chsdbacks Page 54
Page 54
“That’s right~ We can’t just go on stage in our casual clothes like that.” Meow Dream immediately agreed, put down her drumsticks, and looked at Taro, asking, “General, what do you think?”
"By the way, the MC lyrics and stage effects also need to be negotiated." Hai Ling heard Aine's words, and with a thought, she took two steps toward Taro and said, "If you don't mind, I can handle the stage effects."
“No, I’ve already taken care of those things! As for the MC, we can just improvise.” Taro responded to Hailin’s question, then thought for a moment: “As for the costumes—Aine, what are your thoughts?”
"Well... I can design the clothes?" Aine tilted her head thoughtfully and gave her answer: "So, what are everyone's requirements for clothing? Or is there a theme or something?"
"The sleeves are too tight and clingy, it's annoying." Lena was the first to speak up. Aine tilted her head and thought for a moment, then nodded: "Little Lena doesn't like feeling restricted, does she?"
"Mmm!" Lena nodded and smiled. Ai Yin, with a mischievous grin, hugged Lena tightly and stroked Lena's soft fur, looking very proud: "This means I'm gradually getting to know little Lena."
"The theme for this time is casual wear, and for the colors, I'd like to use my red, Aine's pink, Meow Dream's black, Hai Ling's blue, and Xiao Le Nai's yellow as the signature colors—"
Hearing her name called, Lena lifted her head from Aine's embrace, pointed to her nose with six fingers, and whispered, "Green. Good."
"Mine would be more suitable in purple!" Meow Dream said, improvising a drumbeat. Taro nodded and smiled, "Rejected!"
"Ugh!! Why is it like this?!" Meow Dream banged on the drumstick in dissatisfaction!
The cat pouted and nestled in Aine's arms without saying a word. Aine stroked Rana's hair and replied to Taro with a bright smile, "Yes~ leave it to me."
"Speaking of which, how about we design something together, Miaomeng-chan?" Ai Yin smiled and leaned against Miaomeng, saying, "I saw the clothes you designed on your desk in that 1000 yuan cosmetics recommendation video. Come on, let's do it together!"
When Miaomeng heard Aine say that, she smiled and then put her hands together in a pleading manner: "Although I'm happy that Aine remembers so clearly, please spare me. There are all sorts of challenge videos during Golden Week. I'm so busy."
Hearing Miaomeng say that, she turned to look at Hailing: "Then~ Hailing? Let's stay together?"
"There are a lot of bands that need support during Golden Week, aren't there?" Hai Ling took out her tablet and checked the date: "I do have time tomorrow afternoon..."
“Let’s do it then!” Aine immediately made the decision, and Taro said, “Well, you can ask me any questions you have. I know everything about setup and production!”
"Is this playlist better than the others?" Hai Ling tilted her head slightly and said calmly, "The first song was so energetic, isn't the second song a little too calm?"
“If we take a more comprehensive view, the way it is now is fine!” Taro retorted. “We were Afterglow before, and the atmosphere was really hot when they left the stage. If we can’t maintain that enthusiastic atmosphere, it will be hard for our band to attract attention.”
"To be completely ignored, like dust?" Aine imagined the scene and couldn't help but shudder. Then she thought about the practice she'd done these past few days and her confidence returned: "But with Taro's song, it'll definitely be fine!"
"The calmer piece that follows is also to allow Kasumi and the others to perform better. After the calmer piece, any piece can be played." Taro explained briefly, tidying up the practice room: "Oh, right, the gifts for today."
As usual, Taro distributed the gifts to everyone, except for Aine, who complained slightly: "Ugh~ even fruit sandwiches get boring if I eat them every day, and my blood sugar will definitely spike if this keeps up—"
"What do you want to say?" Taro looked down at the smug Aine and said in a deep voice, "If you have something to say, just say it clearly!"
"Then I'll just say it directly~" Aine smiled smugly, put her hands on her hips and said, "I want Taro's bento."
