Tunzuo sat upright, drumsticks in hand, feeling utterly tormented.
The music practice room was thick with a barely concealed tension, the source of which was unmistakably Tunzuo.
To be precise, it came from the two formidable figures flanking her—
Olivia and Naiya, her appointed music instructors.
Tunzuo had naively believed she had devised a flawless division of labor for Olivia and Naiya.
Olivia, with her aristocratic music education, would teach notation and basic theory, building the theoretical framework.
Meanwhile, Naiya, with her myriad identities and exceptional hands-on skills, would handle the specific drumming techniques, laying the bricks.
Tunzuo thought this clear boundary would erect a firewall between Olivia and Naiya, keeping their conflicts at bay, allowing the two rivals who couldn’t stand each other to teach her how to play the drum set with equanimity.
But it turned out Tunzuo was wrong—
Dead wrong, ridiculously wrong, irredeemably wrong.
Olivia and Naiya simply couldn’t work together.
No, to be precise, they couldn’t even exist in the same space.
To put it metaphorically, if a planet had only Olivia and Naiya left, they would still manage to find each other from across the galaxy and have a massive fight.
Throughout the time Tunzuo was learning to control the drum set, the war between Olivia and Naiya never ceased.
It was noisier than a heavy metal rock concert by Rammstein.
“No, Xiao Youling, your rhythm is off. This is a 4/4 time signature, not what you just played. Playing it that way will sound dissonant.”
Olivia pointed to the staff on the music stand, her brow slightly furrowed as she corrected Tunzuo’s timing error.
Before Olivia could finish, the pale mask pressed against Tunzuo’s face let out a piercing laugh.
“Hah? 4/4 time? You’ll just turn the young master into a wooden puppet with your rigid dogmas, you yellow lizard! Young master, don’t listen to that bookworm yellow lizard. Listen to me—follow your instincts! Drumming is about slamming, not counting!”
Naiya’s disruptive words made Olivia bristle instantly, her normally elegant demeanor vanishing.
“Nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards! If you can’t even keep a steady beat, no matter how loud you slam, it’s still just noise!”
“Noise? Then what’s the point of your lullaby-like music theory lessons? To let the young master get a good night’s sleep while practicing?!”
“Damn mask! You’re misleading Xiao Youling!”
Naiya showed no sign of backing down, writhing back and forth on Tunzuo’s face in a gesture of intimacy that made Olivia’s teeth clench with anger.
“Come on, young master, listen to me. Raise your left hand another two inches. Yes, like that. Now let’s give that yellow lizard a whack on the head!”
And when it was Naiya’s turn to guide Tunzuo on specific drumming techniques, Olivia seized every opportunity to cut in.
Olivia crossed her arms, sitting beside Tunzuo, scrutinizing Naiya’s teaching with a critical eye that would make even a witch shudder.
The moment Tunzuo’s posture wavered, or Naiya’s tone turned slightly coarse, Olivia would immediately chime in, her tone laced with three parts sarcasm and seven parts superiority, condemning Naiya’s teaching style as unsuitable for Tunzuo and outright unfair to a beginner.
Olivia and Naiya were evenly matched rivals.
Even when picking bones from an egg, they competed to see who could find the sharpest, hardest one.
They argued to their hearts’ content, using each other as touchstones to hone their rhetoric and logic.
But Tunzuo, caught in the middle and yanked back and forth, was having a terrible time.
Tunzuo felt like a piece of iron trapped between two powerful magnets, stuck and unable to move.
She would set down her drumsticks to soothe a fuming Olivia one moment, then press down on the mask writhing frantically on her face to calm Naiya the next.
After all this busywork, Tunzuo felt utterly drained.
Under Olivia and Naiya’s combined instruction, Tunzuo’s physical stamina hadn’t been depleted much, but her SAN value was nearly exhausted.
Tunzuo felt as if she were playing Don’t Starve—
Her fullness meter was fine, but her mental health bar was bottomed out, and shadow monsters were beckoning to her.
Thinking of her predicament, a weary Tunzuo couldn’t help but cast an envious glance toward Hai Lanyue and Huli.
How was it that they, too, were handling instruments for the first time, yet the difference was like heaven and earth?
Over at Hai Lanyue’s side, Sally and Shirley were giving guitar lessons with great care.
The two witches worked in perfect harmony, speaking softly, offering encouragement to Hai Lanyue at every turn, praising her so much that even she felt a bit embarrassed.
And Hai Lanyue’s special constitution, for once, didn’t act up during practice.
