Momoi Taro wants to form a "don" brother duo, but it's a music anime.

Page 35

"Then... what piece will we play? We should have all the instruments, right?" Seeing Deng so happy, Li Xi was naturally happy too, but her personality meant she couldn't ignore the things that needed attention.

"The song is probably... Spring Shadow." Takamatsu Akari tilted her head and thought for a moment, trying hard to recall what everyone had said in the practice room: "Goto is the guitarist... I'm the vocalist... I don't know Taro's yet."

“Guitar, vocals… If we’re going to play Haruhi Kage, just adding bass or drums would sound a bit monotonous, and if we’re going to change the score, we shouldn’t be doing it without informing the light…” Riki lowered his head and began to analyze: “In that case, Momoi-san should be using keyboards. If I’m on drums… then we’re missing a bass.”

"Um... Little Lixi?" Looking at Lixi who had suddenly fallen into talking to herself, Deng looked at her with great confusion: "What's wrong...?"

"No~ there's nothing there." Li Xi's eyebrows curved into a smile as she waved her hand. "More importantly, let me take the lamp home first."

"Okay!" Although Deng didn't quite understand Li Xi's thoughts, she still nodded and followed Li Xi back to her home.

After Lixi dropped Gaosongdeng off at his home, before parting, Lixi asked about the meeting point and immediately took out his phone to make a call.

The call was answered quickly, and a very mature and aloof female voice came from the other end: "Moshi Moshi?"

"Moshi moshi, Hailing?" Lixi was naturally looking for Hailing; whenever a bass was needed, this was the first woman Lixi would think of. After all, she was a professional.

"Ah, it's Lixi. It's so late, what's up?" Hailing's voice still sounded as energetic as ever. Lixi hesitated for a moment before asking, "Hailing, are you free tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow..." Lixi heard the rustling sound of papers on the other end of the phone: "There's a temporary band practice tomorrow afternoon. What's up?"

"There's a reservation..." Li Xi felt a little disappointed, but she still calmly said, "It's nothing."

"Ah~ does that mean you want to ask me out?" Hai Ling's voice on the other end of the phone became playful: "In that case, it's not impossible to skip the band practice."

"Don't say such silly things." Although she knew Hailing was joking, Lixi couldn't help but close her eyes to calm herself down, her cheeks flushing a bright red.

"Are you shy?" Hai Ling asked in her teasing tone.

"No!" Li Xi said decisively, "Anyway, I'm dead!"

"You haven't told me what you wanted to talk to me about yet." Hai Ling's calm voice stopped Li Xi from hanging up.

On the other end of the phone, she held a glass of egg white powder in one hand and her phone in the other, talking to Lixi. She looked quite relaxed.

"Huh?" Li Xi's puzzled voice came from the other end of the phone: "Didn't you say you were too busy?"

"Hmm, perhaps this answer will change depending on your response." Hai Ling's voice remained nonchalant.

After a long silence, just as Hailing was about to move the phone away to see if she had accidentally hung up, Lixi's voice rang out: "We're planning to do a street performance tomorrow, but we're missing a bassist."

"Street live performance? Drummer? These are such novel terms," ​​Hai Ling's voice was full of laughter.

"Ugh, are you going or not?" Li Xi's voice was very impatient. Hai Ling's lips curled into a slight smile; she could already imagine the other person's shy expression on the other end of the phone. However, she didn't rush to answer, but instead asked, "With whom?"

"My former band's lead singer, Takamatsu Akari, and your band's Pink Hair and Momoi Taro." Li Xi's answer surprised Hai Ling. That Taro actually wanted to do a street performance with them?

“Chocolate panna cotta—” she said with a smile.

"Huh?" Li Xi's puzzled voice was something she never tired of hearing.

"The reward for your support is two cans of chocolate panna cotta," Hai Ling said casually. "So, where?"

"I understand!" Li Xi told Hai Ling the time and place of the meeting and then hung up the phone.

Hai Ling put her phone back in her pocket and downed the egg white and powder in one gulp. She really hadn't expected that Momoi Taro would actually be doing a street performance. Although she knew that Momoi Taro was probably very strong, she still had no idea just how strong he was.

Hailin and Taro met at a livehouse.

Before the band was formed, Hai Ling, as a mercenary, naturally moved from one livehouse to another. However, she met a very strange person who, despite not having a band, still moved from one livehouse to another just like her.

He would go to any band that had a live performance, and not just the ones he was in. Although it might sound a bit narcissistic, he was still very handsome, and it wasn't surprising that a teenage boy would go to all sorts of live shows for him.

