Tokyo: To reiterate, this is not a dating system.

79. Today, let's just pretend I'm a beautiful girl.

Tuesday, April 29th, a public holiday in the island nation sandwiched between two days of exams.

Pushing open the door, the band members, who had just been chatting excitedly or nervously, instantly fell silent—the concert hall, which could hold 800 people, was exceptionally spacious, and it seemed that every move they made would echo.

"Really? This feels so formal!" Suzuki seemed a little shocked.

"Wow, that's amazing! It's way bigger than a Live House!" Shibuya was equally shocked, but seemed to be a little excited as well.

"I have a feeling... that's making me a little nervous." Sugiura shrugged.

"We'll be going to perform at the Budokan someday, this is just a small step," Genji Aoyama said with a smile.

"That's true!"

Although everyone laughed along, Aoyama Genji noticed a hint of worry in everyone's expression.

Anyone could see that Saki Izumo was behaving strangely.

Genji Aoyama glanced at Saki Izumo.

She was gripping the strap of her bass bag tightly, trying to force a bright, energetic smile like she always did, but her lips only managed a weak twitch.

He didn't speak.

As the group entered the concert hall, a beautiful young girl in a school uniform, with elegant demeanor, stood up as they passed the first row of seats.

Haruka Minatsuki faced the band members, folded her hands in front of her, and nodded slightly: "Good morning, everyone in the band."

When she said those words, Haruka Minatsuki's gaze was fixed solely on Genji Aoyama.

But unlike yesterday, she didn't greet Aoyama Genji separately.

Genji Aoyama noticed that there seemed to be a slight dissatisfaction in her eyes.

Good morning, Minazuki-kun.

"Good morning," said Genji Aoyama. "I didn't expect Ms. Haruka to be here so early."

"After all, this is an official event, so the student council needs to check the venue and equipment in advance," Haruka Minatsuki said with a cryptic smile. "And, by the way, let's check on the results."

"Please go ahead."

Genji Aoyama nodded, then smiled at the band members: "So, this time it's not just a rehearsal, there's also an audience member, so consider it a preview of the official performance."

The band members put down their instruments—drummer Sugiura had brought his drum over yesterday in advance.

"Let's go change into our performance costumes!" With that, the group walked hand in hand toward the backstage area.

Genji Aoyama glanced at the mixing console in front of him, then looked up to meet the gaze of the audience.

Subtle, melancholic, and seemingly tinged with dissatisfaction.

This was the emotion he could discern from Haruka Minatsuki's eyes.

"Genji-kun is really into the band~" she said.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the spacious concert hall, and one could even faintly hear the echoes of Haruka Minatsuki's emotions.

"Miss Haruka is the same; she came here specifically on her day off," Genji Aoyama said calmly.

"Some troublesome individuals certainly need to be taken seriously."

"Are you referring to me, or those guys on the school board?"

Haruka Minatsuki glanced at Genji Aoyama in surprise, then laughed: "I didn't expect Genji-kun to care about me so much~"

"I glanced at the plaque in the courtyard and saw that the previous chairperson was Ms. Hitomi, so I can roughly guess what Ms. Haruka was thinking."

"Hmm—" Haruka Minatsuki drawled out a long, ambiguous sound, "Genji-kun is quite perceptive, so... I hope the band's performance this time will be a success."

"yes."

Genji Aoyama smiled and lowered his head to study the tuning equipment. This was his first time using it, but with his advanced music theory knowledge and the relevant information he found online, he could easily understand it.

About ten minutes later, a beautiful girl in a performance costume walked out from backstage.

The four people each have a different style—the other three have already been seen in the videos sent by Izumo Saki before.

Saki Izumo wore a short, puffy skirt in cherry blossom pink and white, decorated with lace and bows. Her long, beautiful legs were clad in white over-the-knee stockings, paired with asymmetrical lace leg rings in the same color.

A perfect beautiful girl.

Perhaps encouraged backstage, Izumo Saki looked a little more relaxed.

"What do you think, Aoyama-kun?" Izumo Saki looked up at Aoyama Genji, her bright, beautiful almond-shaped eyes gleaming with anticipation. "The costume..."

"Saki looks even more beautiful now."

Aoyama Genji said with a smile.

"Huh? Does Aoyama-kun only comment on Saki Saki?"

"Look at us too!"

The other two, and even the shy drummer, raised their heads, eagerly awaiting Genji Aoyama's evaluation.

"Each of the most unique and beautiful girls perfectly fits the theme." Genji Aoyama's expression was like that of a critic who specializes in commenting on beautiful girls.

A few lighthearted words eased the tension slightly, and in my line of sight, Izumo Saki's slightly tense shoulders relaxed a little.

