Chapter 9: Friendship
As October approached, the weather gradually became cooler.
At school, students who were more sensitive to the cold had already started wearing the winter uniform.
Calling it a winter uniform was actually a bit misleading.
It was just a thin jacket, and when winter really arrived, it would hardly keep anyone warm.
Still, for the cool autumn weather they had now, it worked well enough.
Today, Li Nuo was wearing his school jacket.
Since he sat by the window, whenever a breeze blew into the classroom, he could pull his jacket tighter around himself to stay warm.
As for closing the window, even if he wanted to, the other students would not agree.
Some students were sensitive to the cold, but others were afraid of the heat.
Besides, keeping the windows closed would reduce air circulation, and during flu season, that made it easier for illnesses to spread.
As usual, Li Nuo was daydreaming during class.
Resting his chin on one hand, he absentmindedly looked at his deskmate, An Ran'er, who was carefully taking notes.
The moment he remembered being caught wearing women's clothing at the convention yesterday, he felt annoyed again.
It was all Zhou Qikuan's fault.
He had been tricked by a few anime figures.
Fortunately, when An Ran'er came to school today, she did not bring up the incident.
Or rather, she continued treating him like he was invisible, just as she always did.
However, Li Nuo now knew that her cold attitude was mostly an act, so he did not care as much anymore.
This period was Chinese class.
Although he liked the subject, he did not enjoy every part of it.
What he liked were the stories and essays in the textbook.
Whenever he received a new book, he would first read those pieces as if they were short stories.
But when teachers analyzed every sentence in detail, explaining things like the author's emotions and hidden meanings, he quickly lost interest.
Some explanations made sense.
Others did not.
And some were so strange that Li Nuo felt even the original author would be confused if asked about them.
Maybe that was why his Chinese grades were average, but his essays often received high scores.
While his thoughts were wandering, a bee slowly flew in through the window.
After circling around the classroom once, it landed right on the tip of his nose.
"Ahhh!"
The moment Li Nuo saw the bee, he screamed in fright and jumped to his feet.
As he stood up, the teacher immediately stopped speaking.
Every student in the classroom turned to look at him.
"Student, do you have a question?"
The Chinese teacher looked annoyed at being interrupted.
"N-No."
"If not, then please pay attention."
"O-Okay."
Li Nuo quickly sat back down.
His embarrassment was through the roof.
Being stared at by the entire class made him want to dig a hole and hide inside it.
After class ended, whispers immediately spread around the room.
"That scream sounded like it came from a girl."
"I've always thought he acted kind of feminine."
"I knew at first glance he wasn't manly."
"Who knows?"
"..."
Even though they were speaking quietly, some of the comments still reached Li Nuo's ears.
Ever since coming to this school, he had always lowered his voice whenever he talked.
He was afraid people would notice how unusual his voice sounded.
Now, after that scream, he knew it was over.
The whispers felt like needles stabbing into him.
They brought back memories of the terrible treatment he had received in middle school.
The bullying.
The insults.
The humiliation.
Scene after scene flashed through his mind.
Sitting at his desk, his body trembled.
He covered his ears tightly with both hands, desperately trying not to hear the voices.
But the harder he tried, the louder they seemed to become.
Just as he was nearing a breakdown, a large figure suddenly stood up.
The person walked over to Li Nuo's desk, gently pulled his hands away from his ears, looked around the classroom, and shouted,
"What are you all talking about? Shut up."
"You've studied for so many years, but you still don't understand how to respect other people? Idiots."
His powerful voice instantly silenced the room.
The noisy classroom became completely quiet.
Everyone looked at him in surprise.
Even An Ran'er, who normally stayed silent and acted indifferent, stared at him with a shocked expression.
Like everyone else, Li Nuo looked up at the person standing in front of him.
It was none other than Zhou Qikuan.
The first friend Li Nuo had made since coming to this school.
This was the first time someone had stood up for him.
His eyes became slightly red.
He bit his lower lip as countless emotions filled his heart.
After confirming that nobody was talking badly about Li Nuo anymore, Zhou Qikuan finally returned to his seat.
Li Nuo felt deeply grateful.
He immediately turned around and thanked him.
Looking at Li Nuo, Zhou Qikuan grinned.
"If I can't even protect my own friend, then what kind of man would I be?"
Not only did he say such an incredibly cheesy line, but he even struck an equally cheesy pose.
He did not care at all what other people thought.
The ridiculous sight made Li Nuo laugh despite himself.
It was an embarrassing line, but Li Nuo remembered it firmly.
One day, he wanted to become a real man too.
Just like his good friend Zhou Qikuan.
……………………………
Late that night,
Inside Li Nuo's small apartment.
He sat in front of his computer, thinking about what song he should cover next.
Suddenly, someone sent him several pictures.
When he opened them, he discovered they were from Zhou Qikuan.
Zhou Qikuan: "These are the photos we took at the convention last Sunday. Take a look."
Li Nuo: "You don't need to send them to me."
Zhou Qikuan: "Huh? You don't like them? They look great."
Li Nuo: "Go away."
Looking at the photos of himself dressed in anime-style women's clothing, Li Nuo's face darkened.
He had absolutely no need for this kind of embarrassing evidence.
As Zhou Qikuan continued sending pictures, Li Nuo suddenly typed a question.
Li Nuo: "Do you have any favorite songs?"
Zhou Qikuan: "My favorite songs?"
Li Nuo: "Yeah."
Zhou Qikuan: "Hmm... Let me think. I like INNOCENCE by Eir Aoi, Renai Circulation by Kana Hanazawa..."
"......"
Li Nuo stared at the list in surprise.
Every single song was Japanese.
Taking a deep breath, he sighed.
As expected of an anime nerd.
Fortunately, thanks to years of watching anime, he was familiar with Japanese songs.
His pronunciation might not be perfect, but singing along should not be a problem.
After choosing one of the easier songs, he put on his headphones and began recording.
A cheerful and beautiful melody echoed through the small room.
…………………………
At the same time,
Inside a luxury apartment in the city.
The room was dark.
An Ran'er sat curled up in a corner of her bed.
Her face looked exhausted.
The tear marks on her cheeks were still visible.
She hugged a cat-shaped pillow tightly in her arms.
Just moments earlier, their manager had sent them a final notice.
If they could not find a new lead singer within three days, they would have no choice but to officially announce the permanent disbandment of [The Girls].
An Ran'er had joined the group when she was fourteen.
From an inexperienced trainee, she had gradually grown into a popular idol and the band's leader.
Only she knew how difficult that journey had been.
More importantly, she was not the person who originally created [The Girls].
The founder was someone very important to her.
She had promised that person she would help make their dream come true.
She would never allow the band to end under her leadership.
Never.
Ding.
A notification suddenly appeared on her phone.
[A creator you follow has uploaded a new video.]
In the dark room, the light from the screen reflected in her eyes.
Staring at the name on the screen, she whispered softly,
"[A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold]... I will find you."