Girls' Wishing Tree

"A makeshift band?" Rupa's eyes widened, looking a little surprised. "What kind of band is it?"

Ying pressed her palm down, signaling Rupa not to be nervous. "But I've canceled this plan. The drummer is Meow Meng. I guess you don't want to perform on the same stage with her?"

"Indeed," Rupa replied simply, "I don't want to be on the same stage with that guy anymore."

Sakura brought this up to see if Rupa had any wiggle room. It seemed like hiring Rupa as bassist wasn't feasible. If neither Kikuri nor Rupa were available, Shirasagi Chisei would be a bit of a hassle—her contract with the agency was quite fixed, requiring her to communicate with the agency about any performance activities.

This time, Ying chose a more novel way of cashing out through live streaming. She didn't even want to invite PasPale, let alone Bailu Qiansheng personally.

Other bassists she knew included Lisa from Roselia and Satomi from Popipa, but both bands would likely perform as a whole at the Sakura Festival, so adding a guest appearance would be weird.

Ying shook her head and drove the thought out of her mind - if it really didn't work, she could also find a backup bassist.

"I talked to Momoka a few days ago about the band. As of now, you and Satoshi still want to continue, right?"

"Yes, this band is a rare opportunity. Didn't we try it out last time by inviting a few drummers? I think we can try to resume activities - for example, perform at the Sakura Festival."

"I've been keeping an eye on this. I met with the drummer, Hong Xia, Qunyi Erling Shanwo Lingni (Four) VIII, and I think she's a good fit for the band. You and Zhiqie should discuss whether you can arrange a program with her for the Sakura Festival. I'll talk to Momoka and Nina about it."

Rupa looked at Ying and smiled softly, "Okay, I'll go do some work on Chi. She's been resting for so long, she should be thinking about going on stage too."

"One more thing I want to ask: What's your stance on the commercialization of the band?" Ying paused, lowering her head slightly. "Actually, I should have asked about this when the band was first formed. Back then, I thought the focus of forming a band was more on its musical style and output."

Rupa closed her eyes and thought for two seconds: "Zhi and I are planning to become a professional band, and we are also working towards this standard. At the very least, we want to be a relatively active semi-professional band."

Sakura scratched her head.

When she spoke with Momoka and Nina, they had different ideas. Nina was okay, just a little confused about the future, but Momoka, who didn't have a proper job, was a little reluctant about playing in a band full-time.

It seems that this band that she had somehow managed to put together still needs some running-in before it can truly demonstrate its strengths.

She suddenly felt empathy with the managers of some e-sports clubs in her previous life - they had clearly bought relatively strong e-sports players, and were clearly considered a strong team by the gaming media at the beginning of the season.

But before they even made it to the playoffs, the brigade was defeated, leaving only their energy.

The “劲” in “劲爆”.

Rupa looked at Ying, who looked unhappy. "What's wrong? Are you having any trouble?"

"I just thought of something - the band's affairs. I will try my best to help in any way I can." Ying stood up and signaled Rupa that she could go back.

Before leaving, Rupa asked Ying, "Why has Ying been helping us?"

"I just like the music of you guys." Ying didn't tell the truth, but instead made a perfunctory and irrefutable statement.

In fact, she felt a little guilty about this band, which was partly started by a system task, and she hoped to get the band back on track as a way to make amends. But she definitely couldn't say this to Rupa and the others.

This can be considered a white lie.

Rupa said nothing more and walked out of Sakura's room. Soon after, Sayu walked in - she also wanted to sleep in this room.

"Sakura, good night." Ever since Sayu called Sakura "Mom" once, she became reserved and spoke one-third less to Sakura than before.

Chapter 116: Spring, Sakura and Crychic:18, A Game Doomed to Fail

Ying was holding her phone and live-streaming in Chinese: "The most distinctive feature of this shrine is the cherry tree next to me. It has a history of over 200 years and has always been in the shrine's courtyard. The shrine building has been rebuilt twice during this period, but neither has affected the cherry tree."

She patted the trunk and said, "Now, this tree blooms with many cherry blossoms every spring, and it has become a symbol of the arrival of spring for the girls. On Spring Day, we will hold a cherry blossom festival under the tree, allowing the girls to gather together to welcome spring through singing and other performances. This is my second year taking over the shrine, and I want to make some innovations. Through live streaming on the Internet, let everyone feel the atmosphere of the cherry blossom festival."

