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

"Eh--" She didn't see clearly what it was. She held the guitar handle, pointed it forward, and prepared herself cautiously.

Chapter 33 Reasons for forming a band

The four approached Rikka.

"Don't, don't, don't come over here--!" Liuhua used the guitar in her hand as an axe, swinging it wildly in the air, and it actually made a tiger-like wind. Seeing that the black shadow still did not stop, Liuhua became anxious, took off her glasses, untied her braids, and her whole temperament changed. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she kicked her feet and rushed up like a beast. The guitar in her hand released a light blue arc of light, leaving a dazzling tail in the air, and arrived in an instant, ready to chop at everyone!

"Stop, stop, stop! We are human!" Shizi quickly stood in front of everyone, and a group of short stone walls rose up, blocking the two groups of people.

Rikka's footsteps suddenly stopped, and she instantly withdrew from her high-speed charge. She almost fell due to inertia: "Eh? People?"

Not long after, Rika knelt in front of the four people with a sad face: "I'm sorry, I didn't expect there were people here..." Her guitar had disappeared without a trace.

Liuhua was not clean at all. Her hair was tied into a braid, but it was a little lumpy and seemed to have split ends. She was wearing a country-style plaid dress with some stains on it that could not be washed off. Under Hongxia's lighting, Shizi could see that her skin was a little darker than before, which was the result of long-term sunlight. They were like this before when they were sleeping outdoors, and it was only a little better during this period.

"It's okay." Shizi squatted down and looked at Liuhua at eye level. "My name is Wu Shizi, what's yours?"

"Asahi Rikka... Please teach me!" Rikka's face quickly turned red when she was asked her name at such a close distance. Hongxia looked at her in surprise. Rikka looked completely different now than when she rushed towards them before.

Before Hongxia could say anything, CHU? pushed Shizi away and held Rikka's hand tightly with his powerful hand armor: "Okay, Rikka Asahi, come join my band!"

"Eh? Band?" Rikka's hands were sore from being held, but the pain was outweighed by the surprise. She thought they would first ask "What are your abilities?" or "How old are you? Where are you from?", but she didn't expect to hear such a nonsensical request first.

Although she went to Tokyo with the intention of forming a band...

Seeing that Rikka was in chaos, Hongxia pushed CHU? away, took over the conversation, and began to introduce them to Rikka.

Taking this opportunity, Shizi pulled CHU aside and said, "I know you are anxious, but don't be anxious..."

"How can I not be anxious when you tell me to?!" Under the mask, CHU?'s tone was very excited, "You heard it too, right? Sweet! Excellent!"

"Yes, unstoppable." Shizi interrupted her, "I told you that a long time ago, didn't I?" She had an unconcealable smile on her face. The smile was gradually swallowed by the shadow. CHU? looked up and found that the airship had silently slid over the people, and the rope ladder was still hanging under the cabin.

"Airship..." Rikka stared blankly at the huge shadow above her head. Unknown to her, she grabbed the rope with the help of the gentle yellow-haired girl. The others also climbed up the rope ladder. A child actually emerged from the scary-looking armor.

As soon as they stood firm, the rope ladder pulled them upwards. Not only was Liuhua shocked, but the others also looked upset. She didn't dare to speak, so she could only hold on to the ladder and pray that nothing bad would happen.

The blond girl seemed to have noticed her confusion and started talking to her again, continuing to describe the lives of the people on the airship. As her attention shifted, Rikka gradually relaxed.

I came to Tokyo and found out that my favorite popipa was missing. I panicked, and then one day, it also disappeared.

After coming to this world and wandering for a long time, I met someone else.

What kind of new life is waiting ahead?

Will you encounter popipa?

Sweat broke out on Rikka's palms. She lost her grip and almost slipped. Before she could scream, the rope ladder changed automatically and supported her body. From the other side, the girl who first spoke to her swung over. Her hairstyle had changed into cat ears at some point: "It's okay." Her energetic smile evoked Rikka's long-lost memories.

Yes, that is...

A dark shadow appeared above her head, like the top of the sky. Here we are. When Rikka saw that familiar image, her face immediately collapsed. Shiko's face changed, and her hair grew back long. She looked like a primary school student who had made a mistake and was waiting to be criticized by the teacher.

