Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Page 21

"It's okay. Your grades and talents are both very good. I believe you can adapt to the new environment quickly."

"I will definitely strive to make progress in Haneoka and make the most of my high school life."

"Okay, that's good. The interview is over. Thank you for taking the time to come all this way, Shoko."

"Thank you."

Xiangzi stood up, bowed politely, and ended Yuqiu's interview.

In the end, I chose Yuqiu.

Chu Hua tried to persuade Xiangzi again and again, but to no avail. After all, the scholarship was quite substantial, leaving a considerable amount of money after deducting tuition fees.

And what if they were actually in the same school...

Xiangzi recalled a joke he had heard before: a little girl was caught by her teacher bringing her pet to school. It was the girl's big dog. The girl said she didn't bring the pet, but the teacher didn't believe her. Finally, the teacher called the parents and found out that the big dog had secretly sneaked out and followed the girl to school.

For some reason, Xiangzi felt that Chuhua was capable of doing such a thing.

When Xiangzi came out of the principal's office, it was just after school in the afternoon. She didn't have a school uniform and didn't want to leave the school under the students' stares, so she simply wandered around in a less crowded place for a while, waiting until everyone had left before leaving.

I specifically set aside time for interviews today, so I'm quite free.

But being free today doesn't mean she'll be free in the future. Even if she goes to school, she'll still have to find time to work and earn money to try and pay off the debt she owes Chu Hua.

There's a lot going on.

She needs to adjust her work schedule. She worked as a script supervisor for a month, and the director liked her, saying that she had the ability to continue working in higher positions, and the salary was much higher than that of waitresses, cashiers, and customer service staff. However, if she wanted to go to school, she wouldn't be able to follow the film crew every day, so she needs to find a more suitable part-time job.

The exploration of the barrier must continue. She hasn't thought of a plan yet and can only proceed step by step.

As she walked, Xiangzi found herself in front of the concert hall. She pushed the door open and peeked inside. There was no one there, but in one corner of the classroom stood a grand piano that looked quite expensive.

"To actually be willing to buy a Steinway grand piano... Yuqiu is really something else."

Xiangzi swallowed hard.

My hands are itchy.

It was four o'clock, time for club activities, and there was a gap in between. Xiangzi glanced back at the empty corridor, gripped the doorknob, and quietly slipped inside, leaving her head outside the door. She looked around, and after confirming once again that no one had seen her, she tiptoed and closed the door.

From that day on, a legend began to circulate in Yuqiu.

The ghost of a girl who gave up music due to poverty and died unjustly sits at the piano in the brass band every afternoon at three o'clock, expressing her love for music.

The person involved, who declined to be named, Toyokawa Shoko, said: She's not dead yet.

I won't deny the rest.

However, the school's pianos were really good quality, much better than the street pianos. Xiangzi couldn't help but play many pieces, mostly works by Debussy, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Joe Hisaishi, composers beloved by people all over the country.

When she plays the piano, she easily recalls the past.

The piece is called "Girl with Flaxen Hair" and was composed by Debussy. There are many theories about the inspiration for the piece, one of which is that Debussy composed it after recalling his love affair with a girl with flaxen hair twenty years ago.

As an Impressionist musician, Debussy's music creates a very strong visual image for the listener, as if you can close your eyes and see the flaxen-haired girl with her long hair being tossed by the evening breeze in the hills and fields at sunset.

Xiangzi recalled the Crychic era when he could happily play the piano and happily play in a band.

Crychic also features a girl with flaxen hair.

Nagasaki Suyo...

Both she and Muku successfully advanced to the high school at Tsuki no Mori.

Even now, she is still trying to find herself.

Why?

Xiangzi and Su Shi knew each other, but they weren't particularly close. Their acquaintance started with Crychic and ended with Crychic. Xiangzi didn't know anything about Su Shi's family background or anything like that. Their relationship was more like that of close colleagues at work.

That was Xiangzi's idea.

What about Su Shi?

She was the first person to come forward when I suggested leaving, and she has been the one who has been persistently trying to contact me through Mu Tou for the past six months.

After finishing "The Girl with Flaxen Hair", Xiangzi played another piece, "Rain" by Ryuichi Sakamoto, the soundtrack to the movie "The Last Emperor".

The rapid, rain-like notes took her back to the day she left Crychic, the last time she saw Nagasaki Motoyo.

Xiangzi was actually a bit annoyed.

She left Crychic precisely to avoid letting her misfortune affect them. What kind of person would stick to her like a leech? Does Su Shi really know what she's doing? Does she think the Magical Girl Band is just a game for her to play house?

......

Perhaps it would be better to tell them the truth.

Will it really get better?

Tell them that "magical girls are witch eggs, which will one day hatch into witches"?

How could that be? (Unintelligible text)

Even if that day eventually comes, it's not something I, on that day, will be able to say.

Xiangzi's mood became agitated, and his rhythm went astray. He immediately corrected the off-beat rhythm and continued playing.

She used to not care about Su Shi's overly concerned attitude towards them, but now that she has tried her best to draw a line, if she still persists... In fact, Xiangzi could vaguely sense that Su Shi seemed to treat Crychic as her toy room, and the girls were just Barbie dolls she used to play house with.

How selfish.