"Especially for our Chinese-speaking audience, whether they're coming from China or places like Malaysia, they have to fly, which is a significant financial burden. It's fine if they're just stopping by to take a look, but coming all the way here isn't very cost-effective. So I've negotiated with the video website to not show the cherry blossom festival, and instead broadcast it live online for a fee!"

Ying glanced at the comments. Although there were a few people teasing her about "making money", most of the comments were not malicious.

"If international shipping isn't too troublesome, I'd like to mail some amulets to everyone. I might then sell them for a low price on some online platforms, but they might still be difficult to find in some more remote areas."

Sakura smiled sheepishly at the camera. "Then I'll apologize right here. I'll have an artist draw a set of postcards for the Sakura Festival, and I'll also make badges and limited edition amulets. But forget about that now. I'll play a few pieces for the biwa for everyone—Sayu! Bring me the biwa, please! And my phone holder!"

The barrage soon became active.

[Sakura is about to start showing off again.]

[By the way, where did you learn to play the pipa? I've also learned pipa, and I think it's really amazing.]

[The timbre of this pipa still sounds undeveloped. Could it be that some people are born knowing this?]

Ying has performed the pipa several times during live broadcasts, generating renewed buzz. This popularity stems from her impressive playing of the traditional Chinese instrument despite being an international performer.

There are some who can play the pipa so well under the age of twenty, but they are not many.

Among our international friends, there are some who can play the pipa so well, but they are even rarer;

Adding the two together, and according to Sakura herself, she had only been to China when she was a child, it seemed a bit magical. It even alarmed a relatively famous performer, who said on the online platform that Sakura's pipa playing was also at a relatively high level among professional musicians.

A girl in a shrine maiden's costume holds a pipa under a cherry tree, and her smile seems to be able to melt the winter ice and snow.

Ying showed her friendliness towards the Chinese-speaking community, and gained considerable popularity on the livestreaming platform. Her livestreams weren't about "love"—she'd just rave about Chinese food and clothing, using her foreign identity to satisfy some people's vanity.

She demonstrated her commitment to the Chinese-speaking community through concrete actions, such as her accent-free Mandarin, her understanding of Chinese customs, and her timely listing of the same commemorative merchandise on domestic platforms as those in Tokyo.

Ying's audiences were very casual when communicating with her. Many of them invited her to perform live in China and said they would definitely go to support her.

In fact, Ying really wanted to visit China in this world, but she could only leave Japan because of the power of the Tree Demon Ancestor.

"I will definitely go there in the future. I also miss my time in China. But I'm the one running the shrine now, so I can't leave for the time being. I can promise everyone that in a few years, when the shrine is doing well, I'll bring a few girl bands there to hold a concert." Ying said this sincerely, and no one mentioned this matter again in the barrage.

After a livestream ended, Ying turned off her stream and leaned wearily against the cherry tree. She was naturally open to communication, and her livestreams weren't exactly feigning a smile. But when communicating, she still needed to make some business-like expressions, at least a bit of a performance, to highlight the intimacy of the exchange.

After two or three hours, even the tree demon would feel a little tired.

Sayu came over with a glass of warm water, "Sakura, take a break."

"Put the pipa back for me." Sakura handed the pipa to Sayu, picked up her phone and started checking messages.

Kagurazaka Ayame replied to his message, saying they had found an artist for the Sakura Festival and would be able to produce a draft in three days. Ayame had been instrumental in connecting him with artists several times when he needed them, a test that could be considered a legacy of connections left by the old priest.

As for what kind of painter Changpu found for her, she didn't care. As long as he could paint well, she was too lazy to have too much contact with him.

Ying browsed the news for a while and saw a piece of news.

[Big-budget game pre-sales are poor, which may become the biggest loss in gaming history]

A game with an investment exceeding $2 million sold only 250 copies during pre-sale. The developers promised optimizations before the official release, but gaming media outlets were generally pessimistic. Reportedly, the game suffers from outdated gameplay, characters that don't conform to mainstream aesthetics, poor matchmaking, and numerous bugs. Most of the investment was made by the local Togawa Group, and the massive losses could lead to stock volatility.

Ying had some impression of this game. Miao Meng wanted to promote this game in the mall, but she rejected it.

This game looks like it has a "dead end" and is now on the verge of collapse.

