23. A Failed Performance

Luo Zhen did not finish speaking. His voice trembled slightly, and he looked utterly pitiful.

Only then did Xing Ge react. She had not expected this to happen either.

"Sorry, Little Zhen. My hand got out of control. I don't know why it did that."

Xing Ge moved her hand away, but she did not let go of Luo Zhen. She still held him in her arms while watching Shi Yu with a wary gaze.

"It was just an accident. Little Zhen said it was fine."

Shi Yu smiled awkwardly.

This shop manager really was getting in the way. If she were not here, Shi Yu could have kept enjoying herself.

Still, the gains had been quite good. Tonight's side dish was secured, and Shi Yu had experienced enough excitement for inspiration to start pouring out. She could have a good time again when she got home tonight.

Luo Zhen really did not mind. He tugged lightly at Xing Ge's clothes, then pointed at the stage.

"Thank you, Senior Xing Ge. I'll be more careful in the future. But for now, Bond Band is about to go onstage. Let's watch their performance."

Xing Ge truly meant well for him. She was a good person, and Luo Zhen felt warmth in his heart.

That was why he thanked her. He felt that he and Xing Ge had grown a little closer.

"Senior Xing Ge really makes people feel safe. If you were someone's girlfriend, your girlfriend power would definitely be off the charts."

In an ordinary world, it would have been boyfriend power. In a female supremacy world, it became girlfriend power.

At Luo Zhen's words, Xing Ge blushed all the way to her ears and scratched her hair awkwardly.

"Don't say such silly things. Watch the performance properly."

A wave of irritation surfaced in Xing Ge's heart, though she did not know what was wrong with her.

As Luo Zhen and Xing Ge laughed together, Shi Yu's heart bled.

Oh no. It seemed she had used the wrong approach.

Although her little move earlier had won her a slight advantage, it felt as though a thick wall stood between her and Luo Zhen.

More than physical contact, she wanted a clash and friction between their hearts.

She opened her mouth to say something, only for Luo Zhen to stop her with a look.

That gaze conveyed many meanings, leaving Shi Yu speechless for a moment.

The performance onstage officially began. The original plot had already been changed, and Hitori had joined Bond Band ahead of time.

Moreover, Luo Zhen's influence on her was obvious. She had indeed become braver. She did not hide behind a mango cardboard box, instead revealing herself completely.

As a new band, only a small number of people watched them with anticipation. A large portion of them were even Hongxia and Liang's classmates.

They had come to support them and give them face.

They took a deep breath, introduced themselves, and after their opening remarks, began to play.

Xing Ge watched without blinking. This concerned her little sister's dream, so she was extremely excited and even somewhat nervous.

Her hand tightened slightly, pulling Luo Zhen closer into her embrace.

Luo Zhen once again touched Xing Ge's soft chest. It was like a hot-water bottle in winter, warm and wonderfully soft to the touch.

The three onstage began playing. Hitori took a deep breath, focused, and started giving it her all.

Yamada Ryo was on bass and seemed to have little presence, but the moment the performance began, she noticed something was wrong.

Hongxia's pupils darted about, and the strength of her drumming was clearly lacking.

"It's over."

Xing Ge pursed her lips. It had only just begun, yet she had already seen the ending.

Failed Performance

The root of the problem lay mainly in their compatibility. The coordination among the three band members was an absolute mess.

The issue started with Hitori. The moment she stood onstage, she thought of Luo Zhen first.

Whenever she felt nervous, she only needed to focus on Luo Zhen.

Then she saw a bizarre scene. Luo Zhen was held in the shop manager's arms, while a big-chested fat woman stood on his other side.

By the strange reversed values of this female supremacy world, it was simply a "hellish tableau."

It was equivalent to a boy in an ordinary world seeing his beautiful girlfriend sandwiched between a blond delinquent and a fat guy.

Hitori nearly fainted, but fortunately, Luo Zhen's gaze was utterly clear, his eyes full of encouragement.

Otherwise, Hitori would have thought things had taken a "doujinshi turn."

Blond women, big-chested fat women, little girls, dark-skinned hot girls—these were all common figures in doujinshi. She had to be careful around them.

Their gazes met, and Hitori understood that nothing had happened.

The blond shop manager was Hongxia's older sister. She should be a good person. She was merely standing beside Luo Zhen as an adult and senior, casually resting a hand on his shoulder. There was nothing wrong with that.

From beginning to end, Luo Zhen had been encouraging her, making Hitori increasingly excited.

Then... she overperformed.

Of all times, she fully displayed her guitar skills now.

It was supposed to be a band performance, but it ended up becoming Hitori's one-woman show.

