Green plums cannot become lovers.

He wanted to say a classic line, but he was afraid that if he did, one of the girls in the team would suddenly lose confidence, or even lose her voice, and stop shining.

This is no joke.

Some breakages are clean and decisive, snapping with a single crack, while others begin from within, starting with a careless remark that creates a fissure that slowly spreads until one day it suddenly collapses, leaving no room for recovery.

So he didn't say anything.

"Flying bird!"

Jing Qinrencai's voice came from behind, her footsteps hurried, carrying her characteristic recklessness, as she ran up to him. (Ling Er (two??) [Unintelligible text])

Fine beads of sweat still clung to her forehead, and her breathing hadn't fully calmed down, but her eyes shone brightly, like a child waiting for candy.

How are you today? Are you any better than yesterday?

An and Asuka were silent for two seconds before shifting their gaze from her face to Momoka Kawahara, who was zipping up her violin case not far away. She had her back to everyone and did not participate in anyone's conversation.

"Not bad." He looked away and nodded slightly. "But it could be done better."

He tried to keep his tone calm and neutral, without too much emotion.

"It's still not neat enough."

"Isn't it neat enough?"

Jingqin Rencai looked somewhat surprised. She glanced back at the others, who were all panting. They had practiced so many times, and to their own ears, their movements were synchronized enough, yet in this boy's eyes, they still weren't synchronized enough.

"The five of you are not of one mind."

An and Asuka's voices were soft, but they pointed out the crux of the problem.

Upon hearing this, Izuru was at a loss for words, since the boy had already said the same thing to his subordinates three times.

An and Asuka didn't say anything more. Their gazes passed over Nina's shoulder, glanced at Kawahara Momoka who still hadn't turned around, and then looked away.

Some problems must be discovered by them themselves.

Only when you become aware of it can you truly solve the problem.

In the following days, An and Subaru noticed something they hadn't paid attention to before: Momoka's condition became increasingly unstable during rehearsals.

She used to be the most stable one, because she was a former professional player. So no matter what problems others had with rhythm or pitch, her guitar was always the ballast, steadily supporting the bottom of the whole song.

But recently she has started making frequent small mistakes, sometimes her notes are off by half a beat, sometimes she is a half beat too slow, and she is left behind by the drumbeat.

These small mistakes may not seem like much on their own, but when strung together, they reveal a vague thread pointing to an unspoken problem.

"Taoxiang, have you been sleeping poorly lately?"

After a day of rehearsals, An and Subaru put away their drumsticks and tentatively asked a question.

"Yeah, a little."

Momoka Kawahara's reply was brief, without even looking up. She put the guitar into its case, zipped it all the way up, and slung the case over her shoulder in one fluid motion, as if she had been preparing to leave all along.

"I'm leaving now, I still have to work."

She nodded to the group, then turned and pushed open the door. The door closed behind her with a soft click.

The practice room was quiet for a few seconds.

"What's wrong with Taoxiang lately?"

Renna sat on the edge of the stage, her legs dangling in the air, her voice filled with confusion and unease.

Ebizuka Tomo did not answer. Her hand remained on the keyboard cover, her gaze fixed on the closed door, lost in thought.

"Who knows?"

A few more days passed, and An and Asuka took some time to come and see their performance again.

It's still at the same level as a few days ago, so it seems the problem between them hasn't been resolved.

"Are there things you're afraid of?"

He suddenly asked a question, his voice not loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet practice room. The girls stopped moving at the same time and exchanged glances.

"Asuka, what's wrong?" An and Subaru stood up from the drum stool, still holding the drumsticks in their hands, not understanding why he suddenly asked this question.

"I just feel that if you don't address what you're afraid of first, there's no point in practicing more."

"What are you afraid of? Do ghosts count?"

Jing Qinrencai hugged the microphone stand, tilted her head and muttered something, her tone half-joking and half-serious.

"Yes, it counts."

An and Asuka smiled and nodded. His gaze swept around the practice room, not deliberately focusing on anyone, but everyone felt that his gaze paused for a moment when it passed over them.

"Whatever you're afraid of, it's something you're afraid to face. If you're afraid to face it alone, then speak out and let others hear it. Otherwise, if you hesitate because of fear, you'll hurt more than just yourself."

His words were loaded with meaning, and everyone present understood, but no one responded. A subtle sense of oppression filled the air.

He didn't name names or ask any further questions; he simply left those words and prepared to depart.

But as he reached the door, he paused and added another sentence.

"If you're too embarrassed to tell everyone, you can talk to me privately. I won't tell anyone else."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and walked out. The door closed behind him with a soft click, and the light that had been filtering through the crack gradually narrowed as the door closed, until only a thin yellow line remained.

The practice room was quiet for a few seconds.

Kawara Momoka stood leaning against the wall, her guitar still in her hands.

She kept her head down, her bangs falling down to cover most of her face, making it impossible to see her expression. The knuckles of her fingers holding the violin neck were slightly red, and her nails were white.

That's enough for today, it's time to get to work.

