Glacier sister, don't want to be a sandwich

Chapter 101 Afterglow's Performance

"Lena! Stop running around!"

Marina's voice rang out clearly in the bustling Live House. She hurriedly took a step forward and stretched out her hand to block Kaname Rakuna who was about to sneak away.

Caught on the spot, Lenai paused, like a kitten accurately locked by radar. He froze in place, lowered his head slightly, and showed an expression of "plan failed".

Lenai pursed her lips and glanced at Marina, as if trying to assess whether she had a second chance to escape. But soon, realizing she had been completely locked in, she let out a small, unwilling snort.

"Well……"

Her voice was soft, with a hint of coquettishness, like a kitten that was unwilling to be caught, trying hard to maintain the last bit of stubbornness.

Seeing this scene, Marina couldn't help but chuckle. She squatted down and patted Lenai's head gently, her tone gentle and helpless:

"Be good, the manager won't take too long."

Lenai's puffy cheeks relaxed a little, but she still turned her head away stubbornly, pretending to be angry.

Marina looked at her obviously fake appearance and immediately pulled out her trump card: "How about I treat you to matcha parfait?"

This sentence seemed like some kind of magical spell, instantly hitting Lenai's soft spot.

Her originally stiff little body reacted immediately, and the tips of her ears twitched unconsciously, as if radar had accurately captured the key words.

She turned her head suddenly, her eyes sparkling, and her cheeks, which had been puffy just now, immediately became smooth again. The corners of her mouth rose slightly, revealing an irresistible smile, like a kitten noticing that there was dried fish in front of it.

Le Nai blinked rapidly, confirming that she had heard correctly. She then decisively raised two slender little fingers and spoke in a crisp voice, with a hint of undisguised pride and a slight sense of encroachment:

“Two cups!”

Marina couldn't help laughing when she saw her expression change immediately. She ruffled Lenai's soft white hair and said lovingly:

"Okay, okay, two cups is enough."

------------

The door was gently pushed open, and the door hinge made a slight creaking sound.

Bingchuan Yuege was the first to step into the room, tightly gripping the shoulder straps of her backpack with both hands. She took a deep breath, trying to regulate her breathing. Then, she smiled confidently and greeted us in a clear, slightly nervous voice:

"Hello, seniors!"

Udagawa Tomoe raised his head after hearing the voice, a bright smile on his lips, and he waved his hand decisively, his voice full of enthusiasm and welcome:

"Oh! Here it comes!"

Following closely behind was Ueda Ako, whose eyes lit up the moment she saw Tomoe, as if she had caught a familiar warmth.

She walked quickly into the room, threw herself at Tomoe's side, held Tomoe's arms with both hands, a bright and coquettish smile on her face, and a familiar and dependent intimacy in her voice:

"elder sister!"

Tomoe looked at his sister lovingly, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he raised his hand to gently ruffle Ayako's hair.

"Hello, seniors!" Su Shi and Hai Ling seemed much more generous when greeting.

Then, Gao Songdeng carefully followed Su Shi into the room.

Her steps were a little stiff, her hands unconsciously clutching the corners of her clothes, her voice was small and timid with a hint of nervousness:

"Seniors... hello..."

She lowered her head and peeked through her hair at the Afterglow members in the room.

"Don't be so nervous. Just relax a little."

Mocha deliberately prolonged the ending tone, and her voice was as gentle as a ball of soft marshmallow.

Mizukari nodded and agreed, "Yeah, just be like usual."

------------

After a few relaxed introductions, everyone finally got to know each other better, and Yue Ge also honestly explained the purpose of their visit.

The members of Afterglow looked at each other and the atmosphere became slightly quieter.

Uehara Himari concluded, "Hmm, so Tsukie-chan, is it because the band you formed lacked a sense of teamwork that you wanted to see what a real band is like?"

"Yes, that's right." Yue Ge nodded.

At this time, Tsugumi Yuzawa spoke softly, with a hint of hesitation on her face. Her voice was more gentle and hesitant than usual: "But our reference value is not very strong."

"The five of us are all childhood friends. We grew up together and formed a band just to have a common hobby and stay together. We really haven't thought about what team spirit is."

After hearing Tsugumi Yuzawa's introduction, Takamatsu Deng's eyes lit up slightly, as if his heart was quietly touched by something.

She lowered her head and thought silently, "Forming a band... can we really stay together forever?"

This thought caused ripples in her heart, like a small seed quietly planted.

The brief silence in the air was broken by Hachiman Kailing's faint voice:

"Then, seniors, can you let us watch the performance?"

Upon hearing this, Mei Zhulan raised her eyebrows slightly, her expression calm and without much emotion.

"Of course, it's possible... However, we at Afterglow haven't been around that long, so we're not that experienced yet."

Upon hearing this, Hai Ling raised her chin slightly, her eyes determined, and her tone revealed a hint of unwillingness to admit defeat: "We want to see the gap between us and the bands of our predecessors."

"Ran-chan, just give it a try~" Mocha also spoke up.

Mizukuri slowly scanned the Afterglow crowd, her gaze lingering on each face for a moment. She noticed that no one, from the faint smile on Moka's face to the faint anticipation in Himari and Tuzuki's eyes, showed any sign of objection.

She sighed softly, and the corners of her mouth curled up in an almost imperceptible arc, as if she was compromising helplessly, or as if a spark was ignited somewhere in her heart.

