Green plums cannot become lovers.

Goto Ichiri also subtly curved the corners of his mouth into a smile.

Liang remained expressionless as always, but the slight upturn of her lips betrayed her.

—Actually, everyone knows that getting An and Asuka to write songs for them is currently just a dream.

But it's nice to dream occasionally.

Book 1: Chapter 220 Romeo and Juliet [9k]

The conversation in the monitoring room was inaudible to those in the practice room, as it was separated by soundproof glass.

An and Asuka were focused on leading everyone through the song, completely unaware that four girls next door were discussing how much it would cost to have him write a song.

After successfully completing "If We Can Shine," the next exercise was "With You."

This song has a slightly slower tempo and more restrained emotions, requiring a higher level of emotional control from the performer. Eriri's keyboard needs to create a warm and gentle atmosphere, while Kasumigaoka Utaha's guitar needs to gently support the melody like flowing water.

"Eri, make the tone a little warmer here." An and Asuka stopped playing and looked at the keyboard. "You can turn the reverb up a bit, but control it carefully, don't make it muddy."

"Okay, okay," Eriri replied, while her hands quickly adjusted several parameters.

"Kasumigaoka-senpai, when the chorus comes in, slightly increase the volume of the guitar to create a layered effect with the keyboard."

“Okay.” Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded and made a note on the score.

"Let's do it again."

The music started again.

This time, it was noticeably smoother than before. Eriri's keyboard playing was like a thin layer of mist, gently spreading across the bottom; Kasumigaoka Utaha's guitar gently pushed up during the chorus, creating a subtle dialogue with the keyboard; Shizuka's bass steadily supported the low notes, Marina's drumbeats were delicate and restrained, and Ai's vocals were as clear as a spring.

When the song ended, everyone was a little out of breath, but they all had satisfied smiles on their faces.

“That was good this time.” An and Asuka nodded. “Keep this feeling in mind and do it again to solidify it.”

"it is good--"

-

In the monitoring room, the four girls watched intently.

"Amazing..." Kita murmured, "I'm improving with every try..."

"Hmm," Liang responded, "That's professional-level practice efficiency."

Looking at the boy inside explaining the details to everyone, Hongxia suddenly exclaimed, "Anhe is really amazing! He plays so well, teaches so well, and is so patient..."

"And he's handsome too," Kita added.

"And she has a good personality," Hongxia continued.

"And it's famous." Kita continued.

"And..." Hongxia thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled, "In short, it's super amazing!"

Goto Ichiri huddled in a corner, listening to them praising An and Asuka one after another, silently agreeing in her heart.

—That's right, it's incredibly powerful.

She had known this since sixth grade.

At that time, she had only recently started playing the guitar and was practicing clumsily in her room, watching video tutorials. She stumbled upon Anhe Asuka's account and saw the blogger earnestly playing a piece in front of the camera.

Although he never showed his true face at that time, she could tell from his hands that the person in the video was about the same age as her.

She listened to that song "Summer" countless times.

After that, she would immediately watch every video he posted, repeatedly learning and imitating it.

It's fair to say that she learned to play the guitar largely by watching him play.

And now, the person who stepped out of the screen is right in front of her, less than ten meters away.

Goto Ichiri suddenly felt like it was all a dream.

-

The practice lasted for another half hour.

When An and Asuka announced, "That's all for today," the four girls in the monitoring room also stood up.

"Let's go say hello!" Kita was the first to rush out.

"Wait for me!" Hongxia quickly followed.

Liang walked behind at a leisurely pace.

Goto Ichiri hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he picked up his guitar and followed after them in small steps.

Pushing open the door to the practice room, the six people inside, who were packing their things, looked up.

"Thank you for your hard work—" Kita spoke first, his voice clear and loud.

"Thank you for your hard work!" Hongxia echoed.

Liang nodded.

Goto Ichiri shrank back and whispered, "H-You've worked hard..."

An and Asuka looked at them and smiled: "You two were spying in the monitoring room again?"

“What do you mean by peeping!” Kita immediately retorted, “We are openly observing and learning!”

"Exactly!" Hongxia chimed in, "Studying isn't illegal!"

An and Asuka shook their heads helplessly.

Marina leaned over and patted Nijika's shoulder familiarly: "We meet again! Are you here to observe again today?"

"Mmm!" Hongxia nodded with a smile, "It's a weekly staple!"

"Where's your pink-haired guitarist? Has he arrived yet?" Marina leaned back to look.

Goto Ichiri, who was huddled at the back, visibly stiffened when he heard his name called.

"Here I am!" Kita pulled Goto Ichiri forward. "Goto-kun, say hello!"

Forced to expose herself to everyone's gaze, Goto Ichiri's face flushed crimson. Her lips trembled for a long time before she finally managed to utter a barely audible "Y-you all..."

Xiao Ai smiled and came closer: "Hello, I remember your name is Goto Ichiri, right? You didn't say much at the last celebration party."

