Green plums cannot become lovers.

"Anhe seems like a former leader."

"Yes, that's what I've decided too."

An and Subaru nodded in agreement, and the other three felt the same way.

Despite her young age, Momoka Kawahara felt she might have made the right decision, given her mature personality and way of doing things.

"Oh right, Anhe said he'd help us write music. What style do you think would be good?"

"Momo, what do you think?"

Volume 1: Chapter 296 The Empty Box

Now that the five girls have chosen to join rouge en rouge, An and Asuka should fulfill their promise.

The next morning, he waited for them at the company entrance. The agreed time was nine o'clock, but by eight forty, all five of them had arrived.

Jingqin Rencai even arrived twenty minutes early. When she saw Anhe Feibiao, her eyes lit up and she waved vigorously, as if welcoming some grand festival.

"You can practice here from now on, instead of going to that livehouse."

An and Asuka pushed open the glass door, leading the five girls through the first-floor lobby and into a quiet corridor. At the end of the corridor was a heavy, soundproof door. He swiped his access card, and the lock made a crisp "click."

The moment the door opened, Jing Qinren gasped.

Before her was a space she had never seen before. It was a practice room of eighty square meters, with dark gray sound-absorbing panels on the walls, professional-grade vibration-damping material on the floor, and soft, even lighting overhead that wouldn't cause any glare during performance.

In the corner were several monitor speakers of different models, a mixing console, and a row of neatly hung headphone stands. Behind the glass window on the other side was a separate recording studio, containing condenser microphones and pop filters, with soundproof glass as thick as a bank vault window.

"This is...our practice room?" An and Subaru's voice carried a hint of disbelief.

"Yes, it's provided by the company to the signed bands, and each signed band has the right to use it."

An and Feiniao walked to the mixing console, pressed a few buttons at random, and a few clean low-frequency electrical sounds came from the speakers.

"The equipment and acoustics here are professional-grade, far superior to that livehouse, and it's all free."

As the last sentence fell, Izuru Rina rushed inside. She circled the room like a bird released from its cage, then squatted in front of the row of monitor speakers, gently poking at the speaker grilles with her fingers. She turned to look at An and Asuka, her eyes shining like two light bulbs.

"Is this really safe to use without any restrictions?"

"Use it as you like, as long as you don't take it apart and leave."

"Yay!"

Jingqin Rencai let out a short cheer, then realized she was getting a little too excited and covered her mouth, but her eyes still curved into crescent moons.

An and Subaru weren't quite that dramatic, but she still slowly walked around the room, her fingers tracing the faders on the mixing console, glancing up at the diffuser on the ceiling, and then nodding slightly.

She herself didn't even know that there was such a place in Rougeenrouge.

Momoka Kawara stood at the doorway, watching all this with a complicated expression.

She used to be a member of a professional band. Although her previous agency had a practice room, it was like a completely different world compared to this place.

The practice room at that time was only 30 square meters. The sound-absorbing cotton on the walls had turned yellow and fallen off. The speakers were an old model that was seven or eight years old. Every time she played, there would be a layer of blurry background noise in the low frequencies. She thought that was the norm for professional bands.

Now it seems that's not the case.

It's just that the place she lived in before wasn't good enough.

She walked into the room, placed the guitar case against the wall, unzipped it, and glanced inside at the guitar that had been with her for so long. Then she looked up at the clean, tidy, and well-equipped room and suddenly felt that perhaps this time would really be different.

"Can we use anything here as we please?"

Ebizuka Tomo's voice interrupted her thoughts. She stood in front of the recording studio's glass window, her gaze fixed on the recording equipment inside, her tone carrying a hint of barely suppressed anticipation.

She needed to record songs. She had always hoped to find a quiet, professional place to transcribe the melodies in her mind. But in the past, due to limited resources, she could only hide in her bedroom, trying again and again with Rupa, repeating failures and restarts.

However, she could tell from the glass that the recording studio had enough equipment for her to produce something presentable.

“Okay.” An and Asuka nodded. “The recording studio needs to be booked in advance, but as a signed band, you have fixed usage time slots every week. Teacher Songyue will send you the specific times.”

Ebizuka Tomo didn't say much, only hummed in response, but her fingers were already pressed against the glass, as if touching a dream within reach.

Rupa stood at the very back of the crowd, remaining silent. She simply leaned against the wall, glanced around, and a faint smile played on her lips.

She thought this place was nice not because of the excellent equipment, but because she could sense that making music here would be a happy experience for the three of them.

After An and Asuka showed the girls around, they led them to the rest area next door.

The rest area is designed to be comfortable, with several light gray sofas surrounding a low table, and several black and white portraits of musicians hanging on the wall.

In the corner stands a fully automatic coffee machine, next to which are shelves of tea bags and snacks. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows is a row of neatly trimmed green plants, and sunlight streams in through the blinds, casting soft shadows on the floor.

Five people sat down at the round table. Izana sat on the edge of the sofa, leaning slightly forward, hands resting on her knees, looking ready to get to work at any moment. An and Subaru sat next to her, more relaxed. Momoka Kawara sat opposite them, a freshly poured cup of hot water in front of her. Tomoka Ebizuka and Rupa sat at either end, like two quiet anchors, holding the lively round table still.

An and Asuka sat down opposite them, placing their tablets on the table with the screen facing up.

"Now let's discuss your new song."

The moment the words left his mouth, the relaxed atmosphere in the room subtly changed.

Still immersed in the novelty, the five immediately became serious. Izayoi Nina's smile faded, and she sat up straight. An and Subaru's gaze fell on the tablet screen. Kawara Momoka put down her water glass and placed her hands clasped on the table.

