Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

"Wakaba-san just said that everyone in CRYCHIC is acting around Xiangzi-san," Akie said, "She probably relied on her talent and personality to support the band, which is why the band left so many beautiful memories for Su Shi."

"...Akie also said before that Xiaoxiang might be... having trouble in real life."

Even at this point, Su Shi seemed not to have completely given up on getting close to Xiangzi.

"Really, you can't tell me anything about that?"

There was expectation and pleading in Su Shi's eyes.

"That's Xiangzi's own plan, and I have to respect her opinion." This was the only answer that Qiu Hui could give.

"But……"

Su Shi wanted to say something, but Qiu Hui's phone suddenly rang.

"Oh, sorry, I have to take a call first."

"...Go ahead." Su Shi smiled bitterly, "Also, thank you for being willing to...talk to me about this."

Qiu Hui nodded as a gesture, and then asked, "...I'm going to the guest bathroom to answer the phone, is that okay?"

"Please."

After getting Su Shi's approval, Qiu Hui ran to the door of the guest bathroom, opened it and walked in.

Before coming in, she had already seen the name of the incoming caller displayed on the screen.

It was Xiangzi who called.

"Xiangzi, is there anything I can help you with?" Qiu Hui closed the door and tried to keep her voice down.

She wasn't really worried that Su Shi would eavesdrop...or something like that. It was just purely out of instinct.

Chapter 106 Xiangzi's New Plan

at the same time.

Before making the call, Shoko Toyokawa had been sitting on the bench at the tram station for a long time.

Unlike the bustling downtown area, this area can be regarded as a relatively sparsely populated suburb. Even at the tram station, there are not many pedestrians coming and going. Sitting here, you will feel isolated from the world.

Don't you need me anymore?

She gently took out a tissue from her bag and wiped away the tears from her eyes as if nothing had happened.

At this point, there is no point in continuing to cry.

No one will see, and no one will care.

Xiangzi was unexpectedly calm now. She herself might not have thought that her emotions could be so stable.

Deng proved herself with her singing, and Su Shi’s wishful thinking should now come to an end.

In other words, the matter of CRYCHIC... whether it was something that was bothering me or something that was bothered by me, has now come to an end.

That band is over.

By my own hands.

Because, after all, that band...is not a very important thing.

Xiangzi took out another piece of paper and quietly wiped away the tears that were welling up in his eyes.

After acknowledging this fact, she felt much more relaxed than she had originally imagined.

At the very least, she had thought that she would most likely cry out loud, rather than shedding tears silently like this.

This is fine. After all, crying doesn't help solve problems.

Perhaps, we should thank Qiu Hui for this result.

If she wasn't there, I... might not be able to stay calm like this now.

To be honest, Qiu Hui didn't really provide me with much help. Of course, I didn't really ask her for much either.

Her mere existence can become my strength...

When did I start to feel this way?

Xiangzi raised his head and stared at the advertising poster in the light box in front of him.

The content was about some carbonated soft drink she had never heard of. The advertising style was very vulgar, and the spokesperson was an artist she had never seen before, who looked like a high school girl.

Compared with the content, Xiangzi cares more about the substance.

A person who looks like a high school student is advertising a product. This is the most important message revealed by the picture in the light box.

I just took a quick look and found enough evidence to support my "decision".

This might be... a good sign.

As she sat on the bench, her heartbeat began to speed up slightly.

Toyokawa Shoko has given up looking for a job.

Because it is obvious that given the physical and mental condition and cognitive level of high school students, the amount of work they can do is very limited, and most of it is meaningless.

There is only one exception.

artist.

In this era, for some reason, there is an unusual amount of admiration for entertainer groups composed of high school girls.

Even if you are just an ordinary student, you have the opportunity to become an artist recognized by the market through certain talents and hard work, and of course more through opportunities and luck.

Unlike meaningless jobs like telephone customer service, being a high school artist...even though most of those who try will end up failing, once they succeed, the rewards are real.

Since there is a possibility of success, instead of being hesitant, perhaps we should consider how to turn this possibility into reality.

What's more, even if we only limit our focus to the people I know, there are already examples of successful student artists.

In addition to Qiu Hui, there is also... Chuhua.

A figure whom she had not seen for a long time appeared in her mind.

The two were playmates who gradually became familiar with each other after meeting by chance in childhood.

Although they had not been in contact for nearly a year, Xiangzi still had some understanding of Chuhua's work.

Especially after she became interested in the concept of high school artist, she collected a lot of information about Sumimi.

