A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

Chihaya Aine sat down next to Chihaya Tetsuya naturally, and then complained:

"It's clear that among the five of us, only Li Xi can compose music, but she refuses to agree..."

"Don't try to hold me hostage with that statement. Instead, why do I have to take on this responsibility?"

Shiina Riki asked back:

"Since I've reconnected with Toyokawa Shoko, I'll wait until she finishes her current work before asking her to compose the music."

"Eh...are you really that resistant?"

Chihaya Aine propped up her chin with both hands.

"Besides, Toyokawa-san isn't a member of our band. It feels a bit weird to ask an outsider to compose music for us..."

"Don't say Xiangzi is an outsider."

Nagasaki Suyo frowned and said:

"She was just forced to leave us, but that doesn't mean she has no connection with us from now on."

"Wow, this is so troublesome. There are two extremely troublesome women here..."

Chihaya Aine hugged Chihaya Tetsuya's arm with a look of disgust.

"Brother, what do you think we should do?"

"...?"

Chihaya Tetsu, who had no idea what was going on, wanted to ask his sister, "What does this have to do with me?" However, when he looked up at the other girls, he found that they were also looking at him...

"……Ugh."

Realizing that he seemed to have no way out, Chihaya Tetsuya had no choice but to put down the pencil in his hand.

"I don't know if I can help you, but anyway... please tell me what's going on."

........................

"So, ever since we went to a live show together last time, Deng and I have been thinking about writing our own songs as a band! And since Li Xi is the only one among us who can compose, I had no choice but to ask her, but she just refused to agree!"

Aine curled her lips.

"Haven't you ever heard the saying 'With great power comes great responsibility'? Now is the time for you to put that sense of responsibility into practice!"

"...What a mess! I said I could compose a little, but I never told you what level I was at!"

Shiina Riki immediately frowned and retorted:

"Rather, it's out of a sense of responsibility that I won't take on the task of composing lightly. For a novice who has never tried independent arrangement before, the task of 'the band's first song' is simply too daunting. You don't want our band's first song to be of poor quality, do you?"

"Eh? You'd really degrade yourself to this extent..."

Chihaya Aine couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

"Besides, aren't we just an amateur band after all? There's nothing wrong with an amateur arrangement, right?"

"...Anyway, no means no."

Shiina Riki's attitude is very firm.

"I can try arranging the music later, but the first song... I think it should be handed over to a more professional! For example... someone like Toyokawa Shoko."

"…………"

Hearing the name again, Chihaya Tetsu couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly.

It's Fengchuan again. I always feel that no matter what topic these children discuss, it will eventually come back to Fengchuan.

So, back when they were still CRYCHIC, Toyokawa seemed to be in charge of the arrangement. Although only one song remained, the completion and quality of that song were indeed impeccable...

I can try the subsequent arrangements, but not the first song?

Thinking of this, Chihaya Tetsu couldn't help but look up at Shiina Riki's expression.

And as expected, within that obvious attitude of resistance, there was also a hint of indescribable hesitation.

……

(Toyokawa... he truly is deeply sinful.)

Chihaya Tetsuya, who had vaguely realized the truth, subconsciously looked at the previous victim who was "hurt" by Toyokawa. However, to his surprise, Nagasaki Suyo was also looking at him at this time. The moment the two looked at each other, she immediately shifted her gaze to the other side.

It seems that I can no longer rely on this person to express my thoughts.

But after all, is Shiina's choice really wrong?

After all, it is Shiina Tatsuki's own freedom to decide whether to take on this responsibility. What's more, she only postponed the first song, not evading all responsibilities. From an outsider's perspective, Chihaya Tetsuya does not think that there is anything wrong with Shiina Tatsuki.

Thinking of this, just as Chihaya Tetsuya was about to say something on behalf of Shiina Riki, suddenly, a call from the counter made everyone stunned.

"Hey, Lixi, are you free now? We have something we want to ask you...or your band!"

"A band has to miss the live in ten days. Could you please fill in for them?"

Chapter 31: The designer who has rejected thousands of drafts said

The sudden invitation to the live performance plunged the entire band into a strange silence.

Some were deep in thought, some were anticipating, and some were even so nervous that their entire bodies were trembling slightly.

"...Takamatsu-san?"

Chihaya Tetsu couldn't help but look at Takamatsu Deng with some confusion.

"Are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, no!"

Gao Songdeng quickly shook his head.

"It's just... I just remembered a little bit of what happened before..."

"..."*2

After hearing this, Nagasaki Motoyo and Shiina Riki subconsciously looked at each other.

