Loneliness and Rock and Roll with Band Observer

After that, the two continued to discuss the topic of composing music.

after a while.

"...I feel that this is enough for now." Li Xi concluded, "How about we stop here today? We can discuss further after I finish the follow-up work."

"I think it's fine." Akie nodded. "Oh, by the way, besides 'Haruhi Kage', does Shiina-san have any plans to compose any new songs?"

"New song?" Li Xi was stunned.

"After all, it's a new band, so I think they should have new songs." Akie suggested, "And... if Deng wants to completely get out of the shadow of the previous band's disbandment, I think new songs are also necessary."

Although Akie hadn't realized it yet, this proposal hit Shiina Riki's strike zone precisely.

Her mind seemed to go blank for a moment due to ecstasy.

New song...

In other words, let the lights sing... a song written not by Toyokawa Shoko, but by me?

"That's a really good proposal!" She nodded vigorously. "What you said really makes sense, Senior! Well, let's stop here for today. I'll contact you again as soon as I find an idea for a new song!"

She then stood up suddenly, as if she couldn't wait to say goodbye to Qiu Hui.

"Ah, we have indeed talked about almost everything today...see you next time?"

"See you later!"

Looking at the back of Shiina Riki who was leaving in a hurry and seemed to be in extremely high spirits, Akie felt a little confused.

Why is she so excited all of a sudden?

Chapter 22 Melancholy

Although I don't understand Shiina-san's specific thoughts, judging from her high spirits, today's negotiations were probably relatively successful.

After all, we are all high school students, and the topics we discuss are not very relevant. As long as the other party appears happy, we can basically assume that the other party is really happy.

In this way, it can be considered as helping Aine and Deng solve a problem, right?

Thinking of this, Qiu Hui felt quite happy.

"Well then, what should we do next..."

Qiu Hui pushed the empty glass in front of her to the table, stood up, and prepared to leave RiNG.

The study session will be here soon, but before that I feel like I don’t want to study at all.

The first draft has just been submitted, and it will probably take some time for the library to review it.

I don't feel like practicing... I don't feel motivated.

From this point of view, even if it is just for the sake of subsequent work efficiency, we should seize the opportunity to take a break.

"Well, let's find a place to relax next." She happily decided on the arrangements for tonight.

There is no special purpose, just wandering around, eating, drinking and having fun.

Come to think of it, it seems like it’s been a long time since I had this kind of experience since the library arranged for me to play in a band.

It's a rare opportunity like this, so I should just relax tonight, Qiu Hui thought.

Forget about study, work, socializing, and everything for a while.

Ikebukuro is a bustling district comparable to Shinjuku and Shibuya. Although Akie doesn't plan to spend much money, the developed business and huge flow of people are enough to create a "scenery" in the social sense, just like the famous mountains and rivers in nature.

If you just walk through it, there is no charge.

As the sky darkened, the streets gradually became more lively. Countless people came and went, disappearing from each other's world after half a second of interaction.

The colorful billboards form a staggered sea of ​​flowers. Even if the economic and media meanings behind them are removed, the colors and shapes alone are enough to create aesthetic significance.

Qiu Hui felt that she actually really liked walking alone in such a bustling commercial district, savoring the perverse feeling of being close to others physically but distant from them psychologically.

What is my attitude towards socializing?

If it is disgust, why do I desire friendship so much?

If I love it, why would I enjoy being alone right now?

Passing by a couple holding hands, Qiu Hui sighed.

Perhaps, using a single label to summarize oneself is a privilege enjoyed only by virtual characters.

Human beings' true thoughts are always like this, vague and contradictory.

Qiu Hui strolled along the sidewalk, passing through the crowd and traffic.

There is no destination and I don’t care about the direction. When I encounter a fork in the road, I just randomly choose one according to my mood.

It doesn’t matter where I go because I can always find the station with the help of mobile navigation.

Thanks to the convenience brought by technological progress, even someone like me who has no sense of direction can move freely in a huge city like Tokyo.

Passing by numerous intersections, countless signboards, shop windows, and roadside trees, the unfamiliar scenery slowly passed by Qiu Hui's eyes, lingered for a moment, and then disappeared in her memory.

Apart from the soreness in my feet, I don't remember anything at all.

At this time, Qiu Hui looked up at the sky. The sunset glow announced the passage of time, but looking around, she found that she had gone around in circles and seemed to have returned to the intersection at the beginning.

If you just keep moving forward without paying any attention to the direction, you will often end up going in circles unconsciously.

"Even though I'm just going around in circles, I still feel tired."

Thinking of this, Akie decided to take a break in the third store on the right from the front, which looked a bit like a bar.

As for why I chose this place? Who knows.

Maybe it's because the string of Latin letters on the sign looks cooler.

Passing by the scattered booths, Qiu Hui found a seat in front of the bar and sat down.

"What would you like?"

The bartender was a tall, cold-faced young woman. She pulled out a soft drink menu from under the table and gently placed it in front of Qiu Hui.

After receiving the menu, Qiu Hui looked around as usual. Although the decoration style was a bit like a bar, it didn't have the kind of atmosphere that was unfriendly to high school students.

In fact, she happened to see a few people wearing school uniforms and looking like students sitting in a booth somewhere.

