Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

"Eh? Ah... Indeed..."

Goto Ichiri stood up shakily, with obvious disappointment in his eyes.

what……

I was just being too sentimental just now.

It's really funny that he actually tried to muster up his courage.

In the end, my opinion isn't really needed, right?

After Ryo expressed his stance, even Kita... changed his attitude as well.

As expected, although Liang usually does his own thing and doesn't have many friends, he is still much better than people like me.

Following behind Nijika in a daze, Ichiri looked at Akie who was walking with Aine.

…Sure enough, my value is only in playing the guitar.

Other than that... you don't need me at all, right?

Chapter 80: Just "Guitar Hero"

During the break of audition practice.

“Wow… I haven’t practiced this hard in a while. Is this the first time since the debut performance?”

Hongxia, who was sweating a little, distributed mineral water to everyone.

"That's true." Ryoya nodded, "I was so busy with my final exams that I almost forgot how to play the bass."

“Thank you very much!” Kita took the mineral water, “Ah, even though we didn’t practice, if you feel thirsty, Aine can take a bottle too?”

"Thank you. I'm a little thirsty too."

Kita took another bottle of water and handed it to Aine, and then the two of them started chatting.

"It seems that Kita-san is making rapid progress! He's just a beginner, but now he's already pretty good at it!"

"No, it's mainly because Xiaoyi taught me well. I just spent a little time practicing..."

The two, whose guitar playing skills were not very good either, were exchanging experiences that were unique to beginners.

After receiving two bottles of mineral water from Hongxia, Qiu Hui thanked her and took a small sip.

Then she sat next to Yili and handed him an extra bottle of water.

“Akie…”

Yili took the water somewhat embarrassedly, lowered his head and began to twist the bottle cap.

"I feel like Pochi isn't in a good mood today." Akie said bluntly, "He seems a little uncomfortable. Is he thinking about something? Is it about what happened just now?"

She cast a concerned look at Yili. Although her skills were the best in the band, she also seemed to be the most easily depressed one in the band.

Therefore, Qiu Hui was particularly concerned about her situation.

After all, she was a person who would express her emotions directly, and even Qiu Hui, who considered herself not very good at socializing, could tell at a glance whether her mental state was negative or not.

"Well... a little bit." Ichiri nodded.

"After all, it's an important matter, so it's normal that you can't make up your mind." Akie smiled gently, "I myself couldn't make a decision myself, so I discussed it with everyone, right? So, it's better not to take it too seriously, after all, the disagreement was resolved in the end."

“…It’s different.”

Yili shook his head vigorously.

"Akie doesn't want to make her own decision because she cares about what everyone thinks. I'm just... simply afraid."

"I often make mistakes because of my own will... so I'm afraid it will happen again. That's all."

Ichiri whispered in a tone as if he was talking to himself.

"Even if that's really the case... don't take it too seriously. It's human nature." Qiu Hui continued to comfort her.

However, she almost noticed that Ichiri didn't seem to be happy at all because of her words.

Just then, she felt someone approaching from behind, it seemed to be Hong Xia.

"Akie-chan, can I have a word with Pochi-chan?"

"Of course." Akie took two steps back.

She watched Hongxia whispering something to Yili, who, after being frightened, quickly responded in the form of a whisper.

Is there something you have to hide from me?

Although she didn't know the reason, Qiu Hui had no intention of digging into the matter.

After noticing that the two did not seem to intend to reveal the content of their conversation to her, she stepped aside.

Aine and Kita seemed to be chatting about music, so Akie went over to listen.

“…Akie, go find Aine-san. After all, there’s no point in being with me.”

Yili lowered his head in disappointment and whispered in a voice that only he and Hongxia beside him could hear.

Hongxia held her hand and whispered softly, "Don't say that. Xiao Qiuhui won't really ignore you just because she can't help."

"But……"

Goto Ichiri didn't continue talking after all.

For Qiu Hui, it’s enough for me to play the guitar well, right?

As for other things, there are naturally other people who can help her.

Ichiri cast a slightly resentful look at Aine. How great! She is pretty and good at dressing up, cheerful and good at reading the atmosphere, and even her grades are so good...

Except for my guitar playing skills, a water flea like me can never compare to her.

That's why Qiu Hui prefers to be with her.

Although Aie is always gentle when she's with me, she often seems shy when she's with Aine... just like when I'm with Aie.

Even I can understand the difference between these two attitudes.

Goto Ichiri felt aggrieved by the other party's bias, but then he felt guilty because he knew that this grievance was not very justified.

"Pochi-chan..." Hongxia noticed the change in the atmosphere emanating from Ichiri and held Ichiri's hand nervously.

