Girl Band, Gravity Capture

Page 114

Being entangled by strange people, and seeing that getting rid of them might take some effort, the young man, who had little energy, could only sigh. His handsome, angular face was illuminated by the occasional stage lights, revealing a helpless expression.

His voice of compromise rose up along with the cacophony of music emanating from the poorly sounded speakers.

"Okay, you go first."

Her emerald green eyes widened slightly, and Hachiman Kairin seemed a little surprised that he had agreed to her suggestion so easily. But she quickly recovered, biting the chocolate bar in her mouth in half and sitting up a little more seriously.

"As I just said, Yuan, I am a professional support bassist."

"Not counting those bands that have stopped operating and having activities, there are probably more than ten bands that we are currently supporting, although we haven't made a serious count."

“I don’t really care where I perform or who I perform with, as long as the pay is negotiable—of course, it would be best to work in a great band, but that’s only a small percentage; most of the time, I don’t have much to choose.”

After a moment's thought, Yuan Xudou ignored her subtle hint that she "hoped to join a great band" and roughly understood the main meaning of her words.

"So, you're here to be a support bassist."

“That’s it.” Hachiman Kairin raised an eyebrow and picked up another Pocky stick. “Now it’s your turn?”

“A coincidence.” His answer was short and calm. “I was taking a walk by the roadside and saw a live music house that was open for business, so I went in to support it.”

"coincide?"

"Correct."

Genjiro's response was so straightforward and concise that Hachiman Kairin couldn't help but scrutinize the boy's expression.

She eventually concluded that she was too busy looking at his ridiculously handsome face, but she didn't think he was the type to lie.

—Just kidding. She's met and interacted with quite a few people, and she can tell whether someone is being perfunctory or not from their tone and behavior.

"That's quite a coincidence."

With an unchanged expression, Hachiman Kairin sighed, "I often see you in RiNG, and I also bump into you when I go to other places to provide support. Maybe we are destined to meet."

“Ah, don’t get me wrong—I’m not hitting on you.” She blinked her emerald green eyes calmly. “However, if you’re planning to form a band, it’s not a bad thing if I think you’re hitting on me.”

"Since you're calling me 'classmate,' which high school did you attend?"

"Eastern Capital," Yuan Xudou replied without turning his head.

"Hanasaki River."

"...You and a friend of mine go to the same school."

"You mean Shiina-san? She was my deskmate in front of me." Hachiman Kairin obviously knew who Minamoto Koto was talking about.

The girl's persistent hints, practically screaming "Want to form a band? Count me in if you do," were giving Yuan Xudou a headache... wait, she seemed to have already said that outright. Despite being rejected, she remained confident; he was starting to admire her self-assurance and social skills.

However, the boy and she simply couldn't get along in this regard.

Yahata Kairin... she seems to treat forming a band as a job.

Of course, whether one treats the band as a job, a dream, a hobby, or a way of life, he has no interest in judging the merits of these attitudes. The band playing on stage right now treats music as a hobby or a dream, but that doesn't make their performance much better than Hachiman Kairin's, who treats music as a job; in fact, it might be far inferior.

But he himself... wouldn't treat this as work, nor would he accept teammates with that kind of mentality.

Furthermore, Hachiman Kairin's attitude was somewhat strange... If she only saw forming a band as a way to earn money, there was no need for her to want to work with him. Just like most employees in society wouldn't insist on staying with one company for life, he hadn't promised any particularly tempting benefits.

If she's in a hurry to find a job... according to her, she already has more than ten bands working part-time, so she doesn't seem to be short of money.

With that in mind, he decided to be a little more absolute in his words, and to bluntly and directly cut off her stubborn thoughts that came from nowhere.

"...Even if I plan to form a band, I won't ask people who aren't part of a band to support me."

"If you want to form a band... mutual trust should be the most basic requirement."

Gen Xudou finally turned his head, his dark, deep pupils gleaming with undeniable certainty, meeting Hachiman Kairin's emerald eyes, which shimmered like a cat under nighttime surveillance.

A moment later, the girl was the first to give in to the eye contact, turning her gaze away and pretending nothing was wrong as she looked at the stage, even stopping chewing the chocolate bar in her mouth.

