Momoi Taro wants to form a "don" brother duo, but it's a music anime.

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Taro's singing made Riki, sitting on the side of the stage, feel a slight unease. These lyrics… did Momoi Taro know what she had once thought? And… before, in her room, Momoi Taro seemed to have said something similar…

Is this the inspiration that Momoi Taro mentioned before...? Riki bit her lip tightly, listening quietly to the music composed by Momoi Taro...

Equally conflicted were Takamatsu Akari beside her, and... Toyokawa Shoko in the audience.

Takamatsu Akari recalls herself after the disbandment of Kulai Xiku and before meeting Momoi Taro... Because of her fear of past failures, she could only retreat into her comfort zone.

Hearing this, Xiangzi gently bit her lower lip. She felt as if she had been seen through.

She knows best that she has never truly moved on. She lives on the day her mother died... and even now, she still has an extreme fear of death.

"Without taking this step, you will never move forward..."

That's right... If you stay stuck in the past, you'll never be able to move forward.

Gao Songdeng's gaze hardened; she had understood this long ago. However, right now, whether it was Xiao Lixi, Xiao Sushi, or even Xiao Mu, they were all still lost… She herself didn't really know which way to go…

As the poignant vocals faded, the music slowly settled into silence. Suddenly—Taro's voice pierced the air! The scratching of the sleigh cleaved the silence like a sword, as if announcing the dawn of liberation. Immediately afterward, Renai's guitar and Hailing's bass joined in, offering a thunderous tribute to this hero reborn from the ashes.

"A real man should be strong for others!"

"Grit your teeth and be determined to hold on to the end!"

"It's okay if you fall down, you can just get back up!"

"If you can do that—you're a hero!"

Lixi clenched her teeth even tighter. It's easy to say, but will it really go that smoothly...? Will her own rhythm be satisfactory later? Although Taro said that day that she just needed to be herself, she still wanted to do better... Her current level was far from sufficient.

In contrast, Gao Songdeng's gaze grew increasingly resolute. She agreed with the lyrics of the song... and then, she made up her mind.

However, besides these two, there was another person who felt this deeply... that person was Yutenji Wakana. Although she had listened to this piece countless times during practice, she still wanted to complain, "Have you ever fallen? Then get up again."

In Miaomeng's eyes, this was nothing more than Momoi Taro showing off his success. She didn't understand Momoi Taro, but how could someone like him know what it felt like to fall? However, as the band's drummer, she naturally played very hard, and although she was disdainful in her heart, she wouldn't slack off.

……

The Dong Brothers' performance was perfect; the songs were flawlessly executed, and the band's coordination was almost impeccable.

"Thank you everyone, we are the Dong Brothers!!" During the curtain call, Aine waved excitedly to the audience, her cheeks flushed with excitement. "Please be sure to follow our social media accounts!"

Hailing calmly nudged Aine, who was still improvising: "Chihaya-kun, it's time to go back to the dressing room." She gestured towards the side of the stage. Aine looked in that direction—Taro and Nyanmu's figures had disappeared at the entrance of the passage, and as expected, Rana had also vanished without a trace.

In the instant Ai-yin was stunned, Hai-ling nimbly darted past her. Ai-yin panicked: "Hey! Wait for me!" The pink-haired girl hurriedly gathered her things and rushed after her teammates. This conversation, captured entirely by the microphone, drew good-natured laughter from the audience.

In the dim light of the side stage, Taro met the waiting Tornado Flame Group. He raised his usual confident smile and scanned the crowd, his gaze finally locking onto Takamatsu Touka's fiery eyes.

“Mr. Momoi, the performance just now was really good,” Su Shi stepped forward, gave a slight, elegant bow, and unconsciously twirled the ends of her hair as she greeted Momoi Taro. “The music was also very good, very good.” As she spoke, her gaze remained focused on Taro’s face, and a faint, gentle smile, reserved only for him, played on her lips.

"It's all thanks to Riki." Taro maintained his smile. Upon hearing this, Riki couldn't help but chuckle. To be honest, she didn't think she had done anything to help Momoi Taro. As for the source of inspiration, the real reason was his talent, which was completely different from hers.

But for some reason, after hearing Taro's words, Riki felt that Su Shi's gaze towards her had become very subtle. It was as if Su Shi was scrutinizing her, making her feel very uncomfortable.

