Green plums cannot become lovers.

He didn't mention any of those things like bonds, dreams, or responsibilities. While they may sound inspiring, they're far less practical than grounding things in reality.

Kawara no Momoka remained silent, and An and Asuka, seeing this, also refrained from saying anything more.

Just then, the coffee was served, and he slowly sipped it and ate his fries.

"I'll think about it," Momoka Kawara finally said, sounding somewhat weary.

the next day.

The atmosphere in the practice room was even more somber than in the previous days.

Momoka Kawahara's condition didn't improve; in fact, it got worse. She made several obvious mistakes in rhythm, her harmonies were half a beat slow, and she even pressed the wrong key twice in a row during what should have been a clean and crisp solo.

When the song ended, the four remaining girls looked at each other in bewilderment.

They wanted to say something, but seeing that the other person's expression wasn't good, they could only keep it to themselves.

I don't want to ruin this friendship, so let's wait until Momoka Kawahara is feeling better before making any moves.

But Jingqinrencai couldn't stand it anymore.

While everyone was putting down their instruments to rest, she walked directly up to Momoka Kawaragi and looked at her intently.

"Taoxiang!"

Her voice was quite loud, causing the others to turn their heads.

An and Asuka were also taken aback.

Momoka Kawara looked up at the girl in front of her, who was a head shorter than her but had an unusually determined look in her eyes.

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

What are you afraid of?

Jing Qinrencai didn't beat around the bush; her voice carried a kind of irritability typical of people her age.

"We're all working hard, but you're the only one backing down. Do you realize that this is dragging everyone down?"

"Nina!" Anwa Subaru frowned, trying to stop her from continuing.

"Let her speak."

Kawara Momoka stopped An and Subaru. She put down her guitar, leaned against the wall, and calmly looked at Iori Jinna's face.

"You're right, I am scared. I'm scared of repeating the same mistakes, I'm scared of losing control after my debut, I'm scared of being pushed around and ending up in a place I don't want to go. Can you understand all of this?"

The practice room was silent for two seconds.

Izayoi took a deep breath, and then did something no one expected—she took a step forward, stood face to face with Kawaraki Momoka, and reached out to hold her hand.

"I don't understand why my art is cold and my clothes are scarred 9%."

"Because I've never walked that path before, I know nothing about professionalism, I don't know how the company will treat us, and I don't know if my dreams will be changed."

"But I know one thing: if we don't move forward now, we'll never get anywhere."

"Would you rather be afraid to move forward or stand still?"

Kawara Momoka was stunned.

She looked into the eyes of Jing Qinrencai, eyes that showed no hesitation or retreat, just like the eyes of her and her friends when they decided to drop out of school to join a band a few years ago.

She suddenly felt as if she had been lectured by this girl who was several years younger than her.

"......you're right."

She lowered her head, her voice a little hoarse.

"But please give me some time, okay?"

Jing Qinren released her hand, took a step back, and nodded seriously.

"Okay, but you have to promise me that next time you're scared, you'll say it. We're a band."

"Yeah, a band."

Three days after that day, after rehearsal, Momoka Kawahara took the initiative to persuade Anwa Asuka, who was about to leave, to stay.

"Anhe, I have something I want to tell you."

An and Asuka stopped and turned to look at her. He noticed that her eyes were different from a few days ago; although they were still somewhat heavy, there was a glimmer of light in them.

"I've figured it out."

Momoka Kawara walked up to him, her tone calm yet firm.

"What I fear is not professionalization, nor is it the company. What I fear is that I am not strong enough, strong enough to protect the direction of this band."

"But if I stop moving forward because of fear, then I am indeed, as you said, holding everyone back."

"So, I'd like to ask you to write a song for us. You can decide on the composition and arrangement; I'll trust you."

An and Asuka were silent for two seconds, then smiled.

"You should say this to everyone, not to me."

Momoka Kawara paused for a moment, then smiled.

"That's right, I'll talk to them about it."

She turned and walked towards the practice room without hesitation.

That night, the remaining four girls caused an uproar in the group chat.

"Sister Taoxiang has finally come to her senses?!"

Am I dreaming...?

"She volunteered to stay and practice more today."

"And she said she's willing to accept Ryuuichi Asuka's music!"

Messages kept scrolling up, the typing speed was so fast that the content was almost impossible to read.

After sending the last message, An and Subaru put their phones next to their pillows and stared blankly at the ceiling.

She remembered what that boy, Liu Yiqi, Erba, Sisixia, had said before he stopped at the door—

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

He was right.

The following week, rehearsals entered a completely new phase.

