Why Not Form a Band for Life

"But!" Ichiri raised her voice, "After constantly being together, after Gotou-san asked me to teach her guitar, after Gotou-san performed on stage for the first time, and after seeing Gotou-san practice alone to sing the lyrics I wrote! I understood!"

"Gotou-san works incredibly hard! When Gotou-san is alone, she's basically always practicing!"

"I'm the same!" Ichiri declared without false modesty, "When I'm alone, I'm also practicing! I practice for six hours every day! My effort is the same as Gotou-san's! Since it's the same, I feel like I too can shine like Gotou-san one day!"

"Stars are signposts. Gotou-san... no, Koko-chan has become my star!"

After shouting these words, Ichiri gasped for air. In her palm, Gotou's hands trembled uncontrollably.

What's going on? Saying she's already my star... words like that... Gotou gritted her teeth.

Is she trying to comfort me?!

An inexplicable anger rose from Gotou's heart.

[Erosion Level... 97%]

"I said I've let it go!" She shoved Ichiri away, flames rising from her feet and coiling around her. "Why do you keep reminding me over and over again!" she screamed hoarsely at the two of them. "If you want to have your own world, go ahead! If you have the guts, kill me! Is it fun to try and keep a loser around?!"

[Erosion Level... 99%]

[Erosion Level... 100%]

Malice filled her body. She couldn't hold back anymore... she had to release it... release it all!

Flames gathered in Gotou's hands, gradually forming a guitar. It was golden-white, covered in crimson cracks, as if burning emotions were about to burst forth! On a hidden panel, the [Erosion Level] value began to drop frantically from 100%, 90%... 80%... 70%...

[Erosion Level... 0%]

At this moment, the guitar constructed from flames revealed its complete form.

[Erosion Armament · Unobtainable]: Filth Resistance +10, Electric guitar technique +Lv1

"Let's have a fight!" She flicked a string of tears and threw down the gauntlet to Ichiri.

A black and gold guitar appeared in Ichiri's hand. A chill spread from her body. She responded to Gotou with notes!

Naturally, the melody of If We Could Become Constellations rang out from the two guitars! The notes collided, argued, and passionate emotions erupted from them! The two's intentions clashed fiercely through their guitars, like the eternal struggle of ice and fire!

But, this isn't enough! Gotou thought. The melody of If We Could Become Constellations was too gentle to convey the flood of emotions she felt at this moment. What else...

Shiko took a shoulder keyboard from Nijika. The sound of the keyboard immediately joined the duet of the two guitars, leading them higher! The gentle melody completely collapsed at this moment, was torn apart, and from the wreckage of the song, a new monster was born, as if to devour the entire world! Ichiri immediately cooperated, and their notes merged into one at this moment, forming a magnificent tide that surged towards Gotou from all directions. Gotou's playing became increasingly intense; this was no longer If We Could Become Constellations, but a new, never-before-played song. In the new melody, Gotou fully released her feelings, facing the combined attack of the two head-on!

The notes collided and annihilated each other in an instant.

It was as if something had completely ended. And something else had begun.

This was the lingering echo of time. Countless days spent together.

The music ended at some unknown point. Shiko lowered her hands, her soul seemingly still immersed in the performance. She looked at the two in front of her. Both Gotou and Ichiri were in tears. She wiped her own face and found it was also wet with tears.

"Wh-what's going on..." Gotou said, tears streaming down her face, "It's so twisted... and yet I..."

"Even if it's twisted, we'll be together." Ichiri looked directly into Gotou's eyes.

"Are you saying we have to stay like this, forever?" Gotou asked.

"Forever is forever, what's the problem?" Shiko answered without hesitation.

"Waaah... waaaah waaaah waaaah..." Gotou cried and hugged Ichiri. The two guitars collided, each dissolving into ice and fire, annihilating each other and vanishing into nothingness. Shiko couldn't help but join them. The three simply hugged each other, releasing their emotions freely. The others had arrived at some point, all with smiles of relief, some even secretly wiping away tears.

