The social phobia substitute will not dream of the band girl

"Ah... Actually, it's not such a serious reason..."

And doesn't that make me look like a tsundere, Yukina Minato? No wonder you don't have any friends. If it weren't for Lisa's mom always protecting you, I'd be so scared you'd get singled out at school for saying something wrong!

"Come to think of it, we seem to have forgotten the most crucial issue—" Ping Xin, who had just finished a bowl of Italian mushroom risotto in a few bites, said after taking a sip of tea.

"what?"

"Your band's name also has a symbol. If you want to become popular, you must have a memorable name and a symbol. A name that can express your ideals, pursuits, and goals."

"Our...names?"

There are pictures here, which can be viewed after the updated version

Chapter 80: What is the best way to overcome fear?

After a hearty meal, the group prepared to return home in front of Qianlong Pavilion.

"Ping Xin, is it true that you won't have any problems eating so much..."

"It's okay, it's okay. These are just 'normal' things for Ping Xin."

"..."

The common sense person Saya Hikawa, who was stunned and began to show some signs of being a comedian, the familiar Udagawa Ako, and the surprised Shirogane Rinko who had met her once before but remained silent.

"Then the songs for the next duet exam will tentatively be 'Soul's Reincarnation', 'Hacking to the Gate', and 'ETERNAL BLAZE'.

After all, if you only look at one song, you can't tell anything. During the review, it's just one song, but in the final ensemble, all three songs will be tested. Is that okay?"

"...quite a prudent judgment, which I think is good."

Yukina had a vague feeling that people shouldn't eat so much, but chose to remain silent due to her lack of personal knowledge.

"And Ms. Lisa, if there's anything you can't ask me about bass, just contact the friend I just shared with you. Her name is Uehara Himari, the bassist for Afterglow. Like you, she's a student at Hanegaoka Girls' Academy and a karaoke girl. I think you two might get along."

"Ahahaha... It's been so long since I've felt the care of someone. Usually, I'm the one taking care of Yuki..."

Lisa Imai was in a complicated mood - she had wanted to treat Hiranobu as a younger brother before, but now they were the ones being taken care of.

"...Then I'll take my leave. I was planning to take Ako and Rinko to the arcade later—"

"Wait! I can't pretend I didn't hear that. Hirayama-san, don't do anything wrong!" Discipline committee member Hikawa Sayo raised an objection.

"What are you thinking? Of course it's a legitimate game center... It's the one over there by the station, called Wheel of Fortune. I've been there several times before. And it's a holiday now, so those instructors who are catching kids with bamboo swords won't bother me until after dark."

The main purpose is to let Rinko get used to the feeling of being in a crowd. If she freezes up when she goes on stage later, that would be a disaster. It might become a lifelong shadow."

*Minors may be checked if they go out on the street after 11pm in Dongguo, especially in busy streets like Ginza

After all, the best way to conquer fear is to face it!

"This...Shirogane-san, what do you think?"

Hirayobu's words made sense, and after some thought, Hikawa Sayo decided to hand the decision over to Shirogane Rinko. Although Sayo felt that it would be very painful for Shirogane Rinko to go to such a place, after all, she was the one involved.

"Rinlin, are you feeling okay?" Ako asked with concern, holding Rinko's hand.

"I... will try my best. If I'm with Ako... I feel... it won't be so scary..."

The few of them are now considered to be semi-acquaintances, and Shirogane Rinko is gradually able to express her own ideas.

"Then it's decided. If we feel like it's not going well, we'll retreat immediately, just like we normally do in a dungeon."

Ping Xin blinked, giving people a playful and nonsensical feeling, as if the interesting soul inside was already wanting to come out and let off some steam.

Yes, yes! If you treat it like a normal dungeon and treat everyone else as monsters, then you won't be scared...

The door to a new world has been opened, and Platinum Rinko's experience value has increased!

"...See you in three days, everyone. Ciao~"

After waving goodbye, Hirayuko took Udagawa Ako and Shirogane Rinko ahead. The three of them walked towards the game center at the station. He was feeling a little tired of doing serious things every day recently.

