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

Lena's gaze swept over Su Shi and Takamatsu, a cunning glint appearing in her heterochromatic blue and yellow eyes.

“Su…Shi?” Ai’s voice trembled slightly with shock, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Su Shi stood there, her expression complex, her long flaxen hair falling over her shoulders, partially obscuring her face.

Her eyes held a hint of hesitation and unease, but more than anything, they were filled with determination.

"I have something to tell Xiaodeng."

When the performance begins: Chapter 189 Confrontation of Plain Lamps

“I have something to say to Xiaodeng.” Nagasaki Motoyo said this with a firm look in her eyes and an unwavering tone.

Shiina Riki immediately stepped forward, shielding the small lamp behind her, her body leaning slightly forward like a fierce beast protecting its cub. Her eyes were sharp and wary, filled with an unfriendly light, staring directly at Su Shi.

"What do you want to say to Xiaodeng?" Lixi's voice was low and calm, but the wariness within it was obvious.

Xiao Deng was shielded behind Li Xi, feeling a little nervous but mostly curious.

She peeked out from behind Lixi's shoulder, her gaze shifting between Su Shi and Lixi.

"Is that Su Shi over there?"

"It seems so. Those five people over there don't look like students from our school?"

"Shouldn't you be one of the students here today for the music festival qualification check? Does Su Shi have a band with students from other schools?"

"Huh? Really? I've never heard of it."

The whispers around them gradually increased, and Nagasaki Motoyo noticed that some of the students from Tsuki no Mori had noticed the commotion and were casting curious glances at them.

She frowned, clearly not wanting to cause a bigger commotion at school. Her gaze swept around, and seeing the growing number of students whispering among themselves, a sense of unease crept into her heart.

"Let's talk somewhere else," Su Shi said in a low voice.

Although Lixi was still somewhat reluctant, she understood that the current situation was not suitable for continuing here, so she nodded slightly to indicate her agreement.

Su Shi led the way to a small path behind the auditorium, leading to a central garden in the Moon Forest.

Yue glanced around, a wave of nostalgia washing over her. She remembered that she and Xiangzi had hidden here last time, and she hadn't expected that Su Shi would choose this place to talk to them again this time.

"Have the cucumbers here grown this big already?" Yue muttered to herself, her gaze lingering on several pots of cucumbers on a nearby shelf. She remembered being amazed when she last visited this place that some of the young ladies of the Moon Forest had chosen to grow cucumbers.

These cucumbers have clearly received meticulous care; each pot is thriving, with lush green vines and large cucumbers demonstrating the care of the grower.

Su Shi's gaze followed Yue's movements to the pots of cucumbers, a gentle light flashing in her eyes. The others present did not know that these pots of cucumbers were actually planted by Ruoye Mu.

“Let’s sit down and talk,” Su Shi said softly, gesturing for everyone to sit in the pavilion in the garden.

Xiaodeng followed closely behind, sitting next to Su Shi with a hint of nervousness and anticipation on her face. Li Xi sat down next to Xiaodeng without hesitation, as if she would step in to protect Xiaodeng if anything went wrong.

Aine and Rakuna sat at the two corners of the round table furthest from Su Shi, while Yue was the last to sit down, choosing to sit opposite Su Shi.

The atmosphere in the pavilion fell silent for a moment, with only the rustling of leaves in the breeze and the chirping of cicadas. Everyone was waiting for someone to speak first.

Xiaodeng broke the silence first. She turned to Su Shi and said softly, "Su Shi, did you see the performance today?"

Su Shi was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting that Xiao Deng would ask the question first. In her impression, Xiao Deng was not someone who would take the initiative to do anything in the band.

Her gaze lingered on Xiaodeng's face for a moment, then she lowered her head slightly, a hint of hesitation and struggle flashing in her eyes. She unconsciously rubbed her index finger, thinking about how to answer Xiaodeng's question.

If I directly tell them that I went to see their performance, will it give them the illusion that I still want to go back to the band?

If she didn't go to check, then there's no way to explain why she was able to stop them on their way back.

"The light is asking you a question," Shiina Ritsuki said, noticing that Nagasaki Motoyo hadn't spoken for a while.

Su Shi snapped out of her reverie, a fleeting look of inner conflict and turmoil crossing her face. She forced a formulaic smile and replied, "Even without me, the band's performance is still fantastic."

