They are in the music show, but I am a stranger to them

But now, Su Shi, who was more anxious than anyone else to get the band back together, was a little indifferent about what Deng said about the band. If it weren't for the appointment they had already made, she might not even bother to reply.

After all, her ultimate goal of saving the band was now with her. For a moment, Su Shi couldn't even find any motivation to reorganize the band.

Of course, selfish motives aside, Su Shi also understands that reorganizing the band is a very important matter. It may even be directly related to whether Aqi can reconcile with everyone, and whether Aqi and Deng, the brother and sister, can resolve their past grievances.

...But is this a reason to regain motivation?

Su Shi carefully watched Chen Qi who was so close to her, afraid that Chen Qi would see any clues. When she thought that if he reconciled with Aiyin, Deng and Lixi, he might leave her again, she couldn't help but feel a little bitter in her heart...

In particular, Su Shi couldn't help but recall the words that Chen Qi wanted her to convey to Ai Yin yesterday...

Su Shi, even more so, hoped from the bottom of her heart that Chen Qi could stay with her longer.

"What's wrong, Su Shi?" Perhaps Su Shi had been distracted for a long time, Chen Qi also keenly noticed that something was wrong with Su Shi, and his voice also made Su Shi quickly come back to his senses, and he smiled again and replied:

"Nothing, I was just thinking... what kind of food should I cook to beat Aqi."

"...Is that so?

However, after a moment of silence, Chen Qi began to feel suspicious. He vaguely felt that... Su Shi was not telling him the truth.

That message was probably sent by everyone in the band? But why did Su Shi hide it from me? Could it be that they wanted to discuss something together but deliberately didn't let me know?

Although he was confused, Chen Qi did not mind too much that Su Shi lied to him. After all, he still believed in Su Shi, and would not disclose the news that he was living in her house to everyone in the band before the live performance started.

As for the words that he hoped Su Shi could convey to Aine, Chen Qi believed that Su Shi would do it well, and this was enough for Chen Qi.

As for what kind of surprise or scare they were planning for himself... Chen Qi no longer cared.

He has made up his mind to say his final farewell to Deng, and no matter what happens now, it will not shake his heart.

However, Chen Qi could never have guessed that just when he was focusing his attention on cooking again, Su Shi, who was silent beside him, had quietly made his own decision.

I... don't want Aqi to leave me so soon.

Su Shi understood that she couldn't stop Aqi from reconciling with everyone. If she really did that, she would probably lose Chen Qi's trust completely.

If he wanted to achieve his goal, he had to think of a way to have the best of both worlds... not preventing Akari from reconciling with everyone, but also not letting Akari leave his home and return to Aine or Deng after the reconciliation.

Just a little longer... a week... no, just half a month.

Let yourself enjoy a fulfilling life without loneliness. After you are satisfied, you will return Akari to Aine or Touma... You will definitely do that.

Nagasaki Sushi, who had reaffirmed her thoughts, did not hesitate for the second time, but quickly processed the dishes in her hands. Soon, under Sushi's skilled skills, Japanese and Western dishes were born from her hands.

After a while, just when Chen Qi and Su Shi's dishes were placed on the table, Ruoyemu's door finally opened.

Mu, who was also wearing pajamas, barefoot, and sleepy, also walked out quietly. However, when he saw the table of dishes that had been prepared long ago, as well as Chen Qi and Su Shi who were constantly shuttling between the kitchen and the living room, he was obviously stunned for a moment, but soon recovered his spirits.

"Xiao Mu, you're awake."

Su Shi, who put the last dish on the table, smiled at Mu who was walking out of the room. From the moment Mu led Chen Qi to her home, Su Shi's favorability towards her good friend rose sharply.

If it weren't for Xiaomu, I might not be able to enjoy such a wonderful time...

Thank you, Xiaomu. I will definitely take good care of you as Xiaoqi promised.

"Xiao Mu, go wash up first. Aqi and I cooked some food together. Please judge carefully when the time comes. Whose cooking is better, mine or Aqi~"9

"Remember, Xiao Mu, don't show favoritism."

Mu: "... Yeah."

Qi and Su Shi, were they so close in the past? Mu looked at Chen Qi and Su Shi, who must have cooked together before, and a trace of doubt flashed through his mind, but he also confirmed a fact -

The world is not as safe as you think.

At least, judging from her closeness to Qi, which was far greater than during their time at Crychic, Su Shi must have concealed many things between her and Qi from herself and everyone at Crychic.

"But Qi and I are now in Su Shi's home, and Su Shi is the only one willing to take us in...I can't let Qi, who has finally settled down, leave here just because of my selfishness." Mu couldn't help but mutter to himself in his heart.

"Then... observe for a while? If Su Shi has unusual feelings for Qi, she will reveal her true colors sooner or later."

But, if possible, Mu still hoped that he was thinking too much.

Besides, if Su Shi just liked Qi normally... Mu couldn't think of any reason to stop the two of them for a moment.

One is the person she trusts the most and the only friend who has never hurt Qi; the other is the first person who gave her warmth and heartbeat... Although Mu herself felt a little disappointed about this, she actually felt that this might be a good combination.