"All right……"

She stood up and skillfully picked up her guitar. Her voice was still calm, but with a hint of ease and seriousness in her tone:

"Then let's practice as usual."

As soon as the words fell, the members of Afterglow began to walk towards their familiar positions, and the sounds of tuning instruments rose and fell.

Yue Ge and the others stood aside, their heartbeats unconsciously quickening, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.

After confirming that her companions were ready, Mizukami took a deep breath and placed her fingers lightly on the strings.

"Then... please listen! Afterglow's first song - Scarlet Sky!"

As soon as the words fell, Mizukami and Moka plucked the strings almost at the same moment.

The powerful guitar chords were like a flash of lightning that cut through the silent night sky, instantly lighting up the entire practice room.

The drumbeat followed, Tomoe's drumsticks striking out a steady, powerful rhythm that shook the air like a heartbeat.

The deep rhythm of the bass is intertwined with the clear melody of the keyboard.

This was the first time Afterglow performed his songs for others to hear.

--------------

Thanks for the correction of the book review. I subconsciously counted Lan, YKN and Shaye as one year apart. This made AG form a year earlier. This can be regarded as the butterfly effect of Yuege. After all, the twins were separated in junior high school.

Chapter 102: Legendary Bakery Master

After the performance, the practice room gradually returned to calm, and the lingering sound of the instrument's vibrations still lingered in the air.

Yue Ge's heartbeat had not yet completely calmed down. She stared at the slightly cold drink on the table in front of her, but her thoughts remained on Afterglow's performance just now.

She picked up the straw and took a sip. The cold liquid slid down her throat, but it seemed unable to calm the restlessness in her heart.

She frowned slightly, with a hint of gloom in her tone:

"It seems the difference isn't that big..."

Her voice was not loud, but it was particularly clear in the silence.

Ichinose Suyo sat aside, tapping her fingers on the table, as if thinking.

She continued Yue Ge's words and said in a light voice:

“But there does feel to be a difference.”

Gao Songdeng held the water bottle in his hand, lowered his head slightly, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

Her voice was soft, with a hint of emotion and unconscious envy:

"It feels like... the seniors are very affectionate."

Her words hit the nail on the head.

Hachiman Kailing raised her head and spoke in a concise and clear tone, going straight to the point:

"It's not just a matter of feelings, their cooperation is also much better."

Just when the atmosphere was getting heavy, Udagawa Ako suddenly slapped the table, her expression excited, and her bright voice broke the silence:

"Of course! My sister is the best drummer in the world!"

She straightened her back and praised her sister with pride.

When Yue Ge heard what Yazi said, she couldn't help but smile, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, and the gloom in her eyes seemed to dissipate a little.

She nodded slightly and whispered:

"Indeed, Tomoe-senpai's drumming is quite powerful, as expected of a member of the shopping district taiko troupe."

Xiao Deng held the water cup, his eyes became firmer, and he said softly:

"I also want... our band to have that feeling."

Hearing Xiao Deng's words, Yue Ge nodded vigorously and clenched his fists again.

"Well, we can definitely do it."

However, immersed in this passionate atmosphere, she suddenly froze for a moment, and the quiet feeling of emptiness in her abdomen made her expression stagnate slightly.

Then she blinked, her expression changed, and her tone suddenly became relaxed, as if she was easing the tense atmosphere.

"But... before that..."

She deliberately prolonged her tone, as if she was about to say something important, and then added seriously:

"Let's eat first!"

As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere that was full of fighting spirit was instantly broken by this sentence.

"After all... I just came straight to the Live House from school and haven't eaten much yet."

She touched her belly and gave a sheepish smile, trying to cover up the faint rumbling sound.

Su Shi sighed helplessly, but the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose, and he complained lightly:

"Yue Ge, your change of pace is too fast."

Xiao Deng covered her mouth and chuckled softly, and her originally nervous mood also eased a lot. Hai Ling nodded slightly, as if tacitly agreeing to this proposal. Yazi was even more excited and echoed loudly:

"That's right! Only when you're full will you have the energy to continue practicing!"

--------------

The streets in the evening were dyed with warm gold by the afterglow, and the breeze blew the girls' hair, bringing with it the unique liveliness and noise of the city.

Ichinose Suyo looked around and noticed that the route they took was different from usual. She frowned and asked in confusion:

"Why don't you go to a fast food restaurant this time?"

Her tone was emotionless, but there was a hint of confusion between her brows.

Bingchuan Yuege, who was walking in front, turned around as a matter of course when she heard Su Shi's question. Her expression was slightly complaining, and her tone was cheerful but cute:

"Well...I've gained some weight recently, and Sayo-nee told me to eat less fried foods."

As she spoke, she pouted, her tone lacking any real annoyance, more like she was acting coquettishly about losing her beloved French fries.

She patted her belly, as if to confirm the non-existent "fat", then sighed helplessly with a bright smile on her face.

Su Shi glanced at her, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, as if he couldn't help but want to complain a few words, but felt it was unnecessary.

Hachiman Kailing, who was walking beside them, took over the topic calmly:

"So, are you planning to go to the shopping street to see if there's anything to eat?"

Before anyone could respond, Udagawa Ako suddenly seemed to be activated. She raised one hand, her face brimming with excitement, and her voice was so loud that it seemed as if she was about to jump up at any second: