I said you are all war criminals

【And you then made a request to Xiangzi.】

"Come with me to find the band members."

【Xiangzi promised you.】

You put your arm around Xiangzi's shoulders, a smile that you thought was kind on your face: "Let's go, my keyboard player, let's create a miracle!"

Xiangzi is not used to being so close to others, so she turns slightly to the side, trying to avoid you. But you pretend not to notice her resistance and continue to drag her down the street with great enthusiasm.

[The two were wandering aimlessly down the street. When they passed a small square, they were attracted by a loud noise.]

In the center of the square, two young women were performing Shakespeare's "King Lear." One of them had bold blond hair tied in twin ponytails and a tall figure whose curves, even in a simple white shirt and jeans, couldn't conceal them. She stretched her limbs with emotion, vividly portraying King Lear's despair and madness.

[You watched with wide eyes and almost drooled. He grabbed Xiangzi's arm and said excitedly: "She's the one! I want her to be my lead singer!"]

[Xiangzi was startled by your sudden action. Before she could react, you rushed towards the blonde girl who was taking her final bow like a stray dog.]

"Excellent! You acted so well! You're a natural born actor! No, a natural born artist!" Hakuno rushed to the blonde girl without any manners and exclaimed in praise.

Then, he changed the subject, "So, do you want to be the lead singer of a band?"

PS: Sorry, I had something urgent to do today and got home a little late

Chapter 56: Band Members Get

You felt a little embarrassed watching Hakuno harassing that blonde girl. Not because of yourself, but because your bandmate was such a person.

“…But work is work.”

Outside the simulator, Xiangzi bit his lip.

To be honest, she didn't quite understand why Bai Ye wanted to find an opera singer to be the lead singer of the band... Putting aside whether the other person was willing or not, just the opera and the lead singer of the band were not related.

The yellow-haired girl was obviously startled by this sudden enthusiasm. She subconsciously took a half step back, increasing the distance between herself and Bai Ye.

"Um... um, sir, who are you?" She frowned slightly, a hint of caution in her tone.

"You can call me Bai Ye. I'm the bassist of the greatest rock band!" Bai Ye said confidently.

[You know Hakuno can't play the bass at all.]

"Bassist?" The blonde girl was clearly confused by the title. She looked Bai Ye up and down, her eyes filled with suspicion. "You don't have calluses on your hands."

Bai Ye laughed awkwardly a few times. You watched him look at his embarrassing appearance from the side, sighing inwardly. This guy, all he knows how to do is talk, but he always fails at the crucial moment.

You shook your head helplessly and stepped forward to defend Hakuno. "Hello, senior, my name is Toyokawa Shoko," you said with a polite smile, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere. "His name is Hakuno, and we're forming a student rock band."

The blonde girl's gaze fell on you, and her expression softened. "Oba Nana, you can just call me Nana. But, the bassist of the student band..."

[Hakuno raised his hand to answer Nana's question, "I'm a graduate student, so I'm still a student."]

Nana Ohba was amused by Hakuno's shamelessness. She shook her head and said helplessly, "Mr. Hakuno, do you have any misunderstandings about rock bands? I don't doubt your artistic attainments, but opera and rock music are truly two different things."

"Huh? Is that so? That's such a shame. I thought I'd found a natural rock star." Hakuno shook his head pretentiously, but his eyes remained fixed on Nana, not concealing his admiration.

You watched Bai Ye's lecherous expression from the side, irritated. How come when you heard him talk nonsense about this "promise" earlier, you still thought he was somewhat reliable?

【It’s an illusion, it must be an illusion.】

"Nana-senpai, just ignore him. He just loves to talk nonsense." Xiangzi quickly tried to smooth things over, then looked at Nana sincerely. "But our band really needs a lead singer. Your voice and performance talent are both amazing. Can you give us a chance to come to the rehearsal room and give it a try?"

Nana looked at your sincere face, then looked at Hakuno's greedy face, and finally made a decision.

"Okay, I'll give it a try, but I have to say I know nothing about rock music, so don't blame me if I don't sing well." Nana smiled gently.

"No problem, no problem, just give it your all!" Bai Ye rubbed his hands together excitedly, making you roll your eyes at him.

[So, Nana said goodbye to her fellow black-haired girl and went to the rehearsal room with you.]

