Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

"But……"

Qiu Hui sighed.

"…I'm a guy who's neither good nor bad."

"I can't make a choice, but I want to be as responsible as possible."

"Of course it's impossible to be fully responsible for multiple people's multiple feelings at the same time."

"But... even if I can't do it, I still feel like... I have to do it."

Akie closed her eyes, so that she couldn't see Aine's expression at that moment.

She actually had no confidence in her answer at all.

“Then, Senior, what do you think we should do from now on?” Aine asked in a calm tone.

"I have no idea."

Qiu Hui shook her head, and finally decided to open her eyes.

“Perhaps, it will become like what Aine said. Although we will do things that only lovers would normally do, but…in name, it’s not that kind of relationship yet.”

“The weight of that ‘name’ may be a little too much for you, Aine. And I, too, cannot bear that ‘name’ because I have to consider Ichiri’s thoughts.”

"So... it seems like there's no better way, right?"

The two looked at each other in silence.

Until one moment, they both burst into laughter at the same time.

“Hahaha… Haha, t-that’s nothing, senpai!”

“Hoo…Aine, I…I don’t know…what this is! Haha!”

The two of them laughed for a long time before they finally stopped laughing.

"…How should I put it? It's really hard to put into words." Akie smiled bitterly, "I suggest that we both calm down a bit. Until…at least until tonight, let's not talk about these topics anymore, how about that?"

“Yeah.” Aine nodded, “Perhaps we… should really, think about it… a little more.”

Thus, a subtle tacit understanding was reached between the two.

In short, enjoy the sunshine and sea first.

As for what happens next...

Let’s discuss it later.

Chapter 66: Concerns about the Light

We will discuss what happens next later.

Therefore, after returning from the beach, Akie and Aine temporarily acted as if nothing had happened.

Returning to the villa as usual, preparing lunch together as usual, chatting with everyone as usual, taking a lunch break as usual, practicing for the next performance as usual...

Now is the break between practices, it's time to rest.

Li Xi was pondering the music score by himself, while Lenai continued to play the guitar vigorously by himself.

Aine seemed to be chatting with Suyo about something, and the latter responded with a forced smile.

Deng was sitting on the ground, drinking water and reading a book... Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Qiu Rangzi's new work.

Although the location was changed from the practice room to the second floor of the holiday villa, it looked like a completely normal practice scene.

Qiu Hui suddenly had an illusion, as if everything she had just experienced had never actually happened.

This is inevitable, she thought helplessly.

The conversation with Aine just now was almost entirely dancing on the bottom line of both parties' emotional concepts.

If it weren't for a series of coincidences and the prior determination of both parties, they would never have talked about this topic that was beyond their common sense.

Since both parties realized that there would be no progress if the talks continued like this, they agreed to put the matter on hold for the time being.

Akie looked at Aine, who seemed to be chatting quite enthusiastically with Suyo.

It seems that he has completely put the matter between us behind him for the time being...

But just as Akie was thinking this, she noticed that Aine quietly turned her head and looked in her own direction.

But when she noticed that Qiu Hui was also looking at her, she turned her head back in panic.

This reaction made Qiu Hui burst out laughing.

It won't matter if I find out...

"...Akie-senpai."

At this moment, it seemed that another person also came to Qiu Hui.

"It's the light, what's wrong?"

Qiu Hui turned her head and looked at Deng who was holding the mineral water bottle.

"...Here, this is for you." Deng stretched out his hands and handed the bottle of water to Qiu Hui. "If you feel nervous...just drink some."

She somewhat clumsily imitated the actions that others had taken when they had shown concern for her.

"Thank you." Akie took the water bottle with a smile and twisted it open. "But I'm not nervous. Although I have a performance scheduled the day after tomorrow, it's just a rehearsal. It's okay even if I fail..."

Thinking of this, she asked back, "Deng, do you feel a little nervous?"

Qiu Hui asked with some concern.

Since the disbandment of CRYCHIC, Takamatsu Deng has never performed on stage again.

After such a long time, and especially because of Xiangzi's incident, Qiu Hui was really worried whether Deng could still perform on stage smoothly this time.

In fact, this was one of the reasons why she suggested taking advantage of the training camp to organize a street performance.

"I... don't know." Deng shook his head gently. "Although everyone seems to think that I sing very well... but I myself have never been very clear about whether I have conveyed what I want to convey. It's like..."

She came up with a name that suddenly made Qiu Hui feel somewhat strange.

It took Qiu Hui about two seconds to figure out what the name meant.

"Oh! You mean her?" She smiled awkwardly, "Yes. She is indeed a child who lacks a sense of self-identity. That's why she was moved by the protagonist's words "Believe in me who is favored by big data" and became a member of her new band..."

