Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

Her eyes moved back and forth between Aine and the phone screen, and Akie was at a loss as she didn't know how to explain.

“Nijixia, do you mean the other members of the band?” Aine came closer, “You mean you found the guitarist?”

"Actually, we agreed to split up and look for suitable candidates..."

Akie stammered in response. Her face flushed with confusion and shyness, and Aine’s gaze made her feel uneasy.

I just invited him to join, do I have to just change my mind and refuse him?

"We actually had an agreement in advance. Whichever party successfully found a candidate would notify the other party. Unexpectedly, by coincidence, we both found candidates at the same time."

It was such a coincidence! It was so coincidental that it made me feel like I was being tricked!

“Is that so…” Aine also seemed a little disappointed.

"So, Chihaya-san..."

“Just call me Aine.”

“Well, Aine-san, can you come with me first? Let’s meet the members of our band first, something like this.”

Anyway, let's take her to the LIVEHOUSE first, and then decide with everyone whether to stay or not when we get there?

“That’s fine with me.” Aine responded in a gentle tone, as if to comfort the other person, “Which live house is it?”

“Yes! My seat is Kitazawa! Thank you so much for coming here!” Akie bowed in the direction of Aine.

"Don't be like that, Senior!" The latter waved his hands quickly, "It's really okay! I'm actually very happy that you invited me!"

"Aine-chan recently transferred to Hanegaoka due to family reasons." The classmate next to her smiled and added, "Because she just transferred here, she's actually not familiar with the place yet."

"So that's how it is." Qiu Hui nodded.

So, was she eager to join the band because she wanted to quickly integrate into the atmosphere of Yuqiu?

No matter what, let’s tell Hongxia about this first.

Chapter 6 Pink Hair Meeting

I sent the message to Hongxia, and she seemed very shocked.

Anyway, the next arrangement is tentatively to meet at STARRY first and then decide on the guitarist.

"Hey, senpai, who are the other members of the band? Are they our students from Hanegaoka?"

Aine was basically the one finding topics to talk about during the entire trip.

"No, the other two are from Shimokitazawa High School."

“It’s actually someone from outside the school! I feel like he’s so impressive!” Aine exclaimed exaggeratedly.

"Well, it's nothing."

"How did you know them, Senior?"

"Well... I said I knew them, but actually I just went to them and asked them if I could join the band." Akie smiled sheepishly, "They are all very kind people. Although my level is not that good, they still accepted my request to join the band."

“Is that so? That’s great. I’m actually not too confident in my guitar playing skills, but I feel relieved when you say that, senior!” Aine’s eyes lit up.

The two of them chatted with each other to pass the time on the road.

Qiu Hui could smell a refreshing scent that she wasn't sure whether it was perfume or shampoo.

How should I put it? Chihaya-san's "high school girl index" seems to be much higher than mine. Whether in terms of her dress or her appearance, she has a sense of superiority in the sense of campus class.

In particular, the "a certain degree of tolerance towards lower-class individuals" is particularly evident...

Akihime's light novelist brain kept churning out strange and outrageous ideas.

And Chihaya-san, even though she's a new transfer student, seems to have made some friends she can talk to.

If it were me, the process of finding friends would probably take more than three months, right?

The destination, STARRY, was getting closer and closer. Akiie, who was dragged along by the rhythm of Aine's conversation, had already seen the neon sign hanging outside the store.

"...Speaking of musicality, I think a soft and sweet pop arrangement would be better. For example..."

“Chihaya… No, Aine-san, we’re here, right?”

Akie had no choice but to interrupt Aine who was chatting very enthusiastically and pointed in the direction of the sign.

"So this is it. Is the entrance here?"

The two came to the descending stairs leading into the store.

“Oh, it’s underground!” Aine exclaimed, “It feels like an indie place, it’s great!”

"Yeah, yeah. Probably."

Could this be a high-EQ way of saying "this place looks small and old"?

Qiu Hui couldn't help but guess.

When I walked into the store, Yamada Ryo, who was already waiting there, waved to me casually.

"Is Ijichi-san not here?" Akie asked.

"As for Nijixia, she's still on the way." Ryo looked in the direction of Akie, "There's one more candidate with pink hair."

"What do you mean there's one more person?"

"The one Nijiya found also had pink hair."

Aine wandered around the store, letting out perfectly timed exclamations.

It wasn't even Qiu Hui's turn to introduce herself, she took the initiative to find Liang.

“Are you Togawa-senpai’s teammate? My name is Chihaya Aine, just call me Aine. I came here to report because I want to be a guitar vocalist!”

"Well, your spirit is commendable!" Ryo nodded, "Now that we have found two candidates at the same time by coincidence, please make sure to work hard, Chihaya-san, and try to survive the upcoming brutal guitar duel..."

“There’s no such thing as a brutal fight! And didn’t I tell you it’s better to call her Aine?” Akie interrupted.

"I prefer to be called 'Chihaya'." Ryo answered seriously, "It sounds like a name, very interesting."

“That’s okay, just call me whatever you like, Yamada-san.” Aine responded with a smile.

...Did I see Aine frown just now? Akie thought. Or was it an illusion?

At this time, there was a sound of footsteps outside the door.

"Ryo! And Akiie! I've brought a backup guitarist with me!"

Hongxia trotted into the store with a smile on her face.

