Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

"She didn't say anything at the time."

"But, since I approached her beforehand, she managed to restrict my movements, and then..."

Qiu Hui's ears turned redder as she spoke.

This attempt to cover up the truth only makes the whole thing even more...

"…In the Ferris wheel cabin, we had close lip contact."

“…Wait a minute! Wait a minute, wait a minute!”

Aine’s mind went blank in an instant.

What is close contact? Isn't that just...

"Isn't it just a kiss?"

Aiyin screamed, but luckily the sound of the sea tide covered it up so it didn't attract anyone's attention.

“…I didn’t resist at the time.”

Qiu Hui continued speaking in a somewhat stiff tone.

"Because, at that time, I didn't know how to respond..."

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute, senpai!"

Aiyin quickly stopped talking, put her head in her hands, and silently sorted out her thoughts.

“…So.”

Blushing, Aine suddenly asked a question that she immediately regretted.

"Senpai, then, are you also going to... do to me what Goto-kun did to you?"

Qiu Hui was stunned for a moment, then shook her head vigorously: "...I don't have the courage to do such a thing."

There was an awkward silence between the two.

Wow…what did I just say? What do you mean by doing to me what Goto-san did to his seniors?

Aiyin was so ashamed that she wanted to find a hole to crawl into...

...but she soon realized there was sea water, so she could just dive in, like a simpler version of diving into the ground.

Akie quietly watched Aine, who suddenly immersed herself in the water. She said nothing, but just waited for her to return to normal.

Akie's heart was pounding at the moment, so she could understand that it was completely normal for Aine to behave strangely out of excitement.

It was unknown how long it took before Aiyin stood up again from the water, her long hair soaked.

"Okay, I think I understand!"

Aine shook her head vigorously, and the sea water seemed to dilute the red color on her face.

"...Senpai, you should also attach great importance to the word 'like', right?"

She looked at Qiu Hui, her eyes revealing a hint of empathy.

"And, Senpai thinks of Goto-san as someone special, but not a lover..."

"How should I put it... It's just like how I look upon my seniors."

Aine laughed helplessly: “What a coincidence...”

She took a step forward and closed the distance between herself and Qiu Hui.

"So, what did you think about Goto-san's incident?" she asked. "Why didn't you resist? What were you thinking at that time?"

When asking these questions, a subtle sour feeling surged in Aine’s heart.

I didn't expect that it was Goto who did that to my senior who liked me first...

Although I don't like you in that sense, but...

Looking at Akiie who was looking downcast in front of her, especially her soft and slightly pale lips, Aiyin suddenly felt an inexplicable urge for some reason.

...If we do that kind of thing, can we still be considered lovers?

If they were not lovers, could they do that?

...In logic, is this called sufficient condition and necessary condition?

What is the relationship between kissing and becoming a lover?

At the same time, Togawa Akee also gave her own answer.

“I don’t think I can respond directly to Ichiri’s feelings. After all… I like Aine. I’ve also told her that I have someone I like.”

"But she did it anyway."

"...I think my refusal will probably hurt her. So, I hope I can do something within my power to make it up to her."

"For example, let her act a little bit willful..."

As she spoke, Qiu Hui lowered her head shyly. She always felt that there was something illogical in her words.

"Wait a moment, Senior, let me sort it out a bit!"

Aine carefully bent her fingers together, her brows slightly furrowed.

"…Senpai, you should think of Goto-san as someone who is not a lover, but is more special than a friend, right?"

"Maybe, you can say that." Qiu Hui answered a little uncertainly.

“Like, how I look upon my seniors?” Aine came to a further conclusion.

Qiu Hui was shocked and shook her head quickly: "I think we can't just confuse them like this! Because, you see, this requires considering the differences in many details..."

She herself wasn't quite sure why she was so nervous.

However, Aine seemed to realize the reason behind Akie’s reaction and gave her a meaningful smile.

"...I see. Senior, is that what you think?"

Aine took a deep breath and showed a look of relief.

She then stretched out her hands and placed them on Qiu Hui's shoulders.

"... Senpai has his own band to take care of. So... maybe you can't really accompany me all the time... as a supporting keyboard player."

Aine blushed slightly.

"So, I shouldn't continue to blame you. I should find some other way to prove that we are special to each other..."