All the luggage was loaded onto the airship, and everyone had chosen their rooms on the second floor. However, no one was in their rooms now. Everyone had gathered in the command center. Shiko had returned to her usual appearance, looking out the window at the scenery that had accompanied them for several nights, her hands resting on the useless control lever.

"I suddenly remembered, this airship hasn't been named yet," she said, just as she was about to push the lever, suddenly recalling it.

"That doesn't matter," Yukina said. "We'll think of it after we take off."

"Oh..." Shiko sounded a little disappointed but quickly regained her spirits. "Then prepare... Kyuushuu-go! Full speed ahead!" She slammed the lever to the bottom in an instant, and at the same time, issued the command in her heart.

Without a single tremor, the airship slowly lifted off the ground. The grass, the ground, the treetops, everything on the ground began to recede, gradually shrinking and blurring in everyone's eyes.

Then, what came into view was the scenery of the distance they had yet to witness.

Chapter 6: The God of Pretty Moe in Ancient Greece (Happy Birthday, Hiyori!)

The airship gradually stabilized in the air.

"Whoa-- it's so dark, I'll light a fire." Gotou's energetic voice came from the darkness. A second later, a flame appeared in the air, and Gotou and Ichiri's faces peeked out from behind it.

"Thank you, Koko-chan," Ichiri said. The two groped their way towards the command center.

"If possible, I really don't want to walk by touching these things on the wall," Gotou said, carefully avoiding a realistic spider leg on the wall.

Ichiri seemed to adapt well to the environment, like a fish in water, while Gotou appeared somewhat uneasy.

Thus, they wandered through the dark corridor following their memories. Besides the floating flame, the occasional oil lamps on the walls were the only sources of light. In the darkness, the sound of footsteps became particularly noticeable. The footsteps of the two echoed in the space, gradually synchronizing with their heartbeats.

"I feel like we've returned to the time of the [Xing Tian]," Gotou said, shrinking back. "Ah, we're finally here." She spotted the doorknob on the wall.

Faint arguing voices could be heard from inside the room. Gotou turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, the voices becoming clearer: "Think about it, Ako, why don't you understand? 'Kyuushuu-go'! What a bold name! Grand! Majestic!"

"But, but, Ako worked so hard to make this place look like a Demon Lord's Castle..."

"Hello!" Gotou's greeting interrupted their argument. She and Ichiri walked in, and the light from outside momentarily blinded them. The two quickly covered their eyes.

Ichiri instantly wilted, while Gotou's energy quickly recovered.

"Ah, the lighting system isn't working, sorry," Shiko said, shrugging. "That circuit... I did my best. Physics is like math, if you don't know it, you don't know it."

After the airship took off, the wind power generation circuit system didn't work as Shiko had predicted. As for what went wrong... Shiko gave up researching it from the start. She simply locked herself in the control room, filled with natural light, and stayed there for a whole day.

"Has Shiko been here the whole time?" Ichiri noticed Shiko's dark circles. It was obvious she hadn't slept.

"Yeah, I still have to control the airship. After all, if we can't travel day and night, there's no point in building this aerial fortress." Shiko picked up a cookie from a nearby plate and ate it, her eyes seeming to lighten slightly. "It's possible to use various methods to avoid sleeping, and right now I'm testing my limits."

Beside Shiko, Ako held her hand over Shiko's head, a faint purple light emanating from it. She wasn't just here to chat with Shiko, but also to check on her condition.

"Hmm... you should be fine for another two or three days like this," Ako said, lowering her hand and bidding farewell to the three of them. "But if there's any fighting, you won't be able to participate. I'm leaving now~"

Kita followed, "Do you need lighting? Ah, she's already gone."

"She has night vision, it's fine," Shiko said, letting out another yawn.

Kita turned back, her tone much calmer. "Fatigue driving?"

"I haven't really been driving much," Shiko explained. "I just need to be careful not to crash into anything. This airship is quite smart."

"?" Ichiri looked outside. They were high in the sky. Although they were still far from the clouds, they were already higher than the tallest nearby peaks by an unknown margin. A monster with half a wing flew towards them, hit the shield, and with a flash of light, nothing happened. What could possibly crash into them?

