Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

From this point of view, I may not be as brave as Pochi.

At least, I definitely don’t have the courage to confess everything to Aine right now.

Because I’m afraid. I’m afraid that Aine will think of me like I thought of Pochi.

This fear turned into a sense of empathy and pain, which made Akie feel guilty towards Pochi for putting him in such a situation.

What should I do...

“…Ah, wait, isn’t that Senpai?”

……what?

It seemed as if she could vaguely hear someone calling her "senpai". Akie knew that this was probably the only person who would call her that.

She looked in the direction of the sound and saw three people walking side by side.

"Ah, really! Senior, why are you here at the amusement park too?"

Aine quickened her pace first and jogged towards Akie.

“Hey! Wait a minute!”

What followed was Miao Meng, and finally the light that seemed to have just reacted.

"Why did you guys come to the amusement park?" Akie asked with a guilty conscience. Why did Aine appear right after I thought of her?

"Uh... well..." Meow Meng seemed a little flustered for some reason, "Since we're all here and we don't have any other plans, I thought why don't we find a place to play together... I didn't expect that we would end up at the same amusement park, what a coincidence! Haha!"

"This is just perfect!"

Aine was very generous and grabbed Akie's wrist without any hesitation, pulling her into the original three-person team.

"Didn't Meow Mengqin just say that he wanted to ride the Ferris wheel? There should be room for four people!"

"Wait, a Ferris wheel?" Qiu Hui was shocked.

Is it possible that I just got off the Ferris wheel?

“Wait a minute! Don’t… uh, ahem, that’s right! It can just fit four people…”

In fact, Miao Meng also looked a little guilty for some reason. However, Qiu Hui was too absorbed in the coincidence and had no time to pay attention to her changes in expression.

"Well, let's go sit together?" Deng nodded. "It feels quiet and soothing, and it allows everyone to chat together. I think it's great."

"Yes, it is indeed a good place for chatting..." Akie nodded nervously, "So, I actually came to the amusement park just to talk about something."

“Talk about something?” Aine was stunned, but she was quick-witted and quickly figured out the truth, “It’s about Goto-san, right?!”

"...Yes." Akie blushed and lowered her head.

It was guessed right away... and...

“So, you just sat with Gotou-san once.” Aine suddenly realized, “Hey, senior, can you tell me how it was?”

“Eh? Ah, I, I was so busy talking about things that I didn’t pay much attention to it…”

As for the experience... the cushion is quite soft? It didn't feel too uncomfortable when I lay on it...

Wait! What am I thinking?

Akihime was in a state of panic and realized that although she was calm when she was with Ichiri, something seemed to be wrong when Aine appeared on the scene.

"A-Anyway! Teacher Qiu Rongzi thinks..." Meow Meng's face looked a little strange, as if she had just heard some unpleasant news, "...how about sitting there again?"

"…Well, it's not impossible." Akie nodded.

In this way, the original purpose of inviting them here has been achieved... right?

So, the four people gathered together again and lined up in front of the entrance of the Ferris wheel.

Meowme stood at the front, followed by Akie, then Aine, and Deng was at the end.

“By the way, senpai.” Aine poked Akie’s back, “Did things go well with Gotou-san?”

"What do you mean by smoothly?" Qiu Hui asked back with some uneasiness.

Please don't use the word "thing" which could cause misunderstanding... But if I think about it carefully, it can't really be considered a misunderstanding?

“If it goes smoothly, it goes smoothly, right? For example, have the conflicts you wanted to resolve been resolved, have the things you wanted to communicate been conveyed… and so on.” Aine answered as if it was a matter of course.

“How should I put it? Actually, it’s a bit… hard to say.”

Qiu Hui sighed softly.

"How should I put it... Oh, right. First, I have a question."

Her expression was solemn, and she felt that perhaps it was time to raise this issue.

“Aine, what do you think about… uh, romantic relationships… between women?”

Chapter 136: What is the definition of "like"?

“Why are you asking this suddenly?” Aine asked back.

She didn't have any exaggerated reaction, she just expressed her confusion in a normal way.

However, before Akie could answer, Aine herself suddenly guessed the reason: "Could it be related to Goto-san's matter?"

She had been oblivious to Goto's situation, but now she seemed to have suddenly found the key to the problem.

"You could say that."

Seeing that Akie approved of her answer, Aine smiled smugly, “I see! No wonder Goto-san looked so distressed before… It was because he fell in love with a certain girl and was very distressed about it, so he got emotional like that and went to talk to his senior, right!”

The passion for gossip, which is unique to modern high school girls, was burning in her at this moment.

“… Bad, that’s about it.” Akie fiddled with the corner of her clothes nervously, “So, I want to ask Aine’s opinion. I personally think that this kind of thing, although it’s not that common, but, but actually… there’s nothing strange about it?”

“Hmm… if you were to ask yourself, my opinion is similar to Senpai’s, right?” Aine said casually, “There may be people who think this way.”

It seems that Aine is not just doing it half-heartedly due to some concerns, but she really has a very casual opinion.

At least, he didn't show too much rejection...

Thinking of this, Qiu Hui secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

I wanted to ask another question like “Does Aine like girls?”, but if I did that it would seem like her motives were too impure…

...Moreover, Qiu Hui felt that she was more or less afraid that the answer would be revealed.

So, she didn't say anything else, but just continued to listen to Aine's opinion.

