Girls' Wishing Tree

Momoka and Ichiri exchanged a glance, both realizing that something was amiss with Takagi Sakura. Momoka was the first to offer a suggestion: "Sakura, let's go over to Hanegaoka after school. I'll talk to the kid then."

Takagi Sakura didn't answer, but walked to the drum set and picked up a drumstick.

She didn't play the drums, nor did she know how to play the drums.

One end of the drumstick gently hit the cymbal, making a somewhat harsh sound.

"Sakura...I'll tell her too!" Goto Ichiri said with courage.

Gao Muying recalled the way Riki walked towards her on the overpass. Looking back now, she looked like a kitten asking for a pat on the head.

He had simply copied a song that had proven successful in his previous life, yet he had managed to impress a girl who lacked recognition due to her older sister's shadow. Worst of all, he had ultimately broken that trust himself.

The three options provided by the system to Shiina Riki are indeed quite intense. If Riki can be "awakened", his drum playing level can indeed be raised to a higher level.

However, considering Li Xi's inferiority complex and sensitive personality, if he is directly pressured, he will probably be "crushed".

"Ying?" Tao Yi Qiba lifted up her wet clothes and Ling Mengxiang tugged at Ying's sleeve. "If that doesn't work, why don't you get some sleep first? I'll call you when Yuqiu is almost done with school, and we'll go look for someone at the school gate together, shall we?"

Takagi Ryu Scar Sakura put down the drumsticks and seemed to see Li Xi trying hard to play the drums in the training room.

She finally understood why Lixi's drum beats were so mechanical.

Li Xi is afraid of making mistakes.

On the surface, she doesn't want others to compare her with her sister Maki, but deep down, she hopes to get the same recognition as her sister in the field that her sister is not good at.

Understanding this, she knew that putting pressure on Riki would, from Riki's perspective, be seen as accusing her of not being as good as her sister. And for Riki, comparing herself to Maki was eroding her confidence and self-esteem.

Li Xi tried desperately to ensure "correctness" and wanted to gain everyone's approval through precise drum beats, but "correctness" itself was subtly different from "musical beauty".

Her problems can't be solved by just putting a little pressure on her. The best way is to find a group of musicians who can grow with her and gradually cultivate her own self-confidence.

She held up an umbrella under her sister's shadow, but the umbrella became a cage that imprisoned her. To break this cage, she had to walk out from behind her sister.

"Ying?" Taoxiang saw that Ying didn't say anything, so she patted her shoulder again.

Gao Muying finally reacted and nodded to Tao Xiang: "I'm sorry, this is my business, and I ended up involving you all."

"What's that? Aren't we friends? If you feel bad about it... buy another disc?" Taoxiang supported the corner of Ying's mouth with her hand.

"Buy it." Sakura nodded.

"I don't want to buy it." Taoxiang spread her hands. "The last one was sold to the girl you saw on the overpass the other day. Her name is Jingqin Renna. She came to Tokyo from the countryside to attend cram school. She's quite interesting."

Chapter 58 Shrines, Festivals, and Monsters: 18. You are the Chosen One

It's time to go home at Hanegaoka Girls' Academy.

Momoka Kawahara and Ichiri Goto stood at the gate of Hanegaoka Girls' Academy, while Sakura Takagi found a secluded corner to squat, ensuring she had a clear view of the school gate.

If she went up to persuade him directly, Riki might run away; using music to express her feelings like she did last time when she cheered for Maruyama Aya would not work either - Riki was sad because of the music.

Then, she had no choice but to use her last trick - hiding herself and using the dialog box to "remotely control" Goto Ichiri to hold Riki back, and then using the dialog box to communicate with Riki.

Middle school girls are more receptive to this kind of supernatural communication. Whether it's gods, monsters, or aliens, they always find reasons to believe in it.

So far, there's only one blue-haired girl whose mother has passed away, who thinks her words are ventriloquism.

Because schools in Tokyo have club activities after school, students do not leave in a line like Chinese middle school students. Instead, only a few students leave after an after-school activity club finishes.

An hour had passed since school was over, and Takagi Sakura still hadn't seen Riki. By this time, Ichiri had completely hidden behind Momoka, with only the guitar neck part that couldn't be hidden. From the front, it looked like a black pillar was standing on Momoka's head.

Fortunately, Momoka and Ichiri were not the only ones waiting for someone at the door. Another very pretty girl was also standing at the door of Yugaoka waiting for someone, and she didn't care about the students' gazes at all.

Another half an hour passed before Lixi came out carrying her schoolbag, and Deng followed her. The two did not communicate for the time being, but just walked side by side.

"Here she comes." Taoxiang touched Yili: "It's the long-haired girl with a little swollen eyes. Get ready-"

But when Taoxiang turned her gaze to Lixi again, another girl who was waiting for someone had already quickly come over.

From Takagi Sakura's perspective, before Momoka and Ichiri could take action, someone "intercepted" Riki as he walked out of the school gate.