"What a nuisance, no thanks." Taro rejected Aine's request without hesitation, so the pink-haired puppy hugged Taro's arm and pleaded, "Taro! This is my lifelong request! Please!"
"Your life is too cheap—get out of the way!" So the pink-haired girl, who never learns from her mistakes, had her head tightly pinched by Taro's five fingers again and was violently thrown aside.
"It hurts so much!" Aine screamed in pain, clutching her head, while complaining, "Can't Taro be a little gentler?!"
"Haha, I don't know when Aiko and the Admiral got along so well." Miao Meng scratched her face awkwardly. If this happens, will Aiko be too heartbroken when she wants to quit? But she'll have to comfort Aiko properly then.
"What will it take for you to say yes~" The pink-haired puppy got up from the ground and asked, "I'll do anything I can! I'm absolutely, really curious about Taro's bento!"
"You can do everything...?" Taro thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Well, if your singing ability is good enough for me, then let's do it this way."
"Yay!" Ai Yin jumped up and stood up happily.
“Continuing our previous topic, was the encore's composition also based on this consideration?” Hai Ling said calmly, lowering her head slightly as she picked up her bass amp. “Well then, that’s all for now. See you tomorrow.”
(II) Ling Er Yi 3 Liu Ba? Er "Then I should go too, see you tomorrow." Taro nodded and stepped out of the practice room.
"Hailin, Taro~ See you tomorrow—" Aine waved behind the two of them.
Rewinding to 9:45 AM, Takamatsu Akari stood in RiNG. Rinrinko greeted her: "Good morning, I think it's... Akari? Are you here to see Riki? Riki isn't on duty today."
“Um…no,” Takamatsu Akari shook her head. Rinrinko then said, “Then…? Are you here to see Taro? Taro’s band members haven’t been here either.”
Takamatsu Akari shook her head again and whispered to Rinko, "Um... Rinko-san, I'd like to schedule a half-hour practice session..."
"I'm sorry, Xiaodeng." Rinrinko flipped through the booklet and said, "There are too many bands to practice with during Golden Week, and all the reservations are full."
She thought for a moment and said, "How about this, do you want to ask Taro? The members of Taro's band haven't arrived yet, so it shouldn't be a problem for you to borrow them for a while?"
"Hmm..." Takamatsu Akari lowered her head and didn't say anything. She just sat down in a seat, put her guitar aside, and Rinko waved to her: "Just call me if you want to order."
Not long after, a tea-haired girl in a plain white dress pushed open the door, looked around, found Takamatsu Akari sitting in the corner, and said in her usual tone, "Akari, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
As soon as she said it, she wanted to hit herself. She had clearly said she wanted to face everyone with her true self, but she still habitually did it this way.
“Little Su Shi…” Takamatsu looked up slightly at Su Shi. Su Shi sat down and waved to Rin Rinko, saying, “Excuse me, I’d like to order.”
"You're here!" Rinrinko walked over, and Su Shi smiled as she ordered, "One Darjeeling tea and one mocha coffee."
"Yes~" Rinrinko wrote it down and left. Suze's voice softened, and she said calmly, "I didn't expect that Kodama would say she also wants to meet me."
“Hmm, one medical device, two deities, four…” Gao Songdeng looked at the other person with some doubt and said, “Little Su Shi, are you unhappy?”
"No, this is just...this is how I am," Su Shi said softly, stealing a glance at the other person, and asked gently, "Do you hate it?"
"Hmm...?" Takamatsu Akari shook her head, then looked down at her hands: "No... I'm a little happy."
"Huh?" The unexpected answer made Su Shi look at the lamp. She said, "Now, little Su Shi can feel... your feelings even more."
"Oh, I see..." Su Shi smiled, her gaze focusing on Deng's fingers. Her face froze, and she quickly stood up and sat down next to Deng, holding Deng's fingers and asking anxiously, "Little Deng, are your fingers injured? What happened? Does it hurt? Should we go to the hospital? You must tell me if anything is wrong."
