Teacher Daxiang, let’s form a lifelong band!

Feeling the warmth from her beloved's arm transmitted to her chest, Nagasaki Suyo felt a lot more at ease.

Well, that's right.

Now she can sleep peacefully.

Good night, Lu Li.

......

[Faced with Lu Li's confession, you ran away because you knew clearly that you didn't love him as much as he loved you. Moreover, there were three other people around you who also loved Lu Li. Compared to you, they were more qualified to stand by Lu Li's side.]

[You don't hate Lu Li, but you don't like him that much either.]

So, you ran away.

After running away, you began to actively avoid Lu Li. You knew he still loved you, but the more he did so, the more timid you became.

[And so, you dragged it on, you didn't know how long you would put it off, but you knew you couldn't accept Lu Li's confession because you weren't that into him yet. Accepting his confession would be irresponsible, but you also didn't have the courage to completely reject his confession.]

[In your heart, you are actually a little proud that the person that Gao Songdeng and the other two like likes is you.]

【but......】

【Time passed day by day.】

You had excellent grades, so naturally, you were admitted to the University of Tokyo, envied by everyone. However, unlike you, no one else could get into the same university as you. Even Shiina Tatsuki, the best student in the band, barely made it to Kyoto University.

You feel a little disappointed that everyone isn't in the same university as you, because you don't have any friends anymore, but at the same time you're somewhat relieved because you can't face everyone, whether it's Lu Li or the other members of the band.

[On the day you were admitted to the University of Tokyo, you posted a circle of friends.]

Naturally, Lu Li sent you a message congratulating you on getting into the University of Tokyo. You silently apologized to Lu Li in your heart but didn't reply to him.

College life arrives as expected. After going through the hardships of high school, you no longer care about what others think of you. You no longer want to be the center of attention. You take everything in your life very calmly.

You're also keeping an eye on the band members. They're all pretty much the same as you, living their ordinary college lives, while Lu Li is tinkering around at home.

You were curious about what Lu Li was doing, but because of the awkward relationship between you, you didn't ask.

[But you soon found out what Lu Li was doing. It turned out that he was studying literature at home, and then, to no one's surprise, he won the Naoki Prize that year.]

Chapter 4.5: Try Your Best to Like (K)

The Naoki Prize is no stranger to anyone living in Japan. It's considered one of the highest awards in the literary field. You're genuinely happy for Lu Li.

[To celebrate Lu Li's award, the five members of your band have gathered together for a rare occasion.]

Actually, you don't really want to go because you still can't face Lu Li and everyone else. But on such an important day as Lu Li winning the Naoki Prize, you have to come no matter what. Otherwise, it won't be a question of deserting, but a question of whether you consider everyone your close friends.

So, you came to the appointment.

Contrary to what you might think, after the five of you gathered together, Lu Li didn't mention anything about relationships. You five finished your meal in amicable harmony, and until the end, Lu Li didn't say a word, as if nothing had happened.

[Does Lu Li no longer like you? ]

You can't help but think so.

Although you were very curious about this, you didn't have the courage to ask Lu Li for confirmation, so the celebration banquet for Lu Li's winning of the Naoki Prize came to an end.

You were somewhat relieved that the celebration party ended so easily. However, just as you were thinking this, Nagasaki Suyo stopped you.

"Anon, it's time for you to give your answer."

[Nagasaki Shoyo said this to you.]

"Last time you ran away, everyone understood and gave you enough time to be willful. But now, it's time for you to give an answer."

You looked at Nagasaki Suyo's serious face and didn't know how to start.

You don't actually hate Lu Li, but you can't say you like him that much either. Rejecting him would be a shame, but accepting him wouldn't be something you're ready for.

So, do you want to escape again?

"I like it if I like it, and I don't like it if I don't like it. It's been so long, and you still can't even express it out loud, Anon?"

Just when you were about to escape once more, Shiina Riki spoke up, her words breaking through your defenses, which weren't that thick actually.

[You know, there's probably no way you can escape this time.]

“I understand.”

You took a deep breath, then walked in front of Lu Li, deciding to put an end to it.

[Accept or reject, this time, you must give an answer to whatever you say.]

【"Feel sorry."】

You spoke slowly.

[“I still can’t accept your confession.”]

【You rejected Lu Li.】

Even though at the beginning of the simulation, you were determined to accept Lu Li's confession no matter what, you ultimately rejected it.

