Social phobia and lonely rock

"Get ready for the show."

He said with a smile.

100.Listen

In the semi-dark venue, the performers were making final adjustments for the performance, with drums booming, bass muffled, keyboards making fantastic sounds, and guitars humming.

But there were only a few people paying attention to them.

A field where only the outlines of objects can be vaguely seen.

Figures were standing there, many of their faces illuminated by the white light of their phones, their eyes only moving with the phone screens.

Some people were communicating in low voices.

Ninety percent of the people in the venue didn't pay attention to the stage.

The performer who had prepared so carefully seemed to be left in another dimension.

This is the lonely performance scene they face.

There is nothing that can be done about the fact that he is not very famous and has to perform on the streets swept by wind and rain.

Sitting at the back of the stage, Hong Xia clenched her drumsticks nervously.

After struggling for a long time, she mustered up the courage to take her eyes off the drum set, looked forward, but then looked back evasively.

In the brief moment, she saw.

Indifferent audiences, friends with no expression on their faces, and only two fans looking at them expectantly.

She was very nervous.

Will the guests listen?

Will the rest of the band be nervous?

Can we really give fans a satisfying performance?

In such a terrible scene.

The sound of the five people tuning their instruments stopped, and the lighting engineer turned on the lights at the right time, illuminating the stage.

When the lights came on, Kita quickly put on a smile and began the show.

Although she was shocked by the conversation just now with the customer, she was not too nervous. After all, she could feel that there was a very reliable guy behind her.

He is a reliable guy only in times of crisis.

She looked at the deserted audience with a smile and said easily.

"When we first met, we were the ending band."

"Thank you very much for braving the wind and rain to come and watch our performance today."

Hongxia also followed the lines they had designed before going on stage, and laughed and complained about Kita.

"Kita-chan, you are so polite even though you are in a rock band..."

But the lack of response from the audience and her own gradually failing voice made the place even colder and more awkward.

Only their two fans laughed in agreement.

I'm also thankful for their cooperation, otherwise the scene would have been as cold and quiet as a funeral home.

Xingge and Hiroi Kikuri were standing at the back of the store. She hugged her chest and watched the scene expressionlessly.

Hiroi Kikuri, who was standing next to her and had changed into dry clothes, glanced at her and seemed to sense Xingge's anticipation.

Just get through it…just get through it.

Get through the coldest time and hold up the scene with your strength.

On the stage, Kita didn't know what to do because of the awkward situation. Even Hongxia failed. She was still a novice in performing and had no idea what to do.

She looked around and saw no one gave her any hints, so she had to end the MC hastily.

"Then, let's start the first song right away."

“Please listen to our original song “Guitar, Loneliness and Blue Planet.”

Next to her, Pochi had a broken expression on her face, her feet rubbing against the ground imperceptibly, and her eager look gave people the feeling that she would dig a hole and hide in it as long as she had the chance.

But when he heard Kita's reminder to start playing, Pochi quickly adjusted his state and turned his head to look at his friends beside and behind him.

With the eye contact of several people, she stepped on the distortion pedal of the effector and turned it off, and the speaker made a howling sound.

Halfway through the sound, Hong Xia struck the cymbals, and the lead guitar, rhythm guitar, and bass also joined in.

The five people's voices instantly came together, forming music that surged amidst oppression.

When Kita heard the music that was not much different from usual, she smiled with satisfaction and looked towards the audience.

When they performed on the streets before, they immediately made passers-by stop and pay attention.

She fully expected that this would be the case now.

but.

As far as she could see, there were still not many people in the audience enjoying their music.

Kita's breath was caught in his throat.

Obviously, a performance that is merely decent is not enough to attract these music fans who would come in the rain.

Disasters struck again at this time.

The moment the problem arose, Kita immediately noticed that the drum sound was out of sync with the music!

Although the audience was not looking at her, she still didn't dare to turn around to confirm with Hongxia.

She panicked, and now it was time for the verse part, so she could only start singing.

"The sudden evening rain made me sick of not bringing an umbrella."

"What the mood of the sky is is none of my business."

She sang in panic, and it felt like the sound was being grabbed in her chest.

Behind her, Hongxia knew the problem better than Kita, and she also knew how to change it.

But her mind was in a mess at this moment.