She began by saying something, her voice a little lower than usual. Then she put the guitar in its case, zipped it all the way up, slung it over her shoulder, and walked out the door.

The door closed behind her with a click.

The remaining four girls looked at each other in bewilderment.

Considering what the boy just said and Momoka's recent behavior, the answer is quite obvious.

“Hey,” An and Subaru broke the silence first, “You all want to introduce us to debut and have Asuka compose music for us, right?”

"Of course."

Jing Qinrencai answered without hesitation, her tone resolute.

"Otherwise, why would we have kept working so hard until now?"

Ebizuka Tomo sighed, a hint of helplessness in her voice. She closed the keyboard lid with a soft thud.

She and Rupa have been looking for opportunities to go professional.

"Yes."

RUPA smiled and echoed her sentiment, her tone soft, but her gentle smile held no ambiguity.

An and Subaru's gaze swept across the three faces in turn, confirming the answer in each person's eyes.

Peach Blossom, it turns out it was you who made the mistake.

"Momoka has always been rather averse to professionalization."

This is a problem that most people are generally aware of, but

"But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Jing Qinren bit her lower lip, her tone filled with both resentment and confusion.

"Not to mention the music composed by Asuka..."

An and Subaru picked up the drumsticks from the snare drum, gripped them tightly in their hands, and then released them, repeating this once.

"It seems it's time to teach her a lesson."

The girls exchanged glances, and each of them saw the same expression in each other's eyes.

If the five people aren't of one mind, they can forget about ever becoming professionals.

Volume 1: Chapter 295 A Glimmer of Hope After Darkness

An and Asuka did not actually leave, but waited at the entrance of the livehouse for Momoka Kawara to appear.

Before long, he saw the other person come out carrying a guitar.

She was walking with her head down, seemingly lost in thought.

He walked over and blocked Momoka Kawara's path.

"Kawaharaki...senpai."

He thought for a moment before coming up with the term "senior," otherwise he really wouldn't know what to call her. Their relationship wasn't exactly familiar, but it wasn't too distant either.

“Anhe, classmate.”

Hearing this, Momoka Kawara looked up and paused for a moment when she saw the boy.

"Do you have time? I'd like to discuss something with you."

After a moment of silence, Momoka Kawaragi nodded: "Okay, but it can't be too long. I need to go to work."

"it is good."

An and Asuka nodded, then took Momoka Kawaragi to a fast food restaurant.

After finding a seat and ordering a coffee, Momoka Kawahara took the initiative to ask, "What did Anwa-kun want to see me about?"

“It’s nothing serious,” An and Asuka asked with some curiosity. “I’m just curious why your opinion differs from everyone else’s.”

"Everyone aspires to a professional career, but you don't seem very interested in it. Is it enough to just play in an amateur band, or do you simply dislike me?"

He spoke frankly and directly, without beating around the bush.

Kawara Momoka was taken aback by his words, clearly not expecting him to be so blunt.

"Are you saying I've been holding everyone back?"

"I didn't mean that, I was just curious."

Seeing that the boy in front of her had no anger in his eyes, Kawara Momoka let out a soft sigh after a while and asked in return, "What kind of path do you think professionalization is? Is it an advantage or a disadvantage for a band?"

“I think professionalization is a great path, otherwise so many bands wouldn’t want to sign with a record label.”

"Once you embark on the path of professionalization, both your resources and your capabilities will improve significantly. Although there are some drawbacks, it's generally a good thing."

An and Asuka shared their opinions. Momoka Kawara nodded, indicating her agreement.

But then she changed the subject: "So how much weight do you think dreams carry in the face of professionalization?"

"Oh? Is it because Senior Kawaharaki is afraid that the company's will will clash with his own dreams after professionalization?"

Momoka Kawara neither nodded nor shook her head, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Just then, the fast food restaurant's television suddenly started playing an interview. On the screen, a reporter was holding a microphone and asking a question to a petite, pink-haired girl.

—What are the next goals for Diamond Star?

—Of course, I strive to write better works and become known to more people.

—If you were to choose a composer to write songs for you, who would you choose?

—That's a bit hard to say, but if I really had to choose, it would definitely be Asuka.

—Yes, we'll choose Asuka.

--Me too.

The four girls on TV all gave the same answer. An and Asuka felt a little proud listening to this.

However, most of his attention was on Momoka Kawahara in front of him. At that moment, he noticed the somewhat dazed look on her face as she watched TV.

"Speaking of which, Kawahara-senpai was a member of Diamond Star before, right? Why did you leave? Is it because, as I said, the company's will and your own dreams went against each other?"

It's no secret that Momoka Kawahara was a professional gamer. But why she stopped playing professionally is a mystery.

Now it seems that the mystery has been solved.

"..."

"Actually, I don't think Kawara-senpai needs to worry so much."

Seeing that Momoka Kawahara remained silent, Asuka An continued, "rouge en rouge is not the kind of company that exploits its artists. On the contrary, it listens to everyone's opinions, respects the choices of its employees, and never forces anyone to do things they don't want to do."