Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

Hongxia invited me to the closing band and shone upon me with her ultimate sunshine aura.

And Akie... is like a shade tree. When the sun is too strong, she provides a place to cool down.

Although the directions are different, they both make me feel at ease.

But...it's different from the Yang corners like Nijika and Kita-san.

A similar scent emanated from Qiu Hui's body.

I may never become someone like Hong Xia...

...But Akie's words seem to be someone that people like me can approach.

Like me, he always seems to be troubled by something; but unlike me, he has the motivation to take action that I cannot.

Even though he is melancholy and alienated, he has a strong inner strength...

The image of Togawa Aie in Ichiri's mind seems to be gradually becoming taller.

but……

How does she herself view this matter?

Would she agree with me, or was it just my wishful thinking that made her look good?

How does she see me? As a friend? Or just a bandmate?

Or even... could it be the kind of thing where "it's troublesome but it's irreplaceable, so I just have to bear with it"?

Just imagining that possibility made Goto Ichiri's fragile heart tremble.

Not to mention asking her to verify the authenticity of this possibility herself.

As expected, if you arbitrarily treat the other person as "someone you can approach", isn't that just self-righteous subjective assumption in the end?

From my childhood until now, I have made countless mistakes in interpersonal relationships because of this childish idea, right?

...After all, how do I actually see her?

Is it admiration? Is it love in the sense of friendship? Is it comradeship among band members?

Or something else?

The mixed thoughts in my mind were so chaotic that even I couldn't clearly identify them.

"As expected, it's better not to do anything unnecessary..."

In the dark corner of the closet, Goto Ichiri curled up in a ball, talking to himself alone.

If you do nothing...

...At least, things can't get worse, right?

Chapter 67 Time Management

after a while.

After dinner, Qiu Hui took the train back to her residence.

This dinner undoubtedly left a very deep impression on her.

On the one hand, the quality of the meals really surprised her after eating boiled vegetables and convenience store lunch boxes for a long time.

On the other hand, the total price of the final bill made her feel overwhelmed.

On top of that, Chihaya Aine's majestic demeanor as she helped her pay the bill without batting an eyelid shocked her even more.

"I don't want to admit it, but I already have the feeling that I have to have a good relationship with her..."

As for the reason for this feeling, whether it was the other party's cheerful and direct expression of emotions, or the strong economic strength demonstrated by the other party...even Qiu Hui herself couldn't explain it clearly.

"Forget it, stop thinking about it."

Qiu Hui started up her computer, opened her phone, and entered the group chat of the ending band.

She has a lot of things to do now. If she doesn't prioritize them, she will definitely face a major crisis where she will be too busy to handle them.

The top priority is undoubtedly the job of a light novel author. However, the time schedule for writing a novel is completely flexible and is not restricted by any other factors, so it can be considered last.

The matter of ending the band should be considered as the top priority. Other matters should be arranged at a time that does not conflict with the arrangement of ending the band.

As for Aine's work as a supporting keyboardist, it is relatively less important and can be placed at a slightly lower priority.

What's left is free time...

...After all these arrangements, there isn't much free time left.

Why not try skipping classes once in a while? Qiu Hui thought.

But if you do something like this, you will face possible risks at school and home...

She weighed the pros and cons while sending messages in the group.

Her purpose was to find out the next date when everyone had no scheduled group practice.

After getting the results from the group chat, she marked the dates on her phone’s calendar.

The rest of the things should be arranged during these free days as much as possible...

…Just in time. At this time, Akie received a message from Nagasaki Motoyo.

The other party's purpose seemed to be to invite her and Aiyin to meet at RiNG to discuss the band's affairs.

In the message, the other party even deliberately mentioned, "It can be arranged on a date when you are free, please be sure to attend."

…I’m just a supporting musician, but do I have to be there? Akie couldn’t help laughing.

She picked out the nearest free date from the ones she had previously screened out and sent it to Su Shi.

The other party responded quickly and said there was no problem.

After solving the problem, Qiu Hui stood up, stretched, and walked around the room a few times, just to stretch her muscles.

"Okay, now it's time to do the hard work..."

Qiu Hui sat down, opened the software, and sent a message to Liang.

"Didn't you say before that you had a job for me to do? If you get it, please send me the proposal."

……

the next day.

“That’s not good…” Chihaya Aine sighed, “Senior, this is the first time I’ve actually seen real ‘dark circles’ on someone, right?”

"Dark circles? Me?" Qiu Hui subconsciously pressed her eye sockets with her fingers. "I went to bed as soon as I felt sleepy yesterday. I thought I slept well."

I did fight with the music editing software until very late last night before going to bed. It seems I can't keep going like this.

"Compared to this..."