The situation grew strange. The bass already had little presence, and Yamada Ryo was actually starting to fall behind.

Hongxia, who should have been hammering out a strong rhythm and keeping her teammates steady, had already become lost.

Wait, Little Bocchi, you were actually a Guitar Immortal?

"Wow, that guitarist is incredible. Her skill level is really high."

"But this is a band performance. Now it's become her solo show. Isn't that a little bad?"

"A failed ensemble, but a successful solo. Whatever, seeing guitar playing like this makes the ticket worthwhile."

The crowd began buzzing, and Xing Ge sighed helplessly.

Her little sister's first performance had been a complete failure. She would have to think of a way to comfort her afterward.

What? Hadn't she just said she would not comfort Hongxia and would let her be tempered by failure?

What kind of joke was that? This situation was different.

Failing like this? And after seeing Hitori's exceptional skill, it would probably shake Hongxia's resolve.

Getting a powerful teammate was certainly something to be happy about, but if the gap between them was too great, the team would develop problems.

Xing Ge released Luo Zhen. Now, her head was beginning to ache.

"Are you worried about Hongxia?"

Luo Zhen asked, seeing through Xing Ge's thoughts at a glance.

"Yeah. This kind of situation is the hardest to deal with."

The gap was real. Improving their strength was not something that could happen overnight. Did that mean making Hitori accommodate them and lowering the intensity of their performances?

If their strengths remained unbalanced over time, the band might fall apart completely.

Or should they just kick Hitori out and find another teammate?

It felt like doing that would only lead to an even worse outcome.

"I'll help you comfort her. There are some things you can't say to her, Senior Xing Ge."

Luo Zhen smiled and volunteered.

"Mm, that's true. Communication between young people might go more smoothly."

Xing Ge steadied herself. It was fine. They just needed to handle it properly.

There was no need for a slippery-slope mindset. If she imagined every possibility turning bad, there would be no point in trying at all.

"Senior Xing Ge, have a little more faith in Hongxia. She'll definitely be fine."

Luo Zhen patted her shoulder and hurried toward backstage.

Kasumigaoka Shi Yu stretched out a hand, but the words she wanted to say caught in her throat.

Xing Ge stood with her hands on her hips, seemingly still somewhat dissatisfied with her.

"Haha, everyone seems pretty busy. I'll be leaving first."

She probably would not gain anything by staying, so Shi Yu quickly left.

Before Luo Zhen entered backstage, he saw Yamada Ryo buying a drink. She looked very carefree.

But Luo Zhen still caught a trace of melancholy at the corner of her eyes.

"The performance went badly, but it's not a huge problem. We just need to work together more afterward."

Luo Zhen comforted her, though it was completely unnecessary.

Liang merely waved a hand.

"You think it's not a problem too?"

It seemed Liang had a lot of faith in her bandmates.

"Ah, I forgot. I don't have any money to buy a drink."

Yamada Ryo's melancholy was actually because her pockets were empty.

Of course, she did care quite a bit about the performance as well.

Luo Zhen smiled and took out money to pay for her.

"You have to pay me back later."

Luo Zhen said with a straight face, half-jokingly.

"Aren't you treating me?"

Liang muttered and began drinking without any hesitation.

"Of course I'm treating you. Although there were major problems with the performance, I'd say you've already taken an important first step. For that step, cheers~"

Although Luo Zhen cared quite a bit about money, he was not so stingy that he would count every penny.

If he treated Senior Liang a little better and spent a bit more money, she would look after Hitori a little more.

Even though Hongxia was there, Luo Zhen felt that Liang was actually more reliable... was that right?

Luo Zhen could not always be around. Of course, even if he did not do this, Liang would definitely look after Hitori anyway.

"A runaway guitarist and a new partner who just joined us. I knew from the beginning that we would fail."

"But I had already decided that no matter what happened, I would walk my own path and not lose my individuality."

"Although our first battle ended in a crushing defeat, at least it had personality. I like that, and that's enough."

Liang felt the chill of the canned drink.

"Senior Liang is really cool."

Luo Zhen said with a smile. So she definitely would not have any problems.

"Of course I am."

She accepted the praise without hesitation, a faint smile on her lips.

Let's go see Hongxia.

With drinks and Liang in tow, Luo Zhen entered the backstage room. Hitori had already transformed into an abstract form resembling a cyberpsycho.

"Ah... there's nothing anyone can say to her at a time like this."

Luo Zhen sighed. Liang crouched down and poked Hitori, who lay on the floor, with a finger.

Hongxia kept a smile on her face, but she did not say anything.

Luo Zhen handed her a drink. Hongxia blinked, then finally spoke.

"Little Bocchi's level is really high. I couldn't quite keep up."