Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

This time it was a formal celebration banquet, so the venue was chosen to be a mid-to-high-end restaurant.

From sashimi and sushi to fried foods and hot dishes, all common Japanese food categories are covered.

For Qiu Hui, who was used to boiled vegetables and boxed fast food, the feast before her was truly a rare enjoyment.

She chewed the snow crab tempura happily, dripped soy sauce and wasabi on the shiny belly of the tuna, and calculated how much of her income this meal would take...

…Then her happy smile disappeared in an instant, and her eyes turned resentful as she looked at the beef ribs on the table.

"What's wrong, Xiao Qiuhui? Why do you suddenly look so unhappy?" Hongxia asked with concern.

"Nothing, I just thought of something irrelevant..."

Realizing that her expression was inappropriate, Qiu Hui put on a slightly more relaxed look.

"It's amazing! Our closing band has finally officially set sail!" Liang exclaimed, "How many tickets did we sell this time? Thirty? Forty?"

"This is all thanks to Xiao Qiuhui!" Hongxia pointed out.

"..."

Qiu Hui, who seemed unable to fully accept this compliment, said nothing and just lowered her head and ate hard.

"All in all, the first performance was a great success," Kita commented, "We are looking forward to the future performance! Hey, Ichiri-chan thinks so too, right?"

"Well... maybe... what?" Goto Ichiri was a little dazed, as if he couldn't quite understand Kita's question.

From the end of the performance until now, she has been acting like she can't find her groove.

"Pochi must have burned out," Akie guessed. "After all, the performance she had just now on stage was beyond her normal state."

"Maybe." Hongxia nodded. "In fact, I think that everyone showed their extraordinary side in this performance to some extent... Xiaoqiuhui, you are the same."

"Me... ah, that's right." Akie nodded. "Maybe because I was wearing a mask, I unconsciously let go a little."

Hongxia looked at Qiuhui's profile with a meaningful expression.

"Oh, by the way, Pochi-chan, and Akie-chan! Can you come over for a while?"

She suddenly invited.

"What's the matter?" Qiu Hui asked.

"Hongxia? What's the matter?" Yili looked over as if he had just woken up from a dream.

"It's nothing serious... I just want to talk to you two about something."

Seeing Hongxia's appearance, Goto Ichiri came to his senses completely.

She probably knew what Hong Xia wanted to say.

Chapter 122: A Family-Like Existence

outside the store.

After soaking in the lively and festive atmosphere in the store for a long time, Qiu Hui suddenly felt refreshed when she walked out of the store.

The temperature tonight is not too high and the breeze is refreshing.

Goto Ichiri followed behind her, and Hongxia had already stood by the wall, waiting for the two of them.

"What's the matter? You called us out on purpose."

Akie and Ichiri stood next to Hongxia.

"It's nothing serious."

Hongxia had a cheerful smile on her face as always.

"There's something I want to say to you two. But, I feel a little embarrassed if I say it in front of everyone..."

Qiu Hui was a little surprised by Hongxia's embarrassed look.

"So Hongxia can also feel shy," she said. "It's a little hard to imagine."

"Really? What kind of image do I have in Xiao Qiuhui's mind?" Hong Xia sighed, a little reproachfully, "Actually, I may not be as sunny and cheerful as you think."

She leaned lightly against the store's outer wall, gazing thoughtfully at the vending machine across the path.

"I was the one who initiated the band's end, and I sometimes call myself the leader. But actually... ahahaha, I'm surprisingly fragile, right? To be honest, I'm afraid I'm not a qualified leader."

Hongxia smiled and said in a self-deprecating tone.

"It was the same this time. I was encouraging everyone before I went on stage, but after I went on stage, I was the first one to make a mistake because of nervousness, and everyone had to find ways to help me solve it."

She turned her head and looked at Akie and Ichiri with an apologetic look.

"Akiie-chan's performance helped me find the right direction when I was panicking. And Ichiri-chan changed the audience's perception of us. I always feel... very sorry for the two of you who saved this performance."

"I am really grateful to everyone for helping me in such an awkward situation."

Even after saying this, she still maintained a gentle and lively smile on her face.

Sure enough, Qiu Hui thought.

She had already apologized to everyone backstage when the performance just ended.

Although everyone just laughed it off and didn't take it seriously, Qiu Hui felt that she might be able to understand it.

In situations like this, the more indifferent others appear to be, the more the person involved will start to care.

Akie was about to say something, but unexpectedly, it was Goto Ichiri who spoke first.

"That's not the case!" Ichiri shook his head vigorously. "Nijiya is such a gentle person, and she has been trying hard to encourage me, a useless person. I, I think that if I can join the band with Nijiya..."

As she spoke, Yili's voice became smaller and smaller. She was not good at expressing her feelings to begin with, and the courage she had finally mustered was soon exhausted, and she became weak.

"...It's great to be able to join the ending band with Nijigasaka." Akie said with a smile, "Pochi, I said it for you. Because, I actually think so too."

She looked in Hongxia's direction and said to her, "I just like listening to music. I don't have any special interest in playing it. When I was a child, my family asked me to learn the piano, but I just did it to get by."

"But... I think that being able to be with Nijixia and everyone else, playing on stage in the name of finishing the band, may be something that makes me happier than the performance itself."

