Are you, as meal replacement users, ready for the consequences?

Page 33

"Hmm... I wanted to give it to you. I heard bassists use it."

She didn't know if bassists needed it, but Ningzi had heard of a similar instrument—the guitar—that required this small tool.

Bass and guitar... there shouldn't be much difference, right?

"Although I don't use it often, thank you, I really like it."

Without feigning refusal of Ningzi's kindness, Hailing solemnly accepted the pick.

It feels great to the touch, looks like it has been well-preserved and cared for, and the style appears to be a custom-made design.

"as well as…"

"Ok?"

Ningzi, keep it up! Keep creating buzz! Say something unconventional!

Thinking about what Hailing had said yesterday, Ningzi suddenly had a bold idea.

"Hailin, let's form a band! Just you and me, the two of us!"

"what?"

Yawata Kairin didn't understand.

Are bands something you can just form on a whim?

"Two people? That's not very realistic. Besides, I'm not used to playing with a fixed group of partners. I've been a support musician for more than 30 different bands."

Hailing's words were half true and half false, but it's not a big problem.

"Hmm...that's what I was talking about, support musicians, let's all be support musicians!"

lifetime!

"Go on and tell me more, it seems interesting."

Hailing added a sugar cube to the black tea and rested her head on her hand, waiting for Ningzi to finish her story.

What does it mean to be a support musician? Is it similar to a bounty hunter in Western fantasy novels who is independent of regular adventurers?

"I'll play keyboards, you play bass, we can join whichever band we want, we don't have any fixed bandmates," it's just the two of us, "isn't that great!"

Based on the information revealed by the other party, Ningzi envisioned such a path.

She knew that many bands lacked keyboardists, and if someone asked Hailing to help out, such a band wouldn't even be able to find a bassist, let alone a keyboardist.

I'll sell myself bundled with Hailing! That way, we can be together and Hailing can hear my piano playing...

"Didn't Hailing say yesterday that she wanted to hear me play some more?"

Ningzi watched Hailing silently drink her tea, her heart pounding in her chest.

You're not going to reject me, are you? I finally have a precious friendship...

"Give it a try, even though it sounds weird."

Great!

Chapter 40. I'm going to get my revenge on her!

"I didn't expect we'd be in actual combat so soon!"

Toyokawa Ningko huddled in a corner of the rehearsal room, feeling utterly miserable.

Even the color scheme has changed to a dark, shady gray.

"Hey! Toyokawa-senpai, here's the sheet music for this time! Thanks for your help!"

If you know you're in trouble, just get rid of me already.

Ningzi forced a smile as she accepted the sheet music from the pretty little girl in front of her with slightly trembling hands.

I don't recognize this thing! Where's Hailing? Help me!

"Are you alright? I'm just here to help someone else with their rehearsal. Their bassist is sick today, but luckily, the keyboardist was so overwhelmed by the bass that he didn't come either."

Hachiman Kairin put the bass aside and pieced together the nearly broken Ningzi in the corner.

This is terrifying! Is this the true value of the Gravity Girls Band from Gravity City?!

Let's just call this kind of music gravity rock.

"I'm fine, I... take a look at the sheet music, it's just a minor problem."

Ningzi reluctantly sat down on her small piano chair and spread out the ominous documents.

When I was little, I saw my older sister play the piano. The patterns on the piano looked like little bugs or dwarfs crawling around and sometimes flying out to punch me.

Ah, what a terrible memory. Sometimes it's hard to understand why people need sheet music when playing the piano.

Can't we just play however we want?

Having accepted her fate and no longer clinging to the hope that something might exist, Ningzi sighed and began to study the sheet music.

"Huh? This is..."

The title of the sheet music is: "Playing with Hachiman Kairin, Style 4 (Global Version) (Translated)"

The contents of this so-called sheet music are a series of strange characters.

For example, the first line:

Press repeatedly on the area five centimeters below the lower abdomen, in the middle of the lower abdomen, and around the navel, to bring the piano-like sound to an absolute level of pleasure.

"Hailin, come and take a look..."

This isn't right, is this a proper sheet music?

"What's wrong? Is the sheet music wrong? Let me take a look."

With her long black hair falling naturally, Hachiman Kairin bent down and tucked her bangs behind her ears as she carefully helped Ningzi review the sheet music.

"Hmm, nothing's wrong. What's wrong?"

"Oh? It's nothing, it's nothing. I've already looked at it, it's...a very good score."