Feelings are heavy. Liking someone isn't something you say casually. Even if you've decided to accept it from the beginning, when you're faced with someone's passionate feelings for you, you're still a little overwhelmed. After all, you've never been truly loved by someone before.

“I see. I understand.”

After being rejected by you, you saw a hint of disappointment on Lu Li's face, but it disappeared in an instant. He asked softly, "Anon, can you tell me why you rejected me?"

You thought about it, then replied, "Because I don't like it that much."

【It’s not that I don’t like it, but I don’t like it that much. 】

[In reality, you two have only just met. Although you have experienced two lives together in the simulation, you have only been strangers to each other. Therefore, you are not that fond of each other.]

[“I understand. Thank you.”]

Lu Li thanked you solemnly, and then he made his decision right in front of you.

"Sorry, everyone. Thank you so much for liking me, but the person I've always liked is Anon. Sorry."

Lu Li rejected everyone in front of you, and at the same time, he also confirmed his love for you. Hearing Lu Li say this, you felt a little happy in your heart. Lu Li still likes you. Although there is no comparison between the five of you, you are indeed better than the other three members of the band in this aspect.

[But while you were secretly happy, you were also a little worried because you still couldn't respond to Lu Li's love for you, and you really didn't have anyone else you liked. You didn't know what your future with Lu Li would be like.]

[This gathering of the five of you ended quietly without any of you achieving victory.]

【After it was over, you returned home alone. 】

[That night, you tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. You wondered if you were wrong, and whether you should have accepted Lu Li's confession. But you also felt that you had done nothing wrong. Just like what Shiina Riki said, liking someone is liking them, and you didn't like them that much, so you were not wrong.]

After tossing and turning, you finally come to the conclusion that you still have a long life ahead of you. Even in this simulation, you've only just started college. You still have plenty of time, and perhaps you'll find the right answer in the future.

[But what you didn't expect was that Lu Li left not long after.]

"Everyone, the world is so big, I want to go see it." Leaving these words, Lu Li left Japan.

You weren't sure if Lu Li left because of you, and you didn't dare ask. Following the example of the others, you sent out your best wishes for a long journey to Lu Li in your small group chat. At the same time, you were thinking that perhaps during the time Lu Li was traveling abroad, you could come up with a suitable answer.

However, things turned out differently than you expected. You thought Lu Li was only away from Japan for a short time and would be back in a few years, but you never expected that your last gathering would be the last time the five of you would get together in your lives.

【Lu Li left and never came back.】

Just as he said, he said the world is so big and he wanted to see it, so he really went to every corner of the world.

[The vast savannah of Africa, the frozen Lake Thorning in Iceland, the pearl-like beauty of Lake Te Anau in New Zealand, and the Vienna State Opera in Vienna.]

【Lu Li's footsteps are all over the world.】

Whenever he visits a place, he shares his experiences in your five-member band chat group. He then stays there for a while, during which time he writes an article or poem based on his experiences. Nine times out of ten, these articles are about emotions.

[Just like Lu Li said, he will like you and always will.]

You finally realized that Lu Li left Japan not because he wanted to escape you, but so that you wouldn't have to escape him anymore. He left to accommodate you.

[The world is so big, he can go anywhere, but he can't stay in Japan. Because you can't face him, so in order to avoid making you feel distressed, he took the initiative to leave.]

【“…”】

Lu Li traveled to more and more places, leaving behind more and more works. His reputation gradually rose from a great writer in Japan to a world-class writer. The remaining four of you have long since graduated from university and started your own lives.

As you get older, the chat group that once belonged to you all on your phones has gradually become quieter. Lu Li still shares his experiences and his works, but you are tired of life and have grown up, and you no longer have the endless conversations you had when you were young.

The four of you will occasionally get together and share your current life situations with each other.

[As adults, you each developed differently. After graduating from the University of Tokyo, you chose to become a university teacher, Nagasaki Suyo became a lawyer, and Takamatsu Touma and Shiina Riki formed a professional band together with a few people you didn't know.]

You didn't ask Takamatsu Touma and Shiina Tatsuki why they didn't invite you and Nagasaki Motoyo to join the band, because you knew the answer without asking.

The four of you have different situations, but you all have one thing in common: you haven't married. Even as you've gotten older, and even though your friends have all gotten married and started families, you haven't chosen to find someone to marry and start a family with.

Your life is as peaceful as water. You pay attention to what Lu Li posts in the group chat, and you also pay attention to when Lu Li's articles are praised by a certain literary circle.

When you have some free time, you can read Lu Li's articles or poems. He writes very well, and his works are different from others. No matter where he is or what time it is, his works are full of emotion and have the energy of a tireless child.

【Lu Li never came back, and you grew older day by day.】

[Since you were not married, you adopted a little girl from an orphanage as your adopted daughter at your parents' urging. Perhaps inspired by you, you discovered that Nagasaki Suyo, Takamatsu Touma, and Shiina Tatsuki all made the same choice as you.]

[As a teacher, you think highly of Lu Li. Even if you ignore his feelings for you, his work is still worthy of your praise.]

[During lectures, you would occasionally talk about Lu Li's articles, and then you would smile and tell your students that Lu Li was your friend.]

"Chihaya-sensei, if you're familiar with Mr. Lu, could you please get Mr. Lu's autograph for me?"

"Sure! When he returns to China, I'll get his autograph for you."

You said this to your students with a smile. Looking at their excited faces, you wondered if Lu Li would ever return to China.

You didn't know whether Lu Li would return to China, but you knew that the feelings between you called love had already transformed into something else over time.

Time flies, and time keeps running. You gradually have white hair on your head, and the little girl you adopted gradually grows up and starts her own family. Your adopted daughter regards you as her real mother. You live together, just as you took care of her when she was young, and she will take care of you when you grow old.

You've grown gray, and Nagasaki Suyo and the others have too. But the funny thing is, after decades of not seeing each other due to your own lives, you've all been together so intimately now. The four of you, now old, discuss trivial matters and reminisce about the past. Occasionally, you'll bring out Lu Li's work and comment on it, saying he's still writing at his age and laughingly saying you'll make fun of him when he returns to China.

Do you still remember the vow you made in high school, that you would be in a band for life? You didn't do it, but you are indeed lifelong friends.

[Then, on a very ordinary morning, your adopted daughter told you the news of Lu Li's death.]

"Really? Lu Li is gone?"

"Yes, Mr. Lu Li passed away peacefully. He left with a smile on his face. I heard from the locals that he was still writing before his death."

You weren't surprised by Lu Li's death. An old man who didn't take good care of himself but traveled around the world and wrote every day, it would be strange if he could outlive you.

You laughed and cursed, "I knew it. We've already talked about him. He's still running around the world at his age..."

After a while, you looked at your adopted daughter and asked, "Where is he buried?"

"Teacher Lu Li is buried there."

【"snort......"】

You snorted and fell silent. You asked your adopted daughter to inform the other three of Lu Li's death. Everyone calmly accepted the news...

Three years after Lu Li's death, Nagasaki Suyo passed away. Although she had said in her youth that she would take good care of herself, she was the first person to pass away besides Lu Li.

[And just a few months after Nagasaki Suyo passed away, Shiina Tatsuki also passed away. Shiina Tatsuki died of illness, which was said to be the result of staying up too many nights in his youth.]

[A few years after Shiina Riki's death, Takamatsu Touma also passed away peacefully on an ordinary day.]

You were the only one left in the band that once had five members, and after everyone left, you realized that you were probably not going to be able to continue.

[Forming a lifelong band isn't just something I say casually. After the last ties are gone, everything is over.]

"You guys, if you want to leave, take me with you..."

You complained like that. Of course, you knew it had nothing to do with everyone else. It was just that you wanted to leave now that you had nothing to worry about.

Humans are ultimately social animals.

[After the last person who is most important to you leaves this world, it is time for you to leave.]

[Finally, on an ordinary night, you, whose eyesight had been blurry and unable to see clearly, suddenly found that your eyesight had become clearer.]

You smiled, knowing that everyone was here to pick you up.

[You pick up a collection of Lu Li's essays from the coffee table next to you and hold it in your arms. You slowly close your eyes.]

[Looking back on this life, your life has been quite complete, and you have found your answer in this life.]

[Although there are some small regrets, you do not regret your decision to reject Lu Li. If you don't like it, then you don't like it.]

[Of course, in this life, you also recognized Lu Li's feelings for you. Until the moment of his death, he was still writing for you.]