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

"But since it's a new live, we need new costumes!" This live is their first live after boarding the airship, so it's naturally commemorative. Hongxia was thinking about the costume plan in her mind. Should we refer to the original one? The last time Shizi gave me a plan, he said it was designed by himself in another world line. At that time, I refused because I was tired of wearing that style. Now their clothes are normal, and thinking back, that simple style of costume seems to be good...

"I was thinking..." Ryo said, "How about we switch this time? I'll design Roselia's costume, and Rinko will design our costumes."

"Ah, that's right." Hong Xia tapped her palm, "I forgot you're all good at fashion design."

The first day of the "End of Summer Project". On the river bank, under the shade of the trees.

"Look, if you all have some research on clothing, you can deepen your understanding through this connection?" Hong Xia sat next to Liang and gave her advice.

Ryo also noticed the difficulty in her cooperation with Rinko. Although she was more inclined to not want to communicate than to be afraid of communication, it was also a fact that she had long lacked social experience. As for how to get closer to Rinko, she could only ask Hongxia for help. Therefore, the "Summer End Plan" not only wanted to place a play on Ichiri, but also to bring Ryo and Rinko closer.

"Pitching to someone's preferences..." Liang actually didn't like this approach. Rather, deliberately trying to get close to someone wasn't really her style. But for the sake of cooperation, she'd give it a try.

On the other side of the grass, Rinko was sitting on a blanket, knitting something with her needle and thread flying in her hands. She was sitting there alone, with a large empty space around her, even without Ako.

ps: I just found out today that revealing the identity of a time traveler is considered a poison point... Did you feel poisoned when you saw Shizi actively leaking the identity?

Chapter 10: A Ridiculous Monologue

Rinko quietly made the clothes by herself. Although she could ask Shiko to make the finished product directly, Rinko preferred the feeling of weaving by herself, and she was more experienced than Shiko in handling various details. What she was making now was not a performance costume, but just an ordinary daily style. While sewing, she recalled the various clothing designs she had seen, picked up some inspiration from them, and used needle and thread to decorate them into the works in her hands.

Liang suddenly squatted down beside her, without saying a word, staring at Rinko's hand intently.

"(Eh...)" Rinko's hands gradually stiffened, "(Save me...Imai-san...)"

The news that Yukina wanted to hold a live event to commemorate the launch of the airship spread throughout the ship along with the ringing of the dinner bell. Naturally, it also reached Lisa.

"Is Shiko going to object this time?" Lisa asked Shiko who was standing by the porthole. She was still frightened by the fight she had with Youxi last time.

"Why are you objecting? It won't interfere with the schedule." Shizi turned his head, "I haven't performed live for a long time and my hands are itching. But I still hope to do it a few days later... I feel like I will be a mess if I play the keyboard in my current state."

Shizi's dark circles are bright black.

On the other side, not long after finishing her meal, Rinko said goodbye to Yukina. Although she still had a lot to learn, Yukina also had her own things to do and she couldn't keep bothering her. While Rinko was exploring the way with a torch, she recalled some of the details Yukina had said in her mind.

There was a drum beat coming from a distance. If you listen carefully, you can hear the bass. Before you know it, Rinko was drawn to the sound, as if being tempted. She unconsciously stepped over the scorched earth tiles, the stone walls covered with ash, the arches made of bones, and finally crossed the gate of hell in mythology and walked into the "Mouth of the Abyss" bar, which seemed like darkness itself.

Rinko stood at the edge of the huge mouth, trembling all over. There was nothing but darkness in all directions. The drum beats had reached their climax, and each beat was controlling her heartbeat, as if her body was actually dead, and she was only being kept alive by the drum beats.

Where did the drumbeats come from? She looked in the direction of the sound - in the bottomless abyss, there was only one light -

Oh, it's Ijichi-san. Her whole body is glowing, physically. Yamada-san is also beside her.

Rinko quietly stepped back, intending to leave without disturbing them, but Hongxia had already seen her with her sharp eyes.

"Ah! Senior Rinko!" She greeted Rinko energetically. When they first met, Hong Xia's energetic voice often reminded her of Ako, but after getting to know each other, she felt that Lisa was more similar.

"Are you here for drinks, Rinko-senpai?" Hongxia jumped down from the stage with a penguin step and poured herself a glass of orange juice at the bar. There were several beverage machines on the bar, some of which were made from Shiko's own memories and some from wild fruits here. Ice cubes and other ingredients were also placed next to them for you to use at will.

"Ah... I just heard the sound... and came over..."

Liang came over and poured himself a cup of Coke. Seeing this, Rinko also came over hesitantly: "Hot milk, thank you... Is there a heating device here?"

"Yes." Hong Xia took out a small stove from under the bar, opened a bottle of milk and put it in.

The three of them sat at the bar and drank, chatting casually. Although the chairs at the bar were equidistant, Rinko always felt that Ryo, who was sitting next to her, seemed to be sitting closer to Hongxia, and there seemed to be a barrier between the two and Rinko. Rinko felt very uncomfortable and began to regret staying here.

"I... didn't disturb you guys, did I?" Rinko stroked the rim of the cup, "(I have to find a chance to slip away...)"

