Girl Band, Gravity Capture

Page 28

Fortunately, the boy, focused on arriving at Toyokawa Shoko's side on time, didn't dwell too much on the strange feeling he experienced on the way, which allowed them to get away with it. Because of this, he was slightly delayed; he was supposed to arrive a minute earlier than Toyokawa Shoko, but he ended up a step behind the girl.

They boarded the tram, walked through the streets, followed each other all the way, and finally arrived at the coffee shop where the two had met.

Genjiro and Toyokawa Shoko sat side by side in the corner window seats they had reserved in advance, while Nagasaki Motoyo and Wakaba Mutsuko secretly observed their every move from a slightly farther distance in the shadows.

She ordered two coffees for disguise, wore heavy sunglasses and a decorative mask, tied up all her long hair, and covered it with a wide-brimmed lady's hat to ensure that she would never be recognized at a glance under normal circumstances. Nagasaki Motoyo quietly and politely dealt with the tea shop clerk who came to serve her.

Then, she picked up her phone and pretended to take a selfie, but in reality, she was monitoring the two people behind her through the reflection in the screen.

There was no other way; Yuan Xudou's ability to sense the gazes of others with ulterior motives was too strong. If she tried to spy on him directly, it would only take a few seconds to draw his attention. She had no choice but to resort to this tactic.

"...Su Shi, have you noticed anything?"

Seemingly feeling that wearing a mask all the time was too stuffy and she was starting to feel a little uncomfortable, Wakaba Mutsumi gently lifted her mask to take a breath, and then asked Nagasaki Motoyo in a low voice.

"……Um……"

Nagasaki Motoyo frowned slightly and looked at it carefully.

Hiding behind sunglasses, her light blue eyes, which had always been full of smiles and gentleness in front of the boy, had lost all their luster, like a silent lake, calm and cold.

The two people reflected on the screen appeared to be normal.

Although they were sitting on the same bench, very close to each other, there was no physical intimacy. Their hands weren't clasped, their shoulders weren't touching; they simply laid their notebooks out on the table and observed them intently.

They barely even communicated with each other... She saw that sometimes Gen Xudou and Toyokawa Shoko would turn their heads to look at each other, one of them would say a short sentence, and after a while, they would both nod at the same time and turn their heads back to the side.

To be honest, I don't quite understand it.

"They haven't shown anything yet... let's wait and see."

“That… Su Shi.”

Seeing the girl's serious expression, which showed no sign of giving up, Ruoye Mu hesitated for a moment, but still spoke in a low voice.

"I still think... we shouldn't have done that."

Upon hearing this, Nagasaki Motoyo temporarily put down her phone and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Didn't you promise to come, Mutsu-chan? Why are you only regretting it now?"

"Don't you want to know about the relationship between Xu Doujun and Xiangzi, Mu?"

"……But."

Faced with Nagasaki Motoyo's questioning, Wakaba Mutsu lowered his head, his usually flat voice becoming somewhat uneasy.

Perhaps feeling a bit dizzy from being so quiet, she blurted out her true thoughts without thinking.

"Even if Xiangzhen likes Xu Dou... what's wrong with everyone liking Xu Dou?"

"……what?"

“…Ah, no, I mean…”

From the sudden, shocked wide-eyed look in Nagasaki Motoyo's eyes, Wakaba Mutsu finally realized that he had just uttered his innermost thoughts, which he should never have told anyone else.

The girl tried to explain herself in a flustered manner, but couldn't think of a way to justify her words.

"...Mu, is that really what you think?"

To Wakaba Mutsu's surprise, Nagasaki Motoyo didn't seem angry.

After a brief moment of shock, the girl completely turned off her phone, put it back in her pocket, took off her sunglasses, and looked at her seriously.

Her voice no longer carried the gentle sweetness she used to cultivate in order to get along with everyone; instead, it became slightly sharp.

"Do you really think it's a good thing that everyone likes Xu Doujun?"

"……Um."

That's exactly what Wakaba Mutsu thought.

"...That's it."

She nodded, seemingly both enlightened and confused.

Then, Nagasaki Motoyo put on sunglasses, stood up from her seat, and glanced back at Toyokawa Shoko and Minamoto Kōtō sitting together.

The two still did not have any intimate contact.

"Perhaps you're right, Mu."

"It's really not a good idea to do this... Let's go back today. I'm sorry to have you doing these things with me."

Chapter Thirty-Four: Toyokawa Shoko, Stubborn Yet Soft-Hearted

"……Um?"

"What's wrong, Xu Dou?"

While he was intently discussing with Toyokawa Shoko what melody to center the piece and how to coordinate the parts of each instrument, Genji suddenly gave a soft "hmm," looked up, and gazed at the entrance of the coffee shop.

There were only two people, one in front and one behind, who were wrapped up so tightly that his face was completely obscured from his angle, leaving the store through the door.

But the back view... feels somewhat familiar.

Noticing the boy's unusual behavior, Toyokawa Shoko, who was standing next to him, also turned her head and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"……fine."

He looked away and shook his head at the girl.

It was just a sudden intuition... I'll just ask Su Shi when I get back.

Gen Xudou took two pens out of his pocket and handed one to Toyokawa Shoko.

"You've been thinking about this for so long, you should have an idea by now."

Although it was phrased as a question, the tone was quite certain.

Because they can easily understand each other's thoughts, in situations where they need to work together, as long as there are no major disagreements, the two can cooperate well without much communication.

