manynovel Page 56
Page 56
“Because of that pain…” Eli Ayase placed her hands on her heart, her half-open eyes shimmering with memories—she thought of the past, when Muse was not accepted by everyone and had no fame—a hint of vulnerability appeared on her face: “It is also included in the future!”
"Let's go!" Honoka and the other two reappeared in everyone's sight, their right hands slowly but firmly clenching into fists in front of them: "If we are together, we can become stronger!"
"Absolutely... We will continue to transform and grow! Wellbestar!"
The group stood in the same formation as before, their right hands gripping their left hands tightly.
"If we can strive for what we love, we will be able to find new goals!"
"If you can firmly believe in what you love, you'll be able to move forward with boundless joy!"
Standing in a neat row, everyone saw the gleam in the eyes of the person next to them—a complex light containing excitement, joy, and a hint of satisfaction.
Raise your arms, flash a smile, and show everyone your best side.
Every lift and fall of the legs, every tiny movement of the limbs, resonated with the rhythm of the music, captivating the audience and making them involuntarily move along.
The tears shed from countless failed attempts have now transformed into beads of sweat on my forehead, which fall with the movement of my hair, refracting the sunlight into a rainbow of colors.
"Abandon the bad habit of being timid! Face everything with your brightest smile!"
"Spread your wings and soar to the heavens! We live in the present..."
The fingertips slowly rose, pointing towards the sky, drawing the attention of both the muse and the onlookers.
"Waiting to shine!"
...
"Huff, huff, huff..." No matter how hard they tried to suppress it, they couldn't reduce their panting. The nine members of Muse stood in a row, holding hands, looking at the dark mass of audience in front of them. Their stamina wasn't that bad. In fact, after Baili Xiao's training over this period of time, even if they sang and danced to ten songs in a row, they would only need to rest for a while (for songs with small movements).
What truly made them sweat and breathe rapidly was the tension and anxiety in their hearts—(What if they weren't accepted by everyone?)
They knew they shouldn't have such thoughts, but... just like "even someone who's always at the top of the grade still worries about doing poorly on tests," it's inevitable that these anxieties would arise in their hearts when they were anticipating others' opinions. Fortunately...
"Clap! Clap clap clap!" The sound of two palms clapping came from somewhere, and like a fuse, the sound grew louder and louder, until it became a deafening chorus that echoed throughout the convention hall.
"Did we...did we succeed?" Honoka muttered uncertainly to herself. Standing beside her, Sonoda Umi gave her a tearful smile: "Yes, Honoka, we succeeded!"
"That's great, that's great..." Tears welled up in Koizumi Hanayo's eyes. Hoshizora Rin chuckled and patted the former's head, comforting her, "Don't cry, meow, you should be happy, meow!"
"Muse!" "Muse!" "Muse!" 343
Slowly, one person shouted "Muse!" and then the people around them joined in, chanting "Muse's" name: "One more! Sing one more!"
Feeling the enthusiasm of the audience, the members of Muse exchanged smiles and looked at Baili Xiao—of course, the latter had prepared more than just this one song for them, but this was "CM Comic Con" and not "Muse's Exclusive Concert." If they continued singing, it might disrupt the normal order of the comic convention.
No, to be precise, the order of the comic convention has been disrupted...
“In that case…” Baili Xiao thought for a moment and gave Akane Akasaka an apologetic smile.
Seeing his smile, Akane Akasaka shrugged helplessly, but the amused smile on her lips betrayed her – the plan she had discussed with the organizers was to “only allow one song to be performed”, and now that they were going to break that agreement, thinking about it carefully... she was actually a little excited?
"Alright, since everyone's so enthusiastic, let's sing another song!" Baili Xiao paused slightly, as if she had thought of something "funny," and the corners of her mouth widened: "Let me think about which one to sing..."
"It's decided! We'll sing 'Renai Circulation'!"
Chapter 0152 The Muse's [Love Circulation]! (First update, please subscribe)
"Love Circulation" is one of the four songs that Baili Xiao prepared for Muse. The lyrics are full of the flavor (sour smell) of love, and the simple dance steps highlight the "girlish atmosphere in love".
