Momoi Taro wants to form a "don" brother duo, but it's a music anime.

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"Mina...did you go see it...?" Wakaba Mutsu's eyes widened slightly, a hint of fear creeping into them. Could it be... that Minami doesn't want him to join the band?

"What are you saying, Mutsu?" Minami reached out and gently pinched Mutsu's delicate face, whispering in her ear, "Mutsu is my important daughter. How could I possibly miss my daughter's first live performance?"

“I didn’t see Minami at the scene…” Wakaba Mutsu said weakly. Minami smiled and chuckled, “Ah~ of course, I was disguised.”

Disguise...? Wakaba Mutsu looked up at the other person in a daze. The other person's gentle smile looked so real... Mori Minami explained with a smile, "Because, I'm a famous actress~ It would be so unbecoming of a celebrity not to disguise myself to go to a live show or something." There was a warning hidden in her voice, which Wakaba Mutsu could vaguely hear.

Wakaba Mutsu tried to turn her head away, not wanting to look at Mori Minami's seemingly gentle face, but Mori Minami's voice carried a hint of doubt. She pinched her chin, making Wakaba Mutsu turn her head to her side. Mori Minami's smile remained gentle, and then she whispered in her ear, "But, the live ended a long time ago, right? Mutsu, can you tell me where you went after the live ended?"

"A friend invited me... to a family restaurant for a meal." Ruoye Mu tried her best to remain calm. She didn't know what was wrong with Mori Minami today... The feeling of Metis in her heart trembled, wanting to jump out of Ruoye Mu's heart, but she managed to suppress it.

"With the band members~? It's not just them, is there anyone else?" Minami's eyes held a scrutinizing look, making Wakaba Mutsu feel even more uneasy, but she still lowered her head and remained silent.

Seeing Wakaba Mutsu's increasingly fragile expression, Mori Minami smiled gently. She said nothing, but simply stroked Wakaba Mutsu's cheek through her hair, gently caressing it.

Suddenly, a fierce glint flashed in Wakaba Mutsumi's eyes. She reached out and pressed hard on Mori Minami's shoulders, shoving her forward forcefully. Mori Minami stumbled and took two steps back. "Wakaba Mutsumi!" she shouted angrily. "None of this has anything to do with Minami! Who she does a live show with, who she dines with, it's all Mutsumi's own business! Minami has no right to interfere!"

Despite being pushed back several steps, Mori Minami remained unperturbed, still wearing a smiling expression. She waved her hand in front of her, causing the breeze to slightly stir her blue hair, creating an inexplicably eerie effect. "Don't be like that~ Mutsu is also my dear daughter, isn't she? It's strange that a mother has no right to interfere with her daughter."

"Anyway! Don't worry about Minami!" Metath shouted forcefully at Minami, then turned around without hesitation to leave the basement and return to her room to rest. After all, the accumulated fatigue in her body was already considerable.

"Eh~ Are you leaving already?" Minami's light, flirtatious voice rang out, and she said with a regretful expression, "What a pity, I wanted to tell you about that Tomotaro. It seems like Mutsu isn't very interested. What a shame."

Ruo Ye Mu's resolute departure suddenly faltered. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her gaze was calm. She turned and slowly walked back to Mori Minami's side, looking into the other's eyes, and asked, "What did you want to say?"

"Oh dear... my daughter was so fierce that I forgot what I was going to say, hehe~" Mori Minami acted cute, and Wakaba Mutsu just looked at her calmly without saying anything else. Mori Minami didn't say anything either. After a long silence, Mori Minami smiled and said, "Mutsu, it's getting late. Go and rest first. I'll tell you about this when I remember."

After saying that, Minami walked past Wakaba Mutsu and left the basement. Wakaba Mutsu also turned around and watched Minami's departing figure, remaining silent for a long time.

Only after Minami Mori was completely out of sight did Mutsuka Wakaba whisper, "Minami, what are you thinking...? How do you know about Taro?"

"Who knows? I just can't understand what Minami is thinking, and I don't want to understand what she's thinking either!" Metath thought to herself, then paused slightly, her voice softening, "Besides, I have absolutely no interest in Momoi Taro!! I don't want to know anything about Momoi Taro either."

