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

The lead singer's voice began to tremble, and although she tried to adjust, the guitarist's rhythm problems affected her performance. The drummer attempted to salvage the situation by increasing the volume, but the effect was not ideal, instead making the entire performance even more chaotic.

"They were too nervous and couldn't perform at their usual level at all," Yue sighed inwardly.

As the band performing after Morfonica, they faced pressure from both Morfonica and the judging criteria announced by the judge, so their poor performance was to be expected.

However, this was exactly what the other side intended, as they wanted to reduce the number of people who could pass through as much as possible.

The band members bowed and silently walked off the stage with their instruments. Their faces were filled with disappointment and exhaustion, but there was also a hint of relief on their faces, as if the tension and pressure from just now had been released at this moment.

"The Moon Forest has caused so much harm..." Yue sighed.

----------

Several subsequent teams seemed to be significantly affected. Although their overall performances didn't go wrong in any major way, they made a series of small mistakes. The band members on stage looked tense, and their movements appeared somewhat stiff.

They played wrong chords, played slow tempos, and there were even instances where the lead singer forgot the entire lyrics. When Tsuki saw the other members of that band, she even showed a helpless expression, probably a sense of exhaustion and despair.

As the qualification review proceeded smoothly, Yue finally saw the figures of popi踆Rj贰?珊霖si究〈祁IIIpa』 on the stage.

When the Stage Opens: Chapter 187 Qualification Review (Part 2)

The atmosphere in the auditorium had become somewhat somber due to the mistakes of the previous bands, but everything began to change when Popipa stepped onto the stage. The stage lights shone brightly again, illuminating Kasumi's figure, making her appear exceptionally radiant. She picked up the microphone, a confident smile on her face.

"We are poppin'party!" Kasumi began her self-introduction before the performance.

"We are a band made up of five classmates from Hana-chan: lead guitarist Tae Hanazono, keyboardist Arisa Ichigaya, bassist Satomi Ushigome, drummer Saya Yamabuki, and vocalist and guitarist Kasumi Toyama. We are poppin'Party." Kasumi introduced the band members one by one.

"Kasumi, we've already talked about this." As always, Arisa began to play the role of the straight man to ease the tension.

"Huh? Anyway, this is our first time performing in Tsuki no Mori. We are really happy to be able to perform in Tsuki no Mori, but we are also nervous about having to go through the qualification review."

"However, when we stand on the stage and feel the kirakira, dokidoki atmosphere, the tension in our hearts completely disappears."

"Please listen to Happy Happy Party!"

"Monday Hikari! Tossing the song

Tuesday Today I am feeling the best!

Wednesday キミのことをもっともっと知りたい”

Kasumi took a deep breath, and her clear voice instantly resonated throughout the auditorium. Her singing was like a powerful stimulant, carrying an irresistible force that struck the hearts of every listener.

Her energetic and powerful voice swept away the somber atmosphere in the auditorium, and the audience below the stage were unconsciously drawn to her singing.

Tae Hanazono's fingerwork was fluid and natural, and accompanied by Kasumi's singing, she played a series of moving melodies.

Rimi and Saya's collaboration was also incredibly seamless, with the bass and drums adding depth to the song, while Arisaki's performance infused the entire song with soul.

The audience was gradually captivated by Popipa's music, with some swaying gently to the rhythm. Yue even saw Kurata Mashiro, the lead singer of Morfonica, humming along with Kasumi's voice.

"The Popipa members' performance is as amazing as ever, they really are kirakira on stage." Yue watched all this quietly from the back of the auditorium and sighed inwardly.

----------

"lyrics"

When the song ended, the audience gave Popipa the same enthusiastic applause as Morfonica, and the judges in the front row nodded in approval, seemingly very satisfied with Popipa's performance.

"Thank you everyone!" Kasumi held the microphone, her face beaming with a bright smile, her voice filled with gratitude and excitement. She and the other band members exchanged smiles and bowed to the audience in perfect unison.

"Please everyone, do your best on stage, kirakira, dokidoki!" Kasumi's voice was bright and powerful, as if it were full of endless energy.

Popipa's performance was like a dividing line. Before that, almost all the bands that performed on stage faced pressure and made various mistakes. Apart from Morfonica, no band passed the audition.