Upon hearing Su Shi's words, Yue felt a sense of unease. Although Su Shi's words indicated that she had indeed seen the band's performance, while ostensibly praising their brilliant performance, they were actually implying that the band didn't need her and that she was superfluous.

Yue looked at Xiaodeng with some concern, wanting to confirm her reaction. If the person she was talking to was Xiaodeng, she could still handle Su Shi's tricky answer.

But now that Su Shi has specifically mentioned wanting to talk to Xiao Deng, they shouldn't interfere too much.

“No!” Takamatsu Akari said almost without thinking. “No! Souyo! Your existence is very important to us. Souyo’s part has always been in the songs that Riki composed. When Aine made the costumes, she also made Souyo’s costume. When you’re not here, we always feel like something is missing, like we can’t be human.”

Su Shi's gaze wavered slightly, as if Xiao Deng's sincerity had broken down a corner of her defenses. But she quickly recalled that rainy day. The scene flashed through her mind, the cold rain lashing her heart, and that loneliness and disappointment surged back. Her previously wavering gaze instantly hardened.

"Is...that so?" Su Shi's voice trembled slightly with doubt. She took a deep breath and looked directly at Xiao Deng. "Then why did Crychic disband in the first place?"

"Huh?"

These words were like a sharp blade, piercing straight into Xiaodeng's heart. Her face turned pale instantly, and she opened her mouth, only to find herself speechless, unsure how to respond.

Shiina Riki, standing to the side, maintained a cold expression with her brows slightly furrowed. Under normal circumstances, if someone had said something that made Koyuki look like that, she would have already gone up and questioned the person. But it just so happened that Suze was talking about Crychic.

A complex emotion flickered in her eyes; she, too, didn't know how to answer Su Shi's question.

Yue didn't know the specifics of Crychic's disbandment and what happened afterward, but judging from Xiaodeng's expression, many of the people in Crychic made mistakes back then, otherwise Lixi and Xiaodeng wouldn't have remained silent.

Su Shi didn't stop there. She continued, "If you had persisted like you have now, Crychic wouldn't have disbanded; if you had treated me the way you do now, Xiao Xiang might have come back too."

When the Stage Opens: Chapter 190 Reuve the Plain Lamp

Everyone present remained silent, unable to answer Su Shi's questions. Xiao Deng's face was still pale, her eyes filled with pain and guilt.

Li Xi frowned, feeling extremely troubled. Faced with Su Shi's questioning, she had no way to answer. Back then, after Xiao Deng stopped coming to Crychic, she decisively chose to give up as well, leaving only Su Shi and Xiao Mu.

Since Yue, Aine, and Rana were not involved and it was not appropriate for them to get involved, they stood aside, their gazes shifting between Kodama and Sose.

Su Shi waited for Xiao Deng's response, and time seemed to stand still at that moment. The surrounding air became heavy, as if every breath was filled with pressure.

After a long while, Xiaodeng finally spoke, "Crychic... I've never forgotten Crychic!" Her voice was full of emotion, as if her long-suppressed feelings had finally been released.

Su Shi looked at Xiao Deng and saw tears streaming down her face. The tears slid down Xiao Deng's cheeks and dripped to the ground. Her eyes were filled with pain and regret, but even more so with a deep obsession.

"Is that so?" Su Shi's tone was very calm, as if she was controlling her emotions. "Then show me with your actions."

"What?" Xiaodeng was puzzled by Su Shi's words, her tearful eyes filled with confusion.

Su Shi's gaze was firm and calm. She took a deep breath and continued, "If you really haven't forgotten Crychic, then show me your inner self on stage."

The three insiders, Yue, Li Xi, Wu Yi, Qi Ba Ba Ling, Qi Liu Yi, and Ai Yin, immediately showed tense expressions. Su Shi's statement clearly indicated that he wanted to launch Revue.

Hinasaki, who now has a band called Revue, clearly doesn't want everyone to get involved. So after using Revue to persuade Aine last time, she originally wanted to seal away this ability, but unexpectedly, Sose brought it up here.

"Wait... can't we solve this in another way? Revue is too dangerous." Yue finally couldn't help but speak up to persuade her, her voice filled with obvious anxiety.