“Metis…liar…” Ruoye Mu murmured softly. They were one, and it was difficult for them to lie to each other; language was the voice of the heart. And between them, it was a communication of souls, so…

Mutsuka could clearly hear what Metis was really thinking. "Hmph... Mutsuka, you're planning to meet Shoko tomorrow, right?"

"Hmm... we need to make things clear." Wakaba Mutsu took the guitar out of her bag and sat back down in the chair where she felt at ease... practicing her daily routine.

"But I feel there's no need to say anything to her... I just can't understand Xiangzi's thinking. Wasn't she prepared all along? Why did she still run away crying when she actually went to see it!?"

Motis inwardly grumbled about Wakaba Mutsu's childhood friend's strange personality. Wakaba Mutsu didn't argue, but simply continued practicing basic scales with her guitar while pondering... Finally, she tried to speculate, saying, "Perhaps... that doesn't belong to the bittersweet Haruhi Kage."

"Just because of this...?" Mortis was even more confused. So what if it wasn't part of the bitter spring shadow? It was just a different arrangement. What did that mean?

“In the Dragon Flame Group… everyone has suffered greatly in the past…” Ruoye Mu’s voice was still gentle, but it contained complex emotions that even Ruoye Mu herself could not understand, let alone Motis, who could hardly perceive Ruoye Mu’s true emotions.

“But… only Xiang is not in it. For us, it’s the start of a new band, but maybe for Xiang…” Wakaba Mutsu hesitated slightly, but finally gritted her teeth and squeezed out what she wanted to say: “Probably, for Xiang, we’ve formed a band without Toyokawa Shoko, and who knows what else we’ll do.”

“That’s why she’s like this… so upset.” Ruoye Mu lowered her head. At this moment, Metasis could clearly sense the self-blame in her heart. Metasis whispered in her heart, “Little Mu… don’t be afraid. Tomorrow, I will definitely help you, absolutely, absolutely!”

"Hmm..." After finishing her daily practice, Ruoye Mu put the guitar back in its case. After washing up, Ruoye Mu returned to her bedroom and whispered, "Goodnight, Metase."

"Goodnight, Xiao Mu," came the response from Motis in her heart. Only after Ruoye Mu fell into a deep sleep did Motis encourage herself. Perhaps it was an unconscious perception of Xiangzi, or perhaps it was her own premonition, but she always felt that things would not go smoothly tomorrow.

I exist to protect Wakaba Mutsu, so... no matter what happens, I must protect Mutsu.

Episode 37, Nijika! Look at the others! (6K5)

Haigaoka Women's College Astronomy Department——

Aine and Takamatsu Akari sat in the clubroom. Akari, holding her guitar, was intently playing "Spring Shadow." Aine sat beside her, her face full of focus, watching Akari practice. When the piece ended, Aine immediately applauded Akari's performance: "You played very well, Akari! You seem to have improved a lot since last time!"

"Thank you... Ai. You've been practicing with me all this time, so..." Takamatsu Akari happily put down the guitar and handed it to Ai. Ai's eyes widened slightly in surprise. She instinctively reached out and took it, her fingertips lightly brushing the strings. She looked at Takamatsu Akari with a hint of confusion. "Eh? Akari... what's this?"

“Ai…you must feel uncomfortable if you don’t practice guitar for a day…” she said softly, her eyes filled with gratitude as she looked at Ai. “If it weren’t for Ai, yesterday’s live performance wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.”

"Haha... I didn't do anything." Aine scratched her head sheepishly, but couldn't hide the happiness of being praised. But she still immediately slung her guitar over her shoulder. Just as Takamatsu Akari had said, if she didn't practice the guitar during her lunch break, she felt like something was off all afternoon.

"Sorry... I forgot my guitar in the practice room." After putting her guitar back on her back, Aine's cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke to Takamatsu Akari again, her apology evident.

"Now that I think about it, on our way to the family restaurant, I even suggested that we turn back and leave the guitar in our practice room first... If we had done that, Dengdeng would have forgotten about the guitar too, and that would have been a big problem."

As she spoke, her fingers unconsciously plucked a string, as if she were relieved that such a thing hadn't happened.

"Hmm... it would be lonely if the guitar were forgotten," Gao Songdeng said earnestly. Ai Yin subconsciously closed her eyes, her lips twitching involuntarily. What could she do? She could only pretend she didn't hear him...

I'm so sorry! My dear guitarist in heaven, it was my fault for forgetting you in the practice room! I'm truly sorry for making you feel lonely.