Although she couldn't hear what they were saying, Takagi Sakura gritted her teeth and decided to proceed according to the original plan.

[In your drumbeats, I hear the buds of unyielding blossoming. Your music moves me.]

Li Xi, who had just greeted Hai Ling, was stunned.

She was very sure that it was not Hailing who was speaking.

"Hailing, did you hear any sound?" Lixi glanced around vigilantly. Except for Pochi hiding behind Taoxiang, there was nothing unusual.

Hailing put a box of drinks on Lixi's shoulder: "Hallucinations?"

Takagi Sakura, who couldn't hear the conversation between Lixi and Hailing, continued to talk to Lixi through the dialogue box: Even if there are occasional setbacks, music will eventually embrace you.

Li Xi turned around suddenly and saw only the gate of Yugaoka Girls' Academy.

Although Hailing felt strange, she continued chatting with Lixi: "I've asked for leave from the training class for you. If you don't want to play drums for the time being, go back in a few days."

"...Someone invited me to play drums, but I didn't play it well enough. I can't do it like my sister, so it's better for me to do nothing." Li Xi's tone sounded a bit depressed.

"No." Hailing crossed her arms. "Lixi promised me that we'd always be in the rhythm section together. We were assigned to the same group on the first day of training. We can't just give up on this kind of fate, right?"

Taoxiang came over and said, "Yes, Lixi, I heard that you didn't want to play the drums, so I came right over. I need you to play for my talk show!"

Lixi glanced at Taoxiang - the older sister he saw on the overpass that day.

She felt a little relieved, but immediately thought of what Takagi Sakura said at the shrine.

Li Xi tilted his head to one side, using silence to protect his fragile self-esteem.

Goto Ichiri came out from behind Momoka: "That...guitar...no one recognizes my guitar, but I want to...play it for everyone!"

While Li Xi paused, Gao Muying sent another message: "It was me who told that little witch to play the best music, so she said that to you. Now she blames herself and regrets it very much, and hopes to complete the performance with you."

Li Xi's pupils shrank, and he turned sideways to glance around, but couldn't find anything that could make a sound.

"...Who are you?" Li Xi asked with some vigilance.

"Well... I'm Goto Ichiri! I'm a guitarist who practices alone in my bedroom..." Ichiri couldn't continue here, and his neck almost retracted into his collar.

"Yili, I'm not asking you." Taoxiang pulled the corner of Yili's clothes.

Deng suddenly spoke: "Lixi, it's the God, right?"

"Huh? Lord God? Are you kidding?" Li Xi didn't believe Deng's words at all.

If there is a god, why was she born as Shiina Maki's sister?

If there is a god, why would he give all his favors to my sister and only leave some "leftovers" for himself?

"Sakura Shrine." Deng said very insistently: "There is a god there."

"Everyone, please stop talking and let me be quiet for a moment." Li Xi took two steps back and bowed to everyone. "I know everyone is concerned about me. Please let me go home and rest. I'm sorry for causing you all trouble."

Seeing Lixi was about to leave, Takagi Sakura said to her through the dialogue box: Come to Sakura Shrine and I will tell you a story.

Li Xi ignored Gao Muying's attempts to keep her and walked away.

The girls present stopped following Li Xi - it had come to this point, and if they continued to follow him, it would be a bit tactless.

Takagi Sakura sent a message to Momoka and Ichiri on her cell phone, thanking them for their help and saying that she would return to the shrine first and would contact them again when she was ready to record the show and learn piano.

But in fact, she did not return to the shrine, but prepared to follow Li Xi and continue to communicate with her through the dialog box.

Lixi was walking on the street with his schoolbag and head down.

She walked slowly, not paying much attention to the situation around her, and did not notice that Takagi Sakura was following behind her, deliberately hiding her figure.

[Give yourself a chance. Giving up is the easiest way, but it is also the most unfair to yourself.]

"Ah?" Li Xi was very surprised that the voice was still following him, and he quickened his pace and ran.

Gao Muying had no choice but to run after her. Fortunately, Li Xi did not look back at the situation behind him.

[Compared to Shiina Maki, you are the chosen one!] Takagi Sakura could only release her "ultimate move", hoping that this would make Riki feel "recognized".

Shiina Riki stopped in his tracks instantly and looked around trying to find the source of the sound, while Takagi Sakura had already pulled up her collar and disappeared into the crowd.

Seeing Lixi's reaction, she was basically certain that Lixi would go to the shrine again.

Chapter 59: Shrines, Festivals, and Monsters: 19. The World of Professional Musicians

Takagi Sakura returned to the shrine as quickly as possible, placed her body in a grocery store outside the shrine, and let her consciousness return to the cherry tree.

Communicating with Riki as "Miko Takagi Sakura" would only add fuel to the fire, so using the identity of "God" would make communication smoother. If that doesn't work...

Even if Lixi runs away, we can still rush out of the grocery store to stop him.

But she waited for two hours, until it was dark, but Lixi still didn't come.

