Girl Band, Gravity Capture

Page 53

Knowing exactly what the other person wanted to ask, the boy nodded slightly.

“I saw Auntie’s car from the second-floor window; she should be here soon.”

"That's great~" The girl with curved eyebrows and a gentle, watery demeanor smiled contentedly, her voice light and cheerful.

"And also, Xiangzi, the friend you mentioned before..."

Genjiro turned to Toyokawa Shoko, who was still somewhat immersed in the excitement that her favorite band had come to watch her performance, and had a joyful smile on her face.

"Is her name Chuhua? I saw her too."

"However, it seems there is no sign of your father."

"...Huh? Is that so?"

Emerging from her initial joy, Toyokawa Shoko frowned, pondered for a moment, and then spoke uncertainly.

"Perhaps the family business has been quite busy lately... Grandfather hasn't been showing up much lately either."

Chapter Seventy-Six: Family, Band, and You Whom I Cannot Let Down

The disappointment of not being able to find any family members to watch her performance overshadowed the joy of learning that her favorite band would be there.

With both factors considered, Toyokawa Shoko's emotions remained relatively stable.

The fact that even though Su Shi's family was always very busy, her mother still made time to visit her made the girl feel a little lonely in the contrast.

but……

—My “family” is right here right now.

Having recovered from her brief disappointment, Toyokawa Shoko's face once again beamed with a radiant smile.

She took a few steps forward, grabbed Yuan Xudou's hand, and then raised their clasped hands high above their heads—

"Everyone, let's do that!"

With a crisp yet cheerful voice, the girl announced loudly.

So everyone present showed a helpless yet expectant expression.

"Is it that time of the month coming again..."

Shiina Riki muttered to herself, but her body obediently stretched out her hand and placed it on the two hands that were laid flat.

The girls who had gathered around placed their hands on the object one after another.

"Have you decided on a slogan for this time?"

"Hmph~ Of course I've thought it through!"

In response to the boy's question, Toyokawa Shoko smiled proudly, slightly raising her fair and smooth neck, and confidently announced her thoughts.

"Everyone, please say something you want to say!"

"..."

The other five people looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

However, before any response could be received, the girl had already washed away all her doubts with her clear and elegant voice, like a spring.

"—Support each other, trust each other, and depend on each other."

“To become each other, connected by ‘fate’,” Nagasaki Motoyo added with a smile.

"Speak your mind to someone important." Takamatsu Akari blurted out unconsciously.

"No matter what, we must complete the proof." Shiina Tatsuki nodded earnestly.

"...possessing an eternally true promise." Wakaba Mutsu tightened his grip on his palm.

Finally, they turned their gaze to the only one who had not yet spoken, the most important one who would make all these wishes possible.

Resolute, dependent, admiring, trusting, hoping... beautiful and pure emotions, along with those unspeakable thoughts, were all reflected in those dark yet warm eyes.

Thus, the desire to respond to that hopeful vision broke through the shackles etched by time.

The boy's eyebrows curved into a smile as he whispered gently.

"I want to walk with you all forever."

As if imprisoned, the five girls stared blankly at his face.

It was just a fleeting moment... I can't even be sure if it was just a hallucination caused by being too excited.

Like a continuously rolling film reel, a breathtaking scene suddenly inserts itself, a sight so stunning it's unforgettable at first glance. Before the mind can even register what's before it, the brain is already deeply awestruck.

Just now, they seemed to have vaguely glimpsed something more dazzling than any other light—

"—Xu Doujun, you smiled?"

Nagasaki Motoyo, whose ears were filled with the sound of a heartbeat and who couldn't hear anything else, opened her dry throat with great difficulty as her light blue pupils pulsated violently.

Although it was only a very slight smile... the corners of her mouth did indeed curve up slightly, very naturally, very subtly—but it was so beautiful it was almost inexplicable. It was as if that already flawlessly handsome face had suddenly transformed from a still, exquisite painting into a living, breathing person.

But it was too fast, so fast that there wasn't even time to see it clearly...

Why put it away so quickly?

"—Because I want to save that for the most memorable moment."

He gave his answer before the girls' instinctive, reluctant pleas for him to stay came.

Suppressing the smile that was almost on his lips, the boy lifted the six overlapping hands, his gentle voice, filled with hope and affection, giving their hearts a final and most powerful boost.

"I will be in the audience, waiting for that moment."

Under the words of Miyu, more beautiful than the moonlight and gentler than the sound of the wind.

The tension of about to step onto the stage and the pressure of being the center of attention melted away completely, like snow melting in the sun.

Then, it was instilled with the reason that it absolutely could not fail.

One by one, the girls awoke from their daze, forcefully channeling their energy into their palms, as if trying to convey all the surging emotions within them to the boy's heart at the bottom.

"...I will never let you down."

On behalf of everyone else, Toyokawa Shoko made direct contact with Minamoto no Kōto's hand, their fingers intertwined, and made a promise without any hesitation.

Because we are a warm family to each other.

