I said you are all war criminals

Chapter 26: Musical Instrument Store

Hakuno entered the bathroom an hour into Ryo's bath—as expected, the girl had fallen asleep in the bathtub.

This time, Bai Ye didn't drag Liang out and clean her up like he did last night. After all, she wasn't drunk like last night, she just fell asleep. Anyway, Bai Ye called her a few times through the glass door to wake Liang up.

Ten minutes later, Liang changed his clothes and came out of the bathroom.

"It's getting late, where do you want to go?"

Looking at his sister who had changed her clothes and turned back into a beautiful girl, Hakuno asked this as he sat on the sofa.

"Don't you have to work?" Liang couldn't help but complain.

Bai Ye was very proud, "Hey, do you know what my latest job is?"

"Being studied?" Liang answered without hesitation.

Of course, Ryo was just joking...but she didn't expect Hakuno to actually fall into an eerie silence.

"...Hey, you're not really being studied, are you?"

"That's about right," Bai Ye rubbed his head. "The specific details are a secret, but all you need to know is that I've been quite idle in the past year."

Is the Department of Brain Science so idle?

Ryo didn't know much about the university, but she knew Hakuno wouldn't lie to her—and besides, you couldn't lie about taking a year-round break. Ryo could just come over sometime and see if Hakuno was taking a year-round break.

"So you really did... nothing in this year?" Liang asked again.

"Not really."

Hakuno scratched the side of his face a few times with his fingers.

He recalled what Professor Okabe said.

"Hahahaha, my disciple, in order to explore the difference in abilities between humans and AI, you must learn as many skills as possible that you originally didn't know. During this year—"

The professor's strange laughter flowed out from Bai Ye's smooth brain.

"...Anyway, the professor wants me to learn something new."

"How about learning some music?"

The above is a brief summary of the situation.

The reason why Hakuno was dragged to the musical instrument store by Ryo was because of this.

"Hey, do you really want me to learn music?" Bai Ye looked at the dazzling array of musical instruments, his scalp tingling. "I know nothing about this stuff..."

"Don't we all start from scratch when learning anything?" Liang held Bai Ye's arm to prevent him from escaping. "Besides, didn't the professor tell you to learn something new?"

"Okay, okay. So what do you recommend I learn? Bass like you?"

Bai Ye felt a little uneasy.

If this were a simulation, he could choose anything he wanted without any worries. But this was a crucial decision that would determine whether or not Ryo would mock him in real life, so Hakuno decided to stick to his heart.

Liang didn't answer Hakuno directly, but took his hand and walked around the music store.

"Just take a look around first, maybe you'll find an instrument you like." She said with a smile, but her eyes glanced intentionally or unintentionally at the area where the bass was placed.

Of course, Bai Ye noticed Liang's little thoughts, but he pretended not to see it and was instead attracted by the strange-looking musical instruments in the store.

"I say, is this thing really a musical instrument? Why does it look like..." Bai Ye pointed at a strangely shaped brass instrument, and hesitated to speak.

"What does it look like?" Liang came closer and looked in the direction Bai Ye's finger pointed. "This, is it the Susafeng?"

"Sousaphone? Why does the name sound like some kind of seafood..."

"Puff..." Liang couldn't help but curl his lips a little, "This is a low brass instrument with a very rich tone."

"Really? Then why don't you play one for me?"

"This thing is basically only used in military bands." Liang put away his smile and pointed at himself. "Do you think I look like I'm a soldier?"

Bai Ye didn't dwell on the sousaphone anymore. After all, it looked so unusual, and it would be awkward if Ryou actually asked him to perform for it. He continued to wander around the music store, his eyes scanning the dazzling array of instruments. Like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, everything seemed new to him.

Liang followed him and couldn't help laughing at his inexperienced look. "Hey, aren't you a top student in the Department of Brain Science? How come you haven't even seen a few musical instruments?"

"What does brain science have to do with musical instruments?" Bai Ye retorted dissatisfiedly, "I'm not a music researcher. Besides, it's not like I haven't seen musical instruments before, I just haven't seen so many strange ones..."

As he spoke, Bai Ye's eyes fell on a guitar. He reached out and plucked the strings, making a harsh noise.

