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

Even without the contrast brought by a genius like Chen Qi, Hong Xia knew that she was far behind Liang, Kita, Pochi-chan, even when they were younger, and her sister who was once immersed in a band.

Hongxia and Lixi are just ordinary people.

But they are all forced to grit their teeth and move forward in order to fulfill a wish that cannot be disappointed or an obsession that they are unwilling to give up.

One of them uses cheerfulness to hide her inner pessimism, while the other forces herself to move forward with broken teeth relying on her self-esteem.

2 "But once such a thought is rekindled in my mind... it can never be erased."

Blame "It's getting boring now."

"I don't want to recall it anymore!"

０Finally, all the repressed emotions seemed to have been suppressed to a critical point. Chen Qi, who seemed to have replaced Shiina Riki's position on the stage, shouted out her thoughts with her own voice with an immersive experience!

Hiss "Is this a mistake? I don't understand! You humans!"

"Truth, love, the world, pain, life, everything!"

Wu "It doesn't matter what it is! I just want to know if it's correct."

"It's all [Defense Instinct]! I've considered that, too."

Four: “——It’s all your fault.”

There was a burst of hysterical outburst, as if attacking everyone around him indiscriminately. Chen Qi on the stage seemed to have moved a little too vigorously, and his originally well-groomed hair once again covered his eyes, which were as deep as the ocean in the dark night.

It was Chen Qi's hysterical attitude that had never been seen before that made Takamatsu Deng and Aine, and even Shiina Riki herself, in the audience, think of her own mental breakdown.

Yes, even the way they break down and blurt out some sharp words is almost exactly the same.

Is he shouting these words for me?

Below the stage, Shiina Riki stared blankly at Chen Qi on the stage, whose voice even had a hint of tears in it. Even though Liki had been the one who vented the most negative emotions through Chen Qi, he knew clearly that these words were definitely not something Chen Qi could say himself.

Only she would be so desperate when she breaks down as to say something like "It's all your fault" and hurt him.

He... really does care about it.

Shiina Riki herself had forgotten how many times she had apologized in her heart for hurting Chen Qi with her words and actions. In the past, even if she realized that she had made a mistake, she probably wouldn't say the words "I'm sorry" in her heart.

Rather than blaming himself or feeling guilty, Shiina Riki prefers to make amends through actions.

Just as Chen Qi wrote in the lyrics, all of this is Shiina Riki's [defense instinct].

"I once dreamed of what I could do in the future, and now I am an adult."

"I just found out that I can't do anything."

"'I hate people who look happy.'"

“…How can I get rid of this thought?”

Shiina Riki has been forcing herself not to feel guilty, simply because she knows her own character too well. Once she thinks she owes something to someone, she is not good at expressing her feelings and will probably take actions to protect that person with an almost partial attitude.

Simply put, Shiina Riki doesn't know how to cherish someone who has entered her heart. She can only clumsily express her affection with actions, but finds it difficult to express such feelings.

Her partiality might be even more intense than Chen Qi's previous partiality for Xiangzi and Deng. Shiina Riki had experienced this character flaw since childhood.

Therefore, she clearly understood that her one-sided, fierce, almost possessive overprotection would not make normal people feel protected. Instead, they would find Li Xi inexplicable or even fear Li Xi's behavior.

Kindness that is difficult to express often results in fear and accusations from others. Gradually, not wanting to be hurt again or to do anything that would receive little attention, Shiina Ryuki got used to closing his heart.

She would not be hurt, nor would she feel guilty about her behavior anymore. She stopped all mental exhaustion and chose to continue living in this sharp but relaxed way.

But now... it seemed that her lifestyle caused her to hurt again and again the person who had always indulged her and accepted her willfulness.

How many times have I attributed all my mistakes to him, and silently said "I'm sorry" to him, the only one who accepted my clumsy and fierce self?

In the final analysis, it’s just because…

"The depths of my mind cannot be filled..."

"I have a sense of inferiority like a monster!"

The second outburst, this time, it was as if the feelings between Chen Qi and Shiina Riki in the audience also produced some kind of resonance at this moment.

