Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

"I saw her picking up rocks and other things by the green belt. I wanted to go over and say hello...but she ran away as soon as she saw me." Qiu Hui sighed, "Am I that scary?"

“It’s not your fault, senpai.” Aine said with a smile, “In fact, when I first met Deng, she was also picking up rocks, and she ran away as soon as she saw me!”

"So she treats everyone like this. She's really... quite unique."

“That’s right!” Aine’s friend C agreed, “But, that’s what makes her cute!”

"How should I put it? She's interested in weird things and often has cute reactions!" Friend A added, "She's like a little animal! So she's very popular in our class, like a mascot!"

"...Mascot?" Akie was stunned. "Wouldn't people with such individuality usually be isolated and subjected to cold violence by the majority?"

"We won't do anything so extreme to Xiao Deng!"

"I don't think so." Akie nodded. "In that case... that's good too. When I was in junior high school, I was treated as an outsider for a while because I couldn't keep up with other people's topics. So maybe I've unconsciously judged others by myself."

She pulled out her cell phone and checked the time.

"It's almost time for class. I'm going back to the classroom now. Please remember to pass the stone to Takamatsu-san for me."

"I will! Bye!"

Aiyin looked at Akie’s receding back, resting her chin on one hand, and fell into deep thought.

"… Being treated as an outsider?"

Several friends turned around and surrounded Aine, chattering questions.

"Come to think of it, Aine-chan, why didn't you form a band with your seniors later on?"

“Ahaha, it’s embarrassing to say this…” Aine said with a wry smile, “Actually, I was defeated by another candidate.”

Aine looked away after she saw Akie walk up the stairs and disappear from her sight.

“…How should I put it? Actually, I still feel a little regretful.”

She remembered what Qiu Hui said when she ran out of Starry.

My senior mentioned at that time that she felt it was difficult for her to make friends.

I just mentioned that I was a "marginal person" when I was in junior high school.

Have you ever encountered something unpleasant like me?

Aiyin lowered her head feeling somewhat guilty.

She had actually told a little lie when she was texting Qiu Hui on her phone before.

At that time, Qiu Hui asked, "Have you ever encountered any major failure?"

She must have asked this out of concern.

But I said without hesitation, "That's not the case."

I thought I could treat "the failure at that time" with a normal attitude a long time ago, but I still subconsciously wanted to deny the existence of that failure.

...How annoying. Didn't I already decide to "start over here"?

Now that it has been decided, shouldn't we just be able to talk about the past as if nothing happened, just like our predecessors?

“Hey, Aine, are you listening?”

"Eh? Ah, I'm listening! I'm listening!"

Aine, who had just woken up from a dream, quickly turned her attention back to the conversation with her friends.

"Speaking of which, these stones do seem to have some unique features..."

"Yes! This one looks like a puppy!"

"More like a rabbit, right?"

“I think it looks a bit like a gourd?”

……

As soon as Togawa Aie stepped into the classroom door, the bell rang.

At least she wasn't late. She returned to her seat and took out her math textbook from her bag.

The math teacher was a middle-aged woman with a look even more gloomy than that of Hikigaya. Although I didn't have a good impression of this teacher, math class was a subject that required extra effort to study.

Fortunately, after this class, it will be lunch time. I will use the last bit of my attention to deal with it quickly...

Qiu Hui turned the textbook to the corresponding page and began a desperate struggle with algebraic symbols and her own sleepiness...

...I was so annoyed. I couldn't listen to it at all.

Since I can't concentrate on the class anyway, I might as well think about the lyrics...

As Qiu Hui thought about it, she tried to turn the pen in her hand.

However, the pen did not want to cooperate with her intentions and always fell on the table.

"How annoying... I can't even spin a pen. Isn't my youth a little too dark?"

Qiu Hui sighed silently in her heart.

Chapter 35 Arrangement of Performance Quotas

After spending an ordinary day at school, Qiu Hui just got out of school and set off to STARRY to start today's band activities.

Hongxia had previously mentioned in the group that "there is something important to announce", but I don't know what she meant specifically.

After taking the train to Shimokitazawa and walking into STARRY on the basement floor, Akiie suddenly had a subtle feeling that something was not natural, as if someone was watching her in secret.

Mostly an illusion, right?

Although she thought so, Qiu Hui still turned her head and looked in the direction where this subtle feeling came from.

The source of the strange feeling was a tall, gentle-looking young woman. She was nearly 1.8 meters tall, and although she was indoors, she was wearing sunglasses, which gave people a strange and uncoordinated feeling.

As if she noticed Qiu Hui's gaze, she turned her head away suddenly and even whistled a little out of tune in an attempt to cover up her mistake.

...Was this guy just looking at me?

Qiu Hui even found this strange woman wearing sunglasses a little funny.

However, although she looked a little strange, she probably wasn't paying attention to me.

After all, I'm just an ordinary student with plain appearance. There's no need to be so sentimental.