Having said that, Qiu Hui pushed her glasses up a little embarrassedly.

"Didn't Nijiya just say that? She felt like she had caused trouble for everyone. I don't know how everyone sees it, but for me at least... I don't think it's unpleasant to be 'involved' by a friend like this and then lend a helping hand to her."

"On the contrary, I think it would be great for me to be able to help everyone like this."

"So that's what Qiu Hui thought." Hongxia nodded as if a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders. "Thank you."

She was silent for a moment, as if she was considering what to say next.

"By the way, there is one thing. Akiie asked me before about my opinion on 'ending the commercialization of the band'. I didn't answer at that time, and I still haven't answered until now."

"Indeed. So, do you want to take this opportunity to say it out loud?" Akie asked.

"Yeah." Hongxia nodded and looked at Akie and Ichiri.

“Actually… I don’t know where to start with this topic.”

She stood with her hands behind her back, looking up at the sky, as if looking for a starting point for the conversation.

“…By the way. By the way, have you two heard of 『Guitar Hero』?”

"I've heard about him from Pochi before." Akie nodded, "He said he was a great guitar blogger. After watching his videos, I really think he's amazing. He just plays guitar in sportswear, but..."

Wait, gym clothes?

Akie turned her head to look at Goto Ichiri, and the other person's nervousness was clearly visible.

“Ah… well, actually…”

"That's right." Hong Xia smiled, "The guitar hero is actually Pochi-chan? After hearing such powerful playing, anyone can guess it."

"Ah, ahahaha... I'm sorry for keeping it a secret from everyone..." Goto Ichiri declared surrender.

Akie couldn't help but laugh: "Isn't this good? With your ability, Pochi, you really deserve higher popularity."

After saying that, she turned to Hong Xia and said, "But if this happens, won't there be one more celebrity in the band?"

"That's right." Hongxia nodded. "First it was you, Xiaoqiuhui, and then Xiaobochi. I didn't expect that the ending band I established on a whim would have strong people like you without realizing it..."

"I feel like this will allow me to think about my dream more seriously."

Hong Xia paused for a moment, as if she was gathering her emotions.

"I don't object to Akie's plan. Rather, I'm very grateful to Akie for helping me. Although I don't have much idea about money and other things, if we want to make the End Band a well-known and popular band, commercialization is necessary, right?"

"I want to make the band famous and a shining band that everyone likes - including my sister's!"

She stated her ambition firmly.

"Sister? Do you mean the store manager?" Qiu Hui asked.

"Yeah, that's right! Where should I start..."

Hongxia hesitated for a moment.

"...I don't think I've told you about my family situation yet." She smiled sheepishly, "Because I don't think it's something I can talk about."

Goto Ichiri instinctively showed a shrinking attitude, as if he foresaw that what he was about to hear would not be so light-hearted and pleasant.

"But, given the situation right now, I think it's okay to say it."

Hong Xia narrated her past in a plain and natural tone.

"My mother actually passed away when I was very young. My father is always busy with work and is not at home, so my family now actually only has my sister."

"My sister used to be in a band. She was afraid that I would be lonely, so after mom left, she often took me to live houses."

"At that time, I really liked the atmosphere in the store. I can't tell whether I really liked it or it was just because of my sister. But after my sister realized this, she quickly quit the band and opened this live house."

Hongxia lowered her head, a look of happiness in her eyes.

"STARRY is the new home my sister created for me."

"So, Nijiya, your dream is to make the band famous..." Ichiri asked, "including your sister's dream?"

"Um!"

Hongxia nodded vigorously.

"And it's not just about becoming famous. I want the band to become a warm place like a family. I want to pass on the love my sister gave me to all of my bandmates!"

Hongxia, with her hands behind her back, looked at Ichiri and Akie with a smile.

"Of course, becoming famous, increasing popularity, and achieving commercial success are all things in the future. Right now, I only want to ask you for the second half—"

"——Please become a member of the family of the End Band!"

Under the moonlight, Hongxia's smile is gentler than the moonlight.

With such a gentle smile, she extended an invitation to the two of them.

"...Yes! I...I'm honored!" Goto Ichiri quickly agreed.

But Togawa Aie has been slow to express her opinion.

“Aki? Aki…Wow! Aki, why are you…crying all of a sudden?”

Facing Ichiri who screamed in surprise, Qiu Hui reached out her hand belatedly, lifted up her glasses and wiped her eyes.

“…I think I really shed tears. Sorry, it’s probably a physiological reaction.”

Akie explained with a forced smile.

Although tears kept flowing from his eyes, his expression was still managed to remain calm.

In the eyes of others, I might look scary like this, right?

"I lost my temper, please don't mind it."

After wiping away the tears that had welled up for some unknown reason, Qiu Hui calmed herself down and looked at Hong Xia in front of her.

"Please allow me to confirm this again. Is this the conclusion you came to after careful consideration, Hongxia?"

"Of course." Hongxia nodded vigorously.

Perhaps she had guessed a lot of things; perhaps she also had her own opinions on all of this.

But she didn't say anything. In front of Togawa Akie, she just smiled and held out her hand.

This was a way to officially announce that Akiie would be accepted as part of the band... and become a member of this "second family".