As if understanding Ichiri's thoughts, Shiko said, "Haa... I also think there's really nothing to worry about. Maybe I can go back now. I haven't even slept in my own room yet." After finding her room, Shiko had only briefly dropped off her luggage before coming here.

"Then why don't you go back now?" Kita casually asked. "I've already made your bed for you."

"Thank you... I'll stay a while longer. I want to see how long I can last. Besides," Shiko grinned, and a military cap materialized in her hand, which she tilted and put on her head. "It feels really cool here, like a commander."

Ichiri wanted to say something else, but Kita had already sat down in a corner. "Suit yourself. I'll practice my guitar here." Flames gathered in her hand, and a white and gold guitar with red cracks appeared. "You missed band practice for the past two days, remember to make it up later."

Kita began to play on her own. It was clear that her skill level had improved significantly compared to before.

"Ho." This was the first time Shiko had seen Kita take out this guitar since the day before yesterday. "This is..."

"[Erosion Armament · Unobtainable]." Kita casually played a melody. Although it wasn't connected to an amplifier, the guitar genuinely sounded amplified, and as she played, the tone constantly shifted, creating a wonderful auditory experience.

In this regard, Kita's guitar had the same effect as Ichiri's.

"It doesn't sound like part of a skill."

"Mm. On the status panel, this guitar is categorized under [Attachment]," Kita said, opening her panel and showing it to Shiko. Regarding the description of this guitar, what first caught Shiko's attention were the words "filth resistance."

So familiar, she felt like she had seen something similar before. It seemed Miss Marina had mentioned it before, that within [Xing Tian], they had suffered from "filth pollution" or something. What exactly was "filth"? Something dirty? She glanced at Kita's body. She was clean from head to toe, and even smelled nice if you got close, though that was probably just because she had showered before coming...

"Wait, what are you doing?" Kita pushed Shiko away in disgust.

Shiko sat down in front of Kita with a plop, crossed her arms, and looked a bit displeased. "I've been feeling this way for a while now, Kita. Is your attitude towards me a bit off?"

Kita turned her head away. "I hope some people are self-aware about these kinds of things~"

"Then, um... don't fight..." Ichiri stood nervously between the two, looking left and right, unsure what to say.

"Waaah~" Shiko curled up like a hurt little animal, even tearing up a little.

Seeing her like that, Kita sighed and reached out to pat Shiko's head. "Okay, okay~ I'll try my best to speak nicely, don't be like this."

Shiko's expression changed suddenly, replaced by a sly smile. "Kiiita~chan~, do you want to enter the Pretty Moe competition? With your current level, you could at least make it to the top four."

Kita clearly let out a "Tsk" and immediately withdrew her hand. "Don't say things others won't understand."

Ichiri weakly chimed in, "I can understand a little, because Shiko explained Pretty Moe and stuff to me..."

Kita's expression immediately changed, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Ichiri. "I see, could you tell me about it if it's convenient?"

"The next generation Moe King candidate!"

Kita ignored her and listened as Ichiri slowly explained. Pretty Moe, simply put, was a moe battle that focused on girls' gravity, distortion, and tragic attributes. As she listened, Kita's expression gradually became strange, and she looked at Shiko with disdain. "Feeding on girls' pain and tears... how awful!"

Shiko looked as if she had just received a compliment.

(Riki in their cheerful version... Kita, I won't be surprised if you suddenly unleash a 'Yukina Crimson Storm' at some point.) Her mind automatically filtered out all the aggression in Kita's words.

Ichiri quickly said, "If Shiko likes it, I can understand..."

"Hey! Gotou-san, don't be corrupted by this person!"

The control room was filled with noisy chatter, and by the door, Nijika peeked through the crack, watching the scene with Ryo.

"It's good that they can get along."

"It was more exciting before."

"You might have a lot in common with Shiko in this regard, Ryo."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"...I wasn't complimenting you."

Chapter 7: The Socially Anxious Client is Still a Client

In the room, the conversation continued.

"Speaking of 'Unobtainable,' that's one of the Eight Sufferings of Buddhism—I think it's the fifth suffering," Shiko said.

"What are the Eight Sufferings?" Ichiri sat down and asked Shiko.