After Popipa took the stage, the subsequent bands seemed to receive their encouragement, and their performance level gradually returned to normal. Many bands were also able to pass the audition.

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

As the qualification review progressed, the time for Yue and her band to take the stage was finally approaching. Yue felt a tense atmosphere permeating among them.

Before heading backstage, Kasumi, still sporting that bright smile, cheered them on.

"Xiaoyue, Lixi, Aine, Xiaodeng, Ranna, do your best!" Kasumi said in a lively voice, her eyes sparkling with encouragement.

Although still a little nervous, Aine managed a forced smile: "Thank you, Kasumi-senpai. We will do our best."

———————————陾彡O（四）酒弃僄泗帬—

Nearly a hundred chapters later, Yue and the others finally stepped onto the real stage again. The fiery light of the spotlights above them shone on them, as if enveloping them in a warm halo. Yue stood in the center of the stage, feeling that long-lost excitement and nervousness, as if every pore of her body was breathing in the familiar atmosphere of the stage.

The eyes of the audience and judges surged toward them like a tidal wave, each pair of eyes filled with anticipation and curiosity. Yue could clearly feel that intense gaze, and her heart couldn't help but race.

Gao Songdeng stood to her right, holding a microphone, and slowly began their band's MC segment.

“Our band doesn’t even have a name yet, and we don’t even have all the members. Everyone in the band is like a lost child who can’t see the road ahead. But they’ve told me that even if we can’t see the road ahead, even if we’re lost, we have to keep moving forward.”

"We came here for the qualification review to convey our feelings to the member who was unable to perform on stage with us and who is also lost."

Hidden in the crowd, Nagasaki Motoyo's face was somber. Her long, flaxen hair fell down, obscuring her eyes and making it impossible to discern her thoughts. Her hands were clenched into fists, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

"You already told me not to worry about me..."

The stage lights were unaware of Nagasaki Motoyo's thoughts at that moment. She took a deep breath, her eyes glistening with tears, but her voice remained firm: "Please listen to 'Poetry Beyond Bonds'."

"Servant

みつけられない正解もNormalも

The world is far away"

Lena's guitar intro began softly, the notes flowing gently like water. Then, the sound of lights rang out, reciting the poetic lyrics.

"This is... a poem?" Rui Hachishio murmured softly, her voice filled with doubt and surprise. She had never heard such a unique form of song before.

"This is very interesting!" Aoba Mocha said with great interest as she watched Takamatsu Touka's performance on stage.

The band members in the audience were equally astonished; clearly, they had never seen this type of song before. They exchanged glances, their faces filled with curiosity and awe.

"うたううたうたういまああ世いて"

The sound of the lights continued, each word filled with emotion, and the audience was deeply captivated by this unique performance style.

When the Stage Opens: Chapter 188 Qualification Review (End)

"This is completely unexpected," Hinasaki Tsuki muttered to herself, her brow furrowed as she looked at the scene before her. Her gaze fell on the center of the stage, where Takamatsu Akari, dressed in a Revue costume, stood, her face filled with confusion and bewilderment. Akari's eyes were filled with unease, as if she had suddenly been placed in a strange world and didn't know how to deal with the situation.

On the other side of the stage, Nagasaki Motoyo held two gleaming pairs of scissors, her eyes revealing a firm and resolute determination. Her long, flaxen hair trembled slightly under the lights, and the resolve in her eyes burned like an unwavering flame. Her gaze was fixed on the light, as if speaking of some deep-seated obsession and determination within her.

Hinasaki rubbed her temples, trying to relieve the headache caused by confusion and tension.

Beside Yue, Chihaya Aine and Shiina Tatsuki also looked anxious.

----------

The incident dates back to a few hours earlier.

"ほどきたくないんだずっと一丝にいよううたうPUらになれるうたうたうここではじめようもうOnce”

As Gao Songdeng finished singing the last line, her voice echoed in the auditorium, as if a lingering melody still resonated in the air. Tears welled up in her eyes; deeply moved by the emotion of the song, she gently reached out and wiped them away.

