Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

She believed that Miao Meng would not have any ill intentions and did not want to doubt her.

Miao Meng, who has been trying to convince herself not to worry too much about motivations and rewards, probably doesn't want to see this situation.

Thinking of this, she dialed Xiangzi's phone number.

Anyway, this is something that has to be done sooner or later, so why not just take advantage of the time when Miao Meng is preparing dinner to solve the problem in the living room.

……

at the same time.

Yuze Coffee Shop.

Toyokawa Shoko was sitting at the table with a slightly gloomy look on her face.

I had received some money from Qiu Hui before, but the financial situation remained tight.

Even if she just ordered the cheapest drink, it was like eating an extra meal for her right now.

So, if Mu hadn't come to see her, Xiangzi would definitely not have come to the coffee shop on her own initiative.

"Mu, what do you want from me?" Xiangzi asked calmly.

The Mu in front of her was exactly what Mu should be. Beautiful, fragile, and silent, like a petite doll.

It was Mu who took the initiative to invite Xiangzi, but she did not respond to Xiangzi's question.

She just stared at him closely with her eyes, which were similar in color to Xiangzi's, as if she wanted to leave as many impressions as possible in his memory.

"Xiang, what are you going to do?" she asked.

"..." Xiangzi responded with silence.

Because she knew that in front of Mu, excuses and disguises were meaningless.

Mu knew everything he had experienced, from the cause to the result.

Mu knew about the accident that had messed up his life, knew the reason why he quit the band, and knew the quagmire of his life.

Mu even knew that I was unwilling to accept her help. That's why she always maintained such a cautious attitude in front of me...

"...I have some ideas." Xiangzi said softly.

There was an imperceptible change in Mu's expression.

"But, it's just a thought."

Mu's expression returned to normal.

"...Mu, don't worry about me." Xiangzi clenched his fists slightly, "Mu has his own things to do. There's no need to always spend your energy on me. I can take care of myself."

He just said some bravado words, and Xiangzi sneered in his heart as if he was mocking himself.

Mu's expression didn't seem to change. She suddenly had a feeling that when Mu communicated with her, he might not need to rely on language itself.

Just by looking at my expression and tone, she can tell what I'm thinking, right?

"Xiang." Mu suddenly said, "The phone is ringing. It's yours."

Xiangzi woke up as if from a dream and found that it was indeed his cell phone that was ringing. He had not noticed it just now.

I took out my phone and saw the name of the contact.

"...Akihie?" She said it out loud unconsciously as she saw the incoming call reminder.

"Akiuchi?" Mu's expression changed slightly again.

"He's my classmate from Hanegaoka..."

Xiangzi was about to answer the phone and subconsciously stood up and wanted to leave.

"Xiang."

But Mu called her. Although Mu didn't say much, her eyes reflected her intention.

Mu seemed to be very concerned about the content of this call. So, it would be okay to let her listen.

Because the other person is Mu. They have known each other for so many years, and there are no more secrets between them.

So Xiangzi sat back in his seat and answered the phone.

Qiu Hui's voice rang in her ears: "Shoko-san, I met with Su Shi."

Xiangzi suddenly felt as if he had been hit by static electricity.

"Did she look for you?" she asked anxiously.

The fact that Akie would use that statement meant that she and Suyo didn’t just meet during practice, but that they had a specially arranged meeting.

"Yes, she did, and I actually had something I wanted to talk to her about."

Having said this, Qiu Hui paused for a moment, as if looking for the right words.

"The main topic we talked about was the official selection of keyboard players."

"Su Shi always insisted that she believed that whether it was for the band or for Xiangzi himself..."

There was a hint of gloom between Xiangzi's brows.

"…Perhaps I need to emphasize that this is Suyo-san's personal opinion. I am just relaying her point of view, which does not mean that I agree with it."

Qiu Hui's timely addition made Xiangzi's brows relax a little.

"I see." Xiangzi said, "So, what does Su Shi think?"

Mu opened his eyes slightly and moved closer unconsciously, as if he was very interested in this topic.

"Sushi still cares about you. She always thinks she can help you, and you should go back to her band. This is the best option."

Xiangzi shook his head slightly, not knowing how to comment.

Unexpectedly, she is still holding on to this wishful thinking.

"Well, what do you think, Qiu Hui?" She said with a hint of anger, her voice slightly raised.

