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

As expected, after the message Mu sent to Chen Qi became [Read], Chen Qi's reply to Mu also made Mu fall into a long silence.

Chen Qi: [...I understand. Since this is Xiangzi's own choice, we should respect her.]

[But, you are not wrong. Don't worry, Mu, I will do my best to help Xiangzi. Thank you for telling me the truth.]

I will try my best. Mu knew very well that whenever Chen Qi said these three words, what he meant was that he would do everything he could to help, even if it meant that he would have trouble taking care of his own life.

Mu knew that Chen Qi's quality of life was already dwarfed by others. Although she wanted to help Chen Qi relieve some of his burden as much as possible, just like Xiangzi, the help she could provide was too little.

If she gave him money directly, although Chen Qi would not be as sensitive as Xiangzi and would not regard it as an insult, he would definitely not accept her funding.

After all the calculations, the only thing I can do... is to send more vegetables to Qi.

With such thoughts in mind, Mu unknowingly came to the small vegetable garden he left behind in the Tsuki no Mori Horticulture Department.

Here, there are all kinds of vegetables grown with great effort, including cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, and even small potatoes, cabbages, and radishes.

In this small vegetable garden, the proportion of Mu's favorite cucumbers is not large, but rather they are distributed very evenly.

This is not because Mu has obsessive-compulsive disorder, but because Mu knows that Chen Qi is not particularly fond of cucumbers. Compared to cucumbers, he seems to prefer some other vegetables.

Therefore, Mu planted many different vegetables here in order to meet Chen Qi's needs.

Mu silently raised the bucket and began to water the vegetables she had carefully cultivated one by one. Her every move was very careful, even the amount of watering each time, she seemed to control it with utmost precision.

"Grow up quickly, grow up quickly."

"Qi, I need your help more than ever."

Under the sky, Mu murmuring to herself seemed to be singing a lullaby in the ears of these vegetables, and as she gazed at the buds of the fruits, she seemed to be able to imagine Chen Qi praising them.

Whenever he thought of this, a barely perceptible smile would appear on Mu's calm face.

Although it was very faint, the girl's smile was more vibrant than the vegetables in the garden at this moment.

While Mu was watering the vegetables, bursts of low musical instrument sounds slowly drifted into his ears not far away. After pausing for a moment, Mu cast his gaze towards a teaching building not far away.

There was the wind band of Tsuki no Mori. But what Mu saw was the figure of a gentle woman with long chestnut hair standing by the window, and the song she was playing.

...That was a song from Crychic, sung by Chen Qi. Mu remembered clearly that the name of the song was "天ノ弱".

The reason why Mu remembered it so clearly was because this song was written by Chen Qi based on her mood and it was her song.

But... at that time, she could only listen to Gao Songdeng singing this song himself, but she did not have enough courage to sing this song written for her.

But even so, Mu clearly remembered that even though she was just a bystander at that time, when the song composed by Chen Qi for her sounded, her heart had already gained unprecedented satisfaction.

The song Chen Qi wrote for her became a song that comforted Mu. Whenever it was late at night and Mu was lying in the empty room with her tired body, she would feel calm from the bottom of her heart as long as she heard the melody of this song.

However, Mu did not think that Su Shi, playing this song that belonged to her, could also gain inner peace like himself...

After all, when Crychic disbanded, Qi didn't even have the time to compose a song for Su Shi that expressed her feelings.

……

In the wind band, all members had already left after the department activities were over. Today's department activities ended quite late, and everyone was a little impatient to leave, except for Nagasaki Suyo, who was still here.

Su Shi was not in a hurry to go home, because she knew that even if she went back early, she would just be facing an empty house alone. And she couldn't play musical instruments at home to kill time, so she might as well stay in the wind band for a while.

At least, here, no one would disturb her when she was playing solo.

Su Shi skillfully operated the double bass in her hand, playing one song after another, every song she was familiar with, every song of the former Crychic...

Su Shi has memorized every song of the band and knows how to play it even with her eyes closed. Although she is now playing the violin, she can still achieve the same effect even if she is the bass in the band.

Every song is a memory for Su Shi. She can even clearly tell what was happening to everyone in the band when each song was created, what their reactions were, and what happened afterwards.

For example, this song "天ノ弱".

……

"Okay, let's stop practicing here today. You've all worked hard."

In the memory, everyone had finished a day of practice. When everyone was about to leave, Chen Qi, who had been watching the practice, seemed unable to control his emotions. He took the initiative to come to Mu's side and asked softly:

"Mu? Are you sure you don't want to sing this song yourself?"

"Although I don't deny that Deng's singing skills are very good, this song is for you. Deng can't fully empathize with it. Surely it would be more suitable for you to sing it, right?"

"Yes, Xiao Mu, what Aqi said is right. If you sing this song, it will definitely be great."

