Girl Band, Gravity Capture

Page 109

Now they're calling each other by such intimate nicknames.

Moreover, she was much more cheerful and talkative than I was.

Although the clueless Takamatsu Akari couldn't understand, an instinctive sense of crisis was still burning her heart like a tiny but scorching flame.

Xu Dou... was not trapped in the same place forever.

Unlike himself, he is still making new friends and trying to live a normal life.

If things continue like this, if Xu Dou eventually forgets CryCHIC...

If, in an already precarious position, one is replaced...

Even something as simple as meeting him, like today, would be...!

Chihaya Aine was unaware of the heavy thoughts brewing in Takamatsu Akari's lowered amber eyes.

Upon hearing the girl's request, she first glanced at Yuan Xudou's attitude and, finding that he didn't intend to refuse, scratched the back of her head, pondering her words:

"How did Xu Douqin and I meet...?"

"Actually, it was a very short thing."

"Let me think... We first met by chance on the tram, and then we met again when I was in RiNG, because I wanted to recruit band members."

"Then, I invited Xu Douqin to join my band, and we got to know each other better as we chatted... although it didn't work out."

Chihaya Aine's last soft mutter was not heard by Takamatsu Akari.

But she heard one thing clearly.

'...Aine, is she inviting Xu Dou to form a band...?'

Chapter Thirty-Seven: An Intolerable Escape

Mingming... promised she wouldn't leave.

Mingming, it was our agreement to keep forming a band.

We smiled together, we worked hard together, I learned how to sing well with you, we wrote lyrics from our hearts together, we were nervous and practiced together for the performance...

She would gently stroke my head... and watch the stars with me...

Xu Dou, who never finds me strange, never disappoints me, and always firmly encourages and supports me...

On the overpass, Xu Dou became my star—

My vision seemed to be shrouded by a thick curtain, and everything in front of me was strangely distorted and mixed into a black and white mess with not much contrast.

"Speaking of which, Xiaodeng tried forming a band before, right? Want to join—"

"……lifetime."

Chihaya Aine's tentative words were interrupted by Takamatsu Akari's low murmur, her gaze vacant and her mind lost in her own world.

After the band was mentioned, it was as if a switch had been flipped; her previous timidity and fear vanished completely, and her obsessive eyes, like solidified amber, stared straight at Yuan Xudou in front of her.

"Xu Dou, would you like to form a band with me for life?"

"……Eh?"

Clearly not expecting such a reaction, Chihaya Aine was stunned.

'Is this considered a successful invitation?' she wondered to herself, somewhat uncertainly.

Before I could even say much, Deng Jiang volunteered to form a band... I didn't even need to say anything I had prepared. It all went so smoothly, so it should be considered a good thing, right...?

She even offered to help bring Xu Dou into the band, something I never expected her to be so enthusiastic about.

However, isn't it a bit too heavy to start with something like "a lifetime"?

Something just doesn't feel right...

Moreover, although she was the one who extended the invitation, Takamatsu Akari was responding to Gen Xudou—

—Oh no, given Kyorarin's current mindset, can Xiaodeng succeed?

Xu Douqin never seemed to really want to form a band, and besides, Chihaya Aine felt that any normal person would think twice about the "forever" part and wouldn't agree to it immediately... So, it was bound to fail.

She turned her head and looked at Yuan Xudou beside her.

Her dark pupils shrank unusually, and a look of astonishment appeared on her gentle face that she had never seen before.

"Ah, hearing that usually gives you a real shock."

Chihaya Aine wasn't the one being stared at and questioned by Takamatsu Akira, but she still felt a slight heaviness from the sluggish, viscous, and binding force that emanated from her. It was hard to imagine what Minamoto Kōdō, as the target, would feel at this moment.

She felt certain she couldn't hold on...

But if the boy were to agree to this, it would be a good thing for her.

Therefore, despite feeling that the current situation was somewhat different from her expectations, Chihaya Aine chose to let the slightly out-of-control situation continue to develop, and did not try to stir up the topic as she had done before.

Under their gazes, Yuan Xudou sat up straight and remained silent for a long time.

The background music playing automatically in the private room was coming to an end, and the neon lights that flickered with the music cast mottled and complex light and shadow on his face.

As if deep in thought, or perhaps grieving, even under the dazzling lights, those slightly drooping, deep, dark eyes ultimately did not light up.

...Judging from this, it seems unlikely that it will succeed. Chihaya Aine thought regretfully.

"……lamp."

As expected, Yuan Xudou spoke in a tone similar to when he rejected her, calm to the point of seeming somewhat forlorn.

Takamatsu Akari, who was called, trembled slightly on the shoulder.

The persistence and heaviness in his eyes gradually faded due to the lack of response, and after the impulse that controlled his body subsided, the familiar confusion and timidity once again occupied his heart.

Finally realizing what she had just said, Takamatsu Akari's delicate body trembled.

Ahhh...

Clearly, it was me who disappointed Xu Dou in the band...

Now, they are still begging him to continue carrying the burden of his life, to continue struggling and suffering for that broken past... and even feeling jealous of his friendships with others...

How could I be so selfish...?

Such a "takamatsu lamp" is utterly unworthy of being called human...

The girl, biting her lip, suddenly stood up, unwilling to listen to what Yuan Xudou would inevitably say next—words that, despite his best efforts to soften the tone, were still words of rejection.