As she spoke, she changed the position of her hands on Qiu Hui's shoulders, stretched them behind her back, and hugged her whole body.

Aine then closed her eyes, and like a bird foraging for food, she gently pecked Akie’s lips in front of her.

“…Like this.”

Chapter 65: Uncertain Relationship

“I say, Senior…”

Aine unwrapped her arms around Akie, took a step back, and looked at Akie in front of her with a blushing face.

"..." Qiu Hui was surprisingly calm. Rather than shyness, her reaction now seemed more like confusion.

"They never admit that they are in a relationship, but in fact they are doing things that only lovers would do."

Aine whispered, her face becoming increasingly red.

"...In that case, does it count as...something special, somewhere between friends and lovers?"

Although the reasoning process was messy and the final answer was somewhat suspicious, Chihaya Aine at this moment felt like she had "barely found an approximate solution."

She herself knew that this might just be deceiving herself; but even so, she thought it was much better than doing nothing and leaving the answer sheet blank.

I don’t know how to deal with the feelings of my seniors towards me; there are also many confusing things about my own thoughts towards my seniors.

As a result, I didn’t expect that my senior would encounter the same dilemma as me…

So, she was looking forward to what answer Qiu Hui would give.

Qiu Hui pondered for a moment and shook her head. "I think this is just like calling red wine fermented grape juice. It's just playing with the definition."

She believed that neither Aine nor herself could really agree with such a crude and simplistic approach.

“As expected, Senior would think so too.” Aine smiled helplessly.

Perhaps both of them knew that so-called feelings were not a problem that could be solved in such a simple way.

“Ahh, how should I put this…”

Aine felt an inexplicable irritation.

"We're not lovers, but we're doing things that lovers do... What do you call this? 'Just for fun'?"

The negative emotional connotation behind the word made her feel a little irritated and uneasy.

After struggling for a moment, she spoke again: "By the way, what did it feel like when you were kissed by Goto-san?"

Because she encountered an obstacle in a certain direction, she subconsciously changed the topic.

"Why are you asking this suddenly?"

“Don’t worry about it! Just tell me!” Aine said excitedly, “But if you find it inconvenient…”

"There's nothing inconvenient to talk about this." Qiu Hui shook her head.

Recalling the situation at that time, she said: "I didn't feel anything special at the time... I just felt a little worried about her."

"Her face was red and her words were not clear. So I was more concerned about what she was thinking at the time than the kiss itself."

When I rejected her like that, she must have felt really bad.

When she thought of this, Qiu Hui felt a little guilty.

“How should I put it… If this can make her feel better, then I don’t mind. Besides, I didn’t actually sacrifice anything in the process.”

Aine was stunned, and quickly retorted with a blushing face: “Hey! Senior, you were the one who was forced to do that! How can you say…”

"It was just... a kiss, that's all." Akie adjusted her glasses slightly to hide her confusion, "There were more important things to worry about at the time."

“You actually said ‘just’!” Aine was so anxious that she almost jumped into the water, “It’s too weird to think like that!”

Suddenly, she seemed to realize something, and a subtle sour look suddenly appeared in her eyes.

"Or was it that Senior actually unexpectedly enjoyed it at that time?" She said in a slightly resentful tone.

"Ah? This, I..." Qiu Hui subconsciously wanted to explain, "That's not the case! I was..."

“Really?” Aine’s expression was a little bit strange, “Senior, it’s okay to tell me the truth.”

“I… this, but…”

Qiu Hui instinctively realized that she might be in some kind of predicament that she had encountered for the first time so far.

"Well, forget it. I won't embarrass you any further."

Fortunately, Aine was magnanimous enough to let the matter go in the end.

"Compared to that, I have something more important to ask you, Senior."

Aine showed a slightly serious expression.

"Senior, what do you think of the attitude of 'just playing around'?"

Akie looked at Aine's expression and replied, "That word is a bit too casual. I don't really like it."

"Having said that, I've actually thought about it. Wouldn't it be better if I could just treat it as 'just for fun'?"

"But after trying to think about it, I realized something."

"Whether this is good or bad, I probably can't really treat anyone with the mentality of 'just playing around'."

Qiu Hui realized that this statement was quite outrageous.

"If I look at all this with a playful attitude, then there is no need to dwell on it any more."

"If I am really the responsible person I describe myself to be, then I should stop deceiving myself and make the painful but necessary decision."