Green plums cannot become lovers.

At Christmas, Akane Akasaka gave him a professional-grade custom microphone, with a card that read: "Let more people hear your voice."

“A gift is only meaningful if it’s used.” Akane Kousaka put down the documents and looked at him seriously. “So, are you ready for the concert in February?”

An and Asuka nodded: "The setlist is finalized, and the arrangements are being finalized. Band rehearsals will begin next week."

“Very good.” Akane Kousaka took out a thick proposal from the drawer. “This is the complete plan for the concert. Stage design, lighting, sound, promotion schedule... all the details are here. You need to do more than just perform; you also need to understand how the entire performance is structured.”

The proposal was incredibly detailed, from the content of the opening video to the timing of the encore, from the stage movement routes to the interaction with the audience; every page reflected professionalism and dedication.

"Sister Zhu Yin..."

Akane Akasaka waved her hand: "Don't get too emotional yet. This concert is not only your debut, but also an important project for the Rouge En Rouge music division. You must succeed."

She paused, then softened her tone slightly, "Of course, I believe you can do it."

After the visit, An and Asuka stood on the streets of Shibuya, looking at the heavy proposal in their hands, feeling a mix of emotions—expectation, gratitude, and a heavy sense of responsibility.

The focus of all this busy work was the concert in mid-February.

Yes, when giving him Christmas gifts, Akane Akasaka formally informed him that she needed a live concert to further expand her influence.

He has gained considerable fame in certain circles thanks to "Where the Stars Lead" and two albums, but to break through these circles and reach a wider audience, he needs a more impactful platform.

So throughout January, An and Asuka's lives accelerated into concert preparations. Every day after school, he went straight to Rouge En Rouge's rehearsal room to work with the band, discuss choreography with the choreographers, and adjust equipment with the sound engineer. Weekends were spent entirely in the studio, perfecting arrangements, recording backing tracks, and even participating in stage design discussions.

Surprisingly, the girls showed remarkable thoughtfulness upon learning of his busy schedule.

“You’re on a special pardon this month!” Marina announced at the family meeting, holding up one finger. “We won’t ‘exploit’ you until the concert ends. But—”

Her eyes lit up. "We want the best seats for the concert!"

Shizuka gently added, "Asuka, just focus on preparing. We'll take care of the housework and meals."

Xiao Ai clenched her fist and cheered, "Asuka's first concert must be a huge success! I'll bring the whole fan club to support him!"

The concert was initially planned for a medium-sized stadium with approximately 6,000 seats. Akane Akane's idea was to test the waters—to gauge market reaction, gain experience in live performances, and prepare for potentially larger-scale shows in the future.

However, everyone was shocked on the day ticket pre-sales began.

Tickets went on sale at 10:00 AM, and by 10:03 AM, the system showed that all tickets were sold out.

"What's going on?" The ticketing staff member couldn't believe their eyes. "A system malfunction?"

Refresh, still sold out. Refresh again, still sold out.

Akane Akasaka was in a meeting when she received the report. She raised an eyebrow at the data on the tablet and pondered for a moment: "Release the reserved emergency tickets, and add another two thousand."

The additional tickets sold out again within fifteen minutes.

Akane Akasaka did not release any more tickets this time.

“We underestimated his appeal,” Akane Akasaka said excitedly. “It’s not just hype within the industry; it’s truly gone mainstream.”

But she still insisted on not adding more tickets: "Venue capacity and safety limitations are objective conditions. More importantly, this is Asuka's first concert, and a moderate scale is actually more conducive to controlling the quality. What we want is a performance that makes people want to see the next one, not a carnival that drains all the passion at once."

This concert will also mark the first time that Anwa Asuka will officially appear in front of the public in their true forms.

Prior to this, both the game producer "Anwa Asuka" and the musician "Asuka" maintained a certain mystique—album covers featured silhouettes or artistic photographs, game promotions only credited him without showing his face, and interviews were mostly in text or audio format. Although photos of him at school had circulated on the internet earlier, most were blurry or incomplete.