This song, besides "We Are Here," is the most beloved by the Muse. While the other two are also good, their style leans towards "mature women," and for the high school students of Muse, singing those lyrics is a bit "embarrassed"...
Oh, by the way, the other two songs are called... "Gokuraku Jodo" and "Forbidden Borderline"...
"Teacher, is it really okay?" Ayase Eli looked at Baili Xiao with some worry. They had heard a little about the agreement between Kousaka Akane and the organizer, and knew that if they continued to sing, the organizer would probably blame Ms. Kousaka and the teacher.
"It's alright. Since everyone wants you to sing another song, then show your best side." Baili Xiao smiled indifferently and turned his gaze to the crowd of onlookers: "Originally, we wanted to release this song, 'Renai Circulation,' when Muse releases their first album, but seeing everyone's enthusiasm, we'll release it ahead of time. Ms. Kurosaka, please."
"Okay, remember to owe me a favor!" Akane Akasaka chuckled, snapping her long, slender fingers again. The staff member operating the equipment nodded in response.
Before the accompaniment music even started playing, the members of Muse held hands, exchanged smiles, and simultaneously opened their mouths in unison: "Ready!"
No one was surprised; the onlookers assumed that Muse's "ready" was a reminder to the staff. Only Baili Xiao and the others knew that "ready" was the opening of "Love Circulation"!
The accompaniment music suddenly started, and at the same time, in accordance with the rhythm, the members of Muse scattered and abruptly surrounded Baili Xiao in the middle.
Facing Baili Xiao, Nan Xiao Niao stepped forward past the crowd, a charming blush rising on her cheeks, making her already adorable face look like an apple, tempting you to take a bite.
She stretched out her right hand, waving her index finger in front of Baili Xiao: "But, that won't do! That's no longer acceptable, look!"
She withdrew her hands, placing them together on her chest, her voice growing even gentler, and a strange light began to shimmer in her eyes: "My heart will continue to evolve! Never, never..."
To the tune of something even more upbeat than the previous one, "We Are Here," Baili Xiao was taken aback for a moment, then a wry smile appeared on his lips—during regular training, he would use this method to check everyone's dance steps to see more clearly whether they were correct.
But the situation is different now... completely different!
In the studio's practice room, aside from the occasional visit from studio members, only Akane Akasaka and Sonoko Machida had come by—their first reaction upon seeing this scene was, "They're diligently teaching the muse..."
And now? What do the people, packed in layers, see?
Bai Lixiao, the head of the studio, was surrounded by the members of Muse, who sang "Renai Circulation" to him!
Although we haven't heard the whole song yet, it's not hard to guess its content from the title—it can totally be seen as the Muse members' "confession" to Baili Xiao, right?!
"Oh ho ho! Teacher Baili is really lucky with women. No wonder all the teachers in the studio are girls. But it makes sense. If I were as talented as Teacher Baili, having seventeen or eighteen girlfriends wouldn't be difficult, right?"
Stop your single-dog fantasies and wake up, it's still daytime...
"Tsk, I originally thought that Teacher Baili was a guide for us fanfiction enthusiasts, but now it seems that he is actually a popular guy!"
As soon as the song began, a considerable commotion broke out among the onlookers—the scene before them was simply too shocking, and while many complained, they couldn't help but imagine themselves in Baili Xiao's shoes.
Of course, this was just wishful thinking. They knew their own limitations, and couldn't help but think things like, "Perhaps only Teacher Baili deserves such treatment..."
The cheerful melody continued, and seeing the wry smile on Bai Lixiao's lips, Honoka revealed a smug smile—ever since learning the song "Renai Circulation," this idea had been popping into her head. After telling her friends, surprisingly, not a single one said, "Stop it, the teacher will be angry." They were all filled with curious anticipation and eager to try it out...
However, I never expected that my first "attempt" would be in front of everyone...
