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

But when Aine said that name, she paused while slurping her drink, which clearly startled our little Mutou.

———Drummers' Side—————

Shiina Tatsuki glanced at Aine, who was chatting enthusiastically with everyone, and a helpless expression appeared on her face.

"What is Aine doing again?" she muttered to herself, clearly not quite understanding how Aine had become so familiar with others so quickly.

Standing next to her, Yamabuki Saya smiled gently, her gaze soft as she watched the lively scene on Aine's side. "Little Aine, you really know how to get along with others very quickly."

Saya Yamabuki's smile remained on her face. She looked gently at Riki and Meowmon standing beside her and said in a relaxed tone, "By the way, there are a few details about this performance that I need to discuss with Riki and Meowmon."

"Hmm?" Shiina Tatsuki frowned slightly in confusion upon hearing his name.

"Meow?" Yutenji Meowme, standing on the other side, also looked bewildered, seemingly completely unprepared for this sudden mention.

Seeing the two looking confused, Sha Ling couldn't help but chuckle, waving her hand gently, "Ah... don't be so nervous, it's just some routine things for a performance, nothing special." She paused, then continued to explain, "Because we've done several joint performances with other bands before, most of the band members are quite familiar with the procedures. The members of Mygo and Ave Mujica might not be so familiar yet, so I wanted to explain it in advance."

"The main issue is the instruments on the day of the live performance. The drummer needs to bring his own snare drum and pedal," said Saya Yamabuki.

“Ah…we really do need to pay attention to this when performing together.” Li hope nodded, a look of understanding on her face.

“After all… a drummer can’t play like a guitarist, whenever they want, and take it everywhere.” Sha Ling sighed helplessly.

"Ah! Miaomeng knows!" When it comes to this topic, Miaomeng feels the same way.

“When we were shooting outdoor promotional photos, the other band members were able to strike cool poses with their guitars or basses, but me…” Miao Meng looked aggrieved and continued, “I could only stand there with two drumsticks, which looked so awkward! It was really inconvenient!”

“That’s not all…” Maya joined the discussion, “When we were performing outside, the drummer was usually the last to come on stage to tune the instruments. Sometimes everyone else had finished tuning their instruments, but I was still tuning them with the staff.”

“There’s also the issue of transportation!” Ba picked up the conversation. “Guitar and bass players only need to bring a package of instruments each time, but drummers need to bring at least several pieces of equipment, and sometimes they have to carry them themselves.”

“That’s not all,” Ako chimed in to her sister. “Some places provide drum kits that Ako has to adjust for ages, and she has to adjust the height of the snare drum, hi-hat, and drum pedals herself. If she doesn’t make adjustments, the whole performance might not go smoothly.”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Miao Meng nodded vigorously. “Moreover, playing drums is also physically demanding. If you encounter some difficult arrangements, your hands will be broken after a performance.”

"It's clearly the most tiring job. The camera focuses on the musicians in the front row most of the time, and hardly ever shows the drummer. I also want to be able to look cool in front like the guitarist!" Miao Meng continued to complain.

"Ah... is this a criticism of Xiangzi?" Lixi looked at Miaomeng. She hadn't realized what Miaomeng hadn't said before, since the drummer of Kasuga Shadow didn't have to work particularly hard.

But thinking about some of Ave Mujica's tracks, the drummer really does need to break his hand.

----------

"To be honest... the keyboards aren't actually that much better..." Yue heard the drummers next door complaining and couldn't help but join the discussion, starting to complain about her troubles as a keyboardist.

"Indeed, although it's a little more convenient than being a drummer, it's still quite troublesome compared to instruments that can be played directly on your body, such as guitars and basses."

Ichigaya Arisa chimed in, letting out a soft sigh. She glanced at Tsuki and continued, "Every time we perform, setting up the keyboard and adjusting positions takes a lot of time. That alone is quite tiring."

“Yes, and keyboardists often stand still during performances, unlike guitarists who can move around. Their stage movements are also limited. I had to put in a lot of effort to come up with some new moves,” said Toyokawa Shoko, her tone tinged with a hint of helplessness.

"Yes, that's right. When you want to interact, you have to be careful not to stray too far from the keyboard, otherwise you won't be able to play in time." Yueye nodded in agreement.