"So where's the guitarist candidate?" Ryo asked, looking at the empty door behind her.

"Isn't it right here... Eh? Where is the person?"

Hongxia ran out of the door and realized something was wrong.

"Don't hide! We're already here, aren't we?"

She seemed to be gently persuading someone outside the door.

“It’s okay, Goto-kun. We’re all very kind people and won’t make things difficult for you! How about this, if you really find it hard to accept, how about standing behind me? Once you’ve gotten used to the atmosphere inside, you can stand out…”

It seemed that the other candidate was reluctant to come into the store.

“You’re already at the store entrance but you’re already nervous?” Aine laughed, “How cute! But if you can’t even enter a live house, it’s probably hard for you to become a guitarist, right?”

She seemed to secretly glance at the reactions of the two people around her with the corner of her eyes, and a barely perceptible hint of pride appeared on her face.

Finally, the mysterious second candidate walked in slowly, following behind Hong Xia.

Just like Hong Xia's ghost, the candidate was almost completely blocked by her figure, with only a little outline showing.

"So, where is the guitarist?" Ryo asked.

"It's right behind here!" Hongxia answered, and then turned around to comfort the people behind her, "It's okay, when Goto wants to come out, just pat my shoulder. Before that, I will help you block everyone's view!"

...What's going on? Is he trying to coax a child? Qiu Hui thought.

Although I am the type who does not want to contact strangers unless it is necessary, the degree to which this "spirit behind the scenes" hates strangers is too much, isn't it?

In other words, this level of feeling can no longer be considered "hate" but should be considered "fear".

"I, I'm fine... I'll be right out..."

Behind her, Miss Ling finally made up her mind and walked out from Hong Xia's cover.

"Hello everyone, um, I'm Goto... Goto Ichiri. My hobbies are listening to music and playing guitar, other than that there's not much else worth mentioning... Please advise me..."

The female student in front of me who called herself Goto Ichiri was carrying a guitar bag on her back, with her head lowered and her chest hunched, looking timid.

Her bangs slightly covered her eyes, and she used a blue and yellow hairpin to hold her long hair in place. She was wearing a sports suit, a pleated skirt, and her legs were covered with... the same sports pants as the sports suit.

“…Why are you wearing a short skirt and sweatpants at the same time?” Akie asked in confusion, “Is this a new fashion trend that I’m not aware of?”

“There’s no such fashion trend!” Aine explained, “Maybe it’s because we have to wear a full set of uniforms at school. If we want to wear sportswear in this case, we have to wear a skirt and pants at the same time.”

"But why do you have to wear sportswear? Isn't it hot? It's almost July." Qiu Hui sighed, "I'm just wearing over-the-knee socks, but I feel severe sweating around my legs and feet."

"I'm sorry. My weird hobbies have caused trouble for everyone. I'm really sorry..." Goto Ichiri apologized in a low voice.

"There's no need to apologize for this!" Nijixia quickly comforted him, "Goto-kun is not wrong!"

After she calmed Goto down, she turned to the three people opposite her.

"Goto Ichiri is a student at Shuka High School! He's probably a bit of an introvert, so he gets easily excited for strange reasons. Please take care of him."

In the end, it was Nijika who helped Goto introduce himself.

"Nijiya, you're like a guardian." Liang sighed, "Rather than that, let's get to the point."

The main topic is naturally the decision on who will play the guitar between Chihaya and Goto.

"That's right. Then what method should we use to decide?" asked Akie.

"Same as before."

Ryo cleared his throat and glanced between the two of them.

"Let the music decide."

Chapter 7: Polar Rock, Goto's Big Impact

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!"

At this moment, Chihaya Aine suddenly seemed to remember something and spoke hurriedly.

"Chihaya-san, do you have any questions?"

“My question is——in fact, there is no need to choose one person, right?” Aine explained excitedly, “It’s normal to have two guitarists in a band!”

"Ah, indeed." Yamada Ryo woke up as if from a dream, "That makes sense. As expected of Chihaya."

Because the guitar lead singer needs to sing and play at the same time, he is often asked to play some relatively simple phrases. Therefore, in order to bring out the true expressiveness of the guitar, in fact, most bands need a dedicated guitarist in addition to the guitar lead singer.

"So, I'll be the lead guitarist, and Chihaya-san will be the lead guitarist... Is this the arrangement?" Goto Ichiri at the side asked in a low voice, timidly lifting the guitar strap.

“That’s it!” Aine nodded.

But after pondering for a moment, Yamada Ryo still came to a conclusion.

"Maybe what Chihaya said is right, but I think you two should still perform here live."

"Yeah. It's not that I have any harsh requirements. I just think that only after understanding each other's strengths can we cooperate better, right?" Hong Xia also put forward her own views.

"In that case, how about Goto-san, who is scheduled to play lead guitar, go first?"

“Eh? Me? No, no no no, that’s not possible, right?” Goto Ichiri shook his head like a rattle, “I feel like if I go on stage first it’ll be a bit…”

Qiu Hui quietly watched her like a frightened little animal. It seemed that she had been in a very uneasy state since she entered the store.

Was it some kind of trauma that caused her to develop this behavior that could almost be described as "fear" of strangers?

Even Akie, who is also a socially averse person, finds it difficult to understand Goto's current attitude.