This character is one of the protagonists in Akiho's new work. He was persuaded by the protagonist to join the team with lines that sounded like those in a hot-blooded comic.

However, in order to highlight the gimmick and the sense of uniqueness, the protagonist's argument is not some positive concept such as hard work and dreams, but a statement with a strong utilitarian color such as "You should believe in my perspective on people as someone who has achieved achievements in the industry."

Qiu Hui didn't really have much impression of this character, because in her real conception, this friend didn't have many scenes.

She was added into the story only after following the editor's advice that "the character design of the beautiful girl should be more diverse, and it would be better to highlight her in the first volume."

"Deng, you really read it very seriously." Akie smiled bitterly, "Perhaps even more seriously than Akieko herself wrote it."

Deng lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly, with a slight blush on her face, as if to show that she accepted the compliment.

"In that case, let me imitate the protagonist of that guy's novel."

Although her tone sounded like a joke, Akie was actually quite serious.

"The lamp can definitely convey what you want it to convey."

"If you ask why..."

"…Because this is my judgment as someone who wrote words that could resonate with the lights."

Deng smiled and nodded: "...Yeah."

She has never been good at speaking and doesn't know how to express her true feelings.

Therefore, she felt genuinely happy to have people like Aine and Akiie-senpai who were willing to approach her and try to understand her.

Because of this, a vague impulse emerged in Deng's heart.

Although she has always been confused and at a loss, she needs someone to help her and guide her forward.

But because of this, when she realized that those who had been guiding her all along were also confused...

...Even though she didn't know what she could do, she felt that she should at least... give it a try.

"Akie-senpai."

"What's wrong?" Qiu Hui looked at Deng in confusion, wondering if she had anything else to say.

“Akie-senpai and Aine…” Deng asked softly, “…What’s the situation now?”

The smile on Qiu Hui's face froze.

"Ah, this, this..." She stammered, "How did the lamp know?"

"...I feel like something must have happened between you two." Deng replied.

“Although Aine never told me, and Akee-senpai never talked to me about it either; but, I feel like there seems to be a very strange atmosphere flowing between you two.”

"Don't make it sound so scary..." Qiu Hui said with a smile, "Actually, there are just some unclear points in the relationship. We are still continuing to discuss this, and I believe that in the near future, uh, it will be resolved..."

Qiu Hui realized that she tended to speak in official language when she was nervous, and it was a habit that she probably couldn't change in a short time.

"relation……"

Deng was silent for a moment, then recalled the previous conversation they had on the Ferris wheel.

"Is it a question of 'liking' and 'being liked'?"

Deng asked with a hint of worry.

Chapter 67: I don't know what love is

"Indeed, but..."

Qiu Hui looked at the lamp, feeling a little amused and helpless.

Because I always feel that Deng is not the kind of person who can give such advice to others.

Although she will definitely try her best to help, her way of thinking is very different from mine, so I'm afraid the suggestions she gives will be difficult for me to adopt directly.

However, after thinking it over, Qiu Hui still did not reject Deng's kindness.

"Forget it, forget what I just said. Deng, tell me what you think."

She looked at Deng gently, and even though she knew that they might have different ideas, she still encouraged him to speak.

"...I like you all."

Deng made a shocking statement in a low voice.

"Although I don't know if you all really like me, I still like you all, so I don't want to be separated from you all."

“Akie-senpai and Aine also have this kind of relationship where they like each other?”

Deng, who had always seemed a little timid and cowardly, was unexpectedly straightforward in his speech at this moment.

This sudden straight ball surprised Qiu Hui a little.

But she soon realized that although this was unexpected for the lamp, it was actually reasonable.

Deng is not actually an introvert or socially anxious in the strict sense.

She just often hides her unusual thoughts to avoid misunderstanding.

She would be outspoken in front of people who were willing to try to understand her.

Therefore, Qiu Hui also decided to respond to Deng's questions in a straightforward way.

"In a sense, you can say that." Qiu Hui nodded, "But...how should I describe it? Oftentimes, problems in reality are 'quantitative' rather than 'qualitative'."

There was a hint of confusion on Deng's little face, and there was a subtle conflict in the two people's ways of thinking.

Fortunately, Akie was also very clear about this, so she quickly elaborated further: "For example, if my liking for Aine is ten, but her liking for me may only be five or four. If I choose Aine and ask her to choose me, then the 'utility' I get from this relationship will be far greater than what she gets..."

What made Qiu Hui uneasy was that the doubt on Deng's face became even stronger.

"Choose...why do you have to choose just one?"