Aspiring to be a girl in a band

Xiangzi thought to himself, his face flushed.

Even she herself didn't realize it.

Now, she no longer feels the same resistance she had towards Arakawa Kirika.

……

After tiptoeing closer, Xiangzi nervously looked around before striking up a conversation with Arakawa Kirika.

"What...are you planning to do now...?"

Because there were many pedestrians passing by, and their good looks made it impossible for them to keep a low profile.

Before we knew it, it had already attracted a lot of attention.

As more and more eyes began to gather in his direction, Xiangzi immediately adopted a defensive posture.

She was genuinely terrified that Arakawa Kirika would do something... excessive to her at a time like this.

Then she'll have to consider transferring schools again.

Fortunately, Arakawa Kirika always knows how to maintain a proper balance.

She simply whispered something to Xiangzi.

"Come with me later, Mu is here too."

Seeing that Arakawa Kirika did not make any other moves, Shoko was relieved. She quickly changed her shoes and silently followed behind Arakawa Kirika.

The two walked out of the school without exchanging a single word.

After they met amicably at the familiar corner, Xiangzi finally spoke.

"So...where are we going?"

Arakawa Kirika hadn't told her the purpose of her trip yet, so it was understandable that Shoko was curious.

"Of course, I'm going to see a live performance."

Xiangzi frowned. She knew that Arakawa Kirika enjoyed watching live performances, but...

Was it really necessary to bring her along? She began to feel uneasy.

She looked at Mutsu next to Arakawa Kirika.

But Mu just kept his head down, his face expressionless, and he didn't look at her.

So she could only cast her questioning gaze back at Arakawa Kirika.

Arakawa Kirika didn't intend to keep them in suspense, so she spoke directly.

"It's the band of Light and Love, and today happens to be their first live performance... Well, of course, there are also two other original members of Crychic."

When Arakawa Kirika said those words, she looked at Shoko with a half-smile.

He seemed to be trying to catch some interesting reaction from Xiangzi's face.

But Xiangzi resolutely refused to let Arakawa Kirika have Ruyi.

She deliberately kept a straight face, without making any expression, and then gave a simple reply.

"Oh."

That was the end of the story.

"Hmph? Your reaction is quite indifferent."

Arakawa Kirika rested her chin on her hand and said jokingly.

Xiangzi remained nonchalant.

"That's all in the past. Anyway, I left Crychic a long time ago, so their new band has nothing to do with me. Why should I care?"

"If you're expecting me to have any emotional reaction to this, you're probably going to be disappointed."

Xiangzi gave Arakawa Kirika a cold look, his eyes filled with a hint of defiance.

“The ties from the past cannot harm me in the slightest, because… I have already moved forward.”

Xiangzi's attitude was very decisive and firm.

but……

Is that really the case?

Arakawa Kirika seemed quite relaxed about Shoko's bravado.

She knew very well that Toyokawa Shoko was soft all over, but her mouth was the hardest thing ever.

Is she truly as indifferent to the past as she claims?

Let's wait and see.

……

The three of them quickly arrived at the ring site.

But it was still early, far from the time for the audience to enter.

Arakawa Kirika speculates that this is probably the stage where various bands take turns auditioning, and there is still some time before the official performance.

She temporarily left Muhe and Xiangzi at the Ring restaurant.

Anyway, these two childhood sweethearts haven't seen each other for a while, so let's give them some space to chat.

She herself swaggered into the rehearsal venue.

She ignored the sign that read "No Entry for Unauthorized Personnel" as if it were air.

……

Coincidentally.

Arakawa Kirika had just entered the rehearsal venue when she ran into Akari and her group going on stage.

Riki acted very reservedly, completely different from his usual self, but... Arakawa Kirika didn't think Riki was stage-frightened, so what was the reason?

Arakawa Kirika turned her head to look at the group of girls in the shadows beside her.

Arakawa Kirika remembered that this group of people were standing in the center of the promotional poster for this live performance.

I remember it was called...Afterglow?

Clearly, the girls from Afterglow were the main attraction at today's live performance, while the new band, Lamp, was just a side dish.

Arakawa Kirika also remembered something else.

She had previously seen content related to Afterglow in Li hope's Line posts.

This makes it much easier to understand.

Li hope appears to be a fan of Afterglow, and she seems quite reserved in front of her idol.

Arakawa Kirika nodded in satisfaction, quite pleased with her reasoning.

Following Lixi, Lena fully demonstrated her vitality.

The quirky cat completely ignored the instructions on the control panel and immediately began its own unique and quirky solo performance.

Su Shi and Li hope exchanged another glance.

Just as Lixi was hesitating whether to interrupt Lena, Lena stopped on her own.

"Um... as for the guitar, let's test it in a little while."

With a smile, Ms. Rinrinko at the control panel gently reminded her neighbor, "Long Qia Liu Jiu San Liu Jiu: Le Nai."

Lena nodded knowingly.

Immediately afterwards... Lena suddenly put down her guitar and then sniffed the air lightly.

Lenai's eyes widened suddenly, filled with surprise.

She didn't explain to the band members and simply fled the stage.

Because Lena was very certain.

She smelled the scent of mist flowers.

Although dogs are often said to have the most sensitive sense of smell, it seems that this cat's sense of smell is just as good.

Volume 1: Chapter 126 The Eve of the Storm

Lixi immediately wanted to call out to Lena loudly... but... upon seeing the figures of the Afterglow members not far away, her body went limp again, and she ultimately let Lena leave.

Anyway, this stray cat has been doing whatever it wants for quite some time now.

When the show officially starts... she won't not come, will she?

Li hope sighed, then gestured for Ai Yin to begin the audition.

……

“Mist Flower…is here.”

Following the familiar scent, Lena spotted a familiar face in the shadows of the scene.

So Rana took light steps toward Arakawa Kirika and then plunged headfirst into her embrace.

Arakawa Kirika ruffled Ryuna's hair with a mixture of helplessness and affection.

She felt she had kept a fairly good profile.

At least... apart from Lena, no one else present noticed her existence.

"Mist Flower, are you here to see the live performance?"

Ronna buried her head in Arakawa Kirika's body and took several deep breaths before lifting her head.

Arakawa Kirika did not reply, partly because she did not want to make a sudden sound and attract unnecessary attention.

Secondly, she wanted to punish this somewhat willful kitten.

Arakawa Kirika then pinched Rakuna's nose with her hand, forcing Rakuna to breathe only through her mouth.

Then Arakawa Kirika reached out her other hand and pinched Ryuna's little tongue, which had involuntarily stuck out of her mouth, with two fingers.

She dragged Lena's tongue out long, making Lena look embarrassed.