"However, although I don't think it's a big deal, there may be people who hold different opinions from me. Could it be that Goto-san is worried that the person she likes might be against this kind of relationship, so she is so distressed?"

Aine commented, and she seemed to empathize with him.

“When I first transferred to Hanegaoka, I saw everyone playing in a band, so I thought, maybe I should get involved.”

"If you think your thoughts are different from those of ordinary people, you will subconsciously feel pressure to get as close to the so-called 'normal' standards as possible."

"If even I think that, then Goto-san, who is even more sensitive to other people's opinions, should care more than I do. That's why he wants to escape and becomes so depressed. It's really hard."

She then asked, "So, after talking to your senior, was Goto-san's problem solved?"

“…It can’t be considered a solution. I can only say that there has been some progress,” Akie replied.

Meow Meng, who was standing by, seemed to be a little unsteady. Seeing that she had found an opportunity to interrupt, she hurriedly said, "So, what did Teacher Akizo say to Ichiriko? I'm very curious about Teacher Akizo's opinion on this issue!"

Miao Meng is my fan, and I just happen to write about that kind of subject matter. So it's normal for her to be curious about how I, as an author, would handle this matter.

Thinking of this, Qiu Hui replied, "I can't actually give you any particularly valuable advice. After all, the plots in novels and the situations in reality are similar only in appearance, so it can be said that the experience of the former cannot be used to guide the latter."

She carefully searched for the right words: "So... I just hope that she can talk to the other party and make each other's ideas clear, and try to reach a consensus as much as possible based on good communication."

This was not a lie. Qiu Hui had indeed persuaded Ichiri in this way.

It's just that she didn't mention the key fact that "the person she likes and the person she is talking to are the same person."

It was too embarrassing to say such a thing, not to mention that Aine was present, it felt even more inappropriate...

“If you can really explain it clearly, that would be great.” Aine nodded, “Just like me and everyone in the band… ah, that’s right!”

She suddenly became interested and wanted to continue the conversation in depth: "Come to think of it, what does Miao Mengqin think about this kind of thing between girls? And Xiao Deng!"

Aine now seemed to be driven purely by the curiosity of a high school girl.

In other words, she just used this topic as a topic for idle chat.

"I……"

Miao Meng hesitated for a moment, as if thinking about how to answer.

"…I don't have any opinion, because that's how I am."

She expressed her attitude in a calm manner.

Despite this, there was still a hint of uneasiness and complacency in the depths of his eyes.

I am it! So what? It was like making a bluffing statement like this.

“Oh, so that’s how it is!” Aine’s eyes lit up, “How should I put it, I’m a little surprised! I just said that there would really be people who would think this, but I didn’t expect that Meow Meng would actually do it! As expected, this kind of thing is actually quite normal, right?”

"...Ms. Meow Meng, are you serious?" Qiu Hui was also a little surprised.

It’s not that I particularly care about it, but I just feel like I have accidentally discovered someone of the same kind.

Meow Meng looked at Qiu Hui with a slightly resentful look: "I do like girls. Is there any problem?"

"…No problem." Akie shook her head. "I just said it, right? I think this is normal."

Of course I would think it's normal. After all... I am the same.

I didn’t expect that Miss Miao Meng would be the same as me.

Qiu Hui had similar thoughts.

She wasn't so self-righteous as to assume that the other person liked her, so she didn't have any special thoughts.

"Xiao Deng, what do you think?"

After asking about Meow Meng’s situation, Aiyin then asked Deng with great interest.

The tone was very casual and lively, as if he was just asking what the other person liked to eat.

"I……"

The lamp lowered its head slightly.

“…After all.”

She always looked a little melancholy, with a puzzled expression on her face.

"What does the word 'like' mean?"

Aine was stunned by this topic. It seemed that she had not expected that Deng’s focus would not be “girls” but “love”.

“Hmm…Have you ever watched a TV show with a romantic plot? A movie? Or anime? You should have read a novel!” Aine tried to explain, “Anyway, it’s the feeling of wanting to spend a long time together with each other!”

Although Aine explained it shamelessly, she herself didn’t seem to have a very deep understanding of the word.

The doubt on Deng's face still remained: "If that's the case, I think everyone in the band must like each other."

"I like Aine, I like Akie-senpai, and I also... like Suyo and Riki, I like... Xiaoxiang and everyone from CRYCHIC."

"As a member of the band that ended, Goto-kun must also like everyone in the band..."

"If that's all, why bother about it?"

Deng uses his extraordinary sensitivity to ask everyone this question that touches the depths of their souls.

Chapter 137 One-to-Many

"No, no, no!" Qiu Hui quickly stepped forward to correct this strange concept, "The so-called 'like' is different from the relationship between band members like this!"

Facing Deng's puzzled look, she explained, "I think that only when there is 'exclusivity' can it be considered love. For example, if you like someone, you will not only want to spend time with her, but also exclude others because of her. In other words, you put someone in a special position that is higher than others, and you hope that the other person will do the same."

"...Is that so?" Deng's doubts did not diminish at all, "But, didn't Ms. Shiina say 'I like you all' to everyone at the end of the story..."

"Because that's the plot of the novel! It's arranged that way to suit the tastes of readers who like different characters!"

Of course, Ms. Shiina was not referring to Riki, but a fictional character who happened to have the same last name.