Then, Taro patted Takamatsu Akari, the leader of the Ton Dragon Flame Group, on the shoulder: "Next up is your turn, good luck. Your eyesight is very good right now, I like it."

"Yes, I'll do my best!" Takamatsu Akari stared straight at Momoi Taro without wavering. Taro nodded with a smile. Behind them came the sound of running footsteps and Aine's distinctive voice: "That's so mean! Taro, you should have told me you were leaving!"

Aine stopped at the side of the stage, her long pink hair slightly disheveled from running. She immediately spotted Suze talking to Taro, and her steps faltered almost imperceptibly. Seeing Takamatsu Akari, her eyes lit up, and she waved vigorously, saying, "Akari, it's your band's turn to perform! Good luck!" Before she finished speaking, she had already subtly stepped to the side, cleverly placing herself between Taro and Suze, as if it were merely a casual adjustment of her position.

Su Shi looked at the little pink-haired dog and frowned slightly.

"Um... thank you, Ai." Takamatsu Akari looked at the other person with grateful eyes. The three most important people in her life were Momoi Taro, who pulled her out of a stagnant situation and pointed out the path forward for her, and Aine, who found a way forward for her and warmed her heart...

These two people are about to watch my live performance, which has drawn strength from them. I must do my best... desperately show everything about myself, and then, with my songs, touch that Xiangzi who was once like a pill bug, bringing her from the shadows into the sunlight. Bring her out of her confusion!

Hai Ling walked over and said to the two of them, "If there's anything you want to do, put the instrument back first. I think that's better." After giving her teammates some advice, she whispered to Li Xi, "Live, good luck. I'll be cheering you on."

"Tsk... that live performance was really good." Li Xi didn't know how to respond to the other person's words... so she could only praise the other person's performance to change the subject.

"Really? Thank you." Hai Ling waved her hand, intending to leave first. Taro glanced at Aine, then at Hai Ling, and said calmly, "If you want to reduce the trouble, you can give me your instruments, and I'll take them back to the lounge for you."

"Then thank you for your trouble." Hailin readily handed the bass to Taro. Aine hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was inappropriate to trouble Taro like this. After all, he was already carrying his rather bulky tomahawk keyboard.

However, watching Taro steadily lift the keyboard case with one hand and easily take Hailing's bass case with the other, his face still showing that matter-of-fact calmness, it seemed that the weight was indeed nothing to him. Seeing this, Aine steeled herself and handed over her cherished guitar, "Then... I'll leave it to you, Taro!"

Taro carried the three instruments, each with its case, and walked steadily back to the lounge. Although the combined weight of the three instruments was considerable, it was nothing to Taro Momoi.

“Moshi moshi… Mom.” Meow’s voice came from the dressing room, her voice full of energy and sincerity that Taro had never seen before: “Live? It was a great success! My drumming was cool, wasn’t it?”

"Well... there's nothing we can do about it. Kumamoto is very far from here." Her tone was gentle and understanding, as if she were comforting her mother on the other end of the phone.

Taro continued walking towards the lounge without stopping. Just then, Meowme's voice suddenly rose into a frenzy on the phone, filled with undisguised excitement: "Mom! You know what?! The Kumamoto festival next week! Yes, that's it, our band is going to perform there!!"

"Really? Everyone's coming to see! I'll do my best!" Meow Dream was incredibly excited, like a child who had just received candy; the enthusiasm in her words could almost infect the entire corridor. Even as her excitement lingered, Taro had already reached the door. Without the slightest hesitation or politeness, he directly pushed open the door to the lounge.

"Ah!" The unexpected opening of the lounge door startled Miaomeng. She tensed instantly and quickly said into her phone, "That's it, Mom!" before hanging up.

"General, when did you arrive?" She glared at him with some displeasure, only to see Taro casually put down the instrument case he was carrying, his expression as calm as ever, as if his intrusion was perfectly natural. Her face couldn't help but turn somewhat unpleasant.

“Probably at the very beginning. When you said ‘Moshi Moshi.’” Taro’s smile remained calm and composed, but Miao Meng felt a surge of anger rising within her. She really wanted to punch his perpetually confident face… However, she quickly compared the difference in their fighting abilities in her mind—the scene of him bringing the drum up to her house last time was still vivid in her mind.

She wisely chose to give up. She sighed helplessly, a hint of complaint in her voice: "Why is the general here?"

