"It's hopeless."
After finishing today's rehearsal, Kurusu Akira, wearing his work uniform, was busy behind the counter, finally letting out a mournful sigh.
Togawa Sakiko, who was filling ice into a glass nearby, also shook her head. "Everyone is very uncomfortable performing in front of others."
Their first street performance was coming soon.
As a result, this band seemed to have already exhausted all their efforts just by performing on stage in their most familiar Livehouse. Often, the drumbeats would first fall into disarray, the lead singer would go off-key, then the rhythm guitar would become invisible, and even with just a keyboard and lead guitar, it was impossible to turn the tide.
As for the bass...
The bass wasn't played at all.
At this moment, bassist Yamada Ryo was being heavily criticized by Kawaragi Momoka for her poor attitude and was currently reflecting facing the wall.
Ijichi Nijika was squatting in the corner of the recording studio, muttering disheartenedly things like, "Please forgive me, I will definitely practice hard," and "I won't make mistakes next time, please give me another chance."
Seeing the gloomy atmosphere, Iseri Nina tried to speak up and salvage the band, which seemed on the verge of falling apart at any moment.
"Um... should we decide on a band name first? After all, the performance is the day after tomorrow."
Hearing this, Ijichi Nijika forced herself to cheer up and stood up. "You're right, the band should have its own name!"
"Should we use the name we chose earlier on Line?" Kawaragi Momoka's expression was a bit conflicted.
"I think 'Kessoku' sounds pretty good," Ijichi Nijika explained. "Everyone has their own original intentions and goals, and their experiences are vastly different, but because they like rock, they came together to form a band... It's like tying threads together to become a whole..."
"Are you referring to not being able to play a full song for half an hour?" The bassist said sarcastically, then was chopped on the head by the drummer, who stood on tiptoes with a sharp hand.
Iseri Nina looked at Kawaragi Momoka with pleading eyes. "It seems we're already ending before 'Kessoku'."
Kawaragi Momoka slumped lifelessly on the sofa, as if she had come to terms with the impermanence of life. "It's okay, everyone is just a band member out of interest. If one rehearsal goes badly, then we'll rehearse a few more times. The street performance can be delayed for a while longer."
The former professional singer had given up on treatment.
It's okay to have a weaker psychological tolerance; having fun is the most important thing when playing in a band.
'Anyway... I can only accompany them for a year at most. By then, these girls will all be preparing for higher education, and I can pack my bags and go back to Kawasaki.'
Kawaragi Momoka put aside the faint regrets and reluctance in her heart, stood up, and displayed her reliability and composure as an adult. "Let's practice hard again tomorrow. The most important thing for everyone now is to rest well, and then, during STARRY's business hours, observe how other bands perform on stage."
As she said this, Iseri Nina took out her phone and scrolled through the list of bands performing today on STARRY's official website...
"Diamond Dust?!"
Iseri Nina couldn't help but exclaim.
"Hmm?" Ijichi Nijika and Yamada Ryo, who were bickering nearby, both stopped their movements and looked at the former lead singer and founder of "Diamond Dust" on the sofa with some surprise.
Kawaragi Momoka's expression seemed to be clouded for a moment, but they quickly dispersed and vanished without a trace. "They accepted the record company's plan, so they will definitely find a suitable person to fill my empty spot. If you calculate the time carefully, it's reasonable for them to re-debut at this time."
"How can they do that..." Iseri Nina said angrily. "That's Momoka-san's band!"
Kawaragi Momoka was stunned for a moment. Although she was used to Iseri Nina's unintentional childishness and self-willed assertions, she was still a bit troubled. "I'm happy that the songs I once created are liked by you... But the reality is that I voluntarily left the band, so it's reasonable for them to look for a new lead singer. The band can't just disband because I left."
Iseri Nina reluctantly picked up her phone and searched for the latest news about "Diamond Dust." As expected, she found a brand new update on Diamond Dust's official Twitter account from this afternoon: "Welcome new lead singer 'Hina' to our group."
She couldn't accept that her favorite song and the position of the person who sang it were taken by a complete stranger—
So she clicked on the update and saw the new lead singer's photo and personal information...
Iseri Nina instantly felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, a chilling sensation spreading throughout her body.
How could it be this person?
Her experiences of school bullying during high school instantly flooded back.
Distorted faces seemed to be screaming sharp, mocking laughter all around, and invisible fists and feet seemed ready to land on her at any moment.
In her panic, her phone slipped from her hand and fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Iseri Nina, distraught, looked up, trying to find that reliable figure nearby.
But in the recording studio, only the few girls from the band were reading the song list that the "New Diamond Dust" was about to perform.
"This song, 'VOID,' seems to be Momoka-san's work!" Ijichi Nijika said excitedly. At this moment, she began to personally experience the difference between Kawaragi Momoka as a "professional" and herself.
Yamada Ryo also clapped with admiration, "Momoka-san is truly amazing, to be able to write such a popular work... No, our current songs are also written by Momoka-san. So that's it, we're also a popular band."
Ijichi Nijika kicked her shin. "How could we be a popular band!"
Yamada Ryo said somewhat proudly, "Just wait, the day after tomorrow I'll perform a bass solo first, and I'll definitely grab the attention of all the audience."
"There's no way there's a bass solo in the song 'I'm Nobody'!!"
"Eh, that's where you don't understand rock. Playing rock means being unconventional... special... and unique!"
"It's just that Ryo wants to show off! Invisible bassist!" Ijichi Nijika was bickering with Yamada Ryo when she suddenly heard the sound of a phone dropping behind her.
"Nina-chan? Your phone isn't broken, is it?" She quickly turned to look at her lead singer.
