Why Not Form a Band for Life

Chapter 36: August 31st

On a platform built atop the clouds, Shiko and the giraffe stood at opposite ends, facing each other.

"For some reason, I'm not surprised at all," Shiko said.

The giraffe lowered its head slightly, its seemingly eternal gaze meeting Shiko's.

Its shadow stretched long, overlapping with Shiko's, like a whisper.

"I've always been here," it said, though its mouth didn't move. The voice echoed in Shiko's mind, a tone of pleasure that couldn't quite be hidden by its calm demeanor.

"Is that so?" Shiko's mouth opened slightly wider. "Then I was careless."

A strong wind blew.

"Then, 'the illusion is shattered' means..."

"Exactly what it says," the giraffe replied, unmoving like a specimen. "Reality is no longer reality, so it ceases to exist. Look."

Shiko gazed into the distance. At the edge of the void, she thought she could see the glint of the sea, coming from the outside world.

"What will happen to me after everything disappears?"

Shiko lowered her head, searching the ground for CiRCLE, Starry, Shuka High School, Seisho, Haneoka, Hanasakigawa, Tsukinomori. She found some, but not others.

"To see what another you sees, nothing more."

Starry had fallen into the void. Shiko remembered she hadn't had a chance to say a final goodbye to the shopkeeper and the others.

"Then, why are you here, in this place?" she asked, not turning around, walking at a leisurely pace, waiting for the next landmark to disappear.

Shuka High School should be next.

The giraffe's voice came from behind her, just as unhurried. "The actors for Wild-Screen Baroque didn't arrive on time."

Hearing this, Shiko turned back. "I never thought the audience would travel thousands of miles just to drag the actors back to the set."

"Precisely. The continuation of the stage, performed by Stage Girls. The audience is waiting."

Shiko smiled. "I understand."

"They are not on stage right now. They are in the wilderness," the giraffe continued. "There are no audience seats there either. I can't reach them."

"But this place is different," the giraffe lowered its head, its face almost touching Shiko's. "A part that originally belonged to the 'wilderness' has, because of you, acquired some attributes of the 'stage'."

"Because of the abilities of another me?"

"And you. Because of both of you, I managed to get a standing ticket, against the rules." The giraffe pulled its head back, resuming its original posture of looking down at Shiko. "But now, I'm about to be discovered. That's also because of you."

Shiko was a bit speechless. "You didn't show yourself earlier... Never mind. If you can stay with me, can you take the Stage Girls back?"

"It only takes a small catalyst."

"What about the others?"

"Of course. Although they don't belong to the same stage, they have each performed incredibly brilliant and colorful performances."

Shiko laughed freely. "Then there's no need to hesitate."

Surrounded by everyone, Shiko woke up.

"Shiko!" Ichiri, who was usually passive, was the first to hug her. Shiko almost had PTSD. But looking at Ichiri's eyes, she showed no signs of further outburst.

"Which Wu-san?" Yukina asked.

Shiko extended her left hand, and a talisman appeared.

"Don't worry, she's alright," Shiko said, standing up. "I should be able to find a way to ensure she doesn't cause trouble or get hurt soon."

"Um, Ichiri..." she turned to Ichiri. With everyone watching, Shiko felt too embarrassed to bring up what happened earlier, but Ichiri seemed to have realized something, her expression changing. Before Shiko could stop her, she slipped through a gap in the crowd and quickly fled the scene. Shiko looked at the people around her, hesitated for a moment, and then took half a step forward, about to chase after her.

Several people made way for her.

At that moment, Shiko's expression suddenly changed.

The top of the clouds.

Shiko stopped behind Shiko.

"What are you doing?"

Shiko turned around.

"If things continue like this, this world will collapse, and it," she pointed at the giraffe behind Shiko, "won't be able to stay here. And only by letting it stay here can it help us return to reality."

"So, I must fall into slumber, let my consciousness stagnate, and maintain the existence of this world."

As Shiko was about to say something, Shiko waved her hand, stopping her. "This is necessary. If we rely only on our own strength, what's the difference between us and those who failed before? We'll just fail again. The giraffe's power is essential."

Shiko turned her head back in confusion, looking at the motionless giraffe, then at the calm Shiko.

"Then, how long will it take?"

"Until we return to reality."

"Meaning, Ichiri might never see you again?" Shiko shook her head. "No."