"...Then let's go, Lisa. I ate a little too much earlier, and I don't have any plans for the afternoon, so I want to take a walk... Want to go to the jewelry store?"

"Yuuki... let's go! I have to dress you up beautifully today!"

"Wait, Lisa, I didn't say that..."

Yukina Minato was jogging with Lisa Imai holding her hand. The two were going to the newly opened jewelry store in front of the LiveHouse mentioned earlier. Maybe today Yukina could experience the feeling of being dragged shopping by a man.

"Everyone's gone... Then I'll go home and practice—"

The "lonely old man" Hikawa Sayo went home alone with her guitar case. Unexpectedly, she heard that familiar voice after returning home.

"Sister (Oune-chan)!"

It’s so noisy…Japanese food.

......

"Is it really okay? Even though it's the third day of Golden Week and I've missed the second day's rush, there will definitely still be a lot of people going in."

At the entrance to the game center, Hirayuki checked in with Shirogane Rinko one last time, effectively giving her a chance to change her mind. Honestly, having her come to a place like this in the first place... Hirayuki felt like a true Spartan instructor, and his recent muscle conditioning only made him look even more like one.

"I...will try my best!"

"...Anyway, let's put on a mask together. Just in case. How about one, Ako?"

Ping Xin took out a mask from his small bag. As for what was inside and how much was inside, it was still a mystery. After putting on the mask, the three of them walked into the door of the game center [Wheel of Fortune] -

"Hey~ Isn't this our 'DIOsama'? Why are you bringing girls with you after not seeing you for a few days?" A player who was sitting at the door waiting for someone to challenge an arcade game came up and greeted Ping Xin after seeing him.

"...I've been busy with other things these days, so I brought my sister out here to have some fun and relax during the Golden Week. We plan to check out the music and game area over there. I won't bother you for now, we'll play next time--" After saying hello, Ping Xin took the two girls deeper and came to the music and game area.

"Brother Pingxin, are you familiar with that person just now?"

"Hmm... Okay, at least we're not on a first-name basis. The 'DIO' he mentioned is my gaming ID here. We've played games together, bought drinks and snacks, and chatted, so we're acquaintances, I guess?"

They were just drinking buddies he'd met a few times, and while Ping Xin wanted love from others, he wasn't so desperate that he'd be so indiscriminate. He knew the difference clearly, but he didn't need to tell the kids about it.

[DIO]...? ID...? Platinum Rinko gradually entered game mode and began to relax.

"Of course... the most important thing is to be strong enough!"

The most capable people in any field will be admired, and this is certainly true for gaming.

"Wow—Ping Xin brother is so handsome!"

Although she didn't understand why, Yazi also became excited.

"..."

Strength is paramount... Gender has nothing to do with it... Rankings... Rinko Shirogane's gaming geek soul is about to ignite!

It wasn't in vain that Ping Xin's previously hidden ripple buff, which amplified courage and reduced fear, had been applied. As expected, ripples are the ultimate god! Simply put, it helped Shirogane Rinko enter the same "heavy punch" mode she used when playing online games. Sometimes change requires a push, and once you take the first step, the rest becomes much easier.

As for the substitute?

Really unfamiliar (

Hmm? Isn't this Nero? Why are you here...

"Hey~ Nilu, why don't you play games with your friends during the holidays? It's so strange——"

There are pictures here, which can be viewed after the updated version

Chapter 81: Encounter at the Game Center

"Huh? So it's you..." Nel said with a strange expression when she saw Ping Xin behind her with two cute girls she had never seen before. (Nel had a fever and missed the celebration party that night.)

"Don't you usually play fighting games? We've played racing and two-player cooperative games before, but I've never seen you play a music game. Is the [Red Tyrant] going to try to dominate the entire field?"

Pingxin smiled and touched her head.

"So annoying... I just want to try different types, and please don't touch my head—"

Although she said that, Nilu narrowed her eyes slightly and looked like she was enjoying it.

