In music anime, band girls won't be alone.

Shiina Tatsuki knew what she was referring to in what she hadn't finished saying.

She also had this suspicion.

For some reason, she felt extremely irritable.

Nagasaki Motoyo looked at Shiina Tatsuki's expression, a hint of worry in her eyes.

"Lixi, as you know, Dengjiang was always protected by everyone in the band."

"She is a sensitive and fragile child with a kind personality."

"But I'm not very good at interpersonal communication."

"I started to get a little worried when you said that Deng Jiang wasn't going to meet you tomorrow."

"I'm worried that her kindness might lead her to be deceived, causing her further emotional distress, especially since we're not all around her..."

"Especially with the opposite sex, you know, sometimes the purpose of getting closer to someone of the opposite sex isn't so simple..."

Shiina Tatsuki felt the nameless fire rising in her heart growing stronger and stronger, and she was so irritable that she didn't want to hear any sound.

She interrupted Nagasaki Motoyo directly.

"You don't need to say anything more."

"I'll go see tomorrow and find out which guy met with Deng."

Nagasaki Motoyo let out a soft sigh of relief, appearing as if she had been put to rest.

“That’s great, Lixi.”

"As expected, you are the most reliable."

"With you here, I believe no one can do anything to us."

Shiina Tatsuki did not respond.

"If there's nothing else, I'm going to get to work."

Nagasaki Motoyo nodded with a relieved expression.

"Then I'll be going now. Please take care of me, Lixi."

After saying that, he turned and left.

After leaving RiNG, Nagasaki Motoyo's expression vanished completely, leaving only a hint of smugness in her ocean-like eyes.

When the clock struck ten at night, Shiina Tatsuki tidied up the counter, changed her clothes, and left RiNG.

She took out her phone; the notification bar was empty.

She opened the chat app, clicked on Gao Songdeng's profile picture, and saw that the last time the two had communicated was last month.

With a sigh, Shiina Tatsuki scrolled down, clicked on Nagasaki Motoyo's profile picture, and sent her a message.

Do you know what time Deng is meeting that person tomorrow?

The other party replied immediately.

"I don't know, but tomorrow is the weekend, so it shouldn't be too early."

"So Lixi should get some rest first."

After seeing the message, Shiina Tatsuki turned off the screen, put away her phone, and started walking home.

The alarm clock rang at eight o'clock the next morning.

Shiina Riki opened her eyes and, without a second's hesitation, put on her clothes, got out of bed, went to the toilet, and washed up.

After packing, she slung her shoulder bag, which contained pepper spray and drumsticks, over her shoulder and headed to the building where Takamatsu Akari lived.

After hesitating for a while, she decided not to go upstairs and to wait downstairs.

Around 9:30, Shiina Tatsuki saw Takamatsu Akari come out and immediately went to greet her.

Upon seeing the former, the latter showed obvious surprise.

"Lixi?"

Shiina Tatsuki suddenly felt as if the other person's gaze was scrutinizing her very soul, and she couldn't help but break out in a slight sweat, her throat feeling as if it were blocked.

"That...I..."

After stammering for a moment, Shiina Ritsuki closed her eyes and asked directly,

"Deng, what are your plans for today?"

Gao Songdeng had no idea what the other person was up to, but he still told them the truth.

"I'm going to the aquarium now..."

Before Shiina Tatsuki could finish speaking, she spoke again.

"Is it one person?"

Gao Songdeng looked at her with some curiosity, feeling that she seemed a little different today.

"With my classmates."

While observing the other person's expression, Shiina Tatsuki mustered her courage and cautiously began to speak.

"Then, Deng, can I go with you?"

A look of surprise appeared in Takamatsu's eyes.

"So you like going to aquariums too?"

Having said all that, Shiina Tatsuki could only nod.

Gao Songdeng didn't think much of it, assuming that the other person simply wanted to ask him to go out and have fun.

