Girl Band, Gravity Capture

Page 112

That was actually what Shiina Riki was thinking at that moment.

It has to be said that he is indeed a genius taught by Xu Dou—his unrestrained and carefree demeanor, so relaxed and free, is exactly the same as the expression of a boy she had seen when he picked up a musical instrument.

As for Chihaya Aine, even if she didn't quite understand the finger techniques, she could tell the difference in skill just from the other person's fluent and relaxed attitude.

Like professional versus amateur, persistence versus interest, it seems there is an insurmountable chasm between them.

On the day she decided to form a band, she went home and dug out the guitar she used for past stage performances to practice again... but she couldn't play as smoothly and freely as the other person, she couldn't even play a proper piece.

Although she later comforted herself with phrases like "the guitar had been sitting there for too long and the strings were loose" and "I hadn't played it for a while and my hands were rusty"... she still had some awareness of her true abilities.

Let alone Chihaya Aine, who's rusty now, even if ten of her used to play a little guitar were tied together, they still couldn't match the level of this "wildcat" that Shiina Tatsuki was talking about...

Is RiNG really that full of hidden talents? Even a random "cat" can easily outplay them by playing the piano?

Or am I just really bad at the game...?

Wait a minute, back in junior high everyone said I played guitar really well, and I even won an award for a ensemble performance...

This question, which had been lingering in the girl's mind, remained unanswered until Lena stood up with a satisfied and comfortable expression and put the chipped guitar, which looked almost older than her, back into her suitcase.

With the creaking of the wheels, she ignored everyone else present and dragged her suitcase straight to Yuan Xudou.

“Xu Dou.” Yao Le Nai lowered her head slightly, looking at the boy sitting in the chair.

“Lena,” he said naturally, reaching out to touch the girl’s head, which was lowered by her own brow and covered by her delicate, white short hair. “You play very well.”

His casual and natural demeanor made it look like he was grooming a cat he knew.

If she could make a "snoring" sound, it would be even more fitting—Chihaya Aine couldn't help but think as she witnessed the scene.

"However, it's so late..."

Lena isn't a real cat, so she doesn't purr when petted. But since she didn't flinch, it means she doesn't resist the behavior and might even enjoy it.

He only patted the girl's head briefly before removing his hand and turning his attention to why she had lingered there until now.

Yoro's answer to this was quite simple.

“A cat ran in.” She said matter-of-factly, as if her reason was perfectly justified. “I went to pet the cat.”

"...Mr. Tsuzuki must be worried."

"Yes, Grandma said I shouldn't come home too late."

Yao Lena did not deny it, but her golden and blue heterochromatic eyes did not show the slightest sense of crisis as she calmly looked at the boy.

"Xu Dou, take me back."

"……Um?"

Everyone present, whether it was Gen Kōdō, who was talking to her, or Takamatsu Akari, who sat across the table and whose eyes suddenly dimmed when she saw the way the two of them interacted, or Shiina Tatsuki and Chihaya Aine, who were watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but be stunned for a moment by her abrupt request.

"Grandma said she would come to you if she needed anything."

Yoro Nai also seemed somewhat puzzled by his confusion.

...He did promise to take care of the girl in RiNG, but he never imagined that this care would extend to "taking her home".

It's indeed unsafe for Yoru Nai, a third-year junior high school student, to walk home alone late at night. The fact that she asked him, someone she knows well, to escort her shows that she has some basic safety awareness, probably instilled in her repeatedly by the boss of Tsuzuki. This request isn't unreasonable.

However, the timing of this event was... too coincidental.

Yuan Xudou looked up at Gao Songdeng across from him, remained silent for a few seconds, and then sighed almost imperceptibly.

...There was no other way; he couldn't just leave Yue Nai unattended.

"Tachiki," the boy who had made his decision turned to the side, bypassing Kaname Rakuna's figure, and waved to Shiina Tachiki at the counter, "Come here for a moment."

"You stay here and watch the lights. I'll go call the boss, put Lena on the tram, and come right back."

"...Ah, okay."

Shiina Riki, who had obediently come over, nodded.

