Girl Band, Gravity Capture

Page 36

"When the time comes, Xiangzi, you'll go first, then Deng, and the other three will go up in turn."

"Before the show starts, there will be a group introduction session... Don't be nervous, everyone is here to listen to the performance, just say your names normally."

After leaving Toyokawa Shoko and Takamatsu Akari behind and giving them detailed instructions, Genji Kōdō let the two, who were nodding repeatedly, go and looked around.

He then walked straight to Shiina Tatsuki, who was sitting on the stool in front of the drum set, looking somewhat tense.

Sensing his arrival, the girl turned her head sharply, her long, silky black hair leaving a trail in the air.

She seemed to be unconsciously clenching her teeth slightly, and her voice was somewhat muffled.

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be paying more attention to the light?"

"Deng is the lead singer, and her performance is much more important than mine."

It wasn't that Shiina Tatsuki was being pretentious or being sarcastic; she genuinely believed that Takamatsu Akari needed Genji's attention and reassurance more at that moment.

Arriving on such a formal stage for the first time, even for a small community event, must have been a daunting challenge for Gao Songdeng, who was the most introverted and shy among them. And if she, as the lead singer, had a lapse in performance, almost everyone would immediately sense that something was wrong.

Regardless of its importance or mindset, Xu Dou should focus on stabilizing Deng's condition first—that's what Shiina Riki thought.

In response, Yuan Xudou stopped behind her and shook his head.

"I know the condition of the lights."

"Right now, you're the one under the most pressure, Lixi."

He noticed his rapid breathing, tense expression, and the fact that his light purple pupils would frequently lose focus when they swept over the empty seats below the stage.

Moreover, Yuan Xudou knew the reason.

Xiangzi and Mu's skills, honed since childhood, are impeccable, and they rarely make mistakes that require his correction. Su Shi has been practicing with him specifically these past few days, mastering the song he needs to play, and his practical performance is no less impressive than the other two. Only Li Xi, although he is also practicing very hard, lacks the long-term accumulation of experience and the ability to deliver a breakthrough performance under special circumstances, and he is still a little behind the other three.

Even if others don't criticize, you can still clearly feel the gap between yourself and others when playing in an ensemble. While everyone else is playing the piece smoothly, you are the only one who will occasionally be pointed out for mistakes...

Shiina Tatsuki, who is straightforward and meticulous by nature, was already overwhelmed with pressure and restless when she realized that she might be a burden. Not used to asking others for help, she could only keep these emotions to herself and let them fester.

Even now, standing on the stage, facing a long stretch of empty seats, realizing just how many people will see their performance, and that I will be the shortest plank in the crowd…

A strong sense of suffocation and inferiority had already gripped her throat tightly. The encouragement from Toyokawa Shoko and Minamoto Koto only loosened the rope binding her slender neck slightly, allowing her to breathe one last breath of peaceful air before being strangled to death.

Only on the verge of collapse could he grasp the knot that the stubborn Shiina Ritsuki had firmly hidden, the knot that was choking her.

Then, tear it off.

"Huh?! You're saying I'm more nervous than a lamp?!"

For a moment, Shiina Ritsuki looked dazed upon hearing his words, but she quickly masked it with a fierce expression.

She raised her voice as if trying to hide some emotion.

"Don't say such pointless things at a time like this..."

Your hands are shaking.

Genjiro's calm words made Shiina Riki subconsciously lower her head and look at her hands.

As he said, the girl's fingers holding the drumsticks trembled, as if she might accidentally drop them at any moment.

Realizing that what Genjiro Tou said was true, Shiina Riki suddenly deflated, his shoulders slumped, his head hung low, and he remained silent.

Even when confronted directly, she would only bite her lower lip as if she were arguing with herself, refusing to reveal even a hint of her true feelings to others.

Having anticipated her reaction, Won Heo-doo bent down, bringing his eyes level with hers.

"Lixi."

Abandoning calmness and indifference, a gentle and soothing voice fell into the girl's heart like raindrops.

Shiina Riki looked up in surprise, her deep purple eyes instantly captivated by his gaze, which was as calm as an abyss, and she quietly fell into it.

"Do you believe me?"

Chapter Forty-Eight: Stars and Grass

From a very young age, Shiina Tatsuki understood that there is often an insurmountable gap between the talents of different people.

