Momoi Taro wants to form a "don" brother duo, but it's a music anime.

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“Well, it’s not a particularly noteworthy story.” Taro crossed his arms and looked straight at Aine and Nyanmu sitting opposite him. “When Yukina formed the band, they were short of a keyboardist. Ako told Yukina about me, and after watching a video of me playing in a previous band, she invited me to join Roselia.”

"Wait, wait, wait!" Aine reached out to stop Taro from continuing, frowning in confusion as she asked, "I know Taro's playing is amazing, but how did Ako-san know about Taro's existence?"

“It’s a very simple matter,” Taro said calmly. “When Ayako’s older sister and I were little, we often played together for a period of time. It’s only natural that Ayako knows me.”

"I see. Roselia's older sister is Udagawa Tomoe, the drummer from Afterglow, right?" Meow Dream took out her phone, tapped the screen a few times, and opened the photos taken at the last live performance. In a very affected, admiring voice, she said, "Truly worthy of being a general, your connections are vast."

"I see. So everyone in Afterglow is a childhood friend, right? That's what the band's introduction says." Aine tilted her head, looking thoughtful. "When I asked President Yuzawa last time, she said that Taro and she were childhood friends or something? Didn't they invite Taro?"

“I did receive an invitation.” Taro raised his head slightly, his expression unremarkable, and said, “However, I declined.”

"Huh? Why?" Aine asked in surprise. Hailin also turned her head slightly to look at Taro. Meow Meow immediately leaned forward, her face full of undisguised interest. Rakuna pressed her face against the window and looked down, still looking uninterested.

Taro briefly recounted what had happened between them (see Chapter 10). After listening, all three of them, except for Rakuna, couldn't help but frown.

"Taro, that's going too far. It's normal for everyone in Afterglow to be sad... I'm actually quite surprised they didn't break off the friendship." Aine couldn't help but speak her mind, then pondered for a moment and said, "However... Taro can't lie, there's nothing we can do about it."

Miaomeng wasn't particularly interested in these things. She was more interested in Taro's reasons for quitting, so she asked with great interest, "Then, why did you quit?"

“There’s no particular reason.” Taro remained calm, crossing his arms as he replied, “I told Yukina from the beginning that I was going to form my own band and couldn’t join yours. But if you need me, I can practice with you until you find a suitable keyboardist.”

Miaomeng wasn't particularly interested in these past entanglements; she was more eager to uncover Taro's true motives for leaving. Leaning slightly forward, she pressed on with keen interest, "So, why did you leave?"

“It was a coincidence that I withdrew,” Taro said calmly, his slight bowing revealing a rare hint of him lost in thought. “At that time, I happened to find that Ako had met a pretty good keyboardist… who was my piano student.”

"Huh?!" Aine's eyes widened in shock, her voice rising with surprise: "Taro, you... you've taken on piano students?!"

"Yes, a long time ago, I worked as a piano teacher for a while to raise funds for forming a band." Taro said this without any expression, as if he were talking about something completely ordinary: "Now, Roselia's keyboardist, Platinum, is my student."

“I asked her to come and give it a try, even though she didn’t seem very confident. But I told her she could do it.” Taro raised his head and said confidently, “I believed in her, so she came.”

"Wait, wait, wait, I don't understand at all." Miaomeng pointed at her finger in confusion and said, "What does this have to do with whether or not I trust the other person?"

"It was very simple. She already had the idea of ​​moving forward, and all I had to do was tell her what was truly in her heart." Taro closed his eyes, keeping his arms crossed, lost in his memories.

At that time, Roselia was a band without a name.

As mentioned earlier, Ako suddenly came to ask for help. Taro directly stated his position to Yukina: "You need to find a keyboardist who truly belongs to the band as soon as possible. My collaboration with you will continue until the end of the first live performance at the latest."

Yukina's expression was very unpleasant at the time, but she still nodded in agreement.

After practicing together for a few days.

Ayako and Rinko were having a pleasant conversation about the band when a male voice rang in their ears: "What's wrong? Ayako, don't you know a good keyboardist?"

"Taro-san?!" Ako exclaimed in surprise, leaping to her feet and bracing herself against the table.

The two turned in surprise to look at the source of the voice, which was Taro, wearing a striking red coat. He casually pulled out the chairs next to them, crossed his arms in his habitual manner, raised his head, and said, "Good morning, Ako, and, long time no see, Shirogane."