Although I have no right to say that about Su Shi.

But that's really selfish.

She's not a Barbie doll; she's a person with her own ideas.

As the last note faded, Xiangzi, with a slight sense of frustration, ended his last piece of piano playing.

The sound of applause from the doorway startled Xiangzi.

"You played so well... Hey? My benefactor?!"

The Tale of Nirvana: Staying True to Yourself: Chapter 25 - When You Skip the Tutorial in a Game

Pink hair, intelligent eyes, Haneoka's school uniform...

And that cloyingly sweet "My benefactor~"

......

Isn't this that fox spirit—no, wait, that rookie magical girl whose life I saved, Chihaya Aine?

Yes, she's also in Yuqiu, so we should run into each other.

"Chihaya Aine?" Shoko closed the violin lid. "Are you in the brass band?"

"No, I heard piano music coming from the wind band and wanted to come and check it out..."

"Still looking for band members?" Xiangzi crossed his arms. "The magical girl band is completely different from a regular band. You can't just look for them at school."

"Eh...Is that so?"

"Ah."

Xiangzi nodded slightly and walked towards the door.

"If you're looking for magical girl teammates, 2lineryi3linbaI|I! It's best to go to the notice boards of those three livehouses and see if any bands are recruiting."

"But I went to the notice board and couldn't find it," Ai Yin said dejectedly.

"...How long have you been back in Reed Plains?" Xiangzi stopped at the door.

Time was running out, and she still had to go to RiNG to ask Kasumi about some things.

“About a month,” Ai Yin replied.

"A month...that's quite a long time. Haven't you teamed up with Misaki Lushan in the group yet?"

Some people don't even live a month. Aine has been in Reed Plains for a month and still looks like a complete newbie, which is quite rare. It's said that she was already a magical girl when she was abroad? That's even more unbelievable.

How did she manage to survive?

Do fools sometimes have good fortune?

"I can't find any... Everyone has their own circle." Ai Yin fidgeted with her fingers. "Xiao Xiang, you don't have any teammates either, right? How about considering me?"

"I'm not planning on forming a team." Xiangzi knocked on the door, making a loud banging sound, as a reminder, "The event is almost over, are you still planning to stay here?"

"Where is Xiao Xiang going?"

“You can’t find the notice board at the Livehouse, right? I can give you a ride on my way,” Xiangzi said casually.

Ai-yin's eyes lit up instantly.

"Really?!"

"Don't be too happy yet, remember you still owe me a seed of lamentation."

"It's okay, I can pay you back right now!"

Aiyin took a seed of lamentation from her skirt pocket, put it in Xiangzi's hand, and walked out the door before Xiangzi. Then she turned back and blinked her eyes, asking Xiangzi why he didn't hurry up and follow.

She's quite similar to Chu Hua, in some ways.

Xiangzi held the seed of sorrow between his fingertips as he walked out of the activity room. Before closing the door, he took one last, reluctant look at the grand piano.

A girl with flaxen hair...

Nagasaki Motoyo, it's probably best if we don't get entangled.

===========

Moon Forest is a prestigious school with a century-long history. It is a highly integrated school from elementary to high school. The students here are either rich heiresses or talents who have won major awards in some major competition. It attracts the envious eyes of students from other schools and is the most famous school for young ladies in Reed Plain.

Crychic originally had three members who attended Tsukinomori School. After Xiangzi encountered a mishap in his third year of junior high school, he immediately dropped out and disappeared for half a year.

In the past six months, Wakaba Mutsumi and Nagasaki Motoyo have successfully entered the high school division of Tsukimori, and their life trajectories seem to have remained unchanged.

Moon Forest Girls' Academy, Garden, Courtyard.

Mutsu arrived at the garden of the Moon Forest, at the place where she had arranged to meet Suze.

Su Shi seemed to have been waiting there for a while, holding the sheet music for the brass section in her hands, as if she was memorizing the score.

On the table sat a Seed of Lamentation. Su Shi would poke it with her finger from time to time. The Seed of Lamentation would fall over like a roly-poly toy, then bounce back up and stand upright again. Then Su Shi would poke it again, making it fall over once more, and then bounce back up.

When she saw Mu coming over, she put away the sheet music.

"Sorry, Xiao Mu, I came to find you for club activities."

Mu nodded gently.

"I'm running out of Lament Seeds, I'll take on some quests after school."

Mu nodded.

"Sorry, I have a support specialization, I can't do anything by myself."

Mu shook his head.

It's alright, she doesn't care.

Motoyo Nagasaki could tell what she was trying to express.

"Did Xiao Xiang say anything to you?" Su Shi changed the subject again.

Rather, that's the real question she wanted to ask.

Mu shook his head.

"So that means you've met her? It's been half a year, and she still doesn't want to see us...?" Su Shi sighed, slumped onto the table, and looked at the Seed of Sorrow on it. "But at least she's alright... Without even a whisper of news, I thought she was already..."

Mu pursed her lips.

"If only I had asked more questions that day..."

Su Shi looked at the Seed of Sorrow, but out of the corner of her eye, she kept observing Mu's expression.

Although Mu had little expression and didn't talk much, Su Shi thought she was actually very easy to understand and guide.

Mu responded softly, then looked down at the ground.

That was a sign of her self-blame.