Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

"Yes, definitely."

The boy didn't say anything more, he just smiled and nodded.

The moment the curtain was drawn back, a dazzling spotlight shone on his handsome profile, causing Su Shi to squint.

The two, who appeared to be on good terms but were actually at odds, walked onto the stage.

Nagasaki Motoyo, however, was completely unaware of what was about to happen.

Chapter Seventy-Four: So, the spring shadow rang out at an inopportune time.

The stage lights went out one by one, and a layer of pale blue light rose from the edge of the stage. Some people in the audience subconsciously held their breath, and rows of white-tinged mobile phone screens slowly lowered, with spotlights falling precisely on the four people.

On stage, Shiina Riki sat behind the drums, but his gaze was not on the audience directly in front of him, nor on the light standing in the center of the band.

She didn't know when it started, but she would first look for the carefree guitarist before turning her tender gaze to Takamatsu Akira, whom she had always admired.

Since Kazama Akatsuki appeared, something has indeed been subtly changing, something even Riki, who doesn't fully understand his own heart, can sense.

Perhaps it was the way he sat down on the drum stool and started playing without hesitation that day, or perhaps it was his attitude of repeatedly practicing the rhythm with her afterward…

Or perhaps, he never cared about his less-than-ideal attitude and was always willing to wrap her silly behavior in a gentle smile.

At first, she was indeed wary of this guy from an unknown background.

This "all-around" genius who inexplicably cut in line has such a great smile and speaks so smoothly that even his guitar playing seems like he's deliberately hiding some unspeakable secret.

She disliked his seemingly naive yet cunning demeanor, but she couldn't help but lower her guard because of his gentle smile and sincerity.

Annoyingly calm, yet irresistibly reliable.

She could see the image of a certain girl in him.

It seems to be Toyokawa Shoko, but it also seems to remind one of Takamatsu Akari.

No…that’s not the case.

Lixi pinched the side of her nose so that she could see the boy's back in the dim light.

He seemed to notice her gaze, or perhaps he was simply telepathically connected to her, and turned his head to meet Lixi's gaze—

Then he grinned at her.

Let's go all out!

He didn't speak, but Lixi could read the emotion on his face.

"...I just can't do anything with you."

Shiina Ritsuki took a deep breath and gave him a firm smile.

Three, two, one.

The lights shone down from the upper left, and the first rhythm came from Lixi's footsteps. The low hum of the kick drum spread throughout the venue, like the first waves crashing on the shore. She played the main beat cleanly and crisply, and as she raised her right hand, a resounding crash cymbal broke the silence.

Yes, that's not the case.

He was neither like Xiangzi nor like Deng; he stood beside her simply as Kazama Akatsuki—her teammate.

The audience erupted in cheers at Li Xi's sudden drumbeat, but they quickly noticed the boy in the front row who was playing guitar to accompany the rhythm.

Unlike those flashy guitarists who only pursue speed, or those who meticulously take exams, Kazama Akira calmly strummed an upward glissando with his right hand, while his left hand precisely traversed two octaves on the fretboard.

There were no superfluous movements; every strike hit the mark precisely, as clear as drawing a line in the air. There were no effects pedals or filters to mask it.

It's just clean control and a sense of rhythm that comes from the very core of him.

As if he knew where Lixi's drums would go, he used a very short series of hollow chords as a buffer, and then smoothly advanced the chord changes, steadily sending the main melody into the first part of Aiyin's guitar solo.

Ai Yin answered quickly, as if they had known each other all along.

She stood to the side, her guitar slides drawing a bright line, like light being torn apart from the clouds. She smiled, but her eyes would always glance at Kazama's profile out of the corner of her eye.

After studying with Kazama for some time, she felt more and more that playing the guitar was a lot of fun.

Shining on stage with her companions like this is exactly what Chihaya Aine wants.

Ai Yin smiled and gave a smile to the audience, and many girls blushed and thought that the smile was for them—only one blue-haired girl standing in the middle of them returned her equally bright smile.

Applause broke out in the audience, but it wasn't concentrated. Most people were whispering in surprise: "Isn't that the curly-haired guy playing the guitar? Is he playing the rhythm?"

Lixi didn't speak, but her fingertips felt a little itchy.

She didn't want to admit it, but she could tell that Kazama's performance wasn't deliberately trying to steal the spotlight or showing off his technique; he was genuinely—just playing along with her.

At the moment the drumbeats accelerated, Kazama used a strum to stop the rhythm, instead of chasing it upwards, he held back his lower body, causing the whole song to sink down and suppressing the sustain of the Aine electric guitar.

Like a partner who doesn't fight for possession, patiently wait for her to finish her attack before covering for her.

She gritted her teeth as she played the drums.

I suddenly feel a bit irritable, but also a bit like laughing.

…I never expected this guy to be so reliable as a partner.

Towards the end of the chorus, Kazama picks up his guitar for a short solo. There aren't many technical flourishes; he simply outlines a melody with delicate hammer-ons and light strumming—such fluid technique is extremely rare to see from an amateur guitarist.

So the audience was quiet for a few seconds, and then erupted in screams and applause during his solo performance.

This time, Lixi didn't show any impatience. Instead, while playing the drums, he watched the audience's reactions and smiled with a hint of satisfaction.

Indeed, Kazama's performance deserved such feedback.

Perhaps it was only for a fleeting moment that she felt Kazama deserved the cheers and applause of everyone present.

Riki's body was already moving with the increasingly relaxed guitar rhythm of Kazama. The drumbeats became tighter and tighter. When entering the interlude, she even used a fast turn attack that she had never tried in rehearsals to push the rhythm up.

She also wanted to become worthy of him.

Kazama didn't look at her; he simply flicked his right hand slightly, and the pick produced a swift yet clean glissando on the strings, propelling the entire song to its climax.