Iseri Nina squatted down, picked up her iPhone, peeled off the cracked tempered glass screen protector, and walked silently towards the recording studio door.
At this moment, STARRY had been open for over ten minutes.
The recording studio door was suddenly knocked.
"It's time to go out. We can't take up other bands' practice time," Kawaragi Momoka instructed the girls in the recording studio, then stood up to open the door.
As the metal door of the recording studio opened.
Outside the door stood a pink-haired girl in a gorgeous performance outfit. Seeing people in the recording studio, she quickly bowed and apologized with sincere tone, "I'm so sorry! I interrupted your practice!"
When she straightened up, she saw Iseri Nina standing behind Kawaragi Momoka, and her eyes widened instantly.
"Eh? You are..."
Iseri Nina trembled all over, then, without hesitation, holding her phone, she pushed past Kawaragi Momoka, who was blocking the door, and escaped the recording studio.
Coincidentally, the fans of "New Diamond Dust" had already flooded into the venue with their cheering props and light boards, and new and old customers had completely blocked the bar area, obstructing Iseri Nina's entire view.
Let alone finding Kurusu Akira, she couldn't even see his face.
Like a domestic cat that had wandered into a jungle, she stood in a forest filled with predators, lost in a state of helplessness and panic.
She looked at the bustling crowd, took two steps back, and suddenly turned to see her former close friend approaching. The string of reason was severed by an invisible pick at this moment, emitting a heart-pounding hum.
Her blood seemed to rush to her brain all at once, in a daze, Iseri Nina instinctively took off running. She ran through the crowded flow of people, stepped on the stairs, and escaped the Livehouse.
The pink-haired girl was about to chase her, but was immediately called by several approaching teammates. "Hina, the performance is about to start. We found an empty recording studio, let's quickly go and rehearse one more time."
The singer named "Hina" hesitated for a while, but still followed her seniors to the recording studio on the other side.
Once you choose a professional path, you lose the right to be willful, and you lose many choices.
If you insist on pursuing what you've let go of, you'll only fall into an unseen deep pit, getting battered and bruised, and then losing even more.
The manager, who happened to be taking two bottles of champagne from the wine cabinet at the stairwell, witnessed this scene.
But by the time she put down the bottles and stood up, Iseri Nina had already run off without a trace.
'Hey, this kid...'
She took out her work ID, pushed through the crowd, and found Kurusu Akira skillfully making ice cream at the counter. "Amamiya, put down what you're doing."
Kurusu Akira, who was engrossed in his expanding assets, whipped his head around, even showing a fierce glare—even if you're the boss, if you try to stop me from making money, I won't give you a good look!
"Your lead singer ran away." Ijichi Seika crossed her arms. "Go bring her back. Don't worry, your hourly wage will still be calculated while you're away... This is a task I'm assigning you personally."
Kurusu Akira's fierce glare intensified, though this time it was directed at Iseri Nina.
"I understand." He quickly took off his apron, removed his work ID and mask, and then ran out from behind the bar.
Ijichi Seika watched Kurusu Akira sprint and climb like he was parkouring, disappearing at the stairwell in just a few seconds. His intense enthusiasm was quite astonishing.
She asked Togawa Sakiko, who was diligently working behind the bar, "Do you think someone with his personality can really make a relationship with a girlfriend last?"
Togawa Sakiko's hand trembled, squeezing all the ice cream outside the cone, forming a shape like a broken heart.
With her outstanding proficiency in piano, her hand-eye coordination was almost superhuman, making such a basic mistake impossible.
"I don't know," Togawa Sakiko's voice was very soft, with a hint of evasiveness.
Ijichi Seika's expression instantly became subtly strange.
Is their band about to fall apart?
…
Running through the streets at dusk, dandelions that hadn't fully grown were scattered in the green belts along the road. The wilted white flowers swayed in the wind, occasionally scattering a few white fluffs that fell towards the sky, which reflected the setting sun like rippling river water.
Schoolgirls wore seasonal shirts and carried school bags. Under their short skirts were long socks, and a section of fair thighs was exposed between the hem of the skirt and the edge of the socks, glowing with a youthful and beautiful luster in the blush of the setting sun.
At this time, the setting sun fell along the edge of the city, like pouring a large basin of cinnabar into the river... Crimson flames burned in the sea of clouds, draping the towering buildings in a deep red veil. Brown sparrows, carrying the laziness and fatigue of the evening, swept through the gray mist between the tall buildings.
Iseri Nina stopped, panting, beside a fire hydrant. She looked at the deep red horizon, feeling so frustrated and sad in her heart that she wanted to scream out loud.
Why, why can that kind of person become a professional singer?
Why can she become the lead vocalist of "Diamond Dust"?
Why... can she sing "VOID"?
No one could answer the confusion in the girl's heart. Only on the road beside her, traffic was congested and car horns were blaring, becoming a noisy sound, as if a demon were beating a drum in her heart, emitting a roar that destroyed her reason.
And the Phantom Thief is never late.
As her mind was filled with destructive fantasies, Kurusu Akira had already arrived behind her.
"You look a bit like you ran into your middle school bully, triggered a psychological shadow, and then fled in a panic."
Iseri Nina trembled as she turned around, looking at Kurusu Akira with disbelief.
The Phantom Thief simply waved his hand and lightly patted her forehead, "Let's go back. Whether it's a bully or whatever, you always have to face it."
He seemed to say nonchalantly, "It's okay to be scared, I'm here, aren't I?"
Iseri Nina almost blindly followed behind Kurusu Akira.
Countless ripples seemed to suddenly spread across her lake-blue eyes.
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