"Birth, old age, sickness, death, unobtainable, hatred and association, love and separation, five aggregates blazing," Shiko said, her eyes shining. "Kita, since you've already created 'Unobtainable,' why not try harder and complete all Eight Sufferings? Maybe there's a set effect! Look, one guitar has already increased your skill by Lv1. If other equipment could do the same, then in my opinion, this speed is much faster than normal practice..."

Come on, collecting a full set of "Eight Sufferings" legendary equipment sounds super cool!

Kita was infuriated by these words. "Yes, yes, yes, I can't compare to some genius. Even with a nearly seven-year gap, your skill has reached Lv7, right?"

Shiko proudly made a "V" sign with her fingers. "By the way, [Music Production] has leveled up to Lv8. That was the day before yesterday."

Seeing that the two of them were about to start arguing again, Ichiri broke out in a sweat. She frantically searched for another topic. "Th-that!" Both of their gazes turned to her. Under the pressure, she suddenly had an idea. "Th-that song from the day before yesterday... can we arrange it as our new song?"

As expected, their attention was diverted. Kita tapped her chin and tried to play it on her guitar. "That song... I think I've already forgotten it..."

Ichiri tried hard to recall the melody from that time, but in reality, she didn't remember it very clearly either.

Shiko directly took out a piece of sheet music. "It's this one."

"Huh?" Both of them looked at her blankly. Shiko scratched her head. "Ah, this was originally commissioned by another me before I fell asleep. I didn't say anything because it wasn't finished yet. I ended up playing it the day before yesterday... The guitar and keyboard parts are done. I directly handed the bass and drum parts to Ryo. Since that's the case... Ichiri, I'll leave the lyrics to you?"

Meanwhile, Ryo sat in her room, biting the end of her pen and deep in thought over the unfinished sheet music in front of her. The room was spacious and filled with a strong subculture vibe, but at that moment, it was a mess. The clothes she designed were scattered everywhere, mixed with a pile of crumpled manuscript paper. The only neat things were the musical instruments hanging on the wall; some were from CiRCLE's collection, while others were just models that couldn't be played. A few CDs brought all the way from CiRCLE were also stored on a shelf, though there was no longer any equipment to play them. Her laptop had been destroyed in the disaster.

She anticipated that at some point, Nijika would come over and help tidy up the room. Until then, she wouldn't consider "tidying up" at all. Ryo had always lived like this.

A soft knock sounded at the door. Ryo didn't move, just loosened her grip on the pen, letting it fall. "Come in."

The door was opened carefully, almost silently. None of the doors on the airship were locked. One reason was that Shiko was too lazy to design a lock, and the other was that she didn't want to. "How could I possibly do something that invades personal privacy by pushing it open!" she had said.

The footsteps were light, and one could sense the slight nervousness of their owner. From these footsteps, Ryo deduced the visitor's identity. "What is it? Rinko."

Rinko didn't answer. When she saw the messy room, she was slightly taken aback, but still walked lightly behind Ryo and saw the sheet music on the desk. "What's this...?"

"Ah," Ryo looked down at the sheet music. "Shiko commissioned it." She recalled what Shiko had said when handing her the music: "Now, whenever I see this sheet music, I think of the scene from before. As I think about it, it's hard for me to add the bass and drums... so I'm counting on you. I've asked Ichiri to do her best with the lyrics!"

Easy for her to say... After learning who this sheet music came from, even Ryo couldn't treat it casually. If luck wasn't on their side, this song could be the posthumous work of another Shiko. Therefore, even though she had another song task on hand, she had no choice but to prioritize this one.

However, Rinko didn't know the importance of this song. She asked cautiously, "Since that's the case, our song..."

Ryo turned her head in shock, staring at Rinko's face. Although she didn't say a word, Rinko seemed to read her thoughts as, "I finally met a client with social anxiety and thought it would be easier, but this person actually has the nerve to rush me?"

Faced with such an expression, Rinko flinched back like a startled rabbit. "If you have something else... I'm not in a hurry... I'll just... go then..." Unlike when she arrived, her departure was a bit hurried.

The door closed. Ryo shook her head. "Maybe... I should think about that song during my break time too."