Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

"That's impossible." Qiu Hui laughed, "After all, I can't play the guitar."

"That's right." Li Xi shook his head.

At this moment, she suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "But to be honest, even so, we don't necessarily need this person. Aren't there other candidates for the guitarist?"

"Eh? Li Xi, what do you want to say?"

Su Shi, who was sitting opposite, was startled by this somewhat subtle statement.

"Wouldn't it be better if we invite Mu back?" Riki responded, "After all, it's only Shoko who ran away. We can ask Togawa-senpai to temporarily take over the keyboard, and Mu is enough for the guitar. Isn't that right?"

Judging from his expression, Lixi seemed to be considering this possibility seriously.

She was thinking so seriously...that she didn't notice the subtle change in the atmosphere on the field at all.

“…Huh?” Even Chihaya Aine, who had been very excited since before, seemed to be a little stunned by surprise. “Um, Rikki, you are not… already thinking about changing people, are you? It’s only been about half an hour?”

"..."

Everyone around the table fell into a strange silence for a moment.

The strange silence was not broken until the waiter appeared at the right time and brought the appetizers to everyone's table.

"Lixi, can we not continue talking about this topic?" Deng said in a slightly trembling voice.

Akie noticed that there was no smile on Deng's face as he whispered these words.

“…Tomoe, I’m sorry! I, I didn’t mean to say that!”

Li Xi was slow to realize that she seemed to have touched on a topic that she shouldn't have touched. Facing Deng's smiling face, she was almost sweating and explaining incoherently.

"...Really? Rikki is so willful."

Seeing this, Aiyin shook her head and looked at Li Xi with some pride.

"Please forgive Rikki this time, but don't bring up the topic of kicking me out again, okay?" she said half-jokingly.

However, surprisingly, Li Xi, who had been treating Aine badly from the beginning, actually lowered his head obediently this time.

"……sorry."

Then, he apologized in a serious and even creepy manner.

“…No, it’s okay!” Aine was also shocked by this creepy attitude, “I’ve already forgiven you!”

"That's right." Su Shi also spoke up quickly, "It just so happens that the appetizer has been served. I highly recommend this dish. I often enjoy it before dinner. Speaking of which..."

Suddenly, a frenzy of sharing appetizers swept across the crowd.

In order to get over the embarrassment as soon as possible, everyone showed great enthusiasm for food.

While picking up the food at an appropriate frequency, Qiu Hui felt scared in her heart.

...Can a band like this really last a lifetime?

Rather than saying it will last a lifetime, it would be better to say it might break up tomorrow!

The so-called "Mu" may refer to the guitarist of CRYCHIC who appeared in the video.

Riki's remarks made Akie realize that although the appearance of Aine might have allowed Deng to step out of the shadow of the past, CRYCHIC would still haunt this new band like a ghost hovering in the sky.

If the remaining two members also decide to return, how should Aine, the only outsider, cope with the situation?

Even though Aine doesn't seem to care too much about Riki's gaffe, no one knows whether this open-minded attitude can last forever. If she really has a problem, what will happen to Deng, who only musters the courage to face the trauma of the past with her encouragement?

Just thinking about it made Qiu Hui feel a little numb.

I hope Aine and Deng can stay in the band smoothly...

That’s all I can think of now.

Chapter 105: Subtle Ending

As a result, in the end, no one decided on anything except eating.

Neither the position nor the name, nor even what song to play at the next performance has been decided.

Ever since Lixi made the situation extremely awkward, everyone stopped discussing the band and focused more on food and other things.

"Deng, what do you want to eat? Can you reach it from here? Do you want me to help you get it?"

Li Xi was extremely attentive to Deng, which made people feel a little awkward.

"Thank you, I can get it myself."

"Oh, so that's the case. Then..." Li Xi looked a little anxious as he kept hitting a wall.

Aine passed the middle lamp, glanced at Rikki's embarrassment, and chuckled teasingly, "Rikki, you are so silly. If you are so impatient, the little lamp will be very troubled!"

“…You’re so long-winded.” Riki seemed to be about to get angry, but he just glared at Aine fiercely and said, “It has nothing to do with you.”

Deng's eyes flickered restlessly between the two people beside her.

"Since we are all members of the same band..." Noticing the subtle atmosphere between the three people opposite, Su Shi said with a wry smile, "I think it would be better to work hard to make the relationship more harmonious..."

Li Xi didn't know how to respond, so he just turned away in embarrassment.

Qiu Hui scooped up a spoonful of the main dish and put it into her mouth, chewing while observing the situation.

She felt that there was probably nothing wrong with Aine: she seemed to have gotten used to using teasing as a way to counter Riki's bad attitude; on the contrary, it was the quiet Touma that made Akie feel a little uneasy.

It's better to focus on eating for now.

Wait until after dinner and then ask the lamp separately.

after a while.