This time, the concert's promotional posters directly featured photos of An and Asuka. Their youthful, handsome faces, calm eyes, and unique charisma—a blend of naivety and maturity—exuded a striking allure under the lens of a professional photographer.

The poster caused an uproar online on the day it was released.

"Wait, is this 'Asuka' himself? So young?!"

"I thought he was at least a musician in his twenties..."

"The producer of 'Where the Stars Lead'? The composer of game music? And two albums? Is this the same person? And only sixteen years old?"

"Which young master came here to play music?"

Inevitably, dissenting voices arose. Some speculated that he was a "manufactured genius" built on family connections, others suspected that his works were ghostwritten by a professional team, and still others directly mocked him: "Just another idol packaged by looks and marketing, right?"

But these doubts were quickly drowned out by rebuttals.

"Have you heard of 'Hotaru no Hikari'? Can that kind of emotional expression be faked?"

Have you seen the behind-the-scenes documentary of "Where the Stars Are"? He was involved in the entire process, from programming and art direction to script meetings.

"I'm a student of Toyosaki. Anwa is always first in the grade. Does he need to rely on his family background?"

"Hilarious! Have those who say he was ghostwritten heard the videos of his impromptu street performances?"

The online debate intensified, which ironically boosted the concert's popularity. Akane Akane calmly monitored the public opinion, sometimes even adding fuel to the fire herself to further amplify the hype.

“There’s no need to overreact,” she told An and Asuka. “Let the performance itself speak for itself. When the audience hears the live performance, all doubts will disappear.”

An and Asuka truly had no energy to pay attention to off-stage public opinion. They devoted themselves entirely to preparations while also quietly pushing forward another plan—a new game project.

This time, he chose the Roguelike genre, a dungeon exploration game with combat as its theme.

He hadn't told anyone about this project yet, including Marina and the others. One reason was that the girls were all busy with their studies and careers—Marina's manga serialization was entering a crucial period, Shizuka was preparing a new volume of her novel, Ai's idol schedule was packed, and Kaori Miyazono needed to catch up on the classes she missed while hospitalized.

On the other hand, An and Asuka wanted to test their ability to complete a project independently.

With the system's assistance, once his skills in [Game Engine Mastery] and [Programming] both reached Lv4, the technical aspects were no longer a problem.

In terms of art, although not as good as professional painters, the aesthetic sense and skills brought by the [Talent] attribute are more than enough to complete basic designs.

Copywriting and music are his strengths.

The real challenge was time. Developing a game while preparing for a concert meant he had to carefully manage every minute.

An and Asuka devised a strict schedule: wake up at 7 a.m. and work on game code for an hour; during school breaks and lunch breaks, brainstorm game mechanics; after school until 10 p.m., devote themselves to concert rehearsals; after returning home at 10 p.m., spend an hour on game art design and copywriting; and go to bed before midnight.

January 30th, the final full rehearsal.

An and Asuka stood in the center of the empty stage, the lights shining on them, the faint echo of their own breathing coming from the speakers. There were no audience members below, but he could imagine the scene of five thousand seats filled with people.

The band is in position, the dance is ready, and everyone backstage is on standby.

Akane Akasaka sat at the control panel and issued a command through her headset: "Asuka, are you ready?"

An and Asuka took a deep breath and closed their eyes. Many images flashed through their minds, from childhood to adulthood, but in the end, they all transformed into the determination of this moment.

He opened his eyes, his gaze clear and resolute.

"Ready."

The music is ringing.

February in Tokyo was still chilly, but outside a mid-sized stadium in Shibuya, the crowd queuing to enter was burning with enthusiasm. Among them were students in school uniforms, office workers who had come in groups, couples, and music lovers who had come alone. Everyone held glow sticks or support boards, their faces filled with anticipation.

