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

But Su Shi's eyes never left the boy she liked, and the doll girl who was closer to him than herself.

"...Qi, you really won't play this time?"

Mu gently placed his palm on Chen Qi's warm palm, and at the same time he couldn't help but raise his head and asked Chen Qi with some concern:

"Qi, you have already joined the ending band, right? Are they really okay without you?"

"Well, there won't be any problem, Mu, you don't have to worry too much." Chen Qi was very calm about this. He rubbed Mu's worried head and explained softly:

"Although Hongxia and the others' current strength is still a bit too much for them to get on the Budokan stage, they are indeed very hardworking and have a certain chance to compete for this spot."

"Besides, I gave them a great song. I believe that even if they can't make it to the Budokan, they can still gain a lot from this audition."

Chen Qike was not so naive as to think that Hongxia and others who had only been established for less than half a year could rush onto the stage of the martial arts hall. Even if they had the guidance of seniors like Grandma Tsuzuki, it was indeed too idealistic to want to enter the martial arts hall within half a year.

Chen Qi's main goal is to increase the popularity of Hong Xia and her group through these elections, so that the band can have the opportunity to hold larger-scale live performances and accumulate more experience and skills so that they can make another attempt at the Budokan next year.

Moreover, Chen Qi was confident about his performance after completing the band's training. Although there was still some distance to the martial arts hall, at least he didn't need to worry about the first round of selection.

If I'm lucky, I might even meet Hong Xia and the others in the finals.

"——I think you are a little too optimistic about their abilities, kid."

However, just when Chen Qi was calm and composed, an old and solemn voice suddenly sounded behind him, causing Chen Qi and his group to almost subconsciously tense their muscles.

When everyone turned their heads, they found that the old senior, Tsuzuki Shifune, had already sat behind them with her granddaughter Kaname Lenai, staring at the stage intently, and said to Chen Qi word by word in a cold tone:

"Although the general level of the bands participating in the preliminary round of the Budokan is not very high, only the top three bands in popularity have the opportunity to compete in the next round. How can you be sure that these girls won't meet high-level veteran bands here?"

Chen Qi: “…It is indeed possible.”

After a moment of stunned silence, Chen Qi nodded and answered Tsuzuki's question relatively optimistically, saying softly, "But I think that with Hongxia and the others' abilities, and your guidance, grandma, they should be able to get through this."

"Even if there are other bands that are stronger than Hongxia and the others, after all, the top three bands will advance. I think it should be..."

"——Are you so confident?" However, this time, Tsuzuki was extremely serious. She treated Chen Qi like her own grandson, but she couldn't help but rebuke Chen Qi's naivety and said lightly:

"Boy, what did I teach you? Don't rely on luck. Expect to meet weaklings in every round. In the end, they will meet strong ones."

"After they get through this level, will they still have such good luck at the next level? Or will you help them get through the next level by giving them songs, just like you did today?"

…I feel like my grandma is being particularly aggressive today. After blinking, Chen Qi cast an inquiring gaze towards Kaname Rakuna, who was obediently eating her matcha parfait beside Tsuzuki.

But what surprised Chen Qi was that Yao Lenai, who usually always listened to him obediently, was abnormal today. After looking at Chen Qi, she lowered her head in silence and did not respond to Chen Qi.

...What happened? Lenai doesn't seem to be in a good mood today?

　Just when Chen Qi was somewhat suspicious as he was busy with Chuhua and the band's affairs for half a month, wondering what had happened to Lenai, a sudden commotion caught the attention of Chen Qi and everyone else.

"That band is—"

“It’s Afterglow!!”

"That's the lead singer, Mizukane, right?! And the guitarist, Mocha-chan!"

"That cool older sister is the drummer Udagawa Tomoe, right? And that cute girl with pink hair is Himari, right? And the keyboard player Tugumi!"

“I can actually see Afterglow here! The ticket is totally worth it!!”

"Afterglow?! They're actually here?"

However, when they heard the surprised cheers from the fans at the scene, Chen Qi and all the girls in the MYGO band almost immediately showed the same surprised expressions as the other audiences.

Especially for Afterglow fan Riki Shiina, the moment she saw her admired band seniors actually step onto the stage, she showed great emotional fluctuations. The expression of surprise and excitement stayed on her face for only a few seconds, but soon calmed down.

It was precisely because Shiina Riki and the other people in the MYGO band understood the strength of all the members of Afterglow that they finally understood clearly in their hearts what Tsuzuki had said before, that Chen Qi's ideas were too naive.

No one expected that Afterglow, a senior and well-known band, would appear at "RiNG" and become the strongest opponent that many new bands have to face in this audition!

With their strength, let alone at "RiNG" which gathers a lot of new bands, even if they go to some old Livehouses, they are sure to take the first place!