As the people involved, they certainly understood what Takamatsu Touma was thinking, so Nagasaki Suyo spoke first:

"Deng, those words Xiangzi said back then... were just angry words to make us give up. The band's disbanding wasn't your fault. In fact, our performance at that live was really successful. So, you don't need to feel any psychological pressure about it."

Nagasaki Suyo said in a very gentle tone:

"Besides, you are much more mature now than you were a year ago. Even if you stand on the stage again, there will definitely be no problem."

"That's right, Deng! You don't need to take her words to heart at all!"

Shiina Riki also quickly said:

"And after all, haven't we agreed to go on stage yet? So..."

“…I want to go.”

Lenai, who had just finished the last bite of her matcha parfait, suddenly looked up.

"Live, let's go."

"Hey, you...are you listening to what others are saying?"

Shiina Riki couldn't help but put his hands on his hips and said to Lena:

"We still have problems to overcome here!"

“…Isn’t it possible?”

In the face of Li Xi's scolding, Lenai ignored her and directly turned her gaze to Takamatsu Deng.

"Live, can't go on?"

"Well... a little bit..."

"why?"

"…………"

Faced with Le Na's questioning, Takamatsu Deng suddenly became entangled because he didn't know how to explain this series of complicated causes.

Seeing Takamatsu Deng's hesitation, Lenai didn't say anything. She just stood up from her seat and picked up the guitar in her hand, looking like she was ready to leave.

"Just slow down."

When Lenna passed by Chihaya Tetsuya, Chihaya Tetsuya subconsciously reached out his hand towards the back of Lenna's neck.

And the amazing thing was, the moment he gently lifted up Lenai's collar, Lenai actually stopped walking.

"...?"

Lenai turned around with a confused look on her face, as if wondering why Chihaya Tetsu wouldn't let her leave either.

"You can't leave until I've finished talking."

"? Didn't you say you couldn't get in?"

"Let's not even mention that we're still in the process of solving the problem. Even if we really can't participate in the Live this time, we should discuss countermeasures as soon as possible so that we can participate in the Live next time, right?"

As Chihaya Tetsuya spoke, he loosened the back of her collar and reached out to gently smooth out the wrinkles he had pinched.

"Come back and sit for a while. I'll buy you another matcha parfait."

"Two drinks."

"It will upset my stomach, so I can't."

"Oh……"

Amid the astonished expressions of the others, Kaname Rakuna obediently returned to her seat at Chihaya Tetsuya's command.

"Hey, you're lying..."

Chihaya Aine blurted out subconsciously:

"It's so easy to make Le Na obey..."

"…………"

At the same time, after listening to the entire conversation between the two, Nagasaki Motoyo nodded thoughtfully, as if she understood something.

After Lenai returned to his seat, Takamatsu Deng finally made up his mind and said:

"Well, actually, it's not that I don't want to participate in the live show. I'm just afraid that my immaturity will once again drag everyone down..."

"What do you mean by once again? Didn't we just say that the lighting performance at that live performance was already very good?"

Shiina Riki said:

"I've never felt like the lights were holding us back!"

"But! I don't think that being able to leave the stage and not even remember what happened is truly a success."

Gao Songdeng shook his head, his tone surprisingly serious.

"For me, singing and music...are an expression of emotion. If a vocalist doesn't even know who they're trying to convey their feelings to, and just shouts to themselves, I don't think they're a qualified vocalist."

"That's not the case!"

Hearing Takamatsu Deng's answer, Shiina Riki couldn't help but stand up from his seat.

"Deng is truly outstanding! Whether it's the lyrics you wrote or your singing, they are enough to make everyone feel your feelings and thoughts! And... Xiangzi's music is also excellent, so outstanding that it can perfectly interpret all of these..."

Having said this, her voice and tone suddenly became weaker.

"So, I just said that I couldn't compose the first song... Compared to a year ago, Deng has grown a lot, but I still can't reach Xiangzi's level back then! From the beginning, the one who was holding back wasn't Deng, but me... So..."

"Lixi..."

Takamatsu Deng's expression also became complicated.

This was the first time she heard Li Xi say such a weak line, and it was also the first time she came into contact with her true words.

Although she really wanted to speak up and say something to comfort Lixi, saying that she was no worse than Xiangzi, but... as someone who knew nothing about composing, what should she say to comfort her without offending Lixi?

"If I don't take the initiative to try, then I will never be able to surpass Fengchuan in this life, right?"

Suddenly, Chihaya Tetsuya's voice broke the heavy silence between the two.

"Even if you want to create a song 'on par with Toyokawa,' if you don't actually create it, won't the difference between the two of you never be revealed?"