Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

After noticing that Akie had finished drinking, Shoko stood up first and tried to pay the bill himself.

"That's not necessary, we can just pay for our own bills." Qiu Hui advised.

"I ordered the bill for you, Senior." Xiangzi insisted, "Of course I should pay for it."

"That doesn't make sense..." Akie laughed, "Didn't Toyokawa-san say that he was having financial difficulties? I can't accept asking you to spend money under such circumstances."

Realizing that the other party's argument was reasonable, Xiangzi had no choice but to give up.

"I have other things to do, so I'll take my leave now. Thank you again for your cooperation today, Toyokawa-san... Oh, by the way."

Before leaving, Qiu Hui suddenly remembered something.

Although Xiangzi didn't ask, she felt that she should not hide it out of moral obligation.

"There's something I want Toyokawa-san to know."

"What's the matter?" Xiangzi responded with a smile.

"It's about the band that Tomo is in." Akie said seriously, "The band has four official members. Tomo is the lead singer, and the guitarist is her new friend Chihaya Aine."

"Yeah." Xiangzi smiled and nodded, "I've also seen that guitarist. He's a nice guy."

"It's not over yet." Akie shook her head. "The remaining two members are drummer Shiina Tatsuki and bassist Nagasaki Motoyo. In addition to me, who is currently serving as a support musician and temporarily replacing the keyboard player, there are a total of five people in the band."

Toyokawa Shoko's smile froze.

"Three of the four members of the band were originally members of CRYCHIC. And the idea of ​​forming this band was originally proposed by Chihaya Aine and Nagasaki Motoyo."

Akie said with a serious expression.

"Although Toyokawa-san didn't ask, I personally think that you have the right to know this. I have something else to do, so I'll take my leave now. I hope you have a good day."

After presenting the shocking facts to Shoko, Akie left the Yuze Coffee Shop alone.

She felt that it might be a better choice to let Xiangzi digest the matter quietly and make his own independent judgment.

Chapter 5: Ghosts of the Past

After watching Akihie's back disappear from her sight and making sure that no one would notice her appearance, Toyokawa Shoko finally collapsed.

The calm demeanor that he had been trying to maintain from just now collapsed in an instant.

"Nagasaki Suyo...it's you after all." Xiangzi, lying on the table, whispered to himself.

This way, it can explain why she followed me before.

Senior Togawa, who had seen me before, was now in the same band as Suyo. Perhaps Suyo knew about my current situation in Hanaoka from her.

So, what happened this time?

Could it be that Senior Togawa was sent by Nagasaki Suyo to inquire about the information?

This idea made Xiangzi very unhappy.

...No, if you think about it carefully, it shouldn't be like this.

If Togawa-senpai was acting according to Suyo's instructions, she shouldn't have said those extra words at the end.

Maybe she really came to me for information just to satisfy her curiosity.

For some reason, Xiangzi seemed to feel that he was inclined to believe Akie's words.

Perhaps, this is because I felt an... inexplicable sense of intimacy from her.

She silently guessed the possible reasons in her heart.

Well, if we exclude Togawa-san's factor for now and just consider it from Suyo's perspective...

Thinking of this, Xiangzi couldn't help but frowned.

Ake Togawa is currently active as a supporting keyboardist in the band formed by Suyo.

Akihie herself has mentioned that the official keyboard player "has not yet been decided."

No matter what, since that guy is the one who formed the band...then the so-called official candidate who has not yet been decided must be me.

What a persistent fellow, Toyokawa Shoko thought with some disdain.

Even though I responded so coldly, that guy is still obsessed with me until now.

Even though we have invited Deng and Lixi, that guy is still not satisfied?

It has been more than a year since the end of CRYCHIC; why does she still have such willful thoughts even now?

...After all, why does it matter if I'm here?

If you want to play in a band, can't you find anyone?

Why must you insist on "CRYCHIC"?

It was clearly just a band that died just after holding its first performance...

Toyokawa Shoko closed her eyes in pain.

She slumped over the table in dejection.

I don't know what to do to calm down.

I could only try to stop the tears from flowing out by squeezing my upper and lower eyelids tightly.

...So, should I tell her why I can't go back?

As soon as this idea came into his mind, Xiangzi dismissed it.

Even if I tell her, it will only have the opposite effect.

If that self-righteous person knew my current situation, he would definitely be so self-moved that he would do a lot of unnecessary things.

