Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

Page 139

"We have some vegetables here." Qiu Hui pointed to the plastic box in front of her, "If you're interested, we can share some."

"No need." Xiangzi smiled and shook his head. "How much?"

Qiu Hui was a little surprised that the other party asked about the price directly.

"You don't have to pay. This is just for you..."

"I appreciate Qiu Hui's kindness." Xiangzi shook his head, "But, I just went to your house to disturb you..."

Looking at the other person's expression at the moment, Qiu Hui could probably guess the reason.

Probably because she was embarrassed. Thinking of this, she multiplied the original price by 0.75 and reported it to Xiangzi. After all, she bought it through the second half-price promotion.

Xiangzi nodded, fumbled in his waist bag and took out his wallet, then pulled out one, two, and then another of a different style. After calculating, he found that it was not enough, so he took out a few coins with a bitter face and stacked them on the table.

"..." Qiu Hui said nothing and took the coins on the table with some sympathy.

Afterwards, she ate the remaining food slowly while observing Xiangzi beside her.

Xiangzi was wearing a suit of exquisite style and high-quality fabric, but judging from the wear and fading, the suit had probably been worn and washed many times and not properly cared for.

"Financial difficulties. What's going on?" Akihie sighed.

"Because the reason is a bit complicated, it's not convenient to say more." Xiangzi shook his head, "I'm sorry."

She always maintained a polite yet somewhat distant attitude, and seemed not to want to involve me in her personal problems.

Qiu Hui felt that she could more or less understand this mentality.

My situation has improved a little now, but before my previous work achieved commercial success, I also experienced the dilemma of having to spend every yen carefully.

At that time, I was also very sensitive to accepting help from others. It can even be said that the worse the situation, the more sensitive I am to help others.

Qiu Hui looked at the wrinkled cuffs of Xiangzi's suit again and decided not to continue talking about this topic.

She remained silent, waiting for Xiangzi beside her to speak.

"Akie, how are things going now? I mean, the novel writing thing."

After a moment's silence, Xiangzi took the initiative to ask.

"The new work is almost finished and is expected to be handed over to the library for publication in the next two days." Akiie replied.

Xiangzi still showed a somewhat yearning look: "Then...how much money can I make?"

"It's hard to say." Qiu Hui shook her head. "For an unknown author like me, not every book can sell steadily... or even for a famous author, there is a possibility that the sales of the new work will plummet. In short, it is not a stable source of income..."

Thinking of this, she frowned.

"…But to be honest, if you think like that, no industry can be stable."

Thinking of the heavy content that was often reported in economic news in a light-hearted tone, Qiu Hui shook her head.

"Employees will be laid off and companies may go bankrupt. Even giant companies with assets worth hundreds of billions of dollars can become unusually vulnerable at certain times..."

For some reason, Akie suddenly had the urge to transform herself into a middle-aged office worker in a pub.

"…Does a stable industry really exist? It's hard to say."

She felt a little embarrassed when she realized that she had just made some outrageous remarks that were too much like those of a middle-aged office worker.

But, to her surprise, Xiangzi nodded as if he felt the same way.

"Yes." Xiangzi showed a lost look, "Perhaps, there is no such thing as 'stable'..."

The other party seemed to empathize with her, which made Qiu Hui a little confused.

Could it be that Xiangzi happened to have some connection with a giant enterprise with assets worth hundreds of billions? It shouldn't be such a coincidence.

"Well, think about it the other way around. If there is a chance that you might fail no matter what you do, then that means it doesn't matter if you fail, right?"

Realizing that the other party seemed to be in a low mood, Qiu Hui subconsciously changed the topic, trying to make the other party feel a little better.

"In this case, we just need to be careful when doing things. There's no need to worry about possible failures." Akie continued, "Well... just like when you go out, you're bound to encounter traffic accidents, so you have to obey traffic rules... But even if there's no absolutely safe road, there's no need to stay at home forever because you're afraid of being hit by a car."

Xiangzi was stunned for a moment, then nodded slowly and firmly.

“…Maybe, that’s the case.”

She lowered her head, not knowing whether she was planning something.

"If... there's something I can do..."

She was talking to herself in a voice so low that no one else could hear.

Qiu Hui didn't hear the other person's words clearly, so she didn't know whether the topic she changed was appropriate.

After all, it's too weird for high school girls to talk about this kind of thing all day long. Let's talk about something more relevant to daily life! For example...

"Oh, by the way, how is Xiangzi preparing now? I mean for the final exam!" Qiu Hui found a new topic.

It is natural for high school students to talk about final exams.

Besides, the final exams are getting closer and closer, or rather, they start this Wednesday. There are only a few days left to prepare.

"Final exam? I think... it's OK." Xiangzi smiled and nodded, "I have been preparing seriously for the scholarship for the special student. I feel confident that I can get a top score."

"Scholarship... That's amazing." Akie exclaimed, "My grades have always been in the middle to lower levels. And, Xiangzi, you have to work part-time while studying, right? It's really not easy."

"Akie, you're the same, right? You have all kinds of work to do." Shoko smiled and shook his head, "So we are very similar."

Having said this, her expression became slightly relaxed and cheerful.