Hongxia was the first to step onto the floor of the airship. As expected, Youxi stood in front with a sullen face, and behind her were people holding torches. The scene looked as if they were going to judge heretics. After Hongxia, Shizi also boarded the airship with a hunched back, and stood beside Hongxia in a proper manner. CHU? came up, took a look at the scene, and stood aside without caring, with an expression of "Whatever you say, I won't listen to a word." PAREO followed her, and it seemed that he would firmly support all decisions made by CHU?. Rikka was the last one to stand up. When she stepped onto the airship, her steps trembled, and before she could get used to it, she saw the rope ladder obediently retracted to the side of the sullen-faced girl in front. The other party's powerful aura made her tremble all over. Looking around, she decided to stand next to Hongxia and the other person who seemed more approachable.

“Next time don’t hide it from others. At least inform everyone.” Yukina’s voice sounded even colder than usual.

Liuhua saw that the two people who had just been communicating with her in a friendly manner were nodding in grievance: "I'm sorry..."

Liuhua suddenly had an impulse. No matter what the two people did wrong, at least they were the friendliest to her out of all the people. When they were scolded, Liuhua felt that she should stand up for them. She mustered up her courage and spoke tremblingly: "No, no..."

Hong Xia and the others looked behind them in surprise. Youkina also glanced at Rikka.

Under the pressure of the sight, Rikka tried hard to weave words: "That... is..."

"Maybe you misunderstood what I said." Yukina interrupted her and continued to look at Hongxia, "I didn't mean that you can't act on your own. As captains, Ijichi-san and Chu?-san naturally have the power, but you guys should at least say so."

"Okay..." Hongxia and the others suddenly felt much more relaxed when apologizing.

Then, Yukina walked up to Rikka, who was hiding behind Nijiga, at a loss, and said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Roselia's lead singer, Yukina Minato."

"Uh... Asahi Rikka..." Hearing Yukina's self-introduction, Rikka suddenly remembered the news she had read before. That's right. She looked at the people around her. Most of them disappeared at the same time as Popipa and the others. Unfortunately, she searched again and again, but she didn't find those familiar figures in the crowd.

"Well, Asahi-san," Yukina continued, "go wash up and get some rest. It's getting late, and the welcome party for you and the other newcomer will be tomorrow."

"No! Let's go to the bar first!" CHU? squeezed in again, and her strength that was inconsistent with her body scared Liuhua again, "First, let you listen to our music, and then quickly join us!"

"Eh..." After Hongxia's explanation, Rikka already knew that everyone here was still carrying out band activities. However, knowing was one thing, but suddenly asking her to join the band... And, a bar? They were all still minors, right? No, I seemed to have seen an adult just now...

Liuhua fell into confusion. Seeing this, Shizi pulled her away and said, "Then I'll take her over first, ha." The others made way for her, and the two disappeared into the shadows.

CHU? immediately followed: "Wait!" Suddenly, her shoulder was pulled. Turning back, it was PAREO. PAREO tilted his head and smiled mysteriously at her. Just now, Shizi winked at PAREO. Although she didn't know what Shizi was going to do, PAREO waited for the time being.

"Huh...thank you..." Rikka felt nothing but gratitude towards Shiko who rescued her from her predicament.

Shizi held a torch and walked in front. The light flickered, illuminating the terrifying images on the wall. Liuhua's muscles on her back tensed up, and she unconsciously took a step closer to Shizi: "Um... why don't you turn on the light..."

Shizi's mouth twitched. Does every newcomer have to ask this question? No, LAYER didn't seem to ask it. "Because there are no lights... there will be some in the future. Let's not talk about this. Rikka, do you want to join the band?"

Rikka didn't expect the other party to ask this question again. She thought for a moment and said, "I did think about it. Actually, I have been looking for band members in school before I traveled through time, but I couldn't find any... But why should I continue to play in the band now? This world is so dangerous, shouldn't I focus on 'surviving' and 'going home'?"

Shizi, to be honest, was a little stumped by the question. She hadn't thought about this question for a long time. She had gotten used to balancing fighting and band activities in her daily life, and had never thought about the reason for living like this. But it wasn't hard to think about it. "Well... didn't Hongxia tell you that our current team consists of three bands?" She said slowly, "Roselia wants to pursue the pinnacle of music and perform on the stage of Future World Fes, so she can't relax for a moment. What about RAS... CHU? She really wants to change the world with her music, so she can't relax either. It's a bit complicated for us to end the band. Hongxia has a musical dream that she must fulfill no matter what, Liang just simply likes music, Ichiri is not only doing it for her dream, but she will also have to make a living from it in the future, and as for Kita, Ichiri's dream is her dream. And me--" Shizi paused.

