Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

Chapter 131 If She Doesn't Do It, There Are Plenty of Others Who Will Do It

The next day, in one of RiNG's practice rooms.

Aine, Riki, Tomo and Runa, there is one person missing in the practice room today.

Li Xi frowned and slid his right hand across the screen to check the message records.

In group chats and private chats, many messages were sent unilaterally, but the recipient did not respond at all.

Su Shi's account remained completely silent in the face of the message bombardment, as if its owner had never existed in the world.

Is it that he simply doesn't want to reply, or has he simply blocked our messages?

Even though Li Xi was not surprised by this result, she still

Chapter 132 The Fuse

"These are the pieces for practice. Is that ok?"

Hai Ling confirmed the condition of the instrument in her hand and asked Li Xi at the same time.

"Yeah." Li Xi nodded, "I don't know when the next performance will be arranged, so the main thing is to maintain my proficiency and feel."

"I see."

Hai Ling's eyes swept across the music score in front of her, she nodded slightly, then placed her slender fingers on the strings and began to pluck them tentatively.

The deep and rich music flows out from the fingertips, and through the resonance of the equipment and the sound, it demonstrates its presence in a restrained and solid way.

Sure enough, there is no problem. Li Xi's brows relaxed slightly.

If it was Hai Ling, there would be no problem. It was because she had such confidence in advance that she came up with the idea of ​​asking her to save the situation.

Riki and Hailing are classmates of Hanasakigawa. They have known each other for a long time and have a fairly close relationship.

Having said that, Li Xi couldn't quite remember how the other party knew him.

Although they were all just freshmen in high school and therefore had known each other for no more than a year, Li Xi had the illusion that the other person had completely integrated into her life, as if they had become each other's family, an existence that did not need to be specifically mentioned.

It's like the bass. It's not something that attracts the eye at all, but it's important as the foundation of the ensemble.

At this moment, Hai Ling had completed the test, and the change in her mentality was soon reflected in the music. The music she played became more fluent and integrated, giving people a solid and reliable impression, just like the ground under their feet.

Li Xi gave her the song she had practiced before. Although she had read it briefly beforehand, it was her first time practicing it.

Despite this, Hai Ling performed it with almost impeccable proficiency, demonstrating her strength in the most straightforward way.

As a low-pitched instrument, the bass is almost always drowned out by other instruments, so jokes often poke fun at its presence.

But Hachiman Kailing seemed to be aware of this and still performed her duties with a highly professional attitude.

She is willing to be a background member in the ensemble, which in turn allows her to leave an exceptionally strong impression on others.

"There are no problems with the pure performance." Hai Ling nodded gently, "The next thing to do is to adjust it."

"As for Hai Ling, there should be no problem, right?" Li Xi asked in a slightly gentle tone.

As a mercenary who works as a support staff for dozens of bands at the same time, Hai Ling is actually best at forming temporary tacit understanding with the team she meets for the first time.

It is precisely because she deliberately suppresses her own presence and relies on her superb skills to cater to the needs of others for expression that she can be embedded in any band's performance like a universal component.

"It's okay, at least it's okay for me..."

Hai Ling turned her head and looked at the guitarist with long pink hair.

Although Hai Ling was friendly, her undisguised gaze made the latter feel nervous and uneasy instinctively.

"Ms. Hachiman, is there anything...possible?"

Aine responded hesitantly.

As she spoke, she subconsciously reached out and touched the guitar, touching this part and then that area, as if she was deliberately pretending to be tuning an instrument.

"It seems that the keyboard player is not here." Hai Ling said, briefly and powerfully.

This sentence was like a cold arrow shot from the darkness, piercing Aine’s heart fiercely, tearing open her fragile body, oozing blood, and causing severe pain.

“Indeed, indeed…” Aine said with a forced smile, “She is no longer on our side.”

Yes.

It wasn't just Su Shi who left.

Seniors also...

"So, have you found someone to replace her?"

Hailing seemed to notice Aine's mood swings, so she didn't continue asking questions and turned to Lixi.

"Are you talking about Akie? She...she was originally the 'replacement candidate'. She has her own things to do, so she can't continue to cause trouble."

This topic made Li Xi a little irritated. She pulled out her drumsticks and rubbed them in her hands.

"So that's how it is." Hai Ling's expression didn't change, she just nodded slightly.

"From my personal point of view, it might be better to just accept her as a full member, but since we have to take her situation into consideration, I guess this is the only way."

"So, what are you going to do next? Are you going to get rid of the keyboard player or find someone else?"

