Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

In other words, she didn't develop this way of dealing with others through active participation because of her "sunny and cheerful" personality. Even someone like me who can never become a Yangjiao might be able to learn something from her...

"…Thank you for your guidance on the lyrics!" Goto stood up and bowed deeply.

"Don't make it so exaggerated!" Hong Xia quickly comforted her and asked her to calm down.

The arrangement of the original songs has been almost finalized.

At this time, Yamada Ryocai arrived late.

"I'm late because of something. I'm sorry."

Liang came to everyone's seats and noticed that the table was empty except for the water cup, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Looks like I haven't missed anything. Great."

"I missed a lot of things!" Hong Xia said dissatisfiedly, pulling Liang to sit next to her. "Really, please have some sense of time!"

"I've always had a good sense of time." Liang shook his head, "This time I chose the time when I wanted to eat the most to come."

"There's no need for this kind of time management!"

Amidst the noise, the band finally had all the members together.

Hong Xia stood up with a half-serious and half-joyful expression and looked around at everyone as if she was reviewing soldiers.

"Everyone is finally here! This is the first memorable meeting in the band's history, and it's finally officially started!"

After saying that, she sat down somewhat proudly.

“I’ve told everyone in the group before that the theme of this meeting is - how can we become more ‘band-like’ after we end the band?”

Hongxia looked at everyone expectantly.

"Band feeling..." Liang nodded thoughtfully, "For example, drinking, quarreling, quarreling over musical differences, quitting the band, disbanding and reorganizing, and most importantly, each person has three to five entangled lovers..."

"...I'm definitely not talking about that kind of band feeling." Hongxia covered her face.

"When it comes to bands, it feels like everyone is working together towards a common dream! That's the feeling, right?" Kita suggested, "Aren't there a lot of girl bands with that feeling these days?"

"Although what Kita-chan said is quite right, it's a bit too vague. Don't you have any more specific thoughts?"

"What are your specific feelings..." Kita was also a little distressed, "Actually, I don't know much about this. But Akie, you are Haneda's student, right?"

Kita turned to Akie's direction.

"I heard that Hanegaoka is a school famous for its students forming bands! What do you think, Akiie, as a student of Hanegaoka?"

"Me? I don't have any special opinions..." Akie leaned back in her chair, "Because I don't know much. But since Hongxia wants specific opinions, I will tell you my views from the most intuitive perspective."

She leaned back in the sofa chair in the family dining room and began to express her opinions.

"In Hanegaoka, students who form bands can be roughly divided into two categories. One category is just a few students who like to play instruments and occasionally practice playing together. It can't be said to be a formal band."

"The second category is bands with a legitimate reputation. Such bands generally have three elements: an original song, a social networking account shared by the band, and at least one performance experience."

"In other words, Akie thinks that as long as we do the above three things, we can become a 'band feeling'?"

"Probably." Akie nodded. "These are the things that we need to work hard on as a band. Other things will emerge while we work hard on our main job as a band."

If you become a well-known person in a certain field, then even just eating and drinking will be considered as part of the "activity".

Just like Togawa Aie now. For her, "playing in a band" can also be regarded as one of the jobs of a "light novel writer".

"That's true!" Kita seemed to have a lot of experience with this, "Even if celebrities on the Internet just post some scenery photos, their fans will take them very seriously."

"I see." Ryouya, whose focus had been strange since before, nodded, "In other words, Akie's view is that 'musicality' is the essence of 'band feeling'?"

Akie was also surprised by Ryo's statement. But she still agreed: "It's a bit uncomfortable to say it in such a serious way... but that's pretty much what I meant."

"If that's the case!" Hong Xia concluded, "Our next main task is to create our first original song and then work hard together for our first LIVE, right?"

"That's about it," Ryo agreed.

She started with her friend next to her, and then looked at everyone who had finished the band one by one.

"Working hard for the sake of musicality is what makes a band member."

At this moment, Ryo seemed to be surrounded by a kind of cold and otherworldly aura. The radio-style characters who are serious really have a different kind of charm, Akie thought.

"...But that's for the future. I'm really hungry right now. Hey Nijiya, did we order food before?"

"..." Qiu Hui looked at Liang, who suddenly started asking for food, with a helpless look on her face.

...As expected, no matter how serious you are, you are still a radio-type character in the end.

Chapter 28 Human Observation

As the first dish was finally served, the part that Liang had been looking forward to finally began.

"The bacon and cheese mashed potatoes in this shop are superb! How about Pochi-chan eat some too?"

"It's okay, I can get it myself..."

For a family restaurant that relies mainly on a central kitchen for its food supply, once the serving process begins, it simply cannot be stopped. In a short period of time, the originally empty table is suddenly filled with a variety of Japanese and Western home-cooked dishes.

Kita excitedly took out his phone and took photos left and right, and from time to time he enthusiastically invited Goto Ichiri to appear in the photo. Although the latter's reaction was not very positive, he often gave in in the end after the former's repeated suggestions.

Sitting in a corner, Qiu Hui leisurely enjoyed the garlic bacon and mushroom pasta in front of her, while quietly observing the other four people communicating with each other.

She had gotten used to the feeling of being unconsciously excluded by the group, and no longer had any special feelings about it. Being noticed was certainly gratifying, but enjoying the tranquility of thinking alone when being ignored was not a bad choice either.

Even just watching the story unfold can be a pleasure.

She noticed the frequent interactions between the two of them, and a stable pattern of Kita actively inviting and Goto passively accepting formed between them. The lively and enthusiastic Kita led the latter into the rhythm of the other, revealing a mixture of uneasiness and vague joy.

