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

Soon, two dark green matcha parfaits were placed in front of Lena.

Lenai was about to reach out to take it, but Lixi quickly withdrew her hand.

"Stray cat... I need to tell you before you eat that you must play the piece according to the score during rehearsal and you are not allowed to leave early."

Lena lowered her head and thought for a while about whether it was worth exchanging these things for two cups of matcha parfait. The result was obvious: Lena's clever brain gave the answer that it was definitely worth it.

So she nodded and said to Lixi, "Okay, I know, I'll play it well."

"..."

Lixi stared at Lena, hoping to discern whether she was lying from her eyes, but Lena's eyes were too innocent and naive. After looking at her for a while, she couldn't see anything, only that Lena was indeed very cute.

"Here you go, matcha parfait."

In the end, Lixi gave in and placed the two cups of matcha parfait in front of Lenai.

Upon seeing the matcha parfait, Lena's eyes sparkled with excitement, as if she were seeing a beautiful paradise.

She deftly scooped up a spoonful of matcha parfait with her spoon and brought it to her lips. In that instant, an expression of utter satisfaction appeared on her face. Her tongue lightly touched the dessert, and she closed her eyes, savoring the sweetness of the moment.

"Is this stuff really that delicious?"

Lixi looked at Lenai's blissful expression, as if she were enjoying a feast, and a look of confusion appeared on his face.

She felt that this dessert didn't seem to warrant Lena's excitement, but judging from Lena's expression and actions, the other person must really like the matcha parfait. She recalled the taste of the matcha parfait but couldn't understand why the other person was so engrossed in it.

Just as Li Xi was contemplating whether he should make a cup to try, Nagasaki Suze walked in and, seeing Lena with Li hope, went straight over.

"Lanna-chan came to practice today, huh? Riki, a cup of Darjeeling tea."

"Yes, there's a matcha parfait to eat."

Lena nodded and pointed to the matcha parfait in front of her, which she had already started enjoying for the second time.

Su Shi glanced thoughtfully at Buffy in front of her, then at Shiina Riki, before continuing her conversation with Rakuna.

"Ah, I see. But why didn't Lena come to practice yesterday?"

"I fell asleep in the tree because I was tired."

Lena's confession shocked Su Shi. She couldn't help but stare at Lena again, her eyes filled with doubt and confusion. She didn't know how to understand Lena's words and wanted to confirm whether she had misheard.

"Rakuna-chan...did you mean up in the tree?"

"Yes, sometimes I even sleep on benches or on the roof of houses."

Lena continued saying things that shocked Su Shi.

"Let's not even talk about the height... Trees and rooftops... Ryuna-chan, do you usually sleep in these places?"

"Ok!"

Lena nodded and continued to enjoy the parfait.

Seeing Su Shi chatting away with Le Nai, Li Xi had no choice but to turn around and prepare black tea for Su Shi, as it wasn't time to leave work yet.

The light rain outside the window began to fall gradually. At first, it was just a few scattered raindrops, gently pattering against the windowpane, making a crisp sound. As time went by, the rain gradually intensified, and the raindrops hit the windowpane more densely and rhythmically, producing a continuous, melodious sound.

"It's raining..."

Su Shi looked at the raindrops outside, a hint of melancholy in her eyes.

--------

Not long after, Yue arrived with Aine.

When Yue discovered that Takamatsu Akari wasn't there as she had imagined, she couldn't help but wonder.

"Huh? Isn't Xiaodeng here?"

"? Doesn't Xiaodeng usually come with you guys?"

Lixi sensed that something was wrong. The matter of Gaosong Deng made her tone anxious, and her purple eyes revealed unease and anger.

Yue explained, "It was my turn to be on duty today. Aine was asked by the student council to help out, and Xiaodeng said she wanted to go to the store in front of the station to buy some things, and that she would come over after she finished shopping."

"We went to the astronomy department and classrooms before we left to make sure Xiaodeng wasn't there before we came here. We didn't even see Xiaodeng at the shops in front of the station."

Aiyin continued to add her explanation.

"We need to find Little Lamp right away!"

Lixi couldn't care less about today's contact. When it came to Gaosong Deng, her usually sharp mind seemed to become somewhat dull. Fortunately, Yue stopped Lixi from rushing out in time.

"Lixi-chan, calm down. Going out aimlessly to look for Xiaodeng now is not a solution."

"Moon-chan, Aine-chan, have you called Akari?"

Su Shi asked the two of them.

“We’ve already called her, but she said she’s already in Ring, so we came back here to look for her.”

Aiyin nodded to indicate that she had already called Deng.