Hai Ling looked at everyone and uttered gentle yet stern questions.

"I'm sorry if my question has caused any trouble for you, but in order to better cooperate with you, at least the staffing must be determined first."

At this time, Deng spoke, which was rare.

She didn't intend to answer the question, but instead looked at Hai Ling with eyes as clear and fragile as those of a little animal.

"Hachiman...-san, are you here to take Motoyo's place?"

Deng was not good at being roundabout or dissembling, so she just spoke out her thoughts.

Li Xi has been saying that he wants to find a way to solve Su Shi's problem.

She also did not deliberately hide her desire to change people.

From an ordinary person's perspective, if someone quits, then it's only natural to find someone to replace him.

But the lamp doesn't think so.

Her sensibility prevents her from making overly complex decisions.

In a sense, she is like a bird that recognizes its master. Once she recognizes a premise, she will make it the starting point for everything.

If Su Shi leaves, then bring Su Shi back...

…it’s that simple and direct.

Because whether it is Su Shi or anyone else, everyone is... irreplaceable.

Because of this, Deng couldn't even think of any other options besides "reconciliation".

And this "other choice" is now standing right in front of her.

"That's for my employer to decide." Hai Ling shook her head gracefully, then turned her gaze to Li Xi, "I'm sorry that this sounds like shirking responsibility, but the scope of my work is determined according to instructions, and I'm not in a position to comment on it."

Deng then looked at Li Xi.

"I……"

Li Xi frowned.

"…Even if Su Shi is gone, the band will definitely continue, right?" This was the only way she could explain herself.

This is a logical conclusion.

But this is not the case with lights.

If Su Shi is gone, then can the ones that are still continuing really be called a band?

"We want to... form a band for life. We've already made an agreement, right?" Deng said in a low voice.

Obviously, Su Shi hasn't even given a positive response yet.

Why is Lixi already thinking about what will happen after that?

"Even if that's the case!"

Li Xi knew that he couldn't get angry at the lamp.

But her restlessness was still accumulating in her heart, and she was eagerly waiting for it to break out.

"But we can't keep dwelling on someone who has left! We have to keep going even if Suyo isn't in the band! Otherwise..."

“… Otherwise, what should we do about Aine and Ryuna?”

Chapter 133 Am I not needed?

Hai Ling realized that she shouldn't continue talking.

As an experienced support musician, she has encountered internal conflicts within her club.

If you encounter this situation, you should not say anything unless someone comes to you directly for advice.

This simple professional ethic made her consciously step aside and leave the stage to the three people who were arguing.

"...Hey, the sister who plays the bass."

"What's up?"

Hai Ling turned her head and found that a girl with white hair and heterochromatic eyes was standing next to her.

"Why is everyone arguing?" asked Le Nai.

That childish face was filled with questions as innocent as a baby animal.

"Why don't you start playing yet?"

Hai Ling leaned down slightly and looked straight at Le Nai in front of her.

“Because a band is often not just a group of performers.”

The experienced mercenary lady expressed her understanding to the inexperienced guitar genius.

“An ensemble requires cooperation between musicians, which in turn requires connections between people.”

“It is generally believed that the emotions that members put into the ensemble are often as important as pure technique, or even more important.”

"The arguments between them may be about connections other than music..."

Le Nai nodded, not quite understanding, and watched with Hai Ling as the atmosphere in front of them gradually became tense.

……

Sometimes, Shiina Riki wonders if his decision was too hasty.

Perhaps we should wait for Su Shi's official response, and only consider whether to exclude her after she has officially clarified her position to everyone.

However, she was driven by a strong urge to end these arguments as soon as possible and free everyone from worrying about Su Shi's situation.

Su Shi didn't choose to leave because he encountered any difficulties.

Quite the opposite. She has been trying to deceive everyone from the beginning.

She didn't care about anything except that band... except Toyokawa Shoko. She would beg on her knees for that woman, but once her plan failed, she didn't hesitate and simply abandoned all of us.

Looking at the Deng in front of him who seemed about to cry, Li Xi felt heartbroken and, for the first time in a very rare period, had the urge to get angry.

Why do you care so much about her affairs?

It’s obvious that Su Shi doesn’t care about you at all!

All she cared about was... "that band". As for what everyone thought, she always pretended to care, but in fact, she had nothing else in her heart except her own boring obsessions!

But the words could not come out.

She couldn't make such a vehement accusation against anyone in the band in front of the lights.

“Aine and Runa…”

Deng didn't know how to start.