Who says meal replacements can’t be eaten as meals?

“Ah, bye.” Aiyin’s emotions, which had been brewing for a long time, had not yet calmed down, and her half-open light grey eyes were filled with confusion.

"See you tomorrow~" Sakuya turned around and waved, disappearing around the corner.

"Sakuya-kun's personality is really scary..." Chihaya Aine murmured softly, and looked up at the train arrival notice again. Her train was about to arrive at the station.

At the other end of the station, Hachiman Kailing had just finished the last bite of her milk jelly.

Take out the straw, fold the orange-yellow panda packaging neatly in half, and throw it into the trash can near the entrance.

Her light green eyes closed and then quickly opened, and Hai Ling stood steadily on the platform behind the entrance.

She is waiting for someone.

The vibration of the tram was transmitted along the track, and as expected, the flaxen-haired girl hurried to the platform, looking around in confusion, and then looking at the tram that was slowly entering the station with some confusion.

That’s strange. I clearly saw Hai Ling here just now.

Ms. Sakuya was a little confused.

She touched her head and felt the familiar red panda milk jelly, which was still a little warm but not hot.

"Surprise." Hai Ling's tone was calm, without any hint of surprise, but her English pronunciation was surprisingly standard.

"Really? Don't scare me. I'm still debating whether to go look for you or get on the train." Ms. Sakuya skillfully put away the food and gave a displeased look to the figure beside her.

"I said I would wait for you." Hai Ling smiled.

The tram door opened and the bustling crowd broke the silence.

"Let's go."

"Ah."

“Hmm——!?” Miss Aine, who was standing across the platform, tilted her head with confused eyes.

Chapter 95: Don’t bite the straw when drinking

Shimokitazawa, Starry.

The wine cabinet in the corner of the Live House is covered with band posters. Tissues, scissors, rags and a small yellowish basin containing plastic picks are squeezed together. A vacuum cleaner and cleaning tools are quietly standing in the corner. An ice machine and beer boxes are placed with difficulty in the not-so-large space. Starry's simple bar seems a bit cramped, barely enough for two high school girls to stand opposite each other.

"The drink attendant only needs to take the drinks ordered by the customers and then hand them over to the customers." Ijichi Hikaruka, who has a ponytail on one side, is giving special instructions to new employees. "The drink fee is not included in the ticket price. You have to pay an additional 500 yen. This is the drink ticket."

"Okay..." Goto Ichiri, the pink-haired waiter with a look of "I want to go home" on his face, picked up the pick-shaped drink ticket handed to him by Miss Hongxia with a serious expression.

One cup costs 500 yen...Isn't this price a bit beyond the consumption level of high school students? And why is it priced by the cup?

The look on your face shows that you think we are robbing us, right? Don't be like that, Pochi-chan!

"In fact, most live houses are classified as restaurants." Ms. Hongxia leaned on the sink with both hands, looking at the scattered customers. "I don't quite understand, but I heard from my friends in the sister band that it is difficult to apply for a business license if the business scope is only to provide performances."

"I see...Um, the store manager used to be in a band?" Miss Ichiri still has a good impression of the store manager who gave her a new nickname.

"Yes, but it disbanded a long time ago. It seems that the keyboard player of the band is going home to inherit the family business or something. I am not sure." Miss Hongxia waved her hand and got the topic back on track. "Anyway, this is the reason for providing drinks. Run this place as a restaurant..."

"Uh...Pochi-chan, are you listening?" Miss Hongxia called softly.

Miss Yili's eyes have turned into a cross shining with golden light, and her pupils are sparkling with the joy of growth.

No...before I knew it, I was working in a high-difficulty restaurant.

I...have grown up?

The spring breeze blows over the lonely hill where there is only one person, and bright roses bloom, indicating that my rosy high school life is about to begin, right?

"Ah, while we were chatting, a customer arrived~" Miss Hongxia said cheerfully. "Pochi-chan, you'll be busy from now on."

Eh?

It was dusk, the wind was howling, everything was bleak, and I felt extremely sad.

The roses are withering!

Suddenly I have to start receiving customers! I, I, I...what should I say?

"Good evening, Goto-san. Can you give me two cups of oolong tea? Take it away." Ms. Sakuya, who was riding the subway and suddenly refreshed her phone, was typing on her phone in one hand and gently holding two orange-yellow plastic picks with the Starry logo printed on them in the other hand.