Shiroko temporarily booked a rehearsal room not far from the square. It's a newly opened underground music studio. The space is quite spacious and equipped with professional recording equipment and instruments. You noticed the price list on the wall and couldn't help but gasp. The prices are not cheap. However, considering Shiroko nonchalantly calculated your daily salary based on eight hours, you somewhat felt that regardless of whether Shiroko was stupid or not, he really did have a lot of money.

"How's it going? This studio is pretty good, isn't it? I picked it especially for you." Hakuno seems to notice your gaze and boasts proudly.

You turn your head away, not looking at Bai Ye.

"Mr. Hakuno looks quite wealthy..." Nana didn't seem surprised by the opulence of the place. She just spun around like a rondo. "So, what do you want me to do? Whose song do you want me to sing?"

"Of course it's Xiangzi's original song." Hakuno said as a matter of course.

You are shaken violently.

Xiangzi was really shaken.

What the hell? Even in the simulation, she and Hakuno had only known each other for less than a week, right? From the simulation, she hadn't told Hakuno about her original song... How did Hakuno know?

A dangerous possibility suddenly emerged in Xiangzi's mind.

Could it be that Hakuno actually "knows" Toyokawa Shoko?

Could it be that he is actually a fan of Crychic? Is his goal to revive Crychic?

...No, this is too much.

Xiangzi shook his head repeatedly to get rid of the unreliable delusion, and then continued to watch the contents of the simulator.

"Oh? An original song? We also perform original plays, but most of the time we just perform classics." Nana didn't seem surprised by the "original" part; she just gave you an expectant look.

You hesitated for a moment, then took out your phone and looked through the music and lyrics you had saved.

[The original song you translated is...]

[1. "Spring Shadow"]

2. Black Birthday

...That's terrible.

When Xiangzi saw the name "Spring Shadow", his body trembled as if he had been electrocuted.

To her, this is a taboo name.

Although this song itself does not represent anything, although this song itself does not bring about any tragedy, although... although...

Although there are many.

But there is only one.

After that performance where he played this song, Xiangzi lost everything.

…If this simulation plays out again, will she lose everything again?

"...'Black Birthday', just 'Black Birthday'."

Xiangzi made the choice almost subconsciously.

"Black Birthday... Hmm, interesting name," Nana read your draft carefully. "Hey, there's a short script before the song? The puppets, the full moon... seems quite interesting?"

You watch Nana's raised brows and realize you've made the right choice. "Black Birthday," with its theatrical elements, is an interesting option for Nana, who's been improvising opera on the street... Perhaps this has made Nana realize that opera and rock music can also be combined.

"After all, if there are musicals, why can't there be rock plays?" Hakuno folded his arms, smiling as if he was sure of victory.

[Ah... this is such a band with a bleak future.]

Chapter 57·Kotoko Iwanaga

Your band career is going very smoothly.

After Nana Ohba joined, the only thing you were lacking was a drummer and a guitarist—and soon, someone approached your band through your manager, Ijichi Nikka.

"Hello, my name is Iwanaga Kotoko, and I'm the guitarist. This is my boyfriend, Sakurai Kuro, and he's the drummer."

Two people came up to you. The one who took the initiative to introduce herself was a junior high school girl wearing a knee-length dress with lace trim. The one she called her "boyfriend," Jiulang, looked to be about the same age as Shirano.

You looked at the two of them hesitantly. The term "boyfriend" always felt a bit criminal.

"Ah, I really miss that time. Ryo once said he wanted to be my girlfriend. Ryo was so cute back then..." Hakuno sighed with a smile, then asked mercilessly, "Looking at you, your eyes and feet... are they prosthetics?"

"How strange," Kotoko said, lifting her hair slightly from her right eye and tapping it twice with her thumb. "Yes, my right eye and left foot are both prosthetic. This is the first time someone has noticed they're prosthetics at first glance."

You subconsciously ask, "Was it because of an accident? A car accident, or..."

"Well, I'm not entirely sure about the details..." Kotoko glanced at Hakuno with her left eye and began a long speech. "I don't know if you've read the newspapers. Around July of six years ago, there was an article in the newspapers about a fifth-grade girl named Iwanaga Kotoko who had been missing for a week. The police decided to launch a public search. A week later, the newspapers also published a story about a girl who was found napping on a bench in a city park. Due to concerns about her privacy, the details of the situation were not reported, and it wasn't hyped up as a major news item."