Hongxia seems to be worried about me. After noticing her expression, Ichiri thought to himself.

...That's right. After all, I'm the guitarist of the band! If I always think about Akie alone, it would be unfair to everyone!

“…I’ll do my best!”

Goto Ichiri made up his mind secretly and temporarily drove the negative thoughts out of his mind.

Hongxia realized that her mood had improved slightly, and nodded with a smile.

At this time, Akihime noticed that the two were no longer whispering to each other, so she temporarily put aside the things happening with Aine and returned to the two of them.

"How do you feel now?" Qiu Hui asked.

Since Pochi and Hongxia are no longer whispering, that means I don't have to avoid them anymore. Thinking of this, Akie walked back.

"Much better!" Ichiri, who didn't expect Akihime to come back, blushed immediately and replied in an exaggerated tone like a primary school student handing in homework.

"……That's good."

Although she didn't know what was going on, Qiu Hui still smiled and nodded.

Then, she turned to look at Hong Xia and whispered, "Thank you."

It must be because of her that Pochi's condition was adjusted back to normal.

Hong Xia shook her head embarrassedly: "I didn't do anything, it was mainly because little Pochi figured it out on his own."

"Figured it out?" Akie nodded. "I don't know what you figured out specifically, but I still want to thank Pochi."

She smiled and said, "After all, I've said this before, right? Pochi has the right to feel depressed. So, it must be difficult for Pochi to overcome such subconscious thoughts. Thank you very much. I'm looking forward to your performance in this audition."

"Thanks……"

Although he was smiling, Goto Ichiri's mood didn't really improve much.

That's indeed the case.

In Akie's eyes, am I still... a troublesome guy who needs special care because of my excellent guitar skills?

Of course, Qiu Hui definitely wouldn't really think I'm a bother. After all, she's such a gentle person.

but……

Looking at Qiu Hui who returned to her instrument, Yili silently hugged the guitar in his arms.

Don't think too much about it. It's better to focus on the guitar.

After all, this is the only thing I have.

She smiled self-deprecatingly.

Chapter 81: Leave your contact information!

There is still some rest time left.

As a spectator, Chihaya Aine, who came to the practice room with Akie, made full use of the break time, actively moving between the band members and chatting with them enthusiastically.

"So, when it comes to bending the strings, the most important thing is to pay attention to your hand shape. That's what my father told me back then..."

At this moment, Goto Ichiri was hesitantly explaining guitar playing techniques to Aine, who was looking at him expectantly, showing the manners that a listener should have.

"She's quite serious about it." Qiu Hui, who was observing the two of them, exclaimed, "It seems that after the last incident, her enthusiasm for the band has increased a lot."

“It’s good.” Ryo commented, “By the way, what happened to Aine before?”

"To put it simply, because Stray Cat was planning to join her band, she felt pressured by her performance level." Akie explained, "To put it more complicatedly... this... is..."

Qiu Hui lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly.

Lines like "Escape from the kindness of others" and "Escape together with your partner"...

…Even when she thought about these words alone, she felt a little ashamed.

Not to mention saying it in front of Ryo...

"Are you embarrassed?" Liang smiled meaningfully, "You are so easily influenced. You are in love, right?"

"That's not the case."

Qiu Hui rolled her eyes at her in a slightly annoyed manner, "We are just..."

Qiu Hui also realized that her actions were a little too suspicious from the perspective of her friends, so she lowered her head slightly and did not dare to refute anymore.

"Don't act like you really admit it."

Noticing Qiu Hui's look, Liang became a little uncomfortable sitting still.

"Well, I was just joking." She put away her frivolous smile, "But the way you look makes me wonder if you're taking it seriously."

Liang expressed his thoughts bluntly, which made the atmosphere between the two of them become a little subtle and awkward.

"Well, who knows?"

As a result, it was Qiu Hui who smiled nonchalantly and took the initiative to break the awkward atmosphere.

"For now, it's better to focus on practice. As for the relationship issues, we can discuss them when we have time."

"If you don't know what to do, should we just put it aside for now?" Ryo stood up. "That's not a bad idea, but a problem that's put aside won't solve itself, you know?"

"I know." Qiu Hui nodded, "but..."

Just then, she was interrupted by a noise at the door.

Generally speaking, the only people who would barge into the practice room at will, besides the store manager who might have something to notify, are "stray cats".

The fact was just as Qiu Hui guessed. The striking short silver-white hair and heterochromatic eyes clearly revealed the girl's identity.

She dragged her instrument into the practice room and started operating the equipment on her own, just like last time.

“Runa!” Aine exclaimed, “Why are you here?”

After plugging in the power cord, Le Nai first informed everyone of his purpose with a powerful strumming.