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

Under the gaze of Takamatsu Deng, Aine once again showed a warm smile, put down all her guard in her heart, and said to Takamatsu Deng word by word with a sincere tone:

"I believe that you will find your brother, and your brother will hear your voice."

"Since you want your brother to hear your singing, then don't worry."

"I will find a way to get Takamatsu-san and your brother back together."

If your brother is really Brother Qi... then, whenever you have a live performance, I will force him to come to the scene!

After hearing Takamatsu Deng's interpretation, Chihaya Aine, who was originally worried that Takamatsu Deng would take Chen Qi away, was completely relieved.

A girl with some mental problems wants to convey her guilt to her brother, but she does not have enough courage and has to ask others for help.

Such a simple and sincere wish, such a beautiful and pure brother-sister relationship, Aiyin could not think of any reason to refuse.

"Since Takamatsu-san can't talk to your brother face to face, then let me lend a hand."

"Let's start a band and get your voice to your brother, okay?"

"Chihaya-san..."

Aine: "You don't have to call me Chihaya-san, just call me Aine-chan~"

And because of this conversation, Aine, whose affection for Takamatsu Deng had skyrocketed, looked at Takamatsu Deng with the gentle eyes of an older sister looking at her fragile younger sister, and said softly:

"In exchange, I'll call you, um... Tomorin. How about that?"

Takamatsu Deng: "Okay, okay...Aine-chan."

Takamatsu Deng never thought that her intermittent and incoherent explanation could actually move Aine, and even make Aine, whose talent was not inferior to her brother, really give up the position of lead singer to her.

For a moment, Gao Songdeng, who was a little unresponsive, showed an exceptionally warm smile on his face after a long time.

For me, this can be considered as some progress, right?

"Then, this time, it will take a lifetime..."

...Hey? For a lifetime?

Suddenly, when Takamatsu Deng wanted to express his deep-down preparedness and his eager desire for new band members and a new band, the words got stuck in his throat again and he didn't say them out for a long time.

She suddenly couldn't say anything.

I wanted to form this band because I hoped Qi could hear my voice. This was Deng's starting point and also his wish to form a new band.

So, after I conveyed my thoughts to Qi, what next?

What about their band?

In the past, Takamatsu Deng didn't need to think about such problems. During the Crychic period, the band was run by Qi and Xiangzi. They both had clear plans for the future of the band. They were the "indispensable soul" of the band and only needed to sing every song well.

But now, where should this band, which they formed themselves, go in the future after achieving their goals?

What makes Takamatsu Deng's self-questioning even more confused is the reason why she tried to win over Aine.

Is it because Aine's talent is very similar to Qi's? Takamatsu Deng must admit that there is.

But the main reason was that Takamatsu Deng smelled a scent similar to Qi's from Aine that made him feel at ease and gave him the courage to sing again!

My original purpose was not because of Aine herself, but because she looked like Qi...

Moreover, she has the necessary conditions to help him bring Qi back.

From the beginning to the end, everything I did was for Qi, not the band.

I... was using Aine.

The moment he came to this conclusion, Gao Songdeng became speechless, and he could no longer utter the words "forming a band for life".

Because even Gao Songdeng himself did not have the confidence to say this.

If we can’t form a band for life, then what happened to Crychic will still happen in the future…

If Qi saw that scene, she would only be more disappointed... and he might never come back.

And I might even betray someone who treats me sincerely for a second time.

Qi would not do that, he would never want to do that!

When she thought of this, Takamatsu Deng's hand, which was about to shake with Aine's, was suddenly retracted by her with a look of horror.

The next moment, Gao Songdeng felt a strong feeling of nausea rising up his throat. He didn't even have time to explain, and he ran out with his mouth covered with his hands, everything blurred.

"Hey? Tomorin?"

Aiyin, who had a bewildered look on her face, couldn't believe how Deng, who was originally talking to her just fine, could suddenly run away with a look as if he was about to throw up.

At first, Aine wanted to chase him, but when she saw Takamatsu Touma running away from her sight, she silently withdrew her hand. Aine was left alone in the classroom, not knowing what to do and muttering to herself:

"What on earth is going on..."

……

"Xiangzi, are you going to take a nap too?"

"Well, I'm planning on going to a quiet place to eat my lunch. See you this afternoon."