But that person was clearly not like that, and out of curiosity, Hailing still struck up a conversation with him.

"Come to see a live show again?" Hai Ling, dressed in her very rock-and-roll outfit, walked up to Taro and asked casually.

Taro glanced back at her, nodded, and then turned his head back to the stage: "Ah, it's you. I remember your name is Hachiman Kairin, the bassist before. Not bad."

"Thank you for the compliment." Hachiman Kairin smiled slightly and teased, "You're too cunning to be the only one who knows my name. What's your name?"

“The MC has introduced you so many times, it’s hard not to know you,” Taro said, staring intently at the stage. “Besides, it’s natural for a performer to introduce themselves to the audience, but no audience member would introduce themselves to a performer.”

“I see, that’s a very reasonable explanation.” Hai Ling nodded in agreement with Taro’s statement, then changed the subject, saying, “How about we put it another way: since I’ve seen you in different livehouses, I feel it’s a coincidence and want to strike up a conversation. How about that?”

Taro smiled brightly. "Yuan, I quite like that way of putting it."

"Huh? I thought that as a boy, you would care more about the one who strikes up the conversation." Hai Ling made a thoughtful gesture and said in a flat voice, "It's quite surprising. It turns out you're more of a romantic type who cares about fate."

"If you consider fate a romantic notion, then I don't deny that." The band over there gradually dispersed, and Taro turned around, gave the other person a smile, and said, "So, we're now connected. My name is Momoi Taro. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Momoi." Hailing's voice always seemed so unhurried: "So, Mr. Momoi, who I've come to know, isn't a member of the band, yet he often appears in various livehouses. Can you tell me why?"

Before Taro could speak, she added, "Of course, this is just a little bit of my personal curiosity, so it's okay if you don't have to answer."

“It’s not something I can’t answer,” Taro said casually. “I’m just here to find an opportunity to form a band.”

"The opportunity to form a band?" Hai Ling tilted her head and looked at Taro, puzzled, not quite understanding what he meant.

"My goal is to form my own band. But right now, I don't understand the meaning of happiness, and my playing doesn't bring happiness to anyone." Taro's words were calm and composed. Although they sounded strange, they carried a convincing seriousness: "So, I'm looking for something that can change me."

"In the words of people I know, it's something like 'kirakira, dokidoki'," Taro explained, his tone so calm, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary, even though it was a strange thing.

"I see," Hai Ling nodded in understanding, and said with a smile, "I didn't understand at all."

"I don't understand it either." He thought for a moment and said, "Probably because I haven't encountered it yet."

“I see,” Hai Ling nodded, took a card from her skirt pocket and handed it to Taro, saying, “Well then, I’ll take my leave now. Before I do, I’d like to give a formal introduction. My name is Hachiman Hai Ling, and I’m a bass mercenary. I currently play support bass for twenty-three bands at the same time.”

She paused for a moment and explained, "Although there are only about seven bands currently active, if you need bass support, you can contact the number on the business card. If you let me know a week in advance, there shouldn't be any problems."

"I see." Taro took the business card, but Hai Ling didn't see any surprise on his face. However, Hai Ling didn't ask, but just nodded at him: "Well then, I wish you find that kirakiradokidoki thing soon, goodbye."

This is the story of how the two met.

Chapter Thirty-Four, Time to Prepare

"Shiina, Hailin, what are you doing here? What's going on?" Taro picked up the two people at ten o'clock to meet up and take the train. He saw Riki carrying a handcart filled with something. Judging from the outline of the backpack, it looked like a drum.

"Street live performance, wasn't that what you said?" Li Xi waved her hand irritably. Carrying that heavy drum kit to the station had really taken a lot of effort. Exhausted, she was hardly in a good mood.

"Um!" Takamatsu Akari shouted loudly, drawing everyone's attention, then lowered her voice: "I invited them... is that not allowed...?"

The voices grew softer and softer until they stopped completely. Taro carried his bags on his back, but he seemed completely unaffected.

After listening to Gao Songdeng's explanation, he was not angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "No, it's very good. Although there is no problem with this piece being played only on the keyboard, it will be easier to continue with a more familiar rhythm."

Lixi breathed a slight sigh of relief; she hadn't expected that Deng hadn't told Momoi Taro about this.

Thankfully, I wasn't rejected. If I had been rejected, I would have had to take this drum kit, which I had gone through so much trouble to transport, back home.

Whether it was hard work or not is another matter, but it was definitely embarrassing.

"Do you have the sheet music?" Taro asked. If they didn't know the sheet music, everything would be for nothing, and there wouldn't be time to teach them how to read it.