"Then, is there nothing more to say?"

"There's nothing left to say."

The two stood back to back. At the same moment, starlight gathered in their hands, forming long swords. They each wore a cape, fastened at the shoulder with a cord and a button – one red, one blue.

At the same moment, they turned. Shiko held her long sword horizontally before her chest and sang her lines:

"The most brilliant starry sky is ever-changing,"

"I will protect every moment of its shining light."

The long sword traced pink and white trails through the air, sketching out constellations.

"Shuka High School Drama Club, Shiko."

"I can offer everything to the stars!"

Shiko flicked her sword, immediately responding:

"The most brilliant starry sky will not lack any stars,"

"I will protect every ray of faint light."

Black energy appeared on the long sword, and the black energy was blown by a fierce wind towards Shiko's direction, forming a straight path.

"Kessoku Band, Shiko."

"If you're going to sacrifice yourself, I'll stop you."

"Because you are also a star!"

There was no exaggerated rain of iron, nor earth-shattering tremors. Only the clash of blades. In mid-air, only a single button flew up.

The cape slid off her shoulders, blown by the wind into the blue sky, departing like a bird.

"Position 0," Shiko taunted. "You've been fighting all this time, only to be defeated by me in one move?"

Shiko tried to catch the sliding cord, but it slipped through her fingers.

She let out a helpless laugh: "I was going easy on you the whole time."

"Is that so?" Shiko took a step forward and leaned on Shiko's shoulder. "Then let me have it one more time."

Shiko gently stroked her head.

Shiko closed her eyes, quietly enjoying it.

"Summer vacation is ending," she said regretfully.

"Then wait for the next summer vacation to arrive," Shiko promised in her ear. "It's not far, the next summer vacation. When it comes, you can play to your heart's content, with no limits."

"Mhm," Shiko's lips curved with nostalgia. "This summer vacation was so much fun."

"...That's great then."

"Are you going to school tomorrow? Please give them a message for me... As for how to say it, that's up to you, since you are me anyway."

"...Mhm."

"What else was there... Right, I still have a song, only half-written, please finish it for me." Shiko took out a notebook from her embrace and handed it to Shiko.

Shiko took the notebook. "Then, when the time comes, I'll also write only half a song and have you complete it."

"Okay... It's a deal..." Shiko's voice grew weaker. "When the time comes... you come out during the day, I'll come out at night, we'll take turns..."

"But, when I go back to my hometown with Ichiri, you have to leave it to me. I'm the one who made the promise with her."

"Heh heh... Cheater... Am I not you?"

"Then we'll see what Ichiri says then."

"Fine... What else..." Shiko realized she seemed to have many more things she wanted to say, things left unsaid. She used her last bit of strength to search her mind, to recall, and said everything she found.

"Oh, right... I suddenly remembered, I probably didn't need to break the illusion... I just needed to say I have a split personality..."

"...Heh. Then why did you say it?"

"It was just... going with the flow. The atmosphere was right... Never mind, it's not interesting."

"And also, also... The giraffe gave me a map... This, for you." Shiko lightly touched Shiko's forehead, and the map of the entire wilderness, including the locations of everyone in it, appeared in Shiko's mind.

"Thank you," Shiko said. This map was a great help.

"Thanking... yourself..."

"And... I think that's all..." Shiko's words were close to a dream. "There's really nothing much to say to myself... If it were to them... there would still be many things to say..."

"I'll say them for you," Shiko said, controlling the lump in her voice. She knew the time was near.

"Then... Ah, I thought of it." Shiko's lips curved into a smile. "I sent them away... I sent my beloved girls to the future of this planet..."

Shiko's nose stung. "Even now, you're still thinking of making jokes?"

"It's acting... acting... I... am..."

Shiko's final words were drowned out by the wind. Her breathing was steady and peaceful.

She slept soundly.

(End of Volume 2)

Author's Notes for Volume 2

First off, thank you to everyone who's been following along until now!

Thank you to everyone who's cast recommendation votes, monthly votes, and blade votes! Thank you to Suifeng Piaoluo, Commander, Wuming Wuwei, Shuke1973412, Shuke37877538688, Bai Junlang, Xiye, Ai~??, Zhuque Guimanlong, Fantang Tusi, Sakura's Justice Partner, Hongjian-12, Yog Williams, Zhiai, Shuke×333, Shuke64205251755, and Passerby Unknown Flying Object! Your support has truly given me a lot of encouragement! Thank you!