“That’s right, it’s not really appropriate to start a Revue or something just because we disagreed,” Chihaya Aine tried to persuade Suze, her tone tinged with tension and unease.

Lixi was more direct. She walked to Xiaodeng's side and said with unwavering determination, "Xiaodeng, don't agree to Sushi's request."

Kodama looked at Hinasaki and the others, who seemed extremely anxious, with a puzzled expression. In her memory, she had never seen Hinasaki so distraught.

"Moon, Aine, Riki, thank you, but I've already made my decision," Xiaodeng whispered.

Tsuki turned to look at Takamatsu Akari, only to see the same determined look in Akari's eyes.

At this moment, Gao Songdeng's gaze was firm, and her eyes shone with an indomitable light. She had made up her mind and would not waver easily.

At that moment, the familiar sound of Audition starting up rang out, and Su Shi and Xiao Deng's phones lit up simultaneously.

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

Sitting in the audience, Hinasaki knew that nothing could be changed now. Her gaze swept calmly across the stage. Although she felt a little nervous, she and Rakuna were much more composed than Chihaya Aine and Shiina Tatsuki, who were fidgeting beside her.

Indeed, Lena also followed them to the stage where the audition was being held. She sat next to Yue, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and excitement.

Despite doing nothing as a spectator, Revue's outfit and weapons magically appeared.

All I can say about this month is that this is the magic of Yoroi.

However, to be serious, it was Renai's demanding standards for the performance that made her recognized by the stage the moment she arrived.

Before the performance began, Yue wanted to talk to the giraffe to see if she could get more useful clues out of him: "Why do you also have a theater underground in the Moon Forest?"

The giraffe lowered its head slightly, its bright eyes fixed on the moon, its voice filled with passionate emotion: "This is merely a stage. As long as there are actors who want to perform, as long as there are audience members who want to see this play, the stage can appear anywhere."

"Hinasaki-kun, you... can understand, right?" the giraffe continued, his voice filled with deep expectation and trust.

Yue could understand some of what the giraffe was saying.

In essence, theatrical performance is not a particularly highbrow art form.

As the giraffe said, it doesn't really matter whether the stage is in a back alley or a grand theater, as long as there are actors and audiences.

Even a child's performance imitating the content of a TV series can be considered a performance.

If we consider it from this perspective, giraffes could theoretically appear anywhere in the world.

Yue continued, "Then what about the stage integration you mentioned earlier? What exactly is a band audition?"

The giraffe was somewhat surprised by Yue's words: "Has Momoko already told you about her script?"

Yue shook her head: "It's just some of my guesses. I pieced things together little by little after getting some information from clues and other people."

The giraffe's words were full of praise: "Hinasaki, next time you could consider participating in a detective-themed stage performance. Maybe you can bring some new elements to the stage."

"Let's forget about it. I'm already dealing with enough about the band alone." Yue shook her head. "Let's get back to the band audition. What exactly is Peach planning to do?"

Instead of answering Yue's question directly, the giraffe asked in return, "Hinasaki Yue, how many people participated in the audition back then?"

"Nine people? Why are you talking about this?" Yue told the giraffe who was deep in thought.

"What are some of the more well-known bands you know right now, Moon?" Giraffe continued to guide Moon.

"Popipa, Afterglow, Pastel Palettes, Roselia, Hello Happy World, Morfonica, Ras... and my band with Peach?"

As she counted the months, she gradually felt cold sweat pouring down her body. Guided by the giraffe, she also learned about Peach's original plan.

"So, that's why she went to organize ave_mujica?" Yue murmured to herself.

The members and musical styles of the other seven bands have already been finalized, and unless there are any major changes, the possibility of adding new members is almost zero.

However, the band that Yue had was not in line with Momoko's wish to perform with her again, so the only solution was for her to form a brand new band herself.

"It seems you've already understood, Hinasaki-san." The giraffe looked at the horrified Tsuki, his voice low and solemn.

“No… Momoko told me that to start a Revue, you first need to be a stage girl, and the other band members shouldn’t meet the requirements.” Yue frowned, suddenly realizing the loophole in the situation.

"Hinasaki, it seems you've fallen into a misconception." The giraffe shook its head after hearing Yue's words, its voice carrying a gentle correction.

Yue paused, her brows furrowing slightly, her eyes filled with confusion. She stared intently at the giraffe, waiting for an explanation.