Girls' Wishing Tree

"I... didn't find Yamada Ryo either. It's okay, you can take your time."

Kita didn't know who Suyo was comforting, and just looked towards the shrine with her. The shrine couldn't be seen from LiveHouseRing, but they didn't look away because of the obstruction.

At this time in the shrine, Bailu Qiansheng quietly took off his sunglasses, and the light reflected from the starry sky watch on his wrist startled the sparrows that were pecking at food.

"Huh——" After confirming that it was still early and there were no strange people following him, Qiansheng let out a long sigh.

Becoming a member of PasPale made her even more popular, and she also gained a lot of strange fans who followed her. She couldn't understand why Aya Maruyama, who was the lead singer of the same band as her, didn't have the same problems.

"Xiaoying! I'm here to find you!" Qiansheng walked directly to Ying who was standing beside the shrine and gave her a hug.

"Qiansheng, you are always welcome to come and play." Ying smiled at Qiansheng - a band like PasPale can give people a feeling of relaxation and comfort, and its members can also do this.

"Yakura's band is amazing. FogBand shot up to eighth place this time. If my juniors hadn't prepared a secret weapon, they would have been eliminated this week."

PasPale, an idol group from the same agency, only managed to get 17 more votes than the eliminated band this time after some effort.

Just vote for them and you can get a ticket to the handshake event.

Logically, this kind of vote-buying behavior should be outside the framework of "music", but the organizer did not stand up to express opposition. Ying guessed that the agency may have done some public relations, but she couldn't be sure.

After all, the ones ahead were all “battles of gods”, even if one holds Tulupi in hand, it is impossible for the number of fans to catch up with Roselia.

"We are now sixth, and it feels like if we don't do something, we will be caught up by FogBand." Qiansheng pretended to be pitiful.

"You guys, P依児冥氵児liing司baasPale, have a loyal fan base, right? Even if you're playing shows with 5,000 or 6,000 people, you can still sell them out. You don't need to rely on getting top places to get ahead in the BangDream competition—and by the way, it seems the agency hasn't arranged any new songs for you this time."

"The agency sent you an email requesting you to write an article, but you didn't reply to them - ah, I'm not here to urge you to submit, it's just that music creation needs inspiration. There are no new songs for the time being, so just sing the old songs." From Qiansheng's expression, it can be seen that she really has no sense of urgency about the BangDream schedule.

I came to the shrine today because I was busy with work during this period, so I wanted to talk to Ying and relax. Ying invited Qiansheng into the room and chatted with her for a while.

The topics of their conversation were very relaxed, just communication between friends, ranging from music creation to school life, and even some fashion topics.

As Sakura, a dryad, chatted with Chisei, she suddenly noticed another visitor to the shrine—Nina, whom she hadn't seen in a while. The cicadas in the shrine courtyard suddenly died down, and Nina leaned against the door to the training room, her fingertips tapping an uneasy rhythm on the frame.

"Qiansheng, it seems like another friend of mine is here. I'm going to go out and take a look."

Qiansheng stood up: "Xiaoying, it feels much better after you say it out. I will go back now, thank you!"

As Shirae Qiansheng walked out, he glanced at Rencai, who was huddled in the doorway. They didn't exchange a greeting, but they did smile. Qiansheng's perfume still lingered in the room, blending with the incense to create a strange but not unpleasant scent.

"Sakura, I've told my family that I want to be a professional musician in the future," Nina said a little nervously.

Sakura had known about this for a while from Momoka. She didn't feign surprise, but calmly poured a cup of tea for Rencai: "You get to write your own life. As long as you have no regrets, that's all."

"...Yeah." Nina's voice became a little softer. "But my family doesn't seem to agree. They... think I should keep working hard for that university admission notice."

Sakura said nothing, just looked at Nina tenderly.

Nina might have wanted to say something harsh, but she softened when she saw Sakura's healing gaze.

"I've talked to my sister." Nina's Kumamoto accent was thicker than usual. "Tomorrow's live... my father will be coming from Kumamoto."