She suddenly realized that she had asked a stupid question. This kind of question, no matter how the other party answered, would make the atmosphere more awkward... At least I myself would never be able to answer this kind of question... Socializing is really complicated... Sorry...

"Ah? No, we just happened to need you for something." Hongxia patted Liang as if she had thought of it a long time ago, "Liang, don't you just happen to need something from Senior Linzi? Let's talk about it now."

Rinko and Ryo leaned forward at the same time: "Eh? What's going on..."

The three people's attention immediately shifted to the new topic.

After being reminded again by Nijixia, Ryo explained to Rinko the proposal for the two bands to design each other's costumes.

"Ah... I think... it's okay..." Rinko nodded.

"It will be fine, Rinko, don't worry." On the river bank, Lisa winked and assured Rinko, "If it doesn't work, we will watch from a distance."

"well……"

Youxi still didn't quite understand: "It's just about getting two people to build a good relationship, why do you have to make it like a battle plan?"

"But I feel like this will be more of a ritual." Ako said, "No matter what, Ako will always be Rinlin's partner!"

So, as planned, Rinko sat alone on the blanket and concentrated on sewing clothes.

Liang had indeed arrived. In the dark, Lisa made a "V" sign to Hongxia, who responded with the same gesture.

The plan is through! They are starting to get in touch!

However, the two of them kept silent for a long time. Rinko almost stuck the needle into her finger.

Hongxia looked extremely anxious. She wished she could crawl into Liang's body and speak for her.

"This is how we do it in Yinjiao." Suddenly, Shizi's voice rang in her ears. Hongxia turned her head and saw Shizi squatting beside her, looking at Liang with a slightly amused expression.

"Do you have any suggestions?" As a fellow Yin character, Shizi should be able to understand the behavior of those two people better, right?

Shizi's brain went blank for a while, then she gave up and said, "No. Just look at them."

Two more days passed on the airship.

Kita, Ichiri, and Hongxia, three heads were stacked one after another at the crack of the command room's door, peeking at the scene inside.

"Shizi hasn't slept for... three days..." Yili didn't dare to breathe heavily, as if any wind blowing in from outside would blow Shizi down.

"Since yesterday, classmate Wu has been acting strange..." Even Kita didn't bother to maintain his "classmate Wu is the most annoying" attitude, and looked inside with a worried look no less than Ichiri and Hongxia.

In the room, Shizi stood by the window, as if thinking about something. From the outside, she seemed no different from before. The toilet and shower room were next door, so she was at least aware of hygiene.

By the way, forget about the toilet, why set up a shower room next to the command room?

"Yesterday, she recited the Diamond Sutra in its entirety, and even said something like 'all troubles are gone, and the world is far away'..." Hong Xia swallowed. What will Shizi be like today?

In the room, Shizi seemed to have realized something. She suddenly turned around and yelled at the empty space: "Huai Shi! Why are you so stubborn!"

Before the four of them could react, she immediately turned around with an expression that was a mixture of confusion, determination, and a little bit of self-willedness: "Why? Because someone is crying, because I heard it."

After performing this short scene, Shizi returned to his pensive expression, rubbing his chin and muttering to himself: "Should I do that a little more... This would be better..."

She rehearsed the scene several times by herself, and when she seemed satisfied, she moved on to the next part.

"This is..." Hong Xia blinked.

Yili guessed: "Perform a one-man show."

……

“Some things always stand out above others.”

……

"Let me break your fantasy!"

……

"The key to the hidden power of darkness..."

……

Shizi stood still with his eyes closed: "I am the bone of my sword..."

Suddenly opened his eyes.

He met the eyes of several people in the crack of the door.

She passed out gracefully.

Awake time: 3 days and I don’t know how many hours, minutes, or seconds

"..." The four people outside looked at each other in silence, with tears streaming down their faces.

What the hell?

"Well... let's carry her back to the room?" Hong Xia suggested.

"I agree." Kita said.

"Okay." Yili said.

"No problem." Ryo said.

The three of them focused their attention on Liang: "When did you come?"

Chapter 11: Ready

When Shizi woke up in bed, the morning light just happened to fall on her.

A strange ceiling... No, I made the ceiling myself.

Shizi looked out the window through a small gap in the curtains. The airship was still cruising steadily in the air. A black shadow as big as a basketball rolled down from above, falling to the bottom with flames. For a moment, Shizi seemed to recognize the outline of an eyeball in the shadow.

All in all, a normal morning.

hiss……

"(Did I fall asleep earlier?)"

Only then did her brain get rid of the groggy state. Shizi gradually realized her situation. She glanced around the room. The bed, desk, antique shelf, and wardrobe were all the same room configurations as before. Only the suitcase of the same model as Kushima Ou, which contained Shizi's important items, was placed next to the desk, indicating that this was the room that Shizi had randomly chosen before.

My limbs are a little sore, probably because I slept for too long. "(What was I doing before I fell asleep?)" Shizi crawled out of the quilt and tried to recall his previous memories. However, the memories before falling asleep are the same as the memories in dreams, which are difficult to retain. Never mind. It's not important anyway.