Ryo shook his head, took a bass from the shelf, and handed it to Hakuno: "Here, try this."

Bai Ye looked at the rather cool-looking instrument in his hand and hesitated: "What is this? Why does it feel different from the one you play?"

"This is a bass! You don't even recognize a bass?" Liang covered his mouth in surprise. "You're my good brother, but you don't even know my favorite instrument."

Bai Ye rolled his eyes. This woman was pretending to be stupid again. He was clearly asking what the difference was between this bass and hers, not what this thing was.

"I know this is a bass. I mean, it's different from the one you have..." Hakuno tried to explain.

"What's the difference? Aren't they all basses?" Liang interrupted him and stuffed the bass into his arms. "Stop talking nonsense and try it out. Maybe you'll fall in love with it."

Hakuno had no choice but to bite the bullet and try. Under Liang's guidance, he fumbled with the strings, stumbling over a few simple notes.

"How is it? How do you feel?" Liang looked at him with a smile.

Bai Ye frowned, felt it carefully, and then said with some surprise: "It seems... quite interesting? I think my sense of rhythm is pretty good."

"Then buy it. I can also teach you." Liang put his hands behind his back.

"You want me to call you 'teacher', right?"

Bai Ye saw through Liang's little thoughts at a glance.

The blue-haired girl turned her back and quietly stuck out her tongue. When she turned back around, her expression had returned to its stern expression.

"Ahem, student Hakuno, don't be so rude to your music teacher."

Bai Ye was not being rude, he just felt speechless.

Well, in the end, he bought the bass, along with a bunch of other tools for maintaining and tuning it. It wasn't until he put the bass in the back seat of the car that Hakuno realized something.

"anyway."

Hakuno asked Ryo in the passenger seat as he started the car.

"What's wrong?" Liang looked at the scenery outside the window.

"I remember you bought a lot of basses, didn't you?" Hakuno asked, recalling Liang's bass collection. "Why don't you just give me one?"

Liang didn't answer immediately, just looked out the window.

The scenery outside the window was rapidly receding. Liang didn't respond immediately, but just looked out the window, as if thinking about something. Bai Ye was not in a hurry and waited patiently for her answer. He knew that although Liang looked carefree, she was actually very thoughtful and there were many things she just didn't say out loud.

After a long while, Liang retracted his gaze and turned to look at Bai Ye, "You want me to give you a bass? It's not impossible..."

Bai Ye raised his eyebrows. He knew that this girl was not so easy to talk to. As expected, there were conditions attached.

"Tell me, what are the conditions?"

"It's simple," Ryo raised a finger and waved it in front of Hakuno, "Unless you can perform well in my presence and gain my approval, there's no point in discussing this."

Hakuno couldn't help but laugh.

In the three years since they crossed over, Bai Ye and Liang had made bets like this more than once.

"Then I'll have to carefully select a prize from your inventory."

Bai Yeyin smiled and said, "Just pick the one you like best!"

Chapter 27: Arrival at the Live House [Starry]

After lunch, Hakuno drove again and took Liang to [starry].

Because Liang has to participate in the band's rehearsal.

"Okay, once I get you there, I'll—"

As soon as he parked the car, Bai Ye was about to leave. In the afternoon, he planned to go to a second-hand game store to see if he could find some fun and inexpensive cartridges.

"Didn't you say you wanted to learn music?" Liang, who was sitting in the passenger seat, grabbed Bai Ye's sleeve and curled his lips into a wicked smile. "It's just right, this is the place to practice music."

"...Actually, the sound insulation in my house is pretty good." Bai Ye argued.

"You just want to go home and play games? Get out of the car."

Why are people who owe money so complacent?

"Okay, okay, can't I stay?" Bai Ye raised his hands helplessly, looking like he was surrendering.

Liang finally let go of her hand with satisfaction and pushed Bai Ye out of the car. "That's good enough. I'll teach you how to recognize the strings today, and I'll treat you to barbecue tonight."

Bai Ye rolled his eyes. What do you mean by "Fan Tiangang"? And sister? If she has breasts, she is my sister.