She unconsciously stroked the edge of the tatami, with a hint of panic in her eyes, as if expecting Sakura to give some kind of answer.

Ying called up the audio track interface of the recording software, and the lead singer's sound waves undulated on the screen like continuous mountains.

"Nina, your singing voice has great potential. If it can be accurately conveyed... your father will probably understand your choice."

As Renai stared at the screen, she suddenly remembered the songs that were constantly on repeat in her father's car stereo—just like him, he was old-fashioned. She was unsure if she could win over her father, whom she considered to be so stern, with her own "rock" singing style.

"For FogBand, the most important thing for the next show is to serve the audience." Sakura turned her gaze to Nina: "The audience may like different music styles, but good music can resonate with most people."

Nina's pupils dilated slightly, and she tilted her head to the side. For a moment, she seriously considered what kind of answer Sakura would give her.

But after Ying said this, she already had the "answer" in her heart.

It's not that my father can't appreciate music. He just doesn't necessarily appreciate "deviant" music.

Then... as long as I sing it in front of him, at least he can feel my determination.

"Let him see..." Rencai put her hands on the mixing console and suddenly raised her head: "What do I look like standing on the stage!"

"What else could it be?" Sakura rolled her eyes at Nina. "By the way, it's time to come up with a name for your band. I've talked to Momoka about this several times, but she's always been undecided. If we use the name FogBand for too long and then want to change it, people will start to suspect something's wrong with your group."

Renai scratched the tip of her nose. "To be honest, naming is something my father is good at... but I definitely wouldn't ask him how to name the band."

Sakura smiled. "Nina, I don't think the problems between you are as big as you think. I will be there tomorrow to cheer you on, and by the way... I will give you a stage that the audience will never forget."

Chapter 184 Harvest, Band and BangDream: 32, Thornless and Thorny

The next day, LiveHouseGalaxy.

The fluorescent tubes in the backstage dressing room were crackling, and Renai pushed away the water bottle that Hongxia handed her for the third time.

The eye makeup that Hongxia had just applied to Rencai was smudged by sweat, leaving two colorful marks on her cheeks.

"Your makeup is smudged." Hong Xia picked up her makeup tools and said, "You're the lead singer, so you have to pay special attention to your image. Otherwise, when you go on stage later—"

Rencai gave her makeup case a shove, sending glitter flying from the corner, spilling all over the floor. She looked up, staring at her slightly irritated face in the mirror, her dialect escaping uncontrollably: "Ah! Why did he come to see this too?! How am I supposed to sing?"

On the sofa in the locker room, Momoka suddenly jumped up and leaned over to look at Renai, her golden hair hanging in front of Renai's eyes.

Under the surprised gazes of Red and Ginger, Taoxiang grabbed Renai's collar with her leather-gloved hand and roughly lifted her up. "What are you doing? We're going on stage in less than half an hour, and is this how you respond to the audience?"

Jinna was pressed against the fire hydrant box, and the discomfort of the metal door poking her spine reminded her of the day she took the train to Tokyo.

"For this performance, Xiaozhi and I have been revising the music for several days, Miura has been asking people everywhere to arrange LiveHouse schedules, and Sakura has been here since noon to set up the stage! Are you going to ruin everyone's hard work?"

Renai's nails dug into her palms, and she moved her throat twice, but no words came out. The clock on the wall ticked away, and there were only 21 minutes left until their performance.

Suddenly, Asahi Rikka pushed open the door to the lounge. "Everyone from FogBand, get ready to go on stage—eh?"

Seeing Momoka cornering Nina, Rikka covered her mouth, closed the door, and retreated.

Without even looking at who was coming in, Momoka suddenly thrust the microphone into Nina's trembling palm. The metal casing, stained with Momoka's body heat, felt warm against her palm.

"Momoka...I..." Renai was like a frightened little rabbit, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"Don't let everyone look down on you." Momoka let go of Renai and turned to walk out of the preparation room.