After all, she was just craving for a little bit of the remaining warmth from Chen Qi, and she would be satisfied... If that person was Su Shi, at least, he would be more suitable than those who had hurt Qi.

But… Mu felt a little unwilling to give up like this.

Then let’s observe it first. What if I’m just overthinking it?

And...even though I don't want to think this way, what if Su Shi is not as simple as I think?

Quietly, Mu made up her mind without making any expression. In the next few days, she would pay close attention to Su Shi's every move.

……

At noon, Su Shi reluctantly bid farewell to Chen Qi and Mu, and went to a livehouse called [SPACE], a place she had never been to before, at the agreed time.

However, when Su Shi arrived at the location on time, he found that the other four members had already arrived early.

However, one of the blue figures seemed out of place in the eyes of the others no matter how they looked at it.

Xiangzi: "...I know you have a lot to say, but now is not the time to bring up the past."

Being stared at by Deng, Aine, Li Xi and Su Shi with surprised, complicated, and even hostile looks at the same time, wasn't Toyokawa Shoko actually feeling embarrassed by this scene?

Apart from Aine, this band can almost be said to be the revival of the disbanded Crychic. As the instigator who destroyed that wonderful band, Xiangzi is well aware that everyone's resentment towards him cannot be eliminated by revealing part of the truth.

Even though Aine, who is not an old member, once regarded herself as a love rival, and now she has to stand up for the person she pursues... It can be imagined that Aine's attitude towards her is also quite subtle.

But Xiangzi couldn't confess everything in the past even to Chen Qi, let alone to others. Therefore, after she had calmed down, she said to the four girls:

"We have had a lot of grievances in the past. I won't explain too much about this, and I hope you won't ask any more questions."

"Huh? Then why do you want to work with us? I can't trust members who can't even confide in each other."

However, Li Xi, who was persuaded by Deng to come back, found that Xiangzi was also here. When Deng said that Xiangzi would temporarily cooperate with them, Li Xi, who could no longer hold back his emotions, questioned Xiangzi, who was most unhappy with him:

"What's more, you were the one who wanted to quit so casually in the beginning, and now you want to come back without any reason - our band is not your own amusement park!"

"You misunderstood, Shiina-san. I am just cooperating with everyone in the performance. It does not mean that I want to join." Xiangzi faced Li Xi's repeated questions that hit his soft spot, and he just silently swallowed the resentment that he should have endured, but soon said:

"We are gathered together now because we have a common goal and a common person we want to save. In the final analysis, we are just birds of a feather."

"What Deng said was right. We are all 'prisoners' who want to atone for our sins. However, Deng and I are the 'main criminals', so we must stand up when Chen Qi needs us the most and pay for our past 'sins'."

Li Xi: "Huh? What sin! Even if we are wrong, it's because you left the team in the first place--"

"Lixi, is that enough?" However, Su Shi on the side interrupted Lixi in time. Although she was also reluctant to cooperate with Xiangzi at the beginning, she was still somewhat rational and did not immediately reject Xiangzi's joining.

"Lixi, now that Xiaomu has left, our band is also missing a member. If Xiaoxiang doesn't fill the vacancy, our band can only have four people on stage, and the performance effect will be completely different from before."

"Besides, the cooperation with Xiaoxiang was agreed by Deng-chan, right? I think Deng-chan should have his own plans, right?"

"--Yes."

Gao Songdeng, who soon became the focus of everyone's attention, nodded heavily. Gao Songdeng's expression was different from before. There was no hesitation or cowardice on her face. On the contrary, her eyes were more determined than ever before, showing her courage and determination at the moment.

Gao Songdeng's firm belief seemed to have really influenced everyone. Even Li Xi, who was still skeptical about Xiangzi's joining, slowly suppressed his dissatisfaction, silently cast his eyes behind the lamp, and asked in a low voice:

"So, Deng, what are your plans? And how are you going to win him back?"

Although Li Xi has a straightforward temper, he still takes Chen Qi's issues very seriously - it can be said that only matters concerning Chen Qi can make Li Xi choose to temporarily endure his unhappiness.

Li Xi also knew that if Chen Qi could really be found, the lamp was the only possibility.

Even though Chen Qi's departure before seemed to be caused by the song sung by Deng, apart from relying on Deng's singing, they had no ability to call Chen Qi back.

But this time, Li Xi is obviously not so easy to fool. She must figure out Gao Songdeng's entire plan to avoid the unexpected incident from the last Live, which would strangle the possibility of their separation from Chen Qi becoming permanent!

⒏ Deng: "Everyone... I know that everyone still has a lot of doubts about my brother and me. I may not be able to tell you the truth, but I think that the fact that you are still willing to stand here means that we all hope that my brother can come back."

Suddenly becoming the only one who was popular among the people, Takamatsu Deng also showed a completely different leadership ability from before. She kept recalling how her brother had once united everyone, and while turning her memories into actions, she said to everyone:

"Since I was the cause of the accident at the last Live, I am willing to find my brother for everyone and for myself!"

