Will the plagiarism girl be a substitute for the preference for women?

"I just used a pitch-measuring app to check the pitch, and it's almost identical to the standard pitch..."

"The sound quality is amazing!"

"Of course! It's all from practicing by copying sheet music." China thought to herself with a touch of smugness after hearing the praise from below.

Once the strings are tuned, you can start familiarizing yourself with the playing techniques.

China recalled and used the fingerings for various chords, playing a simple melody, and quickly regained her feel for chord switching.

As their former abilities were regained, their spirits rose, and their initial fatigue gradually dissipated.

Okay, let's begin the actual performance!

Seeing that China had perked up again, even though she wasn't her sister and they weren't particularly close, Shoko felt a sense of relief.

But soon, a bad feeling arose again.

Could it be...

The familiar melody of Xiangzi filled the classroom.

Although it wasn't plugged in, people in the next class could still faintly hear it.

"Did I...hear wrong?"

The lamp looked towards the front door, repeatedly trying to confirm the faint sound.

"Yes, Spring Shadow..."

Aine overheard it too. When China hadn't arrived after class, she figured China was talking to Shoko about something again, so she didn't disturb them.

Why is "Haruhi Kage" playing again during Class B's lesson...?

I feel like Xiaodeng won't be able to concentrate on the lesson this time.

And it's a guitar version, does that mean that someone other than Chika and Shoko is playing it?

Or……

China can not only play the piano, but also the guitar?

Ai Yin felt that she was also losing focus in class.

No, no! I need to pull myself together. It's not just me who needs Chika to improve my skills; Chika also needs me to adjust her mindset!

……

A weary heart, a wavering gaze~

In this world, I am the only one who is truly alone.

"In the ever-fading spring, all I feel every year is the cold."

After overcoming her nervousness, China sang with great passion on the stage, as if the stage were no longer a lecture platform.

The audience was captivated by her singing and playing, frequently erupting in enthusiastic applause and cheers.

Only one person remained seated, their seemingly calm expression trembling slightly, as if a pang of sorrow was swirling within them.

If Chika hadn't been using a guitar instead of a keyboard, those innocent figures of herself buried deep in her memories might have surfaced more clearly before her eyes.

Xiangzi quietly turned his head to the side against the wall, suppressing the emotions that were about to burst forth, and wiped the moisture from the corners of his eyes with a tissue.

……

After the performance, thunderous applause and shouts of "China is the best!" erupted from the audience once again. It took a while for everyone to calm down.

At this moment, China once again experienced the feeling of shining brightly on stage.

Chapter 69 What should I do?

During the training period in my previous life, it was commonplace to practice singing in front of classmates with the teacher providing guidance.

During the month or so after graduating and moving out of his home, he spent most of his time living in a cramped rented room, doing his best to create songs, and like other musicians, quickly making a name for himself from an ordinary starting point.

It's been a long time since I've performed in front of an audience.

Now, singing and playing instruments in class again feels both strange and familiar to China.

The applause and cheers were even more enthusiastic than during the training camp.

In the training camp, all the students were music students, and practicing and observing each other's singing was already commonplace, so it wouldn't be something that would cause emotional fluctuations.

Now, as I pick up my rusty guitar skills again in class and showcase my singing and playing, it has sparked even more enthusiasm and praise.

The feeling was subtle and indescribable, like a long-lost sense of recognition and encouragement.

Compared to simply copying a song and posting it online to receive praise in words and pictures, the satisfaction of performing in front of an audience and receiving direct applause and cheers is much more real and profound.

Furthermore, the correct selection of music allowed the students to enjoy their performance more and to applaud more sincerely.

Xiangzi, your arrangement is truly a success. Qianna looked at Xiangzi and thought to herself with approval.

At the teacher's prompting, China walked off the stage with her guitar.

"Chika, what's the name of this song? The melody is really nice," the classmate who borrowed the guitar asked.

"Haruhi Shadow."

China answered, and then, on her way back to the back row, glanced at the seat in front of her.

Xiangzi stared blankly at the table, trying to banish that memory from his mind.

However, those memories surged like a tidal wave, assaulting her thoughts time and time again, making it difficult for her to conceal the deep sorrow within her heart, even if she maintained a calm exterior.

China had considered that singing this song would make Shoko sad, just like when she brought the light back to this song last time, it would make people want to avoid it and keep quiet.

In the past, China always carefully avoided these potentially sad things.

If she inadvertently upsets someone, she falls into deep self-blame and anxiety, from which she cannot extricate herself.

Now...

