I said you are all war criminals

In his past life, it was Goto Ichiri who was famous, not the band that ended.

"...This is my first time doing an opening ceremony at the Olympics."

Backstage at the Olympics, Hong Xia's hands holding the drumsticks were slightly sweaty.

Honestly, Hong Xia had seen far more exaggerated scenes before, so she should have remained calm... However, this time, Hong Xia wasn't going to show off her fighting skills, but her musical accomplishments. Thinking of this, Hong Xia still broke into a sweat.

No, am I really that good at music?

I'm here to host the Olympic opening ceremony?

Four of us high school girls are here to perform at the Olympic opening ceremony?

"Because we were still junior high school students four years ago,"

Liang was calm, "Besides, the last Olympics were not held in Japan."

"We're just high school students now!"

Hong Xia complained loudly.

"Hongxia, why are you so nervous? This isn't our first time on stage."

Liang chewed his gum and said nonchalantly, "Besides, even if we mess up, the worst that can happen is that it's just a problem with the equipment."

Kita also echoed: "That's right, if it doesn't work, just say that Ichiri has diarrhea and his performance is not normal."

As she spoke, she held her stomach seriously and made a painful expression.

Hong Xia's tense nerves relaxed a little after being interrupted by the two of them. She sighed helplessly, "Can you two be serious? This is the opening ceremony of the Olympics! It's being broadcast live around the world!"

“What happened to the global live broadcast?”

Liang raised an eyebrow, with an indifferent attitude, "You should relax during a global live broadcast. After all, you have embarrassed the whole world, and you don't have to worry about social demise in the future."

"Liang, what kind of perverse logic is this..."

Hong Xia was too tired to complain.

Just then, the toilet door creaked open.

Goto Ichiri walked out from inside.

She had just washed her face vigorously in there several times.

Seeing Yili coming out, Hongxia immediately went to meet him: "Yili, are you okay? You don't look well."

"fine,"

Ichiri shook his head, "Just a little... nervous."

A year ago, she would have trembled in fear and gone to hell in such a grand occasion. But now, although she was still nervous, she was able to control her emotions. In fact, if the scene wasn't as grand as this one, Yili would even be able to show a majestic and confident attitude.

"It's okay to be nervous,"

Liang patted Yili's shoulder and said, "It would be abnormal if you weren't nervous. But don't get too nervous. We don't have any cartons of ripe mangoes ready for you this time."

Hongxia rolled her eyes at Liang and reached out to pat Yili on the back.

"Okay, okay, stop making trouble,"

Xiduo came out to smooth things over, "It's almost time, let's go get ready."

So, the four of them walked onto the stage and took their places.

Then--

Dazzling lights suddenly came on, illuminating the entire stadium like daylight. A deafening wave of cheers surged, nearly engulfing the four band members. In the center of the stage, on a massive screen, the Olympic rings shone brightly.

Amid the deafening cheers, the cool chewing gum bubble burst with a "pop", like an insignificant note, drowned out by the tsunami-like roar.

Hong Xia's fingers gripped the drumsticks so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Despite countless performances, she still felt a surge of nervousness at such a grand scale. This wasn't just a concert for tens of thousands of people, but a live broadcast to the entire world, with billions of eyes watching them. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart, and told herself: Hold on! Don't let down!

Kita's eyes sparkled, completely absorbed in the excitement. She looked around excitedly, eager to capture the entire spectacle in her mind. This was the Olympics Opening Ceremony! Performing here was so cool! She even reached out to catch the confetti falling on the stage as a souvenir.

Meanwhile, she clutched her guitar tightly, as if it were a life preserver. Her face was frighteningly pale, her lips trembling slightly, and beads of sweat oozed from her forehead. Although she had improved greatly from a year ago—no, even been completely transformed—the invisible pressure of such a huge audience still enveloped her like a giant beast.

…Don’t hold back, Yili.

Yili closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and focused all her attention on her fingertips. The light focused on her, outlining her slender figure with exceptional clarity.

The passionate prelude sounded like a flash of lightning across the night sky, instantly igniting the enthusiasm of the entire audience.