Sakura began to get irritated.

She had done everything she could to persuade Riki to come back, and she was almost successful in the end - according to her idea, Riki should come to the shrine soon.

What could have gone wrong? Could it be that... something happened to Li Xi on the way here?

Takagi Sakura played two soothing violin pieces in the space under the cherry tree, trying to relax herself, but her mind was obviously confused while she was playing, and she made several low-level mistakes in succession.

Even Miyazono Kaoru, who was in the same space, took the initiative to ask Takagi Sakura what happened today.

She didn't feel comfortable telling Miyazono Kaoru about Li Xi's situation, she just said that she was under a lot of pressure recently and it would be fine if she adjusted herself.

Finally, around 8 o'clock in the evening, Li Xi arrived at the shrine.

However, it was with her older sister, Shiina Maki.

The shrine was dark at night, and Shiina Maki held her sister's hand in one hand and a cell phone with the light on in the other. Riki looked very frustrated, while Maki's face was more alert.

A family drama flashed through Sakura Takagi's mind. Wasn't Riki on bad terms with Maki? Didn't she hate being mistaken for Maki's sister? Why was she at the shrine with Maki?

Maki spoke up, "Little Riki, just say whatever you want to say."

"Sister, the shrine maiden doesn't seem to be here." Riki glanced at Maki and stated the obvious fact.

"Do you need me to wait for you at the shrine entrance?" Maki looked up at the crown of the cherry tree. The moon was half out from the clouds between the branches, as if the moon was hanging on the treetops.

an hour ago.

Shiina Riki was wandering at the doorstep, unable to decide whether to go to the shrine again or go home to rest.

She was already very tired. She hadn't slept well at Hailing's house the previous day, and she had been through so much today. But if she didn't go to the shrine, she felt like she would miss something very important.

When Shiina Maki returned home, she saw her sister pacing around the door with her schoolbag. She stopped and waited for three minutes, making sure that she was indeed in some kind of trouble, and then she walked over to her.

"Xiao Lixi, is there something on your mind?"

"Ah...um, welcome home, sister. I'm fine. I'll go back now." Li Xi felt a little flustered when he saw his sister's figure, and unconsciously hid his schoolbag behind him.

Shiina Maki knows her sister very well.

She knew that it was very unusual for Lixi to stay at a friend's house yesterday.

In particular, she also obtained some additional information from Hikawa Hina.

Yesterday, Riki went out happily, saying she was going to play drums for her favorite song and that the results would surprise her. However, she didn't return at the appointed time. Instead, Hikawa Hina from the Haneda Student Council sent her a message saying that during rehearsal, the miko from Sakura Shrine had been a little too demanding of Riki, causing her to snap and run away. She then asked if she had returned home.

Maki Shiina fully understood that the shrine maidens had relatively high requirements for music - if she was not a person who pursued perfection, she would not be able to play such amazing guitar and violin.

It's normal to feel pressured when working with strong players. When she joined a regional orchestra, her performance skills, which she was once so proud of, were repeatedly criticized. It wasn't until she raised her standards and focused on every detail of her performance that she finally gained a foothold in a professional orchestra.

"Wait." Maki didn't show any intention of going home: "Let's go to the Sakura Shrine together."

"No...no need. I - can't--" Shiina Riki originally wanted to say that she could never compare with her sister in music, but swallowed the words halfway.

She remembered the voice she heard at the door of Yugaoka.

“Give yourself a chance. Giving up is the easiest way, but it also makes you feel the most sorry for yourself.”

"Compared to Maki, you are the chosen one."

Her sister's voice brought Lixi back to reality from her memories.

"Let's go, I'll go tell mom." Zhenxi took Lixi's schoolbag: "On the way, I'll tell you a story."

The two sisters were walking on the way to the shrine, and Maki rarely talked about her time in the band.

"When I first started rehearsing with the regional orchestra, I went in with a sense of pride. I felt that since I could lead Yuqiu to win the national gold medal, I would definitely be widely recognized among professional orchestras. But after joining the orchestra, the reality was not that."

"Sister is in the orchestra. Isn't she very popular? And she can balance her studies and orchestra work well." Lixi expressed the image of her sister in her mind.

Maki patted Riki's shoulder and said, "Little Riki, if only it were that simple. I've known the orchestra's instructor since I was in Haneda. He gave me high praise when I led Haneda in a competition. But after I joined the orchestra, he criticized me like I was worthless, as if my playing was full of flaws."

"How could this happen?" Li Xi clenched his fists: "Isn't this bullying against the younger generation?"

"No, Li Xi, the requirements for a professional orchestra are completely different from those for a high school orchestra. Some issues aren't a problem for amateurs, and can be tolerated by semi-professional orchestras, but in a professional orchestra, they're obvious flaws." Maki told her story: "When I first joined the orchestra, I lost 6 pounds. I told everyone I was losing weight, but in reality, I couldn't sleep all night, thinking about how to improve my performance and catch up with everyone as soon as possible."