Page 78
Page 78
Aine, however, had a different idea: "I'll leave Riki to you."
"Aren't you coming with us?" Su Shi asked, puzzled.
"I need to go find Lena."
"At this critical juncture?"
Li Xi has already broken down and run away? Su Shi was even more confused.
"It's precisely at this critical juncture that we need to find Lena. We must find her, figure out what she's thinking, and what her aspirations are for the band, so that we can get Lena to truly join us."
"Only in this way can Riki catch his breath."
Only by working together can the four of them truly help Lixi.
Now is the time to unite!
Su Shi understood what Aine meant, but didn't know what to say: "...You're really skilled."
"Don't underestimate me, I've been through countless battles!" Aine said proudly.
What does this level even mean?
Deng said seriously, "But we can't have no one going to find Lixi, right?"
"Yes, so thank you for your help."
Deng nodded vigorously and left first, trying to catch up with Lixi.
Su Shi was uneasy: "Do you know where Le Nai is? We can't just wander around like headless flies hoping for the best, can we?"
"Although it's not like we're running around like headless flies, it definitely depends on luck."
Aiyin looked at her phone, which displayed a picture of a parking lot.
"Space," was the word written on the guitar pick that Lena gave her during her first playthrough. It was a livehouse, originally run by Lena's grandmother, but it seemed to be closed down, and the area in front had been turned into a parking lot.
Lena calls that place her "home".
If you want to find her or wait for her outside of Hanasakigawa Academy, this is the only place.
While Suze and Tatsuki were chasing Riki, Aine immediately followed the map and rushed to the original site of Space.
found it!
Ayane, panting, gazed ahead.
Under a clear blue sky, Lena sat on the railing of a parking space, gazing into the distance. Above and below the railing were several cats of different colors.
"Lena!"
Lenai's ears twitched, and she rarely showed a surprised expression.
"So you really are here." Aine regained her breath and walked over.
"What's the matter?"
"You even asked what's wrong... Didn't you check your phone?"
Lenai took her phone out of her pocket, pressed a button, but it didn't light up.
"It can't be opened."
Aine suddenly felt weak: "Oh, the battery's dead... You should have known we had training today, right?"
“I know. But it’s boring. Are you here to take me there?” Lena stared intently at Aine, as did the other cats.
"I guess so, but before that, I have something I want to ask Lena."
Ai Yin sat on the railing of another parking space.
Lena tilted her head slightly: "What?"
"This place must be important to Renai, right?" Aine looked at the building behind her.
Chapter 78 There are too few female protagonists who are "losers" (4K)
For Lena, "ordinary" and "taken for granted" are actually very simple.
Do what's fun, ignore what's boring. That's "normal".
Stay where you feel comfortable and breathe freely. That's "a given."
Following Aine's gaze, Lena looked back. This room once held many of her memories, but those were just memories. The place she thought would always exist was gone.
"Well, it's very important."
Ai Yin carefully chose her words: "Livehousespace, this used to be the shop that Renai's grandmother ran, right?"
"you know?"
"Because it was Lena who told us herself, and you even gave me a pick, even though you don't remember."
I searched my memory, but found no related information.
However, Lena didn't care. It was good if she remembered, but it didn't matter if she didn't. She took out a box of Pocky from her pocket, of course, it was matcha flavored.
He took one out, put it in his mouth, and handed the other one to Aine.
"Eat?"
"Eh? Oh, thank you." Ai smiled slightly, took it, and nibbled on it.
The Pocky stick that Lena was holding in her mouth swayed slightly up and down. She didn't bite down, she just held it in her mouth. Her gaze didn't fall on Aine, but she was gazing at the distant sky. But it didn't seem like she was thinking, she was just looking.
Drifting with the clouds, elusive and unpredictable.
Taking this opportunity, Ai sent a message to Su Shi, and then couldn't help but ask, "Have you been staying here the whole time?"
"Ah."
"for what?"
Even though it was already closed, it was converted into a coin-operated parking lot.
"breathe."
Try to understand the sound of "breathing".
Does it mean to feel relaxed?