⑹ "With my singing voice, we work together to play a new song that unites the will of all of us!"

As he spoke, Deng couldn't help but glance at Li Xi beside him. After receiving Li Xi's silent affirmation, he turned his gaze to everyone again and said:

"Everyone, I have already had a good talk with Li Xi. Li Xi told me that she has a song that she had composed a long time ago. She is willing to take out this song and use it as a new song for us to sing for Qi."

⑷ “——Let me make it clear in advance, don’t ask me where this song came from, I won’t answer.”

However, when talking about her new song, even the ice beauty Lixi's face flashed a bit of unnaturalness.

2. If Deng hadn't come to visit her personally to persuade her, and if Li Xi hadn't been worried because Chen Qi hadn't been heard from for several days, she would never have taken out this unfinished song.

This song… was supposed to be the one she arranged and sang to that guy herself. Although she tore it up at the time, fortunately, the arrangement was still in her computer and she hadn't deleted it.

"Also, I haven't written the lyrics for this song yet, and the music still needs further refinement... so if we really want to play the new song, there are still many things to sort out."

Xiangzi: "I see... Then maybe I can help."

Xiangzi quickly understood his responsibilities after hearing this, and turned his gaze to Deng and said softly, "I can help Lixi perfect the arrangement, but will you be responsible for the lyrics?"

"——Not just me, Xiangzi, but all of us!"

However, Deng, who was more resolute than ever before, shook his head, glanced at everyone present, and said in a gentle but irrefutable tone:

"For this song, whether it's arranging the music or writing the lyrics, we'll be involved this time."

"If this song doesn't bring together the will of all of us, we won't be able to impress Qi. We must create a song together that goes beyond the songs Qi has written for us, so that we can convey our feelings and our growth to him."

"lamp……"

Such a huge transformation of Takamatsu Deng made Xiangzi, Li Xi, Su Shi and Aine stunned. It was also the first time for them to feel that this girl who was originally as sensitive and fragile as a small animal could actually burst out such powerful potential in a desperate situation?

But it must be said that Deng not only can use singing to infect everyone's emotions, but also can do so with words at this moment. Soon, after everyone looked at each other, they quickly determined the expressions in their eyes.

Among the group, only selfish Nagasaki Suyo seemed a little hesitant... But facing this scene, even she couldn't say anything selfish, so she nodded in tacit agreement.

“… Well, if everyone has no objection, I’ll go look for Manager Tsuzuki first.” When Deng saw that everyone had united again, he felt that his hope of finding his brother had increased a little, so he planned to take his next step.

Although Deng felt that her brother would not block her, she was also worried whether her brother would come to watch her performance.

After all, she had messed up her last Live performance and she was afraid of the next one. Her brother chose to avoid the performance because of the trauma of the past.

Therefore, in order to ensure that his brother is present at the performance, Deng decides to ask the store manager Tsuzuki, who treats his brother like a grandson, for help, and win her approval, so as to ensure that his brother will be present at his performance.

However, at this moment, suddenly, the sound of footsteps not far away quickly attracted everyone's attention.

As the five girls watched, they saw four girls who looked like band members walking slowly towards them not far away... Xiangzi felt that some of the faces looked familiar, and he couldn't help but reveal a surprised expression and whispered:

"Are you... Yamada-senpai and Ijichi-senpai?"

"——Isn't this Toyokawa-san? You're here too."

However, the four girls who were walking towards Xiangzi and the others were the ones who ended the band. The leader, Yamada Ryo, also looked at Xiangzi and the others one by one. Although he was also surprised by this coincidence, he quickly restrained his mood and said in a cold tone:

"So, it was you guys who caused Chen Qi to collapse and pass out during that live show?"

"Huh?" X5

However, Liang's unadorned words seemed to have turned into a knife, piercing into the hearts of the five girls, causing their hearts to suddenly tighten.

Similarly, Yao Lenai, who was originally resting at the counter and was not interested in competing with others, also raised her head almost immediately after hearing the key words.

What did she just hear?

Chen Qi, in coma?

But before the most aggressive Li Xi stepped forward to ask who they were, Liang took the lead and said expressionlessly, without even a slight fluctuation in his tone:

"Let me introduce myself. We are the Ending Band, a new band that Senior Chen Qi once promoted."

"Also, we were chosen by Chen Qi to be the band that will be performing with him next."

"Huh?!" X5

This time, there was an extra sense of hesitation in the exclamations of the five girls.

But before they could react, Kaname Rakuna, who had already slowly walked out of the [SPACE] store, quietly came to the middle of the two bands and immediately cast her eyes on Liang.

"...Liang, you just said that Qi fainted? What happened?"

　"How is Qi now? Who did this? Can you tell me?"

For the first time, the tone of the girl who was as lazy as a cat had a hint of sadness and a hint of anger. This might be the first time in Lenai's life that she felt provoked.

However, under Liang's silent gaze, Kaname Rakuna gradually followed Liang's line of sight and turned her gaze to Takamatsu Deng and his group, and soon, Kaname Rakuna also locked her eyes on Toyokawa Shoko.

"I know you, Qi. I mentioned you before."