Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

After the watermelons she bought were all consumed, everyone dispersed and went about doing what they were interested in.

Aine wanted to go swimming, but Deng and Lenna were studying the shells of hermit crabs, and Riki and Suyo seemed to have little interest, so in the end, Akie was the only one who could accompany her.

This was exactly what Aine wanted.

After all, Qiu Hui must have something else to say to her.

"...Well, I'm still...quite happy." Akie nodded slightly.

“Hehe, I didn’t expect that you would fall down while hitting the watermelon just now. Luckily I caught you in time!” Aine puffed out her chest proudly.

"...Please don't mention that." Akie blushed and lowered her head.

At that time, she almost fell into Aine’s arms. Just recalling the touch of their skins touching, Akie felt like her heart rate was accelerating.

"Okay, let's not talk about it then."

Aine looked towards the sea, the tide was rolling up white foam.

"… Senpai just said that everything you said was true, right?"

"Yeah." Qiu Hui nodded.

She and Aine stood together, facing the endless sea.

"If that's the case..."

Aine’s tone became calmer.

Although she usually appears to be very lively and frivolous, she actually knows very well when to be serious.

"Senior, please tell me the truth."

She paused briefly, then asked her question.

"Until this moment..."

"...Do you still like me?"

A sea breeze accompanied by the sound of the tide blew over, ruffling their hair.

Chapter 63 I like you, she likes me

"...That's really blunt of you." Akie smiled helplessly.

“Because, I hope that you, Senpai, can give me a straightforward answer.” Aine responded.

After a brief hesitation, she expressed her thoughts: "I actually hope that senior can continue to stay in the band."

"I also know that you have your own work to take care of, so this idea is a little selfish."

"I... don't want my relationship with you to be just friends. But if I agree to your previous... confession, it seems a little too..."

Aine sighed.

“…I may sound like I’m trying to excuse myself, but I haven’t even figured out whether I like girls or not. In this situation, it would be a bit awkward to rashly agree to it.”

Although she gave an explanation, Aine still looked at Akie with an apologetic look in her eyes.

However, Qiu Hui's brows relaxed because of this.

“I’m actually very happy that Aine can think about the things between us so seriously.” She smiled and nodded.

“Eh? Is that so?” Aine was a little bit at a loss as she was being agreed with.

But Qiu Hui quickly changed the subject.

“But, just like Aine has her own concerns. I also have my own concerns.”

“Although Aine is still the same Aine, after being rejected, my thoughts must have changed a little bit… a little bit.”

Therefore, she also looked at the other person apologetically.

"Although it's not a bad idea to continue to think of it as 'liking'...but, compared to before, there must be some subtle changes..."

“…Really?” Aine blushed and pinched Akie’s waist gently, “Can’t you be more certain?”

"No, don't touch there..." Qiu Hui trembled violently as if she was electrocuted, because she had pinched the itchy piece of flesh.

"Hehe, this is the punishment for not speaking nicely, Senior."

Aiyin withdrew her hand with a wicked smile, and then pointed at the sea water in front of her.

"Now that the sun is getting brighter, it feels like it will be very hot standing on the shore. Let's talk about the rest of the topic in the water, shall we?"

"Okay." Qiu Hui nodded nervously, "But, I'm not really good at swimming..."

“It’s okay, just stay in a shallow place where you can stand firmly!” Aine said with a smile, “Besides, I’m still here. If you drown, I can help you.”

"…It's better not to rashly participate in rescue without professional training." Qiu Hui said stubbornly.

Having said that, her slightly red ears betrayed her mood at the moment.

The two walked side by side into the sea.

The cool touch made Qiu Hui feel as if her mood was cleansed.

The two continued forward until the water level was roughly enough to cover Akie's lower abdomen.

“It shouldn’t be dangerous here, right?” Aine said with a smile.

Qiu Hui nodded: "It should be... no problem."

"If that's the case..."

Aiyin looked around and found that there were not many tourists in this area, leaving them with a relatively independent space.

"… Let's just stay here and chat while soaking in the water."

"Regarding what Senpai thinks of me... and what we should do from now on."