"Hmm?" Rikka was a little confused.

There was a hint of confusion in Shizi's eyes.

"I...maybe I played the piano for Ichiri...after all, we have an appointment..." She whispered to herself. Rikka didn't hear these words, and Shizi immediately returned to normal: "Anyway, we all have our own reasons, what about Rikka?"

Rikka thought about it carefully.

Chapter 34 No Longer Alone

"I...at least for now, I just want to form a band, but if I neglect my combat training because of the band..." Rikka looked embarrassed. In an environment where everyone is playing in a band, if she doesn't join, she always feels out of place, but the inertia formed by working alone for a long time doesn't allow her to relax.

Shizi seemed to see through her thoughts. "You don't have to think of playing in a band as a way to relax." She stopped and opened a door on the side, which was next to the MASKING room. "How about this room? It has natural light during the day and is empty."

"Well, it's much better than sleeping in the open air, thank you very much!" Rikka was very polite and thanked him many times. However, Shizi felt that Rikka's behavior was more like "fear of offending others" than politeness. However, even if it could be considered a yin corner, Rikka was much better than the normal Ichiri and herself at the beginning. Shizi thought about these things randomly, left the room, closed the door gently, and left the space for Rikka alone.

Liuhua stood still in the room, looking around the room with the help of the starlight outside. There were only basic furniture in the room, but to Liuhua, who had slept on the mud floor for countless days, it was no different from a presidential suite. However, she could only stand there stiffly, not daring to touch any of the furniture, for fear that the dirt on her body would stain them.

She looked at her hands, which were probably the only parts of her body that could be called "clean", after all, she had washed them with river water before playing the guitar. She found the bathroom, carefully opened the door with her fingertips, huddled in, found the sink, studied its structure, washed her hands again, then slowly took off her tattered clothes and washed her body.

She touched a box of something and took a closer look: "Ah...matches..."

What is it for? She looked around carefully in the dim light from outside and found an oil lamp embedded in the wall. So she struck a match and lit the lamp. A bean of orange light illuminated the small bathroom. On the other side of the bathroom, Rikka noticed something.

"Ah... bathtub..." There is a charcoal fire under the bathtub to heat it. Liuhua was delighted and started to operate it. She had worked in a bathhouse before. Although the equipment in the bathhouse was much more advanced than here, the principles were always the same. While doing these tasks, Liuhua also recalled the good times in reality.

The hot water was ready, and Rikka soaked in it comfortably. The room was now full of steam, but the oil lamp had gone out at some point, but it didn't matter, Rikka's eyes had completely adapted to the darkness, this was the benefit of a high [physical] level.

"Ha..." While taking a comfortable bath in the hot water she hadn't wanted for a long time, Rikka recalled what Shizi had said before.

"(That child... is very strong, but I don't think he's a bad person.)" She thought back to CHU?, "(Maybe... I'm just being overly sensitive. I'm not alone anymore, so I can do what I want, right?)"

She stood up from the bathtub, put on a towel and walked out. A new dress, similar to her old clothes, had been placed on the bed. There was also a lunch box on the table. She bowed slightly to both, said thank you, and put on the clothes.

Almost at the same time, there were regular, neither light nor heavy knocks on the door.

"Ah, please come in." She hurried over to open the door.

"Eh!" The person standing at the door was the one next to the child, and seemed to call out, "Hello, Rikka-san, my name is PAREO." The other party saluted like a professional maid and picked up the paper bag in her hand.

"Don't worry, Master CHU? is not here." She said with a smile.

Because she was not familiar with the environment, Liuhua could not make tea right away. PAREO naturally did not care.

"...CHU? The lady's vision is not wrong. She must have recognized Rikka's talent to invite you." PAREO sat on the edge of the bed and said to Rikka who was sitting on the only chair in the room. The chair was slightly higher than the edge of the bed, but fortunately Rikka was shorter than PAREO, so their eyes were level and Rikka didn't have to shrink her head deliberately. The paper bag PAREO brought and the lunch box were placed on the table.

Seeing Rikka's thoughtful expression, PAREO stood up: "Well, Rikka-san, I won't bother you any longer. Good night, we are all looking forward to tomorrow." She stood up, bowed again, and left.