"Why...? It's just putting other people's instruments down." Taro answered calmly as always, arranging the instruments neatly before glancing around the lounge: "Where's Rakuna?"

"Ah... As for Ryunako, after the live ended, she was pulling her suitcase, blinking her eyes and asking me..." Miaomeng closed her eyes, leaned back slightly, and imitated Ryunako's unique, slow tone: "The live ended? Bye-bye." Then she opened her eyes, shrugged, "Then she just left, I couldn't even stop her, that kid is always so willful."

"I see. Well then, I'm going to watch the live performance of the Dragon Flame. See you tomorrow." Taro didn't linger and turned to walk out the door. Just before stepping out, he stopped in front of the door, his back to Meowmee, and said, "I'm glad to see you so motivated."

……

After Taro had been gone for a while, she listened carefully to the sounds in the hallway, making sure his steady footsteps had completely faded away before letting out a sigh of relief. Then, she collapsed onto the sofa, burying her face in the soft cushions and letting out a muffled wail: "Aaaaaah!! Why did that guy have to hear that?! It's so embarrassing!"

Meowmon rolled around on the sofa several times, hugging her cushion, her hair all messed up, before angrily punching the cushion twice: "That wretched Momoi Taro! Don't think this is the end of it!"

As if trying to dispel all awkwardness, Miaomeng clenched her fists and pounded the pillow, her arms swinging wildly as if she were punching Taro's confident face. One thing at a time—thinking of the Kumamoto Festival performance, her eyes instantly sharpened, and she secretly vowed to give it her all!

Episode 31, the first time the dragon's flames were seen.

Aine, who was leaning against the side of the stage, heard steady footsteps behind her and immediately turned around. As expected, it was Momoi Taro. She quickly ran back a few steps, grabbed Taro's arm, and pulled him to the side of the stage, complaining as she pulled him, "You're too slow, Taro. Akari and the others have only been on stage for a short while."

"Isn't that perfect?" Taro's face showed no regret whatsoever, but rather an expression of utter self-righteousness. Aine looked at him with an oO expression. (Not the wife Lu Yishan 2 (Q two) Jiuwa 0, does this also have to be bet?) However, since it's Momoi Taro, it's somewhat reasonable.

Ai Yin muttered to herself, then peeked towards the stage. "You two seem to have a really good relationship," Hai Ling's distinctive voice rang out from the side. "But I can't see the stage from my position like this. Could you please separate a little?"

Hearing Hai Ling's sudden words, Ai Yin abruptly released her grip, her cheeks slightly flushed. Then she felt a cool sensation on her face, as if something cold had been pressed against it. Slightly annoyed, she puffed out her cheeks, her blush deepening, and brushed away the citrus-flavored milk pudding that Hai Ling had pressed against her face, then glared at Hai Ling.

"Hailin-san, when did you get back?" After handing the instrument to Taro, Hailing said she was going out for a bit, but unexpectedly, she returned just as Taro came back.

"Ah, probably before Taro comes back," Hailing said calmly. "My presence shouldn't be that insignificant, right? Or is it because I'm a bassist?" She told a bass joke as she handed out three servings of milk pudding to the two of them. Aine didn't really like citrus flavor... but since Hailing gave it to her, she accepted it.

Ai-yin inserted the straw, took a sip, and frowned slightly. Sure enough, it was a taste she didn't like… Sour flavors are definitely not as good as sweet ones. Nevertheless, she finished the milk pudding in her hand, then her gaze fell on the stage. Deng Deng… he looked a little nervous. Hopefully, he'll be alright.

Standing on the stage, Takamatsu Akari took a deep breath. She was indeed a little nervous, and as her gaze swept across the audience, she immediately spotted that familiar figure with blue twin ponytails.

Xiangzi was smiling at her… Was he encouraging her? Deng's heart skipped a beat. Xiangzi needed her… so she had to sing! She turned back to give Lixi a determined look, hugged the guitar tightly, her fingertips firmly on the guitar, ready for the performance.

Shoko Toyokawa, sitting in the audience, was indeed smiling, but the source of that smile was still lingering in the afterglow of Taro Momoi's amazing performance. It wasn't until Akari Takamatsu stepped onto the stage that she managed to pull herself out of that stunning performance. Seeing that Akari seemed a little uneasy, as a former friend, Shoko still hoped that she could perform well—at least, not let the enthusiastic atmosphere that her senior had worked so hard to ignite cool down.