Nana Ohba, who was also interviewing the band members, raised her hand. "Ah, I remember that. I heard that when the girl was found, her left leg was cut off below the knee, and her right eye had been gouged out."

You shuddered.

[For some reason, you think this matter might be related to a monster.]

monster?

To be honest, even now, Xiangzi has no real feeling about monsters.

Even though this simulator says that Xiangzi is a half-demon, even though this simulator says that Xiangzi can awaken his half-demon bloodline in the future, Xiangzi still cannot imagine what a monster is.

Rather than being done by a monster, Xiangzi felt that it was more like the work of some crazy person... Could it be those "chefs" who did it?

"I seem to remember that this matter seemed to be a big deal back then." Hakuno said, stroking his chin, and turned to look at you. "Hey, Xiangzi, what do you think? Should we let them join?"

You're different now. You're a chef. You haven't mastered the art yet, but under Senzaemon's guidance, you've learned a few tricks... If this really has something to do with a monster, you can protect Kotoko.

[Also, you don't know why, but you always feel that Kotoko is very approachable. Thinking about it carefully, it might be because she is petite and has suffered such an unfortunate thing.]

"Well, we're not a professional band anyway." You finally nodded and agreed to their joining.

"Is this really me?"

Xiangzi was speechless.

Could it be that after becoming a half-demon, after becoming a chef, her requirements for music will be lowered?

The current Xiangzi would definitely not just accept band members into the band without caring about their level because the band is not a professional band... This is not Xiangzi, at least not the current her.

“…Is this really my future?”

On the first day the new band members arrived, you decided to rehearse first to familiarize yourself with each other's styles. The rehearsal room was filled with a faint smell of disinfectant, and a few beams of light shone on the instruments, reflecting a cold luster.

"Let's try 'Black Birthday' first," you suggested, handing the sheet music to Kotoko and Kuro.

Kotoko took the sheet music, glanced at it casually, and then took the guitar off. "No problem, the song is simple." She raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a confident smile.

Jiulang sat down in front of the drum without saying a word. He picked up the drumstick and gently struck it a few times, as if feeling the elasticity of the drum skin.

Even Nana Ohba was excited. She stood in the middle of the stage, carefully testing the microphone.

Only Bai Ye was sitting lazily by the side, not tuning his instrument, just waiting for everyone to take action.

【And you, took the initiative to press the keyboard. 】

As the music begins, Kotoko's fingers dance across the strings like a spirit, and the passionate melody pours out like a torrential downpour, instantly igniting the entire rehearsal room. You're astonished to discover that Kotoko's guitar skills are unexpectedly superior. Her grasp of rhythm and control of tone reveal a maturity and sophistication beyond her years. If you hadn't seen Kotoko playing in person, you might have mistaken her for a professional guitarist.

Jiulang's drumming is like a precise metronome, steadily supporting the rhythm of the entire band. His drumming isn't fancy, but it's incredibly accurate, each stroke like a machine, allowing you to perfectly distinguish the beat.

Nana Ohba's voice is resounding, like a hymn from heaven, each note imbued with a sense of holiness, adding a touch of grotesque darkness to the atmosphere of "Black Birthday." The ideas she expresses don't align with your own, yet you can't help but sigh, perhaps this one is for the better.

[When the song ends, everyone looks at the person who played the worst.]

Bai Ye rubbed his head and laughed, "Haha, we're so amazing! We feel like we could debut right away!"

The simulator paused briefly.

Then, it uttered a sentence that Xiangzi had not expected.

[Would you like to play "Black Birthday" for this training session?]

Xiangzi's heart suddenly moved.

This simulator can actually play the music it simulated? This is incredible... As a musician, Xiangzi knows the importance of running-in better than anyone else. If this simulator can be used multiple times, wouldn't she be able to find different teammates each time to test out the best fit for herself and Hakuno?

In this way, debuting is no longer a dream!

“Play!”

PS: There will be another chapter tonight

In addition, the updates will be unified in the evening. I found that no one seems to read it at noon.

Chapter 58: Bai Ye's Grand Blueprint

Hakuno's simulation progress was not smooth.