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

"Did you work the night shift yesterday? Was it very busy?" I asked my mother.

"Same old as always, I'm going to bed first, remember to lock the door for me when you go out...Good night~" The sound of the door closing gently came.

I stared at myself in the mirror in junior high school uniform for a while, raised my hand to wipe the pencil marks under the corners of my eyes, and walked out with my head down.

On the way to school, my friends at school greeted me with a smile as usual:

"Good morning, Xiao Deng. Are you watching yesterday's TV series again? I'm so touched."

"I feel... a little scary." Looking at everyone's puzzled expressions, I realized... I had said the wrong thing again.

[I made friends just like everyone else]

"By the way, Ruoye is super funny, right?" "Ruoye is really funny." Friend Sang, who couldn't understand, continued chatting as they walked towards the school.

[I am with everyone, but I feel like I am alone]

【I really want to be a human】

======

The train rumbled past the tracks. Walking on the footbridge across the railway, Gao Songdeng turned his head and looked. The April sky was crystal clear, and the moist wind was filled with a thousand strands of lyrical desire. The jasmine flower floated in front of him with the wind from the passing train. He stretched out his hand to touch it, but his eyes were occupied by a blue glow.

"Can't!"

"It doesn't matter to you, right?"

"I'm sorry for hitting you, but you can't die."

Eh? Takamatsu Deng, who was thrown to the ground, didn't know how to answer for a moment. The morning light fell on the light blue twin ponytails of the person in front of him, as if a layer of pure white filter was added.

"You were planning to commit suicide just now, right?" The girl's golden eyes were full of worry.

"No...it's a flower." Turning his head, the five-petal white flowers were still falling in the sky.

"Which is more important, flowers or life?" After asking, the blue-haired girl seemed a little hesitant, raised her hand and said thoughtfully: "No, flowers also have life."

Sitting up slowly, Gao Songdeng answered with his own ideas:

"Because it is a withered flower, it should be dead."

"Dead? Eh?" Turning her head to look at the falling petals, the girl stood up and apologized apologetically:

"It turns out that I misunderstood, Guian."

The bright red scratches stood out against the girl's fair skin. Gao Songdeng, who didn't know where he got the courage from, shouted anxiously to the departing figure, "Wait a minute!"

======

Opening the storage box that he had treasured for a long time, Takamatsu Deng shifted his gaze from the shark-shaped Band-Aid to look up at the lovely girl who looked very noble.

"What a lovely room." The girl chuckled as she looked around Takamatsu Deng's small museum. Shaoqing's eyes fell on the neatly arranged notebooks.

“I used this notebook before.”

“Because of the variety of species, I was easily fascinated.”

An inexplicable excitement surged in his heart, and Takamatsu Deng excitedly spread out the notebooks on the wooden floor of the room. "I have all kinds of them!"

"There are so many. I'm surprised you were able to collect so many." The girl, who was kneeling on the ground due to her injury, picked up the notebook with a light green cover and said with some nostalgia; "I used to use the one with the rhinoceros beetle a lot."

"Rhinoceros beetle?" Are there girls who like insects? Gao Songdeng thought so.

The girl closed the notebook she had just opened with some embarrassment, "Please don't take it to heart."

"Did you write these?"

At this point, even Takamatsu Deng couldn't easily say, "That's my diary."

The blue-haired girl started to recite:

“Although I made friends like everyone else.”

"I'm with everyone..."

"Uh..." Please stop reading. Before Takamatsu Deng, whose shyness index had already exceeded the threshold, could speak out his request, the person in front of him suddenly came forward. His golden eyes were full of happiness.

“Are these the lyrics?”

======

When I came to my senses, what stood before my eyes was a majestic, three-story manor with red bricks and green tiles.

Stopping in front of the black iron gate that was slightly taller than the combined height of the two of them, the girl smiled and looked back: "This is my home, please come in."

In the luxurious piano room, the window was open and wind was blowing in through the window.

As if in welcome, the gardenia facing the room opened its buds, and the fragrance and pollen were carried into the piano room by the wind.

The intoxicating floral fragrance falls on the piano keys along with the fingers, floating in the sad music.

The girl sitting in front of the piano is perfectly outlined by light and shadow into a beautiful picture.

When the music reached the intermission, a pleasant female voice sounded along with the piano.

"I don't exist here, there is no place for me here~"

“That’s all I can tell myself.”

The slender swan neck is slightly raised, revealing a beautiful profile.

"I really want to go somewhere other than here~"

"I convinced myself and sought comfort~"

It was just an unrehearsed humming, but it was the most touching melody that Gao Songdeng had ever heard.

The life fragments of the past ten years are like faded old films, flashing back in my heart one by one.

“I kept my head down because of my desire to find out.”

"So I didn't notice it. I fell and got hurt..."

"My steps became unsteady, and the world was shaky. Even my shoelaces were untied~"

"I've obviously made friends like everyone else."

“I’m with everyone, but I feel like I’m alone.”

"I want to live like everyone else... I really want to be a human."

