Band members, girls with fermented bean curd, step forward!

Page 13

As Hongxia pushed the cool drink, she called out to the three people behind her.

"Yili, Aiyin, Chen, you guys come too!"

Hongxia distributed the sheet music for today's performance to everyone, and Chen also asked her for a copy.

"Hmm~ I'll need Chen to give us his feedback on our performance later~"

"I remember a saying in Donghuang: 'Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see clearly.' So, Chen will definitely be able to help us notice problems we haven't noticed before."

"No problem, I'm your number one fan, I'll definitely listen carefully."

"Oh, I'll be the best player no matter what."

Liang, brimming with confidence, interjected into the conversation.

The atmosphere was harmonious, but for some reason, the voices of the two pink-haired girls were missing.

Ichiri was just very nervous; she was carefully looking at the sheet music.

Because it was a relatively popular song, she, a guitar virtuoso, had already played it before. However, the pressure of performing on stage for the first time still made her repeatedly check the sheet music, which she already knew by heart.

On the contrary, Aine, who was usually cheerful, fell silent.

She had heard the songs before, but as for playing them, she had absolutely no idea what she was doing and had never rehearsed them.

With her current guitar skills, she'd be lucky to even be able to play along with the sheet music once.

As for performing directly on stage, that's just a pipe dream.

Let's prepare to defuse the situation. Things have come to this point; it's impossible to point out Aine's problems now.

Chen was ready

With Hongxia having borrowed a guitar for Aine, she checked the progress with everyone.

"Everyone, have you all looked at the sheet music?"

Liang and Yili both said it was no problem, so even the stubborn Aine had no choice but to nod in agreement.

She made such a boast that there was no going back.

As Nijigasaki struck the opening rhythm with her drumsticks, the End Band (pseudo) began their first rehearsal.

Ichiri worked incredibly hard, using all her skills to play her part on the guitar exceptionally well.

However, she was completely out of sync, her rhythm completely off-track from the one guided by Hongxia's drumbeats.

This made the sound of her guitar seem particularly discordant.

On the contrary, Aine couldn't keep up with the rhythm, so she had to make the movement of the pick on the strings extremely slight.

In order to reduce her presence

When the piece ended, the four performers looked at each other, none of them daring to speak first.

Ai-yin kept her head down, and no one could see the expression on her face.

"So bad." Liang commented without any emotion.

At this moment, Aine seemed even more shaken than Bochi.

It's time for Chen to step in; if this atmosphere isn't eased soon, the band is going to explode.

"After all, it was our first time rehearsing, so it's normal that we didn't coordinate well."

Chen's words broke the silence and made Hongxia realize that the atmosphere in the rehearsal room urgently needed to be adjusted.

"Yes, yes! That's right! This is just our first rehearsal!"

"As for the question..."

Chen Xiangxia cast a hesitant glance at her.

"Oh, it's alright, Chen. We can correct the problem if you tell us. Just tell us how you feel!"

Hongxia responded to Chen with a determined look. Avoiding the problem wouldn't solve it; their time on stage was fast approaching. What they urgently needed was to resolve the issue.

"Yes, first of all, it's Nijika. As the drummer, she should be the rhythm leader for all the members."

"But later on, your pace followed Ms. Yamada's, and you didn't play a leading role at all."

"Eh?!"

Hongxia didn't expect that her problem would be the first one pointed out.

"Ms. Yamada, your technique is fine. I've already addressed your concerns. The band's rhythm should ideally be synchronized with the drummer's."

"Hmm~" Miss Liang puffed out her chest, selectively listening to the first compliment she received.

"Ultimately, it's all about getting to know each other, especially with Ichiri, who feels like he's playing a solo."

"I'm so sorry to have dragged everyone down! I'll perform seppuku to apologize to everyone!"

Ichiri gripped the front of the guitar, striking a pose as if about to commit seppuku.

"No, no, no, it's not that bad! You'll correct it later!" Hongxia quickly pulled her up.

"As for Aine, her technique was definitely very good before, but she's become a bit rusty."

Finally, the judgment on her arrived, and Miss Aine was so nervous she could hardly breathe.

However, what followed made her raise her head in disbelief and look at Chen, who was defending her.

"Learning guitar is very difficult, and it was very hard for me to teach myself. I was constantly battling with my fingers; I never felt like they weren't part of my body."

"If you haven't touched a guitar in a long time, it will take some time to get back into practice, right? How about Aine puts down the guitar for today and focuses on being the lead singer?"

Adding his own experience would make it more convincing; Chen had paved the way for Miss Aine to save face.

"Ah, okay, let's go with Chenchen's suggestion for now!"

