For the peace of the Lonely Band, please sacrifice yourself!

……

Mochizuki Saku spent a delicious night at the Akiyama family, while Kita, a schoolgirl, was worried.

The smile on her face was tinged with bitterness: "Hmm... I forgot to add my senior's line and phone number. What should I do now?" She scratched her head and looked at the brightly lit musical instrument store in the street market in a daze.

"I asked my dad to advance me two years' worth of New Year's money and pocket money. Wow, how stupid! I should have asked my senior to take me to buy a guitar after school."

"Ahhh... never mind, a guitar has six strings anyway!" Kita Ikuyo showed a determined face as if she was ready to die, and strode into the music store.

If Mochizuki Saku knew that Kita-chan rushed into the music store recklessly and chose a guitar based on the stereotype that "a guitar has six strings", he would probably burst out laughing.

Unfortunately he didn't know. He only knew that the food cooked by Akiyama's mother was so delicious that he wanted another bowl.

tip:

Chapter 5: Teachings from the Elders (Please collect ~

After dinner, Akiyama Mio followed her mother into the kitchen to wash the dishes, and Mochizuki Rin also slipped in, leaving Mochizuki Saku and Akiyama's father looking at each other in bewilderment.

Akiyama's father was sitting in the living room, holding a cup of tea, his eyes fixed on the TV screen that was playing a program. Facing this elder who looked so majestic without getting angry, like looking directly at a tiger entrenched in the mountains, Mochizuki Shuo felt a little guilty for some reason, perhaps because he often abducted his precious daughter to go around when she was a child, he always felt that Akiyama's father had some opinions about him.

"Xiao Shuo," Akiyama's father always likes to say this when he starts talking, "After entering the third year of high school, don't focus too much on music and neglect your studies. I believe that with your abilities you will be able to handle the relationship between the two." The middle-aged man started, and although it was still the same old cliché, 'Students of this age should focus on studying', Mochizuki Shuo still listened to his steady and powerful voice.

The boy quickly said yes and nodded rapidly.

Seeing him acting so obedient in front of him, Akiyama's father couldn't help laughing, and his calm demeanor suddenly dropped: "That's strange, I don't think I'm a very strict person, why are you so afraid of me?"

"No, no, no, how can that be possible?"

Mochizuki Shuo refused to admit it.

"I'm just giving you a few more words of advice as someone who's been through this. You're a person with your own ideas, otherwise you wouldn't have given up Keio High School to study at the unknown Xiuhua High School." The man took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and continued, "Your parents and I were also your age. We also formed a band in high school and made our debut successfully. You have a strong musical talent. As far as I know, your ability has surpassed that of first-line guitarists. You're much better than me. There's nothing more I can say here."

"But as for my daughter, I can tell you about it." After a long speech, Akiyama's father finally came to the point. Mochizuki Saku felt that he had to listen carefully to what he said next. "I know my daughter. She has been timid and shy since she was a child. Although she has gradually become more cheerful with the help of you and the girl from Tianzhong's family, she is still the crybaby by nature."

Speaking of Akiyama Mio, his proud daughter, Akiyama's father smiled as he spoke, and Mochizuki Saku saw it all. "I'm not worried about Mio's grades. She will be anxious if her grades drop, but feelings have a big impact on people, so... I hope you can manage your relationship well, at least before you graduate from high school. As a father, I won't allow that kind of thing."

"By the way, don't let me hear that you made Mio cry again, otherwise..." Akiyama's father glanced at Mochizuki Saku who was sitting upright, and clenched his sandbag-sized fists.

"Ah this..."

"Hmm?" Akiyama's father glanced at him.

"Okay uncle, no problem uncle, don't worry, I promise." Wang Yueshuo patted his chest repeatedly, looking like he was taking it seriously.

"Okay! A real man means what he says -"

"It's hard to chase a horse!"

......

"What were you and my dad talking about just now? I could hear you two laughing in the kitchen." After Akiyama Mio finished cleaning up, the Mochizuki siblings were about to say goodbye and go home. The girl said she would take them to the station, and followed them out.

"We didn't talk about anything...haha, just some topics between men."

"Tch, I don't believe it."

