Not Forming a Band for Life, What's the Point of Playing in One

Nijika was thinking about dinner. Ichiri was teaching Kita guitar, while Ryo was squatting by the cave entrance, watching Shiko scream and scratch.

Shiko squatted on the ground, frantically rubbing her chin as she stared at the torrential rain that seemed poised to swallow the world. She muttered to herself, words that Ryo caught: "The vegetation has small, thick leaves, covered with a waxy layer, suggesting a subtropical evergreen sclerophyll forest. Normally, the climate should be Mediterranean, with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. So why is there so much rain in summer... The key is, why is there a subtropical evergreen sclerophyll forest in this place..."

Just like before, Shiko's words went in one ear and out the other for Ryo; she didn't understand a single word. She recalled what a slightly gloomier Shiko had said about the rainy season: "I suggest God study more geography before creating this world... at least up to the level of compulsory education."

It was indeed hard to understand. She might as well go ask Nijika about dinner.

Ryo stood up and walked towards Nijika, who was tapping a pot lid with her drumsticks.

"Didn't you go watch little Shiko?" Nijika asked, a little surprised to see Ryo back. Ryo blinked. She supposed she had indeed gone to squat next to Shiko for that very purpose. "Forgot." Her expression didn't change.

"As expected of you..."

"Besides, it's raining outside, she won't run off anywhere."

"That's not necessarily true." Nijika pointed towards the cave entrance. Shiko had just grabbed an umbrella and walked outside, staring blankly at the sky. "Go quickly, before she gets into any more trouble." Nijika handed her umbrella to Ryo and half-pushed, half-shoved her out. Just then, footsteps sounded from nearby. First Ako and Rinko, then Sayo, and finally Lisa and Yukina. Roselia had finished their training.

"There's still a little time before dinner," Nijika said. The rice in the pot wasn't cooked yet.

"Is that so?" Yukina pondered. Her first instinct was to gather the members for band practice, but she quickly dismissed the idea. During the time Roselia had just traversed, band practice had been largely stalled due to a lack of equipment, only resuming after Kessoku Band brought over a large number of instruments. Logically, to prepare for the Future World Fes, which they might not even get a chance to participate in, they should be spending double the time to make up for the lost hours. However, even though their interactions were fine during normal times, something felt off with everyone's condition when they played. Even Yukina herself felt the same way. But she couldn't pinpoint the reason.

This kind of state wouldn't lead to progress. Strengthening their practice would be meaningless. How could this be resolved?

"I will make you all smile again!" Yukina's mind was suddenly flooded with a memory. She covered her forehead, pushing the image away.

She looked ahead. Sayo was standing at the cave entrance, staring blankly at the downpour outside, lost in thought.

In a way, this downpour was Sayo's doing.

Sayo's ability was to create rain. This rain was just ordinary water, useful only for providing a water source.

But it was different after Ako developed magic that could substitute rain with other liquids. They had tried preserving some of the acid from demon beasts, transforming Sayo's rain into terrifying area-of-effect combat power. In Ako's words, it was "AoE."

Coupled with Rinko's flexible switching between group buffs and crowd control, and Lisa's cookies, the power of their combo attacks could be elevated.

And after Kessoku Band arrived, Nijika greatly improved the team's stamina. Ryo's sonic attacks and Rinko's crowd control could complement each other. Meanwhile, Shiko could temporarily replicate Rinko's group buff effects, allowing Rinko to focus on one mode. Furthermore, Shiko and Kita could provide a steady supply of molten iron, and with ample preparation, Ichiri could transform the rain into freezing rain.

Even if any enemies slipped through, there was the melee-specialist Yukina to handle them.

Thus, such combo attacks had become one of their usual methods of advancing.

This approach had only one drawback: the area was prone to rain, and the rainfall Sayo caused often led to greater precipitation, even flash floods, hindering their progress. So Sayo wouldn't use her ability frequently.

But this time was different. The river passed through a narrow gorge, with the cliff faces covered in all sorts of disgusting monsters, large and small. They covered the originally black and white rock face, like maggots swarming on rotten flesh. Passing directly through the middle was impossible, but the surrounding mountains were high and the cliffs steep, with several vertical rock faces visible, making a land route a pipe dream.

"There's no other way," Yukina had ordered at the time.

The battle was fierce, and the boat nearly capsized. Not only the monsters they could see, but also those lurking at the riverbed were stirred up. If not for Ichiri, several people might have been thrown into the river and never found again. After this battle, they did pass through the checkpoint, but Sayo's full power release had triggered an unprecedented torrential downpour. Coupled with their exhaustion, they could only rest temporarily to recover their strength.

Shiko and Ryo returned from outside. Sayo's expression caught Shiko's attention.

Sayo was lost in thought. Shiko could tell at a glance. Sayo's lips moved, as if she were muttering something. It was rude, but Shiko leaned in a little closer to see clearly.

She read Sayo's lips: "Hi... na..."

Her lips curved into a smile.

