radicalducati Page 114
Page 114
Taro casually pointed behind him, looking at Aine. He remembered how formal Taro's visit was that day… Sure enough, our relationship has improved.
Thinking this, Aine saw the car behind Taro, who asked somewhat solemnly, "Are you ready?"
"I've been ready for a long time." Ai Yin smiled confidently, then turned around and went back to her home. A short while later, Ai Yin packed her luggage, got out, and sat in the passenger seat.
Next, we went to Meow Dream's house—
Dong, Episode 2: The Chicken's Thoughts
Aine sat in the passenger seat and teased Taro, "Hey, Taro, where are we going next?"
"Nyan's home." Taro answered Aine's question from the driver's seat.
"Oh, I see. Come to think of it, this is my first time visiting Nyanmeng's house," Aine smiled, her eyes narrowing. Then, stroking the ends of her pink hair, she asked, "Now that everyone's here, shall we go to Kumamoto?"
“Yes, it’s quite a distance from ShisanIVlingVIIWo2Shibashi, it takes about twelve hours to drive there.” Taro said this calmly, and Aine’s face stiffened slightly.
"R-really?" Aine's voice trembled with surprise. Really? A twelve-hour bus ride—
"Yes, so we'll take a plane. It only takes about two hours." Taro answered Aine's question confidently, which relieved Aine, considering that flying for twelve hours...
Just as she was about to say something to lighten the mood, Taro said with a hint of regret, "Running there would take less time... but it's still a bit inconvenient."
……
Although she knew Taro wouldn't lie, Aine really wanted to know, "This must be a joke, right? A joke, right?!"
Looking at Taro's serious profile, she still didn't say anything, but instead brought up the last live performance to change the subject.
"But speaking of which, the last time everyone suddenly started calling out names really startled me."
Her voice carried a hint of complaint: "I thought you guys had secretly planned this to isolate me."
“Everyone was improvising back then,” Taro said calmly. “The last time it went pretty well, and I plan to keep that in mind this time. Let’s not mess things up this time.”
"Hmph~ I did some research after I got back, and I'm sure I'll come up with a song title that suits everyone this time!" Aine said confidently. To this end, she had discussed with Takamatsu for a long time beforehand, looking for homophones that could be used.
"Is that so? That's really something to look forward to." With that, Taro stepped on the brakes—they had arrived.
Yutenji Wakana is currently in a tense situation.
The reason is quite simple: she is about to return home, and even perform directly in front of her parents...
This performance absolutely cannot be messed up!
Having made up her mind, she has been practicing like crazy these past few days, even without the pressure of exams.
Of course, the work was handled very well... all thanks to Taro Momoi's help.
The Dong Brothers duo has unexpectedly gained a lot of attention, especially after Taro's outrageous appearance last time, which directly ignited the internet.
As one of only two members of the Dong Brothers group (the other being Aine) to engage in external activities, and the only one to conduct commercial activities, Miaomeng is simply overwhelmed with endorsement offers.
Therefore, she should leave the Dong Brothers group even more.
Her goal is to become a multi-talented artist; simply being a band member isn't enough to make money in the long run.
Momoi Taro taught her a lot... and she mastered almost everything. The upcoming activities of the Dong Brothers group will be extremely busy, with little to no profit, only hindering her business development.
Miaomeng decided to talk to Taro about this after this live performance. Then, she would announce her withdrawal during the joint live performance next month, which would maximize her viewership.
"Ding dong, ding dong."
As Miaomeng's thoughts wandered, the sound of the doorbell snapped her out of her plans for the future, and she looked at the image displayed on the doorbell.
"The General and Aine?"
Meow Dream looked at Aine pressing the doorbell downstairs and Momoi Taro standing with his arms crossed, and couldn't help but smile.
Extending her finger, she opened the chat: "My dear son, General, have you arrived yet?"
"Ah, it's Meow Dream!" Aine waved her arms excitedly at the camera like a child: "Hey~ Meow Dream~ Can you see me~?"
Taro stood indifferently beside her, letting Aine do as she pleased.
"Honestly, Aiko is way too excited." Meow Dream muttered a complaint, which was faithfully transmitted to Aine via the intercom. Aine scratched her head sheepishly and chuckled awkwardly.
Miao Meng sighed again, but a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.
Chihaya Aine is her number one fan, though she didn't know that until she joined the band.
Meow Dream really likes Chihaya Aine. She likes that Chihaya accepts her, that Chihaya takes her seriously, and that Chihaya brings her smiles.
I don't know why, but every time I see this pink milk dragon, my mood improves a lot.
A while ago, she pursued one of her bandmates, only to be ruthlessly rejected. She doesn't know what's going on now. She still has a month left in the band, and hopefully she can help them get together.
Thinking this, Miaomeng smiled indulgently and said in a lazy voice, "I heard it very clearly~ ...
"I'll come down now." She regained her composure slightly, picked up the two drumsticks not far away, and walked down.
"Meow Dream! Over here!" As soon as she went downstairs, Ai Yin waved wildly at the door. Meow Dream sighed and walked over.
"General, what should we do about the 'Shanliu Drum'?" Compared to talking to Aine, Meow Dream had professional ethics; she asked the question that concerned her most. Taro smiled calmly:
"I've already taken the drum set off from the practice room. It's in the car now, and I'll check it in when we fly. It will arrive with us then."
"Truly worthy of a general's praise~ His considerations are thorough," Miao Meng said casually, then focused her attention on the pendant on Taro's chest.
She knew at a glance that it must have been a gift from one of her fans, but she pretended not to know and asked:
"General, what is this pendant?" She examined it carefully and praised, "It's really beautiful. I've never seen you wear it before."