Kita enjoys interacting with Goto Ichiri like feeding an animal, and she enjoys observing his various reactions. Although her reaction is the most intense when she interacts with Ryo, since the latter is not a person who likes to provoke and respond to topics, most of the interactions occur between Kita and Goto.

If Hongxia on the other side brings up the topic, she will accept it with a smile, and will not hesitate to redirect her attention repeatedly between Goto and Hongxia.

Akie noticed Goto Ichiri biting his lips and fiddling with his fingers from time to time, as well as Kita's occasional half-smile when he approached. Hidden behind these reactions, Goto's unusual sensitivity, how was it operating at this moment?

"Hey, what's Aki'e's situation like?"

At this time, Hongxia's speech interrupted Qiuhui's observation process.

"Me? Actually..."

Qiu Hui quickly scanned her short-term memory.

It seems that they talked about school before. Hongxia and Xiuhua are in different schools, so it is a natural choice to talk about this topic.

After briefly stating her general impression of Yuqiu, Akihime stopped speaking. It was like being called upon to speak in class by the teacher, and she stopped speaking after completing her task.

"Oh! So this is how Haneda feels! It's like..."

Akie continued to observe Nijixia as usual.

She noticed that Hongxia seemed to have been trying to connect the five people with a common topic.

Unlike Kita, she pays equal attention to everyone, including Ryo, who is from the same school and has a close relationship with her, and the duo of Shuka and Akie, who she just met.

Unlike Liang, who was almost always concentrating on eating and only occasionally spoke his mind to express his thoughts, she was actively looking for various topics to try to establish communication among everyone.

If Kita is just communicating with people as she pleases, driven by her Yangkaku nature, then Nijigasaki's stance on this matter can be said to be more inclined towards "considering others."

This dinner party was also initiated by her.

She is really trying very hard to build a team from scratch.

Although the band was formed not long ago, there is still a sense of alienation between its members; but Qiu Hui is willing to believe that this sense of alienation will slowly dissipate one day with Hongxia's efforts...

…Then the question arises.

How should I react to this? Qiu Hui thought.

Will I be accepted by this increasingly mature team?

Or, should I be accepted?

In order to meet my work needs, I took the initiative to take on the task of writing lyrics and composing music. So what approach should I take to handle these tasks?

What kind of "temperament" will the band have after it ends? Should I submit to it, or take the initiative to shape it? What role should my dark and cold personality play in it? Or should it play a role at all?

These questions, one after another, gradually occupied Qiu Hui's mind.

With a gentle, polite smile on her face, she quietly observed the other four people as the atmosphere became increasingly lively.

"Akie."

"Um?"

Qiu Hui was somewhat surprised by the sudden call, especially when she realized that the call was not from Hong Xia, but from Liang who had been concentrating on eating.

"Are you free after dinner?" Liang asked casually, "I want to talk about something."

Although there were still some traces of food at the corners of her mouth, she still looked at Qiu Hui with an indifferent and slightly serious look.

"Can't I say it here?" Qiu Hui was puzzled.

"Are you free?" Liang didn't answer, but just continued to repeat his question.

"…If it doesn't take up too much of your time, then it's fine." Akie nodded.

Although the outline of the first volume already had a basic idea, it would still take some time to type it out. In order to produce the finished outline today, she had to leave herself some time for typing and final revision.

"It won't take up too much of your time." Liang nodded affirmatively, "I'm not the talkative type anyway."

This is obvious, Akie thought.

But having said that, she wasn't quite sure why Ryo didn't just say what he wanted to say at the dinner party.

Yamada Ryo is perhaps the most difficult to understand among the other four members who ended the band.

Even from the perspective of character setting alone, Akie can understand the reason for this phenomenon.

In today's industry, it is common practice to set relatively complex psychological motivations for radio characters whose behavior patterns are difficult to understand, and to encourage authors to unravel the elusive appearance of such characters layer by layer like peeling an onion.

Although such people are often welcomed in works, they are rare in reality. Most people in reality are close to the boring average, and there is not much tension in their bodies.

Qiu Hui looked thoughtfully at Liang who had just sent the invitation and then started eating voraciously.

What on earth was she going to talk to me about...

Chapter 29: Conversation in the Radio System

By the time the dinner party was coming to an end, it was almost dark.

After finishing the food on the plate in front of him, Yamada Ryo stood up and informed everyone of his plans: "I have something to go out for a while, let's chat first. Qiu Hui, come with me."

When Qiu Hui was called, she left her seat.

"Ryo just mentioned that he wanted to talk to me alone about something. I'm sorry for the rudeness."

"It's okay, you guys can chat...but."

Hongxia was halfway through her speech when she suddenly winked at Liang.

"… Remember to pay before you leave, okay? I won't pay for you this time!"

Liang's expression suddenly became subtle.

"Akie. It's a little sudden though..."

In Qiu Hui's eyes, her meaning was very clear.

"I'll pay it back soon. I just can't make ends meet right now."

You said you couldn't make ends meet... Actually, I'm pretty much the same in this regard, Qiu Hui thought.

The day to pay the rent next month is getting closer, and the sales of the novel have been gradually declining since the first week. In fact, I am the same in that I don’t have any spare money!

"Don't spoil her, Akie-chan!" Hongxia said angrily, "You have to reject her properly!"

"... Even Nijixia said so." Akie said helplessly, "I'm sorry."

"..."

Yamada Ryo silently took out a few banknotes from his pocket and solemnly handed them to Hongxia.

"This is my last bit of reserve." She said very sadly, "So, I can only spend the rest of this month eating grass..."

"That's the result of your lack of planning in spending money! Remember this!" Hong Xia lectured righteously like a mother.

Qiu Hui also handed over her meal fee to Hong Xia. Since she had deliberately chosen cheaper dishes when ordering, she didn't have to pay too much.