Lin Chu Xi agreed readily, not even asking what the Team was for.
But she asked another question.
“Who are the current members of the Team?”
“Emmmm,”
Su Nuo flipped the paper to the other side and wrote Lin Chu Xi’s name.
“For now, just the two of us.”
This side was the Member List.
The other side was the Candidate List.
Lin Chu Xi walked over and looked.
There were three names written—Su Nuo, Su Xiao Nuo, and Lin Chu Xi.
“Su Xiao Nuo?”
“Wrote it for fun,”
Su Nuo said half-jokingly.
“You can also think of it as my Second Personality.”
Hearing this, Lin Chu Xi smiled slightly.
“Nuo Nuo, you don’t look like someone with a Second Personality.”
“So sure about that?”
“Of course.”
Because she really did have one.
After agreeing to form the Team, Lin Chu Xi got a glass of water and returned to her room.
An impatient Su Xiao Nuo jumped out, huffing.
“That damn Lin Chu Xi, how dare she look down on me.”
Even if she’s not exactly a Second Personality, don’t underestimate her bond with Nuo Nuo.
The little moe girl sat on the floor in her mind and started singing.
The tune was a bit retro, and the lyrics were incomprehensible, sounding like Japanese.
Su Nuo asked curiously.
“What song are you singing?”
“Song of Ultraman,”
Su Xiao Nuo replied passionately.
“A story about the miracle of two hearts beating as one!”
“……”
Whatever.
Let her sing.
Just think of it as wearing a physically nonexistent Bluetooth Earphone.
She picked up the paper and crossed out “Lin Chu Xi” from the Candidate List on the back.
Only one name remained.
Su Nuo glanced out the window.
It was still early afternoon.
She decided to settle this while she could.
She went back to her room, changed out of the JK Uniform, put on a simple, cool T-shirt and shorts, then headed outside.
Su Xiao Nuo.
“Where are you going?”
“Next door!”
There was some telepathy between them after all.
Su Xiao Nuo immediately understood—Su Nuo was going next door to recruit someone for the Team, the last name on the list.
“Confident? She’s not like Lin Chu Xi.”
Su Xiao Nuo had an impression of the girl next door.
Besides liking to secretly observe from behind the window, more importantly, she was socially anxious—like a startled cat that runs away fast.
“I don’t know. I’ll give it a try,”
Su Nuo said.
“I’ve been to a lot of interviews before. I have experience.”
After seeing so many HRs, she picked up a bit of their language.
When Su Nuo visited again, Li Granny was delighted and led her upstairs to find Lu Yao.
“Yaoyao, the big-chested sister from next door you know is here again.”
That was how Li Granny introduced her.
Su Nuo walked into the room and saw the girl sitting on the tatami, playing a rhythm game on her computer.
When she looked up and saw Su Nuo entering, her hands trembled and nearly messed up the game.
Soft khaki shoulder-length hair, a homebody’s white off-shoulder T-shirt, sleep shorts you could wear to bed, slender pale legs, small white arms—she looked easy to pick up.
“Good afternoon.”
Su Nuo greeted her.
Lu Yao tried to muster the courage to reply.
But when she heard a bang and saw Su Nuo close the door, her little brain froze for a few seconds.
Why… close the door?
“Well, I have something to talk to you about today,”
Su Nuo sat down on the tatami, stretched her long white legs out in front, and got straight to the point.
“I heard from your granny that you were waiting for someone to take the initiative to invite you to join a band—just like in the anime. Or, I mean, like in a band manga.”
Lu Yao’s face turned red, and she became flustered, not knowing what to say.
But then Su Nuo suddenly spoke seriously.
“Give up on fantasy. That doesn’t exist. There won’t be anyone as wonderful as you imagine, who’ll run in and pull you into a band, letting you live the kind of bright and healing Bangs Bang Daily in anime.”
This Sichuan Opera face-changing act was too sudden.
The girl couldn’t react for a few seconds, just sat there dazed, and then—
“Ugh?”
“Crying won’t help. That’s reality. Here, there’s no JK Girl Band Culture—only commercial operation. In that world, there’s no healing youth, only the workplace.”
“Ugh ugh ugh.”
Su Nuo’s words made Lu Yao cry on the spot.
“Good, good, good, that’s how it should be!”
Su Xiao Nuo jumped up excitedly.
“Don’t spoil her, let her feel the cruelty of society and the treachery of people’s hearts!”
Su Nuo didn’t have time to explain.
She continued.
“But if you’re willing to change your perspective and join a Team that’s not a band, things will be much better.”
“Ugh… ugh?”
Lu Yao bit her lip, looking pitiful and curious at Su Nuo.
“Join my Team. We may not make music, but I’ll try to fulfill everything else you dream of.”
Su Nuo slowed her speech, speaking softly.
“And there will still be places where music is needed.”
Lu Yao was stunned again, tears that had been welling up finally fell.
“Think about it. I’ll leave now.”
Su Nuo finished in one breath, not knowing how effective her words were.
She’d just cobbled together what she’d learned from HR in her previous life.
Anyway, she was done.
She turned to leave.
But a small hand grabbed the hem of her shirt.
“I want,”
Lu Yao’s face was red, but she mustered up her courage.
“I want to join.”
Success!
Even Su Xiao Nuo didn’t expect this development.
She sighed.
“So you really came to recruit her. I thought you were just in a bad mood and looking for someone to vent on.”
“You’re too extreme.”
Su Nuo quickly replied in her mind.
Then she smiled at Lu Yao.
“As for the Team details, we’ll talk at our first meeting in a couple of days. Do you have any questions now?”
“Y-yes, one question.”
Lu Yao couldn’t meet Su Nuo’s eyes, her gaze dropping to the towering snow peaks.
Finding that even worse, she looked at the white legs, her face red, and whispered.
“Can we stay a Team for a lifetime…”
“Of course not,”
Su Nuo replied coolly.
“A lifetime is too long. Your thoughts might change, or you might fall in love with someone. Don’t overthink it. Ah—come to my place the day after tomorrow for a meeting and get to know the Team members.”
“Ugh ugh…”
Su Nuo had no idea if her ‘ugh ugh’ was good or bad.
Was it regret at her leaving, or wishing she’d leave faster, or just pure ‘ugh ugh’?
Probably the last one.
So after saying goodbye, she stood up and left.
“The big-chested sister is leaving,”
Su Xiao Nuo said.
“And she’s still crying.”
Too bad Lu Yao couldn’t hear her.
Otherwise, she’d probably cry even harder.
Stepping outside, the sunlight had faded a little.
Su Nuo felt great, like she’d accomplished a lot today.
She felt fulfilled.
She turned and waved at the window on the second floor.
Sure enough, Lu Yao was hiding there again.
She looked like she wanted to run away at first but hesitated, then raised her hand and waved twice.
“The day after tomorrow, afternoon. Remember to come~”