Aine offered a half-hearted prayer in her heart, then practiced "Hero" on Takamatsu's guitar before finally taking it off and returning it to him. Takamatsu carefully put the guitar back in its case and praised Aine, saying, "Aine... you've gotten even better!"

"Haha, it's probably the result of my diligent practice!" Aine laughed lightly, habitually brushing it off with a laugh. If it were her old self, she would probably have proudly puffed out her chest and kept boasting. Now... Aine could still clearly feel the happiness that welled up when praised by others, but she subconsciously pinched the hem of her clothes, quietly hiding that joy, no longer showing it with smugness.

After all, the truly skilled people I've met know exactly what level I'm at. Right now, my guitar skills probably wouldn't even get me 50 points from Taro Momoi.

But… she really cares. Yesterday, Su Shi and Xiao Mu talked about something. Is Su Shi the kind of person who gets that worked up? Aine unconsciously twirled a strand of hair with her fingers, tilting her head in thought. Although she hadn't known Su Shi for very long, in her understanding, Su Shi wasn't that kind of person, was she?

“Hmm… Su Shi always seems very calm.” Takamatsu Akari responded softly to Aine’s question, as if trying to recall: “But, deep down… she actually thinks a lot. But…”

Gao Songdeng shook his head and said softly, "I don't really know Xiao Sushi very well. Perhaps... that's where my immaturity lies." After saying that, Gao Songdeng lowered his head slightly and began to reflect.

"Haha... In a way, Akari is really, really amazing." Aine laughed relaxedly. If Akari is like this, then their Toon Dragon Flame Team should be fine, right? Although belief doesn't need a reason, Aine still had reason to believe in Akari and their Toon Dragon Flame Team.

"Hmm...?" Takamatsu Akari's face flushed slightly, and she nervously twisted her fingers, lowering her head and asking somewhat embarrassedly, "Did I... do something strange again?"

"No, no~" Ai waved her hands repeatedly, brushing it off lightly. Then, as if suddenly struck by a flash of inspiration, she raised her voice and called out, "By the way, Deng! Are you free after school this afternoon?"

“Hmm…” Gao Songdeng thought for a moment before replying softly but firmly, “Hmm… no problem! The other three members of the band said they had something to do this afternoon… our band doesn’t have any rehearsal scheduled.”

"Then~ can you come with me this afternoon?" Aine smiled, her eyes narrowed. "Dudu said she wanted to see you, Taro, and me. She didn't have your contact information, so she asked me. After school, will you come with me?"

Takamatsu had no intention of refusing; she nodded slightly and softly agreed to Aine's request.

"That's great! Akane loves you~" Aine said casually, while Takamatsu Akane covered her face shyly...

(Xiao Ai... is too close!?)

It was time for school to end. Aine and Pochi had agreed to meet at 5:20 PM. Since Pochi's train journey from Shimokitazawa would take some time, being late was unavoidable. Based on Aine's understanding of Momoi Taro, he would definitely arrive on time, so there would be no benefit for her and Takamatsu Akari to arrive early.

So Aine and Takamatsu Akari discussed it briefly and then went to RiNG's Dong Brothers' exclusive practice room. Aine picked up her guitar... Aine pushed open the door and walked into the practice room. Seeing her guitar placed steadily in the same spot where she had left it last time, she couldn't help but smile.

Meow Dream is really... there's really no need to put it here.

However, Aine readily accepted her kindness. After sending another thank-you message to Miyamune on her phone, Aine took out her guitar and practiced the guitar part of "Spring Shadow" with Takamatsu Akari for a while. Afterwards, the two went to the coffee shop to wait.

To Aine's surprise, the first person to arrive was Momoi Taro. It wasn't that Taro had changed his personality, but rather that Pochi was late. Fortunately, she wasn't too late. About two or three minutes after Taro arrived, she jogged to the agreed-upon family restaurant, still sporting that odd outfit of a bright pink tracksuit with a short skirt over it.

She walked in, panting heavily and drenched in sweat. She sat down somewhat awkwardly opposite the three people, her eyes lowered as if waiting for their reaction, as if awaiting interrogation.

"You should have a little sense of time, it's too much to waste other people's time." Taro, sitting on the far left, raised his chin slightly and questioned Pochi, who was almost out of breath, without any politeness.

