Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

Qiu Hui was surprised to find that Nagasaki Suyo in front of her was completely dazed.

“…I see. That’s how it is.”

She lowered her head and talked to herself.

"So Xiao Xiang... went to Yugaoka?"

Completely unaware of her slip of the tongue, she just kept talking to herself.

Qiu Hui frowned. She actually said "So"?

So... you don't even know which high school your important band mate from junior high school went to?

Qiu Hui suddenly felt that things had become more complicated.

It seems that this favor from classmate Su Shi is not so easy to sell.

"… Let's just keep watching." Akie said, preparing to continue playing the video on her phone.

"Oh, sorry, I said something weird just now..." Su Shi also reacted and quickly adjusted her state, "Please don't mind it, just continue watching."

Qiu Hui nodded, lowered her head, and turned her attention back to her phone.

In the video, Takamatsu Deng finally regained his confidence with the comfort of his keyboard player, who is known as "Xiao Xiang" by the world.

She whispered to the camera:

"Hello everyone... We are CRYCHIC."

"The song we're going to sing now is..."

"..."Haruhi Shadow"."

……

……

Yuqiu, inside the Astronomy Department.

Gao Songdeng looked at the notebook on the table, wondering whether he should open it again.

What echoed in her mind were the words Aine said earlier.

"...I won't invite you again, okay?"

She subconsciously hugged the notebook tightly to her chest, as if she felt that if she didn't do so, the notebook would grow wings and fly away from her sight.

Did I screw up again?

Aine must be thinking of me as a troublesome person right now.

After all, I said something like "forever" on impulse. I'm sure the other person must be troubled.

I can't convey my feelings to anyone, and I can't make anyone understand. No matter how I think about it, it's all my own fault.

...By the way, are Aine and Akiie-senpai forming a band together now?

Maybe, it would be better for Aine that way.

Even if you form a band with someone like me, you're bound to screw up again in the end.

Gao Songdeng lowered his head slightly.

very strange.

I am usually the only one in this astronomy room.

Why do I feel so lonely only now?

Finally, Deng placed the notebook in his arms on the table and gently opened it.

"Key. Xiangzi"

His eyes scanned over the names one by one.

"Gt. Mu"

Every time I glance over it, I recall some fragmented fragments.

"Dr. Lixi"

Every time I think of something, I feel pain from the bottom of my heart.

"Ba.Sushi"

It's like digging out piece by piece, again and again.

"Vo.Light"

Since I couldn't stand this feeling, I turned my eyes away from the name.

The notes are all filled with lyrics.

Although it was clearly something he wrote, Deng didn't dare to look at it carefully.

Her eyes remained fixed on the title consisting of three Chinese characters:

——"Haruhi Shadow".

After a long moment, she closed her notebook.

There is no need to read it anymore.

"sorry……"

Even if I wanted to apologize, I didn't know who to tell.

"…I destroyed CRYCHIC."

Even if I wanted to correct it, I didn’t know how to do it.

That's not something you can achieve just by working hard.

For someone like me, no matter how hard I try, I'm just running in the wrong direction.

The more I want to convey, the more...

"My heart is filled with sorrow and my eyes are shaking."

Before Deng could react, she suddenly realized that she had unconsciously started singing in a low voice.

"I'm alone in this world"

With a voice that is trembling unbecomingly, I sing a song that I don't know who can hear.

"In the fading spring"

"Every year I feel nothing but coldness"

Togawa Akie stared silently at Takamatsu Touma in the video.

She felt as if she had sensed something in the song; even the poor sound quality of the phone's speaker could not cover it up.

"Walking forward in one direction in the darkness"

“I can only keep writing nonsense.”

"Knowing that expectations are in vain"

"But still continue to seek redemption"

In the astronomy department room, the sound of the lights became quieter and quieter until it was almost audible only to her.

"Heart-wrenching and touching"

…This sentence should have been sung in harmony by everyone in the band.

“I feel like I understand now.”

When singing to this point, Deng suddenly thought of this.

"Happiness is confusing"

Actually, this sentence is also true. But now...

"Shining on me who can't cry"

Who else can sing with me?

"The light gently carries me along—"

The lamp, weeping inconsolably, could no longer go on.

And in that video data engraved with the past time, Deng's emotions climbed to a peak step by step.

"It shines through the clouds"

The ethereal and clear tone played by the gentle keyboardist makes the song even more infectious.

"My inner thoughts overflowed"

I finally met someone who understands my complex and subtle emotions and who guides me in creating beautiful memories together. So I want to release this feeling in the form of a song.

"My cheeks are still shining when I come to my senses."

In response to this feeling, the music of the keyboard flows like a spring -

"Hot tears wet my face"

——Before she could react, it turned into a tear at the corner of Akie's eye.

"Your outstretched hand"

"Why?"

"It's actually like this."

"So warm?"

"So please."

"Please never let go..."

Hearing this, Togawa Akie ruthlessly pressed the pause button.

“Senior, what are you doing?” Aine protested unhappily, “Won’t it be impossible to continue listening like this?”

"...I'm sorry." Qiu Hui gently wiped away her tears and looked at Su Shi with a serious expression.

"'Please never let go'... that's what the lyrics say, right?"

Qiu Hui let out a long sigh of helplessness.

"...But even so, that hand finally 'let go', right?"

Su Shi's ten fingers were clasped together, and a hint of fatigue appeared on his slightly artificial smiling face.

"...Akie-senpai is right." She nodded gently, "Because, there are all kinds of misunderstandings..."

"CRYCHIC has disbanded now, that's what happened." Shiina Riki concluded, "And Deng, because of that incident, she still feels very hurt until now."

“How could this happen? She sang really well, didn’t she? The response to the premiere should have been good, right?” Aine sighed, “That’s weird. Deng told me before that she wasn’t good at singing…”

Nagasaki Motoyo looked at everyone and said with a smile, "...So, Aine and Akie-senpai, can I ask you two a favor?"

“What is it?” Aine asked.

After a brief pause, Su Shi said:

"I want to invite Xiao Deng to come and talk with me, and I hope you can help me with this."

Chapter 78 The Betrayer

“What do you want to talk about?” Aine asked, “Is it about re-forming the band?”

"Yes." Su Shi nodded slowly. "Xiao Deng may still be troubled by what happened at that time. If I can 'form a band' with her again, maybe I can help her get out of the shadow of that time..."

"..." Shiina Riki gritted his teeth and turned his head away.

Qiu Hui noticed her abnormality and seemed to want to say something, but she couldn't say it in the end.

Keeping this unusual phenomenon in mind, Qiu Hui looked at Su Shi, preparing to respond to her request.