"Why is Afterglow here?" Chen Qi looked at the girls from this band that he was also very familiar with. After they stood on the stage one by one, he couldn't help but subconsciously cast his gaze towards his grandmother behind him.

After all, strictly speaking, "RiNG" is also one of the properties of Tsuzuki Poetry Ship, so the grandmother must know the inside story, and even the appearance of Afterglow was specially arranged by her.

Tsuzuki did not hide anything and replied calmly:

"I have arranged for some popular bands to perform in the many livehouses that have just opened."

"On one hand, it's to increase the popularity of the new store. On the other hand, I don't want any random band to make it through the first round of selection and enter the next round."

"The new bands these days are really getting worse and worse. If we don't put some pressure on them, they simply don't understand that playing music requires hard work and effort."

Chen Qi: “…”

"Pray (brother)." X2

At this moment, facing the silent Chen Qi, Mu and Gao Songdeng, who were closest to Chen Qi, also keenly felt the uneasiness in Chen Qi's heart. They reached out their hands almost at the same time and gently grasped the hands of the people they cared about, wanting to use their warmth to drive away the uneasiness in his heart.

Aiyin, Lixi, and Sushi all started to worry about Chen Qi and Hongxia because of Afterglow's sudden appearance...

On the stage, the lead singer Mizukami, who had beautiful shoulder-length hair with bright red highlights that made her look even more heroic, raised her guitar and checked the status of several members before singing “8呜々企!”. After taking a deep breath, she slowly closed her eyes.

The next moment, all the audience present who were following Mizukami with bated breath were waiting for a burst of extremely powerful drum beats!

"《ロストワンのwailing》!"

"Ohhhhh!!"

Following Lana's powerful shout on the stage, the audience, who had guessed the song they were going to play just by listening to the drum beats of the prelude, immediately responded with deafening cheers.

This is truly a one-call-a-hundred-response performance effect that can only be achieved by a truly popular band!

"Wail, Senior Lan is really the same as always, giving his all wherever he goes."

Chen Qi looked at the music being played on the stage, and heard Mei Zhulan sing a cover song that was so good that it would not be too much to sing in the finals in the first performance. He felt a lot of pressure...

He understood that with the current abilities of Hongxia and the others, there was no way they could compete with Afterglow, which had long been a popular band. Even if he gave them a new song, it would probably be difficult.

How can a band that has only been working together for less than half a year compare to this popular band that has been friends since childhood and has perfect tacit understanding?

Although as long as the band ranks in the top three, it can advance to the next round, but after experiencing such an explosive performance as Afterglow, the audience, who have already been excited once, will probably have a mediocre response to the performances of the following bands.

In this case, the band may be eliminated in the first round...

Can Hong Xia and the others accept this kind of situation?

"..." Countless thoughts flashed through Chen Qi's mind, and his expression was conflicted for a long time.

But in the end, under the gaze of Tsuzuki and the girls from MYGO, Chen Qi stood up silently, without any explanation, and walked slowly towards the backstage.

As for Tsuzuki Shichuan, she looked at Chen Qi, who had made the choice not to stand idly by as she had expected. She sighed softly and whispered regretfully:

"...Boy, you can help them once, but can you help them for a lifetime?"

"You are following the same old path that got you hurt in the past. When they really become dependent on you, how are you going to get out of this?"

However, what troubled Tsuzuki even more was the words her granddaughter had said to her a few days ago. She looked at Chen Qi's leaving figure, then looked at her precious granddaughter beside her, whose eyes had never left Chen Qi's back from beginning to end. She couldn't help but reach out and rub her hair, whispering:

"Lena, you saw everything, right?"

"It's not that I'm cruel, grandma, but you can't control a man who does whatever he wants."

Yaoi Nai: "..."

Kaname Lenai did not answer her grandmother's words, but this time, she no longer had the mood to continue eating the matcha parfait. Like a wounded kitten, she gently lowered her head.

……

"What, what, what, what?! That's Afterglow! There's no way we could possibly beat a band that popular!"

Backstage, the closing band, which was about to go on stage for the performance, was already in a panic. Even Kita, who was usually the most optimistic, was now as confused as an ant on a hot pot, pacing aimlessly in the lounge with his guitar in his arms.

Although Wakata is sunny and optimistic and tries her best in every performance, she is not a girl who cannot see the situation clearly and is blindly optimistic.

She fully understood that she was not as good at playing guitar as Senior Qi, and her singing skills were even worse than Senior Qi's lead singer. How could she win over Mizukani, a senior who had both strength and charisma?

She is the lead singer, the real soul of a band. Her level is far worse than Lan's, and she pales in comparison...

Fourth, just when Kita was anxious, the one who finally stepped forward to comfort everyone was still the most optimistic member of the band, Hong Xia. She saw the tension and anxiety of her teammates, and said to everyone with a forced smile:

⒊ "It's okay, Kita-chan, as long as we all give our best, even if we can't beat Mitake-senpai and the others, we will definitely be able to advance successfully!"

