Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

Chapter 34: Meeting with Su Shi

Soon after, RiNG's cafe.

Nagasaki Suyo saw Togawa Akee walking in from the door, and immediately picked up her cell phone to check the time.

It was a little earlier than the scheduled time, which showed that Qiu Hui must have attached great importance to this meeting.

This is a good sign. For the current Su Shi, this is one of the few good signs.

Xiangzi could never be contacted, and Xiaomu was always doing unnecessary things.

Xiao Deng has gradually adapted to the new band, and Li Xi will be fine as long as Xiao Deng is around.

In this way...

Su Shi realized that the current situation was really absurd.

Apart from herself, the person most likely to help her was Akechi Togawa, who had nothing to do with CRYCHIC itself.

So Su Shi stood up, quickly put on a suitable expression, stood up, and greeted Qiu Hui who was walking towards him.

it's not like that.

Xiaodeng and Lixi didn’t want everything to go back to the way it was before.

They were just satisfied with the current situation, and because the hope of Xiaoxiang coming back was too slim, they gave up on making further plans.

It’s okay, it’s not their fault to think this way.

It doesn’t matter even if they give up... Because, even if I am the only one who still persists, I will... Behind Nagasaki Suyo’s gentle smile, there is a burning paranoia that is almost desperate.

She never asks herself "why do I continue?"

On the contrary, "why not to continue" is a choice that needs to be explained with reasons.

Although the band only lasted until the first performance.

But, for Nagasaki Suyo, that is "normal".

It is as normal as fish need to breathe in water and fresh food needs to be kept frozen.

With this thought in mind, Nagasaki Suyo greeted Akie.

"Thank you for coming today, Akie-senpai," she said. "You still have practice today, right?"

"Well, I came here after I finished working over there," Qiu Hui responded.

"Thank you very much, and I'm sorry to bother you." Su Shi nodded gracefully.

The two of them took their seats and the waiter came to take their order.

"The waitress today is not Riki." Akie said, "Is it because you are busy composing music that you are not working part-time?"

"She's been very busy lately," Sushi responded, "Our first performance must be very important to her."

"It's very important to everyone." Akie replied seriously, "So, I want to help as much as possible. That's why I came here today."

The awkward and stiff feeling she had originally felt had faded away because of someone's care just now.

The current Togawa Aie is closer to the way Suze remembers her. Steady and sincere, she always gives people a reliable impression.

Behind her, a tall woman with short purple hair and a dress was sitting at the bar. She was ordering from the waiter at the bar with great interest, and she would glance in the direction of Qiu Hui from time to time.

"I'm really glad that Akiie-senpai thinks this way..."

Su Shi folded the fingers of both hands, placed them in front of him, leaned forward slightly, and expressed sincere and eager anticipation.

"So, for the future of this band, I hope Akie-senpai can answer me."

She rubbed her fingers unconsciously.

"Akie-senpai, have you ever met Toyokawa Shoko? Have you ever talked to her?"

She said it in a voice that was so overly sweet that it became a little harsh.

"Since Akiie-senpai is in Hanegaoka like her, then we must have met each other more or less, right?"

"Besides, you two have no other relationship except that you are both students of Hanegaoka. In this case, Xiang-chan will not have many concerns..."

Su Shi said so. She also realized this.

For a situation like Xiangzi's, perhaps an unrelated outsider like Qiu Hui is the most suitable person.

"...I think the best candidate for the official keyboard player is always Xiao Xiang. So, I hope Akiie-senpai can answer my question."

Su Shi expressed his wishes directly.

After saying this, she looked at Qiu Hui expectantly, waiting for her answer.

Akie, who was sitting opposite her, felt a little embarrassed by this overly direct question.

Xiangzi told me not to reveal her whereabouts. I also promised her that if Su Shi asked about it, I would pretend that I didn't know.

But if Su Shi asked directly like this...

If I said I hadn't seen it, I would be lying to her.

If I say no, I'm actually saying yes...

The slight anxiety revealed between her eyebrows was caught by the sharp-eyed Su Shi.

So she smiled and said, "Akira-senpai, is there something that you can't say?"

"..." Qiu Hui didn't know how to answer.

Although she had promised Xiangzi that if she met Su Shi and asked her about anything related to her, she would pretend to know nothing.

However, with Su Shi right in front of her, her expectant eyes and earnest attitude made Qiu Hui unable to even think of deceiving her.

She was not someone who "stood in Xiangzi's shoes". She concealed Xiangzi's affairs out of respect for her friend.

But this respect also has a similar effect on Su Shi in front of him.

Therefore, Qiu Hui was caught in a dilemma.

For Su Shi, such silence was enough for her to understand many things.