Rikka opened the paper bag and found a box of cutely colored macarons inside.

She picked one up at random.

I haven't had normal food for a long time. What was dinner? It seemed to be fruits from the area, with wild vegetable soup without oil or salt.

She took a bite, feeling the sugar and cream bloom on her tongue.

Delicious.

The next morning, Rikka had already made her decision.

"Ah... how do I get to the bar..." She stood at the corner in confusion, at a loss. Even in the daytime, the corridor without a window was still pitch black and needed to be illuminated by torches, and the dim light made the decorations on the wall even more terrifying...

Yesterday, PAREO only told Liuhua where the interview was scheduled, but she didn't know how to get there.

Ah! A familiar figure appeared in the distance. It was Xiao Shizi!

She hurried over to Shizi. Shizi seemed to be alone. Shizi got up this morning and was supposed to practice with Xiduo as usual, but the bar had been contracted by RAS, and practicing directly in her room was afraid of disturbing others. Shizi was too lazy to carry the keyboard and mobile power bank to the recording studio, so Xiduo went to practice by himself, while Shizi just paced back and forth in the corridor, taking advantage of this time to analyze the jade slip. After a while, she would not need to tear down the house to use the jade slip.

“Xiao Shizi——!” She saw Liuhua running towards her from a distance, so she cleared her eyes of the Dao marks and turned to Liuhua, “What’s wrong?”

Knowing the purpose of Rikka's visit, Shizi was fine with it and took her to the bar. Rikka seemed to have decided to join RAS. Realizing this fact, Shizi was excited. However, she also knew clearly that no matter how impulsive CHU? was, she was very strict in music. If Rikka's performance in this interview was not to her liking, the result would still be "No, thank you".

"Well, Rikka," Shizi suddenly said, "I always feel like you're the type who can read people's minds in a band."

"Eh?" Rikka was a little confused by the sudden comment. "What's wrong... Is it bad?"

"At least, CHU? I'm sure you won't like this kind of sound." Shizi stopped and turned to look at Rikka, "So, just show the same sound you showed last night."

The door of the bar was in front of them. CHU? and the others were already prepared. When they saw Rikka, CHU?'s eyes radiated with scorching light: "Hurry up! Rikka Asahi!"

Liuhua was slightly stunned, bowed slightly to Shizi, said thank you, and ran to the bar quickly. While running, she took off her glasses and untied her braids, and her whole temperament suddenly changed.

Shizi looked over there, smiled evilly, and turned away. She raised her hand and covered her left eye.

Huhahahaha… The chips of fate have already left my hand. Next, it’s time to win everything…

It seems that next time we meet, I will have to call you LOCK, Asahi Rikka.

Behind Shizi, the sound of a guitar bursting like a berserker came.

In the evening, a welcome party as grand as the one held by RAS was held.

"Well, let me formally welcome LAYER and Rikka!" Hongxia raised the glass of juice and greeted the two people sitting next to her.

"LAYER, welcome to pick up the bass again!" CHU? raised the goblet filled with beef jerky, "And Rikka Asahi, I hope you can get rid of the title of 'tentative' soon!"

Shizi sipped his drink, looking embarrassed.

ps: There are more and more comments, it's getting better and better qwq

Chapter 35: Hong Xia's Letter

Twenty-eighth day after departure, Yinliu Menghe

Hello! Xiao Shizi! I gave you the name "Liu Menghe". This morning, my injury has healed - when I woke up, I felt that my stomach no longer hurt. I opened my eyes and couldn't see anything. My ability is magical, right? Maybe one day, I can be like those comics, no matter how serious the injury is, I can recover instantly, so that everyone's safety will be guaranteed. But even if I can recover quickly, it will still hurt when I am injured. In this regard, maybe little PAREO's ability is more convenient. She can add shields to people, which I haven't mentioned yet.

Speaking of little Pareo, she seems to have a good relationship with another you. Last time I heard them talking about Paspalé, they were quite happy. It's a pity that you were not here, otherwise you would definitely become friends with little Pareo.

The relationship between the other you, Xiao Xiduo and Xiao Yili is getting better and better. Last time, Xiao Yili was rejected by Xiao CHU? and felt upset for a long time. They also stayed with Xiao Yili all the time, and now Xiao Yili has gradually recovered.