It's not your place to say that.

Aine looked out the window with a dark expression. If we're talking about who has the best sense of time, it's undoubtedly Momoi Taro. But if we're talking about who wastes the least amount of other people's time, then Momoi Taro is definitely one of the worst among the people Aine knows in the band circle.

The reason is simple: Taro always arrives at the exact right time, neither a minute early nor a minute late. This practice naturally makes those who arrive early feel that their time has been wasted—especially in Japanese society, where arriving a few minutes early is more common courtesy.

Incidentally, the person who can compete with Taro for the last two spots is none other than Wakaba Mutsumi. Although I haven't had much contact with her, she seems to be a timing maniac as well. According to Takamatsu Akari, Wakaba Mutsumi wasn't like this before, so whose fault it is... is quite obvious.

“Ee… I’m sorry!” Pochi was startled and straightened up abruptly, bowing deeply: “I… performed a guitar-playing seppuku to make amends. Please forgive my sins, Mr. Momoi Taro.”

After saying that, her face grew even paler. Aine scratched the back of her head and smiled. Haha... Dudu must be imagining something strange.

Having spent over a month with Pochi, she had long since figured out his thought process. In the current situation, expecting Taro to smooth things over was impossible; as for Takamatsu Akari… emmm, she would definitely have to rely on herself to get out of this predicament.

Having made up her mind, Aine immediately put on an even brighter smile and reassured everyone in a light tone, "It's okay, it's okay~ Dodo-chan must have been delayed by an unexpected situation! You're never late, right?" After saying that, she even winked at Ichiri and made a heart gesture.

Hearing this, Goto Ichiri lowered her head, her ears turning bright red, and whispered as she twisted her fingers, "The train... is really late, I'm so sorry!" Her weak voice was almost overflowing with frustration and grievance.

Aine opened her mouth upon hearing this, wanting to say something more to comfort the other person, but Taro cut her off without hesitation, his tone carrying his signature, unquestionable dominance: "Instead of these irrelevant things, let's get straight to the point! What exactly did you call us here for?"

Startled by the direct question, Poch didn't dare hesitate any longer and shrank his neck, saying in a low voice, "Well... it's like this..."

That day, Hongxia told herself she wanted to meet her ticket sales target. Boqi thought about it and figured with Taro and the others, it would be a piece of cake. So, brimming with confidence, she patted her chest and agreed. Her first thought was of her family—she excitedly approached her parents, her sister, and Jimmy Heng.

She treated her family with love, but they treated her with pain instead. Selling tickets was out of the question! Her father said with difficulty that selling tickets to underage children and pet dogs was simply unacceptable… In the end, they only reluctantly sold them to her parents. Her mother kindly suggested asking her friends, but Pochi's inexplicable pride kicked in, and she stubbornly refused her mother's help.

She even patted her chest and boasted, "It's just three tickets! I can easily handle it all by myself!"

At this point, Pochi awkwardly scratched his head. Ai Yin chimed in at the opportune moment, tilting her head curiously and asking, "So, Pochi came to us to ask about those three tickets?"

“Hmm…not entirely…” Pochi shook his head slightly to Aine’s surprise, took a deep breath, and prepared to continue.

Just as Ai Yin had guessed, Boqi initially did indeed want the three of them to help buy tickets. But when she took out her phone, opened her chat with Ai Yin, and her fingers hovered over the virtual keyboard, she was caught in a huge struggle. She first typed: "Ai Yin, can you buy tickets for my live show?"

After typing it, I felt it was too abrupt and direct, so I immediately deleted it. After hesitating for a moment, I retyped: "Um... could we meet tomorrow?" But then I thought again, this abrupt invitation was even more baffling! So I deleted it again.

After racking her brains, she even tried an extremely formal tone: "Your Excellency Aine: Your good-for-nothing friend Goto Ichiri seems to have encountered a little trouble recently..."

"This, this, isn't this even stranger!?" Ai Yin, who had been listening in, couldn't hold back any longer and blurted out, pressing one hand to her forehead, feeling like black lines were about to appear on her temples. "If I suddenly received a LINE message like this, which is like an encrypted telegram, I would definitely be agonizing over it! I might even think that you've been kidnapped and are sending out a coded distress signal!"

