chsdbacks Page 197
Page 197
"Isn't this obvious?"
The band's drummer and manager, Yamada-senpai, rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"Leaving aside the documents decrypted by TPC, isn't what's happened during this period enough for you to understand?"
"Giants, monsters—aren't these all creatures other than humans?"
Upon hearing what Yamada-senpai said, the keyboardist immediately chimed in.
"Senior, have you forgotten again?"
“Ryan has no memories of the past, and he doesn’t like playing on his phone.”
Although it seemed like he was helping Ryan out of a tight spot, Ryan could sense the resentment and jealousy hidden in his teammate's heart, as well as a hint of wanting to see him make a fool of himself.
If Maya hadn't insisted that Ryan join the team, and if Ryan hadn't shown amazing talent in musical instruments...
These teammates would never accept an amnesiac amateur joining their team.
Needless to say, Ryan is also the band's backup guitarist, and in the event of an accident involving Maya, he could directly replace her as the lead singer.
"Monsters or giants, they all appear alone..."
"Logically speaking, we cannot regard them as a complete ethnic group."
"As for the alien races deciphered by TPC?"
"We have never seen a real individual like this."
Ryan didn't take his teammates' rejection to heart, showing his usual magnanimity and open-mindedness.
Because if it were him, Ryan wouldn't want a complete stranger to join the band he had poured his heart and soul into building.
Needless to say, the band members of the same age all regarded Maya as their goddess to varying degrees.
With such a powerful competitor suddenly appearing, and the Maya seemingly showing particular favor to it, it's no wonder they reacted with such aversion.
"We can't answer this kind of question."
After glaring fiercely at the keyboardist, Yamada-senpai turned to Ryan and gave him a helpless smile.
"If you really want to know, you can ask Shinjo from the Victory team."
"If I remember correctly, today is the day New Town is coming to see our band perform, right?"
Despite the Victory Team's busy schedule, Shinseok still makes time to watch the band perform.
Or more precisely, Xincheng came to watch Maya's performance.
In front of someone as experienced as Yamada, Shinjo's little schemes were impossible to hide.
"New City?"
Ryan frowned slightly, then remembered something he had just forgotten.
"I'm sorry, something urgent has come up and I have to go out. I won't be able to participate in the rest of the rehearsal."
Ryan hurriedly put down his guitar and turned to walk outside.
“You’re going the wrong way. Maya is at the bar now.”
Smiling and shaking his head, Yamada watched Ryan's retreating figure and couldn't help but call out a reminder.
"If you act quickly enough, you should be able to stop her from meeting Shinjo."
Upon hearing this, Ryan sped up even more.
He was initially walking briskly, but now he was almost running towards the bar.
"senior……"
The keyboardist glanced at Ryan with slight displeasure, and was about to say something when Yamada glared at him again, stopping him in his tracks.
"I know what you want to say, but you have no right to."
“Maya is a child I watched grow up, and I know her personality well.”
“Since she has feelings for both Xincheng and Ryan, I naturally have to create opportunities for them.”
"As for you?"
"Don't be a toad trying to eat swan meat."
Unlike the elder-like demeanor he displayed in front of Maya and Ryan.
When Yamada is with the other members of the band, he clearly acts more like a manager.
It's not surprising when you think about it, after all, this is a powerful person who single-handedly formed a famous band to fulfill the Mayan dream.
To put it bluntly, if Yamada wanted to change the band's players, the keyboardist would never have stayed there until the next day.
In fact, this is the fundamental reason why so many members of the band were unhappy about Ryan's sudden addition, yet they still couldn't stop him from joining the band.
In this band, Maya is undoubtedly the core, while Yamada is the behind-the-scenes helmsman who eliminates all distractions.
......................................................................................................
Meanwhile, in the bar where the band often performs.
Maya, who had come early to scout the site, was chatting happily with Xincheng, who had been waiting there for a long time.
"Has everything been taken care of with the Victory team?"
Somewhat surprised, and also somewhat delighted...
Maya's fondness for the new city was obvious to almost anyone.
Since the "Ligadron Incident," when New Town was rescued by Maya, the two quickly went from strangers to acquaintances.
This was certainly due in part to the Maya's care for the new city.
On the other hand, it was because of the inexplicable fondness Shin-chan had for Maya deep in his heart.
They're like family, and also like close friends...
From the moment he saw Maya, Shinjo felt as if he had seen a long-lost family member. He instinctively wanted to care for and look after this girl who was about the same age as his own sister.
Maya, who always appears aloof in front of outsiders, makes no attempt to hide her willfulness and shyness in the new city.
"It's all taken care of; it's just a matter of some paperwork for getting back into the unit."