For a big-budget game like this, if it performs poorly when it is first released, the chances of it making a comeback later are really low. In the past, only one game called "No Man's Sky" was able to restore its reputation somewhat.

And there is a reason for its "rebound".

When it was first released, it felt a bit rushed, but the foundation was good. If it had been delayed and polished a bit, even if it hadn't been a successful game, it wouldn't have failed so badly.

However, the underlying logic of this game invested by the Togawa Foundation is already several years behind the trend of the gaming industry. It has no special selling points or gameplay, and its appearance is so "unfair"...

I just don’t know which unlucky guy will have to bow 90 degrees in front of the camera because of this.

"Alas, the arrogance of capital." As a gamer, Ying shook her head, turned off the screen of her mobile phone, and looked up at the sky.

During the live broadcast, some viewers in the Chinese-speaking area hoped that she could hold a Spring Festival Live, but the time was not long after the Sakura Festival, so she definitely couldn't put on another Live.

However, it is something to consider inviting a few girls to do a special live broadcast at that time.

Chapter 117 Spring, Sakura and Crychic: 19. I have higher expectations for my friends.

Nagasaki Suyo appeared at the shrine, carrying a handbag and looking a bit nervous. She was still wearing her Tsuki no Mori winter school uniform, and it was obvious that she had just come from school.

Ying saw Su Shi, but did not go up to her directly. She just stood there and smiled at her.

Su Shi quickened his pace and walked over: "I've been thinking about this these past few days, I should have some clearer wishes."

Sakura lowered her head and thought for a few seconds. Sushi's words weren't particularly clear, but she could roughly understand them—Sushi was somewhat dissatisfied with the lack of clarity in her previous prayer and hoped for a more "definite" answer.

"Let me tell you a story. Long ago, there was a shrine. Prayers at this shrine were very effective. A husband prayed for a child, and his wife became pregnant. A businessman prayed for money, and he would receive a windfall. A young girl prayed for love, and a man who loved her would come to propose marriage."

Su Shi's eyes lit up when he heard this: "You are talking about this shrine, right? I checked, this shrine existed before the Restoration of Imperial Rule!"

Ying slowly shook her head: "That shrine has disappeared into the long river of history."

"Huh? Was it damaged by war? Just like those castles that were conquered during the Warring States Period—"

Ying continued to shake her head. "A shrine isn't a city. If people go to worship, even if it's destroyed during times of chaos, it will be rebuilt. The real reason for the shrine's demise is that no one wants to worship there anymore."

Su Shi took a half step back, frowning, but still pretending to be elegant, her tone was subdued and gentle: "Why? It's such an effective shrine..."

"Because what you pray for at that shrine will bring a greater price. Those who prayed for their wives to get pregnant, when their wives gave birth, the child looked very much like the boy next door. Those who prayed for money, after making a fortune, were targeted by robbers and even had their son kidnapped. Those who prayed for love, after getting married, found that there was only love."

"Uh...what does only love mean?" Su Shi asked with some confusion.

Ying's lips curled up. "It's just that he's very poor financially and can't even support his family. He also has some problems in certain areas—uh, the kind that require him to go to a men's hospital."

Su Shi understood immediately.

She was so into this.

It was because my father earned too little that my parents had a rift. Later, my mother had no choice but to go out to work, and she was like a fish in water in the workplace. However, my father had to go to the men's hospital again and again, and his temper became more weird and more irritable every time he went. In the end, the two of them had to end up getting divorced.

Su Shi lowered his head and spoke after about half a minute: "If the shrine is like this, no one will come to worship anymore."

"Everything you ask for has a price. For example, if you want good grades, the best way is to do systematic and effective course training on your own. If you want to take shortcuts, the price you pay may be too much to bear." Ying said what she wanted to say.

The girl standing before Sakura seemed lost in thought. Her fingers gently stroked the handle of her handbag, her toes twirling lightly on the shrine floor, leaving a subtle dot.

"Ying, thank you for telling me this story." Su Shi let out a sigh, but there was still some uneasiness in his eyes.

Ying continued to persuade, "It's normal for things to not go smoothly. For example, I wanted to find a bassist for a temporary performance at the Sakura Festival, but I haven't found one yet. The bassists I know can't come for various reasons——"

Su Shi suddenly interrupted Sakura: "I can! I'm the bassist!"

