Zongman: Nagasaki Sushi's adopted brother

Hong Xia hesitated slightly, her brows slightly furrowed, and her fingers unconsciously twisted together, "But we don't even have the score? We don't know what to play..." There was a hint of uneasiness in her voice, as if she was worried that this impromptu performance would turn into chaos.

"It's okay, just play randomly and I'll coordinate. Just think of it as our band's first song." Bai Ye gave a thumbs up, his smile full of confidence and encouragement.

Ijichi Hongxia sighed helplessly, "Won't that make me feel even more nervous..." There was a hint of teasing in her voice, but her eyes revealed a hint of expectation.

"Let's go, Hongxia." Yamada Ryo shouldered her bass, and with a quick and decisive move, she leaped onto the stage. She turned her head and looked at Bai Ye, her lips curled up slightly, "Our new band member has a lot of emotions to express..."

Yamada Ryo's voice was low and calm, as if this impromptu performance was just a common occurrence for her. She stood in the center of the stage, her fingers gently plucking the strings of the bass, making a low hum.

Ichichi Hongxia looked at the two of them and shook her head helplessly, but she couldn't help but raise the corner of her mouth, "You guys are really messing around. I don't care what kind of performance you make."

Bai Ye smiled at the two of them, then grabbed the microphone and said, "Let's rock out. Please listen to the song I just composed, 'I, Bai Ye, will never reconcile with Nagasaki Suyo.'"

(Adapted material: What bad things did Nagasaki Suyo do?)

Drummer - Ijichi Hongka, bass - Yamada Ryo, keyboard vocals - Bai Ye.

"Pretending to be family, forcing people to be auspicious."

"It's blocking the school gate and obstructing the road."

"Pretend to be a good wife and mother, and only feed her vegetarian food."

"PUA Laozi, you have a vicious heart."

"I don't accept bad attitudes from teammates."

"Get rid of the pink-haired guitar-stressed dad."

"Throwing away cups and pretending not to know people."

"There is only suffering in my heart."

.....

"Being violent towards a decent girl's keyboard in the middle of the night."

"After doing all the bad things, he even cut his brother apart."

"When a dog licks you, all that's left is nothing."

"What should I do to keep Xiang here?"

"I wish you will never suffer~"

...

Ijichi Hoshige stood at the side of the stage, arms folded across her chest, brows slightly furrowed. She glanced at the three people on the stage, her tone tinged with disdain: "All this resentment is directed towards me."

However, her eyes never left the stage, her ears slightly perked up, catching every note.

"The music is a mess, the lyrics are weird, but it's still pretty good..."

Ijichi Hoshika's voice was soft, as if she didn't want to disturb the performance, but her tone was filled with admiration...

Chapter 19 Nagasaki Sushi, I don't owe you anything

Bai Ye and Xiangzi stood in the middle of the empty rooftop. It was silent all around, with only the wind whispering in their ears.

Bai Ye scratched his hair slightly in annoyance, and said helplessly: "No lunch box today."

"Yeah." Xiangzi nodded, her face showing no excessive emotion. Her eyes were calm and indifferent, as if she was already accustomed to all this.

Bai Ye was silent for a moment, then pulled out two sandwiches and plum soup from his bag and handed one to Xiangzi. His movements were a little clumsy, and his tone was a little tentative: "This is all I have. I wonder if you can accept it?"

"Thank you..." Xiangzi nodded and took the food.

Bai Ye didn't look at her again. He turned and walked to the fence of the rooftop, with his hands behind his head and his back to Xiangzi. His figure looked particularly tall and straight in the sunlight, but also with a hint of loneliness.

The breeze lifted the corners of his clothes and blew away the restlessness in his heart. He looked up at the distant sky, where the white clouds floated leisurely, as if silently telling something.

Xiangzi stood there, looking down at the sandwich in his hand, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't open his mouth.

She only knew that Bai Ye today was completely different from the previous ones. He was no longer playful, but more serious and a little sad.

