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

"Do you have matcha here?" Lena frowned and pointed to a corner of the shop, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Yue looked up at the shop's decor. Although it was distinctly Japanese, she wasn't sure if they served matcha. "If you mean drinks, they should have them, right?" Yue replied, but her tone was uncertain. She tried to recall her last visit, but didn't remember seeing matcha.

"Maybe, after all, the decor here is so Japanese, so matcha, a Japanese-style beverage that originated in China, should still exist... right?" Yue tried to give a reasonable explanation, but deep down she wasn't really sure.

The last time I came here, Lena hadn't joined the band yet, and nobody had the habit of ordering matcha drinks to go with grilled meat. Whether or not a grilled meat restaurant offers matcha was definitely something Yue was unfamiliar with.

"Why don't we just go in and ask?" Li hope strode into the shop to ask the manager, and after receiving a positive reply, Le Nai's face immediately lit up with a smile.

They found a private room and sat down. Coincidentally, this was the same private room they had used when they came last month, so it was practically a return to familiar territory.

"I didn't expect we'd be so lucky!" Chihaya Aine looked around, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "We even ended up in the same room."

Yue smiled and nodded, looking at the familiar surroundings, feeling a little sentimental: "It really is quite a coincidence."

"That's pretty normal. There aren't many customers at this shop right now; they're mostly small groups of casual diners. It's unlikely they'd choose to sit in a private room," Su Shi said calmly, sipping the complimentary tea offered by the manager.

Compared to the three of them who were feeling melancholic and sentimental, Li hope's group seemed to have a more pragmatic style.

Shiina Tatsuki, holding the menu provided by the manager, asked Takamatsu Akari, "Akari, is there anything you'd like to eat?"

Gao Songdeng was still recalling the performance, the images on stage flashing through her mind. Hearing Li hope's question, she was somewhat stunned: "Huh? Oh, I..."

"This! This! And this!" Before Lixi could get a reply from Xiaodeng, Lena spoke up first, her eyes shining as she pointed to several dishes on the menu and said excitedly.

“Stray cat! I’m asking the light now.” Li hope said, somewhat displeased.

"Lixi...it's okay," Xiaodeng said. "I really like the dishes that Lena-chan ordered."

"Tsk..." Li hope turned to look at the other three, "Yue, what dishes do you like?"

"Ah! Let me do it, let me do it!" Ai Yin took the menu and started looking through it.

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

Soon, the waiter brought out plates of fresh meat and vegetables, several bottles of drinks, and the handmade matcha that Lena had ordered. It was said to be made by the manager using fresh tea leaves, and he had been drinking it himself before.

"Let's grill the beef tongue first, it's my favorite!" Ai Yin excitedly picked up the tongs and carefully placed the beef tongue on the grill.

"Aine, be careful not to get splashed with oil," Yue reminded her, her eyes filled with concern.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful!" Ai Yin replied confidently.

The sizzling sound of the meat slices on the grill, along with the irresistible aroma, instantly whetted everyone's appetite. Watching the beef tongue gradually change color on the grill, its fragrance filling the air, everyone's mouths watered.

Su Shi watched as the beef tongue on the grill was cooked, but Ai Yin showed no intention of picking it up. Instead, she took out her phone to take pictures. Su Shi frowned and reached out with her chopsticks to take it away, saying, "It's about to burn. If you don't eat it, I'll eat it."

"Ah! Su Shishi, that's mine!" Ai Yin saw Su Shishi's actions, immediately put down her phone, and quickly reached out her chopsticks to snatch it from Su Shishi, her eyes full of anxiety and reluctance.

Their chopsticks clattered in the air as they quickly picked up the beef tongue. Su Shi was determined to take it, while Aine was unwilling to back down and insisted on protecting her prize.

Lixi watched them fight over the meat and said, "You two, don't steal the meat I grilled for Xiaodeng."

However, before she could finish speaking, a piece of meat that had just been grilled on the barbecue grill was snatched away by Le Nai with lightning speed.

“Stray cat!” Li hope roared.

"Ah... Lixi, it's okay." Xiaodeng quickly tried to comfort Lixi.

Looking at the scene before her, Yue couldn't help but laugh. She cleared her throat and said to everyone, "Since this is a celebration banquet, there is one essential part."