After saying goodbye to her classmates, Toyokawa Shoko carried her lunch box and slowly walked towards the activity room of the wind band.

She didn't go there to enjoy her lunch box. The lunch box in her hand was completely empty. It was just an excuse to cover up her tracks.

She wanted to borrow the piano from the wind band during the lunch break so that she could keep up with her keyboard skills.

Since she has made up her mind to inherit Chen Qi's ideals and accomplish what Chen Qi failed to do, Xiangzi will not allow herself to slack off. She must ensure her family, studies, and work while maintaining her skills.

My home...the place that can still be called "home" for now, but everything of value is gone, including my once favorite keyboard.

The only way Xiangzi could do was to secretly use the piano for a while when the wind band was away. This was the only way he could call "practice".

Although it was a bit embarrassing, Xiangzi had already gotten used to it.

What's more, she is not qualified to choose anything in her current condition...

Just as Xiangzi said goodbye to her classmates and walked out of the classroom, suddenly, a familiar figure flashed past her, so that Xiangzi's eyes subconsciously followed the girl's figure.

"That's a lamp?"

Of course, Xiangzi also recognized Gao Songdeng, his former bandmate and the band's favorite.

During the Crychic period, Deng was already very unique in the band. Later, when Xiangzi discovered Deng's talent for writing lyrics, he became even more convinced of Deng's absolute "soul" status in the band.

Later, with the joining of Chen Qi, everyone witnessed his undisguised preference for his own sister, which also made Gao Songdeng the favorite in the band.

This sister who had relied on her brother for more than ten years suddenly lost her good friend and trusted brother in one day due to the disbandment of the band, and had to face loneliness alone again. Xiangzi could understand Gao Songdeng's feelings.

Therefore, Xiangzi, who took the initiative to quit the band and ignited the fuse for the band's disbanding, felt a strong sense of guilt whenever he saw the lights... It was similar to the feeling he had when he saw Chen Qi.

But this time, why was Deng so panicked? What happened?

Xiangzi was a little worried about the condition of the lamp and wanted to pay attention to it as he did in the past, but he gave up after some ideological struggle.

...Forget it. If I go to see Deng, it will only be more awkward, right? After all, it was because of her that Deng and Qi broke up. What Deng thought of me... Xiangzi really didn't want to know, and didn't want to know.

But about this matter, it would be better to tell Chen Qi when the live show starts tonight, right?

Thinking of this, Xiangzi's originally slightly worried brows unconsciously relaxed a lot. She silently stared at the time on her mobile phone, but deep in her heart she couldn't help but look forward to Chen Qi's performance in the evening.

This was the first time that Xiangzi felt that compared to the home that made him feel depressed and the building where he worked, time passed so slowly in the college with the most relaxed atmosphere.

Gao Songdeng, who passed by Xiangzi, didn't know that he had accidentally missed the closest chance to meet his long-missed brother...

Chapter 18: Nagasaki Suyo's debut, Chen Qi's first collaboration with the band

"Team leader, my working hours for today have come to an end, so I'll leave first."

"Hmm? Wait a minute Xiangzi, it's time to get off work and there's an internal discussion meeting - Hey! Listen to me!"

In the afternoon, it was time to get off work. Shoko Toyokawa was already oblivious to everything going on around her. After clicking "quit" on the computer, she walked quickly towards the outside of the company without stopping.

Although he was wearing shoes that were not suitable for sports, Xiangzi still couldn't hide his inner excitement and walked quickly towards the tram stop, completely losing the dignified disguise he had at school.

At this moment, the only thought left in Xiangzi's mind was to go to [Fanxing] as soon as possible to meet Chen Qi.

Then, they borrowed the practice room there, and together with Chen Qi and Mu, the three of them put on a live performance of their own after a long absence.

Although Xiangzi and Chen Qi had spent a lot of time together when they were in Crychic, this was the first time they stood on the center of the stage and performed together as teammates.

In Xiangzi's memory, during Crychic's first Live, she took the initiative to suggest that Chen Qi perform with them.

At that time, Xiangzi felt that the band was able to get on the right track so quickly because of Chen Qi, who helped them set the goal of becoming a professional band and put in the most effort behind the scenes. Now that the band is about to be the center of attention, Chen Qi, as the biggest contributor, should also enjoy this moment with them.

But in the end, Chen Qi politely declined her proposal.

