Girls' Wishing Tree

"You burnt my rabbit!" The phone's speaker was heard again. Ying glanced at the screen and found that Guo Yu was using a knife to clean the burnt rabbit meat.

"It's okay. Next time I come, I'll treat you to sashimi. I promise it won't burn."

Guo Yu bared his teeth at Ying: "I'll come to see you in the summer, but I can't go now."

Sakura made an "OK" gesture. "I'll arrange everything for you then—By the way, do you know why Sayu suddenly had this attack?"

The female Taoist priest on the screen had almost finished shaving the charred rabbit meat, then pulled off a leg and took a bite. "She's probably just upset. Something must have happened that's completely overturned her perception. If you're stuck, I suggest checking her phone."

Sakura frowned - how could a little cutting, welding, grinding, and sheet metal work have such a big impact on Sayu?

Chapter 164 Harvest, Band and BangDream: 12, Sheep Cart and Faith

The next morning, the branches of the cherry blossoms in the shrine grounds swayed gently in the breeze, and sunlight shone through the gaps between the branches and leaves, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground.

Sayu stood beneath the cherry blossom tree, gazing up at the falling petals. Her expression had completely returned to normal. Her gaze was a bit hazy, as if lost in some memory. Sakura emerged from the bedroom just in time to witness this scene. In the morning light, Sayu's figure appeared remarkably peaceful, a stark contrast to the figure she had curled up on the ground the day before.

"Sakura, thank you." Sayu turned around and gave her a faint smile. Her smile was still a little forced, but her eyes were more determined than before.

Sakura nodded without saying anything. She knew that some things didn't need to be expressed in words, and if Sayu didn't want to talk about it, then asking would be useless.

She did not go through Sayu's phone as Guo Yu asked - in this day and age, it is quite rude to go through other people's phones casually, even if they have a good relationship.

Fortunately, Sayu did not react again to the festival car made by Sakura.

The hum of a welder echoed in the air. Sakura, wearing protective gloves, focused on adjusting the details of the festival vehicle. The battery and motor were already installed, and the simple controls were connected. Sunlight slanted in through the window, casting a shadow of her busy figure on the ground.

"Almost done." Sakura whispered to herself, with a hint of anticipation in her tone.

Sure enough, when Ying pressed the start button, the car made a slight humming sound and slid forward smoothly for a distance. The cherry blossoms and rice ears on the decorative panel looked particularly bright in the sun, and the whole car looked cute and full of vitality.

The next day after the production was completed, she called Deng and Momoka to the shrine.

Although neither Deng nor Momoka were in good condition, they both followed Sakura's instructions and came. Deng looked a little drowsy when he arrived at the shrine, and Momoka also looked like she hadn't slept well.

Ying invited the two to the training room and made them each a cup of tea. "I asked you two to come here because I have something I'd like to ask for your help. I've only made a float for the Harvest Festival in a few months, and I'd like you to help me complete the testing."

Momoka frowned but said nothing, but Deng spoke directly, "Why do you need us to help with the test? There are quite a few shrine maidens in the shrine, right? Sayu, Rupa, and the others..."

"Sayu will look after the shrine, Rupa and Chi will look after the shop—" Sakura looked at Deng's disbelieving expression and brought up the "God-sama" again: "Okay, it's God-sama's idea. You two will definitely help the shrine achieve the best results."

Deng reluctantly accepted this explanation, but Momoka's level of faith in "God" was far from Deng's. She glanced at Ying, the doubt in her eyes very clear: "Then why did you call us here? Is it to drive that little car in the yard?"

"The inspiration for this car actually comes from an ancient Chinese emperor."

Taoxiang turned her head and looked out the window at the small car with only simple control devices and cherry blossom and rice ear devices. She really couldn't connect it with a certain emperor with her meager knowledge of Chinese history.

Ying saw the two girls' bewildered looks and explained, "This emperor probably isn't well-known in Tokyo—in fact, he's not famous in China either. If anything, he ended the Three Kingdoms era in China, but he didn't accomplish much, leaving behind some rather negative legends."

