Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

"It's in RiNG, it's an exhibition hall."

"Exhibition hall? Do you usually discuss things there?"

"Normally not. But that friend and I met because of the band, and this time we want to talk about things related to the band. So I chose that place."

Qiu Hui didn't seem to have any intention of hiding anything, and just told everything she wanted to say.

"The band... it's not about ending the band, right? So, it's Aine's band?" Meow Meng asked.

Come to think of it, didn’t Aine just reject Xiaoqiu’s confession?

Miao Meng quickly realized this, so a hint of anticipation appeared in her eyes.

"Yes, it's about that band." Qiu Hui nodded, "Because my work is getting busier and busier, I may have less free time..."

As she said this, her eyes looked dim.

"...So, I think it's about time we stop now."

This means that Xiaoqiu plans to quit Ain's band?

Miao Meng was shocked by the news at first, and then... well, although it doesn't seem appropriate to say this, it was a surprise anyway!

It seems that being rejected has had a huge impact on Xiaoqiu.

Then everything makes sense. The reason why Akie is in this state of barely functioning like a broken machine is because of Aine’s matter…

She was originally happy that she had the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

But at the thought of this, the joy was tempered by the grief caused by the sympathy and compassion for the one I loved.

At the same time, the original entanglement began to gradually fade away.

Because she realized that Xiaoqiu really needed someone to do something for her now.

So Miao Meng stretched out her hand and, in front of Qiu Hui's slightly surprised gaze, held the other's hand tightly.

"It's really not easy, Miss Akiko."

Miao Meng smiled, and seemed to deliberately call Qiu Hui by her pen name instead of her real name.

"Nothing." Qiu Hui shook her head gently. "Although work is busy, for me who makes a living from this, being busy is not a bad thing..."

"I'm not talking about work."

Miao Meng leaned down and whispered in Qiu Hui's ear with a smile on her face.

"I'm talking about 'love'."

As if some force had hit the softest part of her heart, the polite smile on Qiu Hui's face gradually cracked, revealing a momentary uneasiness and distraction.

"Ms. Meow Meng, what are you doing..."

Qiu Hui's voice became slightly quieter, and the forced calmness with a hint of sarcasm disappeared.

Miao Meng gently caressed Qiu Hui's hand, her fingertips brushing over Qiu Hui's slender fingers, rubbing the slightly pale skin and slightly protruding joints.

“Aine called me and told me about this. She’s my fan.”

Miao Meng smiled. She had felt that she lacked a reason to intervene before, but now she had found one.

"Well, as a blogger, I occasionally talk about emotional topics."

"Since this is one of my main jobs, and the target is my favorite author, I definitely can't let this opportunity go."

Meow Meng said this while looking at Qiu Hui's face.

She noticed with relief that the other person's slightly pale face finally showed a hint of blood color, like the first ray of light breaking through the long night at dawn.

It's very similar to before.

The passage of time has made her appearance more mature and the beauty hidden in her nature bloom more brilliantly.

But...some things never change.

She was like this two years ago. She cried more easily then than now, but she still has this habit of pretending to be calm.

"I understand. It's the feeling of being rejected by your lover. Although it doesn't bring any financial loss, nor does it cause a wound even a millimeter long on the body, the heavy and long dull pain that comes with it will always be with us. Even if you want to forget it, it will come back when you close your eyes."

"You don't want to hurt the other person, but the other person doesn't want to hurt you either. Even if the other person has no ill intentions, even if the other person is willing to do their best to comfort you, it's useless. The pain of being rejected is hard to eliminate... That's it."

"Ms. Meow Meng, I..."

Qiu Hui's breathing became disordered, and she looked at Miao Meng with slightly trembling eyes, as if she hoped she would stop talking.

But before Qiu Hui could finish her words, Miao Meng interrupted her.

"Ms. Akirako will definitely tell herself that this is no big deal. Even if you feel pain, you should try to suppress it; because there are more important things to deal with, and there are responsibilities and obligations to fulfill."

"If being rejected is a mistake, then the mistake must be mine for asking for something that will be rejected. I can't use this mistake to punish others, so I must suppress my own pain and not let it affect others. Right?"

If the previous words only shocked Qiu Hui's heart, then these words almost penetrated, invaded, and penetrated the inside of her soul.

"…Why would Miss Meow Meng know?" Qiu Hui said in a low voice, and the previously stiff shell had been completely shattered.

"Because this is the impression Miss Akizo left on me," Miao Meng concluded with a smile.

After saying this, she looked at the injured...

...and at the same time, she had severely hurt her own girl.

Chapter 33 Please have a good rest

"I... I think this is natural." Akie reiterated her opinion in a low voice, "It's not something worth emphasizing..."

"I thought so." Miao Meng smiled and slightly increased the strength of her hands. "Ms. Qiu Rongzi's appearance reminds me of a friend from a long time ago."

This is the impression Xiaoqiu left on me a long time ago.

Be it working part-time or doing housework, even though I can't do anything and don't understand anything, I still try to act tough like that.

But...it's better this way.

It is precisely because she always insists on doing something on her own that makes me want to help her even more.

"...Friend?" Akie looked over in surprise.

“Don’t look at me like that, I’m not kidding.” Miao Meng laughed, “I was also a very popular character in junior high school. And I really like making friends, so I have all kinds of friends! Among them, there happened to be one who reminded me of Miss Qiu Rongzi.”

