Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

That guy doesn't even want to see Deng, so there's no way he can have any connection with Qiu Hui, right?

Therefore, the person who was talking to Qiu Hui definitely wasn't that guy, Li Xi asserted in his heart.

...But why should I care so much?

Li Xi, feeling somewhat distressed, continued to listen to the faint conversation coming from the headphones.

Chapter 23 Alas, Sister

There was still a faint, unclear voice coming from the earphones. Qiu Hui's conversation with the other party was still going on.

She couldn't hear clearly what was said after that, but she could still hear vague words like "part-time job" and "goal".

Qiu Hui's tone sounded more like she was talking to a friend rather than a hired cleaner.

What is going on? Li Xi guessed secretly.

Is this like inviting a friend to help with cleaning your house, and then paying him a price?

However, no matter what the situation is, it is Akie's own business.

It always feels inappropriate for me to eavesdrop here.

Thinking of this, Li Xi originally decided not to continue focusing on the conversation between the two.

However, a word that she heard vaguely made her change her mind.

"I... am... done. If Xiang... can... do something... then..."

Saki?

Li Xi suddenly became unusually sharp.

Did I just hear that?

That pronunciation is "Xiang"...

...No, that's not necessarily the case. Li Xi shook his head.

There are actually many names that can be pronounced as "Saki", but only "Sakiko" is Sakiko.

So, it’s too early to draw conclusions now…

Just as Li Xi was thinking this, the sound of conversation that had just been faintly heard suddenly stopped abruptly.

"..."

I don't know how long it was before Qiu Hui's voice sounded in the headphones again.

"Sorry. Something delayed me." She said, "Where were we talking just now..."

"Wait a moment!" Li Xi's mouth moved faster than his brain, "Excuse me, who was Togawa-senpai talking to just now? She was Toyokawa Shoko..."

As soon as she said this, Li Xi regretted it. She often did this kind of thing. If she had a strong idea, she would say it directly without thinking.

Although her experience in the band has made her reflect from time to time on whether this is appropriate, generally speaking, this habit is not so easy to change.

"…It doesn't matter who I was talking to just now. Let's get back to composing."

After a moment of silence, Qiu Hui said this.

"I understand. I'm sorry..."

Li Xi apologized subconsciously, and even she was shocked.

She thought she was not the kind of person who was used to apologizing rudely and therefore could say it so easily.

Many times, even if she knows that what she did is wrong, something that she is not sure whether to call it self-esteem or arrogance will prevent her from saying sorry in her heart.

But for some reason I don't have that feeling when I'm with Akie.

Could it be that because she apologized so often, I was influenced by her and began to take apologizing for granted?

In short, Qiu Hui is right, we should focus on composing now.

Putting Xiangzi's affairs aside for the time being, Lixi refocused his attention on the work at hand.

……

“…Come to think of it, the design really emphasizes the feeling of running fast.”

Looking at the music score sent by Li Xi in front of her, after importing it into the software and trying to play it, Qiu Hui sighed.

"How should I put it? It feels simple and energetic. Like the kind of classic protagonist that seems a bit outdated these days!"

"Yes, I think the lyrics that Deng gave me contain such emotions. So, I want to express it in the form of melody." Lixi responded.

"By the way, it seems that the part allocated to the keyboard seems to be surprisingly small?" Qiu Hui asked, "Most of it is noisy and energetic guitar. It sounds a bit punk."

"Ah, yes, I..." Li Xi suddenly felt a little stuck.

The emphasis on guitar was decided from the beginning.

Even though I know the current keyboard player is not that person, I still deliberately try to eliminate the influence of that person.

"I'm just a beginner, so my opinions may not be reliable, but I do have some ideas. For example, this part before the chorus..."

Qiu Hui discussed her thoughts in the voice chat.

She put her basic knowledge of music theory to use to express her opinions in a slightly cumbersome but organized manner.

"…That's about it. There may be some parts that I didn't explain clearly. What do you think, Shiina-san?"

"If you ask me..."

Shiina Riki knew that he was also a beginner in this area.

So, even if you think hard, you may not be able to come up with brilliant ideas.

However, she realized that Qiu Hui was just like herself. Even though she didn't have that kind of amazing talent, she was still doing what she could.

The discussion between the two was a bit awkward, but since everyone's level was about the same, they made unexpected progress.

Even though the process was not particularly smooth, the music score in front of me was also filled out bit by bit.

"...Akie, I have a feeling."

