After dropping out of school, I chose to join a girls' band.

Page 12

Seeing Deng's dilemma, Yue decided to take the initiative to accept Su Shi's request and help Deng resolve this predicament.

Su Shi turned to look at Yue, her eyes filled with inquiry and doubt.

She seemed to notice the slight unease on Yue's face.

Yue had a smile on her face, but her eyes revealed a hint of tension and unease.

Her smile seemed somewhat forced, as if she were hiding something. Su Shi keenly noticed this and couldn't help but feel suspicious.

"Yue, thank you so much for your help, but do you know what Xiangzi looks like?"

Su Shi rubbed her index fingers together, a smile on her face as she asked Yue.

"Of course, didn't Lixi tell you? I'm a Crychic fan. I've seen your Crychic performances, so I know exactly what keyboardist Toyokawa Shoko looks like."

Yue explained with a smile.

"Ding-dong-"

Su Shi's phone alarm went off. She glanced at the time on her phone, smiled, and said to everyone, "Then I'll have to trouble Yue and Deng. My mother will be back tonight, so I'll be leaving now."

“Oh, no problem, we’ll do our best to keep an eye on Xiangzi’s situation at school,” Yue replied with a smile.

Yue sighed softly and leaned back in her chair, finally feeling relieved after Su Shi's departure.

Li Xi, standing to the side, lowered her head in remorse and said as if apologizing, "Deng, I'm sorry. Because of a post I made on my WeChat Moments, I leaked your information about Yuqiu, which led to Su Shi coming here."

"Lixi, it's okay. I'm happy to see Sushi too."

The lamp comforted Lixi, but the expression on its face still carried a hint of heaviness and unease.

Before the Stage Opening: Chapter Nineteen Late-Night Conversation (Part 1)

As night fell, Lixi, Deng, and Yue unusually formed a homecoming team. They left the restaurant together and strolled towards the nearby tram station.

On the platform, they waited quietly for the train to arrive, listening to the announcements broadcast that the train was about to enter the station.

Yue always thought, "There probably won't be any giraffes this time, right?"

Yue recalled that the last time she saw a giraffe on the train was after she parted ways with Deng and Lixi, and went home alone.

"Maybe we should get off the bus with Deng and the others later. What if we run into a giraffe again?"

A tiny version of Yue emerged from the top of Yue's head. She was wearing the uniform of Haneoka Academy and looked very cute.

"It's just a giraffe, isn't it? At most, it'll say some weird things. As a stage girl, you shouldn't be afraid of the stage's invitation."

Stage Girl Yue showed a helpless expression on her face after hearing Yuqiu Yue's words.

"That won't do. I finally got a good rest today, and if I run into a giraffe and hear some strange things, I'll have insomnia again tonight."

She vehemently refuted the suggestion from the stage girl, Yue.

Stage Girl Yue showed a helpless expression after hearing Yuuki Yue's rebuttal, but still insisted.

"What's meant to happen will happen, so let's avoid this shameful situation!"

On the other hand, Yuqiu Yue shrugged and answered firmly.

"Running away is shameful, but it's useful!"

Just as Yue was struggling with her inner conflict, and Yuuki Yue and Stage Girl Yue were about to fight, Yue in casual clothes appeared.

"Alright, stop arguing. We can just get off the bus with Deng and the others and then take a taxi back, right? Even a giraffe can't just block people in the middle of the road, can he?"

Her proposed solution was very practical, offering a possible compromise after two months of conflict.

Unfortunately, Hinasaki, who enrolled late, had not yet heard from her seniors about the giraffe that once stood on the streets of Shibuya.

Ms. Yue, seemingly suffering from train PTSD, silently made a decision as she listened to the train gradually slowing down and pulling into the station.

Let's get off the bus together with Deng and the others. Deng's place isn't far from my house, and taking a taxi back won't be expensive.

The lamp watched the interaction of the three little figures on the moon's head, and tilted its head in confusion.

——————Train in operation——————

"Light, let's go."

After the tram arrived at the station, Lixi stood up, ready to get off the tram with Deng.

"Wait a minute, I'll go with you."

Yue quickly stood up and followed Deng and Lixi off the tram.

"Moon, why are you with us today?"

The lamp raised a question.

Of course, Yue wouldn't say that she was afraid of encountering a strange giraffe uncle while riding the tram alone.