"Hmm?" Ying looked Su Shi up and down and felt that she didn't look like someone who could play a bass instrument. However, now it has come to the point where she has to send messages online to find a bass player. If there is one who comes to her door, as long as he is not too bad, she can make do with him.

Especially since Su Shi has such a strong wish power, it would be good to have him stay around and get some help from her.

"Okay, come in and try it. I have a bass here, just play a random tune." Ying took Su Shi to the training room.

As soon as she entered the training room, she picked up the bass, played a few pieces casually, and then handed the instrument to Su Shi.

Looking at the traces of use on the guitar and Ying's skilled playing technique, Su Shi asked with a hint of embarrassment, "Judging from the condition of this guitar, Ying has been practicing bass for many years, right?"

"The back of the headstock." Ying pointed at the bass that Su Shi was holding.

Su Shi turned the piano over and saw a LiveHouseSpace seal.

"I bought this guitar at a low price when LiveHouseSpace closed down. It was originally the public guitar in the Space rehearsal room. The tone is a little worse, but the feel is absolutely fine."

Su Shi nodded, took the old zither which was eighteen years old and began to play.

After listening for a minute, Ying made a rough assessment - the foundation is not bad, and the sense of rhythm is quite good, but when it comes to the use of the bass instrument, it can only be said that he has a bit of a framework. Playing the root notes is not a big problem, but more complex playing requires more practice.

"Before the Sakura Festival, practice your bass more, okay?" Ying looked at Su Shi. "The drummer of this makeshift band is the anchor Miao Meng, I'll play the pipa, and the violinist is Miyazono Kaoru, who has won many awards since she was a child. Let's add each other on Line. I'll send you the sheet music for two songs later. If you can practice them, please reply to me."

"Okay... I will try my best. With my own piano, I should be able to play better." Su Shi also cherishes the opportunity to cooperate with Sakura at the Sakura Festival.

It is a very happy thing for her to be recognized and to be able to play with the band.

It wasn't that Su Shi could only play the root notes, but she was a little too nervous and afraid of making a mistake. This was an opportunity she had actively fought for, and she didn't want it to slip away.

"Why are you so reserved? Do you feel like you're in a shrine where the gods are watching?" Ying patted Su Shi's shoulder and said, "It's okay, just treat me as a friend. We're probably about the same age, right? There's no need to be so reserved."

"Friend..." Su Shi lowered his head, as if chewing the word over and over again.

"You call me Ying, and I call you Sushi. We are already friends, right?" Ying took out an amulet and handed it to Sushi: "With this, perhaps the gods will be more kind to you."

"Yes, friend." Su Shi raised his eyes a little and met Ying's gaze.

At this moment, the system suddenly issued a task: "Lead Su Shi to give a high-quality performance at the Sakura Festival. Based on the quality of the performance, the host can get rewards such as shining points, Miyazono Kaoru's awakening time, and skill extraction."

"Practice the music well. I have higher expectations for my friends." Ying winked at Su Shi. "This temporary band can be said to be limited to the Sakura Festival."

Chapter 118 Spring, Sakura and Crychic: 20, a pleasing approach

There are many bands that want to participate in the Sakura Festival.

Sakura Shrine has become one of the places that members of girl bands yearn for. After the closure of LiveHouseSpace, it has a tendency to inherit some of Space's influence.

At least, most of the members of the girl band are willing to go to the shrine to pray, and being selected to perform at the shrine festival has become a very face-saving thing.

So as soon as the information about recruiting five bands to perform at the Sakura Festival was sent out, Sakura's work mailbox was flooded with messages - more than 100 girl bands sent in their performance videos, and many expressed their willingness to perform for free.

Ying had no choice but to "trap" Lena with soba noodles and matcha cake, and asked her to do a preliminary screening of the performance videos in the mailbox. Unexpectedly, Lena couldn't stand it after watching five or six videos, and her evaluation of these people was all "boring women."

Therefore, the task of conducting preliminary screening of the video fell on Sayu and Mahiro.

With Sakura's help, Sayu and Mahiro have started practicing together. Although neither of them is particularly outstanding, they are improving rapidly by practicing together, with Sakura occasionally asking Sayu and Rupa for guidance.

Sakura asked Sayu and Mahiro to screen out the bands that were obviously filling in the gaps, and she would identify the remaining bands herself.

Yes, among girl bands, there are indeed many who are just filling in the numbers.