Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

In this way, the first phase of my Yuqiu Operation Plan is completely completed!

I made a lot of friends in class, formed a band with popular characters... Oh, yes! I also became friends with seniors who are well-known in the industry outside of school!

Not good. If I think about it carefully, am I already a level higher than the average popular high school girl?

In a good mood, Aiyin simply turned over and lay on the sofa, stretching her body comfortably. She reached out to take the tablet from the coffee table to see if the blogger she followed had any updates today.

But at this moment the cell phone rang.

Aiyin took the phone and answered the call.

“Senior. Is there anything I can help you with?” Aine asked.

"It's nothing serious, I just wanted to confirm."

Qiu Hui on the other end of the line said in a seemingly listless tone.

"What is it?"

"Performance. You will come to watch it then, right?"

“Of course! As long as there are no force majeure factors that are too extreme, I will come.” Aine smiled, “Not only will I come, I will also be with my senior… oh no, it should be ‘Akiroko’ during the performance, right? I will also post the photo with Akiroko-sensei!”

"...Right." Akihime on the other end of the line seemed to realize something. "So I can use it this way. That's great."

This subtle statement made Aine want to laugh.

"What do you mean by 'can be used like this'?!"

"…I'm sorry, my mind is a little confused for some reason. So, I might say something strange. Please forgive me."

Aine could sense the apology in the other person’s voice.

"Why did you apologize for a strange reason again, Senpai? I really don't understand."

"Very huggable... er, well. I think I almost said it again."

Qiu Hui on the other end of the phone paused and continued.

“Since you’ve called me, it seems a bit strange to just confirm the performance… Um, Aine, can I ask you a question?”

"If you want to ask, why not just ask directly?"

"Okay, I actually wanted to ask... um..."

"What do you want to ask?"

Aine felt a little curious about the other party’s shy attitude.

“…I want to know what Aine thinks of me.”

“A senpai is a senpai, right?” Aine answered as if it was a matter of course, and she didn’t seem to understand how this question could be valid.

“Well, how should I put it… it’s just…”

Aine’s answer seemed to make Akie even more confused.

“For example, to Aine, I am… No, it’s strange for me to ask this question in person, right?”

Aine found Akie's reaction very interesting.

Although the reasons were the same, just like when she teased Li Xi before, she suddenly had the urge to tease Qiu Hui.

"Hehe, you specifically asked this question because you want me to confirm in person that our relationship is still good?"

Aine said with a grin. According to the usual routine, the senior should shyly say something interesting like “That’s not the case”…

"...Yes. It's sudden, but I wanted to confirm it anyway."

"……what?"

“Aine and I are friends, right? To be honest, you’ve really taken care of me a lot recently. Sometimes when I think back on it, I think, is this really okay… No, I don’t mean to think this is bad, I just think…”

"Alright, alright! Stop! That's it!"

Aine hurriedly stopped Akie from continuing.

"That's enough! Senior and I are undoubtedly friends, right? Now you can rest assured, right?"

Senior, what's wrong with you? Why did you suddenly become so scary?

“…I understand. Thank you for your help. I just… No, anyway… Um… Maybe… Well, I won’t bother you anymore. Anyway, I’m glad to confirm that we are friends… So, anyway… I, I’ll… Bye!”

“…Bye.” Aine hung up the phone with a tingling feeling on her scalp.

She put down her phone and was silent for a while.

Senior, I think she just said "My mind is a little confused"...

...How confused must your mind be to become like that just now?

Recalling how Akie had analyzed things calmly in front of everyone before, Aine seemed to have trouble connecting the Akie in RiNG with the Akie on the phone.

“Is it because I’m about to go on stage that I feel nervous…” Aine thought.

If I can find a way to make my senior more relaxed, it would be good for both her and me.

If you have time tomorrow, go to the store called STARRY and take a look.

……

the next day.

Today, Qiu Hui was the first to arrive at STARRY again.

She came to her seat and stared at the black and white keys on the keyboard.

“…Have you forgotten?”

she asked herself.

“…I haven’t forgotten yet.”

This unfortunate conclusion was then reached.

"Then forget it quickly." She ordered herself.

Togawa Akie couldn't help but cover her face with her hands.

What on earth did I talk about when I was talking to Aine on the phone last night...what the hell!

I don't understand! If I were to receive a call from a guy I just met late at night, and hear him say something like "I want to confirm the relationship", I would definitely think that guy is a bit crazy!

Aine and I probably haven't reached the point where we can go crazy with each other and pour out our trashy emotions to each other.

For a friend I just met not long ago, I should always be polite and show some appropriate enthusiasm, and treat him with the same attitude I usually use...

Qiu Hui closed her eyes in pain and shook her head vigorously.

Maybe I got too carried away by my success... Anyway, I must learn from my experience this time, and next time I must pay attention to maintaining a good distance and not make similar mistakes again!