"Oh, actually, we didn't really talk about anything. We just talked about the unconfirmed carnival festival. Your dad asked me if I wanted to sign up for it this year. I saw that it was during the summer vacation, so I planned to sign up. It's that simple." Mochizuki Saku explained embarrassedly.

"Oh, that... I remember the election started from the city competition?" Akiyama Mio asked with her head tilted.

"Yes, there are individual competitions and band competitions. I'm considering whether to form a band or something..."

"Would you like to join our after-school tea party for a while?"

"Um, if I remember correctly, you are a girl band, it's not appropriate for me to join." Mochizuki Saku declined Akiyama Mio's invitation. He looked at the dusk sky in the distance, the red clouds splashing like the setting sun hitting the ground ping line, and smiled silently, "If it doesn't work out, I'll just debut as a single player. Anyway, I'm still young, I can wait until I go to college to form a band."

"Then you should do your best."

"By the way, what's going on with your junior schoolmate? Are you going to teach others guitar again?" Akiyama Mio tucked the loose hair behind her ears and asked curiously.

"How did you know? Oh, Mochizuki Rin, are you telling tales again?" The boy glanced at his sister who was hiding behind them and eavesdropping, and felt a little headache.

It's broken. There's a traitorous little monitor around me.

But she is my own sister, I can’t beat her too hard...Mochizuki Shuo was confused for a moment.

Mochizuki Rin slid to the right side of Akiyama Mio, one body away from her beloved brother. She hugged Mio's arm, a sly smile on her lips, her hair fluttering in the breeze like fox ears, and she squinted her eyes, a cunning little fox jumped out vividly.

"I'm just being pestered..." Mochizuki Saku explained with a smile, "To be honest, I've seen too many things like this. There are always people who like band performances or band animations, so they excitedly buy instruments and find teachers, but those with poor patience give up after practicing for only a few days, and the newly bought piano is thrown away somewhere to hide the dust. Most people have good intentions at the beginning, but how many people can persist in the tedious and boring daily communication?"

"Over the years, I've met only a handful of people who have persisted. You can count them on one hand." Wang Yueshuo shrugged helplessly. "Practicing the piano is boring, but if you want to improve on a musical instrument, constant monotonous training is essential. I've seen a girl who really practiced guitar desperately. She ran into the closet with headphones on, and practiced except for eating and sleeping. It made me feel bad."

"So you think that schoolgirl can't hold on either?"

"Then I don't know. It depends on the situation..." Mochizuki Shuo hesitated for two seconds and still did not give Akiyama Mio a definite answer. He stared blankly at the crimson clouds, which were like orange-red gauze and colorful clothes, so beautiful that he slowly said, "I hope she can stick to it. I have always welcomed all beginners. You should understand."

The boy grinned and chuckled, the girl's appearance reflected in his sparkling eyes.

"Don't forget that I was the one who taught you how to play the guitar."

"Hmm? What did you say? The wind was too strong just now, I couldn't hear you clearly. I couldn't hear you, I couldn't hear you~~~~"

tip:

Chapter 6: The socially anxious girl makes her debut

The bright moon hung silently on the branches, and its clear yellow light with a cool white glow sprinkled down, coating the pedestrians who had not yet returned home with a thin layer of plain gauze.

When was the last time you came here? Has it been only a year?

I glanced nostalgically at this nearly deserted river beach far away from the city, pushed aside the messy piles of weeds, and stepped on the uneven dirt road. The soft rustling sound of the grass and the slight buzzing of insects added a different kind of charm to the tranquility here.

After leaving Akiyama Mio's house, Mochizuki Saku first sent his sister home. Then, facing Rin's suspicious and weird gaze, he said nonchalantly that he was going to the convenience store to buy some snacks, and asked her to stay at home and he would be back soon and bring her her favorite mango pudding. Then he walked out the door calmly.

So, Wang Yueshuo took advantage of the two hours before curfew and went to the place where he used to practice the piano under the moonlight.

What a big change.

Mochizuki Saku sighed in a low voice. When he first came to Tokyo, he was unfamiliar with the place and found the city too noisy and boring, so he often came here, carrying his guitar, bass or saxophone and practicing by himself, warming up his voice over and over again, doing vocal exercises, and venting his stress as he pleased.

