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

Page 160

"Sorry to keep you waiting—" Aine put down her bag, patted the wet spots on her body, and complained, "Honestly, what's wrong with the weather these days? It suddenly changed."

"Ai...! The toilet... there's a hand dryer in the toilet." Takamatsu Akira grabbed Ai's arm anxiously and led her to the toilet.

"Dengdeng—wait!" Ai Yin stopped and grabbed Gao Songdeng's hand. Gao Songdeng looked at her blankly, wondering why she wouldn't come with him.

"Okay, didn't we agree that I need to go home after we finish chatting?" Aine said, then her face fell as if she had just remembered something. "I wonder what Mom will say about me when I get home..."

"Um..." Takamatsu lowered his head uneasily and said softly, "Ai, I'm sorry..."

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Ai waved her hand and said with a smile, "Dengdeng is my friend, so is there something you wanted to tell me?"

"It's like this..." Takamatsu Akari softly recounted her troubles, and Aine nodded thoughtfully:

"I see. You can understand English phrases and pronunciations, but you can't sing them properly?"

“You’ve come to the right person,” Aine said with a smile. “I know quite a bit about this.”

At the time, she fled back from London, precisely because of this problem. Looking back now, she was too impulsive. If she had persevered, with her talents, she would have been able to adapt quickly.

However, she doesn't regret her choice. If she hadn't returned to Japan, how could she have met Momoi Taro, and how could she have become a member of the Dong Brothers?

More importantly, she no longer runs away from her failures because she believes she can succeed. Who is she? She is someone whom Momoi Taro calls someone who believes in her talent.

Ai Yin carefully explained her ideas to Gao Songdeng, who nodded as if she understood, and took notes in her notebook.

Gao Songdeng would occasionally ask questions about how to pronounce specific words, and then read them aloud for Ai Yin to correct.

After making sure that Takamatsu was familiar with all of them, Aine asked curiously, "Those were the lyrics to the new song, right?"

"Hmm... but the song isn't finished yet." Takamatsu Akari said softly, "Tachiki-chan... has quite a few disagreements with Sho."

"Is there enough time?" Ai Yin's eyes widened in surprise. "Isn't Deng Deng's band's live performance in a couple of days?"

"Yes! No problem." Gao Songdeng seemed very confident: "Most of the verse phrases are finalized, it's just that the two of us have some disagreements about the interpretation of the chorus...!"

"I see." Aine smiled again. "Then, Dengdeng, you should also do your best. I think I'll come to support you guys. Well, it's about time, I'll head back now."

"Um...wait!" Gao Songdeng called out to Ai Yin, handed her the umbrella from his bag, and said softly, "Ai, take this."

Ai Yin took the umbrella that Takamatsu Tamamo offered, and asked in surprise, "What will Tamamo do with this if you give it to me?"

“I’m fine…” Gao Songdeng’s smile widened. She scratched her face with her fingers shyly and said softly, “I… want to stay at the aquarium a little longer. Ai, you should go back first.”

"Well, I appreciate your kindness, Tengdeng. Well then, I'll accept the umbrella." Aine didn't stand on ceremony with Tengdeng. She put the umbrella in her arms, waved goodbye, and said, "See you at the live show, Tengdeng."

"Ok!"

Compared to the harmonious atmosphere on this side, the atmosphere on the other side was completely different.

"No, the chorus is definitely going to be supported by deep, dark fantasy-themed musical phrases!"

In Toyokawa Shoko's room, Toyokawa Shoko slammed her hands on the table and said with dissatisfaction, "The chorus should maintain the mood of the verse, and continue all that despair and resentment."

“Um…” Sitting in the middle, Wakaba Mutsu remained silent, while Su Shi, sitting to the side, wanted to speak up to ease the tension between the two.

"Huh? Are you out of your mind?" Li Xi, sitting opposite Xiangzi, shouted in dissatisfaction, interrupting Su Shi's words:

"The lyrics in the chorus should express a sense of resentment and hope. No matter how desperate things get, there should still be a glimmer of hope. It should definitely be accompanied by an uplifting melody."

"No, no, it's definitely going to be tough in the days to come, but it's also going to be a feeling of not giving in. It should be a restrained and controlled melody."

