Green plums cannot become lovers.

Having resolved the matter with the four girls, An and Asuka now had their own affairs to attend to.

First, let's look at the progress of practicing "praising music".

For more than a month, I have been practicing regularly every week without fail.

Marina's drumming has improved from its initial awkwardness to now being able to steadily hold the rhythm, Shizuka's bass lines are becoming clearer, Eriri's keyboard tone selection is becoming more and more thoughtful, Kasumigaoka Utaha's guitar has improved rapidly, and Ai's vocals are performing consistently well.

If we were to use skill levels as an analogy, it would be roughly equivalent to the peak of level one, half a step towards level two.

In other words, they are already ready to perform on stage.

Regarding the choice of stage, An and Asuka actually considered two options.

One option is an outdoor livehouse, such as STARRY. The stage there is more professional, and the audience is more dedicated, which truly tests a band's ability and allows more people to see them.

Another option is the school stage.

In mid-June, Toyonosaki Academy will hold a school festival. Many students and parents will come to visit. Although it is not as professional as a livehouse, it has the advantage of familiarity—after all, it is their own school, and they do not have to face completely unfamiliar audiences, so the psychological pressure will be much less.

He ultimately chose the latter.

The most important thing when performing on stage for the first time is to gain experience and build confidence, and the school's stage is just right.

He has already decided on the music.

There are three songs in total.

The first song is "If We Can Shine." This is his signature song and the one most familiar to his fans. Using it as an opening piece can both set the mood and quickly get the audience into the mood.

The second song, "With You," is a relatively soothing piece with a warm melody and healing lyrics, perfect for showcasing another side of the band.

The third song is a new song.

"Play".

He wrote this song in his spare time recently, inspired by many things—the days practicing with "Praise Music", the brief time spent with "End Band", and his thoughts on music, partners, and moving forward.

The melody isn't complicated, but it's full of emotion.

As for the song "The Light of Fireflies"—it won't be performed this time.

They used to have it with them in almost every performance, and An and Asuka didn't want people to say they were "just living off their past glory."

The three songs this time include both classics and new works, which is just right.

The difficulty level isn't too high, but the sheer volume of tasks makes it impossible to handle.

The three songs, totaling over ten minutes, present a considerable challenge for beginners. Marina needs to memorize the drumbeat variations in each section, Shizuka needs to ensure the bass line remains consistent throughout, Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha need to quickly switch timbres and states between the songs, and Ai needs to manage her energy effectively to ensure all three songs are performed to a high standard.

Everyone practiced with all their might.

Every day after school, the activity room is filled with the sounds of musical instruments. Marina is chanting the drum scores, Shizuka is practicing the bass repeatedly, going over the sections that are easy to make mistakes on, Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha are arguing heatedly over the choice of a tone, and Ai is doing vocal exercises on the side, occasionally interjecting to lighten the mood.

An and Asuka flitted between them, correcting problems, giving advice, and occasionally acting as judges to determine whose side of the story was more reliable.

I'm a little tired.

But seeing them improve day by day gives me a real sense of accomplishment.

-

After practice that day, Marina slumped onto the table, saying weakly, "I'm so tired... my hands feel like they don't even belong to me anymore..."

“Me too.” Shizuka rubbed her wrist, but smiled. “However, the progress is quite obvious.”

“Of course!” Eriri puffed out her chest. “I’m a genius. A few songs are nothing to me!”

Kasumigaoka Utaha pushed up her glasses: "Genius? Then who played that chord that went wrong three times in a row just now?"

"That was an accident! I was testing the effects of different timbres!"

"Oh, you tested it three times?"

"you--!"

Seeing that the two were about to start their usual bickering again, Xiao Ai quickly smoothed things over: "Okay, okay, everyone is improving very quickly! There's still some time before the school festival, we'll definitely be able to practice well!"

An and Asuka packed up their guitars and looked at them.

"You've all worked hard today, everyone go home now, we'll continue tomorrow."

"it is good--"

No one objected; after all, everyone was exhausted.

"Let's go, let's get some jewelry."

An and Asuka followed the girls out the door. When they reached the door, he suddenly remembered something and looked back.

The remaining rays of the setting sun slanted in through the window, spreading a warm golden hue across the floor.

Even though there was no one there, it felt completely full.

He smiled and closed the door.

-

On their way home, An and Asuka took out their phones and saw a new message.

It was sent by Hongxia.

Hongxia: Anhe! We officially decided on our name today! We celebrated a bit! Next time you come, I'll show you the logo we designed!

A photo is attached.

In the photo, three girls are huddled together, making peace signs at the camera. Nijika's smile is the brightest, Kita's is the second brightest, and Ryo, though not smiling, has a very faint curve at the corner of her mouth.

In the corner, Goto Ichiri peeked out with half his head, his expression stiff, but at least he didn't avoid the camera.

An and Asuka looked at the photo, a slight smile playing on their lips.

He replied with:

Anhe: Congratulations, looking forward to seeing it.

He put away his phone and continued walking.

As darkness fell, the streetlights came on one by one.

Both bands are moving towards their respective goals.

