Glacier sister, don't want to be a sandwich

"Yeah!" Yue Ge's eyes lit up and he nodded quickly, as if he had finally found hope.

She cleared her throat and said seriously:

"We want to play two songs at the school's cultural festival! One is a cover song by our band, and the other is a song to help one of our band members play accompaniment for her father."

"Oh, so that's it."

She nodded slightly, as if she was carefully digesting Yue Ge's words. After a moment, she clapped her hands lightly, a sly glint in her eyes, and she laughed heartily:

"I understand. I'll keep an eye on it for you. As for putting up the posters, do you want me to help you too?"

"Help?" Yue Ge tilted his head and looked at her with a puzzled expression, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, as if he didn't quite understand.

It’s just posting a recruitment notice, why do you need help?

Tsukishima Marina chuckled, raised her hand, and pointed in the direction of the bulletin board with her slender fingers, her tone carrying a hint of mischievous laughter:

"Well... because, over at our bulletin board—there aren't any stools."

"Hmm?" Yue Ge looked in the direction of her finger, puzzled.

The bulletin board itself wasn't too tall, but the bottom and middle areas were almost completely filled with various band posters. The only blank area left was near the top.

And considering Yuege and the others' height...

——It’s out of reach!

The corners of her mouth twitched, and she was suddenly speechless, as if she understood the cruelty of reality in an instant.

Xiao Deng beside her also followed her gaze and blinked hesitantly, obviously realizing the problem.

Yue Ge coughed lightly, her eyes wandering a little, as if trying to hide her embarrassment, but soon, she decisively looked at Marina for help, her tone clear and crisp:

"Then... please help me, sister."

Tsukishima Marina couldn't help but chuckle: "Okay, okay, leave it to me."

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

"Hey!"

Tsukishima Marina jumped lightly, and with one hand, she pressed the poster firmly on the bulletin board, tapping it hard to make sure it was firmly attached and would not fall off easily.

She took a half step back, nodded with satisfaction, put her hands on her hips, and said with a confident smile:

"That should be no problem."

However, Yue Ge, who was standing aside, raised his head and looked up hard, and only then could he barely see the recruitment poster of his band.

"..."

There were some complicated emotions in her eyes. At this height... would anyone really notice?

She sighed calmly, her eyes dimming slightly for a moment.

Marina, who was standing beside her, noticed her worry, smiled softly, reached out and rubbed Yuege's head, and said in a gentle tone:

"Don't worry, sister will help you keep an eye on it."

Yuege's eyes lit up slightly, but before she could completely relax, Marina added meaningfully:

"But...if it's an elementary school band, it might be a little difficult."

This sentence made Yue Ge slightly stunned. She knew that Marina was not deliberately pouring cold water on her, but it was an objective fact - the band culture in Live House was mainly composed of junior high school, high school and even college students, and it was indeed rare for elementary school students to form a band.

But even so, Yue Ge still did not show the slightest sign of retreat. Instead, he raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a frank smile, and said in a light and firm tone:

"It's okay! We're already very happy that Marina-nee is willing to help!"

Her tone was sincere and powerful, and her eyes sparkled with a defiant light, like a star burning with a small flame.

Marina was stunned for a moment, then smiled and shook her head, with a look of admiration in her eyes.

"You guys...are really interesting little guys."

She sighed softly, but there was still a smile on her lips. She had already made a silent decision in her heart - if she had the chance, she would definitely help these children.

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

Not long after Yue Ge and the others left, the door of Live House Circle was pushed open again, and a girl with long straight black hair walked in hurriedly, her eyes quickly scanning the surroundings, as if she was looking for someone.

Her hair was slightly messy from running, and she was breathing slightly. It was not until her eyes locked on Marina Tsukishima behind the counter that she visibly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked up to her.

"Marina-senpai."

There was a hint of urgency in her voice, as if something was urgent.

Tsukishima Marina, who was immersed in thinking about whether there was a suitable keyboard player to introduce to Yuege and the others, was slightly startled when she heard her own name. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted and a trace of confusion flashed in her eyes.

She raised her head, blinked, and after seeing who was coming, a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth:

"Eh? Ah! Duohui!"

She continued with some confusion, "Doesn't Space have a joint performance tonight? They should be busy, right? How did you find time to come to Circle?"

"Tonight... there are quite a lot of customers..."

Huayuan Duohui was still adjusting her breathing, and her tone was intermittent when she spoke. It was obvious that she had just jogged all the way here and had not yet fully recovered her breath. She lowered her head slightly to adjust her hair on her forehead, took a deep breath, and continued:

"We're running low on drinks at the front desk, so the manager asked me to borrow some from Marina-senpai."

Upon hearing this, Marina nodded slightly, then smiled and waved her hand, saying cheerfully:

"Well...okay, wait a moment, I'll drive you back later."

She reached out and flipped through the list Duohui gave her. Seeing that most of the items on it were matcha-flavored products, she quickly scanned the remaining stock in the store with some doubts. After confirming that she could make some drinks, she put the matter aside for the time being.

Just as she turned around and was about to go to the back warehouse, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

She paused, her eyes slightly focused, and she glanced at Duohui quietly, with a thoughtful smile on the corner of her mouth.

It seems that Xiao Duohui has attended classes in a music school before?

She's a professionally trained musician. Not only does she play guitar well, she probably also knows a lot of people her age who are good at piano or keyboard...

Thinking of this, Marina curled up the corners of her mouth slightly, as if she had a new idea.