After the song was over, the girl, who was still standing upright, gracefully put down her hands and tilted her body slightly.

"I haven't introduced myself yet... I'm Toyokawa Shoko, what's your name?"

"lamp..."

"Mr. Deng, do you want to form a band with me?"

【band...?】

Gao Songdeng hesitated and wrote down words that had never appeared before in his notes.

======

When I opened the curtains, I saw Toyokawa Shoko waving her hand with a smile on her face.

The soft blue hair sparkled in the sunlight.

Like the sun.

Behind Xiangzi is Nagasaki Suyo with long flaxen hair, and Wakaba Mutsu with green hair.

Su Shi plays the bass in the band. He always speaks gently and considerately of everyone's feelings, like the sunlight falling on one's shoulders in winter.

Mu seldom speaks, and his doll-like face rarely shows any trace of emotion. He always silently follows his childhood sweetheart Xiangzi, or quietly stays in a corner with his guitar. But... Mu's playing always has a sense of power that is about to burst out.

For the first time, I got together with my band mates in a cafe.

The black-haired, purple-eyed girl sat opposite him with a serious look on her face. The teardrop mole at the corner of her eye made her young face even more charming.

"My name is Shiina Riki."

He ended his speech coldly and said nothing more. Su Shi added at the right time:

"Lixi's sister is a very capable person. When she was the leader of the wind band, she also participated in the local orchestra and won first place in a competition."

The black suit-style student uniform perfectly carries Li Xi's aloof temperament. Closing his eyes somewhat unhappily, supporting his chin with one hand, Li Xi interrupted with a slight disgust: "What does it have to do with the present?"

"Eh?" Unexpectedly, Su Shi, who had aroused disgust, quickly understood Li Xi's reaction, adjusted himself to a suitable smile and apologized: "It has nothing to do with those things, I'm sorry. I also have a sister whom I haven't seen for a long time. Now I think about it, I still miss the old times."

Xiangzi's clear voice broke the gradually tense atmosphere.

"Excuse me." She stood up gracefully and the topic was redirected to today's topic.

"I would like to thank everyone again for participating in the rally today. I have been looking forward to meeting you all."

Gao Songdeng watched Xiangzi close his eyes with emotion, and then looked at him affectionately with his shining golden eyes.

"From now on, we are a band, a community with a shared destiny of playing music together."

Su Shi crossed his arms, leaned forward, and sighed: "Fate~"

Even Ruoye Mu said the first words since they met:

"What music will you play?"

Ignoring Li Xi's whispered complaint of "He actually spoke?", Toyokawa Shoko's next answer directly sent Takamatsu Deng to the execution platform called social death.

"That's a very good question. Do Deng and Lixi know a band called Morfonica?"

"This is a band formed by the seniors from Tsuki no Mori. I want to play the song they played together at the music festival."

"I was deeply moved by the perseverance hidden in the elegance. And then..."

“I hope that one day, we can play our own song together.”

Looking at Toyokawa Shoko who turned around, Takamatsu Deng, who didn't understand what was going to happen, nervously clutched his schoolbag against his chest.

Su Shi asked in surprise, "Original song?"

Li Xi also disapproved and poured cold water on them: "We haven't even auditioned together yet, won't our ideals be raised too high?"

"No, I will be responsible for composing the music." Gao Songdeng was a little dazed as he looked at Xiangzi's palms opening towards him.

"And this Deng-san is a genius at writing lyrics. Can we all see that notebook?"

I turned my head and looked at the schoolbag that I had just put aside. Inside was a notebook that contained all my random thoughts and could definitely be called a diary.

Li Xi, who was standing opposite, came forward at some point, his beautiful purple pupils widened, and he spoke with a little pressure:

"How are we going to know if you don't let us see?"

A little cold sweat seeped out of Gao Songdeng's temples.

The always gentle Nagasaki Motoyo also raised her hand with a smile on her face and expressed her thoughts:

"I want to see it, too."

Mu didn't say anything, just stared.

The extremely unconfident Deng Takamatsu felt like he was about to melt in this cafe.

Trembling, he asked Xiangzi for help: "Xiao Xiang..."

“It’ll be okay!”

The sun...sometimes doesn't seem so gentle.

The ice cubes floating in the lemonade on the table melted completely. With a sad feeling that there is no greater sorrow than the death of one's heart, Gao Songdeng handed over his notes with both hands.

"Thank you~" This is Su Shi's thanks.

"I've finished reading it." Mu said briefly.

"That's the feeling." Li Xi seemed a little touched after reading the notes.

"I've never written lyrics before, but just being able to write is amazing." Su Shi's gentle comfort made Deng feel a little relieved.

But...do you really want to sing...the song I wrote?

"As for the song, there is a piano version, which I will play for you in the studio later."

"Recording studio?" Gao Songdeng suddenly felt that the water was a little hot.

"Why are you standing there in a daze?" Li Xi asked curiously while sitting behind the drum set.

Xiangzi behind the keyboard also showed a friendly smile, walked forward slowly, took the lamp and started working nervously.