At that time, Su Shi also took the initiative to come forward and stood beside Chen Qi to help. However, under the gaze of everyone, Mu just shook his head gently, gently rejected Chen Qi, and said softly:

"No...I am already very happy today."

"I like the song Qi wrote for me, but unfortunately I can't sing it well. However, Deng sings it well, so it's better to let Deng sing this song."

"...Hey, if you really want to, then fine."

In the end, Chen Qi's original words, which he wanted to insist on, turned into a sigh of helplessness and regret under Mu's faint smile. Under Su Shi's gaze, Chen Qi finally just patted Mu's shoulder and said:

"Mu, if you want to sing, remember to tell us anytime."

"Ah."

"Okay, everyone go back first. I'll tidy up the studio and the lights. I'll be back soon. You and everyone else wait outside for a while."

"——I'll help too."

At that time, Su Shi also took the initiative to stay with Chen Qi to clean the recording studio. She took the initiative to put down her guitar bag, accompanied Chen Qi to sort out some sundries, and sorted out Chen Qi's manuscripts.

During the sorting process, Su Shi couldn't help but glance at the talented boy beside him. Looking at his serious face whether he was composing or writing, he couldn't help but speak, breaking the peace between the two.

"Aqi, I really like Xiaomu."

"Hmm? Why do you say that?" When Chen Qi heard Su Shi say this, he paused what he was doing and turned his head to ask curiously.

"Isn't this natural? After all, aren't all the songs you've composed so far based on Dengjiang's inner voice?" Su Shi saw that Chen Qi looked like he was touched on but didn't want to admit it, so he smiled and gently explained:

"But, Xiaomu's song is the first one you wrote that wasn't just for Deng-chan, right?"

As he spoke, Su Shi also said to Chen Qi in a half-joking tone:

"Aqi, if you like Xiaomu, I think this song has already touched her. If you just keep trying, Xiaomu might agree to you."

"…Although it sounds very tempting, it's a pity that Xiaomu is still too young. If he were a few years older, I might seriously consider it."

However, in the face of Su Shi's joke, Chen Qi perfectly hit back at her with a tone that was unclear whether it was serious or joking. And just when Su Shi looked at Chen Qi with a shocked expression of "Do you really think so?", she was also facing Chen Qi's perfect "You fell into the trap" smile.

Soon, the two's gentle laughter echoed in the small recording studio for a while. But after the laughter, Chen Qi did not forget to explain to Su Shi in detail, so that Su Shi would not take his joke seriously, which would be bad if it got to Mu's ears.

"Actually, I just feel that Mu is always alone, and his expression is dull during practice. Although he plays perfectly, it's like a machine doing the movements, exquisite but without emotion."

"I was worried that Mu might feel that she has never been happy in our band. That's why I wanted to write this song for Mu... I hope she can be a little happier."

“Is… that so.”

Facing Chen Qi's reason, Rao Su Shi didn't know what to say for a moment. But she knew that deep in her heart, when she knew that Chen Qi had been paying attention to Mu's condition, she had an emotion called "envy"...

It’s not because Shuangshi has a good impression of Chen Qi that she envies Mu for being able to receive Chen Qi’s care; Sushi is just envious that such a quiet girl like Mu actually has a caring person like Chen Qi who has been quietly paying attention to her every move.

As for herself, she was just an average performer in the band, always trying to keep up with everyone and not dragging their feet. Usually, Xiangzi and Deng Hemu's performances were more eye-catching than hers, and Lixi's drum beats were countless times clearer than her bass. Usually, she was the type who corrected mistakes, and no one else would necessarily notice her mistakes.

So, I'm really envious that someone would care about your emotions like this, Xiaomu.

However, it was unknown whether the momentary loneliness in Su Shi's eyes was captured by Chen Qi who was standing by. Chen Qi watched as the action in his hand quietly stopped and Su Shi's eyes were somewhat absent-minded. After a brief silence, he immediately spoke to Su Shi:

"——Actually, Sushi, I have an idea. I haven't had time to tell you all about it, but I think I can tell you first."

"I plan to write a personal song for each member of our band."

Chen Qi looked directly at Su Shi's slightly confused eyes, and also stated his proposal that he had obviously decided just a second ago, and said word by word:

"Just like the song "Haruhi Shadow" that I wrote with Deng before, and the song "天ノ弱" that I wrote for Mu this time, I plan to write a personal song like this for each member of the band that can represent themselves."

"In this way, when we become professional in the future, everyone's personality, voice and representative color can be spread through personal songs. Not only can the public identify each of our members more quickly, but excellent personal songs can also increase our popularity. What do you think?"

"Everyone..."

However, facing Chen Qi's long speech, Su Shi, who had just reacted, quickly caught the part that interested him. With his eyes slightly shining, he asked Chen Qi with great joy:

"So, will I also have my own song written by you, Aqi?"

"Yes, there will be. Everyone in the band will have one. If you want, Sushi, I can create your solo song first."

