Why Play in a Band If Not for Life

But sometimes they still had to play cover songs.

In the evening, everyone studied the hand-drawn map spread out on the table.

"Our recent progress has indeed been a bit slow," Nijika said.

Lisa glanced at Yukina. There was no need to say whose responsibility this was. Preparing for live performances repeatedly required a lot of practice, which took considerable time. They had to slow down their daily progress and search. In the last few days, they had barely moved.

Yukina crossed her arms. "Anyway, our goal is to find someone, not to reach a specific destination. A little slowness shouldn't matter, right?"

Hearing this, Sayo frowned almost imperceptibly.

"Of course, it matters," Shiko said, leaning on the table. "If our progress is slow, our search area becomes smaller, and the probability of finding the person decreases."

Nijika looked up at Yukina. "So, I'm sorry to say this, but Yukina-senpai, the plan for the next live performance has to be postponed."

"But..."

"Yukina~" Lisa said, hands on her hips.

"Um... I'm sorry..." Yukina lowered her head, a rare sight.

"Don't be like that, Yukina-senpai!" A voice that Roselia found familiar but impossible to be here suddenly chimed in. "If we find Poppin'Party sooner, we can see Kasumi with cat ears sooner~"

Everyone looked. Shiko had, at some point, put on a brown wig with cat ears and was wearing a Hanasakigawa uniform. She hugged Yukina with a cheerful and optimistic expression.

"..." Yukina had no idea how to react. The scene froze for five seconds. It wasn't until "Kasumi Toyama" couldn't stand it anymore, pulled off the wig, and got off Yukina that the silence broke.

She covered her face and resumed her normal voice. "Ah, I feel like my embarrassing history just got longer."

"Uh, that..." Lisa was trying hard not to laugh. "I don't think... Kasumi would say 'Kasumi with cat ears'..."

"Yes." Shiko looked resentfully at Yukina, whose eyes were fixed on the cat ear wig in her hands. "It's not my fault, it's because of someone..." Shiko tried shaking the wig from side to side, and Yukina's eyes followed, which was quite amusing.

"Hmm? When did Yukina's love for cats get exposed?" Lisa couldn't recall Yukina ever mentioning liking cats.

"I overheard her mumbling in her sleep once," Shiko lied casually.

However, everyone in Kessoku Band had seen Yukina's current state.

"Mew... meow?" Kita made cat ears with her hands above her head.

"Ah... ah..." It was clear that Yukina was trying her best to maintain her composure.

In the end, everyone agreed on a plan to push forward with full effort, and Yukina received several cat plushies.

Everyone was happy.

After the meeting, Yukina walked away with a stiff expression, holding the plushies. Although there was no rush for a live performance, she still wanted to continue practicing.

Someone followed behind her. She turned her head.

"Lisa?"

It was her childhood friend, Risa Imai. Seeing that she had been noticed, she walked confidently to Yukina's side.

"Yukina, are you thinking about something?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Why do you say that?"

"You wouldn't be like this before, practicing so hard alone and holding live performances without caring about anything else... No matter what it is, you can always come to us." Lisa patted Yukina's shoulder and then quietly walked away. In the distance, Sayo watched the situation, then clenched the neck of her guitar and turned to leave.

Yukina stood still for a moment, shook her head, and continued on her way to practice.

On the road, she passed the entrance to a dense forest. From afar, she heard a commotion, along with the sound of trees falling.

What happened? Yukina followed the sound and eventually found Shiko next to a fallen tree. She stood by the stump. The tree trunk, which was two people thick, had just snapped. It had created a gap in the perpetually dark canopy of leaves at the top of the forest. Golden sunlight streamed down, illuminating the girl's slightly panting face.

"Wu-san is also practicing?"

Hearing this, Shiko turned her head and saw Yukina emerging from the shadows.

"Yes," Shiko said. "The more I practice, the more I feel I'm not strong enough."

Just as Yukina practiced individually outside of band practice, Shiko continuously honed her abilities outside of combat. Of course, she always had someone with her, to prevent her from having another sudden episode.

Ichiri watched timidly from a corner. Yukina glanced at her, then turned back to Shiko.

She smiled slightly. "You're already very strong, and you're still working this hard. You've worked hard."