Goto Ichiri nodded and then shrank back inside.

Shizuka smiled gently and said, "Don't be nervous, we're not outsiders."

Kasumigaoka Utaha pushed up her glasses, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Every time I come here, I watch from the monitoring room. Today, we're finally face to face."

Eriri crossed her arms and slightly raised her chin: "I heard your performance was quite successful? Asuka praised you a lot when she came back."

"Really?!" Kita's eyes lit up instantly. "Anwa-senpai praised us?"

"Yes." Eriri nodded. "She said you all worked very hard and the performance was great."

"Wow—" Kita excitedly grabbed Nijika's arm, "Nijika-chan, did you hear that!"

"I heard it! I heard it!" Hongxia smiled brightly. "Anhe praised me!"

Liang calmly added from the side, "It's praising 'you all,' not 'you'."

"They're all the same!"

Goto Ichiri huddled in the corner, listening to their conversation, a small smile quietly curving her lips.

An and Asuka were packing up their guitars, watching them chatter away, a slight smile playing on their lips.

Two bands, 10 people, squeezed into a not-so-large practice room, yet the atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious.

This is the feeling he wanted.

They came together not because of fame or profit, but simply because of music, to get to know each other and appreciate each other.

"By the way, Anwa-kun, is this the song you're going to perform at the school festival?" Ichiji Nijika asked.

"Yes."

"Can we visit your school then?" Kita Ikuyo asked expectantly.

“Sure,” An and Asuka nodded.

"Great!"

Preparations for the school festival are in full swing in every class at Toyonosaki Academy.

An and Asuka's class were no exception.

After several rounds of intense discussion and voting, they finally decided on the theme of the program—a stage play, and a classic among classics, Romeo and Juliet.

As for the choice of the main character, there is almost no suspense.

As soon as Romeo's vote results were announced, all the girls in the class turned their attention to An and Asuka, who were sitting by the window. He was looking down at his phone, completely oblivious to the commotion around him, until his deskmate patted him on the shoulder.

"Anhe, you've been elected."

"......What?"

"Romeo," a boy said, suppressing a laugh, "passes unanimously."

An and Asuka raised their heads, meeting the expectant gazes of the girls around them, as well as the envious and jealous looks of a few boys, and remained silent for two seconds.

"...Can I refuse?"

"cannot!"

His answer was a unanimous shout from all the girls in the class.

Juliet's vote was equally fierce, but the result was hardly surprising—Eriri won by a narrow margin. After all, in this class, besides this blonde, blue-eyed heiress, there were very few who could stand next to An and Asuka without looking out of place.

Eriri's expression was somewhat subtle when she learned the result. She secretly glanced in the direction of An and Asuka, then quickly looked away, pretending to be nonchalant.

"Hmph, since everyone trusts me so much, I'll reluctantly take on this role."

She said that, but the slightly reddened tips of her ears betrayed her true feelings.

The boy who had been trying to suppress his laughter just moments before now wore a long face.

-

An and Asuka originally really wanted to refuse.

It's not that they have any objection to performing in a stage play, but rather that they're worried it will take up their practice time for "Praise Music." With the school festival fast approaching, their three pieces still require a lot of practice, and every minute is precious.

But then the homeroom teacher spoke up and set aside the last self-study period each day for the class to rehearse. As a result, the club activity time was basically unaffected, and An and Asuka had no reason to refuse anymore.

not to mention--

He glanced at Eriri, who was discussing the script with her classmates.

She seemed genuinely interested; her deep blue eyes sparkled with the focused intensity she usually displayed when drawing.

Oh well, I'll just keep her company.

-

When rehearsals officially began, An and Asuka's performance amazed the whole class.

The first time he went over the lines, he only glanced at the script once, yet he could already recite the entire passage fluently. It wasn't the stiff kind of rote memorization, but rather a delivery imbued with emotion, intonation, and perfectly timed pauses and emphasis.

Romeo stood before the podium, sunlight streaming in through the window, casting a golden glow upon his figure. His voice was deep and gentle as he recited lines from centuries past, yet the words flowed as if they had just emerged from his heart.

“Girl, by the light of this bright moon, its silvery glow painting the tips of these fruit trees, I swear—”

"No need to swear." The girl in charge of rehearsing the lines was completely immersed in the role and subconsciously continued with the next line.

But she quickly realized she had caught it too early, because her face was already bright red.

The students watching burst into good-natured laughter, but there was even more astonishment.

"Anhe is amazing..."

"Is this really your first time performing in a stage play?"

"How come his delivery of lines is so good? Did he study acting before?"

"I don't know, but he sings so well, maybe the lines are similar?"

An and Asuka didn't find anything particularly special. Years of stage experience had long since made them accustomed to facing an audience and controlling the pace. Acting and singing are essentially both performances, both conveying emotions through voice and body.

It's just a different medium.