Twenty minutes later.

The moment the spotlight came on, Rencai's canvas shoes scraped against the floor. She instinctively walked to the center of the stage, not even daring to glance at the audience.

The lights in the auditorium were dim, and even if she looked carefully, she might not be able to see her father and sister.

But she knew that her father, Iqin Muneo, must have been there.

With her head lowered, Rencai took two steps forward, her eyes fixed on her toes. "Um...we are..."

"BOOM!" Nina accidentally triggered the flamethrower Sakura had prepared. Three-meter-high flames erupted from the edge of the stage, the heat blowing away the dried flowers she had tucked behind her ear.

There were exclamations from the audience, and Sakura's calm voice came from Nina's earphones: "It's used, say something."

Only then did Rencai realize that she had accidentally stepped on the trigger mechanism, which was originally used when the atmosphere was at its hottest.

She raised her eyes slightly and scanned the audience in the front row, but did not see her father.

She caught a glimpse of a spectator's T-shirt, the fluorescent green words "Thornless with Thorns" standing out in the darkness.

"We changed our name to VII Er (Three) Bing Si Jiu (Seven) (Three.) Bao! Now we are the Thornless Thorn Band!" she roared into the microphone.

Hong Xia's drum beats cut in at this moment, and cold fireworks bloomed synchronously beside the stage.

Renai turned her head and saw that Momoka had triggered another mechanism.

She took two deep breaths, stamped her feet, raised her head and sang with all her might.

At this time, Jingqin Zongnan was standing in the audience, feeling somewhat out of tune with the audience around him.

But in LiveHouse, no one cares about this - everyone is enjoying the music, and few people pay attention to the situation of other audience members.

In other words, this sense of isolation was brought about by Iqin Muneo himself.

"Dad, this is how LiveHouse is. It might be a little stuffy, so don't feel uncomfortable." The young woman accompanying Jingqin Zongnan reminded him in a low voice, but she could only be heard a little over the music.

Jing Qin Zongnan's brows were furrowed, and he didn't hear clearly what his eldest daughter said.

His life has been running according to a certain "plan" since he was a child, and over the years, he has been following the routine to reach where he is today.

Go to school with excellent grades, work at school, get married, have a daughter, get promoted...

From the perspective of social recognition, his life is very successful.

Despite his success, he never set his sights on places like LiveHouse - he felt that this was where underground idols performed.

Those girls in stage costumes were jumping around in the chaotic studio, trying more to drive a flow of emotions than to make music.

Driven by this kind of emotion, Zongnan felt that it was similar to the activities of bosozoku and delinquents. Just a bunch of bored people getting together to do meaningless things.

"Thornless with Thorns" is a strange name. Although, the "FogBand" on the program is also a bit strange.

Renna looked very nervous on the stage, and a strand of her highlighted hair stood out under the spotlight.

Her voice was somewhat unfamiliar to Jing Qinzong's ears - in his impression, his little daughter's voice was always timid and she hardly dared to contradict him.

But today, although Renai's voice was a little distorted, it was full of indomitable and rebellious power.

The little daughter on the stage seemed a little strange to him.

After singing a song, Nina shouted into the microphone: "Welcome everyone to our live! I'm so happy to sing for you! I'm so happy to be able to stand on the stage and sing for you! Our band... has come this far... It's not easy! We changed members before, and there's still a long period of adjustment! If it weren't for Sakura at the shrine, we wouldn't be here now!"

Hong Xia suddenly got on the mic and took over the conversation: "Ahem—our band is the right five people, and we're going to bring everyone the most stunning audio-visual experience!"

After Hongxia's reminder, Renai instantly realized that there was something wrong with what she said.

She was speaking to her father, not to the entire audience.

Realizing this, Renai turned around and glanced at her teammates apologetically, then signaled to Hongxia that she could start playing the second song.

Beside the mixing console, the tense Asahi Rikka finally relaxed a little. She cast her gaze towards Takagi Sakura beside her and said, "Sakura, it's just like you said. Nothing serious has happened."