Under Su Shi's gaze, the big boy nodded heavily and made a promise that seemed like a huge burden just thinking about it.

Faced with this opportunity that made her envious, Nagasaki Suyo revealed a faint smile after a brief silence. She looked at Chen Qi's solemn and confident expression, and couldn't help but stretch out her finger and lightly touch his forehead.

Just like a dragonfly touching the water, before anyone could react, Su Shi had already retracted her action. Facing this intimate action that she couldn't help but make, Su Shi just smiled gently at Chen Qi and replied softly:

"No, I don't need it for now. As for Aqi, you should pay more attention to the hair you lose every day~"

"I don't want Aqi to lose more and more hair in order to catch up with our song. If that happens, Deng-chan and Xiaomu might be unhappy~"

You obviously have people who deserve your care more than me, don't you?

I... just knowing that there is this attention is enough.

This was the first time that a small wish had emerged in Nagasaki Suyo's heart since she started living with her mother. In order to stop being surrounded by loneliness, she had to blend in with the surrounding environment. Even her own opinions were about to disappear. It was so small that it was a little humble.

She didn't even dare to ask for more, for fear of disrupting the balance.

But from the moment the bud of desire fell into the soil of her heart, whether she realized it or not, the seed began to take root and sprout, day by day... craving for nourishment.

Chapter 27: Memories of Nagasaki Suyo: My Unintegrated Self

Nagasaki Motoyo actually knew very well that she was nothing special in the band.

It was as if there was nothing special about me in Chen Qi's heart.

He did not have the talent like Xiangzi, so he could not stand shoulder to shoulder with a genius like Aqi. The two of them were responsible for the most essential arrangement work of the band.

In Crychic, Xiangzi and Chen Qi have the best relationship. Not only Su Shi, but everyone else in the band can feel this.

Even during the band's group building, the two never concealed the fact that they were more familiar with each other than the other members of the band. Su Shi and others could often see these two most important people in Crychic sitting together from time to time, always chatting in harmony, as if they would never have any conflicts at any time.

Therefore, Su Shi never expected that she would be as important as Xiangzi in Chen Qi's heart.

I don't have as good luck as Takamatsu Deng.

Although Deng was born in a very ordinary family like her, his parents have always loved her... Even when they noticed that their daughter's personality seemed a little bit wrong, they quickly thought of using "accompany" to guide their daughter correctly.

Although Mr. and Mrs. Gao Song were equally busy and ordinary, it was because of their love for their daughter that they gave Deng her only and best brother.

The brother and sister have been together for more than ten years. Even though Gao Songdeng is not so good at expressing his inner feelings, no matter where Deng goes, he can always see the figure of his brother Chen Qi following closely.

Chen Qi and Deng don't interact much in the band, but Su Shi can still see the mutual cherishment and affection between the brother and sister from their every move.

That kind of… even just a glance, it was as if he was looking at the most precious treasure in the world.

This made Nagasaki Suyo extremely envious of Deng's good luck and her happy family.

Even, in the case of Xiao Mu, no one can understand her child through her expression, but she is favored by him because of her loneliness.

Even Li Xi, who had the most conflicts with A Qi in the band, had the courage to drag Xiang Zi along to confront Chen Qi again and again.

And every time the two of them quarreled... rather than calling it a quarrel, it would be more accurate to say that Chen Qi was just listening to Li Xi's complaints unilaterally. Then, while Xiangzi defended Chen Qi, he kept complaining to Chen Qi, asking him to understand Li Xi's difficulties and not to make the next song so difficult.

And every time after a quarrel, Chen Qi, who was blamed for everything, would always apologize to Li Xi as if he had no temper at all. Su Shi even accidentally witnessed a scene where the two shook hands and made peace under Xiangzi's smile.

And that day, Lixi seemed to play the drums more vigorously and seriously than ever before. Lixi even started to interact more with Xiangzi and Chen Qi. Xiangzi said that Lixi was learning from her and Chen Qi how to compose music and write lyrics.

At that time, Nagasaki Suyo understood one thing.

It seems that everyone in the band has a very close relationship with Aqi, and Aqi cares very much about everyone in the band.

...But the only thing is that the concern for her is always so little.

Su Shi knew that her idea was wrong. Aqi was a friend of everyone in the band and was not her property alone.

Even though her feelings towards Aqi had changed because of the personal song incident, she shouldn't have had such thoughts.

but……

Another training session ended. When Su Shi just put down the bass, wherever she looked, she saw that everyone in the band was having so much fun.

Xiangzi still smiled as he went to Aqi to share the song he had revised yesterday.

Deng and Mu were as quiet as ever, but the looks they cast at Aqi were so warm that they seemed to melt the snow.

Li Xi was as withdrawn as ever, but lately she would always pay more attention to Aqi, as if she had something in her mind and was struggling over whether to tell Aqi.

Only I, who am so good at integrating into the environment, and who always felt that Crychic was so warm, why do I feel lonely now?

"drop."