So this is my shelter? The boy smiled and shook his head.

However, due to various reasons such as study and family, he never came again.

Will she still be here playing the piano? The girl who was so obsessed with guitar that she even forgot to eat lunch...

A bit of panic suddenly arose in Wang Yueshuo's heart.

Was I stupid? I didn't go home in the middle of the night and ran to the riverside, which is so far away, just to satisfy a sudden idea.

Do you really want to hear her piano? Do you really want to see her again?

The wind from the river lifted the strands of hair on his forehead, and the branches rustled, taking away the irritability that this developed city brought him bit by bit. With a long breath, Wang Yueshuo patted his somewhat cold cheeks, and his brain, which had gradually calmed down, started to work again.

Forget it, now that we are here, are we going to run back in disgrace without accomplishing anything? That would be too lame.

The extremely thick gray-black shadow not far away is the railway bridge. The train running safely on the track makes a knocking, knocking sound with a distinct rhythm, which just matches the rhythm of Wang Yueshuo's somewhat panicked heartbeat, thump thump.

"???～～"

At this distance, the sound of the guitar can be vaguely heard.

When Wang Yueshuo heard the familiar string music, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh, a smile appeared on his face, and he quickened his pace.

As the distance gets closer, the sound becomes clearer.

Finally, under the bridge, Mochizuki Shuo finally met the person he had been dreaming of. At the same time, the bewitching guitar sound was transmitted to his ears accurately across time.

Sitting quietly on the old moss-covered cement floor, the girl hummed softly. Her slender white fingers held the pick and plucked the strings. Her soft and all-embracing voice seemed to wrap around the harsh strings, forcing them to emit a soft sound.

"Long time no see, Xiao Yili."

“Ah!…Ah, hello——!

Hey, what is it, it’s Brother Shuo~”

The boy's sudden greeting had a wonderful effect, at least in his opinion.

The girl with smooth pink long hair in front of him startled. The yellow and blue square hair accessory on the right side of her hair jumped suddenly. The body wrapped in the pink sportswear froze visibly, then she lowered her head awkwardly and shyly, and greeted him in a very low voice.

After a while, she seemed to have recovered from her panic and realized who was behind it. She looked up and pouted her cute little mouth in dissatisfaction. Under her pink bangs, her big sea-blue eyes blinked and she gave Wang Yueshuo a shy and angry look.

Sure enough....super cute!

Mochizuki Saku sat next to her, took out a bottle of warm mineral water from his bag and handed it to Goto Ichiri's face. After she took it, she opened a can of lemon juice and took a sip, making a "huff" sound.

"Why... did you come here?" Goto Ichiri put the guitar on his knees upright beside him, raised the mineral water and drank it in small gulps. Some drops of water overflowed from the corner of his mouth. The transparent water droplets and sweat together slid across the girl's beautiful neck, and finally stopped on the delicate collarbone.

Yes, there is a lot of love.

Mochizuki Shuo handed over a few tissues like a gentleman, then remained silent for a few seconds, pretending to be thoughtful.

"Sudden idea?"

"...ha?"

Goto Ichiri clearly didn't believe it. He looked at the smiling boy from head to toe with a suspicious look and asked weakly, "Were you kicked out by Rin-chan again?"

"No cu——what the hell, how did you come up with this idea?"

Wang Yueshuo stretched out his index finger and tapped the innocent girl's forehead, and said in a slightly speechless tone: "I really suddenly thought of you this time. I just happened to have nothing to do, so I came out to try and see if you are still playing the piano here."

Goto Ichiri nodded, with an expression that said 'I see'.

"I went to see your performance today."

"Uh-huh, how does it feel?"

"Very good, your guitar is as good as always!"

"After all, this is my specialty."

"....Can you teach me again? I feel like there's something missing from my guitar?"

What's missing?

Mochizuki Saku shifted his gaze from the girl's long legs wrapped in white knee-high socks and asked in a calm tone.