"Is it Sima Zhao?" Deng asked after thinking for a while.

"He is indeed from the Sima family, but his name is Sima Yan. When he was emperor, there were over 10,000 concubines and maids in his harem. With so many women in the palace, how do you arrange their lives? To put it bluntly, you can't just treat them as decoration."

"Ten thousand people!" Taoxiang's eyes widened. "That's half the size of a large-scale live show, right? Let me see... 365 days in a year, 3,650 days in ten years... Even if I find one every night, it would take thirty years to meet them all, right?"

"How scary." Deng also said.

Ying continued to explain, "With so many concubines, who should he choose to accompany him every night? The emperor doesn't have hundreds of eyes, and he really doesn't have the energy to choose from so many people every night. So, he came up with a method that was both worry-free and fun - a sheep-cart banquet. Every night, Sima Yan had someone lead a fancy sheep-cart to take him for a stroll around the palace. The servants would not whip the sheep, but would follow the sheep's temperament. If the carriage stopped at the door of a concubine, Sima Yan would go in and spend the night."

He chuckled, "Isn't this too much? If those women want the emperor's favor, don't they have to please the sheep first?"

"Well, you're right. At first, this method was quite random, and no one could predict it. But over time, someone discovered the trick. To get the emperor to look at them more, they began to do everything they could to get the sheep cart to stop in front of their door. Some placed a few fresh bamboo branches at the door, while others sprinkled salt water on the ground, using the sheep's special love of licking salt water to attract lambs." Ying pointed to the car outside the window. "Look, I installed a decorative panel with a lamb pattern on the front of the car."

"But what does this have to do with festival floats?" Taoxiang still felt a little confused after hearing the story.

"Of course it does." Ying looked at Taoxiang. "This little car of mine was inspired by the emperor's sheep cart. It has a Live driving mode. Once it's in this mode, it will stop randomly. Wherever it stops, we can perform on the street. This is much more random than using a real sheep to pull a cart."

This float was actually designed by Ying specifically for Momoka and Deng, but of course, she wouldn't say it.

She wanted to use random street performances to make the two realize that their music would be welcomed by passers-by, and that their path as band members would not be like a sheep cart that had to stop and go, but could continue smoothly.

As long as Deng's knot in her heart is untied, Ying's progress in forming her own band will take a big step forward. And if Momoka is willing to firmly pursue the path of professional music, the problems of her band can almost be solved.

In order for the two bands to continue smoothly, Ying came up with this idea.

"...What does Ying want us to do?" Deng raised his head, covering the back of his left hand with his right hand, looking a little nervous.

"It's just a test. Deng can just hold the microphone and sing, and Momoka will play guitar. I'll accompany you throughout the whole process. As for the drums, I've installed a drum machine in the car." Ying clapped her hands twice. "If you two are willing, I can arrange a test drive this weekend. I've already prepared the songs for you to sing."

Chapter 165 Harvest, Band and BangDream: 13, "Disappeared" Classmates

Tsuki no Mori Girls' Academy.

Nagasaki Suyo held on to the wall and walked carefully to the door of Xiangzi's class.

Last week, Xiangzi's seat was still empty, but now the tables and chairs have been moved away.

It seemed as if the whole world was erasing all traces of Toyokawa Shoko's existence.

She walked cautiously to Wakaba Mu - Mu was the only one here related to Crychic.

Normally, Nagasaki Suyo, who maintains the image of "Lady Wu" in school, would not visit other classes during breaks.

But today, Su Shi couldn't help it - Crychic stopped its activities, and things broke down with Sakura.

If you never had it, you wouldn't be so sad.

Luckily, I was chosen by Sakura as a guest performer, and experienced the beauty of band life. I also found a sense of home in Crychic, but after one rainy night... it was all gone.

"Xiao Mu...Xiao Xiang's desk, why was it moved?"

"...It was Senior Yashio and the other members of the student council who moved away." Mu Ce turned his head and glanced at Su Shi: "Su Shi, Xiao Xiang... transferred to another school... I think so."

"Do you know that Xiaoxiang has transferred to another school? Which school did she transfer to? Please tell me, Xiaomu! Please..."

