Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

Toyokawa Shoko felt as if her heart had been hit hard by a heavy hammer.

"... Xiang."

Noticing the unusual movements of the people around him, Mu reached out and gently held Xiangzi's hand.

"……Thanks."

Just as Toyokawa Shoko was expressing her gratitude, Lenai, who had been accompanying the lamp since a while ago, suddenly changed the music he was playing.

Xiangzi's pupils suddenly contracted.

The impact of this on her was perhaps even greater than Deng’s previous confession.

Because, it was a song composed by her own hands, created together with Deng, and it carries the memories of the two of them and CRYCHIC.

Mu's hands also began to tremble slightly due to surprise.

"...'Haruhi Shadow'?"

Chapter 92: Spring Shadow

The sudden sound of guitar playing was completely beyond Qiu Hui's expectations.

Kasuga Shadow? There was no plan to play this song before, right?

I've often used this song to practice before, so it's not impossible to play it...

However, this was not the piece that was scheduled to be played before the performance, so Qiu Hui was not fully prepared for it.

She listened to Lenai's guitar playing, clapping her hands silently in her heart, and barely found the right moment, joining the ensemble in a hurry.

Once you've made the cut, the rest is just a matter of muscle memory.

Therefore, while playing, she could still spare some energy to pay attention to the situations of other people around her.

After a brief moment of surprise, Riki and Aine quickly understood Lenna's intention, and quickly joined in the ensemble.

After the prelude ended, the lights began to sing.

Since her back was facing away from her, Qiu Hui couldn't see the expression on her face.

But judging from her firm and loud singing...she seemed to have adapted to this sudden arrangement quickly.

Although it was an arrangement made by Lenai on his own initiative, everyone seemed to be able to adapt to it and there were no major mistakes.

Therefore, Qiu Hui secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

But…something was wrong.

There seems to be something missing in the melody playing in my ears at this moment.

Having guessed something in her mind, Qiu Hui quickly turned her head and looked in the direction of Su Shi.

The result was just as she expected.

Nagasaki Suyo's face was pale and her expression was dull. She stood there, holding the bass in her arms, but her hands did not show any movement as they should when playing.

The bass never cuts in... no wonder it always feels weird!

Should I remind her? If I do, I have to be careful not to let the audience notice...

Just as Akie was thinking about how to remedy Su Shi's gaffe, she suddenly realized something else.

Perhaps Su Shi's sluggish performance was not due to his inability to keep up with the ensemble.

The reason she became like this is probably because of classmate Xiangzi!

Classmate Xiangzi is watching the performance in the audience now!

Qiu Hui, who had just felt relieved because she had successfully followed the ensemble, now felt her heart rise to her throat again.

"Haruhi Shadow" is a piece of music created by Xiangzi and Deng, and it is also the only piece of music played in CRYCHIC's performance so far.

It is self-evident how much importance this song holds in Xiangzi's heart!

Not to mention that Xiangzi is currently in a very harsh situation, and his heart is also in a very sensitive and fragile state...

...Having said that, at this point, the performance can't just stop like this!

I am a supporting musician. For me, playing is my duty. So at this point, all I can do is keep going.

Anxious, Akie continued with her work while trying to find Toyokawa Shoko in the audience.

The bassist remained silent for a long time. It was not until the chorus was about to begin that Nagasaki Suyo began to mechanically pluck the strings of the bass as if she had realized the reality.

The stiff and rigid bass was completely drowned out by the enthusiastic ensemble and the singer's focused singing.

Almost no one in the audience realized that something was wrong...

……

...Haruhi Shadow?

Why, would it be Kasuga Shadow?

Toyokawa Shoko seemed to feel a brief dizziness.

Who arranged this? Was it part of the reservation?

Xiangzi couldn't help but take half a step back.

...can't escape.

Xiangzi suppressed the urge to retreat and regained his footing.

...I...can do it.

Xiangzi forced himself to raise his head and look into the lights on the stage.