In STARRY's practice room A, the practice of "Praise Music" is in full swing.

On the other side of the soundproof glass, the four girls who had finished their band performance squeezed into the monitoring room, watching the show through the glass.

This has become their regular routine lately—whenever the time allows, they'll come over to "crash" the class. They call it observing and learning, but really they just want to catch a few more glimpses of An and Asuka's live performance.

Since there was a monitoring room and it wouldn't disturb those inside, Ichiji Hoshika let them do as they pleased.

Right now, the six people in the practice room are going through the entire school festival song list.

The melody of "If It Can Shine" came through the monitor speakers clearly, and every note seemed to have been carefully polished, flowing smoothly and full of appeal.

"Wow..." Ichiji Nijika exclaimed, resting her chin on her hand. "No matter how many times I listen to Anwa's songs, I never get tired of them."

“Yes, yes!” Kita Ikuyo nodded vigorously, her amber eyes filled with admiration. “I really love Anwa-kun’s music! I love every single one of them!”

She turned her head and looked at Ryo beside her: "What do you think, Ryo-senpai?"

"Hmm." Liang responded simply, her eyes still fixed on the glass. "The melody has a very distinctive style, and the harmonic arrangement is mature. It's not the kind of pop song formula that you get tired of after listening to it three times."

"Right, right!" Kita shook his head happily, pleased that his taste had been appreciated.

Liang paused for two seconds before suddenly speaking: "So, we're basically watching a live performance by professional musicians, right?"

“Huh? I guess so…” Hongxia paused for a moment.

“If we filmed this scene and sold it,” Liang said expressionlessly, “it should be very profitable.”

"Liang!!" Hongxia turned her head sharply, her voice rising eight octaves, "You're not allowed to do that!"

Her reaction was so strong that it startled Goto Ichiri, who was huddled in a corner next to her.

"This is confidential! Anhe trusted us, that's why we're here to see it! How can we sell it for money!" Hongxia glared at Liang angrily, her cheeks puffed up like steamed buns.

Liang looked at her and remained silent for a second.

"...Just kidding."

"You can't make jokes like that!" Hongxia was still fuming, but her tone had softened.

"Okay, I know I was wrong." Liang admitted her mistake readily.

Hongxia stared at her for a few seconds to make sure she was genuinely apologizing before snorting and turning back to watch the performance in the practice room.

Kita, standing nearby, covered her mouth and chuckled. Every time she watched Nijika and Ryo interact, she felt happy—one was energetic and easily angered, while the other was expressionless, occasionally teasing her, but would admit her mistakes at crucial moments.

This way of getting along made her feel that this small group was becoming more and more like a real "family".

In the corner, Goto Ichiri quietly peeked out half his head, looking at the six people in the practice room through the glass.

Her gaze fell on the boy who was intently playing the guitar.

Peace and birds.

My idol, whom I've followed since sixth grade, is now less than ten meters away. He appears here every week, and I sometimes talk to him, and even... hold his hand.

Thinking about what happened that day, Goto Ichiri's face flushed even more.

But soon, her attention was drawn to the music.

The chorus of "If We Can Shine" just started playing, the melody soaring and full of power, as if telling a story of unwavering faith.

As she listened, she suddenly spoke softly:

"If only one day... I could play Anwa's songs too."

Her voice was very soft, almost to the point of talking to herself. But the monitoring room was only so big, and the other three people still heard her.

Kita turned his head and blinked.

Hongxia (, one) Qibashiqiwu6 also looked over.

Liang remained expressionless, but her eyes seemed to have softened a bit.

The silence lasted for a few seconds.

Then, Kita spoke first: "I understand!"

She nodded vigorously, her amber eyes filled with agreement: "I want to too! I really want to!"

Hongxia smiled and said, "I understand what you mean."

Liang succinctly added: "兒/O侕er一3o覇?r Same as above."

Goto Ichiri was surprised that her mutterings had been heard, and her face flushed even more as she shrank back. But a warm feeling welled up inside her.

—It turns out, everyone was thinking the same thing.

Kita's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had come up with a brilliant idea.

"That's right!"

She clapped her hands, and her whole body lit up.

"Why don't we just have Anhe write a song for us?"

The monitoring room was silent for a second.

Hongxia stared at her blankly, then burst out laughing.

"Haha, will Kita-chan pay for it?" she teased with a laugh. "You know, Anwa-kun is very famous. Asking him to write a song would probably bankrupt our entire STARRY."

“That’s true…” Kita’s shoulders slumped, but she quickly rallied. “But thinking about it is always better than nothing! Thinking about it makes you feel better…”

“That’s true.” Hongxia nodded with a smile.

Liang calmly spoke up from the side: "According to market prices, the composing and arranging fees for a song by musicians of An and Asuka's caliber are roughly..."

She gave a number. (The rest of the text appears to be gibberish and unrelated.)

The monitoring room fell silent again.

The string of numbers echoed in the air like a heavy stone, shattering Kita's fleeting fantasies and sending them crashing into the earth's core.

“…Let’s keep dreaming,” Kita said weakly.

Hongxia couldn't help but laugh out loud.