Aspiring to be a girl in a band

Asking her to start a conversation was really asking too much of her.

Xiangzi's face showed hesitation, as if he was carefully considering his words.

Arakawa Kirika looked at her and was the first to laugh out loud.

"What's so funny..."

Xiangzi frowned. She was annoyed by Arakawa Kirika's inexplicable smile and felt that the other party was looking down on her.

"Of course... they're laughing at you, Miss Xiangzi."

Arakawa Kirika continued speaking while stirring the tea in her teacup with a teaspoon in her right hand.

"When that waitress left just now, you nodded to her in return, right? Hmm... As expected of a young lady, her manners and etiquette are ingrained in her very bones."

When Arakawa Kirika uttered the words "Young Miss," Xiangzi didn't see it as a compliment; instead, she perceived it as a sharp sarcasm.

"Laugh if you want..."

Anyway... there's nothing I can do to you.

Xiangzi suddenly felt a bit resigned to his fate, so he simply picked up the Earl Grey tea in front of him and took a small sip.

"It tastes so good..."

The lingering fragrance on his lips and the silky smooth texture as he swallowed it prompted Xiangzi to utter a word of praise.

But in the next instant, Xiangzi realized something was wrong and quickly covered his mouth.

That scumbag is definitely going to laugh at me...

she thought.

But Arakawa Kirika didn't say anything, still looking at Shoko with that frivolous smile, as if to say something.

"I'll let you go this time."

Why would Arakawa Kirika "kindly" give up the opportunity to ridicule Xiangzi?

That's because she saw a kind of beauty in Xiangzi that was enough to bring her joy.

Despite her family's decline, this girl maintained her old habits and always held herself to the same standards.

Is she planning to use this behavior to maintain her fragile self-esteem?

So cute!

……

After a while, Arakawa Kirika became a little impatient when she saw that the two of them still had no intention of speaking.

"Are you just going to waste this rare encounter? Or... is my presence hindering the intimate conversation between childhood friends?"

As she spoke, Arakawa Kirika made a gesture to stand up.

Mutsu, looking nervous, quickly grabbed Arakawa Kirika's sleeve.

"No...that's not it."

Looking at Mu's cautious movements and the anxiety that couldn't be hidden in her eyes.

Arakawa Kirika glanced at the time on her phone screen.

Then I decided to stay a little longer.

Seeing that Arakawa Kirika had sat down again, Mutsumi's expression returned to calm, and he took a deep breath.

This time, Mutsu decided to take the initiative to speak, otherwise Arakawa Kirika would get bored and want to leave again.

"Why...don't you reply to my messages?"

When Mu said these words, his eyes were fixed on Xiangzi.

Xiangzi's gaze, however, was somewhat evasive.

She couldn't answer that question.

Why did I ignore Mu's message...?

It's probably because... I don't know how to face her.

Her family has fallen on hard times, and now she only has a useless, irresponsible father who drags her down; while her childhood sweetheart, Mu, is still basking in the glow of her celebrity parents.

Even though Mu's attitude towards her hasn't changed, she still considers her one of the people she cares about most, just like before.

But Xiangzi still harbored some resentment in his heart.

She even considered breaking off their friendship because she couldn't accept that the two of them were no longer equals, but in the end she couldn't bear to.

and……

Thinking of this, Xiangzi bit her lip again and glared at Arakawa Kirika with malice.

It's all this guy's fault.

She already had Mu... yet she insisted on forcing herself to be her maid... and even...

The thought of the outrageous things Arakawa Kirika did to her...

A feeling of shame and indignation suddenly arose in Xiangzi's heart.

This leaves her wondering... how should she face Mu?

That's why she couldn't reply to Mu's message.

It wasn't that she didn't care about Mu and therefore ignored him; on the contrary, it was because she cared too much about Mu's feelings that she couldn't type a single word.

In the end, Xiangzi could only give a bitter laugh and say to Mu with a somewhat desolate expression.

"sorry."

Book 1: Chapter 61 Fragile Self-Esteem

Why apologize?

Mu blinked, somewhat confused.

She wasn't angry that Xiangzi kept ignoring her; instead, she became even more worried about Xiangzi, which is why she decided to come to the school to find her.

But... Xiangzi apologized.

Moreover, that sense of apology, coupled with Xiangzi's expression just now.

Mu felt...very uncomfortable.

She didn't understand what Xiangzi was apologizing for.

But a gut feeling told Mu that the heavy sense of apology definitely didn't refer to something like "not replying to messages".

Forget it.

Xiangzi remained silent.

So Mu decided not to delve into the matter further. Seeing that Xiangzi was in pretty good shape, she felt relieved.

So she continued.

Su Shi said she really wanted to see you and asked if I knew where you were.

Xiangzi finally reacted to those words.

Her brows were furrowed.

She felt a bit annoyed and didn't understand why that guy was bothering her so much.

"Mu, you didn't reveal my information to that person, did you?"

Xiangzi's tone also carried a hint of annoyance.

Mu shook his head.

“I didn’t say that.”

Xiangzi was slightly relieved and then continued.

"That's good. Don't mention that person in front of me again."

"Mu, you can't be someone else's mouthpiece."

Mu nodded gently, then buried her head in the straw again.

"And what about me?"

Just as the conversation between the two childhood friends was getting into the swing of things, Arakawa Kirika suddenly chose to interrupt.

?

Xiangzi's eyes widened; he didn't quite understand what Arakawa Kirika meant by those words.

"I mean..."

Arakawa Kirika drawled out her words as she pulled Mutsu into her arms.

"Can I let Mu act as a mouthpiece for my words?"

ha?

Xiangzi's expression became even more puzzled.

Does this scumbag in front of me know what he's saying?

If she wanted to find him, she wouldn't need to go through the "message relay" process at all; she could find him directly.

Besides... even if I say I can't, it's pointless, you won't listen to me anyway.

So what exactly is her purpose?

Is it a public display of affection? Or simply a way of showing off to oneself...?

Xiangzi watched as Mu was held in that scumbag's arms, qunliubaIX

Even my stomach started to cramp.

Then Xiangzi looked away, because even a second glance would hurt his own feelings.

"Tsk."

Seeing that Shoko remained unmoved, Arakawa Kirika released Mutsu out of boredom.