"So, that's how it is." In front of the Roselia members—excluding Sayo—Shiko clapped her hands together, making a deduction about Sayo's current state.

"Hmm... Shiko, why are you smiling so strangely?" Lisa asked. Shiko quickly covered her mouth.

"So, Sayo is missing Hina?" Yukina wasn't surprised.

Hina Hikawa was Sayo's twin sister, an all-around genius. The Hikawa twins were one of the top CPs in Bang Dream, and Shiko, unfortunately, was a twin enthusiast.

She was already shipping them hard.

"I understand. Your sister, who was always by your side, suddenly disappeared," Shiko nodded incessantly.

"You really know Sayo well," Yukina said, not probing how Shiko knew the specifics. "So, what do you plan to do?"

"Ah, of course, I want to make Sayo smile again. Didn't I say that?" Although excited, Shiko hadn't forgotten her original purpose.

Ako lay back against the cushion, tapping her chin. "Hmm... Ako misses her sister too, but not as severely as Sayo-san. However, this is something only Hina-chan herself can resolve, right?"

"Well, it's not something that can be rushed. Let's think about it slowly," Lisa concluded. The group dispersed, each going about their own business.

"Ah, I got a message," Shiko said, hearing a "ding-dong" from her pocket. She pulled out her phone.

"What's going on?" Ichiri saw Shiko pulling out something they couldn't see and tapping away at it.

"Nothing, just a message from the club, some trivial matters." Shiko put her phone back in her pocket.

When she looked up, she saw Ichiri staring at her as if she'd seen a ghost—though Ichiri wasn't afraid of ghosts.

"The... the club...?" she asked, trembling.

Shiko tilted her head. "Yeah, the drama club. Didn't I join the drama club?"

Now, Kita also looked at her as if she'd seen a ghost—and she was genuinely afraid of ghosts.

Both of them remembered how socially anxious Shiko had been when they first met. Although Shiko had changed considerably, her current liveliness was only shown to those she knew well. They had seen Shiko display her social anxiety towards imagined passersby more than once. It was hard to imagine that, in her world, she had already joined a club! And it was the drama club, a large club that, while gradually becoming less popular, still had double-digit members!

Ichiri felt betrayed.

Shiko somewhat understood their meaning. "Actually, I wouldn't have joined any club if it wasn't for the connection to Seisho... It's torture to hang out with club members whose faces I can barely recognize. I only knew the club president and the occasional visitors from the Seisho KyuKyu Group until the end of the semester... Ah, I don't think I told you about Seisho, did I? That's the stage where Revue Starlight happens..."

Shiko began to chatter endlessly about Revue Starlight, about the shining like burning jewels, the happy times like a vibrant rainbow.

Ah, it's starting again. Kita thought, leaning back against the stone wall, listening quietly. Lately, thanks to Shiko's explosive desire to share, almost everything related to their reality has been spoiled, except for their own stories.

When Shiko finally calmed down, she looked awkwardly at Ichiri and Kita. "Sorry, I was doing all the talking."

She turned and left. Looking back, Sayo was still standing at the cave entrance.

"Hmph... the drama club?" She rubbed her chin.

Chapter 8: Sudden Autumn Rain Umbrella Layers

Sayo watched the heavy rain outside the cave.

Every time she used her ability, she remembered that day.

Sayo Hikawa

Ability: [Sudden Autumn Rain Umbrella Layers]

That day, the figure running through the rain holding an umbrella... Sayo's vision blurred, and she thought she saw a flash of blue in the rain curtain. When she looked closely, it was just an illusion.

In the cave room behind her, Shiko had gathered everyone again.

"Since Sayo needs Hina, then just let her meet Hina," Shiko said confidently, crossing her arms, surrounded by everyone except Sayo. This plan required everyone's cooperation, so the members of Kessoku Band were also informed of the current situation.

"?" The members of Roselia didn't understand Shiko's meaning at all.

The members of Kessoku Band looked at Shiko's upturned lips and felt a sense of déjà vu. Nijika hesitated whether to give Shiko a chance to reveal her earth-shattering plan.

In the short time she hesitated, it was already too late.

Shiko's voice changed, becoming mischievous. "Tonight, I am Hina!"

Dinner time. Tonight's dinner featured a large portion of french fries. Although she didn't show it on her face, Sayo's mood improved slightly.

Of course, it wasn't because of the french fries. It was just that after eating wild vegetables and fruits here for so long, she missed the taste of civilized society. That was all.

"Sayo, these... are all for you..." Imari-san's face twitched as she placed another plate of french fries in front of Sayo.

"Huh...? Huh?" Sayo was a little embarrassed. Imari-san's tone seemed a bit strange. "What's wrong?"

"Ahaha... I just knew you liked french fries~"

This sentence made Sayo panic. "Huh? I, I don't really like to eat..."

"So, Hikawa-senpai likes french fries?" Kita glanced at Shiko, who was eating with her head down. "(No wonder she made so many french fries today... she seems to eat french fries often herself, she said it was influenced by idols...)"

