Heavy girl? I feel worse than Black Hole Trigger!

"If you want to practice, why not just practice on your own? No one says everyone must be present for practice."

The pale palms tightly grasped his arms, as if suppressing something.

“…Don’t blame it on others.”

It's all my fault.

Gao Songdeng clenched his fists and looked at Toyokawa Shoko with all his strength. "But, if Shoko isn't here—"

"Stop saying such spoiled things. ... Especially the light."

——The sun was obscured by clouds and the stars were nowhere to be seen.

Toyokawa Shoko suddenly raised her head.

Those amber eyes, the same as hers, were like a solar eclipse, staring from afar, or perhaps even staring, across the equally cold rain, scorching and burning her heart.

"You're the one who should be practicing more, but what are you doing now?"

“——————.”

……tinnitus.

A strong ringing in the ears obscured the world.

Shiina Riki suddenly stood up from her chair and grabbed Toyokawa Shoko's collar, and then Nagasaki Suyo separated them again.

But Takamatsu heard nothing. Only the shrill ringing in his ears, echoing Toyokawa Shoko's words, and the words that flickered before his eyes like a nightmare—

"Can you hear what she's singing?"

"The lead singer works too hard"

"...You are obviously the one who should practice more."

Gao Songdeng held his hand to his heaving chest. His breathing grew heavier, almost catching up with the ringing in his ears.

The mechanical pencil that was sketching words on the notebook just a moment ago now lay quietly beside her with the broken lead, making her want to quietly blend into the silence.

But spring is still fading.

"...Calm down, all of you!"

Nagasaki Suyo's smile was forced. She frowned, looked back and forth at Xiangzi, who had a stern face, and Li Xi, who was excited, and said in a low voice:

"It's rare for everyone to form a band and have fun together for so long... Ah, Xiao Mu thinks the same, right?"

"..."

Wakaba Mutsu was sitting quietly by the window.

It seemed as if the rain outside the window was far more interesting than Toyokawa Shoko's withdrawal from the group or Shiina Riki's angry scolding, and she was unwilling to look away even for a moment. Only when Nagasaki Suyo called her name did she tilt her head slightly, gently stroking her guitar, glancing in the direction of the question out of the corner of her eye, and at the same time -

"I……"

As usual, he spoke calmly.

"I've never felt happy playing in a band."

"..."

"Eh?"

……

Gao Songdeng stared blankly at the girl's back.

The light green hair woven into a texture like glass in the little light coming in from the window, but the words did not float towards the sky. Instead, they smashed into pieces heavily, whistling and scratching out fine scars.

It's still raining outside the window.

The vehicles passing by on the street seemed to be dead in the rain, with nothing but the cold roar of their engines.

The pedestrians holding umbrellas were silent, or perhaps it was just because the heavy rain turned into a strong tinnitus, making the world in her eyes not seem like it was separated by a window, but rather a whole world, so far away that she couldn't reach it even if she stretched out her hand.

……

The late spring comes to an end in midsummer, leaving painful memories buried deep in the soil.

Now, I finally understand...

'Our spring is over.'

Lost Star Chapter 79 Summer Time Record: Chapter The Breeze Refuses to End

"Going back?"

Baodeng Zheli's lazy voice came from behind the counter.

"...Yes." Toyokawa Shoko turned around and looked at him half a second later, nodding slightly. "Hello."

Zhe Li looked carefully into the other person's eyes, and seeing no signs of crying, he smiled slightly and gestured to the takeout coffee cups beside the counter, "Don't forget your cappuccino."

Shoko Toyokawa's gaze followed his movements and lingered on the coffee cup for a moment before she fixed her gaze on that smiling face.

"it is good."

She calmly came over to take the coffee cup, nodded again, and turned around.

Click.

The back door handle was turned open and Nagasaki Suyo stepped over the threshold.

This voice did not shake Toyokawa Shoko in the slightest, so Nagasaki Suyo could only speak: "Xiao Xiang."

Toyokawa Shoko paused. She leaned slightly to the side, glancing at Sushi, who was standing at the counter, and sneered, "Anything else, Nagasaki-san?"

Su Shi sighed helplessly, "No one calls me 'Su Shi' anymore."

"...If you just want to discuss such trivial matters, please allow me to take my leave."

Shoko Toyokawa frowned, turned her back to the two of them and prepared to walk towards the door.

"Wait." Su Shi looked at her back as she stopped again, "Really, can't you have a good talk with everyone?"

Toyokawa Shoko, aloof and somewhat frail, remained standing quietly. The faint sound of classical music drowned out the sound of rain and the girl's soft sighs.