"……I see."

For the first time, there was a noticeable fluctuation in the tone of Hachiman Kairin's voice.

Chapter 45 Sharing and Blessings

"Yuan, how late do you plan to stay here?"

"If you hadn't struck up a conversation with me, Hachiman, I probably would have left during the second performance we were watching."

"That's really an honor."

After understanding Genjiro's absolute standards for a band, Hachiman Kairin remained silent for a few minutes, but soon after, she casually brought up a new topic with him. This time, however, she didn't subtly mention her intention to form a band, and the boy, having achieved his goal, didn't mind continuing to respond to her.

With an unspoken understanding, the two enjoyed the performance, which was far too childish for their skill level, while chatting casually. They talked about everything from the guitarist's off-key singing on stage to last year's Shinto Grand Festival, from the view of Tokyo Tower to the cherry blossoms in Hokkaido, until Hachiman Kairin's Pocky box was empty.

The girl, with a rather serious tone and expression, spoke with unexpected wit, even bordering on playful. The boy, in a relaxed state, was no less charming in this regard.

Gen Xudou had to admit that chatting with Hachiman Kairin was quite a pleasant experience, especially while watching a performance that was... politely speaking, not very professional. Distracting oneself made one feel much more comfortable, and that was probably part of the reason why the girl wanted to chat with him.

Come to think of it, as a support musician who moves between more than a dozen teams, his emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills are certainly not weak.

Chatting with Hachiman Kairin felt less like getting to know a beautiful girl her own age and more like casually chatting with a good friend—a rather novel experience for Genji, who rarely had purely "friendship" in the strict sense.

He just talked a bit too much... It's like he doesn't usually talk much, but when he finally finds someone he can chat with, he can't wait to pour out all his accumulated thoughts like water, you could say he's talking non-stop.

She didn't seem to care much about what they were talking about; she was simply enjoying the conversation.

Perhaps it's because... her aloof and indifferent demeanor is so deceptive to normal people that those around her can't communicate with her smoothly and naturally.

After all, that's how Japanese society is—people who are too unconventional or different are naturally isolated and ostracized, making it difficult for them to integrate into a group, even if it only appears that way on the surface. As a mercenary drifting between various bands, she clearly doesn't have any deeply connected partners.

A pent-up, repressed passion... that's not an exaggeration to describe her.

Yuan Xudou, who also needs to relieve his emotions, does not object to such a mutually beneficial relationship that is conducive to his physical and mental health. He should have left long ago, but he stayed here for a long time because of this.

Of course, there was another reason—his seat was at the very edge of the Live House, and the very person next to him, Hachiman Kairin, was blocking his way out. If he wanted to leave, she would have to make way, which was a bit of a hassle.

There's nothing much to do, so I might as well stay here and chat with Hachiman.

Thinking this, Yuan Xudou, who had been infected by the girl's habit, chewed up a small piece of chocolate bar that he was holding diagonally in his mouth.

After waiting for a while, Yahata Kairin, who had been handing out chocolate bars at opportune moments, still didn't make a move.

Sensing something amiss, Yuan Xudou glanced sideways at the bag full of Pocky boxes, which had been almost empty except for one stick.

"The last one." Just as she swallowed her own chocolate bar, Hachiman Kairin fell into thought.

She quickly made a decision, pulled out the last remaining Pocky stick, and pinched both ends with her fair fingers, which contrasted sharply with the black wrapping. With a gentle force, accompanied by a crisp "snap," she broke it in half.

"half each."

She kept the end with the cookie for herself.

...A remarkable persistence. However, her act of sharing the chocolate bar from the very beginning was remarkable enough, so this ending is a fitting conclusion.

Anyway, he's been fed by Su Shi enough times, and he's not some naive boy who's never even touched a girl's hand before, so this little bit of trouble is nothing to him.

The two of them calmly shared the last chocolate bar, and Hachiman Kairin casually crumpled the empty box and put it in her bag before brushing the remaining crumbs off her hands.

"I'm about to go on stage, Yuan, would you consider staying another half hour?" she earnestly invited.