“Ah, no problem, it’s Haruhi Kage, right? That’s a song from my old band.” Riki didn’t have any particular expression, but she actually felt that her back was soaked with sweat. Because of her fear of Taro’s rejection and the intense exercise, the sweat had soaked her back. “I also sent the sheet music to Hailing.”

"Well, I familiarized myself with it a little yesterday, so there shouldn't be any problems." Hai Ling's answer was very methodical, very much in her style.

Then, the group started chatting casually, and even Gao Songdeng occasionally joined in the conversation. The conversation was quite lively... except for one person.

Goto Ichiri huddled at the very back, unable to utter a word.

The reason... is because she is afraid of Hailing.

What's up with this guy? His outfit is way too rock and roll! Is this what an adult band is like? It's terrifying. But if I dressed like that, would I also look a bit rock and roll...?

No, no, rock and roll is the cry of losers, this guy is not rock and roll at all.

Although Pochi had many thoughts running through his mind, he didn't show them on his face at all.

But somehow, the conversation among the people waiting for the tram shifted to Pochi.

"Speaking of which, I don't know this person very well. Taro, could you introduce her?" Hailin's calm tone made Boqi feel inexplicably uneasy, as if the air itself had become restless. Why did she suddenly have to talk about him...?

“That’s true, we should give a formal introduction.” Taro nodded in agreement and introduced, “This is Goto Ichiri, the guitarist.”

"Uh...please guide me! Ouch!!" Pochi quickly bowed at a ninety-degree angle, and the guitar case hit the back of her head due to gravity. She covered the back of her head.

The expressions on the faces of the others became somewhat subtle, but Hailin and Taro remained unchanged. Boqi took the opportunity to lower his body and avoid the awkward situation.

Well, if you can't see it, it doesn't exist.

"I see. You're quite an interesting person." Hailin said in a very calm tone, "I'm Hachiman Hailin, the bassist for the Tonkatsu Brothers, and I also provide bass support for the Fourteen Bands. Nice to meet you, Goto-kun."

“Wow, amazing…” Pochi raised his head, secretly glancing at the cool rock girl with a very calm expression, and could only murmur in a weak voice, “Um… please, please take care of me, Ms. Hachiman.”

"Huh? Why are you acting like you're meeting for the first time? Aren't you in the same band?" Li Xi looked at them, confused. She remembered that they had dinner together last time.

“That’s… Ai. Goto-kun, I’m Takamatsu Akari, nice to meet you,” Takamatsu Akari explained briefly, and bowed to Pochi as well.

"Ah...no, this is the place, nice to meet you!" Pochi quickly returned the bow. Ah...did he consider himself to have accomplished the difficult task of greeting so many people? Had he made a little progress again?

“So there are two people.” Li Xi roughly understood the situation, nodded, and tightened her voice, revealing a hint of indifference: “Well, although it’s just a street performance, we’re temporary teammates anyway. I’m Shiina, nice to meet you.”

Shiina Tatsuki's voice was flat and lacked any variation, somewhat like the shop manager's, but even more stern. Ugh! How scary!

"N-N-N-Um! Please take care of me!" Pochi stammered as he tried to greet the other person.

"Is this guy alright...?" Looking at Pochi's shy demeanor, Lixi scrutinized him with a very suspicious gaze.

Ugh!

Shake, shake, shake

Pochi, trembling as he was being scrutinized, silently began to shift his body, using Taro's body to block the other's view.

“It’s impossible for there to be no problems!” Taro said bluntly. “This street performance was organized specifically to solve problems. Takamatsu’s and Goto’s.”

"Huh? What's wrong with the light?" Li Xi breathed on it without any politeness.

"The same problem: you can't perform well when you're performing in front of others," Taro pointed out directly.

Li Xi didn't say anything. After all, these problems did exist, but in her mind, hadn't they already been resolved? Didn't she sing them well during the "Bitterly Comes to Live" performance?

"I suggested it myself..." Deng said softly, as if she could see through Lixi's doubts. She said, "During the live performance, I sang it well... but I don't remember anything after that."

“It must have been because I didn’t sing well back then that Sakichan had the idea of ​​quitting… In order to prevent this from happening again, I must work hard…”

When Gao Songdeng said this, he initially felt a little guilty, but then he gradually became more determined.

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy! Boqi cautiously peeked out and looked at Lixi's somewhat embarrassed face. Hailing and Taro didn't show any change in expression, but Gaosong Deng's expression was very firm... Compared to them, Lixi, who also wanted to change herself, was really too pathetic.

"Well... let's start making changes now... how about we begin by breaking the awkward silence?"