"Hmm?" Takamatsu looked puzzled.

"Ah! I know! It's the toasting ceremony, right!" Chihaya Aine said excitedly, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“That’s right!” Yue nodded. “Everyone, pick up your cups.”

Everyone put down their chopsticks and picked up the drink cups on the table. The cups contained various drinks, including juice, cola, and matcha, which Lena insisted on.

“This kind of formalism…” Su Shi said this, but still honestly picked up her teacup.

"Cheers to the successful performance at the Moon Forest Music Festival!" Moon raised her glass.

"Cheers!" everyone responded in unison, their glasses clinking together with a crisp sound.

———————Two flowers bloom, each telling a different story———————

While Yue and her friends were holding a celebration party, in another ramen shop not far from Yuezhi Forest, Xiangzi, Mutsu, and Momoko were sitting together.

"Is the band going to start rehearsals next week?" Xiangzi asked, frowning.

Peach nodded. "The audition stage for BangDream is about to begin, so we have to start rehearsals next week."

"Muto...have you made a decision?" Shoko turned to look at Wakaba Muto beside her.

“Xiang…” When Ruoye Mu heard Xiangzi’s words, she thought of the scene of Su Shi’s performance on stage just now.

Su Shi... has found her own place in the world.

And... what about me?

Apart from the few small cucumbers planted by the Tsukimori Horticulture Club, Mutsumi Wakaba, who has always been regarded as Minami Mori's daughter, has never owned anything of her own.

"Sho...can you take responsibility for my life?" Wakaba Mutsu asked Toyokawa Shoko.

"Of course! I was prepared long ago," Xiangzi replied without hesitation.

As the performance begins: Epilogue

I've written almost 70 words here and there.

At first, I only planned to write a short story of about 50 words. But as I wrote, I started to add a lot of things to the outline, and before I knew it, I had written this much. The second volume alone has 52 words.

You might have noticed that removing a lot of the old group's content wouldn't have affected the pacing much, but since I'm writing about BanG Dream!, I figured I had to mention the old group to some extent, and I really like everyone from the old group, so I wrote a lot of content about them, which slowed down the story's pace considerably.

As for the Revue content that everyone wants to see, while I usually enjoy watching Sailor Moon, actually writing it myself is... well, let's just say my writing skills aren't great, and also because Sailor Moon Revues without music always feel like something's missing...

In the original outline, Dengxiang, Sumu, and Haixi were all supposed to have their own individual Revue performances, but it turned out to be too difficult to write them, so it was changed to band Revues.

I write books part-time. Although my job is supposed to be a two-day weekend, it's not guaranteed on Saturdays and Sundays when I'm busy. It's a job where I have to be there after get off work if I get a phone call. I really didn't expect to be able to update every day.

Let me talk about the rest of the content. The rest of the story is pretty much the same as what Mygo originally wrote, and this volume will probably be the end. If we stick to the original word count plan, it should be finished here. (laughs)

But since it's Bang Dream, how could it not be related to the theme at all? Mygo and Mujica are going to be paired up, so it can't be missing from the book.

So this volume is probably the last one (?), and there might even be an epilogue as content after the curtain falls on the stage.

In short, thank you all so much for watching this (bows). I'm so grateful that you've all stayed with me.

Climax Stage: Chapter One - Bang Dream

The Bang Dream competition originated a year ago and was organized by the Tokyo Live House Association, with a large number of female band members participating.

Unlike last year's competition, the leadership decided to revise the competition schedule because the number of bands counted in various live houses this year far exceeded that of last year, and they judged that we have now entered the era of all-female bands.

This year's Bang Dream competition is divided into a preliminary round, an elimination round, and a final round.

In the preliminary round, each band registers at a live house, and multiple bands hold a joint live performance within the registration period. The audience votes at the venue. After the preliminary round, the votes of all bands are totaled, and the top 32 bands will advance to the elimination round.

The elimination rounds were held at the Budokan for five days, during which 32 teams were divided into four groups that competed in a band battle format over four days to determine the winners.

The audience and the judges will vote together, with the audience vote to judge votes in a 7:3 ratio. The audience vote will account for 7% of the total score, and the judges' vote will account for 3%.