"Hmm..." Deng shook his head and explained softly, "It was from guitar practice... I got injured..."
"Oh, I see. Xiaodeng is practicing guitar..." Su Shi relaxed slightly, but didn't sit back down, instead sitting next to Xiaodeng. After Ms. Rinrinko brought the drinks, Su Shi spoke, "I asked Xiaodeng out today to apologize to her..."
"I've never really faced Xiaodeng's situation properly before... I've always come to Xiaodeng to talk to her..." Su Shi tried hard to organize her thoughts, but she didn't know where to begin with the myriad emotions in her heart. A pair of warm, but not smooth, hands covered hers, with the unique feel of a band-aid.
Su Shi's eyes widened slightly. She stared blankly at Gao Songdeng's resolute gaze. Gao Songdeng looked into Su Shi's eyes and said softly, "Little Su Shi, let's form a band! Once again, this time absolutely, for a lifetime!"
Gao Songdeng had no idea why Xiangzi wanted to quit Kulaixi, nor how to bring him back. But she had made up her mind: even if Xiangzi didn't come back, she would keep moving forward. If Xiangzi knew she was stuck in the same place, he would be very worried about her...
So she has made up her mind that even if she feels lost, she will move forward toward her lifelong goal. This is what she learned from Master Taro!
“A lifetime…” Su Shi also smiled and nodded in agreement, “Sure… But, even though Xiao Deng might not understand, I want to separate myself from the bands of the past as much as possible. But… I want a band that isn’t just about suffering.”
Su Shi's words startled Gao Songdeng slightly, and then she also showed a sincere smile: "Yes! That's what I think too... This time, we must hold everyone's hands tightly and never let go."
“Little Lamp…” Su Shi chuckled softly, beads of sweat trickling down her temples. She squinted, tilted her head, and said in a low voice, “It’s good to have drive, but you’re pushing yourself a little too far.”
Gao Songdeng tilted her head slightly, looking at Su Shi with some confusion. Su Shi looked at her slightly reddened hand and chuckled awkwardly, "Um... Xiaodeng, I used a little too much force."
Gao Songdeng tilted his head in confusion at first, then followed Su Shi's gaze and saw that Su Shi had let go of his hand, which was now red from being gripped. The little penguin's face turned red.
"Speaking of which, when did Akari start practicing guitar?" Suze asked curiously. Akari lowered her head and replied softly, "Recently... I've been practicing a lot, but... I can only play Kasuga Kage's guitar solo..."
“Spring Shadow…” Su Shi sighed softly, looking down. No matter what, she would never forget the beautiful past of her band: “I’ve been practicing bass a lot lately, although I don’t know if I should ask… who is Xiao Ai?”
"Taro-senpai's... guitarist is incredibly talented." Takamatsu Akari responded softly. Su Shi looked up slightly, and the first thing that came to mind was... her absurd kiss that night. Her pretty face flushed slightly.
She couldn't quite pinpoint when she fell in love with Momoi Taro. Maybe it was when he solemnly held up a stamp and told her to create new memories, or when he said to move forward as the remembrance ended, or when she cried her heart out in his arms.
That's not important. What's important is that Su Shi has fallen for Momoi Taro. Ugh, no, no, no, the important thing now is the guitarist. Su Shi blushed slightly, took a sip of her Darjeeling tea, suppressed those strange thoughts, and coughed lightly.
"That guitarist... I saw it, the video of Xiaodeng, that guitarist, Xiaolixi, and Mr. Momoi performing on the street together."
"Huh?" Deng looked up in confusion at Su Shi and replied softly, "That... it's not Xiao Ai, it's just someone else who happens to have the same hair color."
"Huh?" Su Shi was slightly taken aback, but finally shook her head and said nothing.
And so, this nameless band was reborn in RiNG.
Chapter Fifty-Four, Preparations Begin
Over the next few days, the Dong Brothers practiced again and again. They even did a dress rehearsal, and finally, it was time for them to showcase their work.