Little CHU? She still eats beef jerky every day. Senior Lisa and I both think this is too unnutritious. She is still growing up and can’t afford to lose out on this. So the three of us—Masking has now joined the kitchen shift. She looks like a delinquent, but she cooks very elegantly—though we discussed it and decided to first persuade her to eat more fruit-flavored and vegetable-flavored beef jerky, and then slowly shift her preferences to fruits and vegetables... It didn’t go well at the beginning, because we didn’t know how to make fruit-flavored beef jerky, and we didn’t dare to imagine it. Another one, you tried to feed her vegetable strips that looked like beef jerky... It’s not going to work no matter how you think about it, right?

Since I wrote last time, we have two new members. You should know them: Kazuo Mizue and Asahi Rikka. After some events, they both joined CHU?'s RAS. The other one will be able to tell you more clearly about the details, so I will just write about what I observed:

Rikka looks timid, but she is actually very strong. She dared to confront Yukina-senpai for us right from the start. This trait is also reflected in her ability. Her ability is very simple, which is to use the guitar as an axe, and she will go berserk once she takes off her glasses. If she is approached in this situation, even the other you without the jade slip can't beat her. Only Yukina-senpai, who is also good at close combat, can suppress her. But she is really a good child. We vacated a room specifically for practicing abilities. Every time she sparred with us, she would say "sorry" and "I'm sorry". If she accidentally destroyed the venue, she would also apologize to Xiaoya and the other you.

Layer works very hard, both in combat and in music practice. She said, "Xiaohua and I have agreed to form a band together. Although RAS is not short of guitarists, I am not going to give up." She seems to mean that she must not only make herself qualified to stand beside Duohui in music, but also protect her with her own hands. Xiao CHU used AI to make two drawings of samurai swords and bows for her. Xiao Shizi and Xiao Yazi made them, so that she would at least not have to fight with her bare hands in the future. She looks mature, but she is very impulsive inside. When I knew that she came to this world on her own initiative for her childhood sweetheart, I wondered if I would do this for my friend? I think, although it will be a very painful decision, I should still stay in reality. So, I envy her a little bit for having a friend who is worth everything she gives.

Xiaoshizi, you are all very brave people. You can easily give everything for others. I am just an ordinary person. Can I be as brave as you? At least now, I can't believe it while holding the pen.

I hope you wake up soon.

Hongxia signed the letter. Looking at the last sentence she wrote, she unconsciously revealed a self-deprecating smile that she would never show in front of others. She put the letter away, patted her face, picked up the drumsticks, and walked out the door.

It's time to practice.

On the way, they passed the entrance of the gym. It was called a gym, but in fact, it was just a space created by breaking through a few walls and further strengthening the floor. Now, they have to spar with each other here every day, and the floor often collapses. Fortunately, this is the second floor, so they don't fall directly outside the airship. But this is hard for Shizi and Azi, and they need to spend a lot of time every day to repair the floor.

The sound of swords breaking through the air came from the gym. Hongxia peeked through the crack in the door and found that LAYER was still practicing swinging in the air with the help of the firelight. The firelight came from Kita, who was meditating with her eyes closed, trying to compress the sparks in her hands. Hongxia smiled slightly, and two rays of starlight passed through the crack in the door. She didn't care about their reactions and walked away.

Layer suddenly felt warm all over, and the fatigue from long hours of practice was greatly relieved. She stopped in confusion. PAREO, who was standing in the shadows next to her, reminded her, "It's Hongxia."

PAREO is the Kendo coach of LAYER. Actually, she doesn't know much about Kendo. All her knowledge comes from the sharing of Eve Wakamiya, a member of Paspale. But compared to others who only know Kendo from comics or know nothing about it, she is the most suitable person for this position. And LAYER's Kyudo coach is Saya. Saya is at least in the Kyudo club, so she is relatively professional.

LAYER nodded gratefully towards the door, then turned to look at PAREO: "Go on." PAREO took a towel and walked forward to wipe her sweat: "How about we stop here today? You've been practicing for a long time." She turned her head and wanted to give the same advice to Kita, but Kita seemed to be concentrating and she didn't want to disturb him.

"Thank you... but let's continue. I want to learn at least this one move today." LAYER picked up the kettle on the ground, took a sip, and put it down. "My strength is far from enough. If I meet Xiaohua and have to be protected by her, that would be terrible."

LAYER continued to practice, and Kita's fire stayed by her side.