Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

“Aine, right now I am just like you, confused about the direction to move forward…”

"... And, I'm just like you... Even if I'm confused, even if I don't know what to do, I have to keep moving forward. I'd rather get lost... than just stay where I am."

Deng raised his head with great effort, and tried to meet Aine’s eyes.

Her eyes, which sparkled with an innocent and sincere light, were reflected in Aine’s pupils.

"After Lena joins the band, I want to hold a performance with everyone."

"Because, I want to try...to move forward with everyone, even if it's just one step!"

While revealing her feelings while holding the lamp holding the questionnaire, Akie also let go of Aine’s hand.

She smiled at Aine who had calmed down, and said in her usual gentle and calm tone, “Of course, even though it’s come to this, I think it’s normal for Aine to still feel a little uneasy.”

"If you really feel uneasy...then try to think about me."

“After all, I’m a person who is obsessed with logic and rationality. If you realize that even someone like me can make up his mind, maybe… it will make Aine more confident, right?”

After saying that, Qiu Hui closed her mouth.

Cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.

...It's not good.

Although her expression remained calm, Qiu Hui already felt a shaky feeling inside.

Not good, not good, not good... What am I talking about?

What kind of nonsense is "try to think about my affairs"? Can you say such a thing openly like this?

"Uh, so, well, actually..."

Qiu Hui began to speak incoherently.

My rationality has almost evaporated since a while ago... Now I'm afraid it really can't hold on any longer.

Fortunately, Aine didn't seem to realize this.

She just smiled and nodded slightly.

"I see."

She raised her head and looked at everyone in front of her.

"We're going to hold a show, right?"

Her gaze finally became firm.

……

The five of them walked out of the aquarium together.

The ticket seller gave her a puzzled look, wondering why there was such a strange sight of five high school girls visiting an aquarium together.

Aine, Tou, and Akie were walking in the front row, with Aine at the center, chatting happily.

The inexplicable haze that had originally shrouded their heads had now been swept away by the heart-to-heart communication just now.

Li Xi and Su Shi walked in the back row together.

She stared at the back of the lamp silently, wondering what she was thinking.

"...Lixi."

"What's wrong?"

Li Xi turned his head and noticed Su Shi's indifferent expression.

That look certainly couldn't be described as joyful, but there was no anger or sadness either. It gave people the feeling of exhaustion after long-term overwork, or the feeling of emptiness after losing interest in everything.

"How do you feel now?" Su Shi asked softly.

The corners of Li Xi's mouth rose slightly.

"I think... it's not bad." She looked at Deng's back. "The band was a mess before, but now it's finally taking shape. Deng has become happier because of this, and I think this is the best."

“Togawa-senpai… and that girl Aine too.” Riki sighed, “Although I’m reluctant, I want to thank them.”

"yes……"

Su Shi nodded slightly.

"...Rich, are you starting to like this new band too?"

After saying this, she gave a gentle and friendly smile.

"That's only natural." Li Xi nodded, "Because it can make the light smile."

After saying that, she looked straight into Su Shi's eyes: "...I would like to ask you, what do you think of this band now?"

"I have the same idea as Li Xi."

Su Shi said with a smile.

"When I see everyone come together like this, share their thoughts, and resolve misunderstandings..."

“…I just think it’s a great thing that you decided to invite Aine and Akeie-san to form a band.”

As she spoke, she rubbed her fingers subconsciously.

Chapter 59: Getting Along with Friends

How should I put it? I feel like it's "burned out."

After leaving the aquarium and saying goodbye to everyone, Qiu Hui felt as if she had been squatting for too long and suddenly stood up, with a dizzy feeling like low blood pressure.

After expressing the suppressed emotions like that, the gloomy atmosphere that had been hanging over my heart was swept away.

In addition to joy and relaxation, there is also mental fatigue.

It's like spending a whole day cleaning the room. Although sweeping away all the dust and dirt can bring comfort and a sense of accomplishment, the fatigue brought by the labor is real.

No, think about it carefully, besides the feeling of fatigue, there is also...

"…I feel so ashamed." Akie whispered to herself.

She clasped her fingers together and subconsciously covered her lower abdomen with them; she lowered her head slightly, and her face turned red from her cheeks to her ears.

When I was at the scene, I could still rely on my momentum to get by; now that I was alone, the shame that I had suppressed before suddenly surged out violently as if to compensate.

Although she knew that the people passing by would not care about her situation at all, Qiu Hui still had the illusion that she was being watched by everyone, and she still had the urge to find a crack in the ground to crawl into...

Thinking of this, Qiu Hui shook her head vigorously.

Even if there really is a crack in the ground, you can't rush to get in. There is at least one thing to do.

After confirming on her phone, Qiu Hui returned to the RiNG store.

Yamada Ryo extended his hand to her in greeting, with a new glass of drinking water in front of him.

"I didn't expect you to still be here." Qiu Hui sat down directly in front of her, "I thought you had already gone back."

"I just watched a little bit of the show, and when it was over I heard you were looking for me, so I came here to wait for you."