Mu looked away again: "...Yashio-senpai said so."

This is a lie.

Mu was not a good liar, so he could only look away and shift the blame to Yashiro Rui.

Yashio Rui only brought two student council members and moved Xiangzi's desk and chair away.

As a friend of Xiangzi's for over ten years, Mu knew Xiangzi's details. Xiangzi's father, Fengchuan Qinggao, did not make the investment decision alone, but took the blame for the investment failure alone, was expelled from the family, and fell into a state of decadence.

Xiangzi chose to move out of Fengchuan's house and live with his father in the small house his father rented.

Although Xiangzi was not very clear about the specific situation there, judging from the location of the house, it was definitely not an ideal residence, at least it was far worse than the villa where he had lived before.

As for transferring schools, in order to avoid being found by the people he knew before, Xiangzi transferred to a co-educational junior high school. The school was very inconspicuous and had almost no shortcomings except for the low tuition.

But Xiangzi said that these things must not be told to the original members of Crychic, so Mu could only help Xiangzi keep the secret.

"Is... that so?" Su Shi lowered his hands in disappointment: "Thank you, Xiao Mu, for telling me this."

Mu didn't say anything else, but the classmates' eyes had already begun to turn towards him. Su Shi could only force a smile that even he felt was fake, and slowly left the classroom.

Only after Su Shi turned around did Mu turn his head to look at Su Shi's back and sighed softly.

At the same time, in the junior high school that Xiangzi transferred to, Zhenxun was playing with his mobile phone in class.

Because Zhenxun had actually attended junior high school once, she chose a school that offered "happy education."

This is a school where students skip classes, play with their cell phones, and whisper in class, and no one cares.

To put it bluntly, the teacher has only one requirement for the students - don't die in school.

[Sayu, has Sakura found the bassist named Yamada Ryo? I'm still looking for Kita, but I don't have any leads yet.]

[Is Manahiro at school? If she's at school, we can only find her online. If Kita doesn't want to show up online anymore, it might not be that easy to find her. Ryo isn't hard to find, but if Kita isn't coming, wouldn't it be a bit strange to invite Ryo?] Sayu replied.

Shinichi was stunned for a moment - Sayu had never talked about school before.

"Ah, it's school... just messing around. The boy in front of me plays his handheld game console in his drawer all day, and the girl to my left reads fashion magazines tucked between her textbooks. The right side used to be empty, but now there's a transfer student here with neatly combed hair who falls right into bed every day." Shinichi complained to Sayu about the school situation, but then realized she'd think school was terrible if he told her that, so he added another line.

This school is all about letting everyone develop their own hobbies. I brought a 37-key arrangement keyboard, and when I have nothing to do during class, I put on headphones and practice, writing songs!

"That's really good." Sayu replied to Mahiro with a smile.

A few days ago, Sayu saw Sakura making a float, and suddenly she felt that her classmate Yuko, who had jumped off the building, was beside her.

From Sayu's perspective, Sakura is someone who hasn't been to school since finishing junior high school. However, Sakura is not only good at a lot of things in music, but also in organizing activities and interacting with people, and she doesn't seem to be uneducated. She is even good at some things that women are not good at in traditional perceptions.

If one could live like Sakura, then what about Yuko, who chose to end her life because of bullying at school? What about breaking up with her family, moving from Hokkaido to Tokyo, and almost becoming a shrine maiden in exchange for someone taking her in?

The moment this thought came to mind, Jie Zi's matter immediately rushed to my mind.

Either what happened to Sakura was untrue, or there was something wrong with her past. This conflict, coupled with her guilt towards Yuiko, caused her emotional reactions to manifest physically.

Just when she was about to bring about her own destruction, a gentle force protected her mind.

This power helped her clear her mind of the messy thoughts and calmed her down quickly.

Before going to bed at night, she saw Ying who was already asleep, and she had already made her own judgment - it was immature to make such a fuss because of school matters. A truly capable person can make a difference regardless of whether he chooses to go the academic path or not.

Surprisingly, she didn't dream about Jie Zi again when she was sleeping.