Honoka shook her head slightly to clear her mind of distractions, took a deep breath, frowned, and glanced at Hyakuri Akira out of the corner of her eye: "If saying it will ruin our relationship, then... just shut your mouth, okay?"
Koizumi Hanayo, looking troubled, lightly patted her forehead with her hand: "Have you thought about this? Are you scared? But... wait, something seems off?"
Hoshizora Rin placed her hands on Hanayo's shoulders and solemnly sang in the latter's ear: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. With a will as firm as a rock, as long as you accumulate little by little, you can change the world."
Nishikino Maki walked up behind the two (okay, okay) people, reached out and ruffled their hair vigorously: "Get rid of the 'no,' you have to fight for it!"
Looking at the people around them, the members of Muse all smiled and began to slowly circle around Baili Xiao with small steps.
The soft, sweet voice was like the evening breeze during cherry blossom season, stirring people's hearts and giving them a feeling of "about to melt".
"Light and airy, floating and floating, you are calling my name, and just like that, I feel as if I am floating in the universe."
"Floating, floating, so light, I see you smiling, and just that makes me smile too."
Tojo Nozomi and Ayase Eli held hands tightly, their faces pressed together, and both turned their eyes to Hyakuri Akira.
"God, thank you. Even if this is a cruel joke of fate, to have met him is already enough happiness!"
Chapter 0153 A dinner party in the studio! (Two chapters, please subscribe)
"Cheers!" Cheers echoed from the main building where Baili Xiao, Kasumigaoka Utaha, and the others were staying.
To celebrate the great success of the [Huaxia] Studio at CM Comic Con, Baili Xiao and other studio members, along with Akane Kousaka and others, held a private but extremely grand celebration banquet in the largest main building.
Yamada Elf, Yazawa Nico, Kato Megumi, Minami Kotori, and Tojo Nozomi were busy in the kitchen. Every now and then, exclamations like, "Wow! I never thought that so many people would like us!" could be heard coming from inside. "Hey! Did you know? In our city, we can finally find the name Muse in the list of idol groups that have already debuted! And... they just appeared and immediately ranked in the top 100 of all idol groups!" "Really? That's amazing!" could be heard.
Of course, most of these sentiments—or perhaps it would be more accurate to call them boasting—were just things that Yazawa Nico kept repeating, while the others only occasionally chimed in to echo her sentiments.
"Nicole, if we don't hurry, everyone in the living room will go hungry." Seeing that Yazawa Nico's boasting was only getting stronger, Kato Megumi smiled slightly and whispered in her ear, "When you were singing 'Renai Circulation' 343, you probably didn't discuss it with Hyakusato-kun, did you?"
"Uh...yes." Yazawa Nico stopped wielding her knife, tilted her head to look at Kato Megumi, not understanding what she meant: "What's wrong? Judging from the teacher's expression, she doesn't seem to be blaming us, does she?"
"I don't know if you blame me or not, I just feel... if you provoke Baili-kun at a time like this, he might punish you even more severely than usual, Nico-chan." Kato Megumi's smile was meaningful as she quietly observed Yazawa Nico: "Of course, this is just my personal guess, Nico-chan, if you don't believe me, just don't worry about it..."
(Don't worry about it? How could you not worry about it!)
Thinking of Baili Xiao's usual "strictness" towards her—in fact, every time the former scolded her, it was because Nicole had "forgotten the lyrics" or "danced the wrong steps," but as time went on and the number of times increased, Nicole felt like "why am I always the one who gets scolded"—Yazawa Nicole's eyelids twitched, and the "I'm the best" smile that had been on her lips slowly disappeared, replaced by two dry laughs.
"Aha, haha, well... I (aeej) think we should cook faster... yeah, faster is never a bad thing..."
As soon as she finished speaking, Nico Yazawa lowered her head first, the blade in her hand striking the cutting board with a light "tap-tap-tap" sound, more than twice as fast as when she was talking and cooking at the same time.
The people in the kitchen exchanged knowing smiles—Yazawa Nico's problem was obvious, but the solution was simple: just bring up the name "Bai Li Xiao," and she'd be obedient...