Before the dinner ended, under the leadership of Suyo, Akie and Aine, who had no relationship with CRYCHIC, exchanged contact information with Riki, who had never been in contact with them before.

Before everyone dispersed and went home, Qiu Hui once again found Takamatsu Deng and wanted to ask her opinion.

"Takamatsu-san... no, Deng," Akie asked, "I feel like the atmosphere tonight seems to be a little weird."

Faced with Qiu Hui's temptation, Deng just shook his head.

"…It's okay." She said, "Although Li Xi seemed to be a little scary today, I think she was just too excited."

"If you think about it carefully, it's indeed a bit scary..." Akihie sighed.

"Because, Riki has always been very serious about the band. I don't think she has any ill will towards Aine, it's just that she cares too much about the band and has some misunderstandings." Deng whispered.

“After all, Aine doesn’t seem like someone who’s serious about playing in a band.” Akie nodded.

She remembered that Aine had mentioned before that she wasn't really serious about playing in a band, but simply wanted to fit in with Yuqiu, where there was a strong band culture, and to attract the attention of people around her.

“If Riki is really the kind of person who has strict standards, then Aine will probably have a hard time getting along with her.” Akie sighed, “However, as an outsider, I can’t say much. I can only hope that you and Aine take care of yourselves.”

"Well, thank you." Deng nodded, "I will try my best!"

She nodded slowly but firmly.

"Well, I should probably get ready to go... ah, come to think of it."

Not knowing exactly what she was thinking, Qiu Hui suddenly turned around and looked in the direction of Takamatsu Deng.

"I heard that Akira is preparing for her debut with her band recently... Will you come to see her?"

Deng was stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously: "I definitely will!"

Judging from the smile on her face, this incident seemed to have slightly alleviated the unpleasantness caused by the awkward atmosphere just now.

……

After saying goodbye to everyone, Qiu Hui felt a little upset on the return train.

Although Deng will know the news of Aki Ryoko's performance sooner or later, but... even so, actively inviting Deng to watch Aki Ryoko's performance doesn't seem to be what I should do because I "don't want Deng to realize Aki Ryoko's true identity."

But for some reason, I blurted it out at that time.

Akie tried to find a possible motive, but did not come to any meaningful conclusion.

…Actually, it’s not just Touma, the same goes for Aine too.

I don't know why, but I have a very strong urge that Aine can come to see Akirako...or rather, to see my performance.

I have no confidence in my ability and have never performed in public. To be honest, I might end up looking ridiculous unexpectedly.

Aine knows that Akihoko is me. If Akihoko makes a fool of herself on stage, then in Aine's eyes, it is undoubtedly equivalent to Togawa Aie making a fool of herself.

To be honest, seriously showing herself in public in front of acquaintances...this was something Qiu Hui never dared to think about.

Just like she would never read her novel to her sister. Passively seeing is one thing, actively showing is another thing entirely.

This kind of behavior, which is almost spiritual exposure, will bring about real embarrassment and shame.

But even though I knew this, I still wanted to invite them to see my performance.

It's almost as if I wanted them to see me...

Thinking of this, Togawa Akie slapped her red cheeks hard.

...What the hell am I thinking! That's just a figure of speech! Just a figure of speech!

She sighed and tried to calm herself down.

The shaking of the tram and the lack of blood supply to her brain after the meal made her feel slightly dizzy.

Generally speaking, if high school students form a band, the first audience will be family or friends.

Family...is a difficult topic for me to discuss.

Friends…except for the members who ended the band, my friends…

…It seems like it’s just Aine and Touma at the moment.

This novel is about how the band was the way that Aine met, and how she met Tomo.

In other words, if it weren't for my work as a light novel writer, I wouldn't have any friends at school...

When Qiu Hui realized this fact, she suddenly felt melancholy.

No wonder I wanted them to come to the show.

Rather than fans attracted by tweets, perhaps I would rather have my friends in the audience.

If you are an ordinary high school girl, it is normal to think this way...

...It’s a pity that I’m not an ordinary high school girl, Akie thought.

Now, I am working hard to implement the principles and lifestyle of an "adult".

Using their talents in professional affairs and social skills as bargaining chips, they exchanged materials for survival and development with unspecified strangers in a social environment without preset rules...

…as well as “self-actualization” and “sense of identity”.

Therefore, it would be more appropriate to expect more "fans" rather than expecting friends to come to the show, Akie thought.

Chapter 106: Mumbling

Shortly after.

“Wow… I’m so tired.”

Aiyin, who had just finished taking a shower and changed into loose home clothes, wrapped a bath towel on her head and put on slippers, walked to the sofa chair in her room and sat down on it.

However, although there are still some unpleasant aspects, today is generally a very happy day.

Thanks to my predecessors, I was finally able to officially form a band with Xiao Deng.

If everyone in the class knew that I formed a band with Xiao Deng, the mascot character...

"Hey hey hey~"

Aine showed a very tacky smile on her face.

It will surely attract a lot of attention, she thought happily.