Green plums cannot become lovers.

Even though he will be leaving soon.

But the time we spent together, those days sweating it out in the practice room, those nights spent refining a single chord, that moment on stage being cheered by the crowd—all of these were real, beautiful, and worth remembering.

We need a name to carry these memories.

They will continue to use this name from now on.

however--

An and Asuka shook their heads.

"As for the name, I shouldn't be the one to choose it."

Hongxia's smile froze on her face.

"I'm just an outside support musician,"

An and Asuka continued, their tone calm and serious, "He is not the center of your band. Although the memories of this period are wonderful, they are only temporary. You will find a more suitable person someday."

He paused.

“The band is the bond that needs to unite us, but I’m not that person.”

The private room fell silent.

Kita's eyes slowly widened, then slowly drooped. Ryo's expression didn't change, but she put down her chopsticks.

Hongxia stood rooted to the spot, as if frozen in place.

Ichi Seika watched this scene without saying a word.

They all understood what An and Asuka meant.

He's right.

He wasn't really part of the band after all. He was just passing through, offering help, and then he'd be leaving. It really wasn't appropriate for someone who was about to leave to name the band.

but--

But a huge sense of disappointment still welled up inside me.

An and Asuka smiled slightly as they looked at their expressions.

"Keep it up, you will definitely find that person. I look forward to the day you become big stars."

He nodded, turned around, and pushed open the door to the private room.

The door closed gently behind him.

-

The silence in the private room lasted for a long time.

Kita Yuuyo lowered her head, staring at the plate in front of her. Ryo leaned back in her chair, looking at the ceiling. Nijika stood motionless.

Ichiko looked at the three girls and sighed.

“He’s right,” she said softly. “The band is yours, and you should name it yourselves. He’s already helped you a lot; you can’t rely on him for everything.”

Hongxia didn't say anything.

But the next second, she suddenly moved.

She flung open the door to the private room and rushed out.

-

In the corridor, An and Asuka were walking towards the exit.

"Anhe, classmate!"

I heard hurried footsteps and shouts behind me.

He stopped and turned around.

Ichi Nijika caught up and stood in front of him, slightly out of breath.

Her eyes were a little red.

She was completely different from the always energetic Hongxia she usually was.

An and Asuka didn't speak, they just watched her quietly.

Hongxia took a deep breath, and then—

She bent down and bowed deeply. Her golden side ponytail cascaded down with the movement, almost touching the ground.

"Thank you very much, Anhe."

Her voice trembled slightly, but it was clear.

"If it weren't for you, our band would have died out long ago. We might not have been able to find Kita, and we wouldn't have this performance today. It's you... it's you who helped us so much."

An and Asuka looked at her.

"You're welcome." He shook his head.

Hongxia straightened up, her eyes even redder, but she tried to smile.

"Will we ever have another chance to form a band again?"

Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of cautious anticipation.

She truly cherished this time.

I enjoyed practicing with this boy, I loved listening to his patient tone when instructing Kita, and I loved the tacit understanding we had when playing together.

Even if it's only temporary, even if it's only for a very short period of time.

But for her, these memories are precious.

An and Asuka looked at her.

Then he laughed.

“If you were short of people again,” he thought for a moment and added, “but by then you would all be united and this situation wouldn’t be possible.”

Hongxia was stunned for a moment.

Then, the tears that I had been trying so hard to hold back finally welled up in my eyes.

She blinked hard, trying to hold it back, but nothing came out. Her voice trembled with tears, yet she forced a smile. "We will unite. We definitely will."

An and Asuka nodded.

"I'm leaving."

"Um... Be careful on the road."

He turned and walked towards the exit.

Hongxia stood there, watching his figure grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared around the corner at the end of the corridor.

She raised her hand and rubbed her eyes vigorously.

-

Although they left the girls' band, An and Asuka still frequently visit STARRY.

After all, he also had a "praise music" routine to practice. They practiced at a fixed time every week, rain or shine. Practice room A had become their regular haunt, and Ijichi Hoshika always obliged, setting up the equipment for them in advance.

During this period, STARRY also underwent a noticeable change.

Business is booming more than before.

