The social phobia substitute will not dream of the band girl

"oh--!"

Well... although at this point, there's absolutely no need to mobilise or cheer people up~

......

...

..

"call--..."

Only after leaving the team and going to the damp and cold toilet alone could Goto Ichiri finally breathe a sigh of relief.

My parents and sister were incredibly excited and enthusiastic about this event, even buying a camera just for it. After all, Goto Ichiri had participated in so many memorable activities throughout elementary and middle school that she even watched the entire sports meet from the sidelines.

So this time they were really motivated and determined to create some cherished memories. Otherwise, if they had grandchildren or a wedding in the future and couldn't bring anything out, it would be such a shame for them as parents!

Although Goto Ichiri always feels that they want to play too...

Although he never mentioned it, Ping Xin, always extremely cautious and eager to eliminate any external instability, actually enchanted the audience and the instruments on the stage before the performance. After all, a stage accident caused by a musician's fault is one thing, but failure caused by problems with the organizer's equipment or the contestants' instruments is another matter entirely.

The former is a shame to be remembered, a mistake to be learned from in the future, while the latter is simply bad luck, bad luck. And Ping Xin, who wants to prepare a "proper stage" for everyone, of course, will not miss even such details.

Holding their enchanted instruments, the band members, dressed in their latest performance clothes, were waiting backstage for the signal to go on stage. Even here, they could truly feel the enthusiasm of the audience below as if it pierced through the stage.

Although I've experienced similar grand occasions at the Tokyo Summer Music Festival, this time I was performing in front of my own home, in front of everyone I knew, which was a completely different kind of psychological pressure...

"Actually, you don't need to be nervous at all—"

Noticing that the four of them were all nervous to varying degrees, Ping Xin clapped his hands to draw their attention.

"Your hard work and talent are genuine. I can vouch for that with my personal reputation and even Little 00. As long as you follow the steps, you will definitely turn everyone at the venue into fans!"

"Little ○○...Puff~"

"Kora! What are you talking about in front of girls!...Pfft~!"

"Really? Senior is still the same. This won't do~"

After hearing Hirayuko's somewhat strange "promise", Yamada Ryo was the first to laugh, breaking the silence, while Nijika and Kita also gradually relaxed.

"..."

Absolutely no failure!

"Little Pochi?"

I never expected that the only person in the audience who was not laughing was Goto Ichiri. Even if she didn't really find it funny, she should have relaxed and laughed at this time. After all, sometimes the person telling the joke is the real source of laughter.

but...

Although no one knew why she suddenly looked so excited or why she was suddenly full of determination, everyone immediately perked up and started to get serious.

"For the MC (interactive segment), is it okay to introduce the members first, then the song, and then say a few impromptu lines?"

"No, it's better to say something funny during the cutscenes to liven up the atmosphere, like a popular band would, right?"

To be honest, I recommend playing it moderately here. After all, most of the time, bands interact with their own fan base. If there are more passers-by in the audience, it will become very awkward if everyone doesn't give face or can't let go.

"Actually, things like this will just have to wait and see... As long as the performance is good enough, even if you mess up during the MC, the audience will still accept you with a smile. At all times, for musicians, their own performance is the most important thing to focus on."

Although Pingxin uses the most advanced business operation methods, he is actually an orthodox musician. Isn't this a kind of irony?

Fortunately, this irony did work, and the environment in this world has indeed improved.

"Anyway, let's set a small goal first: finish the band mini album, the Seonghyang Festival limited edition, and sell 100 copies today!"

"It would be great if we could really attract so many fans... Wait, a mini album!?" Ijichi Nikka exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah, I prepared it secretly. After all, Hongxia, you were talking about this a few days ago... and selling merchandise is an important source of funds for the band. I didn't prepare much before to whet your appetite, but this is a big day, so I brought a little surprise~"

Seeing Ping Xin's smile, Hong Xia couldn't help but smile too, but her face quickly turned stern again. Because of Ping Xin's "surprise", and because of the sudden increase in pressure...

But when she was touched on the head, all of this was no longer a problem——

"Enjoy the stage, and the audience will respond to you... Just go for it, I'll always be there for you!"

forever......