"Hmm...long time no see..." The long-haired girl lowered her head deeply, her voice broken and almost inaudible: "...Momoi...sensei..."

"Does Rinrin know Taro?" Ako asked instinctively, then realized her mistake and raised her voice uncontrollably, "No—Teacher!?"

"Don't make so much noise in the coffee shop," Taro frowned and called out to Ayako. Hearing this, Ayako stiffened, gave the surrounding customers an apologetic smile, and sat down.

"Does Rinrin know Taro?" Ako asked repeatedly in a low voice, her eyes full of confusion.

“Um… Momoi-sensei… is…” Rinko tried her best to respond to Ako’s words, but her voice sounded unusually strained: “My… childhood… piano teacher…”

"But—Taro and Rinrin are about the same age, right!?" Ako was still unable to hide her shock, her hands unconsciously gripping the edge of the table.

"The teaching profession has nothing to do with age," Taro said confidently, raising his head. "This profession is only related to ability. There's an old saying in the country across the sea: 'Learning has no order of precedence; the accomplished are teachers.'"

"Learning nothing... what?" Ako tilted her head in confusion and touched her lips, clearly not understanding.

"Learning has no order of precedence, the accomplished are the teachers... This means..." Rinko squeezed the words out of her throat and explained to Ako, "In learning... we shouldn't distinguish between those who learn first and those who learn later... but rather compare the level of ability... the one with stronger ability... can be called... the teacher... that's the meaning."

"I see," Ako exclaimed in sudden understanding. Turning to Rinko, her eyes relaxed, and she thanked her, "Thank you for explaining it to me, Rinrin."

"You're welcome... Yako," she replied softly. It always seemed like she only truly relaxed when talking to Yako alone.

"Speaking of which, I didn't know Rinrin could play the piano." After all that fuss, Ako finally remembered the important point and turned her head to look at Rinko.

"Ah, no," Ako waved her hand and explained, "I'm not sad, just surprised."

“Um… I’m sorry… I haven’t had a chance to tell you before…” Rinko explained briefly, but before Ako could respond, Taro pushed his chair up, the chair legs scraping against the ground with a short, sharp sound, and said, “That solves the problem. I’ll go tell Yuki.”

"Um...am I...can I do it...?" Rinko whispered, "I can...play, but...not as well as the teacher..."

"Rinrin can definitely do it!" Ako clenched her fist excitedly and said, "Ako believes in you!"

"Isn't that obvious?" Taro turned around, looking back with absolute confidence, and said, "There is no me but me. My performance is a 75-point performance. (At this moment, Taro cannot play the melody of happiness.)"

"And you want to play it too, right?" Taro's question calmed Rinko's flustered expression slightly. After a brief pause, she whispered, "Yes..."

“Then there’s no problem.” Taro turned his head back, looked straight ahead, and then said softly, “It’s great that you didn’t give up.”

After saying that, he left without waiting for Rinko's reply. However, he could still faintly hear Rinko's voice in his ears: "Yes... I'm sorry... and thank you, teacher."

Taro smiled and quickly left.

Episode 25 of "Dong": The Dong Brothers and the Roller Coaster

After briefly organizing his memories aboard the Ferris wheel, Taro recounted them. The Ferris wheel, having passed its highest point, slowly descended, as if it too had listened to the entire mundane story. Aine, on the other hand, looked utterly disappointed, her face clearly conveying, "That's it?"

With obvious disappointment, she asked, "Huh? Isn't there anything more special?"

"What do you mean by 'special thing'?" Taro looked at the disappointed pink-haired puppy in front of him and asked, somewhat puzzled, "That's all there is to it. I don't know what you want, but if it's not here, it's not here."

"Hmm... In my imagination, it would be more exciting if there were more love, hate and all that," Aine tilted her head and pondered, then whispered her opinion: "But... how should I put it, it sounds a bit boring."

"I don't understand what you mean." Taro habitually raised his head, maintaining his usual upright posture. Meow Dream also stepped in to smooth things over: "Well, well, there's nothing we can do about it. So, what are we going to do later? The parade doesn't start for a while yet."

