Aspiring to be a girl in a band

"Hmm? Shouldn't Tsukimori be in regular classes during the Haneoka Academy Festival?"

"Stop pretending to be stupid, okay? I'm really tired and don't want to waste my energy complaining about you. Please think about me."

Seeing that Arakawa Kirika was pretending to be stupid again, Xiangzi couldn't help but retort.

"Alright alright……"

Arakawa Kirika shrugged, then helplessly spread her hands.

"I know that even if Mu takes leave, he will definitely come."

"It's not just about harmony."

Xiangzi suddenly said.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Arakawa Kirika suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Chu Hua and the others will come too."

"This is not what we agreed on before."

Arakawa Kirika frowned.

"What does it matter? Anyway, the school festival is an open day, and anyone can come into the school."

"...Even so, it's one thing for Chu Hua and Miao Meng to come, but why would Hai Ling come? Li Xi isn't in our group this time, so who would she come to see?"

"Of course it depends on you."

ha?

Arakawa Kirika twitched the corners of her mouth again. Although she was always very confident in her charm, she wasn't so confident as to think that she could win over Miss Hailin, who had barely spoken to her.

Therefore, she naturally assumed that there was something fishy about Xiangzi's words.

"Okay, I'm the one who called them over."

Seeing the suspicious look on Arakawa Kirika's face, Xiangzi decided to stop pretending altogether.

"What do you want to do?"

Arakawa Kirika asked directly.

"What are you doing? You've already performed this before, aren't you ashamed now?"

Xiangzi rarely showed a smile that seemed to indicate that his scheme had succeeded.

Oh… Arakawa Kirika squinted her eyes; now she understood a little.

Is this guy... getting revenge on me? Because I've been making fun of her these past few days?

I was too soft-hearted last night; I shouldn't have let her sleep.

Arakawa Kirika thought to herself with a sinister air.

I had indeed performed in front of a few members of Mujika before, but that was in a closed space. Now I was going to be judged by them on a wide stage.

What if... I make a mistake?

No... no, you are Arakawa Kiri-Yume 1 Lin yi Qi Si Wu Jiu jiu (8) Hua, your way of thinking should not be like this.

Yes, firstly, I can't possibly make a mistake, and secondly, even if I do, who would dare to say a word against it?

In a few breaths, Arakawa Kirika readjusted her mindset and then looked at Shoko.

"You think this will put pressure on me? You're far from it."

Arakawa Kirika crossed her arms and said in an unfriendly tone.

But all they saw was Xiangzi shaking his head helplessly, a strange expression appearing on his face.

"You... you're really full of aggressive thinking. Who said I was going to put pressure on you? I just think it's your first time on stage, so it's natural to invite your close friends and family. Don't you want to do a good job in front of everyone? This is a great opportunity to change people's impressions. Su Shi is still wary of you."

wait?

Arakawa Kirika's heart tightened immediately; there seemed to be a lot of information in Shoko's words just now.

"What do you mean by 'close people'? And why did you mention Su Shi? Could it be that..."

“That’s right, I also invited Lixi and Sushi. I heard that it’s incredibly easy for Hanasakikawa to take leave, so Lixi agreed very readily, saying something like, ‘I definitely have to see how embarrassed that guy looks.’ Sushi seemed a little hesitant, but in the end, she accepted my invitation.”

"As for 'close friends and family,' that's just the literal meaning. In your heart, a womanizer like you, don't you consider them 'close friends and family'?"

This guy... he actually did so many things behind my back.

Arakawa Kirika narrowed her eyes unhappily, but since things had already come to this point, she was too lazy to say anything more.

So, in a few days I'll be performing in front of everyone I know...

Absolutely awful...

Arakawa Kirika felt a slight sense of irritation, but fortunately, she didn't feel pressured by it.

She's just a little bit uncomfortable right now.

"what happened to you?"

Xiangzi gave Arakawa Kirika another deep look, because she found that Arakawa Kirika's reaction was indeed...surprisingly interesting.

She had never seen Arakawa Kirika like this before. Her expression didn't seem like she was shy, but one thing was certain: Arakawa Kirika's feelings must be very complicated right now.

Arakawa Kirika looked at Shoko somewhat reluctantly.

"I regret it. Is it too late for me to back out now?"

"what?"

Xiangzi was startled, and even his drowsiness dissipated somewhat.

Before Xiangzi could react, Arakawa Kirika added more.

"Hmm... but according to the procedure, shouldn't I go out in the rain for a while and get my clothes half-wet before discussing leaving the group?"

Arakawa Kirika lightly tapped her cheek with her index finger, and the teasing smile returned to her face.

"..."

Xiangzi then realized what was happening.

Arakawa Kirika was clearly mocking her... and for a second she genuinely thought she was going to quit...

Whew... For some reason, despite the mocking words, Xiangzi didn't react defiantly; instead, he breathed a sigh of relief.

She just felt that it was good that Arakawa Kirika didn't quit.

Volume 1: Chapter 247 I'll Fill in the Gaps for You

Has what was bound to happen finally arrived?

Time flies by, and the dream—first—is gone, finally ushering in the time of [judgment].

Although she had never made a mistake in her daily practice, the feeling of a lump in her throat as she was about to go on stage still made Arakawa Kirika feel a little uncomfortable.

"What do we do?! It's almost our turn..."

Aine, who was standing to the side, was trembling while holding her guitar. Seeing Aine's behavior, Arakawa Kirika breathed a sigh of relief.

What? There are even more shameful guys out there.

Yes, Arakawa Kirika never expected that a week would pass so quickly, like turning a new page in a novel and immediately having to go on stage.

"Aine, calm down. You have a lot of stage experience, don't you? And didn't you say last time that you even performed at your junior high graduation ceremony?"

As the team leader, Xiangzi calmed Ai Yin down.

Unlike his usual gentleness, when it comes to formal performances, Xiangzi becomes unusually assertive, or rather... he develops a strong leadership presence.

"That's true... but there were very few people in the ring, right? Now we're about to perform in a huge open-air stadium... surrounded by huge crowds... the pressure is completely different."

Ai-yin replied timidly, holding her guitar.

"It's okay. We've practiced for so long, have some confidence in yourself, Aine."

"Hmm... okay."

Ai Yin bit her lip and nodded, but although she nodded, she didn't seem to have gained much confidence.

"Aine, are you nervous?"

In stark contrast to Aine's reaction, Rakuna was even a little drowsy. She only slowly opened her eyes after hearing Shoko and Aine's words, and then walked towards Aine.

Lena took a candy bean out of her pocket and handed it to Aine.

Aine accepted Renai's kindness with a complicated expression.

Normally, it's me and Riki who feed this child in Mygo, but now it's Xiaole Nai feeding her instead... I'm really acting like this... Even Kirika, who is making her stage debut for the first time, doesn't show any nervousness at all.

After gently chewing on Rakuna's candy for a while, Aine felt a little better.

"Aine... there won't be any problems. If you're still nervous, just look at me. I should be diagonally in front of you, Aine."

Even the lamp slowly stood in front of Aine and helped her fix her hair.

Wow... what's going on?

Could it be... that I'm the main character? Otherwise, how could I garner so much love and attention...? Hehehe.

This sudden happiness brought a smug smile to Aine's face, and her initial tension eased considerably.

But Ai Yin immediately asked Deng with a hint of curiosity.

"Isn't Deng... nervous?"

Upon hearing this, Deng hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

"I... I think I'll be nervous, but when I started singing... I couldn't see the audience anymore..."

The meaning of "light" is... once she gets into the zone, she ignores her surroundings and often only realizes after finishing a song... "Huh? Why are there so many people in front of me all of a sudden?"

So once the performance actually starts, the lights... are probably not nervous.

"What is this... it's practically a superpower... could you share a little bit of this power with someone else?"

Upon hearing this, Ai-yin immediately showed an envious expression, and then grabbed the lamp's arm and wouldn't let go.

"Hmm... I'm willing to give it to Aine."