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

Of course, she made ample disguises before coming. She first went to borrow a spare school uniform from Xiao Mu. The two were about the same height and build, so she could wear Ruo Ye Mu's clothes.

Then, she asked Miss Miaomeng from the band to help her with her makeup. While Miaomeng was saying a lot of things that Xiangzi didn't want to hear, she was applying foundation and eyeshadow to Xiangzi's face, meticulously depicting every detail to make her look more mature.

Finally, Miss Xiangzi put on a wig, covering all her beautiful blue hair with her short, black hair. In the mirror, Xiangzi's face was completely transformed, as if she had become a different person.

Even Xiao Mu hesitated for a moment when she saw her, so Ms. Toyokawa Shoko was full of confidence in her disguise.

"Sho, Morfonica is on stage," Wakaba Mutsu said to Shoko.

"Hmm!" Xiangzi's gaze fell on the stage, just as Wakaba Mutsu had said, Kurata Mashiro and the other four members of Morfonica slowly walked onto the stage.

The students from the Moon Forest below the stage erupted in enthusiastic cheers when they saw Morfonica take the stage to perform.

"Mashiro-senpai!" a student shouted excitedly, his voice filled with obvious admiration and affection.

Kurata Mashiro stood in the center of the stage, bowed slightly to the audience, and greeted everyone.

As the audience's voices gradually subsided, Mashiro stepped forward, grasped the microphone, took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then slowly opened them. Her gaze swept across the audience, as if trying to resonate with each person on a spiritual level.

"Everyone... The Tsuki no Mori Music Festival is a long-standing tradition of our Tsuki no Mori. We almost lost it once... So I'm very happy to be here, on this stage... Please listen to 'Yorube no Sunny, Sunny'!"

Her voice, clear and warm, filled the entire auditorium. The audience held their breath, waiting for the music to begin. As Mashiro's words faded, Tsukushi Futaba, the band's member, lightly tapped her drumsticks, and the music slowly started.

The violin, bass, guitar, and drums intertwine, creating a beautiful musical tapestry.

Kurata Mashiro slowly began to sing: "The rain at dusk has subsided, and I remain true to myself." Her voice, like heavenly music, came through the microphone.

Futaba Tsukushi's steady and powerful drumming laid a solid foundation for the entire song. Violinist Yashio Rui's performance was full of elegance and agility. Her bow glided gently on the strings, producing crisp and beautiful notes. Touko and Nanami's guitar and bass sounds together formed the backbone of the music.

"Scenery of feathers...もう灆くないよ【Start to fly high...I won't be afraid anymore】"

As the final notes faded, a round of applause erupted from the audience, the entire auditorium still basking in the afterglow of Morfonica's brilliant performance. Toyokawa Shoko gazed softly at the performance on stage, a rare smile appearing on her face.

"Xiang? You're crying?" Ruoye Mu pointed to the corner of her eye and gestured to Xiangzi.

"Huh?" Toyokawa Shoko was slightly taken aback. She reached out and gently touched the corner of her eye, finding that, just as Ruoye Muku had said, her eye had become wet without her noticing. Her fingertips felt the cool tears, and a complex emotion welled up inside her.

She sighed softly, trying to calm herself, and said gently, "It's nothing... I'm just a little touched." Her gaze returned to the stage, where she saw the Morfonica members packing up their instruments and walking off the stage.

A flicker of disappointment and longing crossed Xiangzi's eyes. She thought to herself, "If...Crychic hadn't disbanded, would I be performing on stage right now?"

As for performing on stage under the name Ave Mujica, Xiangzi had never even considered it.

As a standard commercial band, performing at a prestigious school like Tsukinomori would involve too many procedures, not to mention that most of their musical styles are unlikely to pass Tsukinomori's censorship.

"Muto, let's go," Toyokawa Shoko said to Wakaba Muto. "Hatsuka and the others are still waiting for us to rehearse."

After saying that, Xiangzi turned to leave, but unexpectedly, Wakaba Mutsu, who usually obeyed her, grabbed her sleeve this time. Xiangzi turned back to look at Wakaba Mutsu with a puzzled look in her eyes. Mutsu's face was still expressionless, but there was a clear hint of hesitation and struggle in her eyes.

Ruoye Mu said softly, "Xiang... Su Shi and the others are about to perform... I want to watch."

