Fruit Hard Candy (Please Vote!)

Fruit Hard Candy (Please Vote!)

Duncan's Home.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Emmett's disdainful expression, Adam said righteously, "I'm human too."

Well, as long as you were human, you couldn't escape the law of irresistible appeal!

"Adam, I've noticed you've changed so much over the past year."

Emmett looked rather conflicted.

"People always change."

Adam's expression remained unchanged. Since transmigrating, he had often heard things like "You've changed" and "You've grown up." The initial nervousness and unease were long gone; he simply took them as compliments.

Being adorably clueless might seem positive and fun when it was someone else, but when it happened to you, it was better to be normal. Besides, his looks were utterly ordinary. Even if he was no longer clueless, people would still find him cute.

"Juno, if I start playing rock again, how far do I need to take it to demonstrate this so-called leadership?"

This was the enormous difference between Eastern and Western cultural mindsets. Adam had known that United States students valued extracurricular activities, but he had instinctively used Sheldon and Leonard as his reference points, so he had not paid much attention to it. Only after listening to Juno's analysis did he suddenly realize that he was not Sheldon or Leonard. At the very least, he could not become a genius like them anytime soon.

If he was not that kind of genius yet still wanted to follow a genius's growth path, he would definitely fall flat on his face.

"You should choose extracurricular activities that you enjoy, because only something you enjoy will make you willing to keep investing a great deal of effort. Only persistence brings achievement. If you go further and higher in an extracurricular activity, to the point where you lead your peers, that is leadership."

Juno patiently explained, "You already liked rock music, and you're good at it. If you don't have a better option, keep forming a band and playing rock. Enter more competitions and activities, earn some honors for the band. As the lead singer, that will naturally be a major bonus."

Adam nodded slightly.

Though his former self had been adorably clueless, he had left Adam not only an utterly ordinary appearance, but also a fine voice and solid rock skills. In his memories, his former self would soon be assigned by the school to serve as the host DJ for a school dance, and he had even secured sponsorship. When his father Bob's pest control company needed a new song for its ads, his former self had also auditioned. Though the lyrics had been speechless, he had still been hired.

Aside from his father Bob's encouragement, his former self's appearance and voice did have their merits. Otherwise, no matter how strongly Bob supported his son, he would not have dared use something so important as practice material for him.

Now that he understood he had to choose an extracurricular activity as a boost for his college applications, Adam would be an idiot to give up something he already had a foundation and talent in.

"Exactly!"

Emmett exclaimed excitedly, "You never should have disbanded our band. PJ and The Vibe is back online, yes!"

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Adam waved him off. "Emmett, don't get excited. Even if we're reforming the band, we can't use the name PJ and The Vibe anymore, because I'm Adam, not PJ!"

"What's wrong with PJ? It sounds a lot like DJ. I think it's great."

Emmett curled his lip. "You're PJ, I'm The Vibe. Perfect!"

"How about adding me?"

Juno cut in. "I play rock too. I play bass guitar, so I can be your bassist."

"Of course."

Since spending time with Juno might increase his intelligence, Adam agreed without a second thought. He spread his hands at Emmett. "Now that Juno has joined too, we can't exactly still call ourselves PJ and The Vibe, can we?"

"Can she even do it?"

Emmett looked disdainful. In his eyes, a rock band was the romance of men. Girls should be down below applauding wildly for them. Of course, it would be even better if "for" became "with," but what was the point of adding a girl to the band?

Adam did not answer directly. He merely gestured toward Juno with his eyes. Understanding, Juno rose and walked over to Adam's instruments. She opened the guitar case, took out Adam's guitar, and began playing skillfully.

There was an old saying in the Eastern Nation: when granaries were full, people understood propriety; when they were well-fed and warmly clothed, they understood honor and shame.

The United States of this era was at the peak of its national power, on the verge of dominating the world alone. Its developed economy and abundant resources made it like the flourishing Tang Dynasty of the Eastern Nation a thousand years ago. After solving their basic needs for food and clothing, people placed greater importance on spiritual enjoyment. Arts such as film and music were typical examples.

Even nerds like Sheldon and Leonard knew how to play an instrument or two. Even those who could not had at least received a basic artistic education, which was nearly universal.

Juno did not merely play rock and guitar. She was an expert in the field.

"Oh, damn!"

When an expert made a move, you immediately knew the difference. The moment Emmett heard her play, he blurted out a curse. "She really can play!"

"Can I join now?"

Juno loosened her palm and released the strings, flashing a mischievous smile.

"Emmett?"

Adam deliberately looked at him.

"Fine."

Though Emmett was somewhat unwilling, he could read the room. Adam clearly wanted Juno to join them. In the past, he would have firmly opposed it, but Adam had now become the sort of guy who forgot his friends once a girl came along. Who knew whether he might do something awful, like kicking Emmett out for Juno?

"So what should we call ourselves now? A two-men-and-one-woman group? Hey, that name's actually pretty good..."

"No!"

Adam and Juno objected in unison. The name Emmett had come up with was not only tacky, but downright vulgar.

"How about Fruit Hard Candy Band?"

Adam thought for a moment, caught sight of Juno's red hoodie, and blurted it out.

"Fruit Hard Candy?"

Emmett gave him a strange look. "The two of us are hard, and Juno is candy. Great name! Hehehe!"

"Ahem, how about we think about it some more?"

Under Juno's odd gaze, Adam's scalp tingled. He regretted his impulsiveness. What had he just said?

That was the very reason he had always suspected Juno had another identity.

Fortunately, in this era, the phrase "fruit hard candy" did not have the special meaning it would acquire in later generations. At most, people would make literal associations like Emmett had.

"It's a good name."

Juno suddenly smiled, seemingly quite pleased with it. "Adam, you're pretty talented."

"Heh, really?"

Adam laughed awkwardly. "As long as you like it."

"Then it's Fruit Hard Candy!"

Emmett got fired up. Seeing that Juno did not object, he was even more excited than Adam, the band's lead singer. With a grand wave of his hand, he seemed to be making the final ruling. "I'm the drummer and backing vocalist, Adam is the lead guitarist and lead singer, and Juno is the bassist. Our Fruit Hard Candy Band will definitely surpass the old PJ and The Vibe and create new glory."

"Maybe we still need a keyboardist..."

An idea suddenly came to Adam.

A two-person group could be called a band, like Adam and Emmett before: one lead guitarist and lead singer, one drummer and backing vocalist. That was the bare minimum setup.

But to be even slightly professional, they needed at least four people. For example, Juno had volunteered as bassist. The bass was said to be the soul of a band and could play a crucial role in enhancing its performance.

Besides a bassist, they would ideally need a rhythm guitarist or keyboardist to enrich the variety of tones, fill out the harmonies, and make up for shortcomings in vocal range.

And Adam happened to know someone who was perfectly suited to be a keyboardist...