Crossover Anime: The Heroine is in Trouble? I Take Advantage of the Situation

Hongxia devoted 200% of her energy to practice.

But soon.

She encountered a bottleneck she had never imagined.

The title track of this tour is a work that incorporates rock elements.

The arrangement is extremely complex and technically challenging.

In particular, the drum section is full of irregular, complex beats and high-speed, overloaded drumbeats, which is a challenge for Hongxia, whose skills are still at the level of an "excellent high school student".

-

In the underground practice room of the Yamada family's residence.

"...Let's take a break."

Ryo Yamada put down his bass, pressed the pause button on the recording equipment, and looked behind the drum kit.

Hongxia was covered in sweat and looked visibly tired.

“Nijika,” Yamada Ryo said calmly, “Just now in measure 128, during the seven-beat overload, you grabbed half a beat again.”

"This is the seventeenth time you've made a mistake here this afternoon."

Hongxia's body trembled slightly.

She gripped the drumsticks so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"I...I'm sorry, it's cold." Hongxia lowered her head, looking dejected. "I...I'll try again! This time, I'm sure I can do it!"

"No need." Yamada Ryo shook his head. "You've already reached your limit today. There's no point in training any further."

She paused, then looked at her friend and bedmate with a complicated expression.

"Hongxia, are you pushing yourself too hard?"

“Your drumming is too ‘tight’. Every beat you strike carries tension and anxiety.”

“You’re not ‘playing,’ you’re doing a task, a task you’re afraid of failing at.”

Yamada Ryo's words gently touched Nijika's heart.

"I……"

Hongxia opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Because Liang is right.

Just then, the door of the practice room was pushed open.

Seiji Fujiwara walked in carrying the fancy snacks and drinks he had bought for them.

"good evening."

He greeted them, but received no response.

Looking up, she noticed the unusual atmosphere in the practice room. Hongxia lowered her head, her emotions dripping.

He placed the things on the table, walked over to Yamada Ryo's side, and asked in a low voice:

"what happened?"

Yamada Ryo pointed to the sheet music and gave a helpless smile: "Your new song is too difficult for her."

"Her basic skills are not yet sufficient to support such a complex arrangement."

"Especially when paired with my bass, my technical shortcomings are magnified infinitely."

Seiji Fujiwara understood.

She looked at Hongxia's pitiful yet stubborn expression and smiled, "Leave it to me."

“Yes.” Yamada Ryo nodded; she had always had great confidence in Fujiwara Seiji.

“Hongxia, look at this.”

Seiji Fujiwara spoke up and took out a tablet computer from his bag.

He handed the tablet to Hongxia.

"This is the band practice software that my assistant bought. It's the well-known 'Pro-DrummerX' in the industry, a lifetime membership."

"This thing can analyze the problems with every tap you make in real time and provide an optimized practice plan."

"Many professional musicians are there. You should give it a try."

Hongxia accepted it in a daze.

Yamada Ryo also came over, and his eyes lit up when he saw the software icon.

"Wow, 'Pro-DrummerX'..."

She exclaimed in surprise, "I've heard about this before. Apparently, the annual subscription fee is several hundred thousand yen."

"As expected of Seiji, he's so generous to us!"

Meanwhile, Yamada Ryo silently complained to himself.

'It's more than just generous!'

'It's clearly a case of throwing money at someone... But judging from Hongxia's expression, so moved she's practically ready to offer herself in gratitude, the money wasn't wasted.'

"Thank you, Seiji!" Nijika exclaimed with delight.

-

-

After obtaining the practice software, Hongxia seemed to be injected with a stimulant.

Over the next few days, she spent most of her time in the basement practice room of Yamada Ryo's house.

She seemed tireless.

Every day, I diligently follow the software's instructions to correct my behavior.

Of course.

Hongxia's progress is obvious.

Each strike became more and more precise;

With each of her overloads, the flow became smoother and smoother;

The rhythm is now perfectly synchronized with an electronic metronome.

however,

When she played a duet with Yamada Ryo again, that bottleneck reappeared, an invisible wall blocking her way.

"stop."

Yamada Ryo pressed the pause button again.

“Nijika…” Yamada Ryo’s face showed even deeper complexity and helplessness, “Your skills are already excellent.”

"But a new problem has arisen."

“Every tap you make now is as precise as a robot’s.”

"Instead, we lost the initial feelings. We lost that vibrant 'groove' that made our hearts beat in unison."

Listen to this.

"I……"

Hongxia was stunned.

Solving one problem only to have a new one arise?

Why is her career path so difficult?

She looked down at her hands, which were blistered and sore from long hours of intense practice.

Suddenly.

A huge sense of grievance and helplessness welled up in Hongxia's heart.

Why is this happening?

I've already tried so hard...

Do I lack the talent to play music?

-

That night,

When Seiji Fujiwara arrived at Ryo Yamada's house, as usual...

This is the scene he saw.

That girl, who was always full of energy like a little sun, was now huddled in a corner of the practice room, looking utterly dejected.

The girl hugged her knees, burying her face in them.

Yamada Ryo leaned against the door with a helpless expression and shrugged as he watched him.

"It's been like this all afternoon."

"Software can teach you technology, but it can't teach you your 'soul'."

Ryo Yamada explained the situation succinctly.

Seiji Fujiwara nodded.

It's his turn to appear again.

As someone who has received system rewards for master-level musical skills, pop music, arrangement, and composition techniques.

Solving the current problem is not difficult.

"Leave this to me."

He told Yamada Ryo to leave, then walked over and sat down next to Nijika.

"You lose confidence and shrink into a corner when you encounter difficulties?" He chuckled, not blaming her, but teasing her, "This is not like the energetic Ichiji Nijika I know."

“The energetic Nijika Ijichi has exhausted her energy and died.” Nijika raised her head and forced a stiff smile.

"Don't tell lame jokes at a time like this."

"Do I not even have the talent to tell corny jokes?"

“…If you keep being stubborn, I’ll let you taste an even harder stick!” Seiji Fujiwara threatened viciously.

"..." Hongxia looked speechless.

How come this person always manages to veer off onto such risqué things?

However, this interruption...

Hongxia's mood improved somewhat. She sighed and said, "Seiji! Am I just not suited to be in a band? I've tried so hard, but I still can't keep up with Ryo."

Seiji Fujiwara did not argue about this matter.

Arguing will only trap Hongxia's thinking in the matter of talent.

So he only takes action.

“Nijika, do you know what ‘rhythm’ is?” Fujiwara Seiji asked.

Hongxia shook her head.

Seiji Fujiwara smiled and explained to her, "'Rhythm' is like cooking."

He didn't talk about those complicated, professional, music theory concepts.

Instead, he used a simple metaphor to explain the problem to her.

"A recipe can tell you how much salt to add, how much sugar to add, how high the heat should be, and how long to stir-fry... That's 'technique'."

"That software is called 'Recipe.' It allows you to make standard dishes that are absolutely foolproof."

"However, truly delicious dishes require more than just a precise recipe."

"It requires the chef to put 'emotion' into the cooking process. The chef needs to adjust the ingredients and cooking time according to their own style to create a subtle chemical reaction."