As for Huli, Lei Ruiya was teaching her hand over fist.
Though Lei Ruiya usually seemed cold, she was surprisingly patient as a teacher, meticulously correcting Huli’s finger placement errors.
Tunzuo looked at them, then looked at herself.
Those who knew understood she was practicing the drum set here.
Those who didn’t might think they’d stumbled into some brutal love battlefield, witnessing a philanderer being put on trial.
In her resentment, Tunzuo let out a grief-stricken howl in her heart.
Oh, heavens above, why are you so cruel to me?!
As the lesson progressed, Tunzuo’s fatigue became obvious.
Her gaze began to glaze over, and she even started showing clear signs of annoyance.
The drumsticks in her hands began tapping impatiently against the rim of the drums, finally making Olivia and Naiya realize the gravity of the problem.
No, they couldn’t keep arguing like this.
If they kept it up, the young master’s Xiao Youling’s affection for them might drop.
So the atmosphere on the field turned delicate.
Now, whoever stopped first would be the one prioritizing the big picture and teaching seriously, thereby earning more favor from Tunzuo.
An invisible signal passed through the air.
Olivia and Naiya both fell silent simultaneously, setting aside their confrontational stance and beginning to teach earnestly.
Seeing that the other had the same idea, Olivia and Naiya exchanged a rare moment of tacit understanding.
Their eyes held both an approval of “good thing you’re sensible” and a wariness of “I won’t give an inch.”
What evenly matched rivals.
Next time, I’ll find a better opportunity to defeat you.
And Tunzuo, who could read exactly what Olivia and Naiya were thinking from their expressions, simply shrugged with her drumsticks in hand, completely giving up.
Sigh.
What a sin.
Whatever.
It’s hopeless.
Bring on the apocalypse.
Hurry up.
But a saving grace was that, thanks to the witches’ terrifying brain capacity and extraordinary learning ability, Tunzuo managed to complete her drum set basics in a single night.
The process was convoluted and bizarre, punctuated by countless arguments and peacemaking efforts, but at least the outcome was good.
As for the price…
Well, it was nothing.
Tunzuo’s soul just felt about two ounces lighter.
After practice ended, Shirley gathered all the witches.
Standing before them, her gaze sweeping across their young faces, she smiled and announced, “Since everyone’s instrument practice is on track, let’s start preparing the pieces we’ll perform at the academy festival. Each witch must recommend one song. You can think it over tonight. No slacking off, okay?”
With that, Shirley cast a meaningful glance at Tunzuo, who was trying to sneakily hide behind the other witches.
It was obvious Shirley was warning Tunzuo not to think she could just skate by.
This left Tunzuo, who had been planning to make an excuse and pretend she’d conveniently forgotten about it, in an awkward spot.
Tunzuo shrank into a shadowy blob in the corner of the music practice room, wishing she could bury herself in a crack in the floor and avoid all the witches.
What’s the deal…
Can’t there be a little trust between witches?
Why do you have to come after me like this…
After Shirley finished speaking, she clapped her hands and dismissed them, letting the witches go back to their rooms.
Back in the dormitory, Tunzuo briefly said goodnight to Olivia and the others, then barged into her room, collapsing onto the bed in exhaustion without even bothering to change her clothes.
Sensing Tunzuo’s fatigue, Naiya obediently crawled down from her face and lay quietly beside her, unusually refraining from causing trouble.
Tunzuo lay in bed, hugging her pillow, staring up at the ceiling as she began to think about what song she would submit tomorrow.
There was no way she could write her own song.
She didn’t have the emotional intelligence or the talent.
The best she could do was pull a few good songs from the Blue Star songs she’d heard and transcribe them.
“Glorious Years”?
Mm, the melody didn’t seem very suitable for a group of young witches to sing.
That song was too heavy.
It might work for an experienced witch like Miss Shirley, but for these young girls, it would feel out of place.
“Love That Cannot Be Conveyed”?
Uh, the meaning didn’t seem great.
At an academy festival, it was better to sing something positive.
Even though most witches weren’t exactly normal, White Album was a bit too…
Thunderous.
“God Knows”?
An insert song from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, a classic for academy festivals.
It had enough fire and was perfect for showing off.
But it required some technical skill, so hopefully, she wouldn’t drop dead on stage.
Just as Tunzuo was frowning over what song to play for the festival, a familiar melody and lyrics crossed her mind.
Tunzuo couldn’t help but hum softly.
After humming, her eyes lit up.
