Girl Band, Gravity Capture

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Girl Band, Gravity Capture

Author: Xu Xia Xingchen

Summary:

Yuan Xudou did not want to join this farce called "Girls Band" and never promised anyone forever.

But why do you always stubbornly believe that you can pluck the high-hanging stars, make them deviate from their orbits, abandon their brilliant light, and cast aside the boundless universe to become stars that shine only for you?

Even if gravity briefly captures a speeding comet, leaving a dazzling trail across the sky, it is merely a fleeting, accidental event.

Now, that miraculous coincidence has come to an end.

Toyokawa Shoko... I have no obligation to preserve the band that you abandoned.

Let 【CryCHIC】become a thing of the past.

Until that familiar yet different gravity binds me once more...

Why can gravity be divided into two parts?

Wait, I can't be the spiritual pillar, soulmate, powerful leader, warm sun for everyone, comforting moon for everyone, and best manager and worst traitor for two bands at the same time.

Even stars, when captured by the gravity of two black holes, will be torn apart and eventually swallowed up.

[Crychic & mujica & mygo, some settings modified from the original work]

A lofty and awe-inspiring star

Chapter One: Yuan Xu Dou

"Um... goodbye—"

With a deliberately crafted, now habitually gentle voice, she waved goodbye to her classmates. While the others in the classroom were noisily packing up their textbooks, the girl quietly picked up her violin case and slowly walked out of the room, stepping into the dappled sunlight.

“…Let’s go home.”

It was early spring, and after the wind band finished their practice, the sunlight from the sky turned a dim yellow, gradually revealing its inevitable decline.

Walking along the road she had walked countless times, she silently considered how she would perform in front of others that day, and then thought about the performances to come some time later. Her little leather shoes made a dull "thump-thump" sound on the bricks.

It wasn't until she was almost at her building, just before stepping down the steps in front of an open space, that the girl snapped out of her reverie.

She looked up, blinked, and then her bright, pale blue eyes cast a curious gaze toward the bench by the roadside.

It was a boy who seemed to be around her age.

She recognized his school uniform—Dongdu Middle School, not too far from her own school, Tsukinomori. It was said that the top students there were academic prodigies, true high-achievers who aimed to study abroad or even enter the University of Tokyo during their junior high school years.

Of course, she also knew that these were all publicity stunts by the school. While such students might occasionally appear, they were not a consistent occurrence every year, and most students were just average. However, because of this reputation, students from Dongdu Middle School always seemed busy and hurried, frequently shuttling between various after-school classes, and were rarely seen outside.

However, the boy in front of her did not match her stereotypes at all.

Whether she was sitting on a roadside bench without any sense of tension, or slightly unbuttoning her school uniform jacket to reveal her shirt underneath—she was nothing like the meticulous students of Dongdu she had seen on the street before.

However, it doesn't feel leisurely or careless at all.

Was it because he was engrossed in writing something in a notebook that was about the size of her two palms?

Regardless, this boy with a peculiar aura did attract the girl's attention. However, she had no intention of approaching him; she merely glanced at him a few times, memorized his general appearance, and then quietly looked away.

Ultimately, he was just a strange passerby I met on the street. Maybe he was just doing some kind of social observation activity and didn't actually live here. After all, the housing prices in Roppongi, Tokyo, are not affordable for the average person, and the guy in front of me didn't seem wealthy at all.

But honestly... even though I only glanced at him, I had a feeling that this person...

"...!"

The girl's thoughts, which had been immersed in her inner world, were shattered by the sudden feeling of weightlessness.

Because she was focused on observing others, she accidentally missed a step and lost her balance. Her limbs stiffened, and she struggled and swayed in mid-air for a few moments before finally losing control of her forward-leaning center of gravity and falling straight down.

Then, it tumbled violently and crashed to the ground. In its panic, its outstretched hand was scraped and cut by the rough pebbles, blood flowing from its delicate palm and elbow. Its school uniform was torn in several places, revealing skin reddened from the impact, and its entire body was covered in dust…

This did not happen.

As she closed her eyes in panic, imagining the tragic reality that awaited her, someone grabbed her shoulder firmly from the side and pulled her back up the steps with incredible strength.

After standing there in a daze for a while, the girl finally managed to get out of the fear and tried to control her still weak hands and feet. Her heart was pounding, so she took a few steps back from the steps, turned around, and wanted to thank the person who had just helped her.

"Thanks……?"

The words of thanks were cut off before they could be uttered.

In the direction she believed good people existed, there was nothing.

To be precise, within five meters of her, apart from the boy who had stopped writing at some point but was still sitting on the bench, there was no one who could possibly lend a helping hand.

"Hallucination...?"

After looking around, she subconsciously reached out her left hand and touched her right shoulder with her slender fingers. The still clearly perceptible lingering sensation confirmed to her that what had just happened was not a sudden figment of her imagination.

If we rule out supernatural phenomena like ghosts or spirits... then, did he save me...?

But... although two or three meters isn't a long distance, how did he get there so quickly? And after saving me, why did he sit back down...?

After hesitating for a while, seeing that the boy had no intention of talking to her and that she couldn't leave after being helped, the girl gritted her teeth, slowly walked up to him, and bowed slightly to him.

"Hello... about what just happened, were you...?"

Regardless, he was at least a witness to what just happened, so it wouldn't hurt to ask him.

"...It was you who saved me...saved me..."

Words fell silent.

The moment she overcame the obstruction of the book and truly saw the boy's face up close.