Kawahara Momoka no longer hesitated or procrastinated, and even took the initiative to ask to extend the time of each rehearsal.

"Let's do it again. The transition in the second paragraph wasn't good enough."

An and Subaru raised their drumsticks and tapped the cymbals twice, producing a crisp sound. "No problem!"

Looking at the fingering markings on the keyboard, Ebi-Minger Japanese Art Shirt Neighbor bαer Tsukasa nodded seriously: "I'll adjust the chord progressions again."

RUPA stood in the corner, holding his bass, quietly waiting for the next beat.

Standing next to the monitor speakers, An and Asuka turned to the third page of the sheet music, crossed out several measures that had already been written, and filled in new notes.

"Let's try a different tune here."

No one questioned his decision; they simply set up their instruments again and waited for his gesture.

Three seconds later, the music started playing again.

The melody flowed through the air, the rhythm precise, the emotion palpable. Every note found its place, just as the relationships between these people were finally bound together.

An and Asuka leaned against the mixing console, listening to the feedback coming through their headphones, and nodded slightly.

This is the kind of band he wanted to see, not one where the five members couldn't even agree on anything.

Two weeks later, in the conference room of the rouge en rouge agency, An and Asuka placed a contract on the table.

After two weeks of observation and the girls' hard work, he felt they were ready to join rouge en rouge. When he told Akane Kousaka about his idea, she didn't ask any questions, but simply put him in charge of all matters.

He didn't delay. After asking the girls for their thoughts and confirming that they had no objections, he had Matsue Sakura draft a contract and bring it over.

Sitting opposite me are the five members of this band.

"Your debut project has been approved."

After he finished speaking, there was a two-second silence in the room.

Then came the cheers of Izuru Rina. She looked at the contract in front of her, feeling as if the handwriting was glowing. The other girls' eyes lit up at the same time.

"Thank you," Momoka Kawara said sincerely, looking at Anwa Asuka.

An and Asuka shook their heads.

"You're welcome. You got here on your own."

He closed the documents on the table, stood up, and his gaze swept over everyone before finally landing on Momoka Kawaragi's face.

Do you remember what I said at the beginning?

Kawara Momoka paused for a moment, then nodded.

"remember."

"You have to deal with what you're afraid of first, otherwise no matter how much you practice, it won't be of any use."

The boy smiled and nodded.

"Great, now take a close look at the contract. If you think there are no problems, then sign it."

To everyone's surprise, Anwa Subaru and Iori Nina signed their names without even looking at the cover. RUPA and Ebizuka Tomoya pretended to glance at it, confirmed the roog en rouge logo on the cover, and then signed their names just as readily.

Only Momoka Kawaragi started reading it seriously.

Page after page, clause after clause, she turned from the first page to the last, her gaze lingering on all the key clauses for a long time. Occasionally, she would frown slightly, as if mentally analyzing the subtext of a certain word or phrase.

She has to take responsibility for her band. She's the only one here with professional experience, and only she knows how many unseen traps are hidden behind a contract.

The other four girls waited quietly, and no one urged her.

An and Asuka weren't in a hurry. They simply leaned against the window, gazing at the clouds outside, and waited silently.

About half an hour later, Momoka Kawara finally closed the contract.

She took a deep breath, then picked up the pen and wrote her name in the signature column.

The moment the pen left the paper, the four girls in their seats simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

"Welcome to rouge en rouge."

An and Asuka extended their hands to Momoka Kawaragi.

Momoka Kawara looked up at the hand, then grasped it.

"Thank you."

"No, I should be the one thanking you."

Anhe Feiniao smiled slightly.

This band has unlimited potential. They have it all: talent, skill, and execution.

What he did was simply make the right investment, placing the right resources in front of the right people at the right time.

Although his initial goal was to help An and Subaru resolve the band's internal conflicts, it now seems that those conflicts have become a catalyst.

Some things won't become more resilient without experiencing conflict.

"Ms. Songyue will follow up on the contract details. If you have any questions, just contact her directly."

An and Asuka withdrew their hands and picked up their coats draped over the back of the chair.

"I have other meetings to attend, so I'll be leaving now."

He walked to the door, paused, and looked back.

As the five girls gathered around the contract, Nina Igarashi held it up as if it were some incredible treasure. An and Subaru patted her shoulder with a laugh, while Rupa and Tomoya Ebizuka joined in, the four of them huddled together.

Only Momoka Kawara stood a little further away, watching them with a slight smile on her lips.

An and Asuka didn't say much, pushed open the door and went out.

The corridor was quiet, and his footsteps fell one by one on the floor, gradually fading into the distance.

In the conference room, Jing Qinren suddenly turned her head and looked at the closed door.