Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

As it turned out, the situation on Pochi's side might have been just as I expected, but the one who reacted the most was me.

Akie hugged her arms nervously.

This is really outrageous. I thought I should have... stopped caring, right?

She opened her mouth slightly and breathed slowly, trying to calm herself down.

It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter, it’s all in the past. I have been using this statement to comfort myself.

If you don't look at it, it won't cause a reaction, and if you just leave it alone, it will decompose on its own.

I have always believed this...but is it really so?

"Akie."

Ichiri took Akie's arm.

"I... I roughly understand. So, it's okay if you don't want to continue."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't expect Akie to have been through so much..."

"It's okay." Qiu Hui shook her head with a pale face, "I just..."

I know that Pochi cares about me.

But I don't want others to touch upon this messy past.

Because, since I was the one who caused the situation, I should deal with it and bear the consequences myself.

Neither Pochi nor anyone else had any personal experience of my past, and I was unable to describe it to them clearly.

So they can’t understand, which means they can’t help…

Qiu Hui did not look at Ichiri beside her. Having misjudged the subsequent impact, she just wanted to close it all again.

She knew that some things had to be done, even if there was a possibility of making mistakes, because hesitation would only make the situation worse.

But on this matter, she didn't think so.

This matter is different.

Because reality has proved that my approach is effective.

I did it. I was able to survive on my own and had someone I could rely on emotionally.

If it's not broken, then... don't fix it.

"Pochi."

Goto Ichiri looked over in panic, as if he was thinking with his brain which was not good at socializing how to respond.

Seeing her panic-stricken look, Qiu Hui smiled in relief.

She looked so confused, which was actually quite cute.

"It's not your fault."

Looking at this scene, Qiu Hui first gave a qualitative analysis in her usual way.

"Pochi probably thinks that he asked a question that he shouldn't have asked, right? But that's not the case. The one who asked the question was not wrong, it was my fault for making the rash decision to answer."

"These things... how should I put it. Personally, I hope you can just pretend you didn't hear anything. However, if you want to remember it... that's fine. Just don't tell anyone else... or at least ask for my opinion before doing so."

"How can I pretend I didn't hear it?" Ichiri muttered, gently shaking Akie's arm, "I didn't expect Akie to have such a past."

I always felt that Qiu Hui and I were the same type of people.

Now that I think about it, the difference between us is actually quite big, right?

I am introverted and socially anxious, and I always have wild thoughts...which has caused me a lot of jokes.

As for Qiu Hui, she is also quite sensitive and delicate inside.

But she is not like me, who would directly show her panic, embarrassment or pain.

She always finds ways to cover it up.

For example, like now, speaking a series of stiffly worded and official words.

"Akiei still thinks it's better to keep your troubles to yourself?" Ichiri asked.

"Yeah." Qiu Hui nodded, "I think some of my own affairs should not be used to embarrass everyone."

"But……"

Yili seemed to want to say something but stopped himself.

We are bandmates, we are like a family, and it is natural for us to help each other...

...I was going to say that. But after thinking it over, I decided not to.

After all, as a person like me, it doesn’t seem very suitable to use these words to preach to others, right?

and……

Just like Akie understands my thoughts and respects my right to feel depressed.

Maybe I should also try to understand Qiu Hui's thoughts?

Thinking of this, Yili felt that it would be better for her not to speak.

But not talking doesn’t mean you can’t do something else.

She stood in front of Qiu Hui, then closed her eyes and opened her arms.

"……What's wrong?"

Qiu Hui looked at Ichiri in confusion. At this moment, the latter had his arms outstretched, like the woman standing on the bow of the Titanic, or the statue of Christ standing in Rio de Janeiro.

"..."

Yili's face flushed. She had not intended to speak in the first place, and now she was too nervous and shy to open her mouth.

Qiu Hui stared at Ichiri for a while, and suddenly realized what Ichiri was going to do.

There was a deliberately suppressed melancholy expression on her face, but at this moment it relaxed because of the other party's actions and revealed a hint of a smile.

Pochi... do you want to hug me, or do you want me to hug you?

