Green plums cannot become lovers.

"Um...that..." Her voice was still soft, but a little steadyer than before, "Please, please guide me..."

"Yay!!" Hongxia cheered.

"Great! We finally have them all!" Kita jumped up happily.

Liang grasped her hand, shook it forcefully, and uttered a single word:

"Ah."

Goto Ichiri was somewhat taken aback by their reactions, but she couldn't help but smile slightly.

It's a very small amount.

But that was the first time today that she showed an expression that resembled a smile.

An and Asuka stood aside, watching this scene, a slight smile playing on their lips.

Finally, we've collected them all.

This band, which only had a temporary name from the first meeting, now finally has a complete lineup.

Although it seems that the pink-haired girl will need a long time to adjust to living with others, at least she has taken the first step.

Hongxia turned her head and looked at him with bright eyes.

"Anhe, thank you!"

“I didn’t do anything,” An and Asuka said.

“You did it!” Hongxia said seriously, “Goto-san listened to what you just said! We talked to her for so long but she still didn’t agree, but she wavered as soon as you said it!”

Kita nodded vigorously: "As expected of Anwa-senpai!"

Liang rarely spoke up, but added, "Very persuasive."

An and Asuka shook their heads helplessly.

Goto Ichiri stood up from the sofa and carefully walked up to him.

She lowered her head, staring at her toes, her hands nervously twisting together.

"Um..." Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, "Asuka-senpai... thank you... I... I'll try my best in the future..."

An and Asuka looked at her.

"Okay," he said. "Keep it up."

Goto Ichiri's face flushed even more, but she nodded vigorously.

"Okay, okay!"

-

That evening, An and Asuka practiced "Praise Music" as usual.

When I left STARRY after the event, it was already completely dark.

He stood at the door, took a deep breath of the cool night air, and was about to leave when he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure crouching in the corner by the door.

She had long pink hair, wore a pink tracksuit, and was hugging a guitar case. She was huddled in a corner, seemingly lost in thought.

Anhe and the flying bird stopped in their tracks.

"...Goto-kun?"

Goto Ichiri suddenly looked up, saw it was him, and froze instantly.

"H-Asuka-senpai!"

What are you doing here?

"I...I..." Her voice trailed off, "I'm waiting...for Hongxia and the others...they said we'd go out to eat together after practice..."

"Then why didn't you go inside and wait?"

"There are so many people inside... I'm a little..."

An and Asuka looked at her curled-up figure and suddenly felt like laughing.

"Did they know you were waiting outside?"

"I...I didn't say that..."

"Then they might go out through the back door."

Goto Ichiri's expression froze instantly.

"Back door?"

"Yes, they often go out through the back door, which is closer to the parking lot."

Goto Ichiri was stunned for three seconds.

Then she suddenly stood up, grabbed her violin case, and tried to run towards the back door—

After running a couple of steps, he stopped and looked back at An and Asuka.

"Th-that... Asuka-senpai..."

"Ok?"

"Thank you for today..." Her voice was still soft, but earnest. "I...I will try my best...together with them..."

An and Asuka looked at her.

Then he nodded.

"Okay. Keep it up."

A small, shy, but genuine smile bloomed on Ichiri Goto's face.

Then, carrying her violin case, she jogged towards the back door.

An and Asuka stood there, watching the pink figure disappear around the corner.

A gentle night breeze blew by.

He remembered the first time he met Hongxia; she was like that too, cowering at the door, too afraid to go in.

Now it's Goto Ichiri's turn.

This band really does gather a bunch of weirdos.

He smiled, shook his head, and turned to walk towards home.

Volume 1: Chapter 219 It's nice to dream.

Two days later, An and Asuka returned to STARRY.

As soon as I stepped down the stairs and pushed open the familiar soundproof door, three figures swooped in and surrounded me.

"Anhe, classmate!"

"You've arrived!"

"Perfect, perfect!"

Kita Yuyo's eyes sparkled, Nijika had a big smile on her face, and even Ryo stood behind them with a faint smile on his lips.

An and Asuka were taken aback by their reactions.

"......What's wrong?"

"Our band's name has been decided!" Hongxia announced, her voice brimming with pride.

"Oh?" An and Asuka became interested. "What's your name?"

The girls exchanged glances, then laughed in unison and said:

"End the band!"

An and Asuka were taken aback.

结束乐队

He silently recited the combination in his mind and quickly understood the meaning of "韭/6" as "tumor qi extraction".

In Japanese, besides its original meaning of "to end," "katsu" also has another meaning—unity, cohesion, and bringing together scattered things.

Using this word as the band name creates a cool contrast while also implying the expectation of "bringing everyone together".

That's brilliant.

"End the band..." He nodded. "Good name, who came up with it?"

“Ryo-senpai!” Kita immediately pointed to the blue-haired girl next to him.

Liang Mian accepted everyone's gazes expressionlessly and said indifferently, "Just something I thought of off the cuff."

"You can think of something so amazing just by talking!" Kita looked at her with admiration.

Hongxia added with a smile, "We discussed it for a long time, and finally found that Liang's suggestion was the most suitable. An ending is also a beginning. It sounds cool, and it has a deeper meaning."

She turned to An and Asuka, her amber eyes gleaming with seriousness.

"We will unite, just like Anhe said!"

An and Asuka looked at her, then at Kita and Ryo, who were nodding earnestly beside them, and at the pink figure peeking out from the corner.

He smiled.

"I believe in you, and I look forward to you reaching even greater heights."

He thought for a moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a few things.

Those were four fruit candies—orange, strawberry, apple, and grape—the colorful wrappers gleaming slightly under the light.

“I don’t have anything good to give you,” he said with a smile, “so I’ll just give you four fruit candies.”

This was a habit he had since childhood. In Aichi, he often gave fruit candies to the girls around him, and they all loved them. Later, when he moved to Tokyo, he didn't change this habit; he always carried a few in his pocket so he could take them out when needed.

"Thank you!"

"So sweet!"

Nijika and Kita unceremoniously reached out and took the fruit. Kita immediately peeled a strawberry-flavored one and popped it into his mouth, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

Ryo took it, looked down at the candy in his hand, and then silently put it into his pocket.

When it was Goto Ichiri's turn, she timidly shrank back, head down, not daring to reach out.

An and Asuka knew she was embarrassed.

He walked over and stopped in front of her.

Goto Ichiri's body stiffened visibly, and she lowered her head even further, her long pink hair hanging down to cover most of her face.

An and Asuka didn't say anything, but reached out and took her hand—that hand was cool and trembling slightly—and gently placed the last grape-flavored candy in her palm.

"Go for it, Goto-kun."

Goto Ichiri froze completely.

She looked down at the small fruit candy in her palm, then at the hand that had let go of her and was withdrawing.

An, An'an and classmates

He took her hand...

Her face flushed red at a visible speed, from her cheeks to her ears, and from her ears to her neck, her whole face turning as red as a ripe tomato.

"Waaah..."

A soft whimper escaped her throat, and like a frightened little animal, she shrank behind Liang, clutching her guitar.

"Huh? What's wrong, Goto-kun?" Kita asked curiously, peeking over.

"It's nothing," Liang said calmly. "I'm just dealing with overloaded emotions."

"Handling...emotions?"

"Yes. It will take time."

An and Asuka looked at the figure hiding behind Ryo, with only half of its pink head showing, and couldn't help but smile.

He's quite an interesting guy.

-