"No, right? I can't play any instrument, and singing won't help. If I go on stage, I will just cause trouble for everyone and make the audience feel that the show is meaningless."

"As for me, I'm already satisfied just to see you standing on the stage in such a glamorous and beautiful way."

…That’s a lie.

Others may not know, but Xiangzi knows it very well. Although Chen Qi is the behind-the-scenes hero of the band, she never misses any practice sessions. In addition to writing lyrics and composing music on the spot, she actually spends more time as a spectator, watching their performances.

At that time, Xiangzi, who was a keyboard player, could always see Chen Qi's eyes fixed on them.

In his eyes, there was relief, lingering sorrow, and also hard to conceal...envy.

In the past, Xiangzi thought that this was a regret that neither she nor Chen Qi could change. Because she knew very well that if a beginner wanted to be the lead singer of a band, even if it was just the lead singer of an amateur band, the hard practice and time required would be no less than that of any other musician, and it would even be more difficult.

The lead singer is the soul of a band. To make this soul deafening, it often requires not only hard training and professional teaching, but also innate talent.

At that time, Xiangzi thought that Chen Qi was not born with the same singing talent as Gao Songdeng, and his family could not afford the fees of a professional singing instructor. He might be destined to never be the lead singer in this life.

However, in this short six months, Chen Qi's reappearance completely overturned Xiangzi's imagination.

Although Xiangzi didn't know what Chen Qi had experienced in the past six months, the fact that Chen Qi had learned to play musical instruments and sing in the past six months made Xiangzi realize one thing belatedly.

Chen Qi is not the same as he imagined, he does not have that kind of talent.

He just focused too much of his attention and energy on them, and didn't even have a chance to explore his own potential.

Whenever Xiangzi thinks of this now, he can't help but blame himself in the past who knew nothing... the self who clearly saw Chen Qi's expression of longing to stand on the stage, but did not take any action.

Especially, I was able to help Chen Qi at that time...

She can help Chen Qi find a suitable vocal teacher, and also let everyone in Crychic teach Chen Qi more musical instruments.

They could have clearly included Chen Qi as a member to perform with them from the very beginning, instead of just asking for things from him... asking for the songs that he had spent so much effort to create but that he would never have the chance to sing on stage himself.

He even destroyed the band that carried his ideals with his own hands.

The ignorant self at that time ruined his dream, made him suffer a lot of hardships in the past six months, and forced him to realize his dream on his own.

But this time, I absolutely cannot mess it up again.

Chen Qi had been badly hurt once because of Crychic. Now that he had finally regained his freedom and had gotten over the shadow of the past, he absolutely could not ruin Chen Qi's dream again.

For this live performance, she must go all out to help Chen Qi withstand the pressure and perform this doomed live performance to perfection.

Only in this way can I prove my determination.

Only I have the courage to extend an invitation to him who has let me down...

Xiangzi had already made up her mind, and when she reached the tram stop, she suddenly remembered her other companion. She took out her cell phone and found the line note with "Mu" written on it.

Looking at Mu's profile picture, Xiangzi's expression became a little subtle again... She knew that Mu had Chen Qi's contact information, but last time, Mu refused to share Chen Qi's message with her.

The reason was, "Chen Qi said that he doesn't want anyone from Crychic to find him."

It's as if Mu was never a member of Crychic.

However, although Mu's excuse made Xiangzi feel helpless, Xiangzi finally understood Chen Qi's choice.

It’s a pity that even Mu knew very little about Chen Qi’s whereabouts. Xiangzi has always been worried. After Chen Qi left Gao Song’s house and cut off all contact, how did he make a living?

Although Xiangzi's own living conditions were not good, she could tell from Chen Qi's behavior that Chen Qi's quality of life was not much better than hers.

Even Mu had to send him vegetables from time to time. Xiangzi didn't think that if Chen Qi didn't need Mu's help, Mu would still insist on sending vegetables to Chen Qi again and again.

Once it may be a token of thoughtfulness, but several times it can only be assistance.

Chen Qi, maybe his life is even more difficult than hers? This is all her fault...

He sighed in his heart, but Xiangzi's fingers did not stop moving. He quickly sent a message to Mu, saying:

[Mu, Tsuki no Mori should be out of school now, right? Let's go to Fanxing together now. Remember to bring your guitar.]

As soon as Xiangzi's message was sent, it quickly became [Read].