After all, it is a shop on a street in a downtown area, so the security level should not be too bad...

Just as Qiu Hui was thinking this, she noticed an inconspicuous sign mounted on the wall.

It is posted side by side with the "No Drinking for Minors" sign, and the main colors are futuristic blue and white.

"ARGOS Co., Ltd. reminds you: This store has been connected to a surveillance network," a warning message was written on it.

Some familiar names made Qiu Hui frown slightly.

After running away from home, she still kept the habit of paying attention to economic and technological news from time to time.

Therefore, although she had not had direct contact with her father for a long time, she was quite familiar with the recent developments of her father's business.

"Argos" is one of the companies under the holding group led by my father. It mainly operates in the robot business. The most important development in recent times is the cooperation with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department to carry out the construction of a project to interconnect monitoring systems and police robots.

Qiu Hui remembered that this matter seemed to be still at the stage of wrangling in parliament half a year ago, and there were even protests due to "privacy issues."

Logically speaking, this matter should have taken a long time before any progress was made.

“…I didn’t expect it to be put into practical use now.” Akie sighed, “You are really hardworking, father.”

Although she knew that the person on the other side of the surveillance camera was not her father but the Metropolitan Police Department, she still felt a subtle sense of discomfort because of the illusion that she was being spied on by her family.

Feeling a bit depressed, she looked through the drinks menu and chose a non-alcoholic cocktail with Calpis and Sprite as the main ingredients.

Lying on the bar table, the ambient music in my ears did not leave any special impression.

She took the prepared drink from the bartender and took a sip. The sweet and sour taste of the lactic acid bacteria drink and the soda, plus the salty and astringent taste of soda water brought by the several auxiliary ingredients, intertwined into a subtle flavor in Qiu Hui's mouth.

Although it is mainly sweet, the slightly pungent sourness is more impressive.

Qiu Hui scooped a piece of ice from the cup with a stirring spoon, put it into her mouth, and chewed it with a crunch.

The stimulation of the low temperature on her teeth and tongue made her sober. After waking up, she began to think about a problem.

If I had to choose someone who suddenly appeared next to me right now, who would I choose?

Or maybe, I don’t want to choose either one and just want to continue to be alone like this?

Chapter 23: Socializing is a kind of creation

Feeling the crushed ice cubes mixing with the drink melting away little by little in her mouth, Qiu Hui thought quietly.

"The unexamined life is not worth living."

Qiu Hui roughly agreed with this truth, so it was difficult for her to suppress the urge to examine her own life.

What exactly does socializing mean to me? She reflected.

This question may not be answered with just a single emotional tendency such as "like" or "hate".

If I had to find a way to describe it...

...Perhaps, socializing is a "well-paid but exhausting job" for me now.

Qiu Hui picked up the glass in front of her and pretended to taste wine. Although the glass was filled with a harmless soft drink, she still deliberately pretended to have the lazy and decadent impression that alcohol brings.

At this moment, she suddenly remembered the last time she "drank".

Although I said I was drinking, I actually just tasted a little bit at the instigation of my mother.

"As a girl, you don't have to drink on your own initiative, but you should still try to adapt to social situations. At the very least, you should know the limit of your alcohol tolerance, so as not to get into all kinds of trouble after getting drunk..."

At that time, I didn't understand all the twists and turns.

I just feel that the bitter, astringent and spicy taste will only make people feel uncomfortable. It is hard to imagine that adults would be willing to pay a high price to torture themselves with this feeling.

Of course, even now, my opinion has not changed.

Drinking itself is not a pleasure at all.

However, the "landscape" called "drinking" that is tied to wine and is a fusion of gentle anesthesia, emotional release and just the right amount of melancholy is aesthetically desirable.

Thinking of this, Qiu Hui raised the cup in her hand, imagined herself as a wanderer full of sorrow, raised the cup to her non-existent friend, and drank the little remaining drink in one gulp.

Although she had finished her drink, she didn't want to leave yet, so she picked out the remaining ice cubes from the cup and chewed them to kill time.

By the way, we have planned to hold a study session together tomorrow.

By that time, the party with seven people participating must be very lively.

If I had attended this kind of party hosted by many classmates before I left home, I would definitely have been unconsciously ignored and become a marginal person outside the topic.

Because, at that time, I didn’t understand the tricks of this “job” of socializing.

Swallow the melted ice water in your mouth and feel it flowing into your esophagus.

Qiu Hui smiled with some emotion.

But I am no longer the same person I was before.

Treat others with a polite and sincere attitude, and always remember to consider and take into account other people's ideas; maintain a polite and professional attitude towards strangers, and show your "real side" to friends inadvertently...

…This is how I leave a good impression on everyone and make new friends.

Qiu Hui smiled as if to mock herself.

The real side?

It's just a "contrast" character commonly seen in commercial works.

Behind the "false" side is the "real" side, and tension is created by such contrast; but the so-called "reality" is, after all, the result of the creator's arbitrary setting.

Behind the truth is nothingness.

It is something extremely boring that cannot be shown to readers under any circumstances.

...So, "socializing" is indeed like "writing novels" to me.

The beloved character "Togawa Akeie" was created in front of everyone.

In front of the readers, create the character "Akirako" who can attract the audience.