"Um..." Su Shi, sitting between the two, felt her blood pressure rising.

Xiangzi slammed his hand on the table and stood up: "It's absolutely oppressive!"

“No! It’s passionate!” Li Xi retorted, not to be outdone.

"You two, could you please calm down—" Just as their argument was about to reach its climax, Su Shi's murderous voice finally brought them back to reality.

Seeing Su Shi's anger, the two of them obediently sat down.

After catching his breath, Xiangzi smiled and asked Wakaba Mutsu, who was listening in, "What do you think, Mutsu?"

After thinking for a moment, Ruoye Mu said firmly, "I want to use Lixi's plan."

"Yes~ Me too~" Su Shi raised her hand cheerfully, and Li Xi looked at Xiang Zi triumphantly, declaring her victory.

“Three against one… there’s nothing we can do about it.” Xiangzi breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying, “Then let’s use Lixi’s plan.”

"However, Lixi has really changed a lot. In the past, she probably wouldn't have argued with me like this."

Xiangzi's smile widened, while Lixi pursed her lips and said softly, "I just didn't want the lyrics of 'The Lamp' to not fully express the emotions."

"Yes, you two, please focus on the music for now." Seeing that the two were about to argue again, Su Shi quickly spoke up to stop them.

“And… I want the guitar part to be like this.” Ignoring the two of them, Wakaba Mutsu raised the guitar in his hand and played a passionate melody.

The three of them nodded thoughtfully, and Ruo Yemu continued to show another part: "This is the part about the lamp."

"I see... That does indeed stir up emotions more effectively." It was Toyokawa Shoko who was the first to realize this.

She got up, walked to the piano, pressed a series of notes, then turned around and smiled at the band members, saying, "How about this?"

"Amazing..." Su Shi murmured to herself, then came to her senses, picked up her bass and played a piece.

“How about this for the rhythm group?” Su Shi said as she sang.

"It feels great." After listening to Su Shi's performance, both of them were excited again and entered a period of burst of inspiration.

At Toyokawa Shoko's home, the four of them discussed the musical phrases and reached a conclusion. In the end, Shoko conceded and let Riki choose.

However, Toyokawa Shoko must also admit that Shiina Tatsuki's chosen theme was indeed closer to the lyrics than her own.

Moreover, after listening to Mutsu and Motoyo's performance, this idea became even more fervent. The two worked together, and soon the new piece was completed.

"Everyone, remember to practice your parts properly when you get back." Toyokawa Shoko earnestly reminded everyone before parting.

"We don't have much time left, so we must practice a lot when we get back."

The other three nodded in agreement, and after saying goodbye to each other, Xiangzi called out to Ruoye Mutsu: "Mutsu, can you wait a moment? I have something I want to talk to you about."

When Ruoye Mu heard Xiangzi's words, she glanced at Lixi and Sushi's departing figures, and finally looked at Xiangzi, nodded, and said softly, "I know."

The two returned to Toyokawa Shoko's bedroom. After inviting Wakaba Mutsu to sit down, Shoko said, "I want to talk to you about Avemujica."

"Yes, I know." Wakaba Mutsu nodded slightly, without showing any particular expression.

This was consistent with her usual style. Toyokawa Shoko smiled, took out her phone and scrolled through Avemujica's three-person group chat. After confirming there were no messages, she said to Wakaba Mutsumi:

“Chuhua hasn’t called lately.” She went straight to the point and said softly, “I think it’s because Avemujica’s recruitment isn’t going very well.”

Ruo Yemu nodded slightly, of course she was well aware of this matter, and then Xiangzi said somewhat awkwardly, "I think the reason for this situation must be that Avemujica is not well-known."

Ruoye Mu nodded in agreement, but did not offer any further comment.

Seeing this, Xiangzi began to explain his plan: "My plan is to temporarily stop recruiting members and then immediately start Avemujica's performances."

"Won't practicing drain your energy?"

If Ye Mu, slightly restrained by her emotions, only uttered this sentence, then perhaps thinking of something else, she gave up on continuing to speak.