It was almost noon, but the scorching sun was mostly neutralized by the sea water around them.

What had just happened created a wonderful, open and honest atmosphere between the two of them.

“After you speak out your thoughts, you feel better, right?” Aine said, “It’s actually very uncomfortable to hide your feelings.”

"...Yes." Akie nodded gently, "It's very uncomfortable. Just like appetite, people also have the desire to talk."

She stretched out her hand to scoop up a pool of water, watching the waves change shape and reflect the sun's light.

Some things are better said directly.

Qiu Hui made up her mind to take this opportunity to find out another thing.

“So, please tell me the truth, Aine.”

Akie returned these words to Aine exactly as they were.

"Why did you reject me at that time?" she said calmly.

This statement sounds a bit like a question, and also a bit like coercion.

Normally, she would not say such things directly in such a blunt manner. At least she would have to choose her words more carefully and consider the other person's feelings.

But, at this moment, she wanted to save herself from all the worries and red tape.

Because, no matter how much you care about those things, someone is bound to get hurt. So, it is better to be prepared to get hurt from the beginning.

"Um……"

Aine smiled bitterly and looked into the distance.

"… Because, senpai, it's too heavy."

She shook her head slightly.

"Just like when Deng first invited me. He suddenly said 'for a lifetime'... I couldn't accept it."

"Because, actually, I don't have much confidence in the aspect of 'keeping promises'."

"Although I don't hate you at all, I hope you can continue to accompany me."

"But, if you really like me..."

Aine turned her head so that Akie could see her expression at the moment.

"...That's a heavy promise. Just like Xiao Deng, it's a promise for a lifetime."

"So." Qiu Hui smiled with relief, "Are you afraid that you will regret it?"

"……yes."

Aine lowered her head.

"The future is long. I never know when I will get tired of you, Senpai."

"There's even a possibility that one day in the future, Senpai might get tired of me... It's not impossible."

"Whoever loses interest in the other person first will make things very difficult to handle."

After hearing this, Qiu Hui nodded thoughtfully.

"In fact, most people don't take words like 'forever' seriously. They are just auspicious words to express good wishes."

“But…Aine, you’re really serious.”

Qiu Hui smiled.

“…I like this too.”

After saying that, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, lowered her body, and sank into the water.

After a moment, she floated up again, opened her eyes, and let out a long breath.

The cool water, in a way, soothed her spirit and boosted her courage.

"so."

Qiu Hui continued.

“Since you’re so serious, Aine, I think there are some things I shouldn’t hide from you.”

After hearing what Akie said, Aine said nothing, but the emotion in her eyes changed subtly.

“…Gotou Ichiri, Aine, you know this too, right?”

Qiu Hui finally made up her mind and said the name.

Chapter 64: If she can do it, I can do it too!

“Goto-san?” Aine was a little surprised, “What’s wrong with her?”

Aren't we discussing my senior and I now? Why are you mentioning her?

"She likes me." Qiu Hui replied, "Just like I like you."

Aine opened her eyes wide in shock.

And Akie continued to stare at her as if nothing had happened, waiting for her reaction.

"Wait a minute! Goto-san likes Senpai... and Senpai likes me..."

For some reason, Aine stretched out her hand and started to snap her fingers.

"Uh...this..." She looked embarrassed.

Looking at Aine who was somewhat at a loss as to what to do after being shocked by the shocking news, Akie couldn't help but laugh out loud.

“So, I understand Aine’s dilemma.” She continued, “Ichiri is a member of the band and an important companion of mine. I care about her feelings, but I don’t know how to respond to her feelings…”

“…Do you remember the time we rode the Ferris wheel together? Actually, before that, I rode the Ferris wheel alone with Ichiri once.”

"I told her that I had someone I liked, and then I hoped that she could clarify her feelings and consider all factors before deciding whether to give up."

At this point, Qiu Hui's face turned slightly red. She hesitated a little, wondering whether she should tell what happened next.

But she finally decided to let Aine know everything.

So, she said, "... then, something happened."

She wondered what tone would be more appropriate to express it.