Is it possible that the light went directly to the recording studio?

Su Shi proposed a possibility.

"Speaking of which, the recording studio seems to be empty at this time of day, no one has booked it..."

After hearing Su Shi's words, Li hope quickly checked the recording studio's reservation schedule on the computer and found that this time slot happened to be available today.

"Let's go take a look first..."

The four of them went downstairs to the recording studio they had booked on the first floor, only to find that Takamatsu Takamori, whom they had expected, was not there.

"Damn it, I should have called the police!"

Li hope took out his phone and prepared to call the police.

"Isn't it not time to contact each other yet?"

However, the sound of the lamp came from behind her.

"lamp?!"

When everyone turned around, they saw the energetic Gao Songdeng standing behind them.

"Little Lamp, where did you go?"

Aiyin went up and hugged the lamp, asking it a question.

"Ah... I just went to the restroom, and when I came out I saw you guys rushing to the recording studio..."

"Alright, alright, since Xiaodeng is alright, let's get ready to start practicing."

Seeing that it was just a farcical misunderstanding, Su Shi suggested that they start practicing.

"Well, it's finally the stray cat's here, everyone hurry up and practice..."

Li hope echoed this sentiment.

"Um...everyone...I have something I want to say."

However, a sentence that Takamatsu Akari suddenly said made Nagasaki Motoyo feel flustered.

--------

Let me tell you in advance to lower your expectations; this isn't anything groundbreaking. It's just some content added to the storyline about Su Shi's PTSD related to rainy days.

When the Stage Opens: Chapter Fifty-Nine - The Scriptwriter and the Mastermind

Rainy days have always been Nagasaki Motoyo's least favorite weather, because it always reminds her of the day Crychic disbanded.

Today happened to be a rainy day, and coincidentally, Gao Songdeng, who is currently the core of the team, said something to them after being late, which made her feel a bit PTSD.

Despite her best efforts to keep her expression calm, Nagasaki Motoyo's face conveyed an overwhelming sense of humility.

"Little Lamp... what does it want to tell us?"

Nagasaki Motoyo's words were filled with a humble plea; she silently prayed in her heart that Takamatsu Akari would not say those words.

"Everyone...shouldn't we just give up on this performance...?"

Takamatsu slowly uttered the words she had been preparing for all day.

"Phew... thank goodness... it's just a matter of giving up the performance."

As it turns out, the Japanese can compromise. If Xiaodeng had directly said she was giving up the performance, Suze might have been confused or even opposed. But if she had told the band members that she had something to say on a rainy day, then Suze, who was suffering from PTSD, would not have objected.

"Huh? Huh! Little Lamp, why?"

Ai Yin exclaimed in shock upon hearing the light. If this weren't a well-soundproofed recording studio, she probably would have been sued for disturbing the peace.

"Little Lamp...can you tell me why?"

Li hope first grabbed Le Nai, who was about to leave after hearing that she was going to give up the performance, and pressed her to the spot. Then he asked Xiao Deng with concern why.

"Yes, if Xiaodeng has any troubles, she can tell us directly, and everyone will help her solve them."

Yue echoed Li hope, saying that she had put in a lot of effort last night to persuade Shiina Li hope, who was on the verge of exploding, to come back to her senses.

But I never expected to encounter the situation that Toyokawa Shoko had described about Takamatsu Akira so soon.

"You have to admit, Xiangzi really knows her stuff... she even predicted the potential problem with the small lamp beforehand."

Takamatsu gently placed her hands on her chest, as if trying to suppress the sadness in her heart, and a heavy aura emanated from her.

She slowly raised her head, her eyes revealing a hint of heaviness and sorrow. Her brows furrowed slightly, and beads of sweat involuntarily seeped from her forehead. Her lips parted slightly, and a trembling voice escaped her lips: "Because... if things continue like this, the band will disband."

"Huh? Why would Xiaodeng think that?"

Ai asked curiously about the reason the lamp had given.

The lamp looked at everyone, lowered its head, and continued, "Because... yesterday Riki was very sad, and these days Aine-chan often walks in another direction after practice..."

"lamp……"

After learning that Deng was concerned about her, Lixi's voice was filled with gratitude: "I'm fine, Deng. I was just a little upset yesterday, but I'm completely recovered now. It's you who..."

Lixi turned to Aiyin and said, "I have been feeling a bit strange lately. Did you walk in that direction when you went home before? You can't exactly say your family moved, can you?"

"Haha, this is my new guitar teacher. I go back to her for extra practice after every session."

Ai Yin touched her hair and said somewhat shyly.