This is an important moment.

For them, this was more than just deciding on the style of a song; it was their first official debut as a band signed to rouge en rouge. This song would define their first impression on listeners and lay the foundation for their future direction.

"What are your ideas?" An and Asuka asked. "Style, theme, emotional tone, you can talk about it."

Jingqin Rencai was the first to raise her hand, just like answering a question in class.

"I want a song that empowers people. Not the kind of power that screams and gets angry, but a gentle, firm power. Like... like finally deciding to move forward, even though you're still scared, you know you've made the right choice."

She spoke somewhat haltingly, but every word was sincere.

An and Subaru continued, "I think the melody needs to be catchy and not too complicated. Today's listeners have very short attention spans. If you can't grab their attention in the first five seconds, it's useless no matter how good the rest of the melody is."

"The rhythm can be varied in layers."

RUPA finally spoke, his voice unhurried, "It doesn't have to be fast all the time. There can be a pause in the middle to allow the emotions to settle down."

"The lyrics should ideally leave a lasting impression with just one line. Not every line needs to be brilliant, but at least one line should be unforgettable after just one listen."

After the four finished speaking, their gazes all turned to Kawara Momoka.

She is the most experienced person in the band, not in terms of musical technique, but in terms of the experience of actually standing on stage in front of thousands of eyes. She knows better than anyone how a song should be arranged to have the greatest impact during a live performance.

Momoka Kawara was silent for a moment, then said something that surprised everyone.

"I want to sing a song about starting over."

She raised her head and her gaze swept over everyone present.

"It's not about regrets about the past, nor about the pain of loss, but about finally deciding to let go of those heavy things and move forward."

"What does 'breaking out of the cocoon and becoming a butterfly' mean?"

"almost."

After she finished speaking, the rest area was quiet for a few seconds.

Then Jing Qinren nodded vigorously: "It's this one."

"Momoka, you really know how to talk."

Kawara Momoka glared at her, but the corners of her mouth were turned up.

“Okay, that’s settled then.” An and Asuka quickly jotted down a few notes on the tablet, then looked up. “The melody should be light and cheerful, with a sense of metamorphosis, the rhythm should be layered, and there should be an emotional pause in the middle. The lyrics should have at least one unforgettable main theme. Let me confirm, is that right?”

The five people looked at each other and then nodded together.

"Okay, I'll finish it as soon as possible."

An and Feiniao put away their tablets and stood up.

Jing Qinren looked up at him and suddenly felt that something was not quite real.

Just a few months ago, she was just an ordinary audience member watching a performance, not yet involved in the band scene. Let alone talking to the boy she admired, or even having him compose music for her.

But now, she's sitting in the company's break room, face-to-face with the person who wrote those melodies that brought tears to her eyes, discussing the style of their new song.

The man said he would compose music for them himself.

"that......"

Jingqin Rencai couldn't help but call out to Anwa Asuka, who was about to leave.

He turned around.

"what happened?"

"It's nothing... I just wanted to say thank you."

An and Asuka glanced at her, then smiled softly.

"Just practice well, don't waste this practice room."

"Ok!"

After chatting for a while longer, the five of them went their separate ways.

An and Asuka didn't go straight home. Instead, they walked slowly, staring blankly at the music composition app on their phone screen for a while.

An autumn breeze blew by, carrying a dry, cool scent. He zipped his coat all the way up, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

[Host, the piece 'Empty Box' is quite good; you can give it a try.]

A voice suddenly echoed in my mind.

An and Asuka opened their eyes and were stunned for a moment.

Xiaomeisha

Except for major events, it basically plays dead. It won't proactively send messages, offer advice, or jump in to point fingers while he's creating.

What's wrong with me today?

He didn't reply immediately. He opened the system panel and glanced at the sheet music that Xiaomei had sent him.

The intro is a clean acoustic guitar arpeggio, carrying a faint sense of detachment, like sitting alone in an empty room.

Then the vocals come in, the melody doesn't deliberately chase high notes, but lands steadily in a comfortable range. The chorus has a clever semitone modulation, like a pebble thrown into calm water, creating subtle ripples.

Listening to the whole song gave him the feeling of being a person walking on a long road at dusk, only to find that there was no one behind him when he looked back.

But if you look up, there is still light ahead.

After An and Asuka finished reading, they remained silent for a long time.

"Hmm, it's really good. But why did you send me this this time?"

He voiced the question that had been on his mind.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the system.

I just felt I needed to get some fresh air, otherwise people would forget about me.

An and Asuka were stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but smile to themselves.

I will never forget you.

【...】

The system did not respond further.

But An and the bird knew that it was still there.

He read the score again from beginning to end, saved it, and began to think about how to adapt it into a version suitable for a five-piece band.

The next day, An and Asuka printed out the complete sheet music for "The Empty Box" and brought it to the practice room.

Five girls were already waiting there.

When An and Asuka handed the sheet music to them, they said, "It's already written. Take a look and tell me if you're not satisfied, and I'll revise it."

The girls were stunned when they heard this; they really hadn't expected the boy to be so fast.

But they quickly realized what was happening, and Jing Qinrencai was the first to take it, glancing down at it.

Her expression shifted from initial curiosity to surprise, then to seriousness, and finally—to an overwhelming sense of joy.

"The blank spaces are particularly jarring, and the time seems to drag on forever."

She softly recited the first line of the lyrics.

An and Subaru leaned closer, looking over her shoulder at the sheet music, their fingers lightly tapping the rhythm in the air. Then she stopped, took a breath, as if digesting the direction of those few measures.