"Roller coaster." It was Hailing who answered, her usually calm face now showing a hint of determination: "I want to drink ginger ale first, and then ride the roller coaster."

"Wow...you're still thinking about this kind of thing? Are you...a masochist?" Miao Meng looked at Hai Ling with disdain and gave a more practical suggestion: "This is just my personal opinion...roller coasters are far inferior to the 'experience' of the General's Spinning Teacups. Why don't you go and try that one?"

"No." Hai Ling refused decisively, saying with a very serious expression, "I'm not a masochist."

"Is it that serious...?" Taro still seemed confused. The four of them, however, said in unison, as if they had rehearsed it: "Yes!"

Even Rakuna, who was completely indifferent to the conversation, couldn't help but stand on the same side as the others and criticize Taro.

Despite being loudly affirmed by all four people, Momoi Taro remained seated with his arms crossed, his face expressionless.

…②九霓〒<刘4咎I衤三坝⑹7…

After getting off the Ferris wheel, Hai Ling kept her word and went straight to the food truck. She ordered a ginger ale and gulped it down.

"You'll definitely burp if you inhale like that?" Miao Meng looked at Hai Ling with a strange expression, and then, as if in response to her words, Hai Ling looked embarrassed and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Wow..." Miao Meng drawled out the syllable softly. But there wasn't much of a reaction. After all, compared to the exhilarating sip she had just experienced in the spinning teacup, a burp was nothing to worry about. He wasn't a 'big brother'.

Hai Ling seemed to be trying to forcefully suppress the burp and swallow it back down, covering her mouth with her entire hand. Seeing this, Taro smiled confidently, took a few steps behind Hai Ling, and said loudly, "Leave it to me!"

"belch--"

Hai Ling heard Momoi Taro's familiar "Leave it to me" voice behind her. A vague sense of unease rose in her heart. Before she could react, she was unexpectedly hit on the back with a light slap. She staggered, and her hand covering her mouth fell away, letting out a loud burp.

Taro patted Hailing's back to help her burp, then took two steps forward and said confidently with a "problem perfectly solved" attitude, "It's better for your health to burp, because most burps caused by soda only happen once, so this will completely solve the problem."

Hai Ling suddenly turned around, staring intently at the back of Momoi Taro, who was walking confidently ahead, with eyes full of murderous intent. Aine and Meow Dream did the same thing at the same time—they pressed their palms heavily against their faces, a gesture known as—"unable to bear to look."

"Hmph—" Lena, who had been standing quietly to the side and had just ordered a matcha parfait, watched the chaotic scene with interest. As if she had remembered something, she softly imitated her grandmother's comment: "An interesting man."

However, after making her assessment, she didn't bother with the chaos over there. She had more important things to do—

Lena quietly walked to Aine's side and reached out her small hand to tug at Aine's sleeve.

Ai Yin wanted to step forward to comfort Hai Ling, who was on the verge of exploding, but then she felt a slight tug on her sleeve. She turned around in confusion and saw Le Nai tugging at her sleeve. She reflexively put on her usual smile, which was a little coaxing, and asked, "Little Le Nai, what's wrong?"

"Aine, the bill, please," Lena said simply, naturally stepping aside while still holding onto Aine's sleeve with one hand, and smoothly extending the other towards the food cart. The waiter on the cart had just placed Lena's matcha parfait on it, and seeing Aine looking over, gave her a professional, gentle, and polite smile.

Aine's smile froze for a moment, but remembering that she had promised Rana that she would treat her to dessert, she could only sigh helplessly in her heart and resignedly take out her wallet to pay for the matcha parfait she had ordered for Rana.

Satisfied with her goal achieved, Renai held her matcha parfait and followed Taro with light steps. Meowme, on the other hand, remained completely detached and indifferent, leisurely following beside Taro.

Hai Ling suppressed the murderous urge surging within her (mainly because she knew she was no match for him) and quickly strode after him. Taro was standing right where the roller coaster she was so focused on was.

Seeing this, Ai Yin could only sigh slightly and follow at the back of the group with a somewhat helpless expression.

The roller coaster was nearly empty, probably because the Hello, Happy parade was about to begin, and everyone was rushing to grab a good spot. Thus, this roller coaster ride became an exclusive experience for the five members of the Dong Brothers group.