"Okay." Thinking that leaving would just mean resting in a different place, he nodded without hesitation.

There were still some scattered cheers and applause. More and more people came in to watch the performance, and the quality of the bands improved a little. It seemed that as evening approached, it finally had the atmosphere of a proper live house.

Hearing his agreement, Hachiman Kairin's lips curled into a smile.

"Let's meet here after this." The girl extended her hand in front of him, her bright green eyes, as clear and firm as lustrous jade, reflecting a calm confidence. "At least when it comes to bass playing, I'm still very confident."

Yuan Xudou paused for a moment, then realized that she wanted to shake hands with him to make a promise.

"...Is this really necessary, Hachiman-kun?"

Hachiman Kairin remained silent, simply staring at him.

"……All right."

The two shook hands politely but not too intimately, and a satisfied expression appeared on the girl's youthful face, which was whiter than the snow in Hokkaido.

"See you later." She stood up. "Remember to save me a seat."

"Yes, I promise you."

Although her expression didn't change much, you could tell that Hachiman Kairin seemed happy.

Her critique of the band's performance on stage was sharp and accurate, and her claim of being good at bass was probably not blind confidence; a band that would hire a support musician to perform on stage is likely to be of decent quality and worth looking forward to.

Watching Hachiman Kairin leave, Genjiro also perked up, preparing to concentrate on enjoying the upcoming performance.

—Until the girl suddenly returned and stood beside him.

"...Hachiman-kun, why aren't you getting ready to go on stage? What are you doing standing here?"

"Aren't you going to say anything encouraging to me?" he asked in a matter-of-fact tone.

Yuan Xudou pressed his left palm against the corner of his eye, trying to suppress the muscle twitching.

So... people with high musical talent are all a bit off their minds...?

"...I wish you a successful performance."

Satisfied with the blessing, Hachiman Kairin left, this time genuinely heading backstage to prepare for her entrance.

The boy who remained was now seriously considering whether he should leave as soon as possible.

Hachiman-kun... if you can connect with her feelings, she's a good friend, but she's a bit eccentric. Even though he connects with her feelings, he also feels she's... not quite normal.

No wonder she seems friendless. Aside from her aloof exterior, there probably aren't many people who can adapt to her strikingly contrasting inner self. It reminded Yuan Xudou of a cow-and-cat who appears extremely cold on the outside but is actually the complete opposite in spirit.

...Never mind, she knew she frequented RiNG and knew Riki, so leaving without a word risked being confronted. It's hard to say about other girls, but with Hachiman Kairin's personality, she might actually do something like that.

Besides, breaching contracts is not in his nature.

Also, it is a bit strange... but it is indeed very interesting.

He still felt some affection for the girl he had been chatting with for a while.

Let's talk about it when she gets back.

Chapter Forty-Six: Memories, Expectations, and Unacceptable Hopes

"Boot button が solution け て る wooden leak れ day は foot を lick む ~"

(Unlace your shoes and let your feet bask in the dappled sunlight under the trees)

"The breath is breathed and the sounds are heard~"

(Only the sound of breathing gently caressing my ear)

"Your current position is the same as the ancient chair."

(You suddenly stood up from the chair, from that old chair)

"Soft and soft hemp"

(A gentle breeze carries the faint scent of linen.)

"ん——"

(ha--)

Like a fleeting sea breeze, crisp musical notes danced lightly on the stage illuminated by neon lights.

The lead singer, his face flushed, strained his voice with all his might, while his teammates, covered in sweat, wore satisfied smiles.

The salty sweat dripped silently... like water droplets splashing up in the ocean, sparkling and bright.

The music that Xinyue played, without much professional technique or coordination, was like the rising sun in early summer, carrying an incredibly enthusiastic melody that resonated joyfully in my ears.

Compared to those mediocre beginner bands before, this band's performance, though still somewhat immature, can finally be described as "appreciative."

...Hachiman Kairin is right. Even in an unknown live house, there are people with potential.

Even in a small, unknown studio, even in an inconspicuous little event... everything poured with passion and effort, no imperfections or flaws can overshadow its bright, dazzling, and desirable brilliance.