Everyone chuckled softly. Watching a group of keyboard warriors huddle together, sharing their embarrassing experiences, the atmosphere gradually lightened.

"That's why I say..." Arisa said, looking at everyone, "Being a keyboardist really isn't easy!"

———————Bass Group Situation———————

“Bass players have their share of troubles too,” Hachiman Kairin said helplessly. Looking around, she noticed everyone was discussing the problems with their respective instruments, and she couldn’t help but mention the bass player’s predicament as well.

Layer's leader couldn't help but laugh when she heard this. "Are you referring to classic bass jokes?" Her tone was a mix of helplessness and teasing. Although bassists have a pretty strong presence in Ras, and she herself is one of the few bassists who are also vocalists, she is still very familiar with the "awkward jokes" that bassists often encounter.

Felice puffed out her cheeks, looking somewhat aggrieved: "Ah... bassists are often called 'invisible instruments' by people who don't know much about them, which is really infuriating!"

She waved her hand, her emotions slightly agitated, probably thinking of her Twitter followers. "The bass is so important! But some people don't even know the difference between the bass and the guitar, and even think they are the same! When we perform on stage, we bassists are like invisible people, and nobody pays any attention to us."

“That’s true.” Roselia’s Lisa smiled wryly and nodded in agreement. “Many band fans only care about the lead singer and guitarist, thinking they are the core of the band. The bassist is often overlooked, especially during performances.”

“However, I think it also has to do with how well the band fans know about it,” Lisa said softly. “Most fans probably only pay attention to the lyrics and the more prominent instrument sounds, so it’s normal for Yukina and Saya to attract fans’ attention.”

After glancing at Lisa, everyone showed expressions of acceptance before turning back to their conversation.

“But even so, it’s still hard to raise the profile of bassists.” Felice sighed, her tone full of helplessness. “Sometimes I feel that bassists are the kind of silent supporters. Unless we make a mistake, most people have no idea what we’ve done.”

"There's even a joke that the band only realized after the performance that the bass wasn't plugged in," said Hachiman Kairin, telling a very lame joke.

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

Tsurumaki Shin blinked, looking at the bass group with a hint of confusion on her face, "The people over there don't seem too happy!"

Hearing this, Misaki Okusawa, who was sitting next to her, glanced at the bassists, sighed, and quickly handed the snacks next to her to Kokoro, trying to distract her. "Ah... it's probably because bassists have a telepathic connection. By the way, Kokoro, this is delicious!"

Kaoru's movements were characteristically dramatic; she lightly ran her fingers through her hair and said elegantly yet exaggeratedly, "Ah~ such a dreamlike deliciousness~"

"Really? Ikumi wants to try it too!" Ikumi didn't participate in the bass group's discussion, or rather, as a member of HHW, she probably had nothing to complain about.

Climax Stage: Chapter Seventy-Seven - Let's Go to Lixi's House (Part 1)

"stare!"

After the joint live meeting and dinner, everyone from Mygo went home. Yue and Lixi also took Xiaodeng home as usual, and then walked together to the tram stop.

While waiting for the train, Shiina Riki felt the burning gaze from Tsuki beside her.

Lixi caught Yue's expression out of the corner of her eye. She sensed that Yue seemed angry, but she didn't dare to ask directly.

She felt a subtle tension, and beads of sweat involuntarily appeared on her forehead.

Hinasaki puffed out her cheeks, crossed her arms, and stared intently at Ritsuki, as if trying to convey her deep dissatisfaction through her eyes.

"Wh...what's wrong?" Finally, Lixi couldn't help but ask cautiously.

Yue didn't respond immediately, but continued to stare at her with her puffed-up cheeks and dissatisfied eyes, as if waiting for her to react on her own.

After a while, she pursed her lips slightly, her tone carrying a hint of accusation, "Today... isn't Xiaoxi coming to my house?"

"Huh? So that's what it is..." Li hope was stunned for a moment, but then she felt a chill, as if any mistake in her answer would displease Yue.

It's often said that people's IQ drops when they're in love, but for Shiina Tatsuki, she felt that she was actually more perceptive. At least with her previous emotional intelligence, she would never have noticed the trap behind Tsuki's words.

"I originally planned to go home and stay up all night to finish the score for 'Duancheng Mountain'... If I go to Yue's house, she definitely won't let me stay up all night..."

