The projection device was connected.
"Oh, by the way, there will be a ringing sound at the beginning, but let's ignore that for now." After Homura finished speaking, he turned to Yui and asked, "Yui, can you temporarily lend me your guitar?"
"Oh... sure..." Yui cautiously handed his guitar to him, her eyes showing a hint of reluctance.
Homura: "..."
Why did he suddenly feel a tinge of guilt?
"The feel is pretty good." Homura nodded.
He approached the side of Tsumugi and the others, and Umi also moved towards the microphone.
"Is it okay to start directly?" Homura turned back and asked.
"Oh~! No problem!" Ritsu exclaimed happily. After being in the Light Music Club for so long, she finally had the opportunity to perform!
"Alright, Ritsu, you give the signal then. Umi, take a deep breath first, and then we'll begin."
Umi held onto the microphone and took a long deep breath.
"Okay... one, two, three, four!"
From the beginning, Homura noticed that Ritsu's drumbeat was a bit hurried, but Mio's bass and Tsumugi's keyboard were keeping up just fine, so he adjusted his playing to their tempo.
Umi started to sing.
"And so, we meet by chance..."
"A flower that wishes to face the sun~"
"Everyone has a stalk within their heart, don't they?"
"Cherish each of them with care~"
"Even now, a different path is waiting~"
===
Soon, the song came to an end.
Umi was slightly out of breath. It was her first time singing in front of so many people, and she knew there were some noticeable issues with her performance. Thus, she was waiting for Homura's feedback.
*Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!*
Applause filled the room as over twenty people joined in. The atmosphere in the practice room became quite lively.
"Umi-chan, you were amazing!" Honoka shouted with her hands forming a makeshift megaphone.
Umi turned her face away, feeling a bit embarrassed.
When the applause subsided, Homura finally spoke, "Alright, there's no major issue. It's just some minor mistakes caused by nervousness."
"So, when it comes to playing together, you all need to work on your cohesion, but I have a feeling that Yui's performance might be even better than mine."
"Don't be too quick to deny it," Homura interrupted Mio who was about to speak. "I could clearly sense your nervousness when playing with me, but I know it's different with Yui."
Then he looked at Umi, "Umi, you also had a minor issue because you were too nervous, resulting in the breathing problem and the mistake just now."
"Just maintain a good mindset, I must say, all nine of you are natural idols. And, you can sing this well on your first try with this song is truly remarkable."
Upon hearing a song that was almost identical to the one in his memory, Homura couldn't help but praise Muse and Umi.
Nico shook her head and said, "It's because the song you provided was so fitting, almost tailor-made."
"Is that so?" Homura chuckled. "Don't underestimate yourselves! Even with a perfect song, it still requires practice. To be able to perform at this level is a testament to your abilities."
Upon hearing his words, Maki remained silent. She felt a bit embarrassed by the praise and instinctively always attributed their success to Homura. However, in reality, he hadn't actually taught them how to practice, right?
Homura returned the guitar to Yui and asked, "How about it? Can you play?"
"Well... let me give it a try." Yui pondered for a moment, then started playing, but immediately paused. "Ahh, this is a bit challenging. I can visualize it in my mind, but my hands can't keep up..."
"It's alright," Homura reassured him. "You can try slowing down a bit."
"Like this?" This time, Yui smoothly played through a section. "Success!"
Everyone looked at her in astonishment. They knew Yui hadn't looked at the sheet music at all, yet she was able to play like that just by listening to him once?
"She is a music genius, there's really no doubt about it..." Maki exclaimed in awe. While others may have practiced for who knows how long, she could already play it almost perfectly in one go. It would be a huge blow to those who had been practicing diligently but still couldn't play it proficiently!
"I can't remember some parts afterward..." Yui murmured softly.
Homura reached out his hand and said, "Come on, let me play it again, and you can try to remember."
"Oh... thank you, Homura-niisan... anoo~ what should I call you again?" Yui scratched her head, realizing she had gotten off track, and unconsciously follow Tsumugi's way of addressing him.
"Anything goes. Homura-niisan is fine, just like Mugi. Minamiya is also fine, and Homura is fine too. Using '-san' is no problem, and using '-kun' is also fine, you can even call me senpai. You can call me whatever you want." Homura listed a whole bunch of options, but the more he said, the more confused Yui became, unable to make up her mind!
"Um... then... Homuhomu-senpai?"
Homura: "..."
What the heck was that cute nickname?!
"Hehehe~!" Everyone laughed.
Well, someone couldn't hold it in any longer, and at least half of the people were shaking their shoulders uncontrollably!
"Alright..." Homura looked helpless, "Let's go with Homuhomu-senpai for now..."
"Hahaha~!" Elf and Eriri burst into the most exaggerated laughter.
Ignoring them, he just started playing the guitar part of the sheet music again.
"Let's give it another try!"
"Okay!" After nodding, they played it again at a slow pace, stumbling a bit, but managed to finish the whole piece.
"Oohh, you're amazing, Yui! You remembered the entire piece!" Homura praised, unable to resist giving a headpat on Yui as he looked at her innocent smiling face.
"Let's do it again! Let's see if you can play it smoothly this time!"
Yui, who had just been patted on the head, absentmindedly touched the spot where she had been touched, and a few seconds later, she suddenly reacted!
"Oh! I got it!"
Yui's performance this time went smoothly, and everyone else agreed. At this rate of progress, Yui was undoubtedly a genius!
"One more time! This time, speed it up!"
"Okay!"
===
"Very well done! Let's do it again. Can you do it at the same speed as mine this time?"
"I don't know..." Yui shook her head, "But I want to give it a try."
"Go ahead and give it a try." Homura encouraged.
Soon, the quality of the performance became an okay one. There were only a few minor flaws due to unfamiliarity.
Homura turned around and faced Tsumugi, Ritsu, Mio, and Umi, saying, "This time, Yui will officially perform with all of you. And Umi, sing again. Let's all strive to do better than last time."
"No problem!" Ritsu replied, tapping the drumsticks.
"Yui, go ahead. This is the first time your band will perform together. Although it's not your own song, it's still an important experience. So, give it your all." Homura said.
"Yui! Come here!"
Yui looked at her friends who were calling her and had a bright smile on her face.
"Yes! Ricchan, Mio-chan, Mugi-chan! I'm coming!"
Homura moved to the audience's position, and he heard Eli ask, "Will they succeed?"
He didn't turn around but said slowly, "This combination... is actually a miracle, just like all of you..."
His words made all the members of Muse pay serious attention to the four members of the Light Music Club, and they couldn't help but anticipate their performance.
Soon... the performance began...