"She went abroad to study right after she graduated from middle school. I remember she went to a high school in a city in California." She sighed, "So I don't know why we didn't keep in touch after that. We had a very good relationship in middle school! It's really touching..."

Of course, all of the above were made up on the spot.

Miao Meng's friend is standing right beside her at this moment.

She just made up an excuse to cover up the real reason.

Because she didn't intend to reveal her true identity.

"…Do I remind you of your junior high school friend?" Akie asked.

The expression on her face vaguely reflected her thoughts: although she was only reluctant to accept this explanation, she could accept it to some extent.

"Yeah!" Meow Meng nodded vigorously, "So I actually also hope to become friends with Miss Qiu Rongzi!"

Of course, if it could be a further relationship...it would be even better.

After all, after two years of such pain, I feel like I can no longer be satisfied with just being friends.

Miao Meng looked at Qiu Hui and realized that she had the urge to tell everything.

I am Yutenji Wakamugi, the person you once hurt so badly...

But after thinking about it carefully, it’s better not to say it out loud.

Because Xiaoqiu is the kind of person who always wants to take responsibility...so if I tell her about my own affairs, it would be like asking Xiaoqiu for a debt.

She has become increasingly fragile due to the pressure of work and life and her excessive sense of responsibility.

I wish she could relax a little and not be another burden to her.

I have selfish motives and hope Xiaoqiu can pay more attention to me.

However, if I rely on that method to attract her attention, it is indeed... inappropriate.

Thinking of this, Miao Meng suppressed her thoughts and said in a lighthearted tone: "By the way, Miss Qiu Rongzi, you must be thinking now... Since Miss Miao Meng helped me, then I must give you something of 'equivalent' in return, right?"

"Well, that's not the case! Sometimes friends do help each other without expecting anything in return..." Qiu Hui responded in a panic, as if she had been touched in a sore spot.

"The prerequisite is that we have to be 'friends', right?" Miao Meng said with a smile.

"My junior high school friend gave me an analogy: this kind of unconditional help is like a membership in a shopping mall. As long as the consumption exceeds a certain level, you can get a small gift for free! Or, it is like a performance bonus issued by a company. Only when the workload is large enough can you get extra subsidies!"

"..." Akie was speechless.

This metaphor was so exquisite for her that she felt she would probably describe it the same way.

"Well, even if there are promotions or bonuses, it's still essentially shopping and work."

Miao Meng showed a concerned look.

"I think that Akira-sensei really needs to learn from me. I separate work and life very clearly! Work is work, and when I rest, I rest completely. I don't think about anything, and I don't care about anything..."

After saying that, she turned around and let go of Qiu Hui's hand.

Then she stretched out her hands and embraced Qiu Hui in her arms. Her tall figure played an advantage at this moment, allowing Qiu Hui to be completely enveloped in her body temperature.

She lowered her head and whispered into Qiu Hui's ear, "Being responsible is tiring, and enduring the pain of emotional injury is also tiring. Meow Meng, I have no business relationship with you, Teacher Qiu Rongzi, and we don't need to be responsible for each other..."

"…So, you don't need to worry about anything with me, Akira. You don't need to worry about rewards or responsibilities. Just rest well."

Feeling the slight trembling in her arms, Miao Meng smiled with a slightly maternal nature.

This behavior is actually far beyond the scope of normal friendship. Even if Xiaoqiu reminded me of an old friend, it shouldn't go to such lengths.

But what does that matter?

I just hope that Xiaoqiu won’t care about the so-called “reason” or what “should” be done.

It is because she always thinks about these things that her life is so tiring...

...That's why it hurt me like that.

Thinking of this, the resentment that had never been completely let go, as well as the selfishness and desires that had always been secretly hidden, made Miao Meng feel...impulsive.

She let go of her hand and looked at Qiu Hui, whose face was flushed, with a smile.

After all, this is on the street, so it’s not quite appropriate.

When we get to my house tonight, hey, I must...

want……

"...Thank you." Qiu Hui folded her hands, interlocked her fingers in front of her, lowered her head and whispered, "I'm glad you can say these words to me."

...What are you going to do?

Looking at Qiu Hui's appearance in front of him, Miao Meng's brain short-circuited.

...Forget it. If she doesn't mean that, I'd better not do anything too outrageous.

If Xiaoqiu understood the things I did to her as "rewards" from her...

… then things would be, uh, terrible. I don't want that to happen.

Although the bad Xiaoqiu is quite attractive, I still hope that she can be truly happy.

"Okay, don't worry about that for now. Aren't we going to RiNG to talk to friends next?" Miao Meng smiled, "I'll just wait nearby... Ah, if you don't mind, can I sit in? I don't have anything to do right now, but I'm very interested in Qiu Rongzi's affairs!"

"It doesn't matter. It's not something shameful anyway." Qiu Hui replied with a smile.

This time, her smile was no longer just a polite smile, but a true reflection of her state of mind.

"Okay, let's keep going, shall we?"

Miao Meng followed Qiu Hui again.

Although the name "Xiao Qiu" is definitely not acceptable, I still want to call her by her name, Miao Meng thought as she looked at Qiu Hui's back.

However, don’t think about it for now…

After all, if Xiaoqiu also asked me my real name, it would be awkward, wouldn’t it?