Shiko's abilities were already very comprehensive, and with her [Treasure Record], she had no upper limit when given enough teammates to copy skills from.

"It's not enough," Shiko said, looking up at the hole she had created in the canopy. "I'm still far from fulfilling the promise I made."

"Promise..."

(Was it a promise to Miss Marina?) Yukina wondered.

"Aren't you the same, Yukina? Always practicing alone."

Shiko turned her head and looked at Yukina.

Chapter 22: Revue (Happy Birthday, Nnnm~)

"Aren't you the same, Yukina?" Shiko smiled slightly at Yukina.

"...What are you trying to say?" Yukina seemed to hear the unspoken meaning in Shiko's words.

"That's exactly what I mean. You're working hard for everyone too."

Shiko took a step towards Yukina. Yukina took half a step back, almost stepping into the shade of the trees.

"What I've been working for..." Yukina clenched her palm.

"Oh my, did I say something wrong?" Shiko raised her face, looking at her with an exaggerated mocking expression. "Ah, yes, yes, yes, Yukina works hard every day. She works hard to be a good vocalist, a good leader for the band. Every day, every day she rushes around for the next live."

Shiko's face was almost pressed against Yukina's: "Besides that? Is Yukina working hard for our current situation?"

The gleam of steel clashed with thorns, sparking.

"What do you hold in your heart—" Shiko suddenly sang. Her expression was solemn, revealing no unusual emotion.

"The future your shining eyes gaze upon—"

"Even if it's a star not yet reached,"

"If it's for a promise,"

"I will continue to run towards it—" (Note 1)

The sound of metal clashing. The thorns scattered, and Shiko, behind her, held a sword level, pointing it at Yukina's eyes.

"Yukina Minato, what are you thinking?" She said, her expressionless face returning to its usual tone.

Yukina regained her composure. Around her, thorny steel and roses intertwined: "I'm thinking about constantly honing my skills and reaching the pinnacle of music."

Shiko was still not satisfied.

"But that's not you, Yukina Minato," Shiko said in a low voice. "The Yukina I know wouldn't be lost in her own world every day."

"You say I'm lost in my own world?" Yukina's voice carried annoyance. Thorns formed a ring behind her, constantly swirling.

"Isn't it? Music is indeed important," Shiko stared aggressively into Yukina's pupils, "but Yukina has much more than just music. Not to mention the current situation. Yukina would never delay everyone's schedule for music."

"Senpai Yukina! Let's kirakira-dokidoki together!" A figure suddenly appeared to Yukina's left. She turned, and it was a wooden sign painted with a chibi image of Kasumi Toyama. And from Shiko's mouth came Kasumi's energetic voice.

The wooden sign exploded in a puff of smoke with a "pop." Yukina waved her hand to clear it, only to find Shiko standing behind the sign, holding it with both hands, tilted slightly to the left, covering only a small half of her expressionless face: "Don't you want to find Poppin'Party sooner?"

Another puff of smoke, and Yukina sharply turned to the right, only to find Shiko standing there, the wooden sign in her hand now replaced with one of Riko Minato, tilted to the right.

"Tch, is this how the captain of Roselia is?" She changed her tone, speaking with Riko's voice.

Yukina couldn't take it anymore. She stepped forward and grabbed Shiko's wrist: "What do you know about me! What do you know about them!"

"Know?" A steel spike shot from the side, forcing Yukina to divide her attention to defend herself. As a result, her grip loosened, and Shiko broke free. Shiko dropped the wooden sign, stepped back two paces, covered her face, seemingly finding it amusing, and began to laugh. The laughter sent a shiver down Yukina's spine.

For a moment, only Shiko's laughter echoed through the woods. Yukina stood opposite her, watching coldly.

Shiko finally stopped: "No, no, no, I know Yukina much better than you think... At least you wouldn't disregard everyone's feelings and insist on holding lives here."

In Shiko's eyes, iron light flared: "That kind of Yukina is definitely not my Yukina!"

A storm swirled around Shiko. The ground rose like a stage, lifting Shiko and Yukina, separating them from the unrelated Ichiri.

Ichiri saw that the two were not getting along from the moment they met and was hesitating whether she should intervene when they suddenly started fighting. Seeing the platform rise, Ichiri wanted to rush up with a stream of water, but the platform rose faster than she could move, quickly reaching a height she couldn't reach.