Chapter 100: Discussion on Career Opportunities

"No, no, Xiangzi is more amazing." Qiu Hui shook her head. "The scholarship for outstanding students... To apply for that, not only do you need good grades, there seem to be many other requirements, right? I don't even dare to think about it."

As a high school for further studies, the tuition fee of Yuqiu is actually quite high. If it weren't for the help of her family, then with Aki'e's current income, considering the rent and daily expenses, she probably couldn't afford it.

"Hugaoka's system for special students is indeed quite strict." Xiangzi nodded, "But the admission rate is quite high. I hope I can get into a good enough university in the future so that I can have a chance to get a decent job..."

The mention of college reminded her of some unpleasant things.

"…I can also rely on scholarships to pay for my tuition, or if that doesn't work, I can consider student loans." She thought with some dissatisfaction, "Well, loans may be a little... After all, I can only rely on scholarships. So the deviation value must be high enough. And talents may also add points... It's great to be able to play the piano..."

Looking at Xiangzi who suddenly frowned and started muttering, Qiu Hui said nothing, but just listened quietly.

After being immersed in her own world for a while, she suddenly seemed to realize that it was not very polite to do so, so she interrupted herself and smiled appropriately again: "Akie, what are your plans for the future? Do you want to continue to develop in the direction of a light novel writer? Or do you want to become a full-time musician?"

"Me?"

Xiangzi's question made Qiu Hui fall into deep thought.

Going to university... Although I have thought about it, my current academic ability is definitely not enough.

After all, in order to cope with immediate expenses, work must be prioritized.

Even if you have become a little more financially comfortable recently, in order to accumulate more surplus, you must first take the work at hand seriously.

"Let's wait and see." Akie said frankly, "To be honest, neither being a light novel writer nor a band member is a very 'reliable' profession."

After saving enough money, maybe you should put your work aside and focus on repeating your studies and preparing for the exam.

After all, facts have proved that being a light novel writer is not as free and enjoyable a profession as I imagined.

So after weighing the pros and cons, it is more cost-effective to take the "right path" of improving your academic qualifications and then applying for a decent job.

"If you get into your ideal university, what are your plans for the future?" Akie asked. "What kind of job do you plan to find?"

She brought up this topic with no particular purpose, she just mentioned it casually.

"Hmm... if you want to talk about good places to go now, they are still large foreign-funded enterprises, right?" Xiangzi sighed, "For example, West Pacific Trading Co., Ltd...."

This name made Qiu Hui stunned, and then she smiled awkwardly: "Ah, that, it seems to be true..."

She remembered that the equity structure of West Pacific Trading seemed very complicated, with a very large number of shareholders; her father, as the head of the Japan region, seemed to hold a certain amount of equity... I remember it was 4.37%?

Qiu Hui felt a little ashamed of what Xiangzi had just said inadvertently.

Unlike her, I always...always have a way out.

As long as I am willing to agree to my father and sister's request...

Qiu Hui shook her head and dismissed these unrealistic thoughts.

I just happened to be born into that family.

Those things belong to them and have nothing to do with me.

Don't think about things that I have no right to touch...

"As for me, although I have thought about going to college, for now my priority is to save money," said Qiu Hui.

"Saving money... that is, through writing novels and band activities?" Xiangzi asked, her eyes seemed to become a little eager.

"Well, if I'm lucky, I should be able to save some money after working hard for a few years. Then I can think about further studies, such as enrolling in a refresher class..."

After that, Akie and Shoko discussed various topics that were a bit too realistic for high school girls.

Qiu Hui felt that this kind of conversation was not a bad feeling. Although even if she told the other person about the matter, it would not help solve the problem, it could at least give people a sense of pleasure in talking.

This kind of thing can’t be discussed with everyone who has ended the band, and it’s not appropriate to mention it in front of Aine and the others.

The only person I can discuss these topics with right now is Toyokawa Shoko.

Judging from the other party's enthusiastic attitude and happy smile, perhaps... this is also true for her?

"After talking so much, I feel a little thirsty."

After chatting for a while, Qiu Hui stood up.

"I'm going to buy two bottles of water. Please wait for a moment, Xiangzi."

"Yes, thank you for your help."

After watching Qiu Hui walk towards the shelf, Xiangzi turned his head and observed the sky outside through the floor-to-ceiling window, which had already turned completely dark.

In Tokyo at night, there are almost no stars. The endless lights are reflected in the night sky, which in turn dyes it a slightly reddish and ambiguous color.

He spoke out his troubles and worries as if nothing had happened, and received empathetic feedback. This feeling brought long-lost warmth to Xiangzi, whose body and mind were destroyed by work and studies.

My situation...I really can't talk about it with everyone in CRYCHIC, and it's not easy to mention it in front of Mu and Chuhua.

The only person I can discuss these topics with is Akihime.

"……well."

Xiangzi stared at the night sky dyed red by the lights in a daze.

Actually...I do have a way out.

As long as you completely surrender to the "Toyokawa Family"...

...Or, it's not impossible to ask Mu for help.

She should... or should definitely take me in out of sympathy.

It's just that I don't want the situation to turn out like that.

Xiangzi lowered his head in silence.

I...have to do something.

If you always rely on part-time jobs like this to make a living, you are just shaping yourself into a part that only knows how to work.