"Hey! Tomorin, where are you going?!"

"lamp!"

The two people, caught off guard, barely managed to get up from the sofa after the door to the private room was shoved open rather than pushed open. Even their cries for help were left behind by Takamatsu, who was running with his head down.

Without having considered where to go next or what to do in the future, the girl's sorrowful mind was filled only with the thought of "getting away from here."

Unable to grasp the situation immediately, Chihaya Aine reached out towards Takamatsu Akari's retreating figure, her face filled with confusion. But soon, the sudden chilling aura around her, as cold and hard as frozen lake water, sent a shiver down her spine.

...one after another.

Xiangzi, Lixi, and Deng all do the same. When faced with a problem they don't want to discuss properly, they just run away.

The first time, Mu blocked his way, and he couldn't catch up.

The second time, I was also caught up in my own depression and failed to pursue it.

...He would never let anyone escape from his side a third time.

Before Chihaya Aine could even take a step, a tall, slender figure, too fast to see clearly, slammed open the still-shaking door of the private room. Sensing something was wrong, she quickly chased after him.

"Xu Douqin! Don't run so fast!" the girl shouted anxiously at him.

Xiao Deng, who was running headlong, had already turned a corner and disappeared into the corner of the corridor. She didn't react immediately, and Yuan Xudou's movements blocked her way out, so she was already several steps behind!

Those two have vanished without a trace! What am I going to do?!

Fortunately, Gen Xudou hadn't really forgotten the girl who invited her over.

He paused briefly, frowned slightly, and turned back to give instructions to Chihaya Aine, who was chasing after him.

"Aiyin, I'll send you my location later."

The implication was that he didn't intend to wait for her to catch up before chasing after Gao Songdeng with the girl.

At least I wasn't left behind, that's alright—thinking this, Chihaya Aine felt a little more at ease and slowed down a bit, watching Genjiro Tou run away without looking back after a few seconds of delay.

Well, even I, who won first place in the girls' running competition in junior high school, definitely couldn't catch up with that speed. It's a foregone conclusion that Xiaodeng will be caught.

'Just now... was Xu Douqin angry?'

'That's right, suddenly running away during a conversation is incredibly disrespectful.'

I'd never seen him angry before, so this makes up for that—though it's not really a regret.

'I wonder if Xiaodeng will get scolded after she gets caught...'

She even had the leisure to sympathize with Gao Songdeng's subsequent fate.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Who dares to harm the lamp! ...Right, right?

"...Huff...Huff..."

The whistling wind swept past my ears, and the cold, indifferent neon lights etched lines on my dazed face.

Like a pill bug that fears sunlight and shrinks into a crack in the rock when exposed to it, I tried my best to avoid that incredibly bright and brilliant starlight from my memory.

The sparse flow of people created a faint atmosphere, and the shops and alleys on the street intertwined and concealed each other, which was the "crevice" where Takamatsu Todori hid.

Her past experiences had made her less afraid of strangers, but ironically, this now became a convenient way for her to escape and get away from the boy who had made her who she is today.

By brushing past one passerby after another, and relying on this cover and delay, even though he was much slower than him, he managed to avoid being caught for several minutes.

However... just like a pill bug, even if it cowers and hides in the cracks and shadows, curling itself up into a ball, it will never escape the person who is determined to catch it.

Turn over the rocks, part the grass.

Crossing the streets, stepping through the crowds.

Standing before the familiar, massive building with its dark glass facade, exhausted, Takamatsu Todori could only slow her disordered steps, jogging while panting hoarsely.

The sign on the glass came into view. Looking at that incredibly familiar place, her breath caught in her throat for a moment, and then she coughed violently because she couldn't catch her breath.

"Cough...cough cough...!"

"Who's over there... with the light?!"

Shiina Tatsuki, who was about to put away the standee in front of the store, turned around. The impatient words were about to come out, but she swallowed them back the moment she saw that the target was Takamatsu Akari. Instead, her violet eyes revealed uncontrollable surprise.

"Why are you running so fast? Is someone chasing you?"

Takamatsu, who was almost out of breath, struggled to support himself on his knees. He couldn't say anything about this sudden reunion, and just nodded and shook his head weakly.

Large beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, rolled down, and clung to her fine, light gray hair, leaving damp stains on Haneoka's shirt.

Seeing her so weak, Shiina Ritsuki immediately dropped what she was doing and rushed over to protect her behind her.

"Who's chasing you? Don't worry, he won't dare to do anything reckless here!"

She said this with conviction, her gaze sweeping back and forth in the direction from which Takamatsu had come.

'How dare they scare the light... If I find out who did this...'

Shiina Tatsuki didn't see that Takamatsu Akari suddenly shook her head hurriedly behind her.

"Lixi, no..."

The girl's faint voice was drowned out by the chaotic breathing, like a stream swallowed by a rushing river, failing to reach Shiina Tatsuki's ears.

Anger was already faintly revealed in her purple eyes as she swept her gaze across the crowd with piercing intensity.

Someone is trying to threaten Takamatsu Todora, who used to be taken care of by everyone in [CryCHIC], like a weak animal in the band... No matter who that person is, she will never let them off easily!

Soon, Shiina Tatsuki's gaze caught a figure running quickly toward them.