blogombal Page 66
Page 66
"Hmm... It's rare that the live performance has passed all the reviews." Boqi nodded and said approvingly, "I don't expect to be as good as Master Taro... but at least we need to satisfy the audience who come to see us."
"It's rare to see Boqi so motivated, yay! Let's do our best tomorrow!" Hongxia waved her hand and encouraged everyone loudly.
"Huh! Tomorrow!?" Pochi looked at Nijika in surprise, not understanding what she meant by "tomorrow": "Isn't our live performance next month?"
"What are you talking about, Boqi? The most difficult time will come after the live performance passes the review!" Hongxia patted Boqi on the shoulder with a cheerful smile and said, "First of all, we'll be relying on Boqi for the lyrics of the new song!"
“Yes, leave it to me.” Pochi clenched his fist, as if he had made up his mind.
"Of course we'll talk about the quota tomorrow, right? I didn't say anything that day because I was going to see the Dong Brothers' live performance. Actually—" She pulled out a stack of tickets from her pocket and smiled as she revealed something very cruel to Boqi: "The quota is 20."
"So that means 5 for each person?" Kita responded with a smile, and seemed completely unfazed by Nijika's question.
【5 pieces! 】
Pochi screamed in terror inside, counting on his fingers the people he could buy tickets for: Dad, Mom, Sister, Dog, Master Taro, Aine... Huh?
Boqi counted his fingers again in disbelief—there were six people! Had he unknowingly become a "normie" with six friends? Yu Liuyi, facing everyone's worried eyes, calmly put her hands on her hips and gave a smug smile.
Her smug expression seemed to say, "Six tickets are nothing to me."
Seeing Pochi like this, the other three stopped and formed a circle, whispering among themselves.
"Is this putting too much pressure on Goto-kun?" "It's about the quotas, so why don't we share the burden?" "Pochi looks pretty smug."
The three men openly plotted in front of Pochi, who mustered his courage and snatched five tickets from Kita's hand. He shouted, "Don't underestimate me! I'm absolutely certain I can sell these tickets!"
Episode 9 of "Dong": I'm going on a date with Momoi Taro (?) (Bonus Chapter 2 for Dragon Boat Festival)
Aine struggled to get out of bed, clutching her head in pain. What was that dream yesterday... another version of herself experiencing this? A timeline where she was about to confess her feelings at a live concert, only to have Toyokawa raid her base on the eve of the concert—no way!
However, the memories of the dream quickly faded from Aine's mind, leaving only the emotions within them.
But... it really is a sad world. I'm sad right now too... not because of the dream, but because of yesterday's celebration party.
Momoi Taro's cooking is so delicious! I ate way too much without even realizing it! Desserts and dishes all ended up in my stomach without me even noticing. Just thinking about all the food I ate last night... makes me feel so guilty.
"This amount of calories... I probably won't be able to get them back without a few days of regular exercise," she thought sadly.
It was still a holiday, but she had a lot to do. She patted her face to clear her head a bit, then sent a message to Taro. After getting ready and having breakfast, Aine busied herself in the kitchen for a while.
After finishing her work, she checked the time, quickly tidied up the kitchen, and then waved goodbye to her parents in the living room: "Mom and Dad, I'm going out!"
She took out a gift box wrapped in a cloth bag she had sewn herself; it was a souvenir she had bought in Shimokitazawa last time.
She took a deep breath. Aine, as usual, was wearing a dark gray striped dress, carrying a handbag, and wearing thick-rimmed black glasses. She sat down on one side of the Yuzawa Cafe, placed her handbag beside her, ordered from her senior, and then looked out the window, silently waiting for Taro to arrive.
Jingle bells, jingle bells—
The door opened with the sound of a bell. Afterglow's senior, who worked as a waitress at the restaurant, greeted the newcomer in a natural manner. However, it was quite a while before Yuzawa finally headed towards the kitchen.
Then, Aine found herself sitting opposite someone, and heard a very familiar voice from that person: "You said you wanted to talk to me about something, what is it?"
Aine looked up and, as expected, saw it was Momoi Taro. She smiled and said to Taro, "Good morning, Taro."
"Good morning..." Taro replied somewhat reluctantly. He didn't really like such small talk, but since it was Aine, he still responded normally: "So, what did you want?"
"Hehe...it's nothing important." Aine scratched her head sheepishly and asked shyly, "How about we go somewhere fun next weekend?"
"Why?" Taro neither agreed nor refused. Aine thought for a moment, figuring out how to get Taro to agree. Soon, she came up with an idea: "Because our Dong Brothers group isn't united enough right now. You see, I don't really know the other members very well. If possible, wouldn't it be nice if we played together?"
“I see, how interesting!” Taro exclaimed in his familiar voice, revealing a slightly manic smile. “Well then, if the other members agree, I will go too.”
"Yes, I will try my best," Ai Yin smiled, her expression unchanged, because she had originally planned to go out and play with all the members of the Dong Brothers group.
The adorable pink-haired girl certainly wouldn't think of keeping anything to herself.
She saw that Taro was about to get up and leave, so she quickly stopped him and said in a drawn-out tone, a little annoyed, "Wait, you haven't finished talking yet!"
Upon hearing this, Taro sat back down and asked, "Is there anything else? I have work to do this afternoon."
Aine puffed out her cheeks, and in the end, she didn't intend to get entangled with Taro on this topic. She rummaged through her bag, took out two red cloth-wrapped items, placed them on the table, and pushed them towards Taro.
"What's this?" Taro looked at Aine with some confusion. Aine smiled and said, "The one on the left is a souvenir I bought in Shimokitazawa, and the one on the right is a cookie I carefully baked this morning."
"Do I have to choose one of the two?" He stroked his chin, looking troubled. "This is a really bitter choice... How should I choose?"
"Huh? No, no!" Seeing Taro's troubled expression, Aine shook her head slightly and pushed both boxes towards Taro: "These are for you."
She quickly stood up, bowed, and said, "I am very grateful for your care all this time!"
Taro paused for a moment, then reached for the box on the left and asked excitedly, "Can I open it?"
Aine nodded, and Taro carefully untied the cloth bag, then opened the box, revealing a pink peach crystal pendant inside. With his keen eye, Taro could immediately tell that the crystal wasn't very valuable, but he was deeply moved as he hung the pendant around his neck and then hugged the other box to his chest: "Thank you! I will cherish it."
"This is the first time a girl has given me something like this...!" Aine wondered if it was just her imagination, but Taro's voice sounded a little stammering. She touched her sideburns shyly.
"This is a good thing, it must be filled with your heartfelt wishes." Taro excitedly nudged Aine's shoulder with the box: "You must have worked very hard to bake it."
He picked up the box and said excitedly, "I will savor it with gratitude! I will cherish every little bit each day..."
Seeing Taro's excited smile, Aine became even more embarrassed, blushing as she said, "Taro is exaggerating too much..."
Watching this scene, Tsugumi Hanazawa lowered her head sadly. Since that day, the members of Afterglow had drastically reduced their contact with Taro. Although they hadn't explicitly said they were breaking off their friendship, the atmosphere between them was as if they truly were. Only Mocha and Taro's interactions remained relatively normal.
However, it was only recently that they slowly resumed their interactions.
She carefully recalled that when she first met Taro, she was only a few years old and couldn't afford to give him gifts. Then, when she entered junior high school, that incident happened, and her band and Taro officially broke off their friendship. She was even less able to give him anything then…
But there's nothing that can be done about it; no matter what, Taro went too far back then. Even today, Tsugumi Hanazawa completely disagrees with Taro's actions.
Looking at the extremely excited Taro, Tsugumi Hazawa's thoughts couldn't help but return to that day... the day Afterglow was formed.
Episode 10 of "Don", Sunset and Tyrantaro
It was a Saturday, and the sky was very clear, just like the five members of Afterglow were in high spirits. The five members who had just formed Afterglow were very excited.
Although it started as a casual joke by Himemari, after Tsugumi Hanazawa formally proposed it, the five of them seriously considered it and agreed to form a band, even solemnly assigning positions for the instruments.
After the group finished discussing the most basic things, Félil seemed to have thought of something and suggested, "In that case, should we invite Taro to form a band with us?"
“Taro isn’t in the same school as us right now, so I don’t think it’s very convenient for him.” After seriously considering Himemari’s suggestion, Tsugumi Yuzawa tried to reject it.
,
"What do you think, Ran?" Mocha asked softly, seeking the opinion of Ran Mitake, the lead singer and guitarist who had just taken her place next to her.
Upon hearing Mocha mention her name, Lan seemed to snap out of her reverie and asked, "Sorry, I was just spacing out... What are you all talking about?"
Félil repeated what they had just been saying, and Miyuki Ran nodded in agreement, saying, "I think it's good..."