Backstage, An and Asuka were making their final preparations, with Akane Kousaka standing beside them, looking at the boy's profile.

There was light in his eyes.

The light was there from the first time she saw him, and now it has not faded with time, but shines even brighter.

This is a boy who can never be defeated.

Akane Akane thought to herself, a look of relief appearing on her face.

"Sister Zhu Yin".

"Don't say anything." Akane Akasaka interrupted Anwa Asuka, and said with a smile, "It's time for you to go on stage."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a staff member came to inform them: "The show will begin in five minutes."

An and Asuka looked at Akane Kousaka, who gave them a thumbs-up and her eyes were full of trust.

He nodded and walked to the side of the stage.

The lights in the audience dimmed, and the noise gradually subsided. The opening video began playing on the big screen—from black and white scenes of a small town, to the neon lights of Tokyo, to the day and night in the recording studio, and finally to a silhouette in front of a piano.

The music intro begins, a rearranged version of "Hotaru no Hikari" (Light of Fireflies), which is more grand and emotional than the studio version.

The stage lights suddenly turned on.

Anhe and the flying bird stood in the center of the light.

At that moment, all eyes were on him. Doubt, expectation, curiosity, admiration—all gazes intertwined into an invisible net.

He raised the microphone, and the first note flowed from his throat.

Clear and firm, like spring water breaking through the ice.

The concert has started.

Volume 1: Chapter 187 A New Beginning

This is the first time that An and Asuka have stepped onto such a large-scale formal stage.

The heat of the spotlight shone through the thin performance costume, and all that could be seen was a deep darkness. But in that darkness, thousands of glow sticks swayed like a sea of ​​stars, and the sounds of breathing, whispers, and the restless anticipation wove an invisible net in the air.

Unlike the distance he felt in small livehouses where he could almost touch the audience, he was now standing on a stage several meters away from the nearest audience seats, facing the gaze of thousands of eyes.

However, the anticipated fear did not materialize. An and Asuka stood in the center of the stage, feeling their hearts beat steadily and powerfully, and a strange sense of peace rose from the depths of their hearts. This was different from the naive courage of their street performances in their youth; it was a certainty about the path they were to take, after experiencing enough partings and reunions, losses and gains.

He adjusted his in-ear monitor and spoke softly into the microphone: "Good evening, this is Asuka."

A simple sentence, yet like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly ignited the sea of ​​stars below the stage. Shouts of "Asuka! Asuka! Asuka!" surged forth like waves, mixed with screams from girls, cheers from boys, and sincere applause from voices that were no longer young.

An and Asuka bowed slightly, then walked to the piano on the side of the stage. The spotlight followed their figure, casting a warm halo around the black piano.

He didn't say anything more, he just sat down, his long fingers hovering above the piano keys.

The entire venue fell silent the moment the first note was played.

The prelude to "Hotaru no Hikari" flows out like a clear spring. This piece, included in the first mini-album, has become fuller after being rearranged—the addition of the string section makes the emotional layers more complex, but the main piano melody still retains its original clarity and sincerity.

An and Asuka closed their eyes, letting their fingers navigate the piano keys from memory. When they began to sing, their voices possessed a depth and maturity beyond their years.

Today, the songs in his concert were mostly lyrical. Although they lacked a bit of passion, they were able to evoke the emotions in the audience.

The most classic of all is undoubtedly "Hotaru no Hikari".

"To this day, I offer a few words of farewell."

With songs in their hearts, they bid each other farewell, offering blessings.

Below the stage, amidst a sea of ​​stars, a middle-aged man in a suit who had come alone suddenly froze. His name was Kenichi Sato, forty-two years old, an ordinary section chief at a company. He was supposed to work overtime today, but inexplicably bought this concert ticket—his daughter said, "Asuka's music can help Dad relax."

