Cyberpunk: Nirvana of Shoko Toyokawa

Miao Meng ended with the last drum beat and reached out to press the cymbals.

“…Ha…ha…it’s…too difficult…”

Miao Meng was breathing heavily.

A closer look revealed that her face was covered in sweat and her bangs were wet and stuck to her face.

"A song with 222 bpm... a song with a double pedal at 16 minutes for the bass drum... a song full of interludes..."

"…After the fight…I feel…I have lost weight…"

"I'm in good shape today."

Next to him, Xiangzi was skillfully adjusting the tone of the electronic keyboard.

"After two more rehearsals, we can call it a day," she said.

"Two more times? Come on! We installed chips that mimic the skills of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, not a collection of human-made jackhammer skills!"

Meow Dream collapsed.

Chuhua and Hailing tuned their instruments in harmony and silence.

"Don't you guys just say nothing - I'm so scared! I'm so scared to be in this band!!"

Compared to the boss who put extremely high intensity pressure on them, the teammates who carried out such intense rehearsals without saying a word may be the most terrifying.

Miao Meng stared in astonishment at Chu Hua, who was both the lead singer and the lead guitarist, but didn't break a sweat at all - damn, her [Physical] points were very high, and her stamina was indeed very good - and she was also a debut singer - well, forget about her -

Why were the humming of bass and rhythm guitar learned so naturally?

"I also practice bass at home," said Hai Ling.

"...the courses at home...are more fulfilling..." Mu said.

"These days, people who don't work hard don't deserve to live in the City of Joy?" Miao Meng only felt despair.

"It's good to rehearse here." Chu Hua smiled and comforted Miao Meng, "It's remote, no one passes by. Even if we don't install sound insulation and sound signal jammers, we don't have to worry about disturbing others. So, take advantage of the opportunity to practice more..."

"The other houses we're looking at also meet this requirement!" Miao Meng couldn't move anymore. "Chu Zi, we don't have a chance to practice more at all... We have to practice for four hours every day recently! And it's only the four hours after the mission -"

"We can't rely on skill chips." Xiangzi said, frowning as he adjusted the electronic music score.

"Anyone can perform using a skill chip. It's impossible to stand out using only software."

“Don’t underestimate the audience.”

"The audience can tell whether the performer has proficiency, understanding of the music, and understanding of the performance."

"Music City only chooses bands with its own style."

“We’re going to be that band in a short time.”

"Strict~"

Miao Meng lay on the bass drum and muttered something.

"The City of Music doesn't give small bands room to slowly build up their popularity," Xiangzi said. "There are too many people playing in bands here. Envy, jealousy, hatred... Small bands with opportunities to rise will be held back by countless small bands at the same level, pinning them to the bottom and preventing them from climbing up... In the end, everyone rots together."

“Even if you do manage to squeeze out, you still have to face the gazes of [the seven bands].”

“The birth of new bands will definitely take away some of the ‘power’ from old bands. Even Pastel*Palettes, with whom we have a good cooperative relationship, may not really welcome us with a smile when it comes to conflicts of interest.”

"There is no shortage of bands in the City of Music. Once our development hits a minefield, it will only take a moment for us to disappear."

“So, we need to make a splash.”

“Our first public performance, we have to attract attention.”

“Skilled performance, stunning style, impactful original music… We have to exceed the audience’s imagination, spark discussion, and create a wave on social platforms and media.”

"In this way, we will have the capital to bargain with the agency."

"We should choose the agency, not let the agency choose us. Sign a contract that is beneficial to us in the shortest possible time..."

"When we debuted, we were already ranked among the top tier."

This is Shoko's next plan for Ave Mujica.

While working as a mercenary team, accumulate experience and reputation.

At the same time, they rehearse and work together as a band to improve their level.

When the time is right, sign up to perform in a large performance hall.

By leveraging the topicality of the debut, they gained explosive popularity and achieved the goals of "finding an agency" and "gaining fans" in one go.

Then, quickly monetize this traffic and exchange it for funds, weapons and influence.

Even if you can't become a big shot overnight, you must become a giant that the enemies have to be wary of.

Only in this way can the next development be carried out safely.

It can also pave the way for Ave Mujica to take over [Phase 2 of Reclamation Land].

To do this, a lot of practice must be done beforehand.

"I understand the reasoning... Oh, I really can't fight anymore, let's take a break, take a break, and chat."

Miao Meng collapsed on the drum.

"What time do we meet tomorrow?" she asked.

Xiangzi sighed.

I really can't beat him, and I can't force it. And...

She looked at Chuhua and Hailing in harmony.

Although they didn't say it, it was clear from the sweat on their foreheads that they were a little tired.

"Meet at 10 o'clock."

Xiangzi sat on the piano stool and said.

"10 o'clock in the evening? That's quite late..."