She fell back to the ground, gritted her teeth, and ran towards the others.

On the platform, the two stood in opposition. Yukina stood at one end, thorny vines extending behind her, forming giant butterfly wings.

At the other end, Shiko stood alone, with a sword. The tip of her sword lifted, reflecting a cold light, aimed at her idol.

"There is only one most brilliant starry sky,"

"I will forever protect this moment's radiance."

Iron pipes radiated behind her head like musical notes. She seemed to bear an iron solar corona. This corona gave her a sacred majesty, but it also obscured the real sunlight, casting her true expression in shadow.

"Kessoku Band, Shiko."

Shiko shouted: "I will bring back the Yukina I know!"

Seeing that this battle was inevitable, Yukina closed her eyes. When she opened them again, there was only determination in her gaze.

"The path to the summit is by no means smooth,"

"I will ignite the thorny steel with my singing voice,"

"And give birth to the Rose of Purple Flame with my notes."

Yukina raised her right hand, the thorns behind her weaving into the shape of a phoenix spreading its wings, letting out a sharp cry.

"Roselia, Yukina Minato."

"Music is my everything!"

In an instant, dust and smoke obscured the sunlight. A rain of iron spears and rebellious thorns collided in mid-air, the sound of iron annihilating iron audible for miles. Agile figures twisted nimbly in the iron rain, dodging thorny vines that erupted from the ground, flying towards Yukina. Thorns came from all directions, binding her body, but the figure immediately turned into a cloud of smoke, reappearing behind Yukina, her sword pointed directly at her back!

"I've always—always been working to get stronger!" Shiko shouted, "What are you doing! You've always been hiding in the world of music!"

"I haven't!" Yukina turned back, a wall of thorns growing at the last moment, blocking Shiko's attack and repelling her again. "Only by reaching the pinnacle in music can I achieve my dream!"

Shiko flew through the air. A pillar suddenly rose from the platform, and she flipped twice, steadying herself, standing with her hands behind her back.

Thorns lunged towards the pillar. Shiko pinched a fiery red talisman between two fingers of her left hand and slashed it in mid-air. The flames burned the thorns into dissipating black ash. She pushed off with her feet and, sword in hand, flew towards the ground again.

She began to sing again:

"There are no dreams in this place,"

"I have already witnessed the ashes of calamity and death."

"Without breaking through the cage, how can the firebird return to the sky and emit dazzling divine light?"

A golden wrathful flame, too bright to look at directly, ignited on the sword and spun in the air. Thorns appeared again, but they were all shattered. Shiko forcefully carved a path through the thicket of thorns, heading straight for the main body!

Yukina's pupils dilated; Shiko had reached her in an instant!

Note 1: Reference: Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 23: Yukina Minato, You Are So Beautiful

A loud explosion rocked the platform. Dust and smoke billowed up, obscuring everything. When the smoke cleared, Yukina was seen lying on the ground, with Shiko hovering over her. One hand was pressed beside Yukina's head, while the other held a camera, pointed at Yukina's bewildered face.

The flash went off, and a photograph was ejected from the camera. It was a scene of Yukina and Ryo facing each other on a boat. This memory slowly drifted down, mingling with images of Yukina fighting, Yukina singing, and Yukina on the boat.

Shiko delivered her judgment: "Your will has been buried by cowardice. You can no longer reach that stage."

Her words were devoid of warmth. The tip of her sword pierced the photograph, creating a rift between Yukina and everyone else. Her silhouette blocked the sunlight, and Yukina could only see those pair of bright yellow pupils in her eyes.

In such a situation, she still smiled.

"Hmph," she scoffed at Shiko, "What right do you have to judge me? Someone who even split their personality to escape?"

Shiko's gaze remained unwavering. She straightened her upper body, looking down at Yukina. "That's right, I have avoided things before. To escape, I tore myself apart, I killed myself. The current me has been reborn on my own corpse. The current me—" She stood up, spreading her arms, letting the sunlight cast shadows on her face, "—fears nothing."

"But I am afraid," Yukina sat up, looking at her with jealousy. "I have the strongest skills in music, but my current stats are nothing special! Even in battle, I'm the one who gets hurt the most! All I'm good at is music. Outside of music, I am nothing!"

Shiko lowered her hand and let out a cold laugh.