Meanwhile, on the other side, inside Eden’s private rehearsal room.
After reviewing the list of accompanists submitted by the supervisor, Eden frowned.
“…Why is there a student among the accompanists?”
The supervisor paused, then flipped through the list in his hand.
“Ah, you mean that young man named Liang Wu, right?”
“He is indeed young, but his guitar skills are quite good.
Though he hasn’t reached the level of a professional musician, as a temporary fill-in accompanist, his skill is more than sufficient.”
Eden listened to the supervisor’s explanation, but her expression did not improve: “That’s not what I’m asking.”
The supervisor’s expression froze for a moment, then he scratched his head awkwardly.
“Well…
the situation is a bit unusual.
Actually, that kid came in this morning to sign up.
We weren’t planning to let him in.”
“But he played a piece on the spot, and his skill was indeed good.
The key thing is…”
“He was very sincere, saying he’s a huge fan of Miss Eden, that he grew up listening to your songs, and that when he heard your accompaniment team was having issues, he specially asked his school for a week’s leave just for the chance to audition.”
Eden: “…”
Eden was silent for a moment, her gaze falling on the age column next to the name on the list—eighteen.
She silently calculated her debut year and the timeline of her rise to fame, then reached a conclusion.
Nonsense.
She was not that old.
The corner of Eden’s mouth twitched slightly, but she ultimately showed no obvious expression: “…Understood.
Since he was recruited through the proper process, we’ll follow procedure.
You may go.”
The supervisor nodded with relief and quickly left the rehearsal room.
After the door closed, Eden sat alone on the sofa in silence for a moment.
Then she picked up her phone, opened her contacts, and tapped on her agent’s chat window.
Her fingers paused over the screen for a moment before she typed a line.
“Look up someone for me.
Name: Liang Wu.
He just joined the accompaniment team through today’s audition.
He’s a student at Chiba Academy.
I don’t need too much background detail, just don’t invade his privacy too much.”
Send.
Yes, Eden was still a bit uneasy and decided to do a little digging.
Perhaps because of her experience with Elysia, Eden tended to pay close attention to younger kids.
A student of Liang Wu’s age should probably be focusing on his studies, right?
But if he really was a devoted fan and had actually taken a week off just for her, then Eden felt she needed to correct this young man’s thinking.
Eden opened it, her eyes quickly scanning the lines on the screen.
“Liang Wu, male, 18.
Third-year student at Chiba Academy.
Orphan.
No record of relatives.”
Her gaze did pause briefly when she saw the word “orphan.”
No family, living alone in Nagazora—that was indeed not easy for a young student.
But she quickly composed herself and continued reading.
“Academic records are normal, grades slightly above average.
Transferred to Chiba Academy from another city two years ago.
The reason for the transfer was listed as guardian work relocation, but verification shows he has no actual guardian.”
“However, it is worth noting that his behavior at school suggests a tendency toward depression.”
Eden’s brow furrowed slightly.
So he was actually a student with depressive tendencies?
If that was the case, then he did need more attention.
“Additionally, starting from six months ago, he has multiple small loan records under his name, totaling approximately 70,000.”
Eden: ?
Loans too?
And 70,000 was not a small amount for a high school student still in school.
Even if they were just small loans, accumulating to that sum was enough to raise concern.
Eden put down her phone, an uneasy feeling beginning to form in her mind.
Orphan, living alone, small loans, taking a week off to audition for her concert’s accompaniment team…
Taken individually, none of these points might seem like serious issues, but put together, along with that flimsy excuse about growing up listening to Miss Eden’s songs, Eden could not help but think of something unpleasant.
She picked up her phone again and looked at the last line from her agent: “Need further investigation?”
She thought for a moment, then typed a few words: “No need.
I was just curious.
Let’s leave it at that.”
After sending it, she set her phone aside, leaned back on the sofa, and gazed out the window.
Still…
she could not stop worrying.
Eden had seen many people in the industry—some genuinely loved music, others used it as an escape from reality.
She had seen too many people treat the stage as their last lifeline, and that young man named Liang Wu gave her that exact intuition.
Eden let out a soft sigh, then picked up her pen and drew a small circle next to Liang Wu’s name on the list.
“Maybe…
Elysia could help him?”
…
On the other side. This story is hosted at g.com.
Inside Eden’s concert rehearsal hall, Liang Wu was sitting cross-legged on the floor, holding a guitar from the venue.
“What’s wrong?
Are you nervous?” Kiana tilted her head, watching him from the side.
“Nervous?
Not really.
But…
I’m getting a bit bored.”
Yes, the rehearsal process was mind-numbingly dull.
After all, Liang Wu was just an accompanist.
The real practice was not on him.
He could slack off if he wanted.
But how much time had passed?
He had not even caught a glimpse of Eden.
How was he supposed to farm points?
Damn.
So accompanists were just lowly supports, not even worthy of meeting the main DPS?
“Do you play guitar often at school?” Kiana seemed interested in Liang Wu’s past.
Liang Wu thought for a moment.
He did play often at Chiba Academy, but mostly to add some flavor to his melancholic persona.
After all, people remembered a melancholic boy holding an umbrella in the rain while playing guitar.
That sounded pretty avant-garde.
“Sort of.
I learned it when I was bored before.” Liang Wu replied casually.
“Later I found that playing guitar was surprisingly useful for maintaining my persona, so I kept practicing.”
“Maintaining a persona?” Kiana blinked, clearly not understanding.
“…Never mind.
Just pretend you didn’t hear that.” Liang Wu waved his hand, ready to change the subject.
But just then, an unexpected voice interrupted his thoughts.
[Ding!
New melancholic character detected: Elysia.
After achieving a basic bond, the host may attempt to switch binding.]
[Ding!
Elysia bond value increased.
Current bond level: Basic.]
Liang Wu: Who?