Taro and Hailin naturally took the seats at the very front, where the view was the best. For Taro, who always occupied the center position, this was simply a matter of course; Hailin, on the other hand, had insisted on experiencing the roller coaster, so naturally, sitting at the front would be the best experience. Rakuna and Aine sat right behind them.

This was also to make it easier for Aine to take care of Rakuna. Aine turned to the side and naturally reached out to straighten Rakuna's collar, which had been ruffled by the wind, while Rakuna didn't seem to notice at all.

She simply lowered her head and focused intently on fiddling with the seemingly torn threads on her clothes, as if using them as guitar strings. Her other hand pressed the frets on the safety bar, and she hummed a melody she had practiced earlier, as if everything around her was irrelevant.

Meanwhile, Miaomeng sat comfortably behind Aine, leaning back slightly and watching Taro and Hailing with amusement. Her keen eyes easily detected the subtle tension in Hailing's movements; she could tell that Hailing harbored a competitive spirit.

Of course, Ai Yin didn't forget something important—as the band's recognized SNS minister, during the wait before the roller coaster started, she naturally took out her phone, snapped a photo of her teammates in the carriage, some focused and some relaxed, and quickly uploaded it to SNS with practiced ease.

"It's a rare opportunity for team building at the amusement park, so of course I have to record it!" she muttered to herself, a hint of pride on her face.

Hai Ling glanced at Ai Yin's movements behind her, pursed her lips, and said nothing. She simply focused her gaze more intently on the increasingly steep and winding track ahead. Her fingers unconsciously tightened their grip on the safety lever in front of her.

Just then, at the announcement of the staff, the roller coaster's engine suddenly emitted a deep roar, and the car body vibrated slightly, indicating that it was about to start.

Momoi Taro maintained his calm and composed demeanor, arms crossed, as if the thrill of high-speed driving was nothing more than a trivial matter.

Aine, startled by the sudden tremor, gasped softly, but quickly smiled with excitement. Instinctively, she reached out to protect Ryuna beside her. "Ryuna-chan, it's starting! Hold on tight!" Aine raised her voice, her tone clearly reassuring and encouraging, trying to put Ryuna at ease.

Lena then looked up from her thoughts, her always languid eyes gazing at Aine. There was no extra expression on her face, she simply moved slightly closer to the arm that Aine was using to protect her.

Miao Meng observed everyone's reactions with great interest from the back row, especially Hai Ling's forced composure. She clicked her tongue softly, plotting how to tease this competitive bassist later.

The roller coaster slowly climbed to its highest point, paused briefly, and then plunged downwards. Aine, Hailing, and Miaomeng tried to maintain calm expressions, but their bodies instinctively made them scream in uncontrollable terror.

As Hai Ling screamed, she subconsciously pursed her lips, suppressing her inner panic; Aine, overwhelmed with fear, instinctively reached out and tightly grabbed Le Nai's arm beside her; Miao Meng also screamed, her original composure soaring into the sky with her scream.

Taro, however, remained in the same posture he had when he got on the train, arms crossed, his expression calm and unwavering, as if the violent descent and the screams around him had nothing to do with him.

Lena used her lazy eyes to curiously observe Aine, who was clinging to her arm in fear, with no particular expression on her face. She simply let Aine hold onto Yueyi Qier Sanji quietly, neither struggling nor responding.

The roller coaster undulated and rose, and the three people's hearts rose and fell with it. Their original thoughts vanished with the screams, replaced by pure enjoyment (?).

The roller coaster slowly came to a stop, and the five members of the Dong Brothers group unfastened their safety levers and stepped off their seats. Lena habitually stood half a step away from Taro, while Taro, arms crossed, looked up at the sky and, without turning his head, shouted to the three behind him, "What incompetent servants! They can't even handle a test of this level with ease!"

"General... this clearly has nothing to do with the band's ability." Meow Dream rubbed her weak legs, trying to protest, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction: "It's just that you're too special, General."

Upon hearing this, Taro turned around abruptly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the pale-faced trio. "Isn't Rakuna alright too?" He pointed to the girl beside him who was tilting her head, studying the matcha smoothie signboard, her white hair swaying gently with the movement.

"Little Lena, aren't you scared?" Aine placed her hands on Lena's small shoulders with some curiosity. Looking at the other's calm appearance, she couldn't help but humbly ask, "Is there some secret?"