"It's very cold where you are, I don't like it."
"Cold and hot" refers to the atmosphere, right? Lena said something similar before.
In other words, as long as the atmosphere is good, Lena will come over on her own?
But as Aine bit into the last piece of Pocky, she finally began to understand Rana's thoughts, but she still needed to know more.
"Did you breathe the air you wanted?" Ai asked.
Lenai shook her head.
"No. Because it's gone now. I used to play here every day—"
Until the lights came on, blurring the colors of the night sky.
"—Every day. Until Grandma locked the door, we were always here, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Until Grandma decided to lock the door here forever."
Perhaps it was because they were talking about the past, but Lena, who was not usually very talkative, was speaking slowly and deliberately.
"I can't go in. And I can't go back."
Grandma said she did her best.
"I've done my best, so there's nothing I can do," Aine sighed.
Lena nodded slightly: "Well, there's nothing we can do. But Grandma said so."
This time, Rana finally looked at Aine and stared directly into her eyes.
"Space is just a stopover; you have to find your own home. Someone will always create a new place to belong, a place where I can breathe."
"I thought they were talking about the band. You guys."
"But it's not quite what I expected."
Aine didn't avoid her gaze and looked straight back.
"The band I remember was very warm, and everyone was very funny. Big ones, small ones, black ones, pink ones, headphones, cosmetics, Shin's cakes back then were delicious, and the food at Su Shi Jia was also very good."
"But we can't eat it now."
“A boring woman,” Lena said again.
Because Lixi encountered problems and was no longer the same person she used to be, the atmosphere of the band became dull, cold, and no longer warm because of Lixi, which made Le Nai feel bored and lose interest.
I felt like I had nowhere to go.
"Lixi!"
Deng stopped, panting, and in front of her was Lixi, who was sitting against the wall.
Rather than saying that Lixi was tired from running, it would be more accurate to say that she had lost the desire to continue running.
Su Shi then followed: "Li Xi, I'm sorry, I went too far."
"You're right."
Lixi hugged her legs, burying her face between her knees, so her expression was not visible.
"...You just said what I've been thinking. I've finally realized what I've been like all this time—utterly useless. I should have been able to do better, but I've always failed."
"That day too, if I hadn't spoken in that tone, that guy probably wouldn't have accused the lamp."
Even if disbandment is inevitable.
"Yesterday too, it's true that Lena was late, but I was taking it out on her."
Because I failed to do well. I feel angry and hate myself.
But instead of keeping these feelings to herself and processing them on her own, she took this opportunity to vent her emotions to Lena, causing Lena to leave without saying a word.
This caused a rift in the band that had been painstakingly formed.
""
"I remember now, the things I did."
Li Xi's voice trembled slightly: "I forced Deng to choose between Su Shi and Aine. I wanted to keep Aine and didn't want to hurt Deng, but I couldn't do it..."
The lamp immediately realized: "Lixi also has that memory."
Which part? Su Shi grabbed her arm, now she felt like an outsider.
It's uncomfortable.
"No! Lixi, you did nothing wrong—"
Why don't you scold me?
"Eh?"
Li Xi clenched her fists: "I've always spoken to you in that tone. I've messed up so many things, why don't you scold me?"
"Do you want to be scolded? You've always felt that you're inferior to others." Su Shi said coldly, just as she wished.
What Mingming wants most is recognition and praise.
""
"As expected, you fell silent. I wanted to continue comforting you, but it didn't work."
"But I won't blame you, because you know very well what you did. The only thing I can say is: don't break our agreement, don't go against what we all decided together."
To be in a band for life.
Su Shi said softly, "Weren't you the first person to agree?"
She even repeatedly turned on me directly, telling me that she had formed a new band and that it would be better to form a band with Deng.
Su Shi remembers these things very clearly.
"Whether you feel sorry for yourself or are in unbearable pain, you have to keep going."
Su Shi's tone wasn't gentle, but looking at Li Xi, who remained silent and seemed fragile, a hint of reluctance flashed in her eyes.
But these are things that must be said.
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