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

"Wow, Su Shishi, what does this taste like?" Ai Yin's gaze quickly settled on the breakfast placed on Su Shishi's table.

The sandwiches on the table were neatly arranged, the aroma of fried eggs filled the air, and the bread slices were toasted to a golden brown and crispy, with a thin layer of butter on top. Next to them was a glass of hot milk, its fragrance irresistible, making one's mouth water.

"Su Shi, haven't you had breakfast yet?" Yue asked, noticing the breakfast on the table. They had arrived at Su Shi's house around 10 o'clock. They had been worried that Su Shi might not be home, but they were surprised to find that she was still eating breakfast.

Su Shi was about to return to the dining table when she heard Yue's question. She stopped, turned around, and looked at Yue, her brows furrowing slightly: "What's wrong?"

"I'm just a little surprised." Yue shook her head and didn't continue the conversation.

"Hey, Su Shishi, can I try your breakfast?" Ai Yin looked at the tempting bread sandwiches on the table, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Su Shi frowned, looked at the sandwich on the table, then at Ai Yin, her tone tinged with annoyance: "Didn't you have breakfast?"

Ai Yin shook her head, a hint of innocence on her face: "I came here early this morning so I could see Su Shishi." Her voice carried a touch of coquetry and anticipation.

"Alright, you can try it." Su Shi frowned as she agreed to Ai Yin's request, her tone tinged with helplessness and concern. She turned and walked towards the kitchen to prepare another breakfast.

Upon hearing this, Ai Yin excitedly picked up the sandwich on the table and carefully took a bite. The aroma of the fried egg and the crispness of the bread instantly burst in her mouth, and a happy smile appeared on her face: "Su Shishi, your cooking is so good!"

Su Shi was busy in the kitchen when she heard Ai Yin's praise: "Even if you say that, I won't make you an extra portion."

—————The girl is eating—————

Nagasaki Motoyo, feeling that trouble was imminent, placed the three cups of black tea from the saucer onto the coffee table.

She took a sip of black tea, the warm liquid spreading in her mouth, the familiar taste bringing her a sense of comfort and relaxation. She looked up from the teacup at her three friends sitting opposite her.

"Why did you come to my house so early?" she asked slowly.

Xiao Deng raised her head slightly, a hint of apology and concern flashing in her eyes: "Su Shi..." She was about to explain when Yue Qingqing stopped her.

"Let me handle Xiaodeng," Yue said softly, looking at Xiaodeng gently.

Xiao Deng hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.

After hearing what Yue said, Su Shi also looked at Hinasaki Yue with curiosity. She had always been curious about what this keyboardist who replaced Shoko had to say to her.

Yue felt Su Shi's gaze, slightly adjusted her posture, and slowly said, "Su Shi, what do you plan to do next?"

Before Su Shi could answer, Yue's next sentence followed: "The audition that Momoko mentioned before has changed. Now the audition is organized by bands, which is commonly known as band auditions."

Upon hearing this, Su Shi's pupils contracted sharply, and her heart raced instantly. The unexpected words from Yue's mouth caused her eyes to widen in shock and disbelief.

"To Bang... in the form of a band?" Su Shi's voice trembled slightly, her hands gripping the armrests of the chair tightly.

Yue nodded, her eyes filled with determination and concern: "Yes, Su Shi. This means we need to face the audition as a band, no longer an individual battle."

"And it's unlikely that you'll be able to join Peach's band," Yue continued to pressure Su Shi, once again silencing her.

A hint of helplessness and confusion flashed in Su Shi's eyes. She opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but was interrupted by Yue's next words.

"Peach's band is a commercially viable band that has been rigorously selected, and the lineup has already been finalized. Besides..." Yue hesitated, as if unsure whether to tell Su Shi about it.

Su Shi frowned, a growing unease settling in her heart. She stared at Yue, waiting for her to continue.

"Besides... Toyokawa Shoko is in Momoko's band."

Yue's words struck Su Shi's heart like a heavy hammer.

"Xiao Xiang... is forming a band with senior Taozi?" Takamatsu was clearly shocked by Yue's words.

"Xiao Xiang!" Nagasaki Motoyo suddenly stood up from the sofa, her eyes fixed on Yue, her voice tinged with urgency and skepticism: "What evidence do you have?"

Chihaya Aine glanced at Kodama and Sose, sensing the heavy atmosphere. Although she had hardly ever interacted with Toyokawa Shoko, she also felt the seriousness of the situation, but she had no idea how to interject.

Before Yue revealed this, she had already guessed that Su Shi would have a big reaction. After all, her hopes for reuniting Crychic were entirely based on the promise Peach made to her that after participating in the audition, the winner would get a chance to make an all-powerful wish.

Now that she's told that Momoko and Toyokawa Shoko, whom she's been longing for, are forming a band, Su Shi can't help but overthink things, such as whether Momoko's initial promise was genuine, and whether her purpose was simply to keep her away from Shoko.