The title of this volume comes from the lyrics of Avant-garde HISTORY. "Singing while carrying pain" felt quite fitting for everyone's state after losing Miss Marina.

Reflecting on the first volume, I felt it lacked a clear plotline. So, in the second volume, while advancing the main story, I also tried to incorporate a small subplot specific to this volume. Coincidentally, I was immersed in Summer Pockets at the time, so I tried to emulate it, writing a story arc about "spending a brilliant and dazzling time with friends, then smiling as we face the inevitable tragedy." Looking back from my current perspective, this volume still has many issues, but it's at least much better than the first, of that I'm confident.

However, I got a bit carried away with the ending chapters and added a bit too much SP (Summer Pockets) element. Although I did my best to revise it later, I'm still worried it might affect readers who haven't played SP in their understanding of the plot... But no matter what, there won't be anything like that anymore, qwQ.

Regarding the ending for Shiko's second personality, I drew inspiration from the ending of The End of the Stars. After finishing it, I sent it to a friend to read, and he said that just reading that chapter gave him a "Squid" vibe... Heh heh, I was delighted when I heard that feedback, even though his evaluation of my book has always been a bit too high... Overall, I'm quite satisfied with it. I wonder what you all think?

In this volume, the relationship that I've put the most effort into shaping throughout the entire book—the love triangle between Ichiri, Kita, and Shiko—has finally begun to take shape. I can guarantee the future twists and sweetness of this relationship. Kita's foot-clutching and Shiko's Blade were undoubtedly the two chapters I enjoyed writing the most in this volume. Although Shiko's Blade is still 1000 characters shorter than the legendary "Phone Call Island Village Blade," I believe the effect I wanted to achieve has been reached. As for other pairings, like the twins and Shiko x Yukina, I've tried to give them some attention as well.

At the end, members of Revue Starlight finally made an appearance, though not Stage Girls...

Having mentioned the points I'm satisfied with, let me also discuss the areas that still need improvement.

Each small chapter is too short. This directly led to the word count of this volume being similar to the first, failing to increase. It wasn't until the last chapter that I suddenly had an epiphany and learned to control (start) the rhythm (shui). Thanks to this, the third volume's word count is roughly double that of the second.

Furthermore, the connection between each small chapter is insufficient, resulting in a structure similar to an episodic series. The third volume has also improved on this issue; while still somewhat episodic, the transitions between different chapters are much smoother.

As for the results... I can only sigh. Nowadays, I'm not even sure if I gain a few collections a day, and the number of active readers is still very small. I tried promoting on Tieba, but the status of female-lead novels on Tieba... well, you know. There's no hope of getting a paid section, so I'll just keep writing like this. Anyway, I'm satisfied as long as I occasionally get a comment. (Speaking of which, with only 20 active readers, I probably can't even start a reader group...)

In summary, although Volume 2 has some issues, it also contains the single chapter I'm most satisfied with so far. Overall, it's acceptable.

And for Volume 3, Singing the Twisted Vow with Hope in My Heart, it features the chapter and the overall arc that I'm most satisfied with to date. Please look forward to it.

Also, a side note:

The day after I uploaded Shiko's Blade, I happened to watch episode 12 of GBC. When I woke up in the morning, I saw that Shiko's Blade, which I had put so much effort into writing, had made no impact whatsoever—no comments, no votes, no collections, no clicks, nothing. It was a huge blow at the time, much like how Nina must have felt seeing her painstakingly written song only get 103 plays. However, a few hours later, I saw comments, recommendation votes, and monthly votes. I felt redeemed. It turned out people weren't uninterested; they just hadn't read it yet... That's fantastic... I hope that when episode 13 airs, Nina will also realize that she was just being too impatient.

As I was uploading this volume, I also finished playing Summer Pockets. I started playing it in winter and put it aside for a long time, finally finishing it in summer. I must say, it's an exceptionally excellent work, truly worth playing. Not only this volume, but I've also been greatly influenced by it in my subsequent writing. Coincidentally, Summer Pockets is getting an anime adaptation. Perhaps a PV will be released on the 29th. If it truly gets a divine production, I believe its script quality will make it the anime of the year next year. At that time, I'd also like to write a fanfiction specifically for it; I already have ideas.