This chasm is so cold and indifferent, unchanging to any external force, destined to accompany a person throughout their life from birth, leaving the most indelible mark on them.

Other things that differentiate people at birth, such as appearance, family, or even lineage, can be changed through effort later in life; at least, there is hope for change.

Only talent, so cruelly rooted in everyone's flesh and bone, cannot be altered through normal means.

Everyone says that hard work can make up for the lack of talent—but that's on the premise that the more talented person doesn't work hard.

So, if you win in an area where the other party doesn't take it seriously, do you really feel like you've won?

Moreover, once geniuses start to work hard, they will become someone that ordinary people can never hope to catch up with in their entire lives. Even if they try their best to catch up, they will only be pulled further and further away, an insurmountable milestone.

Shiina Tatsuki was just that kind of ordinary person.

Her older sister, Shiina Maki, who was once the captain of the brass band at Haneoka Girls' Academy, was that kind of genius.

From the moment she first picked up a drumstick, it took her a week to master the rhythms her older sister had learned in just a few hours. In the end, she could only watch helplessly as her sister easily and happily learned to play the drums before abandoning her to learn other instruments. Meanwhile, she spent dozens of times longer practicing before barely reaching the same level...

A sharp and clear sense of inferiority, as cold and penetrating as a deep pool hidden in a cave, silently seized her heart and dragged her into an abyss.

Although they were sisters born to the same parents and only four years apart, the difference in their talents and abilities seemed like an insurmountable chasm, making it impossible for her to even muster the will to catch up. Shiina Tatsuki couldn't bring herself to be jealous of her older sister, so she could only bury that sense of inferiority deep in her heart and never tell anyone.

However, even if she carefully conceals it in her daily life, it will always peek out unexpectedly, causing her thoughts to sink into a dark vortex.

Perhaps it was because she vaguely noticed this that Shiina Maki introduced her younger sister to Toyokawa Shoko, hoping that the supportive bandmates could give Shiina Tatsuki more confidence and gradually erase her inferiority complex.

That's why Shiina Tatsuki cares so much about the band's performance, even going so far as to directly criticize her bandmates—not just because she's naturally straightforward and doesn't hold back, but also because she sees the band as a platform to realize her own value and gain recognition from others.

Unfortunately, Shiina Tatsuki, who had just taken the first step to prove himself, ran into two major obstacles.

Shoko Toyokawa, a flawless, elegant, and perfectly sunny young lady.

A calm, composed, and taciturn young man with unparalleled good looks, Yuan Xudou.

【CryCHIC】The highest mountain and the longest river.

The former is easier to talk about. Although Toyokawa Shoko's piano skills and composition abilities are admirable, and she has moved beyond the level of a student to the level of a well-known figure in the industry, the two of them do not overlap in their fields. At most, she feels awe and admiration when she is around her, but it is not enough to make Shiina Tatsuki feel pressured to look up to her.

the latter……

The first time he corrected her, Gen Xudou made her get up from her seat and picked up a drumstick to play a fluent rhythm similar to what she had just practiced, but one that even a layman could hear was obviously different—Shiina Ritsuki almost thought there was something wrong with her ears at that moment.

How can someone just tune the piano and bass and then immediately start playing the drums?!

He even personally taught Shiina Tatsuki how to correct her mistakes and how to integrate her own melody into the band. He spoke very little, but his words were concise and to the point, making them easier to understand than those of her previous drum teacher.

Aren't you in charge of managing the band's logistics and also writing lyrics and composing music?

How do you know so much about musical instruments?

How come you can sing?!

Is this the kind of ability a normal middle school student should have? How come you know everything?

Unlike Toyokawa Shoko's joy at witnessing Genjiro Toru's omnipotence, Shiina Tatsuki's first reaction was disbelief and deep confusion.

In this band, it seems he could fill any other role. Putting him in a support role would be completely irresponsible towards such extraordinary talent.

For Shiina Tatsuki, who never possessed that qualification, faced with such extravagance and waste, she would have secretly felt ashamed of her own incompetence while harshly reprimanding the other party for their laxity.

However, she felt no anger whatsoever at this moment.

Even the sense of inferiority that should have arisen from the other party's excellence never came to mind.

Yuan Xudou is a more dazzling, more versatile, and more unreasonable genius than the older sister she has always been chasing.

