Green plums cannot become lovers.

The drumsticks are black, and the tips have become irregularly rounded due to long-term wear. There is a shallow scratch on the shaft, and a small patch of faded color near the end.

Of course he remembers.

This was a farewell gift he gave to Anwa Subaru before leaving Tokyo for Aichi in his second year of junior high school.

He had used those drumsticks for over a year, and the tips still bore the marks of his playing. He had originally intended to give her something special, but he was in a hurry and didn't have much money, so he simply gave her his used drumsticks.

"Of course we'll keep it."

An and Subaru smiled, took the drumsticks back, held them in their hands, and slowly rubbed their thumbs on the shafts.

"After all, it was the first gift you ever gave me, even though I don't use it often."

After all, drumsticks have a limited lifespan, and they'll break if used too much, which she can't bear to do.

An and Asuka looked at the pair of drumsticks without saying a word.

"look."

An and Subaru gripped the drumsticks, and with a slight lift of their wrists, the drumheads landed on the surface of the snare drum.

"clatter."

"Da da".

Then came the thump-drum.

"Da da da—"

The rhythm flowed from her fingertips, like water gushing from a tiny spring, starting as drop by drop and then coalescing into a thin, forward-flowing line.

An and Asuka recognized the melody.

It's "Summer".

Gone are the gentleness of the piano and the lingering notes of the violin; in their place is a crisper, brighter texture, more like sunlight hitting the skin directly.

Every strike is clean and crisp, without any unnecessary embellishment or deliberate technique; it's just the purest sound a drum should make.

When An and Subaru were playing the drums, their expressions were different from usual.

Normally, she always has a smile on her face, or is about to put on a smile, like an idol who is always about to be photographed. But when she plays the drums, she becomes extremely serious, her eyes fixed on the drumhead, on the cymbals, on her wrists, moving back and forth, as if checking whether each movement is done correctly.

She wasn't a genius, at least not in his eyes, as An and Asuka could tell.

Her fingers would lag slightly by a fraction of a second when playing those intricate embellishments, and her fingers would become a little sticky towards the end of the rapid rolls. But she played very carefully, making sure every note was clear and crisp, without any carelessness or laziness.

This kind of dedication is even rarer than genius.

After playing a short section, An and Subaru stopped, placed the drumsticks on the snare drum, and turned to look at him.

"It's 'Summer'."

"Hmm." An and Asuka nodded. "I can tell."

“Everyone loves the song you wrote.” An and Subaru’s eyes shone. “We practice it every now and then, and Nina always hums along when she hears it. She sings it really well.”

"That would be my honor."

When An and Asuka said this, their tone was flat, but their hearts were definitely stirred.

The practice room fell silent again, but this silence was different from the previous one. The previous silence was empty and needed to be filled.

This silence was full and meaningful; it didn't require anyone to speak. The musical notes were still vibrating in the air, but they were no longer audible to the human ear.

An and Asuka leaned against the wall, while An and Subaru sat on the drum stool, a few steps apart, neither of them in a hurry to start a conversation.

Until footsteps were heard in the corridor.

Then the door was pushed open, and four girls stood in the doorway.

They quickly noticed the extra boy in the practice room. The petite girl standing at the front first widened her eyes slightly, and then her whole face seemed to light up from within.

"fly--"

Her voice was squeezed out of her throat, and she sounded extremely anxious.

"Flying bird!"

The moment her name was called out, she had already run over, her momentum as fierce as a great fortune.

An and the bird stood up from the plastic box.

Rencai ran up to him, then suddenly stopped, her shoes screeching against the floor with a sharp "squeak."

She tilted her head back, staring intently at his face, as if afraid she might mistake him for someone else, or as if trying to confirm whether the person who had suddenly appeared in the practice room was really there.

"It really is you."

"Ah."

An and Asuka nodded slightly, their gaze passing over Nina's shoulder to look at the people still standing at the door. "Excuse me."

"I won't disturb you, I won't disturb you, I won't disturb you."

Renna said "I won't bother you" three times in a row, and the tips of her ears began to turn red, spreading upwards from her earlobes.

An and Asuka couldn't help but smile as they looked at her. It seemed that this girl really liked him.

Volume 1: Chapter 293 Band Research

An and Asuka greeted each of the girls.

Jing Qinrencai was already standing in front of him, her head tilted back, her eyes shining like two glass beads just pulled out of the water.

Why are you here?

Her voice was filled with undisguised surprise, the last syllable rising slightly, like a stretched rubber band that snapped back with a lingering tremor.

An and Asuka didn't answer directly. Instead, they glanced over her shoulder at the other three people standing at the door, then smiled and looked away before replying.

"I've come to visit at Subaru's invitation."

When he finished speaking, he clearly felt several gazes fall on An and Subaru at the same time.

Anhe Mao stood next to the drum set, still holding the drumsticks in her hands. Under the simultaneous gaze of the three people, her chin was slightly raised, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up, like a cat whose chin had been scratched, exuding an unconcealable smugness.

"Subaru, you're something else."

The one who spoke was a very tall girl wearing black tights, who seemed to be a guitarist with thorns and no thorns, and her name was Kawara Momoka.

"of course."