"Don't forget, this time we have a new song that Qi gave us. We have been rehearsing together for so long, there will definitely be no problem."

However, Hong Xia was paralyzed by her own words, but she immediately looked for someone who might support her. She looked for help at Liang who had been silent beside her, and asked with a little expectation:

Wu "Liang, you feel the same way, right?"

cold:"……"

However, contrary to Hongxia's expectations, this time even Liang did not agree with her words.

Didn't Liang know that Hong Xia's optimism was just fake? Of course she knew that, and she also understood that her friend needed a little support and comfort now, but Liang really couldn't go against her conscience and say that if they tried their best, they would definitely advance smoothly.

Even though Liang herself was not afraid of Afterglow's performance, she did not want to force the other three members of the band to be as fearless as she was.

During Ryo's silence, Hongxia gradually understood what her good friend was thinking. This time, Hongxia didn't even think of competing with Ryo, and once again turned to Goto Ichiri for help.

"Pochi-chan, you must be confident, right? You're our guitar hero!"

"me……"

However, even Bochi could hear the almost pleading tone in Hongxia's voice. She really wanted to express her confident side and say something inspiring like Chen Qi, whom she admired, so that everyone could calm down.

However, when Bochi thought of Chen Qi's composure on the stage that made her look up to him, and also remembered Mizukami's aura on the stage that was no less than Chen Qi's, even though she had gradually become accustomed to the stage, she could not say confidently that they would definitely win.

Because at the moment, it was impossible for them to win. As long as Qi Zhong was not around, they would have no chance at all—

"Click."

“——We will win. Although saying this may sound like a flag, I believe we can win.”

However, just when Pochi-chan couldn't think of any words to respond to Hongxia, and even Hongxia was about to become discouraged, the door of the lounge was suddenly pushed open, and Chen Qi's words, which startled everyone, echoed in their ears again.

"Qi (Qi Senior)?!" X4

And when Chen Qi walked in, Hong Xia, who was originally disheartened, seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw. The fragility and helplessness that had nowhere to go were released because of Chen Qi's appearance.

This also made Hong Xia seem a little excited at that moment. She actually bypassed Xiduo and directly grabbed Chen Qi's hand, with an expression of uncontrollable joy on her face as if she had survived a disaster.

"Qi, why are you here? Don't worry about us, okay? We can totally do it here—"

"Okay, Hongxia, you don't have to say anything more, I understand."

Faced with Hong Xia who was still trying to force herself to be strong, Chen Qi couldn't help laughing and reached out to rub Hong Xia's golden hair. After a stunned look, Hong Xia did not resist Chen Qi's intimate action.

Hong Xia really needed a little comfort from Chen Qi to calm her restless heart at this moment.

All these actions were seen by Ryo, Kita and Pochi-chan who were watching from the sidelines.

Hongxia...when did you become so close to Qi?

"——Qi, you just said, 'We will win', right?"

Liang did not let Chen Qi enjoy the touch of Hong Xia's hair for long. He immediately stood up holding his bass and quietly squeezed in between Chen Qi and Hong Xia. He spoke to Chen Qi in a cold tone and asked with a bit of surprise:

"Could it be that you..."

"Well, this time, Ryo, Nijika, Kita, and Pochi, I will go through this difficult time with you."

Chen Qi also nodded, acknowledging Liang's guess. As everyone's expectations were finally settled, the four girls who were originally nervous and unconfident all showed relaxed smiles because of Chen Qi's arrival.

He has such charm that it seems that wherever he appears, all crises will be quietly resolved.

But only Liang, after looking relaxed, couldn't help but look at Chen Qi with sad eyes. There was also Hong Xia, who looked much more relaxed, and Kita and Pochi, who looked at Chen Qi with a little longing in their eyes after regaining their confidence.

...His appearance made all the problems easier to solve, but it also made everyone in the band more and more dependent on his abilities.

Is this really a good thing for the band?

What if I eventually find that I don’t like him, and Chen Qi falls in love with another girl and leaves the band in the future? What should I do?

The problem that Liang was worried about also emerged in Hongxia's mind at the same time...but Hongxia thought more about her own affairs.

Qi, as long as he appears in the band, everyone will feel relieved by his arrival. The effect is much better than my previous efforts to comfort everyone.

And now, what exactly is my position in this band?

Am I... going to be an insignificant character in this band?

……

"Let's thank Afterglow for their wonderful performance! And now we have counted the votes for Afterglow!"

"The total is - 574 votes!"

As the host on the stage spoke in a rhythmic manner, the big screen behind him also showed the flashing "574", an astonishing number of votes that no band had ever achieved before!