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

Harumi Mana questioned this: "Huh? That's not right, is it? I remember that the performance was about Flora choosing to give up when she was picking stars, because her star was Claire who was always by her side."

When the stage opens: Chapter One - Chihaya Aine

Chihaya Aine sits in the waiting area at London Airport, England.

"Aion-chan, have a safe journey!"

Seeing the blessing from Nana Oba on her phone, Aine replied with a smile.

"Thank you very much, Nana-senpai."

"Has Aine-chan decided which school she'll go to after returning to Japan?"

Nana, who was in the middle of her academic class, glanced at her phone and replied to Chihaya Aine's message.

"We haven't decided yet, but we'll probably consider Haneoka Girls' Academy," Aine replied.

"Haneoka?" Nana Ohba remembered something a junior had mentioned in a conversation; the second-place student in her year had dropped out and gone to Haneoka.

“Hmm, Yuqiu, I think I should be able to pass Yuqiu’s interview with my resume.” Aiyin sent a smug emoji.

"Then I wish Aine-chan all the best." Nana Ohba sent a cute chibi cheering emoji along with this message.

"I will work hard."

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"Chihaya Aine, you were the student council president in junior high school." The principal of Haneoka glanced at the resume and then looked up at the pink-haired girl sitting obediently in front of him.

"Yes, I also want to actively participate in activities at your esteemed school and have a fulfilling high school life." Ai Yin, wearing glasses, stood very formally with her legs together and her hands folded on her lap, trying to present the image of an excellent student to the principal in front of her.

"Thank you for your answer, Chihaya Aine. That concludes today's interview." The principal looked at Aine with a satisfied smile.

"Okay, thank you." Aine stood up, bowed slightly, and walked out of the principal's office.

"The interview went pretty well today. My grades in school were excellent, so I should be able to get accepted." Ai Yin walked out of the principal's office in a very happy mood.

A girl with long, straight black hair and a girl with short, gray-purple hair walked side by side toward Ai Yin.

The newcomers were none other than our protagonists, Hinasaki and Takamatsu Akari.

"Light, did you see the stars last night? It's rare to see such a clear night sky in Tokyo," Light said to Light.

“Yes, I also made observation records. Moon, do you want to see them?” the lamp said.

"Show it to me when you go to the Astronomy Club activity this afternoon."

After the two passed by Chihaya Aine, Tsuki curiously turned back to take another look at Aine.

"Not wearing a school uniform? And appearing at school during lunch break? And coming from the direction of the principal's office—is she a transfer student?"

Hinasaki glanced at Aine and guessed her identity based on her clothes and the time and place she appeared at school.

"Are they members of the astronomy club? That black-haired girl looks so familiar, like I've seen her somewhere before. Oh no, could she be my junior high classmate?"

Chihaya Aine looked at Hinasaki's face and felt a sense of familiarity, quickly recalling the appearances of her classmates from junior high school.

"What's wrong with Yue? Is it someone you know?" Lamp noticed Yue turning around to look at Aine and asked.

"No, the other person is probably a transfer student." Yue withdrew her gaze.

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The next morning, Yue sat at her desk, feeling a little bored, and scribbled in her notebook while looking at the lamp. Although she had analyzed her lack of goals during her late-night conversation with Taozi, knowing it was one thing, actually wanting to set a new goal was another.

"What should we do?"

She had already decided when she went to the drama club for guidance that although she longed for the stage, the stage of the Haneoka Drama Club did not hold such a strong attraction for her. What Hinasaki wanted now was a grander and more dazzling stage.

Just as Hinasaki was lost in thought, their homeroom teacher pushed open the door and walked in.

"Class is about to begin. Please return to your seats. I have a few things to say to you before class starts."

After confirming that the classroom had quieted down, the homeroom teacher said to the door, "Chihaya Aine, please come in."

Then Yue saw the pink-haired girl she had met briefly yesterday wearing Haneoka's school uniform push open the door, walk into the classroom, and stand on the podium.

"Hello everyone, my name is Chihaya Aine. I will be studying with you all from now on. I hope you would like to be my friend. Please take good care of me."

Ai Yin's introduction was impeccable, and the students in the audience did not hold back their applause.

"Chihaya, you can sit in the last seat." The homeroom teacher glanced around the classroom and found that only the last seat was empty.

"Okay," Aiyin replied, walking towards the last row.

As she passed by the moon and the lantern, Aine recognized them as the people she had brushed past yesterday.

"Hina, nice to meet you, Yue." Yue greeted Aine first.

"Please give me your guidance," Aine replied.