Whether this was a consolation or a request, it was hard to tell since Yili remained silent.

But... this is exactly what Qiu Hui wants.

Qiu Hui walked forward with a smile, stretched out her hand and hugged her.

Her movements were conservative, not as exaggerated as Yili's.

Qiu Hui simply closed her eyes and gently placed her chin on Yili's shoulder.

The smell of Ichiri lingered at the tip of my nose. Originally it seemed to be similar to the smell of mothballs, but today it seemed a little different.

Did she spray perfume or something? This is a bit too advanced for Pochi...

So even if you ask the other person, they might not know how to answer because they are shy, so just don't worry about it.

Qiu Hui tightened her arms around Ichiri's back. The weight of their hearts weighed heavily on each other because of their close proximity.

I still didn't feel the touch of the other person's hands on my back. Maybe he still kept his arms outstretched.

Pochi is really something, how long do you plan to continue playing the role of the Jesus statue...

Qiu Hui smiled.

She could feel Ichiri's body temperature through the rough fabric of his sportswear. The zipper of his sportswear was rubbing against Qiuhui's open collar, but she didn't care.

"Thank you."

Qiu Hui closed her eyes, letting the entire world in her vision fall into darkness, leaving only the person in her arms.

Maybe sometimes, a simple hug can bring more comfort than my feeble excuses.

It seemed that Ichiri finally reacted. Akie felt that the other party finally hugged her back.

In short, the two of them hugged each other tightly at the sparsely populated school gate...

...This scene must look quite strange to passers-by, right?

Chapter 126 Why Can I Only Watch?

When Qiu Hui came to her senses again, she seemed to have separated from Yili.

She was in a daze and couldn't seem to remember clearly who let go of the other first.

"Um, do you feel better... or something?" Ichiri asked cautiously.

"Don't be so reserved, it's okay." Akie smiled, "I feel much better, thank you Pochi."

"Oh, that's good."

Yili lowered his head and played with his fingers shyly.

“…I’ll tell you.”

"What's wrong?" Akie noticed that Ichiri seemed to want to say something.

"This seems to be the first time Akie has taken the initiative to hug me."

Yili said in a low voice, his tone seemed a little aggrieved, but also a little satisfied.

Qiu Hui was speechless. Thinking about it carefully...it seemed to be true.

In my relationship with Pochi, most of the time I'm the one responding to her requests.

"But this time, Pochi really helped me." Akie expressed her gratitude frankly.

Although I didn't do anything, just a brief hug, I did feel the reality of the other person's presence by my side.

The melancholy that had originally arisen from the past also quietly dissipated after I realized this.

"It's nothing. I'm happy to be with Aki."

Ichiri smiled sheepishly.

But if that's the case, it can't be considered as helping Qiu Hui.

Goto Ichiri made up his mind secretly.

I also want to do more.

Especially after knowing Qiu Hui's past...it's impossible for me to remain indifferent.

It is precisely because I am a good-for-nothing that I can understand it so well.

I was able to get through those lonely days without friends only with the care and support of my family.

However, this does not mean that you don’t need family if you have friends.

Although he didn't show it on his face, a small ambition began to grow in Yili's heart.

If I could try...try to help Qiu Hui and her family reconcile...

The moment this grand delusion emerged in her mind, her heart almost trembled.

It must be difficult.

Because Qiu Hui didn't want to say more, and I didn't want to hurt her by asking more questions.

As for approaching it from another perspective... just thinking about what the identities of Akie's parents meant made it impossible for Yili to come up with this idea.

Therefore, at least for now, this goal is nothing more than wishful thinking.

Having said that, the pink-haired girl still made up her mind secretly.

Even if it's hard to do, I will definitely try.

Because, now I should be the only one who knows Qiu Hui's secret, right?

Even Aine-san might not know this yet...

No matter what, there is still some kind of competition between the two.

Then, realizing that he seemed to have gained some kind of advantage, Yili suddenly laughed in a very tasteless way.

"...Pochi?" Akie looked over. "You're suddenly laughing so strangely."