"This cute little girl with purple twintails, only 2cm taller than you, is Udagawa Ako. This beautiful woman with long straight black hair is her friend Shirogane Rinko. Today is her first time here."

"Being 2cm taller than me is unnecessary!" Meganilu, who had just finished playing a game, turned around and headbutted Pingxin in the stomach. "Hello, I'm this guy's, um... best friend. You can call me Nilu or Nilu-senpai. I'm not used to those kinds of roundabout honorifics, so it's so annoying... I come here often to play, so just ask me if you have any questions."

"Brother Pingxin, who is this cute girl?"

"Let me introduce you to Meganelle. She's a real celebrity here. She's the one with the double-flowered red stick in the fighting game section, and her ID is [Red Tyrant]. Don't be fooled by her small stature, but she's actually a 'senior' who's one year older than Rinko and me, and three years older than Ayako—though she's currently in the same first year of high school as me because she's been held back."

"Hello, Senior Nilu!"

Ako Ueda was very excited. After all, although she didn't understand what Hiranobu said, she still felt it was impressive!

"...Hello, Senior."

"Since Rinko is fine, I'm relieved. If you two use this card, you can play anything here. Remember not to use your real name for your personal ID, okay?"

"So cool, the Crimson Tyrant and all! Linlin, let's use our own game IDs too, so we can fight side by side in real life, and the band too!"

Ako, who had just received her own ID card, hugged Rinko excitedly, and the two of them huddled together again.

"Xiao Yazi... Yeah! Let's fight side by side in real life too!"

"Oh~? Why does it seem like Linlin is in particularly good shape today?" Ako asked in confusion.

After inserting the card into the self-service account management machine to change their IDs, Ayako took Rinko to look for interesting games nearby.

"Remember not to run too far, and don't let go of your hand—"

Like an old father seeing his child off to Beijing, Ping Xin only turned back to look at Nilu once the two of them had found a music game machine and were starting to play. She was still playing the game, but even without glancing at him, she could sense Ping Xin's gaze fixed on her face.

I don't know why I suddenly feel so hot... I haven't felt this way before... It's a strange feeling. After we finished playing, Nilu asked, "Are you a professional dad? Every time I see you, you're basically taking care of kids or solving problems."

"Are you jealous? Don't worry, because you are my good daughter, Nilu, haha."

"...Is this so annoying! How about you just not follow them?"

"...After all, I can't always follow them. No matter who you are, there will always be a day when you have to learn to be independent, it's just a matter of time. I think it's just right to just stand by like this."

"I see... Let's play. It just so happens that we haven't finished our previous two-player clearance record yet."

"I couldn't ask for more! I must beat the game until I clear it today!"

The two of them high-fived each other in tacit understanding, and then walked together towards a machine in a nearby area.

"......Ping Xin——" Nilu suddenly said when the two were halfway through the fight.

"...Um, what's wrong?"

"No—nothing."

Today, Nilu's smile seemed different from usual, revealing an expression that Pingxin had never seen before.

Riddler, get out of Gotham—

"...If there's anything, remember to tell me."

"Hmph, is there any need to explain that? Ola Ola! Watch this!"

"Hmph... Wujun! Wujun! Wujun!"

With the tacit cooperation of the two, the monsters on the screen were quickly eliminated and then entered the settlement interface.

"Ha...ha——Does this make me number one?"

"Isn't it 'we'?"

After the fist bump, the two separated. They still had a long time to spend together in the future, so why hesitate for a moment?

"...Let's play together next time we meet. The machines and rankings here are updated very quickly. If you want to get more first place, you have to work hard."

"As long as they're not 'study freaks' like you, I'm not afraid of any of them. Besides, I'm afraid we'll meet again soon (whispering)..."

"Um..what did you say?"

"It's nothing. Remember to take good care of the kids, Dad~"

Although you look cool when you salute with two fingers and say goodbye, you are really cute when you act coquettishly!

Meganelle, you drive me crazy!