She took out her phone and showed Su Shi the information she had prepared beforehand: "Su Shi, you should be able to recognize that the girl who caused a stir with Chu Hua a while ago is Xiangzi, right?"

Su Shi took the phone, her gaze fixed on the screen, which displayed the hot news about Chu Hua that had caused such a stir last time. She nodded to indicate that she knew about it.

Yue continued, "After that, the management company behind Chu Hua issued a statement saying that this was a newly formed band project, and Xiang Zi was undoubtedly one of its members."

“I know all of that.” Su Shi’s voice was tinged with disappointment. She had been heartbroken over this for a while. “But how can we prove that Xiangzi and Taozi are forming a band?”

When the Stage Begins: Chapter 195 Goal: Bang Dream (Part 1)

Yue swiped her phone screen to reveal the next photo. In the photo, Xiangzi, wearing a strange mask, stood in a rehearsal room, surrounded by several girls also wearing masks.

Su Shi could barely make out that Tao Zi and Sanjiao Chu Hua were among them, but she didn't recognize the drummer in red stockings or the girl with short black hair.

“This is one of the promotional photos that will be released by their band later,” Yue said. “I got it in advance using some connections.”

Su Shi's gaze was fixed intently on the photo, her eyes carefully scanning every detail, as if trying to find some clues to refute the other party's claims.

After a long while, Su Shi finally gave up struggling, handed Yue's phone back to her, and didn't say a word.

"Su Shi?" Gao Songdeng noticed that Su Shi's condition was not right and her eyes were filled with worry. She asked softly, her tone clearly concerned.

"Little lamp... I'm fine." Su Shi raised her head, forcing a smile. Her empty eyes and forced smile made her look so fragile that it was hard to believe she was really alright.

"Xiao Deng, let Su Shi catch her breath," Yue said to Gao Song Deng.

"..." Xiaodeng's gaze lingered between Su Shi and Yue, clearly very worried about her friend's condition.

"Are you really okay? What's Su Shishi's condition right now?" Chihaya Aine asked with concern, her eyes full of worry.

—————The girl is waiting—————

After a long while, Su Shi finally recovered somewhat. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Her gaze was still somewhat vacant, but it had regained a little sparkle. She spoke slowly, her voice low and calm: "Yue, you mean Xiao Xiang's band will also be participating in the audition, right?"

Yue had initially thought that Su Shi would become "broken" again because of this series of blows, and she never expected Su Shi to ask such a question. She was stunned for a moment, quickly adjusted her thoughts, nodded, and said with a hint of certainty in her tone, "Yes, I can give you a definite answer about this."

Su Shi lowered her head slightly, seemingly deep in thought. Her fingers lightly traced the edge of the table, her gaze gradually hardening. She took a deep breath, raised her head, looked at Yue, and a determined glint in her eyes: "Then, we will participate too."

"Does Su Shishi mean she's coming back?" Chihaya Aine's eyes lit up instantly upon hearing Su Shishi's words. She immediately stood up from her chair, her face beaming with joy. Her smile was as warm as sunshine, her eyes sparkling with excitement and anticipation.

"That's wonderful... Su Shi." Gao Songdeng's voice couldn't help but show some joy, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.

Su Shi looked at them with a cold expression, trying to hide her inner feelings: "Let me make this clear first, I only decided to come back to see Xiangzi one more time."

Looking at Su Shi's forcedly stern face, Yue couldn't help but want to laugh. She slightly curled the corners of her lips, her eyes sparkling with warmth and mischief: "Of course, Su Shi, whatever your reason, it's good that you're back."

Just as everyone was having a good time, Yue's phone rang. She glanced down at the screen and saw the caller ID read "Shiina Tatsuki".

Yue raised an eyebrow slightly, clearly not expecting to receive a call from Li hope at this time.

"It's Lixi on the phone," Yue said softly, a hint of surprise in her voice. She pressed the answer button and turned on speakerphone, saying, "Lixi, what's up?"

——————Shiina Tatsuki's Perspective——————

Inside Live House Ring, Shiina Tatsuki is looking at a poster in her hand about the second Bang Dream competition.

Just now, Senior Rinrin gathered all the people working here and announced the upcoming second Bang Dream competition, and explained the things they needed to pay attention to.

Li hope had already heard the news from Maruyama Aya, but she didn't expect the competition to be announced so quickly.

She and Yue had originally estimated that it would take another month or two, but now it seems that things are progressing much faster than they expected.

"Is it for summer vacation?" Lixi pondered. Summer vacation was just around the corner, and for these girls in the band, it meant more rehearsal time and performance opportunities. They could use this time to improve their skills, hone their band's chemistry, and make full preparations for the upcoming competition. For the live house, summer vacation meant more audiences, bringing in more revenue and popularity.

"Hey! Saya! Let's hurry to the warehouse and prepare a new song." Kasumi Toyama's voice was full of energy, and her tone was full of anticipation.

