Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

Shoko Toyokawa may have truly moved on, after all, she now has things more important to do than playing in a band.

To survive, she worked several jobs a week, in order to earn money that would impress her grandfather, and so that she and her father could rightfully and legitimately stand up to him—she needed to get the new band up and running.

With this matter on her mind, Xiangzi naturally wouldn't feel resentful about CRYCHIC's existence. She had indeed poured a lot of effort into the group, but when she withdrew, she would feel at peace with herself and no longer feel any attachment.

If she knew that Su Shi was so deeply concerned about her departure and the restoration of CRYCHIC that it was terrifying to an extreme degree, her expression would probably become much more terrified.

"……That's good."

Mu didn't say anything more, but simply shifted his gaze from Xiangzi to the center of the stage, where several blurry figures were already standing in their designated positions, ready to go.

Toyokawa Shoko's mind was still somewhat in turmoil, and even though she was in the noisy audience, she was still lost in her own thoughts.

Meeting Su Shi and the others wasn't really a big deal; what truly bothered her was—

Will that guy appear in their lives?

What does that mean? He'll take over her former teammates as soon as I leave... Is that what he's observing me for?

There is currently no further information to support Xiangzi's more accurate conclusion, so she can only speculate.

If that were all, perhaps she could breathe a sigh of relief.

If Kazama's goal is merely to recruit her former teammates after she leaves, then Toyokawa Shoko has nothing to fear from him. She will simply continue towards her future without looking back, and will not linger on the past.

But as it turns out, her idea seems to be a bit off.

From the moment Kazama, Aine, and the other three appeared on stage together, her expression became somewhat blank.

The boy's guitar skills, while not exactly phenomenal, at least allowed him to control the rhythm of the entire band and lead everyone to demonstrate exceptional talent.

Apart from Su Shi, both Li Xi and Deng have shown even better skills than during their CRYCHIC days.

"..."

Even the usually silent Mu fixed her gaze on the focused guitar-playing boy, her eyes shining with a light she had never seen before.

How is this going.

Toyokawa Shoko looked at her three former teammates on the stage, whom she hadn't seen in a long time. They seemed to have improved their skills significantly after leaving her—was it because the person accompanying them this time was Kazama instead of her?

Lixi became more skilled and cooperative, and Deng knew how to melt away her awkward emotions and express them through lyrics...

They seem to have become better after leaving me.

For some reason, Toyokawa Shoko felt a part of her heart that was not quite right.

But before the bitter and resentful feelings could spread in her heart, she was met with an even more severe mental shock in the next instant.

As the music ended and the lights went out, an unexpected guitar slide suddenly broke the silence—

She recognized him immediately.

As if her heart had stopped, Toyokawa Shoko's face turned deathly pale.

Mutsuya, standing to the side, seemed to have not anticipated such a turn of events, and his usually calm face showed a hint of hasty astonishment.

They both recognized it as the prelude to "Spring Shadow".

Behind the two who were frozen in place—hidden in a corner watching the blonde girl on the stage, her face also frozen with similar astonishment.

why.

Sanjiao Chuhua was completely baffled.

...Why play "Spring Shadow"?

Chapter 76 Kazama, whose place are you going to?

Why play Kasuga Shadow?

Watching her former partners and two newcomers play the songs that once belonged to them on stage, Toyokawa Shoko's outward composure was completely shattered.

Ai Yin stood on the side of the stage, her expression focused and gentle. The pick glided lightly between her fingers, guiding the melody to unfold slowly.

Just as Kazama had taught her before, she easily caught up with her teacher's stringed instrument.

On the other side, Kazama Akatsuki, a boy who is usually relaxed, appeared unusually calm during his performance.

He introduced the prelude to "Spring Shadow" with his unrestrained and flamboyant fingering, but once he got into the performance, he became engrossed in the atmosphere of serious performance.

His guitar is like another hand, the notes leaping with him, so precise they're almost calm, yet within that tranquility lies a certain indescribable warmth.

Or rather... it's the madness of knowingly doing something impossible.

His playing was devoid of superfluous movements, yet he skillfully conveyed the emotions of the melody layer by layer, like a silent undercurrent.

Next up is the lead singer's turn.

The voice of the lamp then entered—transparent, clear, yet containing a restrained flame.

She didn't actually know why Kazama would suddenly play the intro to Kasuga Kage at this moment, but the emotions had already been built up to this point, so there was no big deal about continuing to sing along with the atmosphere.

However, when Lixi realized that the song was Haruhi Kage after the drum set, he paused for a moment and almost forgot to hit the beat.

They hadn't rehearsed this song before, even though how to perform it was ingrained in the DNA of every CRYCHIC member...

But why do Kazama and Aine know how to play this song?

As for Chihaya Aine, her guitar skills were all taught by Kazama, so it wasn't difficult for her to master the rhythm of this song under his guidance...

But how did Kazama manage to become so familiar with the guitar parts of this song?

In that brief moment when Lixi was stunned, the boy standing in front of her playing the guitar turned his head to look at her.

She immediately regained her composure, and the drumbeats were no longer just cold, hard rhythms, but had undulations and tension, closely intertwined with the melody.