Hearing this word, the four members who ended the band had their own thoughts in their minds but they all put it behind their minds.

Because there is only one thing they should do now, and that is to respond to Ping Xin's expectations and bring the best performance to the audience!

......

...

..

"[End Band]-san, it'll be your turn soon."

“Okay~~~~”

After responding to the staff responsible for the notification, Yamada Ryo, Ijichi Nikka, Goto Ichiri, and Kita Ikuyo, who had just taken a deep breath, began to make final preparations.

"Okay... then let's form a circle. Like that one where we hold hands first, then [Oh!] raise our hands together."

Although they had performed on world-class stages during summer music festivals, at that time they were only focused on practicing and practicing, and had no real sense of becoming a well-known band.

But this time is different, in Tokyo, at Shengxiang Middle School, in the place where they live and are within their reach, [The End Band] is finally going to truly announce their existence to everyone!

Although Yamada Ryo was somewhat disgusted by such "passionate" plots, or perhaps he was simply embarrassed, and Goto Ichiri was obviously not used to such interactions, when the four of them put their hands together, they still felt a sense of connection, a sense of teamwork and family.

"One, two..."

Chapter 97: Celebration Banquet

From the sound check and equipment preparation behind the scenes before the performance, to the first song, the MC (interactive performance) in the middle, to the second and third songs, and even the final encore, the four members of the closing band performed well and perfectly demonstrated their professional level of strength.

"Cheers——!" x7

The performance was perfect, and over 200 copies of the limited edition mini album "Shengxiang Festival" were sold on site, not counting follow-up orders, additional orders, and online purchases by fans from outside the city...

Anyway, judging from the fact that Yamada Ryo started browsing the web to "select dishes" again tonight, she should be able to buy many of her favorite musical instruments with this dividend... Unfortunately, it is impossible this time.

Because Pingxin is going to keep the New Year's money for the children this time. After all, financial income is one of the most obvious conditions for gaining recognition from others. He also hopes to use this to help convince the Yamada couple.

As long as you follow me, your daughter will have a bright future and great financial prospects.jpg

Of course, the person involved in this matter, Ryo Yamada, is still unaware of it. After all, you have to make people happy after working hard, right?

Incidentally, at the request of the four parties involved, the celebration party was held not at Senryukaku or Hiranobu's house, but at a regular izakaya outside. Furthermore, the expenses were covered by the band's earnings, as a token of gratitude for Hiranobu, Ijichi Nijika, Hiroi Kikuri, and the others' assistance.

Incidentally, PA-san wasn't coming tonight due to an event, as was Sick Hack's guitarist, Elisa Shimizu. Iwashita Shima, the common sense person on Kikuri's team, declined their invitation but sent them a congratulatory message. Considering she often helps Kikuri out, she'll give her the day off...

"Excuse me—beer, another one~!"

"...Drink less and eat more vegetables——"

Looking at the purple-haired drunken angel standing beside him, who seemed like a child, Ping Xin could only tap her head as a reminder to her not to drink too much again. During the day at school, she had caused a lot of trouble for others when she was drunk. Although she was not a bad drinker, drunks were really troublesome to those who didn't know her well.

"Hey~ Today is okay~~~~"

Her daily routine and health gradually improved, but Hiroi Kikuri's tolerance for alcohol and her patience with being spoiled kept decreasing. If she was drunk, she would sometimes cling to others like this.

...are you really drunk?

Forget it, it’s more interesting not to delve into this kind of thing.

"Okay... that's fine then." Patting Kikuri's head, Pingxin came up with a compromise: "If you can still walk home safely in the end, there will be a reward. If you want me to carry you home, you have to accept the punishment obediently-"

"Well..."

It's really interesting to see her pretending to be drunk and trying to think hard. What kind of expression will she make if she finally figures out that rewards and punishments are the same one day?

After taking a sip of iced Calpis, Pingxin was in a good mood today, very good!

But... not everyone feels the same as him——

"What's wrong with Pochi-chan? You look absent-minded. Is she not feeling well?" Hongxia asked quietly in Goto Ichiri's ear, but the latter, who was not paying attention here, was startled.

"Ah!... Um... Um... I'm so sorry!"