Anhe Subaru put the drumsticks on the snare drum, stood up from the drum stool, and dusted off non-existent dust from his hands. "Don't you even know who I am?"

The petite girl standing at the door gave a soft hum, walked into the practice room, leaned her violin case against the corner of the wall, and then turned around to look at An and Asuka.

"Asuka, this is keyboardist Ebizuka Satoshi."

She spoke slowly and clearly, as if each word had been carefully considered before being uttered. She had wine-red pupils that were almost transparent under the light, giving the illusion that she could see right through people.

"I often hear Subaru mention you."

"Thank you."

An and Asuka nodded politely, then shifted their gaze from Ebizuka Tomo's face to the girl who hadn't spoken.

The girl appeared to be the tallest among the group, with a healthy wheat-colored complexion and more defined facial features than the others.

"Hello Asuka, I'm RUPA, the bassist with and without thorns."

Her voice was low and had a kind quality to it.

"Hello."*

An and Asuka nodded to her and took her outstretched hand. Her handshake was firm, and her palm had a thin layer of calluses, marks from years of playing the strings.

After getting to know each other again, the group chatted briefly. The petite Jing Qinrencai, in particular, kept chattering away.

If it weren't for Momoka Kawahara's intervention, they probably would have kept talking forever. If they kept chatting like this, today's rent would be wasted.

"You guys go ahead and practice, don't worry about me."

An and Asuka, sensing their predicament, offered their understanding. The group exchanged glances, and finally, An and Subaru spoke first.

"Let's begin then."

She sat back down on the drum stool, gripped the drumsticks with both hands, and made two circles in the air, as if warming up her wrists.

"Let's start with the first song to warm up."

The others took their places. An and Subaru's drumsticks paused in mid-air for a second before falling.

"One, two, three, four—"

The drumbeats were like a sudden downpour, carrying an undeniable force from the very first note. The guitar followed closely, then the bass's deep root notes, and the keyboards laid out a thin undertone in the high register.

Finally, there's the lead singer. The girl's voice is very distinctive; she speaks like a child, but her singing has a unique charm.

An and Asuka sat in the corner, their gazes sweeping over the group of people in turn.

His expression was calm, revealing neither satisfaction nor dissatisfaction; he simply stared at it.

The song ended.

After the lingering echo of the last note dissipated in the air, the practice room was quiet for two or three seconds before the silence was broken by the voice of Izanagi Rina.

"How was it? How was it?"

She turned around, still holding the microphone, her whole demeanor exuding an eagerness, like a student who had just handed in their exam and was chasing after the teacher to ask for their grade.

An and Asuka did not answer immediately. He leaned against the wall and tapped his thumb lightly on his knee twice, as if mentally reviewing what he had just heard.

"very nice."

Finally, he gave a fair assessment.

Jingqin Rencai's eyes lit up instantly, her mouth stretched to both sides, revealing two rows of neat teeth, and she looked like a flower suddenly illuminated by the sun, shining from petals to stem.

Really? Really?

"Ah."

An and Asuka nodded, then added, "There are some parts of the arrangement that could be adjusted, but the overall quality is very high."

After he finished speaking, he glanced at the faces of the group of people and was relieved to see that they were not upset.

The practice continued, and An and Asuka remained seated in that corner, watching for over an hour.

During this time, he would occasionally speak up, pointing out that the chord progression of a certain measure could be handled in a different way, or that the rhythm of a certain section could be slightly adjusted.

He didn't say much, and every sentence he spoke was short but precise, getting right to the source of the problem. This made the girls, who had felt something was wrong but couldn't figure out the problem, suddenly understand.

An hour passed quickly.

Anhe Mao put down her drumsticks, shook her wrists, and let out a long breath. A thin layer of sweat beaded on her forehead, and a few strands of hair clung to her skin, gleaming slightly under the light.

"Shall we call it a day?"

She glanced at the others, and they exchanged glances; no one objected.

"That's enough for now." Momoka took the guitar down, put it back on the stand, and stretched her shoulders.

"It's still early, would you like to grab something to eat?"

RUPA's voice came from behind. She had finished tidying up at some point, and her tone sounded somewhat expectant.

Jingqin Rencai was the first to raise her hand in response, "Yes, yes, yes! I've been hungry for ages!"

"Let's go then. I know a newly opened restaurant nearby that's really delicious."

Momoka Kawahara didn't stop her; in fact, she exuded an irrepressible excitement. Her gaze shifted to An and Asuka, filled with undisguised anticipation.

"Should Asuka come along too?"

"Yes, let's go together."

An and Feiniao stood up from the plastic stool and brushed the dust off their trousers. They had been sitting for over an hour, and their legs were slightly numb; their knees made a soft cracking sound as they stood up.

"Alright, then I'll take my leave."

The group packed up their instruments, turned off the lights in the practice room, locked the door, and walked out down the corridor.

When I left the livehouse, it was already dark outside.

The streetlights had just come on, casting a warm, yellowish glow on the asphalt. The air carried the distinctive scent of autumn: dry, slightly cool, and with a hint of floral fragrance, instantly putting one at ease.

The new shop that Momoka Kawara mentioned is not far from the livehouse, about a seven or eight-minute walk.