“Light,” he turned around and looked at the gray-haired girl in front of him, who seemed a little downcast, “wait here for a while, I’ll take Lena back and then come pick you up.”

“…Hmm,” Gao Songdeng lowered her head slightly, her voice wavering, but without any willful complaint, “It’s alright, Xu Dou, you can go…”

After the two had settled their affairs, Chihaya Aine, who had followed them over, noticed that the boy seemed to have nothing to say to her. She couldn't help but raise her hand, her slender, fair fingers pointing at herself.

"Xu Douqin, then... what about me?"

"...Aine, are you going to send one too?" Yuan Xudou blinked hesitantly at this.

"No, no...that's not what I meant..." Realizing she'd asked a stupid question, she quickly waved her hands, "Um, yes, that—"

“Then you and Lixi can stay here and watch the lights.” Yuan Xudou quickly understood—she just wanted him to give her something to do so that she wouldn’t be excluded, so he answered in this way.

"I understand." Chihaya Aine visibly relaxed. "Then Xiaodeng and I will wait here for Xu Dou to come back."

“Oh right, and Rikki too.” She glanced at the black-haired girl nearby.

"...Huh? What kind of strange name is that?"

Just as Shiina Riki was about to get angry at the strange nickname she deliberately read out with an upward tone, which was almost obviously taunting, Chihaya Aine, who already knew her temper quite well, immediately circled around and hid behind Minamoto Kōto.

“I call Kyorarin and Tomorin the same thing, it’s not just targeting you, Rikki!” With cover, she immediately felt emboldened and confident.

"You guy-"

Shiina Riki's eyes twitched, and a cold, angry voice emanated from between her teeth.

"Alright, Lixi." Seeing that the two were about to clash again, Yuan Xudou couldn't just stand by and watch. "Aiyin didn't mean any harm. Don't fight over this."

“Rikki…” He repeated the nickname Chihaya Aine gave Shiina Tatsuki to himself, then looked at the girl’s cool face, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, as if he was trying not to laugh. “…Hmm, she’s quite cute, isn’t she?”

“C-cute…?” Hearing the boy’s comment, Shiina Tatsuki’s face turned a little red, but she quickly pursed her lips and glared fiercely at Chihaya Aine. “…Since Xu Dou has said so, I’ll let you off this time.”

Double standards again!

However, Chihaya Aine felt she was almost figured out how to deal with Shiina Tatsuki's sharp tongue—as long as she steered the conversation toward Xu Douqin or Kodou, this stubborn and cold-hearted guy would naturally soften up.

Very well, once I take over Kyorarin, I'll see how I use my power to command the princes... no, I mean, how I use the emperor to command the princes!

When the time comes, little Rikki will have to behave obediently.

"Okay, I'll go take Lena home first."

Seeing that the two had calmed down under his comforting words, and that they would at least not argue now, Yuan Xudou also got up from his chair.

"……be safe."

"Xu Dou... be careful on the road."

Seeing that he was about to leave, Shiina Tatsuki and Takamatsu Akari also spoke up with concern.

Chihaya Aine, still imagining her happy future, was a step behind and quickly expressed her concern, saying, "We'll be waiting for you here!"

"it is good."

After finishing his arrangements for the group, Gen Xudou got up and walked towards the store door. Kaoru Nai, who had been silently watching from the side with an interested look, followed him with cat-like, stealthy steps.

Before she went downstairs completely, the girl seemed to turn her head unintentionally and met a slightly gloomy gaze.

Looking at the direction where the two were silently watching, Takamatsu Akira, whose amber eyes gleamed with an inexplicable light, lowered his face as soon as he noticed her turn around. A faint smile appeared on Kaname's face.

"An interesting girl," she murmured.

Then, the girl's interested gaze returned to what was directly in front of her.

"More interesting boys."

"..."

Watching Yuan Xudou and Yao Lena's figures gradually disappear into the descending stairs, Takamatsu Akari unconsciously relaxed her clenched hands hidden under the table.

"—Little Lixi."

She slowly raised her head and looked at Shiina Tatsuki, who had replaced the boy in the chair opposite her.