Although she had been asking Sakura to take her in before, it was only because of her uncertainty about the future. But from now on, she took the initiative to follow Sakura and do the work at the shrine to see how Sakura would change the world.

Of course, Shinichi didn't know about these things. She just felt a little guilty after chatting with Sayu for a few sentences, so she picked up the keyboard and put on headphones to start composing music.

Her classmates could only hear the "crackling" sound. This noise was not obvious among the various strange noises made by her classmates, but it made the blue-haired transfer student look over.

Shinichi, who was wearing headphones, didn't notice the look from his neighbor and continued to arrange the melody that Sakura sent him.

The girl sitting next to her just stared at her, her brow furrowing ever tighter. It wasn't until get out of class was over that Zhenxun tucked the synthesizer back into the drawer, stood up, and stretched. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the transfer student at the next table still staring at her.

"Um...classmate, is there anything I can help you with?" Zhenxun took the initiative to talk to the transfer student with blue twintails.

But the transfer student just tilted his head to the side. "Your keyboard form is a little off. Did you learn it on your own? You'd better find a teacher to help you."

Zhenxun just felt a little confused, snorted in his throat and left his seat.

Chapter 166 Harvest, Band and BangDream: 14, Street Performance

On a weekend, at a convenience store on the street, a young girl in casual clothes, carrying two cheap bento boxes, spoke to the store manager.

"I'm sorry, we don't accept part-time jobs for junior high school students here."

"Can't you be accommodating?"

"We'd love to help you, but if you hire a junior high school student, you'll be fined."

Toyokawa Shoko bit her tongue lightly, bowed slightly to the store manager, and left the convenience store.

This was the softest rejection she had received today. At her age, finding a part-time job was truly difficult.

She currently has a part-time job delivering newspapers, which requires her to get up very early every day to work. As a result, after class, she can only lie on the table to catch up on her sleep.

Although few students pay attention in class nowadays, she still wants to apply to Yugaoka Girls' College with relatively good grades so that she can get a scholarship and alleviate her current tight financial situation to a certain extent.

After walking out of the convenience store, Shoko Toyokawa was walking on the road, preparing to try her luck at a few more places where middle school students could work, but she heard a familiar voice.

It's "Spring Shadow".

I must have been too busy, so I had hallucinations.

Xiangzi lowered her head and quickened her pace a few steps forward, but as the song of the lantern began to play, her steps stopped instantly. She could even hear the lead singer's voice, and there was no way she could deceive herself anymore.

She could only walk in the direction of the sound, and after turning a corner, she stood there in a daze.

Deng stood on a float, holding a microphone in her hand, singing to the few audience members around her. The song was "Spring Shadow" which she arranged.

Beside her, Sakura was accompanying herself with a bass guitar, and she also found a guitarist who often appeared with Sakura, whose name seemed to be Momoka Kawahara.

Deng sang even more freely than when she was at Crychic, and the two musicians accompanying her also had smiles on their faces.

The audience surrounding them gradually relaxed as the lights sang, and more and more people gathered.

Xiangzi lowered his head and lightly scratched the ground with his toes.

She was actually a little awkward.

On the one hand, she hopes that Crychic can continue to operate after her withdrawal, but on the other hand, she does not want to return to Crychic in its current state; on the one hand, she hopes that the members of Crychic can live a good life, but on the other hand, she does not want the members of Crychic to forget the band easily.

On weekends, Deng and Ying can perform music on the floats, but I can only look for part-time job opportunities.

A bitter feeling arose in Xiangzi's heart.

In order to stick to her own ideas, she built a hard shell for herself, but no matter how hard the shell was, it was only visible to people who were not familiar with her.

Those familiar people, familiar things...

Xiangzi felt her tear glands ache. Her vision blurred, and she thought she saw Ying glance in her direction.

She wasn't sure if Sakura saw her, but the shame that welled up in her heart made her turn around quickly and retreat to a place where she couldn't see the float.

After Deng finished singing a song, he looked at the crowd gathering around him with wide eyes, and then turned his gaze to Ying.