Before the live stream begins—
"Hey, hey, hey, let's form a circle before we go on stage! Come on!" Ai-yin chattered away as she walked down the aisle in the dressing room. She was wearing a pink coat and a swallowtail gray-black short dress, with a sheer white tulle skirt extending from the bottom, forming a loop with the black swallowtail skirt.
"No!" Taro, dressed in a loose red robe that covered his entire body, wore a golden half-gear encasing a peach-shaped flag earring. His handsome face gave him an ethereal appearance, and his expression was as serious as ever: "The circular formation has no real meaning!"
"That's not right! I think the circular formation can definitely boost morale!" A girl's voice came from not far away. Everyone looked over and saw that it was the band that was about to go on stage. The one who spoke was a girl with pink hair: "Taro, isn't that a bit much? The circular formation can greatly improve the team members' morale. Let's all demonstrate how to cheer them on! A! A! o!"
However, the pink-haired girl's enthusiastic cheering didn't elicit a response from anyone. She looked around, closed her eyes, and shouted at her teammates, "Wait! Why aren't you cheering with me?"
“Fei Mary…” The girl with short black hair and red highlights, who was at the head of the group, blushed slightly and said softly, “I’m a little shy in front of everyone.”
"How could this happen~!!" The girl called Himemari cried out in frustration. "Eh, what's this? It looks interesting. Can I call out?" Aine looked at Himemari with sparkling eyes: "I remember it's... Himemari-senpai?"
“Great! Let’s join in!” Felice’s eyes lit up, and she said, “Let’s all join in—”
"A! A! O!" x2
"Taro, you should say it too!" Aine nudged Taro with her elbow in annoyance, only to be pushed away by Taro with one hand: "Such boring talk! No way!"
"Taro!!!" Hishimari shouted Taro's name in a fit of anger.
"This is the same as always~" Mocha, standing next to the 1+@疑O7 捌4棋*罒鷗熘, also started to gain popularity with her beaming smile.
"..." Taro glanced at them and asked, "Where are Tomoe and Yuzawa?"
"Baqin said she's hungry~ so she and Tsugumi went to get some energy~ to replenish~" Mocha's voice was as light and airy as ever: "By the way, Hiiro has already eaten three pieces of chocolate~"
"I see... But speaking of which, Ran, Mocha said you missed me. I'm really sorry, I haven't had time to come to your live performances—" Taro seemed to remember something and was about to say something to the black-haired girl with red highlights when she surprised him.
"...I didn't say that!" Ran retorted, slightly agitated. "Mocha!"
"Hehe~ Little Mocha~ You don't know anything~" Mocha covered her mouth and chuckled mischievously, "More importantly~ We're going on stage soon~ It'd be better to go find Bachin and Tsugumi first~"
“That makes sense… Well then, I’ll be going now…” After the three of them left, Aine peeked at Taro and asked curiously, “Are you very familiar with them, Taro?”
"It's alright, just a little bit related! Meow Meng Hailing and Le Nai are waiting for us in the lounge, let's go over there." Taro didn't really want to talk about it in depth. In his opinion, it was more important to focus on the band.
"Yes, yes, yes," Aine reluctantly followed Taro back to the Dong Brothers' lounge.
"It's a little late, did something happen?" The person asking the question was Hai Ling. Her clothes hadn't changed much, except that the color had changed to blue and the lining to gray, making her look a little colder than pure black.
"Well, I ran into someone I knew before, and we chatted for a bit." Taro sat on the sofa, arms crossed, eyes closed, resting.
"It's alright now." After hearing Taro's explanation, Hai Ling didn't say anything more and sat down on the sofa.
"Aine, matcha candy." Rakuna, wearing a loose yellow windbreaker and a white beret, tugged at Aine's sleeve, asking for it. An ANON-TOKYO business card was stuck to her elbow on her outstretched arm. The loose sleeves made her look very cute, while her lower body was dressed in ordinary flared pants.