Heavy girl? I feel worse than Black Hole Trigger!

It was so intense that it seemed to transform the entire stage, including his figure, into an obtrusive black dot...

"Hey!! Hey!! Answer me, is anyone here?"

“I’ve been searching, but there’s no answer.”

“Hey!! Hey!! Only I can achieve my own success.”

"Even if you cry, you must smile; even if you hate, you must love; live on—"

He reached out and gripped the microphone tightly, smiling with relief.

It was as if I was walking alone on a stormy path, and then, covered in mud, I faced the sunlight that broke through the clouds.

"Hey!! Hey!! SAMURAI HEART!"

……

In CRYCHIC's lounge, the only sound left was the slightly distorted music coming from the TV.

Even Shiina Riki, who initially objected, became silent and stared at the TV screen.

Gao Songdeng was almost in a trance as he looked at the figure playing with his head down during the interlude.

Why, not afraid at all?

"No. He must be quite scared too."

I'm not afraid of making a few mistakes in my performance.

I'm not afraid of how harsh and annoying my shouting will be.

just.

Afraid of disappointing those who have expectations.

I’m afraid that by working so hard I might hurt someone.

But with that fear in mind, I kept moving forward with all my strength.

——All of it, this is all me.

——Crying and laughing, hating and loving, it’s all me.

"In order not to let giving up become an excuse..."

The girl lowered her eyes and looked at her clenched fists.

Even if it's just for a moment.

She murmured as if begging—

"...Please, become my companion."

Lost Star Chapter 71 Summer Time Record: Chapter Borrowing a Hand from a Cat

As I walked backstage with my bass, the cheers outside suddenly became several decibels quieter.

Every performance has a pause. The audience will keep the most exciting moment in their memory, but when the two members of "Lost Band" step off the stage, the dazzling brilliance under the spotlight fades and they return to their usual appearance.

Or maybe, they haven't changed since the beginning——

"Little Lenai, you can't eat it."

"Hmm." Kaname replied softly, staring at the basket of bread on the table.

Shinji Rinrinko put her hands on her hips and looked helpless: It's obvious that this kid didn't listen at all!

"Ms. Rinrinko, the speaker on the right..."

"Okay, I'll go over and take a look."

Rinrinko wanted to go over and reprimand Lenai again, but she heard her colleague's cry for help from the door, so she had to quickly return to the stage.

Lenai blinked.

--Snapped.

Baodeng Zheli caught Lenai's little hand that was stretched out secretly.

The silver-haired girl paused, tilted her head and looked at the man, as if asking "what's wrong".

"Miss Zhenci just said you are not allowed to eat it." Zhe Li said with downcast eyes.

Lenai raised her face, her eyes sharpening a little: "I didn't eat it."

"You haven't eaten yet." Zhe Li pushed her little hand down and looked at the long table.

The backstage, especially the space just after leaving the stage, was extremely dim; Zhe Li's five senses were sharper than those of ordinary people. In this gloomy atmosphere, the faint aroma of baking made its presence felt more prominently than the appearance of the bread.

This made Zhe Li feel nostalgic.

My impression of my hometown...If I don’t think about it carefully, I can’t remember it clearly.

The photographic memory he gained after becoming a Blood Star person made him feel as if he had experienced many times more life in this world than before. But the aroma of bread still made him think of the word "home".

Is this a gift from someone? It doesn't look like RiNG's own food.

"The bread here should have other uses. If you're really hungry, come back to the lounge and I'll get you some matcha jelly."

"Matcha jelly." Lena's ears twitched. ...But she still tried to reach for the bread on the table.

Zhe Li had no choice but to say, "If you eat the bread, I won't give you the matcha jelly."

Lenai turned to look at him again, hesitating for a moment——

"Even the slaves eat it."

"I won't be your accomplice."

The two of them stood there for several seconds.

"No?" Lenai asked again, her bright eyes still fixed on the bread.

"No," Zheli replied again, his shackle-like hands still holding Lenai tightly.

"Well."

Lenai snorted as if in dissatisfaction before withdrawing her hand.

They say there are only wrong names, but no wrong titles - Zheli's Blood Star Ear heard from customers who frequently patronized RiNG that the girl named Yao Lenai was nicknamed "RiNG's stray cat."

The fragmented story pieced together was this: despite forming a band, Zheli was busy running the cafe in the afternoons. Even if Zheli, a student, rushed to Nascita right after school, Zheli would almost be ready to open. In recent weeks, Nascita's recording studio had been lent to CRYCHIC, leaving Lenai with no place to hang out and no one to accompany her band.

So, when she wants to play the piano for fun, she will go to RiNG for a random performance.

Her superb guitar skills even attracted several young bands to recruit her, but she rejected them all.

Yes, this girl occasionally displays a strange sense of "maturity." She seems to be naive about the world, but she can use simple words to express the complex thoughts of others.

She was like that, and even a guy like Zhe Li who thought he was mature often had the illusion that he was completely seen through by her eyes.