So she tried to make her smile more reassuring, hoping it would reach the stage lights. Xiangzi was very close to the stage and could clearly see Takamatsu Teng's slightly tense profile and slightly pale knuckles... However, after exchanging a silent glance with Lixi, Teng's gaze instantly became unusually focused and firm.

"Even if this heavy rain stops now, I will never forget to move forward!"

"The first raindrop of the day made me lift my head!"

The powerful lyrics, so characteristic of Takasong Teng, suddenly rang out along with the instrumental performance.

The rain... always reminds Toyokawa Shoko of that night. That night when she withdrew from the bitterness of the past. Is the lamp... a declaration to her that she has moved on from her heavy past?

Although it was supposed to be good news, Xiangzi felt a strange stinging pain in her heart. She gripped her right arm tightly with her left hand and looked up at the high-powered lights shining on the stage.

Her gaze was fixed on him, as if there was nothing else left in her eyes but herself... What are you doing, Light? As the lead singer, you should be looking at the entire audience, not me.

Xiangzi prayed silently, turning her head away to avoid Gao Songdeng's gaze.

side of the stage

"Is Xiao Mu's rhythm messed up...?" Aine pricked up her ears and carefully discerned the interlude that entered her ears, and couldn't help but frown slightly. Although everyone's performance seemed to be very good, Aine unexpectedly sensed a dissonance in Wakaba Mu's guitar.

"Ah, there was indeed a momentary lag." Taro nodded without hesitation, his judgment as certain as ever: "Perhaps, it started too suddenly, and Wakaba's guitar was a half-beat slow, but her adjustment speed is acceptable, so it should be fine."

Turning our attention back to the center of the stage

The brief interlude quickly passed, and Takamatsu Akari faced the audience, playing the guitar and singing, "Making a world for one with a transparent umbrella."

"Sheltering from the rain and hiding their figures," the harmony from the giant dragon flame group quickly followed, preventing any incidents such as the guitarist forgetting to sing the harmony while interacting with the audience, or the guitarist quietly dying in their own inner world.

"Quietly slipping into it..." As she sang, the last vestiges of unease in her heart vanished completely. She remained steadfast, revealing her resolve without reservation:

"Beyond the transparent umbrella, the raindrops pattered softly!"

[Light!] Hearing Takamatsu's outstanding performance, Riki called out to her in his heart, feeling a surge of strength in his drumming. Light's singing...it just feels like...!

[Little Lamp, you're really going all out...] Su Shi was secretly shocked. Compared to when she practiced, Little Lamp's singing was...

[I have more drive now than when I was practicing!] x2

"Like a secret code emerging simultaneously"*3. All three were on edge, trying their best to keep up with Takamatsu Takamori's evolving style, and of course, they didn't forget about harmony.

"Seeping into a melting heart, the sky weeps like rain."

"Rainwater soaked the asphalt road, and strong winds blew it out." *3

"I don't want to wait for time to pass any longer... I want to keep gazing at that colorless yet tangible thing!"

All the instruments suddenly paused, creating a moment of silence, before resuming their operation with Takasō Tō's expectant voice:

When the heavy rain stopped, it was as if nothing had happened.

"My heart, like a vanished umbrella flower, is hard to fold."

"I want to collect every passing minute and second, like raindrops!"

As Takamatsu Akari finished her powerful vocals, the piece transitioned into an interlude. The four performers on stage were completely absorbed in their playing, much to the surprise of Toyokawa Shoko in the audience. Both Suze and Riki had improved their skills remarkably quickly, and even Akari had learned to play the guitar.

Especially Su Shi, the bass part in the interlude was really amazing... even better than before.

Could it be... that she's the only one truly still stuck in the past? Thinking this, her expression darkened. She gripped her right arm tightly with her left hand. But noticing the faint, sweeping gaze of Ruoye Mutsu, she snapped back to reality and struggled to compose herself.

“Raindrops kept sliding down the edge of the umbrella, swaying and depicting (appearance *3)”

"Just like me, trembling in the wind, unable to move forward—"

"Reflecting the gloom of today, let's move forward together with this sky that is no longer filled with confusion!" Her singing was filled with determination and farewell, and the memory of her meeting with Momoi Taro flashed through her mind. She recalled the confusion she felt before meeting Momoi Taro. A touch of tenderness also appeared in her singing.