Hakuno followed Ryo reluctantly into Starry. This live house was usually deserted during the day, the air thick with the faint scent of alcohol and cigarettes, and one could vaguely imagine the bustle of night. Hakuno had been here before, but always as Ryo's audience member. Today, he was inexplicably being asked to learn how to play bass, which felt strange.

"Hey, what are you daydreaming about? Come over here!" Liang stood at the door of the practice room and waved at Bai Ye. "Today I'm going to teach you how to identify the strings. This is the most basic."

"I know, I know. Why are you rushing me?" Bai Ye walked slowly into the practice room, carrying his newly bought bass guitar on his back.

In the practice room, Liang held her own bass guitar, plucking the strings absentmindedly and playing a few chords at random.

She asked without looking up.

"First, you need to know how many strings a bass guitar has."

"Four?" Bai Ye glanced at the number of strings on the bass and answered tentatively, thinking that this was too simple. Could there be some hidden trap that I didn't know about?

Liang nodded decisively, "That's right. Generally speaking, a bass is a four-stringed instrument."

"These four strings, from thickest to thinnest, are E, A, D, and G." Liang played the bass guitar and introduced them one by one. "Memorize their order. This is the most basic."

"Next, I'll teach you the simplest fingering." Liang pointed to his left hand and said to Hakuno, "Press the second fret of the A string with your index finger."

"like this?"

Hakuno tried, but wasn't very successful. His fingers, used to rubbing against a mouse and controller, seemed incompatible with an instrument.

"Are your fingers out of control, kid? You should use the tips of your fingers to press the strings, not the pads of your fingers! Also, don't keep your wrists stiff, relax!" Liang knocked on Bai Ye's hand in frustration, wishing he could just bend his fingers into the correct position.

"Hiss... I know, I know. Be gentle!" Bai Ye retracted his hand in pain and muttered dissatisfiedly, "I'm not like you. I've been playing this since I was a child..."

"Oh, now you know how powerful your sister is?" Liang raised his eyebrows, deliberately misinterpreting Bai Ye's meaning, and walked around behind him, with his whole body almost sticking to his back.

Bai Ye only felt a gust of fragrant wind blowing towards him, and her soft body pressed tightly against him. The warm breath from her mouth sprayed on his ears, "Relax your hands, don't stiffen your wrists, yes, that's it..."

Liang wrapped her hands around Bai Ye's, and her slender fingers gently pressed on his fingertips, adjusting his hand shape. Bai Ye could feel the warmth of her fingertips and the soft touch of her fingertips.

"Look, isn't this much better?" Liang pressed Bai Ye's hand and demonstrated the correct method, then let go, took a step back, and asked with a smile.

Hakuno was stunned for a moment before he realized what Ryo was talking about. He tried to follow Ryo's instructions and pressed the second fret of the A string with his index finger. This time, he finally succeeded.

"It seems... it's really much easier." Bai Ye was surprised to find that under Liang's guidance, the fingering techniques that were like incomprehensible books to him had become so simple.

"Of course. Don't you see who taught you that?" Liang raised his chin proudly, with an expression that said "Thank me quickly."

"Yes, yes, Sister Liang is the best!" Bai Ye agreed helplessly.

Liang was stunned for a moment, then pretended to retch, "Disgusting...Brother Bai Ye, you are really disgusting!"

"...You girl deserve a beating, don't you?"

When Ijichi Nikka opened the door to the practice room, she saw her good friend Yamada Ryo being punched in the temple. The perpetrator of this brutality was none other than Hakuno, a man he had met once before.

As soon as he saw Hongxia, Bai Ye released his fists and let Liang squat down while pressing his temples.

"It hurts! You're not a human, you're a ghost, a demon, Hakuno!"

Liang held back tears and cried loudly.

Hongxia nodded in understanding and showed a sympathetic expression to Bai Ye. "It must be very difficult, Mr. Bai Ye."

"It's okay, I'm used to it."

Hakuno turned around to tidy up his bass, then turned back unhappily and patted Liang's head, "Okay, stop messing around. You want to practice next, right? I'll go first-"

"Mr. Hakuno, won't you stay and listen to our practice?"