So easy! As a master of playing the piano with a harp, Ningzi can handle these kinds of trivial sheet music with absolute ease!

"Toyokawa-senpai! May we begin?"

"Okay, I'm out of the cell and feeling good."

Ningzi kissed the skin of the piano's heel with her fingertips, pressing repeatedly on the stamen area, testing the piano's tone.

Hao Ting, that's the sound.

"3! 2! 1!"

……

"Very good. Although you were a little awkward at first, that's normal. Your teamwork became very coordinated later on. You have a lot of talent."

Back at the familiar coffee shop, Hailing fiddled with the small guitar pick Ningzi had given her, her gaze lingering on Ningzi's slender, seemingly magical fingers.

What kind of hands could produce such powerful music? When Ningzi's fingertips gently touched the piano keys, it gave Hailing a strange feeling.

Ningzi felt as if she were caressing her lover's skin.

"Really? It feels like once you start playing, you can't hear any other sounds."

Especially Hailing's, is Hailing really playing a tune? Or are they just slacking off?

Why is there no sound from her instrument?

"I think we can give the collaboration a try. So far, things are going quite well, Ningzi."

Yawata Kairin smiled. She was wearing a tight-fitting jacket today, and her exposed belly button reminded Ningzi of when she played the piano.

Whenever the fingernail touches the navel of the sea bell, a wonderful melody arises spontaneously.

Ah, this is really an interesting thing.

Ningzi gazed into the distance through the glass window. It looked like Haneoka. The doctor, who walked like a penguin, said there was nothing seriously wrong and she could go back to school tomorrow.

Well, thanks to the sleeping pills, I'm clear-headed, refreshed, and ready to start anew.

By the way, what is Little Lamp doing now? Is he squatting in some bushes picking up armadillos, or has he run up some mountain to count stars?

Or…

Hmph, I'm not going to think about her anymore, I don't want to think about her at all.

That wicked woman! I hate her!

"Does Haneoka get out of school at 3 PM?"

"Correct."

Ningzi tilted her head in surprise, wondering why Hachiman Kairin was asking these questions.

“I really like Ningzi’s gift, but I think it’s a bit too perfunctory to just give you a bottle of drink as a gift.”

"So I'm planning to bring you a new gift tomorrow, how about that?"

Ah, a gift?

Ningzi nervously fiddled with her fingers, interlacing her left index finger and right ring finger.

If we don't count the various foods or drinks, she has never actually received any gifts from outsiders in her life.

I heard that other high school girls get flowers from other girls, so why doesn't anyone give flowers to Toyokawa Ningko?

"No, I don't really need a gift."

Ningzi has received the greatest gift in her life—transforming from a pathological state to a normal state, no longer hurting those around her or herself. She is already very content with the status quo.

Of course, if you insist on giving it to me, that's fine too.

"Then I won't send you off."

"Huh? Why is it like this? Okay, alright."

"Pfft, just kidding. I'm going home to get ready. See you tomorrow afternoon."

Hachiman Kairin chuckled coolly a few times, picked up her suitcase, and walked out.

"what?"

Who is this person? Were they just kidding me?

After Hailing left, Ningzi fell into deep thought.

Since she was no longer a problem girl, her offensive power has decreased significantly.

No way, I'll remember this grudge. I'll definitely get my revenge next time we meet.

Ningzi took out the notebook given to her by Deng from her handbag and borrowed a black ballpoint pen from the waiter.

Today, Hailing provoked me, and I'm going to get my revenge!

I want to register O God using her phone number, then post the ID on Hanasaki River's academy forum using Hai Ling's avatar, and engage in heated debates with others every day.

After making sarcastic remarks to everyone, he then left Hailing's social media account!

Give her ten more subscriptions to apps that don't require notifications for renewals.

I want more, I want more…

Ningzi wrote in her notebook again:

[When I see this page again in the future, I must never forget it!]

Chapter 41. Rainy Day, Aine and Ningzi

“Ring-a-ring o' roses”

(Wearing a wreath of roses)

"A pocketful of posies,"

(Fill a bag full of flowers.)

Toyokawa Ningko skipped along the sidewalk, humming a song her mother often sang to her and Xiangzi before bedtime when they were young.

When she couldn't sleep, Xiangzi would sometimes sing this song. Although Ningzi had never heard the original version, this lyric was deeply imprinted in her mind.

It's around 3 p.m. now, and helping with the rehearsal is just a small interlude for today.