Li Xi, who was sitting in the audience, tried hard to endure the constant throbbing pain in his heart, clenched his teeth tightly, and relied on his last bit of stubbornness to prevent himself from revealing his embarrassing weakness in public.

And Chen Qi, as if expressing the uncontrollable cry in her heart, sang an even more violent and stormy outburst for her on the stage!

"That's right! I always feel like you humans!"

"Love, redemption, and tenderness are all completely groundless!"

“It’s so disgusting!”

"Love songs and the like are unbearable to watch!"

"Does it matter what happens?"

"It's all your fault."

"cough!"

Finally, a cry that was extremely clear even in such an environment came from the side, and it made Takamatsu Deng, who was originally concentrating on feeling the moving emotions in his brother's song, suddenly come to his senses and notice the black figure that flashed by his side...

"Snapped."

The next second, unable to look directly at the surging voice in his heart, Shiina Riki, with tears already welling up in his eyes, felt his arm being grabbed tightly, unable to move an even a step.

However, when Shiina Riki turned her head in shame and anger to glare at Takamatsu Deng who was holding her, the sparkling light in Deng's eyes made the emotions she wanted to vent disappear in an instant.

Although Deng did not speak, the moment their eyes met, Li Xi miraculously understood what Gao Song Deng meant.

Deng, like her brother, seemed to be able to see through everything about her at any time and anywhere. The considerate look in his eyes made Lixi lose the courage to run away again.

"...Hong Xia?"

On the other side, Liang couldn't help but exclaim when he realized belatedly that his friend beside him was so moved that he burst into tears.

But this time, Hongxia did not respond to Liang's words. On the contrary, after silently wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, she involuntarily cast her gaze on the cheek of Shiina Riki, who was held by the light and had given up resistance.

When Hongxia noticed that Lixi's face was unprecedentedly calm and the stubbornness that she had remembered was no longer there, Hongxia understood.

Qi, despite his sick body, hid it from anyone and sang these two songs for Shiina-san. His goal had been achieved.

Shiina-san seems to have gained relief from the shadows of the past.

I'm really...envious of you, Shiina-san.

Of course, it’s not just you. I envy everyone in MYGO from the bottom of my heart. There is such a person who is always giving to you. He always has your figures in his heart... He will never think of abandoning anyone.

And I... I'm afraid I'll never be able to do it like Shiina-san.

⑼I can’t say things like “It’s all your fault”. I… don’t have the qualifications to be so willful.

０ “I once had faith.”

⑷ "But now it has become empty talk that is not worth talking about."

㈧"Write everything about you countless times."

4. “Whether what I wrote sells well or not is not important at all.”

㈡On the stage, I don’t know when, even though I have heard Chen Qi sing this song many times, but perhaps it is because Chen Qi put himself in the position of Shiina Riki, or maybe he is really just using Riki’s voice to sing out his own feelings.

9 Gradually, everyone's performance of Ave Mujica, which was originally stable, was greatly affected by this magic sound.

Miao Mengqin, who has been forced to grow up, has his mind constantly flashing back to the past when he naively pursued his only ideal. He lowered his head silently, and although the drumstick in his hand never stopped for a moment, he became more and more powerful.

Wu Mu seemed as calm as ever on the surface, but the girl who used to live like a doll was touched in her heart, which could be seen from the trembling of her slender fingers.

As for Xiangzi, she had already lowered her head deeply, looking completely focused on playing the keyboard in front of her. As a keyboard player whose position was comparable to that of a drummer and who controlled the entire rhythm, Xiangzi, who never made any mistakes, made it impossible for anyone to notice her abnormality.

However, the tears that fell from her eyes onto the piano keys also proved that her heart was not as calm as she seemed on the surface.

Faith… She also has faith!

If I could be as carefree as I was in the past and decide the path of the band just because I like it, wouldn't I want that too?

Even if I can create those commercial songs, in the end, will I still have the opportunity to pick up my original "passion"?

As such thoughts flashed through Shoko Toyokawa's mind, she unconsciously raised her tearful face and looked towards Chen Qi, who was standing beside her, only half of his face could be seen.