"Well... of course I want to spend more time with Deng. I've known Deng for a while now, and I'd like to visit her home. I don't know if Deng will welcome me."

Yue used a reason most commonly used by Japanese high school girls, but she didn't expect that the lamp would not respond. Instead, it aroused a reaction from Riki next to her.

"what?"

Lixi was surprised by Yue's bold statement. She had only known Deng for less than a month and already wanted to go to Deng's house.

She and Deng had known each other for almost a year, and she hadn't even seen Deng across the bridge yet, but Yue had only known Deng for less than a month and was already thinking about going to Deng's house.

"If Yue wants to go, that's fine."

There was a hint of happiness hidden in the lamp's words.

"Light! May I go?"

Upon hearing Deng's reply, Lixi immediately pressed for more information, making no attempt to hide the anticipation in his words.

"If Lixi wants to come, that's fine too."

Deng turned to look at Lixi and said something that excited Lixi greatly.

Lixi really likes lamps.

She saw the joy sparkling in Lixi's eyes, as if she were seeing stars in the sky, radiating infinite brilliance. Lixi's pure joy infected Yue, and she couldn't help but show a gratified smile as well.

The group quickly crossed the human bridge and arrived at Takamatsu Akari's house.

"Mom, I brought my classmates over to play."

Deng returned home and greeted her mother.

"Good evening, Aunt Takamatsu. I am Hinasaki, a friend of Takamatsu."

"Good evening, Aunt Takamatsu, I'm Tatsuki Shiina, a friend of the light."

Following closely behind Tama, Tsuki and Riki also greeted Takamatsu Tama's mother, Takamatsu Hikaru.

"Oh, good evening! It's rare to see Deng bring friends home. I'll go prepare some drinks for you."

"Thank you so much, Aunt Gaosong." *2

After expressing their gratitude, the two followed the light into her room.

The room with the lamp was rather spacious, with curtains on both sides. Yue could imagine that when the curtains were drawn back, the sunlight would stream in, making the whole room feel warm and bright.

The bed is a bunk bed with a desk underneath. The bed is neat and comfortable. A desk is placed on the side by the window, and various collectibles of the lamp are displayed on the desk. A storage board on the wall displays the various badges collected by the lamp.

A telescope sits beside the window, perched on a sturdy tripod, its tube pointing out the window, ready to observe the starry sky—a fitting description of Deng as an astronomy enthusiast.

The room is decorated in a simple yet elegant style. The various collectibles are neatly arranged, and although there are many things in the room, it does not look cluttered at all.

"Lixi, come and see! There's another panda badge here that you like."

Standing in the room with the lamp, Yue pointed to a display board. In the center of the board was a badge with a cute panda image that caught her eye.

"Moon, don't pry into the lamp's privacy..."

Although Lixi outwardly said not to look into the lamp's privacy, she was still attracted by the panda badge and couldn't help but walk over.

She leaned closer to the display board, carefully observing the adorable panda image, her eyes revealing her affection for the cute little object.

"Really! So cute! Where did you buy the lamp?"

Lixi excitedly asked the lamp.

"That... seems to be a gift from the staff when I went to the zoo to see the pandas last time."

After thinking for a while, Deng replied to Lixi.

Then, as if remembering something, he forcefully pulled a box from under the table. Inside, various notebooks were neatly arranged, their covers printed with different patterns and designs.

“Lixi, if you like pandas, there’s a notebook with a panda cover here,” Deng said to Lixi, then began rummaging through the box.

Before the Stage Opening: Chapter Twenty - Late-Night Conversation (Part 2)

Just as Deng rummaged through the box and found a panda notebook to show Lixi, Yue saw a creature resembling an insect on the next notebook in the box.

"What is this?"

Yue walked over and took the notebook out of the box.

"A rhinoceros beetle, that's what Xiangzi likes..."

Upon seeing the notebook, Deng seemed to be overcome with emotion, his amber eyes filled with the light of memories.

"Xiangzi brought me to a place of light, and she also brought everyone to my side."

"Xiangzi started Crychic... Xiangzi was so warm and radiant."

"lamp……"

The lantern's words were completely unexpected by Shiina Tatsuki.

"So that's what the lamp was thinking all along?"

Shiina Tatsuki clenched her fist, but quickly relaxed it.

"Could you tell us how you and Xiangzi met?"

Yue felt it was necessary to understand what kind of person Xiangzi was before the incident, since he still had such power after Crychic disbanded.