"Hehe~ Pretty, isn't it?" Aine put her hands on her hips, her little nose twitching proudly, and smiled with a wink: "This is for Taro."
"As expected of Aiko~" Meow Dream satisfied Aine's need for praise and pinched her.
Taro ruthlessly interrupted their playful banter, instructing, "Hurry up and get in the car. We need to pick up Hailing and Lena later. Time is tight."
Hearing Taro's words, the two didn't dare to delay and followed him back to the car. After all, they could talk about it in the car, so there was no need to waste time here. Thus, the three of them set off for Hailin's house.
In the third round, everything will be alright as long as Aine launches her attack.
"Hmph hmph hmph~" Le Nai sat on the side of the courtyard. It was right after the rain, and the sun was warm and comfortable.
Lena hugged the old guitar her grandmother had given her, and cheerful notes flowed continuously from it.
"You seem to be in a good mood." Ms. Shifune Tsuzuki's voice came from inside the house. She walked unsteadily behind Rana, leaning on her cane.
Her appearance was aged, but her spirit remained the same.
As Lena's grandmother, she had been paying close attention to Lena's situation and witnessing her mental state gradually improve.
She could only sigh, "He truly lives up to his reputation as that prodigy." She masked the joy in her voice: "Thinking about the band?"
Lena stopped scratching the cat and nodded gently. Lena always became much more obedient when the band was mentioned…
"How's the band doing?" Ms. Tsuzuki Shifune's weathered voice rang out. Upon hearing this, Rakuna answered her grandmother's question without hesitation: "The band is great."
She excitedly swung her legs in the air, and anyone could easily see how happy she was. "Live, I'm so happy."
“Taro is very interesting,” she commented, then hesitated for a moment before adding softly, “Aine is very gentle.”
“I see…” Ms. Tsuzuki Shifune’s gaze softened a bit more as she asked, “Your band’s live performance is tomorrow, right?”
"Hmm, more—live—" If the cat had a tail, it would probably be wagging it excitedly right now.
Ms. Tsuzuki Shifune pondered for a moment, then asked, "You're a five-person band, right? What do the other two feel like?"
Lena calmed down, picked up her guitar and played another impromptu piece, saying softly, "Boring woman."
"I see..." Ms. Tsuzuki Shifune tried hard to recall the live performance of the Dong Brothers. Although she was an old woman, her memory was not bad. She asked, "Is Aine the rhythm guitarist? The little girl with pink hair?"
"Mm." Lena nodded.
"The guitar's quality... is just so-so. It's basically at the bottom of your band's rankings," Ms. Shifune Tsuzuki assessed from a professional perspective.
“Aine has been studying for about three months and has worked very hard,” Lena said, defending Aine.
"I see. So you're quite satisfied with the band now?" Ms. Shifune Tsuzuki asked.
"Yes, this is my home." Lena's expression returned to calm. She put away her guitar and returned it to its case, but her face still showed determination: "This is the place I will stay for the rest of my life."
"Did you do your best?" Ms. Tsuzuki Shifune asked Rakuna calmly, but her voice carried a peculiar power.
To this, Lena's eyes were firm, and she answered without wavering, "I've done my best! I want to continue."
“I see…” Ms. Tsuzuki Shifune’s aged voice carried a hint of reminiscence as she advised, “Finding a band that matches your heart is very difficult, so cherish it.”
Ryuna nodded slightly in agreement. Seeing Ryuna's expression, Ms. Tsuzuki Shifune knew she hadn't grasped her true meaning, so she shook her head slightly, offering no further explanation, and tried to return to the house.
Just then, a car screeched to a halt not far from the house. The passenger door opened.
The pink-haired girl got out of the passenger seat, saw Ryuna, waved excitedly, and shouted, "Ryuna-chan—over here!"
"Aine!" Lena's eyes lit up, and she quickly ran to Aine's side and pounced on her.
Humans may repeat the same mistakes, but cats won't—when Rana pounces, she naturally lowers her head, letting her head land on Aine's lower abdomen rather than her chest.
The pain of bumping into Aine's arms for the first time is still vivid in the cat's memory.
"This is quite a lively scene." Ms. Tsuzuki Shifune slowly walked to the car with her cane, her aged figure still exuding an undeniable aura: "Young man from the Jin family, don't you plan to meet me?"
Taro got out of the car. Without any particular expression, he approached the two people who were embracing.
Lena raised her head slightly and opened her mouth.
Ai Yin understood, skillfully took out the candy from her pocket, peeled off the coating, and stuffed it into Le Nai's mouth.
Ms. Tsuzuki Shifune's eyes narrowed as she watched Rakuna swallow Aine's finger whole and then lick the candy inside.
Without a second thought, Aine took out a tissue from her pocket and skillfully wiped the liquid off her fingers. Then, with a bright and cheerful smile, she greeted Ms. Tsuzuki Shifune: "Nice to meet you, I am Chihaya Aine."
Ms. Tsuzuki Shifune's expression softened slightly, and she nodded gently, saying, "Nice to meet you. I am Rana's grandmother. I saw your live performance. You worked very hard and are very talented."
"Thank you so much for your compliment." Ai Yin used polite language very reservedly when speaking to her friend's family, and then said seriously, "However, what I say now is not enough. I need to practice even more."
She paused slightly, looked at Taro who had just gotten out of the car, smiled, and said softly, "At this level, you can't even see someone's back."
Ms. Tsuzuki Shifune clearly noticed the other person's gaze. She smiled kindly and said, "That's not easy."