Aiyin walked to the last row and sat down. Then the teacher on the stage continued, "Let's begin today's morning meeting."

After sitting down, Aine finally relaxed, thinking, "Although my greetings were just okay, I've almost integrated into the class."

"Chihaya-kun, I'm Takamatsu Akari, nice to meet you." Akari, who was sitting in front of Aine, turned around and greeted Aine when the teacher wasn't looking.

"Please give me more advice."

Aine's arrival did not change the fact that the students still needed to go to school. After a morning of classes, the students of Haneoka finally had their lunch break.

Chihaya Aine, a newcomer to Haneoka, took out her bento from the drawer, propped her chin on her hands, and began to consider which clique in the class she should join.

Aine first looked at a group of people on the left side of the classroom who clearly exuded a "normie" vibe.

"This is too sunny and energetic; it might be tiring."

Then Aine looked at the group of people at the front of the class. They were all sitting together properly, looking very serious and proper.

"They didn't say much; they were too serious."

Just then, Yue picked up her bento box, stood up, and said to Deng, "Deng, let's go."

"Ah."

Deng took her lunchbox out of the drawer and followed Yue out of the classroom. As they passed the classroom door, several classmates greeted them.

"Ah, Tsuki-chan, Tou-chan, are you going to the Astronomy Club today too?"

"Mmm," the lamp replied softly.

Be careful on the road.

"Thank you," Yue replied with a smile.

"They seem easy to get along with, let's give it a try."

Ai Yin turned her gaze to the students standing at the door.

She picked up her lunchbox and walked over. "Excuse me... may I have lunch with you?"

"Okay, okay, let's eat together."

"Chihaya-san's surname is so cute," classmate A complimented Aine's surname.

When Aine was called Chihaya, she immediately recalled the experience of being called Chihaya by her classmates in junior high school. She smiled awkwardly and said, "Just call me Aine."

"Then I'll call you Aine-chan, since Aine's name is quite cute."

"Did Aine-chan delay starting school until now because of family reasons? It must be very tough for her," classmate B asked.

“Indeed, because everyone has already formed their own circles,” Ai Yin said.

"That's exactly what I meant."

"Does Aine know Tsuki-chan and Tou-chan?" classmate C asked.

"Eh?"

"Did the lamp and the moon greet you just now?" classmate C said.

"Oh, I happened to run into them yesterday when I came for my interview," Aine explained.

"I see. Deng and Yue did indeed go to the Astronomy Department for lunch at noon."

"By the way, doesn't Tsuki look familiar? I feel like I've seen her somewhere before, but I've looked at my elementary and middle school graduation photos and I didn't recognize her." Aine asked her question while everyone was talking about Hinasaki Tsuki.

"That's because Yue is a former idol. You should have heard of Sweet Pleas Aine-chan, right?" classmate C introduced to Aine.

"Ah, that idol project with over 100 people, now that you mention it, I do remember. I did see Yue in it."

After her classmate said that, Aine finally found Yue in her mind.

"You're actually hanging out with a celebrity! Go for it, Aine! This is a great opportunity for you to shine. If you can become good friends with Yue, you'll definitely become the center of attention in the class."

Aiyin quickly came up with a way to become the focus of the class.

"Is Tsuki-chan a member of the Astronomy Club? I've never seen her show any interest in that when she was an idol before."

Aine decided to take this opportunity to ask Hinasaki more questions so that she could get to know her better later.

“Oh right, you guys know what? When I was in the Yue-chan fan club before, I never saw anyone mention that Yue’s hobby was stargazing,” classmate B asked the others.

"I don't know either, but it might be because of Akari-chan. I remember seeing Tsuki-chan taking Akari to borrow the Astronomy Club's key in the classroom office on the first day of school," Student A thought for a moment and gave his answer.

"Oh right, I remember that Akari was the president of the Astronomy Club. I guess Tsuki only started liking astronomy and stargazing because of Akari," classmate C said.

"Touka-chan?" Aine remembered the girl who had greeted her at the morning meeting.

"The one who greeted you in class, she's the head of the Astronomy Club and also the mascot of Haneoka. You can often see her collecting stones and things like that at school, isn't she cute?" classmate A said.

“Yeah, Deng Jiang has a lot of animal-like qualities, like a little squirrel,” classmate B chimed in.

"What about Yue-chan? Is she an animal owner who takes care of small animals? I can almost picture it," classmate C said.

"It looks so cute."

"Right, right? It's really cute."

"A spirited and cheerful owner and an adorable pet—it feels like the perfect pairing for a romance drama."

"Hey! Is the topic about me over?"

Ai looked left and right, and finally agreed with them, saying, "They really are cute."

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