This song carried loneliness mixed with restlessness, confusion mixed with determination.
Hai Lanyue would probably love it too, and the difficulty wasn’t too high.
It was suitable for her and for Hai Lanyue.
With an idea in mind, Tunzuo quickly scrambled out of bed, ready to write down the lyrics and sheet music.
But the moment she picked up her pen, her features twisted in distress.
The lyrics were fine.
She could roughly recall them from memory.
But what about the sheet music?
Even though Olivia had taught her, she was still just a music newbie at the end of the day.
How was she supposed to write out staffs, notes, and rests?
Just as Tunzuo was worrying about the sheet music, Naiya, who had been lying on the bed, flapped her mask-like body over to Tunzuo.
The pale mask grinned eerily at Tunzuo, as if it could read every thought in her mind.
Naiya spoke cheerfully, “It’s okay, young master. Leave it all to me. If you wear me on your face, I can read your memories and thoughts and recreate the music in your mind for you.”
Naiya’s words filled Tunzuo with joy.
Who would have thought that Naiya, who had been nothing but a troublemaker all this time, could actually come in handy as a cheat device now?
Without a second thought, Tunzuo picked up Naiya and pressed the mask firmly onto her face, adjusting it into position.
But as soon as the pale mask was securely in place, Tunzuo’s consciousness sank into chaos, growing hazy, and she fell into a vast, white mist.
The smile on the pale mask spread.
Its originally eerie curve twisted and shifted into the shape of an EKG, reading Tunzuo’s memories and thoughts.
Countless twisted runes were projected from the pale mask, floating in midair, emitting a faint green glow.
Naiya gradually recompiled them into standard lyrics and sheet music, imprinting them onto the white paper spread across the desk.
The next afternoon, after school let out, the witches of the student band gathered together.
The atmosphere was a bit heavy.
Even Olivia, along with the other three witches, had worried expressions on their faces.
Clearly, the songs they had selected were not very suitable for the academy festival.
Olivia usually listened to classical music, so the pop songs she picked were outdated, feeling like relics from ancient times—
Classic but lacking passion.
Sally’s choice was a well-known heavy metal rock song from Duonayongra.
The technical demands were too high; the guitar solo in the intro alone could snap your fingers.
It was unanimously vetoed.
Huli’s chosen song was more like a nursery rhyme—
Soft and fluffy, good for lulling someone to sleep, not for livening up the atmosphere.
Hai Lanyue’s pick was too quiet, a slow-tempo ballad that would probably be inaudible over the noise of the academy festival.
Just as the witches were fretting over what song to play and starting to doubt their very existence, Tunzuo finally stumbled into the music practice room.
She looked like she hadn’t woken up properly, walking as if she were floating.
The moment Tunzuo entered, she was met by four pairs of eyes that looked at her as a last hope, like drowning people grasping at the final straw.
Seeing this, Tunzuo twitched the corner of her mouth.
She was about to ask what had happened when Naiya, still attached to her face, eagerly snatched the conversation.
“Heehee, ordinary witches, come and appreciate the music the young master has chosen!”
As she spoke, Naiya used her magic to manipulate the instruments in the practice room.
Drumsticks flew up on their own, hovering over the drum set.
Guitars and basses floated into position, strings vibrating.
The keys of the electronic keyboard pressed themselves down.
An impassioned sound of music filled the room.
With the accompaniment, Naiya sang loudly, her voice enhanced by magic, rivaling an original soundtrack, full of penetrating power.
[Raindrops fall onto the eaves wet from dusk]
[Hard to empathize with this boring world]
[The soaked feelings alternate with]
[the changing seasons]
The beautiful melody echoed through the music practice room.
The unique rhythm and explosive energy instantly captured the hearts of every witch present, making them listen intently.
Naiya’s song continued, her voice high-pitched and full of emotion.
[You hear]
[the noise deep in my heart]
[The sound that never ceases]
[still sings such a blazing melody]
[Let these hot words]
[allow my heartbeat]
[to tell you]
[About a lonely galaxy that exists in a vast blue sky]
When the song ended, all the witches burst into applause.
Clearly, everyone was satisfied with the song Tunzuo had chosen.
Olivia, especially curious, asked, “Xiao Youling, what’s the name of this song you picked? I’ve never heard it before.”
To this, Tunzuo simply smiled gently and said softly, “A song from Blue Star. I used to love listening to it before I became a witch.”
“Its name is…”
“Guitar, Loneliness, and the Blue Planet.”