Her fingers danced across the strings, and the melody flowed out like a trickle, yet with an indescribable explosive force. The sound of the piano, sometimes like a whisper, sometimes like a raging storm, sometimes like a weeping complaint, sometimes like a battle of iron and steel, brought the audience's emotions to one climax after another.

After the solo ended, the other members joined in. The drums, bass, guitar, and vocals blended perfectly, weaving into a stirring piece of music. Their music seemed to have a magical power, infecting everyone present.

Cheers and shouts rose and fell, turning the opening ceremony of the Olympics into a concert for the closing band.

At the end of the song, the four of them bowed and bowed, and thunderous applause surged in like a tide, lasting for a long time.

Outside the simulator, Hakuno couldn't help wiping away tears.

"Great... This is the child I raised, Miss Simulator, do you see it?"

[Simulators have no gender.]

"Mrs. Simulator, this is the little Ichiri I raised... She even performed at the Olympics, she's amazing!"

[Simulators have no gender.]

"Simulator Grandma..."

Hakuno was still pretending to cry.

The simulator has shut up.

It continued playing, ending the show after the band left the stage.

124

Chapter 124: Nana Ohba RIP.

The Olympic performance was a great success.

The afterglow of the Olympics had barely faded when the band's name resonated throughout the world. Invitations to perform poured in, from music festivals around the world to endorsements from top brands. Hongxia was swamped with activity, while Kita was overwhelmed with happiness, bragging about their Olympic performance to everyone she met. Meanwhile, Ryo continued chewing her gum, acting as if nothing had happened.

Everyone is having a good time.

Only one mile away, she declined all interviews and quietly bought a ticket to a remote village.

After a long journey, Yili stood in front of a simple grave. The girl in the photo on the tombstone had a bright smile, as sweet as a banana.

...That's Nana Ohba's tombstone.

Nana Ohba, who promised to "definitely come back", did come back after that adventure.

The problem comes after that.

As if driven by something, Nana repeatedly threw herself into greater danger. If we only talk about achievements, Nana's actions are far more extensive and more dangerous than those of Ichiri.

...So, when Nana Ohba died, Ichiri wasn't particularly surprised.

After all, people are mortal.

Yili took out a bunch of bananas from his backpack and placed them gently in front of the tombstone.

Then, Yili took out a plastic bottle from his bag, unscrewed the lid, and slowly sprinkled the water on the tombstone. In the photo on the tombstone, Nana still had a bright smile.

"I won't say 'sorry'... The same goes for you. You fought for yourself and died contentedly. There's no such thing as happiness. You died a worthy death."

"What a worthy death."

Behind Yili, someone said in a cold voice.

Yili knew without looking back that the only one who would come here to sweep the graves now was Xiangzi.

"……haven't seen you for a long time."

Yili turned his back to Xiangzi and spoke softly.

Toyokawa Shoko responded in a neutral voice, "The Olympic opening ceremony was great. How long have you been rehearsing?"

"About two months."

"Nana, he died about two months ago."

Xiangzi said, "You change your mood so quickly."

She added, “It’s so heartless.”

Toyokawa Shoko glared at Goto Ichiri.

Yili turned his back to Xiangzi and was silent for a moment. Finally, he said, "People cannot live for the dead, but must keep moving forward for themselves."

Shoko slowly walked to Nana's tombstone and gently placed a bunch of plain white chrysanthemums on the grave. The petals were still stained with a little crystal dew, reflecting a faint light in the sunlight. She stood up straight, her eyes fell on Ichiri's slightly thin back, and asked in a serious tone: "So, Goto Ichiri, what kind of person is Ooba Nana to you?"

She paused for a moment, as if weighing her words, and then pressed the issue in a more serious tone, "Does this world really have any 'important people' for you? Or do you simply have no heart?"

Xiangzi stared at Goto Ichiri closely, trying to see something from her back.

Yili turned around, looked at Xiangzi's unchanging poker face, and answered with a voice from the heart.

"I value everyone... I value everyone."

"Respect everyone?"

Xiangzi sneered, as if he had heard something funny. "What you said is just a nice excuse to evade responsibility. Goto Ichiri, stop pretending."