Toyokawa Shoko nodded slightly and took the pen.

"Xu Dou, what do you think..."

Even without saying it aloud, he understood what the girl wanted to ask.

Yuan Xudou gave his answer without hesitation.

"Let's start with the keyboard. Xiangzi, you're the most suitable."

"Ok!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The sun outside the window gradually slanted down from overhead, sinking into the twilight's embrace.

Immersed in their shared creative passion, the two almost forgot the passage of time.

As the sunlight that had been shining on her faded from bright to dim, and a hazy yellow glow slowly enveloped the notebook in front of her, which was already filled with their handwriting, Toyokawa Shoko realized with a start that three or four hours had quietly passed.

With the help of Yuan Xudou, who has a thorough understanding of the lyrics and is also skilled in composing, she has built up the basic melody framework of the song in just a few hours. All she needs to do now is to gradually refine the harmonic combinations between the various instruments and fill in the slightly thin framework to complete the song.

The girl was caught in a dilemma, feeling a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction welling up in her heart, while her body was also giving her timely feedback of fatigue and hunger.

She was fine when she was completely immersed in it, but as soon as she pulled herself out of that selfless and unified state, she immediately felt that her attention was about to reach its limit, and signs of fatigue surged from all parts of her body.

The fact that she didn't collapse onto the table, maintaining her usual elegance and composure, was already a result of her efforts.

Toyokawa Shoko raised her hand and pressed her sore brows; her delicate face clearly showed signs of fatigue.

"That's it for today."

　②Zero②(two) billion(three『、)《Ball Bar Er Even without the telepathic connection between the two, judging from the surface, Yuan Xudou knew that the girl didn't have much energy left at this moment.

He still had some energy and took the initiative to put away the notebooks and pens on the table.

"Why don't you sit here and rest for a while, Xiangzi?"

"Um……"

In response to the boy's concern, Toyokawa Shoko gave a soft reply, closed her eyes, and leaned back in her chair.

With her chest rising and falling slightly, her pink lips parted slightly, and her fair and delicate hands covering her face as she breathed softly, the girl displayed an unusual fragility in front of Yuan Xudou.

After glancing at Toyokawa Shoko's face, the boy stood up from the bench and prepared to find the waiter to pay the bill.

However, just as he made a move to stand up, the girl's free hand grabbed the hem of his clothes.

Yuan Xudou turned back again.

Toyokawa Shoko's upper face was covered by her hands, making it impossible to see her expression. Only a faint blush could be seen peeking through the gaps between the girl's fingers.

"..."

Toyokawa Shoko didn't speak, but her meaning was almost explicit.

She wanted Yuan Xudou to stay with her for a while.

So he sat back down on the bench, calmly watching the resting girl, letting her hold the hem of his dress in her hand.

After a short while, Toyokawa Shoko voluntarily let go of her hand, lowered her hand that was covering her cheek, and returned to her usual dignified, elegant, and radiant appearance.

"Xu Dou, let's go together next..."

Seemingly wanting to avoid the topic of what had just happened, the girl changed the subject rather awkwardly.

However, faced with Yuan Xudou's unchanging, indifferent gaze that remained fixed on her, her voice grew softer and softer.

In the end, Toyokawa Shoko gave in and obediently admitted to her actions.

"……Thank you."

Even though I knew exactly what she meant, I insisted on making her say it herself.

'How come I never noticed before, Xu Dou, that you were such a wicked person?'

Toyokawa Shoko expressed her indignation with her eyes.

Yuan Xudou raised an eyebrow but did not respond.

"I'll go check out."

He casually uttered those words, then got up and left.

Even though the boy didn't say much, Toyokawa Shoko could sense it.

It's amazing that she was able to frankly say thank you about this... Yuan Xudou must be in a great mood right now.

However, he didn't say it directly, nor did he take this opportunity to let her say more words of thanks, leaving the girl room for maneuver, which made her slight dissatisfaction disappear.

Toyokawa Shoko felt she should protest against Genjiro's malicious intentions in some way. For example, by ignoring him for a few minutes, or by greeting him with the same expressionless face as the boy when he returned.

However, when her golden eyes uncontrollably drifted towards the direction the boy had left, and she watched his retreating figure, the girl couldn't help but smile.

Then, he silently tried to justify abandoning that plan in his mind.

'After all... I guess I understand him better now.'

Chapter Thirty-Five: Come to My House

"Xu Dou, how about we come to my house for dinner?"

After Yuan Xudou paid at the front desk and returned to their seats, Toyokawa Shoko, who had already adjusted her mindset, patted her chest and smiled as brightly as ever, extending an invitation to him in a gentle voice.

“Perfect timing, I have a piano at home, so I can try out some of the melodies I made today on the keyboard first.”

The hazy twilight streamed in through the window, and the girl's bright and friendly smile overpowered the slightly dim light, becoming the brightest glow in the room.

Without hesitation or doubt, Toyokawa Shoko looked directly into his eyes and openly revealed her thoughts to Minamoto Kōdō.

Today, she was once again convinced of her compatibility with the boy in terms of thinking. She was now certain that he was undoubtedly a close friend who could understand her heart, someone with whom she could resonate and connect even without words.

Fate's ordained destiny is truly wondrous. Mu, who shares the same introverted and taciturn nature as the boy, despite being best friends for so many years, could never truly see through the other's heart... or rather, the other had never truly opened their heart to her.