"It lacks a bit of... vitality. I feel like my piano sound is a bit lifeless." Goto Ichiri looked directly into Mochizuki Saku's gray-brown eyes and explained, "If your piano sound is a constant stream of living water, then mine feels like a pool of stagnant water."

"Emmmm——"

This question is a bit difficult to answer. Wang Yueshuo was in distress and waved his hands for a long time without knowing how to start. It would be much more convenient if the mysterious artistic conception could be easily summarized in a few simple and clear sentences.

Goto Ichiri hugged her knees in a somewhat dejected manner, staring at Mochizuki Saku with a pitiful look. She was wearing sports shorts with white knee-high socks, and when she hugged her knees, the shorts were slightly lifted up, exposing a touch of snow-white thigh skin between the white stockings and the shorts to the boy's eyes.

What white legs! Mochizuki Shuo, who prided himself on his superb eyesight, instantly focused his sight on the snow-white thighs. He slightly widened his eyes and frantically scanned and read up and down, left and right, like a human printer.

OK! It has been uploaded to the "Super Beautiful Legs CG" gallery in my brain!

Goto Ichiri seemed to sense something, and a blush suddenly appeared on his face. He quickly put down his legs and sat obediently aside, with his legs that were originally closed coming even closer together.

Before she met Mochizuki Shuo, the introverted girl would always wear the school's signature pink sportswear even under the scorching sun. However, in order to meet Mochizuki Shuo's abnormal teaching conditions, she would go home after school to change into cooler clothes.

Although she understood that Mochizuki Shuo's request was actually to prevent her from being sweating profusely under the scorching sun and from ending up in a miserable state, such as heat stroke, this still made the shy and introverted girl's heart beat as if it was about to take off.

Goto Ichiri scratched his bangs and glanced at him weakly with his watery eyes, a look that said, "Don't look at me anymore, it's too scary."

Wang Yueshuo turned his head away, coughed a few times, and quickly picked up the electric guitar that the girl had placed beside him.

"That feeling can only be felt but not described. I'll play it for you." The young man naturally took out his pick from his pocket and lowered his head to play the piano.

Chapter 7 Goto Ichiri's future is full of hope (please collect ~

The Book of Music puts forward such a view: "All sounds originate from the human heart. Emotions move in the heart, so they are expressed in sounds. When sounds are formed into text, they are called music." Wang Yueshuo also believes that if the same piece of music is played by two people with different styles, the music they compose will also have different flavors.

Goto Ichiri said, "My guitar sounds a bit lifeless, like a pool of stagnant water." In Mochizuki Saku's opinion, this is actually her style. Every guitarist will incorporate his or her emotions into the music when playing the guitar, and then express them abstractly and straightforwardly in the performance.

He had just heard the girl's performance, and it was definitely not the unfamiliar performance of a novice, not to mention that she was a famous guitar hero with tens of thousands of followers on YouTube. The person in charge was confused, but the bystander was clear. In the eyes of Mochizuki Saku, who was familiar with Goto Ichiri, the gloomy and dull performance of her playing would always usher in a fierce explosion at the climax.

Dead? Dark? That's the way Goto Ichiri plays! Personality!

Do you want her to be as sweet and lovely as Akiyama-san? She will probably faint on the spot and shrink into the shadows like a noshige snake. Similarly, Mio-chan can't write about the loneliness that is unique to Ichiri.

In short, Mochizuki Saku and Goto Ichiri are two different people, and their understanding of the same song is also different.

But... this kind of thing still needs to be experienced in person. Xiao Yili is in high school now. With her level, it's no problem for her to form a band. We'll talk about it when she gets worried about writing lyrics... Haha, I suddenly want to see how Yili will perform at that time.

Wang Yueshuo plucked the strings of the zither, but his eyes were always fixed on the girl. The girl, who was sitting on the slightly cool steps, closed her eyes at some point and listened to the music quietly, feeling the difference. She frowned slightly, as if she was thinking about where the gap was.

There is indeed a gap between the two's skills, but... Goto Ichiri should probably be thinking about why every time a cheerful song is played, the performer is the first to collapse. Like a pink Shikigo snake, wriggling on the ground, Mochizuki Saku recalled the sudden onset of the girl's illness when she played the guitar, and couldn't help but smile.