"Ah, Akie-chan!"

Hongxia waved to Qiuhui. Unexpectedly, Liang was now beside her.

"Nijiga, and Ryo." Akie responded, "Come to think of it, Ryo, you came really early today."

"I sometimes arrive on time." Liang responded with a smile.

...Why does this guy seem quite proud of this?

Next to Ryo is the smiling Kita. As for Goto Ichiri...

"Pochi, why are you staying next to the trash can?" Akie looked in the direction of Goto Ichiri.

"Nothing, I just feel like there's a strange attraction here..."

"Alright, alright, Pochi-chan, don't stay there forever!"

Hongxia led everyone together and sat them around the table.

"So, what do you mean by very important things?" Qiu Hui asked.

"Didn't we agree yesterday to prepare original songs and our first performance?" Hong Xia said excitedly, "Today we're going to discuss things related to the performance!"

She turned around and shouted in the direction of the front desk, "Sister!"

"...Didn't I tell you to call me the manager when you're in the store?"

A mature woman with blonde hair walked out from behind the front desk and headed towards the table where everyone was sitting.

Akiie knew that this person was the store manager of STARRY and also the sister of Ichichi Kouka, Ichichi Hoshika.

Although they are sisters, Xingge gives people a completely different feeling from the younger sister. With her tall and slender figure and fierce appearance, she gives people the impression that she is not easy to mess with. Especially her eyes always seem a bit fierce...

Xingge walked to the table and seemed to glance at Qiu Hui out of the corner of her eye.

The latter was startled by this seemingly non-existent action.

...Sure enough, his eyes are so ferocious!

But what puzzled Qiu Hui was that the other party seemed to notice Qiu Hui's reaction and immediately forced a somewhat forced smile.

This expression was so inconsistent with the store manager's inherent style that it made Qiu Hui feel even more frightened.

What's going on with the store manager today?

"Sister...ah, no, store manager?"

“…I’m fine.”

When he met his sister's eyes, Ichichi Hoshige's expression became natural.

Hongxia looked at her sister, then looked in the direction of Qiu Hui. She seemed to be a little concerned about her sister's strange behavior, but did not pursue it further.

After the performance, the other members of the band greeted the store manager one by one, and Qiu Hui also greeted her.

This time, Manager Xingge's response was very natural and Qiu Hui didn't notice anything wrong.

...I am a little oversensitive today, Qiu Hui thought.

"Well, store manager! Please explain the requirements of the performance to us!"

At Hongxia's invitation, the store manager spoke slowly.

"To put it simply, if you want to perform at a live house, you must abide by the rules here. Even if my sister is in a band, there is no exception. As the provider of the venue, we have to charge the bands performing here a 'quota' as compensation for providing the venue."

"If the revenue from selling tickets is enough to cover the quota, then things will be easy. After collecting the quota, the excess will belong to the band. But..."

The store manager glanced at the group of people who had finished the band.

"As students who have just formed a band, I'm afraid that we won't be able to sell that many tickets in a short period of time. Therefore, the part that is less than the quota will be paid by each of you."

"What should I do if I don't have money?" Kita raised his hand and asked.

After all, she had already advanced her allowance for a long time to buy a new guitar.

"If you don't have money, there are other ways, such as working in this store and using the salary you get to deduct the fixed expenses," said the store manager.

"Part-time job... How much do you make?" Akie suddenly asked, "Is it higher or lower than the average part-time job at a convenience store in Tokyo?"

"Eh?"

The store manager seemed startled by Akie's question.

"Hmm... As for wages, I should say... Actually, it's higher than what you get at a convenience store. It's about this amount."

Seeing the numbers given by the store manager, Qiu Hui nodded with satisfaction.

"It feels quite tempting. Thank you, manager."

It’s a pretty good level. If you can pay at this level for a long time, it may become a good additional source of income and make your daily life less stressful.

"…You're welcome." The store manager turned his head away, seeming a little guilty.

Hongxia noticed her sister's obvious abnormality, but she also couldn't figure out the reason behind it.

"Akie, you seem to be very interested in money?"

Yamada Ryo, who had previously declared that he would eat grass, had a gleam in his eyes, as if he was happy to have found a partner.

"For some reason, I really need money right now..." Akie admitted a little embarrassedly.

"That would be perfect!" Hong Xia looked very happy. "We can say that this is an ideal workplace environment that is as warm as a family. After all, my sister and I are family!"

"Hey, does this mean that I can work with my seniors?" Kita seemed excited as well.

"That's probably it." Liang nodded. "In order to avoid being stuck with only grass to eat, I'm afraid I need to work hard occasionally."

"That's great!" Kita seemed very satisfied with this arrangement.

…As a result, it seems that among the five people who ended the band, Goto Ichiri is the only one who has not expressed his opinion.

"Pochi, what do you think about the part-time job...Pochi? Goto-kun? Ichiri?"