As for the bass and schoolbag, they were naturally placed in the lounge in advance. As the second band to perform today, God knows why the bassist in the band still had time to come out and have a refill of oolong tea.

Miss Fugitive Bassist is in a good mood now. The days of being in a big girl band were really good. It felt like she could get by performing everywhere and eating and drinking for free every day and still be able to eat until she was 80% full.

"It's a nice day today, thank you for taking the time to come..." Miss Yili was still immersed in a state of gratitude and sadness, with a dejected expression as if she was falling into the abyss, and her voice sounded more like a low whisper to herself.

“Well... there’s no need to be so serious. I’m here to perform.” Sakuya tilted her head.

"Ichi-Ichi... Ichinose-san, please wait a moment." Miss Ichiri squatted down, revealing only half of her wilted pink hair that was fluttering randomly.

Miss Sakuya blinked her gray-blue eyes twice and looked at Mother Hongxia who was giving a forced smile.

"Hi, two cups of oolong tea, to go." An arm wrapped in a pink sweatshirt suddenly appeared, and Pochi-chan, who was huddled under the bar, looked like she was playing Miss Mole in Whack-A-Mole. She felt safer in a place where no one could be seen.

“Um...thank you?” Ms. Sakuya took the bag with one hand while switching between the Line interfaces on her phone.

"Pochi-chan, it's very rude of you to treat the guests like this!" Hongxia's mother used the tone of a mother disciplining a child.

"Still...still...I'm not mentally prepared yet!" Miss Mole shouted.

[Konohana Sakuya]: "Every family has its own troubles... Even though it's not right, I still feel relieved to see someone else suffering the same misfortune as me."

This is for [Mio].

Ms. Sakuya barely managed to free two fingers of her busy right hand to hook the bag.

Biting the straw lightly, the iced oolong tea was the best way to cool down, while the slacking bassist slowly moved backstage.

[Konohana Sakuya]: "I will go home after the performance tonight. I am not with strangers, nor am I in a relationship. I have finished my homework. Sister, you should go to bed early~"

[Konohana Sakuya]: "Good night (?3[▓▓]."

This is for [my sister].

[Xiaochu sent you a location.]

[Xiaochu]: "The show will probably be recorded until after 9pm, what's up Sakuya?"

[Konohana Sakuya]: "It's okay, it's okay. You'll know when the work is done."

[Konohana Sakuya]: "Thank you for today, Xiao Chuhua too. Keep it up~"

After filling in the delivery address and time for the takeaway, the golden-haired star had completed the process, but there was still a red dot on the Line message box that was waiting to be processed.

[Aine-san]: "I'm home now. Thank you again to Sakuya-chan for giving me the autographed photo (*￣︶￣). Also, the cool-looking girl this afternoon was..."

Sakuya didn't click it, but pressed and held it to mark it as read. She pretended not to see it.

As she drank the tea, fresh air rose up and Ms. Sakuya began to worry about her interpersonal relationships for the first time.

It’s been less than two months since the start of school, and I’ve made too many new female friends...

Is there something wrong with my playing?

hum~

The slight vibration of her cell phone made Ms. Sakuya, who had just tried to look up, lower her head again.

[Hai Ling]: "What are you doing?"

[Konohana Sakuya]: “I’m memorizing the music.”

Someone who was slacking off felt a little guilty and quickened his pace a little.

[Konohana Sakuya]: "What are you doing?"

"I'm watching you drinking oolong tea." Hai Ling said softly.

The person who was caught turned around awkwardly and looked at Miss Hailing innocently.

Hai Ling responded with an innocent look, and the music score in her hand shook slightly.

"Would you like to drink it?" Miss Sakuya was planning to spend some money to ward off bad luck, since she had already drunk Hailing's milk jelly so many times.

"Then I'd better obey you." Miss Hai Ling leaned forward and took a light breath.

She drank from the cup with the bitten straw.

Chapter 96: Not Feeling Alone

"Kun とねBless the world!"

Chuhua of Sanjiao held the guitar and played the last chord. Just like in countless rehearsals before, she performed the movements designed by the dance instructor. She and Mana from the same group stood back to back under the bright and shining Sumimi font, with curled vines on one end and pure white buds on the other.

The camera crew had multiple cameras operating simultaneously, and most of the staff had relaxed expressions on their faces. After nearly three hours of intensive recording and reshoots, the program, which would be broadcast during prime time in Ginza, had finally come to an end.

The recording studio is already stuffy in the summer, and the dazzling spotlights and the director's scrutiny are constantly falling on them. Even though the costume designers have specially prepared off-shoulder outfits to reflect the youthful vitality of the young idols, Sanjiao Chuhua still feels like she is not on the stage, but dancing in a steamer.

"Thank you all for watching~" Miss Mana with medium-length brown hair smiled and waved at the photographer, looking so innocent and cute.

Her arms were trembling slightly, and her eyes were slightly sour. Sanjiao Chuhua's performance today was still perfect. She smiled perfectly at the camera and bowed slightly. "We are Sumimi."

"Okay, Cut!" The director waved her hand and announced the end of today's work.

As night falls and the lights come on, looking up, neon lights light up one after another along the streets of Tokyo, creating a bustling scene of bright lights.

Can't see the stars...

The headset was placed casually on the table. Chu Hua lay on the soft sofa in the lounge, staring at the plain white ceiling in a daze.

"I'm so happy, not only the live performance, but also the recording makes me happy." Miss Mana was applying foundation in front of the makeup mirror. She felt a little relieved as she only had to hold the microphone and her skirt was shorter, but she still broke out in a sweat.

"Xiaochu, you sang so well today." Mana turned around and praised.

"Thank you." Chuhua's gorgeous purple eyes glanced at Mana, her tone gentle, still the same. "I just feel comfortable singing when I'm with Mana."

"Hehehe~ I'm praised." Miss Mana narrowed her eyes and poked her chubby face with two index fingers. "Mana, go get some snacks. Xiaochu went to [NyaAki] today and came back late. Hasn't he had dinner yet?"

Mana walked to the door and made a classic cat hand gesture, which made Miss Chuhua, who had been watching a lot of cats recently, slightly stunned. "We have cat donuts today, Xiaochu, do you want some?"

"Ah, I'm fine." Miss Chuhua raised her body a little so that she could look directly into Mana's light brown pupils.

"You'll be hungry later. Mana will secretly get it for you, two for each person." Miss Mana also has her own little persistence. She gestured and ran away excitedly.

The door of the lounge opened and closed, and the faint smile on Miss Chuhua's face turned into a sigh of relief. She leaned back on the sofa and looked at the invisible starry sky.

"You look so bad..." She turned her head and said to herself in the makeup mirror.

It was a bit of a stretch to hold two jobs at the same time, but fortunately Mana's attitude towards me didn't change much, and the gains were satisfactory.

In this way, has the distance between me and Xiao Xiang been shortened a little? Sakuya's favorability is almost enough. Maybe, I should find a chance to meet Xiangzi by chance...

The lounge was brightly lit. Sanjiao Chuhua, who was alone, took off his heavy disguise and let out a long sigh of relief.

After all, she is just a young girl who would lean against the car window and sleep quietly. Occasionally, she should stop her busy work, look up at the clear sky or look down at the drizzling rain, and simply think of someone's tenderness and forgetfulness, the birth and withering of dreams, and the present and past when she was exhausted and powerless lying on her back.

She used to cry until her eyes were red, but now she can just laugh it off.

Sanjiao Chuhua originally didn't believe in destiny.

But the three goddesses of fate had come before. When Chuhua and Toyokawa Shoko were lying on their backs under the night sky, they saw the textile thread hanging from the stars. To this day, they are unable to escape, recalling the past - faded dolls and the fragrance of youth. They can still feel something waking up in their hearts.

She raised her phone and once again flipped to the pinned message interface. It was the message Xiaoxiang had sent her a year ago, congratulating her on her official debut.

She looked carefully, savoring every kana and kanji, and smiled with satisfaction.

She thought for a moment that it was a shame to dwell on the past.

But for people, not feeling lonely is such an important thing.

ding~dong~

The phone vibrated slightly, and a Line chat box popped up from the top, just covering the name of the contact on the message interface. It was the country girl whom he had just fed today.

[Sakuya]: “Are you off work yet?”

Chu Hua raised his finger slightly, and the white message box immediately shrank obediently into the corner to be processed.

She stared at Xiaoxiang's note again, and stared for a moment before preparing to reply to this somewhat clingy bassist lady.

[Sakuya]: "Thank you, Xiaochuhua, for the supplies today. I'm alive again!"

The message box popped up again. This time Chu Hua clicked on it and flipped two pages to see the address shared and the approximate time when he finished recording.

Maybe he ordered takeout for himself? What a basic trick... This is not the level of what he wants.

Miss Chuhua thought casually, turned over, and typed a reply while lying on her side.