"Aren't you curious why? There's no lunchbox today, and Ichiri-chan didn't come to school..." Bai Ye suddenly spoke in a low voice. His gaze was still fixed on the distance, as if he was asking a question to the sky.

Xiangzi took a bite of the sandwich, the taste spreading on the tip of his tongue, and swallowed it gently, his tone calm and gentle: "Everyone has times when they don't want to talk, and not everyone can speak freely."

"I won't ask if you don't want to talk about it, but if you want to talk about it, I can be a spectator."

Bai Ye was silent for a moment, as if he was sorting out his thoughts. His voice became calm, as if he was telling a story that had nothing to do with him.

"...My bento was made by my sister-in-law. We are a blended family."

"Although she appears to dislike me, she still treats me gently..."

His tone was flat, as if he was stating a simple fact, but his words contained an indescribable complex emotion.

On the rooftop, the wind was still blowing gently, and the sun shone on the two of them, warm and bright. Bai Ye's figure still had his back to Xiangzi, but his shoulders seemed to relax a little, as if he had unloaded some invisible burden.

Xiangzi stood quietly behind him with a gentle look, as if giving him silent support with his silence.

"She has a band that she holds very dearly and considers that band her home, which I just learned yesterday."

"But the band she loved was on the verge of breaking up."

"That's when I came in. I could help her, become a replacement for the member who left, and stabilize the band she loved."

"When that person comes back, I can leave."

After Bai Ye finished speaking, he let out a long breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He casually picked up the sour plum soup and took a sip. The sour taste spread in his mouth, as if echoing his current mood.

"But you know, everyone is different."

"No matter how similar it is, no matter how hard you try, you can never completely replace it."

"I also realized that I seemed to have been exposed a long time ago, but everyone was still pretending to be confused and was half-heartedly trying to maintain the band."

"It's just a fake and boring performance. It's not a band at all, just an empty shell with a name."

“I want a real person who really loves to play.”

Xiangzi walked to Bai Ye and handed him the sour plum soup that Bai Ye gave her, "I can't open it..." Bai Ye took the sour plum soup, gently unscrewed the bottle cap, and handed it back to Xiangzi.

"That's why you invited Goto-san to join that band."

Xiangzi took the opened bottle of sour plum soup and took a sip. The same sour taste spread in his mouth. The hearts of the two seemed to be connected at this moment.

"Well... I thought this would allow me to maintain the band while also starting to enjoy the days even if it was just as a replacement."

"I wrote a song specifically for this, so everyone can happily sing along."

Bai Ye became excited as he spoke, but quickly lowered his head.

"Our practice was perfect, or rather, I made it perfect."

"You're so narcissistic." Xiangzi also lay on the fence, close to Bai Ye. Her voice was a little teasing, but also a little gentle.

"No, I'm really strong."

"Okay, okay, then what?" Xiangzi responded perfunctorily, as if waiting for Bai Ye to continue telling his story.

"Then...."

"Then my sister broke up with me, and I quit the band. I think Ichiri-chan was also pressured into quitting."

"Huh?" Xiangzi opened his eyes wide, his mouth slightly open, showing an expression of disbelief.

"To my sister, that band can only be those five people."

"I dragged someone in without permission and ruined her destiny."

"So, Ichiri-chan doesn't need it, and neither do I."

"Is your sister too extreme..." Xiangzi frowned, with a big question mark in his mind.

"I felt the same way, and then we had a fight, and I left the house and the band."

"Um... do you need help?" Xiangzi touched Bai Ye's head, as if seeing her former self. There was an unprecedented tenderness in her voice, as if giving Bai Ye silent support.

"I was actually quite wealthy, and I quickly found a new place to live and joined a new band."

Xiangzi's hand that was touching Bai Ye's head suddenly turned into a knife.

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Why did you hit me all of a sudden?"

"Unhappy..." Xiangzi turned his head away and ignored Bai Ye.

But then Bai Ye's words were like a thunderclap in Xiangzi's ears, shocking her so much that she froze in place, her pupils suddenly contracted, and her breathing seemed to stop at that moment.

"Xiangzi, you also know my adopted sister, her name is Nagasaki Suyo."