Just as Akie was struggling, Ryo and Nijika seemed quite excited and entered the store.

"Aki-e-chan!" Nijixia yelled, "I have some good news. I plan to announce it in person once everyone is here!"

This happened to naturally divert Qiu Hui's attention.

“What is it?” she asked. “Is it about audio censorship?”

Hongxia smiled awkwardly: "...Ahaha, how come you figured it out?"

Chapter 107: Drainage

Just as Qiu Hui guessed.

Aki Ryoko is about to go on stage as a member of the closing band.

After the five members of the band gathered, Ichichi Hongxia excitedly announced the news to everyone: "Everyone! I have made an appointment with my sister. As long as we can pass the sound source review this weekend, we can perform on stage next week!"

"Oh! Has the time finally come?" Liang seemed a little excited.

"I'm looking forward to playing with everyone!" Kita said with a smile.

Only Goto Ichiri's reaction didn't seem very positive: "...Although I feel a little...but, I, I will try my best!"

Qiu Hui smiled and said, "It's okay. We've been practicing for so long. I think even if something goes wrong on stage, I can still complete it pretty well."

After everyone arrived, she quickly adjusted her state of mind and no longer worried about her previous worries.

"Really? B-but, I..."

Goto Ichiri still seemed very afraid of going on stage.

Akie thought about it and said, "Well, it should be difficult for Pochi to rule out this possibility. Then think about it from another angle: Even if the debut fails, it won't be a big problem, right? After all, we are just a band that is performing on stage for the first time, and all the members are high school girls. Even if something goes wrong, it's normal and no one will ask too much about it."

"...Akie, do you really think this is okay?"

"This premiere is related to my performance at the library." Akie smiled, "Since even I, as a stakeholder, think it's okay, then you can rest assured, Pochi."

Having said this, Goto Ichiri finally felt a little relieved.

"Thank you, Akie..." she whispered.

"What a realistic way of comforting someone!" Hong Xia exclaimed, "I can't even learn it if I want to!"

"That's part of Akie's personality," Ryo commented.

Hongxia smiled and looked at everyone: "Well, now that everyone is here, let's..."

"……Wait a moment."

At this moment, Qiu Hui suddenly stood up, left her seat, and looked around the store.

"What's wrong, Xiao Qiuhui?" Hongxia asked in confusion.

"Hongxia, do you feel that there seem to be a lot of customers in the store today?"

As she said this, Akie noticed that there were more people wearing sunglasses in the store than before.

In addition to the tall woman who has been staying in the store recently, Qiu Hui also noticed that there were two more men with short hair and sunglasses and equally strong physiques in the store.

In addition to the customers wearing sunglasses, there were many other customers wandering around the store. There was no band performing at the moment, so there shouldn't be so many customers.

"Really? It seems to be true..." Hongxia also noticed this situation and nodded slightly.

Qiu Hui thought about it and made a guess: "Maybe it was someone who was attracted by 'Akirako'. Didn't she post tweets related to STARRY before?"

"Huh? Ah, that's right!" Kita suddenly realized, "Indeed!"

It took her a while to react to Qiu Hui referring to herself in the third person.

"How could they attract so many people at this time?" Goto Ichiri was a little shocked, "It's amazing!"

Ryo observed the guests and came to a conclusion: "Most of them look like otakus. But there are also some who look like high school girls."

Qiu Hui nodded: "This is the expected result."

She turned her head to look at Hong Xia and asked, "By the way, is there a place here where I can change clothes?"

"The bathroom is fine." Hong Xia replied, "You want to..."

"...Yes." Akie nodded, "Luckily I remembered to bring my clothes with me."

In addition to her schoolbag, she also brought another shoulder bag today, which contained a full set of equipment needed to disguise herself as Aki Ryouko.

"Hmm... How about we explain it this way from now on?" Akie looked at everyone in the band that was ending, "The keyboard player of the band that was ending is Akirako. I'm Akirako's friend, and I came here to watch the fun and help out with odd jobs! Can everyone remember this?"

"Ahaha..." Nijixia said with a wry smile, "It seems that Akie-chan is having a hard time..."

"It feels pretty cool!" Kita seemed a little excited for some reason, "Like a masked superhero!"

"Then hurry up." Liang nodded, "Come back and practice soon."

After changing into the Akihoko outfit, it was no longer Togawa Akeie who returned from the bathroom, but a masked keyboard player wearing a baseball cap and short boots, giving people a cold and bright impression.

"Ohhh!" Nijixia exclaimed when she saw Akira's complete form for the first time, "It feels completely different!"

"...I'm not wearing glasses." Akie deliberately lowered her voice, speaking in a deeper voice than usual, "It's a little hard to see clearly."

"You've even considered the sound." Liang nodded, "How thoughtful."

"...It's very troublesome." Akie responded, "So, I don't like to talk."

"If you keep quiet, you'll look cool." Kita agreed, "I think it's great!"