If... he were still here, maybe I would still have such an opportunity?

But, do I still have the qualifications now?

Unconsciously, Toyokawa Shoko stared at the half of Chen Qi's profile for a long time in a daze, and even the sound of the keyboard in her hands stopped unconsciously.

Fortunately, almost all the audience were deeply attracted by Chen Qi's performance, so no one noticed Xiangzi's mistake.

However, Xiangzi, who was staring at Chen Qi's face in a trance, did not notice that beside her, Hachiman Hailing was also staring at Chen Qi's back quietly like her, and she did not come back to her senses for a long time.

This was a mistake that Hailing, who always gave her all to music, would never have made before.

No one knows what Hachiman Kairei is thinking. Judging from her behavior that is almost the same as Xiangzi's, her thoughts may be the same as Xiangzi's...

——At least, this is what Sanjiao Chuhua, who now maintains a perfect smile and silently takes it all in, thinks.

祈。

I really fell in love with a man who was...deeply sinful.

"Really, it's true... It's been like this since the beginning."

"So I……"

“So I—gave up music.”

Finally, with two heavy drum beats, this song, which had touched the hearts of countless people, finally came to an end.

This time, after a short period of strange silence, Chen Qi and everyone from Ave Mujica received applause from the audience, which gradually spread from murmuring to thunderous applause, and reaped the success of their first performance.

But at this moment, success has become the most natural thing for Chen Qi, and even the thing that he doesn’t need to care about the most.

"Go find Lixi quickly."

Behind Chen Qi, Hai Ling, who was gathered with everyone for the curtain call, suddenly spoke up to remind Chen Qi. Her eyes had been fixed on Shiina Riki since the end of the performance, watching her good friend run out of the auditorium.

"I have already agreed with Li Xi that after the performance, I will ask her to go to Group B of Grade One to wait for you. You can go there to find her now."

"Don't go out through the backstage exit, you'll be blocked. Go out through the bathroom window so no one can recognize you."

"Thanks, Hailing." Chen Qi also nodded, and then, amid the cheers and screams of the female high school students, he was the first to quickly leave the scene, without staying on this stage full of honor and accomplishment for even a moment.

However, Hachiman Hailing quietly looked at Chen Qi's departing back, and for the first time, a ripple flashed in her calm eyes.

Chen Qi... Should I say that Li Xi really has a good eye? She has never shown any interest in men, but she just happens to like you.

But you, are a playboy.

I admire you as a musician, your ability, your attitude towards music, and your empathy that can touch everyone's heart.

If possible, since you are such an impeccable partner to me, I really hope... that I can form a band with you for life.

But why are you such a person? And the person next to you is the one I dare not betray, or even dare not let her know that I will betray her?

How can I convince myself of this... I despise your view on love, but you and I are so compatible that I can't bear to throw you away...

What a man, like a tough guy.

As she thought about it, a helpless smile emerged on Hailing's face. She really wanted to hate Chen Qi, but looking at his genuine care and dedication to everyone around him, Hailing had the illusion that "perhaps he deserves so much love".

However, no matter what, Qi went to find Li Xi today. Even if she had some ulterior motives in her mind, the rest of the things had nothing to do with her anymore.

We can only hope that Li Xi can seize this opportunity and not miss it again because of his own personality.

If Li Xi really likes...

Then she can't do anything about it, right?

However, when Hailing smiled helplessly, Chuhua, who was holding her guitar beside her, smiled but said nothing. When she noticed Aiyin and Gao Songdeng who came after realizing it late, as well as the girls who ended the band, she also said nothing.

Hailing, you were the one who plotted against me first.

Well, don't blame me for giving you a little backlash.

……3

"Da da da."

"Lixi? Are you in there?"⑸

Leaving his guitar backstage and putting on his mask and hat again, Chen Qi quietly came to the door of Class 1B. After knocking on the door, he still didn't get a reply from Li Xi.

Li Xi, the situation now should not be very stable. After I go in, she might hug me and take another bite, right?