She took a step closer, staring intently at the skinny guitarist in front of her. "If, and I mean if, you had to rank everyone in the world in order of importance, who would be number one?"

Yili blinked, looking slightly confused by the question. She was silent for a moment, then replied calmly, "Everyone comes first."

Xiangzi gritted his teeth and said, "Everyone is first? Goto Ichiri, are you playing word games? Treating everyone as equally important means treating everyone as equally despised! Your so-called 'importance' is too cheap, isn't it?"

She paused, her tone sharper. "Let's put it this way: to you, your parents are no different from a suffering stranger on the street?"

Yili nodded without hesitation: "That's it."

The anger in Xiangzi's eyes was almost bursting out. She suddenly raised her hand, and with a crisp "slap", a loud slap landed hard on Yili's face.

Yili was hit so hard that his head tilted to the side, and a few strands of hair fell beside his cheeks.

Then, Yili slowly straightened his slapped cheek, his eyes showing neither anger nor sadness.

Unlike the Olympics, Yili would not feel any fear at all when facing only one person.

This calmness irritated Xiangzi more than any fierce resistance. She gritted her teeth, her chest heaving violently, "Isn't it...isn't there anything you truly cherish?"

Yili shook his head slightly and said nothing.

Xiangzi felt a deep sense of powerlessness and frustration, like a punch on cotton, soft and without any support. She took a deep breath, tried to calm her excited emotions, then turned and left the cemetery without looking back.

Before leaving, she left behind a chilling remark: "People like you don't deserve to have friends."

Yili looked at Xiangzi's back as he walked away, and her eyes finally showed some movement. She sighed softly, and then whispered softly: "At least it's better than you deliberately sending Nana to her death."

...Yili knows it.

Nana Ohba can't stand the suffering of others, but it's limited to those in front of her. Nana isn't so philanthropic as to fight for those on the other side of the world; she only fights when tragedy strikes right in front of her.

It was Xiangzi who presented those tragedies to Nana.

Of course, Xiangzi hadn't intended to kill Nana. From Ichiri's perspective, Xiangzi trusted Nana too much... She repeatedly pushed tasks beyond her capacity onto Nana's shoulders, and the result was this: Nana was reduced to a pile of bones, Wildfire was on the verge of disbanding, and everything had reached a point of no return.

It’s not Xiangzi’s fault.

However, Xiangzi will definitely think it is his fault.

Yili left the cemetery and returned to his home.

Her parents and sister had recently been in a minor car accident, their injuries neither serious nor minor, and were now all hospitalized. So, Yili had a simple dinner and began practicing guitar. In the empty room, only the vibrating sound of the strings accompanied her.

125

Chapter 125: Footsteps of Collapse.

The showerhead was suddenly turned on, and hot water poured down with tremendous force, hitting Xiangzi's head, shoulders, and back. She closed her eyes, letting the water wash over every inch of her skin. She raised her right hand, fingers pressed together, and scratched her left arm vigorously. Once, twice, three times... Her fingertips turned from pink to white, then from white to red, and finally, they almost dug into the flesh. She mechanically repeated this movement, from upper arm to forearm, and then to wrist, like an emotionless machine.

The scrubbing became faster and harder, turning the skin of her arms red and covered in goose bumps. She lowered her head, her gaze fixed on the mirror, now blurred by the steam. Her reflection was hazy and indistinct. She reached out her left hand and gently touched the mirror with her fingertips. The cool touch made her shiver slightly.

Drops of water trickled down her hair, slid across her cheeks, and landed on her tightly pursed lips. She opened her mouth slightly, letting the water flow in, a bitter taste spreading through her mouth. She tilted her head back, letting the water wash over her face. The warm water, mixed with a liquid she couldn't tell whether it was water or tears, flowed from the corners of her eyes, dripping onto the tile, creating tiny splashes.

She slowly squatted down, wrapped her arms around her knees, and buried her head in them. Hot water continued to wash over her body, and the bathroom was filled with humid steam. She curled up like a wounded little animal, seeking some solace in the warm water.