No, he seems to know every part of the song by heart.

She glanced up at Kazama, who reminded her before turning his head away, his fingertips quickly and precisely cutting into the filling between the main segments.

There was no element of showing off skills, only the progressively deepening emotions in the chords and the seamless tacit understanding—as if he had practiced and rehearsed "Spring Shadow" with everyone countless times.

Why is that?

Lixi was filled with questions, but she decided to put them aside for now and focus on completing the performance.

Another person on the field had the same question.

Why is it?

The bassist standing at the very edge, Motoyo Nagasaki, almost couldn't keep up with the rhythm. Fortunately, the off-beat bass wasn't too noticeable in this performance, otherwise the cheers from the audience would probably have been immediately replaced by boos.

She recognized the song the moment the intro started.

"Spring Shadows" is a song that belongs only to CRYCHIC.

That spring, they stood together on the stage, awkwardly playing this song that was both hopeful and sorrowful.

But now everything has changed...

Thinking of this, Su Shi's initial astonishment gradually transformed into another emotion.

They seemed puzzled.

Why...why did Kazama lead everyone to play this piece?

However, before Su Shi could begin to question them with her dissatisfied bass lines, she noticed the audience below.

Shoko Toyokawa was sitting in the middle of the fourth row of the audience. When she heard the chorus, her eyes suddenly trembled, as if she had been struck by a note from Kazama.

No, to be precise, I was struck by everyone who was performing this song with me.

They were clearly the three familiar figures on the stage who had been standing next to me before.

"Why... ugh!"

She muttered to herself in a daze, then gritted her teeth, turned and left without looking back, her head bowed.

"Xiang...!"

Mu quickly turned around and chased after him for a few steps, but he could only be trapped in place by the audience blocking his way.

Helpless, she watched Xiangzi's figure disappear into the livehouse exit, leaving only the audience members whispering amongst themselves, seemingly confused.

When Su Shi on stage saw that scene, her fingertips almost slipped off the bass string.

"Xiangzi——"

She wanted to shout the girl's name from the audience, but she could neither make a sound nor stop.

Kazama and Aine are still playing guitar, Riki is still playing drums, and Touka is still singing—the performance can't stop.

She was bound to the spot by this song that she once loved most.

But she also knew that it was Kazama who chose this song.

It was him who unilaterally decided to perform their past songs.

As the final coda slowly ended with Kazama and Aine playing their parts, the last note of the song dissipated like a thin mist in the spring sunshine, and thunderous applause erupted.

The audience stood up and cheered, seemingly applauding their performance.

But Su Shi did not hear it.

As the stage lights dimmed and everyone returned to the practice room from the front of the stage, Su Shi strode towards Kazama, her composure and gentleness completely shattered.

"...Why this song?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was chillingly cold.

Before Kazama could answer, she pulled him to a corner of the passageway.

Su Shi stood ramrod straight, like a string about to snap.

"So, soyorin?"

After delivering a near-perfect performance, Aine, who was in a particularly good mood, noticed this scene and seemed somewhat taken aback by Sose's sudden outburst.

Riki and Tamamo were still reeling from the performance when they witnessed the scene along with Aine.

I witnessed Nagasaki Motoyo completely abandon her usual gentle and considerate facade and begin to lose control of her hysteria.

"Congratulations! Your performance just now was really amazing... um?"

When Banami arrived at the practice room with flowers in her hands to congratulate everyone, she also witnessed this scene. The smile that was just on her face froze on her face because of this sudden change.

Su Shi's lips trembled involuntarily. Her originally gentle and dignified expression had now cracked slightly, and her rationality collapsed like thin ice in her eyes.

She grabbed the boy's collar, not because Kazama was unable to resist her advances, but simply because he had silently agreed to Suze's actions towards her.

"Why...why did you just play 'Kasuga Kage' on stage?!"

He could see the intense turmoil surging within Su Shi's eyes, which always wore a polite smile. It was as if a heavy door had been suddenly flung open, and pent-up emotions had finally burst forth uncontrollably.

Motoyo Nagasaki's heart has been completely broken.

But in stark contrast to her hysterical madness, Kazama's expression remained as calm and composed as ever.

"Because we can no longer let Su Shi continue to play the role of the 'patriarch' who makes decisions for everyone."

He easily pried open Su Shi's hand, which was gripping his collar, and remained calm and composed, as if dealing with his own cat throwing a tantrum.

How long are you going to continue making decisions for everyone without authorization like this?

His expression seemed to convey this question.

"You can't stop me, just like you couldn't stop everyone from spontaneously playing 'Spring Shadow' on stage just now. I have urgent business to attend to..."

Xiao straightened her clothes, turned around, and nodded slightly to everyone.

Goodbye, everyone.

It seemed like a solemn farewell, yet also like a promise to meet again tomorrow.

Then Kazama started walking and ran towards the entrance of RiNG without looking back.

He seemed to be chasing after someone, leaving everyone backstage looking at each other in bewilderment.

"...Where is Kazama going?"

Finally, Lixi broke the awkward silence by raising the question that everyone was particularly concerned about.