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

By the way, happy birthday to Ms. Kaname Lenai, who is also a legendary guitarist. Eat more matcha parfait!

Chapter 114: Tsuzuki Poetry Ship

"Xiao Dahui, have you ever been to a music school before?"

Tsukishima Marina asked slowly.

Huayuan Duohui, who was drinking water with her head tilted back, was slightly stunned when she heard this. The mineral water bottle in her hand stopped in mid-air, and water droplets condensed along the bottle mouth and slowly slid down.

She slowly put down the bottle and looked at Marina with some doubt:

"Hmm? Yeah..."

Her tone dragged out a bit, and she obviously didn't understand why she was suddenly asked this question.

Marina nodded slightly, then continued with a nonchalant smile:

"Then Xiao Duohui should know some keyboard players of the same age, right?"

"Keyboard player?"

Huayuan Duohui tilted her head slightly, with a thoughtful glint in her eyes.

She raised one hand and gently poked her chin with her index finger, tapping it unconsciously. The corners of her mouth pursed slightly, her lips slightly opened, and she muttered to herself:

"Hmm... let me think about it..."

Her mind began to quickly review the past memories, and familiar faces flashed by -

Matsushita... Sakura... Edogawa...

She shook her head slightly, trying to filter out the right candidates. Each name popped up in her mind, but was quickly rejected.

Suddenly, a familiar image lingered in the depths of her memory—

A pair of bright golden ponytails, nimble fingers dancing on the piano keys, and the little stars that the teacher often gives her as rewards.

Duohui's eyes suddenly widened and her mouth opened slightly, like a cat suddenly struck by lightning. The next second, she suddenly raised her hand and punched her palm.

"Ah! I figured it out!"

"Arisaki-san!"

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

Marina Tsukishima started the store's pickup truck, stepped on the accelerator lightly, and slowly drove the vehicle loaded with the items Space needed into Space's door.

The staff of Tsuzuki Poetry Ship and Space had been waiting at the door for a long time.

"Marina, thank you for your help." Tsuzuki Shifune walked forward.

Marina rolled up her sleeves and waved lightly, smiling casually and cheerfully. As she bent down to take down the box, she said in a relaxed tone:

"It's okay. When Circle first opened, Tsuzuki Shifune-senpai helped a lot. This little favor is nothing."

She picked up a box of drinks and skillfully handed it to the clerk beside her.

Tsuzuki Shichuan suddenly sighed softly:

"I've been feeling a little unwell these past few days, so I went to the hospital for a checkup. It turns out Lenai has already eaten almost all the matcha flavors in the store."

When she talked about her granddaughter, her tone was full of helplessness, which was completely different from the store manager who usually strictly evaluated those girl bands.

Upon hearing this, Marina paused for a moment, then immediately raised her head, her brows slightly furrowed, a hint of worry in her eyes as she looked Tsuzuki Shifune up and down seriously.

"Eh? Senior, is there something wrong with your body?"

Her tone unconsciously softened, carrying a cautious concern.

Tsuzuki Shifune smiled, his tone still calm, but a hint of fatigue flashed in his eyes:

"It's nothing... I'm just a little bit unwilling to accept my age. My legs and feet have been a little bit disobedient lately. The doctor recommended a period of treatment. If it doesn't work, I may have to use crutches in the future."

Her tone was calm, but Marina's heart tightened slightly when she heard it.

She was silent for a moment, put down the box in her hand, gently patted the dust off her hands, then turned to look at Tsuzuki Shichuan, the smile on her lips slightly restrained, and said with a hint of seriousness and dissatisfaction:

"Senior, this isn't a 'nothing', is it?"

Her tone sounded like a complaint, but also like a helpless reproach.

Tsuzuki Shifune was stunned for a moment, then smiled softly and said in his usual calm tone:

"People always get older, there's nothing to be surprised about."

She looked up at the night sky, her eyes soft and distant, as if she was recalling something, and added calmly:

"I'm already in my sixties... In a few years, Lenai will be in junior high school."

Marina was slightly startled when she heard this, and her hand holding the drinks box subconsciously tightened a little.

"Ah...time really does go by so fast."

She couldn't help but sigh softly, feeling emotional in her heart - when she first came to work at Circle, Lenai, who followed the store manager to help, was just a little girl with a baby voice, but now, she has become a child who can run around in the store and even started to show interest in music.

"If Senior hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have felt it was real."

She smiled, put the box in her hand on the storage area beside her, then casually moved her wrist and asked in a light tone:

"Isn't it about time for you, Senior, to retire? Have you decided who will take over? Is it Rinrinko?"

As she spoke, she looked towards Tsuzuki Poetry Ship.

However, upon hearing this, Tsuzuki Shifune snorted softly, a hint of stubbornness flashing in her eyes. She raised her hand and casually patted her knee, a smile of defiance on her lips, and her tone was as firm as that of a young person who refused to admit defeat:

"I haven't decided yet... My old bones can still hold out for a few more years. At least, it's not time for me to give it my all."

There was a hint of pride in her tone, as well as a tenacity that showed she was unwilling to give in to old age easily.

"Senior, when you get stubborn, you really don't act like an old man at all."

Tsuzuki Shifune said, "I'm not too old to move, and I still have to worry about Rakuna."

"What's wrong with Lenai?" Marina asked.

"This girl has been relying too much on Space lately." When Tsuzuki Shifune talked about his granddaughter, his tone unconsciously carried a mixture of distress and doting.