Xiangzi paused slightly, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes. She knew that Xiaodeng and her band's performance was about to begin, and she also knew that Ruoye Mu had been concerned about Su Shi and their performance. However, Xiangzi's heart was filled with contradiction and fear.

She slowly closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, her eyes held a hint of hesitation and helplessness. She didn't want to... or rather, she didn't dare to see Xiaodeng again.

Xiaodeng's performance was like a sharp blade, piercing through her carefully constructed cold shell and exposing her heart to her burning emotions.

She was afraid of hearing that song again, afraid that her defenses would be shattered by Xiaodeng's burning emotions, and afraid that she would lose her composure and self-control in front of everyone.

She gently bit her lower lip, a struggle flashing in her eyes. She wanted to refuse Ruo Yemu's request, but seeing the expectant look in his eyes, she ultimately couldn't bring herself to say no.

"Okay, let's stay and watch Xiaodeng and the others' performance." Xiangzi's voice was somewhat low.

A rare look of joy appeared on Ruoye Mu's face. She nodded slightly and looked at the crowd who were going up on stage.

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

After Gao Songdeng went on stage, she grasped the microphone in front of her. Having already performed on stage three times, she was no longer afraid of the audience's gaze.

"We originally wanted to... take advantage of the Moon Forest Music Festival to convey our feelings to Su Shi, who had a conflict with us before..."

Su Shi looked a little awkward after hearing Xiao Deng's words. Saying such things in front of classmates could easily cause them to misunderstand.

However, considering that the other party was Xiaodeng, she felt that this seemed quite normal.

On the contrary, Su Shi glanced at the pink-haired guitarist who was smiling brightly next to her. She couldn't help but think that the other person had deliberately called her Su Shi in front of her classmates.

"Moon Forest... There was once a very important person here..." Xiaodeng recalled the scene where she and Xiangzi shouted on the overpass.

"She once told me... lyrics are a cry from the heart... so... all I could do was sing them with all my might."

As the guitar melody begins, Gao Songdeng sings out the prelude to a poetry recitation.

Yang Bao was in good form during her performance today; I was just about to say that when she forgot her lines for an encore.

As the performance begins: Chapter 199, "Poetry Beyond Bonds"

"Pu にはわからないんだいつも【It has always been difficult for me to understand】"

"みつけられない正解も ordinaryも【Cannot find the definition of correct solution and ordinary】"

"The world is far away [The world has always been far away to me]"

"The place I'm in is a place that's hard to reach for me."

"ひだまりをEmbrace the spring of warm sunshine"

"The summer is almost gone due to the scorching sun."

"アスファルトで干からびてしまうならPUは [If it dries up on asphalt]"

"ずっと石の下に隠れていたかった【Then I want to hide under the stone forever】"

Amidst the sounds of Lena's guitar and Lixi's drums, Xiaodeng's heartfelt poetry recitation echoed in the auditorium of Moon Forest.

"Is this... a poem?"

Most of the audience members had not attended the qualification review, so they were very interested in Gao Songdeng's "poetry recitation" style performance and watched the performance on stage with great concentration.

For other audience members, Xiaodeng's poetry recitation might just be novel and interesting, but for Xiangzi, it was a completely different experience. She could clearly understand the emotions that Xiaodeng wanted to convey in her lyrics; the times they had spent together, the dreams and vows they had made, all surged into her heart like a tide at that moment.

Xiangzi's heart raced, and she felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on her chest, making her feel suffocated.

The singing of Xiaodeng continued. The intro to the song had ended, and the sounds of drums, guitars, bass, and keyboards rose up together. The music on stage instantly switched from the gentle accompaniment style of poetry to the style that a band performance should have, but there were some differences.

"It's all falling apart because of me again"

Lost and forgottenれたくなくて【Although I don’t want to lose, let alone forget】

なのに力なく手を里してしまった【Finally, I let go of my hand weakly】

たいせつとPUは知っていたのに【Knowing how important that is】"

Xiangzi avoided eye contact, not daring to look up at the stage again.

She initially chose Xiaodeng's lyrics because they resonated with her, but she never imagined that one day, this boomerang would ultimately hit her.

As Xiaodeng sang, she took a few steps back, instinctively wanting to escape the incredibly oppressive scene. But as she retreated, she bumped into the person standing behind her.