Behind her, Aine, Riki, and Yue were also moved by the song, their eyes glistening with tears. Aine's hand trembled slightly as she raised it to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, a determined smile appearing on her face. Riki wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, took a deep breath, and tried to calm herself down. Yue's tears slid down her cheeks, but she still maintained her smile, her inner emotion and warmth overflowing at that moment.

After a moment of silence, applause finally erupted, coming from all directions of the auditorium and quickly coalescing into a thunderous roar.

As the applause from the audience gradually subsided, one of the judges picked up the microphone and asked, "Gao Songdeng, your performance was excellent, but it seems that your bass was a pre-recorded one? Is your bassist the same member you mentioned who got lost?"

Takamatsu Akari nodded slightly, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes. She took a deep breath and replied, "Well... I don't know if she's here or not, but I want to convey our feelings to her through this song at the Moon Forest Music Festival."

The judges smiled warmly, their tone full of approval and encouragement: "Our students are so lucky to have friends like you."

Standing in the back row, Yue tried to see the judges' panel, but her vision was blurry. However, she vaguely felt that one of the judges' faces looked very familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before. Yue's mind raced through fragments of memory, and suddenly, she remembered an important piece of information.

"It looks like... the chairman of the board of directors of Tsuki no Mori?" Tsuki murmured to herself, recalling a photo she had seen when investigating the school before she and Shoko first came to Tsuki no Mori. The chairman's face in that photo was almost identical to the judge in front of her.

A mix of nervousness and relief welled up in Yue's heart: "Thank goodness Xiaodeng didn't directly reveal Su Shi's name..."

The chairman continued, "Your performance was truly fantastic, and we look forward to seeing your perfect performance on the stage of the Moon Forest Music Festival."

Upon hearing this, Chihaya Aine's eyes lit up instantly, her voice filled with surprise: "Does that mean we passed?"

Her voice trembled slightly, barely containing her excitement. She gripped the guitar tightly, a radiant smile spreading across her face.

After exchanging glances, Li hope and Yue both showed expressions of relief.

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

After bowing deeply to the audience, they all stepped off the stage. Each of them was filled with excitement and pride. Once they were a certain distance from the stage, Aine finally couldn't contain herself any longer; an uncontrollable smile spread across her face, and her eyes sparkled with joy.

"Xiaoyue! Xiaodeng! Did you hear that? We passed!" Aiyin shouted happily to everyone, her voice trembling with excitement.

"It's so noisy! I'm not deaf, of course I heard it! We passed the qualification review." Although Shiina Tatsuki said this, her face was also full of excitement and joy.

"Alright, alright, I know you're all excited, but please calm down a bit," Yue said with a smile, trying to calm everyone down.

"Hmm... I wish Suze-chan were here too," Kodama said, her voice somewhat downcast.

Seeing this, Ai Yin gently patted Xiao Deng's shoulder and softly comforted her, "When the music festival comes, we'll definitely be able to sing this song for Su Shi."

Xiao Deng looked up at Ai Yin and nodded slightly.

———————Qualification review in progress—————————

An hour later, after all the teams in the auditorium had completed their qualification review, only a handful of the nearly 30 bands that participated in the review were able to pass.

Today's qualification review only applied to the girls' band; the performances by the brass band and the drama club were not seen.

However, this is quite normal. The audition for their girl band's performance alone took up an entire afternoon. If other performance auditions were to be added, there simply wouldn't be enough time.

In particular, the censorship of stage plays is basically calculated by the hour.

"I didn't expect it to take so long." Ai Yin stretched as she walked outside with everyone.

Chihaya Aine ran up to the group, excitedly turned around, and walked backwards. Her face was full of smiles, and her eyes sparkled.

"Hey, hey, Riki, Tsukimi, Kotatsuki, Rakuna, how about we go out for barbecue to celebrate passing the qualification test?" Aine suggested excitedly.

Barbecue? It's been a long time since I've had it. I don't have any problems... " Yue stopped walking as she spoke, a very complicated expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Ai Yin noticed something was amiss and saw that Li Xi and Xiao Deng had also stopped, their gazes fixed in a certain direction, their expressions becoming serious.

Before Aine could turn around, she instinctively stepped back and bumped into someone.

"Ah... I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention..." Aine hurriedly apologized, turned her head, and saw that familiar flaxen hair, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.