"I don't have an opinion. But, Suyo seems to think I do. She tried to convince me, and... although I don't know why, she seems to think that I know you."

Qiu Hui's words made Xiangzi a little confused.

"……think?"

"Yes," Akie explained, "She may have guessed this from certain signs, or she may just be making a wild guess based on her own wishful thinking."

"I didn't admit it, but I didn't want to lie to her. After all, I didn't intend to take sides."

“So I told her… this was my own decision. I don’t know what ‘Toyokawa Shoko’ will do, but she ‘might’ go to the band’s first performance.”

"Only you have the right to decide what's going on between you. So, Xiangzi-san, maybe you can use this opportunity to go and explain everything in person."

Qiu Hui's tone was a little nervous, and it could be heard even through the voice chat on the phone.

She might be worried that her words might irritate Xiangzi.

Xiangzi was silent for a moment, then said, "So you want me to go see the performance of that new band?"

"Su Shi also told me about the performance."

At this time, Mu suddenly added in a low voice.

At this moment, an unexpectedly vivid change appeared on that delicate doll-like face.

Xiangzi saw Mu's reaction and nodded to indicate that she had received it, and then continued to focus on Qiu Hui's answer.

"I hope Xiangzi-san can come as my friend."

"However, I have no inclination when it comes to the issue between you and Sushi. I will not try to persuade you to change your mind, no matter which direction."

"I never admitted to her that we knew each other, nor did I give her any assurances."

"I just think it's necessary to tell you this news. As for what to do, it should be decided by you, Xiangzi."

Togawa Akiie summarized her speech like this.

Chapter 40: Pretending to be blind

After listening to Qiu Hui's speech, Xiangzi rarely smiled.

“That’s a very frank and direct statement,” she responded.

It was this kind of close yet distant attitude that allowed Xiangzi to become closer to her with greater ease.

"I understand. I will go to that performance, just as Akie said, simply as a friend. As for Suyo..."

Xiangzi gave a bitter smile.

"...Perhaps it's time to confront her once and for all. But, as Akie said, this is entirely my own judgment."

There was an expression of disbelief on Mu's little face.

Xiang was discussing things related to Su Shi with someone I didn’t know.

Moreover, his attitude was so peaceful.

What is the relationship between the classmate "Akiuchi" and Xiang?

Mu looked at Xiangzi in surprise. After saying goodbye to Qiu Hui, Xiangzi turned his attention back to Mu.

"Mu just said that Su Shi also told you about the performance?" Xiangzi asked seriously.

"...Yeah." Mu nodded slightly and didn't say anything else.

"I've decided, maybe I should go see the show." Xiangzi sighed, "Mu, what do you think?"

"...I want to go too." Mu nodded slightly.

I want to be with Xiang, and I also want to see Su Shi.

So, I want to go.

"Mu wants to come too? That's fine." Xiangzi nodded, "When the performance starts, we'll go together."

"Um."

Mu nodded, then looked at Xiangzi in silence.

Su Shi also told me that after the band’s performance, they invited me to join.

She also said that she hoped to go with me to have a good talk with He Xiang.

Mu just repeated the facts she knew in her mind but did not say them out loud.

Because she refused Su Shi's request because she didn't want to embarrass Xiangzi, but she didn't want to tell Xiangzi about this, lest Xiangzi's impression of Su Shi become worse.

Mu felt that this was a "fair" approach.

Whether it was Su Shi or Xiangzi, she didn't want to favor either side.

She always felt that she was doing the right thing.

However, both Xiangzi and Su Shi seemed to be getting further and further away from her.

"……What's wrong?"

Mu's silent gaze seemed to make Xiangzi realize something.

Vaguely noticing the psychological activities of her childhood playmate, she asked.

"Who is Qiu Hui?" Mu asked calmly.

Mu still remembers what happened when they last met.

Although she was already in such a difficult financial situation, Xiangzi still insisted on paying the bill herself.

Even Xiangzi was unwilling to accept the kindness of Mu, his childhood playmate.

However, during the conversation with that person just now, Xiangzi showed a rare sense of ease.

Therefore, Mu began to have a strong curiosity about the person called "Akie".

"I told you, she's my classmate at Hanegaoka. We just met by chance recently..."

Xiangzi gave a meaningful smile.

"…He is someone who is facing a similar dilemma as me."