Startled by Ai Yin's call, Boqi lowered her head even further, her ears burning red. She stammered softly, "So...in the end, I didn't dare send it. I just stared at the blank input box all night, thinking about that message...it just sat there. About a thousand or two characters..."

“I… I understand a little…” Takamatsu Akari, who had been listening quietly, suddenly spoke softly, her hands unconsciously gripping the hem of her skirt tightly, her voice trembling slightly with nervousness: “Sending messages to others… really requires being extremely careful… The transmission of information… can be distorted. If only it could be transmitted properly… but I’m not very good at speaking… wouldn’t it be a bit too long to convey the entire message, so I’m very scared…”

"So... I'm really bad at MCing..." The lamp's head drooped lower and lower, its voice barely audible, like a mosquito's hum: "Standing on stage... I have absolutely no idea what to say to the audience..."

The kind-hearted Ai Yin immediately suggested, "How about writing down everything you want to say in a notebook before the performance? Besides, Deng Deng's MC yesterday was absolutely amazing!"

“That…it’s because yesterday I suddenly…saw Xiaoxiang in the audience…” Gao Songdeng’s cheeks flushed slightly, and his voice became softer: “The words in my heart…just welled up on their own…As for the method Xiao Ai mentioned…I, I tried it too…”

"Huh? How did it go?" Ai Yin immediately leaned closer, her eyes sparkling as she asked.

“By the time I realized it… the notebook was already four pages full…” Takamatsu Akari said softly, her voice filled with even more shame. “Ah…” Aine was speechless for a moment, and could only give a dry reply, awkwardly looking away.

“These kinds of things require a lot of practice!” Taro offered his opinion, which Aine dismissed as just common sense. The important part was probably the latter half, and sure enough, Taro continued, “You could try doing some impromptu radio dramas. If you think it’s feasible, I’ll help you make the arrangements…”

"Wait!" Pochi suddenly erupted, looking at the group with a puzzled expression, and loudly questioned, "Um! Takamatsu-kun... what exactly happened at yesterday's live performance? I've never heard of it!"

“Ah…” The perceptive Ai Yin immediately rubbed her forehead and sighed softly. She keenly sensed the tension in the atmosphere and explained in a low voice, “As for Deng Deng, she does seem to be the type who isn’t very good at self-promotion.”

"Ah..." Takamatsu Akari raised her head slightly, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible. She whispered apologetically to Pochi, "I'm sorry..."

Pochi's entire body went limp, as if all color had faded, and she desperately wondered if she had been ostracized. She slumped in her chair, belly up, as if her bones had been removed: "I...I actually missed my friend's first live performance...Ah, I actually presumptuously assumed we were friends, how awful of me!"

“Um… Xiao Yili is a friend!” Gao Songdeng’s voice suddenly rose a few decibels with anxiety. She stood up abruptly and excitedly shouted at Boqi. But as soon as she finished speaking, she quickly sat back down, lowered her head in shame, and whispered, her voice barely audible, “It’s just… I didn’t do much to promote it, I’m sorry…”

"But that day was also our Dong Brothers' Live performance, Taro should have posted it on his WeChat Moments... Ah, speaking of which, we forgot to post it on the official website, hehe." The thoughtful Aine stuck out her tongue slightly embarrassedly. She tried to ease the awkwardness of the scene with a lighthearted tone. Moreover, as the Minister of Social Relations, she actually forgot to post this. It was really derelict of her duty. However, Aine did not expect that her words would trigger an even stronger reaction.

Upon hearing Ai's explanation, Boqi's reaction intensified instantly. She slumped into her chair, her body convulsing uncontrollably, her voice trembling with tears: "I'm sorry... Before joining the band, I had absolutely no friends, I had no habit of checking social media, and I never cared about my friends. I'm such a tardigrade! My only value is being launched into space as a research subject. I'm so sorry...!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Boqi foamed at the mouth, rolling and convulsing wildly in the chair, creating a chaotic scene. Ai Yin stamped her feet anxiously, waving her hands frantically and shouting, "Wait, wait, wait! I didn't mean to blame you! Dudu! Wake up!" She rushed to Boqi's side and shook her body vigorously, trying to pull her back from her out-of-control state.

"That's enough of this farce!" The one who stopped this whole farce was none other than Momoi Taro. He loudly stopped the two people who were in a chaotic mess, and after they calmed down, he crossed his arms and sat back down in his original position, saying coldly, "Continue with your business!"