Many of An and Asuka's fans started frequenting this previously little-known livehouse after hearing that he would come here to practice every week.

Some come hoping to catch a glimpse of their idol, while others simply order a drink and sit at the bar waiting patiently. Still others deliberately choose to come during his practice time so they can catch a glimpse of him from afar when he comes in or out.

Ichi Hoshika was delighted with this.

The bar's revenue visibly increased, and tickets for other bands' performances also sold much better. She would occasionally tease An and Asuka by calling them "mascots," only to be ignored by him with a blank expression.

As for the atmosphere between An and Asuka and the three girls, it was as harmonious as ever.

Whenever he came to practice, they would come over to say hello as long as the time was right. During breaks, they would also come over with sheet music to ask questions. Most of the time, it was Kita who had the most questions, as her guitar playing was still in its developmental stage; Nijika would occasionally ask about arrangement ideas; Ryo rarely asked questions, but every time she did, she got to the point.

Anhe and the bird never hesitate to teach.

He would answer any question they asked: how to play chords more effortlessly, how to keep the rhythm more stable, how to adjust the arrangement to create richer layers. There was no condescending lecturing, nor any perfunctory "you have a long way to go" attitude; he simply offered advice in a very ordinary way, like a discussion between friends.

Sometimes after practice, they would invite him to eat at the nearby barbecue restaurant. An and Asuka declined a few times, but they couldn't resist Kita's enthusiastic advances and Nijika's big, bright eyes, and finally gave in.

Life went on peacefully and fulfillingly.

The only problem was that the band always had only three members.

An and Asuka would occasionally ask them if they had decided on a band name, and the three girls would just shake their heads.

"Not yet," Hongxia said with a smile. "I just feel like I haven't found the right one yet."

“And it’s okay if we don’t have a name, right?” Kita added. “We’re not performing now anyway, so calling us ‘The Three-Person Band’ is fine too.”

Liang didn't speak, but nodded.

An and Asuka did not ask any further questions.

He knew they were still waiting.

Waiting for that true fourth person who can fill the void.

-

Two weeks later, on a Thursday afternoon, An and Asuka arrived at STARRY as usual.

As he walked down the stairs and pushed open the familiar soundproof door, he was about to go inside when he noticed something lively on the sofas in the audience area.

Nijika, Kita, and Ryo formed a circle, talking to someone on the sofa. Due to the angle, he could only see a small part of the person being surrounded, which was a head of somewhat messy pink hair with slightly curled ends, looking like it hadn't been properly styled in a long time.

"Goto-kun, please join us!"

Hongxia's voice was earnest, her hands clasped together, and she almost leaned close to the other person.

“Yes, yes!” Kita chimed in, her amber eyes sparkling. “Goto-kun is really amazing! We need someone like you!”

Liang didn't speak, but she leaned forward slightly, staring straight at the person on the sofa, expressing her attitude through silence.

"Goto-san, please—"

Hongxia moved forward again.

An and Asuka raised an eyebrow.

what's the situation?

He walked over and stopped behind them.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

The three girls turned their heads at the same time, and the moment they saw him, their expressions changed from focused to surprised.

"Anhe, classmate!"

"You've arrived!"

"Great!"

They automatically made way, and An and Asuka were able to see the person on the sofa clearly.

It was a girl who looked about his age.

Her long, pink hair was loosely draped over her shoulders, with natural curls at the ends. She was wearing a loose pink tracksuit and was huddled in the corner of the sofa, hugging her knees, looking like a frightened little animal.

Her face was small with delicate features, but it was pale with nervousness. Her eyes were a somewhat cloudy blue, and they were wide open, staring at him without blinking.

No, I wasn't staring at him.

Was he staring at her?_Yin Lingqi_?i?i?s|Qia Tumor? He looked at her, and then her pupils trembled violently.

"Waaah..."

A faint whimper, like that of a startled animal, escaped her throat.

Anwa Asuka: "............"

He looked at Hongxia.

Hongxia immediately realized what was going on and began to explain, "It's like this! I went to Shimokitazawa Park to run some errands today, and when I passed by, I heard someone playing the guitar. It sounded amazing! So I followed the sound and found Goto-kun!"