Li Xi asked this, she didn't even realize that she had called the other person's name unconsciously.

"What's wrong, Riki?" Akie replied after a brief pause.

"I feel like... we are like the light in the lyrics."

"What do you mean?" Qiu Hui asked with interest.

Lixi smiled and recited the lyrics of the song "Light".

"'You who are working hard and always trying your best'"

"'Even if I stumble, even if I fall sometimes'"

“‘Standing up again and again’”

She smiled and said, "Just like this. Although the discussion has not been going smoothly, it has finally produced some results."

Qiu Hui didn't say anything, just waited for Li Xi to continue.

"I always feel that I can read my own shadow in the lyrics of Deng."

Li Xi said with emotion.

"Just standing here at this moment means I have already given it my all."

"Just like these two sentences. I often feel this way..."

Just by existing, there is a feeling of having to do everything in your power to catch up with something.

"Is it because of Toyokawa Shoko?" Akiie asked suddenly and unexpectedly.

Li Xi was slightly startled by this sudden question.

"Sorry, I just asked casually. If Li Xi thinks it's inappropriate..."

Qiu Huizhao said so.

"…Nothing. Maybe. At least, part of it is like that."

And Li Xi replied somewhat listlessly.

"I understand. Shoko-san is a talented person, as can be seen from 'Haruhi Kage'."

"Yes. If the person next to you is too dazzling, you have to put all your efforts just to stand by your side..."

The light in Lixi's eyes dimmed.

“…How should I put it? If Akie also had a sister, maybe I would understand.”

She said that on purpose.

After all, Miss Haruna didn't want to expose her whereabouts, and Akie had never mentioned her family situation to anyone.

Therefore, Li Xi realized that theoretically he should not know about Haruna's existence, so perhaps he could only say this.

“… ‘Yes’?”

Qiu Hui, who was on the other end of the line, became noticeably agitated.

"Yes, there is." Li Xi sighed, "My sister..."

"...He is a person I respect very much in every sense."

?

Chapter 24 Lixi: You are a bit too extreme

"Respect... For someone to say that, it means he is really a great person." Akie sighed, "Actually, I do have a sister, so maybe I can understand."

"Qi Hui also has a sister?" Li Xi just answered calmly, trying to hide the fact that she had known for a long time that the other party actually had a sister.

"Yes. If there are several children in a family, the outstanding one will always become a role model or standard."

Qiu Hui said, with a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"They just happened to be born from the same parents. Even genetics can never guarantee that two people have similar talents."

"But in fact, everyone will unconsciously think this way: since we are sisters, the gap between us should not be too big..."

At this point, Akie sighed, "...Even I myself am influenced by this prejudice and can't help but think so."

"Even Qiu Hui herself thinks so?" Li Xi repeated.

"Yes. So, in order to avoid such comparisons, all I can do is try my best..."

Having said this, Qiu Hui suddenly stopped and did not continue.

"…Nothing, don't worry about it. Let's continue talking about composing."

Qiu Hui never took the initiative to talk about her family situation in front of others, nor did she intend to discuss the minor conflicts between them.

Because she thinks that this is not something worthy of other people's concern, and she does not want to see other people's attitude towards her change because of it, whether for the better or for the worse.

However, although Qiu Hui, who was speaking, had no intention of talking more, Li Xi, who was listening, was very concerned.

"As much as possible?" Li Xi asked in a hurry. His tone was a little impatient, as if he was forcing the other party to confess.

The attitude was a bit rude, but she didn't seem to have the leisure to care at the moment.

Driven by some subtle empathy, she really wanted to know how Qiu Hui, who was in a similar situation, would deal with this matter.

"Li Xi, do you really want to know?" Qiu Hui asked, "Then it's okay for me to tell you."

Although she wouldn't talk about it on her own initiative, she wouldn't hide it if someone wanted to know.

"To put it simply, because... because of reasons that I can't explain right away, Li Xi, just assume that it was because of my willfulness and stupidity that I ran away from home and had almost no contact with my family since then."

"In the beginning, I couldn't be completely independent. So, I still needed a lot of help from my sisters during that period. But since writing the novel got on track, I no longer need to rely on them for help other than tuition."

Qiu Hui spoke calmly, but Li Xi's expression on the other end of the phone became more and more strange.

"Running away from home... and, novel?"

"Yes, novels. You can ask Deng about this."

"Light?" Li Xi's expression became even weirder, but she quickly shook her head as if realizing something was wrong, "... No, that's not the point right now! You mean, running away from home?"