...But most of the time, she is like now, every move seems to be without thinking, just following instinct, she just grabs whatever she wants to eat and goes wherever she wants to go, really like a stray cat!

Her human wisdom was only used to defend herself when she was caught in the act.

"Okay, let's go back to the lounge." Seeing that Le Nai, despite still looking reluctant, had relaxed her muscles and was unlikely to suddenly attack poor bread, Zhe Li withdrew his hand. "Because you were late, Su Shi and the others finished rehearsals before us, and now they have to wait until we finish the performance. They're probably all growing mushrooms in the lounge."

Lenai looked up at him and said, "I'm not late."

"Well... uh, there's really no strict order for today's rehearsal..."

"——Ah, Zheli!"

A greeting saved Zhe Li from having to think about how to refute Xiao Lenai.

"Hmm? Oh, Sushi. It's time for you to get ready to go on stage."

The people who came were the fully armed CRYCHIC people.

"We witnessed the two of you perform in the lounge!"

The leader, Toyokawa Shoko, looked at him with wide eyes.

Even in this slightly dark area, you can clearly see the pair of cheeks that are still a little rosy.

"What a fantastic performance! I could feel the excitement even through the camera!"

First, the lead vocalist's powerful presence was showcased in "Samurai Heart," followed by "Blue Bookmark," where the clear guitar riffs woven throughout the song and the vocals sang like poetry. Finally, the finale featured the duo's memorable first collaboration, "Tan Tian"...

The atmosphere is completely heated up, and in this final track, which symbolizes a cloudy day, it continues to burn with the repetition of powerful chords.

Even though the two had already left the stage, they could still vaguely hear the endless cheers from the venue.

For CRYCHIC, who were to perform next, the audience's high expectations might have been a source of considerable pressure, but in the eyes of the audience, the performance of "Lost Band" was already a rare opening performance.

"...Very impressive." Shiina Riki spoke right after Xiangzi.

Zheli couldn't help but glance at Lixi a second time. This girl had always been cool and reserved with everyone. When she did speak, it was either a sharp criticism or an apology, her main theme being, "I was wrong, I'll do it again next time." Only recently had she begun to soften her stance towards Takamatsu Deng, but Zheli hadn't expected him to receive that special treatment.

"Thank you for the compliment."

Thinking about this, Zhe Li did not make a fuss. He maintained normal etiquette and nodded in agreement with a smile.

Su Shi, who usually enjoyed chatting with him, didn't say much this time, just smiled at him while holding her zither. It seemed that even Su Shi, who was usually gentle and calm, was a little nervous on her first performance.

"—Are you the kids from 'CRYCHIC'? It's almost time for them to go on stage!"

Just as Zheli was about to say something comforting, he heard Shinji Rinrinko's voice from behind. He thought for a moment and then shut up.

Just as he had said to Deng before, Zhe Li believed that "tension" stemmed from a desire to achieve perfection. A few clumsy words of comfort would be fine if they had no effect. But if they did, perhaps they would not only dispel the tension but also erode the will to pursue perfection.

He believed that Nagasaki Suyo would not lose her composure because of this little bit of tension, so there was no need to say anything more.

"Yes! We'll be there soon." Xiangzi quickly responded to Shinji Rinrinko. "Let's go, everyone!"

Zhe Li nodded, "Then let's not talk any more. I will also be in the audience to enjoy your performance."

Su Shi looked at him in surprise. "Hey! Zhe Li wants to watch from the audience?"

"Our parts are over anyway. I don't want to miss your rare debut performance."

Lenai looked up and said, "Yeah. I have to watch the concert."

"It's so free..."

Su Shi smiled and shook her head. Who would normally go to the audience right after getting off the stage?

But, as expected—this is like them.

……

"Let's go back to the lounge." "Okay."

After all, I just agreed to give her matcha jelly, and I can't go back on my word.

Zheli extended his hand, and Le Nai naturally shook it, and then the two of them trotted away towards the lounge.

Gao Songdeng, who had not yet crossed the threshold, turned his head to look at the pair of figures walking away.

She clenched her fists tightly.

"...No problem, yes."

As if trying to hold someone's hand tightly.

Lost Star Chapter 72 Summer Record: Chapter Knowing What a Warm Spring Is

There are so many people.

Gao Songdeng held the microphone tightly, and his finger on the switch did not dare to turn it on for a long time.

Was it under this kind of gaze that Zheli just sang out loud?

"——Good afternoon, everyone! We are 'CRYCHIC'!"

While she was lost in thought, Shoko Toyokawa behind her greeted the audience.

"Today we're actually performing as a fill-in band, and everyone is very nervous. I hope you can bear with us!"

…I’m the only one who can’t speak freely here.

Light stared down at the microphone.

The bright spotlight illuminated the stage floor with incredible clarity. She could even precisely count the pieces that made up the stage. But precisely because of this, looking at the all-too-deep shadow on the floor felt like looking at herself in the mirror—a self so timid, so passive, that even when she gazed at the reflection, she couldn't help but look away.