"I'm sorry..." Xiangzi's first reaction was to apologize, but when she saw who was standing behind her, she looked somewhat surprised.

"Xiang...?" Xiao Mu turned around when she saw Xiangzi's strange reaction and saw the person standing behind Xiangzi.

"Hmm?" Momoko Kurosawa looked at the "short-haired girl with black hair" in front of her with some surprise. She searched through her memories but couldn't recall ever seeing her before. This was her first time representing Seisho in a performance at Tsuki no Mori, and there shouldn't be anyone she knew here.

“Someone I know…” She belatedly realized that she actually knew two other students from Tsukimori, one of whom was right here.

She looked at Wakaba Mutsu beside her, and then carefully examined the other's features before asking with a hint of doubt, "You are... Shoko?"

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

The performance came to a successful close, and everyone headed backstage.

"As expected... Xiangzi... didn't come?" Nagasaki Motoyo glanced around the audience one last time before leaving the stage, but did not see Toyokawa Xiangzi among them.

Chihaya Aine, who was standing to the side, couldn't wait any longer and announced loudly, "Everyone, the next part should be the celebration party, right? We didn't have a celebration party after the last performance, so there will definitely be one this time!"

"It just ended... and you're already thinking about going to a celebration party?" Shiina Riki wiped his eyes, the liquid of which was hard to tell if it was sweat or tears, his voice tinged with helplessness.

“Wasn’t our performance a huge success? So going to a celebration party is definitely an option, right? What do you think, Akari?” Chihaya Aine said enthusiastically.

"Eh... Oh..." Takamatsu Akari was quietly watching Aine and Riki bickering as usual when she was caught off guard and responded with a sound of surprise.

"I'm hungry..." Yao Lena said earnestly, holding her guitar.

Aine immediately responded excitedly, "See! Rakuna-chan wants to go to the celebration party too! What do you want to eat, Rakuna?"

“Hmm… buckwheat noodles, shrimp, and matcha parfait!” Lenai answered without hesitation.

"Haha...that's so typical of Rana's answer." Aine laughed awkwardly after hearing Rana's reply.

Li hope shook his head, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

----------

"Su Shi... what's wrong?" Yue didn't join the discussion on the other side; she looked at Su Shi, who hadn't said a word.

Nagasaki Motoyo stood to the side, looking somewhat dazed, her thoughts still lingering on the performance and Shoko's absence. Suddenly hearing someone call her name, she looked up blankly, a hint of confusion in her eyes: "Nothing..."

Yue frowned slightly, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes. She said softly, "Are you thinking about Xiangzi not coming today?"

A hint of surprise flashed across Su Shi's face, but it was quickly replaced by a sense of helplessness and annoyance. Her tone was tinged with displeasure: "If you can see it already, then don't say anything."

"Sorry, Su Shi, your expression was too easy to guess," Yue said, but there was no hint of apology in her words.

"The Bang Dream competition is coming up soon. If we can make it to the knockout stage, we should be able to meet Xiangzi again," Yue continued, her words carrying a hint of encouragement.

"Has anyone ever told you... Yue, your way of comforting others is terrible? Our chances of passing the audition are practically nonexistent." Su Shi said irritably after hearing Yue's words.

"Maybe..." Yue said helplessly, "but there's still hope."

Just then, Chihaya Aine's voice interrupted Nagasaki Motoyo, who was about to say something more: "Hey~ Tsukishiro! Motoyo, what are you guys doing in the back? Let's hurry up and go have the celebration party!"

“Okay! We’re coming right away.” Yue replied to Aine with a smile, then reached out her hand to Nagasaki Motoyo beside her and said gently but firmly, “Anyway… if we want to see Shoko, we have to work together.”

Su Shi stared blankly at Yue's outstretched hand, a complex emotion welling up inside her. She didn't take Yue's hand, but instead walked past her towards Aine and the others: "What would you like to eat at the victory celebration?"

"Wait for me." Yue looked at Su Shi's retreating figure, sighed softly, and followed after her.

When the performance begins: Chapter Two Hundred - Victory Banquet

The celebration banquet was held at the same place where they had gone for barbecue after singing karaoke last time.

Almost two months later, she returned here. Back then, they were still using karaoke to decide the lead singer. Now, two months later, she was back to celebrate the successful performance. All the things that had happened in the past two months filled her with mixed emotions.