In Shiina Tatsuki's mind, if the difference between her and her older sister could be compared to roadside weeds and towering trees, then Genjiro Tou was like a star hanging high in the sky.

Now, this star, which should have been untouchable by anyone, suddenly glowed, leaving a trail as it descended before her.

So, what did this boy, who had more right to be arrogant than anyone else and the ability to be conceited, do?

The answer is that when Shiina Tatsuki questioned Takamatsu Akari, he patiently explained to her why Akari was the lead singer and asked her to help Akari sing. He patiently guided her to correct her playing time and time again, and even rarely played with her himself in order to take care of her feelings. When faced with the girl's sometimes harsh remarks in her anger, he was not only not hurt by them, but also comforted the feelings of others on her behalf and prevented their relationship from getting sour.

And now, with a slight bend in his straight back—a back that would never be broken by the hardships of reality—he gazes at her with clear, earnest eyes, and softly asks in a gentle voice:

"Lixi, do you believe me?"

……hateful.

What a despicable person. The most despicable person in the world.

They're so good, why do they have to give us the chance to play?

With such good looks, who are you trying to seduce? With such a gentle voice and attitude, who are you trying to deceive?

Even without all of this... how could I not trust you?

Chapter Forty-Nine: Prove Yourself to Me

"We're partners... what's with all this talk about trust..."

Just uttering those words made Shiina Tatsuki feel his face burning.

She was somewhat incredulous—could she have really said those hesitant, affected, and delicate whispers, like a young girl experiencing her first love?

However, the undeniable facts were right in front of her, and the girl could only turn her head slightly. The escape from Yuan Xudou made her heart race, and the sincere gaze that seemed to be adorned with a faint light made her raise her voice a little to make up for her unconscious whisper.

"You're so capable, of course I believe in you."

Acknowledging someone else's excellence should be an act that triggers her own sense of inferiority.

However, when the subject is Genjiro, Shiina Riki can quite frankly face the gap between himself and the other, and sincerely marvel at his amazing talent.

On one hand, the gap between the two was too huge, and she couldn't even muster the thought of catching up... Her competitiveness hadn't reached the point where she had to compete with someone she couldn't possibly beat and who wasn't even on the same level.

On the other hand... once you've had close contact with him, it's hard for anyone to have any negative feelings towards Yuan Xudou's personality.

Jealousy, resentment, doubt... these emotions, after spending just a few days with him, will be gently and quietly dispelled by the warm and gentle radiance of his personality, which is not at all dazzling, and will transform into a gentle stream that nourishes the relationship.

"...Really? You think I'm amazing?"

As if pleased by her words, Yuan Xudou raised an eyebrow slightly.

Even Shiina Ritsuki, who isn't good at reading people's expressions, can now tell the boy's feelings from his micro-expressions after spending so much time together.

She felt even more embarrassed, her purple pupils wandering under her drooping eyelids, not daring to look him in the eye, her gaze shifting back and forth between the floor and the boy's face.

'...Don't talk to me like you're coaxing a child.'

'You know perfectly well how much your abilities are...'

Envy? Jealousy?

Absolutely not, I can't even feel a sense of powerlessness.

She felt that he was entitled to such talent. Even if she were given that talent, Shiina Tatsuki didn't think she could do any better than him.

"……Um."

Finally, Shiina Tatsuki nodded.

"So,"

Yuan Xudou suddenly straightened up, the gentleness in his eyes hardening into a solemn expression.

Looking down at the girl who had raised her head because of his movement, his voice was like a cold lake, carrying an unquestionable pressure.

"Shiina Tatsuki, what are you still feeling down about?"

"I've already corrected your mistakes and pointed out your shortcomings—didn't I tell you that at the end of the last practice session?"

“‘This time, you have basically done your best.’ You didn’t fall behind in rhythm, and there were no errors in your coordination with everyone. At that time, didn’t you play the piece completely?”

He did say those words, praising the other person's performance. She did indeed retain a memory of that incident.

Unexpectedly, Gen Xudou's attitude suddenly became oppressive, and he even called her by her full name. Shiina Riki shrank her neck uncomfortably, her eyes widened, and her voice became somewhat nervous.

"Back then, you weren't saying that to encourage us..."

"Not really."