"Don't rush, Kasumi... We haven't finished get off work yet." Although Yamabuki Saya's face was also full of anticipation, she still stopped Kasumi from skipping work.

Listening to the conversation between Kasumi Toyama and Saya Yamabuki behind him, Riki quietly found a relatively quiet place and dialed Yue's number.

"Lixi, what's wrong?" Yue's voice came from the other end of the phone, carrying a hint of concern and curiosity.

Li hope took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice calm: "The second Bang Dream is going much faster than we expected. Registration will start next week, and the preliminary rounds will begin around the time the exams are over."

"So soon?" Yue's voice carried a hint of surprise and urgency. She clearly hadn't expected the competition to start so quickly.

Lixi nodded. Although she couldn't see the moon on the other end of the phone, she still replied earnestly, "Yes, if we want to participate, we need to start preparing for the registration after we finish the Moon Forest Music Festival in the next few days."

She said, "We are at Su Shi's house now. Su Shi has already agreed to come back. Li hope, come here first, and we can discuss the specifics together."

Upon hearing this news, a hint of surprise flashed in Li hope's eyes, but she didn't show it on her face. "Su Shi is back? Well... never mind, I'll go catch the stray cat first, and we can talk in person later."

She hung up the phone after she finished speaking.

Yue turned her head and looked around at Ai Yin, Xiao Deng, and Su Shi, who all looked curious. She hadn't told them about these things before, so they were unaware of them.

"Moon, is it convenient for you to tell me?" Su Shi asked. She originally thought that she was the only one who didn't know, but judging from Aine and Xiaodeng's expressions, this matter must be a secret between Moon and Lixi.

When the Stage Opens: Chapter 196 This still completely lacks team spirit!

It was half an hour later when Shiina Riki dragged Rakuna to the Su family home.

Li hope stood in front of the Su family's gate, slightly out of breath, her forehead covered in sweat, her cheeks flushed slightly from the summer heat. She raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, feeling its scalding temperature.

Lenai stood to the side, clearly puzzled. She looked at the Su family in front of her and frowned slightly: "Riki, it doesn't seem like there's a matcha parfait here."

"Wait a minute, we'll order you some takeout. Come in now." Li hope rang the doorbell, and soon Yue and Liu Ba Jiu opened the door and welcomed the two inside.

Su Shi looked at Li hope as she walked in, her gaze slightly lowered, avoiding his eyes. Her fingers unconsciously rubbed together on her knees.

Seeing Su Shi's actions, Li Xi frowned slightly, her heart filled with complex emotions. Although she didn't show it directly, the change in her emotions at that moment was still revealed between her brows.

Without saying much, Li hope led Le Nai to the sofa and sat down. Le Nai seemed to sense the subtle atmosphere between the two, and silently followed behind Li hope, looking at the others after sitting down.

Yue saw this and understood that there might still be some unresolved issues between Su Shi and Li hope. She sighed softly and decided to break the silence: "Alright, now that everyone is here, let's discuss what's next."

Lixi and Sushi looked up at the same time, their eyes met briefly, and then they quickly looked away, nodding to each other.

Yue glanced at Su Shi and Li Xi, sighed inwardly, and then said helplessly, "First of all, it's about the second Bang Dream competition. Li Xi and I got the news in advance from Maruyama Aya of Pastel*Palettes, but because of Su Shi's situation at the time, we originally planned to wait until Su Shi returned to the team before discussing with everyone whether to participate. I didn't expect the news to be announced so quickly."

"Eh??? Rikki! You guys actually met Maruyama Aya-senpai from Pastel*Palettes! I've never even met her before!" Chihaya Aine's focus was always so strange.

Li hope sighed softly, feeling helpless at Ai Yin's reaction: "You... is this the time to be focusing on that?"

Ignoring Riki's helplessness, Aine continued excitedly, "That's Maruyama Aya from Pastel Palettes! Rikki, are you even a high school girl?! Pastel Palettes are very popular among high school girls."

"Alright, alright, the focus isn't on Pastel Palettes anymore." Seeing that Aine and Riki were about to start debating whether Pastel Palettes were popular, Yue quickly spoke up to stop them, her tone tinged with helplessness and urgency. She frowned slightly and waved her hand, trying to calm them down.

Upon hearing this, Lixi and Aiyin exchanged a glance and then simultaneously fell silent.

"Isn't our focus right now the Bang Dream competition?" Yue brought the conversation back on track. "Lixi, what's the schedule for this competition?"

Shiina Tatsuki explained the performance process to everyone: "It's roughly the same as the first competition. After registering, you can hold performances in various Live Houses, and then the audience votes to count the votes. The top 32 teams can go to the Budokan to participate in the elimination rounds, and the top 9 teams can go to Tokyo Dome to hold a performance to determine the final winner."

"Nine teams?" Hinasaki was now very sensitive to the number nine. When she heard that there were actually nine teams in the Bang Dream finals, she couldn't help but frown and fall into deep thought. She wondered if Giraffe had gotten involved.