Sumimi can be regarded as a relatively successful representative of high school artist groups in recent years. They have a considerable degree of fame, and the conversion rate in commercial performance seems to be quite high.

As for the treatment of the artist himself, it is not easy to speculate based on public information. Asking Chuhua directly is not a bad option... But Xiangzi thinks that before making a formal decision, it may not be a good idea to bother others with such things.

Before today's performance, Xiangzi had actually never made up his mind.

She had found various reasons for her hesitation. She was worried about this, worried about that...

...But the most critical obstacle may be her last attachment to CRYCHIC.

And now, Xiangzi has made up his mind to cut off that last bit of attachment.

Therefore, there was nothing that could stop her from making that call.

She called Qiu Hui.

She had already told the other party that there was something very important that they had to discuss after the performance.

"Akiuchi," Xiangzi said in a calm and pleasant voice on the other end of the phone, "I want to talk to you about something. It's very important."

"Compared to that, you should be... okay now, right?" Akie asked.

She knew that Xiangzi often tried hard to suppress his emotions, so she asked this question.

"I'm fine now," Xiangzi replied, "I found that I accept some things much faster than I thought. I think it's all thanks to Akiie."

"Don't thank me. I didn't help much in this matter..."

"No, you do."

Xiangzi smiled gently.

"Akiuchi, are you accompanying Suyo now?"

"...You could say that," Akie replied, "Her emotions have more or less stabilized now."

"That's good. I'm... sorry that I've troubled you with her matter."

"Even if there is trouble, it's my own fault. There's no need for Xiangzi to apologize for it."

After saying that, Qiu Hui paused for a moment.

"So, what exactly do you want to talk to me about? If it's something that can't be explained right away, I think we can arrange another time and place to talk. After all, I was actually just..."

"...You're still chatting with Suyo, I understand."

Although Xiangzi said this, he felt an inexplicable discomfort in his heart for some reason.

Su Shi...is he still talking to Akie?

This is taking up too much of Qiu Hui's time, Xiangzi thought to himself with some displeasure.

Although occupying Qiu Hui's time has nothing to do with me... But when I think of that stubborn guy who is now pestering Qiu Hui like he is pestering me, I feel...

...Forget it, let’s not worry about her for now.

"Let's meet the day after tomorrow. I'll think about the location... but it can't be a convenience store."

"It's not a convenience store?" Akie sounded a little surprised, "It looks quite serious then."

"Yes, because it's something important."

After taking two deep breaths, Xiangzi finally told his plan.

“I want to form a new band.”

"The commercial kind."

Chapter 107: Inner Sustenance

"Wait, you said...forming a band?"

When she learned the news, Qiu Hui's first reaction was actually to advise Xiangzi to think about it carefully.

The band was formed through many accidental factors. Aki'e's success in the library, the relationship between the library and the agency, and Goto Ichiri's genius guitar skills, all led to the band's successful debut and success.

However, for Xiangzi, who until recently was still relying on discounted bento to survive, could she really bring together so many "accidental factors"?

"Yeah, form a band, just like...like what Akie did."

"I can roughly imagine what Qiu Hui is thinking right now. I also know that it would be a bit hasty to make such a decision rashly. Therefore, I will explain the detailed arrangements to you when we meet the day after tomorrow. After all, you have other things to do now."

"Okay, okay. After all, it's not convenient to talk on the phone. So, I only have one question to ask now."

There was one thing that Qiu Hui was very curious about, so she planned to ask it now.

“Why do you want to form a band?”

"because……"

Xiangzi on the other end of the phone paused for a moment.

"Because I want the qualification to 'fail'."

She replied.

"It sounds a bit like a line from a comic book," Akie said with a smile.

"As expected, Akihime would think so." Xiangzi also smiled helplessly, "If you continue to make a living by doing telephone customer service and other jobs, you can't even be considered a failure."

If even the lamp that once needed my help and guidance can make new friends and return to the stage in the same way, then what justification do I have for continuing to waste my time?

"Failure can be considered the opposite of success, but if you live your life in a daze like that, it's just pure nothingness. To be honest... that's more terrifying than failure."

This performance changed many things in Toyokawa Shoko, the most significant of which was that she could no longer stand wasting her time.

"I think I understand what you mean... Well, let's leave it at that for now." Akie said, "As for what cards you have in your hand, tell me when the time comes."

"I'm sure I will."

"Okay, I'll hang up now... Oh, by the way, there's one more thing. I'm glad you're willing to tell me this, Xiangzi. Bye."

"Thank you. Goodbye."