Girl Band, Gravity Capture

Page 105

Before my eyes, Takamatsu Todori's small figure disappeared, while the wooden door with the words "Astronomy Department" hanging above it was slightly ajar.

It's right here.

Standing in front of the activity room, which was still swaying slightly and not fully closed, the somewhat nervous girl took a deep breath, pushed the door open and pretended to just be passing by, calling out to those inside.

Is anyone there?

"--Well!"

The moment she opened the door, she thought she heard a short, faint gasp, though she wasn't sure if it was just her imagination.

Chihaya Aine blinked and looked straight ahead.

The girl with short, dark gray hair sat on a student chair facing the door, her soft amber eyes widening in surprise. She looked even more nervous than Chihaya Aine, who had suddenly barged in. The octopus sausage she had just picked up from her lunchbox slipped from between her chopsticks and fell back into the lunchbox.

However, while Chihaya Aine was still racking her brains to think of a way to ease the slightly awkward and stiff atmosphere, Takamatsu Akari, who was in a panic, calmed down first, put away her chopsticks and put them back in the lunchbox.

Then, soft yet clear words, like the faint sounds of a small animal, gently floated from her mouth.

"...Are you going to join the Astronomy Club?"

The sound was like the faint, slow, and almost imperceptible footprints of a small animal. Yet, when spoken by a young girl, it possessed an undeniable presence.

No wonder Kyorarin values ​​her as a lead vocalist.

Indeed, after having a vague suspicion in her mind, the highly efficient Chihaya Aine quickly found traces of the band 【CryCHIC】online. Sure enough, she then spotted lead vocalist Akari Takamatsu and drummer Tatsuki Shiina in the videos.

Although Yuan Xudou wasn't among the five people appearing in the video, but rather three other girls she didn't recognize—one with blue hair and gold eyes, one with green hair and gold eyes, and one with brown hair and blue eyes—it was enough to confirm her guess.

— Xu Douqin once had a band, but it disbanded for unknown reasons. The vague disbandment announcement on social media was posted shortly after the summer vacation of his third year of junior high school.

That is precisely why it is reasonable and justifiable for Won Heo-do, who has experienced such setbacks, to refuse her invitation to form a band again.

That band... must have given him many unforgettable memories.

After all, the girls in the video always had cheerful and upbeat expressions on their faces, no matter what. Even Shiina Riki, who had been giving him a sour look the whole time, was smiling and seemed quite happy... completely different from how she was in the coffee shop.

Seeing her able to openly and cheerfully smile, it's no wonder Xu Douqin had such a strong bias, thinking that the guy's personality wasn't bad. To be honest, if it weren't for still being somewhat bothered by the differential treatment he received, Chihaya Aine almost thought the same way.

Then, that beautiful, pure, and hopeful band suddenly collapsed, to the point that the members lost contact with each other... It's hard to imagine what they went through.

At this point, Yuan Xudou didn't immediately create an awkward silence when she brought up the topic of "bands." He simply quietly declined her invitation and even went so far as to offer her some thoughtful advice afterward...

—Xu Douqin, you are so gentle.

The girl, who had also experienced a major failure she was unwilling to talk about and was still troubled by it, could empathize with him more than others, and was more moved by it.

The more Chihaya Aine got to know him, the more reluctant she became to let go, determined to bring Genjiro, whom she couldn't help but feel fond of, into the band.

He had already suffered the pain of the band breaking up, and I couldn't let him endure the emptiness of being without a band—this was her most honest opinion of the boy now.

Chihaya Aine could understand that after the boy suffered a setback, he developed pessimistic thoughts and was unwilling to continue trying. Even the memories felt bittersweet... However, if you stop moving forward after failing, you will never be able to start over.

That was both what she wanted to say to the man who attracted her, and what resided in the young girl's heart, giving her the courage to keep moving forward even after failing to study abroad.

Unbeknownst to her, her goal changed from simply "forming a band and integrating into the group" to "helping Won Heo-doo out of the shadows and starting a new life with him."