Xiangzi turned his head abruptly, his eyes piercing Bai Ye like a knife. Her breathing stagnated, her lips trembled slightly, and her fingers unconsciously clenched the corner of her clothes, her knuckles turning white from the force.

"What's going on?!" Xiangzi's voice suddenly rose, and his angry voice echoed in the empty rooftop.

"It's just what I just said..." Bai Ye shrugged, feeling a lot more relaxed after completely confessing.

Xiangzi suddenly stood up, with his back to Bai Ye, his arms hanging down and his fists clenched tightly.

"Then you approached me because of Su Shi?!" Xiangzi asked coldly, with a hint of trembling in his voice, obviously trying hard to suppress his emotions.

"It was before, but not now... I consider you my good friend. I have never revealed your situation to Nagasaki Suyo... Well, except for the incident in Haneda."

Xiangzi turned around, his eyes flashing with resentment, and punched Bai Ye in the chest with a punch that was neither too heavy nor too light, making a dull sound. "This punch is my resentment for being blocked by Su Shi. Do you have any objection?"

"Thank you, Master Xiangzi, for your kindness."

Xiangzi retracted his fist, let out a long breath, and forced himself to calm down.

Seeing that she had calmed down, Bai Ye continued, "Xiangzi, those vegetarian bento boxes you ate were all made by Nagasaki Suyo. Even though they were made for me, you ate them anyway."

"Hmm?" Xiangzi's body trembled slightly.

"You promised me that you would help me with the technical guidance of the band."

Bai Ye looked straight into Xiangzi's eyes. There was no trace of evasion in his eyes, which were pure and tenacious.

"So go and guide them..."

"Are you stupid? You've all been abandoned." Xiangzi narrowed his eyes and said angrily.

“I’m stupid…”

"I know you have a hidden reason, and this request will damage our relationship... But even so..."

"Xiangzi, please do this, so I don't owe Nagasaki Suyo anything anymore."

After saying that, Bai Ye bowed deeply, his body bent at an angle almost close to ninety degrees, and his tone was pleading.

[Nagasaki Suyo, this time I've repaid the favor you gave me. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other anymore.]

"I'm so impressed by you, you idiot... That's it. But I'll only go once. Not only for you, but also for myself..."

Toyokawa Shoko waved her hand and turned to leave the rooftop. But before she completely walked out the door, she complained with a hint of disgust.

"Please prepare plum juice for lunch tomorrow... plum soup, it's so sour it's almost tooth-wrenching... I'm so glad you like it."

"And...is our relationship so fragile that it can be broken with just one poke? What a self-righteous fool..."

After saying this, Xiangzi left the rooftop in a panic.

Only a breeze remains, blowing through the stunned white night, lingering for a long time...

Chapter 20: Bitterness Comes and Bitterness Disbands

As the bell rang for the final class, Haneda suddenly became lively. Students began pouring out of the classrooms, relaxed smiles on their faces, as if all the fatigue of the day had vanished in that moment.

Nagasaki Suyo once again arrived at the gate of Haneda School early, her eyes anxiously moving among the bustling students, as if she was looking for someone important.

Her fingers unconsciously clenched the strap of her bass bag, her eyes showing a hint of nervousness and anticipation. Finally, she saw that familiar figure - Toyokawa Shoko.

"Xiao Xiang, come back to Kulaixueku with me!" Su Shi's voice was filled with anxiety, and her eyes were fixed on Xiangzi, fearing that she would refuse.

Shoko Toyokawa stopped and turned to look at Su Shi. She was silent for a moment, as if thinking about something.

At this moment, Su Shi's heart beat faster. She held her breath and waited for Xiangzi's reply.

Finally, Xiangzi sighed and said, "Let's go, Nagasaki Suyo." Her voice was soft, but with a hint of determination.

A surge of joy welled up in Su Shi's heart, and a bright smile spread across her face. "That's great, you're finally willing to come back."

"Heh..." Shoko Toyokawa frowned and stopped talking.

...

Inside the Ring practice room, the lights were dim and a tense atmosphere hung in the air.