"Megumi-nee, is Teacher Baili really angry?" Minami Kotori handed the washed vegetables to Kato Megumi and asked in a low voice. Not only her, Tojo Nozomi also unconsciously slowed down her movements. Although she did not turn her head, her ears were already perked up, not wanting to miss a single word that Kato Megumi said.
Upon hearing Minami Kotori's question, Kato Megumi was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head helplessly: "How could that be? Hyakusato-kun wouldn't get angry over something so trivial."
Our attention shifts to the living room.
Akane Kousaka raised her wine glass—she was the only one drinking among those present, for which Hyakuri Akira had specially asked someone (Chris) to place several bottles of expensive red wine at home—looking at the dark red liquid swirling in the glass, she chuckled: "So, shall the anime convention end here? Hyakuri-kun, are you satisfied?"
Baili Xiao nodded—everyone present knew why he led the studio to participate in CM Comic Con: firstly, to enhance the reputation of [Huaxia] Studio, and secondly, to choose a slightly formal occasion to announce that "Muse has joined the studio and debuted."
In fact, the studio's reputation was already widely known in the anime and manga community before the convention even started. Whether it was the light novel or movie "5 Centimeters Per Second" or the manga "Love Live!", all of these greatly boosted the studio's fame.
However, CM Comic Con is, after all, a major anime and manga event held twice a year. Only by shining brightly on this stage can one truly be "accepted by the masses"!
"Based solely on the two novels, 'Your Name' and 'The Monkey King,' it's too early to tell how effective the comic convention will be. However, Muse's performance is truly gratifying. Having just announced their debut, they've already garnered millions of fans online, and even in Idol City, a place teeming with idol groups, their ranking has skyrocketed to 68th!"
"Your Name" and "The Monkey King" are novels. No matter how stunning or attractive the illustrations are, the most important thing is whether the plot can be accepted by people. In other words, people who buy the novels need to read them to know whether they like them or not.
In addition, the number of copies of the two novels distributed at comic conventions was not large to begin with, so if they were to cause a sensation, they would have to wait until after their official release.
However, Muse is different. Before the anime convention, a Love Live! manga had already brought them into the public eye. Their debut songs, "We Are Here" and "Renai Circulation," which they performed at the convention, were reported by many media outlets (including the convention's official website and many anime and manga websites). In just half a day, they sparked a wave of "supporting Muse."
Bai Lixiao said with relief, his gaze sweeping over Honoka and the others. Noticing his gaze, Honoka chuckled and scratched her hair: "No wonder the teacher was so confident in telling us before the anime convention that it would definitely be a hit... Now it seems that it really is just like the teacher said."
Baili Xiao was taken aback at first, then thought of the scene when she said, "Believe me, you will definitely become famous, and the kind of famous that everyone knows."
At that time, the members of Muse had just finished rehearsing all the songs and dance steps. Sonoda Umi blushed and asked Baili Xiao, "Are we really going to sing 'Gokuraku Jodo' and 'Kinjure no Boundary'? Will people accept songs like these?"
He gave an absolutely affirmative answer and confidently reassured the Muse members—promising the above words.
However... judging from Honoka's expression, she clearly misunderstood the source of his confidence...
"I'm not confident in myself, but in the three songs: 'Renai Circulation,' 'Gokuraku Jodo,' and 'Forbidden Borderline'!" Baili Xiao picked up her juice, took a sip, and the smile on her lips revealed a hint of mystery that puzzled everyone.
"As for why... you'll find out in a while."
P.S.: The surgery date is set for the day after tomorrow.
I will try my best to update and make it up to everyone after the surgery.
Chapter 0154 Akane Akasaka's Request! (First Update, Please Subscribe)
"Let's put the anime convention aside for now, Hyakuri-kun, what are your plans for the future?" Machida Sonoko asked, glancing sideways as she thought for a moment. "The movie '5 Centimeters Per Second' is still showing. According to the theaters, every showing of '5 Centimeters Per Second' is still sold out. At this rate..."