Chapter 120: GDM Band

"Eh? Yechen, are you close with these security guards? How come they didn't stop you?" The staff entrance was not completely deserted; several fans who failed to obtain tickets had tried to sneak in through here, only to be blocked by the guards at the door, with only those showing work permits being granted entry.

However, when Yechen walked straight in with Miku Izayoi and the others, the guards did not even ask a question. Facing the envious gazes of the fans blocked outside, Miku Izayoi asked Yechen in high spirits.

"Well, how should I put it? Strictly speaking, I count as internal staff, and not just me—Shiina should count as one too!" As the concert organizer, it would be a joke if Yechen were to be stopped by security. Fan Bo naturally would not make such a mistake; he had already ensured everyone remembered Yechen's face and had ordered that he be allowed to come and go freely.

Entering the venue through the staff passage, the auditorium was already packed with people, all holding glow sticks and raising signs and photos with the names of the GDM band members. Seeing these passionate fans, even Yechen couldn't help but be surprised that Iwasawa and the others were so popular.

"So many people! Are these all fans of Iwasawa and the others? That's amazing! I will definitely become an idol in the future, and my fans will surely be even more numerous than GDM's!" Seeing the lively atmosphere at the concert, Miku Izayoi became animated, saying with great confidence.

"Hmm, I think that's impossible. Although you sing well, compared to Iwasawa and the others, you are still far behind. It might be very difficult to surpass them." Without noticing Miku Izayoi's unhappy expression, Yechen spoke the truth, dampening her confidence.

"Yechen, is she that new friend you mentioned?" Led by Bai Ji, who had sensed Yechen's arrival, Kanade Tachibana and the others approached. Discovering the only unfamiliar face beside Yechen, she looked at Miku Izayoi with curiosity and asked.

"Yes, her name is Miku Izayoi." Yechen did not deny it and introduced her to Bai Ji.

"Miku Izayoi, right? Hello, I'm Bai Ji. This is Kanade Tachibana—you can call her Kanade. This is Saeko Busujima, Shiori Itsuka, Kotori Itsuka, Shiina, and Tobiichi. You should already know Shiina and Tobiichi. Everyone is very easy to get along with, so you don't need to be nervous." Noticing that Miku Izayoi was still a bit unaccustomed to facing so many people, Bai Ji introduced them kindly, instantly winning a good amount of favor from Miku.

Looking at Bai Ji, whose lovely appearance was on par with, or perhaps even slightly superior to, her own, Miku felt a trace of frustration for the first time. However, Bai Ji possessed an inherent, attractive friendliness, and even upon their first meeting, Miku felt a sense of fondness for her—much like how she felt when she first met Yechen.

Under Bai Ji's guidance, Miku Izayoi got along quite well with the others. Yechen checked his watch and found that there was still some time before the concert began, so he suggested, "Since it's still early, why don't we go see Iwasawa and the others? We have a little fan of theirs here, after all!"

"Eh! Is that really okay? Wouldn't it disturb them while they're preparing for the concert?" Although she demurred, anyone could see the excitement and anticipation in her eyes.

"Of course it's no problem. They are just adjusting their state for the concert right now; there's no disturbance at all," said Bai Ji, who was very familiar with the arrangements for Iwasawa and the others.

In the GDM band's lounge, the sound of an electric bass rang out continuously. Shiori Sekine held her bass, her fingers playing flexibly; there was no fixed song, as if she were just improvising. Miyuki Irie, being timid, reached out from the side to try and stop her, but it was to no avail.

Finally, Hisako seemed annoyed by the constant noise, glared at her, and said, "The concert hasn't even started yet! What are you playing so urgently for?"

"Hisako, don't you feel excited? This is our first GDM concert in the real world! I'm burning with passion right now!" Shiori Sekine didn't stop playing her bass, responding to Hisako while she played.

"I think your passion has burnt out your brain! Go and rest immediately. If you mess up during the concert, I'll make you write a 10,000-word band activity reflection log!" Faced with Shiori Sekine's eager gaze, Hisako was long accustomed to it and, without a care, pressed her head down hard as a threat.

"Ten thousand words! No, please! Writing activity logs is already exhausting enough; I'll cry if I have to write ten thousand words!" Threatened by Hisako, Shiori Sekine's face turned bitter, and she pleaded pitifully. But those who knew her knew she had no intention of changing.

"Then can't you just not mess up!" The fact that her bandmate wasn't thinking about performing well but rather about reducing the word count of her reflection left Hisako speechless. She gave her a light chop to the head and roared.

"Oh, right!" Shiori Sekine nodded as if she had just realized it. Hisako was almost driven mad by her words, while Iwasawa, the band leader, watched all of this with a smile, showing no intention of stopping them.

"Iwasawa, we've come to see you!" After knocking symbolically on the door, Bai Ji pushed it open without waiting for a reply from inside.

"Bai Ji? You've already arrived?" Iwasawa felt a sense of closeness to everyone she had known in the afterlife. As this was GDM's first concert, she had certainly hoped that her old friends would come.

"Heaven... Kanade, long time no see. I'm really sorry about that time." Upon seeing Kanade Tachibana, Iwasawa habitually wanted to call her 'Angel,' but she immediately realized that they were no longer in the afterlife, and that the 'Angel' matter was merely a speculation on their part. She expressed her deep apologies to Kanade.

"It's alright," Kanade answered indifferently. Iwasawa noticed Yechen standing there with a beautiful girl whose eyes were fixed on her, and asked, somewhat uncomfortably, "Yechen, who is this?"

"Oh, her name is Miku Izayoi. She's a fan of yours, and she sings quite well, so I brought her over to meet you!" Yechen pushed Miku Izayoi in front of him and said to Iwasawa.

"Iwasawa! It really is you in person! Seeing you in the real world for the first time—I'm so excited!" Miku Izayoi excitedly pulled on Iwasawa, then took out a notebook she had prepared in advance and requested an autograph from everyone.

Since she was a friend of Yechen and a fan of their band, Iwasawa and the others were very friendly toward her, enthusiastically teaching her singing techniques. In just a short time, they had become quite familiar with each other.

"By the way, Miku, we have an activity today where we invite a fan on stage to sing with us. Would you like to participate?" Iwasawa suddenly remembered this and asked Miku Izayoi.

"Of course! I'm very confident!"