain some energy.

However, she soon realized she had overlooked the true value of the morning rush hour passenger flow. As the tram arrived at the next station, students heading to school and office workers quickly filled the carriage. The slightly noisy atmosphere and complex smells in the carriage made it impossible for her to fall asleep.

Yue reluctantly opened her eyes and noticed that the school uniform worn by the girl standing in front of her looked somewhat familiar. She blinked, trying to focus her gaze on the girl in front of her.

"A student from Hanasaki River?"

Yue looked up and saw those dark green pupils and shoulder-length black hair. She quickly searched her memory and finally remembered the face.

"Hachiman-kun?" Yue called out Hailin's name with some uncertainty.

She had only met him twice before. Once was when she accompanied Lixi back to Hanasaki River to see Rakuna, and the other time was by chance on the subway, just like now.

"So, does that mean their house is in the same direction as mine?"

"Hmm..." Hai Ling paused slightly, then looked down at Yue, her brows furrowing slightly as if trying to recall something. After a few seconds, a bright light flashed in her eyes, indicating that she had finally remembered.

The other person seemed to be someone she had exchanged contact information with on the subway before, someone she had told that she could come to her for bass mercenaries if needed.

After discovering that the other party seemed to be the keyboardist of the Lixi Band, she originally thought that the other party probably wouldn't contact her, as she had almost forgotten about Yue.

"Hinasaki-san?" Hailin finally managed to recall Yue's name from her memories and responded with a hint of probing and doubt.

When the Stage Opens: Chapter 172 Poetry?

"Yes, it's me." Yue nodded, acknowledging her identity.

After a brief exchange, the two fell into a tacit silence, the noise and crowding of the carriage becoming even more pronounced. Yue and Hailing had very little in common, having only met once or twice before.

Yue looked away, trying to relax, but the atmosphere around her became increasingly awkward. Because there were people all around, Hailing couldn't change her position, and the two of them could only avoid each other's gaze and stand silently in the carriage.

Finally, unable to bear the strange atmosphere any longer, Yue took the initiative to ask, "Are Hailin and Lixi classmates?"

“Yes.” Hachiman Kairin nodded. “Tsuki-san is also in a band with Ritsuki and the others, right?”

The two women tacitly started a conversation about Riki, or rather, before it was revealed that Hailing was also a member of ave_mujica, their only common topic was Shiina Riki.

The noise in the carriage was still there, but the awkward atmosphere between the two had eased considerably.

Yue looked at Hailing with a hint of curiosity and anticipation in her eyes. She turned slightly to the side, getting a little closer so she could hear Hailing's voice more clearly in the noisy carriage. "Hailing, can you tell me what Lixi is like at school?"

Hai Ling was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting Yue to ask such a question. She lowered her head to think for a moment, then looked up and said, "Li Xi is actually a loner in class, and most of the classmates think that Li hope is a very aloof person."

"So aloof...?" Tsuki recalled Shiina Tatsuki's unusually passionate tone when facing Takamatsu Akari, and a "not so bad" expression appeared on her face.

Seeing Yue's expression, Hailing continued, "But in my opinion, Lixi is actually quite childish. I put drinks on her head a few times before, and her slightly annoyed expression was actually quite cute."

A smile appeared on Hailing's face, clearly recalling Lixi's expression back then. She gently tapped her temple with her finger, as if reminiscing about that amusing time.

As Yue listened to Hailing's description, she couldn't help but smile, the slightly annoyed expression on Lixi's face flashing through her mind.

She nodded slightly. "In some ways, Lixi is quite consistent inside and out; at least she often shows this kind of expression in the band."

Hearing Yue's words, Hailing was clearly also interested in Lixi's image in the band: "What is Lixi like in the band?"

Yue recalled Lixi's various contributions to the band, saying, "Lixi was very responsible in the band. She was in charge of booking our recording studio and arranging our rehearsal schedules."

"Moreover, Li hope is mostly a person who says one thing but means another. Although she always says scolding things, she actually cares about each of us a lot. Before, because of Aine's guitar skills, Li Xi always told her to practice more, but later Li hope still quietly changed the sheet music for Aine to be simpler."

Yue glanced at Hailing with a slightly restrained look, as if she was thinking about something. She lowered her head slightly, her tone hesitant, "Um, Hachiman-kun, can we exchange contact information? I think we might have a chance to discuss some things about the band in the future."

Hai Ling nodded. "Of course." She took her phone out of her bag, opened the contacts page, and handed it to Yue.

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After exchanging contact information with Hachiman Kairin, Yue walked to the classroom door. Just as she was about to open it, she suddenly felt an invisible pressure coming from inside. She stopped, frowned, and a sense of foreboding rose in her heart.

She peered into the classroom through the glass in the door and quickly located the source of the gravitational field—Takamatsu lamp.

Yue gently pushed open the classroom door and entered the classroom as quietly as possible.

Her gaze passed over Takamatsu Tou and landed on Chihaya Aine sitting behind him. Aine noticed Tsuki's gaze, looked up, and met his eyes.

Aine looked helpless and spread her hands slightly, indicating that she didn't know what had happened either.

Yue asked Aine with her eyes, "What happened?" Her brows furrowed slightly, her eyes filled with worry.

Aine gently shook her head, her lips moving silently. "I don't know." Her expression held a hint of helplessness, clearly indicating that she was also at a loss about the situation with the lamp.

Yue nodded, indicating that she understood.

"What on earth happened to make Xiaodeng like this?" Yue thought to herself, thinking that she would find an opportunity to talk to Xiaodeng during the break between classes.

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During lunch break, the atmosphere in the Astronomy Club of Haneoka Girls' Academy was unusually tense. Hinasaki Tsuki sat seriously in front of Takamatsu Akari, tapping her fingers lightly on the table in an attempt to get Akari's attention.

Chihaya Aine stood behind Tsuki, her expression equally serious, and silently nodded in agreement.