Looking at Shoko's increasingly busy future, Wakaba Mutsu could only sigh helplessly. Shoko looked at Wakaba Mutsu, thinking she was worried about Avemujica's progress, and said softly:

"What I mean is, why don't we hold a live show to increase our visibility? That would make it easier to recruit people. But your concerns are valid..."

"Sho, most importantly, we don't have a drummer or a bassist yet." Seeing Shoko already worried about a future that didn't exist, Wakaba Mutsu couldn't help but remind her in the end.

"No problem, we can find a recorded audio. Although it's not as good as a live performance, with the quality of our playing, we can definitely make up for it."

...If only it were really like that.

Chapter Fifty-Four: I am the Tragic Heroine

Ding dong, ding dong.

The doorbell rang, and Sanjiao Chuhua (the older sister) twitched her ears slightly. She carefully walked to the door and cautiously peered outside through the peephole.

"Xiao Xiang...?!"

Through the peephole, Chu Hua saw the familiar blue-haired girl with twin ponytails. She felt a surge of joy, but this joy was quickly followed by fear.

Why would Xiaoxiang come to find me at this time...? Could it be... that Momoi Taro told Xiaoxiang about his situation?

As she was thinking this, her gaze fell on another member of the Cat's Eye band, Ruo Ye Mu... She was one of the bandmates when Xiao Xiang invited her to form a band.

That day, I accidentally saw Xiao Xiang arguing with that person. Afterwards, Xiao Xiang said that he needed to find a guitarist... I thought they had broken up, but now it seems that he is with Xiao Xiang?

To be honest, Chu Hua breathed a sigh of relief. After all, if Xiangzi brought Ruoye Mu to the meeting, it was unlikely that he would be talking about that kind of thing.

Meanwhile, Toyokawa Shoko kept ringing the doorbell outside, the sound of which startled Mikasa Hatsuka from her thoughts.

"Chuhua, are you home?" Toyokawa Shoko's voice was so calm. Chuhua also tried to suppress her excited thoughts and said softly, "Shoko, wait a moment, I'll come over after I change my clothes."

The doorbell stopped ringing. Changing clothes was Chu Hua's excuse; she just wanted to compose herself a little in front of the mirror.

Once she was ready, she jogged to the door, opened it, and greeted the two people with a smile:

"Xiao Xiang, good evening... Is the person next to me... Xiao Mu? Xiao Xiang has been talking to me about you. Nice to meet you."

Ruo Yemu nodded in response, and Xiangzi also smiled. Chu Hua turned slightly to the side and said, "Let's come in first. It's really rare for Xiao Xiang to come to see me so late."

"Eh~ I'm so sorry." Xiangzi bowed formally in apology, which Chu Hua found hard to accept. She helped Xiangzi up and said softly, "It doesn't have to be like this..."

"Actually, I was thinking about something related to the band, so I came here to bother Chuhua."

Hearing Xiangzi speak to him so formally, Chu Hua lowered his head uncomfortably and said guiltily, "I'm sorry, Xiangzi, the band recruitment... has yielded absolutely no results."

"It's alright, it's alright." Xiangzi squinted and chuckled, waving his hand as he said, "I came to see Chuhua this time precisely to resolve this matter."

"Xiao Xiang has a way to solve this problem?" Chu Hua exclaimed in surprise, then slapped her forehead and said self-reproachfully:

"I'm so happy that I'm almost confused because Xiao Xiang is here. Xiao Xiang, Xiao Mu, wait a moment, I'll go make you a cup of coffee."

Xiangzi smiled and nodded. In fact, recruiting members, even those who met Xiangzi's requirements, would not be difficult.

As long as we leverage Chu Hua and Xiao Mu's fame, we can attract any number of people.

However, this would be considered a betrayal of Chu Hua and Ruo Ye Mu. Xiangzi would never do such a thing.

Of course, there is another, more difficult method: if you were to participate in the Pioneer Competition and win the championship... well, that's impossible no matter how you look at it.

Xiangzi pulled Xiaomu to sit on the sofa in the living room, quietly waiting for Chuhua to make coffee, but his gaze involuntarily drifted to the stairwell of the attic not far away.

With just one glance, Xiangzi was suddenly startled. Even without getting closer to look, he could easily see that the mountain of express deliveries had grown even larger.