Genji Aoyama wanted to say something more comforting, but a calm voice cut off the brief moment of relaxation.

"Hmm—" a voice came from the audience, "Now that you've changed into your performance costumes, please begin your sound check."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clearly audible and seemed to possess an irresistible power; the band members returned to their positions.

Genji Aoyama went on stage and turned on the equipment in order. On his way to the sound console and as he passed the lead singer's position, he gave Saki Izumo a reassuring look.

"breathe--"

A slightly trembling breathing sounded from the audio equipment, and then Izumo Saki spoke.

"Check, check, one, two"

She shouted a few times into the microphone, then looked nervously at Genji Aoyama at the mixing console.

He gave an OK sign and then tested the instrument's volume.

After nearly ten minutes of adjustments, a satisfactory result was achieved, and the sound test was completed.

Genji Aoyama looked at the members who were ready on stage but had different expressions, and took a deep breath.

"Don't be too nervous. This is different from the rehearsal at the Live House. There's no time limit at all," he said, glancing at Haruka Minatsuki in the audience before turning his gaze back to the stage. "So, please begin your audition."

First came the strumming of the guitar, followed by the sounds of drums and bass.

Everything was the same as during training yesterday afternoon.

Of course, the problem was exactly the same as yesterday—the vocals affected the bass rhythm. When the intro to the chorus cut into the offbeat bass, there was a dull and out-of-tune bass note, and then the vocals were also affected, about half a beat behind.

Genji Aoyama noticed the panicked expression that flashed across Saki Izumo's face at that moment.

After the brief audition ended, Izumo Saki lowered her head, seemingly lost in guilt and self-blame.

"what!"

Suzuki suddenly clapped his hands, accompanied by a shout.

The sound waves emanated from the sound equipment, echoing and spreading throughout the empty concert hall, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"Sorry, I forgot something," Suzuki said with a slightly embarrassed smile. She moved from her seat to the center of the stage, then looked around at the band members. "Everyone, let's form a circle!"

"good!"

The girls walked to the center of the stage, four of them shoulder to shoulder. They first closed their eyes and took a deep breath, then Shibuya spoke up—"It feels like something's missing?"

"...The four of them looked like a square formation."

"Aoyama-kun, come too!" Suzuki said, looking at Aoyama Genji.

"Only today... well, maybe tomorrow too," Genji Aoyama said with a smile as he walked onto the stage. "I'll just pretend I'm a beautiful girl for now."

He stood between Izumo Saki and Suzuki Yui, glanced at the somewhat dejected Izumo Saki, and then placed his hand on hers, the force of which seemed to be comforting.

"Saki, don't be too nervous," he said softly, then felt it was inappropriate to say this only to Izumo Saki, so he looked at the other three, "and everyone else."

Saki Izumo forced a smile: "I will try my best to perform to the best of my ability."

"Don't worry, Saki," Suzuki Yui said, looking at Izumo Saki with a gentle smile. "After all, it's your first time performing on stage, so it's inevitable that you'll be nervous. Let me think... When I first had to go on stage, I was so nervous that I couldn't even speak."

"Ah, I remember now! That time, Yui played a wrong note on stage and secretly cried backstage, hahaha, it was so funny!"

"Idiot Rena, not everyone is like you, acting like nothing happened even after making a mistake." Suzuki Yui slapped Shibuya in embarrassment and annoyance at having her past brought up.

"I think it's great," Shibuya Rena said with a nonchalant smile, dodging slightly. "Mistakes are part of rock and roll too~"

"...Saki, do your best." Drummer Sugiura whispered encouragement.

When Aoyama Genji heard Shibuya's nonchalant words, he suddenly fell into a brief state of enlightenment, and his mood relaxed a little.

He realized that this was indeed the case, and it should be so.

This performance doesn't have to be perfect; as long as it's acceptable, its imperfections might even make it feel more real.

The same applies to Saki Izumo, who is deeply affected by the sense of loss.

She felt anxious and guilty about her performance and was unable to reconcile with her past self.

Genji Aoyama realized that this might be the first and most important opportunity for her to get out of the phase of feeling lost.

Thinking of this, he opened his mouth, feeling an urge to say something.

"Everyone……"

All eyes were on him.

After a brief silence.

"This time, I won't say encouraging but heavy words like 'believe in everyone' or 'try your best.' I'll just express my true self," said Genji Aoyama.

After he finished speaking, and after two or three breaths of silence, he felt that Izumo Saki's hand under his palm had stopped trembling.

"Clap clap clap clap clap—"

Haruka Minatsuki, who had been sitting quietly in the audience, stood up.

She didn't speak, but faced the stage and clapped slowly, one clap at a time.

Her gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on Genji Aoyama's face.