Shiko seemed to not notice Kita's gaze, nor did she look at Sayo, just silently stuffed another french fry into her mouth.

Something was definitely wrong! The usual Imari-san would never say something so embarrassing in public... Sayo turned to Yukina beside her. However, Yukina deliberately avoided her gaze.

"What... what does this mean?" Yukina still didn't understand Shiko's meaning when she heard her "I am Hina" statement. But she saw Nijika's expression instantly change.

"It means exactly what it says," Shiko's expression showed two parts expectation, three parts curiosity, and five parts delight. "As a member of Shuka High School's drama club, I'm going to play Hina tonight to make my sister happy!"

Thinking of this, Yukina took a sip of coffee from her hand to prevent losing composure.

"This is too ridiculous," Yukina immediately rejected the proposal.

"Why not?" Shiko's expression immediately changed to one part confusion, three parts electric energy, and six parts self-evident.

"Because," Yukina managed to come up with a reason before she was speechless, "setting aside the feasibility of such a thing, it's disrespectful to their sisterly relationship."

"Disrespectful?" Shiko's eyes moved. "But Hina is somewhere unknown right now. Since she misses Hina so much and you want to help her recover, this is the only way, right? Don't worry, I'll apologize to her afterward."

"But..." Yukina wanted to say more, but Nijika calmly patted her shoulder: Give up.

Yukina was still struggling. "Even if you can play Hina well, she'll find out sooner or later."

"But at least it can make her feel a little better, right? Sayo recovering sooner is also beneficial for Roselia, isn't it?"

"But..."

"Future World Fes," Shiko delivered the final blow.

Yukina frowned and looked at the coffee in her hand. She forgot to add sugar.

"Sorry, Wu-san..."

Shiko understood, and with a flash in her hand, a sugar cube appeared and was handed to Yukina.

It must have been hard on her. Yukina looked at Shiko, who was eating her food with her head down. Her personality had switched back after the plan was finalized, and everyone immediately told her what the other Shiko had said.

She didn't say anything at the time, squatted on the ground, and sighed. After a long while, she stood up and said, "Tonight, please make more french fries."

Sayo felt that everyone was a little strange. She observed carefully but couldn't see anything. The meal ended without Sayo encountering any abnormalities, except that the black tea served as a drink tasted a bit odd.

"(What's going on? My head feels a little dizzy...)"

"I'm full," Sayo stood up, cleaned up her dishes, "Excuse me, I need to rest a bit..." She walked unsteadily into the adjacent cave room. After the instruments were put away, it had become their bedroom again.

The rest exchanged glances.

Yukina's first doubt was: "Sayo is extremely familiar with Hina, and she knows Hina can't be here. How are you going to avoid being seen through?"

Shiko proudly picked up a bottle of wine.

"What is this?" In the eyes of the others, there was only a ball of air in her hand.

"It's wine," Shiko said with dissatisfaction. "Although we're both underage legally, breaking the rules occasionally should be fine~ Add it to her drink, and once Sayo gets drunk, everything will be easy to handle. Moreover, as long as she's not discovered during the process, Sayo will only think it was a dream afterward, so it won't hurt her feelings!"

Sayo truly looked drunk now. The alcohol was also provided by Shiko. Nijika poked Shiko in the side, signaling it was her turn. Shiko, with dead fish eyes and a short stick in her hand, habitually hit herself on the head with a "thwack." She immediately slumped back against the chair.

Nijika quickly used her "Shine" skill to wake her up.

As soon as Shiko opened her eyes, she showed everyone the blue wig she was holding. "Look! I found this at a nearby store! Why would a store have a wig? I don't get it~ But it's really fun!"

The others didn't want to deal with her. Shiko stood up, tied up her long hair, and put on the wig. Now, she did indeed have a bit of Hina Hikawa's aura. However, with any light, anyone could see through her sloppy disguise at a glance.

But it was fine as long as there was no light. The place where Sayo was currently located happened to have no light.

"Then I'm off, bye~" As she said goodbye, Shiko's voice had already become about eighty to ninety percent similar to Hina's. This superb voice-mimicking skill had shocked everyone from Roselia present at the time. However, this time, Yukina could somewhat understand why she could impersonate Hina.

In some ways, Shiko was also a genius, just like Hina.

A monster had originally been lurking in the dark cave chamber, but it had already been cleared out. Now, there were only a few mattresses here. Sayo leaned against the wall, staggering as she felt her way to her mattress and lay down.

Normally, she would never go to bed this early, nor would she forget to wash up.

"(My head is so dizzy...)" She casually sprawled out in a "big" shape on the mattress. Her usual sleeping posture wasn't this sloppy.

"...Big sis?" Drowsily, she seemed to hear a familiar voice.

She turned towards the door. The dim light outside outlined a silhouette.

"...Hina?"

Chapter 9: Duet of Twin Stars

"Big sis?" The figure she had been longing for appeared at the doorway just like that.