People in Tokyo, the world is clear

It is very suitable to be performed as BGM in night entertainment places such as bars.

Unfortunately, the girl's guitar still had some rusticity to it.

The songs he composed contain more gentle and serious notes, and less cynical flavor.

If I had to describe it, the song she was currently playing was a forced adaptation of a Japanese folk-style song.

Obviously not a good operation.

It's not that bad to the ear, but it's obviously not to the ears of those who are used to vaporwave music.

So much so that Lin Sen saw several drinkers frowning out of the corner of his eye.

And worse is yet to come.

When Miss Qingshan calmed down and tried hard to steady her voice to speak again, the sense of incongruity became even stronger.

To be fair, her voice has some similar characteristics to that of a little angel named Xiguo.

It sounds amazing at first.

The strong neighborhood feeling and warm background are quite distinct.

It really appeals to Lin Sen, who is used to listening to modern music.

If it is put into the future, it will be quite adaptable to more mature arrangements after technological upgrades.

It will be the kind of high-quality human female voice that shines in the anime OP and ED.

But if you try to force it to match the current vaporwave-style old-age music style, it would be too discordant.

Like a little girl trying to learn to speak like an adult by suppressing her voice.

In other words.

Lin Sen could sense Qingshan Xiazhi's dedication to his words, breathing, and emphasis. It was clear he had the kind of proficiency that comes from repeated repetition.

But, this song just sounds weird with this voice.

therefore--

"What is this..."

"It's a crooked tone."

Some people couldn't help but make such a sound.

And it's not just the customers in the bar who realize this.

There is also a certain singer-songwriter whose voice is getting smaller and weaker, and whose head is getting darker and darker.

By the end of the song, the only sound coming from the microphone was the tail end of the guitar and the suppressed slight breathing.

Trembling and uneasy.

Until the end of the song, she didn't receive a single word of praise or any applause.

Instead, there were subdued voices, talking about words that stung people's hearts.

"Not very good."

"Ah."

Therefore, after the song ended, the recorded sound played by the speakers replaced the real human voice, serving as a meal substitute to meet the needs of customers.

Lin Sen saw a lonely and lost figure disappearing into the darkness where the light could not reach.

I was impressed by the side profile with half-covered lips.

Then Lin Sen recalled another sentence.

It came from a figure that was fleeing in a panic:

When you truly try to perform music and let others listen to it, you will definitely feel a kind of happiness that cannot be expressed in words.

At this moment, the sharp edges of reality seemed to pierce through the fragile dream.

It's hard to describe the pain.

Perhaps there's despair mixed with resentment, a feeling of embarrassment and self-denial choking the chest, leading to a deeper and deeper depression.

Perhaps few people know what kind of sadness that is.

But coincidentally, this feeling——

Lin Sen, I understand.

So he stood up.

"So, what is love in this world? It makes people pledge their lives to each other...Isn't that right, little brother?"

Next to me are storytellers who are still chattering away and telling stories for money.

Unfortunately, Lin Sen didn't listen to a word of the other party's story.

"may be."

She said it perfunctorily, turned around and left, leaving the confused man behind her blinking and watching her go.

Leave the scene and start searching.

Lin Sen knew where would be a good place to lick his wounds in this situation.

So he found his target next to the trash can on the wall next to the back door.

Huddled against the wall.

He sat there with his legs hugged, in a daze.

The face couldn't be seen in the darkness, but two red circles were vaguely visible in the moonlight.

silence.

Then, Lin Sen also sat down next to the girl.

Put a can of soda next to her.

"Qingshan should have seen me."

Asked proactively.

Unexpectedly but understandably, the usually enthusiastic girl did not respond quickly at this time.

Lin Sen just waited.

Ten seconds later, he got the answer he wanted.

"Yeah. Probably, I discovered it when I looked up for the second time in the middle of the song."

Qingshan Xiazhi's voice was a little hoarse, and his tone was no longer as lively and enthusiastic as before.

She didn't look over.

He just stared blankly at the moonlight reflected on the ground.

Lin Sen stared at her profile.

Then, he just looked at her, using all his strength to struggle and force a smile.

Then a hand reached out and patted his shoulder loudly.

The girl turned around.

Accompanied by a tone that seemed to be forcing itself to leap up again.

"So, really, really! What a coincidence! Kobayashi-san is here tonight. Honestly, sorry for making a fool of yourself. It sounds terrible, doesn't it? Ha, haha..."

"It's OK."

Lin Sen nodded, "I can tell they put a lot of effort into the arrangement, and their singing is also trying to get closer to that citypop style."

Such an evaluation was only met with a waving hand.

"Don't force yourself to praise me. I know my own strengths and weaknesses. I'm just not very good."

The girl lowered her head, still squinting her eyes, and smiled with a carefree look.

At this time, she had pulled down her hood, her long hair was scattered behind her, and she was shaking her head.

"That's right, no need to comfort me! I've been to a lot of places like this in the past few months, and most of the time they end up in this mess."

She deliberately relaxed her posture.

"This isn't the first time I've encountered this kind of situation. I'm used to it!"

"It's really not a comfort."

Lin Sen shook his head seriously.

"Actually, Qingshan, your vocal conditions are quite good. You can also feel a unique personal style in the arrangement. At least, based on my many years of musical experience, your music should be considered very good."

Unfortunately, forcing that sense of innocence to fit the decadent style of Citypop has created a certain degree of disharmony.

"So, if I can maintain my own style, maybe there will be a big market for it in the future, and maybe many people will like it."

Halfway through his speech, Lin Sen adjusted his sitting position and prepared to continue.

But a sudden tugging sensation on his sleeve stopped him.

"That's right, please stop saying things like that, Kobayashi-san."

It was a voice that began to tremble again.

"."

Lin Sen looked over.

I found that the forced smile that raised the corners of my mouth could no longer be maintained.

Eyelashes fluttering up and down, body trembling.

And that smile that could hardly be maintained.

Eventually, they all collapsed into helpless expressions.

The girl subconsciously shrank back and lowered her head even more.

"Didn't you hear what they said? I've heard this kind of comment countless times before."

"."

"The song isn't good, and the vocals are even worse. It just ruins the atmosphere... I'm almost used to hearing this kind of talk about me. Kobayashi-san, there's really no need to force comfort on me."

Her voice was a little hoarse.

The hands wrapped around his legs clutched the leather of his jeans.

"It's just that I'm a little bit unwilling. I've already done so much. I worked part-time to save money, bought so many tapes, listened to and learned the styles of popular music, and tried my best to learn and approach it."

"Even though I've practiced over and over again, imitating that more mature singing style, learning how to breathe, how to pronounce the words, how to incorporate emotion...it's always like this."

"Sometimes... I really want to give up. I have so little talent. I can't do anything well. The songs I write are always criticized for being distorted, and the songs I sing always sound weird."

Lin Sen saw the curled fist gripping the cloth, shaking and exerting force.

"But every time, I always look forward to it and yearn for it."

"I always lie to myself. Even though I haven't succeeded once, I still cling to every opportunity as a lifeline."

"There's always that unrealistic hope that I'll suddenly change the status quo, sing a moving note, and receive heartfelt applause. Every time I think of that kind of happiness, I keep flying towards it like a moth."

The rustling sound was filled with excitement.

"Really, really, I really want to have such an experience. But, I don't have it."

"No..."

"No."

For a moment, she buried her head deep into her knees, trying hard to hide her expression in the darkness that she didn't want to reveal.

Speechless.

A few moments.

then.

When she raised her head, in front of Lin Sen, she tried her best to put on the mask that no longer showed her fragility and sadness.