He was frightened and screamed, which scared everyone else. Being stared at by everyone, Yili lowered his head in embarrassment, feeling even more regretful.

"Come to think of it, at the end of the performance, Pochi seemed to want to play something, but the string suddenly broke... This wasn't part of our rehearsal plan. Was it some kind of surprise?"

Yamada Ryoya raised his own question, and in fact, this was something that the three members of the band and Hiranobu had all noticed. However, Goto Ichiri seemed depressed about it after the performance, so no one raised it immediately.

"Um, um... it's——"

The performance was a complete success, and she was greeted with applause from the audience on stage. Then, she, Goto Ichiri, would use her song to convey her feelings to someone important. That was her original plan...

Seeing that Ichiri's mood was obviously getting depressed, Hongxia hurriedly comforted her: "It, it can't be helped, right? After all, no one can predict that the guitar will suddenly break. This kind of thing is just like the wind and rain, it's all luck. It's very kind of you to have this thought, so it's definitely not Pochi-chan's fault--!"

Is just the thought enough?

No, if I can't express my feelings, nothing can change. I practiced singing so hard for today, getting to the point where I could sing in front of everyone, even if it wasn't perfect. But then my guitar strings broke and I was forced to stop...

"Is this my fate...?" Goto Ichiri, who was in deep regret, didn't notice that she was talking to herself.

No, it's not! My elders said that the so-called "fate" is often just an excuse people make for their own weakness.

If the guitar doesn't play as planned because a string is broken, can't she improvise using her memory and technique, or even sing it a cappella?

No, singing a cappella is still a bit...

Goto Ichiri may have gained courage and recognition from others, but for now, it is still limited to music, specifically the guitar.

She's only a guitar hero when she's got a guitar in her hands. The rest of the time, she's just Goto Ichiri. What a hero can do easily, Ichiri can't do on her own...

"Maybe this is fate..."

It is indeed like this...

After hearing what Hiranobu said, Goto Ichiri felt like a stone in his heart had fallen to the ground, but it also created an ugly hole.

"The guitar that 'happened' to break after the performance at the Seijo Festival... maybe this is a revelation, allowing you, Xiaoyi, to find a new self, starting with a brand new guitar that belongs only to you—"

"...!"

Although it seemed like she was just trying to coax a child, Hirashin's words undoubtedly opened up Goto Ichiri's mind and made her thoughts return to a positive state.

"To-tomorrow... No, let's go to the music store together on the weekend!"

Ah, there's no way she could have made up her mind so quickly in the past, right? She definitely didn't have the courage to invite others to go shopping offline...

And this change is thanks to everyone who ended the band, and... him!

"Senior, please come along too. I'd like to ask for your opinion too!"

"Ah, well...sorry." Ping Xin declined her invitation.

"......Eh?"

Chapter 98: Cinderella's Tomorrow

"Ah, well...sorry." Ping Xin declined her invitation.

"......Eh?"

Hirayuko's words were even colder than the bleak autumn wind, calming the originally passionate Goto Ichiri instantly, and then he fell into calm thought.

Ah, it turns out that someone like me is still not capable of this...

Could it be that Senior said this because he knew what I was going to do?

Goto Ichiri is often a little confused. She has beautiful expectations for the future of the band and her own emotional problems. What impressed her more than the imagination of dreams coming true was the fear of dreams being shattered.

All those memories and negative emotions that were about to be forgotten and buried in the garbage dump deep in my heart because everything went smoothly during this period, all emerged at this moment.

Perhaps this really is fate, her life is destined to fail and achieve nothing...

The courage of Ichiri Goto is like the magic cast by the fairy godmother on Cinderella. Although it is so brilliant, it will disappear automatically when the time comes.

Then she turned back into the unsuccessful and inconspicuous self who used to hide in a dark corner every day. And such an ugly and incompetent stupid woman like her actually wanted the favor of the prince, which was simply hilarious...

With this feeling, Goto Ichiri was dragged by Hiranobu without any resistance to a place outside the store where street lights were shining.

I'm sure Senior will reject me righteously right away, and then...

"Ichiri, you did a really good job today... No, I think it was really great—!"

"I'm really sorry to bother you...eh?"