Starting with the Herrschers, I Cut Down All

Speaking of the lead vocalist, An Yu had originally thought of his older sister, but judging from this morning's performance, Kiana was far too infectious, and her stage presence was downright overwhelming.

"I recommend Elysia."

Kiana rested her cheek on her delicate hand and looked at Elysia with a sweet smile.

Like everyone else, her initial favorability toward Elysia was inexplicably pretty good. 4∪>[2●√

She really wanted to call Mei right now and say, "I miss you..." Though with Mei's sharp instincts, she would definitely ask, "Did you fall for someone else again?"

"What about lead guitar?"

The topic abruptly came to an end. After all, Kiana wasn't a professional guitarist.

Rhythm guitar didn't have many requirements, and rhythm guitarists usually handled lead vocals anyway. Once the singing started, even fewer people paid attention to the guitar.

"Then me."

An Yu sighed.

He knew it. Still, he was already in a pretty good mood today, so he wasn't asking for anything more.

Rhythm guitar undoubtedly went to Kiana, though it really was a bit beneath her abilities.

Bronya would naturally be the drummer.

Ling was in charge of ordering takeout and playing bass.

Ahem.

It was the band's first group meal, and since Bronya was treating them, they ordered a little too much food.

Kiana quietly watched as An Yu peeled spicy crayfish. The beautiful girl beside him tilted her head, propped up her cheek, and stared at him without blinking.

She looked at Bronya. "Are those two really siblings?"

Bronya nodded. "I heard they're on the same household registration booklet."

Oh... Kiana nodded.

If only Sirin hadn't bullied her as a child, snatched her little dresses, toys, and comic books...

As for Durandal... better not mention her. She was a good older sister, but the two of them were never on the same wavelength.

"You two are really close. If this scene got posted online, people would definitely start arguing again."

After all, people these days emphasized mutual effort. Though that was only the atmosphere online; husbands who doted on their wives still did so at home, like her dad... Though her own family atmosphere really wasn't normal.

Her dad's status really wasn't high, and he seemed unable to beat her mom either.

Elysia froze for a moment. That seemed to be true, so why had things gone downhill lately? Was it because of her mental issues... because she couldn't even provide basic emotional value anymore?

Her throat bobbed, but her expression remained natural. "Woof~"

An Yu's fingertips trembled. Ah! Sis?

But Elysia looked so innocent that even Ling, who had seen the least of the world, merely froze for a moment, wondering whether she could bark twice when she got home and then openly enjoy her sister's care.

"Woof woof!" Kiana blinked her lively eyes, imitating her perfectly as she looked expectantly at Bronya.

Who liked peeling spicy crayfish? With Kiana's personality, she always swallowed them whole, at most leaving the shrimp heads behind.

But if all she had to do was bark twice, then she felt she could live a more refined life too.

Bronya's movements paused.

"Shouldn't we discuss how long we'll rehearse after work instead?"

She deliberately ignored Kiana's barking.

Ling secretly spun the lazy Susan by herself and frantically stole food, completely oblivious to the joys and sorrows around the table. Me? Eat, eat, eat!

And so.

After work that afternoon, Sakura returned home alone. As night fell, she looked at the empty room and felt a faint sense of confusion.

Reson Studio really wanted to accomplish something big. Who would've thought even interns would work overtime this late?

And... why hadn't Ling even sent her a message?

Yeah, why was that?

Sakura looked at the notification that suddenly popped up on her phone: [The streamer you follow, Fairy Miss, has started streaming.]

She opened the stream...

"Focus, don't space out. If you really can't play anymore, just pretend and strum a little. Nobody notices the bass anyway."

Bronya's hands never stopped moving, and the heart-piercing drumbeats quickly brought Ling back to her senses.

It was rock, yet the guitar melody was like a night breeze brushing past. The sound lingered, soft and songlike. Come to think of it, hadn't Senior played violin before?

The notes overlapped. Kiana swayed lightly with the rhythm, occasionally bumping into An Yu, who claimed he "wasn't very good at it."

"Didn't you say you weren't familiar with this?"

"Why else would I be working so hard to adapt to your style..."

An Yu answered quietly.

After all, he used to like playing flashy stuff, not cool stuff, so he was a little unaccustomed to the rock style.

"Do you think we'll make the trending list?"

Kiana looked toward the streaming equipment in the distance. Since they were playing anyway, they might as well use today as a preview and build momentum for tomorrow's performance. Ideally, they would gather as many people as possible to set up the new game.

Come to think of it, An Yu's main job seemed to be planning game worldbuilding.

"Probably. Although the boss's game is already some old thing from seven or eight years ago, you're still the protagonist."

Hmph. Kiana unconsciously raised the corners of her lips. To become that protagonist, she'd clung to Bronya's thigh for a full half hour.

As for why she'd been clinging to it? Kiana couldn't figure out why Bronya had suddenly grown taller, even ending up 2 cm taller than her.

A Few Bass Jokes

[My youth has returned! It's Kiana and Fairy Miss's dream collaboration! That old Honkai relic has risen from the earth again!]