"Well, I don't have any objections, but since I didn't mention Li Xi beforehand, I'll call my friend first to let him know, so he won't be unaware of the situation later."

These words made Shiina Tatsuki immediately sense the change in the other person. She felt that the other person seemed easier to communicate with than before, and upon closer inspection, even their temperament had become slightly more sunny.

"Does that mean the lamp has already moved on from that incident?"

Shiina Tatsuki suddenly felt a sense of relief.

In her opinion, after CRYCHIC fell apart, the one who was hit the hardest was Takamatsu Akari. Not only did she stop contacting the other members, she also blamed herself for Toyokawa Shoko's departure and shut herself off in her own little world.

To be honest, when Nagasaki Motoyo told her yesterday that Takamatsu Akari was going out to meet someone, she was initially furious and became quite irritable.

But after calming down and thinking about it, she felt that this might not be a bad thing.

For Gao Songdeng, being willing to go out and meet people on weekends is a significant step in her mindset, indicating that she is willing to move on from the heavy negative emotions of the past.

This shift in mindset is likely related to the person she is about to meet.

So Shiina Tatsuki came here today mainly to see what kind of person could change Takamatsu Tomaru.

"Hey, Ze-kun."

Shiina Tatsuki's thoughts were interrupted by Takamatsu Akari's voice.

She looked up at the latter and saw that when he spoke, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly and his eyes shone with a hint of light.

Now she was certain that the person on the other end of the phone was the one who had changed Gao Songdeng.

After hanging up the phone, Takamatsu Akari looked at Shiina Tatsuki with a smile on her face.

"Ze-jun said he was very happy that today's aquarium trip had an additional companion."

"Lixi, let's go!"

Volume 1: Chapter 18 Shiina Tatsuki's Approval

Shiina Tatsuki and Takamatsu Akari walked side by side to the entrance of Shuka High School.

Shirakawa Sawa had already arrived and waved to the two of them when he saw them.

After the two approached, Shirakawa greeted Takamatsu Akari first, then looked at Shiina Tatsuki with a polite smile.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Shirakawa Sawa, and I'm Touka-chan's classmate. It's nice to meet you."

"Shiina Riki."

The black-haired girl with a beauty mark under her eye nodded, her tone indifferent.

Although she knew that Takamatsu Akari was able to start getting out of her past negative emotions entirely thanks to the boy in front of her, she still found it difficult to give him a kind look.

Shirakawa was carrying a bag containing two hot lattes.

He handed the bag to Takamatsu.

"Dengjiang, it's a bit chilly today, so I bought you two cups of coffee to warm your hands."

Takamatsu Akari quietly thanked him, then took out a cup and handed it to Shiina Tatsuki next to her.

The latter didn't really want it, but seeing the smile on the former's face when it was handed to her, she reached out and took it, while looking away and whispering a thank you.

"Shall we set off now?"

Shirakawa looked at the two people in front of him and asked them a question.

Takamatsu Akari nodded, and Shiina Tatsuki followed suit.

Since the aquarium was still some distance away, Shirakawa hailed a taxi on the roadside and took the three of them to the aquarium.

Upon arriving at the aquarium, Shirakawa Sawa and Shiina Tatsuki needed to buy tickets to enter, unlike Takamatsu Akari who had an annual pass.

While the two were buying tickets, Gao Songdeng watched them from the side with a calm gaze.

After entering the aquarium, although she said she came to see the penguins, Takamatsu Akari did not head straight to her destination. Instead, she wandered around the aquarium, introducing each creature she knew to the two people beside her.

During this process, Shiina Riki gradually discovers that Shirakawa Sawa is different from herself, who only knows how to say "oh," "um," and "ah." Every time Takamatsu Akari introduces a creature, the other party will look at her attentively and give positive feedback after the introduction.

However, the other person doesn't just focus on Takamatsu Akari; they often give you opportunities to speak. Sometimes, when you can't say anything because you don't know her well enough, the other person will use jokes to help you continue the conversation.