Not only will you not forget me because of this, but it will only make you more motivated.

But... even if I keep it a secret from her, I won't be able to stop her from taking action.

Should I be more ruthless?

How far do I have to go, Nagasaki Suyo, for that guy to willingly... forget about me?

Toyokawa Shoko felt helpless from the bottom of her heart.

Because no one in this world could answer the question she had just asked.

……

at the same time.

Somewhere in the courtyard of Tsuki no Mori Girls' Academy.

The fine mist-like water stream sprayed from the spray bottle refracted the sunlight into rainbow colors.

The emerald green plants watered by these streams shine with vitality.

"It's growing very well. Is this an eggplant?"

Nagasaki Suyo smiled as she watched the vibrant scene before her.

The doll-like beautiful girl holding a watering can watered the plants in front of her and said calmly, "...These are cucumbers."

The cucumber plants growing in this corner of the courtyard were all planted by a girl named Wakaba Mutsu.

As the former guitarist of CRYCHIC, she is also a student of Tsuki no Mori.

Taking care of these plants is one of her unshakable daily activities as a member of the Horticulture Department.

"Xiao Mu is really amazing, she's worthy of being a member of the Gardening Club." Su Shi smiled and used just the right words to praise the girl in front of her for what she did.

"Yeah." Ruo Ye Mu responded with a normal expression, making it impossible to guess what she was thinking at the moment.

Mu was watering the cucumber plants that she had planted with her own hands, while Su Shi, with a smile on her face, stood beside her, accompanying her quietly.

After a moment's silence, Su Shi spoke.

"Mu, do you know? I met Xiaoxiang."

"...Yeah." Mu nodded.

"I never thought she would transfer to Yugaoka." Su Shi lowered her head slightly, "What kind of trouble did she run into? She didn't even want to tell everyone... But maybe she can't do it, right?"

Mu said nothing and just did what he was doing.

"But, Mu-chan and Xiang-chan are childhood sweethearts. Xiang-chan transferred to Hanegaoka, so Mu-chan should know about it, right? He obviously knew it a long time ago... why didn't he want to tell me?"

Sushi's tone of voice did not change and he remained smiling.

But Mu stopped what he was doing because of these words.

"Because Xiangzi doesn't want you to know." She said with her head down.

"..."

"...Yes." Su Shi smiled stiffly, "It's not Mu's fault."

She took two deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Fortunately, that kind of thing is no longer important. Now, I already know about Xiaoxiang's situation in Yuqiu... So, as long as I continue to work hard, I think her misunderstanding will be resolved."

Su Shi turned her head and looked at Mu who was watering the cucumbers.

"When Xiangzi comes back, I will definitely come to invite Mu. So, please wait a little longer."

"...Okay." Mu did not pause in his actions.

Silence returned between the two again.

This time, the silence lasted a long time.

After watering the plants, Mu squatted down, trimmed the branches and leaves, and pulled out the weeds.

After completing a series of tasks, she stood up, suddenly turned around, and met Su Shi's eyes.

"...Suyo."

"What's wrong, Mu-chan? Is there a problem?"

"Sushi, you formed a new band."

"Yes, that's true. And, I hope Mutsu and Shoko can come back too..."

"Then, the current guitarist and keyboardist."

Mu's expression didn't change much, and his tone was almost flat.

"…What will they do after we return?"

"..."

"...Xiao Mu, don't worry about unnecessary things."

Su Shi's smile looked almost scary.

"Xiao Mu, just wait for my good news."

"You don't need to think about anything else."

Chapter 6: So high school students still need to study?

After parting with Toyokawa Shoko, Akie took the train to Shimokitazawa.

While waiting for the train on the platform, she killed time by messaging Aine.

“Come to think of it, Hanegaoka’s final exams are coming up soon.” Aine sent a message saying, “How are you feeling, senpai?”

The final exam is coming soon, so the topic unconsciously turned to this aspect.

“Not so good.” Akie replied, “I’ve been busy with various things recently and have no mood to attend classes. But Aine, you transferred here recently, right? Are you okay with the exams?”

"No problem at all, huh?"

Qiu Hui felt as if she could sense the pride in the other person's tone even through the screen.

"Don't look at me like this, I'm actually very good at studying! Even though I just switched here not long ago, I've already caught up with the progress!"

"That's great, I'm happy for you too."

"It's a pity that you're a sophomore. If we were the same year, maybe I could help you."