“Let’s go then, and let Taro join us too!!” Uda Toba chimed in, “Taro should be at home right now.”
Five people are moving.
Taro's house was very remote, and the surrounding area looked somewhat desolate. Although it wasn't very late, the lights were already on in Taro's house. The light shining through the window gave the place a faint sense of life.
Although the five of them are still an unnamed band, they are quite confident about inviting Taro. After all, they are childhood friends.
Although they are childhood sweethearts, they didn't actually grow up together from a young age. Taro met Ran a little later than she met Taro.
It was near Christmas time, and the five of them were planning to go to the post office to mail letters to Santa Claus… Then, due to a small accident, they all started crying on the spot. In their panic, it was Momoi Taro who reached out to help them.
He took the five of them to the post office, and then sent them home. Later... when their families asked Taro what had happened, Taro told them the truth, and for that, they were all severely scolded by their families.
However, they still found Taro very interesting, and after a chance encounter the next day, the six of them became friends.
On Christmas Eve, they also dragged Taro to the Christmas Eve party and discussed whether Santa Claus would come. Unexpectedly, Taro said something very interesting.
"I saw him last Christmas," Taro said earnestly, his young face beaming. "Santa Claus came into my house!"
"Really?" Fimiri excitedly pestered Taro, asking, "What does Santa Claus look like?"
After describing what Santa Claus looked like, Taro added that Santa Claus had borrowed presents from Taro because he didn't have enough. Of course, the five of them didn't really believe it at the time.
However, the five people who found it very interesting were even more willing to play with Taro.
Even now... Tomoe took the lead and rang the doorbell. Soon, Taro came downstairs and opened the door for the five people.
"Oh, it's you guys... What's up?" Taro smiled and stepped aside to let the five people in, clearly very happy.
Taro doesn't have many friends, but these five girls can be considered... After all, Taro isn't really sure what others think, but at least, young Taro already considers them friends.
Although the five of them knew where Taro's house was, this was their first time visiting... The hall had a Japanese style, but it was filled with all sorts of musical instruments, all showing signs of use to varying degrees.
Furrie glanced around. The house was so spacious, and there were so many musical instruments. Was Taro already playing in a band? She couldn't help but ask, "Taro? What were you doing just now?"
"Just now? I've been studying since this morning." Taro wasn't born with innate knowledge; he just learned a tiny bit faster than the average person. He still needed to study.
"Hey~ Taro~ what are you learning~?" Mocha asked curiously.
"Music theory, musical instruments, and classroom knowledge." A hint of melancholy flickered in Taro's eyes when he mentioned classroom knowledge. However, no one noticed.
"Then, why did you come to find me?" After the group calmed down a bit, Taro asked the five people again.
The five people exchanged glances, and finally, Himeko stepped forward and said, "Taro, we've formed a band..."
Afterwards, Hime explained the whole story. In order for everyone to be able to get together properly, they formed a band. Although the band name has not been decided yet, they still want to invite Taro to join.
“But… our band already has two guitars, a keyboardist, a drummer, and a bassist, so what’s the position?” Felice pondered after extending the invitation.
"I play the violin very well too. The violin can add layers to a piece of music!" Taro said casually. Hime's eyes lit up, and she excitedly said, "Then Taro, play the violin!"
"I refuse!" Taro gave an answer that surprised the five people.
The five of them exclaimed in surprise at the same time: "Huh?!"
"Um... why is that?" Himeko looked at Taro with a wronged expression.
"I... have no interest in this kind of childish, play-act band!" Taro's words shattered the last vestiges of hope in the five members: "If I were to officially join a band, I would only join one that belongs to me!"
Yuzawa Tsugumi doesn't remember much about what happened after that. She only remembers that everyone was arguing fiercely, and that she and Mocha were trying their best to stop them, but the argument just kept escalating.
In the end, the meeting ended badly. Naturally, after learning how to make cookies, she never had the chance to give Taro cookies again.
Yuzawa Tsugumi snapped out of her reverie and looked at Aine's incredulous expression as she stared at Taro: "Taro is so handsome, how come no one gives you cookies?"
"No!" Taro's words reminded Aine of what Taro had told her that day. Was Taro really that unpopular...? She shook her head slightly, a little embarrassed, and said softly, "Well... if Taro likes it, I'll bake more."
"Thank you! Then I'll accept it without hesitation." Taro stood up, looked at Aine, pondered for a moment, and said, "Aine, don't push yourself too hard."