Perhaps it was Xiangzi's words, "Stop wallowing in self-reproach," and the promise he made to Aine—"Don't ruin yourself by trying to please others."

With such suggestion, the phenomenon of being overly concerned about other people's emotions has lessened.

Even when faced with other people's sensitive points, she had the courage to probe and try to resolve them.

I may make mistakes, and I may be disliked by others.

But seeing the relationship between Shoko and the members of Crychic deteriorate like this, China is more willing to take some risks in hopes of breaking the deadlock.

But deep down, she was also asking herself, and another version of herself, whether she should do this.

Does someone with unstable emotions have the right to use such a reckless approach?

It's better to avoid trouble than to get involved; that's my style.

But now I'm the audience, and I'm really looking forward to seeing if you succeed in doing this.

I also look forward to your failure, to watching things fall apart.

The response from another voice made China's chest tighten.

"Are you alright, Chinatsu-kun?"

The classmate noticed that China's expression was a little off when she handed the guitar back.

"Ah, I'm fine."

China forced a calm smile and then sat back down in her seat.

"Okay, everyone just enjoyed Chinatsu's wonderful performance."

"As you can see, the content to be taught in this lesson is string vibration, tube vibration, and the speed at which sound travels through a string."

"Just now, when China was adjusting the guitar strings, the pitch gradually increased as the strings tightened, and different strings produced different pitches..."

As the teacher began her lecture, China was distracted by the words of another version of herself, glancing thoughtfully at Shoko in the front row from time to time.

She took out her phone, wanting to send Xiangzi a message, but she always deleted it after typing a few words.

The original plan was disrupted and left me hesitant because of another voice in my heart.

Finally, in the chat box she was about to send, she wrote, "I'm sorry that playing this piece made you sad, but I really like the melody of this song."

Before sending it, she asked herself another question.

Do you want to see the situation fall apart because of my mishandling or because of a medical flare-up?

Why not? "It's better to make a mistake than to do nothing"—just move in that direction.

You weren't being sarcastic; you were actually advising me to be moderate in my spending, weren't you?

Absolutely not. I have high hopes that you can help them resolve their inner conflicts.

I also hope that our already broken relationship will be completely shattered into pieces by you.

I've met some funny people...

I really don't want her to succeed. From now on, I can't just be bold; I need to be very cautious as well.

Nevertheless, the word "falling apart" still lingered in Chizuru's mind. She couldn't imagine the ending that this word represented, and a sense of unease made her want to take a step back.

So, should I not be so adventurous and continue to choose a conservative strategy?

Do you think you can continue to be conservative after answering the question from the person who lent you their guitar?

With this question posed by the voice in her heart, China looked up at the classmates around her.

After learning that they were playing "Haruhi Kage," some people secretly opened their phones from under their drawers and started searching for words related to "Haruhi Kage."

Then, I found a live recording of a band called Crychic.

As the students watched the video, their focus shifted back and forth between Xiangzi sitting in the audience and Xiangzi in the video.

They then began to discuss the relationship between Xiangzi and a classmate from the next class.

"So Xiangzi and that guy from the next class were in the same band."

“I saw them meet several times, and Xiangzi always seemed very indifferent.”

"This band hasn't tweeted in a year. Could the members have had a falling out and then disbanded?"

"probably……"

Because the person in question was in the classroom, and the students were chatting in very low voices or exchanging messages by typing on their phones, China didn't know what they were saying, but she could roughly guess what they were talking about.

Paper cannot contain fire.

Perhaps your classmates will find out about this when they accidentally come across this live performance.

But Chika accelerated this process.

China did not consider the consequences when she sang the song and told others about it.

At the time, all she was thinking about was getting Xiangzi a desensitization treatment.

Why...why couldn't you consider that?

Or is it because, while singing just now...

Is he having a manic episode?

Chika looked at Shoko, wondering how Shoko's attitude towards her would change after she had indirectly revealed Shoko's past with the band...

Just as the excessive anxiety of the past was about to strike, it was stopped by another voice in my heart.

You're just overthinking it.

Perhaps when Ai-on and Tama were discussing the song "Spring Shadows," they had already overheard it.

Maybe word of this has already spread from the next class, but the person who lent you the guitar doesn't know.

That's certainly a possibility...

It's not that it's impossible; even if it didn't happen, there's no logic in preventing the spread of information about such a public event as a performance.

Get this unnecessary anxiety out of your head!

"China-san, please stand up and answer."

"...!"

While lost in thought, communicating with the voice in her heart, China was called upon by her teacher.

"China, could you please answer what the conditions are for a string to form a stable standing wave?"