At that moment, the images from the lyrics flooded back. He saw himself thirty years ago, wearing an ill-fitting school uniform, saying goodbye to his best friend under a cherry blossom tree after graduation. They promised to meet every year, but gradually lost contact by the third year. Last year, he heard at a class reunion that his friend had passed away from illness.

Tears silently streamed down Sato's face. He lowered his head, not wanting others to see a middle-aged man's loss of composure, but he heard soft sobs around him. Looking up, he saw a man in a suit wiping his eyes with a handkerchief diagonally in front of him; to his left, a couple who looked to be in their fifties held hands tightly, the wife's eyes glistening with tears.

It wasn't just them. In every corner of the audience, the melody of "Hotaru no Hikari" evoked similar memories—

A woman in her thirties recalled her college roommate who slept in the lower bunk. They used to talk all night long, but now they are not even close friends.

A boy who looked like a high school student thought of his childhood friend who had transferred schools. They had agreed to video call every week, but after two months, they tacitly stopped mentioning it.

An elderly gentleman with gray hair recalled seeing off a friend at the train station half a century ago, and that "take care" became their last conversation.

The music continued. An and Asuka's voices echoed throughout the stadium, each word clear and gentle. As the song drew to a close, he slightly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the shimmering sea of ​​stars below the stage, before slowly ending his performance.

Thunderous applause erupted. Many people clapped and wiped away tears, as memories of friendship buried by time were revived by this song.

After a brief pause, the stage lights changed. An and Asuka stood up from the piano and walked to the center of the stage, where the string section of the band joined in, and the prelude slowly began to play – "Where the Stars Are".

The arrangement of this song is more grand than the album version, with the dialogue between the strings and the piano being both plaintive and poignant.

In the middle of the audience, a young couple held hands tightly. The boy was named Takuya Takahashi, and the girl was named Rena Kobayashi; both were twenty-year-old university students.

Their relationship is in crisis—Rena's parents want her to return to her hometown to inherit the family business after graduation, while Takuya has received a job offer from a well-known company in Tokyo. Disagreements, arguments, silences... they even talked about breaking up before coming to the concert.

But at that moment, when the words "Your light still shines in my heart" rang out, Takuya felt Rena's hand tremble slightly. He turned his head and saw her biting her lip, tears welling up in her eyes.

The lyrics continued to flow, each word seemingly telling their story. Takuya recalled the first time he met Rena, her radiant presence during her club recruitment speech; Rena remembered Takuya's clumsy figure as he cared for her through the night while she was sick, awkwardly cooking porridge. Those warm memories, almost erased by reality, became clear again under the influence of the music.

It wasn't just them. On the other side of the audience, a woman in her thirties leaned gently on her boyfriend's shoulder. She thought of her previous failed relationship, of the hurt caused by distance and misunderstandings, but now this person beside her was willing to travel halfway across Tokyo to accompany her to a concert she might not even be interested in.

Further away, a middle-aged couple smiled at each other. They had been married for fifteen years, weathered the seven-year itch, experienced the pressure of raising children, and had countless thoughts of "should we get a divorce?" But at this moment, as the music played, they remembered the vows they made to each other at their wedding.

An and Asuka sang with complete passion on stage. His gaze occasionally swept across the audience, catching glimpses of clasped hands, embracing figures, and hearts drawn closer together through the music. This is the power of music—it doesn't solve practical problems, but it gives people the courage to face them.

As the last note of "Where the Stars Are" faded, many couples embraced tightly. Takuya whispered in Rena's ear, "I'll face your parents with you. We'll figure something out together."

Rena nodded vigorously, and tears finally streamed down her face.

In the following songs, An and Asuka found a perfect balance between lyricism and warmth.

When the prelude to "Always With Us" began, many audience members who were still immersed in sadness smiled again.

This song is like a ray of warm sunshine, shining into a heart that has just been moistened by tears. An and Asuka's voices become even brighter, carrying a healing power.

All the brilliance is around me.