"…Greetings."

She didn't answer after all. She turned her back to the two of them and walked towards the store door.

"Hey, let me lend you an umbrella." said Baodengzheli.

"No need to bother."

The girl gently pushed the door open. The wind and rain continued outside, and she only needed to take a step forward to be immersed in it again.

She looked at the lines drawn by the rain in the wind, tightened the straps of her shoulder bag slightly, took a deep breath silently, and suddenly stepped into the drizzle.

"Because I won't come here again."

Borrowing things will only add to your troubles.

…Jiya——

It was clearly a brand new door, but it seemed to have aged suddenly in the cold wind.

It made a shrill sound while trying to block out the howling wind and rain outside the door. This slightly noisy wail was like a warning, leaving the man and woman at the counter staring at the slowly closing door in silence.

It was not until the rain began to knock against the doors and windows unwillingly that they finally looked away.

Baodeng Zheli tilted his head and stared at Nagasaki Suye's troubled profile, "What happened?"

Su Shi paused for a moment, turned his head and met his eyes.

The two pairs of equally blue eyes looked at each other, and the girl's somewhat anxious mood gradually calmed down.

She smiled quietly.

"Just now, everyone at CRYCHIC was about to practice..."

——After several days of adjustment, Takamatsu Deng began to be able to make sounds at the right time.

If she gets used to it for a while, she should be able to get rid of her dependence on the piano sound and start formal practice.

But today it seems to be a little lacking in heat.

She was able to sing normally from the intro to the first verse, but started to sing off-key near the chorus, and finally couldn't sing the chorus at all. After trying several times with no success, everyone had to take a break.

Su Shi felt that the problem with the lights was more of a psychological barrier than simply being unable to keep up with the beat or pitch.

The mere absence of the piano shouldn't have been enough to render Takamatsu unable to sing—but Toyokawa Shoko was the one who had persuaded her to join the band, become its lead vocalist, and write its lyrics. The mere realization that she might leave her alone would have made Takamatsu, already withdrawn, return to her original, timid self, a minor issue.

In other words, the other members of the band, including Su Shi herself, were more or less affected by her absence.

"...Then, Xiaoxiang suddenly came over and said something like, 'I want to quit CRYCHIC.'"

Nagasaki Suyo's eyes flickered for a moment, and she shook her head with a wry smile.

She recalled the look of Takamatsu Deng, the almost vacant expression she had seen when she looked back after Xiangzi and left the recording studio. Perhaps, when she heard Wakaba Mu's words, she too had a similar expression.

“Everyone is at a loss.”

In the end, she made this conclusion lightly.

——I don’t want to cause this man any more unnecessary worry.

"That's it."

It seems that the problem was not solved.

He had originally thought that he would be able to lend a helping hand after Shoko Toyokawa got out of her predicament or decided to seek help from her friends, but he did not expect that the girl would choose another path.

The man pondered, tapping his fingers on the counter a few times, and then suddenly spoke:

"I go out for a while."

Su Shi stared at him as he squatted down and rummaged through the counter. "Are you going to look for Xiaoxiang?"

Zhe Li reached out from the counter and took out a folding umbrella. He smiled and waved it at Su Shi, "Go give her an umbrella."

Nagasaki Suyo gently pinched her fingertips.

She stared at the umbrella for a moment, then froze in confusion. She looked at the silent Baodeng Zheli and tilted her head, "What's wrong? Didn't you say you would give her an umbrella?"

The man looked at her and said, "I'm waiting for you."

"What are you waiting for me?"

"Waiting for your 'bon voyage'."

"...What? That's so stupid."

She slowly released her grip on her fingertips.

The girl raised her head, looked at the faint smile for a while, and said, "Wait a minute." Then she turned and walked into the recording studio. After a while, she came out with a folding umbrella in her hand.

She held out her umbrella and said, "Here."

“…For me?”

"Yeah." Su Shi nodded seriously, "It's raining so hard, you should remember to bring an umbrella."

It’s not like I don’t have extra umbrellas…

The man opened his mouth, smiled and took the umbrella that the girl was already used to.

It symbolizes being with her.

——It’s not that strong to call it jealousy. It’s not that extreme to call it dependence.

A girl’s feelings are always poetic; it is normal to want to monopolize the person you like, and it is normal to want the other person to only look at you.

But before that…

'I'm her hero.'

And a hero would never leave someone in need alone and do nothing.

"I see."

He responded solemnly, carefully put away the small umbrella, and then spoke again:

"Is there anything you want me to tell her?"

"Yeah..." Su Shi held his chin and thought about it.