"10 o'clock in the morning."

"10 o'clock in the morning!?"

"That little mission to the shantytown, right?" Hai Ling checked the schedule and said, "Help people collect loans."

"Yes." Xiangzi said, "It will be done in two or three hours."

"Eh... I can't help with the loan collection... I'm not going... I want to sleep at home..." Miao Meng didn't want to move.

"I have a backend class tomorrow." Mutsuya raised his hand.

"Chuhua, Hailing, what about you?"

"I can."

"I also... I don't have work for Sumimi tomorrow."

"All right then," Xiangzi said, "You two can come with me tomorrow. After we're done, you can go somewhere with me."

"Where are we going?" Chu Hua asked.

"[Michelle Paradise]."

Xiangzi said.

"Pastel*Palettes gave me information about a merchant who sells high-end knives. I have been in contact with that merchant for some time... Recently, we have been buying our bullets from him."

"Judging from the current trading situation, I think this businessman is a relatively honest operator."

"I plan to buy high-end knives from him. We have an appointment to meet at [Michelle's Paradise] tomorrow."

"What kind of knife does he have?" Hai Ling asked.

"There is no better samurai sword than your Black Unicorn," Xiangzi said, "but he has a good pocket knife."

Chapter 109 Michelle Paradise

In the City of Music, what do people think of when talking about the "territory of seven bands"?

Roselia’s wealthy area, office area, high-tech park; Pastel*Palettes’ Kabuki area, performance area, shantytown; Afterglow’s industrial area, agricultural area, port…

In order to meet the diverse needs as much as possible, expand the business scope of their own territories and attract more people, the bands divided their territories into different functional blocks.

Basically, everyone does this.

Except for one band.

Hello, Happy World!

The area of ​​its territory ranks third among the seven bands, second only to Poppin'Party which occupies the central area and Afterglow which has a vast industrial and agricultural area.

However, its possession is on the ground and has only one function.

That is, the largest amusement park in the world.

Michelle Paradise.

……

afternoon.

Although it was a weekday, Michelle Park was still crowded with people.

Tourists holding ice cream and crepes were everywhere. The band's music, such as "Smile, Discover!" and "Hello, Happy World!", echoed in the air, mixing with the noisy voices of the tourists.

Children wearing bear-ear headbands and holding bear-head-shaped balloons ran around, and couples wearing star-shaped sunglasses stretched out their selfie sticks and made a big "V" sign. Behind them, the bear-shaped Ferris wheel slowly turned, the roller coaster whizzed past on the track, and the crowd screamed in the sky. The electronic signs for the pendulum, rapids, and carousel were erected very high and could be seen from a distance.

The big pendulum is in the shape of a bear, the whitewater rafting ride is the "Michelle" which has the appearance of a little bear, and the carousel is actually a carousel of "bears".

This kind of stuffed bear with a round head and big eyes can be seen everywhere. Its name is [Michelle], and it is the theme mascot of Michelle Park.

Most Michelle Bears are pink. There are also some different versions such as yellow and green.

The toys sold in the shops are these bear dolls, the snacks made in the snack shops are these bear dolls, and even on the road, every few meters, you can see Michelle bear dolls in business. They greet tourists and give balloons to children.

...There are also many tourists who take photos with the Michelle bear doll.

"Hey, that's a blue Michelle bear! So cute! Blue ones are rare! Take a picture for me, take a picture for me!"

Miao Meng shouted happily, stuffed the Super Dream-level camera into Chu Hua's arms, and ran towards Michelle Bear who was greeting the children, and turned back to greet everyone.

If you look closely, you can see that she is also wearing a Michelle Bear headband on her head and holding a Michelle Bear-shaped crepe in her hand.

"Cheese!"

Miao Meng made a meow hand gesture and acted like a good child.

Chu Hua was holding a bunch of stick-shaped balloons and smiling helplessly behind the camera, but still said, "The lighting is better at this angle," and helped with the shooting seriously.

Hai Ling looked at the two of them while eating the park's specialty, "Michelle Red Bean Pancake."

And Xiangzi...

Xiangzi was wearing a plain gray and white dress and holding her small black shoulder bag.

I wasn't wearing anything and I wasn't holding anything.

Only Xiangzi seemed not to be in an entertaining state.

Looking closely, her eyebrows were still twitching.

"...Didn't you say you couldn't come?"

Xiangzi looked at Miao Meng suddenly - the latter changed his hand gesture again -

"Why do we meet you at the entrance of the amusement park?"

"Oh, I'm very sleepy when I'm on a mission, but I won't be sleepy when I come to the amusement park!"

Miao Meng said "Thank you" with a smile and took the balloon that was only given to children from Michelle Bear.

"After all, this opportunity is rare!"

“…We’re not here to play.”

Xiangzi crossed his arms and said in a rather harsh tone: