The social phobia substitute will not dream of the band girl

"No, I'm here for something else. After all, it's the Ghost Festival... I made a mistake, it should be the Ullambana Festival here, so whether it's summoning spirits or doing something else, it might be easier."

Mr. Pingxin, are you awake?

"Ahaha, I see... Thank you."

Thanks...

Who to thank?

Thank you for what?

Although he tried hard to be a normal person, it seemed a little difficult to understand these adolescent JKs from the perspective of an adult "old man".

"You're welcome... I'm just acting according to my own will."

So in the end he could only say something that seemed very cool, although it was also the truth.

"Well, thank you!"

"..."

So dazzling!

Too dazzling!

"Um... I have something to say. Can I take up a moment of your time?"

"Go ahead." Ping Xin answered simply.

But he didn't look at the people around him. Perhaps it was because he felt guilty or was afraid, or maybe it was just out of simple respect, or should it be all of the above?

Human emotions are always so complicated. If it were only rationality, humans might be able to go further, but they would never be able to "live" like they do now.

"Thank you... As expected, Hirayuko-kun is actually a very gentle person - although he is a bit fickle."

Okay, I get it. If you want to say something, say it quickly!

Pingxin pretended to look around at the scenery, although anyone with a discerning eye could see that he was quite uneasy, because of her and other reasons.

"Actually...I have a real dream——

My mother passed away when I was very young, and my father was never at home. My sister was the only family member who stayed with me.”

"..."

"After my sister started playing in a band, I felt lonely so I asked her to take me to a livehouse... To me at that time, everything there was so glittering and full of happiness. Seeing me like this, my sister quit the band and opened a livehouse.

STARRY is the performance venue that my sister created specifically for me... Although my sister will definitely not admit it herself, right~?"

You are so sad in your heart...but you only choose to show me the happy part?

Unlike her sister Xingge who is a bit tsundere, Hongxia's personality can only be described as gentle.

"So my real dream is to combine my sister's unfulfilled dream and become a popular band, making STARRY even more famous!"

Although she didn't look back, Pingxin could feel that Hongxia was saying this with her head raised, tears in her eyes, but a smile on her face.

"...Isn't that great?"

People's help to others may not be truly out of good intentions. It may also be due to the desire to show themselves, the idea of ​​wanting to show themselves to gain favor, and the emptiness that only this behavior can provide the meaning of existence.

But doing good is doing good, and there is nothing wrong with the act itself.

So although he is still doing some things without expecting anything in return, he will not force himself or others, but will accompany them naturally like he does now, and spend these difficult years with them.

Just in the end...

Perhaps it was sympathy, or resonance, or perhaps it was the male chauvinism and brotherly nature in him that was at work, but after hesitating for a moment, Ping Xin raised his right hand and touched her head.

Seeing Ping Xin's lack of reaction, Hong Xia, who was hesitant about whether to continue, thought that her "taking out the trash" behavior made him unhappy, burst into laughter and continued, "But after actually starting the band, I sometimes wondered... if my dream was just a momentary impulse - to be honest, there were many times when I wanted to give up. After all, reality is never as easy as ideal~"

"...It's perfectly normal for people to reflect on their actions and original intentions after encountering setbacks, and it's also perfectly normal to lose confidence. So, before I take action, I always plan and prepare for the worst-case scenario. This way, I can maximize my chances of success, and even if I fail, I won't be too heartbroken."

"Ahaha, as expected, Pingxin-brother is completely different from me. He is very amazing - just like a teacher." Even though what Pingxin said was inappropriate and did not care about her feelings, Hongxia was actually happy.

After all, she was simply expressing her feelings and wanted to share her story, and Ping Xin was just...

"I just said what I wanted to say. Whether you listen to it or not, as long as you listen, there will always be something left in your mind... Just like you now, right?"

"...!"

Ping Xin carried a small bucket and a large wooden spoon that looked like the one the cafeteria lady would use to make soup, and the two continued walking.

"but--!"

Hong Xia almost shouted, but lowered her voice as if she was afraid of disturbing something, and her emotions:

"We're still different. After all, Ping Xin brother said that because he was considering my feelings, right? Just like when we were together all the time, just like now... so gentle, so reliable, so handsome, just like a real brother!"

"No, it's not as good as you said...it's a little embarrassing~"

Ping Xin scratched his face. To be honest, he was the type who would only respond to soft words and not hard ones, so he always didn't know what to do at times like this.

"Besides... I don't think there's that much difference between us—gentle, reliable, handsome... Aren't these words also very suitable for you who always helps others, always takes care of others, and always gives your all on stage?"

!

"...Hahaha——I always feel like you're quite cunning, Ping Xin-ge."

"Huh, people often say that, I didn't expect you to find out~"

When she arrived at her mother's grave, Hongxia closed her eyes and clasped her hands together.

Did you convey what you wanted to say this time?

Pingxin helped her water the tombstone, while Hongxia also carefully cleaned it. Although it couldn't be as shiny and new as if it had just left the factory, it was fine.

"I also brought beautiful flowers and delicious tributes~?"

"Oh, how cute! Mom would be so happy if she saw it!"

After placing the tribute, Hong Xia clasped her hands together in front of the tombstone again, but this time her expression was much cuter than before. After all, people always look best when they smile naturally.

"...Hirashin-san, thank you so much—without you, we wouldn't be able to do what we're doing today. It feels like... stepping onto the Tokyo Summer Music Festival stage is like a dream~"

No, it is actually possible to do it, but it may take a long time. It is likely that you will not be able to step onto such a stage until you are in college or even later...

How could he possibly say that?

But if it were now, is there anything that must be done or anything that must be said?

"...I'd be proud—"

"...Eh?"

"Your mother must be watching all this from the sky like a star, so she must be proud of you and you two!"

"..."

People's emotions often burst out in just a moment, and many people cannot realize that the reason why they cry is not because of the little thing in front of them, but because of countless moments in the past.

"...Cry it, it's okay, I'll be with you--"

As he spoke, Pingxin held her in his arms. His broad and warm chest at this moment broke through the concept of father/brother, and instead felt more like the embrace of her mother, making her nostalgic.

He can understand, he cannot understand, he is willing to understand.

The world has never been gentle. It is cold, cruel and ruthless. It runs on its own and never stops for anyone.

But Ping Xin is different. Although he is also cold, stubborn and rational, he is willing to stay here for others and use his not-so-warm body to heal every cold and scarred heart.

He is not gentle by nature, but the world is crueler than him.

Therefore, he who understands pain and coldness can gradually become gentle and passionate, from learning and imitating at the beginning, to becoming a human being with a shining soul...

Although, I don’t seem to realize this yet.

"When you are sad, eat something sweet, it will make you feel better..."

Pingxin stuffed the snacks that had been placed as tribute on the grave into Hongxia's mouth. Since they were produced by Pingxin, the taste was naturally guaranteed and as delicious as ever.

By the way, the Dong people will take away the offerings after sweeping the tomb, because if left for a long time, it will often attract animals such as crows and cats to steal the food. This is considered a civilized etiquette for tomb sweeping.

And even if it doesn't work, Hongxia's mother won't mind. After all, this is to comfort her important daughter~

"By the way, speaking of Brother Pingxin... Pingxin, what exactly are you doing here?"

"Ah, this is actually a very simple thing—"

......

...

..

"No, no, no! No matter how I think about it, it doesn't work! Rather, why did you destroy the tombstones here?"

Because of her height, Ijichi Hongxia couldn't do "high" operations like locking a man with force♂, so at this moment she could only stop Ping Xin by hugging him from behind——

After all, there is someone here who said that he would kick the tombstone to pieces!

"Hey, but this is my family's tombstone. How we deal with it is our internal matter, right?"

"I see... Isn't that even more unacceptable?!"

Rather, why did you attack your own tombstone? Could it be that?

Internal struggles that are unique to large families?

"Haha, my parents aren't in there anyway, so it's okay~"

"I see... Even if your parents aren't in there, it's still wrong to do this, right? Or rather, your parents, Hiraishin, are no longer around, right?!"

Although she said it in a sarcastic tone, Hong Xia was actually quite emotional in her heart, but these emotions were hidden like other emotions, waiting for the day to break out of the ground.

Feeling the touch of the little bun behind him becoming more and more clear, Ping Xin had no choice but to stop temporarily... and stop.

"It doesn't matter. They're probably... no, definitely not dead yet. Otherwise, the resurrection experiment would have been successful."

Souls exist in this world, and the power of magnetic fields can perfectly create the body of the deceased and then gradually retrieve the soul to achieve the purpose of resurrection.

However, during the previous experiment, Ping Xin discovered that their souls were no longer in this world. Combined with the existence of ghosts and other souls he had seen before, what does this mean?

There is only one answer——

His parents are probably not dead yet, but have probably drifted into another world for unknown reasons, which is probably the same as the second DLC in his father's autobiography.

And just now, he had observed the future through the ability of the Inscription of Foresight and found a way to go to another world.

The future anchor point has been determined, so all we have to do next is follow the steps and wait for the opportunity.

"Don't talk about resurrection. The dead can't be resurrected. Please calm down for a moment, okay? Or go get some sleep, okay?"

Hongxia has become like her mother again, Pingxin complained in his heart.

"Please don't worry about that. I'm obviously in a very good mental state (serious). As for the truth of the matter, perhaps one day you will know and understand it."

Looking at Ijichi Hongxia who was half-believing and half-doubting but finally sighed, Pingxin felt a warm feeling in his heart——

Hong Xia is worthy of being everyone's mother!

"Anyway, since there's nothing else to do, let's go back and continue training. Even though we'll only be performing three songs for about 15 minutes that day, the effort we need to put in won't be enough for 150 minutes~"

"That's right. Without everyone here, we can't start training. Let's go back quickly!"

Hongxia is in high spirits now, after all, she just had a wave of memories, and now she is Hongxia promax!

The two of them started walking out, eating snacks as they walked.

Wait, motorcycles don’t have trunks, so where were these snacks placed before?

Looking at the delicious snack in her hand, Hong Xia fell into deep thought.

Could it be that these things are like the food given by the raccoon monster in the story, which look like delicacies at the time, but will turn into leaves once the spell is lifted?

"By the way, why didn't Sister Xingge come with you? Is it really because she was embarrassed?"

"I think so... After all, even though my sister looks like that, she sometimes cries while watching a movie."

People who are cold on the outside but warm on the inside are basically like this. Once their sensitive spots are touched, they will easily reveal their emotions.

"In fact, many adults are like her. They have no one to talk to, and their emotions, which have nowhere to be released, brew in silence, and eventually collapse in some unknown place—"

"Ahhh, I get it. I'll go see her when I get back!"

See, I told you humans are very forgetful creatures~

Ping Xin nodded with satisfaction.