Shiina Riki began analyzing her plans for the evening, searching for any potential traps hidden in Yue's words.

Lixi's mind became more and more confused. "So... if I just say that I have to go home today, and if I really stay up all night, Yue will definitely find out the next day, and then I'll get a scolding."

"Well... there are only two choices. The first is to honestly confess and get leniency, so that Yue will agree to let me stay up all night. The other is to try to cover it up, but if that's the case, I'll have to find a reasonable excuse for having dark circles under my eyes tomorrow..."

Shiina Riki nodded to himself, feeling that his analysis was definitely correct.

However... Yue tilted her head in confusion, looking at Li hope who was deep in thought with some bewilderment.

"I was just asking why you don't come to my house... does it really take this long to think about?" Yue wondered, unable to comprehend what kind of analysis Lixi was going through in her mind.

It looks like... Hinasaki traded her basic attack for her ultimate move.

She sighed softly, looked at Lixi who was still struggling with her thoughts, and couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Xiaoxi, what are you thinking about?"

Li hope was pulled back to reality by Yue's voice, and subconsciously blurted out what was on her mind: "I was thinking... should I stay up all night to write a song?"

"Pfft..." Yue suddenly burst out laughing. She hadn't expected that Li Xi had been thinking about this matter all along.

She quickly figured out why Lixi didn't want to come to her house: "Lixi probably wanted to stay up all night writing music and didn't want me to supervise her, so she didn't come to my house."

"..." Li hope regretted her quick reaction and could only honestly state her intentions, "Hmm."

"Hmm..." Yue tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Since you don't want to come to my house, Xiao Xi, then... I'll go to your house instead~"

"Huh?" Li hope seemed quite shocked.

Yue put her hands behind her back, playfully tiptoed, and smiled as she approached Li hope.

"After all... Xiaoxi has come to my house so many times, and I've never been to Xiaoxi's house. That's obviously not fair, is it?" Yue's voice was soft with a hint of coquetry as she gently shook her hair.

Lixi froze, her eyes widening in surprise, completely taken aback by Yue's sudden suggestion. She instinctively took a half-step back, her voice trembling with astonishment and panic: "Eh? You...you're coming to my house?"

"Of course~ Xiaoxi, what are you afraid of? You don't want me to go?" Yue said with a smile, gently poking Lixi's shoulder with her finger.

Lixi's cheeks flushed slightly, and she stammered awkwardly, "I...no...it's just...my house is a bit messy, it's not tidied up yet..."

Yue squinted her eyes and smiled even more brightly, "It's okay, I can help Xiaoxi tidy up."

Faced with Yue's persistence, Li hope finally had no reason to refuse, "Then... okay."

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

As the tram smoothly headed towards home, Shiina Tatsuki felt increasingly nervous.

She instinctively gripped her phone tighter, her palms slightly sweaty.

Although she said the room was a bit messy, what really made her nervous wasn't the room, but... her older sister.

She looked down at her phone, and the contact on the screen labeled "Sister" made her even more uneasy.

According to her memory, her sister should have been busy with the regional orchestra recently, and even lived outside during this period for the convenience of her work.

Logically speaking, the possibility of going home is slim.

"He probably won't come back..." Li hope comforted herself, but her brows still furrowed slightly.

But what if?

"Hmph~ Hmph hmph hmph~ Hmph~"

She glanced up at Yue, who was sitting next to her, humming a tune while staring out the window, and felt a surge of nervousness.

What if my sister is home? Would this count as me bringing Yue home to meet my parents?

And even if my sister isn't home, what if she suddenly comes home and sees Yue? How am I supposed to explain that to her...?

If I tell my sister that Yue is just my classmate and friend, will Yue be angry?

But what would your sister think if you told her directly that Yue was your girlfriend?

"Ugh... what is this...?" Li hope clutched her head, feeling a headache coming on.

Amidst this agonizing journey, the train gradually headed towards Shiina Tatsuki's house.

As a result, even after the two of them got off the train, Shiina Tatsuki still hadn't figured out how to tell her sister about it.

The two walked out of the tram stop and soon arrived at Lixi's small house.

Lixi stood in front of the door, her heart still pounding, and she even took her time taking out her keys.

She glanced at the door in front of her, then at Yue beside her, and a complex mix of emotions welled up inside her.