The top two teams from each group, a total of eight bands, will directly advance to the final stage. Among the remaining 24 teams, the eight teams ranked 3rd and 4th in each group will compete in a revival round on the fifth day. The rules for the revival round are the same as those for the elimination round, and only one band can be revived and enter the final stage.

The grand finale will be held at the Tokyo Dome, the ultimate stage that every band dreams of performing on.

The nine teams that have made it to the finals will compete for the ultimate championship. The performance rules for the finals are the same as last year. The nine teams will showcase their best skills in a grand live performance.

The winning band will receive a generous prize and performance contract, with the opportunity to secure funding for a national tour. The runners-up and third-place bands will also receive prize money and performance opportunities, further enhancing their visibility. The competition also features special awards such as Best Original Song and Best Stage Performance to encourage outstanding performances in various aspects.

This year's Bang Dream competition is more than just a music contest; it's a stage for young female bands to pursue their dreams and showcase themselves. Every band will shine on this stage, demonstrating their talent and passion, and writing their own musical legend.

—————The above are all promotional posters for the Bang Dream competition—————

Lixi stood on the ladder, carefully holding the Bang Dream competition promotional poster, and while sticking it on, he looked back at Ms. Rinrinko not far away: "Ms. Rinrinko, do you think this is correct?"

Rinrinko stood on the ground, squinting slightly as she carefully observed Riki's movements. She gestured with her hand and said earnestly, "Hmm... Riki-chan, move a little to the left, yes, yes, that's it."

Lixi slightly adjusted the position of the poster and carefully pressed the edges of the poster to ensure that it was pasted flat.

After confirming that the posters were up, she carefully climbed down the ladder.

Rinrinko nodded, stepped forward, and patted Ritsuki on the shoulder: "Thank you for your hard work, Ritsuki-chan."

"It's nothing..." Li hope shook her head and prepared to return to her post.

Rinrin stopped her, smiling as she continued, "By the way, Riki-chan, which live house does your band plan to audition at?"

Lixi paused for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Huh? Is there a difference between different Live Houses?"

Rinrinko nodded and patiently explained, "Of course. Just like Roselia often goes to Circle, Ras is a regular at Dub, and Popipa frequently appears at Galaxy, most of the audiences at these live houses are their fans, so they get a higher vote rate in those places."

Li hope listened and nodded thoughtfully: "So there are such intricacies."

She thought about it carefully and realized that during the year she worked at Ring, she hadn't seen any bands that regularly showed up there: "So... it seems like there aren't any regular bands at Ring?"

Rinrinko nodded again and continued to explain, "Yes, that's why Ring is a place where everyone rushes to buy tickets. In order to get more tickets, some bands will choose to perform in other places besides their regular live house."

Li hope frowned slightly, pondering the meaning of this information: "So, does that mean the competition will be even fiercer if we hold the performance in Ring?"

“That’s right,” Rinrinko said with a smile. “In the first Bang Dream competition last year, Popipa used this tactic, performing in two or three live houses a day, which earned them a lot of votes. In the end, they tied for second place with Ras and went to Budokan to perform.”

"However, to put it another way, if you guys can develop Ring into your 'fixed vote bank', then you will have a significant advantage."

Lixi nodded, weighing the pros and cons in his mind. If the band were to go to the Budokan or even the Tokyo Dome, having a stable source of votes would indeed be very important.

But as Ms. Rinrinko said, there are just too many bands performing here. If we say that during the first Bang Dream, Circle was still a battleground for the five great powers of the Spring and Autumn Period.

Ring is now surrounded by seven powerful rivals, making it quite difficult for their unknown band to intervene.

Lixi weighed the pros and cons and said, "I will consider it."

Rinrinko added, "Oh, right! There's something else I think I need to tell you about, Riki-chan."

"Ok?"

"Name it, name it!" Ms. Rinrin poked Riki's shoulder with her finger, saying with a hint of exasperation, "Including the performance at the Moon Forest Music Festival, Riki-chan, your band has already performed three or four times, right? Why haven't you decided on a name yet?"

Li hope said somewhat awkwardly, "Actually, we were discussing names from the beginning, but everyone had different opinions, so we haven't decided on one yet."

Rinrin sighed, a hint of helplessness in her eyes: "Even if others want to vote for you, if they find out that your band is called 'Nameless Band,' it will not only affect your vote count, but it will also be difficult for others to promote your band."