"Don't be too nervous. Even if they quarrel, it won't affect the basic things of team building. Just like PAREO and CHU^2 chasing you in Yugaoka will not affect your joining RAS." Sakura said to Rikka with a smile.

Rikka was silent - after what Sakura said, she really felt the shining point of this band that was suddenly renamed "Thornless Thorn".

These people all seem to have a hint of rebelliousness in their bones, blossoming in this inconspicuous band.

Taoxiang left DiamondDust and is pursuing her own musical path; the two members of Red Ginger also quit their previous band and created their own musical style; she is not familiar with the drummer and lead singer, but she can also see their determination to change.

"I'm going downstairs to sing a song. You don't need me to watch here anymore." Sakura patted Rikka's shoulder and left the tuning room on her own initiative.

Chapter 185 Harvest, Band and BangDream: 33. I will make him agree!

Hong Xia's drumstick drew a golden arc in the air. At the moment the drum surface vibrated, sweat fell from the ends of her hair and turned into star-like light under the stage lights.

The music stopped abruptly as the cymbals were slammed, followed by cheers from the audience.

Renai suddenly raised her head, as if looking for something in the crowd, and even forgot to say the lines she had prepared.

Rupa had no choice but to speak up: "Xiaozhi, everyone is so enthusiastic!"

"Well! Today's performance let everyone see our Fog... a thornless and thorny performance!" Zhi was not very good at responding on stage. He only said something repetitive and almost made a mistake.

Momoka took a step forward and prompted Nina, "Nina, we have a special guest coming to our show today, huh?"

Renai was stunned for a moment, and suddenly stood straight like a tree - she had not prepared to interact with her father in advance, and it was unknown whether her father would go on stage to interact with her.

Seeing Nina's performance, Hong Xia quickly left the drum stool and walked to the front of the stage to save the situation: "Nina, Sakura has prepared so many stage equipment for us, should we ask her to come up and sing a song?"

After being reminded, Nina finally realized: "Oh! That's right! Sakura is going to come up and sing!"

The audience erupted in laughter, and many thought it was a deliberate staged effect. But Jingqin Muneo, standing in the crowd, knew that Jincai was at a loss.

He just looked at the stage and saw a girl with cherry blossom-colored hair slowly walking onto the stage.

The girl who took the stage was gentle and graceful, and smiled apologetically at the audience. "Momoka invited me to sing a song for everyone. I didn't prepare anything, so I can only sing a half-finished song. Momoka, can you lend me your guitar?"

Sakura took the guitar from Momoka and took Nina's microphone, placing it on the microphone stand and strumming a few simple chords.

A very warm prelude came from the guitar speaker.

"Ashimoto-kun, Hodo... (Look at your feet, this is the path you are going to play)" Sakura's voice is full of girlishness, but also has a bit of mellowness as if she is slightly drunk. Coupled with her certain vocal skills, she immediately immersed the audience in it.

And Jingqin Zong'ao also breathed a sigh of relief - this girl's songs were the type he liked to listen to.

But his little daughter was standing there stupidly, looking a little out of place on the stage.

"Mother, love, hug, walk back... (My mother gave me a lot of warmth, and she told me to move forward with love)" The song Ying chose is "Future", a song sung to her mother. The Chinese cover version is "Later". The quality of the bilingual versions has been proven by their popularity.

Hongxia played the drums to match the song, and Sakura's voice continued: "When she's anxious, she'll hold my hand and keep walking forward. Sometimes I get tired of this gentleness.

The drumbeat suddenly slowed down for half a beat.

Hongxia's focus shifted from behind Ying to the audience. She seemed to see herself in the audience at the age of nine, watching her sister Xingge pick up the guitar and perform on the stage.

The reflection from the metal cymbals made Hong Xia's eyes burn - she suddenly remembered clearly that night on the way home, her mother humming a tune and tying a ribbon in her hair.