Akie turned her head and looked at Aine who was standing next to her seat; and Takamatsu Deng who was standing behind her, outside the door, a little timid and afraid to enter the classroom.

"How did you two find your way to my class?"

It is lunch break at school, and Togawa Akeie is in her class as usual.

But unexpectedly, Aine and Deng, two students from Class A of the first grade, actually found this classroom directly.

“I asked around a bit.” Aine said with a smile.

"It's really hard for you to find someone who knows me in this school..."

“Well, actually, the classmate I found seemed to know more than just Senpai.” Aine seemed to be confused by what she saw, “She seemed to be quite ‘afraid’ of Senpai. When I asked about your situation, Senpai, the classmate seemed to be panicked for some reason. After answering, she hurriedly ran away.”

"Are you afraid of me?" Qiu Hui was even more confused. "Have I ever done anything that would earn me a terrible reputation?"

Aine also shook her head, saying that she didn’t know the reason.

"Ah, compared to this!" She turned around and greeted Takamatsu Deng who was at the door.

"Xiao Deng, don't just stay outside the door, come in!"

"It's okay." Qiu Hui stood up, "I'll be fine after I leave. What do you want from me?"

“Nothing special.” Aine smiled, “I just wanted to have lunch with everyone.”

"Is that so?" Qiu Hui picked up the lunch box and said, "I have no objection."

The two walked out of the classroom together and met Gao Song Deng at the door.

"...Senior." Deng looked over with some embarrassment.

Qiu Hui noticed her expression and spoke first, "...There is something I need to make clear in advance. I will not reveal the true identity of Qiu Rongzi in this classroom."

Deng was a little disappointed, but still nodded: "Well, I guess Teacher Qiu also has her own difficulties."

Qiu Hui looked at her loyal reader in front of her and couldn't help but feel her scalp tingling.

I didn't expect that she would follow me into the classroom. I should have made our relationship more distant...

...No. If I think about it carefully, my identity will be exposed sooner or later, right?

Qiu Hui suddenly felt an invisible pressure.

I'm going to be making a public appearance as a member of the band... I'm even going to use this relationship to promote my novel! Qiu Rongzi is me, and everyone will understand this after watching the performance video, right?

Is it too late to find a mask to wear and add some weird settings like "a mysterious musician with a hidden identity"?

“Well, if the three of us are going to have lunch together, where should we go?” Aine suddenly asked, “I feel like no matter which classroom we go to, it won’t be appropriate, right?”

"How about going to a rooftop or something?" Qiu Hui suggested.

“It’s locked most of the time, right… Ah, that’s right!” Aine seemed to have come up with a good idea, “Hey, Deng-chan, how about we go to the astronomy club room?”

Gao Songdeng was stunned for a moment, then nodded slowly and forcefully: "...Yes."

"Club room?" Qiu Hui was puzzled. "Isn't it club activity time now?"

“In fact, there is only one member in the Astronomy Club, Deng.” Aine explained, “She also keeps the key, so it can be used anytime!”

"…It's nearby. It won't take long to walk there!"

Although he was just going to the club room to have lunch, the light was as if he had just made some important decision.

Chapter 68: Gravitational Field of Celestial Bodies

The activity room of the Astronomy Department is not very large and you can see it all at a glance once you open the door.

The first thing Qiu Hui noticed was the telescope placed against the wall.

"Is this for observation?" she asked.

"That's right!" Deng nodded vigorously. "Although I'm alone now...but the activities are still going on, and I'll write activity reports regularly!"

"I see...it's not easy." Akie nodded.

If there is only one person in the club, it means that all the chores, big and small, related to it will have to be done by this member alone. Just thinking about it makes me feel exhausted.

Everyone came to the desk in the office and put down their lunch boxes.

The light then reached out and pointed to the many photos and posters hanging on the wall.

"These are star maps... some are renderings, some are real shots, and some are hand-drawn based on observation results!" Deng introduced enthusiastically, "Senior, look, this is..."

Deng spewed out a series of complicated and difficult astronomical terms. To Qiu Hui, it sounded like the confusing genealogy of the ancient Greek gods.

“Wow, I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about…” Akie sighed in her heart.

But she didn't say it out loud so as not to spoil Deng's fun.

When the introduction of the lamp came to an end, Qiu Hui stretched out her hand and pointed to a large poster hanging on the far left: "This should have nothing to do with astronomical observation, right?"

"Yeah." Deng nodded, "That was left by the previous minister... It's a band poster."

Qiu Hui looked around and found that in addition to the posters, this small room was filled with various small objects.

"What's in that iron box?" she asked.

“Those are Band-Aids…”

"band-aid?"

“These are the band-aids that Xiao Deng collected!” Aine explained, “There are many kinds!”