Ryo looked Qiu Hui up and down, then asked, "Is everything going well?"

"It went very well." Akie nodded, smiling with joy. "I came to thank you. I am very grateful, really."

She stood up and bowed solemnly.

"...How scary." Liang Qing couldn't help laughing, "I'm a little uncomfortable with it."

"I'm not used to it either."

Qiu Hui sat back in her seat and said this a little embarrassedly.

"I... haven't had many friends since I was in high school. After the novel was officially released, we basically only talked about work every day."

"After getting used to reading people's expressions from strangers and colleagues, I... almost forgot how high school students treat their friends."

Qiu Hui lowered her head and smiled helplessly.

“How should I put it? I feel like my mentality is like… a salesman handing out coupons on the street. Coupons are good things, but if I hand them out to passersby without asking, they will definitely be looked down upon. So I always wonder if I am really needed, and whether my actions will have the opposite effect…”

"...If it's a complete stranger or someone I've only met a few times, I can look at the problem calmly and objectively."

"But, if it's a close friend... I'll become anxious and at a loss. As a result, it will become like today."

Qiu Hui expressed her thoughts to Liang and felt inexplicably comfortable.

Liang asked calmly, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want to say it." Akie smiled, "And if it's Ryo, I feel like I'll forget it soon after listening to it, so I don't have any psychological burden this way."

"How rude of you to describe me like that. Although it is true in general."

Although he said this, Liang just smiled and shook his head, showing no displeasure.

Akie responded as if she understood what he meant: "Ryo should be the kind of person who doesn't mind if the other person behaves impolitely, right? After all, you do that all the time."

"You said such harsh words to me, are you really here to thank me?"

Facing Ryo's half-joking question, Akie smiled and replied, "Of course I came to thank you, and I know you won't be satisfied if I just talk."

"Tell me, what do you want to eat? It's my treat tonight."

Facing Qiu Hui's proposal, Liang gave her a look of awe: "Oh... That's amazing. So, is it okay for you? I mean the funding."

"I've had a little more money lately, so I think it should be fine." Akie said, "Besides, Ryo has been a great help to me. It would be a bit stingy to worry about money at a time like this."

"Now that we've come to this, I won't be polite... although I've never been polite before." Liang stood up from his seat, "I suddenly want to eat ramen, how about we go together?"

"Let's go."

So the two of them found a ramen shop with a spacious and bright storefront. It seemed to be doing quite well, and the shop was full of customers who looked like office workers and college students.

Although the tabletop was made of ordinary synthetic board, it was very clean. The two found two seats side by side at the long bar-like table. From Qiu Hui's position, she could just see the pretentious calligraphy hanging on the opposite wall.

"By the way, does every ramen shop have to hang a weird slogan like that?" Ryo asked a tangential question, "'Life is ramen' or something like that, how can life be summarized so simply?"

"If the first few stores that did this could show some attitude, then if they continue to do it after it becomes a trend, it will just be boring," Akie agreed, "Pork cartilage tonkotsu ramen, and four fried dumplings."

While placing her order, she put the free barley tea bag into the cup and turned on the tap to brew it.

Liang ordered the soy sauce-flavored chicken thigh ramen, which came with a whole set of toppings, and also ordered some tamarisks and a tempura platter, and as if that wasn't enough, he ordered a large glass of lemon soda.

"...You are really rude." Akie sighed.

"That's wrong. I'm thinking about you." Liang responded seriously, "If I order too little, you won't be able to fully express your gratitude to me. In this case, you will feel guilty and the psychological pressure will increase."

"...What a stupid logic." Akie couldn't help but laugh out loud, "But... to be honest, I might really think so, so thank you."

"..."

As if he had not expected Qiu Hui to reply like this, Liang said nothing, just turned his head slightly, and no one knew what he was thinking.

"To be honest, I hope Ryo can always maintain this carefree attitude in the future, because it will make me feel relaxed."

As she watched the ramen chef busying around, Qiu Hui blew air into the barley tea in her cup while saying this.

"Although I feel like I've gotten used to being around friends... But to be honest, if someone like Nijiya or Pochi cares about me like that, I'd still be a little uncomfortable with it."

"At least at this stage, I think someone like Liang is the most suitable."

"Akie, you've become able to say lines like this now." Ryo smiled.

"How should I put it...you've really grown a lot?"

She stared at the calligraphy works posted on the opposite wall in a trance.

Chapter 60: Honesty as a "Family"

Although it is a ramen restaurant that emphasizes craftsmanship and displays the preparation process directly to customers, the serving speed is quite fast.

“I’m starting ohhhhh—”

Liang couldn't wait to pour the ingredients that were served separately into the noodle soup and stir it. Then he picked up a handful of noodles with chopsticks and put it into his mouth, making a sound like an alien monster sucking brains.

"What's going on with you? It's only the middle of the month and you have no money to eat?" Qiu Hui teased.

"...That's true." Ryo swallowed a large spoonful of soup mixed with the noodles, and nodded with a sad expression, "How should I put it? For the sake of the new effect, I can only sacrifice the need to eat temporarily."