The fans' opinions, the first official performance, the guests who had no interest in their performance, the opportunity they had finally won from their sister, and even more irrelevant thoughts flashed through their minds...

The drum beats were originally just slow, but now under her control, they became more and more chaotic.

She didn't know how to get her rhythm back.

Afterwards, after hearing Kita's voice become low, she felt as if her consciousness was immersed in a deep sea of ​​darkness and silence.

I can't hear anything.

She gave up all control and played the drums stiffly according to habit.

...

The music they produced was smeared with black spots.

I spent so much effort to get the opportunity to go on stage, but I wasted it like this.

The fans who came to enjoy their performances gradually became disappointed.

They were powerless to change and could only continue following this chaotic rhythm, as if they were blocked by a wall.

"It's really no big deal."

"The drummer and lead singer are totally unsuitable."

"It's still too early for this band to play here."

Hearing the comments and sighs from the audience around him, Xingge’s eyes became increasingly gloomy.

Once again, she saw her sister with her head down and a lost look on her face, and she even felt that Hongxia looked like she was about to cry this time.

This was the only thing she absolutely didn't want to see, let alone on the stage in her store.

My heart was in a knot.

At this point, she began to hesitate whether to stop her sister from taking this path.

On the stage, their terrible performance continued, with the lead singer, drums, and guitar all spinning around like headless flies.

"I am ignorant and can only sing loudly..."

"The heart that beats louder and louder..."

just.

After Kita sang these two lines badly, Ishikawa Hayabusa suddenly couldn't bear it anymore, and as if to interrupt all sounds, he pressed the keyboard heavily and continuously.

The synthesizer sent a sharp audio signal to the loudspeaker, which converted it into sound, screaming in the venue.

The first one to be frightened was Pochi, followed by Kita, Ryo, PA-san, and the store manager.

Then the guest who was playing with his mobile phone gradually came back to his senses and looked at the puzzled stage.

Does this mean that not only is the performance bad, but there is also going to be a quarrel?

After being interrupted by Ishikawa Hayabusa, several people began to stop playing one after another.

Lead guitar, bass, melody guitar, and finally only the harsh keyboard and drum sounds are left.

But soon, the drumbeats stopped with a sense of loneliness.

Pa-sang, who could have stopped all this, did not take any action. Instead, she looked at the stage with a smile that seemed to reveal admiration.

On the stage, Ishikawa Hayabusa glanced at the four people who were looking at him.

Hongxia looked nervous, timid, and full of anxiety, as if she was afraid.

Liang was calm but serious, waiting for his words.

Kita's eyes were fixed on his keyboard, not daring to look him in the eye.

Pochi looked at them in panic.

Ishikawa Hayabusa said to the four people.

"It would be a shame if such a good piece of music could not be played perfectly at this time!!"

His voice grew louder and louder, spreading heavily throughout the underground space.

"We are a rock band, there is nothing to be afraid of! If you can't find the rhythm, just stop and start over, and continue from where you were just now!"

After saying that, Ishikawa Hayabusa ignored everyone's reactions, switched the tone and started his solo.

Although the audience had some complaints about Ishikawa Hayabusa's disruptive behavior, all the noise stopped after he started his solo.

The thunderous, lightning-like sound and the high-speed yet emotional playing covered up all the failures.

The audience stared at Ishikawa Hayabusa who broke away from the chaotic rhythm and burst out with all his strength.

The layered and psychedelic sounds played by the keyboard silence all doubts!

then.

Pochi also turned around and faced the audience. She put her hands on the guitar and feinted twice to the rhythm of Ishikawa Hayabusa, then stepped on the effects pedal without hesitation to keep up.

Originally, Ishikawa Hayabusa's sudden outburst was enough to surprise the audience, but at this time, the guitarist, who was not inferior to the keyboardist, also joined in and played a sound of a super scary level.

It really stunned everyone present.

This is totally different from the band that just gave up!

Except for the two people on the stage, everyone seemed to have stopped and stared blankly.

But soon, the bass found the insertion point and took over.

Kita heard the movement around him and looked over in surprise, Lian Liang also followed them, using the sound given by the bass to strengthen the rhythm.

At this time, she heard the faint sound of drumsticks among several musical instruments behind her.

She looked back and saw Hongxia staring at her firmly. When she saw Kita looking back, Hongxia nodded and motioned Kita to follow.