Liang squinted, having been observing Chen with great interest ever since Xia Juwu Balongsi Mingcai had commented on Hongxia.

Seeing how he had helped Miss Aine land safely, Miss Ryo's eyes gleamed with even greater interest, her golden pupils holding an indescribable meaning.

Seeing the atmosphere in the rehearsal room, which was on the verge of exploding, settle down smoothly, Hongxia breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Yes, Aine should focus on being the lead vocalist for now. Guitar skills aren't so easy to pick up again!"

After everyone listened carefully to Chen's suggestions, they prepared to begin the second round of rehearsals.

Miss Aine put down her guitar, her blue-gray eyes fixed on the boy beside her.

After learning that Haneoka is a school with a tradition of playing bands, Aine dug out her long-forgotten electric guitar from her home.

She was initially full of confidence, wanting to form a band and make a name for herself, but her unruly fingers reminded her of her past neglect.

However, when she met Hongxia in the park, she still made a boastful promise.

She was already feeling hopeless about what had just happened, but the boy beside her forcefully pulled her back from the brink of despair.

She didn't know what to do next; she could only focus on singing in front of her.

The performance was noticeably better during the second rehearsal.

At least among the discerning critics, the assessment was, "At least it sounds like a song."

There's no time for one last rehearsal. In the final moments, Hongxia will cheer everyone on.

"Everyone! We've made great progress!"

She raised her voice, giving a pre-battle pep talk.

"As this is our first performance, the result is secondary. As long as everyone enjoys the stage and feels happy while performing, it's a successful performance!"

"The only people coming to our performance this time are a few friends I invited. Everyone, just relax and enjoy the stage!"

Hongxia continued to add her encouragement.

"After all, people's emotions are contagious. Only when we enjoy our music will the audience enjoy it too. So, relax!"

During the tense moment, Chen Zheng fed her chicken soup.

"If Ichiri is afraid to see other audience members on stage, just focus on me. I'll be right in front of you and watching you the whole time. That's our promise, and I'll always support Ichiri!"

"Yili, you can do it!"

"Ok!"

Ichiri nodded firmly.

Chen has already done so much for her, so let her take the final step!

"Aiyin, keep going! I love your singing, and I believe the audience will love it too."

"Yes, I won't let Chenchen down."

Aiyin gazed at Chen, feigning a lighthearted tone.

"Oh, by the way, what's our band's name again?"

Untimely, Ichiri suddenly raised this question.

Hongxia, who had just been injected with adrenaline, suddenly froze, and reluctantly uttered those words.

"Ah... our band is called the End Band."

It's hard to hold back.

The previously tense crowd broke into smiles because of this little incident.

"Ugh, Ryo, I can accept Aine and Bochi, but why does Chen, a person from Donghuang, react like this to this name?!" Hongxia couldn't help but exclaim in frustration.

Liang was somewhat puzzled by the Donghuang proverb that Hongxia and Chen had mentioned during their conversation.

Now I understand why Nijika said those things.

Miss Liang became more interested in the young man.

"Because the name is more meaningful in Chinese, and it's also a pun. Adding the Sakura language interpretation, it has three meanings."

Chen tried his best to keep a straight expression.

"Next up, band, are you ready? It's almost your turn!"

Staff members outside reminded everyone inside the rehearsal room.

"Alright, get ready to go on stage. I'll share the pun about the band name with you when you return victorious. Good luck!"

"Yeah, good luck!" the girls responded.

Modification complete

Chapter 11 Saving Private Aine

"Hongxia really found a substitute in such a short time!"

A blonde girl in the audience, lollipop in her mouth, smugly sized up the two newly appeared pink-haired girls.

"Hello everyone! We are the End Band~"

Hongxia raised her drumsticks and gave a brief opening introduction into the microphone beside her.

"I think everyone has heard the piece I played today. Thank you all for coming!"

Boch's hand holding the pick trembled slightly, and his body shrank back under the gaze of the audience.

It wasn't until I was actually on stage, facing the audience, that I truly understood what it felt like to be on stage.

I'm still not used to it; my hands and feet feel stiff!

Ichiri tried her best to adjust her physical condition, but to no avail.

"Ichiri, Aine, keep it up!"

Chen was cheering them on from below the stage.

As Nijigasaki's drumsticks struck again, the (fake) end of the band's performance began.

Focusing his gaze on Chen on the stage, Yili tried his best to calm himself down.

Chen will always support her, so—

We can't let Chen down!

This is a shared thought between Ichiri and Aine.

If it weren't for Chen's intervention, Miss Aine would have faced social death.