Her once soft and timid amber eyes were now replaced by a lifeless and unfocused gaze that carried a strange sense of oppression.

...Right in front of him, Xu Dou so casually touched...the head of a girl he didn't know...

This kind of thing... ugh...

Hidden deep within, something heavy and pure, like a seed planted long ago and now finally sprouting, begins to stretch its branches wildly, spreading along blood vessels and nerves, silently entangling the body.

My breathing... seems to have become disordered.

Takamatsu Akari wasn't hostile towards Kaname, it was just that... she had something she desperately wanted.

And the other party seems to have simply taken the place that should have been theirs.

Patting her head, praising her, taking her home, teaching her music step by step... the overlapping sense of familiarity has become so overwhelming that it makes people uneasy.

'My...location...'

With a calmness that could even send shivers down one's spine, Takamatsu murmured to himself.

"We must...bring Xu Dou back."

"A band for life... Xiao Lixi, and Ai Yin."

She slowly turned her head, and her gentle voice was no longer filled with the confusion and sluggishness of the past, but with a subtle fragility, yet an undeniable determination and obsession.

"Would you be willing to help me?"

Chapter Forty-Two: The Band...I'll End It

The warm yellow light cast long shadows on the living room wall.

The soft light shone on the slightly tired boy reclining on the sofa, his gentle profile like golden threads outlining the curve of his eyes.

After clearing away the dishes, Nagasaki Motoyo walked over, her fair, glistening fingers naturally reaching out to rest on Gen Xudou's shoulder, which was exposed due to the slight tilt of his shirt.

"Did something unpleasant happen today?" She leaned forward slightly and wrapped her arms around the boy's neck.

As his body touched the familiar soft curve, Yuan Xudou snapped out of his inner turmoil, turned his head, and met the girl's gentle and concerned lake-blue eyes.

He remained silent for a moment in front of the only girl he could completely trust now.

"Is it something important?" Nagasaki Motoyo gently traced his cheek with her fingertips, asking understandingly, "Can't I even know?"

Now that all obstacles seem to have disappeared, the girl, who is certain that she and Xu Dou have completely understood each other, no longer hides her feelings for him and her possessiveness in wanting to be fully involved in each other's lives.

Just as she was making up for the lack of security and the pent-up emotions she had been unable to express over the past decade, after the troublesome Toyokawa Shoko finally left, she was finally able to enjoy the unconditional acceptance and care that was rightfully hers.

Such tranquility and peace... belong to her.

No one can take it away.

For this reason, she is willing and dares to do anything.

Deeper than the shadows cast by the blazing sun, heavier than chains forged from steel. The shackles that once bound only themselves have now become the wristbands that link them together.

It is an abyss of endless tolerance and endless clinging.

If it weren't for the unfulfilled responsibilities that Genji still had towards the other girls, and his willpower resisting the unconscious pull of their hearts, he would probably have already been embraced by Nagasaki Motoyo, whom he desperately wanted, and dragged into that bottomless, sticky, and enveloping abyss.

But that's precisely why it makes people feel at ease.

"...I'm fine."

Yuan Xudou closed his eyes, and after a long while, he slowly opened them, the weariness in his eyes disappearing instantly.

He held the girl's hand reassuringly, "I only met with Deng today."

"...Lamp-chan?"

Nagasaki Motoyo's fingers paused for a moment, then she hugged him even tighter.

Lamp-chan...

That girl, with her hidden darkness and burdens, who usually appeared timid and easily bullied, yet at times even surprised Xu Doujun with her boldness... Xu Doujun's care for her was the deepest in the past.

Adding to Mu, who was there before, and Li Xi even earlier... the CryCHIC team members, who were originally scattered, have now returned to his side one by one—although they still maintain their original divisions.

But Nagasaki Motoyo knew that as long as Genji Kōdō rekindled his hope of rebuilding the band, he might actually be able to put it back together—Kōdō could definitely do it.

"I see..." She was only surprised by the news for a few seconds before letting out a soft breath and asking the question that concerned her most, "So what does Xu Doujun think?"