It wasn't just about helping him... It was like a reflection; perhaps a part of Chihaya Aine's hope for the future was also placed in that. By achieving that goal, she could escape the shadows of the past and, with his help and encouragement, embark on a brand new, sparkling school life.

However, to solve his problem, we must first at least know what happened.

Shiina Tatsuki, whose attitude was terrible and who showed no sign of softening before getting any substantial progress from Xu Douqin, was a priority pass. Directly reopening his wounds was clearly not a good decision either.

After much thought, I realized that Takamatsu Akari, who is gentle and weak and is also known as "Haneoka's Little Natural," seems like the best candidate.

Moreover, Xu Douqin was clearly very concerned when Deng was mentioned... She must have something special about her to him.

Chapter Thirty: The Secret Within the Box

"Um... I just came to take a look..."

When Takamatsu Akari asked her if she wanted to join the Astronomy Club, Chihaya Aine carefully chose her words.

Having just enrolled, she hadn't yet decided which club to join, but the Astronomy Club was definitely not among her options.

It's true that the stars are beautiful... but when you think of the Astronomy Department, what comes to mind is carrying a big, heavy telescope, staying up all night on the rooftop and staring at it motionless for hours, and writing down a bunch of data that no one else can understand... is that what it feels like?

It has nothing to do with the kind of vibrant and dazzling club activities that she pursues, which she can talk about and show off among her classmates.

Thinking of this, the girl subtly looked past Takamatsu Akari's figure and glanced at the room behind her, which was filled with various items but had no other people in sight.

There's no one else here...

Sure enough, most people shared her thoughts, keeping their distance from the Astronomy Club, a club that was both profound and mysterious, sometimes even associated with strange campus legends, making it seem difficult to approach and understand.

However, if that weren't the case—according to hearsay, given Deng's gentle and timid nature, he probably wouldn't have joined such a large and lively group.

Seemingly sensing her subtle scrutiny, the girl's soft voice became somewhat dejected.

"All the senior students from my previous year of high school have graduated... I'm the only member left in the astronomy club."

As she spoke, she raised her head, her amber eyes shimmering slightly as she looked intently at Chihaya Aine.

"I want more people to live here."

Yuqiu's internal club supervision is very lax. There won't be any clubs that are forcibly disbanded for not achieving results or not having enough members, which is a common plot in many youth campus novels.

She wanted more members to join the astronomy club simply because she wanted more like-minded people and to prevent the club that her senior had handed over to her from being too empty and neglected.

This book is compiled by Yue Yi. The copyright of the novel belongs to the original author. The text is for personal study and trial reading only. Please delete it within 24 hours after downloading. If you want to read it, please support and subscribe to genuine novels and refuse piracy! If this resource accidentally infringes your rights, please notify us to delete it in time.

【Yueyi】 reminds you: arrange your reading time reasonably and avoid being addicted to online novels! More online novels are available in 【Yueyi Free External Group】.

[Yueyi Free External Group No. 1]——176132292

[Yueyi Free External Group No. 2]——202213082

[Yueyi Free External Group No. 3]——213579632

[Yueyi Free External Group No. 4]——297691386

[Yueyi Free External Group No. 5]——107847456

【Yueyi Transfer Group No. 1】——340722484

【Yueyi Transfer Group No. 2】——617128448

This group extracts the purchased VIP chapters from all online platforms for free and makes them into txt and other formats. If you want to extract, please privately chat with the group owner.

Deng... is surprisingly responsible.

As Chihaya Aine pondered how to answer, whether to refuse or wait and see, Takamatsu Akari, looking at her, seemed to suddenly recognize her and slowly and uncertainly uttered the girl's name.

"Chihaya...Aine-san, is that right?"

It seems she has some impression of her new classmate... but not a very deep one, as she only just remembered him now.

"Yeah, I'm still sitting behind you." Chihaya Aine nodded, kindly reminding him.

"Ah... I'm sorry..." Seemingly ashamed that she had only just recognized the other person, Takamatsu Akari lowered her head again. "I didn't really notice..."

Upon hearing the apology, the girl wore a complicated expression, unsure how to respond.

Is it really okay to say something like "I'm not following you" directly?