Because we are a family that loves each other.

Therefore... everything we have is everything you have. Everything you have constitutes everything we have.

I will never let go of your hand.

It has always been the young people, like stars, who, with their own gravitational pull, have drawn the band's happiness together, truly connecting everyone. Their seemingly cold and pale light contains a heart more ardent and sincere than anyone else's, cherishing everyone's emotions.

Because of him, Xiangzi regarded the band as a family; because of him, Deng had the determination to never back down; because of him, Lixi was able to accept the guidance of starlight and abandon his sense of inferiority; because of him, Su Shi had a true home; because of him, Mu was able to maintain his shattered self through affirmation.

Carefully pick up the flawed hearts of these imperfect girls, patiently fill the wounds—whether bleeding or already scabbed—with your spirit, and bring them a captivating sense of peace.

He has devoted more effort to this team than anyone else, even immersing his pure and perfect heart, which should have been untouched by anything, into it.

Now it was their turn to respond to that enthusiasm. Therefore, the girls willingly offered their hearts.

Finally, Toyokawa Shoko pressed down with her palm, which she had poured all her strength into.

They shouted in unison—

"【CryCHIC】—Never to be apart!!!"

Chapter Seventy-Seven, "Spring Shadows," has come to a close.

The lights came on, and then the performers took their places.

The moment the stage lights came on, the venue's lighting automatically turned off, focusing all the brilliance and sparkle onto the girl on stage.

As the silent announcement of the start of the performance, the previously noisy performance hall fell silent instantly. The audience, who had spontaneously kept quiet, looked up at the focus that had now captured everyone's attention.

With a dignified and elegant smile, Toyokawa Shoko was the first to pick up the microphone.

Her light and melodious voice, like the hazy moonlight, cast a thin veil over the room.

Hello everyone, we are [CryCHIC].

"It is a great honor for you all to be here for our official performance."

As she recited her well-rehearsed greetings, she surveyed the audience with her gilded pupils.

In the middle of the seating area, she saw the iconic white hair and blue eyes, Moronica's senior, Kurata Mashiro. Just as the boy had said, she and her teammates sat quietly in a row.

A little further back, at the glass railing on the second floor, she saw her childhood friends whom she had invited, as well as her current bandmates, Misumi Hatsuka and Junda Mana. A bit to the side, in the shop's staff area, she saw Shinji Rinko waving at them, along with the renowned Tsuzuki Shifune, who was currently holding his elbows.

There were many, many more people, some I knew and some I didn't... but they were all there to witness the band's success.

Finally, the girl focused her gaze on the most important person sitting in the front row, in the best position to see the view.

Her eyes, as dark and serene as ever, like the unchanging night sky, now reflected a bright light, like a galaxy flowing backwards. From the source of that shimmering starlight, there was also a figure that belonged to her.

Without words, the two who understand each other can convey their thoughts simply by exchanging glances.

As she entrusted her body to complete the preparations for the opening, Toyokawa Shoko's soul had already built an unreachable floating bridge, carrying the girl's longing across the tranquil air and into her mirror-like starry eyes.

'Spring Shadows,' a piece we created together, belongs only to us.

'It will definitely...be achieved.'

She raised her arm high, without holding the microphone.

A decorative bright white ribbon hangs down, revealing half of her snow-white, lotus-root-like arm, which waves slightly, creating light ripples.

Bathed in the light, the elegant young woman loudly proclaimed her existence.

"I'm the keyboardist for this band, Toyokawa Shoko!"

As if prepared, the moment she finished speaking, the lights that had been focused on her shifted, illuminating the girl in the last row.

Shiina Riki tensed up, raised his hand high, and brought it close to the microphone in front of the drum kit.

"I am the drummer of the band, Shiina Tatsuki."

The shifting light swept across everyone in turn.

Nagasaki Motoyo stretched out her arm with a bright smile.

"I am the bassist of the band, Yin Qiliu Ying Shan Er (Part 2) ⑨2? Yue—the band's bassist, Nagasaki Su Shi~"

Ruo Yemu pursed her lips slightly and continued in a cool voice.

"I am the guitarist of the band, Mutsumi Wakaba."

Finally, the scene naturally transitions to the front, where a girl is holding a microphone with both hands.

Then, Takamatsu opened her mouth and uttered a soft voice without any sign of confusion.

"I am Gao Songdeng, the lead singer of the band."

Please listen to... our song, "Spring Shadow".

The meticulously designed stage lighting illuminated the five people on stage.

The next moment, the gentle and melodious piano music began, and the delicate, flowing notes, like a trickle, entwined around the girl's fair fingertips, forming a winding stream.

Then, drumbeats and piano notes join in, softly filling the music.

With her eyes closed, the girl let her body be dominated by the familiar melody and the emotions that filled her heart, and her throat trembled slightly.

"悴んだ心ふるえる眼 differ"

(His heart was filled with weariness, and his eyes kept wandering)

"World's Servant"

(I'm alone in this world)

"San ることしか知らない春は"