When Shizi climbed out of bed, she found that she was no longer wearing the same clothes she wore before falling asleep, but pajamas. Someone must have helped her change. Who was it? No matter who it was, she felt a little embarrassed.

A pair of slippers appeared out of thin air beside the bed. Shizi stepped into the slippers, staggered to the window, and pulled open the curtains completely, leaving only a slit. The morning sun's glow completely illuminated the room.

"Ha..." Shizi yawned, stretched his arms, turned and walked to the desk, put the box down horizontally, opened it, carefully took out the items one by one, and placed them on the antique shelf. There were small mechanisms in the grids to prevent shock, which was why Shizi took them out with confidence.

The first one was a small stone sculpture that everyone gave to me personally when I was still a member of the band. It was said to be carved in the image of Shizi, but it was actually hard to tell. Another stone sculpture that was given to me at the same time is still standing alone in the cold wind on the plateau.

The second item was the signature that Yili gave to himself, which was before "Guitar, Loneliness and Blue Planet" was published.

The second and third items are also from that period. They are a photo of her and Ms. Marina after the band ended, and a photo of the seven of them when Ms. Araki left CiRCLE. One is a reunion, and the other is a farewell.

Then there was another album, only half of which was filled, the rest was blank. It contained memories that Shizi had taken during his travels, and some were taken by another self.

There were still a few empty spaces on the antique shelf. Shizi did not fill them with vases or anything like that, but instead placed a blank photo frame in one of the spaces, as if to reserve a spot for something in advance.

Shizi looked inside the box. There was only a bundle of envelopes left. She did not take it out, but smiled softly, pulled out a chair and sat down, picked up a pen, and began to write a new letter to her who had woken up at an unknown time.

Only when I finished writing did I feel hungry.

"It seems I haven't had breakfast yet..." She muttered to herself, put the letter into the envelope, and then put it into the bundle of envelopes. She waved her hand, and several empty plates appeared in front of her. Then a fried dough stick and a steamed bun appeared on the empty plates. There was also a cup of soy milk next to them. Normally, Hongxia or Lisa would push the dining cart to deliver breakfast to everyone's door, but there was no sound. Judging from the position of the sun, it should be that I got up too early. In this case, I solved it myself after a long time.

Shizi took a bite of the bun. It wasn't as good as Hongxia's. He took another sip of soy milk. It was cold.

At this time, the sound of wooden fish "knock, knock, knock" came from outside. The wooden fish was the bell they agreed on for breakfast. It was inspired by the work of an essayist. The sound of knocking the wooden fish can attract the attention of those who have woken up, but will not wake up those who are still sleeping. Shizi stood up, and the unfinished food behind her disappeared, and she walked to the door.

It’s better to have breakfast prepared by professionals.

When I opened the door, there was not only Hongxia who was glowing all over, but also Kita who was still wearing pajamas.

"Ah, little Shizi, are you awake?" Seeing Shizi coming out, Hongxia casually gave her a starlight, "Are you feeling well?"

"Even if there was, it's gone now." Shizi looked at Kita, "Kita lived next door to me?" She never knew the location of other people's rooms.

"No, diagonally opposite." Kita pointed to the door opposite Shiko's room. There were no windows in her room, only a ventilator, so naturally there was no light, but with her ability, she didn't need to worry about that. At this time, the door of Shiko's room next door opened, and Ichiri came out rubbing his eyes. "Good morning..."

The rooms of Shiko, Kita and three others form an equilateral triangle in terms of distance.

"Ah, Shizi is awake?" Yiye noticed Shizi.

"That's right." Shizi said seriously, "The experiment on how long one can last without sleep has been completed. After this meal, I will try to see how long I can last without food."

"Huh? Really? Have you developed some weird habit?" Kita came over and touched Shizi's forehead. "It's obviously normal..." Although he looked like he cared, there was always a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"Alright, alright, Xiao Shizi, be normal." Hong Xia interrupted, "You don't know where everyone lives yet, right? Finish eating quickly, and then you can follow me for a walk."

"Oh."

A few rooms away, Rinko and Ryo, who was dragged up by Hongxia, started working early. Not only did they have to compose music together, but they also had to design costumes together. There was no needle and thread on the bed, only paper and pen spread out on the table. After all, Ryo was not really good at sewing. This was Rinko's room. Originally, Rinko wanted to go directly to Ryo's room, but when she thought that only her room had a keyboard connected to a mobile power bank, and the concept of "her own room" made her feel more at ease, she gave up.

The two worked quietly on the paper, stopping from time to time to discuss.

Around noon, Liang leaned back and said, "Huh~ It's done." She was referring to the song that Shizi had commissioned. She rolled her eyes and moved her sight to the lyrics book that Yili had given her yesterday, which was spread out beside her. She picked up the book. The title of the song was written on the page: "Time Flows, Triangle Day and Night"

No matter how many times I see it, this lyrics is still very interesting.

"I'm done too..." On the other side, Rinko passed the part she had finished to Ryo. She was responsible for a part of the duet between the two of them. After all, she was still a beginner in composition, so being able to be responsible for these was already a lot.