She gave a somewhat bitter smile: "...Xiao Xiang, is it possible that she won't let Senior Qiu Hui tell me about anything related to her?"

Qiu Hui continued to remain silent.

Although she knew very well that her silence was equivalent to answering the question, she still remained silent out of some sense of appearance.

Su Shi also tacitly understood and did not continue to ask, but continued to speak according to her own thoughts: "I hope that Xiaoxiang can return to this band, and I also hope that I can help her, no matter what difficulties she encounters..."

Her elegant face showed an expression of suppressed sadness, yet revealing just the right amount of sadness.

"And, I believe Xiao Deng must think so too." She whispered, "She already knows that it's not her fault that things turned out this way, but, because of this, she must still be worried about Xiao Xiang's situation..."

"…Moyo-san."

Qiu Hui interrupted Su Shi's statement with a serious expression.

"From where I stand now, I can't guarantee anything."

She responded in a rather official tone.

"But, I think Suyo-san can imagine the possibility that Toyokawa Shoko might come to watch the band's first performance."

Although what Akie said seemed to have nothing to do with her, Su Shi instantly understood what she really meant.

"Really?" Su Shi said in surprise.

"At that time, Sushiro-san might be able to take this opportunity to tell the other party what you want to say."

After saying that, Qiu Hui sighed softly.

There is only so much I can do without taking sides.

Chapter 35 Maybe She Will Come This Time

"Thank you very much, Akie-senpai." Su Shi said gently.

She didn't say it explicitly, but her eyes more or less revealed her thoughts.

Although Senior Qiu Hui couldn't say it directly, I think you must have met Xiangzi. In fact, you might even be quite familiar with her.

So, if you were the one who invited her, she might agree, right?

There was a hint of fanaticism on the edge of calmness in Su Shi's smiling eyes.

"You're welcome. If you really want to thank me, there's something I'm curious about."

Qiu Hui drank her drink leisurely while asking the questions she wanted to ask.

Maybe she read the hidden meaning in Su Shi's words, or maybe she didn't, but it didn't matter.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to ask, why is Suyo-san so obsessed with Toyokawa Shoko?"

She asked, out of pure curiosity.

Now we can draw a conclusion: I am particularly interested in the band she is in mainly because I like Chihaya Aine.

What about Suyo? Does she like Shoko, just like I like Aine?

Because of this curiosity, Qiu Hui asked this question purely out of interest.

"…Because I think this is…the best choice for the band and for her."

Su Shi rubbed his fingers and calmly expressed his thoughts.

"I... I don't know what kind of difficulties Xiaoxiang has encountered. But no matter what, I think I can... and should help her."

"She said so. The band is a 'community of shared destiny'. Everyone cares for each other, supports each other, and moves forward together towards a common dream..."

"…This is how the relationship should be."

There was a hint of loneliness in Su Shi's eyes, and his tone sounded sad and sincere.

"Also, thanks to Akie-senpai's help, Deng was able to get over the knot in her heart from the past."

"But Xiao Xiang was the light that guided the lost girl, helping her to come out of her anxiety and confusion and sing out her feelings for the first time."

"If Xiaoxiang had to leave us like that because of her own difficulties, I believe Xiaodeng must be like me, hoping to help her."

Su Shi said so. She wanted to emphasize that she thought Xiangzi's return was a better choice for the new band.

"That's what Motoyo-san thinks." Akie nodded and responded calmly.

She recalled the scene when they first met.

At that time, Su Shi realized that I seemed to have a close relationship with Deng, so she invited me to be a supporting musician.

At the beginning, she probably used me as a "prop" to help Deng get over his emotional problems.

There was nothing wrong with this. After all, unlike Aine, I was a paid support staff from the beginning.

Most of my subsequent contributions to the band were actions I took on my own initiative.

Su Shi's motivation to work hard for the band is worthy of recognition, but Xiangzi's feelings must also be taken into consideration.

Therefore, Qiu Hui, who was placed in a completely neutral position, continued to ask her questions.

"Although I don't know what Toyokawa-san thinks, I would like to ask Suyo-san two questions based on my personal opinion."

"If Toyokawa-san doesn't want your help, what will you do?"

"Or, if Toyokawa-san's problem is something that Motoyo-san is not capable of solving..."

Su Shi's eyes widened slightly. She seemed to have never thought about it from this perspective, so there was a hint of fear in her eyes.

"…So, what are you going to do?" Akie said.

After what happened just now, she has calmed down a little and looks almost the same as when she first met Su Shi.

This calm and neutral attitude made Su Shi feel a little relieved.

She looked at him carefully. Although Akie never mentioned anything, in Su Shi's opinion, Akie could almost be regarded as Toyokawa Shoko's agent.