[No! Bronya, have you already lost your ambition to win a championship? The retired-and-returned-with-a-new-duck-name storyline isn't popular anymore!]

[Who's the pink-haired beauty standing in the back with the guitar? She looks like a character from some old music anime...]

[That's a bass!]

[Is that girl playing the forty-seven-string guitar faking it? Why can't I hear her at all?]0◎:/°]</

[That's a bass!]

[Is nobody paying attention to the lead guitarist? His melody is so beautiful. The real person must be as gentle as his music... IP—Divine Land?? School]

[Really, sisters, I think I've fallen in love.]

[Stop crossing fandoms up there. Senior An Yu is still on the confession wall. One slap into the dirt and you'll stop fantasizing... IP—Divine Land?? School]

[I've already finished reading the gossip about An Yu. If you ask me, only someone like that deserves to join a beautiful-girl band.]

[For real?]

[But then again...]

[Fairy Miss, I love you!]

[With Fairy Miss's status, nobody's going to bully her, right?]

[Are you crazy? How could anyone bully the lead singer? Even if there really was a conflict, wouldn't there still be the bassist?]

[Where are we students supposed to go from here? sob]

[Why is b*ss a banned word? Who did us bassists offend! Furious.jpg]

Kevin watched the stream. The cheerful barrage should've brought a knowing smile to his face, but he simply couldn't laugh.

"Do we have to leave today?"

His voice trembled. Right now, he wanted to go back a few days and strangle himself.

"Since we're collaborating with Reson Studio, leaving a few days early will let us inspect Reson Studio's current situation locally and leave them with a good first impression."

"Work hard. You only transferred here two years ago, but in the leaders' eyes, you're even more valuable than I am."

The supervisor patted Kevin on the shoulder, and Kevin felt like crying without tears.

Ah, Mei was still angry. Was I really going on a business trip at a time like this?

The supervisor looked at Kevin's expression, somewhat puzzled. "Besides, wasn't this assignment something you requested yourself?"

Kevin: ...

That was to ease the relationship between Elysia and her brother. But looking at the stream now, their relationship doesn't need my help at all! Mine is the one that desperately needs fixing!

What a sin!

Mei: "I'm not coming home tonight. I'm going back to my hometown for a couple of days. I need a few days to calm down."

Kevin looked at the message that suddenly appeared on his phone. Mei, you're practically an angel.

Kevin: "Mm-hmm! I'll wait for you at home!"

You? You actually dared to agree?

Mei's face darkened. She had originally intended to give him an out, ease their relationship a little, and visit her parents back home while she was at it.

But she wasn't leaving today. She would switch to a ticket for tomorrow and see exactly what Kevin was thinking.

The weight lifted from Kevin's heart as he boarded the train. This time, though, he was tall and slender, his muscles not obvious, unlike in the dream where he made people keep their distance.

He reopened the stream. There were many people watching it; three or four were in the same carriage as him.

After all, with the protagonist of the Honkai series, Schicksal's young lady Kiana, Reson Studio's chief producer Bronya, and major streamer Fairy Miss appearing together, it had indeed reached number one on the trending charts in this technologically advanced, entertainment-first era.

"Come to think of it, that seems to be Ling..."

Golden Courtyard (12)

Kevin: "@Sakura, Ling seems to have become famous."

Pardo: "Come to think of it, Ling's fingers didn't touch the strings at all for a while earlier, right?"

Eden: "..."

Sakura: "She didn't tell me about this."

She'd always laughed at how badly Elysia handled her relationship with her brother, and Kevin was having relationship problems too. Yet now her own little sister wasn't coming home for dinner at night and couldn't even be bothered to send a message.

Sob, sob, sob. This was true heartbreak, and she hadn't even noticed when their relationship had grown distant.

Aponia: "How gratifying. Stream screenshot.jpg"

Pardo: "Don't be sad, Sakura. From what I've observed, Ling has probably been pretty embarrassed lately too. She probably really felt too awkward to take out her phone and message you."

Pardo: "Though judging by the actual situation, forget sending messages—going out for a meal wouldn't affect her playing at all. Hehe, watching this makes me want to go up there too."

Sakura: "..."

Eden: "Bassists are very important. If they perform well, they can absolutely become the soul of a band."

Kalpas: "Which instrument, if played well, can't become the soul of the band?" ＞"-＿¨

Griseo: "Bass is so amazing!"

Pardo: "Why did Ling leave the stage? Did they catch her faking it?"

Eden: "It's her first time playing for this long. She probably ran out of stamina."

Griseo: "Why did Sister Ling leave? I don't feel like anything changed. Does the venue have automatic pitch correction?"

Eden: "..."

Yet Ling, who was actually there, didn't feel anything amazing at all.

Didn't we agree we were all noobs? How come I'm the only one who's genuinely bad?

And she still hadn't gone home. Her sister was probably worried, but everyone else was playing so hard. Wouldn't it be bad if she played on her phone now?

"Tired?" The drummer noticed her state.

"Go get some water. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."