A short cheer erupted from the audience, and some people stood up, waving their glow sticks vigorously, causing the entire space to tremble slightly.

Shiina Riki seemed to vaguely see a familiar blue color in the audience, but she quickly focused on her performance on stage.

The moment Lixi looked away, he saw glistening beads of sweat dripping down the boy's face under the spotlight, while he remained focused on strumming the guitar strings the entire time.

He was trying very hard to integrate into the group and wanted to lead everyone to a spectacular performance.

Lixi was almost ashamed to recall her initial little thoughts; those suspicions seemed particularly ridiculous in the context of the drumbeats and cheers.

She gritted her teeth, then raised the drumstick high and slammed it down—

Perhaps she has never been willing to admit it, but the trust she has built with Kazama has long been deeply rooted in her heart.

Lead singer Gao Songdeng's voice, combined with their instruments, created a powerful emotional impact that captivated everyone present.

If we're talking about someone who wasn't fully committed to this performance, perhaps only the bassist, who is most easily overlooked.

Su Shixiang always stands on the edge of the light, bowing his head in silence while his fingers move slowly and steadily across the fingerboard.

The pulse in the low frequencies forms the framework of the music, and her bass notes are the undercurrent that propels the drumbeats forward.

In the past, Nagasaki Motoyo would have done her best to cooperate with her teammates to complete the performance, but today she seemed a little distracted.

The performance proceeded smoothly, and she remained puzzled until the song ended, still unable to figure out what the boy was up to.

The spotlight slowly dimmed, the music ended completely, and the first performance of this makeshift band came to a close.

Just as Su Shi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that she might have been overthinking things,

"—?"

An unexpected guitar slide suddenly broke the silence, catching everyone on and off stage off guard.

Nagasaki Motoyo turned her head in surprise and found that her other companions were also looking at the boy who had acted first with astonishment.

He strummed an unplanned melody on his guitar, his smile carefree and spontaneous, as if it were just an ordinary impromptu performance.

However, a few people, both on and off stage, did change their expressions.

Nagasaki Motoyo's face turned deathly pale, and at that moment, someone in the audience had the same expression as her.

They could tell—this was the song that should absolutely not be performed now.

"Spring Shadow".

Chapter 75 Why play the Spring Shadow?

Shoko Toyokawa arrived at RiNG's livehouse performance venue about half an hour ago.

"Mu, it's quite rare for you to actually think of inviting me to a place like this."

Because of her childhood friend's invitation, she took a day off and turned down all her work for the day, just to accompany Ruoye Mu to the performance.

The reason it is described as "rare" is probably because Mu rarely made requests before, and even less so invited Mu to go anywhere with her—but this time she actually said it so frankly.

Perhaps this also reflects Mu's increased reliance on and trust in herself.

So Toyokawa Shoko didn't think about it further and readily agreed to Mutsumi's invitation.

She arrived wearing the most glamorous dress she owned, the one most presentable for the occasion.

Mu arrived as promised and waited quietly for her at the entrance of RiNG.

"What's wrong? Do you want to reminisce about your previous band days in advance to warm up for our upcoming band combination?"

When she met up with Mu, she even joked like that.

But without a doubt, Mu is probably just as excited as she is about her upcoming comeback.

Xiangzi, who was not worried at all about running into an "old friend" here, entered the RiNG livehouse venue with the crowd, but his steps were still as steady and unhurried as if he were taking a leisurely stroll.

"Ah."

Mutsu neither agreed nor disagreed; she simply nodded and gave a soft "hmm" before falling silent—in fact, for Mutsu, this word did not signify agreement, but merely obedience.

Xiangzi walked ahead, pushing through the crowd, while Mu obediently followed behind her without walking alongside her.

In fact, Xiangzi's guess was somewhat different from the real reason she came here.

"We'll be performing at RiNG after this... Mu, do you want to come see me?"

This was the real reason she came here without thinking—a seemingly casual question from the boy before they parted that night.

As for Ruoye Mu's answer, it would undoubtedly be "I will come".

"I see... If Mu is coming, should we invite Xiangzi to come along?"

When Xiao mentioned this, she touched her nose somewhat awkwardly.

“I know you’re in a bit of a bind being caught between me and Xiangzi… so why not invite her over too? This might be a chance to put an end to our past grievances. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”

To put an end to past grievances... Is it really possible for someone to resolve conflicts with others in such a healthy way?

Ruo Yemu felt somewhat curious and hopeful about this, so he nodded in agreement to his proposal.

Unexpectedly, Xiao would take the initiative to reconcile with Xiangzi and even consider her feelings as someone caught in the middle... So Mu didn't think twice and readily agreed.

Perhaps neither she nor Xiangzi would delve too deeply into the intentions of those they trusted.

"Xiang, I forgot to tell you this before."

As the two followed the crowd into the packed livehouse lobby, inevitably finding themselves squeezed together, Mu Cai belatedly realized he needed to add a few more explanations to Xiangzi.

"Hmm? What's wrong? Yiling (seven) eight (thinking of death) six."

Without doing any prior research or asking any questions, Xiangzi was still curiously looking around. Having not played in a band for a long time, she couldn't help but jump for joy and get excited when she saw the crowded and lively scene in the livehouse.

"The performers on stage are Su Shi and the others."

Her smile froze on her face when Mu Yi said those words in a calm and composed tone.

"what……"

Xiangzi, who had been unusually calm and composed, stiffened slightly. It seemed she had never imagined encountering her former teammates here.

"I'm sorry... Should I have told Xiang sooner?"

"N-nothing, it's okay. Anyway, CRYCHIC has disbanded, and we have nothing to do with each other anymore. Even if we need to avoid each other, there's no need to go to such lengths..."