Why play in a band if you don't form one for life?

Yusaki listened to her humming, and the smile that had appeared on his face at the party that had just ended never faded.

It seemed like the party would never end as long as Kasumi was around.

She noticed this herself.

"(What is this... Could it be that Kasumi is my party... Hehe, that doesn't seem bad.)" she thought with a blushing face.

After that impulse, at least in her heart, she was able to slowly become more frank.

However, the closer they got to the room, the softer Kasumi's voice became.

Her singing stopped completely when she reached the door of the room.

Arisaki's heart also fell.

She didn't want to open the door in front of her.

However, Kasumi already had her hand on the doorknob, whispering to herself, "Using the most perfect six days to make everyone forget their regrets... doesn't seem to work."

"Xiang Cheng..."

After the excitement of the party passed, Arisaki realized again that Kasumi's previous Kirakira was just a facade that she now used to comfort others and herself.

The real her... the real her...

"Arisaki," Kasumi held Arisaki's hand, and Arisaki could clearly feel her trembling, "Today, hold my hand tightly too, okay?"

"Are we going to that dream today too?" Yusaki said, "We were so happy before..."

"It's because I'm so happy that I have to go to that dream." Kasumi turned around, hugged Arisaki's right arm, and pressed against her shoulder, "This kind of happiness, this shining daily life, must not stop forever after six days."

Arisaki lowered his head.

As time goes by, Kasumi's Star Beat mentions the prophecy of the final battle more and more frequently. That bloody ending appears in Kasumi's dreams every night, becoming clearer and clearer.

But Kasumi did not try to avoid it. Instead, she actively immersed herself in the dream, looking for ways to break her fate over and over again.

There is no result yet, but experiencing that dream every night is a huge devastation to her spirit.

“Please, Arisaki… Even if you don’t help me, I will still do it, but… If it weren’t for Arisaki, I definitely wouldn’t be able to hold on until then…”

Kasumi's words were so fragile, yet so strong.

Arisaki clenched his gums tightly.

She finally made up her mind and hugged Kasumi's body tightly in her arms.

"Okay... before you fall asleep, and after you fall asleep, I will always hold your hand." She repeated the lyrics of Popipa, "These hands will never let go."

Chapter 57: Do you have the confidence to put on a kimono for me?

Ichiri opened his eyes after a dreamless night of sleep.

The light coming through the gaps in the curtains is still the unchanging water light from the cracks in space.

She reached out and touched the phone on the bedside table, picked it up and looked at it:

6:05

It's time to get up... Little Kita is waiting to practice guitar together.

She propped herself up drowsily, put a piece of ice on her face to wake herself up, and went to wash up.

and many more……

She suddenly thought of something else.

Something seems to be going on today?

By the way, today is the New Year.

I had a lot of fun at the pre-celebration last night, but what should I do today?

Yili recalled the memories of celebrating the New Year in the past.

After eating New Year dishes such as black beans, chestnut balls, and dried anchovies, I put on my kimono and went to the shrine to queue up with my parents, Erli, and Jimmy Hen.

There are a lot of people queuing up to worship, so be careful not to get separated from your family. If you get separated, you can only find an inconspicuous place to huddle together...

Ah, I don’t feel like going out. I might get sick today.

But if I get sick, it will cause trouble to others, right?

Otherwise, I'd rather die...

Even though I know I'm different now, I still can't help but show off.

"Xiao—yi—li—" The door was suddenly pushed open and Kita's voice came in.

Yili was startled: "Xiao Xiduo... such a loud noise will disturb others..."

"No, no, everyone is up." Kita walked in.

"Are you up? So early?" Yili was a little surprised.

Kita took Ichiri's hand without further ado: "Yes, come and see for yourself."

Before Yili had even finished washing up, he was dragged to the bar.

A group of people had already gathered here in three layers. Yili stood on tiptoe at the edge of the crowd and saw a row of hangers in the center, which were full of kimonos.

"We couldn't prepare the kimonos ourselves in such a short time, so Nana directly asked for help from the Genmaki family." Shizi came over from somewhere, "Xin Xiaoxin really liked my idea."

She sounded proud.

"You are unique in calling someone by a nickname when you don't even know them..." Kita shook his head helplessly and explained to Ichiri, "Everyone is choosing kimonos. Let's go quickly, or we won't be able to choose the ones we like."

"I don't have any ideas..." Yili was not enthusiastic, "As long as it's wearable, it's fine. They all seem to be high-end goods anyway... Where's Shizi?"

"Me?" Shizi pointed at himself. "I have never worn a kimono in my life. How would I know what is suitable?"

Kita was not discouraged at all, instead his eyes sparkled: "Then it's Kita Kita Ikudai Ikudai's turn! I'll choose for you! Sorry, please make way~"

"You really like that name..." Shizi was dragged and squeezed into the crowd with Yili.

"Xiao Yili, this one, this one, and this one. Xiao Shizi, this one, this one, and this one. I have this one, this one, and this one. Go change quickly!" Shizi didn't know how Kita chose. She saw her coming over with several sets of colorful and different kimonos, but she couldn't tell what was good about them. She was about to push them back to the room.

When it comes to topics related to clothes, Kita goes all out, and Shiko and Ichiri are completely unable to resist her enthusiasm.

In Kita's room, in front of the large floor-to-ceiling mirror.