Is she looking at me?

Or was she just looking at an unspecified audience...just looking at the people who were standing on the stage with her now?

Xiangzi suddenly realized something.

This was the first time she saw the eyes of the singing lamp with her own eyes.

Even if I wasn't on stage, even if I wasn't with her, even if I betrayed her in the worst possible way...

…She can still sing like this.

"Passing through the layers of clouds, it becomes sparkling"

It was no longer Shoko who played the music, but the sound of the electronic organ played by Akeie Togawa, which was intertwined with the lead guitar of the strange guitarist, weaving into a melody that was refreshing to Shoko.

"My inner thoughts overflowed"

Even if you have lost the precious person with whom you once created beautiful memories, you can still release this emotion in the form of singing.

"When my cheeks came back to their senses, they were also shining."

I can no longer respond to this feeling, I can only watch and listen like this...

"Hot tears wet my face"

...This thought turned into a tear at the corner of her eye before Xiangzi could react.

"Why is the hand you extend to me so warm?"

Almost subconsciously, Xiangzi wanted to reach out his hand.

It’s like the keyboard player on the stage, as if the person playing with the lights is still himself.

I want to touch it, I want to play it, I want to confirm my presence on the stage...

Then, she made eye contact with Akie on the stage.

The latter was playing meticulously, and his eyes filled with worry made Xiangzi suddenly realize the crux of the problem.

I'm no longer needed.

Even if she leaves me, there will still be someone who can guide her out of the shadows of the past and into a sunny world.

Now the one who is qualified to accompany Deng is no longer me.

But it's Qiu Hui...

Reading a hint of worry in her expression, Xiangzi felt more and more ashamed and self-blame.

"So please."

"Please never let go..."

Don't let go, ah...

Although she was the one who composed the music for this line of lyrics, to Xiangzi at that moment, it sounded like the worst accusation against her.

It was at this moment that Mu, who was beside Xiangzi, gave Xiangzi the final blow with an unintentional remark.

"Haruhi Kage who doesn't belong to CRYCHIC."

This may be just a harmless sigh, but in Xiangzi's view, this is undoubtedly the last straw that broke the camel's back.

She realized that she could no longer stay here.

So she turned around and slowly walked towards the exit.

"…Excuse me, please make way."

In a calm and polite tone, she asked the audience to make way for her to leave.

Her tone was so calm that when the audience saw the tears on her face, they were all shocked at the same time.

“…Xiang!”

Mu rushed through the crowd and quickly came to Xiangzi and grabbed Xiangzi's wrist.

"Let's...go to the cafe's dining area and wait."

Xiangzi spoke in an inorganic tone.

"We've already made an appointment to talk things over with Sushi...right?"

Chapter 93 Why should we play Kasuga Kage?

Was the performance a success?

Maybe it was successful.

Even facing the sudden appearance of Kasuga Kage, Akie didn't make many mistakes.

Except for herself, everyone else performed very well, and the cheers and applause from the audience were enough to show how enthusiastic the response was.

As a temporary band performing on stage for the first time, there was nothing to complain about their performance.

But this is not the issue that Togawa Aie is most concerned about at the moment.

Until Kasuga Kage finished playing, Suyo looked as if she was dead inside.

Is it because of Xiangzi?

Having talked with Su Shi many times about things related to Xiangzi, Qiu Hui naturally knew how important Xiangzi was in Su Shi's heart.

Aine, Riki, Tomo, and Lenai all exited the stage one by one amid the cheers of the audience.

Only Su Shi was left standing there alone, with empty eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking.

"Suyo... classmate?"

Qiu Hui walked up to her and whispered to her.

Su Shi turned around and looked at Qiu Hui with empty eyes.

This look made Qiu Hui feel uneasy.

"There are other bands coming up later. If you have anything to say, let's talk after the show, okay?"

"..."

Su Shi did not respond directly, but turned around silently and walked towards the passage leading to the backstage.