Beneath the glow of the setting sun, which radiates light and heat like flowing gold, veiled by the heavens and earth, lies a face so dazzling that it is impossible to look away, a face that perfectly embodies the word "beautiful boy."

His dark eyes were more lustrous than jade, and his short, flowing hair was as smooth as silk. His long, defined eyelashes were gilded by the dappled light, and his thin, moist lips made his already striking nose appear even more prominent. His slender yet gentle profile was a masterpiece of sculpted features…

However, his face, so beautiful that she believed someone would be willing to pay money to make him smile, was completely expressionless. In fact, his eyes, which should have been gentle, reflected an almost cold, innate indifference.

...Honestly, it looks even better now.

She felt her heart, which had been almost calming down, pounding even harder than before, and her throat felt like it was choked by a gasp, making it impossible for her to utter a word.

This wasn't because she was a superficial person who only cared about appearances, nor was it because of some strange thing like "love at first sight." It was simply the subconscious awe and shock that humans feel the moment they see the concept of "beauty."

It wasn't until the boy slammed the laptop shut and put it in his pocket that she seemed to snap out of her shock.

Even so, she lost the courage to speak.

Seeing his face made her subconsciously feel inferior, and she continued to maintain a slight bow, unsure of what to say. Walking away would be quite awkward... The girl was thus caught in a dilemma.

Then, she watched as the boy picked up the pen that he hadn't put in his pocket, and under her bewildered gaze, gently tossed it into the air, then held it with his index finger, making it spin on his fingertip.

As the ballpoint pen teetered on the brink of collapse, its kinetic energy nearly exhausted, he shook his long, delicate hand with its distinct knuckles and gently pinched it between his thumb and forefinger.

"……well……?"

The girl couldn't help but let out a hesitant voice.

Because the pen disappeared.

Without any trace or warning... just like that, the ballpoint pen that should have been caught disappeared from her sight in that instant.

Only now did the boy raise his head and meet her gaze for the first time.

"Could you please bring me the pen?"

Just as she had imagined, the voice was gentle, matching her appearance. The voice alone conveyed a sense of boundless acceptance, like the ocean. Although the emotion it contained was rather detached, there was no hint of contempt in it; on the contrary, it was extremely polite.

"In your right pocket."

However, what he said was completely contrary to the girl's understanding.

She subconsciously touched her clothes and, sure enough, found a ballpoint pen in the pocket that shouldn't have been there a moment ago—a pen that she was certain wasn't there just now.

She had initially intended to ask him something, but under the calm gaze of the boy's beautiful eyes, the girl gave up on thinking and ultimately returned the pen to him without saying a word.

He said thank you and put the pen back in his pocket.

"...Time stopped?"

I couldn't resist asking.

"It's just 'parallax magic'."

After straightening his clothes, the boy answered her question casually, seemingly preparing to stand up and leave.

"Wait...wait a minute!"

"You saved me just now, didn't you...?"

Seeing that he was about to leave, the girl didn't have time to think much. She took a deep breath, adjusted her usual gentle tone, and hurriedly spoke.

"it's me."

He admitted it without hesitation, which surprised the girl, disrupting the words she had just prepared.

"How...how did you realize that?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Why ask about someone's motives at a time like this? Wouldn't it have been better to just thank them?

"...You seem distracted."

Unexpectedly, he answered the question.

Although she got the answer she wanted, she wasn't happy at all. It wasn't just because she asked a stupid question, but also partly because…

Now that he has realized that I have something on my mind, doesn't that mean that my secret observation of him might have been discovered?

However, he didn't say it directly, and he would pay attention to anyone who seemed distracted as they went down the stairs... what an unexpected kindness.

"Anyway, thank you very much... I have an important performance in a few days, and if I fall and get injured here, it will definitely disrupt the performance and affect everyone in the club..."

The girl carefully expressed her gratitude while observing the boy's expression. Seeing that he still seemed completely indifferent, she breathed a sigh of relief, but was also somewhat disappointed.

It's certainly a good thing that the other person isn't someone who takes advantage of a favor, but with that expression on his face... how can I express my gratitude?

"...Anyway, I want to thank you properly...would it be alright if I treated you to a meal?"

"no need."

Whether it was her imagination or not, the moment she uttered those words, a look of "I knew it" seemed to appear in the boy's eyes. Then, just as she had expected, he dismissed her question in a flat tone.

"So……"

“I don’t need anything in return. Our ‘help’ settlement has been settled.”

"Is it settled?"

"Okay. Didn't you bring me the pen? That settles things."

She felt a question mark appear above her head.

It's completely incomprehensible to him using common sense... What does he mean by "giving him the pen will settle things"? Isn't that his pen to begin with? How can these two things be considered settled...?

"……Ugh."

Seeing that the stunned girl showed no sign of moving aside, he sighed.

"I know what you're thinking... Let me put it this way."

"To me, seeing someone about to fall down the stairs and helping them is equivalent to helping someone with their pen; no thanks are needed."

"what……"

how to say……

Although his words were abstract, standing in front of him and looking into his clear yet cold eyes, the girl was surprised to find that she seemed to understand what he meant.

In his eyes, saving me was no different from helping someone get a pen; it was something that didn't require any consideration, something that "should be done anyway," something that fell into the category of a simple favor, so there was no need to be too grateful... Is that what he meant?

"That's all. I'm going home now. Goodbye."

He made a move to stand up, and the girl standing in front of him subconsciously stepped back to make room for him.

Just as he turned to leave, the girl who had been gazing at his back called out to him again.

"...Please wait a moment."

"..."