If she hadn't known that Deng meant no harm, but was just speaking in a slightly illogical way—she would have almost thought it was a sign of contempt.

Xu Douqin's former band, of the five members, has already met two of them, and neither of them seems quite normal—could this be some hidden condition for forming a band? Is it that the stranger the person is, the higher their musical talent? Chihaya Aine pondered seriously.

"It's okay, it's not too late to get to know Yue/YiIX Lingliusi Liuqi IIba now."

I may think about it, but I definitely can't say it out loud.

Although it's a bit strange, Akari is still very friendly, much better than Shiina Ritsuki who came out looking fierce—although it's a bit strange.

She generously revealed a sunny smile, showing that she didn't mind at all.

"...Yes, I am Takamatsu Akari."

"So, Chihaya-san... are you going to join the Astronomy Club?" Takamatsu Akari looked at her with a gaze that was hard for most people to refuse, filled with a hint of anticipation.

After going around in circles, the topic has returned to where it started.

However, Chihaya Aine, who had already prepared her answer, remained completely calm.

"I'm quite interested. May I ask about the Astronomy Department's daily activities?"

Whether or not she joins is another matter, but it's always good to use this opportunity to build a closer relationship. Chihaya Aine thought to herself.

Upon receiving what seemed like a hopeful answer, Takamatsu's eyes visibly lit up.

"Here are the records left by the previous minister. I'll go get them..."

After saying that, she closed the lunchbox that was on her slender legs, put it on an empty table, stood up from her chair, and turned around to rummage through the cabinet in the department room.

Somewhat curious, Chihaya Aine also went over and stood quietly beside Takamatsu Akari, waiting for her to find the record.

After all, stargazing sounds quite magical, and she wasn't entirely without interest.

Watching Takamatsu Akari stretch out her fair hands, searching through a pile of various items that she didn't quite understand, some covered in varying degrees of dust... it gave her a feeling of a small animal tidying up the treasures in its little nest...

As she was experiencing a strange sensation, she was searching from the lower shelf of the cabinet to the upper shelf. Takamatsu, who was slightly tiptoeing, accidentally knocked something off the cabinet while groping around.

It was... a small black box?

It looks very new, unlike the other things that have been sitting there for a while. Did Deng bring it himself?

"...!"

The hard box hit the ground with a dull thud. At the same time, Takamatsu, noticing what was happening, immediately gasped in alarm.

Chihaya Aine, who noticed the box had fallen first, didn't think twice and quickly bent down to reach for the box.

"Deng, let me help you pick it up—"

"—No, no...!"

Before the words of refusal could even leave her lips, Takamatsu Akari, her pupils trembling, watched as Chihaya Aine bent down and picked up the bottom of the box.

The next second, the small box, which had been loosened by the fall, opened directly.

Something seemed to float gently out of the tilted box.

Chihaya Aine blinked, not having seen clearly at first glance.

That's... a piece of paper?

But she quickly dismissed her own guess.

No, that's not right—that's—

A dozen or so printed color photos, like butterflies about to come to rest, fluttered in mid-air for a moment before finally falling helplessly to the ground.

"..."

Looking at the photos scattered on the ground, and the familiar face with black hair and black eyes, handsome and good-looking, Chihaya Aine fell silent.

...Oh no, the lamp is indeed a small animal.

But this little animal seems to be a carnivore.

...I hope I won't be silenced?

Chapter Thirty-One: Do you want to see him?

"I'm so sorry, Deng!"

Since things had come to this, Chihaya Aine decided to apologize first.

"I accidentally opened your box without permission... oh no, I accidentally opened this box that I don't know whose it is!"

She closed her eyes and bent down towards Takamatsu Akari. However, a few seconds later, the girl opened her eyes in confusion after receiving no response.

Before her, Gao Songdeng neither angrily rebuked nor ran away in shame. She simply squatted down, silently picked up all the photos scattered on the ground, carefully brushed off the dust, stacked them one by one, and held them in her slender, fair hands.

After she finished tidying up, she stood up and handed the photo to Chihaya Aine.