"Let's get changed quickly," Kita urged, closing the door, "Take a few photos after you change and post them on SNS..."

"There is no SNS here." Shizi raised a hand to remind.

Kita paused awkwardly: "Yeah... I used to send it to my friends, I'm used to it..."

"And can you let me finish washing up first?" Yili also raised his hand.

Shizi raised his other hand, looking like he was surrendering: "I haven't slept yet."

"Didn't you sleep?" Kita and Ichiri had the same shocked expression.

"While you guys were playing yesterday, I was working with Nana." Shizi said, "Although I have no problem not sleeping for a few days, in order to have fun later, I'm going to sleep until noon now--"

Kita couldn't stop her and could only watch her maintain a surrender posture as she crawled to the door like a crab, pressed the door handle with her elbow and left.

She turned around and saw Yili, who had no excuse to escape.

"Well, um, I need to go wash up..." Yili still wanted to struggle.

"It's fine here." Kita stopped at the door, "I have a spare toothbrush and cup."

"Then..." Yili couldn't think of any other words to say.

Kita licked his lips.

"I'm gonna start now."

PAREO came to the door of CHU's room carrying two sets of kimonos.

"CHU? Master - CHU? Master -" She couldn't free her hands to open the door and could only keep shouting.

However, there was no response after calling several times. She was not in a hurry and just kept calling.

Finally, the sound of a swivel chair sliding could be heard from the door, and CHU? was getting closer and closer, shouting angrily: "It's so annoying, what are you doing so early in the morning--"

As soon as I opened the door, PAREO came to greet me: "Happy New Year~"

It is in Chinese.

"What?" Chu? looked at Pareo, who was carrying two sets of kimonos and speaking in a weird Chinese language. He was confused and could only imitate her pronunciation. "Uh... Happy walking?"

Pareo looked very happy. He took the kimono in his right hand and took out a red envelope from his arms. "This is what Shizi gave to Pareo and Chu? just now. This is the New Year tradition in their hometown!"

"Oh...oh." Chu? took over, "Did she give gifts to everyone?"

"No. Only we have it. She said that even though we are of the same generation, we are still younger than her, so we have to give it to her too." Pareo took out another red envelope from his arms, "Only Pareo and Chu? Things that adults have... hehe~"

"So you couldn't open the door yourself just now." CHU? skillfully ignored the second half of her sentence.

It's approaching noon.

Nana came to Shizi's door carrying a bag: "Little Shizi? Is it convenient?"

When she pushed the door open, she saw Ichiri and Kita surrounding the disheveled Shiko, one in front and one behind. When they saw her push the door open, they all looked over at her like clones.

"Sorry to bother you."

Stand back and close the door.

The door opened the next second, and Shizi, who hadn't even put on his clothes yet, gestured hurriedly: "No, we don't have..."

"Yeah, I know you don't have any. Can you put on your clothes first?" Nana covered her eyes with the bag, "Don't worry, I won't see."

"So you..." Shizi was speechless and gave up. "Forget it..."

Kita and Ichiri came up and continued to help Shiko put on her kimono.

"It's really troublesome..." Shizi turned around and smoothed out some wrinkles.

Not only had she never worn a kimono, she had never worn Chinese clothing either. She had no similar experience at all and could only rely on Kita and Ichiri for help.

"So you're just wearing a kimono?" Nana put down the bag.

"That's right." Shizi crossed her arms in dissatisfaction, "Why would someone think badly of seeing a group of people of the same sex changing clothes in a room?"

Yili: “…”

Kita: “…”

"...Okay, I admit this is our problem." Shizi's face twitched, and she looked at the bag in Nana's hand, "What is this?"

"I just found this in the package sent by Xianjuan's family." Nana put it on the table and opened it, pulling out a roll of red paper from it, "A pair of couplets."

"Couplet?" Shizi took it and unfolded it. "It's in Chinese, and it's handwritten... I can't believe I can find this in Japan. No, nothing in the Xianjuan family is strange..."

"It should be for you." Nana said, "Don't you hang Spring Festival couplets during the New Year?"

"Thank you..." Shizi accepted it of course. She was worried about this matter.

"Also," Nana took out a red envelope from her arms, "Here, as a New Year's gift from your seniors. I saw you give it to little PAREO."

"Eh? Is it okay?" Shizi was surprised again.

Nana stuffed the red envelope into Shizi's hand and said in Chinese: "Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year!" Shizi was about to smile like a nerd again.

Chapter 58: Fireworks

After Nana left, Shizi was still holding the red envelope and grinning.

Of course there wouldn't be anything too valuable in the red envelope, but no matter what it was, Nana gave herself something, and the joy she felt was no less than when she received the gift for ending the band.

"Red envelope..." Kita looked at Shizi's expression with a little jealousy, "I remember it was given by elders to younger ones, wasn't it?"

"We are all of the same generation." Shizi explained, "I gave it to PAREO and CHU?, who are younger than me in body age. After all, you are the only ones who know that I am actually older than most people."

"In that case..." Kita raised his eyebrows and hinted with his eyes, as if to say "Give me the red envelope".

"I've prepared it a long time ago~" Shizi took out two red envelopes from the storage jade slip and stuffed them into Kita and Ichiri's hands, "Happy New Year. Don't let anyone see us."

Kita was satisfied, and Ichiri placed the red envelope in front of his chest with gratitude: "I will cherish it for the rest of my life..."