Smiling, he spread his hands and raised an eyebrow with a rather smug look.
Forcibly withdrawing from the "qualified person" program is indeed somewhat troublesome for New Town.
However, for some reason, Masaki Keigo, who was directly in charge of the entire project, did not make things difficult for Shinjo on this point, but released him very readily.
As for the senior management within TPC?
Despite their reluctance, they chose to compromise with the Victory Team after learning that Shinjo had lost all his memories of the Selective Achievement program.
Their only requirement was that Shinjo sign a confidentiality agreement, preventing any other members of the winning team besides Megumi and Munakata from knowing about the existence of the "Selected Persons Program".
New City, having anticipated this, readily agreed.
In a sense, this so-called confidentiality agreement is less about keeping secrets and more like a venting clause after a compromise.
Thanks to this, after going through the re-entry process for more than a month, Xincheng has finally returned to the Victory Team.
Today marks his first day off since returning to the Victory team.
——Monthly Tickets/Recommendation Tickets——
Chapter 313 Extraterrestrial Alliance
When Ryan arrived at the bar, New Town was chatting and laughing with Maya.
Seeing this, Ryan, who had originally wanted to stop New City from contacting Maya, was stunned for a moment, and then silently left the bar.
Despite New Town being a "bad man" in Ryan's eyes.
But undeniably, before this "bad man" had taken advantage of Maya and then abandoned her, Ryan didn't really have the right to interfere too much.
Contrary to Yamada's expectations, Ryan never had any romantic feelings for Maya.
In Ryan's eyes, Maya is his family, his sister, and someone he must take care of.
This is an emotion etched deep within Ryan's genes, one that has long transcended ordinary romantic love.
[Maybe before I lost my memory, I really did have such a lovely younger sister?]
With this thought flashing through his mind, Ryan suddenly became very interested in his experiences before he lost his memory.
Prior to this, due to his own personality and a series of evaluations on his personal panel, Ryan was not keen on regaining his previous memories.
Because he was afraid that his guess was true, afraid that the evaluation on his personal panel was true—that he really was a monstrous killer, a monster in human skin.
However, as Ryan gazed at the smiling Maya not far away, his fear and apprehension gradually faded.
If I really have such a lovely younger sister and such a group of family members that I cherish, then what's wrong with finding that lost memory?
Perhaps your family is searching for you right now?
If someone abandons their former family simply out of fear and anxiety, then what difference is there between them and a real monster?
What kind of people will my family be?
Standing at the entrance of the bar, Ryan looked up at the sky with a bewildered expression.
That was the setting sun as the sky gradually darkened, and it was also the past that Ryan wanted to reclaim.
sizzle...
As Ryan pondered, his body unconsciously emitted a blue light.
However, unlike the light of the past, this light seemed to contain some arcs of electricity, as striking as blue lightning.
In a daze, Ryan seemed to see "angels" surrounding him.
They were innocent "angels" like children.
A dazzling arc of electricity dissipated among the clouds, and a smile that made Ryan feel intimately close hung on the blurred face.
The moment Ryan saw the "angels," a thought suddenly popped into his head—they were his true form.
......................................................................................................
"This awakening speed is much faster than I expected."
As Ryan silently emerged from the back alley of the bar, a man with a cold expression appeared before him.
Aside from his mysterious all-black attire, the most eye-catching thing was the black cat on the man's shoulder.
As if possessing intelligence, the black cat stared at Rhine without blinking.
Whether it was his imagination or not, Ryan seemed to see a confused expression on the black cat's face.
More importantly, Ryan seemed to feel a strange sense of familiarity with the man and the black cat opposite him.
It's a connection that comes from blood ties, an attraction that comes from the depths of our genes.
"You are...my family?"
For no apparent reason, Ryan suddenly blurted out this sentence.
The next second, he saw the man opposite him show a look of disgust.
"Don't be so disgusting, we have nothing to do with you."
As he said this, the man reached out and stroked the black cat on his shoulder.
"However, in a sense, we are indeed different individuals derived from the same gene."
"After all, you are the first person besides me to awaken Ebloon cells in a human body."
"Or to be more precise, you are the first Ebloon individual I have discovered that exists in a human form."
The man's, or rather, Sanada Ryosuke's, statement left Ryan utterly bewildered and confused.
Ryosuke Sanada's next words raised Ryan's guard to a critical level.
"I don't know which laboratory created you, you monster..."
"Six months ago, I would have killed you the moment I found you, instead of letting you awaken."
“But things are different now. Through my observation over the past two weeks, I have found that you are different from other Ebloon individuals, and even more human than the vast majority of humans.”